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I dunno what to tell you. My heart aches, aches for Palestine. More than you know. But I'm not a politician, I don't have tangible power to improve things for them directly. And none of the politicians seem particularly bothered. They're focused on their campaigns, maintaining the status quo, all of it. Like you said, complicit. It would be great if any of your strategies, or the strategies of the protesters, if anything helped. Actually made a difference. It might assuage some of the dread implicit to our daily lives as profoundly privileged and comfortable citizens of the West.
But it's resoundingly obvious that's it's just another minor calculation that gets rolled into the other calculations to win elections. People are dying. Innocent people. It eats me alive. But I'm a privileged , comfortable westerner. My ethical inclinations don't mean shit at best, and soothe me into thinking my compassion is valuable in and of itself at worst.
But I know what backwards looks like. And backwards is bad for everyone, Palestine included. Ukraine too. All the disenfranchised minorities in this country too. I can't just revel in my irrelevance, exercise my privilege by tapping out because no one on the ballot has the perfect platform. I'm afforded the opportunity to slow the backslide. And maybe slowing the backslide isn't enough for you.
But it's something tangible, and I'm going to do it. I'm going to vote lesser evil. Not like my life depends on it, because for all my troubles it's been a blessed life compared to others. If I die tomorrow, I've had a better go than most. I'm voting lesser evil to slow the backslide to mitigate damage for others, because that's what I can do.
I don't live in a clear blue state. Lots of other people don't live in clear blue states. Lots of them identify as leftist. Many of them are here. I'm begging you, don't project your exceptional privilege as a clear blue citizen as universal. This is serious, backsliding is bad for everyone. Carelessly fomenting apathy in people who could actually help is horrific. This isn't just Internet arguments. Innocent people are dying. Stop this. The Dems are garbage neo-libs, but the opposition is tangible evil. Enabling genocide is horrific, but it's marginally better than acceleration of genocide. The opposition is worse. Anything I, and the millions in swing states, can do to mitigate that horror is better than apathy.
That's what I keep begging for, but instead I keep getting shouted at by Democrat sycophants who want me to vote now and fix the party never.
You really don't get it. This is just politics to you. Find. Just please, for the love of God, stop trying to drag others down with you. That's all I have to say.
"Just politics"?
This is a matter of life and death, and you're on the side that's teaming up with Republicans to make sure the bombs keep flowing:
Removed, civility.
Fair, these self-destructive leftist types get my blood boiling.
I'm autistic.
The liberal mask slips, revealing the fascism that was there all along.
Says the person who literally just told me to sit down and shut up.
"We've gotta vote blue to save Democracy! No dissent will be tolerated!"
The issue is much, much larger than what Israel is doing to Gaza.
If you fail to vote for Harris, you allow Trump to win.
If Trump wins:
https://apnews.com/article/trump-biden-israel-pr-hugh-hewitt-21faee332d95fec99652c112fbdcd35d
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Israeli_occupation_of_Southern_Lebanon
https://www.rollingstone.com/politics/politics-features/donald-trump-mexico-military-cartels-war-on-drugs-1234705804/
https://www.reuters.com/world/us/trump-does-not-rule-out-building-detention-camps-mass-deportations-2024-04-30/
https://www.govexec.com/workforce/2022/07/trump-endorsed-plan-purge-civil-service-rogue-bureaucrats/375028/
https://www.cnn.com/2023/12/06/politics/kash-patel-trump-administration/index.html
To be clear here, if Harris does not win, Trump will. Those are your two choices. You can choose to vote for Harris or you court disaster. There is no viable 3rd choice.
Agreed.
Since my vote is now the deciding factor, I have some demands that the Democrats will finally have to listen to if they don't want Trump to win.
Did I say "some demands"? I meant "just do the bare minimum", Jesus..
Precisely. Democrats know they're the only game in town so they have no incentive to offer better policy. All demands for them to show some basic humanity can be deflected with cries of "But Trump!!1!".
The big problem with the Democrats is that they fail to acknowledge that the Republicans are not honest brokers. The Democrats insist "the system" works and if they work with the Republicans to get things done, everything will be fine.
Meanwhile the Republicans have two strategies:
When they're in power:
"We won! You have to do things our way! Elections mean things!"
Democrats: "Fine."
When they're not in power:
"You're being mean because you won! You have to do things our way or you aren't being bi-partisan!"
Democrats: "Fine."
They either move policy to the right, or block everything until policy moves to the right. Since they don't actually want government to do anything, they consider both positions a win.
The Democrats are too spineless to counter this action.