The power structure is failing

Our choice will be between a kinder, gentler austerity, or a much harsher version. What do you think the Catfood Commission was about? The only thing that prevented it from being enacted was the upcoming reelection bid. Once that's out of the way, all bets are off.

People of Iceland rebelled and got rid of the banksters and corrupt politicians, held couple of referendums and crowd sourced a new Constitution.

So yes, people in US need to rise up against both parties and the whole corrupt system - as Occupy movement has been doing. And no, revolutionary change similar to Iceland (etc.) is not impossible in US either. It has begun, we don't know how long it takes and where and how the process goes, but it really begun about year ago.

The money raised is private. The voting machines are privately owned. The system naturally favors the wealthy. They have a competitive advantage as far as raising cash goes. It would take several dozen working class stiffs donating cash to equal the buying power of the average multimillionaire.

Few Europeans would put up with that kind of bullshit. Many of their constitutions have mandated publicly funded elections since the end of World War 2. The last time government was allowed to so closely align with major business interests, they called it fascism. We call it corporatism today.

Emphatically.

Kick!

I don't see how protesting convinces others to keep on providing funding.

All the protestors will do is crash their own government and their own economy. It's kind of like saying "give me money or I will blow my brains out".

Other countries are funding only the rape of the 99% of those countries by helping "reimburse" the elites and insisting on increased "austerity" (read:fucking of the workers) in return.

I'm fine that. They should do that so they can see the level of benefits that their economy can provide. Rip the bandaid off then they can rebuild. That is the fastest way to achieve equilibrium.

Obama will be in the white house, and hopefully more Dems in congress. But the religious right, purveyors of war, Wall street elite and the army of corporate lobbyists aren't about to give up. Casting a ballot is an essential first step in prevent a Republican catastrophe, but thats only the beginning.

Come November 7th, push left. Push HARD left, and keep pushing, so that maybe if we're lucky we'll see something that resembles what used to be the center. On Nov 7 2016, it might be Jeb smiling and waving, so a lot of work must be done before then.

The president and congress (and likely a supreme court pick) must be pushed leftward to address:
the environmental crisis that we are in.
They must be pushed left to restore civil liberties that have been eroded over the last 11 years.
They must be pushed left to create jobs that are sustainable and meaningful.
They must be pushed left to accept that 'market based solutions' and trade agreements are creating an extreme amount of wealth for the very few, and are simply a re-branding of "trickle down" economics.
They must be pushed left to accept that capitalism as we know it is deeply flawed and getting worse, and band aids aren't enough anymore.

As individuals it is incumbent upon each one of us to hold elected representatives feet to the fire. It is also incumbent upon every person to reevaluate whether their worth is calculated by the contents of their wallets, or the contents of their hearts. Every person who has a stake in the future should start realizing the status quo is crashing, and its up to us to decide whether we want to crash and burn, or manage a soft landing.

Just fucking WOW...well said