• someguy3@lemmy.ca
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    5 months ago

    But but but I won’t vote in protest!1 That will definitely make them listen! (/s)

    PSA: not voting means you have the relevance of an old man yelling at a cloud.

    You move the Overton window by voting. You have to walk before you can run.

          • Ledivin@lemmy.world
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            5 months ago

            Because a First-Past-The-Post voting system doesn’t care about your ideals. Until we have a different system, literally your only hope of effecting change is to vote for one of the two partied candidates and work locally to influence your party from the bottom-up.

            Voting third party doesn’t send a message you want it to send. It doesn’t send any message at all except “I approve of whatever you choose for me.”

          • Tiefling IRL@lemmy.blahaj.zone
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            5 months ago

            Because capitalism profits from genocide. The question then is, are you ok with diet Palestinian genocide or would you prefer the supersized Palestinian genocide combo with a side of homegrown genocide?

          • john89@lemmy.ca
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            5 months ago

            There are 2 sets of voters in this nation.

            Those who want to solve the problems we face, and those who just want to kick the can down the road for someone else while rich people get richer.

            If you vote for republicans or democrats, you’re in the latter camp.

            It really puts things into perspective when you think about it like this.

            • lolcatnip@reddthat.com
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              5 months ago

              Self-righteous bullshit. I want to solve problems someday and that’s precisely why I vote for Democrats. Letting Trumpists take over now will make any progress vastly harder for the foreseeable future.

              • john89@lemmy.ca
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                5 months ago

                You’re one of the latter.

                Let me know when democrats start supporting policies that reduce the disparity in wealth.

                We saw everything we needed to see with Bernie. Neither establishment party cares about regular, working class people.

                • Ledivin@lemmy.world
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                  5 months ago

                  Ah, so since one of your two options doesn’t give you everything you want, you’ve decided that you’re okay with the one that wants to take away everything you have. Cool story, good luck with that.

            • Ledivin@lemmy.world
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              5 months ago

              What problem do you believe you’re solving by making it easier for Trump to take office?

              Are you offended that women still have some control over their reproductive health, and you need to see that eroded further?

              Is it a problem that we aren’t allowed to sexually assault people without repurcussion?

              Do you see issues with people still being allowed to vote?

              • john89@lemmy.ca
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                5 months ago

                My issue is that while we squabble over social issues, the ruling class fucks us with fiscal ones.

                Greed and the growing disparity in wealth is the worst issue we face as a species.

                If Biden wins we lose. If Trump wins we lose harder. Each option results in a loss because we don’t want actually want to address the disparity in wealth.

                • Ledivin@lemmy.world
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                  5 months ago

                  If Biden wins we lose. If Trump wins we lose harder.

                  …and you think we need to lose harder?

                  Or do you actually believe that the system that has had the same outcome literally every single election has a chance to produce a different result? Has a third-party candidate ever received more than 1% of the vote?

                  Or do you actually just want Trump to win and are using your enlightened centrist persona to disguise that fact?

            • someguy3@lemmy.ca
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              5 months ago

              If you want to move the Overton window, you vote. That’s the perspective you need.

              • PopOfAfrica@lemmy.world
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                5 months ago

                Meanwhile, the Overton window has been shifting right radically. Seems like this lesser of two evils nonsense is actually doing the opposite of what you claim.

                • someguy3@lemmy.ca
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                  5 months ago

                  Moved because Trump won an election. But you want to suggest that’s just random? C’mon.

                  *Btw it’s moving the Overton window, not lesser of two evils as you want to change it to. You want policy number 426? You have to vote for policy 1 first. You have to walk before you can run.

              • bamboo@lemm.ee
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                5 months ago

                The Overton window is not something that can be changed electorally. Candidates can only get on the ballot in the first place if they’re within the Overton window, as anybody outside the window is “radical” or “extreme”, and the existing political powers forbid their candidacy. The electoral window is moved outside the electoral process, and only then can the electoral system permit new candidates with new ideas.

                • someguy3@lemmy.ca
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                  5 months ago

                  Lol yes it can. Why are we having idiotic discussion to disband the EPA? Because Trump won an election. That moved the Overton window, drastically at that. Why can’t Biden do ______? Because the Republicans still have a very real chance of winning. When the GOP has no chance of winning, then the Overton window can move more.

                • Ledivin@lemmy.world
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                  5 months ago

                  So… were just ignoring the current candidates? And the current debates and policies that each have pushed?

              • john89@lemmy.ca
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                5 months ago

                Yeah. You need to vote for candidates that don’t just look out for rich people.

                • someguy3@lemmy.ca
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                  5 months ago

                  How do you get that? By moving the Overton window. And how do you get that? By VOTING. But it seems you want to yell at a cloud instead. Something tells me you’ll just keep at this ‘whoo is me’, so I’m out.

            • jkrtn@lemmy.ml
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              5 months ago

              You are truly privileged that you don’t need to worry about more utterly corrupt Fundamentalists on SCOTUS.

      • rayyy@lemmy.world
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        5 months ago

        You misspelled Netanyahu. Also you will have egg on your face from head to toe when you find out what Biden is really doing to stop the killing in the Mideast.

      • Ioughttamow@kbin.run
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        5 months ago

        Let’s vote for trump and get some American boots on the ground! Can’t let the IDF take all of the glory!

