cross-posted from: https://lemmy.world/post/18991756
In a double boost for Donald Trump, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. on Friday afternoon threw his backing behind the former president in the 2024 presidential election while Jill Stein unequivocally stated she will not drop out of the race.
Voting out of fear only perpetuates a broken system, while voting for a candidate who truly represents your values is a way to push for meaningful change. The real threat to democracy is a system that discourages diverse voices and forces voters into a false choice between the lesser of two evils.
I’m not voting for your candidate. And neither are many of my friends. That’s democracy.
I won’t vote for the Democratic Party until they commit to ending the Electoral College in favor of the popular vote AND stop filing lawsuits to keep third parties off the ballot. Until they make these changes, they won’t have my support.
If you are on a treadmill dragging you towards a machine that will mangle and grind your body into hamburger and on the other side is a button that will turn off the treadmill. You should run towards the button out of self preservation if you aren’t going to run out of fear.
Neither party can end the electoral college ever at the federal level. It requires the people who benefit from the EC to vote against the EC. You will never see Republican lawmakers nor Republican state legislators adopting that! The national popular vote compact can be passed not by 2/3 but by states worth 50% + 1 EC vote and can get the actual popular vote in through the back door.
https://www.nationalpopularvote.com/state-status
https://www.nationalpopularvote.com/written-explanation
OR I can vote for who matches my values. And that’s Jill Stein.
She has no values she’s willing to increase the chance that our entire country crashes and burns and meets with fuckin Putin
Claiming that Jill Stein has no values and is willing to risk the country’s destruction is an exaggeration and misrepresents her platform.
Voting for Stein is about supporting policies that align with my progressive ideals, not about endorsing any foreign leader or causing harm to the country.
It’s important to vote based on shared values and the kind of future we want, rather than out of fear or misinformation.
I’m voting for who closest matches my values and who is on my state’s ballot. And that’s Jill Stein.
She can’t win. She stands to get like 1-2% while will be drawn almost entirely from progressives and whereas its impossible that she should get even a single EC college vote let alone 270 she could cause Trump to win if she takes enough votes in the margin.
Which statement do you not understand?
A) Jill can’t win.
B) Losing votes on the margins could flip one or more swing states causing Harris to lose and Trump to win
C) Trump winning again would be disastrous.
Voting for Jill Stein isn’t just about winning this election; it’s about pushing for change and ensuring that progressive voices are heard.
If the Democratic Party wants to secure progressive votes, they should present stronger candidates who genuinely represent those values, rather than blaming third parties for potential losses.
Fear of Trump shouldn’t dictate our choices—voting based on principles is how we build a better future.
What part of what I am saying don’t you understand? I’m not voting for your candidate and I’m not scared of Trump.
I’m voting based on my principals that actually putting a Democrat in a possible goal is better than trying to send a political message.
The electoral college means that additional votes in progressive states after getting 50%+ 1 are worth exactly zero whereas losing 1-2% in swing states can lose you enough swing states to lose the election. This means that progressive policies that won you +10% of the entire US population but lost you a fraction of 1% in the crucial states cause you to lose.
Are you actually saying that you want to send the message that in order to earn your vote Democrats should do something incredibly stupid that will certainly cause them to lose?
And I respect and support your right to do that. That’s not the path I’m taking though.
The electoral college system does create challenges, but it doesn’t justify abandoning principles for fear of losing.
The real issue is that the current system forces voters to choose between the lesser of two evils instead of advocating for policies they truly believe in, which is why voting for third parties can push for the change we need.
I’m not scared of Trump. And I’m not voting for Harris. Or Trump. It’s really that simple.