That said, it would be a real problem if Trump won. So if that happens, I hope you’ll be willing to place the blame where it belongs: with the Democrats. They are the ones doing nothing to earn our votes. Biden isn’t even campaigning.
Biden is governing. He's doing the job he was elected to do. Perhaps that's enough to earn some votes? Or are votes only earnt by rallies and advertisements?
In any case, it's completely silly to blame the Democrats for losing if you don't vote for them yourself. If you prefer Democrats over republicans, then you have to vote for them. Even though they aren't perfect. If you don't vote, then it is totally unreasonable to blame anyone else for getting an undesired outcome. Not voting implies that you have no preference.
(And yet again, this is another case where 'ranked choice' voting / preferential / instant-runoff would make this whole situation a lot easier. USA could really use some serious electoral reform.)
Also, what if I don't think Biden did what I elected him to do?
I don't currently prefer democrats over Republicans. I think they are equally harmful in different ways. What do I do? I agree that Republicans are wrong on everything, but Dems are wrong on enough things, and majorly so, that I don't think that they can be reformed. RCV is a pipe dream for the US at large. Especially with dems in positions of power. They haven't historically been willing to give up power once they have it.
Vote however you want. It's your choice. If you prefer Republicans, then vote for them. I'm just saying that if you choose not to vote for Democrats, it's silly to then go on to blame the Democrats for Trump being in power. 'Blame' implies that you are unhappy with the outcome, but it is effectively an outcome that you yourself chose with your vote.
If you don't want Trump to win, then you should choose to vote against him. If you don't, you yourself are the one to blame. (That said, if you are happy to have that demented tyrant as your president, then go ahead and vote for him. It's your choice.)
If Dems need my vote to win, then they need to run a candidate that doesn't support genocide in Palestine. If they can't or won't do that, then they are forfeiting my vote. If they do that and lose, then they are the one's "at fault" for losing.
More Palestinians will die under Trump. The only logical choice is to choose the candidate whose election will result in fewer deaths.
Palestinians are dying under Biden right now. The logical choice is to try to get him to step down.
Trump will green light Netanyahu to fully ethnically cleanse the Gaza Strip. Trump does whatever strongmen tell him to do. It is illogical to allow a candidate whose election will result in more Palestinian deaths to be elected through inaction. Especially when Trump will prevent future elections and thus deny us the ability to elect more progressive candidates in the future.
How is that different from what Biden has done?
Over two million people live in the Gaza Strip. So killing all of them is different by about two million people.
The ICJ disagrees. They believe it is plausible that Israel is committing genocide right now and they have issued preliminary orders to prevent further deaths. Do you think you know more about Israel's responsibilities under international law to prevent genocide than 17 judges sitting on the the ICJ? Do you believe that you know more than them? Or do you just take Israel at they're word.
Israel is committing genocide now under Biden. They will still be committing genocide under Trump. The difference is the number of people who will be killed.
Currently 26453 Palestinians have been killed. The Gaza Strip being completely ethnically cleansed would result in over 2 million deaths.
Although both are genocide. Allowing Trump to create a fascist dictatorship and green light the ethnic cleansing of the Palestinians would a worse outcome. Netanyahu's cabinet members have made it clear his administration wants to remove all Palestinians from the Gaza Strip. It is in the interests of the Palestinians to prevent a fascist like Trump from taking office who will allow Israel to ethnically cleanse the Gaza Strip. edit: typo
Biden has shown himself to be either unwilling or unable to reign in or stop Israel. They don't believe the US will do anything to stop them, and so far, they have been proven correct. The rhetoric under Biden will be different than under Trump. But the outcome will be the same. Sorry that I'm not appeased by a milquetoast centrist urging Israel to take it easy.
The change to a fascist dictatorship is not simply a shift in rhetoric. Millions more people dying under Trump is not the same outcome.
If the Republicans complete their fascist takeover in 2025, that's it. There won't be another election. There won't be any opportunities to get progressive candidates. Without democracy the public will have no peaceful recourse to improve anything anywhere. Throwing our democracy away by not voting doesn't help anyone. If we want better candidates in election years then we need to be politically active in the four years leading up to the election.
