Why Leftists Should Vote - FIXED LINK

It's the abstainers that cause the problem: In the UK, even after 14 years of being ground into the dirt for 14 years only 60% turned out to vote.

Paul Jacques

Good luck America :-)

Paul Jacques

I voted early for Harris. It wasn't so much voting for the lesser of two evils as it was avoiding fascism. Also, I recently watched Michael Moore's documentary about the 2016 election during which 100 million eligible voters abstained. If even a fraction of them had held their nose and voted against Trump, things would have gone differently. Bowing out solves nothing and makes things even worse.

Cynthia McGarvie

Also Canadian, I think moving to a ranked choice ballot rather than first past the post would help enormously. It helps break up the two party system (and effective two party system we have up here) by encouraging more options and while you don't necessarily get your first choice, the odds are lower of you getting someone you hate as your representative. I listened to an interview of someone in Ireland years ago who'd won her election because she was less polarizing than the top 2 or 3 candidates. She was the one the most people thought was OK. Pity we don't have that as Canada is cruising to have a man who praised Jordan Peterson as our next prime minster :(

Eric Mason

Appreciate it. Very thoughtful and sensitive takes. Thanks for your work 🥰 I think it would have been good to hear your thoughts about 3rd parties, as well. Especially for the people not voting in a swing state: i am not entirely sure, but i think once 3rd parties get over a certain threshold nationally (5m votes, i think), they are entitled to more public funding and might get automatic ballot access for the next election... and that might be useful for pushing more progressive and inclusive policits long term... Anyway, no idea how viable this would be. I am not american

enter_krzysz

Thank you for sharing this article and for supporting Palestinian perspectives.

Eathion

Another amazing and thoughtful perspective, thank you so much! Here is my bottom line: I will have more resources to support Palestinians if Kamala is elected. Those resources would be redirected or divided among the many other marginalized groups Trump seeks to harm if he is elected. My best opportunity to help Palestine lies in my vote for Kamala, though I understand why some will not see it that way. I have voted in more elections than I care to count. There has never been an ideal candidate, and all the civil rights progress we've made in the last 50 years has been painfully slow, but hard won through staunch advocacy and most often gritting our teeth and voting for the woefully inadequate incremental improvement gained by electing the least damaging candidate. The system sucks, but I haven't seen a circumstance where choosing not to engage actually improved it. Perhaps that is a life experience I still have a chance to encounter. In the meantime, I have also asked others to help me help those who are more marginalized and less safe than ourselves by electing Kamala. Thanks, again, for taking the time to make this and for posting the corrected link. I was so excited to hear your perspective when the notification first came through. Stay amazing!

Eathion

We still have to put pressure on Kamala, especially on the topic of Palestine. She 100% is not listening. That being said, we can't do that if Trump is forcing 10s of millions of people out of the country, that would get so ugly, that would be historic levels of ugly, big tech, large scale, opps trained to go after dangerous enemies dealing with citizens. It's an obvious choice. But we have to put pressure on Kamala just the same, Palestinian's matter just as much as the rest of us.

CookingWithSilence

This whole video is really well done and, imo, extremely necessary and valuable. Also, the line "there are plenty of nazis, terfs, facists, cops... but I repeat myself" is great and I love it

Ariella

A Harris victory would make neo liberalism unnecessary to win elections, without a Republican party to compete with. Democrats could fully support LGBT and BIPOC people without being called "woke" anymore!

Darla Lathan

Well, we know she won't do Project 2025, LoL 😂!😎😅

Darla Lathan

However, Kamala's election is a potential game-changer. Trump's defeat would either split, disband, or rehabilitate the GOP into RINOs. Without this Cold War rivalry, the Democrats could be as progressive as we demand for our votes. Kamala could become a stronger trans ally, if she wants us to reelect her. Running unopposed in 2028, she would have nothing to lose by legalizing the drugs she prosecuted dealers and substance abusers for. She could crack down on police brutality, without fear of looking "soft on crime." We could pressure her to arrange peace negotiations between Iran and Israel as a condition for military protection. Pragmatically, voting is safer than revolution and cheaper than leaving the country as expatriates.

Darla Lathan

I just voted for Kamala last week, for the practical reason that Trump threatened all our human rights and world peace, regardless of our government's structural oppression. Democrats are more moderate right wing, due to Cold War McCarthyism, to compete with Republicans. Obama's presidency has probably improved BIPOC social status with increased civil rights laws and enforcement with ethnic cops, judges, and politicians. Oppression requires oppressive people to do it. I prefer terms such as discrimination, hate speech, and hate crimes by hostile people to privilege, which unfairly accuses allies of unfair advantages that they inherited from innocent ancestors or were favored by managers.

Darla Lathan

I already voted. I don’t want to live in a world where my cartoon is rejected because it’s “woke” I.E not like Dan Schindler teen sitcoms

Jesse gartung

Donald Trump has promised a genocide of 20 million BIPOC on American soil, that is enough for me to vote against him and his fellow travelers.

Joanna M. Rives

Rover

As a Canadian, this will be interesting. I wish we could squash this idea of catering to the centre & embracing neoliberalism though (which is what the Dems are doing big time). EDIT: Made a mistake.

Cody Smith