#he's the better option and their only talking point is that he's not trump

[fromtheseventhhell]

"But what's going to happen if Trump gets into office???" He's gonna do the exact same things that Biden is currently doing and spineless liberals who have been defending him like they're getting paid for it are only going to have an issue cause it's the "bad" party doing it

[bxlladxnnabxtch]

Wiped Off the Map

Rhysand x Reader

❀​🇲​​🇦​​🇸​​🇹​​🇪​​🇷​​🇱​​🇮​​🇸​​🇹​❀

Summary: You walk in on Rhysand and Morrigan talking about bringing a certain Cursebreaker back to the Night Court. When the destruction of your home started off in a similar situation - how far will you go to convince Rhysand it's a bad idea?

Read pt. 2 to Wiped Off the Map - HERE

Warnings: Profanity, angst.

“She’s not coming back to our court.” You said, your tone biting through any excuse Rhysand threw your way. “Her presence on Night Court soil will start a war.” You tapped your finger on the table to emphasize your point, your eyes narrowing as you saw Rhys’ harden in determination.

“She needs help.” He reasoned, your lips pursed, a pulse of frustration running through you. “She can get it somewhere else, she’s Cursebreaker, she has everyone falling at her feet.” You spat, feeling a spark of anger begin to roil through you. You took a deep, shuddering breath that had Cassian sending you a pointed look.

You had just come back from training, your chest heaving as you greedily sucked down mouthfuls of air, eager to soothe the burning in your lungs. You could still feel the sweat slide down your back, grimacing at the feeling as you brushed away a sweat soaked strand of hair from your vision.

Your eyes locked on Rhys and Morrigan talking about the girl in question, and a pang of fear had struck you so deep you felt your magic force the mountain to shudder beneath you. The event sending the pairs eyes shooting in your direction. They both knew your past, the destruction the same action they were debating right now had reaped on your family’s camp. But their concern for the girl seemed to trump their consideration for your past and by proxy, their entire fucking court.

“A war is going to happen either way.” Morrigan offered, her maroon dress shifting as she turned in her chair to regard you. Your eyebrows furrowed, your mouth coming to hang open as you looked at her incredulously. “So you decide to burn bridges now- are you two fucking with me right now? Do you even realize what this will do to our relations with the Spring Court? Not to mention- the entirety of fucking Prythian.” You waved your hands across the room, as if you could encompass the entirety of the continent in a single sweep. A bitter laugh escaped you, your body in complete disbelief that they were even considering this for a moment.

“She has abilities from every court, that may be worth sacrificing relations with Spring- they’re already strained enough as it is. She is more of an asset than anything.” Rhysand said, sending a look at Cassian. You had no doubt the two were talking amongst themselves, and it only sent more anger coursing through you.

Another tremble shook the mountain which had Rhys looking at you in warning. Morrigan looked between you two, her lips pursed. “You mean powers she doesn’t even know she has? Where are you going to put this girl? Are you going to keep leaving us here to clean up your messes while you go play house at Hewn City?” Morrigan bristled at the mention of the Court of Nightmares, her figure going tense. You noted Cassian steping closer to you two, ready to save the mountain from being destroyed should you start a brawl. You felt a slam against your mental shields so hard you physically recoiled, staggering a step. “Stay the fuck out of my head.” You growled, Morrigan looked at her cousin in shock, surprised at the fact he’d actually try to get past your mental shields. Your anger simmered into a rage, your expression twisting. “You better not think you’re bringing her anywhere near Velaris. You keep dropping everything for this girl as if she’s part of your duties or some shit. It’s a bargain Rhys- one that’s optional on your part. I’m beginning to think you prefer playing dad then spending time with your family- that in case you have forgotten- you’ve left here for half a century.”

Cassian sucked in a breath. Morrigan looked like you had just slapped her. Rhys’ eyebrows rose, but he stared at you silently. Your breaths and the soft ticking of the clock were the only sounds heard as you stared at him, your eyes conveying just how abandoned you’d felt since Under the Mountain.

Nobody dared to speak, nobody moved as you looked between them. You seemed to sag as you realized he wasn’t going to cave. You bit your lip, your head falling as you shook your head. You looked back up, seeing Cassian eyeing you in sympathy, and you felt your eyes begin to sting as your jaw clenched.

“Y’know what Rhysand? You may act like you know what you’re doing, but ever since we came back from Under the Mountain, your priorities have been severely out of line.” Your heart chipped a little bit as your memories flashed back to that dark, agonizing place. Your wings folded tightly to you, the action purely muscle memory from having to keep them tucked in to fit through the passageways.

