#progressive voter guide

[wanderinthedeep]

good morning everyone, don’t forget to go vote today! if you live in Chicago or the surrounding counties, I recommend the Girl, I Guess, Progressive Voter Guide, especially for some of the smaller races/judges. local elections matter!

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1KZd8lc835xt00ygB0-eZ_pOx8lDktlJwEv8btDAvkCM/mobilebasic?hl=en_US

[tswiftdaily]

LA SWIFTIES IF YOU ARE VOTING TODAY AND ARE A PROGRESSIVE PLEASE CHECK THIS OUT

[vaspider]

Simply put, there is a ton of fascist-chic cosplay involved. Once an officer joins the Grays, they get a special uniform designed by their tech overlords. The Grays will also donate heavily to police charities and “merge the Gray and police social networks.” Then, in a show of force, they’ll march through the city together. “A huge win would be a Gray Pride parade with 50,000 Grays,” said Srinivasan. “That would start to say: ‘Whose streets? Our streets!’ You have the A.I. Flying Spaghetti Monster. You have the Bitcoin parade. You have the drones flying overhead in formation.... You have bubbling genetic experiments on beakers.… You have the police at the Gray Pride parade. They’re flying the Anduril drones …”

Everyone would be welcome at the Gray Pride march—everyone, that is, except the Blues. Srinivasan defines the Blue political tribe as the liberal voters he implies are responsible for the city’s problems. Blues will be banned from the Gray-controlled zones, said Balaji, unlike Republicans (“Reds”). “Reds should be welcomed there, and people should wear their tribal colors,” said Srinivasan, who compared his color-coded apartheid system to the Bloods vs. Crips gang rivalry. “No Blues should be welcomed there.”

While the Blues would be excluded, they would not be forgotten. Srinivasan imagines public screenings of anti-Blue propaganda films: “In addition to celebrating Gray and celebrating Red, you should have movies shown about Blue abuses.… There should be lots of stories about what Blues are doing that is bad.”

Balaji goes on—and on. The Grays will rename city streets after tech figures and erect public monuments to memorialize the alleged horrors of progressive Democratic governance. Corporate logos and signs will fill the skyline to signify Gray dominance of the city. “Ethnically cleanse,” he said at one point, summing up his idea for a city purged of Blues (this, he says, will prevent Blues from ethnically cleansing the Grays first).

[edenfenixblogs]

Hello fellow US jumblr folks!

I’ve just voted! Like many of you, I’ve felt extremely betrayed by the lack of empathy from fellow leftists, but remain committed to leftist ideals.

My city offers a progressive voter guide which is really helpful. I’m pleased that most of my choices remained unaffected by current events. There were a few extremely…icky conundrums for me on the ballot though.

If you, like me, wish to protect your fellow Jews, here and in Israel, without damning Palestinian Civilians, I found that my state and city have a council for progressive Jewish voters that tends to have more nuance than what we’ve been seeing in more mainstream leftist spaces. Actually, the one I found specifically stated that they stand with Israeli leftists who are opposing Bibi and wish to find a peaceful solution for the region. I’d recommend that, if anything in your progressive voter guides gives you pause, look for a specifically Jewish progressive voter guide.

Also, if you’re an antisemite looking to come hate on me don’t start. Go back to the previous paragraph and read the literal first sentence. It is in blue text so it stands out. I have said nothing that should offend you. I have said nothing that harms or advocates for harm of innocent people.

PS: allies who care about Jewish leftists feel free to use those guides as well.

[self-loving-vampire]

