I hear Snowden’s con quite often on the supposed hard left now. “It’s ghastly what is going on, so we must organize to create change in the future.” Any actual, real action now is discouraged. The goal is nebulous. It pretends to be activist while counseling doing something vague and ineffective now.
A variant on this con is bemoaning any and all current organizing because, darn it, it’s just not good enough and we must resolutely do better. This is often includes quoting some dead commie or socialist, the more obscure the better, so you can show people how learned you are. It also deflects from having to do anything now.
Any progressive agenda is on hold until Trump is forced from power. Calls to organize towards some yet-to-be-determined goal in the future is counter-productive at best.
Not only does Snowden not call for any actual action now, he tries to get us to believe Trump is such a numbskull knucklehead that why on earth would Swonden’s apparent buddy Putin want to have any dealings with him. Right. (Hint: maybe it’s BECAUSE Trump is a knucklehead.)
Snowden, speaking from Moscow, said he also doesn’t believe Trump is the kind of crack double operator Putin would rely on.
“Things change,” he went on. “If they can change for the worse, they can change for the better. If more good people are organizing… if we’re willing to draw lines that we will not allow people to cross without moving us out of the way, the pendulum will swing.”