    • psivchaz@reddthat.com
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      5 months ago

      I just want one of the “You can’t vote for Biden!” people to outline what I should do instead. What’s the play here? Dismantle the government? Sure, outline your plan and let’s see if it has any merit. Protest? Great, tell me when and where but it doesn’t preclude the need to vote.

      They talk big, but if their entire plan begins with “don’t vote” and ends with “bitch about it online” then it’s not a great plan.

        • Disaster@sh.itjust.works
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          5 months ago

          That has little to do with whatever political machinations are occurring and more to do with housing and necessities inflation driving labor pressure as a lagging inflation indicator.

          Think of it as a tectonic/landscape thing rather than the stupid games people happen to be playing on the landscape.

          Of course if any of them had their heads out of their own asses, or the asses of their owners, they might recognize this and start adapting…

          • Seasoned_Greetings@lemm.ee
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            5 months ago

            Is it fair to say that the overton window is only moving right when we are still making progress moving it left?

            The overton window isn’t a zero-sum measure. It can expand simultaneously in both directions. Given that we have nazis in the street now, I’d say it’s not correct to say that it’s moving only left either.

      • someguy3@lemmy.ca
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        5 months ago

        Lol you think Biden is right of Trump. Right well thank you for letting me know I don’t have to reply any further.

          • someguy3@lemmy.ca
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            5 months ago

            I could sus it like you think Biden moved it right (lol), but that requires you ignore Trump would have moved it further right, which is exactly the Overton window is moving it as left as you can every step, but why the fuck am I bothering even with this you’ll just say but but but but but but Biden bad! I’m out.

  • Wooki@lemmy.world
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    5 months ago

    Its called apathy.

    Make everyones vote count (mandatory voting) and all of a sudden it matters

  • Betide@lemmy.world
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    5 months ago

    The lesser of two evils argument only works if at some point you eventually give the people voting someone to vote for who is not evil. When you are forced to vote for evil after a while you lose hope and say screw this I’m not voting at all.

    • snownyte@kbin.social
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      5 months ago

      That argument is also best brought out when it’s obvious that we have a clear choice of what’s best for the country.

      2004? Bush vs Kerry. The lesser evil was Kerry.

      2008? Obama vs McCain? The lesser evil was Obama.

      2012? Obama vs Romney? The lesser evil was Obama.

      2016? Trump vs Clinton. There wasn’t any lesser evil.

      2020? Trump vs Biden. Biden at the time was lesser evil.

      2024? Trump vs Biden again. There isn’t any lesser evil, only difference is who’s gonna do less damage.

        • snownyte@kbin.social
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          5 months ago

          Here’s how I’m going to blow your mind.

          Do you ever think with what little braincells that you have left in your skull cavity, that there are better and more qualified female candidates?

          I would’ve preferred Elizabeth Warren than Hilary Clinton, which Warren did get some support but Clinton ended up pulling front because of the corporate side of democrats wanted her more.

          How about them apples, idiot. Next time think a little more and who else was involved before name calling like an uninformed 14 year old who spams buzzwords.

          “Durrr durrrr, uhhhh misogynist…hurhuhuhuhuhuh!” Fuck you.

    • cAUzapNEAGLb@lemmy.world
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      5 months ago

      The establishment is not going to give up, they must be beaten at their own game. Perseverance is key. If you give up, you give up on your cause and accept whatever the establishment wishes.

      Do what you want, but I will persevere, and I will vote for my interests.

    • PopOfAfrica@lemmy.world
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      5 months ago

      People don’t seem to realize that every time they downvote an opinion like this, they’re just further alienating the left.

      • MrSpArkle@lemmy.ca
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        5 months ago

        Yeah and downvoting a racist will just alienate them and push them further right, and yet we still downvote.

        While occasionally someone might realize that they are in the wrong, the value of condemnation is in signaling to the community that such views are not tolerated.

    • NOT_RICK@lemmy.world
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      5 months ago

      I’ll take deeply flawed democracy over fascist autocracy every day of the week, thanks.

  • Dagwood222@lemm.ee
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    5 months ago

    When I was young my parents introduced me to some old school Communists; folks who’d fought in the Spanish Civil War and been blacklisted in the 1950s.

    One of the stories they told was that back in 1968 the oldtimers were warning people to vote for Hubert Humphrey because they knew how bad Nixon would be, Too many young folks then thought ‘both sides are the same.’

    • captainlezbian@lemmy.world
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      5 months ago

      The communist party of America consistently votes democrat and doesn’t run a candidate. Same with the American Nazi party and republicans.

      My attitude is simple, deal with the problems you can impact. The 2024 elections will not result in a loss of support for Israel. A fascist wants to run a coup in America. That’s on the table, he’s running for president. That’s a problem we can deal with.

      • Dagwood222@lemm.ee
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        5 months ago

        There’s a line from the last season of ‘The West Wing’ that I always think of.

        It’s election Day and the GOP and Dem campaign managers run into each other in the hotel bar. One turns to the other and tells this story.

        "Got into the cab at the airport and started chatting with the cab driver. He’s a really smart guy and we’re having a great chat. Just before I get out I ask him who he’s voting for today.

        "He shakes his head. Damn, he tells me, I forgot it was election Day.’

