A few things that are accessible within the USA include:
- Participating in mutual aid programs
- Campaigning on the local level, including for positions like poll watchers
- Making your voice heard in community events in general
- Joining your local DSA, networking
I DO NOT SUPPORT Biden, my vote is not FOR Biden it is for Not Trump. But I know that’s why there are MANY people who will refuse to support Biden. I think these people haven’t quite done the math.
You can have an old, out of touch fuck face who represents MUCH of what is wrong with mainstream American culture and wants to double down on a bunch of it, sustain some of it’s most toxic parts, while allowing for JUST ENOUGH progressive cultural change (especially the sort that doesn’t really change anything) to keep enough of the base engaged with him to keep him (and MOSTLY people like him) in power.
Or you can have a bunch of maniacs who literally want to create Handmaids Tail and are working hard to push us in that exact direction.
Those are the choices. That’s it. Don’t think of it as “Do I support this one or that one?”
Think of it as:
I can push the button for static, toxic status quo, or I can push the button for Handmaids. Not pushing a button is the same as pushing Handmaids. Also, there are a bunch of little green “Feel Good About Yourself And Win A Participation Trophy By Voting For A Third Party Candidate Who Actually Represents Your Actual Values” buttons, but pushing one of them is the same as pushing Handmaids.
If you’re hoping to motivate people to action with the horrifying reality of four more years of Trump (by protest refusing to support Biden)… it’s like headbutting a goat. The goat doesn’t care, or change it’s behavior and it hurts you WAY more than it hurts the goat. In this case, the Right is WAY better organized, unified and prepared to go full fascist then the Left is to get together and demand real change. If you’re unfamiliar with Leonard Leo or the 2025 project, I can point you at some podcasts to give you some nightmare fuel. There’s nothing like them on the Left, no one throwing that kind of money at being that organized to create political and social change on so many different levels.
tl;dr: I STRONGLY feel like Biden does not deserve my support, and Gaza is a big part of my reasoning, but a non-vote is too close to a vote for Fascist Hellscape.
I made these points (less eloquently) to my mom this week, and was disturbed to find that she stopped caring about what I thought the second she figured out I was going to vote for Biden. I completely agree that we can’t let Trump win, but the Democrats are going to keep experiencing disasters if they can’t find a candidate that people want to vote FOR instead of just pointing out the catastrophe we need to vote AGAINST.
I’m more depressed this election cycle than I have ever been before. The future looks grim.
I miss how I felt pre-first term Obama. I voted FOR him that year. Sad that the cycle continues and we’re now back to sighing loudly and voting against the worst candidate.
He was the first person I ever voted for. It’s been all downhill from there. I had some criticisms when he left office, but in hindsight, I think he was a good president and I am still proud of casting a vote for him.
I can’t say the same for the rest. I wish it had been Bernie.
Yeah I got disappointed in Obama when the Snowden revelations came out and it was shown that Obama didn’t put a stop to what the NSA and other orgs were doing. But the alternatives at the time (in 2008 and 2012) didn’t sit right with me.
I also wish we had seen a Bernie presidency in 2017.
I couldn’t agree more. And that analogy regarding Handmaid’s is brilliant.
I can’t take credit for it. Thomas Smith at Serious Inquiries Only / Where There’s Woke / (and now back at) Opening Arguments gave it to me.
I was just thinking yesterday about how I was behind on the two podcasts I listened to. Thanks for the recommendations, though. I’ve heard good things and I think he’s been on at least one.