I disagree with a lot of what you've said here. I've seen no indication that Bernie has moved Biden left at all. He said just a few weeks ago (in the middle of a pandemic) that if he were the president and a Medicare for All bill came across his desk, he would veto it. He's on record promising donors at a closed door event that under …
I disagree with a lot of what you've said here. I've seen no indication that Bernie has moved Biden left at all. He said just a few weeks ago (in the middle of a pandemic) that if he were the president and a Medicare for All bill came across his desk, he would veto it. He's on record promising donors at a closed door event that under a Biden presidency "Nothing would fundamentally change." Biden is the personification of the rightward shift of this country. The current Democratic party is essentially where the Republicans were 15 years ago. Why do you think the most notable pro-Biden messaging has been coming from the Lincoln Project (a bunch of neocons who were former Bush, McCain, and Romney staffers)? You have your reasons for voting (and that's fine, I'm not telling anybody not to vote). But I have my reasons for not voting. I'm 38 years old and have voted in every election since 2000. I'm sitting this one out, because I want the Democratic establishment to know that my vote can't be taken for granted anymore and if they continue to dismiss overtures from the left, their seats are no longer safe. I'm done voting for the lesser of two evils.
You're right, we disagree. I'm 52 and I've voted in every election since 1988; you don't have to tell me about the Democratic party's shift to the right, or that Biden is what a moderate Republican *should* look like (but in the past 40 years, his stance on various issues would still not have allowed him to be a part of the Republican party). He's still not a fascist, and like it or not, that has become the terms of this election. If you think those aren't the terms, you haven't been paying attention, and I still have to conclude that your position is privileged enough that you think you won't be affected by a continuation of this administration. Not caring about how the lives of the less fortunate in the coalition will be affected isn't very progressive.
Just as you think your vote for or against won't matter in very blue Massachusetts, I can also tell you that it doesn't matter how many people like you sit out as a "protest" to show the Dem establishment that you can't be taken for granted. If you don't vote, you aren't seen, period. Of course you're entitled to withhold your vote. You've got your viewpoint, and nothing I can say is enough to make you think differently. But as someone who supported Bernie so enthusiastically, I'm surprised you won't listen to him, either.
With all due respect, fuck off. Please stop telling me that I'm privileged and don't care about people's lives because I don't want to vote for Joe Biden in a state where my vote doesn't matter. Do you think Donald Trump came out of nowhere? Do you think things were hunky dory for all of the people you keep using as a cudgel against me four years ago? I've put a lot of thought into my decision and agonized over what to do way more than I probably should have. What happens in 4 years if Biden gets elected? You don't think things will shift further to the right? You don't think the Republicans will run an even more dangerous candidate like Tom Cotton or Josh Hawley (who are both legitimate fascists and unlike Trump they are actually competent, which is an extremely dangerous combination). I'm not sure why you think I should be taking orders from Bernie Sanders. I donated, volunteered, and voted for him because I back his policies. I don't idolize or take orders from him or any other politician. This is not a cult of personality. These people work for us and we need to hold them accountable. For somebody your age, you seem extremely naive. Now are we done here or do you want to continue trying to bully me into voting for Biden? Here's a tip: you're not going to succeed in that venture.
I disagree with a lot of what you've said here. I've seen no indication that Bernie has moved Biden left at all. He said just a few weeks ago (in the middle of a pandemic) that if he were the president and a Medicare for All bill came across his desk, he would veto it. He's on record promising donors at a closed door event that under a Biden presidency "Nothing would fundamentally change." Biden is the personification of the rightward shift of this country. The current Democratic party is essentially where the Republicans were 15 years ago. Why do you think the most notable pro-Biden messaging has been coming from the Lincoln Project (a bunch of neocons who were former Bush, McCain, and Romney staffers)? You have your reasons for voting (and that's fine, I'm not telling anybody not to vote). But I have my reasons for not voting. I'm 38 years old and have voted in every election since 2000. I'm sitting this one out, because I want the Democratic establishment to know that my vote can't be taken for granted anymore and if they continue to dismiss overtures from the left, their seats are no longer safe. I'm done voting for the lesser of two evils.
You're right, we disagree. I'm 52 and I've voted in every election since 1988; you don't have to tell me about the Democratic party's shift to the right, or that Biden is what a moderate Republican *should* look like (but in the past 40 years, his stance on various issues would still not have allowed him to be a part of the Republican party). He's still not a fascist, and like it or not, that has become the terms of this election. If you think those aren't the terms, you haven't been paying attention, and I still have to conclude that your position is privileged enough that you think you won't be affected by a continuation of this administration. Not caring about how the lives of the less fortunate in the coalition will be affected isn't very progressive.
Just as you think your vote for or against won't matter in very blue Massachusetts, I can also tell you that it doesn't matter how many people like you sit out as a "protest" to show the Dem establishment that you can't be taken for granted. If you don't vote, you aren't seen, period. Of course you're entitled to withhold your vote. You've got your viewpoint, and nothing I can say is enough to make you think differently. But as someone who supported Bernie so enthusiastically, I'm surprised you won't listen to him, either.
With all due respect, fuck off. Please stop telling me that I'm privileged and don't care about people's lives because I don't want to vote for Joe Biden in a state where my vote doesn't matter. Do you think Donald Trump came out of nowhere? Do you think things were hunky dory for all of the people you keep using as a cudgel against me four years ago? I've put a lot of thought into my decision and agonized over what to do way more than I probably should have. What happens in 4 years if Biden gets elected? You don't think things will shift further to the right? You don't think the Republicans will run an even more dangerous candidate like Tom Cotton or Josh Hawley (who are both legitimate fascists and unlike Trump they are actually competent, which is an extremely dangerous combination). I'm not sure why you think I should be taking orders from Bernie Sanders. I donated, volunteered, and voted for him because I back his policies. I don't idolize or take orders from him or any other politician. This is not a cult of personality. These people work for us and we need to hold them accountable. For somebody your age, you seem extremely naive. Now are we done here or do you want to continue trying to bully me into voting for Biden? Here's a tip: you're not going to succeed in that venture.