Winners and Losers

Winners and Losers

By C.A. Matthews

I find it highly annoying to be stalked by sufferers of Stockholm Syndrome. There's no way to avoid it online nowadays. I suppose it's to be expected in an election year, particularly this year when their desperate cries of "Vote Not-Trump!" are the most strident.

I don't know about you, but I question the official narrative constantly. The establishment doesn't like us questioners very much because we tend to keep searching until we get to the bottom of things. We cast light into the murky recesses that those who profit the most from our corrupt system of governance rather not have revealed.

The oligarchs/billionaires and their lackeys of the status quo can't abide being forced out of their dark corners of greed and power worship. It's just the way they are. They can't stand hearing the pronouncements of truth-tellers like Nina Turner and the myriad of left-wing podcasters I watch or listen to each week. The truth makes them uncomfortable at times--especially if it's linked to thousands of needless deaths in a pandemic that demonstrates our country's desperate need for universal health care. Truth and the outrage it engenders also tends to slow down their plans to destroy the planet by coddling the fossil fuel industry and making trillions of dollars creating weaponry for their Forever Wars of Resources Appropriation.

So, whenever I'm told that I'm backing a "loser" for high office because "He/she can't win" (because of the way things are set up in our rigged electoral system), I read a different subtext into that statement. I hear a stressed-out voter crying:

I'm so terrified of the orange toddler-man in the White House that I'm willing to vote for the Not-Trump, another terrifying serial sexual harasser. I'm so frightened by change that I'm willing to lull my conscience to sleep and throw my sense of what's right and wrong out the window. I'm so scared that I'm okay with the devil I know rather than giving my vote to someone whose values I share and actually admire. I'm willing to maintain the establishment parties (or party) and their hold on our system because change might take a commitment on my part, and I'm not ready to work hard to change things for the better, if ever.

These folks' fear is so intense, so irrational, that it explains why, even though they insist they're backing a "winner," they'll start TYPING IN ALL CAPS on their social media posts. They're "shouting," I assume, because raising their voice (or font size) is a last act of desperation. Deep down, they must feel hopeless. Alas, shouting isn't going to change anyone's mind about the dubious nature of their statements, up to and including themselves. 

These Stockholm Syndrome shouters apparently suffer from cognitive dissonance to the extreme. They can't even recognize when they're being used. It's sad to know how much pain they're willing to endure in order for obscenely wealthy people to continue profiting off ordinary Americans' physical/mental suffering (i.e., for-profit health care/Big Pharma price gouging). They turn off their brains and hearts whenever it becomes apparent that the mass incarceration of others is simply a tool of capitalist enterprises to have access to the 13th Amendment-allowed cheap slave labor pool.

The real "losers" of our rigged election process--manipulated, gerrymandered and commandeered by the corrupt establishment--are the voters, of course. We lose because some of us are never given a chance to vote our conscience. So many states make it near impossible to get an independent or third party candidate onto their ballot. Without a choice there is no chance of changing the system the promotes such evil, and there is no winner when a "lesser evil" candidate wins. There is only more evil.

Simply put, no one wins when there's even an ounce more evil in the world. We all lose.
 

The next time anyone shouts at you (either in person or in all caps) that you're backing a "loser" by not blindly accepting the establishment narrative and voting for their politician-puppet, tell them that if more voters voted for what they wanted instead of what they were afraid of we'd all experience a lot more "winning"  than what their lesser evil candidate could ever provide. 

We actually might win Medicare for All. We might score a Green New Deal and some hope of saving our planet for our children and grandchildren from runaway global climate catastrophe. We might put a stop to wars for all time and bring about a lasting peace on Earth. Being brave enough to vote our values could make all the difference. We could all become winners.

Former Democratic US Congressional candidate M. Xavier Carrigan sums it up nicely:

I am starting to see a number of posts and memes pop up saying that Trump has single-handedly destroyed the United States.

Really? Do you really think it was a bumbling idiot? Someone who can barely string together a paragraph, much less a full sentence? Someone who, whether oblivious to his own actions or not, creates the very problems he later condemns others for? (i.e., the Post Office fiasco, everything COVID-19 related, et. al.).

People mistakenly compare him to some mastermind like Lord Sidius when he is more like Dr. Evil. He stumbles his way through, has lackeys that are actually the real enemies of us all, and his demands are beyond absurd. This is one big joke, and the vast majority have fallen for it.

