THE RIDDLE ABSTENTION
vs VOTING for a 3RD
OPTION PARTY
This includes an urgent Plan of
Actions at the end
Hugo Adan, Oct 21, 2016
The logic for ABSTENTION has been summarized clearly by Nathan Hanna in “An
Argument for Voting Abstention - Personal Web Page, 2009.
I will make a summary of her
arguments and add R.Dahl thesis on this topic.
In this
doct she argues that there is an ethical obligation to ABSTEIN under certain political
conditions. The obligation to abstain follows from two premises:
a- One should not exercise one’s right
badly.
b- There are conditions where, if one
votes, one can only vote badly (lesser evil story)
c- Therefore, one should not vote in
such conditions.
She
mentioned two conditions:
1. Illegitimate system or
anti-democratic: full of exclusions and frauds
2. Unfair process: biased in favor of
one party
If we add
the “freedom” conditions for real democracy or “Polyarchy” set by Robert Dahl
we have the whole argument in favor of Abstention:
1- Freedom to form and join
organizations (we have it by silenced in TV debates)
2- Freedom of expression ( only
to support oligarchical duopoly parties. Dissenters have been blocked; their computers destroyed with viruses; some of them were prosecuted, jailed & even killed.
Amy Goodman was harassed recently for reporting on State abuses against native
population).
3- Right to vote (only if you registered
in one of the oligarchical parties, you can’t move freely from one to the other. The Dems called “Closed Primaries”,
to this illegal capture of votes. Because of, millions
have been excluded recently in NY, California, Boston and other primaries.
The third option party of Jill Stein is being blocked in several States, in this way the
system is banning to many US citizens their right to vote).
4- Eligibility for public offices. (
electing local authorities is also sided in favor of the two oligarchical parties.)
5- Right of political leaders to compete
for support & votes. (Minority parties have been excluded from main
debates. You can only compete if you have economic support from billionaires.
Sanders manage to get the support of working classes and it was not enough. The
system is rigged in favor of the two party system)
6- Alternative sources of information.
(We do have it, but the mainstream media is controlled by big corporations. There is official threats to cancel Internet, if "National Security" -the two oligarchical parties- demand it.)
7- Free and fair elections ( since the 6
above conditions for real democracy don’t exist, or only partially exist, we don't have real democracy with free and fair elections)
8- Institutions for making government
policies depends on votes and other expression of preference. ( The political
bureaucratic control of the system is the most corrupted one. Besisdes, few States like
Michigan manage to implement Referendum and recount of votes. Lobbies from big
corp distorted primaries results with their super-delegates and other
anti-democratic maneuvers).
I have to add the following:
Democratic
voting is not only "a right and freedom" to express political preferences one
hour every four years; it is also an exercise of
political power for the oppressed people to defend thier interest and/or change radically the current
status quo. The right to exercise political power peacefully is the essence of
democracy, and it is a right that should be expressed daily or when the time required (not one hour every 4 years) via political
actions of solidarity supporting people causes.
It is fair to conclude that: If all these 10 conditions for real democracy do not exist or barely exist, then we are in front of a rigged democracy.
It is fair to conclude that: If all these 10 conditions for real democracy do not exist or barely exist, then we are in front of a rigged democracy.
You
decide if the arguments above are enough for your ABSTENTION
in the coming elections, but first listen the next option you have.
----
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THE LOGIG for SUPPORTING A 3RD OPTION PARTY
This
logic is based on the combination of three objective contextual realities:
1. The trap of two evil
parties as only choices for the electorate, force them to exercise their right
to vote badly, or voting for a lesser evil. This is the most
terrible defect of our electoral system Worse
if the oligarchical parties have similar traits. If so, they will join forces to silence the voice or prevent the emerge of
a 3rd option ,as now happens. If the two o parties have real
differences, the “deep state” or shadow Gvt representing the oligarchical
interest as a block (not a particular sector) will use those differences to
create artificial political chaos to legitimize the existence of the duopoly system.
One can use the Cartesian line to see this game. In this line
there is a ZERO in the middle, and positive numbers (+) in the right side, and
negatives (-) at the left side. The ZERO
represent the Abstention: kind of temporal
neutrality, “not in favor, not against radical change”.
