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Voting is often insufficient in and of itself, and the US has a garbage electoral system.
Nevertheless, it is a citizen's duty to vote, and vote for the best (or least bad) candidate. Participating in, e.g., the primary process and trying to get the best candidates to the ballot is obviously also good. But on voting day, you vote for the best (least bad) candidate for the job. Which, in the US, is sadly almost always a choice between at most two people, one of whom is usually a literal fascist and the other who usually leaves a lot to be desired.
Never is there no difference between the candidates, and not voting is tacitly falling for that lie.
And while you're there, vote for the other races, too. Most of them are a lot more important than they seem.
Steadfast refusal of engaging in electoralism is also a perfectly valid and reasonable strategy
Voting is often insufficient in and of itself, and the US has a garbage electoral system.
Nevertheless, it is a citizen's duty to vote, and vote for the best (or least bad) candidate. Participating in, e.g., the primary process and trying to get the best candidates to the ballot is obviously also good. But on voting day, you vote for the best (least bad) candidate for the job. Which, in the US, is sadly almost always a choice between at most two people, one of whom is usually a literal fascist and the other who usually leaves a lot to be desired.
Never is there no difference between the candidates, and not voting is tacitly falling for that lie.
And while you're there, vote for the other races, too. Most of them are a lot more important than they seem.
Steadfast refusal of engaging in electoralism is also a perfectly valid and reasonable strategy
I very much disagree. There are, of course, other ways to try to affect change. But, for other than the very powerful/wealthy or highly charismatic, the impact is low.
Voting is not in and of itself sufficient, but it is low-effort, and collectively we can choose our leaders rather than hiving them foisted upon us by others or capricious fate.
It is telling how those who think themselves our betters work tirelessly to restrict the franchise and make voting hard. It it not because they think our votes mean nothing.
Use your hard-won vote. And also use your voice.
If you do not choose your leaders, they will be chosen for you.
Voting is often insufficient in and of itself, and the US has a garbage electoral system.
Nevertheless, it is a citizen's duty to vote, and vote for the best (or least bad) candidate. Participating in, e.g., the primary process and trying to get the best candidates to the ballot is obviously also good. But on voting day, you vote for the best (least bad) candidate for the job. Which, in the US, is sadly almost always a choice between at most two people, one of whom is usually a literal fascist and the other who usually leaves a lot to be desired.
Never is there no difference between the candidates, and not voting is tacitly falling for that lie.
And while you're there, vote for the other races, too. Most of them are a lot more important than they seem.
Steadfast refusal of engaging in electoralism is also a perfectly valid and reasonable strategy
I very much disagree. There are, of course, other ways to try to affect change. But, for other than the very powerful/wealthy or highly charismatic, the impact is low.
Voting is not in and of itself sufficient, but it is low-effort, and collectively we can choose our leaders rather than hiving them foisted upon us by others or capricious fate.
It is telling how those who think themselves our betters work tirelessly to restrict the franchise and make voting hard. It it not because they think our votes mean nothing.
Use your hard-won vote. And also use your voice.
If you do not choose your leaders, they will be chosen for you.
Voting isn't always low effort. In many places that tend to vote Democrat, Republicans have made efforts to close polling places and make more restrictive laws on who can vote. There are giant lines and thats after you manage to get time off from work and make the trip to the polling station.
Voting is often insufficient in and of itself, and the US has a garbage electoral system.
Nevertheless, it is a citizen's duty to vote, and vote for the best (or least bad) candidate. Participating in, e.g., the primary process and trying to get the best candidates to the ballot is obviously also good. But on voting day, you vote for the best (least bad) candidate for the job. Which, in the US, is sadly almost always a choice between at most two people, one of whom is usually a literal fascist and the other who usually leaves a lot to be desired.
Never is there no difference between the candidates, and not voting is tacitly falling for that lie.
And while you're there, vote for the other races, too. Most of them are a lot more important than they seem.
Steadfast refusal of engaging in electoralism is also a perfectly valid and reasonable strategy
I very much disagree. There are, of course, other ways to try to affect change. But, for other than the very powerful/wealthy or highly charismatic, the impact is low.
