Can you please not bash on third party voters? Green party voters could have voted for Democrat nominees. It's not like green policy positions are hard to figure out! And there is absolute urgency to enact Green party positions. If a Democrat party nominee didn't get their votes, it's *the Democrats fault.* Democrat campaigns need to run campaigns that show support to their progressive allies through policies, not knee jerk reactions and shaming.
So first of all, it’s “Democratic”, not “Democrat”. “Democrat” is framing pushed by right-wing authoritarians who hope to create the impression that Democrats are not “democratic”. It’s a deliberate slur, and a dogwhistle to other right wing authoritarians.
I don’t know if you’re using that phrasing deliberately, or if you just don’t know. I’ll give you the benefit of the doubt, and respond to the substance of your comment.
I don’t disagree with you that Green Party positions, particularly as they address Climate Change, are vital. That’s why I work to elect candidates who believe in and are working to fight Climate Change. Where I am a realist is in American electoral politics, where I’ve lived my entire life and voted for 30 years. I know that Greens will NEVER be elected to the presidency in this country. Same for the execrable Libertarians. That’s the reality of the American electoral system.
At this point, and in any general election, really, the choice is very clearly between two people. One of them will be president, and that’s how it is. You may not like it, but you have a choice to make: are you going to be responsible and vote for the candidate who is *closest* to your positions? Or are you going to have a tantrum and support the candidate who we *know* will fight to undo everything you care about, just so you can feel smug and superior? I mean, grow the fuck up. Voting isn’t dating. Voting is taking the bus that gets you closest to your destination.
This election is the most consequential in my lifetime, and likely the most consequential election in American history. If Trump and the Republicans can cheat and steal this election, it is the end of American Democracy.
I respect and admire your commitment to climate change policy. I promise you that Biden/Harris will be more concerned about climate change policy than Trump/Pence/Exxon will be. If you’re going to throw a tantrum and refuse to vote for Biden and Democrats because they aren’t perfect enough for you, you are giving a giant fuck you to the planet, the climate, and vulnerable people all over the country.
I get that you want to change the party and move us to the Left. I want to do that, too. Electing young, progressive, passionate people like AOC is going to do that far more effectively than voting for someone who gives you the fan fiction you crave, without any chance of actually holding office.
We moved Biden to the Left because we supported and worked with Bernie and Senator Warren, not by threatening to hold our breaths until he took our threats to vote for someone who he’s never heard of and doesn’t care about seriously.
Anyone who identifies as progressive and is still supporting and planning to vote for anyone other than Biden is someone I don’t take seriously, or respect at all. The future of our country and planet is at stake, and at this point the choice is Biden, or Trump. Period. Full stop. You may not like it, which is absolutely your fundamental right, but that doesn’t change the facts or reality of the situation.
Vote Biden/Harris like your life depends on it, because it does.
