Some Ideological Clarification

So we're now only in the first full day of Trump's America... and it already sucks. As a leftist who has "thatcommunistdude.com" pointing to this blog, I feel like you deserve to know where I stand politically.

I'm about to start teaching political ideology to a group of high school students soon. I always like to let my students know where I stand, as well; which is to the left of Bernie Sanders... (I do appreciate him though as someone who helped me along the socialist-leaning path I was already headed down). Only by knowing the biases of those who are teaching you though can you hope to have a chance at understanding the truth. You, as a potential voter, deserve to know my biases as well. 

So what does having a local communist candidate for mayor of Dayton mean to you? Well, it means I don't believe capitalism is a viable long-term solution to solving our economic problems. I think it's actually the cause of them. Does that mean I want to end your small business or take your home? No, I actually strive to support small business... as a local author and pipemaker (among other things), I have a number of them as well. But I like the model of communism utilized in the former Yugoslavia (where I lived, briefly) where private ownership was still encouraged.

But we don't have time in this brief essay to flesh out all of my opinions on Karl Marx or Lenin. And (more importantly), we can't change this horrible system overnight. But we must be clear about what our problems are if we have any chance of solving any of them. Communists aren't the caricatures you've read about or the people you've been brainwashed into thinking we are. We're nice people who grow weed and own guns and love our neighbors just as much as you do. We just happen to think that everyone is our neighbor and that class war is the only war worth fighting.

But it does mean I'm going to always fight for the oppressed every time. I took a lot of flack from my Democrat friends for not supporting Kamala Harris. I didn't support her because she's as corrupt and complicit in the Palestinian genocide as our local Democrats are. Not to mention that my vote didn't matter anyways as a leftist in Ohio... but our electoral college is a problem I'm not focused on right now. 

So does that mean that I support Donald Trump? Fuck no; and far less so... (obviously). I supported Claudia and Karina of the Party for Socialism and Liberation for President/VP, for the record. I'm not a member, though. I always support the best candidate for the job, party label aside. But until we wake up to the fact that neither of the two major parties are going to save us, we haven't really fully grasped the unique fuckery of our particular situation here in America right now... or in Dayton (for that matter), either.

But don't forget, international communism and capitalism both teamed up in the past to fight fascism in WWII. After that, however, capitalism (rightly) saw communism as an enemy. This time, however, the capitalists in America have realized that they were on the wrong side in WWII. That's because fascism and capitalism are bedfellows. Elon's little "stunt" wasn't a stunt at all - he just knows that it's safe to share his fascist views now, because America no longer sees it as evil. And that's no coincidence - he and other billionaire Americans (or, well, South African, in Elon's case) have now realized that fascism is the answer to their problems and have been working to wed that idea with America's political system for a long while now. And they've finally done it - with the help of both parties.

And you might be thinking "but Arch, you don't really think local Democrats are fascists too, do you?" Yes, in fact, I do. And I'll tell you why, too. 

The State of Israel is probably the most technologically-advanced fascist society on the planet today, and they have been actively engaged in a brutal genocide against the Palestinian people for over a century now. Go back and read the words of those who sought ought to colonize it in the first place and you'll have no doubt about what they're about. Here's an excerpt (taken from that same source) from a letter from Israel's first prime minister, David Ben-Gurion:

Despite international outcries, your local leaders have continued to "stand with Israel" and continue to operate the county's Dayton Region Israel Trade Alliance. This is what local fascism looks like. Go check it out and you'll see that the City of Dayton is a proud sponsor. And both the city and county here are run locally by Democrats... and what do we call anyone who align themselves with fascists? That's easy. We call them fascists, too.

You might be wondering how this happened... and I'll tell you. It's because Americans have been propagandized since birth to believe we live in "the greatest country and best democracy the world has ever seen." That's called the "American Exceptionalism" myth. Democrats just (stupidly) won't divorce themselves from the idiotic notion that somehow "unity" is what we need above all else right now. But they've already proven that their unity doesn't include the people of Palestine. And ultimately, it won't include you either (once they find enough wealthy donors again to fight back... if that day ever even comes for them).

But the lie about American "exceptionalism" is powerful because we're a powerful nation filled with complacent people. People who don't demand too much... and we truly don't. We don't even ask for our politicians to get rid of the system of legalized bribery that keeps them in office well past dementia takes holds of their minds. We don't even demand fair elections or a popular vote for president. We stubbornly accept as "God's Honest Truth" that only a vote for a person with an R or a D in front of their names will matter. Hell, we even accept a broken healthcare system that's designed to keep our average lifespans shorter than the rest of the developed world's... The system works because we demand very little in exchange for our complicity. 

So, I'm running because I think it's high past time for us to start making demands of our politicians. Hell, I think we can do it better ourselves. As an illustration of this, I participated in a forum recently where I was the only one who was there already running for mayor, and yet there has been no coverage of my campaign by the Dayton Daily News or local press. It's not for lack of effort... I have the personal cell numbers for both Dayton Daily News' local politics reporter and the editor... hell, I've even written numerous op-eds for them in the past. No... it's because the revolution will not be televised. The media (even locally) exists to prop up our two major parties, and so you can't expect them to cover a campaign like mine that calls out their complacency and dereliction of duty.

I also had an offer recently to gather signatures for my campaign, so I may appear on the ballot, or I may (as previously planned) simply move to a write-in campaign. Either way, you simply need to remember one name this upcoming May: Archie Magee. 

I'm your protest vote; whether you don't think another candidate can do any better, or you think you could do better yourself. And that's because ultimately I'm running to put you in charge. I don't want a system any longer that privileges our local elites at the expense of Palestinian men, women, and children... or the residents of Dayton, for that matter. I want a system that puts you in the drivers' seat and gives you a voice and a vote when it comes to all matters that come before this city. I want to co-design a new model for local government with you at the helm. I think we can still make that happen together.

So, when you're tired of local politics as-is in Dayton, please remember my name: Archie Magee. Spelled just like that, too. 

Abide,

Archie Magee

Message brought to you by Friends of Gem City Dudiest Priest Archie Magee.