A scowl grew on your face, and you sent Cassian and Morrigan a glance before turning toward the stairs. “Let me know when you get them back in order.” You said coldly. You didn’t look back at the trio as you came to the landing and took them two at a time. You thought about how Cassian hadn’t spoken the whole exchange, and another flood of anger rushed through you at his inability to back you up. You passed Azriel on the way up and ignored the way his shadows seemed to reach out to you, as if in comfort. You didn’t allow yourself to look up at him either, you knew his face would be blank and you didn’t think you could take more indifference.

You wanted nothing to do with anyone until they realized what this meant for Prythian. One stupid girl, and they were ready to go to war for her at the drop of a hat. Your scowl only grew as you made your way up to the roof, and didn’t think twice before you sent yourself soaring off it.

You knew this was partially immature, you knew they would send themselves into a frenzy when they found your room empty the next morning, though you couldn’t find it in yourself to care as you thought about how this one decision would bring the Night Court to its knees.

You would disappear. Until Rhys saw reason, and until the rest of them stopped following him so blindly. Just like Under the Mountain, you weren’t going to allow Rhys to make decisions for you. And just like after that tiny village on the border of the Winter Court was wiped from the map, you were alone.

[solarbird]

“Are we willing to fight for it?” Crowd: “YES!” “And when we fight?” Crowd: “WE WIN!” — Kamala Harris to campaign staff, 22 July 2024

That’s right, the “if we fight we win” isn’t from me this time. It’s from Kamala Harris, and I am kind of in shock.

One of the things I most feared about the “replace Biden” movement was the donor class yanking the party right again and hand-picking an all old white dudes ticket and absolutely tanking every chance we had of winning this election and stopping Trumpism for good.

Politically active Black people I know personally were expecting that to happen, because that kind of shit has happened so many times. And when political Black people talk about this shit in the Democratic party, you better listen, because their history on this stuff is solid.

I mean, that’s not the only reason I feared it, I have plenty of my own experience watching this same shit go down. But it’s a big one.

That – and all the many money and organisational problems I have described which would result – was about the biggest problem I had with replacing Biden. Particularly once it was clear the money people were moving on it so hard. I was so sure they’d do again what they’ve always done, slide the top of the ticket back to the “right,” repudiating so much economic and climate good the Biden administration has done, trying to haul us back to Clintinesque neoliberalism which would fail more spectacularly than ever before.

That’s also why I was an instant loud and dare I say it strident pivot to Harris when Biden actually did drop out – it was all to stop that money move from happening. That’s why I was out Sunday as loud and long as I could be, shouting, “WHITE PEOPLE, GET HER THE NOMINATION. FUCKING DO IT” while various usual clowns and dilettantes wibbled on demanding an ‘open convention’ and nattering about a ‘flash primary’ and going off about ‘not voting for a cop’ and the wretched spectre of Joe Manchin dipped a skeletal toe into the race.

None of that was an option. It’s still not an option. It had to be her; it has to be her.

And that speech I’m quoting shows why.

I’m still stunned. I never expected to hear a presidential candidate echoing my own words back at me.

I mean, Biden understands exactly what we’re dealing with – fash propaganda aside, he really is still all there, and his words show it. But he’s not able to frame it that way, it’s just not who he is. To see a candidate frame it like this… exactly like this… that’s something new. And I did not expect it.

I am so rarely truly surprised in politics. It has been a while since I have been surprised at all.

This has surprised me.

Another political writer I follow described her as the first Generation X candidate, and maybe that’s why. Technically she’s like two months too early for GenX, she’s in that transition zone, but y’know what? If she wants to grab that label I am fine with that, because those are some words from someone who fucking gets it. From someone who has figured it the fuck out.

Go watch her speech, particularly, oh… the “I know Donald Trump’s type” section starts around 19 minutes in, but the part after that, that’s where it really starts to matter, at 21:45. Here, I timestamped for you, hopefully it’ll work where you’re reading this and if not, just skip ahead:

I’ve been saying – this is the turning point year. The peak year of a fascist movement weakened but not destroyed by self-inflicted wounds of COVID, the last year of the backstop, the year after which we can start to win.

But still I expected that this year that we’d still have to fight under the old rules, playing the old games of the Baby Boom, even if I knew that one final year of holding would shatter it all, and let us make and play by new rules in ’26 and ’28.

Hence, one more year of the bulwark, one more year of the hold.

