I did not vote for Trump in 2016, I also did not vote for Clinton in 2016. At the time I knew how crooked Hilary Clinton was/is and politicians often say whatever they think you want to hear in order to get elected.
First you fake to be an undecided voter and not a hardcore.
Then you use the naming scheme dreamed up and allowed into political discussion by Trump, that has one purpose, and one purpose only. To destroy debate. Crooked Hilary can never loose crooked status, and this is so much fun - every one with nothing to say laughs about it. Ha ha ha. End of everything you want to teach everyone around you. Just prevent them from learning more, and keep them amused.
Then you double down an that fact, by reminding everyone that politicians lie.
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Lets look at this structurally, why dont we. Vicepresidential debate serves as a great education piece.
What politicians are during an election campaign, and sometimes in general.
Ego driven liars trying to bring you on their side, so they can get societal recognition and power. On both sides, in almost all cases, this is how the system works. Both sides lied and manipulated their asses off while talking to the public. Both sides went through a plethora of rhetorical tricks, while doing so. Both side know that they are speaking to entirely dumb, uneducated bafoons, which they believe will be convinced by a display of 'asserting leadership', faking 'common set of values' ('i'm the best vessel/puppet' for your interests'), and pretty much nothing else.
When they reach a position of power, they are supposed to rule 'in the best interest of their constituency' which either means personal corruption, or the promise of kickbacks later in lives, in almost all cases.
If you are religiously motivatable, you'll be lied to, if you are emotionally motivatable, you'll be lied to. If you are idiologically motivatable, you will be lied to, if you are logically motivatable - you will be lied to (by preselection of topics that are 'fit for debate').
If you win as a politician you are supposed to wield your power to further the development of your constituency, all restraints for 'higher goals' in a society without ideals, have been snuffed.
Instead of it you gain emotionally loaded "values", that are only there to reduce voters to the reptilian brain function level, where they are even easier to manipulate. When in 2020 you are discussing 'babykillers' before an election again, you roughly know whats expected of you as a voter.
And on that level, we could end the discussion, and dumb down the process to its ultimate end.
If it werent for the topics that can also be chosen for societal significance. (Activism can bring them onto the agenda.)
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Democracy is just the system that allows for peaceful transition of power, as well as separation of power.
But you can undermine even that, as long as you can confuse the public for long enough.
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Which is largely the problem, when a Vice president in a debate does two personal emotional callbacks to families that lost a son, then argues that Trump cant be a racist, because of his jewish grandchildren, and purposefully holds back information, that they killed an iranian general in violation of international law, without jurisdiction - and played the 'I dont know why you have not supported that' card - because quote "they were a bad man". And then read the future on that the pragmatic person in front of him was an ultra idealist, and would ban fracking, just because, they said so five years back, when not running for vice president.
If you get down to that level of idiocy. You can charge up your fans with literally anything (bread and circuses), give them slogans to chant - and do whatever you like -- which most likely will never be in the interest of the people.
Part of this is whats expected, and whats needed, because as a leader you cant be a slave to 'ideals' or doctrines, when put on a spot - you are supposed to make decisions based on circumstances, and largely 'cost benefit'. So you should be able to lie, and you should be able to change your position at whim - for something akin to a 'greater goal'. (Usually the benefit of society.) Which you dont believe in - in the poetical sense. But claim, that you do.
So the idea in any election is to fake the reasonably concerned guy or gal, that also can wield power, and make tough decisions, best. Everyone knows it everyone expects it. Thats how its supposed to work.
Yet, if you manage to run an entire election on superflous stuff, you can let yourself be payed by financial interests, and just sell american people elections as entertainment.
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Which brings us to the main criticism of the republican party, these days. (You can do one for the democrats later..
)
You prevent any cooperation, any progress, any balance, any public education, any separation of power (f.e. by the way you pick judges (you pick idiots with strong political affiliations (down to religious cults)), and any discussion about societal topics that arent religious conflicts from the middle ages. Let yourself be paid f.e. by the industrial and energy lobby - and this would still be acceptable in a democracy like the US - unless the public notices. Also you destroy international relations, and by some estimates even the world, but you think that in any case, there would be someone stopping you from doing it, if it were actually relevant. Probably within your own lines.
Same thing on the left. You promise a notion of caring about groups and not individuals, that if push comes to shove you always have to shed, and that you forget about, when things reach 'procedural normalcy' (we dont want too much change). You lie to people about the 'job creation potential' of green new deal jobs. You invented current day 'identity politics'. And you sell out to progressive interests that invested in developments of new sectors, or transnational cooperation (which is hedging your bets, in that sector, currently - because the other people went ultra nationalist. (But just in verbiage, not so much in economic planning. Well - apart from fracking (lower energy costs).))
The only thing thats different is to what people you sell out. And american people are supposed to pick between 'change' and 'four more years'.
But here is the kicker, dont get too disillusioned by this not to vote, because if you do - public sentiment is even easier to manipulate/manage.
Now live with that.
edit:
If thats too much for you - rejoice in the notion, that if you are not a person intrinsicly driven to power, not caring about abusing or lying to others, you still have institutions that dont bank on 'the will of the people', but more rational concepts of managing societies.
Because, yes - all of this comes as a result of how people work. As individuals, as leaders, as groups, and as populations.
If you want to believe in something else, you'll be manipulated. But since you likely be anyhow - you might as well believe in public displays of values, or some 'sh*t' (sorry
) like that.
