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nonameweebu · 8 months

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Institutional Anti-Establishment Left : A Failure of Military Characteristics

By : Santiago "Weebu" Pemo

December 1st, 2018 marks the day one can pinpoint the exact moment the mass "anti-establishment" left wing in Latin America effectively died. By the election of Andrés Manuel López Obrador, the world saw in it the opportunity for the indigenous population alongside the large working class to re-ignite an era of progress in the country, in hand with the immense discontent the majority of the population had with the country's personalities and institutions. A groundbreaking moment? Not in the end. AMLO's election happened out of pure anger and desperation from the people, a population so neglected by its technocratic ruling class and actively threatened and oppressed by the global capital holders up north the Rio Bravo, that they chose him simply because he was the big face of it all. An opportunist of monumental capacities. With the Movement For National Regeneration, known as MORENA in Spanish (and totally not a fascist sounding name), the "left wing" in Mexico knew its first victory ever since revolutionary times, and it was worse than expected.

His tendency is nothing more than what can be qualified as your typical reactionary, in all aspects. In typical Mexican fashion, AMLO not only did not comply with his agenda and propositions, but held an immense campaign to support his in-action in pretty much anything. His radical anti-liberalism had the good line, and was followed by a correct stance against the state of the country post-NAFTA. 3 elections of training his discourse and it stuck into the Mexican popular consciousness. For how populist and demagogical his speech was, he held the right ideas : the direct attack of the Mexican bourgeoisie in all aspects of society and claiming an alleged "anti-american" posture is the correct stance to have, but it didn't even end up being that his official posture.

AMLO, for how delusional the right wing in Mexico claims him to be a "Communist Monster coming after your kid's education" and other usual moronic moral panics, he is nothing more but your average PRI technocrat, getting a name inside the party around the 70's, a time when the big tent adjective that they claim was, at the very least, somewhat true. He sided with the "social" fraction of the party, that had as much social comprehension as Mussolini, until the eventual creation of the PRD, a party so corrupt that it overshadowed the PRI at its own game. An impressive track record for someone claiming to be the "new face of Mexico", a bold title considering his social positions and his complete inaction in any matters other than "goblins" and "COVID curing image patches". A ridiculous man he is, and has the smartest strategy out of any president in functions today. He used all the needs of the Mexican people mixed with populist religious conservative talking points, and you got yourself a winner. No social progress beyond basic social democratic positions, no ecological consciousness and no radicality whatsoever : the perfect way to take advantage of politically alienated and disadvantaged Mexican rural voters.

For the longest time, the middle class was the focus of Mexican politics, whether it was with Christian conservative cultural talking points of the financial gain of the newly and growing petty-bourgeois owners of new lands on the cities with aid of international capital, the electoral system turned around people with this profile. No amount of class representatives ever truly got the chamber of deputies or senate, and that has not changed. But what changed was the focus of these elections. The middle class, the one proposed with globalisation, turned out to be unsustainable. The filthy game that capitalism led all around the country pushed for furthering inequalities and the crumbling of the cultural identity of a middle class. The shift appealed to the populists, the one preying on the people not only falling into these precarious situations, but the ones already familiar with the bottom of the barrel of Mexican hierarchical society.

Because after the total and absolute ruckus that completely covered the Neoliberal era of Mexico, starting around the 80's with the global dominance of the Reagan-Thatcher administrations, no one would ever endorse the hell those reforms entailed. Coinciding with the presidency of La Madrid, an ironically named neo-liberal reformer who, just like his peers, was educated in the highest and most elitist schools of the American administrative system. All with a glamourous bourgeois view of the new train of thought that modern ultra-liberalism, one with a total and contrary ethos to the almost-established revolutionary Mexican ideal. All of these people ended up being the architects of their absolute electoral defeat years down the line. Going on until now, the Neo-Liberalism that Mexico faced put the country's proletariat at the mercy of international finance groups, in total cooperation with the government, at the height of its corruption and establishing technocratic rule. The 80's and 90's were not too kind for the average Mexican, but it's really not like they ever were. Debt crisis, mass privatization and disregard for workers well being destroyed completely the mass proletariat of the country. President Portillo continued this stance, and that lasted well into the change of parties with Fox and Calderon, the two large scapegoats for the current government. And yes, for how guilty these last administrations were of completely and violently liberalizing the country, this continuous process never ended, even under the administration of the man who stands against all of these people. And what did all of this cost? The radicality of any movement seeking to liberate Mexico from the grip of Canadian water companies hoarding the resources of an arguably dying country.

This period, regarded as either the "Shining period" for conservative white people, or just hell for anyone else involved in the process of these reforms, has had THE central role of the rejection of these ideas for the average Mexican. In this part of the world, the left does generally win the poor's vote, but it never finishes in a victory for them due to the extreme ammount of issolation that these people face, and the disregard the political elites have for the poorest and least advantaged Mexicans. Never has a trully revolutionary (Marxist or other) party had relevance in Mexico ever since the dirty wars, a series of guerilla conflicts from revolutionary (and quite opportunistic) groups on the countryside and the surounding areas of dense yet rural areas of the mountains of Guerrero. And ever since then, the leading (mostly finantial) bougeoisie has put down any opposition to the neo-liberal reforms as a form of rehabilitation of these revolts that had never the less class struggle at its core. And well, since the trully anti-establishement left wing had either been killed back in 68 or demoralized by the 2000's, its exactly at this point that the hopes of some poorly optimistic reformists was poured into the PRD candidacy of the old man apparently 60% of Mexico adores, AMLO. A candidacy that went on for 18 years, and that found its way to Palacio Nacional, but not without hiccups. Allegations of stolen elections and a sentiment of unfairness regarding the elections, especially high around the 2012 election of president Calderon (A.K.A, the Devil). Largely using his arguably smooth talk, he managed to turn this unfairness, coupled with a disastrous last president, that being Peña Nieto (basically a puppet for the dying PRI party to stay relevant after being de-throwned but the PAN as the leading right wing party), you got yourself a once in a lifetime election result, and that was enough to sadly appease the proletariat. The opportunistic nature of his politics, using other parties and coalitions in his benefit, was an absolute loss for the working class, and that effect of appeasement will be felt for longer than many can imagine.

So opportunistic that the bolshevik vanguard feels rightful in that place, this man never held any kind of real political positions besides opposing this controversial neo-liberal era the country went through while he gathered bourgeois power inside the party that dictated the country's direction for 60+ years. No radical background or desire to reform or even change the system, just a mindless return to the status quo that went before his ripe time : state run corporatism. There is, in no sense, a social character to AMLO's presidency. His state-powered economic policy is the exact same economic ideas that directed the early bourgeoisie in Mexico's post-1910 history. Consisting of mere and mindless nationalisation at the benefit of his own group of prescribed industrialists and populistic welfare ideas that re-enforce women's submisive role, such as the pink-credit given to families. The kind of class colaboration he so proposes, in addition to the policies implemented to comply with the social truce he needs to govern off of the people who have everything to win in case of a radical change for the future of the Mexican nation. For how much he claims the legacy of Cardenas, In no way does he even come close to that role, and I doubt he even wanted to fill it. The same way trade unions in Mexico have been the largest and most disastrous proletarian organization mode, AMLO comes in a non-glorious second place.