“What I’m really calling for is something like tech Zionism,” he said, after comparing his movement to those started by the biblical Abraham, Jesus Christ, Joseph Smith (founder of Mormonism), Theodor Herzl (“spiritual father” of the state of Israel), and Lee Kuan Yew (former authoritarian ruler of Singapore). Balaji then revealed his shocking ideas for a tech-governed city where citizens loyal to tech companies would form a new political tribe clad in gray t-shirts. “And if you see another Gray on the street … you do the nod,” he said, during a four-hour talk on the Moment of Zen podcast. “You’re a fellow Gray.” The Grays’ shirts would feature “Bitcoin or Elon or other kinds of logos … Y Combinator is a good one for the city of San Francisco in particular.” Grays would also receive special ID cards providing access to exclusive, Gray-controlled sectors of the city. In addition, the Grays would make an alliance with the police department, funding weekly “policeman’s banquets” to win them over. “Grays should embrace the police, okay? All-in on the police,” said Srinivasan. “What does that mean? That’s, as I said, banquets. That means every policeman’s son, daughter, wife, cousin, you know, sibling, whatever, should get a job at a tech company in security.” In exchange for extra food and jobs, cops would pledge loyalty to the Grays. ... Everyone would be welcome at the Gray Pride march—everyone, that is, except the Blues. Srinivasan defines the Blue political tribe as the liberal voters he implies are responsible for the city’s problems. Blues will be banned from the Gray-controlled zones, said Balaji, unlike Republicans (“Reds”). “Reds should be welcomed there, and people should wear their tribal colors,” said Srinivasan, who compared his color-coded apartheid system to the Bloods vs. Crips gang rivalry. “No Blues should be welcomed there.” While the Blues would be excluded, they would not be forgotten. Srinivasan imagines public screenings of anti-Blue propaganda films: “In addition to celebrating Gray and celebrating Red, you should have movies shown about Blue abuses.… There should be lots of stories about what Blues are doing that is bad.” Balaji goes on—and on. The Grays will rename city streets after tech figures and erect public monuments to memorialize the alleged horrors of progressive Democratic governance. Corporate logos and signs will fill the skyline to signify Gray dominance of the city. “Ethnically cleanse,” he said at one point, summing up his idea for a city purged of Blues (this, he says, will prevent Blues from ethnically cleansing the Grays first). The idea, he said, is to do to San Francisco what Musk did to Twitter. “Elon, in sort of classic Gray fashion ... captures Twitter and then, at one stroke, wipes out millions of Blues’ status by wiping out the Blue Checks,” he said. “Another stroke … [he] renames Twitter as X, showing that he has true control, and it’s his vehicle, and that the old regime isn’t going to be restored.”

To be expected from libertarians that they're more tolerant of conservatives, cops, and fascists than progressives.

[gwydionmisha]

A Word on Fighting Back in 2024

Way back in the last weeks of 2016, I wrote that this was a marathon, not a sprint, and we are still running, running, running.

We fought tooth and nail as the country slipped further and further into fascism and horror. Thing would have gotten so much worse, so much faster if we hadn't.

Electing a democrat wasn't enough. That can never be enough. As long as the margin is so small in the senate and they hold the house, all we can really do is keep fighting the slide, with are ptrotests, our calls, our texts, and our votes.

Don't let anyone tell you that both parties are the same, because people who say that are lying in the hopes you won't vote. Look at the Supreme court and tell me with a straight face that Roe v. wade would have been repealed by Democratic majority court. Imagine what we could have accomplished with a few more seats in the house keeping it Blue instead of divided government. Look at how Democrats fought for every inch in budget negotiations and preserved as much bodily autonomy as they could without holding the house in budget negotiations. I will take a party that will listen to us any day over one that actively wants us daed and is passing legislation to make that happen.

We need turn out to win. We need people who are progressive to run for office. we need people to actually vote in the primaries. We need people to volunteer for campaigns and the party, and get out the vote. We need honest young people who are willing to be poll workers and election officials despite republican terroristic threats. We need people to vote the whole ticket in every single primary and general, including state and local races. Look at what a big difference fipping the court in an election is making for wisconsin. Look at how big a difference school board races make. Read voter guides. Research on line. VOTE! Get your friends to vote.

Democracy is still on the line and we still need all hands on deck for that. Don't let the ship sink without trying to patch and bail first, all right? Because if we fall, so many of us will die, and the world will be a far worse place.

Remember also, that this is fundamentally a matter of collective action. No one can do it alone. Everyone needs a little rest and self care. Organize. Pick an area or several areas where you are most passionate and do what is within your strength. Take rests when you need to. Make space for fun, as we need "Bread and roses too." Turn out when somethoing is urganbt inside your interest area or not. have each other's backs always, always, always. So often the other side has won because the most priveleged are willing to throw others under the bus in hopes that this will apease the Right. Nothing will ever appease the Right except our total destruction. They just take and take and take. If a group you aren't a part of is underthreat? Signal boost and turn out in support. Protest! Contact congress critters and styate reps.

We hang together or we hang seperately! There are more of us than there are of them. Make that our strength.

May your 2024 be better than 2023!