It is a “way to see” or “suspense” in the language of Trump. Meaning: “The process is on, nothing is done, until fair
verification of results is over. All that is need now is the verification of a
vote emitted, if released by the machines, to recount votes where need it.
Then, we will see”.
Meanwhile, a premise is clear: A negative vote -1 + another
negative vote -1 doesn’t make a positive one in the Cartesian line, it instead
double or triple the amount of poison against democracy. Meaning: The joining of the two oligarchical parties
before and after the election does re-create -at a higher level- the current
anti-democratic system. It will be worse even if they contradict each other
before elections (at bureaucratic level) and after the elections (Senate and
House vs. Executive power= total chaos plus civil disobedience & violence).
2. War is the 2nd
greatest enemy of our democracy and the main source of
political and economic calamities for a State nation. Besides diverting financial
funds needed to attend internal problem, it waste it and destroy millions of
human life and infrastructural resources. The context is loaded with war mongerism thanks to Hillary.
3. Neo-Fascism is the third greatest enemy of
democracy. It emerges from the alliance of leaders and parties with big
corporations aligned with the military industrial complex, this is exactly the case of Hillary. This phenomenon
creates the opposite to liberalism, egalitarianism and democracy. Fascism is
the authoritarian dictatorship of one single party -with two faces in our case- it is the
equivalent of totalitarianism. A system full of explosive inequality controlled
via police military repression of the oppressed labor in the name of State
security.
tThe last and more frequent threat the Democracy is electronic fraud. This is a motive for special art that I promise to publish next Monday or Tuesday, as soon as Trump publish the evidences he is expected to get. Do these machines provide record of the vote done to facilitate the recounting of votes, in case is required?. Is there a record of computer fraud with the company that is providing these machines and the personnel in-charge of operating them?.. All that we know so far is that the Democrats took control of all affairs related to the machines counting votes. President Obama admitted. Read this article:
According to Prof Paul Craig Roberts "rigging elections" is part of our political culture. Read this : Paul Craig Roberts Roars "Rigged Elections Are An American Tradition"
tThe last and more frequent threat the Democracy is electronic fraud. This is a motive for special art that I promise to publish next Monday or Tuesday, as soon as Trump publish the evidences he is expected to get. Do these machines provide record of the vote done to facilitate the recounting of votes, in case is required?. Is there a record of computer fraud with the company that is providing these machines and the personnel in-charge of operating them?.. All that we know so far is that the Democrats took control of all affairs related to the machines counting votes. President Obama admitted. Read this article:
"Whenever
people are in power, they have this tendency to try to tilt things in their
direction...it’s not as if it’s just Republicans who have monkeyed around with
elections in the past. Sometimes, Democrats have, too."
According to Prof Paul Craig Roberts "rigging elections" is part of our political culture. Read this : Paul Craig Roberts Roars "Rigged Elections Are An American Tradition"
Point 1: Lesser evil trap
1- The only option we have
in the Cartesian line is apparently the ZERO point representing Abstentionism. But abstencionismo is not a
permanent neutral point. It is really an escape from reality. Is the absent of
political action, a naïve believe of “I don’t care for politics. The fact is
that politics will affect the present & future at all level of our existence.
The ZERO doesn’t represent permanent neutrality –perhaps a brief temporal moment
of indecision a month ago (wait to see). But now, nobody can be neutral inside
a train moving at high speed, worse if the direction is unknown and the breaks
dosen’t work. Even remote observers can be affected if the train crash. The Cartesian
line only serve to evaluate the political actions of defined actors (the oligarchical
parties in our case), it gives you a map on where they go, and where they are now. This map doesn’t define nor
pre-determine your will and attitudes.
Who really determine
your fate is yourself, your capacity of
united with others in similar situation to use the right to vote as exercise of political power. That means to fortify
an organization that will serve now and after elections to express your voice and execute plans of non-violent actions at local, state
and national level to defend your rights. Vote as
exercise of political power is the essence of American democracy and we
were doing so for long time but in chaotic or disconnected way. All we need now
is to define the worse enemy, then we proceed to articulate all social progressive
movements against that enemy. We can even use spaces or loopholes open by a big
party to set temporal pacts to put across our aims. Is that Lenin & Trotsky
did when they were siege by big western armies after the Rev.