He, effectievely, managed to institutionalize the anti-establishement feeling that got rallied around him, and that sentiment became the only justification of his defenders for his political legitimacy. No matter how reactionary his social policy is, people will like him, because they see in him the change this overly capitalist nation needs. His idea of an ideal nation is nothing short of a nationalist's one. And, besides the obvious reasons why that concept in a multinational state like Mexico is, his foreign policy is not much better. He sought to break with "yankee imperialism" yet complied with all of Trump's suggestions. He sought to oppose "bourgeois" capital buildings, yet commanded the construction of newer ones with his selected clique of bureaucrats at his service. He claimed to fight the narco-state in a way the neo-liberals failed, yet has connexions to those groups for monetary profit. For how much anyone can claim this man to be the start of the change towards a fairer system, the deeply putrid Mexican system will never, ever, be close to reform.

This feeling is not exclusive to Mexico, but something we can see in any county that has a populist "anti-establishment" movement. Chile knew a massive electoral upset, with a young and apparently radical president, the Left wing returned in pure Allende fashion, and just like him, the dream of Democratic Socialism In the "wea" country was exterminated the moment the bourgeois constitution was sought to be changed for a fairly less bourgeois yet proletariat "friendly" one. Certainly, this change was not going to bring Communism to Chile, but it aimed at attacking a core tenant of Pinochet's Neo-Liberal regime, and it flopped the moment it saw the opportunity to disrupt it ever so slightly. For how flawed the actual text was, the result it got was unwarranted. But why did this happen? Because the moment you attack bourgeois society, it is going to go against you with full force, purely out of cultural dominance. And for another reason : an anti-establishment movement that wants to become the ruling object of bourgeois society, (even of compared to Mexico, the Chilean left wing had much sincere and real intentions of reformism) it will serve but one purpose, that being the ruling class. Or what about France, a country with the most unapologetic Neoliberal leader on earth that knew a Left-Wing victory in the last legislative elections. A broad coalition of reformists and some reactionary reformists (the French Communist Party) that with this power sought to disrupt the perpetual destruction of Macron's regime. The result? The immense rise in power of reactionaries and fascists seeking to become a legitimate party for the bourgeois state and well, Macron is still in quite the comfortable position. Even after months of pretty radical proletariat action (one that I personally participated in), the ones who sold the movement was the institutional Left Wing, purely out of rejecting outright Insurrection out of fear of backlash, such is the nature of the bourgeois parliament.

Not only is any movement incapable of reforming capitalism by any means possible, but specially, a radical-ish minded movement fails at the thought of establishing itself as a correct, bourgeois party. MORENA is not the vanguard of the revolution, and for how much they claim that to be correct in their hypocritical crusade against neo-liberalism, it is completely opposite to it : it has now become the party representing the oppression of the proletariat and the indigenous populations. In no world will Mexico destroy the liberalism it so much fought for most of it's history by electing a reactionary bureaucrat, and nowdays, the only defense this crumbling state has is the military. Yes, really. AMLO is far from being the equivalent of Sun Yat Sen, but his autocratic beliefs are not shy from reality. Yes, the bourgeois myth of "benevolent left wing rule" is a total destroyer of revolutionary fervor, but in this case, the rule of AMLO is not only legitimized by his absurd popular support, but also his grip on the country's right hand : the new and reformed national guard.

You see, ever since 2019 the police was officially militarized. Something quite unprecedented for a country presenting fundamental issues with both police and military institutions. The argument? Beat the narcos that most likely fueled his campaign, but the repression aspect of them was never shy. With direct control by both the "Civil defense secretary" and the head of the actual military institution of the federation, this newfound army has repressed movements down in Guerrero, as well as the Zapatistas (even if I do not endorse that group directly) and other free movements of the area of Chiapas and Oaxaca. And even after the disastrous administration of the metro failures, most likely due to bureaucratic corruption and the will to neglect the public services of the capital city, the national guard was deployed to "ensure the safety" of the passangers, yet it stayed well until this day to act as a reinforced watchdog for the bourgeoisie in power of the City-State.

Impossible it is to deny his behaviour has been nothing but repressive and contrary to the benefit of the overly beaten up Mexican working class. Is this a failure for the MORENA movement? Not at all. In nature, besides the obvious realization that reforming bourgeois society without disrupting the foundations of it via total and absolute insurection and revolutionary war, the MORENA movement, as well as the whole "Pink Wave" in Latin America lacked the analytical side of it : the petty bourgeois aspect of these movements come from the populistic and opportunistic elites that pretend being disruptive of liberalism at all, without an actual through analysis. Is it purely because the leading heads of these movements lack that understanding? Well no, it is purely normal. They never sought to disrupt capitalism, they are not anti-capitalist and populist movements never trully will. Using popular support and radical talking points to gather power inside the current system is in no way disruptive of the bourgeoisie : they are the bourgeoisie. Nothing has changed since the 70's, and everything got worse since the 80's. The only chance for anything is to reject all notions of "radical electoralism" and embrace the revolt. This was never a failure : these practices have only kept the system going, and the only good call for it is its destruction, an absolute one at that. Wether it is the Mexican, Chilean or French proletariat, the stage that capitalism is on right now calls for revolt, and you should join it. For the end of bourgeois tyrants, no matter of how red they try to appear. Fighting capitalism is not a matter of morals or elections, it's about liberation of all those whose oppression allows parasites like this to keep on running off of false hopes and shed tears. My home country has a lot of issues, and the technocratic bourgeoisie is the key one. Absolute fight, absolute revolt and absolute liberation, now and tomorrow.

MORENA, and all the opportunist reactionaries will be the death of Capitalism, but from the blood on our blades and effort the proletariat will put towards ridding itself from it. The proletariat does not need guidance from old corporatist men, it needs itself.

Eternal fight to all who oppose revolution.

#marxism #post-left #antiwork #communism #mexico #politics #philosophy

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castrateurfate · 1 year

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Just stop.

Until republicans lose all of their power, we need to stop saying the two parties are the same.

They are NOT the same.

We're stuck with the two part system. All claiming them the same is doing is unnecessarily weakening Democrats.

If they could get full control for 2 full terms, then we could start focusing on getting a better party. But until then, we need to put an end to republicans!

"we"? WE

you yank cunt, i'm not american and i am NOT a liberal little bitch that swoons at photos of michelle obama. i'm a fuckibg cringelord tranny anarcho-communist. about as far away as your General Hospital brunch watch party bullshit calvacade of a boring Disney-sponsored harry potter choking "life" as you can get. so fuck off with that first of all.

no, the parties are not the same. correct. there's the "pretend nothing's wrong and uphold the staus quo" party and then there's the fascist party.

that might sound like a stark differance but when the current system the "progressives" want to preserve is the one that's known to be fucking awful but hurts less than the fascist one, i can't say that i am firmly in the crowd of thinking that allll problems will go away when the map is blue like a child in pre-school getting hyped over a gold star.

the post i made discussed that voting democrat doesn't make you magically you not a bigot and neither does it make the one you vote for not a bigot. democrats are more pro-police and pro-FBI than the GOP. think about it. who funds the lapd? who funds the nypd? who funds the cpd? who's currently the vice president? answer these and try to tell me that none of these are factual because it must mean that you delusional take of a democrat-run utopia is possible.