Until two days ago, on Sunday, July 21st, 2024, that was exactly how it was playing out.

Then a political miracle happened. Biden left the race and the donor class didn’t get their push to the right, and some of them apparently didn’t even want it because they dropped money again the moment Harris announced her campaign.

I guess maybe those rich bastards finally learned a thing or two about not throwing elections.

And that means…

…maybe we don’t have to wait ’til ’26 and ’28.

Maybe it’s not one last hold after all, before the spring.

Maybe the rules can change now.

Maybe Millennials and Zoomers are going to seize the moment this year.

If they do – if you do, if you go in, if you mean it, if you don’t waver and trip yourself up in details and personality and propaganda and purity tests and and and all of it…

…then…

…this year won’t just be a hold.

This year will be the fucking landslide we have needed for eight years now to wipe Trumpism and its like off the map for a century.

Wanna make that happen?

France and England have shown us the way, and christ, I want to make that happen.

How about you? You up for it? You ready to do the work?

Let’s go, then. Everybody.

All in.

104 days remain.

[geodetojoy]

Hate to be political on main but the way my parents talk about their political views is so funny (/neg) to me.

Like out of nowhere my mom will be like “yeah Biden and Kamala are horrible candidates but I don’t actually know anything about them I haven’t done research” like???? Huh???? How does that make any sense???

She says she’s voting for trump because he’s the only one she knows anything about and apparently that’s everyone else’s problem for not telling her when she actively chooses to watch and read news aimed towards republicans and I’ve tried to explain to her why the concept of trump being president really terrifies me but she goes around being all “woe is me I haven’t been fed information so clearly there’s nothing important for me to know” and I just get so incredibly angry at her blatant intentional ignorance every time and she thinks I’m the bad guy for it and yells at me because obviously I’m the younger one I couldn’t possibly know better

This turned into a bit of a vent post lmaooo my b but the point is educate yourself!!! Don’t rely on other people to do it for you because a, their views could be and are likely biased, and b that’s not their fucking job so just please for the safety of you and everyone you love do your research before mindlessly clicking an option on voting day.

[newdog14]

I want to talk to everyone who's still saying "I know Biden is bad, but Trump is worse, so just vote Blue."

I know that American Politics sucks right now. Everyone is a bad option and every year our options get worse. I get it, and it sucks, but here's the thing: If we keep saying "Vote Blue no matter what!" then the Democratic party is never going to get better. In fact, it'll probably get worse, because if ignoring the voices of their voter base doesn't lose them votes, then why bother listening?

If you want things to get better, if you want politicians that you can vote for without feeling like you've betrayed your ethics, then we need to show that we WILL stop voting for people who we don't agree with. We need to show that the American people have heard Biden's Administration say "There are no red lines for Israel" and we do not agree.

Politicians only care about us for our votes. If supporting genocides demonstrably loses votes, then politicians will take note and change their policies in accordance. But if we vote Biden no matter what, if we vote Blue no matter what, then they aren't going to listen to us when we call and protest and scream.

Now, some of you may be thinking, what about Trump?

There is a chance he won't be able to run after all; he's currently in a legal shit storm that got his ability to do business in New York revoked. And with many of his co-defendants and associates pleading guilty things aren't looking good for him. Even if he can dodge the numerous felony fraud charges he's been hit with, this is going to be an expensive, embarrassing, dragged out process that will severely limit his time and funds for campaigning.

That doesn't mean he won't find his way onto the ballot anyway, but he hasn't won the Republican nomination yet. Even if he does though, sticking by Biden doesn't mean you're putting someone better in the White House. Given the ever climbing death toll that Biden is not just ignoring but enabling, it’s getting increasingly difficult, at least for me, to believe that Trump is actually worse. They’re both bad, and they’re both hurting people, so instead let’s look at why so many are clinging to the democratic party, even in the face of a genocide.

I know the biggest reason so many folks are hesitating to cut support for Biden is that they're worried about what that means for those of us in the United States.

Who will stop the anti-trans bathroom bills that keep popping up? Who will keep abortion bans off the books? Who will prevent censorship in schools?

Well, in point of fact, not your president!

Think about it. Did Biden being president put a stop to Florida's "don't say gay" bill? No. He had zero impact there.

Is he what stands between Virginia and the Abortion Ban currently being proposed for the state? Also no. He's not involved at all.

Has Biden stopped the bans on Drag Shows so many states are trying to implement? No, the Federal Courts have been doing that, including judges who were appointed by Trump.