[qqueenofhades]

I also have a local election, so I was trying to do research on the candidates. Which is fine for the state level. But at the local level they’re all labeled nonpartisan. And of course the local paper’s breakdown is 1) not at all detailed enough and 2) behind a paywall -_-

That’s not even getting into how confusing and deceptive the referendum questions were worded *sigh*

I mean yeah, accessibility is always an issue (often deliberately so). But that doesn't mean there aren't ways to get around it:

For one, candidates for most city offices will have campaign websites. Google their names and see what you find. See what language they're using, who they are endorsed by and if you recognize any of the names, who those organizations are, etc. For example, I searched all the names for city council and voted for the two progressive Democrats who a) had been endorsed by progressive Democratic politicians/organizations and b) had an actual, demonstrable track record of involvement in local government. We had a very crowded mayor's race where almost all the candidates (aside from the one Republican, BLEH) said things about affordable housing and cost of living and climate change, but plenty of them didn't return calls from newspapers or didn't release tax returns or didn't have plans, and clearly just wanted their name in the paper.

So for mayor, I voted for the candidate endorsed by the big city paper (very traditional of me, I know) after reading his bio, seeing that he was a registered Democrat who had run for other state/federal Democratic offices, had solid progressive ideas AND plans to carry them out, and would otherwise be able to do a good job. Because there are so many candidates, we will probably go to a runoff, but yes.

If there is a paywall problem: try getting a browser add-on that disables paywalls, disable JavaScript, or just suck it up and pay a few bucks to look at their coverage. Most papers will have subscription sales, i.e. $1 for six weeks, a month, six months, etc, and it is probably worth it to stump up one dollar to read about local candidates (who have the biggest and most immediate impact on your quality of life.)

Ballot questions ARE deceptive, intentionally so, but most municipalities will issue "blue books" or voter's guides, which you will just have to read carefully. I.e. one of the ballot questions here was whether we should preserve a golf course that nobody uses (in a dry western city and that sucks up water) in the name of having "green space," or if we should use it to build affordable housing, which is a HUGE problem here. At first glance, the people opposing it are marketing it as "save the park/green space/environment!" even though as noted, it's a golf course that isn't even used and is just sitting there. You have to read past that and see what's actually being proposed and who it's going to help, and yes, a new affordable housing development focused on helping underserved populations is more important to me than a frickin empty golf course, green or otherwise. So I voted for it.

Anyway, yes: VOTE IN LOCAL ELECTIONS, Y'ALL. THE END.

[dontmeantobepoliticalbut]

The Biden administration’s Department of Health and Human Services is recommending that the Drug Enforcement Administration significantly loosen federal restrictions on marijuana but stopped short of advising that it should be entirely removed from the Controlled Substances Act.

The health agency wants the drug moved from Schedule I to Schedule III under the CSA, potentially the biggest change in federal drug policy in decades.

HHS Assistant Secretary of Health Rachel Levine wrote in a Tuesday letter to the DEA, first reported by Bloomberg News, that the recommendation was based on a review conducted by the Food and Drug Administration.

The DEA confirmed to POLITICO that it received the letter.

“As part of this process, HHS conducted a scientific and medical evaluation for consideration by DEA. DEA has the final authority to schedule or reschedule a drug under the Controlled Substances Act,” a spokesperson for the agency said in a statement. “DEA will now initiate its review.”

The HHS letter is part of the official review process initiated by President Joe Biden last October: The FDA conducts the review, which is then sent to the National Institute on Drug Abuse and HHS, after which HHS transmits a letter of recommendation to the DEA. The DEA is not required to follow HHS’s recommendation.

The White House on Wednesday refused to comment on the review process.

“The administration process is an independent process led by HHS, led by the Department of Justice, and guided by evidence,” White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters. “We’re just not going to comment on that.”

Cannabis is currently a Schedule I substance on the CSA, which means it is deemed to have a high likelihood of abuse and no medical uses. Heroin and LSD are also Schedule I drugs. Schedule III drugs are categorized as having “moderate to low potential for physical and psychological dependence.” The category includes ketamine and testosterone.

The HHS recommendation is the result of a nearly yearlong federal review of all available marijuana research. Biden’s executive action — which also included federal pardons for low-level marijuana convictions — was seen by many as a political move taken ahead of the midterm elections to incentivize turnout among younger and more progressive voters.

At the time, advocates and some lawmakers urged Biden to take clear steps to remove cannabis completely from the CSA — versus rescheduling it. Legalization advocates on Wednesday reiterated that rescheduling would not solve many of the problem they’ve been asking the Biden administration to correct.