you fucking braindead yank scum always put yourself and the people you argue with on a higher pedistal than they actually are.

i am some autistic mentally unstable faggot with a tumblr blog of less than 200 followers from the uk. i am not going to be influential during the fucking 2024 elections, am i the fuck? stop being an egotistical worthless sack of shit liberal and recognise that you nor i hold any influence or power over anything political except petty little arguments. we're fucking ants.

fuck republicans. i hope they all die violently in carnage and shrapnel. fuck democrats too. they don't do shit but uphold the status quo. never shall they do better. that's not their job. because they feed you so much fucking propaganda, you think they'll change. the voices of millions is nothing in the pressence of millions of dollars.

fuck off, liberal liquid shit

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theqza · 2 years

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i’ve gotta change my life. i’m fucking up and giving in to narcissists around me, being just as cruel as them. but its reactive abuse; self-defense. i get anxiety and physical chest pain from a lifetime of holding my tongue after i’m bullied. they can strike back in their petty, dishonest ways but i’ll still expose them and hurt them. maybe i should let god deal with them but i don’t take abuse or unfair treatment from anyone. even if they will retaliate and fight dirtier, i will deliver justice. but am i vengeful? do i go too far?

i just insulted a pregnant woman for kink-shaming me for a mild compliment. my insults were honest truth and what someone should be telling her because she’s a racist kafir. i offered her tough love with painful truth; it seemed fair. but now i fear allah’s judgment.

if i had a pregnant wife, should i take her abuse? her child is innocent and maybe insulting the mother affects the child. i doubt it, but its a possibility. she triggered a deep wound in me so i hit her just as deeply. eye for an eye. not purely for revenge but to stop her from hurting anyone else again, especially her kids (which i told her)

this is just one recent episode of many. people are on edge an being shittier than usual. democrats know they’re going to lose badly in the midterms. the middle class’s delusional bubble of superiority and perfection is crumbling. they all love to take it out on the poor black man - their boss yells at them so they go home and kick the dog. no, i kick back. these middle class liberal stooges deserve the humiliation and brutal self-reflection they are getting. because they handed the country and the world to a corrupt maniac.

i have to make sure my intentions are pure and serving god, not just myself. but i’m programmed to feel shame and fear when i defend myself. i second guess myself and downplay my own strength and overestimate my enemies. but god needs me to defend myself because no one else will.

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theheadlesshearseman · 4 years

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As a progressive independent leftist, I'm voting Howie Hawkins of the Green Party for president. We live in an oligarchy, not a democracy; Biden and Trump are on the same team backed by the same corporate donors. I know the Green Party can't win — I'm not delusional. We vote Green for the purpose of getting the party to a goal of 5% popular vote. When this is achieved, they get federal funding and nationwide ballot access in 2024. 15% popular vote will get them a podium on the debate stage and federal funding for the 2022 mid-term elections.

Biden won't support a Green New Deal, ban fracking, publicized healthcare, police reform, and most other policies progressives stand for. We need these things for the sake of our planet and our people. We are in the middle of a God damned pandemic, and the best the Democrats could offer is the revival of the Affordable Care Act — an act which requires you to have health insurance, or else pay a penalty fee for not having insurance. How are so many unemployed Americans supposed to pull off getting insured? Due to the government mandate, companies have consolidated and the market is monopolized, causing rates to go parabolic. But it's okay because pre-existing conditions are covered. That's great, but I still can't afford my medication for chronic asthma. Thank goodness for the black market! We don't see health insurance; we need health ASSURANCE — publicized healthcare (Medicare4All) is how you guarantee everyone, employed or not, rich or poor, is taken care of.

This notion democracy will cease to exist if Trump is re-elected is a farce, regurgitated by every panicked Biden voter. We have a system of checks and balances in place to prevent his abuse of power, yet media outlets are planting these thoughts of paranoia into the general public, and it's sick. Conversely, the Trump campaign tells their constituents that Biden is a radical leftist Marxist whose constituents hate America. Both sides use fear, division, and hate to keep you voting within the two-party duopoly. Either way, THEY win.

Most of the news outlets in the world are owned by 6 corporations. (It was just 24 corporations back in the 90s.) Each media company shares a board member with a big pharmaceutical company board member. Their goal is to augment their bottom line at our expense by lobbying to politicians of both major parties, donating to them in exchange for policies that further increase their bottom line. Remember in the late 90s/early 2000s when we started seeing ads for prescription drugs on TV for the first time? That's when the media company consolidation started growing.

These big corporations have a lot to lose if a third party gets elected. That's why they do anything in their power to sway public opinion via the news media, making you think you only have a choice between Republican and Democrat, shaming you from dare voting a third party for their ideals because "they can't win," swaying the public to vote "Gucci brand politicians" over that unknown brand at the store you keep passing up, but if you actually tried it, you wouldn't go back to "Kraft". You are going to get the same result with Biden or Trump.

I'm disgusted with Trump privatizing national park land for oil drilling. Native American lands are encroached upon and exploited by big oil. Look at the Keystone Pipeline; that happened with Obama at the helm. When Biden gets elected, he will perpetuate the abuse of our lands that Trump has perpetuated from previous administrations. Colonialism forges onward in the 21st century with an unnecessarily large military budget — $750 billion.

Both are rapists, both are racists, both perpetuate corporate control and exploitation of we the people, and I'm sick and tired of it. Plus, what Biden did to Tara Reade is utterly despicable and disgusting, but what's more disgusting is how people still support Biden after Reade has provided more supporting circumstantial evidence for her rape claims than any of Kavanaugh's accusers.

You have forfeited your integrity to say, "me too" and, "believe women" if you support Biden (and especially if you support Trump) because unlike the line-in-item veto power of the presidency, as voters, you, by default, have to endorse the entire package because you GET the entire package: a 47-year career politician who digitally raped a young intern in '93 that won't assure healthcare for the American people during a pandemic, won't ban fracking despite our climate crisis, authored the '94 crime bill responsible for the mass incarceration of back people and people of color for petty drug charges, responsible for the bank bill that pushed an entire generation of Americans into deep abysmal student loan debts due to high interest rates that his big bank donors profited off of while claiming to have no empathy for millennials who have it hard and statistically own only 4% of the nation's wealth even as the largest generational member of the American population, now running off a campaign of being the voice of reason, the light, the good, and not being Trump.

This IS the reality of it. In a way, I do live in an alternate reality from the rest of the JoeBlowHards that go through life not realizing there is a veil over them. I don't fear a Trump re-election, yet Biden is ahead by 10+ points in the polls, mostly by fools who think you can push Biden, a 47-year bought and paid for politician, left once elected. To push a politician left, you need leverage in the form of dollars — billions and billions and BILLIONS of dollars. What are you gonna do, squirt shampoo on a piece of progressive legislation to get the hair sniffer to sign it?! 😂

Biden CANNOT be pushed left for progressive policies because the very policies you support would directly undermine the big industries that are lining the pockets of the Republicans AND Democrats: Green New Deal VS Oil and Gas; Medicare for All VS Big Pharma; Free College Tuition VS Big Banks, etc. If you want ANY of these policies, we HAVE TO break through the two-party duopoly's choke-hold on the American people.

