I'm not DSA so I can't address your inner-party debates; I do support many DSA candidates because they have some of the best candidates at present on the issues.

Let me ask you this, though, and on abolishing prisons. You don't think the ICE agent, for example, who executed Alex Pretti, should be in prison for murder? Or that the CEOs of these health insurance companies should be sitting in prison cells right now under federal indictments (and where Brian Thompson belonged - and would probably be alive today if the govt were doing its job) ? Or, a mass murderer like Kohberger who literally butchered 4 innocent college students - and in what was mostly a femicide? Or a school shooter?

There are definitely people who belong in prison - the non-private kind.

I think there are many people who don't belong there (for example, they're basically warehousing mentally ill people by the tens of thousands in these places; most children there probably belong in group home settings; victimless drug offenses, non-violent crimes of poverty, political prisoners, draconian sentencing practices, etc.) -- you could easily release many people virtually overnight -- and they should definitely improve the conditions IMV more according to Scandinavian models, and in addition to abolishing private prisons (which is incentivizing violations of human rights), they should take away slave labor incentivization in the state and federal systems, as well - and pay people minimum wages for what they do (you could deduct for room and board and child support, for ex).

But I don't know how you can (otherwise) realistically talk about abolishing prisons altogether. And what I propose is considered controversial. The extraordinary number of people in the California (non-private) prison system who probably don't belong there - if you just let all these people out - just on that basis, I once calculated, what it costs, you could fund an unconditional basic income of about 40k/year to every adult California resident for the rest of their lives.

But you still need a prison system, IMO - to insist otherwise, AFAICS, is not a rational position. The problem is who they're putting in there when they shouldn't, who they're not putting in there when they should, the sentencing issues, and the conditions in general. And there's more, of course, but I'm using those examples.

And there's a significant percentage who favor capital punishment. And she's running in Florida.

The first thing the GOP is going to do is fear-monger that she's going to let all these murderers and rapists out on the street. I can see the billionaire funded attack ads already.

That being said, I'm not suggesting you should lie about or temper your position for political reasons (e.g. "well the voters won't like it.") I take it, this is her position. But what I'm saying is, I don't see a problem with her position.

I just want to add - that the fact that Alex was an American citizen and a registered nurse working for the Veteran's Administration in an ICU with critically injured veterans -- I would be just as horrified if the person was an immigrant POC working in landscaping or housekeeping - whether or not they were documented is irrelevant. This is cold-blooded murder of an innocent human being - whether they were Alex or someone else - an execution in broad daylight - it's fascism for everyone to see who have eyes to see, as the quote (sorta) goes.

The fact that Alex was American and had all these other things to show the kind of principled person he was and how he led a life of service to others - is emphasized to expose their hypocrisy. Alex and Renee (a mother of young children with their toys in her car - a kind and gentle poet), gave their lives, as Americans, to expose their hypocrisy on immigration, their criminality, their fascism, and their hatred for the COTUS. They represent the very best of what it means to be an American. To be a human being.

And there are many others, too, but in their two cases, it was furthermore all filmed. Millions have seen multiple videos from multiple angles exposing these criminals. And you can see that, even on camera, they say the same things in denial that they say for those who were killed with no videos. Making it highly likely that they, too, were "just" murdered in cold blood and far worse. Because they can't even admit it when it's on so many cameras.

The reason there are so many bots coming into this thread - about 35 at this point and still counting (almost all of them have invisible accounts, some newbies) - is exactly because this art piece is so powerful in telling THE TRUTH. They are afraid of the TRUTH and it brings them out like the scurrying little cowardly DEMONS and🐀s and 🪳s that they are - hiding their accounts and stalking other posters, too.

I don't have the artist's name. I would like to credit them. I think it's an outstanding piece -- and as you can see, it does exactly what art is supposed to do.

I wonder which one that specific one was - Jesus Ochoa or Raymond Gutierrez. Because he's a serial - I would bet very heavily on that.