See, the President of the United States is all about the big picture. Their opinions matter, and they can set a tone for their party, but they don’t control everything. Their impacts on the governing of states come from the people they appoint, like judges, but even then, most people will still do their jobs over pleasing the person who got them that job. Especially so because federal judges are actually really difficult to remove, and that only really happens if they’re so bad at following the rules that congress gets rid of them.

I’m not sure if Biden can’t stop states from making laws or if he just wouldn’t, but either way he’s not protecting us. 

The President honestly can’t do a hell of a lot to the American people, especially not in just four years. That’s why we survived Trump’s first presidency, and it’s why we as a whole would survive it if he got a second term.

The place where a President’s influence is immediately and drastically felt, however, is in the international sphere. The American people are protected, the citizens of the world are not, and with that fun little “well we’re not declaring war” workaround, the President, aka the Commander in Chief of the US Military, can do a hell of a lot of damage.

The people of Palestine may not survive another four years of Biden’s presidency. If things carry on like they are, they may not survive the remaining one year of his term.

So we the American people need to show that we will not stand by a president that endorses genocide. We need to show that we will not stand by a party that endorses genocide. We need to start talking, and loudly, about how we will not be voting for Biden next year. We need it to be clear that it is specifically his foreign policy that has lost his support, and that we will not be willing to just switch him out for a newer model who reminds me of no one so much as a modern day Aaron Burr.

There are a lot of things that we can do to express our displeasure for Biden, and for Israel, and there are a lot of people who can help you call for change, plan boycotts, organize marches, and determine where to aim direct action to have the greatest impact. But all of that needs to be done while putting our votes where our voices are, or else all of that rage will burn out and nothing will really change, just like it has in the Black Lives Matter movement.

In this case, as we do not currently have a better option, the place to put our presidential votes is with no one.

It’s not an ideal solution, I know. After all the years we’ve spent saying, “Vote! Vote no matter what! Vote or else you can’t complain about what happens!”, not voting feels like one of the most counterproductive moves to make. The reason we have to do it though, is because voting in the same sort of people and hoping they’ll make things better isn’t working, and we’re never going to get new options if we keep supporting the old ones. Cutting support for Biden, for Democrats on the national level, without a viable alternative isn't an easy choice to make. It's scary and I admit that it's kind of a gamble. No one has ever tried it before, not the way I'm hoping you all will.

Have you ever heard the phrase, “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it?” It’s time for us to break. No more unconditional blue votes. 

We have to force the Democratic party to recognize that their voting base will not just mindlessly support them, and that the candidates they put forth will be expected to hold up a certain moral standard. Our democracy is skewed to favor the opinions of corporations and the mega rich, but politicians do still need the masses to vote them into office, just like companies need us to buy things so that they can make money in the first place, and voting margins are tight enough that just like in the Speaker of the House vote, it won’t actually take that many of us to throw a wrench in the party’s bottom line.

We might not be able to win, but we can make sure that they lose until they shape up and start making meaningful changes.

And you may be thinking, won’t that just leave us in the hands of Republicans?

I want you to scroll back up. Look at all the bills I brought up that Biden didn’t stop. We are already in Republican hands, and the majority of Democrats are not willing to actually stand up to them.

That said, not voting across the board isn’t what I’m asking you to do. 

Our choices for President may be shot to hell, but there will be other people on that ballot in 2024. Local people, who will very directly affect your hometown and not much outside of it. Vote for your local sheriff, for your school board members, for your mayor and your state delegates. 

These are the people who control whether or not your senator can pass a drag show ban. These are the people who enable or block bills that hurt LGBTQ+ students. These are the folks who vote on whether or not to pass abortion bans. And in local elections? Your vote really, truly counts in a way that it just can’t on a national level.

And it’s not just people who wind up on your ballots. Local initiatives for conservation, funding for infrastructure, redistricting drives, and changes to your state’s constitution appear on your ballots too, and those are things that you’re going to want to have a say in.

There’s more to this mess than just voting or not voting, of course. There is always going to be more than one step we have to take to force change. That's why we cannot and do not vote inside a vacuum. We still have to make calls, and go to protests, and put our money where our morals are. Change isn't easy, and when you're fighting a decades old machine it's not quick either. But the longer we drag our feet about pushing back, the longer we keep betting on the lesser evil to change, the worse our options will get.

It might feel hopeless right now. Like our voices don't matter, and that we're screaming our lungs out alone. We can't give up though. We can't give into despair, and we can’t let up the pressure before new voices step forward, even if it takes time, and even if it takes more effort then checking a box or sharing a post.