Biden is governing. He's doing the job he was elected to do. Perhaps that's enough to earn some votes? Or are votes only earnt by rallies and advertisements?
In any case, it's completely silly to blame the Democrats for losing if you don't vote for them yourself. If you prefer Democrats over republicans, then you have to vote for them. Even though they aren't perfect. If you don't vote, then it is totally unreasonable to blame anyone else for getting an undesired outcome. Not voting implies that you have no preference.
(And yet again, this is another case where 'ranked choice' voting / preferential / instant-runoff would make this whole situation a lot easier. USA could really use some serious electoral reform.)
Also, what if I don't think Biden did what I elected him to do?
I don't currently prefer democrats over Republicans. I think they are equally harmful in different ways. What do I do? I agree that Republicans are wrong on everything, but Dems are wrong on enough things, and majorly so, that I don't think that they can be reformed. RCV is a pipe dream for the US at large. Especially with dems in positions of power. They haven't historically been willing to give up power once they have it.
Vote however you want. It's your choice. If you prefer Republicans, then vote for them. I'm just saying that if you choose not to vote for Democrats, it's silly to then go on to blame the Democrats for Trump being in power. 'Blame' implies that you are unhappy with the outcome, but it is effectively an outcome that you yourself chose with your vote.
If you don't want Trump to win, then you should choose to vote against him. If you don't, you yourself are the one to blame. (That said, if you are happy to have that demented tyrant as your president, then go ahead and vote for him. It's your choice.)
If Dems need my vote to win, then they need to run a candidate that doesn't support genocide in Palestine. If they can't or won't do that, then they are forfeiting my vote. If they do that and lose, then they are the one's "at fault" for losing.
More Palestinians will die under Trump. The only logical choice is to choose the candidate whose election will result in fewer deaths.
Palestinians are dying under Biden right now. The logical choice is to try to get him to step down.
Trump will green light Netanyahu to fully ethnically cleanse the Gaza Strip. Trump does whatever strongmen tell him to do. It is illogical to allow a candidate whose election will result in more Palestinian deaths to be elected through inaction. Especially when Trump will prevent future elections and thus deny us the ability to elect more progressive candidates in the future.
How is that different from what Biden has done?
Over two million people live in the Gaza Strip. So killing all of them is different by about two million people.
The ICJ disagrees. They believe it is plausible that Israel is committing genocide right now and they have issued preliminary orders to prevent further deaths. Do you think you know more about Israel's responsibilities under international law to prevent genocide than 17 judges sitting on the the ICJ? Do you believe that you know more than them? Or do you just take Israel at they're word.
Israel is committing genocide now under Biden. They will still be committing genocide under Trump. The difference is the number of people who will be killed.
Currently 26453 Palestinians have been killed. The Gaza Strip being completely ethnically cleansed would result in over 2 million deaths.
Although both are genocide. Allowing Trump to create a fascist dictatorship and green light the ethnic cleansing of the Palestinians would a worse outcome. Netanyahu's cabinet members have made it clear his administration wants to remove all Palestinians from the Gaza Strip. It is in the interests of the Palestinians to prevent a fascist like Trump from taking office who will allow Israel to ethnically cleanse the Gaza Strip. edit: typo
Biden has shown himself to be either unwilling or unable to reign in or stop Israel. They don't believe the US will do anything to stop them, and so far, they have been proven correct. The rhetoric under Biden will be different than under Trump. But the outcome will be the same. Sorry that I'm not appeased by a milquetoast centrist urging Israel to take it easy.
The change to a fascist dictatorship is not simply a shift in rhetoric. Millions more people dying under Trump is not the same outcome.
If the Republicans complete their fascist takeover in 2025, that's it. There won't be another election. There won't be any opportunities to get progressive candidates. Without democracy the public will have no peaceful recourse to improve anything anywhere. Throwing our democracy away by not voting doesn't help anyone. If we want better candidates in election years then we need to be politically active in the four years leading up to the election.