Stop blaming the stupid guy for the creation of the hell we are living in. We contributed to this, and/or sat by idly as it all unfolded over the past five decades. "If you're looking for someone to blame, one only need look into the mirror." 

Don't take this personally but it isn't just one person and it wasn't something that emerged in the past three years (during [Trump's] presidency).

This took nearly 50 years and a ton of malicious, narcissistic sociopaths to systematically destroy our country. We collectively sat back and, whether intentionally or not, permitted greed to win. We thought villains would look like the bad guys in every crappy 1970s, 80s, and 90s film. Instead, they were far more sinister and devious, doing it quietly and behind the scenes.

It wasn't until this century that they stopped hiding as much, and in 2016 they completely pulled down the veil. They know they no longer have to hide because more than enough people support them in the worst case of Stockholm Syndrome, ever.

We let the demons in, and they're running amok. --MXC

We the People can stop the demons. Become better educated about your choices on the ballot today. Don't waste your vote by being scared into voting for a "lesser evil." Take courage and together we'll win.

Related Links:

Why the "Lesser Evil" is an Illusion
https://caitlinjohnstone.com/2020/08/23/why-the-lesser-evil-is-an-illusion/

Reality TV for Oligarchs (video)
https://youtu.be/UG7ED3fe95w

Jeff Bezos: another "winner" who doesn't really care about ordinary workers. Do you realize how much he and other billionaires like them are worth? Check this video out:
https://youtu.be/3zDPsHL_msY

How Long Does It Take a Tech CEO To Earn Your Salary? (Fun and sobering calculator illustrates just how much money these individuals have and that you'll never have.)
https://simpletexting.com/tech-ceo-salary/ 

***

Prior to COVID-19, 44 million Americans were already uninsured, with millions more underinsured, and many more with marketplace plans that had high premiums, co-pays, deductibles and out of pocket expenses -- a deterrent to actually seeking needed care. Fast forward to today. After hearing the praises of the "choice" of employer based healthcare throughout the primary debates, we are now watching in real time as the economic downturn is creating mass unemployment, with millions having their "choice" employer-based healthcare taken away from them, through no fault of their own. During a grossly mismanaged pandemic. It makes all of the healthcare debates from 6 months ago look...absurd. So it makes sense that support for (single payer) Medicare for All has skyrocketed in popularity.

While there is a (curious) dearth of more current polling, back in April we learned that:

• 69% of all voters want Medicare for All
• 88% of Democrat voters want Medicare for All
• 46% of Republican voters want Medicare for All

Yet, somehow only a minority of our Reps and Senators are representing this political will and fighting for healthcare justice. During a grossly mismanaged pandemic, and on the precipice of a depression. We are told it's not "politically possible" because of lack of congressional support but...why? How could that be, when their JOB is to represent us? That is precisely what they get paid hundreds of thousands of dollars per year to do -- represent us.

If we really want democracy -- if we really MEAN that -- we need to have more self-respect as an electorate. 

We must DEMAND Medicare for All.

We also must DEMAND the #WeThePeopleAmendment. Because the doctrine of "Money is Free Speech" means that the insurance and pharmaceutical industries can out-spend us in elections, and turn our own government against us. And the doctrine "Corporations Are People" (in the eyes of the Constitution), it means that even if Medicare for All passes, these corporations can sue and gut the legislation, claiming their "constitutional rights" (which include making profit) are being violated.

**CALL TO ACTION**

Make a few quick calls. Find your Reps and Senators HERE.


Script for Reps:
Hi, I am a constituent of _____, and I want them to cosponsor Medicare For All (HR 1384), because it is supported by a majority of Americans and we are in a crisis, with no end in sight. I would also like them to cosponsor the We The People Amendment (HJR 48) -- because we need democracy for people, not corporations. Thank you!

Script for Senators:
Hi, I am a constituent of _____, and I want them to cosponsor Medicare For All (SB 1129), because it is supported by a majority of Americans and we are in a crisis, with no end in sight. I would also like them to introduce a companion bill to the We The People Amendment (HJR 48) -- because we need democracy for people, not corporations. Thank you!
Thank you SO much for taking a few moments out of your day to join others in holding our elected officials accountable to We The People.

Solidarity,
George, Leila, Jessica, Keyan, Shelly, Alfonso, Kaitlin, Milly, Greg, Jason, Daniel, Tara, Saleem
- Move to Amend National Team

***

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