159 Comments
User's avatar
Silvia's avatar

Enough with voting for the lesser evil. Evil is evil. It mutates to become even more evil. It’s time to vote outside of the box.

Expand full comment
Patrick Powers's avatar

What's more, it's time to put the effort into convincing others to do so. And note that persistence is more effective than logic. Note further that Caitlin is very persistent.

Expand full comment
INGRID C DURDEN's avatar

there is not much to be had. I looked carefully into Kennedy but only agree with him on the vaxx'. And he is not totally against vaccines, either. He is a Zionist. He believes in climate tales. I watched into the green party candidate. About the same. I have been following Emanuel Pastreich for quite some time, he seems fairly decent, although he took is a climate believer. The libertarian seems to be a gay man, but I have not found much about his standpoints on other stuff. I am going to do that before too long. But I think it might not be worth going into town for.

Expand full comment
Marci Sudlow's avatar

Jill Stein

Expand full comment
Sharon R. Fiore's avatar

Remember when she ripped off a lot of people when she said she was going to investigate the vote? She did not give anybody their money back. She’s a grifter like all of them.

Expand full comment
INGRID C DURDEN's avatar

believes in vaccines and climate hoax. Did not know anything about a rip-off.

the libertarian is called Chase Oliver. Still checking him out

Expand full comment
Sharon R. Fiore's avatar

Remember when Hillary lost in 2016 she said that she was going to have the vote recounted? She took a lot of money from People who wanted to believe that she could get Hillary the presidentcy.

Just google it 2016 Jill Stein recount A lot of people who hated Trump were fooled and very excited because they thought She would help, even though conservatives were trying to tell them it says right on the thing that you signed that you will not get your money back, even if she does not recount the vote But you will find it just google or even better use Brave because they don’t push things they want as much as Google does

Expand full comment
User's avatar
Comment removed
Jul 23
Comment removed
Expand full comment
Francis/Clare's avatar

Sounds like dump's her man.

Expand full comment
KMD's avatar

Would that mean to not vote? We could take it further and not file taxes….simply stop complying.

Expand full comment
INGRID C DURDEN's avatar

well that ends you in big trouble, though. you know that the taxman will find you anyway (I can talk first hand here, my late husband had not filed taxes for a couple years and ended up paying $$$)

Expand full comment
KMD's avatar

I suppose we aren't there yet.

Expand full comment
The Revolution Continues's avatar

Exactly. Evil is not quantifiable but qualitative. I discussed this back in March: https://therevolutioncontinues.substack.com/p/deal-with-the-devil

Expand full comment
Feral Finster's avatar

Team D nuthangers bleating that a President Harris would somehow be different, in spite of all the evidence to the contrary, not to mention $5 million plus of AIPAC money.

Their naivete is truly touching.

Expand full comment
Patrick Powers's avatar

Back in 2004 John "reporting for duty" Kerry was running for Prez as a D. I had Ds tell me to vote for him because he was stop the Iraq war. But Mr. Kerry says he's in favor of the war. Oh he's just saying that to get elected.

Back in the 90's polling revealed that most voters not only had little understanding of the issues, they often had beliefs that were completely wrong no matter what DC did or said. Robert Reich reported that the turning point was 1996 when Bill Clinton went with the advice of pollster/psychologist Dick Morris. The idea wasn't to lead the public anywhere, rather to slant what you said toward what they wanted to hear so they would vote for you. Polls showed that few believed what the candidate said anyway, so why bother to be truthful? That was the mild beginning. His wife Hillary Clinton wanted to go to a full blown "story", a fiction that appeals to the voters' emotions. Bill wouldn't sit for that. He still ran on issues and his record and was successful.

Nowadays issues take a back seat. The Hillary Clinton D's went full bore for the fables of what we now call "the narrative" instead of "the story," but the idea is the same. The idea is to convince the public that The Other Guy is bad and only you can protect them from his/her harmfulness.

Expand full comment
Feral Finster's avatar

TL:DR Team D cultists are good at telling themselves comforting fairy tales.

Expand full comment
Patrick Powers's avatar

TL:DR? Wuzzat?

Expand full comment
Feral Finster's avatar

"TL:DR" means "Too Long; Didn't Read". The phrase is often used in the sense "to summarize" or "to get to the essence of the matter".

Expand full comment
S.M. Carson's avatar

Listen: OUR DEMOCRACY IS AT RISK 😂 The Fourth Reich!!

Expand full comment
Feral Finster's avatar

That anyone thinks that the United States is a "democracy" or even a "democratic republic" is astounding.

