[artoghrul]

The military industrial complex always wins in the US, even if the whole reason why you get elected is because you were against it. A majestic mockery of democracy.

[HellDunkel]

There is more to be said about the voters than about the military industrial complex here.

[ExoticPearTree]

The voters don't decide if a president can bomb something or not. Or, in the case of the US, how much it can bomb.

[chrsw]

Maybe not directly, but we are responsible for who we elect and we are responsible for the foreign policy of our government.

[bagacrap]

Pretty naive

[tartuffe78]

The two party system has captured the government, we voters have no recourse at the polling booths.

[seydor]

the voters cannot be held accountable, but politicians can

[elendee]

this is blatant end-userism

[lizardking]

Oh fun, a new ism

[burnt-resistor]

> The military industrial complex always wins in the US

Sounds like learned helplessness. This is only allowed as long as the governed permit it.

> the whole reason why you get elected is because you were against it.

Not every politician is reducible to a single, cliche hivemind. When the person lacks integrity and a record of telling the truth, it's unwise to believe they will keep all of their promises.

[artoghrul]

Trying to deduce general principles from many particular instances is not "learned helplessness". If one wants to understand a system, it's best not to delude oneself with myths, but to spell out the pattern that is confirmed by many observations. A strong myth that keeps the American people in their current state is the idea that the US has a democratic government at the federal level. Once they get over that myth, they might actually be able to make it true.

[lawn]

Trump pausing, stalling, and threatening to stop aid to Ukraine is proof otherwise.

USA is now an unreliable ally at best and the military industrial complex is a massive loser because of this switch.

[thrance]

The military industrial complex doesn't care who their weapons are used against. Trump plans to add a trillion to the Pentagon's budget, with most of it presumably going to private contractors. How are they losing?

[lawn]

Trump could've easily done that without alienating the rest of the world.

Also, Trumps budget only spans a few years while a good export relationship ensures decades of business.

[thrance]

Trump was ever against the military industrial complex? News to me. His first presidency should have been enough to classify him as a huge warmonger forever.