this post was submitted on 20 Nov 2023
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Except mathematically, no, there are not other options. One of those two options are going to win, as much as none of us like it.
You don't understand first past the post voting. Only two options can win. but those two options don't have stay the same forever and ever. If you want to change the options (by voting) you can't vote for either of the two current options and eventually one will be replaced. You can also attempt to reform the voting system, which should be done in parallel. But in the meantime the LEAST you can do is not vote for the current options.
No, you don't understand FPTP voting.
Obviously the two parties can change. But you are already in a situation where the system has collapsed into two stable parties.
So voting for a third party is going to guarantee a victory for the party you like least, because of the spoiler effect.
And with how incumbent both the Democrats and the Republicans are, and given how the Democrats actually do have a stable core voter-base who would not follow leftists over to a progressive party, you aren't actually going to dislodge the Democrats within a reasonable amount of time. You would be guaranteeing that the Republicans win the next 3-4 cycles at least, with zero contest. And those losses would lead to the progressive party losing votes back to the larger Democratic party, extending the difficult transition period.
That's why third parties are basically impossible. It requires an electorate to be willing to militantly vote to lose to the fascistic party for over a decade before there is even the possibility of replacing the incumbent neoliberal party.
Your only hope is forcing voting reform. Which... I mean good luck.
Hmm, I wonder how the two stable parties can change? Do you think they are more likely to change by voting for them or not voting for them.
You want to address the rest of my comment, genius? The giant elephant in the room that you would be voting to lose every election for at the very least the next decade to the Republicans, with zero contest? While trying to convince neoliberals to vote for progressives?
In a democracy we vote for who we want to win. If you want genocide and fascism, then you would do well to vote for the parties of genocide and fascism. If you don't want genocide and fascism, there are plenty of other options on every ballot at all levels of government that don't support genocide and fascism. Try them out! It's one of the cool parts of a democracy you get to choose.
You are being very evasive. People are pointing out the obvious flaws in your plan, and so far you have offered nothing in response.
I'm strictly talking about voting. i.e. what checkbox you choose at the ballot box. No other considerations right now. At the ballot box you have more then 2 choices. You also live in a democracy, so if you can't do the barest minimum of not voting for genocide then I don't really see anything else to discuss.
You are still avoiding the point.
What an absolutely stupid way to think about voting.
I hate to break it to you sweetheart, but you live in a flawed democracy. Only two of those checkboxes actually matter in reality. One of those two is going to win. And the Republicans are going to turn out and vote for their guy.
So you can stamp your feet as much as you like. You can throw your little tantrum and hurl your petty accusations. It means NOTHING.
Address the criticisms of your view, or shut up.
You can't even do the bare minimum, it's sad. The liberal can't even pretend they want things to change with the smallest risk-free personal decision that the democracy they love to celebrate and defend online empowers them with.
You can't answer, can you? You are avoiding the point again and again. You have nothing but mindless accusations.
Conservatives want me dead. Tell me again how this is risk-free? Piss off, into the sea, you are beneath contempt.
And yet you continue to vote for them.
You actually can't do anything except repeat your brain-dead accusations, huh?
It's actually kind of sad...