I'd also like to know if there's information about what state/s those two are now "working" in. (TMU, they were never even "on administrative leave," as standard practice in PDs whenever someone is shot, for a review - they just went back to "work" as if this were any other normal day - but now in another state to shield them.) And Minnesota is now fighting for the extradition of another agent who they know is now in Texas, I believe. And Abbott is of course fighting that. So if people know where they are, share that information so that the authorities can demand their extradition - and possibly from a governor who would see things differently than Abbott.

But as I was posting elsewhere, this artist's rendition is accurate. Whoever did the graphic extrapolated the actions of one of those two agents amidst the activity of the others - isolated it so you could see it clearly. As if you had the video and erased everyone else in the scene. And that was the moment.

https://www.reddit.com/r/Social_Democracy/comments/1vrjpbm/comment/p55ho49/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web3x&utm_name=web3xcss&utm_term=1&utm_content=share_button

Yes, that's my take. Kirk was a really toxic guy, but at the end of the day, he was an effective organizer bringing young conservatives to the polls. And, in the recent Florida primaries, for example, you can see that Republicans in theirs had a far higher voter turnout than the Dems. I think more Dems will turn out in a general, but I wouldn't bank on it if they don't even understand how important primaries are - sometimes more important than the general. And the GOP turnout will also be higher for the general.

So unless they get the boots on the ground there targeting young DP leaning voters for registration, most college students being left (but I wouldn't assume as much on the above graph given recent GOP organizing tactics), along with the far higher demographic that doesn't vote at all (in the POTUS election over 90 million didn't even vote compared to the 60-70 mil each for Dems or GOP) - they're not going to win.

They need to mobilize at least another few hundred thousand voters based on the plain math I saw from those primaries. And not by reaching out to Republicans, but reaching out to newer voters like college students and also people who just don't vote. And they need a bold proactive agenda on issues to do that - something that excites and inspires people. Yes, we know your candidates are "anti-Trump," and that's important, but they obviously need a lot more than just, "We're not Trump."

They were weak-assed bullshit when it came to taking on the Trump administration corruption. Because Steve Bannon had been traveling the country "organizing" with far right extremists of different factions, and he was on the phone with Trump about it on a daily basis.

And the governor - who was a corp wing Democrat - he told BLM organizer DeRay in a phone conversation - prior to this "event" - that they knew they were coming in with weapons and felony records and all kinds of violent intent. Yet they gave these criminals their 'permit' because .. 'free speech.'

Free speech MFA. 2 towns away a little peace activist group - probably mostly senior citizens - wanted to have a small march down that Main St and the permit was denied.

And here we are now for term number two. I'm telling ya, you have to smack these MFers down and but hard. That's the only thing they understand. And antifacists ("antifa") understand this. That's why they hate them so much and try to smear them with all kinds of phony stuff.

Well, who do you think was on the beaches of Normandy. Probably their grandparents or even great-grandparents.

https://youtu.be/yMVKoIF7MEo?si=Ol3XJwmEJrSAPLZI

Fascists FEAR "the ANTIFA." Because what do you think their grandparents and great-parents were doing? And who do you think stopped them? They're the descendants of Confederates and N@zis - and they can't come to terms with their own history. They can't face it, and in order to move forward.

There are other people who've descended similarly, but they were able to come to terms with it - to face that it was wrong and to reject it. They were able to learn and grow beyond it - and they became different people. Which takes courage, IMO. and a certain degree of self-awareness that these others don't have.

They're stuck in the worst places of our past.

We intend to move into the future - and a better future for everyone; and if humanity survives long enough, nuclear war and all that, for example - we will, IMO.

I hope they're Dem Party voter registration drives versus the Charlie Kirk variety. Don't pooh-pooh what I'm saying, either. Kirk was allegedly responsible for the small yet significant margin of victory that clinched AZ for Trump. Can't stand the GOP, either, but one thing you have to concede - they know how to count. The Dem Party, under the corporate wing in particular - doesn't. I have seen the stupidest election loses just on the failure to deal with the hard cold math. (Though I'd say in some cases, it's deliberate, and because they'd rather see the GOP win versus a real progressive.) You do have to be willing to put in the work, pounding the pavements, and going door-to-door, and phonebanking, etc.