        • captainlezbian@lemmy.world
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          5 months ago

          Yepppp, I’ve had to tell so many people. I think it’s one of the benefits I got from being raised by a dyed in the wool democrat. We’d argue over a lot as I was pretty radical even as a teenager, but she taught me the value of voting and participating in the democratic process. And arguing with her taught me the value of convincing everyday folks of your position.

          I hate to tell the demsocs that we probably won’t elect away the capital holding class, I’d love it if we could, but we won’t. But we sure as shit can fail to vote to keep our worker protections and environmental protections. And we can vote to get a better situation, it just won’t be a revolution all on its own.

          • Dagwood222@lemm.ee
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            5 months ago

            I wish I could force every school to show what the original New Deal programs would look like if implemented today.

    • LennethAegis@kbin.social
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      5 months ago

      I don’t know much about him, but reading that he lost the young people vote for supporting the Vietnam War is such a good parallel for today.

        • Dark Arc@social.packetloss.gg
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          5 months ago

          Assuming you’re in the LGBT spectrum … sorry to say even there you might not be safe if Trump gets a second term. Things have softened for the LGB so those folks might be okay, but trans folks … I’d be worried.

          It also weakens purple states and national power when blue voters move out of purple states… Personally, I’d highly encourage folks moving to purple states to turn them more blue.

          Michigan or Pennsylvania might be a good choice. I keep holding out for Ohio, but we need to give the gerrymandering issues (hopefully we finally will this year).

          • PRUSSIA_x86@lemmy.world
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            5 months ago

            Living in Ohio with my trans husband, we’re moving to Vermont this summer to get away from it all. I feel like I’m shirking my duty by taking our votes with us, but we really don’t want to be here come November. Ohio has gone to Trump two for two, and I’m not feeling lucky on number three.

          • Tiefling IRL@lemmy.blahaj.zone
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            5 months ago

            As a trans person in a deep blue state, I’m hoping my state’s politics give me just enough buffer time that I can find a way to GTFO before the gestapo comes for me

          • captainlezbian@lemmy.world
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            5 months ago

            Yeah, nowhere is confirmed safe. Fascism is attempting to ascend. Welcome to the 1930s, get a passport and fill a backpack with non perishable calorie dense food.

      • Dagwood222@lemm.ee
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        5 months ago

        LBJ realized he’d made a giant mistake and hoped Humphrey could end the War. Nixon ran as a ‘peace’ candidate and made things much worse.

        Trump’s people would nuke the entire Middle East hoping to bring about the Rapture.

        • go_go_gadget@lemmy.world
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          5 months ago

          At what point does Biden realize he’s made a giant mistake? You’re lecturing us for not paying attention to history. Is Biden?

          • Dagwood222@lemm.ee
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            5 months ago

            Turn it around.

            Can you lay out a detailed plan showing Biden exactly what to do? Something that covers not just the Palestinians and the Israelis, but alos the iranians, the sryians, the russians, the Saudis, and all the other interested and highly armed parties in the region?

            I have no idea how to restart a problem that’s been formenting since 1948, do you?

              • Honytawk@lemmy.zip
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                5 months ago

                Biden can’t decide that

                It was decided by a treaty like 75 years ago.

                To overthrow it would take massive changes and breaking contracts. Doable, but not in the time frame you want.

                It really isn’t as simple as you think.

              • Dagwood222@lemm.ee
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                5 months ago

                If you think it’s that simple, you probably believed Trump was going to get Mexico to pay for the Wall.

                • go_go_gadget@lemmy.world
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                  5 months ago

                  You asked me a question and I answered it. Are you going to answer my question now?

                  At what point does Biden realize he’s made a giant mistake? You’re lecturing us for not paying attention to history. Is Biden?

                  Or hell, let me ask you. Given the choice between supporting Israel or Biden winning the election which would you choose?

    • daltotron@lemmy.world
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      5 months ago

      I mean I dunno maybe they shouldn’t have ran a guy named hubert humphrey, sounds like the name you’d give to a fictional whale in a children’s novel hoo lee

    • jkrtn@lemmy.ml
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      5 months ago

      We watched Donald do worse than Watergate on live news broadcasts.

      Hmm, what to do? Better throw my ballot in the trash, because I am against genocide. If anything gets worse under this openly racist putsch planner screeching about dictatorship and absolute immunity, well, there was no way to have seen that coming, right?

        • Catoblepas@lemmy.blahaj.zone
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          5 months ago

          If you like Bernie so much maybe listen to him?

          “We can be extremely upset at the Biden administration for their policies with regard to Israel and Gaza, but the difficulty is that in the real world that you live in, you’ve got to take a look at a whole lot of things,” he said, sitting in the Health, Education, Labor and Pensions committee hearing room on Capitol Hill. “On the other hand, I would hope that most of the young people and protestors do not want to see Donald Trump, who is a racist, a sexist, a homophobe who doesn’t acknowledge the reality of climate change, become elected president of the United States.”

          • crusa187@lemmy.ml
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            5 months ago

            Yeah, Bernie always carries water for the DNC, and it’s always to the detriment of progressive American politics.

