• BakerBagel@midwest.social
    link
    fedilink
    arrow-up
    39
    ·
    15 days ago

    Why is the the voters obligation to vote for shitty candidates rather than in the candidates to earn the vote? Biden is looking at a close race and the majority of voters want a cease fire.

    • PugJesus@lemmy.worldOP
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      40
      ·
      15 days ago

      Why is the the voters obligation to vote for shitty candidates rather than in the candidates to earn the vote?

      It’s our obligation as voters, as people entrusted with political power, to do what we can to steer our polity towards the least destructive and immoral path that we can.

      “JOE BIBEN HASN’T EARNED MY VOTE” doesn’t mean jack fucking shit. The point of a citizen’s duty is not to suck off the right people - it’s to protect one’s fellow citizens, and ideally, members of other polities as well.

      Voting isn’t a fucking judgement of who’s moral enough to go to democracy fucking heaven - voting is a judgement of who is least objectionable in steering the future of the polity - including considering the likelihood of success.

      Sorry that using political power responsibly is such a foreign concept to you.

      Biden is looking at a close race and the majority of voters want a cease fire.

      The majority of voters want a cease-fire. You want to tell me what the majority of voters want the US to do to achieve a ceasefire?

      Most US voters are not in favor of more stringent terms than what Biden has already proposed.

      This idea that the US electorate is as left as the Fediverse is just… fucking bizarre.

      • BakerBagel@midwest.social
        link
        fedilink
        arrow-up
        33
        ·
        edit-2
        15 days ago

        You dont get those changes by just blindly voting against the Republicans. You have to actually pressure your candidates into supporting what you want. Companies and lobbiests are able to do this with giant sacks of cash. Normal people do it by protesting and making demands of their officials to force a response. Showing nothing but contempt for anti-war protests is always a bad look for a president running for reelection.

        Biden has all the leverage on Israel to make them stop the killing. He can threaten to pull military aid, send in US forces to distribute humanitarian aid, or put sanctions on Israel. All of those would stop the killing, making people angry at the US response willing to vote for Biden, paving a path for his re-election. Why are you so against him forcing Israel to stop the genocide if it is his only path to victory?

        • PugJesus@lemmy.worldOP
          link
          fedilink
          English
          arrow-up
          16
          ·
          15 days ago

          Because it’s not his only path to victory, and it’s not even certain that it IS a path to victory. A majority of DEMOCRATS, much less the general public, still approve of the current level of support to Israel or support INCREASED support to Israel.

          Do I want Biden to pull out of Israel? Yes. Do I understand why the strategic political reasons why it’s not being done, other than Biden being an old dinosaur? Also yes. Do I think that welcoming Trump into the White House will improve the matter? Fuck no.

          • Floey@lemm.ee
            link
            fedilink
            arrow-up
            16
            ·
            15 days ago

            Those voters who approve of funding Israel’s genocide should really suck it up and vote for Biden even if he slashes funding. After all they aren’t crazy “tankies” who would dare withhold their vote because they don’t approve of what he’s doing.

            • PugJesus@lemmy.worldOP
              link
              fedilink
              English
              arrow-up
              12
              ·
              edit-2
              15 days ago

              Those voters who approve of funding Israel’s genocide should really suck it up and vote for Biden even if he slashes funding.

              Absolutely they should. And absolutely I bitch out anyone who thinks that Biden ‘not being pro-Israel enough’ is a reason not to vote for him as a fascist enabler, at minimum.

              After all they aren’t crazy “tankies” who would dare withhold their vote because they don’t approve of what he’s doing.

              No, they tend to be fascists and theocrats instead who will gleefully withhold their vote, just as tankies do.

              This is what democracy looks like. Fighting to keep a coalition of unlike people together because the alternative is getting something that’s worse on every fucking level.

              • Floey@lemm.ee
                link
                fedilink
                arrow-up
                13
                ·
                15 days ago

                I take it you’d have a problem with people calling the Democratic party fascist but you seem to think such a significant part of their base is fascist that they have to implement fascist policy to appease them. What is that if not fascism? If the DNC actually has morals they’d amputate that part of their base and appeal to new voters because they look less ghoulish. If the Democrats lose it isn’t going to be because a few online leftist withheld their vote, it’s going to be because they failed to get any fresh voter turnout. A third of Americans don’t vote, and a larger portion of that third is young and PoC, more likely to be strongly against the genocide.

