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   ᴮᵉⁿ ᴿᵒʸᶜᵉVOTE IN THE PRIMARIES (benroyce@mastodon.social)'s status on Wednesday, 15-Apr-2026 04:43:35 JST ᴮᵉⁿ ᴿᵒʸᶜᵉVOTE IN THE PRIMARIES

   " #Russia adds #Hungary to 'unfriendly countries' list after #Magyar wins"

   i have a deep and thoughtful response to this move:

   <begin poignant rumination>

   😂 😂 😂

   </end soulful paean>

   https://newsukraine.rbc.ua/news/russia-adds-hungary-to-unfriendly-countries-1776086555.html

   #EU #Europe

   • Embed this notice
     Bruce Mirken (brucemirken@mas.to)'s status on Wednesday, 15-Apr-2026 04:43:33 JST Bruce Mirken

     in reply to

     • Mastodon Migration
     • M.S. Bellows, Jr.

     @mastodonmigration @msbellows @benroyce Exactly. The new Hungarian leader is nowhere near someone I'd vote for in a perfect world. But would I have voted for him against Orban (or Trump)? Hell yes.

   • Embed this notice
     Mastodon Migration (mastodonmigration@mastodon.online)'s status on Wednesday, 15-Apr-2026 04:43:34 JST Mastodon Migration

     in reply to

     • M.S. Bellows, Jr.

     @msbellows @benroyce

     Believe a more subtle point is also demonstrated in Hungary.

     That the perfect is the enemy of the good.

     The victorious coalition is not liberal. It is a conglomerate of 'everyone but the fascists.'

     The important thing was for them to put down their differences, show up and vote the fascists out.

     Only now, with democracy restored, can they move forward.

     Steve's Place repeated this.
   • Embed this notice
     M.S. Bellows, Jr. (msbellows@c.im)'s status on Wednesday, 15-Apr-2026 04:43:35 JST M.S. Bellows, Jr.

     in reply to

     @benroyce One of the things I like best about democracy's victory in Hungary is that it provides an irrefutable argument against those who claim "voting doesn't matter" and "voting can't change totalitarian regimes." Of *course* voting matters! Orban is gone! Everyone needs to vote, every time! (And we can still protest, throw sabots, etc. It's not either/or.)

   • Embed this notice
     ᴮᵉⁿ ᴿᵒʸᶜᵉVOTE IN THE PRIMARIES (benroyce@mastodon.social)'s status on Wednesday, 15-Apr-2026 04:59:01 JST ᴮᵉⁿ ᴿᵒʸᶜᵉVOTE IN THE PRIMARIES

     in reply to

     • Mastodon Migration
     • M.S. Bellows, Jr.

     @mastodonmigration @msbellows

     "i don't want the lesser evil, i want good"

     every political choice is between evil and lesser evil

     all times past, now, forever more

     if a candidate is angelic, smearmongering gossips do their work and in the popular imagination the good candidate is now the lesser evil

     the problem is not choosing between evil and lesser evil

     the problem is your faulty cognition about what is really going on

     you *vote*

     you *iterate*

     you *sustain*

     et voila:

     you get good