            …got to take a look at a lot of things

            Record oil and gas drilling, multi-time failure to codify Roe, redlining, gave away the public option, Manchin’s removed, Bibi’s removed, tricked Warren to betray Bernie for nothing, fascist crackdown on peacefully protesting college kids, ancient dinosaur who’s out of touch. I could go on.

            There are other options aside from red and blue, and as a swing state voter, I’ll be taking them. The establishment Dems would have you be angry with me and those like me, but this is a misdirection and also just another of Biden’s failings - no ability to take responsibility for his own reprehensible actions.

            • daltotron@lemmy.world
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              5 months ago

              There are other options aside from red and blue, and as a swing state voter, I’ll be taking them.

              me when I decide to waste my vote as a swing state voter, instead of meaningfully pulling my support for a candidate that’s ultimately going to get elected anyways out of protest as a non-swing state voter:

            • jkrtn@lemmy.ml
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              5 months ago

              How is failure to codify Roe on your list and you don’t give a shit if we have more fundamentalist judges or not?

              How is oil and gas drilling on your list and you don’t give a shit if the executive branch is actively dismantling the EPA or not?

              I also hate Manchin, you think a progressive Dem is going to be elected in WV? It’s either him or a Repub.

              I’m not mad at you, specifically, but it is enraging to see dimwits throw their ballots in the trash. Good luck to all of us. Your preferred system is not going to rise from the ashes.

              • crusa187@lemmy.ml
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                5 months ago

                Resize the court is obviously the only solution to this broken situation primed to let the criminal, traitor Trump walk free.

                EPA doesn’t mean shit when energy companies are lobbying both sides. Is this supposed to be a determining factor? Look no further than mayor Pete’s handling of East Palestine, OH for your answer.

                Richard Ojeda actually had a good chance in WV until the DNC poured millions into attack ads to keep their establishment dog in power. Said dog went on to ram through yet another disastrous pipeline thanks to Biden , lining both their pockets with oil and gas money, before riding off into the sunset.

                Luck has nothing to do with it with a system so brutally rigged against the populace. Neither of these “sides” is ever going to do anything beyond exploiting us. I’ll use what little power remains in my vote to try for an alternative. If more people believed something better was possible, perhaps we could yet achieve it.

                • tamal3@lemmy.world
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                  5 months ago

                  Can you just save it for a different election? I’m all about 3rd party politics making inroads. But, Jill Stein is NOT going to be elected this time around. Sorry to break it to you. And if Trump gets elected, guess what: we might not have free and fair elections to vote for 3rd parties at all! What’s the plan then?

                • jkrtn@lemmy.ml
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                  5 months ago

                  Nah, you’re using what little power remains in your vote to line a trashcan. And you don’t care about the consequences because you are privileged enough that you won’t be directly targeted by Repubs.

                  But the important thing is you’ll have owned the “Bothsides Uniparty” by… helping Donald get elected? Yeah, the massive tax cuts will really sting their butts. Good thinking.

            • Psychodelic@lemmy.world
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              5 months ago

              Americans like you are the absolute worst. So damn irresponsible. All that undeserved extra voting power you have, and you choose to squander it and use it for an act of shameful self-righteousness, with no regard for the consequences of your actions. You clearly have zero respect for progressive politics, progressive movements, and even progressive leaders.

              Ignorant liberal voters: as useful for destroying democracy as ignorant fascists

                • Honytawk@lemmy.zip
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                  5 months ago

                  Biden isn’t 99% Hitler though

                  The only stickler really is the Israeli support, which he is trying to stop. He isn’t even actively pursuing it.

                  So it is 20% Hitler at best, and dropping.

                • Psychodelic@lemmy.world
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                  5 months ago

                  Biden is not fuckin Hitler, you enlightened genius!

                  Keep voting for Ralph Nader Gary Johnson … err I mean Jill Stein instead of doing something useful.

                  Seriously, what’s the worse that could happen? It’s not like Bush will get us into a massive war and end any hope at fighting climate change err I mean, it’s not like Trump will enflame the ongoing war in the Middle East and decimate any chance the Supreme Court will side with minorities for an entire generation no wait, I mean, surely Trump won’t imprison his political enemies and dismantle the electoral process.

                  Ignore what I crossed out; it’s just American history. You probably wouldn’t be interested

                • diablexical@lemm.ee
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                  5 months ago

                  Game theory is a tough subject, but it would be worth it for you to study to understand how you are acting against your less preferred candidate and helping what should be your least preferred candidate (assuming your ranked choice has the republican nominee below the democratic nominee).

                  Keep voting for 99% … gets us to the same place

                  You make it seem as though your protest vote does not also get us to the same place? Many voters have shared your mentality and voted accordingly for the past 200+ years and it’s not made a difference, what makes you think this time things will change?

              • Daft_ish@lemmy.world
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                5 months ago

                I’m always teleported back to grade school and the token, “difficult home life” kid. They sit there and back talk the teacher all day long applying their contrarian logic to everything little. Hell, on some level I’d even agree with them but not because they’re right in what they are doing but they accidentally make a salient point. The end of the day though, the teacher was attempting to do good for this kid and we all just watch as they throw back in their face.

                • go_go_gadget@lemmy.world
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                  5 months ago

                  This may be a hot take but as someone in my 40s I don’t think anybody in their 80s has a fucking clue what’s good for me.

