The USA is a dictatorship of the bourgeoisie, this is known. From the vast sums of money dumped into political campaigns by monopoly capital, to the cushy corporate lobbyist jobs awaiting elected officials after retirement, to the huge gulf between the values and desires of the people and the voting records of their so-called representatives. But there's one thing that I heard a lot of "progressive" liberals (or whatever you want to call them) saying over my many years in the USA: if voting didn't matter, they (referring to the republican party, naturally) wouldn't be trying to stop you from doing it.
Voting, and the outcome of elections in the USA, matters to somebody. Again, the capitalist powers that be invest quite a bit of money and effort into these political campaigns. But why? Why should contests over political office be so expensive and complicated if the result -- that imperialism wins -- is a foregone conclusion? Is it just the battlefield for the redivision of the domestic markets? How do the fights over civil rights issues and such factor in, or is it precisely because capital doesn't really care either way that bickering over those issues is so fierce?
I've noticed this pattern forming as well as election season picks up and Ukraine turns into a stalemate. Can you elaborate at all on why this fight is happening though? Who are the winners and losers if there's a pivot away from focusing on Europe to focusing on China?
With Russia-gate and Russian semi-whiteness, and Russian Homophobia Republicans see them as potential Allies against the evil commies in China. Some Republicans are also friends with Russian oligarchs. They see China as the obvious enemy as they are Asian, Communist, and an economic threat. Democrats are more anti-Russia because they are the scapegoat for why Trump won, they are homophobic, and they are occupying an anti-imperialist position. Dems wish they could go to war with both, but are not sure if the money and firepower is there.