When given a choice between a millitary industrial neoliberal with a rainbow voting base and a fascist who is one elon musk golf session away from banning HRT, the best option is certainly not to refuse to play out of protest

  • IrateAnteater
    link
    fedilink
    arrow-up
    107
    arrow-down
    2
    ·
    2 months ago

    The best way I’ve seen anyone put it is that by the time the election arrives, you are exclusively in damage control mode. If you want actual change, you have to have it done by getting your personal choice voted in during the primaries.

    • makyo@lemmy.world
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      40
      ·
      2 months ago

      And I’d add - get active the other 364 days of the year.

      If we want better options we first need ranked choice voting and we need to get money out of politics. And none of that is going to happen if our only political action each year is voting.

      • ProfessorPeregrine@reddthat.com
        link
        fedilink
        arrow-up
        19
        ·
        2 months ago

        Proud to say that in Colorado, ranked choice voting is on the ballot this year! It’s even supported by the big political names here, including the governor.

        • makyo@lemmy.world
          link
          fedilink
          arrow-up
          10
          ·
          2 months ago

          Exactly! They’re putting in the work there and getting some fantastic things done. Lots of other great stuff on that ballot too.

    • bamfic@lemmy.world
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      20
      ·
      2 months ago

      At local level. Organize school board, dog catcher, judges, city council, planing commission, library board, community college board, do what the right wing does

      • IrateAnteater
        link
        fedilink
        arrow-up
        16
        ·
        2 months ago

        do what the right wing does

        Maybe with just a little less cross burning, lynching, and religious extremism.

      • MirthfulAlembic@lemmy.world
        link
        fedilink
        English
        arrow-up
        9
        ·
        2 months ago

        This is really key, though the state level is probably most important. If your voting activism doesn’t go beyond the presidential election, it’s performative at most. A third party candidate without members of their party is state houses and Congress is going to be fairly ineffective even if they somehow did do the impossible and get elected.

      • IrateAnteater
        link
        fedilink
        arrow-up
        30
        arrow-down
        3
        ·
        2 months ago

        Yes. And Biden was chosen, which includes Harris being next up if Biden couldn’t perform the duties of president for any reason. If Democrats didn’t want the status quo, they should have chosen someone other than Biden.

          • CileTheSane@lemmy.ca
            link
            fedilink
            arrow-up
            7
            arrow-down
            1
            ·
            2 months ago

            we all just missed it?

            You missed it. I was well aware of it, and concerns about Biden at the time, and I don’t even live in the US.

            Not everyone else’s fault if you don’t engage with the political system until less than a month before the election. That’s what this entire post is about.