I feel it would be worse for Biden to get elected because I guarantee you, if he does, people will go back to sleep on all that is wrong with our country. With Trump in office, everything is happening in front of the curtain. With Biden, "nothing will fundamentally change" as he closes the curtain in front of the dark doings of the United States, continuing Trump's destruction behind the scenes. At least with Trump, since he attracts the spotlight, we can keep an eye on our oppressors. With Trump, people will stay mad, and we need to stay mad, not go back to sleep. Oh, and with a Biden victory, I will, once again, get charged a penalty for not having health insurance for my PRE-EXISTING CONDITION that I couldn't afford in the first place.

Disclaimer: I wasn't paid by Russia to type this. And if you're a Republican reading this and sick of Trump, come to the Green side; we support the second ammendment! When you swing far enough left, you get your guns back. ;)

Feel free to share and discuss.

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teamironmanforever · 7 years

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What is your opinion about the Republican Party? I feel that not all Republicans are bad even though I strongly disagree on their common conservative stances for social issues, such as LGBTQ and Reproductive rights. With that said, I am ashamed of them for helping and supporting Trump and have a lowered opinion of them. After seeing you re blog something saying to vote in dems in 2 years even tho I think you're an independent, I was wondering if your opinion on the R's had changed bc of Trump.

Well, my opinion changes as the party changes. I still consider myself an independent, mostly because I am a bit of an odd duck. I am personally very socially conservative, but I understand that not everyone agrees with my views, and that I cannot impose my views on everyone else. This is where I believe there is a disconnect between most Republicans and myself. I believe in reaching a middle ground whenever possible.

Now, the Party isn’t a stagnant thing, which means I can’t really tell you what I think about it because my views of the Party are constantly changing.

I think, first, it’s important to consider the origins of the Party and what it stood/stands for.

The republican party originated as a Northern abolitionist movement. As abolitionist parties got stronger, they coalesced and took over the gaping whole that the Whigs left behind when they sort of just fell apart. Lincoln, who himself wasn’t an abolitionist at first, was the leader of the Republican party. The democrats were popular in the south (the dixiecrats), and this was the case for… well until FDR.

FDR implemented the new deal during the Depression, which divided the country into 2 groups. Before the New Deal, the concept of the government helping people (the welfare state) was completely non-existent in America. People didn’t trust their government with that. They thought it was shameful to get help in the first place. Furthermore, creating a welfare state meant increasing taxes in the long run, and many people were appalled that the government would act so tyrannically (that is how they viewed it). The Republicans opposed the New Deal, and that is how they first came to spouse the idea that the less the government interferes, the better.

Later, the country became divided again under LBJ. When the civil rights movement started, a few years before LBJ, the country was divided into those that thought everyone already had rights and the government was interfering too much with states governments. It became a question of sovereignty just as much as it was about race. The republicans favored rights that would be granted by the states, not the federal government.

Why am I telling you all this? Because over the years, the Republican party has often been demonized unfairly (sometimes VERY fairly). But, we have to admit that they, too, have mostly wanted what they perceived was best for the country. We have lost sight that, at the end of the day, we often want the same thing. We just have different ideas of what “good” looks like in the American society.

It is important to note, however, that the Republican party was hijacked by the Tea Party not so long ago. Now it is a mix between true republicanism and the foul conservatism (foul because it is inflexible and absolute) that the tea Party brings. This makes it difficult for me to see where the republican party ends and where the tea party begins. So, as it stands today, I guess you could say I cannot agree on anything with the Republican Party.

This doesn’t, however, mean I agree with the democrats. I dislike democratic policies almost as much as I dislike the policies spoused by the GOP. However, considering who is currently leading the GOP (an ignorant, orange megalomaniac with delusional tendencies that seems to spouse neo-nazi beliefs and ideals), I would 1000000% rather have a fully blue congress than a red one.

Now, I will defend the republican party in one thing: The party leaders, and the party establishment did NOT support Trump, nor do they particularly support him now. They publicly made this clear many times. Mitt Romney spoke out against Trump (a former presidential candidate - it was a groundbreaking thing for the party to do). Some serving Senators spoke out, former staff of President Bush spoke out (and I mean high ranking members such as the brilliant Hank Paulson), as did many other notorious members of the Party. Many of his fellow candidates spoke candidly about their dislike for him (i am talking about John Kasich who refused to work for trump after he left the race). They tried to stop him in the primaries by appealing to their base. Some even tried getting a row call to avoid nominating him. Others also created the movement “Republicans for hillary” to get republicans to vote country over party.

They DID try to stop him - the problem was that 50% of their base wanted Trump. They cannot - THEY CANNOT - go against the will of those voting for them. They fell in line because that’s their job. They fought and they lost. Of course, I hate the fact that they are trying to silence protesters, and are trying to get on with business while not taking some of the blame for the fucking cheeto in chief, but I cannot say I blame them for eventually falling in line.

It’s something the democrats didn’t do (they did A LOT of shit to get Hillary elected instead of Bernie, which angered their base –> led to many people being petty and not voting).

so.. yeah… I don’t think Trump represents the republican party. He is not a republican, and we all know that. He represents everything that is wrong with this country.

#politics #personal opinion #Anonymous #answered

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theprospitianguards · 4 years

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I don’t drop many personal takes here cos I frankly am quite happy to be a passive consumer of content, but I swear to god the Jedi Order were extremely flawed as an institution and anyone who denies that is delusional. I’m not going to talk about treatment of Anakin (which like wasn’t great, pretty sure a child psychologist could have identified the emotional mess he was going to become from an early age and squashed it but thats a whole other kettle of fish) or other children things, cos frankly the Jedi Order were kinda stuck when confronted with force babies and its all a lose-lose, so their solution makes sense.

No it’s the Order as an institution of the Republic. People can claim all they want that the Jedi Order was separate from the Senate, that it played no part in Galactic politics. And that is a bullshit claim. Before the Clone Wars the Jedi were peacekeepers; tasked with maintaining peace and order in the galaxy. They are sent on missions by the Chancellor to try and quell and settle any disagreements between planets. This means they were the de facto institution that maintained the status quo between all the various planets in the galaxy. The status quo was deeply hierarchical. Some planets were granted more power and influence, and were able to dominate and exploit others. Outer Rim planets were straight up neglected, and large swathes of the Galaxy were controlled by literal criminals and slave-owners.

‘But prospitianguards, they didn’t like these things either, they just couldn’t do anything about them’ bull fucking shit. Once you start acting on the orders of the Chancellor, the Executive Office of the Galactic Senate, you are implicitly granting assent to the status quo, and granting it legitimacy, because you are actively defending it. Like cops, the Jedi were active in maintaining the system at play, and so, like cops, bear some culpability for the injustices that system propagates. Jedi authority is so wedded to the Chancellor’s authority that a Council member showing up to Kamino like yo make a galactic size army of clones for the Senate, was seen as a legitimate request from the Republic. That’s how close they were. (Also it is quite likely that Jedi at various points upheld completely unjust and exploitative dynamics between planets, but not gonna go into that). The Jedi explicitly, as an institution, are like, yup the status quo is good it is fine we are all okay with what is going on here. And what was going on in the Republic wasn’t okay! Not at all! The Jedi didn’t use their privileged position in the (frankly Byzantine) galactic political system to advocate and agitate for justice, they were instead content with maintaining the status quo. This complacency helped allow the Republic’s democratic standards to slide, and while the Jedi were like nah not our problem we dont meddle in politics and its like YES YOU DO YOU DO ALL THE TIME. The inability to acknowledge that they were an institution in the state, and the unwillingness to wield that power in a constructive manner, was a mistake. Should the Jedi have become obsessed with petty politics? Probably not, but they probably shouldn’t have sat back and done nothing, until literally the last second and then accidentally justifying Palpatine’s accession to the purple. So yeah. the Jedi Order, as an institution, super flawed, and was a part of the general rot within the Republic that led to its decline.

