Dark Qiviut

HUGE bump! After nine long years, I FOUND IT! Now it's time to catch up after trying to find this song for so long!

Shit like this is why the left has a lot of trouble coalescing in politics. Criticizing her in good faith's one thing, but this open cynicism with desire to toss AOC to the side is one reason why the left and progressives have a lot of trouble gaining power and helps validate mainstream Democrats' desire to target Republicans instead. The left/progressives have a really bad habit of "eating their own." Very often, they splinter, don't rally around, and are just too stubborn. Massachusetts had several people fighting for Joe Kennedy's old congressional seat (MA-04), and two progressives (Ihssane Leckey and Jesse Mermell) helped split the progressive vote while Jake Auchincloss, a former Republican, snuck through despite winning less than 25% of the vote. In NY's 16th district, Jamaal Bowman wasn't the only progressive challenging Engel. A dem socialist, Andom Ghebreghiorgis, was also running despite little profile. However, when Bowman was gaining momentum and Eliot Engel claimed he only showed up to his district after hiding in his Maryland home because of a primary, Andom understood he had zero chance of winning. Seeing that progressives needed to rally around one to beat Engel, Andom dropped out and endorsed Bowman, a really mature thing for him to do. By dropping out and openly endorsing Bowman, Bowman capitalized on the momentum needed to win. After lying about Bernie claiming a woman can't beat Trump during the Iowa debates, he and Warren became splintered. Whereas every moderate coalesced around Biden before Super Tuesday, Warren (despite no momentum) stayed in the ticket, and the split very likely helped Biden win in Texas, Minnesota, and Massachusetts. When Warren dropped, she spent more time caring about being on SNL than getting back on the campaign trail and working to help progressives and the rest of her own coalition rally around Bernie, the one the most ideologically closest to her. Yes, it's okay to stick to your morals, and it's okay to be politically pessimistic. But folks like AOC successfully build coalitions to help create power for folks on the left to build. She builds power from within, yet stands up for what's right. She's a progressive leader, and leaders like her generate the coalition and momentum needed to move forward. The Marxist-Leninist I linked above displays a really toxic, openly contrarian viewpoint of politics while putting in little effort to build beyond their own bubble. Why are folks from The Young Turks, Justice Democrats, Sam Seder, Shaun King, and the late Michael Brooks more successful than, say, Jimmy Dore? Because Dore rants into a tunnel and is ready to toss folks away. TYT, Justice Dems, Seder, King, and Brooks openly work to try to make life beyond their comfort zones better. The more you rant into the bubble, the more it feels good, so you wanna do it more. Talking and screaming into a void, Twitter wars, and public ownage of a person with an opposing political ideology make great momentary stress relief, but it's extremely cheap. Yes, it's much easier to smash your keys as you type and become the Fred Figglehorn of politics, but it's another to exit your bubble, put your biases aside, listen to others, and persuade. How do Bernie, Warren, Jayapal, AOC, and the rest of The Squad build their clout in the first place? By listening and coalescing to find common politics. Lefty babblers, wealthy blue-checkers living in multi-million-dollar glass houses, and centrist vote shamers on Twitter share one thing in common. Ranting, yelling, and ratioing others may feel good in the short term, but what does it do in the long haul? Nothing. This Burger King of politics accentuates discord that indicates little desire to help understand conflicting viewpoints. Over the long haul, persuasion is so much more rewarding. Listen to other people's shoes, offer your viewpoint, and work to help them buy into it. This informative roundtable from The Michael Brooks Show understands how the internet can consume you and create such a bubble that it can mask your ability to think for yourself. Think about why Rhode Island progressives and Ed Markey were so successful this cycle. Ed Markey has a moderate record, including voting for NAFTA, the Crime Bill, and Iraq War. So how did he convince two warring progressive factions to support him for the primary? Because Markey listened and worked with them. Being from Massachusetts, he was a proud and open Warren supporter in the presidential primary, and she in turn endorsed him back for the primary earlier this month. Plus, he worked with AOC to draft the Green New Deal, co-led Bernie Sanders' fight to make single-payer Medicare for All a reality, and openly worked with the Sunrise Movement to make the nation and world a better place. Bernie was the top choice among the youth, and Elizabeth was #2, and he helped them share a common goal that his ideas and leadership will help the Senate lead a better America than Joe Kennedy. In Rhode Island, it doesn't matter what politics you have. As long as you have a "D" next to your name on the card, the conservative Democratic establishment in the state will welcome and fund for you. Warren and Sanders supporters share one thing in common: Progress will never occur with those political dinosaurs in power. Daniel Denvir, a podcaster and writer for Jacobin magazine, understood this, co-founded Reclaim Rhode Island, and worked with other political operatives there, including the Sunrise Movement, Working Families, DSA, and the new Rhode Island Political Operative, to change the entire political landscape in the state. In one year, these groups swept local seats throughout the state, which you can read and listen here. In short, politics and coalition-building are all about communication. Twitter fights and helping ratio-gaming destroy that communication.