                • PugJesus@lemmy.worldOP
                  link
                  fedilink
                  English
                  arrow-up
                  7
                  ·
                  15 days ago

                  I take it you’d have a problem with people calling the Democratic party fascist but you seem to think such a significant part of their base is fascist that they have to implement fascist policy to appease them.

                  A significant part of the American electorate supports fascist policies, specifically, with regards to Israel. We can debate the causes all day long, but the fact remains.

                  What is that if not fascism?

                  Democracy. As it is necessarily compromise with the will of the majority.

                  If the DNC actually has morals they’d amputate that part of their base and appeal to new voters because they look less ghoulish.

                  If the DNC had morals, they’d lose, huh? Yeah, Trump rounding up people into concentration camps AND funding Israeli genocide looks much better. /s

                  A third of Americans don’t vote, and a larger portion of that third is young and PoC, more likely to be strongly against the genocide.

                  So, your plan is that, if the Dems take one of the least important issues to voters (yes, including young voters), radically change it to alienate their most reliable demographics to appeal to their least reliable demographics, that is the real path to victory?

                  • Floey@lemm.ee
                    link
                    fedilink
                    arrow-up
                    9
                    ·
                    edit-2
                    15 days ago

                    How do you ever expect to get new voters if you only pay attention to what your base wants? And why do you think most of the Democrats who support Israel are bloodthirsty fascists who will switch their vote to Trump if Biden changes course on the matter? These political parties have had major shifts in the past and it can happen again. That’s why I think one of the most important things we can do is shift people’s ideology through protest and conversation. If America is so conservative we will never get anywhere by just showing up to vote and doing nothing else.

                    You are emphasizing the need to win the election as if it is a political goal that takes precedence over everything else. But under that view we shouldn’t even politically engage with people who are already planning to vote blue because we might make them change their minds. It’s important to instill voters and non voters alike with more progressive values, even if it threatens to make them vote in a way we don’t want. I don’t even believe the DNC believes in winning elections over all else, if something would win them votes but upset their benefactors in another way for example it might be off the table. The DNC doesn’t believe in things like harm reduction, they are playing a completely different strategy game than voters are. Trust me, they are not funding Israel because they believe it is what they must do in order to stop concentration camps.

                  • NoIWontPickAName@kbin.earth
                    link
                    fedilink
                    arrow-up
                    7
                    ·
                    15 days ago

                    Then there are enough that you don’t need us.

                    You guys spend so much of your time trying to convince peaceful people to support genocidal actions instead of supporting the warhawks changing to peace.

                    You are choosing to spend your time supporting genocidal actions instead of supporting rejecting them.

              • BakerBagel@midwest.social
                link
                fedilink
                arrow-up
                8
                ·
                15 days ago

                Thise fascists and theocrats were mever going to vote for Biden anyway, so why do you want him to court their vote instead of progressives?

                • PugJesus@lemmy.worldOP
                  link
                  fedilink
                  English
                  arrow-up
                  7
                  ·
                  15 days ago

                  Thise fascists and theocrats were mever going to vote for Biden anyway

                  They literally are voting for him. They voted for him last time. A significant subset of the Democratic party is strongly pro-Israel.

                  so why do you want him to court their vote instead of progressives?

                  I don’t. I told you, I tell the fascists and theocrats and those leaning that way I absolutely condemn.

          • NoIWontPickAName@kbin.earth
            link
            fedilink
            arrow-up
            8
            ·
            15 days ago

            Then they deserve what they get!

            If the majority would rather side with supporting genocidal actions, rather than peace, than America deserves to burn

            • PugJesus@lemmy.worldOP
              link
              fedilink
              English
              arrow-up
              7
              ·
              15 days ago

              Then they deserve what they get!

              If the majority would rather side with supporting genocidal actions, rather than peace, than America deserves to burn

              Thanks for going mask off.

              • NoIWontPickAName@kbin.earth
                link
                fedilink
                arrow-up
                5
                ·
                15 days ago

                Yeah mask off.

                To all the people supporting genocidal actions, we do no give a fuck what you think.