#jedi are liberals this is a hill i will die on

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duaneodavila · 5 years

Text

Mueller’s Last Day

As Erik Wemple satirically noted, the great experiment is how long cable news can talk about a report it doesn’t have? Lionel Richie had the answer. Since the day after the 2016 election, well-intended people have been pounding away. At every twit. Every policy, appointment, act and utterance. I warned some friends, smart and passionate people, who took that path that they would not only fail to achieve their goal, but would undermine their cause by doing so.

One lie is a tragedy. One million is a statistic.

Call it burnout. Outrage fatigue. It’s not that Trump’s every act wasn’t worthy of criticism, huge or trivial, significant or merely the sort of twist that could only matter if your hatred was so deep that you were blind to the fact that no one outside of your echo chamber cared. Yet, there they were, pounding away. Daily. Hourly. Pounding, pounding, pounding. Only the most passionate bothered to listen anymore. It was obvious this would happen.

The only possible outcome of constant Trump Outrage was inertia. The indiscriminate, constant attacks guaranteed that serious dangers would be swept together with banal offenses, and a nation would grow inured to the din of screaming. Some suffered Trump Delusional Syndrome, where even things that weren’t particularly bad were twisted into heinous crimes against humanity. Things that were bad, even very bad, were lost in the droning. It wasn’t merely hyperbolic, but off-the-charts crazy. Some will disagree. Of course they will.

My old father, no longer with me, would call me every day to tell me about what he learned the night before from the television show he called “Rachel,” that this was the end for Trump. “Rachel says this is it, he’s done.” I would reply that he’s still the president, despite Rachel, and would likely still be tomorrow as well. He struggled to understand this, as he was reared in an age when the news was reasonably reliable.

There was one thing, however, for which everyone said they were waiting. There was a man in whom so many reposed a level of faith as their savior that was religious. Sure, he had been less adored when he headed the FBI, but now, as independent counsel, he was immune from criticism and promised to deliver without fear or favor. This would be it. This would be the end. While there were doubts swirling everywhere else, there was no doubt, none, that his would be the voice upon which a nation could rely. And he would end this national nightmare.

Robert Mueller delivered his report to the Attorney General of the United States, Bill Barr, who then sent the letter he was required by law to send to Congress. This was . . . not the letter they were looking for. The special counsel will not be indicting anyone else. Not the Trump children. Not Trump. The indictments already obtained, the convictions in hand, are condemning of the nature of the people with whom “Individual 1” associated, the deceitful and unlawful way in which his businesses, and putative charity, was run. That the incessant dumb, petty, vulgar and false noise that emitted constantly from Trump’s twitter was exactly what it was already known to be. There was no edge left to play, blunted by the constant rubbing of the resistance.

But it does not do the one critical thing they were supposed to do: prove Trump stole the election from Hillary with the aid of Putin.

The Mueller Report is in, and no matter what it says, it will not be the key to bringing Trump down.

People lie to hide the truth. They lie to hide crimes. And while everyone is dying for a peek at Robert Mueller’s bombshell report to see if he says any crimes were committed by the Trump campaign in 2016, the truth is actually already out there, hidden in plain sight.

Mr. Mueller’s report may never go public, but we don’t need a peek at the recommendations he delivered on Friday to Attorney General William Barr to credibly assess that something unethical and likely illegal went on in 2016. The repeated lies told by Trump campaign staff members — lies about their connections to Russian figures — already spin a grand tale of conspiracy and deceit. And it’s a tale so suspect and sordid that President Trump and his associates felt the need to lie to hide it from law enforcement.

This concession speech comes from the president of the American Constitution Society, Caroline Fredrickson, who is smart enough to grasp that her dream has died. It’s been “so suspect and sordid” all along, and yet it came to nothing. And that’s where it will remain. Not necessarily because that’s where it should remain, but because America is tired of the constant screaming about the huge and petty.

Trump didn’t win the day because he’s deserving. He didn’t win because he’s some master at 8D chess. The terminally outraged gave him the victory he could never achieve on his own by their devaluing any wrong by overstating every detail, no matter how trivial or even non-existent, until most stopped listening, stopped caring.

The best and last hope was the Mueller Report, and while its substance remains under wraps, it will not bring down a presidency. At best, it will confirm that this vulgar, amoral ignoramus is what has always been obvious, and yet never served to achieve the goal of ousting him from office.

The shift in strategy has already been underway, unseating him in 2020. But the consequence of delusion is to believe that he’s sufficiently hated to accept anyone in his place, including those who would remake America into a socialist, social justice Utopia dedicated to the reinvention of the hierarchy of the privileged and the oppressed.

While the popularity of a trio of women, conclusively disproving the fantasy that women are any more endearing than the men they replaced, who fulfill the role of absurd cartoon characters that Trump would have to create if they hadn’t been drawn by the Democrats themselves, the newly awoken politically passionate dolts have done the impossible: made the alternative to the Trump the lesser of evils.

We will be deluged with spin, cries, speculation and rationalization, all of which will be believed with a fervor unseen since the first Crusade, now that the Sword of Mueller has fallen and Trump remains in place. And if you failed to see how this was the inevitable outcome from the start, then you suffer from the delusion. Trump could never have done this without you.

youtube

Mueller’s Last Day republished via Simple Justice

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davidsilvercloud · 7 years

Photo

Terry David Silvercloud, aka ‘Butch’.

Tuesday, 3 October, 2017. 9:30am, bright and sunny in my studio/home. I've been up for an hour having coffee, a T3, and stabilizing. I've been much better the past few months, in the morning. I began taking Diclofenac, once a day. It tires me out, a bit, and I tire more quickly, but it greatly relieves the aches and pains and has helped with bowel issues I had. I feel pretty well, all things considered and the fact I'm about to be 73 years old.

I live alone and fight loneliness all the time. In the mornings, because I'm retired and don't have to be anywhere, I sit drinking coffee, watching the news on TV, and thinking about the day ahead. I feel well today and plan a normal kind of day... working on my paintings, exercise, doing some selfies. I'm a photographer and really enjoy taking photos.

I don't see well, anymore, and don't have all the gear I used to have. These days I use a SONY NEX-7 camera on auto pilot. I let the camera decide the focus and exposure most of the time. I use extreme wide angle lenses, a trick I learned while doing commercial photography.

I'm known for using extreme wide angle lenses. My camera uses a standard 16mm lens with a dedicated fish-eye attachment... I can remove it quickly. I mention this because many don't quickly grasp what it is that makes my photos look so different than most people's photos.

Today I want to mention EQUALITY. Equality is an illusion... people are NOT equal. Equality is a social convention... rules we live by. Some people are tall, some short. Some are thin, some are fat. Some are sick, some are well, some are poor, some are rich. The issue that really separates the water from the oil is intelligence. Some people are, quite naturally, intelligent... it came with their genes. Most people are average in intelligence but are NOT equal in experiences and education... it just never ends, the DIFFERENCES.

