Wow! This is so excellent! Thank you, Tim Hjersted!
I know that I join millions who are in grief about Bernie, who are so pissed off at the DNC and all the poisonous plutocrats, and who know full well the devastating and dangerous record of Joe Biden. And out of this awareness, we are really struggling.
The people I’m connected with range from never Biden, to believing that he’s always been a good guy who’s devoted his political life to serving the country, and everything in between.
Since Bernie has been forced out once again, my main argument for the need to vote for Biden has been getting it in my bones that Trump is the most dangerous president in our nation’s history. Biden is awful, but he’s not a malignant sociopathic narcissist. He’s not crazy. So I’ll cast my vote, not as an endorsement of Biden, but as a vote against Trump.
This guide to voting really weaves all the different pieces of arguments for and against voting for Biden into a cohesive whole. And this additional clarity is deeply helpful and empowering and spot on.
I've recently been posting pieces featuring Noam Chomsky, Glen Greenwald, and Francesca Fiorentini — all excellent. What is written in this guide ties these narratives together in a way that enables us to step back, then to step back again, and again, and come to see a larger vista of where we are and what we need to do.
It’s just so obvious that Biden is the one I want to be protesting over the next four years. I’m absolutely clear about that. He’s not crazy! And I’m grateful for this narrative that doesn’t frame what I’m doing as simply a vote for the lesser of two evils, but expands beyond that to making a conscious fully aware choice about who I want my opponent to be over the coming years. I don’t want that opponent to be Trump. With my eyes wide open — and given, tragically, that Bernie is out — I’m now hoping that it will be Joe Biden.
Of course, it’s also true that Biden doesn’t have a chance if he’s not going to listen and act repeatedly in response to the youth and the rest of us who are demanding that he move to embrace more of Bernie’s platform. These are life and death issues!! And I understand that for Biden to do this that he’d be going against his long term record as a neoliberal capitalist. But that’s the only shot he has. If he loses, it’s going to be on him and the whole toxic predatory capitalist system that’s long been destroying our country and the planet.
Meanwhile, this guide to voting is incredibly helpful. And I’m deeply grateful. I hope that this will be read and shared far and wide. — Molly
In
a healthy representative democracy, we could vote our values and
choose representatives we trust. But in the anemic and rigged
democracy we have in America, voting is about choosing our opponent.
Despite
this being a “give no F’s” guide to voting, I have to admit it
still pains me to write this guide because I really wanted to vote to
elect someone in November who represents me and our movements (for
the first time in my life), but because I can't, I'm going to choose
my opponent.
To
guide this decision I only have one goal: to cultivate the real
material conditions that will best allow our activism to succeed.
I'm
not interested in using my vote to protest the system (whether by not
voting or voting for a 3rd party that’s been rigged to lose). I
intend to use my vote to create better activist possibilities and
take my real protest to the streets, to city hall, to picket lines,
to the internet - and every other avenue besides voting, 365 days of
the year. That’s where our protests matter. That’s where our
protests have power.
Voting
third party or not voting says next to nothing to elites. Huge
numbers of people already don’t vote, it's been that way for
decades, and our political situation hasn't exactly gotten better.
While I don't have a direct line to the ruling class, the vast number
of voter suppression strategies they employ to stop us from voting
tells me they'd prefer it if we stay home or vote for third
parties that are rigged
to fail.
Choose Offense Over Defense
There’s a strong case to be made that Biden lets us go on offense. Another 4 years of Trump and we'll be defending basic rights and social protections we gained decades ago.
My plan is to spend 1 day in November blocking Trump and every day before and after that building the power of our movements, so we can be successful no matter who is in power.
Will Voting for Biden Matter?
Truth be told, there is a significant chance that Biden will lose. Just by choosing him, the Democrats may have elected Trump a 2nd time, but if I had a choice, I'd prefer the offensive possibilities he offers over the utter barbarism we'll be resisting under Trump.
Your Vote Is Not an Extension of Who You Are. Don’t Make It Personal
People struggle with voting for the lesser evil because they make it personal. We’ve all been taught to make voting a personal extension of who we are. Don’t do that.
We should see voting as an impersonal tool, and far from the most important tool - but a tool nonetheless, to choose our opponent.
Voting in 2020 Can Really Be This Easy:
If you live in a swing-state, take one day in November to vote to block Trump (and all the other greater evils) and don't spend another minute of emotional energy before or after that on the decision.
When voting stops being about personal representation, and simply a tool to alter the terrain of our activism for the next 2-4 years, it makes sense to me to use that bit of power to alter the outcome in a preferred direction. But there's no need to agonize about it because our real power and agency comes from our activism the other 364 days of the year.
Stop Caring How Your Vote Reflects On You
I don't care how voting for Biden reflects on me.
I'd rather be protesting Biden then Trump. I'd rather Biden's people running the EPA than Trump's people because it's ultimately less BS to fight, and every minute we're not put on the defensive is a minute we can focus on offense.
Instead of fighting to protect Roe V Wade (which will happen if Trump gets re-elected and gets to nominate another Supreme Court judge), we can spend that time pushing for a Green New Deal.
Now, times that example by a thousand and it seems like a simple calculation.
