Tuesday, September 20, 2016

Deplorably

Anyone who nodded knowingly when Hillary Clinton made her declaration concerning a proportion of supporters of Donald Trump belonging in "a basket of deplorables" should take a look at what Paul Street had to say on Monday, at Counterpunch


Hillary Clinton’s Basket of Deplorables
Snip:
“Deplorables?” How about Madeline Albright, the noxious woman who championed the mass-murderous bombing of Serbia and told the nation on CBS News that the death of half a million Iraqi children thanks to U.S.-led “economic sanctions” was a “price worth paying” for the advance of U.S. policy goals? She is Hillary Clinton’s very good friend and was former First Lady Clinton’s choice as Bill Clinton’s second Secretary of State. She is a fierce advocate of dangerous Western aggression against nuclear Russia. Hillary has put her to work the campaign trail this and last year. She’s dreadful.

Another gone one is Henry Kissinger. “Among the war profiteers, bankers and industrialists that Mrs. Clinton counts, opportunistically or not, among her friends” .........

The author goes on to identify other members of Hillary's own deplorable basket, outlining their deplorability factors: John Podesta, Ken Salazar, Robert Rubin, Tim Kaine and her husband, William J. Clinton.

And, from Mr Street's last paragraph:
I am not so inured to the neo-fascistic evil of the Trump phenomenon and the horrific prospects of a Trump presidency that I would not at least entertain the possibility of following Reed's [Adolph Reed, Jr. ] advice to “vote for the neoliberal warmonger” HRC to block the Donald. Still, whatever I or other radical lefties (a very small part of the total U.S. electorate) do or don’t do on the Electoralist High Holy Day, Democratic politicos will have no legitimate business blaming “the left” if Trump beats the odds and triumphs over the Clintons. The main fault will lay with the Clintons and other deplorable dollar Democrats, who have opened the barn door for right-wing white-nationalist fake populism and who will have given the game away to the rightmost of the two reigning capitalist parties. It won’t be with left progressives who couldn’t bring themselves to mark a ballot for either of the reprehensible major party options in this deplorable double dumpster-fire of a presidential election.
Living in reliably Red Oklahoma, never likely to be a swing state this side of the far horizon, and bearing in mind the peculiar Electoral College system in place in the USA, I have the luxury of "voting my conscience"; yet I cannot do so because neither Jill Stein nor Bernie Sanders will appear on our Okie ballot papers, nor will the opportunity to write-in either of those names. I could choose Libertarian Gary Johnson as a protest vote against the "big two", knowing full well that he has little to no chance of winning. Extra support for Johnson, for Okies the only alternative to Clinton or Trump, might push a message through that the people of Oklahoma are angry about not having the same variety of choices people of most other states enjoy.

There will be no presidential choice I can even half-heartedly support, so simply leaving the presidential choice box empty will be my best plan. Considering the flippin' frustrations I encountered in order to become a citizen of the USA, eligible to vote, the situation itself, in Oklahoma, is deplorable!

13 comments:

Jefferson's Guardian said...

"... the situation itself, in Oklahoma, is deplorable!"

That's why, after a divorce and an opportunity to leave, I packed my bags and did.

I'm now in a so-called swing state, and because the American people have been given no choice other than the irrationality and racism of Donald Trump and the neoliberalism and warmongering of Hillary Clinton, I'm casting my protest vote in November for what I want -- not what I fear. When not given a choice, I make my own.

Hope all's well...

Twilight said...

Jefferson's Guardian ~ Hey! Nice to see ya! Congratulations on your escape, J'sG -
condolences on the reason for it, though.

Even in a swing state, I'd be inclined to do the same on 8 Nov. as you intend, things being as they are.

All's reasonably well, politics apart, thank you. :-)

R J Adams said...

Clinton's past, and her 'friendships', leave much to be desired. She makes out she cares about ordinary people yet in reality looks down on them as dirt. Paul Street's article barely scratches the surface of the Clinton 'deplorables'.

I don't believe it matters a jot where you live in America because your vote won't matter anyway. There's more of a difference between Trump and the Republicans than between the Republicans and Democrats (as Street rightly acknowledges). It's interesting that while the Clintons & Co were manufacturing the new right-wing Democratic ideology in the U.S., Tony Blair & Co began framing their new U.K. right-wing Labour Party, with a similar ideology to their U.S. counterparts.

It's no coincidence that Blair now has his own corporate empire, as do the Clintons (though they cloak it as a 'foundation') and both are rolling in money.

This Guardian link from April this year makes for some interesting information on 'Our Tony'.

http://www.theguardian.com/politics/2016/apr/28/petrosaudi-tony-blair-emails-oil-company-chinese

Twilight said...

