We know voting in bourgeois USian democracy is only affected by people in swing states (and even that is "which ghoul do you want to administer the dictatorship of capital") but hear me out.
A comrade recently posted about ironically or unironically (I didn't read enough into the thread) voting for AfD in Germany and it reminded me of a WaPo article that read:
"Several U.S. military leaders have advised Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth that prolonging large-scale operations against Iran is unsustainable and risks weakening their ability to confront threats elsewhere, including the U.S. homeland, according to people familiar with a recent assessment prepared for the Pentagon chief."
So it got me thinking, by continuing to overextend the military, as empires do, are we actually seeing "two, three, many Vietnams"? Is the way to exhaust the empire's military into submission to vote for Trump? On one hand we have the King of Hubris (hubris being the guarantor of empire decline) and on the other hand things might have played out this way while wearing a Democrat mask, too, as we know the real driving force is capital accumulation and Epstein island retreats. The down side is the harm that comes to marginalized and oppressed people, which again also happens under Dems when it's their turn to protect capital accumulation and Epstein island retreats. I know in Germany it's different because there are several parties but in the US we're a one party state, but with typical American extravagance, we have two of them (shout out to Julius Nyerere). So would voting for Republicans be a net positive for the world and the demise of capitalism? Should we just abstain from voting? Vote blue for harm reduction?
A big piece of evidence for this theory comes from my personal experience- how many people I know afk that are now (recently) radicalized. People I wouldn't expect in a million years to actually be down with changing the system are now fervent revolutionaries. Comrade Trump is the greatest left wing organizer since Lenin. That's right I said it.
Even though you got like massacred in the comments, considering that you came to this topic in good faith with a willingness to learn and engage, I think it shows a lot of revolutionary courage. Class consciousness is half critical thinking, and half speaking to your own experiences and observations among comrades within the movement. The fact that you witnessed this dynamic with Trump and the military and the project of dismantling empire, means that other people might be reaching the same conclusions. Sure, that conclusion is incorrect, but the basis of it is structural, rather than some personal failing on your part. Revolutionary development is always accompanied by all sorts of left wing chauvinist movements that emerge from objectively confusing developments in the class war.
So you speaking to your own experience and perspective, and receiving feedback on it from the community could very well have helped many other people understand the problems with this perspective. Speaking up and going against the grain is often unpopular, but struggle is the shortest distance between misunderstanding and understanding. Like, they dynamics you are speaking to are objectively real, but the context you wanted to view them with was problematic. That's extremely fixable, that's why revolutionary Marxism places such a heavy emphasis on education.
The way you phrased your assertion was very polemical, which is actually an extremely important skill to bring to the movement, look at all the engagement you got! I see a comrade with talent and courage, don't let this experience dampen your impulse to speak to your experiences. Down the road this experience could end up being vitally important to helping educate someone else. No one comes to the movement fully developed, we all have some strange ideas we have to work through. Even Lenin made mistakes; Marx struggled like hell with idealism and revised his views over time. The key is to stay with the work, be bold, but open to criticism and change.
Anyway, thanks for the discussion!
I appreciate the encouragement, comrade!
Hexbear, never change <3