In spite of all our differences, the vast majority of humans cling to the concept of equality... everyone wants what everyone else has and most don't see any reason why it should not simply be GIVEN to them. There is a sense of entitlement among many, if not most humans.

Democracy is supposed to level the playing field and bring some level of equality to the masses, but the vast differences in intelligence, education and experiences mean that the democratic system is doomed to failure. Power groups form which take control of government and the voting system keeps the entire system in eternal instability and government is by popular opinion, not based upon any kind of wisdom of any kind. It guarantees an eternal overthrow of governments, all of which are interested in the self interests of the governing party under the delusion it is for the good of all.

It's rather like labour unions. Seemingly a good thing to protect workers, unions end up being cliques of privileged workers who have only their own self interest to look after and that includes keeping out people from the union. The union has only the union's interests at heart to the exclusion of all others.

Workers should be protected by government regulation and policing, not by unions which have caused the destruction of the industrial base in North America over the past twenty years as business moves overseas under free trade deals.

Free trade is a good idea except the world is not a level playing field. Equality... as I'm trying to point out, an illusion of idiots.

I wrote a bit about equality in my book "The Shape of God"...

http://TheShapeOfGod.com/page261.html

http://The-Shape-Of-God.Tumblr.com

Tom Petty passed away yesterday. He was 66 years old. These kinds of things... well known entertainers and others, who are younger than myself, who have died. I'm about to be 73 and people say things like "oh, you're still young". I know they mean well, but when you get past that age 60 marker, you begin to realize your days are winding down and you begin to take on a different outlook upon life.

I'm hugely disappointed in the human race... I don't belong, at all. For me, I don't give a flying f**k anymore. I gave up on the humans some time ago and, mostly, keep to myself as I find it impossible to find anyone in whom I have anything in common, or wish to spend any time being with. I try to be nice to everyone, but my patience is low.

I share my life in photos, paintings, and words in hope of making this planet a better and nicer place to live. I'm trying my best to turn this living hell into a more pleasant place to be.

I notice my beard, hair and public hairs are all rapidly turning white, so old age is now totally upon me. I always looked much younger than I was. I attribute that to my genetics, but mainly to trying to eat without too much junk food, regular exercise, and avoiding drinking and smoking cigarettes.

I did smoke cigarettes for a few years but managed to quit. I can't stand the smell of them, now, and can't be around cigarette smoke because it is so awful smelling. I smoke a lot of pot... not saying that is a good thing, just saying.

I let you into my life through my photos in hope of inspiring you to think about things other than your daily grind. I'm well aware I'm not average, nor 'normal', whatever that is. We are not equal. Humans are not equal... it's time we found better ways to deal with that issue... providing opportunities for those who are gifted, while finding fair ways to feed and house the indigent... the failures in life and oversite, by government, to police businesses. Capitalism, as we know it, is a license to exploit. It needs strict rules. Socialism... total government control, will not work because governments are, by nature, always corrupt.

Government, itself, needs multiple levels of control over those who govern. Voting, in my opinion, is not a right unless you are properly educated, therefore, I believe in levels of voting rights. I said it, I mean it, people are NOT equal and the concept of equality is delusional.

The very fact that there is such a thing as homelessness should bring great shame to every single human upon the planet. The fact that there are those who go hungry, or with illness, or bad teeth, is testament to the horrific evil that is mankind, these days. Humans are not nice animals. They are greedy, self centred, poorly educated animals who walk and talk. We can change that, but I won't wait up... I have no hope for the human race and will be quite happy to leave this planet and never return. If you wish to associate with me, you will have to prove your worth to me. I won't wait up, but am hopeful that my equals are out there, somewhere.

Remember this... EQUALITY is a social concept that assumes the basic rights of everyone to be treated decently and with fairness. It, completely, disregards the rule of nature... the strong eat the weak and lead them. EQUALITY is a concept about fairness among humans in the way a person is treated by others and the group, as a whole. It requires rules... because it defies nature. Nobody is born an equal to others... the very idea is ludicrous and, evidence shows, that is not true. Everyone is different, in some way... why you are you. Equal opportunity is a myth. Nobody has equal opportunity. One is born into a situation that is, completely, out of one's control and one is not born with knowledge. A child doesn't really know any different life than the one they have... or why the disease of religion is so easily spread around. There is a truth to the concept of being born with a silver spoon in one's mouth. We, already, live in a world where a few enjoy the riches of the planet while the masses struggle for day to day needs. Millions of people, if not BILLIONS, live quite horrible lives with no chance, of any kind, of anything better. Face it, equality is a concept, not a reality.

While I'm still alive and above ground, I maintain several Domain Names where you can go direct to my sites. Most are now on public servers. Check me out...

http://TheShapeOfGod.com

http://ElectronSpeed.Tumblr.com

http://ButchBoard.com

http://ButchNaked.com

http://ButchNews.com

http://DavidSilvercloud.com

http://SeriousThunder.com

#The Shape of God #The Speed of Light #Physics #Terry David Silvercloud blog #Theoretical Physics #Theoretical Cosmology #David Silvercloud #Vancouver Artist #Photographer

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nancy-astorga · 7 years

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Meet the cocaine-addled, Hitler-obsessed drug smuggler who tried to take down Pablo Escobar

Pablo Escobar is remembered as the face of the Medellin cartel, the Colombian criminal organization that flooded the world with cocaine in the 1980s.

But for all his deeds and bluster, Escobar was just one member of a clan of traffickers who helped create the Medellin cartel.

And in terms of narco eccentricities, one Medellin capo stands out: Carlos Lehder Rivas.

Born to a German father and Colombian mother in Armenia, a district in west-central Colombia, in 1949, Lehder spent most of his childhood in Colombia.

But after his parents separated, he relocated to New York City when he was 15, Colombian newspaper El Espectador reported in 2012.

In the US, he got involved in petty crime, working on the US East Coast and in Canada leading a stolen-car ring and moving marijuana. He got picked up for car theft in June 1973 and was sent to federal prison in Danbury, Connecticut. His brief stint in jail would forever alter the US and the world.

George Jung, the now famous drug smuggler and subject of the movie “Blow,” was Lehder’s cell mate and described the Colombian-American as well mannered and well dressed. As Jung told PBS, even while locked up for minor crimes, Lehder had his mind on a more ambitious criminal enterprise:

“As time wore on, we got to know each other and then he asked me if I knew anything about cocaine and I told him no. And I said, ‘Why don’t you tell me about it.’ And he said, ‘Did you know it sells for $60,000.00 a kilo in the United States?'”

“And I said, ‘No. I had no idea. How much does it cost down in Colombia?’ and he said, ‘$4,000 to $5,000.’ And immediately bells started to go off and the cash register started ringing up in my head.“

“It was like destiny” that Jung and Lehder ended up together at Danbury, Mike Vigil, a former chief of international operations for the Drug Enforcement Administration, told Business Insider.

Jung and Lehder were released in the late 1970s, but they soon hooked up again, setting up an airborne-smuggling operation that moved cocaine from Colombia to the southeastern US.

As their operation expanded in the late ’70s and early ’80s, Lehder grew closer to the capos back in Medellin, and in the Caribbean, they looked for a way station for their bustling trafficking business.

