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Some of my fellow lefties won't hold their noses and vote against Trump (by voting for Biden) because they think revolution is a real possibility. That's an ahistorical romance, based, unfortunately, on some of the left's own mythology. 1/
For instance: the belief that civilian protesters in the streets ended the U.S. war in Vietnam. This is subtly racist and classist. It overlooks two far bigger factors: 1. The Vietnamese ended the U.S. war in Vietnam by winning it... 2/
The other factor was the massive resistance, explicit and implicit, political and nihilistic, of U.S. troops in Vietnam, who had ceased to be an effective fighting force by the early 70s according to the military's own internal analysis. 3/
It may have been people power that ended the Vietnam war, but the "people" were Vietnamese and U.S. soldiers who for political or other reasons stopped fighting. Civilian dissent was a factor; but not decisive. 4/
Unfortunately, the vanity of some key actors & the romantic ideas of a few scholars led to the misconception that street protest can change anything. It can do a lot! It matters. It is not, however, revolutionary. 5/
The U.S. has a massive, effective military, and a massive law enforcement complex. Trump would love for people to believe that Portland protesters are a real threat. They're not, whether you support them or not. A real challenge to state power wouldn't last a minute. 6/
Which is to say: If you're a lefty sitting out this election because you think our electoral system is fatally corrupt (possibly true) or Trump is no different than Biden (have you ever been to a Trump rally?) and you think a revolution's coming, you're fooling yourself. 7/
The idea that people in the streets--even millions--equals a revolution isn't radical. It's sentimental. Which is to say, more liberal than left, & in the most shallow sense. Revolutionary change takes longhaul organizing. Right now, Trump is a short term existential threat. 8/
The idea that it doesn't matter if Trump wins a second term, that it might even be good because he'll heighten the contradictions--this is a narcissism that trades the lives of the most vulnerable for the sake of ideological superiority. 9/
For a lefty like me, voting for Biden as a means of voting against Trump is like wearing a mask: really unpleasant and sad and absolutely necessary. 10/10