One of the biggest dark horses of the House Democratic primary elections is Missouri's 1st Congressional District. William "Lacy" Clay succeeded his father, Bill, twenty years ago, who retired in 2001 after thirty-two years. Two years ago, a Black Lives Matter protester and activist from Ferguson, Cori Bush, challenged Clay with help from Justice Democrats, a progressive organization that primaries corporate, conservative Democrats in favor of progressive ones and the ones who helped Ilhan Omar, AOC, and Rashida Tlaib win Congressional seats. As the first JD, she got 37% of the vote last cycle, losing in a blowout. She returned to primary Clay again, but the Justice Democrats only went after a select few seats, all safe Democrats, rather than bulldoze and hope for the best. Unlike last cycle, Cori Bush was able to fundraise better, have the insurgent Sunrise Movement and DSA in her corner, was on TV a lot more, and had an outside group run by Bernie Sanders's former campaign manager, Faiz Shakir, airing commercials attacking Clay for working against the Obama administration and helping Trump to allow predatory Wall Street firms to steal money from retirees. Signs pointed at Clay possibly being upset in the primaries, and Bernie Sanders and congressman-elect Jamaal Bowman endorsed her. However, the current Squad in the House did not get involved, even though AOC endorsed Bush two years ago. Well, an earthquake hit St. Louis tonight! Cori Bush knocks out the Clay dynasty! The Clay family has represented Missouri's 1st District for over fifty-one years. Bill Clay long retired, but Lacy carried on his father's name. It would be an enormous upset if Cori Bush won. Mission accomplished, and now a leader of the Black Lives Matter movement both in Ferguson and nationwide has representation in Washington. I couldn't be any happier to see one of the best activists and people in the BLM movement now in Congress.

One of the leading voices in speaking out against the powerful is Michael Brooks. Host of the show bearing his name and working alongside with Sam Seder of The Majority Report, he's excellent at dissecting right-wing imperialism that pollutes our government. He knew how to challenge right-wing ideas with succinct passion while not leaving his kindness behind. Tonight, devastating news: Michael Brooks suddenly passed away. RIP, Michael.

Since entering the race last summer, Amy McGrath has been the Senate's personal pick to win Kentucky from Mitch McConnell. A conservative Democrat who considers herself a pro-Trump Democrat and immediately flip-flopped on voting for and then against Kavanaugh, she would allegedly fit right into the mold of other corporate Democrats that parade the US Senate. But one person who entered the race early in the year has begun to pick up some serious steam and can win the primary and general: Charles Booker. A progressive from Louisville, he is campaigning for Medicare for All, Green New Deal, criminal justice reform, doesn't take corporate PAC dough, and supports a whole host of progressive ideals that have bled into American politics. As people protest in Kentucky, he has participated in them and helped them when needed. This evening, popular radio host Matt Jones (who considered a Senate run himself after McGrath kicked him off the air) announced his endorsement of Booker. I really believe Booker can win the primary and beat McConnell. Go get 'em!