    • Daft_ish@lemmy.world
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      5 months ago

      The end of the day I won’t blame the young people, though. I will blame the red hat fascists who want to install an orange dictator.

      • disguy_ovahea@lemmy.world
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        5 months ago

        Why not? I blame my dumb ass for voting for Nader in 2000. Don’t be like me. Learn from the mistakes of others!

      • Ultragigagigantic@lemmy.world
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        5 months ago

        I blame First Past The Post voting, for keeping the people handcuffed to two legacy political parties.

        Perhaps Republicans would vote less clowns into office, but they are chained to the Republican party.

        Same is true for the Democrats. We don’t need to be stuck with these two parties. There can be something else.

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          5 months ago

          Right. I wish people were upset about not having ranked choice as they were the genocide in Gaza. If we changed the way we voted voting for the lesser evil wouldn’t be a thing.

  • Semi-Hemi-Lemmygod@lemmy.world
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    5 months ago

    “The solution is to mobilize the American people, working-class people, Black, white, Latino, Native American, whatever they may be, to come together, to fight for a government, which represents all of us, and not just the few.”

    So the kids who are on college campuses getting shot with rubber bullets and beaten by armed thugs aren’t fighting?

    • protist@mander.xyz
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      5 months ago

      No one said that, you’ve drawn a conclusion not based on the actual words written here.

      • Semi-Hemi-Lemmygod@lemmy.world
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        So then they’re doing exactly what he said we should do, but since the protests Biden’s electoral chances it means they are underestimating the threat of Trump.

        If we can’t allow Democrats to ever lose, how exactly do we fight?

        • rayyy@lemmy.world
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          5 months ago

          By voting in primaries AND supporting good candidates down stream, but FIRST we must vote to ensure we will be able to do this. If the young people don’t vote and fuck up their future, it’s their future in the toilet.

          • Disaster@sh.itjust.works
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            5 months ago

            The DNC has literally argued, successfully, in court, that is has every right to rig its own primaries.

            Voting in primaries is pointless unless that changes.

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            5 months ago

            By voting in primaries

            You’re making an assumption here that if progressives and leftists managed to get decent candidates through the primaries the moderates and liberals who we will still depend on to win general elections will show up to vote for them. That confidence is absolutely baseless.

        • kromem@lemmy.world
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          5 months ago

          By voting in primaries.

          There’s more than just the president. Local elections and specifically primaries are what reshape the representative body.

          • Krono@lemmy.today
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            5 months ago

            I agree primaries are a great way to influence candidates.

            That’s probably why the Democratic party effectively cancelled them this year.

            • kromem@lemmy.world
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              Really? They cancelled local primaries? That’s news to me.

              Or do you just mean that they didn’t have a significant primary for a sitting party candidate for President, just like pretty much every candidate in history in that same position for any party?

              I too would have liked a serious primary for this year, but that would have been a significant exception, not the rule.

              The only way it really would have happened is if Biden decided not to run at all.

            • protist@mander.xyz
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              5 months ago

              Can you explain how the Democratic party “effectively cancelled” primaries this year? I guess I’m wondering what I voted on back in March if it wasn’t the Democratic primary ballot

          • Semi-Hemi-Lemmygod@lemmy.world
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            5 months ago

            By voting in primaries

            You mean like I’ve been doing for 24 years with no measurable effect? And get told that the person I support in the primary isn’t electable so I’m letting the Republicans win?

            • rayyy@lemmy.world
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              5 months ago

              By voting in primaries

              Guess you don’t follow politics much. The teabaggers followed that formula and eventually took control of the GOP in form of MAGA. It takes time and commitment otherwise you just get what others create. This isn’t an instant gratification thing. Voting a couple of times isn’t going to cut it.

              • go_go_gadget@lemmy.world
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                5 months ago

                MAGA’s takeover required cooperation from the more moderate Republicans. If moderate Republicans refused to vote for Trump in the general he never would have won.

                Meanwhile liberal and moderate Democrats are celebrating the police raids on the protestors. But you think if we manage to get a decent candidate through the primaries they’ll show up to vote?

                • protist@mander.xyz
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                  5 months ago

                  The Democratic party today is significantly more progressive than it was 24 years ago, so I’m going to give you kudos

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              5 months ago

              The thing about voting is that other people get to do it too. Your candidates didn’t get the most votes. Do you think they should have won anyway, because you liked them the most?

            • Carrolade@lemmy.world
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              5 months ago

              No measurable effect? You sure there’s not one single decent person in either the Senate or the House? Or if there are, then how did they get there…?

      • girlfreddy@lemmy.ca
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        5 months ago

        I still don’t understand why he’ll never be president except, ofc, he would never play the games that come with politics these days.

        America is fast losing its chance for redemption.

        • PugJesus@kbin.social
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          5 months ago

          He got outpolitiked in the 2020 primary. Really the only reason why he’s not president right now.

        • ninjabard@lemmy.world
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          Because when idiots hear Socialism they see Communism and it’s frighteningly easy to start a red scare propaganda campaign to keep him off the big ticket.

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            5 months ago

            The guy who fixes my car basically runs a French-style salon out of his shop, and he told me, “The South Will never vote Socialist.” Seems he’s right so far. That and he goes against the powers that be… Bernie would have been a nightmare for the rich and powerful.

