#centrist

The talk about centrists and moderates being the literal devil I see constantly in online leftist spaces is one great example of the left's failure. Yes, it sucks when the people don't see how horrible the right is. But centrists are some of the most open people to discussion- and some already lean left!!

You can't demonize moderates to such an extent that you close yourself off to them and then wonder why you're losing swing states.

Centrists aren't even always people with all the privileges- you will find plenty of people who are part of marginalized groups who are concerned about politicians on all sides.

You can be a smol radical leftist bean all you want who only talks to other smol socialist and communist beans, but you're never going to make the difference you want to in the world that way. It's the cold, hard truth. It doesn't mean you have to engage in discourse with everyone- some people have no real hope of changing and are emotionally draining- just more than your bubble.

Too often, Democracy is presented to us as the boring, moderate option, only chosen by conformists and the indecisive masses. I am here to tell you:

Democracy is not Moderate. Democracy is Radical.

Democracy is the last major political ideology to insist that legitimacy rises from the many and not the few.

Every other system - no matter how it dresses itself up - rests on the same grim foundation: that power must be concentrated in the hands of a tiny elite. Sometimes it is in the hands of The Party's Politburo, sometimes it's the Guardian Mullahs, sometimes a Noble Bloodline, sometimes it's the President-for-Life and his pathetic cadre of sycophants.

It doesn't matter what ideology props up Tyranny. The labels differ, but the structure is identical - a small group decides, and the rest of us obey. Strip away the slogans and you find the same contempt underneath: a profound distrust of humanity as a whole.

And that is how it has always been - in most places, and for most of human history. But Democracy is the rejection of that structure at its root.

Democracy is not tidy. It is not efficient. It is not comforting. It is a stubborn, defiant insistence that ordinary people - in all their conflicted ignorance, prejudice, generosity, and brilliance - are entitled to govern themselves. Not because they are perfect, but because they are human.

It assumes that the people are not livestock to be managed, nor children to be shielded from dangerous thoughts, but moral agents capable of judgment, disagreement, and correction.

There is nothing moderate about that.

And that is why Democracy and Freedom of Expression are inseparable. A system that depends on the people’s consent must allow the people to speak - to argue, to offend, to be wrong, to be foolish, to be alarming. Either you trust the people or you do not.

Democracy cannot survive on curated truths and sanitized discourse. It requires exposure to bad ideas so that better ones can defeat them in the open. It requires citizens who can hear something repulsive and reject it for themselves.

Authoritarian systems have no need for Freedom of Expression. They do not require educated citizens, only compliant ones. They do not need critical thinking, only discipline. Speech is dangerous to them precisely because it invites comparison, skepticism, and refusal. So the Authoritarians of all colors regulate it - not for any public good, but for their own survival.

Here in America, Democracy is strained. The public sometimes chooses poorly. Demagogues rise. Falsehood spreads. But the system is showing its cracks precisely because it allows us to see them.

The answer to bad democratic outcomes is not to abandon democracy - it is to defend it more fiercely. A system that permits error is the only system that permits correction.

I know that the temptation, in moments of fear and frustration, is to reach for guardians - to wish for someone stronger, smarter, cleaner to take the wheel so that you do not have to confront it yourself. That temptation is ancient, but it has always led to the same place: The surrender of voice. The criminalization of dissent. The quiet suffocation of truth.

Democracy asks something harder of us. It asks us to believe that people, together, can learn - can improve. That exposure to ideas does not inevitably corrupt. That sunlight does more good than silence. That freedom - including the freedom to create and consume shocking, offensive, unsettling ideas - is not a threat to legitimacy, but its foundation.

Democracy is not easy and it is not perfect. Democracy rejects the fantasy that some flawless leader will come along to save us. It does not falsely promise us good outcomes every time.