Vote Like It’s Not a Big Deal
Liberal philosophies teach us to agonize over our decision as if our vote is a moral and spiritual reflection of our character. We’re taught to believe our vote equals an endorsement of that person or system. But if this is true, and if the best option we have is the lesser of two evils, it’s no wonder so many people see this decision as a spiritual crisis and choose not to vote at all.
“I could never vote for ____” is a reflection of these deeply ingrained beliefs.
I now see this thinking as a liberal trap, because it leads us to expend vast amounts of emotional energy on a decision that shouldn’t be that hard. This emotional energy would be far better spent building our movements in, around, and beyond, national politics. That’s why I say, “vote like it’s not a big deal.”
“I could never vote for ____” is a reflection of these deeply ingrained beliefs.
I now see this thinking as a liberal trap, because it leads us to expend vast amounts of emotional energy on a decision that shouldn’t be that hard. This emotional energy would be far better spent building our movements in, around, and beyond, national politics. That’s why I say, “vote like it’s not a big deal.”
Instead of it being a huge political or spiritual statement about who we are as people, see it as a small tool we use to support our activism.
The real political and spiritual statement about who we are is based on what we do the other 364 days of the year.
TL:DR
You're not voting for... anyone. You're picking your opponent.
As the old slogan goes, "Our dreams are not on their ballots."
Once that illusion has been cast aside, we can focus on what really matters: our own activism and movements.
As the old slogan goes, "Our dreams are not on their ballots."
Once that illusion has been cast aside, we can focus on what really matters: our own activism and movements.
Questions and Objections
Should we shame or judge people for not voting for Biden?
No. There's no point in playing the shame-and-blame game. It's not effective, nor is it in alignment with progressive ideals (living in a society free from coercion). To the extent we try to persuade anyone, it should be through positive appeals, not shame or judgment.
We need to be clear here: Biden is responsible for earning the progressive vote. If Biden refuses to offer significant concessions to progressives, Biden alone will be responsible for not earning the votes he needs to win. We couldn't have made this any clearer.
No. There's no point in playing the shame-and-blame game. It's not effective, nor is it in alignment with progressive ideals (living in a society free from coercion). To the extent we try to persuade anyone, it should be through positive appeals, not shame or judgment.
We need to be clear here: Biden is responsible for earning the progressive vote. If Biden refuses to offer significant concessions to progressives, Biden alone will be responsible for not earning the votes he needs to win. We couldn't have made this any clearer.
"Shouldn’t We Withhold Our Vote Until Biden Makes Concessions?"
Sure. Saying “I’ll vote for Biden if he makes significant concessions to the progressive movement” gives us more leverage than “I’ll never vote for Biden.”
But we don’t need to say this because millions of people will do this regardless of what anyone says.
Here’s what I’m saying: “Sure, folks like me will vote for Biden even if he doesn’t make concessions because I’d prefer to protest Biden for the next 4 years over Trump. And there’s a portion of people who will never vote for Biden no matter what Biden does. But there are also millions of people, mostly young people, in between who are only likely to vote for Biden if he hires more progressive staff and adopts more of Bernie’s platform.
Biden *needs* this middle block of people if he’s going to beat Trump. Shaming this voter block - any form of coercion - will not work. If Biden and his supporters pursue the Hillary strategy of 2016 - choosing a conservative VP and doing little to court the progressive wing, Biden will lose.
An open letter to Joe Biden, published the day Bernie dropped out and signed by the Sunrise movement and 7 other prominent youth leadership groups, acknowledged this reality. It’s basically a cheat sheet for winning - with specific policy and staff recommendations to boot.
Democrats would be unwise to repeat the failed strategy of shaming progressive swing-voters. Instead, they should put pressure on Biden to adopt the recommendations in the letter."
"How Can You Vote for Biden When He's Done XYZ?"
Yeah, Biden is pretty awful in many ways. I'm not gonna lie about that or pretend he's a friend to progressives. I don't encourage anyone to lie about Biden's record, history or "mental fitness." It's not great folks. But I'm not voting for Biden. I'm choosing my opponent.
"A Vote for Biden = Consent."
So I think it's fair for people to make an argument for this, but I don't think it's an objective truth. It's a subjective truth, for sure, but here are some alternative subjective truths:
You could also say "a vote for someone is a strategic decision that says nothing about me personally because voting isn't a moral reflection of my character or an endorsement of the system. It is simply a tool to help alter the real terrain of the battle, which is our day-to-day activism."
You could also say, "My vote for Biden isn't an endorsement of Biden. It's a vote against Trump and nothing more."
Howard Zinn said we can't be neutral on a moving train.
Trying to be morally untainted or beyond the dirt of politics is impossible. We can convince ourselves of this in our minds. But being a bystander - not voting, is participation in the system. We cannot escape the reality of our actions and non-actions having an impact on the world.
Ultimately, beyond all the philosophy about voting or not voting, there is the material reality of our choices:
Either Biden or Trump will be the president for the next 4 years. What reality would be better for people and the planet? What offers us more opportunities for positive change?
Actively choosing the better of the two realities seems more important than our philosophy about voting because material realities are more important than subjective beliefs.
Please continue this article here: https://www.filmsforaction.org/articles/a-guide-to-voting-in-2020-like-its-not-a-big-deal/#.Xpt635p5ikk.facebook
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