2- The two oligarchical parties
(democrats & GOP) share the same fundamentalist ideology: neoliberalism.
This is a collapsing system and they knew it, but never made a proposal to go beyond it. The
demand of Sanders to re-adapt the Glass Steagal Act and the need to create a
Tobin tax on all speculation transaction in WT was abandoned.
3- Both oligarchical parties share the view of more
State intervention to face debt, unemployment, health,.. and other domestic
issues. Hillary & OB made it clear recently that more State intervention is
need it. Trump coudn’t go beyond feble words
because he is in the speculation business, and his taxation papers contradict the Fact of being fair in paying taxes.
Even though, they will be united in the Senate & House against common
people.
4- At the level of foreign policy the
record of Clinton is dismal, her lies on Russia and her war mongerism is
irrational (lack of evidences) to say the less. Trump has more decent approach
on this topic but at the end both of them agree to face trade and currency
issues based on using the mighty of militarism and their “exceptionalism” at the UN level . That is:
they both support the expansion of the collapsing empire at whatever human
cost. Syrian case +..
5- In politics they both behave openly
against democracy by excluding the 3rd option from TV National
debates. They both represent the 1% and want to silence the 99%.
6- They both democrats a GOP
shared the monopoly of the press in their favor until recently that Hillary got
the full monopoly
to biased the political discourse with her lies and nasty demonization on Trump
& RU. Instead of putting condition to the press and get a deal with Hillary
to postpone elections until electronic machines
counting votes are check, instead of averting the coming electronic fraud
before proceeding to the debate, Trump happily put his head in the rope for the
Corp media to lynch him. Now he need to provide evidences of such fraud to get
full support of the nation.
POINT 2 : WAR
1- This is the point that makes Hillary
the worse choice between the two evils. If the NATION pay attention to the
dangers of this issue .. she will be defeated by a social movement demanding
PEACE. No one single statement against war has been made by Hillary during the
3 national debates. She intentionally divert this issue by talking instead of
private Trump saying on sex 11 years ago. She creates nausea on politics. She
had the support of billionaires and don’t need the support of people.
2- Her war mongerism has not limits. Her
AIPAC DISCOURSE was a clear evidence
that she id proud of her nasty past record (Iraq, Libya and now Syria) She is
supporting Israel terrorism against Palestine and the terrorist of ISIS as Obama does. She announced in AIPAC that
she will inititate a war against Iran. In more recent statement she went beyond
and announced her decision to start a nuclear war to Russia. No ethics nor
humanism in this lady at all.
POINT 3: FASCISM
1- The probeta experiment for
neoliberalism was CHILE during the 1970s. The elected President Allende was
killed and his Gov deposed for the military fascist coup of A. Pinochet. The
experiment was financed and implemented by the US, Kissinger was the political
mentor of this coup and Milton Friedman the economic advisor. Fifteen years
after the neoliberal agenda was officially set in the Washington Consensus
(1985) . At world level such fascist
experiment -that cost 40,000 human life- was celebrated by the Reagan
Administration . Hillary Clinton and Trump openly declared their admiration to Reagan. For Trump, a neophyte
in History, Reagan was the 1st creator of the “Greatest America”, not FDR. Hillary was very proud of
the war criminal Kissinger, my best friend she said. Sanders decried: you
should be shame of it, he said to her.
2- The US foreign policy goes hand on
hand with fascism, as it was in Italy in 1922 and ten years later in
Germany with Hitler (under the name of
Nazism). This type of dictatorship has been called Totalitarian
by Scholar like Hanna Arent, Friedrich and Brzezinki.
Friedrich set the five features of a totalitarian
system:
A- an official ideology (today it would
be neoliberalism).
B- single mass party controlled by an Oligarchy
(in the US would be the “deep-state” or shadow Govt, a bunch of corporation
lobbyists plus selected official from the Govt & bosses of the Security
apparatus CIA, FBI, etc) this is the single party that articulate the shared
views of Dems & GOP in the Senate on everything that concern the
oligarchical interest.
C- Govt monopoly of arms (OB tried to do
it under the excuse that many people is killed by those arms. The 2nd
Amendment prevail against such hypocritical argument from our champion of wars abroad.
Hillary said that she will continue such “humane line”. She will do anything
that please the scary oligarchy afraid of the explosive inequality they created.).
