Another annoying thing about US presidential elections is how all the liberals start babbling in unison about âforeign policyâ and âdomestic policyâ like theyâre two equal things which should be compartmentalized and separately considered.
âOkay sure, Kamala is bad on foreign policy with her support for whatâs happening in Gaza and all, but sheâs a lot better than Trump on domestic policy,â youâll hear them say with increasing frequency and urgency.
Leaving aside the arguments one can make that Kamala Harris is actually quite bad on domestic policy, this separation of âforeign policyâ and âdomestic policyâ is a dishonest talking point which only resonates with sloppy thinkers, and arises from a rather ugly underlying worldview.
Splitting up âforeign policyâ and âdomestic policyâ on questions of right and wrong only makes sense if you believe harming foreigners is more morally acceptable than harming Americans. âKamala is bad on foreign policy but good on domestic policyâ just means âAmerican lives are innately superior.â It can only feel true from the inside of an American supremacist worldview.
Murder and abuse is wrong regardless of where in the world it happens to occur. The fact that it isnât happening to you or anyone you know personally doesnât make it more ethical, it just makes it more tolerable for you if youâre the sort of person who only cares about yourself and your loved ones. The fact that both Donald Trump and Kamala Harris support committing genocide in Gaza shouldnât feel any more acceptable to you than if they supported committing genocide in Detroit. Morally speaking, there is no difference.
Talking about the US empireâs abusiveness in terms of âdomestic policyâ versus âforeign policyâ also pollutes the discourse by creating the wildly false impression that these matters carry equal weight and are equally worthy of consideration. The overwhelming majority of the US governmentâs murderousness and tyranny are inflicted not within its own official borders but in foreign countries in the form of wars, economic sanctions, blockades, proxy conflicts, coups, bombing campaigns, and drone warfare. If you are an American and you care about other people, then âforeign policyâ should carry the lionâs share of the moral weight for you, because thatâs where the US government actions of most consequence for human beings will take place.
Saying a US politician is âbad on foreign policy but good on domestic policyâ is like saying âSure my husband spends his weekends murdering hitchhikers, but heâs a good provider and he knows how to fix a flat tire.â Youâre talking about genocide, nuclear brinkmanship, mass military slaughter and deliberate mass starvation, and youâre placing these things on the same moral level as a candidateâs position on student loan debt.
The only reason this kind of chowderheaded reasoning works on anyone at all is because the American propaganda services known as the mainstream media put a lot of energy into keeping Americans from thinking too hard about what their government is up to overseas. The US empireâs nonstop abuses are just a dull humming in the background which gets the occasional news story, while the vast majority of attention goes toward Trumpâs latest scandal or the current hot-button culture war issue. In a presidential debate lasting two hours, you might get six minutes on foreign policy while the rest goes into talking about what happens inside the nationâs borders, whereas, in a debate which placed emphasis on the matters of most significance, the exact opposite would be the case.
And let me preempt any objections that the two major presidential candidates are always murderous warmongers by saying, I know. Believe me, I know. You can use that fact to argue that because theyâre both corrupt genocide monsters you may as well support the genocide monster who might make things a tiny bit less hard for some people in one small part of the world, or you can actually look at what Iâm pointing at here and really ingest the horror of the situation the powerful have created for you and your compatriots. The fact that youâre only allowed to vote for corrupt genocide monsters should shake you to your core, and thatâs what should be the main focus of everyoneâs political attention. Itâs only because Americans are the most propagandized people on earth that this isnât happening.
Donât tell me âKamala is bad on foreign policy but at least sheâs better on domestic policyâ if you want me to listen to you. If you want to argue that youâre supporting one genocide monster over another because your preferred genocide monster might be a bit less abusive to trans people in one country in the world, thatâs fine, but donât be dishonest and try to dress that up as some kind of âdomestic policyâ vs âforeign policyâ dichotomy with two equal sides worthy of equal consideration. Be honest and admit youâre supporting a genocidal freak because you think she might wind up making the world suck a teeny, tiny bit less than the other guy. Because thatâs the only argument that you can truthfully make.
Iâm not telling anyone how to vote or not vote. I could not care less. Your votes make no difference as far as Iâm concerned. Vote or donât vote in whatever way seems best to you, and then turn your attention to the real problem thatâs staring you in the face right now: the fact that you live under a tyrannical empire which is fueled by human blood, and which is completely unaccountable to the will of the public.
From Caitlin Johnstone, Twitter:@caitoz
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