I don’t like Biden either, but anyone with half a brain knows there are two choices in the 2020 election. If we had a sane voting system, voting third party might be worth it, but as it stands, no one but you knows your favorite candidate exists and unless you want to become their campaign manager that will still be true in November. Even if you did, and even if you convinced two thirds of the people who would otherwise have voted for Biden to vote for your chosen candidate instead, Trump would still win because half the country voted for him and your guy only got a third. If you vote third party you might as well stay home.

Not voting isn’t going to stop the genocide in Gaza. The US will continue to funnel them arms no matter which candidate wins this November. Trump practically campaigns on how much he hates the Jews and he’s publicly told Israel to “finish up their war”. He’ll also make life a living hell for anyone who isn’t a straight cisgender male back here at home.

A vote for a candidate is not an endorsement of them or their policies, it’s a statement that you like their policies more than the other guy’s, and “sticking it to liberals” and “refusing to support genocide” (that’s not what voting for Biden is doing, by the way – a vote for either candidate is a vote for genocide and a vote for neither is an endorsement of both) is not more important than keeping the furthest right politician America has ever seen out of office.

How incredibly privileged do you have to be to see an entire national election as what will happen in the Middle East and ignore Trump’s campaign promises to wipe transgender Americans off the map, and further, to not realize that the same thing will happen in the Middle East regardless of which candidate wins?

I hate Biden as much as every other leftist here. But I’ll still vote for him because Trump is worse. If there’s a single bone in your body that cares about the lives of your trans friends you will too.

    • LazyPhilosopher@lemmy.world
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      9 months ago

      There are literally more options. It’s people like you that prevent a third option from becoming mainstream. Do you understand that??

      • ArmokGoB@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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        9 months ago

        If you got every person on Lemmy to vote for a single third party, you would still only have single-digit percent support. A third party will never get the popular vote, as long as we have first past the post voting.

        • LazyPhilosopher@lemmy.world
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          9 months ago

          All right and if you got every single person on lemmy to vote for the dems or the Republicans, it wouldn’t change the outcome of the election. Are you saying this argument determines absolutely nothing? Because I agree lol.

          Do you know that the popular vote doesn’t determine the outcome of US presidential elections? Cuz it sounds like you don’t understand that. I’m totally for switching to rank choice voting. Sadly we need elected politicians to do that sooooo not really productive 🤷

          If we vote in some third party candidates who are actual leftist, they might enact rank choice voting. So maybe start there.

          • ArmokGoB@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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            9 months ago

            Almost no one here would vote for Trump, so you’re just pulling votes away from Biden which might be enough to influence the results of the election. A few percent could be all that makes the difference.

            • LazyPhilosopher@lemmy.world
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              9 months ago

              A second ago convincing everyone on lemmy wasn’t “even a single digit percent” now it could be a few percent and change the result of the election🤣? Do you see why I think you are ignorant and dramatic?

              Like dude I get it trump and his fascist cronies are scary as fuck. But My state will not suddenly become contested in the 2024 election. I guarantee it. It will be blue. My vote for a third party just slowly puts their number up over time to get us out of this mess. The more people who can do that the better. Obviously if you’re in a swing state or state that could become contested. Yeah, vote for the lesser evil. I’m not in that situation. If you’re not able to grasp that, that’s your problem.

              • ArmokGoB@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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                9 months ago

                But My state will not suddenly become contested in the 2024 election.

                Then arguing on Lemmy to vote for anyone won’t change anything in your state, but not everyone on Lemmy is in your state. If enough people in swing states are convinced to vote for a third party, it could undermine the Democrats and hand the election to Trump.

                only have single-digit percent support

                Last year the Democrats won the popular vote by 4.5%. Single digit is 0-9. Either you can’t read or you’re arguing in bad faith.

                • LazyPhilosopher@lemmy.world
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                  9 months ago

                  The popular vote does not determine elections. I don’t know how many times I have to tell people that. Do you know Hillary Clinton won the popular vote in 2016 but lost the election? The popular vote does not matter. It doesn’t seem you have the ability to learn new information, so I’m going to stop replying to you. I hope you one day learn that you don’t have to speak on topics you don’t understand. Good luck little buddy✌️

          • Pan_Ziemniak@midwest.social
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            9 months ago

            Given that 2016 was decided by 20k votes spread across three states, id say that yeah, every person on Lemmy might swing the election.

            The spoiler effect is real, and ur not going to get a chance for third party candidates to ever matter if the raging turnip were to win.

            • LazyPhilosopher@lemmy.world
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              9 months ago

              Ok buddy. This topic and level of nuance seems to be above your comprehension level. I’m going to leave you with a few facts. I won’t be responding to you after this.

              I voted third party in 2016. Jill Stein.

              Hillary Clinton won my state in 2016 easily. It’s a very blue state.

              Hillary Clinton won the popular vote in 2016 but lost the election.

              I hope you spend some time to fill in the gaps of information you don’t know. I hope you one day learn that it’s okay not to know everything and to not pretend like you know more than you do. Best of luck ✌️