                When you decide that you are not ok with sending more bombs to continue killing children then we can talk.

                Until then I hope you all experience exactly what you want other people to.

                • PugJesus@lemmy.worldOP
                  link
                  fedilink
                  English
                  arrow-up
                  4
                  ·
                  15 days ago

                  Yeah mask off.

                  To all the people supporting genocidal actions, we do no give a fuck what you think.

                  When you decide that you are not ok with sending more bombs to continue killing children then we can talk.

                  Until then I hope you all experience exactly what you want other people to.

                  So when members of Hamas, the current representative government of Gaza, talk about the genocide of the Jews, you say…?

                  Me, personally, I say that wishing democide on a population is fucking horrendous regardless of what that population supports, but I understand you tankies adore bloodshed more than I do.

                  • NoIWontPickAName@kbin.earth
                    link
                    fedilink
                    arrow-up
                    5
                    ·
                    15 days ago

                    I have said before and I will say again, they decided to launch attacks into civilian occupied areas without consideration.

                    The Israelis could have built a secure area with the help of the us military. Y’know the best of the best of logistics.

                    They could have built a base covered in camera and with food, water, power, and medical care.

                    It would have shown the whole world that they were actually only after Hamas.

                    Shit I was on Israel’s side in the beginning of this.

                    There is absolutely no justification for what hummus did, they killed and kidnapped innocent children.

                    They could have returned them for free at the first opportunity, instead they used them as bargains chips.

                    Instead neither side cares about the civilians as anything more than pawns.

                    So fuck them both, it’s really hard for me to care when the first sf or hummus has their people killed.

                    They are both pieces of shit who only care about land and power.

                    Also, you still don’t know what tankie means

            • PhlubbaDubba@lemm.ee
              link
              fedilink
              arrow-up
              6
              ·
              15 days ago

              Tell me you’re white and know you’re not gonna be the one who actually burns without telling me you’re white and know you’re not gonna be the one who actually burns.

              • BakerBagel@midwest.social
                link
                fedilink
                arrow-up
                7
                ·
                15 days ago

                You’re saying that you are ok with Israel slaughtering Palestinians so long as you can continue your standard of living. “Never Again” doesn’t have a secret clause saying we shouldn’t stop genocide if it means people may be harmed in the process.

                You don’t want Trump to take over the US and institute his fascist policies? You should be leaning on the Democrats to actually try and stop him, rather than going after those who are trying to actually stop fascism as it pops up.

                • PhlubbaDubba@lemm.ee
                  link
                  fedilink
                  arrow-up
                  7
                  ·
                  15 days ago

                  “We think any amount of genocide is unacceptable, that’s why we think it is imperative to threaten the democrats with the possibility of letting more genocide happen here too if they don’t stop supporting genocide, and shut up it’s not supporting genocide when we do it because we’re right!”

                  • BakerBagel@midwest.social
                    link
                    fedilink
                    arrow-up
                    4
                    ·
                    15 days ago

                    The Israeli government has said they want to remove every Palestinian from Gaza and the West Bank. There is literally no more genocide that is able to happen right now

        • Mastengwe@lemm.ee
          link
          fedilink
          arrow-up
          9
          ·
          15 days ago

          Single-issue voters always seem to want to fuck shit up for even everyone election year.

          And every year- you people never seem to even really grasp the nuance of the single issue you whine about.

            • PugJesus@lemmy.worldOP
              link
              fedilink
              English
              arrow-up
              9
              ·
              15 days ago

              Sorry that you think doubling down on genocide and starting a few new ones is an acceptable policy for voters in the free world to support.

              • BakerBagel@midwest.social
                link
                fedilink
                arrow-up
                9
                ·
                15 days ago

                Where have i said that I support doubling down? People thinkthat their vote doesn’t matter as is. And asking someone who is already apathetic to voting to vote for someone who supports genocide isn’t going to make them want to vote any more. It’s a rigged game so they won’t play. You should be mad at Biden for not trying to engage with those voters and instead locking them up and using police violence against them.

                • PugJesus@lemmy.worldOP
                  link
                  fedilink
                  English
                  arrow-up
                  6
                  ·
                  15 days ago

                  Where have i said that I support doubling down?