Expand full comment
russian_bot's avatar

aka Something Horrible 2025™.

Expand full comment
Silvia's avatar

Spot on!

Expand full comment
AJF's avatar

Got a text from Lincoln Group or something calling KH a WARRIOR! 🤣 There's a video too!

Expand full comment
S.M. Carson's avatar

She's been a tremendous, lifetime warrior for her self interest.

Expand full comment
Eddie's avatar

Kamala is a warrior, she really has taken the lead against parents whose children arrive to school late one day.

Expand full comment
The Revolution Continues's avatar

I know. They're driving me spare. I sort of went all rant-ish this week over their self-centeredness and pro-genocide stance: https://therevolutioncontinues.substack.com/p/priorities-people-priorities

Expand full comment
Joy in HK fiFP's avatar

Seize the moment to take a small step for Palestinian human rights. Ask the IOC to ban Israel from the Olympics https://support.olympics.com/hc/en-gb/requests/new

Expand full comment
JennyStokes's avatar

Done.

Expand full comment
Pippi Smythe's avatar

Done. I added a request to also ban those who fund and arm Israel as well.

Expand full comment
Patrick Powers's avatar

That's thinking big. Then when they ban only Israel they can tell the world it's a "moderate compromise."

Expand full comment
Kathleen Grover's avatar

Done

Expand full comment
gypsy33's avatar

Already have Joy!

Expand full comment
Joy in HK fiFP's avatar

If only autocorrect could fix things like putting an end to war.

Expand full comment
gypsy33's avatar

Right, Joy; the WORLD needs Autocorrect.

Expand full comment
Joy in HK fiFP's avatar

As an imaginary concept, it has appeal, even if just as a joke. But in reality, I hate autocorrect, and think it is the last thing any of us need.

Expand full comment
Vin LoPresti's avatar

Then comes along some PhD-head, one of my "erudite" former "colleagues" to offer: "but seven is a prime number, hence seven-headed Hitlers can be postulated to seek novel paths: earning our vote, quid erat demonstratum".

This was great comedy, from the most important election of our lives to the endless and ever more ludicrous justifications for lesser-evilism. What's most cringe is that I actually know people who think this way, including members of the ultimate TDS crowd, some of whom held a sob session for the bullet and the wind and the turn of Trump's head that failed in the scattering of his brain tissue. Sadly, my softly uttered reply: "hasn't there been enough homicidal violence as a political solution in America?" didn't seem to make a dent. JFK or Donald J., doesn't make a difference to USA; it's a sick society.

Expand full comment
Stephen Walker's avatar

Relax, the USA will be in a full-blown civil war in jiffy, and it’ll be all over before you can shout “Super Bowl with AR-15s!”

Expand full comment
Vin LoPresti's avatar

Maybe so. I'm in no position to predict such outcomes except to note that the cauldron is certainly boiling.

Expand full comment
Stephen Walker's avatar

I find it quite amusing that my tongue-in-cheek reply seems to have been taken seriously by so many commenters. You are right. The cauldron is boiling and will continue to do so. America’s continuing breakdown will eventually lead to paralysis and extreme polarization, which has the logical endpoint of different parts of the system violently opposing one another. In other words, breakup of the union.

Expand full comment
Patrick Powers's avatar

There can't be a civil war because one side is much stronger than the other. The police and the soldiers are dominated by GOP loyalty. Guns and all that. The Ds recognize this danger and so are trying to have DEI recruiting. The result is traditional military families telling their offspring not to join up. Recruitment is crashing so bad that DC has taken some big steps towards reinstituting the draft.

Gross as it is, I must say that that would be a good thing. My buddy Ralph Nader says supporting the volunteer army was the biggest mistake of his life. You can figure out why.

Expand full comment
Feral Finster's avatar

Been shown time and again that country boys make better soldiers than city boys.

Expand full comment
Patrick Powers's avatar

Would they stoop so low as to use Big Data to draft only Ds? Hint : yes.

Expand full comment
Feral Finster's avatar

Maybe, but we've seen in Afghanistan that motivated country boys can defeat professionally trained volunteer soldiers.

Expand full comment
Sharon R. Fiore's avatar

Exactly! That’s exactly why they are afraid of our guns. Even a small group of guys with sandals beat the crap out of them! Good for them! I hope we can defend ourselves as well

Expand full comment
User's avatar
Comment deleted
Jul 23
Comment deleted
Expand full comment
Sharon R. Fiore's avatar

Well, they are pushing gay men on everyone in every country so I’m sure that’s taking care of

Expand full comment
S.M. Carson's avatar

My entire family is asking me if I am getting behind Harris because "our democracy is still at risk" from Orange Man Hitler. NO, I have such a visceral revulsion towards Harris that she might be an 8-headed-zombie-Hitler.