“Rescheduling cannabis from 1 to 3 does not end criminalization, it just rebrands it. People will still be subject to criminal penalties for mere possession, regardless of their legal status in a state-level medical program,” cannabis advocate Justin Strekal told POLITICO on Wednesday.

FEDERAL-STATE CONFLICT

Federal law has failed to keep up with massive changes over the last decade in state cannabis policies. 23 states now allow anyone at least 21 years old to legally posses the drug, while 38 states have established medical marijuana programs.

But because cannabis businesses are not federally legal, they are subject to a federal tax code that prohibits narcotics traffickers from taking typical tax exemptions for business expenses like salaries and benefits. That code does not apply to Schedule III, so if the DEA approved HHS’ recommendation, cannabis businesses around the country would immediately be paying much less in federal taxes.

That would provide a big boost to the financially struggling industry.

“It’s giant,” said Charlie Bachtell, CEO of Cresco Labs, one of the country’s largest cannabis companies, in an interview. “I think you would see a healthier cannabis industry a year from now.”

Rescheduling could also mean legislative changes on Capitol Hill, where a bill to make it easier for banks to offer financial services to the cannabis industry — backed by Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) and Sens. Steve Daines (R-Mont.) and Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.) — has been slowly plodding toward the finish line.

Changing marijuana’s federal classification would almost certainly make it easier for cannabis businesses to access banking services and raise cash even without any legislative changes.

“I don’t see a need for the SAFE Banking Act if this in fact becomes the official position,” said Jonathan Havens, a cannabis attorney at Saul Ewing who previously worked for the FDA. “I’m not saying that all banks will want to jump into this space, but the need for safe harbors I don’t think exists like it does today.”

Schumer on Wednesday urged the DEA to “quickly follow through on this important step” but added he is “continuing to work in Congress to pass important marijuana legislation and criminal justice reform.”

The shift in federal cannabis policy would also make it easier to conduct research on the health effects of cannabis consumption and for pharmaceutical companies to bring cannabis-based drugs to market. Researchers have long chafed at restrictions that only allow them to procure cannabis from a single farm at the University of Mississippi that bears little resemblance to the high-potency products many consumers are purchasing in state-legal markets.

But if the FDA decides to fully enforce regulations on the cannabis industry as it does all other Schedule III drugs, that could mean major changes for state markets.

“The question that I have is whether or not the current industry will eventually be replaced by the pharmaceutical industry,” said Rachel Gillette, head of the cannabis practice at Holland & Hart, noting that ketamine and anabolic steroids are also Schedule III drugs. “I can’t go down to the corner store and buy those things.”

Some state regulators, however, don’t think that much will change.

“This adjusts the type of security and type of bureaucracy that exists around federal research into the substance [and] it would make it easier for companies to bring cannabis based pharmaceuticals into market,” said John Hudak, Director of Maine’s Office of Cannabis Policy, in an interview. “But in terms of administration of a state program, it has very little impact.”

MIXED RESPONSE

The cannabis industry on Wednesday was ebullient, while drug legalization advocates and some lawmakers had a more tepid — or downright condemnatory — response to the news.

“We believe that rescheduling to Schedule III will mark the most significant federal cannabis reform in modern history,” said Edward Conklin, executive director of the US Cannabis Council, an advocacy and trade group, in a statement. “President Biden is effectively declaring an end to Nixon’s failed war on cannabis and placing the nation on a trajectory to end prohibition.”

While the industry would see immediate financial benefits from a loosening of federal restrictions, however, criminal penalties on cannabis would not change dramatically. That prompted some advocates to criticize the HHS recommendation.

“This shift would fall woefully short of the promises made by President Biden during his 2020 presidential election campaign, especially promises made to Black and Brown communities,” said Cat Packer, director of drug markets and regulation at the Drug Policy Alliance, which advocates legalizing all drugs.

Anti-legalization advocates, meanwhile, blasted the move as potentially detrimental to public health.

“The addiction profiteers who have been exposed for lying about marijuana’s physical, mental and economic impacts, are desperately looking for legitimacy in the wake of mounting evidence their products are harming millions of Americans,” said Kevin Sabet, president of Smart Approaches to Marijuana, in a statement. “It is regrettable that the Department of Health and Human Services move now appears to be a nod to those monied interests.”

[manonamora-if]

November Check-In

As mentioned in my previous weekly update, monthly check-ins will be posted on the 1st of every month, recap'ing what's been done and what's the plan for next month.

Recap of last month's progress

IF Events in the Next Month

Plan for the next month

Still long post ahead. If you want a mini version, head over to itch.io!

