this post was submitted on 29 Mar 2024
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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.

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[–] [email protected] 20 points 9 months ago (1 children)

I just can't believe it's gonna be these two losers again. This is our best and brightest?

Lame.

[–] [email protected] 13 points 9 months ago (2 children)

The best and brightest put them there because it made them more money. This problem won't go away until the system is changed.

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[–] LazyPhilosopher 19 points 9 months ago (6 children)

I'm voting for a third party instead of the slightly less evil fascist. I recommend y'all do as well. Dr. West and Claudia La Cruz are good options.

If you're not in a swing state I recommend you do the same.

[–] [email protected] 15 points 9 months ago* (last edited 9 months ago) (24 children)

That's your right. You aren't even required to understand that the consequences of your actions are that you're making it easier for a guy who said he wants to be a Dictator, a guy who said he "wants to finish the problem" with regards to Palestinian genocide, a guy who has probably just been outright purchased by a conglomerate of foreign influence.

You're giving that guy a helping hand.

And that's your right.

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[–] VinnyDaCat 19 points 9 months ago* (last edited 9 months ago) (9 children)

Let's be real, this isn't about people not voting anymore.

Those of us who have resolved to vote Biden despite much of our displeasure towards the handling of Israel/Gaze were going to do so anyways. You won't convince those who have decided not to vote this way either.

Screaming at people to vote will not make them want to vote. Worst case scenario you piss them off enough that the spite vote against you. People aren't puppets for you to control by telling them what's in their bests interests and demanding they follow through. You have to work with them in a pleasant manner if you genuinely want to convince them.

But again, I don't think this is about people not voting anymore. Some people are genuinely unhappy that others are unhappy with their options for candidates. So many people on the moderate left can't be satisfied with the fact that they have such a firm grip on intelligent voters who understand the status quo. It's not enough for them to know that our options are bleak and that we have to vote for someone supporting genocide, versus letting someone who would openly participate in genocide get in office. You genuinely want us to shut up and stop complaining and to stop criticizing the current administration.

Also, the amount of people I've seen discuss implementing mandatory voting as if it wasn't a trait of an authoritarian government is insane. Maybe if our voting process had more options it wouldn't be authoritarian, but as it stands now making voting mandatory would be little more than coercion.

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[–] [email protected] 18 points 9 months ago* (last edited 9 months ago) (3 children)

Why are you trying to pressure people to vote for the guy facilitating genocide, instead of for Biden to stop facilitating genocide?

The only explanations I can come up with are either that you support what he is doing, or on some level, you understand we have no influence on policy and so trying to get Biden to do things that will get people to vote for him is a waste of time.

This same shit happened when Obama did fuckall about Bush's policies and endlessly compromised. Of course, the voters were blamed when Obama lost the house and senate, and in 2016 too.

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[–] [email protected] 18 points 9 months ago (1 children)

Why dont you pressure Biden to stop genociding people then? I have a hard and fast rule about genocide, sorry but present day me doesn't make the rules about who I vote for.

[–] [email protected] 15 points 9 months ago (1 children)

Do you believe Trump/Republicans will decrease, maintain, or increase the current genocide levels?

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[–] Ultragigagigantic 17 points 9 months ago* (last edited 9 months ago) (1 children)

Switching away from first past the post voting allows people to vote for who represents them best while still counting their vote against those they dont want to win. Just search for videos on FPTP voting if you want an explanation on how and why the spoilereffect exists that makes third parties not viable.

Electoral reform is possible in each individual state (for now), we dont need federal reform! Maine and Alaska have already passed electoral reform.

So what’s the hold up with the rest of the states? Consider starring a campaign to change how we vote in your own state! Force our representatives to compete with fresh outside ideas. We deserve the best representation, not excuses.

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[–] [email protected] 17 points 9 months ago (14 children)

Fucking hell, the liberals are using trans people as an excuse to throw the palestinians under the bus.

Look, if you're going to disregard the palestinians' human rights, then there will come a time when you'll do the same for trans people, and they are amart enough to know that.

The queer people's greatest strength is solidarity so spoiler alert, this won't really fly, how about you use your vote as a bargaining chip instead of sTrATegIcALly voting no questions asked?

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[–] [email protected] 16 points 9 months ago (14 children)

It's crazy to me that you don't have a mandatory voting system. Hopefully enough on the left gets out and votes. I do have a feeling that due to tRump losing a portion of his base, he may lose simply because of a lack of votes.

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[–] [email protected] 15 points 9 months ago (28 children)

Not voting isn’t going to stop the genocide in Gaza.

maybe it will stop the next one though

if democrats learn that allowing a genocide to unfold on their watch is going to lose them elections, you can bet they'll put more effort into stopping it

if democrats learn that allowing genocide to unfold on their watch actually doesn't make that much difference, why would they bother themselves to stop it?

A vote is not an unconditional endorsement

a vote for a candidate is an endorsement for all of their policies, whether you want it to be or not

your reluctant vote looks exactly the same on the tally as somebody else's wholehearted vote, and votes are what politicians base their platforms on.

If you vote third party you might as well stay home.

this is just a misconception

if the democrats lose a million votes to a third party, then yeah, they're going to modify their policies next time around

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[–] Zummy 15 points 9 months ago* (last edited 9 months ago) (1 children)

People think we have lived in a world of Democrats vs. Republicans. However, it’s always been a case of the rich vs. the not rich. The rich always wins, the rich always supports the rich, and the rich doesn’t give a flying fuck about you if you’re not a millionaire or a billionaire. So we can argue over Trump vs. Biden until we’re blue in the face. And we all know Trump is a piece of shit, but if you think Biden will do anything in the next 4 years that he didn’t do the previous 4 years you are delusional. I will vote for Biden, but I understand the outcome. Anyone that thinks Biden will do shit for them is either rich or lying to themselves.

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[–] [email protected] 14 points 9 months ago (8 children)

but anyone with half a brain knows there are two choices in the 2020 election.

Anyone who isn't brainwashed by government propaganda and who is in good faith knows that supporting corrupted criminals is never the smart thing to do and that keeping voting for the "lesser evil" is exactly how sooner or later you end up with a dictator in power.

Not voting isn’t going to stop the genocide in Gaza.

Not supporting these fueling the genocide is indeed a way to stop the genocide. The US will continue to do as it please them and aid israel government because they are confident that neither red or blue will lose the elections and they will not lose any power. Unsupporting these parties will force them to change their policies not to lose any votes and lose their monopoly on power.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_support_for_Israel_in_the_2023_Israel%E2%80%93Hamas_war

There's a genocide happening right now where thousand of kids already were murdered and keep getting murderer as we speak. For these innocent people and not for the love of any god people should overthrow and fight the corrupted criminals that are making it possible, not supporting scum is already the smallest thing you should do.

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