• Admiral Patrick@dubvee.org
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    8 months ago

    Republicans, who have already shown us their plans if they win, are unified behind Trump. That’s who they’re backing, they vote in droves, and put no further thought into it than cheering for their favorite sports team.

    The other side, us, are splitting hairs, nitpicking, and generally letting perfect be the enemy of good at every turn.

    All these accounts dredging up every article that fits their “Biden Bad” agenda (yes, agenda, based on post history) are not helping anything. They’re not suggesting any alternate candidate that can win. They’re not suggesting contacting elected representatives to support/oppose specific polices. They’re not doing anything other than spreading FUD.

    Every time someone in the comments asks one of them to recommend a candidate that has a chance, they either go radio silent or move the goalposts.

    The constant bombardment of “Biden Bad” posts (but adding “though I guess we should vote for him” in the fine print that no one reads) seem tone deaf at best and actively encouraging voter apathy at the worst. Whether the posters are actual trolls or misguided progressives is completely irrelevant.

    And no, I’m not saying we can’t or shouldn’t criticize members of our side (that’s one of our defining characteristics versus the cult of the other side), but when it’s a constant drone of “vote uncommitted / third party” it’s hard to not see those as bad faith and working against the greater good.

    Like it, understand it, or believe it or not, the reality of the situation is we have a two-party first past the post system, it’s pretty much already guaranteed to be Biden v Trump, and one of them has already laid out plans to be a dictator (cough not biden cough) . Those are our choices.

    Pick a side or get out of the way. The opposition is unified, and we should be too.

    • Cosmonauticus@lemmy.world
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      8 months ago

      The problem is this is going to keep happening every election and if the status quo is all Democrats have to offer apathy is going to set in sooner rather than later. Hell it already did with Hilary yet the DNC have learned nothing.

      Democrats are rarely unified since it’s just a party made up of anyone who isn’t Republican. Green, progressive, moderate, socialist, etc. There’s only so long they’ll tolerate being ignored or seeing no progress.

      Voters don’t want perfection. They just want someone who seems to have their best interests in mind and unfortunately a lot of ppl don’t see that in Biden let alone most politicians.

      I’m voting for Biden but I’m tired of my vote being against Republicans instead of for someone I actually believe.

      • Admiral Patrick@dubvee.org
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        8 months ago

        I can respect and agree with that. I’m also not asking anyone to start buying Biden merch or waving flags or anything like that; just asking people to see the bigger picture here.

        Personally, I don’t think he’s been a bad president, all things considered. I voted for him last time expecting him to be a seat filler that wouldn’t make things worse, but he’s genuinely surprised me with what he’s been able to get done, especially with the current Congress.

        Would I like to see someone more progressive at the helm? Absolutely. But that’s sadly not the world we live in right now or a choice we have at the moment.

    • Carrolade@lemmy.world
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      8 months ago

      actively encouraging voter apathy

      I think you nailed it here. In many cases, it’s a direct attack on the morale of the citizenry, seeking to bury evidence of progress and emphasize a message of futility. No different from Russian propaganda that tries to convince Ukrainians not to fight, nothing is pure enough to be worth fighting for, they’ll just die for nothing, etc etc etc.

      Hopelessness itself is the real enemy, the foundational source of strength of fascist authoritarians, what allows them to seize power regardless of incompetence. It can be attacked though. Directly.

      Sometimes you just gotta slap a motherfucker. Sometimes rhetorically, rarely, actually physically. Either way, if you can break the feedback loop of hopelessness early, you give strength, courage and determination a chance to regain footing.

      If fascists are going to be stopped, iron resolve is needed, as our forefathers showed. So maybe this time we don’t have to ourselves meet them, and their conscript armies, on the battlefield. As the Ukrainians are forced to.

      It’s unfortunate, though. Unlike liberals or Marxists, fascists only really understand one language. And it’s not a civil one. Civil language is just a tool, to be harnessed in service of the only language they do actually acknowledge. Power.