Expand full comment
AJF's avatar

These are the same people who decry capitol punishment...go figure.

Expand full comment
We The People's avatar

So true. Choose your rapist NOW.

Rapist one is going to fuck you with a small penis but from behind.

Rapist two has a massive penis but he promises to fuck you gently.

Expand full comment
russian_bot's avatar

If you put it that way I'm afraid many would choose both.

Expand full comment
Joy in HK fiFP's avatar

I saw this happening in the 1980s, and made up my mind that I would draw a line, an embarrassingly low bar, at that. I vowed not to vote for a mass murderer, or a candidate that supported mass murder. It's been a long time since I've voted for a mainstream candidate. Thanks for making this false dichotomy clear.

Expand full comment
Patrick Powers's avatar

Y'all out there, take the pledge!

Expand full comment
Siobhan Kangataran's avatar

The Simpsons really nailed it with the Kang and Kodos episode…. 🤦🏽‍♀️

Expand full comment
Sharon R. Fiore's avatar

Matt Greaoning or however, you spell his name is a Mason So in other other words he’s not just guessing.

Expand full comment
Marquis's avatar

The interesting thing is that the election narrative constantly repeats itself by design. There will always be that "greater evil" that they will tell you needs to be defeated. That every election is the most important, but why? It is just to keep people voting the same way. To maintain the corrupt system.

You can't pressure politicians into doing anything they don't want to do. The idea is fake, they may seem to capitulate, particularly on minor issues just gives the illusion we can create change. What people don't often realize is that they don't vote for empire managers, the empire managers give us who they want us to vote for. So pressuring politicians won't change anything meaningful...think of DNC chair Debbie Wasserman Schultz stepping down after pressure from Bernie supporters angry at the DNC, It changed nothing. Or right now, pressuring Biden to step down, Kamala Harris was the choice all along, even articles over 4 years ago can be found stating that. The DNC is just that obvious...

Voting for Harris or Trump won't change US policy. That's the point here, elections are fake because we are only given choices that support the policy of empire managers...

Expand full comment
Patrick Powers's avatar

I'd take that a step further. For the lesser evil argument to succeed there MUST be a greater evil to contrast oneself with. Building a perception that The Other Guy is even more evil than you is just the start. I'd say there is a major effort to goad The Other Guy into fury so he/she/it will commit offensive acts that can then be spun as scary and evil.

It's pretty obvious where this road leads.

Expand full comment
Marquis's avatar

Very true, your example is seen in many extremists whether in politics or religion for example. The road leads to a perpetual scenario where the evils continuously become more evil.

I do not think that there specifically needs to be acts to cause the people to be goaded into fury, rather even the perceive acts can cause that to happen. Though if such acts are present, they would certainly be used for it. In other words, reality and perception of reality are not always the same in such cases as politics. If people truly knew what our government (US) has really done, it might be a really mind blowing experience for most...or they might be desensitized to it.

Expand full comment
S.M. Carson's avatar

Indeed Kamala was the original Empire choice back in 2020 probably so they could exploit racial hatred and push woke nonsense to the max, and I think they were unprepared for how much she was disliked. So, they got her in through the backdoor. To exploit maximum left-right division we need a "woman of color " to oppose the Orange Man Fourth Reich. It would be hilarious if people didn't fall for it.

Expand full comment
Marquis's avatar

I hope they don't, they are saying she raised 10's of millions of dollars in a day from small dollar donations. I am skeptical. The sitting president withdraws from the race and the vice president is endorsed and the narrative is that the party is stronger than ever? I do not buy it...there must be a real serious issue for the current president to not seek reelection. Polling apparently showed Harris even with Trump and Biden, something seems off...or lower?

https://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/4785009-kamala-harris-polls-donald-trump/

Expand full comment
Raymond Voith's avatar

We don't know. Someone may come along to oppose the empire managers. To assume this cannot happen (with or without violence) is defeatist. Instead of only railing against the power structures, maybe suggest solutions.

