this post was submitted on 27 Jan 2024
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United States | News & Politics
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People who can't make a realistic choice are far worse. When you represent an itty bitty fraction of the populace, you don't have the right to dictate that policy be far-left. If you choose to not participate or to vote third party under FPTP, you are only hurting yourself by giving up what little influence you had. That's just how democracy works.
I have made a realistic choice, and it doesn't involve voting for Genocide Joe.
Schrödinger's Leftist: simultaneously an irrelevant tiny minority with no power, and crucially important to Biden winning, being wholly responsible if Trump wins.
Unconditionally voting Blue means I have no influence at all.
No, it really isn't.
No one is ever wholly responsible if the right wins, obviously. Wins are always based on a broad spectrum coalition, whereas losses are based on a coalition just barely failing. Modern US presidential elections are always close. Still, that doesn't mean a potential coalition member gets to dictate coalition policy, especially when they're on the extremes.
Barring the demise of FPTP, you will never get what you want. Instead, politicians just learn you will never vote for them and they should look to more conservative constituencies. That, of course, means policies you don't like.
It's called compromise, and yes it is how a functioning democracy works.
Tell that to the 'centrist' democrats who are currently doing exactly that.
I have always voted for them in the past; they looked to more conservative constituencies anyway. Seems like always voting for them just means they take my vote for granted.
Compromise requires both sides to give ground. What you're describing is capitulation.
If this is your idea of a functioning democracy, I question why you even believe in democracy in the first place.
Huh. That's odd. Democrats have been trending to the left.
As it stands, I think US government badly needs some changes. FPTP is terrible, too many officials (SCOTUS, Congress, president) serve until they're at death's door, the electoral college never worked as intended, and money has too much influence. But this is all fixable, even if it's hard. Those will change things, not staying home and pretending that a politician gives a rat's ass about you if you refuse to turn out every time you don't get your way.
I wrote up a long response, but then I saw that you'd said this:
And realised you're not even bothering to read my posts, you're just reading out a script. Fuck off.