this post was submitted on 25 Oct 2024
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When given a choice between a millitary industrial neoliberal with a rainbow voting base and a fascist who is one elon musk golf session away from banning HRT, the best option is certainly not to refuse to play out of protest

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[–] [email protected] 97 points 6 days ago (4 children)

The best way I've seen anyone put it is that by the time the election arrives, you are exclusively in damage control mode. If you want actual change, you have to have it done by getting your personal choice voted in during the primaries.

[–] [email protected] 36 points 6 days ago (1 children)

And I'd add - get active the other 364 days of the year.

If we want better options we first need ranked choice voting and we need to get money out of politics. And none of that is going to happen if our only political action each year is voting.

[–] [email protected] 13 points 6 days ago (1 children)

Proud to say that in Colorado, ranked choice voting is on the ballot this year! It's even supported by the big political names here, including the governor.

[–] [email protected] 7 points 6 days ago

Exactly! They're putting in the work there and getting some fantastic things done. Lots of other great stuff on that ballot too.

[–] [email protected] 18 points 6 days ago (2 children)

At local level. Organize school board, dog catcher, judges, city council, planing commission, library board, community college board, do what the right wing does

[–] [email protected] 13 points 6 days ago

do what the right wing does

Maybe with just a little less cross burning, lynching, and religious extremism.

[–] [email protected] 9 points 6 days ago

This is really key, though the state level is probably most important. If your voting activism doesn't go beyond the presidential election, it's performative at most. A third party candidate without members of their party is state houses and Congress is going to be fairly ineffective even if they somehow did do the impossible and get elected.

[–] [email protected] 7 points 6 days ago (1 children)
[–] [email protected] 21 points 6 days ago (1 children)

Yes. And Biden was chosen, which includes Harris being next up if Biden couldn't perform the duties of president for any reason. If Democrats didn't want the status quo, they should have chosen someone other than Biden.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 6 days ago (1 children)

How did nobody notice Biden's brain no longer works if there was this robust primary process you describe and we all just missed it?

[–] [email protected] 4 points 6 days ago (1 children)

we all just missed it?

You missed it. I was well aware of it, and concerns about Biden at the time, and I don't even live in the US.

Not everyone else's fault if you don't engage with the political system until less than a month before the election. That's what this entire post is about.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 6 days ago

The party not allowing debates and threatening everyone to stay out so only an ice cream millionaire who was leaving congress anyway did a quixotic "run" in an attempt to hide how bad Biden had gotten is not a real primary. Just because you don't grasp verbal irony isn't everyone else's fault.