politics
Welcome to the discussion of US Politics!
Rules:
- Post only links to articles, Title must fairly describe link contents. If your title differs from the site’s, it should only be to add context or be more descriptive. Do not post entire articles in the body or in the comments.
- Articles must be relevant to politics. Links must be to quality and original content. Articles should be worth reading. Clickbait, stub articles, and rehosted or stolen content are not allowed. Check your source for Reliability and Bias here.
- Be civil, No violations of TOS. It’s OK to say the subject of an article is behaving like a (pejorative, pejorative). It’s NOT OK to say another USER is (pejorative). Strong language is fine, just not directed at other members. Engage in good-faith and with respect! This includes accusing another user of being a bot or paid actor. Trolling is uncivil and is grounds for removal and/or a community ban.
- No memes, trolling, or low-effort comments. Reposts, misinformation, off-topic, trolling, or offensive.
- Vote based on comment quality, not agreement. This community aims to foster discussion; please reward people for putting effort into articulating their viewpoint, even if you disagree with it.
- No hate speech, slurs, celebrating death, advocating violence, or abusive language. This will result in a ban. Usernames containing racist, or inappropriate slurs will be banned without warning
We ask that the users report any comment or post that violate the rules, to use critical thinking when reading, posting or commenting. Users that post off-topic spam, advocate violence, have multiple comments or posts removed, weaponize reports or violate the code of conduct will be banned.
All posts and comments will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis. This means that some content that violates the rules may be allowed, while other content that does not violate the rules may be removed. The moderators retain the right to remove any content and ban users.
That's all the rules!
Civic Links
• Congressional Awards Program
• Library of Congress Legislative Resources
• U.S. House of Representatives
Partnered Communities:
• News
view the rest of the comments
I am not saying there is not a shitload of money in politics, it is true there is a ton of corporate money in our politics.
However, does the money grant control? Yes or no?
If I give you one billion dollars, you personally, could I then force you to do something you did not want to do? Murder a loved one perhaps? Or resign a presidency you've probably wanted your whole life?
Think about specifics, not vague bullshit. Money does not grant control, people retain their free will. It can only help convince. Lobby. Sway. Influence. Not control.
That's the line between reality and conspiracy theory bullshit.
Money doesn’t give you control over people, it influences decisions.
Why do we pay rent or mortgage? Do the landlords or banks control us, or influence us to pay? Why do cult leaders exists if adherents have “free will?” Are they controlled or manipulated?
If money didn’t influence and control politics, we would have gun regulations, healthcare, and climate reform.
It’s not a conspiracy theory.
There you go, trying to say control and influence are the same thing again, when they are two separate words with distinct meanings.
Why do we really have the system we do? Because only a fraction of Americans are progressive, and far more prefer neo-liberalism for the illusion of freedom it gives. Most voters still consider "the economy" to be the most important issue to them, not any sort of progressive values.
Now, part of this is due to corporate-controlled narratives, but it's still us exercising our free will. You do not have to pay your landlord, you could trek out into the Alaskan wilderness with a backpack and a tent if you really wanted. Nobody would show up with a gun to stop you.
I’m probably wrong.
Yes, that's called influence, isn't it, they are exerting pressure and trying to convince him, right? But he hasn't withdrawn yet, has he? Because ultimately, the one that makes the decision, is him. And he will make it.
If the best you've got is some guy's blog, you're not doing well. Anyone can make a blog online, and they can put anything protected by the First Amendment on it. You can find a blog saying absolutely anything, and this is probably how you've become radicalized into somehow believing in mind control, instead of simply remembering what an Average Middle American sounds like, and how they get what they vote for, resulting after enough decades in our current highly flawed system.
His Wikipedia. Where’s your Wikipedia?
Excuse me if I trust someone’s opinion that actually served in the United States government instead of a random person on the internet.
Credentials are great, but if he's trying to say that the ultimate choice of whether Biden stays in the race or not is someone aside's Biden's to make, then I put him alongside all the credentialed people that support other conspiracy theories. The Trump admin was full of them, and frankly, anyone can become radicalized.
I'm using basic sense to make my argument, even a child should be able to understand what I am saying. No credentials required. You just don't like it, because what you already believe is convenient and comfortable, even if you probably know it doesn't completely make sense.
Does money grant control? No. A child knows this.
The lack of coherence is staggering. I wish you the best.
See you around I suppose. Sorry if I've troubled you, but I think I make a lot of sense.