October progress

The plan for last October was to:

Play and review more IF games ✅

Finish the La Petite Mort remaster: ✅

Either continue a WIP or fix another semi-completed game ❌

maybe try to add another block to the SugarCube Guide? ❌

The first was easily completed, since I reviewed about 40 games (out of the 75 entries) from this edition of the IFComp. This was more than last year in terms of quantity and time spent (more long entries this year), so while I did not play/review all entries, I'm happy with having done all that so far. Maybe I'll revisit the rest at a later point.

The second was a bit difficult. Working on the re-writes started pretty easy, but I ended up being completely short for words half-way through (even if I could visualise the scenes). Switching to translating the completed passaged helped pick up the pace, but I did this a bit too late, looking back. This meant I rushed through the last week, just before the EctoComp deadline, to complete a working state. This also means that while the game is complete, there are kinks that still need to be ironed out. This include the missing full passages (half-written or drafted, but not translated), missing translation (especially for the last passage), and taking care of the last UI friction. Another update is coming.

Having spent so much time on the first two, and IRL just swinging its bat at me, the last two points were not touched at all. Still, it's not bad, and other things came about:

The Bare-Bones Jam managed to get two dozen entries, which is pretty decent considering it happened at the same time as the EctoComp and the voting of the IFComp.

Lots of interesting discussion happened in the @neointeractives Discord server, especially covering the IFComp (moderation can't sleep).

I somehow managed to wing an entry for the inkJam, with In the Blink of an Eye. Don't know how I managed, I certainly wasn't in the right state of mind. Also turns out it was a 4-bird-1-stone, since I translated it in French.

Had an actual AMA on the blog, that was properly scheduled!

So still quite a bit considering life... (it's really been a lot, haven't processed most of it yet)

-_-

What's happening in November?

Nanowrimo for the writers, which can be a good incentive to progress the writing of a game.

The IFComp, EctoComp, and inkJam are always looking for players/voters. If you want to play a few short-ish games, take advantage of that!

The @seedcomp-if is always looking for inspiration (text, images, code, etc...) in this current first round. If you have half-baked ideas or anything, really, come submit something!

Over @neointeractives, we just wrapped up the Bare-Bones Jam and we have a new jam in the work... the ShuffleComp! Stay tuned ;)

-_-

The PLANtm for November

Still play more IF and maybe review. With the Bare-Bones Jam and the EctoComp over, that's a good 50 games to try out. (I've started with the inkJam already)

Finish the edits of Harcourt Ch5 (and get MelS to send me his Ch6 writing)

Fix one of the semi-completed games: either the Egg parser or TRNT (and make it a proper parser)

Finish that darn SugarCube Guide: there aren't much left in the guide to cover, but there are a few things to fix.

I would also like to compile the short drabbles from @crimsonroseandwhitelily into something more substantial. Either as a side page or within the game itself.

Taking the list of TO-DO from August…

To-Do not require much of new stuff:

translate Escape Goncharov! into French. ✅

fix the bugs in EDOC + overall the French version to match

fix the bugs of TRNT + find a way to add the missing pieces (mayyyybe translate into French?)

fix the formatting of DOL-OS + translate into English ✅

update LPM with the missing content + translate into English ✅

It's really been going down, which I am super happy about! I've made quite a bit of progress on that part since I made that To-DO (considering waves at life)

The rest of the To-Do pile was:

Finish The Rye in the Dark City (and maybe translate?)

Finish P-Rix - Space Trucker (and try to translate)

Finish Exquisite Cadaver (translation unlikely, current gameplay too complex to port for French)

Add a chapter to CRWL + fix/reopen the blog

Re-working TTTT to its originally planned state (lol, not likety)

Re-working SPS Iron Hammer (samesies)

Coding TTATEH (MelS dependent - shooting for end of year)

Emptying my inboxes (they are not all answered tho)

Honestly, this pile probably won't get done this year....

[nokingsonlyfooles]

No Tagbacksies...

But I want to talk about this part:

Conservatives argue that Section 3 could apply to Vice President Kamala Harris, for example — it was used to block from office even those who donated small sums to individual Confederates. Couldn’t it be used against Harris, they say, because she raised money for those arrested in the unrest after the murder of George Floyd by Minneapolis police in 2020?

I got sucked into info-dumping about needing to look at intent and results along with method yesterday, and this is why that's so freaking important. "No u" is not just for arguing with strangers on the internet, it's for political action.