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    5 months ago

    Threat to what? He was already president and I didn’t feel threatened, what has happened that makes him so scary? Actual honest question

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      5 months ago

      It’s almost like other people exist, and almost like they’re affected in a different way than you are by who is in charge of the government. Seriously though, I thought “it doesn’t affect me, so it must not be a problem” wasn’t supposed to be an actual argument.

    • OpenStars@startrek.website
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      5 months ago

      To name one example, he deregulated the inspection of train safety, despite internal whistleblowers (who were ofc subsequently fired) claiming that the industry was not regulating itself in anything remotely resembling a “safe” manner. Keep in mind, this was before all those famous train derailments happened. Multiple people especially train engineers predicted they would happen, they went to a large amount of trouble - and were fired as a result - of warning that they would happen, but Trump ignored all of that and deregulated the industry to help make it more profitable… and then the derailments happened, whereupon we all paid the price. Socialization of costs, privatization of profits, it is the exact opposite of both socialism and of capitalism both - it was sheer foolishness, period.

      And ofc there was his handling of the pandemic - note the initial cause of the pandemic was not his fault, but his poor handling of it is on him. First, at minimum, if nothing else “the buck stops here”. But above & beyond the latter, as the audio recording with Bob Woodsworth revealed, Trump knew that the virus was airborne - he told his friend that much - and yet even knowing that, afterwards he lied and told people that it explicitly was not airborne (again, to aid “the economy”, at the expense of the workers who died as a result). When others, e.g. Bill Clinton, have lied previously, conservatives got angry and tried to impeach them - and rightfully so - so why ignore it when it happens on the other side? Also this lie, measured in the form of “excess deaths”, contributed to the deaths of more Americans than all of our wars combined. That seems like “harm” to me.

      Then too there is how he inserted himself between a Congressional decision and the intended recipient of funding, with his attempt to blackmail the Ukrainian government to “just do me a favor though”. By some definitions of the word that might even have constituted “treason” - I am no lawyer though, so be skeptical ofc, especially extreme claims require more extreme evidence, which the first impeachment trial was meant to bring forth except it was halted by Republicans in Congress.

      The list really can go on and on… whatever you think of conservative vs. liberal philosophies, or of Republican vs. Democrat politics, he really was quite a dangerous President. Yes, most of us are still alive after his Presidency, but again… many of us are not now, with a good number of those deaths directly traceable to his decisions. Biden may not be “good”, but extremely few Presidents in all of American history come close to how dangerous Trump was, by many objective metrics. History will reveal that, but right now it can be difficult to distinguish b/t the lying liberal media and the lying conservative media sources both lie, for the sake of their own profits. In all of that muddiness of facts, it can be super difficult to find out what is really going on. But the fate of people in and maybe the fate of our actual nation is on the line, so it is worth the effort for those of us who would consider ourselves “leaders” aka citizens, whose votes will determine the course ahead for us all.

    • mindlight@lemm.ee
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      5 months ago

      What are the three worst things he caused during his years in the White House, according to you?

      • Carrolade@lemmy.world
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        5 months ago

        Tax cuts to the rich and powerful, weakening our reputation of being a mighty nation that at least tries to defend freedom and independence by pinning Ukraine aid on whether they helped him personally, gutting rules that protect the little guys from big corporations.

        • AmidFuror@fedia.io
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          5 months ago

          Using the government to directly benefit his businesses. Out in the open, high level corruption. Allowing foreign governments to directly put money in his pockets through his businesses. Refusing to concede he lost a free and fair election, even to this day. Instigating violence in an attempt to hold onto power after losing re-election. Setting policy by Tweet without consulting anyone or having a plan to roll it out. Left his underlings utterly confused as to what was going on. Refusing to admit errors. Lying to cover up errors. Getting rushed to the hospital for treatment of severe COVID and then walking around the White House without a mask. Absolutely set a terrible example. Inconsistent messaging about best practices for Americans during the pandemic. Illegally holding up aid to Ukraine as leverage to force Ukraine to announce an investigation into Joe Biden’s son. Didn’t even care if there actually was an investigation. Just wanted it announced. Was he promoting US policy goals or his own campaign for re-election? Pressuring the Attorney General to drop investigations of links between his campaign and Russian agents. Please don’t think this is an exhausting list. There was at least a scandal a week during that guys terrible Presidency.

  • calabast@lemm.ee
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    5 months ago

    My early-20’s cousin-in-law the other day said something like “I don’t want to vote for Biden or Trump, they’re both the same”. He’s getting locked up for killing me, because I died when I heard him say that. (I went on to explain to him that they are NOT the same.)

  • archomrade [he/him]@midwest.social
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    5 months ago

    Personally, i’m worried that the biden administration is underestimating the electoral importance of his decision to continue supporting Israel’s genocide against Palestinians.

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    5 months ago

    as a black person i’m worried that donald trump’s batting average isn’t showing the potential it should be this season. he should spend more time in the cages.

  • penquin@lemm.ee
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    5 months ago

    I fucking hate, and from the bottom of my heart, how Biden is funding the genocide in Palestine, but I’m still going to vote for him this time, because we just can’t have a person like Trump in the white house, period. I still can’t figure out how he got in the first time. I’d never let my 10 year old lead a country, yet we let Trump do it for four fucking years. I, too, am sick of this “the lesser of two evils” bullshit, but this time I’m giving it a pass because of Trump. We already have a crumbling country and can’t afford another four years of this dude.

