Ok, so this is what it looks like when the government starts moving against free speech. This is what free speech refers to, our ability to freely criticize our leaders, to their faces if we like. It is not "I get to voice every toxic opinion that pops into my head whether or not you like it."
No one is perfect, if we can't criticize our leaders, no progress can be made.
https://newrepublic.com/post/179218/john-fetterman-democrats-criticizing-biden-basically-maga
@tippitiwichet
He's just reinforcing the box our two party system puts us all in.
We've been living under "lesser evilism" for a few decades and it chafes
@BrentSullivan @tippitiwichet Yup. I'm with you. And I hope that after the stupid election, Mr. Fetterman grabs balls again and does demand some criticisms be addressed.
@BrentSullivan Yes, exactly. We need to pressure this out of existence, hopefully a change in how we vote will force hopefuls to address real issues, not play distraction tennis. I saw some areas were actually testing ranked voting, that's exciting.
@tippitiwichet
I like ranked choice voting as a way out of the trap
@tippitiwichet Part of what frustrates me is that I'm pretty sure Biden would rather John Fetterman fell off the Earth into outer space. He's unlikely to want to be associated with a populist with a biker beard and a hoodie, who doesn't like corporations and is actually pro-union, and who didn't rely on the big money donors and superpacs the Democratic party likes to depend on.
Biden isn't going to take advice from him.
Fetterman's defending a guy who likely wouldn't have his back in return.
@tippitiwichet And now the media will work overtime to smear John Fetterman for doing the same thing Democrats are typically feeling multiple heavy pressures to do - toe the party line and support the candidate they think they can win.
He shares that sin with many Democrats.
But he does not appear to share the sin of taking dirty money and listening to lobbyists.
I put up with Bernie and Elizabeth endorsing Biden.
Note that I'm one of the people who critizes Biden all the time.
Insults about Biden’s age, mental acuity, stuttering, etc are hardly related to policy positions.
They are just low class insults.
@LnzyHou @tippitiwichet A valid point. And I think he's talking about Democrats as in people in the actual party who are maneuvering for influence for self-interested reasons without concern for the grave harms at risk, not democratic voters.
@LnzyHou That's true, but they are also issues that are being magnified due to political strategies by the other side, they are reactionary. If you silence those, you play into Republican hands, they want a culture of worshiping your leader. We need to be able to address other issues that are real, and we need to not encourage the social pressures that aid fascism.
@tippitiwichet I absolutely agree with you that if we cannot criticize our leaders, no progress can be made.
I am _allllll_ about questioning authority. I did and do it with Dad, so criticizing Biden is a cake-walk for me.
I suspect his concern is not that they are leveling valid criticisms, but are promoting falsehoods in order to jockey for power and influence, not because they believe it. Or that the criticisms leveled tend to be spurious.
If he's saying _we_ shouldn't cricized, fuck that.
Yes. I know he has some good points. But instead of trying to silence criticism, he could try addressing the issues raised, or to encourage Biden to.