Expand full comment
Marquis's avatar

Someone will certainly oppose the empire managers, eventually. That's just a matter of time. I make the case that it wouldn't be someone that the empire managers specifically chosen and groomed for the role. I support the Green party, personally and have written in their candidates where possible. I do think that the empire managers will be opposed with violence because of the over reaching military influence of the United States, the world will have enough. I don't see this election going any differently...however, the foreign policy effects may push certain countries too far. We saw that with the EU and the sanctions they put on Russia for example, I am simply stating that this election change with Biden was considered years ago...

Expand full comment
Kathleen Grover's avatar

Great analysis.

Expand full comment
Gnuneo's avatar

I'm astonished that Caitlin could call that kitten-hugging peacenik saint a 6-headed hitler, it MUST be "Russian propaganda" that she's imbibing.

[/s]

Expand full comment
Joy in HK fiFP's avatar

There must be an immediate ceasefire in Gaza. Pope Francis has said what is needed, now he must do what is needed by going to Gaza and standing for peace, justice and freedom.

Please sign the petition and share widely.

https://chng.it/CRQ7qw4Gzn

From CodePink:

https://www.codepink.org/boycottbibi?utm_campaign=6_21_pali_update_alert_3&utm_medium=email&utm_source=codepink

Let us also support UNRWA. If our governments won’t act in accordance with humanity, then we will. https://www.unrwausa.org/donate

Also we can all support the brave doctors who have gone to Gaza: https://palestinian-ama.networkforgood.com/projects/206145-gaza-medical-supplies-oct-2023

Let us make our donations to honor Aaron Bushnell, or in memory of Hind Rajab.

Here’s a petition to excommunicate Joe Biden: https://www.change.org/p/excommunicate-president-joe-biden-bf979783-ac08-4576-a53f-c786ea23dc9c

These are a few small things we can do. If we can do more, let us do more.

Expand full comment
Professor Lulu Fuzzbean's avatar

"pope francis" is a NAZI PLANT...#WTFU

Expand full comment
Patrick Powers's avatar

LOL. Good one.

Expand full comment
HH's avatar

Someone proposing actual action. Thank you.

Expand full comment
Mark Taylor's avatar

I will definitely stop at the unlucky 13-Headed Zombie Hitler Monster, that is a Zombie Hitler Monster too far for me.

Unless there is a 14-Headed Zombie Hitler Monster...

Expand full comment
Jim S's avatar

Thank You Caitlin

Expand full comment
Sherri Jarosiewicz's avatar

We’re so ridiculous! They trick us every time. Great piece again, Caitlin!

Expand full comment
Red Brown's avatar

It’s hard not to think that it’s still better that open fascist culture not be morally vindicated, which is more likely to happen if Trump is elected, even if everything else about the candidates is exactly the same.

I’m not voting for either of them. I only ever voted Green for president in 7 presidential elections and sat out one in 1992 (my first) based on the same perception then that there were no worthy differences between the parties (it was Jerry Brown’s exclusion from speaking during prime time at the Democratic convention that tipped me off to that).

Nonetheless, I can appreciate an “ideal politico” voting for the Democrats with their eyes open and fully informed about the lack of real choices, fully understanding that the act is barely even selecting between crumbs, to forestall, in a rearguard mode, the worst public ugliness, or the full-fledged unleashing of the American id.

However, the worst is not the debate about this issue itself but the obsessive focus by the Jack PMCs on who becomes president, which sucks all the air out of the room, to say the least, and, with some exceptions (Kshama Sawant, the Socialist Equality Party, Due Dissidence, this Substack), is rarely accompanied by any of the extracurricular politics independent of the two-party system (but IS always accompanied by the vilification of third parties) which many of the same people who tell you to vote for the Democrat will acknowledge must happen for anything to change.

This is the most unsightly thing to endure - and I do not exclude myself from this assessment. The best and the brightest are deluded into thinking that their obsession with the presidential election is the highest possible form of democratic self-government. Or they are not deluded but still proceed apace in a kind of doublethink mode, very likely out of fear (understandable fear, but fear just the same) of a confrontation with power that they do not believe they can win, or at any rate that might lead to political violence or abuse that they will be victims of or in which they might participate. If such people in the second category were more honest with themselves then the disgust one feels for their banality might not be so acute.

Expand full comment
User's avatar
Comment deleted
Jul 23
Comment deleted
Expand full comment
Patrick Powers's avatar

George Orwell said fascism was any authoritarian movement that you don't like. He was right : that's how the word is usually used. Communism, same. So it's not unusual to have something denounced both as communism and as fascism.

Nobody owns these words. Me, I simply don't use them. It's better to talk about specific issues.