The above is a threat, an attempt to make Democrats back down from invalidating Trump off the ballot. Specifically Democrats, because if they don't play nice with Republicans, Republicans won't play nice with them. (Ha-ha, sure wish I knew why Dems are always so willing to believe the GOP will play nice!) Will they actually back down because of this? I don't know. Will Republicans actually follow through on it whether they back down or not? I don't know that either!

But I do know that this is only a viable threat because we're looking at method over results and intent. If we oversimplify to the point that we're willing to accept doing violence to resist the government is wrong, no matter who or why or how much, this is a perfectly cromulent argument. The January 6 "rioters" did violence to resist the government and so did the BLM "rioters." Insurrectionists! We'll have to bar everyone associated from office! Wow, but that's a lot of people. Maybe we're all being a little overzealous about this "insurrection" thing, eh?

Okay, say it with me so you don't forget: Violence in support of a wannabe dictator does not equal violence in support of people who keep getting murdered by police. And if you've got room for a little extra credit: Property damage does not equal showing up with a scaffold and demanding to hang the Vice President.

I've mentioned the Machine that Dispenses Justice before.

It's a unicorn because it's not real. We can't build a legislative structure that coughs up justice every time without any human imperfection to guide, interfere with or mitigate it. The complex interplay between method, results and intent is only part of why.

Neoliberals (among others who buy their rhetoric) really want that that Justice Machine. The messiness and conditionality of real justice bothers them. Conservatives DGAF, but they're willing to pretend in order to get Democrats to shoot themselves in the foot. See above. Oh noes! The Justice Machine won't work every time if you add a piece that requires a human being to detect nuance! Violence is always wrong, isn't it? Maybe, if we just agree that the threat of violence was overblown in this case, we can leave this broken gear aside and get back to building the machine for real? (As soon as it's politically expedient, we're going after that Black woman, aren't we? Oh, yeah. Totally.)

While we're gearing up to blame voter apathy, poor white trash and privileged Progressives for whatever the election might bring, the folks in the Room Where It Happens are busy making deals that will bypass the voters altogether. Does the current Machine that Dispenses Justice (justice pending) say a man who wants to end democracy is allowed to run in a (theoretically) free and fair democratic election? I don't know yet, but your input will not be required for this aspect of our "democracy." Don't call us (or do, we have plenty of volunteers and form letters for dealing with you!), we'll call you when it's time to pick a candidate. NO! DON'T VOTE THIRD PARTY! ARE YOU MAD?!?

But with Republicans willing to forgive people who want to hang them for the sake of winning a few more elections, and Democrats elevating compromise above self-preservation, even if Biden wins, you might not get that peaceful transfer of power you want. You might not get that safety you want. We have yet to generate consequences that will take Trump (or another man like him) out of the game, although we swear up and down that the system we've built is meant to do that. The Machine that Dispenses Justice (justice pending) just can't process someone with that level of power and privilege. And that's not justice... or democracy. That's a fucking emergency, we are about to have a fucking election, but I don't hear any candidates willing to admit it yet.

So what are we fighting for?

I know you have an answer. You're a human being with a human brain; you can think when you want to. But, no matter what your answer is, are you sure that's what the folks on your ballot are fighting for too?

[maeamian]

Hey, if you're in the good ol' US of A, this weekend would be a great time to make a plan to vote if you haven't already, maybe set aside an hour or so to read up on what's going to be on your ballot and how to cast it if you haven't already. Depending on your state you can maybe even just get that bad boy in this weekend rather than wait for Tuesday, but either way it's a good time to figure out what your plan for it is since that deadline is coming up quick.

Vote411, Ballotopedia, and Vote (all dot org) have sample ballots that you can use to get a sense of what yours is going to look like and what choices you're going to need to make, a lot of local organizations will also have voter guides that can give you a bit more of an ideological perspective on the issues, who the progressive candidate is what the ecologically sound vote is on this measure, that sort of thing. This weekend's a great time to become an informed voter if you haven't taken the time yet!

[schraubd]

Who's Afraid of the NoVa Jews

The Jewish Community Relations Council of Greater Washington has put out a voter's guide for Virginia's upcoming 2023 state legislative primaries (concentrating on races in Northern Virginia). There's nothing too remarkable in it -- the candidates give pretty generic boilerplates about how they'll work hard for the people of Virginia etc. etc., and then link to their websites. Basic stuff. 

But I did notice something interesting.

