Asklemmy

My state has open elections. In the primary, I'm voting for the least bad republican candidate. In the general, I'm voting democratic, which unfortunately probably means Biden but at least not trump.

You can have a choice, where one outcome is significantly better than the other. It's that simple.

I'm personally going to vote pekka haavisto and be done with it.

I just need to go viral on some platform as 'the people's choice' president who will put most major national decisions that aren't classified up to polls on said social media platform. It's the perfect solution to rake in those who don't want to vote for 80 something geriatrics. I have about a year to implant myself into the world of politics.

I also considered legally changing my name to 'No Vote' for a bit.

My approach is the same as it's been since 1996: FUCK THE REPUBLICANS.

I don't need to follow the news. I don't need to pay attention to dumbfuck liberals or self-styled progressives online. I know the score, and I know what to do. "Vote blue no matter who?" Fuck you, you self-righteous, terminally online shitfountain; I've been doing that since I turned 18.

Why? Because GOP = KKK, and has been since the fucking Nixon administration. The Republicans are terminally infested with fundies, fascists, and white supremacists, and has been since Lee Atwater came up with the Southern Strategy.

Unfortunately, this means voting Democrat or for myself as a write-in (when the only candidate for a given office is a Republican). Why do I call this unfortunate? The Democrats are a neoliberal party. They might allow progressives to run in primaries, but its corporate-friendly neoliberals who make it to the general election. That means having to vote for capital-friendly stooges like Hillary Clinton and Joe Biden. Unfortunately, voting third-party or not voting at all helps Republicans more than it harms Democrats, so I've got to hold my nose and vote for neoliberals to keep neo-Nazis from winning elections.

However, I'm not holding out much hope for Dems in 2024. All Biden had going for him in 2020 was that he isn't Trump. That's not going to cut it in 2024. Not after four years of everything going up but our wages.

Frankly, I'd rather just kill 'em all and let the carrion-eaters sort 'em out. Fuck democracy; we barely even have a republic. What we have is an empire governed by an oligarchy that has generally managed to swap out figurehead emperors every 4-8 years without a lot of bloodshed.

Find the best candidates running by doing exhaustive research, then, if they meet a minimum standard, vote for them. If no candidate in a given race meets the minimum, abstain on that race. I'll vote in the Democratic Party primary even though I'm not a Democrat just because that's the de facto election for most offices here in Chicago.

I know in advance that most of the candidates I support in the primary won't be in the general and most of the candidates I vote for in the general won't win, and most of the candidates who I most want to keep out of office (because they're corrupt) are running unopposed (because they're corrupt). I know this but I'm still going to vote anyway, and encourage everyone else to vote as well, because that's the only hope we have for improvement.

Same as every election the last decade. (Before I got married I never voted in the primary out of principle, but my spouse convinced me that was silly.)

The last time I was actually idealistic about an election was 2004. 2004 showed me the harsh realities of contemporary politics all too clearly.

Thinking about buying a gun and starting training so I'm not behind when the shit inevitably hits the fan.

/s ... Mostly

"Vote early, and often."

I am still hoping (sure it won't happen) but the GOP pick someone else so Trump runs as a independent.

Super fucked both ways

Turn on, tune in, drop out.

I like Ike.