When exactly was this? I have heard “oh, I like [candidate/policy] but there’s no way they can win/it can get passed, we need to be realistic” so many times from so many elected officials and media figures with big platforms I wouldn’t even know where to begin listing examples
Bernie didn’t win the nomination, but he inspired a new generation of Democratic Socialists to run and a lot of them won. I know it’s oversimplified … but they just need to run and we need to turn up and vote. It has to start with smaller, local districts. And those are the races who are hurt the most by this defeatism that we can’t win the presidency on this ticket today, so I may as well not vote at all.
Not one state reached 40% turnout in the 2024 primaries. Some states had better primary turnout in 2022! With all the state and federal Representatives and 1/3 of Senators, so many people said “the Democratic party won’t hold a real primary for President so I’m going to ignore all the rest of the offices that effect me and then complain about all the candidates in the general.”
We can’t vote extra hard to make up for the people who don’t vote at all. We have to try and get them to vote.
Instead of joining the defeatists (whatever percentage of the the 1/3 of eligible voters who don’t vote because “my vote doesn’t matter”), why not try and get them to vote. For the folks who don’t vote because they don’t like any of the candidates, just start turning in an empty ballot. Higher turnout leads to more representative government. Imagine if we suddenly had >90% turnout and 20% of the voters cast a ballot saying “all the candidates suck.” That would reported on so heavily there’s no way campaign strategies won’t change the next election cycle. More diverse candidates will run because “look at how many active voters want something different!” We’ve never tried that before and we can do it with literally no electoral reform needing to be passed.
Wow I hadn’t thought of that! Nobody’s ever suggested that to me and I definitely never canvassed a neighborhood, especially when I’d go with my parents as a kid over 30 years ago!
Not being defeatist didn’t stop us from getting here.
When exactly was this? I have heard “oh, I like [candidate/policy] but there’s no way they can win/it can get passed, we need to be realistic” so many times from so many elected officials and media figures with big platforms I wouldn’t even know where to begin listing examples
“Here’s how Bernie can still win”
“Guys we just need to vote for Nader!”
It’s never going to happen. Most of the country won’t vote for it, and the backlash will be huge.
We’re doomed.
Bernie didn’t win the nomination, but he inspired a new generation of Democratic Socialists to run and a lot of them won. I know it’s oversimplified … but they just need to run and we need to turn up and vote. It has to start with smaller, local districts. And those are the races who are hurt the most by this defeatism that we can’t win the presidency on this ticket today, so I may as well not vote at all.
I’ve been turning up to vote.
It isn’t working.
Awesome! If you can, next time bring someone who never has before.
As regular voters, you and I aren’t what I’m encouraging needs to change. We still have pitiful turnout, particularly in the primaries.
https://statesunited.org/resources/voter-turnout-since-2000/
Not one state reached 40% turnout in the 2024 primaries. Some states had better primary turnout in 2022! With all the state and federal Representatives and 1/3 of Senators, so many people said “the Democratic party won’t hold a real primary for President so I’m going to ignore all the rest of the offices that effect me and then complain about all the candidates in the general.”
We can’t vote extra hard to make up for the people who don’t vote at all. We have to try and get them to vote.
Like I haven’t been trying to get other people to vote, too.
And writing my legislators.
And signing petitions.
And showing up at protests.
And it’s still not working.
All I’m saying is giving up and doing nothing has less chance of working.
Both won’t work.
One wastes less of my time.
Instead of joining the defeatists (whatever percentage of the the 1/3 of eligible voters who don’t vote because “my vote doesn’t matter”), why not try and get them to vote. For the folks who don’t vote because they don’t like any of the candidates, just start turning in an empty ballot. Higher turnout leads to more representative government. Imagine if we suddenly had >90% turnout and 20% of the voters cast a ballot saying “all the candidates suck.” That would reported on so heavily there’s no way campaign strategies won’t change the next election cycle. More diverse candidates will run because “look at how many active voters want something different!” We’ve never tried that before and we can do it with literally no electoral reform needing to be passed.
Wow I hadn’t thought of that! Nobody’s ever suggested that to me and I definitely never canvassed a neighborhood, especially when I’d go with my parents as a kid over 30 years ago!
/s