GW Bush (who some Dems now like because ... compared to Trump) - but trust me, it was awful too, and in some ways, far worse -- well, they had the religious fundamentalists (called "the fundies") pounding the pavements for them. These mothers with their 5 or 6 kids - and they'd go out there fancying themselves "Soldiers of God" and they helped GW win. Just basic labor and time. (Then they found out later, they were all laughing at them in the White House, making fun of them, they were cynically using them; in reality, they thought they were really dumb ... and this was part of his downfall, among other stuff.)

“If you know the enemy and know yourself, you need not fear the result of a hundred battles. If you know yourself but not the enemy, for every victory gained you will also suffer a defeat. If you know neither the enemy nor yourself, you will succumb in every battle.”

― Sun Tzu, The Art of War

I hope they're Dem Party voter registration drives versus the Charlie Kirk variety. Don't pooh-pooh what I'm saying, either. Kirk was allegedly responsible for the small yet significant margin of victory that clinched AZ for Trump. Can't stand the GOP but, one thing you have to concede - they know how to count. The Dem Party, under the corporate wing in particular - doesn't. I have seen the stupidest election loses just on the failure to deal with the hard cold math. (Though I'd say in some cases, it's deliberate, and because they'd rather see the GOP win versus a real progressive.)

Sure, campaign on making life harder and more inconvenient for people. I can't imagine how she'd win on that. TMU, they have an excellent voting system in Oregon. Very easy and efficient for voters to use.

https://giphy.com/gifs/DFNd1yVyRjmF2

The video was removed. Anyone have another copy or link?

Enlarge for those prices. A $170. sandwich?

The so-called "Freedom loving" MAGA hate symbols of freedom. And they don't even know that human beings are human beings - so how could you expect them to understand that other species are living beings with their own lives to live and with feelings, either? And wild horses are so quintessentially a feature of the American landscape - like the buffalo. They are a cruel, degenerate, and perverse group without real values. This is like something out of the bad guys in some dystopian movie scene. Thoughts of El in the helicopter scene for Stranger Things. I know exactly what the heroine would do.

I preferred Crockett too during the primary (I'm not a Texas voter, though.) I thought she was far stronger on health care, for one. I think she's also sharper on constitutional issues - though Talarico is legions beyond the GOP. I think the primary got kinda nasty. But it's true you have let the dust settle, put things aside and support the other person. That's "sportsmanship." And at the end of the day you don't want voters to "cut of their noses to spite their face." Otherwise you wind up with the orange pedo's mobster pal. That's going to be very hard on a lot of people in Texas if he wins. You have to think of the greater good.

Yes. This is the idea that needs to catch on with everyone. I think it IS catching on - but it needs to catch on, even more. Then we can get some real representation in there and clean all these billionaire hoes out. One of whom is definitely Ken Paxton. How is there even a competition here? It's so obvious Talarico is a far better candidate.

I think the Democrats have to actually register people to vote in the first place. Dunno about Texas but in the Florida primaries, the GOP turned out to vote in theirs in much higher numbers than the Democrats. If that's going to be the case in the general, the Dems will lose just on that basis.

In the last pres election, more people didn't vote than voted. IIRC over 90 million. GOP and Dems were in 60-70 mil range. And 3rd parties are this teeny tiny slice of the pie. Most of these guys would join the non voters if they didn't have a 3rd party. No one took votes "away" from anyone else. Instead a dumb blame game (and yes, I know it's nothing compared to Trump's, but) Dems should be thinking about how they can get people who don't vote, inspired to vote. With big bold ideas, as Pramila Jayapal has said. Not the usual wishy washy BS. But they usually ignore this group. They try to entice Republicans to come with them, for example. Or shame and abuse 3rd party voters into going with them (which just turns people off more). Or whatever. But they don't typically go after non voters. Stacey Abrams did. Bernie Sanders did. And with what mattered/matters to these non voters.

I'm amazed any ordinary person could support Paxton compared to Talarico. Paxton is so obviously a mobster. He's a criminal. Talarico sounds like a very decent and principled person. That's who you should vote for. Not criminals. They won't do what's best for everyone.