Yeah. My father is a REAL piece of shit and said it in the context of “I hate that <homophobic slur> Bush” but it still sticks with me:
In primaries? Vote for who you like. When it is time for the real election? Vote for the platform you hate the least. Bare minimum, it gives you the right to bitch and moan come February. Because if you don’t vote? You actively chose to not have a say in the government.
… well, you also may have been disenfranchised by a bunch of republican shitheads. But it is the thought that counts.
Bernie is the closest it comes to a politician I actually like and even he is to the right of me on some things, so I can’t even vote for someone I like in a primary most of the time. The best I can do is the person I dislike least.
But I agree with you about the general. Vote to block the person that has the greatest chance of winning that you dislike the most. It’s kind of a complicated calculus in some countries, but in the U.S., that means either a Democrat or a Republican because no one else is going to win.
So, even though I don’t particularly like the Democrats, I vote for them anyway.
Its great that you liked Sanders. I… have very mixed feelings about him and mostly am angry at how much influence he pissed away.
But here is the thing? If you don’t think you are being represented by the party? Then work with it. Even Sanders learned that after he spent most of his career actively dicking over the Democrats and it resulted in him becoming a household name.
Contact your local Democratic party. The Internet loves to paint them as bogeymen who actively hurt any good candidates and… some do. But the majority are the idealists who joined up because they gave a shit about Obama or Hilary or even Sanders. But they support the people who run because… they understand that the goal is harm reduction. Someone who gives a crap and is willing to do outreach work? You have a LOT of influence and can work on seeking out those candidates who DO represent you. And as you shift the local party, so too do you eventually shift the bigger party. Because as much as people hate ol’ Genocidde Joe: he is ridiculously left of Clinton and, in some aspects, even Obama.
I am glad we got The Squad, even if they are sometimes idiots. But Sanders should have led to a mass shift in the party as a whole.
I wouldn’t say I like him. As I said, he comes closest to a politician I like. There has never in my lifetime been a mainstream politician who didn’t have at least a few policies I really was not a fan of. I realize I’m never going to get my pony, but that doesn’t mean I’m going to automatically like the choices I’m given.
I am not as focused on ranked choice as others (I very much argue we basically already have the outcome with the primary system) and would rather a focus on getting rid of the electoral college entirely to allow for a popular vote. It doesn’t matter
What matters is making sure we have a country where we can push toward that in a few years. Since, especially in 2024, one candidate is outright talking about dismantling democracy entirely. And, because of 2016, we have a supreme court that is basically “what do republicans want us to do?” at any given moment.
“Hell, I never vote for anybody, I always vote against.” – W.C. Fields in a rare serious moment.
Yeah. My father is a REAL piece of shit and said it in the context of “I hate that <homophobic slur> Bush” but it still sticks with me:
In primaries? Vote for who you like. When it is time for the real election? Vote for the platform you hate the least. Bare minimum, it gives you the right to bitch and moan come February. Because if you don’t vote? You actively chose to not have a say in the government.
… well, you also may have been disenfranchised by a bunch of republican shitheads. But it is the thought that counts.
Bernie is the closest it comes to a politician I actually like and even he is to the right of me on some things, so I can’t even vote for someone I like in a primary most of the time. The best I can do is the person I dislike least.
But I agree with you about the general. Vote to block the person that has the greatest chance of winning that you dislike the most. It’s kind of a complicated calculus in some countries, but in the U.S., that means either a Democrat or a Republican because no one else is going to win.
So, even though I don’t particularly like the Democrats, I vote for them anyway.
Its great that you liked Sanders. I… have very mixed feelings about him and mostly am angry at how much influence he pissed away.
But here is the thing? If you don’t think you are being represented by the party? Then work with it. Even Sanders learned that after he spent most of his career actively dicking over the Democrats and it resulted in him becoming a household name.
Contact your local Democratic party. The Internet loves to paint them as bogeymen who actively hurt any good candidates and… some do. But the majority are the idealists who joined up because they gave a shit about Obama or Hilary or even Sanders. But they support the people who run because… they understand that the goal is harm reduction. Someone who gives a crap and is willing to do outreach work? You have a LOT of influence and can work on seeking out those candidates who DO represent you. And as you shift the local party, so too do you eventually shift the bigger party. Because as much as people hate ol’ Genocidde Joe: he is ridiculously left of Clinton and, in some aspects, even Obama.
I am glad we got The Squad, even if they are sometimes idiots. But Sanders should have led to a mass shift in the party as a whole.
I wouldn’t say I like him. As I said, he comes closest to a politician I like. There has never in my lifetime been a mainstream politician who didn’t have at least a few policies I really was not a fan of. I realize I’m never going to get my pony, but that doesn’t mean I’m going to automatically like the choices I’m given.
Bernie wants to save capitalism from itself.
Should we really fight so hard to save a system that is okay with people being homeless, desperate, and exploited their entire lives?
Capitalism would never save you.
I’m not sure what you’re trying to tell me, but I’m not a big fan of capitalism…
Fight hard to get FPTP or deal with the constant abuse you sustain from the government. This mindset keeps both of these parties in power.
You do both.
I am not as focused on ranked choice as others (I very much argue we basically already have the outcome with the primary system) and would rather a focus on getting rid of the electoral college entirely to allow for a popular vote. It doesn’t matter
What matters is making sure we have a country where we can push toward that in a few years. Since, especially in 2024, one candidate is outright talking about dismantling democracy entirely. And, because of 2016, we have a supreme court that is basically “what do republicans want us to do?” at any given moment.
I’m in Kansas so I just vote third party federally and against Brownback when he pops up then against every incumbent.
We’re never going to stop fighting over the lesser of evils. We’ll just keep sliding auth while arguing over minimal harm.
Dig me up when people decide to do something about it.