D- Govt monopoly of Mass Media ( not
need it now .. we already have same news with different owners. The only thing
that escape their control –partially- is the internet & alternative media,
but they already announced that they will kill that freedom if the National
security demand it) .
E- terrorist police system (we already
have it and with special attention to blacks and latinos, and Muslims too .
F- Centrally directed economy ( we
already have it and with special mission
to serve the common interest –no particular ones- of big bankers and billionaires
of Wall Strett. For them all, many bailouts, for the people some crumbs . I’m
not against the issue Centrally Directed Economy, it is working here for some of big corp, as it is working in China & RU -SOEs- and in Germany, in all of them with more social responsibility than in our country. All that we need is to reverse its trend in favor shark speculators ). See Carl
Joachim Friedrich - Wikipedia
We are in the road to this type of system if Hillary arrives to power. Her close contact
with big Corp producing WMD and wars abroad, say so.
3- More on the ideological
features of FASCISM.
A- Extreme nationalism. The believe that our Nation is an exceptional
country with a cultural purity that is superior to others. So we deserve to be “above
international Laws”. This is just a type of militaristic myth, a kind of religious
ritual in their ceremonies. In my opinion this is a great society, no doubt about .. but above
the Law .. ah ah. There are beautiful
people here sharing a common dream: an
America full of social justice, freedom, peace & real democracy. Just a dream.
B- There is an assertion of
national decline that we have to overcome now at whatever cost, it is in the mind of our oligarchy.
In the past we were a great nation said Trump –in fact we were with FDR- with
harmonious social and political relations –that was and is another
dream- and we have to rebuild that greatness again, said Trump. Why the urgency?
, because we have military superiority –not anymore- we can’t be subordinated to
lesser nation, the oligarchy is saying. The fact is that we don’t need a military
superiority to rebuilt our nation.
Without war we can do it faster than other nations. We have the tech and human
resources to do it. All that we need now is to stop the greed –voracity of big
speculators as FDR did it since 1936, in similar circumstances.
C- The worse of a fascist
ideology is blaming our neighbors from the South for our decline. The fact is that Texas Ranchers
open the door to them whenever they need cheap labor and they will put down the
wall Trump is planning to build in the border with Mx. Racist ideology and the stupid
grotesque “purity “ of the whites is
also typical of the fascist KKK ideology.
D- That blame will foster
ideological division between opposite social classes of our nation. That is very dangerous if we really
plan to make war to RU. The memory is fresh about the concentration camps with
millions of foreigners, before getting inside the WW2. If we attempt that again we will force them to united and protect their life at
whatever cost this time. There is no way to do the same as we did in the past.
E- That division could
generate struggle against capitalism (its upper classes) and its political form
of liberal democracy (their corrupt bureaucrats). The soldiers coming from war will
join this movement and this will be the real defeat of the empire, if the Fed
Union is not totally dissolved before the social crash. Fascist ideologies are really a boomerang against our current system.
Nobody wanted but it happens in world history.
The trap of lesser evil, war mongerism and the emergence of fascism are the real
dangers that American democracy is facing today. To overcome these challenges all that we have is the option of exercising
the right of using democracy as
political power. That means : using our capacity of uniting ourselves in
political actions that fortify our 3rd option.
We need a
coordinated plan of non-violent actions at national level to avoid the arrival of Hillary to power. She
is the worse evil among the two and I propose coordinate with Trump the demand to postpone elections and to democratizing it by
registering the Green Party in all States of the Nation. This petition should
be elevated to State Courts and to the Supreme Court.
URGENT ACTION PLAN:
We should
start now the demand TO POSTPONE ELECTIONS and to DEMOCRATIZE
THE SYSTEM by registering the Green Party in all states of the Nation.
Trump is planning to show evidences that
the machines counting votes are rigged, as many denounces suggested before. There
is not point in going to elections if the machines are already set for
electronic fraud?.
And it is
time to democratize our system at the level of advanced democracies in Europe. We
need to erase the bad image that our electoral system projected during the recent debates.
WE NEED TO ACT NOW!
This initiative
is the best way to avoid violence during and after the elections and it is an
effective way to assure PEACE and DEMOCRACY in AMERICA.
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