Voting is not in and of itself sufficient, but it is low-effort, and collectively we can choose our leaders rather than hiving them foisted upon us by others or capricious fate.
It is telling how those who think themselves our betters work tirelessly to restrict the franchise and make voting hard. It it not because they think our votes mean nothing.
Use your hard-won vote. And also use your voice.
If you do not choose your leaders, they will be chosen for you.
Voting isn't always low effort. In many places that tend to vote Democrat, Republicans have made efforts to close polling places and make more restrictive laws on who can vote. There are giant lines and thats after you manage to get time off from work and make the trip to the polling station.
That is why it has to be fought against. Other methods are certainly no less effort.
While it is cold comfort, some solace might be gained from the knowledge that those restrictions are put in place by the fear of the individually powerful of the individually powerless.
They want you to not vote. That is all the more reason to not give in.
But if you think "who cares about voting; I'll just lead the glorious people's revolution and usher in a bright new age of peace and equality instead" then
a) good luck; you're gonna need it
b) why deprive yourself of a tool you know your oppressors fear (the franchise)? you can both vote and write your manifesto; they're not mutually exclusive
Yeah the total time I spend thinking about voting and who to vote for is like a day if that. Much less if I can do mail-in. The hardest part is always trying to figure out which of the people locally who are running as like 3 different parties at once and have no media or internet presence are actually alright.
A single Wordpress campaign page with ‘So and so is dedicated to family… liking things… and has a cute dog. That’s why you can trust them as your new comptroller’ and then you find out their sole goal is to become Comptroller so they can access the Comptroller’s Vault as part of a long planned heist.
Voting is often insufficient in and of itself, and the US has a garbage electoral system.
Nevertheless, it is a citizen's duty to vote, and vote for the best (or least bad) candidate. Participating in, e.g., the primary process and trying to get the best candidates to the ballot is obviously also good. But on voting day, you vote for the best (least bad) candidate for the job. Which, in the US, is sadly almost always a choice between at most two people, one of whom is usually a literal fascist and the other who usually leaves a lot to be desired.
Never is there no difference between the candidates, and not voting is tacitly falling for that lie.
And while you're there, vote for the other races, too. Most of them are a lot more important than they seem.
To get ahead of something potentially annoying, I vote in every election I can because local races matter a whole lot
But "it is a citizen's duty to vote" is such an annoying goddamn phrase. I didn't choose to be born here, I didn't get a say in that. This country committed genocide on my fuckin' ancestors, but now it's my duty to pull the lever for the geriatric racist cop? Fucking hell what a terrible sales pitch. Myopic, tedious rhetoric, utterly devoid of empathy or original thought.
Yeah the total time I spend thinking about voting and who to vote for is like a day if that. Much less if I can do mail-in. The hardest part is always trying to figure out which of the people locally who are running as like 3 different parties at once and have no media or internet presence are actually alright.
A single Wordpress campaign page with ‘So and so is dedicated to family… liking things… and has a cute dog. That’s why you can trust them as your new comptroller’ and then you find out their sole goal is to become Comptroller so they can access the Comptroller’s Vault as part of a long planned heist.
Looking up the candidates for my city council election. Some of them have Facebook pages,
one has a campaign website but if you click on "About The Issues" it takes you to an empty Spotify playlist page,
and the last ones only result on google is the sex offender registry.
Back in California there was one candidates whose website was half their issues, half a chinese restaurant menu. Like literally split the page down the middle.
To get ahead of something potentially annoying, I vote in every election I can because local races matter a whole lot
But "it is a citizen's duty to vote" is such an annoying goddamn phrase. I didn't choose to be born here, I didn't get a say in that. This country committed genocide on my fuckin' ancestors, but now it's my duty to pull the lever for the geriatric racist cop? Fucking hell what a terrible sales pitch. Myopic, tedious rhetoric, utterly devoid of empathy or original thought.
Stupidest shit.
Its a great way to get non-voters to remain non-voters
Yeah the total time I spend thinking about voting and who to vote for is like a day if that. Much less if I can do mail-in. The hardest part is always trying to figure out which of the people locally who are running as like 3 different parties at once and have no media or internet presence are actually alright.