‘It just turned into a freak show’

“They used to smuggle drugs through Nassau, Bahamas, by using corrupt officials that would open up the airport and look the other way … But they wanted a more isolated area — an area where they could operate more freely and not have to pay a ton of Bahamian individuals,” said Vigil, author of “Metal Coffins: The Blood Alliance Cartel.”

“So that’s when they came out to Norman’s Cay,” he told Business Insider.

At Norman’s Cay, a small spit of land 210 miles southeast of Miami, Lehder’s eccentricities — fueled by his growing cocaine habit — came to the fore.

Lehder, considered handsome by men and women, was regarded as intelligent and charming, but given to excess and probably lacking self-control, Ron Chepesiuk, author of “Crazy Charlie: Revolutionary or Neo-Nazi,” told Vice.

Lehder was also an aggressive businessman, and he eventually forced Jung out of their arrangement, but not before Jung visited Norman’s Cay and observed Lehder’s behavior. “He wasn’t crazy… he had delusions, though. He loved John Lennon and Adolf Hitler at the same time. That should have been a sign for me,” Jung told High Times.

“I mean, Walter Cronkite showed up there, and these thugs came with machine guns and told him, ‘You better leave.’ It just turned into a freak show,” Jung said.

“There were other people that lived there, but they started to drive them out, and Carlos Lehder started to develop kind of like a neo-Nazi group there, that would protect the planeloads of coke and intimidate the people that lived there,” Vigil said.

Lehder started behaving more erratically on Norman’s Cay, hosting parties and orgies and running roughshod over the community on the island. Spooked by law enforcement and emboldened by the officials he had bought off, Lehder went so far as to drop leaflets over Nassau, the Bahamanian capital, saying, “DEA go home.”

“Eventually Carlos started to become more visible and started to be in the crosshairs of the DEA, and that’s when the Bahamian government said, ‘Hey, you have to go. You can’t be here anymore because the DEA is coming, and we don’t want them meddling in our business and investigating us as well,'” Vigil told Business Insider.

Lehder retreated to Colombia after a DEA raid on Norman’s Cay in 1980. His airborne-smuggling operation had accelerated Medellin’s cocaine business and made Lehder a valuable member of the cartel — a status his actions in Colombia would start to erode.

He built a hacienda and started spreading money around his home turf in Armenia and around Quindio, the state where Armenia is located. He built a statue of John Lennon on his front lawn and raised eyebrows by buying the state government a modern airplane as a gift. Like Escobar, Lehder had a political awakening in the early 1980s.

Escobar went along with Colombia’s democratic system and won a seat as a backup for a legislator in the National Assembly. Lehder, however, lifted the Nazi leanings he likely absorbed from his father (the younger Lehder was reportedly a Holocaust denier) and used them to undergird his political movement in Colombia.

“He wants to get into politics and his idea is to form like a Nazi-type of government in Colombia,” Vigil told Business Insider. “This is how deranged he is now and delusional.”

“There is plenty of evidence to support the characterization that Lehder was a neo-Nazi,” Chepesiuk told Vice. “He certainly wasn’t shy about giving interviews or expressing his views. He often praised Hitler and railed against the Jews.”

He retreated into the jungle but still held press conferences and declared his intention to fight the government. He was also known to quote Hitler, who he admitted to admiring, according to El Espectador.

A Colombian national-police raid on a home linked to Lehder in a remote part of Colombia uncovered several million US dollars, “and the whole house is plastered with photographs and memorabilia of Adolf Hitler, who he idolized,” Vigil told Business Insider.

His party, called the National Latin Movement, had a “fascist-populist program [that] called for radical changes in Colombia’s political landscape.” He also embraced anti-imperialism, criticizing the US for its involvement in Latin America. He saw cocaine as a means of liberation, calling it Latin America’s atomic bomb, Vigil said.

Like Escobar, Lehder’s political efforts also focused on defeating Colombia’s extradition agreement with the US, which, after the 1984 assassination of Justice Minister Rodrigo Lara Bonilla, allowed for immediate extradition of Lehder and other narcos if they were caught.

‘He knew that Pablo Escobar had turned him in’

Lehder’s megalomania, heavily fueled by cocaine, sparked his falling out with Escobar, which would set the stage for his undoing.

At a party at Escobar’s Hacienda Napoles, outside of Medellin, “Carlos is high on coke, and he gets into an argument with one of Pablo Escobar’s sicarios, or hit men, and shoots and kills him,” Vigil told Business Insider.

This angered Escobar, Vigil added, because it made it look like the Medellin chief, who was particularly close to his hit men, couldn’t protect the people who worked for him.

Escobar, having decided that Lehder was more of a liability than an asset, “basically gives him up, gives up his location” to the Colombian government, Vigil said. Escobar later denied he rolled over on Lehder in a public letter, according to Chepesiuk.

At 6 a.m. on February 4, 1987, on a ranch near Medellin where Lehder was again embracing his hedonism, Colombian police and soldiers moved in, capturing Lehder after a brief firefight.

Eleven hours later, he was bound for Miami, becoming the first victim of the extradition agreement he had fought against.

He soon arrived at a federal prison in Marion, Illinois. With the US-Colombian campaign against Escobar reaching full throat, Lehder was a person of interest to US authorities.

Vigil, a DEA official at the time, traveled to Marion to meet Lehder upon his return to the US:

“Very short individual, fluent English. The first impression that I had of him was that he was a con artist, a manipulator. … He really didn’t want to talk about his involvement in the drug trade.”

“His whole focus — and he knew that Pablo Escobar had turned him in — and he said, ‘listen, I can help you capture Pablo Escobar. I’m willing to go back to Colombia. You can put me under the security of the Colombian army, and I can find Pablo Escobar for you.'”

“But we were not going to take a chance on him going back to Colombia and getting into the wind again,” Vigil said. “But he definitely, definitely wanted to do Pablo Escobar.”

Lehder’s split with Escobar in the mid-1980s left him without information that US authorities were interested in trading for.

He was sentenced to life without parole plus 135 years in 1988, a term the judge said was “a signal to our society that it will do everything it can to rid itself of this cancer.”

Lehder’s involvement in the drug trade proved valuable when he was able to testify against Panamanian dictator Manuel Noriega, who had assisted the Medellin cartel with its money-laundering activities.

Lehder got his sentence reduced, but he remains locked up in the US. His exact whereabouts aren’t known, as he is probably in witness protection, though his lawyers occasionally appear on his behalf.

The nearly 30 years he has spent in prison have weighed on him. He has accused the US of violating his rights and reneging on an agreement to let him out in return for his Noriega testimony. He has written to Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos, asking for help to repatriate himself so that he can die on Colombian soil — a wish he might well get upon returning.

“He’s got a lot of enemies in Colombia” Vigil said. “So if he went back there, I don’t think he’d survive more than a few months.”

SEE ALSO: ‘Nobody is ever going to tell you’: 3 theories regarding who killed ‘The King of Cocaine’ Pablo Escobar

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: Pablo Escobar: The life and death of one of the biggest cocaine kingpins in history

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viralhottopics · 7 years

Text

Susan Sarandon: ‘Its an easy place to put your frustrations, to blame me’

The actor discusses playing Bette Davis in the new small-screen drama Feud and why shes tired of people criticizing her for refusing to support Hillary Clinton

Susan Sarandon is here to talk about a much-publicized feud between two successful women. But, as the Oscar-winning actor and activist had made crystal clear the week before I spoke to her, during a tense interview on MSNBCs All In, shes not interested in talking about that feud.