Expand full comment
Red Brown's avatar

Trump is not a fascist, but he lets fascists breathe and encourages them to, not because he gives a shit about their ideas or values but because he’ll bite off anything that serves his vanity, including you.

Expand full comment
User's avatar
Comment deleted
Jul 23
Comment deleted
Expand full comment
User's avatar
Comment deleted
Jul 23
Comment deleted
Expand full comment
User's avatar
Comment deleted
Jul 23
Comment deleted
Expand full comment
Sharon R. Fiore's avatar

Exactly! Those young men were all jobless because people from other countries were taking their jobs. When they came together to protest this, the disgusting media had to act like they were a bunch of evil “racist”

Then they were a bunch of useful idiot protesters, who started a lot of trouble with them for nothing.

The government sent a bunch of idiot larpers in Hitler costumes to make those young boys look bad

Then put James fields gets threatened with a huge weapon. He drives away from that only to be surrounded by a hostile crowd who is hitting his car with bats.

When he drives away because he was shaking and scared, a very heavy girl who was eating and smoking at the same time ended up having a heart attack , her mother said this on video that is still out there, James field gets blamed and sent to 415 years in jail

Then another story black guy hits 22 people and kills one and gets off

Expand full comment
Red Brown's avatar

Explain fascism. What is fascist’s ideal world?

Expand full comment
User's avatar
Comment deleted
Jul 23
Comment deleted
Expand full comment
martin's avatar

is there any specific leader, elite, authoritarian class or institution you support?

Expand full comment
User's avatar
Comment deleted
Jul 23
Comment deleted
Expand full comment
martin's avatar

any particular values that led you to label yourself as fascist or is this only because you were in charlottesville and someone called your side 'fascist'?

Expand full comment
The Underdog's avatar

Third party is 5-and-a-half headed Hitler. 'Hey he's got *at least* one policy I like! Shame about all those other policies.'

Expand full comment
User's avatar
Comment removed
Jul 23
Comment removed
Expand full comment
The Underdog's avatar

I consider all major named parties subverted based on their either pro-tyranny or pro-corporatist behaviours.

Expand full comment
JennyStokes's avatar

I am sorry to piss on your site Caitlin BUT the only reason USA became a hegemony (COLONIAL power) is because of the education in the USA. IT has been defunct for years.

I know this because I had a daughter in the LA school district who learned nothing.

NO Geography

No world history

No civics

NO interest in politics......just shop till you dropped.

The same is true in Australia and New Zealand.

I am living in Europe now and I wonder when the politicians will get a brain.

France still thinks it is still owned and supported by the USA.....NO.

The first thing that is going to happen in Europe (despite the USA) there will be non-stop people in the street protesting. It will be a revolution.

Americans are so dim.....how long will it take to produce a rebellion by the people for the people.

All we want is peace. NO war.

Expand full comment
Chang Chokaski's avatar

Jenny, it has little to do with education. It's about "power" in the hands of the few (and Capitalism supports and encourages that).

One can read all the geography, world history, civics, etc. they want - that will change little. Rather, people need to be educated on the following:

(1) Media literacy skills

(2) Critical Thinking skills

(3) How to detect and dismantle False Narratives

(4) How to combat and debunk Pseudo-Science, Conspiracy Theories, Superstitions, etc.

(5) How Propaganda works and how it is applied to manipulate people.

(6) How to question their own belief systems (often formed unconsciously over a lifetime of experiences).

(7) How to recognize mis-information, dis-information, AI generated content. etc.

(8) How to use statistics and probability to make better decisions.

(9) How to question "experts" and "people in positions of power and/or authority".

(10) How to identify hypocrites and double standards.

(11) How to see through Public Relations window-dressing and sleights-of-hand, Advertising strategies, and Marketing campaigns.

(Yes, I know - that is a tall order)

Expand full comment
JennyStokes's avatar

IT IS about education.......all the above are certainly more than useful.

MY daughter was first year middle school I think you may be speaking about High School. Most kids can learn anything IF their classes are made interesting and engage the students BUT this is not what I saw in the USA

Non stop tests is futile, stresses out the teachers and pupils.

To my mind kids always ask questions who can answer them if there is lousy education.

Expand full comment
martin's avatar

and the intricacies of class?

Expand full comment
Chang Chokaski's avatar

Can you clarify what you mean?

Expand full comment
martin's avatar

explain that there's 2 classes and in what class you're in and how the entire system is set up to keep this power distribution in place.

Expand full comment
JennyStokes's avatar

But but USA has NO 'class system!' /s

Expand full comment