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.

  • makyo@lemmy.worldEnglish
    1·
    8 months ago

    Step 1: defeat Trump Step 2: help reshape Democratic party

    Because the fact is, if we don’t do step 1 first, we’ll have our work cut out for us the next four or more years just being back in ‘The Resistance’. Which you know isn’t going to make the Dems more liberal, it’s going to pull them to the right as more dissatisfied Trump voters finally peel off.

    On the other hand, the more resounding of a defeat we can dish out to the GQP and MAGA, the easier it will be to send them into the wilderness to regroup politically so we can focus all of our energies on the Democratic party.

  • InternetUser2012@midwest.social
    1·
    8 months ago

    This will be the most important election in the history of the united states. You have two choices, Dictator, or Democracy. A no vote is a vote AGAINST Democracy.

    • Mikesomething@lemmy.world
      0·
      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.

      • mojo_raisin@lemmy.worldEnglish
        1·
        7 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?

  • BluJay320@lemmy.blahaj.zoneEnglish
    1·
    8 months ago

    Anyone who doesn’t vote immediately loses the right to complain for the next 4 years.

    Don’t like it? Should’ve done your duty and put in a vote.

    Fuck you, fence sitters

  • BargsimBoyz@lemmy.world
    1·
    7 months ago

    So many dumb Americans here not voting. Cutting off your legs so you can hold the moral high ground. Moronic.

  • inclementimmigrant@lemmy.world
    1·
    8 months ago

    Do I hate the two party system? Yes. Do I hate the fact that centrists like Joe Liberman who literally killed universal healthcare in the US are revered and embraced by Biden’s party? Yes. Do I hate the fact that Democrats are always dismissive of liberal ideas and often act like complete jackasses and can’t admit that when Obama was running there were a ton of Clinton supporters that didn’t vote for Obama in a blatant act of pure hypocrisy? Yes.

    Do I fucking hate Nazis and Fascist? Fuck yes.

    Hence why even if I don’t like the Democrat running, I’ll vote for them and honestly, Biden isn’t too sucktastic. Except for kyrsten sinema, she can fuck right the hell off forever.

    • Eatspancakes84@lemmy.world
      1·
      8 months ago

      I hate how so many critics talk about they when criticising a political party. Get involved. Run for local office, become a part of the inside of the party. How can Democrats ever represent younger leftists, when so few of the younger leftists let their voice be heard outside of anonymous forums?

    • Zagorath@aussie.zone
      1·
      8 months ago

      No, not in FPTP. You vote for the candidate who you least disagree with out of those with a reasonable chance of victory, or you waste your vote.

      • CabbageRelish@midwest.socialEnglish
        0·
        8 months ago

        So… by voting my conscience I don’t get a vote? I was literally brought up with the idea that if enough people pressure one of the parties one way or the other they might start embracing your ideas. And that was supposed to be how this worked.

        • subignition@fedia.io
          1·
          8 months ago

          The time to advance your ideas is everywhen except the presidential election, basically. At this timing, voting your conscience will really only be contributing to the spoiler effect.

  • EndlessNightmare@reddthat.com
    0·
    7 months ago

    Indeed, you’ve spelled it out plainly: there is no vote option to end the U.S. funding of Israel’s genocide in Gaza.

    I can either make a vote that won’t end it, or I can make a vote that won’t end it (and may actually make it worse, as you alluded) and will also lead to significant negative consequences for many groups of people here.

    If there’s a single bone in your body that cares about the lives of your trans friends you will too.

    Not just trans, but homosexual, non-white, non-religious, women.

    • juicy@lemmy.today
      01·
      7 months ago

      There are several options if you refuse to vote for genocide. You have just decided you don’t mind.

  • ZombiFrancis@sh.itjust.works
    0·
    8 months ago

    a vote for either candidate is a vote for genocide

    Demanding people vote for genocide as a lesser of two evils is where we are at now.

        • Gnome Kat@lemmy.blahaj.zoneEnglish
          1·
          7 months ago

          Is Trump gonna genocide harder or something?

          I mean… yes… yes he would definitely support escalation of the killings. He has stated he thinks they aren’t going far enough so trump would 100% just encourage full genocide openly

          Biden is at least turning on this issue, though obviously it’s way too little and too late… but he is at least reachable and is now saying there needs to be a ceasefire.

          Is biden doing enough? Fuck no.

          Should he step down and let other dems run? I think yes… I would feel so much better if we had a candidate who hasn’t been supporting this for as long as biden has.

          But would trump be worse on this issues? Absolutely things can get so much worse…

  • Thief_of_Crows@lemm.ee
    0·
    8 months ago

    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.

    • Vent@lemm.ee
      1·
      8 months ago

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