    • Xhieron@lemmy.world
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      5 months ago

      I think Joe Biden is maybe the best president of my lifetime, and I’m going to vote for him with my head held high even though I live in a red state where it doesn’t matter at all. I wish things were simpler in the Levant, but I appreciate that Joe Biden is between a rock and a hard place with Israel. It’s not like he can just take Bibi out. He’s not Boeing. That said, even if I laid the entire genocide at Biden’s feet (which, while he’s not blameless, is absolutely not appropriate), he would still be head and shoulders an improvement over Donald Trump.

      For that matter, I’d absolutely let my 12 year old run this country before I’d let Trump have a second term. My kid is brilliant, and more importantly, unlike Trump he listens to advice, can take no for an answer, and gives a shit about having a functional democracy four years from now.

      A second Trump term is an existential threat to the nation. Hold your nose, hold your neighbor’s nose if you have to, but every able-bodied patriot owes it to their descendants and their patriotic ancestors to prevent a second Trump term.

      • Pan_Ziemniak@midwest.social
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        5 months ago

        Ten year old?! Thats a high bar for most republicans these days. They want knee jerk and whining. Thats something most 10 year olds are already figuring out doesnt get them what they want.

    • SwingingTheLamp@midwest.social
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      5 months ago

      I still can’t figure out how he got in the first time.

      I’d point out that the first step in changing somebody’s mind on a topic is always to figure out why they believe and behave as they do.

    • Nom Nom@lemm.ee
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      5 months ago

      I still can’t figure out how he got in the first time.

      Electoral College, should not exist.

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      5 months ago

      Certain important people need to keep selling spyware, drugs, guns and war to keep themselves and their associates employed. As for whether the funds or the actual work (conflict) available is sustainable is for everyone including the accountants to consider.

      The other problem is that war doesn’t really die, we just displace where we choose to fight, and how, if we imagine physical and cyber world peace for a moment, for the USA or China to reduce its military capacity by one third, or one tenth, we would see absolute chaos, thousands unemployed, the losses in maintenance and equipment, military supplies, medical, etc, nobody would win.

      Any complex society where financial and other systems operate needs a minimum degree of social enforcement to maintain. Whether that can change like a function or is something that depends on a country’s GDP is another issue.

      Just consider that humanity would either need lots of free time, energy and money or it would literally need to feel incredibly threatened by something on earth, which we all could not fight to control in order to actually fund going to space or even the moon, and I doubt a triple whammy of pandemic, food shortage or severe draught and floods could do it, it happened in the Bible and people literally just found more dumb reasons to do more dumb things, and no lowering mens testosterone or telling guys to shave more often wouldn’t do shit either. If people don’t find reasons to explore or learn, they find reasons to fight/play fight, it’s pretty normal, and if anyone remembers their childhood, usually it’s pretty much the same across generations.

    • Ferrous@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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      5 months ago

      “I still can’t figure out how he got in the first time”

      Easy. He was propped up by democrats, namely Hillary Clinton.

      If we reach a point 40 years from now when your choice is between a dem supporting 5 genocides and a republican supporting 10 genocides, are you still going to be militantly democrat and lash out at leftists who are sick of the whole thing?

      • jkrtn@lemmy.ml
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        5 months ago

        In this hypothetical we wouldn’t have the option to vote 40 years from now because dim bulbs allowed an insurrectionist to be elected. Donald will also accelerate climate fuckery so anyway we’ll be too busy squabbling over what meager food comes out of the remaining arable regions.

        • go_go_gadget@lemmy.world
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          5 months ago

          Purely hypothetical question for you: Would you rather continue supporting Israel or see Biden win the 2024 election?

          • jkrtn@lemmy.ml
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            5 months ago

            Enjoy the extra genocide Donald “Muslim ban” Trump brings to the conflict and starts up locally. You guys really want him to “finish the job,” huh?

            That’s pretty repugnant IMO, but people like you are privileged enough to watch from afar as others lose their rights and their lives.

            • go_go_gadget@lemmy.world
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              5 months ago

              By not answering the question and participating in the process of this hypothetical choice the outcome is Israel is supported and Joe Biden loses the 2024 election.

      • Honytawk@lemmy.zip
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        5 months ago

        You think you will still be able to vote in 40 years if Donald “dictator for a day” Trump gets elected this time?

        Oh my sweet summer child. Your vote will be as meaningful as the ones in Russia.

        • Ferrous@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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          5 months ago

          So if a Trump presidency means the end of democracy in America, why hasn’t Trump been outlawed?

          Why is Biden focusing on banning TikTok instead of truth social? Why weren’t the courts getting stacked 2 years ago? Why are the democrats’ obsession with “precedent” and “civility” taking more primacy than outlawing a candidate who, by their own admission, would mean the end of democracy?

          By propping up Trump, the democrats have effortlessly oriented you such that you now give blind support to a genocidal regime. You’ve given the democrats a blank check. The democrats would rather lose to Trump and usher in fascism than shift left in the slightest way (halting genocide).