third way democrats got their big start with bill clinton who is a garbage dump of a human being. but instead of talking about how he used a position of power to take advantage of a young political intern, i'm going to share his actual terrible policies

third way is a centrist political philosophy that embraces conservative idealogy but trades a hands-off approach to a how can this make me money and trick the working class into working contently approach

bill clinton signed DOMA, the defense of marriage act that criminalized same sex marriage. bill clinton signed DODT, don't ask don't tell, which allowed queer soldiers to serve IF they remained closeted

bill clinton signed the telecommunications act of 1996 which allowed iheartradio (formerly clear channel) to buy up all the radio stations and force them to only play the shitty artists signed to their record companies and conform to their message

that same law is also why KLOVE is a billion-dollar nonprofit organization that doesn't have to follow the same FCC regulations as IHR so they are doing worse things, like destroying historical and educational stations left of the dial

gramm-leach-bliley act of 1999 allowed banks, insurance companies and securities companies to start buying up companies and forming these huge conglomerates that manipulate prices and the market

the north american free trade agreement (NAFTA) that trump undid that is "so bad" was a very bad thing but also they loved that very bad thing bc it allowed them to ship jobs overseas and pay exploited underpaid workers pennies on the dollar. now they claim they want to undo that but they've been benefitting from it for decades

the 1994 crime bill put 100,000 more violent police offers in uniform and bc we know the stats on police we know this had a disproportional rate of harm on BIPOC communities

the personal responsibility and work opportunity act (PRWORA) was brought about directly bc of clinton's campaign promise to "change welfare as we know it" but was written by the republican party (newt grengrich co-wrote it) in 1994. it uses outdated stereotypes to punish the poor

the illegal immigration reform and immigrant responsibility act of 1996 (IIRAIRA) changed immigration policy in a way that lead to an increase of over 300% in deportations in a decade. one of the rules that changed was you could pay a fine if you overstayed your visa before and now you could never get a new visa again if you were one day over. also any crime with a penalty of 1 year or longer was considered an aggravated felony and made one ineligible for a renewal. it also gave state agencies the ability to work with ICE (then INS)

the freedom to farm act of 1996 lead to the rise of industrialized farming and (if you may have noticed) shittier food

and clinton signed the religious freedom restoration act which trump is currently using to enforce authoritarian policies wrapped up in christian faith and the bible

the commodity futures act of 2000 was signed his final month in office and it directly lead to the great recession

and to put the icing on the cake, biden wrote and introduced a lot of this shit too

none of them work for us

"U.S. District Judge Richard Leon’s order halting the project, which Leon ruled cannot proceed without congressional approval."

"The initial lawsuit against the construction was brought by the National Trust for Historic Preservation, a nonprofit organization, alleging Trump exceeded his authority when he razed the historic East Wing and launched construction on the new building."

Let's break this down.

First and foremost, the National Trust for Historic Preservation has no authority over any level of Government. It's a non-profit foundation that provides resources to sites that are Historic for preservation. They do not control any of the sites they supply funding and resources to. Resources include caretakers and financing for repairs and renovations. They do not own any of these sites: The specific level of government or private-citizenship own these sites.

Second, the Whitehouse is not any one of these sites receiving funding. This is because the Whitehouse belongs to the People of The United States. The sitting President of The United States is the caretaker and the sitting owner of the house. The President can do whatever the fuck they want to it.

Like Obama.

Obama razed the Whitehouse Rose Garden for a fucking basketball-tennis court. It had been planted by Elanor Roosevelt. It stood for all that time. Where was this National Trust for Historic Preservation then?

Third, the Constitution and Federal Law does not state anywhere that Congress must approve anything done to the Whitehouse. Zip. Nada. Nope, ain't there. There's no legal or historical precedent where any sitting President had to go before Congress and ask to make changes to the Whitehouse. No vote ever was placed by Congress to do anything to the Whitehouse.

Under Bill Clinton, the Whitehouse windows were sealed shut and replaced with bulletproof, soundproofed windows. The Regan administration soundproofed the walls. The bowling alley was installed by JFK. The rooftop of the Whitehouse was turned into a fortress under the first Bush administration.

Where, again, did any of this corrupt Judge's decision align with the requirement that Congress needed to approve any of it?

Funds for the Whitehouse. When the work requires budgetary changes, this is negotiated during the Federal Budget vote. That's all. Yet, guess what? This is paid for without US Tax Dollars being spent on it. Therefore, there's no funding required from the Federal Government's coffers, and no approval required. Even then, most major changes and renovations to the Whitehouse over the past hundred years has been part of a discretionary fund. When not used, it grows or maintains. It's there for making such changes -- but perhaps not as grand as this new ballroom and security implementation, but therein is the rub.

The Democrats want to usurp the power of the Presidency. By making this move, they're hoping to undermine the Executive Branch and would rather the work come from tax money. If it comes from taxes, they can increase taxes. If it is proven that the Government doesn't need your tax dollars to function, they lose the argument that taxes are required. If the rich donate money to Federal causes (like they used to back before the IRS), it undermines the narrative that the public needs tax dollar handouts to survive.

