I don’t like Biden either, but anyone with half a brain knows there are two choices in the 2020 election. If we had a sane voting system, voting third party might be worth it, but as it stands, no one but you knows your favorite candidate exists and unless you want to become their campaign manager that will still be true in November. Even if you did, and even if you convinced two thirds of the people who would otherwise have voted for Biden to vote for your chosen candidate instead, Trump would still win because half the country voted for him and your guy only got a third. If you vote third party you might as well stay home.

Not voting isn’t going to stop the genocide in Gaza. The US will continue to funnel them arms no matter which candidate wins this November. Trump practically campaigns on how much he hates the Jews and he’s publicly told Israel to “finish up their war”. He’ll also make life a living hell for anyone who isn’t a straight cisgender male back here at home.

A vote for a candidate is not an endorsement of them or their policies, it’s a statement that you like their policies more than the other guy’s, and “sticking it to liberals” and “refusing to support genocide” (that’s not what voting for Biden is doing, by the way – a vote for either candidate is a vote for genocide and a vote for neither is an endorsement of both) is not more important than keeping the furthest right politician America has ever seen out of office.

How incredibly privileged do you have to be to see an entire national election as what will happen in the Middle East and ignore Trump’s campaign promises to wipe transgender Americans off the map, and further, to not realize that the same thing will happen in the Middle East regardless of which candidate wins?

I hate Biden as much as every other leftist here. But I’ll still vote for him because Trump is worse. If there’s a single bone in your body that cares about the lives of your trans friends you will too.

  • Mikesomething@lemmy.world
    43·
    8 months ago

    I hear this every single election.

    Dems - “democracy is at stake! THIS IS THE SINGLE MOST IMPORTANT ELECTION IN YOUR LIFE”

    Me - *Holds nose and votes for the lesser evil"

    Dems - “thanks guys that was close” Proceeds to sit around with a thumb in their collective asshole for 4 years.

    …

    Dems - “Democracy is at stake! REALLY guys - THIS is the most important election ever!”

    It’s fucking exhausting. If the Dems really wanted people to come out and vote, they would spend less time begging for our votes, and more time representing our collective interests.

    • multifariace@lemmy.world
      28·
      8 months ago

      They don’t sit around at all! They are out there working hard. Suckling the teet of major donors. Pretending they oppose the Republican party.

    • mojo_raisin@lemmy.worldEnglish
      12·
      8 months ago

      I hear this every single election.

      1. Because as we move into the future with a larger population and worse environmental destruction, the stakes become greater.

      2. Because we’ve been on the verge of losing our democracy for a couple decades now. I’m almost 50, we’ve been on the verge since the presidency was taken from Al Gore. It was not this way before that in my lifetime.

      You think one election is going to take a nation on the brink to being in safe harbors? This is a battle for democracy that occurs over multiple elections, why is that so hard to understand? You can only repeat what your friends say?

      • go_go_gadget@lemmy.world
        3·
        8 months ago

        Biden refused to face fascism head on during his entire term. Instead he decided to focus entirely on pleasing moderates and liberals and burning progressives and leftists at every opportunity. This is Biden’s fault.

        • mojo_raisin@lemmy.worldEnglish
          2·
          8 months ago

          Ya, so to punish Biden lets allow an actual fascist to take power and live under that for the rest of our lives. Genius.

          • go_go_gadget@lemmy.world
            3·
            8 months ago

            If you focused all this energy you’re using to fight your fellow working class Americans against pro-corporate trash candidates and the people who vote for them we’d be in a much better position right now.

        • MonkRome@lemmy.worldEnglish
          1·
          8 months ago

          Oh please, this is everyone’s fault, one man doesn’t rule alone. We are failing at every level, in every state, in every county, in every city, in nearly every household. As long as people are too comfortable and lazy to take action every day that is NOT election day, election day will continue to be disappointing.

          • go_go_gadget@lemmy.world
            1·
            8 months ago

            I agree the presidency isn’t all that matters. But it does acutely demonstrate the problem. White boomers dominate the party and prevent any legitimate efforts from being made. If you want to point fingers at the household level start with white boomers.

    • gmtom@lemmy.world
      12·
      8 months ago

      I hear this every single election.

      Yeah, weird, it’s almost like we’ve been on a slow march towards fascism for decades and as republicans get more and more radicalised they vote for worse and worse candidates as their nominee every election… or something.

      • go_go_gadget@lemmy.world
        7·
        8 months ago

        we’ve been on a slow march towards fascism for decades

        Yes. Including the last three years. See the problem?

            • MonkRome@lemmy.worldEnglish
              2·
              8 months ago

              Neither can actual fascists, at least one is a slower process. What matters is what we do with the time in between elections. I’ll happily vote for a moderate wet fart like Biden so I have 4 more years to educate, 4 more years to inch policy my direction at the local level, 4 more years to work with activists in my community, 4 more years to build bridges of understanding with people I disagree with in the hope for a better future. Giving in to accelerationists just takes away those 4 years entirely, ending any hope for that better future. Soon 70% of these fascists will die of old age, and then maybe we can translate our action and resistance into policy.

              • go_go_gadget@lemmy.world
                1·
                8 months ago

                at least one is a slower process

                Sounds like you’re acknowledging the choice is between fascism now or fascism later yes?

                Soon 70% of these fascists will die of old age, and then maybe we can translate our action and resistance into policy.

                That’s not what will happen. The moment progressives and leftists begin dominating primaries moderates and liberals will stop showing up in general elections. You’ll have the same problem we have today. If moderates and liberals actually value democracy they need to start being open to making material compromises with progressives and leftists. If they won’t now, they won’t ever and if they won’t ever it’s already over.

                Focus your anger at liberals and moderates.

    • Dinsmore@sh.itjust.works
      10·
      8 months ago

      You’d think if they really believed their own bs that democracy was at stake, they would do everything to court votes in swing states, such as, idk, the enormous Arab population in Michigan? Biden clearly prioritizes dead Gazan babies over “democracy.”

      • go_go_gadget@lemmy.world
        4·
        8 months ago

        Right? Why isn’t Biden standing in front of a podium begging leftists and progressives to save him? Is his pride worth more than democracy?