Quote:
Originally Posted by doozwimp
I just don't find the opportunist argument of "vote for me because you have to" all that compelling. As I see it strategic voting distorts the will of the people and it irks me.
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In most cases I may agree with you, but this election is different. Trump has shown blatant autocratic tendencies, has done all he can to undermine the system of checks & balances in the federal government, has transformed government agencies rampantly partisan entities, has made it clear that he will use emergency declarations to do anything he wants whenever congress won't fall in line, and has done everything he can to undermine and weaken NATO while cozying up to autocrats like Putin, Bolsonaro, Kim Jung Un, and Erdogan.
4 more years of Trump will result in huge, irreparable harm to the western world as we know it. This election is not one where America can afford to mess around with the possibility of re-electing this demagogue-in-chief. In order to be able to fight for a better future, you have to make sure that the damage done by administrations isn't so extensive that it sets you back decades, or in some ways, permanently! In this case, a 2nd Trump term could do more damage to the country (and the world!) than multiple terms of an FDR-style president could undo.
Joe Biden may have his flaws, but there's already evidence that he's further left than Hillary was 4 years ago. Bernie has successfully moved the party to the left. And to be honest, that's how progress happens in politics! It's not always about getting the "perfect" candidate elected, it's about how much the political landscape shifts due to grassroots campaigns, and then the politicians ultimately have to listen to the people (at least to a certain extent). Case in point, Hillary was once anti-gay-marriage, but shifted her position as the years went on.
All that being said, in 2020, the only available play for the progressive movement (assuming Bernie doesn't win the nomination) is to elect Biden to the WH, spend the next 4 years holding his feet to the fire, and campaign like hell for things like Medicare for All, $15/hr minimum wage, and cancelling student debt. The reason why Bernie isn't winning right now is because not enough of the American electorate agrees with his policies (and/or don't feel passionately enough about them to go to the polls and vote for him).