                  There are two choices in this coming election, effectively. Trump or Biden.

                  If one loses, the other wins.

                  You want to guess what contributing to Biden’s loss will cause?

                  Go ahead. Take a few swings.

                  And asking someone who is already apathetic to voting to vote for someone who supports genocide isn’t going to make them want to vote any more

                  Someone who is already apathetic to voting is already not a very good target for voting outreach. You’re not really making “Have the least reliable voting bloc since we started tracking such things be the lynchpin of the strategy to defeat fascism” sound any more reasonable than it was previously.

                  It’s a rigged game so they won’t play.

                  If they think it’s a rigged game, what benefit will appealing to their desired policies have?

                  You should be mad at Biden for not trying to engage with those voters and instead locking them up and using police violence against them.

                  Oh God, not this line again. It doesn’t matter that Biden at no point has advocated the use of police violence against peaceful protesters, he’s definitely the one behind local police continuing the policy of being absolute shitheads, as they have for the past [checks notes] century and a half of US policing.

                  Thanks, Biden.

                  • BakerBagel@midwest.social
                    link
                    fedilink
                    arrow-up
                    7
                    ·
                    15 days ago

                    Yes, there are two choices. So i support people who are trying to make the less terrible one better. Meanwhile you want people to just shit up and support genocide.

                  • NeatPinecone@lemm.ee
                    link
                    fedilink
                    arrow-up
                    5
                    ·
                    14 days ago

                    I sure hope you’re on the DNC payroll. You’re certainly putting in more time and effort to convince people to vote for Biden than they are.

      • Maggoty@lemmy.world
        link
        fedilink
        arrow-up
        12
        ·
        15 days ago

        No. There is no moral responsibility to vote for someone who hasn’t earned that vote. That’s a construct meant to remove the politician’s responsibility to their constituents. An Astroturf by the donor class to protect their influence. Stop doing their work for them. They don’t care about you beyond how much money you can make them.

        • PugJesus@lemmy.worldOP
          link
          fedilink
          English
          arrow-up
          8
          ·
          edit-2
          15 days ago

          No. There is no moral responsibility to vote for someone who hasn’t earned that vote.

          Oh, cool, there’s no moral responsibility to protect your fellow citizens. Fuck those minorities, herd 'em into camps; Biden didn’t earn MY vote, right?

          You lot are indistinguishable from fascists in practical effects.

          • Maggoty@lemmy.world
            link
            fedilink
            arrow-up
            7
            ·
            15 days ago

            Where’s his moral responsibility? Why am I the only one with a moral responsibility? Where’s the moral responsibility of his base? Where’s your moral responsibility? Is it okay with genocide as long as it’s over there? It’s okay over there but here crimes a magnitude lower suddenly become a moral imperative?

            You have no morals.

            • PugJesus@lemmy.worldOP
              link
              fedilink
              English
              arrow-up
              2
              ·
              15 days ago

              Why am I the only one with a moral responsibility?

              You aren’t. You’re just the only one with control over your own actions.

              Where’s your moral responsibility?

              The same place as every other citizen’s?

              Is it okay with genocide as long as it’s over there?

              It’s not okay with genocide. Unlike your sense of morality, it regards “More genocide” as a BAD position to take.

              It’s okay over there but here crimes a magnitude lower suddenly become a moral imperative?

              lmao, what. Tell me more about how murdering minorities here in the USA is a crime “a magnitude lower” than murdering minorities in Israel. Real telling what you think about non-white Americans and GSMs.

              You have no morals.

              Coming from someone advocating for the deaths of both more Palestinians AND American minorities?

              lmao

              • Maggoty@lemmy.world
                link
                fedilink
                arrow-up
                6
                ·
                15 days ago

                Yup the occasional murder by racist is 100 percent comparable to a man made famine and campaign of ethnic cleansing by military units.

                • PugJesus@lemmy.worldOP
                  link
                  fedilink
                  English
                  arrow-up
                  1
                  ·
                  15 days ago

                  So that’s what you think the next Trump term is going to be? Just the “occasional murder by racist”?

                  I can’t believe you crave genocide this badly.

