Glenn Greenwald has the only worthy commentary about Platner that I've seen yet. I wish Nolan and Ron lived up to their usual high standards and weighed in similarly . https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O9tqguTR1MQ
Excellent commentary, Nolan, but I wonder why you repeat the phrase "democratic socialists" so often, rather than just 'socialists'. In my mind, socialism is inherently democratic, although most socialist countries distrust the liberal electoral democratic systems seen in the West. They distrust this form as it is obviously very un-democratic in action as we constantly see.
No socialist country I know of thinks of itself as 'authoritarian' or whatever denigration is in favor. Michael Hudson's quip is that Biden's dichotomy of democracy versus authoritarian distills into "a democratic country (in Biden's terms) is one where a financial oligarchy has captured the government, while an authoritarian government (in Biden's terms) is one that has resisted financial oligarchy." [paraphrase]
Furthermore, no country on the planet is more democratic than China with its people-centered, bottom-up democracy, although it does not look like liberal Western democracy.
The Democratic Socialists of America (TM) are but a fully owned subsidiary of the Democratic Party Inc.
Ultimately both exist to sheepdog voters away from radical change and towards controllable policies. In this regard, they collaborate with the military and the spook state to seed a flood of "veterans", all of whom generally get a free pass. This the psychoogy of current day American politics: if you have picked up a gun on behalf of the state it's like rappers claiming they are "former gangbangers" - they are supposed to get creds as being tough, and listen to them and dont question too much.
All of that is how you get candidates into office as "liberals" before they go on to pretty much carry on the war state, just with softer words. Tulsi Gabbard is one example, but there are many in both the "left" and "right" of the uniparty. here is one article about it but there have been more over the years about the flooding of US politics with military characters, as they are easily electable even with supposedly progressive voters:
Election of CIA Agent as Virginia Governor Points to Growing CIA Involvement in Domestic Politics
By Jeremy Kuzmarov - December 17, 2025
So, one also has to be careful to look out for the evolution of this strategy. If you were trying to do it in the faux-socialist flanker brand of the uniparty, what you woudl do is seed in NCOs. They can talk the antiwar game, but once in office, well they can do what all the politicians in the uniparty do: same old same ald, war, war, war.
Her shrink, helped "recovered her memory" Sound familiar?, 1995 'Remembering Satan' a 2part new Yorker artice & book
Glenn Greenwald has the only worthy commentary about Platner that I've seen yet. I wish Nolan and Ron lived up to their usual high standards and weighed in similarly . https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O9tqguTR1MQ
Excellent commentary, Nolan, but I wonder why you repeat the phrase "democratic socialists" so often, rather than just 'socialists'. In my mind, socialism is inherently democratic, although most socialist countries distrust the liberal electoral democratic systems seen in the West. They distrust this form as it is obviously very un-democratic in action as we constantly see.
No socialist country I know of thinks of itself as 'authoritarian' or whatever denigration is in favor. Michael Hudson's quip is that Biden's dichotomy of democracy versus authoritarian distills into "a democratic country (in Biden's terms) is one where a financial oligarchy has captured the government, while an authoritarian government (in Biden's terms) is one that has resisted financial oligarchy." [paraphrase]
Furthermore, no country on the planet is more democratic than China with its people-centered, bottom-up democracy, although it does not look like liberal Western democracy.
The Democratic Socialists of America (TM) are but a fully owned subsidiary of the Democratic Party Inc.
Ultimately both exist to sheepdog voters away from radical change and towards controllable policies. In this regard, they collaborate with the military and the spook state to seed a flood of "veterans", all of whom generally get a free pass. This the psychoogy of current day American politics: if you have picked up a gun on behalf of the state it's like rappers claiming they are "former gangbangers" - they are supposed to get creds as being tough, and listen to them and dont question too much.
All of that is how you get candidates into office as "liberals" before they go on to pretty much carry on the war state, just with softer words. Tulsi Gabbard is one example, but there are many in both the "left" and "right" of the uniparty. here is one article about it but there have been more over the years about the flooding of US politics with military characters, as they are easily electable even with supposedly progressive voters:
https://www.wsws.org/en/articles/2018/03/07/dems-m07.html
The CIA Democrats: Part one
6 March 2018
https://www.wsws.org/en/articles/2025/06/13/gosa-j13.html
CIA Democrat wins New Jersey nomination for governor
by Patrick Martin, 12 June 2025
https://covertactionmagazine.com/2024/10/21/class-of-2018-cia-pentagon-democrats-continue-to-advance-hawkish-policies-in-congress/
Class of 2018 CIA/Pentagon Democrats Continue to Advance Hawkish Policies in Congress
Jeremy KuzmarovOctober 21, 2024
https://covertactionmagazine.com/2025/12/17/election-of-cia-agent-as-virginia-governor-points-to-growing-cia-involvement-in-domestic-politics/
Election of CIA Agent as Virginia Governor Points to Growing CIA Involvement in Domestic Politics
By Jeremy Kuzmarov - December 17, 2025
So, one also has to be careful to look out for the evolution of this strategy. If you were trying to do it in the faux-socialist flanker brand of the uniparty, what you woudl do is seed in NCOs. They can talk the antiwar game, but once in office, well they can do what all the politicians in the uniparty do: same old same ald, war, war, war.