A single Wordpress campaign page with ‘So and so is dedicated to family… liking things… and has a cute dog. That’s why you can trust them as your new comptroller’ and then you find out their sole goal is to become Comptroller so they can access the Comptroller’s Vault as part of a long planned heist.
Looking up the candidates for my city council election. Some of them have Facebook pages,
one has a campaign website but if you click on "About The Issues" it takes you to an empty Spotify playlist page,
and the last ones only result on google is the sex offender registry.
Back in California there was one candidates whose website was half their issues, half a chinese restaurant menu. Like literally split the page down the middle.
i think a lot of Internet Posts about politics wind up being a statement into the void about the abstract conception of how things should work in an ideal state rather than a conversation back and forth between people
+31
GustavFriend of GoatsSomewhere in the OzarksRegistered Userregular
the voting argument on these forums only exist as proxy war imho. I don’t think anyone has deluded themselves into thinking they are changing minds. I’m not even sure there are minds to change, because I’d also bet like 90% of us do vote. Even if we think the whole system is a joke.
i think a lot of Internet Posts about politics wind up being a statement into the void about the abstract conception of how things should work in an ideal state rather than a conversation back and forth between people
I’m not smart so maybe this is implied in this, but don’t a lot of internet posts (including a lot of mine) about politics wind up being a dipshit trying to prove they’re smarter/above the fray by well actually’ing some realpolitik bullshit at everyone
realpolitik is funny because all saying that someone's trying to do realpolitik means is that "they're trying to do the thing they think is the right decision", it just has a fancy kissinger name
Voting is often insufficient in and of itself, and the US has a garbage electoral system.
Nevertheless, it is a citizen's duty to vote, and vote for the best (or least bad) candidate. Participating in, e.g., the primary process and trying to get the best candidates to the ballot is obviously also good. But on voting day, you vote for the best (least bad) candidate for the job. Which, in the US, is sadly almost always a choice between at most two people, one of whom is usually a literal fascist and the other who usually leaves a lot to be desired.
Never is there no difference between the candidates, and not voting is tacitly falling for that lie.
And while you're there, vote for the other races, too. Most of them are a lot more important than they seem.
Genuinely, who is this for
The several posters who have said that not voting is a valid and reasonable strategy. It isn't.
To get ahead of something potentially annoying, I vote in every election I can because local races matter a whole lot
But "it is a citizen's duty to vote" is such an annoying goddamn phrase. I didn't choose to be born here, I didn't get a say in that. This country committed genocide on my fuckin' ancestors, but now it's my duty to pull the lever for the geriatric racist cop? Fucking hell what a terrible sales pitch. Myopic, tedious rhetoric, utterly devoid of empathy or original thought.
Stupidest shit.
None of us choose where we are born or under what circumstances. All of us are faced with restrictions and obligations (some a lot more than others; I am quite privileged) and the only thing we can do is the best we can given the tools available and the circumstances.
Voting is often insufficient in and of itself, and the US has a garbage electoral system.
Nevertheless, it is a citizen's duty to vote, and vote for the best (or least bad) candidate. Participating in, e.g., the primary process and trying to get the best candidates to the ballot is obviously also good. But on voting day, you vote for the best (least bad) candidate for the job. Which, in the US, is sadly almost always a choice between at most two people, one of whom is usually a literal fascist and the other who usually leaves a lot to be desired.
Never is there no difference between the candidates, and not voting is tacitly falling for that lie.
And while you're there, vote for the other races, too. Most of them are a lot more important than they seem.
Genuinely, who is this for
The several posters who have said that not voting is a valid and reasonable strategy. It isn't.
To get ahead of something potentially annoying, I vote in every election I can because local races matter a whole lot
But "it is a citizen's duty to vote" is such an annoying goddamn phrase. I didn't choose to be born here, I didn't get a say in that. This country committed genocide on my fuckin' ancestors, but now it's my duty to pull the lever for the geriatric racist cop? Fucking hell what a terrible sales pitch. Myopic, tedious rhetoric, utterly devoid of empathy or original thought.
Stupidest shit.
