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
    11•9 months ago

    Sorry I wasn’t clear - I’m saying if you care about reshaping the Dems, you do it after we defeat Trump.

    There is no guarantee it will be different this time, that’s politics. But giving up on it isn’t an option - politics happens to us whether we are active or not. But if you’re hoping for change, it’ll be a lot harder to see if Trump gets reelected. I promise you that.

    • Cowbee [he/they]
      15•9 months ago

      That same line was told during 2020, 2016, 2008, 2000, and so forth. Where is the leftist concession? Where is the Democratic party being pushed? How are you planning on achieving change?

      • @makyo@lemmy.worldEnglish
        7•9 months ago

        You’re basically just repeating yourself now. Like it or not, you’re parroting the played out lines that the Trumpist want us to repeat to strengthen their hand.

        Politics isn’t easy but ‘burn it down because they’re not catering to me’ is not a responsible vote this year.

        • Cowbee [he/they]
          8•9 months ago

          When will it be time? How do you plan on shaping dems? You’re repeating yourself here.

          • @makyo@lemmy.worldEnglish
            7•9 months ago

            I don’t know what you’re even asking - how do I personally plan to shape the party? If I could wave a magic wand I would but obviously it’s something that is shaped by the collective and we all need to be engaged in the various areas we are passionate about.

            This ‘cater to me or else’ sort of nihilism is the laziest sort of attitude and I get really tired of seeing it in liberal circles. I can tell you’re passionate and are probably very politically active in your own ways, but so many people seem to think that withholding their vote will sove the problem and that it then somehow absolves them of having to do anything else.

            • Cowbee [he/they]
              8•9 months ago

              You’re wrong on quite a few things here.

              How can a leftist meaninfully convince a liberal Capitalist party to move leftward, rather than continuing liberalism? Seriously speaking, if I am a leftist, and I want Leftist change, how do you think I should go about doing that?

              It’s not nihilism, it’s not liberalism, and it’s not “cater to me or else,” that’s pure condescension. I am also not planning on witholding my vote, I want genuine leftist change.

              Why does promising to vote for liberalism, a right wing ideology, help Leftists unless the DNC feels threatened by a lack of progressive support and thus concedes?

              • @makyo@lemmy.worldEnglish
                6•9 months ago

                If you want leftist change you keep doing the things you are hopefully already doing - joining political groups you are aligned with, making calls, donating, running for office, getting your friends involved, join a union or help start one, etc. etc. And you realize that it isn’t going to happen overnight - it may not even happen in your lifetime. It’s not easy or magic, especially with the things you seem to care about on the further left of the spectrum. That’s going to be a steep hill to climb.

                • Cowbee [he/they]
                  4•9 months ago

                  Do you honestly believe that the left can vote socialism into existence within a liberal Capitalist framework?

    • @go_go_gadget@lemmy.world
      14•9 months ago

      The moment Trump was defeated in 2020 liberal and moderates did exactly what they always do: demand priority over leftists and progressives in every policy disagreement and Biden was happy to oblige.

      No. Moderate voters, liberal voters, the DNC, establishment Democrats and Biden will all reshape now or lose to Trump. Make a choice.

      • @makyo@lemmy.worldEnglish
        8•9 months ago

        I’m sorry but this is basically the same argument that I got multiple others in this thread so instead of answering again, I’m going to ask you a question.

        What exactly is y’alls game plan then? How do you think you’ll benefit by punishing Biden and helping get Trump elected?

        • @go_go_gadget@lemmy.world
          8•9 months ago

          Your question attempts to hold progressives and leftists to a different standard than moderates and liberals.

          What is the game plan of moderates, liberals, establishment Democrats and Biden? How do they think they’ll benefit by refusing to make material compromises with leftists and progressives?

    • @Kalysta@lemm.ee
      5•9 months ago

      You told me this last fucking election and nothing has changed.

      I lost my reproductive freedoms

      I fear for my wife’s life whenever we have to travel out of state - she’s trans

      Clarance fucking Thomas is threatening to undo gay marriage.

      The democrats have done NOTHING for me. And instead i’m watching half of them cheerlead a fucking genocide of brown people in the middle east

      How are they different from republicans? How is biden different than trump? He’s trying to pass trump’s immigration plan while letting Bibi murder his neighbors.

      Nah fam. I’m officially giving up. People like you who refuse to hold democrats to account have made life worse for everyone.