This is Getting More Fun
Dear Melissa of the P.S.L.
I am going to reread what you wrote, again, carefully, before I respond. Despite my eagerness to reply. Thank you for being generous with your opinion.
Your quotes are first.
"There is no single strategy more failed than attempting to coopt the political machine to make it work for everyday people." True.
"I am for the revolutionary overthrow of the government." That's pretty cool. To be that brave. Really. I don't think it's the best idea but your courage is awesome.
"There is no democratic structure to "retain" here in the first place." Technically you're right. This is a republic. But I'd argue that we have more "democratic structure" here than in most countries. Somewhat ineffective at democracy though it may be. I want direct democracy. That's in my platform. I want everyone to be able to vote about everything the government does all the time.
"But even within the framework of this bourgeois "democracy", the powerful have never been good because they're been made up of virtuous people with a correct ideology. They've done it because they have been frightened of power from below: of mass movements, of strikes, of riots, occasionally even of assassinations." Yes. Absolutely. Bullseye. The powerful only give up power when made to.
"I can give historical examples but we have even seen this recently with the example of police reform: when there were riots across America in 2020 in response to racist police violence, we saw otherwise spineless, pro-law-enforcement politicians put forward bills to reduce police funding. They withdrew it and went back after the riots were done though since the pressures were gone." Yup. Exactly.
"The mistake of our movements in recent times has been to trust this appeasement and believe electeds will actually follow through on their promises instead of hounding them and pressuring them to do what we want, kicking and screaming." You should be running this group. You and Rebecca.
So you're right about everything you said. What you're not right about is implying I am wrong. We can both be right.
I promise we have the exact, same objective. But I just don't wanna have a real revolution with things blowing up all the time. Do you really? Do you want to fight in a war or do you want to fix these problems?
You're right. The politicians suck. All of them. And have sucked since... ever. Very rarely does any "regular" person get any power. And when they do, they are corrupted by it and join the other team. The Super-Rich and Powerful's team.
Take AOC. She said all the right things and seemed to be a radical but when she got to Congress, she liked her office. And she decided to play the inside game instead of the outside one.
I will not do that. I want to go there deliberately to be a disruptor. I want to ream them all, a new one.
You were responding to my criticism of the PSL more than my enthusiasm for Congress, I think. So I will address that.
"There is no single strategy more failed than attempting to coopt the political machine to make it work for everyday people." Why? Because those in power have needed the assent of those with the most wealth to stay in power. But what if everyone in power didn't care? What if all you needed to win an election were good ideas, and not a lot of money?
If people only vote for candidates who aren't raising any money, as a matter of principle, then those candidates will not be bought by the billionaires. That'll be good, right? That will help a little, right? "I will only vote for $0 candidates" That's a flyer I want the PSL to hand out.
What if after "you" and I win, everything we did was available for the public's view? What if after I win I put all of my electronics' screenshares online, viewable live, by everyone on earth. What if I am live on audio ~every second of every day? What if my office has 24/7 cameras and audio for you to watch and listen to as I and my staff conduct business? You would know what I'm up to, right? Who I'm working for? So if I suddenly made friends with lobbyists you would know and make me regret it. That would help, right?
Melissa. If you were the President, and I was the Speaker of the House, do you think we could get done what you want to get done, without a fighting revolution? Pretend. Pretend you're President in 2029. And I am Speaker of the House in 2029. Could we do what you want?
If no, please explain. If yes, let's do it.