None of us choose where we are born or under what circumstances. All of us are faced with restrictions and obligations (some a lot more than others; I am quite privileged) and the only thing we can do is the best we can given the tools available and the circumstances.
There's an honesty to local elections that I really appreciate. The candidates are always absolutely bug fuck insane but they are, unquestionably, sincere in their insanity.
Like, one candidate's sole driving motivations will be vaping and crypto and the deregulation thereof. The other might be an Anime Furry who thinks we should be spending our entire defense budget on contacting a race of benevolent aliens from Spungulo 4 to help defend us from the coming invasion from beyond our solar system. Candidate 3 is just straight up in the KKK. Like Grand Wizard, hat and everything.
Joe Biden, Pelosi, et al probably does all that shit too but they're never gonna come out and say it. That would be bad optics. Buncha limp dicks.
QuetziHere we may reign secure, and in my choice,To reign is worth ambition though in HellRegistered User, Moderatormod
There is someone who puts together a comprehensive leftist political guide for every Chicago election, which is both very useful when you have to vote on things like Metropolitan Water Reclamation District Commissioner and also it tends to be pretty funny and a good read for pointing out all the terrible campaign websites and weird bullshit that you might've missed happening in local politics.
+12
GustavFriend of GoatsSomewhere in the OzarksRegistered Userregular
I just don’t think we need to pretend that voting is a grand and noble gesture as opposed to another annoying hassle in our system. Like paying taxes I don’t do it because I’m stoked about my country I do it ideally so I don’t get hassled further.
realpolitik is funny because all saying that someone's trying to do realpolitik means is that "they're trying to do the thing they think is the right decision", it just has a fancy kissinger name
If it's not from the kissinger region of France it's just sparkling bullshit
I think local and even state elections are extremely important just based on some states passing anti-trans legislation while others are passing sanctuary laws.
But federally? Best case scenario I've seen is more less just pausing the baby eating machine.
Showed this to wife like, "this is gonna put the Onion out of business" and she's like, "they don't even use dogs like that for that - they use working class dogs" and long story short my new pen name is Karl Barx
Showed this to wife like, "this is gonna put the Onion out of business" and she's like, "they don't even use dogs like that for that - they use working class dogs" and long story short my new pen name is Karl Barx
This is like the same line of thought about outlawing greyhound racing. That if they shut down the tracks the breed will disappear.
Buddy if the only thing keeping a breed around is our ability to exploit it we should take a long hard look at what we're doing.
There is someone who puts together a comprehensive leftist political guide for every Chicago election, which is both very useful when you have to vote on things like Metropolitan Water Reclamation District Commissioner and also it tends to be pretty funny and a good read for pointing out all the terrible campaign websites and weird bullshit that you might've missed happening in local politics.
I have a hunch that widely propagated voter guides are more effective than any amount of campaigning, because ‘doing my homework at the last minute’ is the most popular candidate in every election.
+38
QuetziHere we may reign secure, and in my choice,To reign is worth ambition though in HellRegistered User, Moderatormod
The creator mentioned recently that her guides actually screwed up the data for someone studying long-term judge retention statistics or something along those lines, so yeah, I'd expect so
+17
SolyspPreviously Kane Red RobeRegistered Userregular
Showed this to wife like, "this is gonna put the Onion out of business" and she's like, "they don't even use dogs like that for that - they use working class dogs" and long story short my new pen name is Karl Barx
This is like the same line of thought about outlawing greyhound racing. That if they shut down the tracks the breed will disappear.
Buddy if the only thing keeping a breed around is our ability to exploit it we should take a long hard look at what we're doing.
The continued existence of pugs immediately disproves the idea that a breed has to work as a dog, or even work as a dog, to be kept around.
Posts
Steadfast refusal of engaging in electoralism is also a perfectly valid and reasonable strategy
Ever tried. Ever failed. No matter. Try again. Fail again. Fail better
bit.ly/2XQM1ke
I very much disagree. There are, of course, other ways to try to affect change. But, for other than the very powerful/wealthy or highly charismatic, the impact is low.
Voting is not in and of itself sufficient, but it is low-effort, and collectively we can choose our leaders rather than hiving them foisted upon us by others or capricious fate.
