I fucking hate Biden/kamala. I get the argument some have made that Biden is more manageable to work with and push or try to atleast, push leftist policies. But honestly I don’t see how he’s ever going to defund the police, or implement M4A.
I really don’t know what to do. I’d rather vote Green Party. I can’t wrap my doomer head around this shit
Go vote for your local shit. It doesn't matter who you vote for president. This isn't worth agonizing over.
Right. Kushbomb said that. “...don’t let it drain your mana.”
Vote if you want to, don't vote if you don't want to. Don't listen to the "vote blue no matter who" crowd, but also don't listen to the clowns who act like voting directly materially harms the working class.
Vote, but vote for people you actually support. Down ticket races are still important, you can't vote for Biden fine, write in Bernie, vote green, leave presidency slot blank, whatever option you most prefer, but still show up, put that vote on record and don't neglect local races.
This is pretty much my sentiment as well. Show up, vote down-ticket, and be aware of your state's "spoiled ballot" rules with regards to the Presidential section. Some states don't even allow write-ins, so if Green or PSL isn't on there, you may be better off leaving it blank.
Electoralism is a fuck and all that, but we do have a fair amount of impact on local and state races. Don't neglect them.
You should vote, the down ticket races matter a lot more than the mains anyway. Your town, county, and state government have more impact on your day to day life, and your vote has more impact on the results.
For the presidential election, a Trump presidency is going to be worse for minorities living in America (he's better at mobilizing non-state violence against them), while a Harris presidency is going to be worse for the global south (invasions and coups won't fail just because the president got distracted). Trump is very likely to try to cancel elections in 2024, while Harris is very likely to be replaced by a nazi in 2024.
If you live in a swing state and think that the Harris option above is preferable, then you'll have to hold your nose and vote for Biden. Otherwise you should choose between Green and PSL. I'm leaning Green, but I think that we should have a separate community discussion on that.
Remember that
1 If you don’t live in a swing state then your vote has no value so you can vote third-party guilt-free
2 Even if you do live in a swing state, voting is literally the least you can do for a political ideology. If you are volunteering for local orgs, building class consciousness, etc, then that is 1000x more important then who you vote for. If you think harm reduction is important, you can vote for Biden, knowing that even if you’re wrong, you’re still doing more good than harm. Similarly if you think voting third party to pressure the DNC is more important, you can do that too without worrying because even if that was the ‘wrong’ decision, it’s still balanced out by all of the good you’re doing.
Stay strong comrade 💖
Just remember that voting doesn’t define you, as long as you help people irl through volunteering and stuff you’re doing good :)
And ofc if you can’t volunteer b/c of finances or other personal factors that’s ok too
I’ve been having the same dilemma myself. I live in PA so I’m considered part of a swing state so unlike if I lived in New York my vote ‘matters.’ After Bernie dropped out I decided to not vote in the primaries because I saw no point in partaking in a sham. Now I just feel guilty for not wanting to vote in the general.
I’m watching trump erode trans rights and it scares me. My mother has to go back to school because trump and his goons have pushed for schools to reopen so I’m scared I’m going to lose my mother now.
But even despite all the feelings I get from trump I find Biden equally repulsive. He won’t be as open about how much he hates me and the people I love but he will enact the same types of policies but nobody will give a damn because he’s not orange or whatever.
In the end I just have to remind myself it doesn’t really matter, if they wanted my vote they’d have actually tried but I’m marginalized enough that I’m not even a thought to them. So why should I help them?
agreed. the D ticket won't stop or even slow the spread of fascism through the bureaucracy - they've already promised to prosecute "anarchists" and the VP slot has a transphobic cop - so the issues that directly, materially impact my life aren't affected by which color we paint the white house. do whatever you can live with.
Vote green party if you want to vote green party. Biden and the DNC do not give a fuck about votes from the left
He might enact fewer terrible domestic policies, but will not reverse the ones already in place, and is more likely to step up hawkish foreign policy.
Also, the only reason he will appoint fewer terrible judges is because the Democrats are terribly organized and will appoint fewer judges. Several of these appointments will be made as concessions to the right, as well, so will be fucking godawful.
If you think the biden administration will be better than continued trump admin (whether it's harm reduction or easier to put pressure on or funnier or whatever you think) then voting is a perfectly fine 15 mins of your life. If you wanna vote your conscience for Green and fell a bit of dopamine, then voting is a perfectly fine 15 mins of your life.
Just don't convince yourself that voting itself changes much of any shit
Bernie or bust only has teeth if you go through with it.
They tell you they don’t need your vote. Why give it to them? Vote 3rd party.
It only has teeth if:
- You go through with it,
- You make your reasons abundantly clear, so it can't be spun as another reason to attack or ignore the left, and
- It's the difference in the election.
I'm not sure we'll get 2 or 3 done, and fucking up either or both of those can easily backfire.
What would backfiring look like? Them ignoring you, again?
Go through with it, make your reasons clear.
Backfiring would involve the left loudly proclaiming that it's not voting for Biden as a bloc, and then Biden winning anyways. No better way to prove, conclusively, that you have no power.
The left isn't really being ignored now, anyways. See the pandering about Biden being the Most Progressive Candidate Ever, the meetings with Bernie, and all the effort being poured into trying to bully the left to get in line. They don't think they need us badly enough to make any meaningful concessions, but they are worried about poor left turnout sinking the election.
They clearly aren’t worried in the slightest. You already have no power, it’s already been conclusively proven. Now is the time to build that power, an it starts by saying no.