One step will never be enough on its own, but every step we take adds up, and when we take those steps together we magnify our voices into something that cannot be ignored.

This is how we force our politicians to change: consequences and losses. If we start up early enough we might even get better options who could actually win the presidency, but we can't balk if we don't.

I know you might be scared to lose this election. As I write this, it feels counterintuitive, and it's something I never could have imagined saying years ago. But we can't change our political options unless we force politicians to change, and that only happens if they can't get elected as they are.

So don't elect them, and make sure they know that you're doing it on purpose and for a reason.

[jade413]

fuck it im making this post

guys you (usamericans non usamericans feel free to disregard/spread at your discretion ig) cant be voting biden i swear to god

Like it or not, your vote matters. This means that your vote can be used to sway the election. Now, of the two main choices, you've got Biden, a senile old man who has, during his presidency, been: ineffective and inactionable in regards to the changes that people have actually been pushing: He's done jack shit to codify Roe v. Wade, instead making it one of his new campaign promises (I wonder why, we'll get back to that), he's done nothing for marginalized groups within America, he's allowed Covid to perspire, and he's been actively fucking over the people in Palestine. During his presidency harmful bills like KOSA, various anti-mask bills, drag bans, etc., have all been gallivanting around because Biden will not do anything about it (or do anything about the other issues also partying as if America might as well be the playground for fucked up shit), even though it would be well within his power. Now, this isn't to say Biden hasn't been exercising his power. He has, to send weapons and ammunition over to Israel, actively perpetuating the genocidal onslaught of the Palestinian people.

Now, (and for obvious reasons), none of this is to say Trump would be any better. Trump would be a lot more active in doing things than Biden. He would be active in making it all worse. If you had to rank Biden and Trump, Biden would be marginally better.

Maybe, in some incredibly simplified universe where nothing else is taken into account, this image holds up.

But that's an incredibly simplified universe where nothing else is taken into account.

Here's the thing, which it appears a significant majority of you have seemed to just. Forgotten. Third parties exist!

I'm specifically talking about Cornel West (part of the Justice for All Party). For those of you wondering why he's relevant at all (ok so obligatory tangent biden and trump would not be people you cared about were they not running for president (except those diehard home alone 2 fans i guess)) and what history he has to back himself up, he's the guy who wrote Race Matters, a really fucking good analysis on racism and the plethora of intertwined issues within the US, and a lot more. It's a really good read, and if you haven't read it yet I would suggest you read or listen to it or what have you. Race Matters also happens to actively support Palestine, and also, you know, a lot of other marginalized groups. Ultimately, Cornel West is a really fucking great guy (most based politician I've seen so far) and you should look into him on your own time.

He's most certainly a better choice than either Biden or Trump.

At this point in this vaguely length piece of text, your discontentment may have grown. Cornel West is a third party, and this makes him unlikely to get voted into office. And yet, your vote counts.

You can vote Cornel West into office. It's genuinely so absurd that so many people have just sort of. Forgotten how democracy works?????? If you want someone like this man in office, you vote for this man! Democratic voters have been playing damage prevention for much too long, and under this damage prevention election system (and also yall not giving a shit about the primary elections, stop doing that) rights movements and the power they hold has been ever stagnating. It should be time for y'all to get off of your asses and vote for someone who will make change! I am begging you to stop being complacent with the system! Get a third party in there!

The Justice for All Party has the potential to make change happen. Help it fulfill that potential.

Biden will only get into office if people vote for him. Trump will only get into office if people vote for him. West will only get into office if people vote for him. So spread the word! Tell other people that there are other options, and tell other people that they can make change!

go fucking crash the trolley into the ground and go untie the people istg yall have the power to cause change

i am so fucking tired of this shit man do something for once

[tgrailwar-zero]

(To Other Masters)

Decision time.

The two options currently before us are "Act Now" or "Wait". Let's see if we can develop these options and create a nuanced plan from them.

If we Act Now we can possibly prevent plans that Charlemagne has in motion and catch him at a vulnerable moment when his guard is the lightest. We would also be allowing for the plans to deal with the Moon to proceed smoother and quicker. Delaying dealing with him could also mean delaying dealing with the Moon and whatever dangers come from that. The risk is that we'd be stepping into something way beyond what we can deal with currently and getting ourselves killed or severely injured. Also possibly fucking up a plan that the Lair Servants might be initiating.

