"A Democrat was in the White House when my family was sent to the internment camps in 1941. It was an egregious violation of our human and civil rights.

It would have been understandable if people like me said they’d never vote for a Democrat again, given what had been done to us.

But being a liberal, being a progressive, means being able to look past my own grievances and concerns and think of the greater good. It means working from within the Democratic party to make it better, even when it has betrayed its values.

I went on to campaign for Adlai Stevenson when I became an adult. I marched for civil rights and had the honor of meeting Dr. Martin Luther King. I fought for redress for my community and have spent my life ensuring that America understood that we could not betray our Constitution in such a way ever again.

Bill Clinton broke my heart when he signed DOMA into law. It was a slap in the face to the LGBTQ community. And I knew that we still had much work to do. But I voted for him again in 1996 despite my misgivings, because the alternative was far worse. And my obligation as a citizen was to help choose the best leader for it, not to check out by not voting out of anger or protest.

There is no leader who will make the decision you want her or him to make 100 percent of the time. Your vote is a tool of hope for a better world. Use it wisely, for it is precious. Use it for others, for they are in need of your support, too."

End Transcription.

The last paragraph I find particularly powerful and something more people really should take into account.

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[–] gayhitler420@lemm.ee 2 points 1 year ago (1 children)

First things first: I will never vote for joe Biden for any office. Never have and never will. You’re not gonna convince me to.

With that out of the way, you can use the fact that a party which doesn’t line up perfectly with your values needs your support to get them to take action that you want. It’s not cruel or a betrayal. If you think there’s something the democrats can be doing better, now’s the time to get it because they need you.

There’s not a single reason to just vote blue no matter who to use a turn of phrase from years past. If you think Biden and the democrats are doing a good job then push them to go even farther. If you think they’re doing a bad job but better than a different party, push them to do a better job.

What’s great about using elections as a time to try to get concessions is it gives people who feel left out by parties a chance to be brought in. If the party makes good on their promises then they can get voters for life!

Doesn’t a better democrat party with new support sound better than slogging out to the polls to vote against someone?