It is telling how those who think themselves our betters work tirelessly to restrict the franchise and make voting hard. It it not because they think our votes mean nothing.
Use your hard-won vote. And also use your voice.
If you do not choose your leaders, they will be chosen for you.
Voting isn't always low effort. In many places that tend to vote Democrat, Republicans have made efforts to close polling places and make more restrictive laws on who can vote. There are giant lines and thats after you manage to get time off from work and make the trip to the polling station.
{Twitter, Everybody's doing it. }{Writing and Story Blog}
That is why it has to be fought against. Other methods are certainly no less effort.
While it is cold comfort, some solace might be gained from the knowledge that those restrictions are put in place by the fear of the individually powerful of the individually powerless.
They want you to not vote. That is all the more reason to not give in.
a) good luck; you're gonna need it
b) why deprive yourself of a tool you know your oppressors fear (the franchise)? you can both vote and write your manifesto; they're not mutually exclusive
A single Wordpress campaign page with ‘So and so is dedicated to family… liking things… and has a cute dog. That’s why you can trust them as your new comptroller’ and then you find out their sole goal is to become Comptroller so they can access the Comptroller’s Vault as part of a long planned heist.
Genuinely, who is this for
But "it is a citizen's duty to vote" is such an annoying goddamn phrase. I didn't choose to be born here, I didn't get a say in that. This country committed genocide on my fuckin' ancestors, but now it's my duty to pull the lever for the geriatric racist cop? Fucking hell what a terrible sales pitch. Myopic, tedious rhetoric, utterly devoid of empathy or original thought.
Stupidest shit.
Looking up the candidates for my city council election. Some of them have Facebook pages,
one has a campaign website but if you click on "About The Issues" it takes you to an empty Spotify playlist page,
and the last ones only result on google is the sex offender registry.
Back in California there was one candidates whose website was half their issues, half a chinese restaurant menu. Like literally split the page down the middle.
Its a great way to get non-voters to remain non-voters
This is why local elections rule
I’m not smart so maybe this is implied in this, but don’t a lot of internet posts (including a lot of mine) about politics wind up being a dipshit trying to prove they’re smarter/above the fray by well actually’ing some realpolitik bullshit at everyone
The several posters who have said that not voting is a valid and reasonable strategy. It isn't.
None of us choose where we are born or under what circumstances. All of us are faced with restrictions and obligations (some a lot more than others; I am quite privileged) and the only thing we can do is the best we can given the tools available and the circumstances.
No reflection or empathy at all, got it
Like, one candidate's sole driving motivations will be vaping and crypto and the deregulation thereof. The other might be an Anime Furry who thinks we should be spending our entire defense budget on contacting a race of benevolent aliens from Spungulo 4 to help defend us from the coming invasion from beyond our solar system. Candidate 3 is just straight up in the KKK. Like Grand Wizard, hat and everything.
Joe Biden, Pelosi, et al probably does all that shit too but they're never gonna come out and say it. That would be bad optics. Buncha limp dicks.
If it's not from the kissinger region of France it's just sparkling bullshit
Vote blue no matter who!
There are two wolves inside you.
Yes, it's like The Aristocrats except the punchline is what starts all the nonsense
Look, page 100, time to start a new thread of non voting
the poll should focus on how long people will stay at the online nazi bar
But federally? Best case scenario I've seen is more less just pausing the baby eating machine.
So I get it
I don’t know how much was intended, but this post has layers
Showed this to wife like, "this is gonna put the Onion out of business" and she's like, "they don't even use dogs like that for that - they use working class dogs" and long story short my new pen name is Karl Barx
This is like the same line of thought about outlawing greyhound racing. That if they shut down the tracks the breed will disappear.
Buddy if the only thing keeping a breed around is our ability to exploit it we should take a long hard look at what we're doing.
I have a hunch that widely propagated voter guides are more effective than any amount of campaigning, because ‘doing my homework at the last minute’ is the most popular candidate in every election.
The continued existence of pugs immediately disproves the idea that a breed has to work as a dog, or even work as a dog, to be kept around.