The guide appears to have solicited statements from candidates in all contested primaries (they did not ask candidates who were running unopposed in the primary). In the Democratic races, all but two candidates dutifully replied with statements to the JCRC.* By contrast, in the Republican races, none of the candidates participated in the Jewish community voter guide.

Now, to be sure, Northern Virginia has shifted decisively blueward in recent years. So unsurprisingly there are a lot more active Democratic races than Republican contests. Republicans only had active primaries in three races -- SD-29, SD-30, and HD-21 -- compared to 14 contested primaries amongst the Democrats. But, at least judging by a quick perusal of their campaign websites, the Republican candidates in these races seem to be actively running and not complete-nobodies. They could have responded to the voter guide. They just chose not to -- apparently deciding that Virginia's Jewish community was not a constituency that was worth their time to appeal to.

* The Democratic no-shows were Saddam Salim (SD-37) and Sreedhar Nagireddi (HD-26). In both of these seats, there was another Democrat running who did participate (Chip Petersen and Kannan Srinivasan, respectively). Hell, even Ibraheem Samirah (running for Senate in the SD-32 after being ousted from his House of Delegates post last cycle) participated, and he has an ugly history with the DC-area Jewish community that includes calling for the expulsion of Jewish groups from progressive organizing coalitions (he didn't, unfortunately, address those comments in his statement). Samirah also has a primary opponent, current House Delegate Suhas Subramanyam.

via The Debate Link https://ift.tt/K2RVzTJ

[sailor-cerise]

Reminder to vote in your local elections! (USA)

March is primary and local election season. Make a difference in your area by voting.

I recommend looking at a few voters guides because the provided material can be overwhelming.

If you do get overwhelmed, complete what you can. Anything worth doing is worth doing half-assed because perfect is the enemy of done. If you vote on literally one issue that is better than none. You got this.

As someone who is some kind of progressive socialist, here's some ways I get started:

Ballotpedia.org and Vote411.org for basic information and often a sample of each candidates' stances. A neutral information source. There are other sources that tend to be state-specific

Search for "progressive voters guide primaries 2024"

Search for "DSA voters guide" [etc. same as above]. I don't always agree with their recommendations, but I find it a helpful source anyway

Local papers that you find trustworthy, such as Knock-LA for southern California. Some will be informational only which can be good.

And finally something I started doing more recently:

Search for right wing/Republican/conservative voters guides to figure out what to vote against. One year I found a local landlords association recommendation in a conservative area and wow it was a gold mine of things not to support.

It's not always true that you should vote against it of course, but if you can find one with reasons stated, they'll show which will, for example, support a "tough on crime" approach to issues.

They will say things like "candidates who will defend freedom, stand for free enterprise, or have a conservative worldview, based on their ability to stand firm against efforts to increase taxes, size of government, weaken law and order, and crush individual freedom."

[aficionadoenthusiast]

Happy Black History Month!

Today is Feb. 1, which means for the US, it is the start of Black History Month.

I'm not going to pretend I know anything about what it's like to be Black in the US, but what I can do is give a brief summary of history.

About 250 years ago, the US became a country. Freedom was it's motto, but the majority of its population was forced to watch the freedom of the white man from afar.

Slaves were only counted as 3/5 of a person, and this was considered a courtesy because the South wanted more votes in Congress, but the North fought even the 3/5 Compromise since this would give the South more power in legislation.

It wasn't for another several decades that American slaves were finally given a chance at freedom, but first the then Republican Party had to fight the Mason-Dixon line, the 1850 Compromise, voter fraud, and so many other kinds of push back that the South receded and started a war before slaves were finally free.

But that's not the end of story. African-Americans were still exploited, lynched, harassed, and discriminated against, problems that are still not fixed.

After the Civil War came sharecropping, basically another form of slavery.

Next was Jim Crow.

Then Plessy v. Ferguson.

There were victories. The 13th Amendment officially outlawed slavery; the 14th gave all male citizens equal rights; and the 15th established franchise for all male citizens.

But they weren't perfect. Jim Crow laws did their best to keep Black people from voting, and Plessy v. Ferguson made sure segregation allowed equal rights to die.

Future laws would help, but nothing could stop racism from groups like the KKK from killing Black people practically unencumbered.

Thankfully, the Civil Rights Movement, led by Martin Luther King Jr., would ignite a fire in Black Americans and sympathizers that would result in several successful fights against segregation and the passing of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.

Things would continue to improve as more and more people realized that racism is horrible and disgusting, but white privilege remains a problem to this day, most recently in George Floyd's death and several others like it.

