this post was submitted on 10 Nov 2023
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I am so so divided on if I should vote for biden or not. I wanna vote third party to at least do something or should I just stay home and protest and advocate where I can? Thoughts?

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[–] Five 7 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

the main point is that electing Biden (or whatever Democrat it may be if he doesn’t run for some reason) will prevent the authoritarian regime from taking power.

No, it will delay a worse authoritarian regime from taking power. Voting kicks the can down the road, and should not be viewed as a strategy for the basis of political change.

Political power under any system of government comes from actual power, being it social influence, martial capability, economic domination, or labor power. Using energy to promote the theatre of power over building real power is a long-term losing strategy. Corporate news spends so much time covering political debates between politicians and ignores labor struggles, street protests, and activist movements for a reason.

I support activism expanding the right to vote (to incarcerated people for example), and I support people voting for progressive politicians - it is a form of harm reduction, and I am not an accelerationist. But if we don't use the time and energy we have to build the alternative, everyone loses by buying into the premise of electoral politics.

It's a game rigged from the start to favor white land-owning men, and has only marginally been softened. For example, your vote for the United States' executive officer counts less than the demographically republican voters in red states due to shenanigans like the electoral college. A brick in the right place has a lot more political impact than a ballot in the hands of an antifascist.