          • toomanypancakes@lemmy.world
            link
            fedilink
            English
            arrow-up
            7
            ·
            15 days ago

            Hi, I’m part of a minority that Donald trump and his sycophants would love nothing more than to herd into camps or eliminate entirely.

            Your argument sucks. Calling everyone fascists who doesn’t want to vote for your guy isn’t going to convince anyone to vote for your guy. Are you trying to convince people Democrats are bad?

            • PugJesus@lemmy.worldOP
              link
              fedilink
              English
              arrow-up
              1
              ·
              15 days ago

              Hi, I’m part of a minority that Donald trump and his sycophants would love nothing more than to herd into camps or eliminate entirely.

              Playing asspat games with Very Serious People who want to see Donald Trump elected to ‘get back at’ the evil shitlibs isn’t going to convince anyone to vote against fascism. If you’re fine with letting people spew pro-fascist rhetoric, I mean, I guess I’ll see you in the camps; but personally, I’d like to avoid that fucking fate.

              • toomanypancakes@lemmy.world
                link
                fedilink
                English
                arrow-up
                8
                ·
                15 days ago

                Oh my goodness, you truly think every person who doesn’t vote for Biden is actively rooting for Trump, don’t you? Okay, have a nice day.

                • PugJesus@lemmy.worldOP
                  link
                  fedilink
                  English
                  arrow-up
                  1
                  ·
                  edit-2
                  15 days ago

                  “I wasn’t rooting for Trump, I was just sitting by doing absolutely nothing, not even the bare minimum, because genocide doesn’t matter to me!” doesn’t really have a better ring to it than “I was rooting for Trump”.

      • Mastengwe@lemm.ee
        link
        fedilink
        arrow-up
        9
        ·
        15 days ago

        Right-fucking-ON man. This is absolutely everthing anyone would need to understand how it goes down.

        Well said.

      • Facebones
        link
        fedilink
        arrow-up
        2
        ·
        14 days ago

        The point of a citizens duty is not to suck off the right people

        spends multiple paragraphs over multiple comments explaining why their entire political ideology is that its a citizens duty to suck off the right people

    • Grandwolf319@sh.itjust.works
      link
      fedilink
      arrow-up
      8
      ·
      15 days ago

      Idk how we got here. Imo it’s mainly because for some reason, we no longer give agency to republicans.

      If voting for a third party is immoral, then 1/3 of the US is being very immoral.

      Voting used to be a private choice, hence why you go into a little booth. It was your moral obligation to vote to the best of your abilities, your choice was personal.

    • PhlubbaDubba@lemm.ee
      link
      fedilink
      arrow-up
      6
      ·
      15 days ago

      If you’re still asking a candidate to earn your vote when the other guy is selling copies of the constitution with the 13th and 19th amendments omitted, you’re just a fascist who doesn’t want the social stigma that comes with being an open fascist.

      • Shyfer@ttrpg.network
        link
        fedilink
        arrow-up
        4
        ·
        14 days ago

        If you’re supporting a candidate giving bombs to a genocidal, ethnostate apartheid regime, while condemning protests against that at home what are you besides a blue fascist?

        • PhlubbaDubba@lemm.ee
          link
          fedilink
          arrow-up
          2
          ·
          edit-2
          14 days ago

          Someone who remembers the other guy handed that genocidal ethnostate apartheid regime the West Bank, East Jerusalem, and the Golan Heights?

          "Any amount of genocide is bad, that’s why I’m willing to support even more genocide happening if it means those nasty wasty establishment democrats finally l E a R n T h E i R l E s S o N ! ! !"

          You’re being a vote karen, you’re threatening the actually vulnerable to fall in line with what you want and to bring you the party’s manager. You’re Anne Frank’s neighbor if the reason they turned her in was because her parents weren’t anti-nazi enough to their liking.

          • Shyfer@ttrpg.network
            link
            fedilink
            arrow-up
            3
            ·
            14 days ago

            Ya, they’re both bad. No one denies that. But if you’re voting for Mussolini because Hitler is on the ballot, you’re still a fascist.

    • barsquid@lemmy.world
      link
      fedilink
      arrow-up
      6
      ·
      15 days ago

      Donald will not do better for you on your wedge issue and he did an insurrection. You want the guy who tweeted nuclear threats to Iran to take over on this conflict? Misguided.