There was definitely more to say than I addressed here, but there'll be time enough in the coming months for the rest, I'm sure.
The real site of grief today, for my US friends, is the election you *won't* get to have in November, thanks to your narrowed options for presidential candidate.
There are so many important economic, legal, and foreign-policy issues you should be seeing hashed out on the main stage.
But the 2024 election has already been stolen--from you.
https://onlysky.media/mclark/the-election-us-voters-wont-get-to-have/
I take it you haven't read the piece.
I just read your absurd framing of it. That was plenty for me.
What did you interpret from my "framing"?
Jeebuzz, scroll UP.
Then you're not responding to what I wrote.
No, you're not processing my response.
Lemme put it this way: it's pretty rich for some apparently-non-voting expatriate to be deploring the state of American politics from freaking COLOMBIA, okay?
Go and be the change you want to see in the world or something. This ain't that.
McFate, you know that I write on different countries. I write extensively on their politics, and explore spaces where they are failing or bolstering democratic action.
Here, I do the same for the US, advocating for the issues that US voters won't get to see hashed out on public platforms, or vote on effectively, because this year's been hijacked.
What are you actually angry about, when you see me write about the US the way I do other countries: compassionately and pro-democratically?
Who's angry? I'm just taking issue with a bunch of silliness. Maybe that's making YOU angry.
Look just walk away. I'll help you by muting this thread, hm?
You've used a very personal and antagonistic tone from the very beginning of your replies.
I'm not angry. It's clear that seeing my summary tripped a switch - especially when your first thought was that this was going to be some "Clinton was robbed" nonsense.
I'm trying to understand.
Tough luck. You haven't understood what I've posted so far, and I don't imagine it was because I was unclear.
Β―\_(γ)_/Β―
Your first comment misread the summary by suggesting that it was a "Bernie was robbed" style lament.
If you're just upset that a non-US citizen is writing about US politics, when I routinely write about international state politics in a pro-democratic way, then you have to understand why that would be surprising for me. I wrote about India's election season just this Monday.
This is a really tense time for the world, though, so it always helps to understand what's caused the upset.
@MLClark I don't think you're incorrect. I don't agree with everything but I'll go a step further to say the average voter, probably not reflected in the population here, just doesn't care that deeply about issues. We're the country that votes for the best looking kid for class president, to use an analogy. We have fallen victims to accepting the "lesser evil" without being able to articulate any complicated issue other than what personally affects our wallets as voters.
@MLClark That having been said, I think the "robbing" goes way back with all you described and the addition of party cheating (gerrymandering, flooding the coffers of nonviable candidates, super PACs etc). We've got a lot working against us. We've had cleaner elections but historically speaking, I'm not sure when those were.
I sorely appreciate your sharing all of this, SV.
Canada's also been known to pick the "handsome", family-dynasty candidate, so we can't judge.
And knowing the usual commenters on the site, I imagine your observation is going to be echoed in many of theirs. There *is* definitely an issue on the average-voter level, too.
But as you note here, *so* much has been systemically taken, too. It's a really tough nut to crack. I wish you every success in navigating your corner of it.
@MLClark I can't vote harder. I do what I can which right now, is getting people to the polls in a non partisan manner. We're all in this together regardless of our country of origin. We all affect one another.
Thank you, SaltyVeruca.
There's a rhetorical move in articles like this; it serves to "call in" good-faith actors, rather than simply dwell on the bad.
Last year, while writing about how we were failing to take climate change seriously, someone wondered why I wasn't just writing an article telling everyone how stupid they were being.
Here, too, many think the US is getting exactly the election it deserves - and that kind of rhetoric is everywhere. So I went with the "call in".
@MLClark And I think that's a great "outsider's" take which you're entitled to have since our country affects everyone at some point. Maybe we do get the election we deserve and maybe we don't. I think there's responsibility on both sides: the manipulators and the manipulated, but the fact remains many voters feel the system is broken beyond their personal control. We certainly don't encourage voting from everyone. Voters rightly feel the system is rigged.
"We certainly don't encourage voting from everyone."
The sheer amount of time spent on voter registration and fighting to make sure your names haven't been removed!
Canadians can show up at the polls day-of, and swear an oath if they don't have ID (something that helps the unhoused especially). Otherwise, we're added to the register when we file our taxes:
One of the benefits of writing about world politics is learning how many local battles have been artificially constructed.
@MLClark How much we deserve I don't know. We don't do much to change it. We elect incumbents repeatedly beyond their capabilities to represent. We accept status quo. It's not convenient to vote, not paid time to do it, and we have to beg people to register. At some point, we need to look at the root issues and change ourselves in order to change the system. I won't live to see it. It'll take time if it ever happens.
@MLClark I just depressed myself. Good article though.
It may take time, but the insights you've gained from your experiences - which you've kindly shared here, and no doubt share elsewhere in your life, too - still make a difference. We stay informed, and we share our information as best we can, in the hope that even if *we* can't act on it, someone else can and will.
π« Thanks so much for reading, and for sharing your insights here. I hope the rest of your afternoon is *much* more cheering now!
@MLClark β€οΈ Keep writing.
And please keep sharing when you think I've missed something. β€οΈ We all need a good, constructive nudge from time to time. Grateful to you for yours.
@MLClark I'm half way through your piece but I saw the back and forth here and feel that I should offer my support. I don't disagree with what you've written. I appreciate your perspective. I don't agree that you must be a voting citizen to have an opinion on the US political landscape. I also feel like the 2024 election has been hijacked for the reasons that you stated. It's all boiled down to a hamfisted "Democracy or Not". It should be much more nuanced and we should have many more choices.
Thank you for taking the time with the piece, Ironworker. I appreciate your thoughts very much.
I was caught off-guard only because I write on international politics all the time, so it was an unusual personal attack to levy at one piece--but some folks really don't like seeing the US written about the same way we write about other countries.
I wrote this piece for everyday voters, who deserve better democratic discourse. I'm thankful that those who read it understood as much.
@MLClark
Okay, that's whiny nonsense. That's some "CLINTON STOLE THE ELECTION FROM BERNIE!" shit. Why would you think this sensible?
Am I to understand here that you're not even a registered US voter?