I hope we remain weary of establishment Democrats when they pander, and begin rallying behind strong non-establishment Democrats such as Tulsi Gabbard and Tim Canova, instead of the limelight laden, pre-packaged, same old Dem candidates.
By Patrick Jude
Welcome to Central Florida Socialist! We’ve hijacked your local right-wing news source. We’re tearing the place up, redistributing the typewriters to local schools and have painted all the walls with a neutral, non-offending shade. I can already feel the angry reacts and comments flooding in. No, in reality this is yet another post for those who believe in the free exchange of ideas, the big kids table that nobody tries to flip in the middle of a debate. As a socialist I’ve been asked for my honest interpretation on where we’re at and here it goes.
I see the Dems creeping back in. They’ve long been gauging the response to Joe Biden. Joe Kennedy had his time to shine during the Democratic Rebuttal, and they’ve, ridiculously I may add, put Oprah into the equation – we don’t need another television host, sorry. Why are they doing this? To see which candidate will get “the kids” votes back to them. That’s it. They know they lost largely because of the youth’s unprecedented devotion to 76 year old, hunchbacked man who doesn’t color his hair. We don’t want a show. We want someone who doesn’t take massive campaign contributions from hedge funds like Renaissance Tech. and Paloma, $15 million to Trump, and $21 million for Clinton respectively.
Quite frankly, these elite Dems who don’t exemplify a single iota of socialist ethos are the ones who are giving us the worst show. As hilariously inept President Covfefe is when it comes to his 3 AM Twitter ramblings, in this week’s fiasco it really was Biden who prompted Trump with his “I’d take you behind the gym” comment. Unfortunately, I feel as though many of my contemporaries have been swooned by the display. I wish they’d instead acknowledge the fact that Joe was a staunch supporter of the TPP, which, by allowing domestic enterprises, largely of industrial services which are made up of 75% minority workers, ships away the main job sources of low-wage communities. That’s real systemic racism. Cool you could kick his ass though, Joe.
I’ve seen the same antics, again from both sides, rampant on the local level in protests. A certain snide edginess has plagued the far right and far left. Organizers try to get a rise out of one another and nit pick at each other. Locally, a socialist “representative” made waves after being seen on video prompting a child to whack a Trump piñata. I shouldn’t have to detail the ways in which this diminishes the integrity of our side. I’ve also seen young alt-righters donning signs saying “Socialist Countries Are Shitholes”. What happened to discussion between adults? Could they even discuss, or are piñatas and big signs the extent of their intellectualism? I don’t imagine sitting down with one would be any more productive than sitting down with the other, and that’s a real problem throughout our country.
Socialists across America, and in our local cities, have continued to do well in their protesting. Massive marches have swept the nation for every issue ranging from climate change to women’s rights. Perhaps the biggest flaw across the nation that gets very little attention, however, is the monstrous state of unions in America. Workers unions, ideally, represent the strongest ties to socialist tendencies in America, and yet they’re failing workers far and wide. They’re also some of the largest donors when it comes to establishment Democrats… and it’s your money! Union reps have become jet flyin’ limousine ridin’ fat cats, a far cry from the torn shirt wearing organizers of yesteryears.
Stories of unions running out of funds when it comes time to strike have run amuck for years now. Workers have been subject to poor representation, stagnant wages, and have received little in exchange barring a bit of advice to simply vote blue. Unions are an absolute necessity. Without them we wouldn’t have luxuries such as a five-day workweek or paid time off, and we’d still have twelve year-olds laboring in factories. All local organizers across the country, and especially those who call themselves socialists, need to set their sights on unions and, vernacularly, begin making a bigger deal out of the corruption within them.
Those who wish to distance themselves from establishment politics have begun making their mark of influence in America. Love it or hate it, it’s been grass roots and by the people, which is remarkable for anything in this day and age. I hope we remain weary of establishment Democrats when they pander, and begin rallying behind strong non-establishment Democrats such as Tulsi Gabbard and Tim Canova, instead of the limelight laden, pre-packaged, same old Dem candidates. I hope all Americans begin returning to sensible debate, turn off the CNN and Fox News, and get back to what actually made this nation great – the sound dispersing of freely contrived thoughts.
Born and raised in Orlando, and Socialist to the core, Patrick Jude graduated from The University Of Central Florida in 2015. He currently holds a B.A. in English Literature, as well as an A.A. in Jazz Performance from Valencia College. Jude is heavily tattooed, abstains from alcohol and is an avid Packers fan
Currently Reading – From Gaza to Jenin: A Short Visit To A Long Conflict by Silvio Cerulli
Unions have been corrupted.