RJ Adams ~ Yes, I suspect you are right. Our "votes" are part of the Grand Theatre known as a general election in the USA, in the end they are a meaningless set of gestures, to make us feel we have a say in anything at all. We do not, apart from in one or two fringe social issues, just to keep the artifice from showing through too obviously. (Not sure how far the UK has been pushed down the same road, but it's heading that way, for sure).

Almost as shocking as the link you provided (thanks for it) was one beneath that article about properties owned by the Blair family! Yikes! 27 million-worth!

mike said...

There's a lot of concern regarding our antiquated voting machines...most are 10 years old and some are over 15...ancient by digital standards. The machines have vulnerabilities that have been previously exploited and experts claim they are easily hacked by various methods. Our votes may be token efforts to create an aura of choice and accountability.

I'm certainly not enthused by Trump, Clinton, or Johnson, and only a modest inclination for Stein. Bernie was a hard act to follow. My logic tells me that regardless my choice for candidate, I'm really voting for-against Trump and Clinton. This reminds me of the "trolley problem", whether I should pull the lever or let things be:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trolley_problem

LB said...

Hi Twilight ~ Just wanted to say we're in agreement on this. Appreciate R.J.'s and Jefferson's Guardian's comments as well, also mike's point about voting machines ~ there's also the issue of votes going uncounted.

Though I'm not discouraging anyone, I haven't decided yet if I'll vote for Jill Stein or sit it out ~ partly because I have mixed feelings about *any* candidate who'd want to be a part of our capitalist system of war, one in which citizens are pitted against one another and the 'other'.

It all seems like an illusion to me, as if we're being asked to choose the best candidate to lead our country in its continued participation in an unconscious, unsustainable and violent way of living. Maybe I'm missing something, don't know.

Having said all that, I do understand the appeal of Stein and Baraka for thoughtful people of conscience based on the glimmer of hope they offer.

Twilight said...

mike ~ Another point - yes, those dodgy machines! Even if we did have influence (highly unlikely, especially regarding the presidency) our votes could be messed with.

I'd not heard of the trolley problem - we do have something vaguely similar to decide - always provided that we do actually decide something, rather than just being given the opportunity to pretend to influence events. Trouble is we have no clue what might unfold with a Trump in the White house, but he'd meet a lot of opposition, and from both sides, whereas Clinton would meet some but less - it seems many middle-of-the-road Republicans are supporting her.

I'm still hoping for more of "the unexpected" to occur. Come on Uranus - you know you want to shock us!

Twilight said...

LB ~ Hi! YAY! We agree...it had to happen - Lol! :-D

Sitting it out regarding the president choice is understandable and reasonable - but I'm hoping that votes for down-ticket positions will actually be meaningful; though I guess the dodgy machine issue applies there just as much. There are usually some local issues on the ballot too (in our area anyway) when we can make our choices known - yet again, though, the machines will be in charge!

Anonymous said...

'Any American who is prepared to run for president should automatically, by definition, be disqualified from ever doing so.' - Gore Vidal


http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/report-george-hw-bush-vote-hillary-clinton
/story?id=42212986

Twilight said...

Sabina ~ So true - most of the time anyway! (re Gore Vidal's words)
G.W. Bush joins the parade eh? Groan!

Jefferson's Guardian said...

LB, please don't sit it out. Voting your conscience says a lot. It sends a very loud message to the powers-that-be. Not voting does, also, but mostly apathy. Which, not ironically, is a contributing factor that got us into this predicament.

If I'm not mistaken, there are only three states where you wouldn't be able to cast your vote for Jill Stein. Other than these three -- Nevada, South Dakota, and of course, Oklahoma -- she'll either be listed on the ballot or you'll be able to write-in.

LB said...

Thanks for the encouragement, Jefferson's Guardian. If, after reflection, I choose not to participate, rest assured it will be a decision based on conscience and *not* because I'm apathetic.

I'm not so sure about voting sending ". . . a very loud message to the powers-that-be."

Primary votes cast for Sanders seem to have had very little effect on Clinton (or Sanders). This year's DNC was a farce ~ Sanders delegates in attendance were shut out (sometimes literally). If anything, both Clinton *and* Sanders have moved further to the right since then.

Jefferson's Guardian said...

LB, I agree with you. The whole system is a farce. Way before Sanders did his end-around, I told people that if he eventually endorses Hillary Clinton I will not back him -- write-in or otherwise. He succeeded in doing what I feared he would.

I'm sure you're aware...the primary system was rigged in several states. I suppose what wasn't rigged, was fixed. We're no better than a totalitarian nation when it comes to transparency and fair voting processes. Maybe worse. What differentiates us, from let's say the former Soviet Union, is that our "political theater" is more compelling and entertaining. "Bread and circuses" -- they've taken the best the Roman Empire offered when it comes to appeasing the masses.

It's time to write a new story.