          Also, epic reddit catchphrase my good sir. I tip my hat you, for you are a gentleman and a scholar.

      • penquin@lemm.ee
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        5 months ago

        Nope. I’ve stated this in multiple posts on other platforms, this is my last time going with this “lesser of two evils” bullshit. Because at some point, we HAVE to believe that it is intentional. I mean, what happened to “fool me once…”?

    • Steve@startrek.website
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      5 months ago

      I’m 100% sure trump would have taken charge over there because it was taking too long.

      Genocide? Hold my beer.

    • RememberTheApollo_@lemmy.world
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      5 months ago

      I don’t understand why people point out that Biden is “funding the genocide in Palestine” and completely ignore and fail to mention that trump would do the exact same thing.

      He has all but said he would cut Israel loose to do whatever they needed to finish the job.

      The use of Israeli aggression is not a point of comparison when viewing the differences between trump and Biden.

      • natural_motions@lemmynsfw.com
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        I don’t understand why people point out that Biden is “funding the genocide in Palestine” and completely ignore and fail to mention that trump would do the exact same thing.

        Because Democrats are suppose to be better than that. But, apparently, they actually aren’t.

        This is about the Democratic party. This whole “vote for the least fascist candidate” has reached a breaking point. It’stotally beyond the pale and isn’t just about whats best for the next election cycle. People simply cannot actively support a genocidal party because it runs fundementally against their core values.

        We’re not talking about compromising on tax policy or economics here. We’re talking about fully mask off genocide support. It’s deeply unconscionable to anyone who has a moral compass.

        • RememberTheApollo_@lemmy.world
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          5 months ago

          simply cannot actively support a genocidal party because it runs fundementally against their core values.

          So by not voting they default to the fascist one. Good for them, at least they (didn’t) vote for the least worst option.

          • natural_motions@lemmynsfw.com
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            No, you’re not listening. Stop fear-babbling about fucking Trump for one fucking second and consider that voting for Biden is voting for genocide. It’s putting your own name to it.

            While that clearly means nothing to you and you’rejust fixated on your own self-interest, consider how non-sociopaths might view this choice.

            • RememberTheApollo_@lemmy.world
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              5 months ago

              Ok. GFY for making the “if you vote for Biden you vote for genocide” argument while completely ignoring trump would do the same. You’re just a damn shill for the right wing. Useless MF.

              • natural_motions@lemmynsfw.com
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                Unreal. Willing to vote for an extremist right-wing government support genocide and has the nerve to call others “shills for the right wing”.

                • RememberTheApollo_@lemmy.world
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                  Unreal. Willing to try to convince others to not vote so we get fascism on top of genocide. What a transparent tool.

                  Seriously. Don’t vote for Biden so this other fascist wins and Palestine sill gets screwed!

                  Transparent AF.

            • Honytawk@lemmy.zip
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              5 months ago

              If voting for Biden is voting for genocide, then not voting or voting third party is voting for Trump, genocide and the destruction of democracy in the US.

              • SwingingTheLamp@midwest.social
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                5 months ago

                The destruction of democracy in the United States has much deeper roots, and has been in-process for a long time. How long the effects have been visible is arguable, and the manifestation unpredictable, but fundamentally, a voting system which doesn’t allow people to express their actual preferences, well, isn’t representative of people’s actual preferences.

                I can’t think of any more-profound way to state that truth at this early hour. A “democracy” which doesn’t reflect the will of the people is a democracy in name only, and we can only keep the “lesser-evil” streak going for so long before we’re so far into evil that we “have to” vote for a candidate materially supporting genocide so we don’t get the candidate who supports genocide without having non-actionable “concerns” about it.

      • penquin@lemm.ee
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        5 months ago

        No one denies that trump will fund it. That’s not the point, but I get what you mean.

        • AbidanYre@lemmy.world
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          5 months ago

          I’ve argued with multiple people on here who said Trump would be better for Palestinians than Biden is.

        • TrickDacy@lemmy.world
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          No one denies that trump will fund it

          And? The problem is that these people won’t really address the fact that Trump would be worse than Biden

        • RememberTheApollo_@lemmy.world
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          It isn’t the potential for denial that initiated my reply, it’s the fact that people declare US support of Israel is a strike against Biden when comparing Biden to trump as a reason to consider not voting for Biden. This is a false comparison and it is the point I am making.

      • go_go_gadget@lemmy.world
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        5 months ago

        I don’t understand why people point out that Biden is “funding the genocide in Palestine” and completely ignore and fail to mention that trump would do the exact same thing.

        And hence why I won’t vote for Trump either. It’s not that hard to understand.

    • Cornelius_Wangenheim@lemmy.world
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      5 months ago

      Biden is not funding Israel. The United States government is. Even if he wanted to stop the aid (he doesn’t), he doesn’t have the power to just ignore laws passed by Congress. Trump did that with Ukraine and got impeached for it.

      • OneOfTheMicahs@rblind.com
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        5 months ago

        I mean, he fundamentally does have the power to veto laws. There are potentially negative political consequences in doing so, but he certainly has that power.

  • nutsack@lemmy.world
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    5 months ago

    there is an understandable wave of nihilism manifesting in the younger generations that will probably persist for as long as they live. i don’t imagine the united states will stop producing nihilists for a long time as the circumstances are not projected to change