This isn't a small thing. This is the game-winning move.

If the Democrats successfully win this argument, which they won't because it's based entirely on hope and lies, the Executive Branch becomes subservient to the Legislative Branch and is effectively neutered -- leading to Democrats attempting to push the Constitutional changes required to legislatively abolish the Presidency into a puppet show.

That's bad for you. That's bad for everyone.

If the Democrats lose this argument, which they will because it's based entirely on hope and lies, the Executive Branch will retain sovereignty over it's portion of the Constitutional powers vested within it. This will put to bed the legal challenges that corrupted Judges are making. It effectively forces Congress to concede that taxation is unnecessary to fund Governmental operations. Furthermore, it raises the question if taxation without representation has returned to the table.

The Congress does not work for you. They say they do, but they do their own thing based on a cabal of agreement to a central authority that is not We The People. They listen to big dark money to remain in power, making millions through insider trading. This isn't new news or conspiracy, we have already discovered it. We know about it. But you people keep voting for the same thing over and over again, hoping for a different outcome by name recognition alone!

You don't see their votes. You don't talk to your statesmen. You don't call or write them, or go to their offices to speak to them. When they hold townhalls, they're preaching to you and not listening to you. When you speak up, they silence you. It's time to change.

This isn't about party lines. This is about who is really paying for the vote. It's time that real citizens with real ideas, not lawyers turned politicians, enter politics. This country is founded on smart people willing to sacrifice to stand up against malignancy.

People like Brandon Herrera, a Republican candidate running for Texas’ 23rd Congressional District in 2026. He challenged incumbent Tony Gonzales, who has now dropped out of the race. He's just like any other citizen, but with the power of knowledge, intelligence, and the focus of the people in mind. Not like California's Gavin Screwsome or AOC, who are self-serving and irresponsible to the People that voted for them.

So when someone says, "Orange Man Bad," remember: These people keep voting for those like Adam Schiff, who are too overeager to take your rights away by convincing you that it's better for everyone that you don't have rights, and to trust the Government to decide who lives and who dies while you give them 50% of your hard earned money through taxes. Sales tax. Real estate tax. Fuel tax. Energy tax. Natural gas tax. Ammo tax. Vehicle Registration Tax. State income tax. Federal income tax. Hospitality tax. Tourism tax. COVID tax. Estate tax. Death tax...

Tax! TAX! TAXES!

And for what? Power. If you're poor, you're subservient. You need handouts to survive because HALF of your money is taken by the Government. Don't believe me? Look at your tax forms. Really look at them and think about your purchases over they year. Do the numbers yourself.

8% here, 12% there, just for purchases. 10% on a home. Take a flight or train to visit family? Tax. Buy a home? Tax. Buy a car? Sales, Vehicle, Fuel, Emissions taxes. Many taxes are even atop one another for the same amount as the original purchase! Meaning, if you have two taxes for a $20K car, both account for that amount.

Food tax. Delivery tax. TAX! TAX! TAX! That's what voting Democrat gets you. That's why allowing these corrupt judges and politicians to continue to erode the Constitution means to you. The IRS isn't even in the Constitution! It's reauthorized by Presidents and Congress every fucking time!

WHY?!

Because without you being poor, they have to be fiscally responsible. They are squeezing you for your blood and hard work. You're a slave to them. They're only trying to limit the Presidency and Executive Branch because "Orange Man Good!"

Now is the time to do the right thing: Vote with your head, not your heart. Do the research. Look at your representatives, mayors, councilmen, and judges that you vote for. Really look at them. Look at their records for voting, decisions, and what they've been saying and how they've been saying it. Compare them with the others. And if you don't like either?

Maybe you should campaign for their job if think you can do better, and can convince others the same. You don't need to be rich. You just need to be an honest patriotic citizen who listens with good judgement and can compromise.

When people say the system is broken, 99.9% of the time, they don't mean it's unsalvageable.

Our system is broken. It doesn't serve the people as a whole and can't keep itself in check, ergo, its very foundations are cracked. Broken. Immensely damaged.

Saying it's broken doesn't mean you want total anarchy. It doesn't mean the entire government is useless. We need ways to not have murder etc, and governments are the best solution we have. It's a widely held belief.