Former democratic party activists are organizing Muslims and Arab-Americans in Swing states to vote against Biden with the demand that he support a ceasefire in Gaza.
I’ll allow them a little bit of electoralism this time.
“When you vote for the lesser of two evils what happens? You always get evil, and you always get less” - who knows but I heard it somewhere
Genocide Joe vs Trump is a debate over whether to drive off a cliff while following the speed limit or at 120 MPH.
perfect analogy
The lesser evil argument for Biden is very weird to me because as a non-American it doesn’t materially seem better than Trump. Objectively it’s been equally bad if not worse, and while not all of that is due to particular features of Trump or the Dems, a think a decent amount is due to how viciously hawkish and shamelessly imperialist the Biden regime has been, from Ukraine to Israel and a lot more in between. Like on the international level I’d argue that Biden has been demonstrably more destructive.
The most convincing ‘lesser-evil’ argument seems to me to basically be that a Trump presidency would be worse for minorities, for immigrants, non-white people, and LGBT people. Now I agree that they would be more likely to introduce federal-level legislation if they could, but I also haven’t seen any real effort by the Biden gov to combat transphobic legislation by fascistic Republicans at the state or local level, or to do anything real for them for that matter. Again LGBT folks and racial minorities are a woke virtue-signalling marketing asset to be invested in for the Dems, as they base their electoral campaigns now no longer on class points, no longer appealing to working class interests (whereas the Republicans have positioned themselves as doing so), but instead appealing to those with college educations. I have comrades who argue that Trump would crack down harder on the left and make it more difficult to organize, but I’m not completely convinced by this. It’s not become easier under Biden.
In any event, I don’t know how people can make a non-nationalist lesser-evil argument once you’ve seen Biden literally go on stage with Bibi and give unconditional support to apartheid, settler-colonialism and ethinic cleansing.
Legitimately think it’s worse under Biden.
Stopped labor strikes, stopped covid relief (motherfucker still owes me $600), student debt relief is gone, roe is gone, anti Trans laws are way worse, inflation is slowing down but everything’s still twice what it cost 2 years ago.
Literally the only difference is when there’s a republican president republicans don’t do as much to actively pass speople off and dems pretend to care about progressive issues.
When there’s a dem president liberals just tell minorities and poor people ro stop complaining because it’s making them look bad and republicans do shit to whip up their base that democrats are completely unwilling to oppose.
you’re going to be voting anyways because local elections are incredibly important and i know your ass is voting in your local elections. might as well take the 10 seconds while you’re there to vote blue in a swing/red state or vote third-party socialist in a blue state.
No
Sorry sweatie, but Trump would commit even more genocide! Vote for diet genocide, Biden 2024!
Good article. It’s not the main point but I liked this section:
The lie that Obama is Muslim was always code for “He’s Black.” But in 2008 liberals couldn’t say that they wouldn’t vote for someone who is Black. Post-racial anti-Blackness had to be more subtle. After seven years of the War on Terror, it was widely accepted that Muslims are subhuman and our lives disposable. So it was easy for people to simply say that they wouldn’t vote for someone who is Muslim.
It never occurred to me - though it’s obvious to me now - that all the accusations of Obama being a Muslim were really just the way white folks were able to launder their unwillingness to accept a black man as president. That’s why they doggedly held on to that belief despite how it was so obviously not true.
Good lord, so the plan is to vote for Trump? The guy who has a pattern of simping for right wing authoritarian fuckheads like Nettanyahu?
Honestly, their efforts would be much better spent trying to get election reform like ranked choice voting up as local election issues in order to break the two party system’s kneecaps.
The guy who has a pattern of simping for right wing authoritarian fuckheads like Nettanyahu?
This guy?
the plan is not to vote at all.
I’m failing to understand this POV. Even if you think neither outcome is good why wouldn’t you do what minimal thing you can to keep the worse option from happening?
Look if Genocide Joe wants my vote, he could try doing something to earn it instead of just saying “I’m not Trump”.
I can agree Joe is a genocider and still vote for him instead of trump*.
Trump is happy to apply his genocidal ideals to his own countrymen. Biden, less so - mostly directed outward/foreign. If my vote has influence on this matter, even slightly, who am I going to choose?
Moreover, I’m not pretending my vote is some sacred gift I can only give to the most perfect candidate. Rather, I am happy if my trash vote can negate a even more-trash vote.
* I predict being the_dunk_tank material and I accept my fate.
Also I want to say, I am really trying to understand this. even if I say wierd/bad faith/something stuff it’s an accident and I want to understand the point of view of “anti electoralism” – if that’s the right term.
I can agree Joe is a genocider and still vote for him instead of trump
I can’t. It should be an easy red line to have
Maybe this is what’s hard for me to understand about the anti-electoral stance. From what I’ve gathered in this thread, my vote is simultaneously completely worthless and inffective, yet also the most precious thing I should only give to the most worthy.
I’m having a hard time figuring out how to word this comment to sound less snarky, but I am legitimately interested in your thoughts on this dichotomy. Or if you think this is not a good interpretation of your+other commenter’s comments, I’ll be happy to be corrected. Thanks.
It’s pretty simple, if your vote is for a ‘lesser evil’ that is a negative choice proposition, hardly worthy of the word ‘choice’ or ‘democracy’. Two bad choices are still two bad choices, even if one is marketed as slightly less bad. The entire Dem strategy for like decades now has been this prisoners dilemma proposition. They never provide federal protection enshrined in law because that would take away the leverage of this strategy. The only way to break out of this pattern is to really threaten it directly by not acquiescing to it like good little liberals. That is why you have cognitive dissonance over this topic. The social pressure of ‘lesser evil’ is so deeply embedded in the liberal worldview that any questioning of it is adjacent to being a terrible right-winger.
The cultural war divide benefits Dems, so they do everything to perpetuate it instead of reconciling it. You need to comprehend this to have a realistic understanding of US political economy.
Honestly, their efforts would be much better spent trying to get election reform like ranked choice voting up as local election issues in order to break the two party system’s kneecaps.
Congratulations on telling the uppity muslims how to best proceed with their struggle
Get fucked lib