Rather than yet another over-analysis of her role in Hillary Clintons shock election loss, shed rather turn the discussion to talk of Bette Davis and Joan Crawford, two women also pitted against each other, this time in 1960s Hollywood. In Feud: Bette and Joan, the latest FX show from Ryan Murphy, creator of American Horror Story and American Crime Story, the intricacies of their famed battle are brought to vibrant life with Jessica Lange as Joan Crawford and Sarandon playing Davis. Its a fun, snappy eight-episode behind-the-scenes reveal (the next season will focus on the feud between Prince Charles and Princess Diana) and provides a worthy reminder of the destructive influence that meddling men had in tearing the two women apart.

This is a really blatant example of trying to control two people by making sure they dont join forces, she tells me on the phone, dog yapping in the background. I think that mentality and lack of imagination you can see in all the reality shows. Thats the entirety of their plots: just turning women against each other and getting them drunk so that something dramatic happens, even if its a fight over nothing. Its always easier, I think, to suck people into drama when its negative as opposed to something thats constructive.

Susan Sarandon as Bette Davis and Jessica Lange as Joan Crawford in Feud: Bette and Joan. Photograph: FX

If thered been a Real Housewives of Hollywood in the early 60s, Bette and Joans on-set sparring while making Whatever Happened to Baby Jane? would have made for a ratings magnet. There was a pay dispute, nastiness in gossip columns, petty pranks and even physical violence. But over 50 years later, the business is different: studios no longer own stars in the way they once did and women are making headway towards equality. Competition is not what it once was.

I think that happened just in my generation, Sarandon says. I see examples of actresses just a little bit ahead of me who really saw women as their enemy and had no intention of forming any kind of alliance. Now, thats certainly not true. You might be envious of a part you didnt get but its switched to understanding that you need women as allies and that were stronger together, not divided.

Its an ethos thats been reflected throughout her career, with roles in a number of Bechdel test-smashing films, including The Witches of Eastwick, Thelma and Louise, Little Women, Stepmom and last years acclaimed comeback vehicle The Meddler. Shes also been keen to work with more female directors, having recently worked with a set of them on the production of Feud, but one area of equality that shes less sure about is that awkward matter of who gets paid what.

I dont think it matters that Jennifer Lawrence is paid 70 times more than what I am, she says. Its a business that is so subjective and I feel so lucky to be able to earn a living, and this is why to go after pay equality is a really chancy subject because if Tom Cruise has a leading lady thats in the movie as much as he is, should she get the same amount of money if shes been in the business a shorter amount of time? And should a character actor thats been in the business for 50 years not get paid more? Its a sin what happens to these supporting actors through the years where they can barely exist on the pay they get. Theres no equity in terms of value, and who knows how these decisions are made. So you cant apply that to feeling unfair because the whole fact that actors get paid as much as we do is ridiculous. I mean, what a fabulous life. I cant bitch about whatever my pay level is. I dont focus on that.

Susan Sarandon in The Meddler. Photograph: Sony

But as content as Sarandon seems, theres no denying that shes been frustratingly absent from the spotlight in recent years. Shes not stopped working but more often shes been taking on small, little-seen roles. Its not simply a dearth of scripts for women of a certain age in the industry, its also Sarandon being understandably picky. Unlike many other Oscar-winning female actors, shes resisted the urge to take on thankless roles in franchise fodder. She chose not to play the doomed female president in last years Independence Day: Resurgence (When I read the script, I couldnt understand what was going on) and the only sequel youll see her in any time soon is John Turturros Big Lebowski spin-off (something she calls a crazy film that she still cant believe they got the money for).

After the success of Thelma and Louise, many thought it would be a game-changer, showing Holly-bros that theres a sizable audience for a film about female friendship but as Bridesmaids has since shown, these hits are often seen as unlikely exceptions and fail to cause the seismic shift predicted. I think that a woman can look at a story that has a male protagonist and can identify that she could do that or be in that situation, she says. But I think its harder for male executives to imagine that anybody is really gonna get into a female lead because its hard for them to imagine. I dont think its meant to be a mean thing, I just think its a lack of imagination.

Its meant that, while shes starred in a number of aforementioned female-fronted films, shes still been paired mostly with men throughout her career. Its been a generally harmonious time, but Sarandon recalls the closest shes got to having a Bette v Joan situation. There was one gentleman, she says. He hadnt really done films, I dont think, and he was in the midst of a very successful TV run and was a heart-throb. There were definitely some problems and hed developed some habits, because in the atmosphere where he was working, he wasnt used to women challenging him in any way and was spoiled by the rules that they set up. At one point, they allowed him to leave on my reverse at the end of the day, so I was suddenly expected to do my lines with the script supervisor and him gone for my close-up.

She wont give me a name but she counts it as a rare occurrence. I dont thrive on tension or any kind of aggression, she says. But its an unavoidable part of the job, especially, depressingly, for a woman who chooses to speak her mind. While men might still be seen as brave and refreshing, women who speak out are still often painted as difficult or bitchy. Sarandon knows this all too well.

I think it is more annoying to have a woman with opinions for a lot of people, she says. I couldnt give you any solid proof that has hurt my chances in the business. Today in the New York Times, they were talking about the Academy awards and the fact that I was one of the people who didnt get a nomination for The Meddler, and [it] mentions that it might have something to do with the Clintonized Hollywood, when I supported Bernie Sanders.

Bernie Sanders and Susan Sarandon in April 2016. Photograph: Brian Snyder / Reuters/Reuters

Which brings us to the elephant in the room (or over the phone). Sarandon was a vocal supporter of Sanders as he ran against Clinton to become the Democratic pick for president. When he lost out on the nomination, she expressed her frustration and publicly endorsed the Green candidate Jill Stein instead, stating that she did not vote with her vagina. She had previously called Clinton more dangerous than Trump.

I have had a huge amount of backlash, she says. Theres been a really strong blame for a lot of things that are obviously not my fault.

A cursory scan of Twitter shows a stream of bile all the way from the Will & Grace star Debra Messing to the author Kurt Eichenwald. Sarandon remains defiant, unapologetic and frustrated with Democrats who suggest that shes let the party down.

Theres no valid argument, she says. Its just an easy place to put your frustrations, to blame me. I mean, if you read the list of people who voted Hillary Clinton and then I think its me and Viggo Mortensen on the other side. Youd have to be delusional to actually think that Beyonc and Jay Z and George Clooney and Julia Roberts and Meryl Streep, and the list goes on, were actually overpowered by the two of us.

But shes unperturbed, still hyper-aware of the daily failings of Trumps government. And despite resistance, shes continuing to show up at Democratic events, such as a recent anti-Trump rally in New York. Im focusing on reaching out and forming a coalition not only with all of Hillarys people but with people I know that voted for Trump, because we have serious work to do now, and we cant indulge in blaming or depression or any of those things, she says. There isnt time any more to look back. We have to look forward.

Feud begins on FX on 5 March at 10pm with a UK broadcaster yet to be confirmed