this post was submitted on 28 Jan 2024
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[–] N0body 83 points 6 months ago (7 children)

Trump is even worse than Biden on Gaza. I get trying to push Biden to do better, but let’s all keep the truth in mind. The actual truth, not the click bait bullshit horse race covered by the media.

[–] [email protected] 37 points 6 months ago* (last edited 6 months ago) (14 children)

Electoral pressure is literally the only lever we have to push Biden to do better. There's no other way. Biden's team is making a bet that we aren't serious and that they can just use Trump to hold us hostage in the party.

So! No ceasefire, no votes. If this war is still going on by November, and Netanyahu has been saying it will, I will not vote for Biden.

It's so easy to earn our votes! Why is Biden sabotaging his own campaign?

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[–] [email protected] 33 points 6 months ago* (last edited 6 months ago) (6 children)

Trump is worse than Biden on anything and everything. But if any president can get away with supporting a genocide campaign, is this not the way they get away with it? By simply claiming it will ruin their campaign efforts?

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[–] [email protected] 30 points 6 months ago (2 children)

Unfortunately, the Democrats keep going back to the well of "what are you going to do, vote for the other guy?" Their success on this has been hit or miss the last few cycles. In fairness, it's been a viable strategy in the past, if Democrats can get those few persuadable voters in the middle of the political spectrum to vote Democratic and not Republican, that's a net win for the Democratic candidate. But, that begs the question of "are there enough persuadable voters left to offset losses when parts of your base stay home?" With Biden's continued support for Israel's actions, it seems that their political calculus says, "yes".

However, we've seen this go both ways in the last few cycles. Clinton deployed the tactic in 2016 and commenters were out in force to brow-beat any of the deplorables who offered anything less than a full-thoated support of her turn. It got her the popular vote, but that has never mattered, she lost the election. The "vote blue no matter who" force was on full display again in 2020 and managed to eek out a win. And here you are again, ramping up for 2024. It's going to be interesting to see how it works out this time.

Biden in 2020 had the advantage of being somewhat unknown. Everyone knew him as Obama's Vice President and that provided him some of Obama's popularity. This time around, he's much more of a known quantity and he's going to be running on his own record. Brow-beating people with "anyone but Trump" seems less likely to work when voters may be looking at specific policies and actions which they find at odds with their beliefs. When Biden was more of an unknown, it was easy for voters to map their own views onto him. We see this with polls which include "generic Democrat/Republican" as an option. People map their own views onto the "generic" view and so are more supportive. When a candidate becomes a known quantity, support can drop off, as the voters know which areas they agree and disagree with a particular politician. In the same way, Biden's policies are now more understood by the voters and people may be less inclined to support him based on those policies.

Personally, I'm doubtful this sort of brow-beating is going to work this cycle. Biden's popularity isn't fantastic and he's too well known for people to map their views onto him. Moreover, responding to people being upset with his actions with a brow-beating seems like a poor response to peoples' legitimate issues. It seems more likely to convince them to disengage or push back even harder. Sure, what are they going to do, vote for the other guy? No, probably not, but they may also not show up on election day. And with the closely divided state of the US electorate, that might just be enough to swing things the other way.

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[–] [email protected] 18 points 6 months ago (12 children)

I get trying to push Biden to do better

Do you, as a group, though?

Every time someone posts an article about how it's a bad thing that Biden is actively contributing to a genocide, the top comment is Trump whataboutism.

Yes, Trump is much worse, both on Israel and in general, but that's not the fucking point!

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[–] [email protected] 13 points 6 months ago (2 children)

On foreign policy the US remains a genocidal bully with questionable morals and alliances. But domestically the Democrats present a veneer of somewhat moral, inclusive values. So with the presented choice I would recommend to go with the seemingly moral guy and try to hold him accountable, rather than vote for the fascist maniac that acts the same domestically and foreign.

Just hope you get locally active to organize a stronger left for the future.

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[–] [email protected] 9 points 6 months ago (1 children)

The Canadian Conservative party is the one that usually runs on "imagine/look at how bad the other guy would be" as a party platform. It's a bad look and a sign that you have nothing better. It's politicking for the sake of politicking.

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[–] [email protected] 33 points 6 months ago (3 children)

Guys. Vote in your interests. Sure Biden might be a complicit war criminal but the other guy is a domestic criminal who would be an enthusiastic war criminal given half a chance.

Secure your country from the Putin's pet orangutan for another four years, then rake Biden across the coals.

If we're lucky, we won't have to deal with either of them in 2028.

[–] [email protected] 19 points 6 months ago (11 children)

So... When your choices are between two war criminals, your first thought isn't that the system needs change but that we should vote for the war criminal with a track record of war crimes?

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[–] [email protected] 15 points 6 months ago (1 children)

When will sweet death take them?

[–] [email protected] 17 points 6 months ago

Hopefully before it takes us

[–] [email protected] 32 points 6 months ago (2 children)

Why does CNN put genocide in quotes in the article after the international court has already ruled that the actions in Gaza meet the definition?

[–] [email protected] 23 points 6 months ago* (last edited 6 months ago)

"Journalistic integrity"

PS: but also what the other person said.

[–] [email protected] 19 points 6 months ago

Technically, they only ruled that genocide is plausible enough to hear the case (and that South Africa has a right to bring the case).

[–] [email protected] 17 points 6 months ago (3 children)

Imagine thinking you'll even be able to legally protest if Trump is president.

[–] [email protected] 21 points 6 months ago
[–] [email protected] 19 points 6 months ago (7 children)

Is this what we can expect for every criticism of the Biden administration for the next year? All you are really telling swing voters is that their opinion is irrelevant. What do you think that will do for turnout? Why do you think the administration itself isn't making use of this brilliant electoral strategy? When Trump wins, you can thank the guy in the mirror.

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[–] [email protected] 14 points 6 months ago (3 children)

Trump would probably bomb the shit out of Palestine.

[–] [email protected] 16 points 6 months ago (8 children)

Then the result is the same. Thanks, Biden.

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