this post was submitted on 27 Jan 2024
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United States | News & Politics
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I have two alternatives. Cornel West and Jill Stein. I can't believe I can actually vote for Cornel fucking West this year. At least, if he gets on enough state ballots.
Voting third party is splitting the vote. Give me ranked choice voting and I'll never make a Neo-lib one of my top choices. But, until then, it's functionally a binary choice. And right-wingers toe the line, and their line is literal fascism. Easy choice. Shitty, but easy.
That's entirely beside the point. You think the fascists are more likely to give you ranked choice than the neo-libs? This line of thinking is nonsensical past superficial idealism. What's your alternative, the greater evil? You think that's going to magically make the ever-so-sightly-further-left corporate party turn progressive?
How'd that work after 2016? If the wake-up-call strategy was going to work, that would've been the time. And oh look, we got a geriatric neo-liberal. Fun.
I'm not going to wager a potential fascist dictatorship against the pipe dream that choosing not to vote is a cheat code that what, unlocks the secret actual Leftist candidate? What's the praxis here? This is like sovcit levels of batshit copium fantasy.
Edit: Downvotes, but no practical alternatives. Idealistic circle jerking.
The least you can do is not vote for the status quo, but you won't even do that.
Significantly? Hah, no. Mathematically? Yes, absolutely. Extremely unlikely vs. "Oh, you wanted to keep voting? Lol"
Which is? I'm waiting.
Use every tool I have in the way it can be used. Voting for the lesser of two evils does not preclude literally any other action you could want to do.
You think Trump would do less Palestinian genocide? He was pretty open about being very pro-Israel and very anti-Palestine. Genocide Trump would be substantially worse for Gaza, and also Ukraine too. That's what "lesser of two evils" means: yes, Biden is awful, but the alternative is worse.
Until you can show me an actionable alternative, I assume you support increased genocide of Palestinians and genocide of Ukrainians. Because it's a binary choice, and refusal to choose against any option is tacit approval of every option.
Voting is one more thing than you.
Okay? So you're uniformed or just illiterate? Your beliefs mean nothing to me, the evidence already suggests you're a Russian State propagandist, or you've fallen for one.
It's very simple math. If you can't grasp it, maybe you should change your username to just "box".
So long as you continue to antagonize every leftist who disagrees with you, all you'll ever have is impotent idealism. What exactly is your plan of action? Where is your grassroots, your revolution, if every mathematically and politically literate leftist is a fascist to you?
I'm substantially left of center. Who do you think the proletariat are? How do you expect to mobilize them? How do you get three hundred million people to march in unison, when you call them all genocidal fascists? If they are all fascists, how do you ever hope to win?
Except you're compromised by propaganda, specifically designed to weaken the left (and the US) in order to empower Russian oligarchs. I don't expect you to propose any actual action. I expect you to continue to insist that letting Putin's puppet win will somehow rid the world of billionaire oligarchs.
You still haven't provided any actions. Deflect deflect deflect, always complain that everyone else isn't doing enough. Call them liberals, fascists, declare they're not pure enough. Other them to draw attention away from yourself. Emotional, blaming, divisive language, anything to distract from your own lack of actionable content.
No more deflection, no more distractions. You tell me, specifically, what your alternative action is. Tell me how it's, materially, impossible to do while also voting against Project 2025.
Or, prove me right by continuing to deflect. Go silent, or say I'm not worth informing, or you don't have to explain yourself to some [insert political slur here]. Show the readers actual praxis, or show them that all you have is deflection. Your choice.
You've made your choice then.
No actual plans, just deflection and calling people who disagree with you "fascists".
It's one step higher than literally nothing, so I'm doing better than you so far.
Says the empty_box providing literally nothing but deflection.
It's a simple question: what's your alternative action, and how is it incompatible with voting against Project 2025?
Jesus Christ dude, you can't even name one thing. Name literally ONE THING. You're trying to Uno reverse your own deflection you transparent shill. Name one effective political action you take that's incompatible with voting against Project 2025.
I asked first.
Another deflection.
Least obvious Capitalist troll. You're making us actual leftists look bad. If you are a troll, eat shit. If you are a leftist, do better, cuz you're an embarrassment. Either way, I'm out. Grow up, learn something, anything. Cuz bitching and name calling ain't it kid.
No, their platforms are vastly different. You could argue that Jill Stein and Cornel West are splitting each other's votes, because they are very similar, but they are both worlds apart from Genocide Joe and Orange Hitler.
The mathematics of First Past the Post elections drastically disincentivizes third parties, to the point of irrelevance. The winner will be one of the top two choices, so the only rational strategy (primarily in swing states, because of the fuckery that is the Electoral College) is voting against the worse of those two option.
Which is to say: when looking at third party options, would those voters be more likely to vote for the worst of the two main options, or the second worst of the two main options? Those are the only two candidates from which splitting votes is pragmatically relevant.
The evidence suggests to me that Orange Hitler is worse than Genocide Joe, since Orange Hitler would likely enable at least the same amount, if not more, Palestinian genocide; while also actively engaging in Ukrainian genocide; while also enabling Project 2025, which fundamentally threatens the thin veneer of democracy the US does have. I am not an accelerationist, I do not think that the probability of revolution it offers is high enough to counteract the probability of descending into fascism.
If you live in a deep red/blue state, then sure, vote third party so they get more visibility and funding, and encourage others in your state to do the same. But otherwise, vote for the second worst of the two main options, and don't encourage those in swing states to vote third party.