Everyday, thousands of people turn to groups like BLM to fight for equal rights, and everyday, progress is made.

But equality will never be reached unless everyone works for it.

The road to equality is a marathon, and we're not finished.

Here are some resources for anyone who wants to learn about Black History:

https://www.history.com/topics/black-history/black-history-milestones

https://blacklivesmatter.com/

Here are some books and other media that highlight Black History and the Black Experience:

The Hate You Give by Angie Thomas as well as her other books (book)

The Field Guide to the North American Teenager by Ben Philippe as well as his other books (book)

To Kill a Mockingbird and Go Set a Watchmen by Harper Lee (book)

All American Boys by Brendan Kiely and Jason Reynolds (book)

42 starring Chadwick Boseman (film)

Brown Girl Dreaming by Jacqueline Woodson as well as her other books (book)

Hidden Figures by Margot Lee Shetterly (book and movie)

The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot

Black Birds in the Sky by Brandy Colbert

"Letter from Birmingham Jail" by Martin Luther King Jr. (link)

This is a list of 50 books about race or feature Black protagonists

Here are some more obscure people who were active in Civil Rights:

Jesse Owens

Dred Scott

Bayard Rustin

Toussaint Louverture

Here's a list of 24

Thank you for reading, and please go advocate!

[bwhitex]

Navigating Biconceptualism:

A Deep Dive into Authentic Messaging for Political Communication

In the labyrinth of political communication, understanding the nuances of how individuals perceive and process information is crucial. Cognitive linguist George Lakoff provides a roadmap to navigate this terrain, laying out concepts like biconceptualism, authenticity, and frames. By decoding these, we can create a formula for effective messaging: (Issue + Definition) Message / [Brains] = Authentic Biconceptualism.

Biconceptualism: The Dualistic Mind

Lakoff (2008) breaks down the binary of left-right politics with his concept of biconceptualism. This psychological phenomenon suggests individuals can hold two different conceptual systems simultaneously, such as conservative and progressive views. Therefore, political communication must account for this biconceptual nature, especially when reaching out to swing voters.

Authenticity: The Trust Builder

According to Lakoff (2008), authenticity in political communication is the cornerstone of trust and credibility. An individual's sincerity and consistency in expressing their values and beliefs are key. Inauthentic communication can be easily detected and can undermine a politician's reputation. Authentic messaging, even in a biconceptual context, is more effective.

Framing: The Bridge between Brains and Perception

Lakoff (2008) describes framing as the cognitive process our brains use to interpret and organize the world around us. In politics, frames influence our understanding of issues and guide our responses. They are not about spinning truths but enabling people to perceive truths in a certain light.

Deep Frames: The Subconscious Influencer

Deep frames, as explained by Lakoff (2008), are fundamental mental structures that influence our worldview. They are deeply ingrained, making sense of new information. Manipulating these deep frames can significantly influence public sentiment.

Issue-Defining Frames: The Perception Shapers

Lakoff (2008) argues that issue-defining frames shape our understanding of specific political issues. How an issue like immigration is framed can vastly influence public opinion. Effective issue-defining frames resonate with deeply held values and beliefs, influencing attitudes and behaviors.

Messaging Frames: The Art of Persuasion

According to Lakoff (2008), messaging frames determine how information is packaged and presented to resonate with targeted audiences. They are critical in persuasive communication, shaping public understanding and opinion on issues.

Cognitive Science: The Game Changer

Lakoff (2008) suggests that cognitive science provides invaluable insights into how our brains process information. It reveals that our decisions are often driven not just by rationality, but also by emotions and deeply ingrained frames. Applying these lessons can result in more effective political communication strategies.

Creating Authentic Biconceptualism

By understanding these concepts, we can formulate an effective messaging strategy. We define the issue, frame the message to resonate with the deep frames in people's brains, and thereby create an authentic biconceptual communication strategy. This is the formula of (Issue + Definition) Message / [Brains] = Authentic Biconceptualism.

References:

Lakoff, G. (2008). The Political Mind: A Cognitive Scientist's Guide to Your Brain and Its Politics. Viking.

[dorkinlesbianlove]

Goddamn it looks like the votes are going to the idealists with no plans! And both supported by the progressive voters guide which I dont like that people will blindly follow this guide of who to vote for with no second thought. They literally left out the more experienced candidate because he doesnt have a website! He did have a whole page in the paper with his statements experience and qualifications.