• Fedizen@lemmy.world
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    15 days ago

    a vote isn’t an endorsement. Pretending the US system is some kind of idealic democracy where you are presented a platter of issues to vote on and can do those independently is delusional. We live in a perpetual trolley problem. Not pulling the lever is far more evil here.

    • SulaymanF@lemmy.world
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      15 days ago

      Politicians view it as an endorsement. When they get elected they say “the people have spoken” and act like they have a mandate. Bush pressed on with his Iraq war and privatizing social security after getting re elected despite those being unpopular and people voting for him in spite of those policies. Trump claimed the people supported him and hence wouldn’t release his tax records etc.

      If Harris wins she won’t feel chastised on Gaza. She said she will continue Biden’s plan even though she was given space to say what she would do differently. Even saying something mild like “Knowing what I know now, I would not have said what Biden said about Palestinians lying about death counts,” and it would have mollified many people.

      • Fedizen@lemmy.world
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        15 days ago

        Again this a delusional view. No democrat has ever been like “oh I lost an election, better adopt more leftwing policies”. Because nonvoting is not clear messaging it will never be effective messaging.

        • SulaymanF@lemmy.world
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          15 days ago

          I disagree. The Tea Party tanked the 2010 and 2012 election for republicans but it forced them to go hard right ever since and they got everything they wanted.

          Democrats put electability over all else and compromised their principles, which is why they are in a toss up right now against an unpopular Trump with unpopular policies. This should have been an easy win, but Biden avoided meeting any Palestinians whatsoever and Harris sadly kept that up. Even minimal pandering would help and she won’t even do that. It’s not so much that she’s doing nothing for my community but Biden actively would throw insults at it (“I have zero trust for Palestinians”) and Harris won’t even distance herself from those hateful remarks. Just say he was wrong to say that and she’d get a ton of votes, I don’t even think she would lose Zionist votes like she’s afraid of.

          • Fedizen@lemmy.world
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            15 days ago

            Excuse me did you just say the tea party succeeded? The #1 goal of the tea party was to eliminate deficit spending. They have done the opposite. They cut taxes and blew up the deficit.

            What an insane example of a strategy to mimic. Their “protest” backfired on them spectacularly. It also doesn’t even account for the fact the tea party was wholly fabricated from like the Koch brothers and Fox News.

            • SulaymanF@lemmy.world
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              15 days ago

              The tea party took control of the Republican Party and forced every noncompliant Republican out via the primaries. It handed control of GOP to Koch brothers and no Republican in office today dares to cross Fox News. They succeeded in that goal even if those policies harmed the country (and they don’t care).

              • Fedizen@lemmy.world
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                14 days ago

                That’s not a “successful leftward strategy” When voters get tricked into nonvoting donors gain more power in the parties. Like that happens in both parties. None of the stated goals of the tea party happened but the corporations behind the tea party succeeded. Its 100% the opposite of a successful leftist strategy

            • sorval_the_eeter@lemmy.world
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              14 days ago

              the tea aparty didnt seem to be about goals, it was about grievance. Seemed to be the birth of maga. But I admit I wasnt listening to them very closely.

              • Fedizen@lemmy.world
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                14 days ago

                you can still find their stated listed of goals. Trump actually killed the tea party when he passed his deficit bomb tax cuts. Like Paul Ryan basically was the face of the tea party and bailed out once it became obvious he was never serious about it.

                The dem equivalent of the Tea Party are “Blue Dog Democrats” “Joe Manchin/Kristen Sinema” “Eric Adams”

                If you aren’t willing to vote for somewhat icky democrats you get the first ex-republican corporations can scoop up. Not voting will solidify Dick Cheney and Nikki Haley as the furthest left we’ll get to choose from next election because if Joe Biden is electable and Harris isnt, the obvious conclusion democrats will be sold on is that they need to be somewhere between Joe Biden and Donald Trump.

      • sorval_the_eeter@lemmy.world
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        14 days ago

        AIPAC has a stranglehold on our entire system of government and it wont let it go or allow that to change. Protest has become meaningless.

      • TempermentalAnomaly@lemmy.world
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        15 days ago

        You’re protest doesn’t matter to them, only your vote. It’s not like you’re going to vote for the Republican or third party candidate.