If we Wait we gain the time to gather more information and build up counter measures. There's still 4 more rounds to go, and if we know he's waiting until it's over, that gives us several days to prepare (we'll want to check the exact time frame the bout will take from this point). It also gives the Lair Servants time to plan and act if they are going to do so. We already made the Keeper and Sigurd aware of possible danger. Waiting could allow us to assist their plan instead of leading our own. But the risk with delaying is that whatever he's building up could be more dangerous than what we can deal with. He'll also have time to gather even more allies and create a more powerful force to take over the Solar Cell. His strength could easily grow exponentially past anyone's ability to deal with. If he has a trump card being built, then we could be playing ourselves by waiting. And that's assuming he waits until the end of the Bout and doesn't act at one of the earlier rounds to catch everyone off guard.

So, what tools and paths are available to us? Some thoughts that occur to me are:

Working with the various Lair Servants

Restoring the General

Recruiting Rogue Servants as allies

Turning his allies to the side of the Solar Cell

Finding out his actual military strength

Discovering (and diffusing) any trump cards he has

Talking to Charlemagne (or his knights) and reaching some agreement

Taking out his knights during the Bout period

Build our own secret weapon

T-Summoning

6 Servants of varied skills

Depending on how much time we have, we don't necessarily need to act today, but could instead work on some of these projects. We can also split out Servants into teams. We can only empower 3 for combat, but the others are still capable of support roles, even if it's only advising or helping to relay messages through the link. I don't think there's a perfect compromise, every solution is going to make someone feel uncomfortable but I do think everyone trusts us, and each other, enough that if we act with thought and intention, regardless of how fast we move, then they'll follow.

Personally, I think we should act sooner rather than later, but I'm not sure we're quite ready for that yet either. A day or two of prep to gather ourselves, pretend like we're going along with the program of waiting until the Bout is over, then we strike.

Let me know what else is available to use and what everyone thinks of each option. There's no way we can act on everything here, but if we can divide up tasks that might also make people feel better. Or at least give us some contingencies in case of failure or danger.

_

[euniexenoblade]

You don't have to answer, but what would you do related to the US election? I'm young (not a minor), trans, disabled, mentally ill (scarily close to being controlled under a conservatorship) and everyone in power just wants to use me. It feels like the only thing I have the options I have are to let republicans take everything from me, let democrats do next to nothing to save me as things get worse, or just kill myself. I don't know shit and I just want to grow up and help people but I don't know what to do anymore. I don't know if it is better at this point to just vote for biden just so I don't have to fear abuse from trump voters as they all talk about doing whatever when he gets re-elected. I don't know if I should vote third-party, or do neither. What do you think? Am I just not made for this world? Sorry for asking.

I don't think anyone is "not made for this world." It's society that wasn't made for us or this world.

Anon, I'm sorry about your situation, I don't have all the answers and I don't know what things are best to do on a more personal level for you. My advice is always, vote third party (I will not shame you for voting Biden, I get it), if you can get out and take part in protests and local anarchist/communist groups. Get involved in your local community, it is ultimately our communities that will look after and help us and not the system made to harm us. Revolution. Im sorry everything seems so bleak, I'm sorry life is beating up on you, but keep your head up and let's get through this together my friend.

[captainjonnitkessler]

haven't people been putting forth cornel west and jill stein from the green party as a third option. making it clear, i'm not talking about how likely it is, because they aren't either of the usual parties known to reign over the us. but the fact that they're considered on the ballot at all means that is also another plan of action, however small the statistics. not on a scale of likelihood or what people consider as 'best', but based on sheer statistical probability, it is there.

on subjective opinion, one can still think 'well, that's unlikely, so there's no point', but because it's an opinion other people will always argue the point. i'm bringing them up simply because i've been seeing a lot of people bringing them up lately as the candidates to bat for, more so than i expected, so i want to see what you think on it.

it's reached my main timeline via multiple people i follow. i follow fandom accounts for the most part, and many usually won't talk politics, so it's interesting to see this unfold. grim given the context, but interesting times is a curse for a reason.

that said, if you read this far, i do want to say you bring a very good point about no one option being perfect. i've even heard criticisms about the third party i mentioned above, however much i hear they're better with policy than others. and when none of the available options are working, those who choose to fight against it anyway so often turn to revolt and revolution, for good or ill. so no matter what, there's going to be an awful consequence of some sort, and choices to a better world too often require stepping on living corpses. it's a hard road.

wishing you well.

I consider the election a binary choice not in that your options are "vote Biden or vote Trump" - because as you say, there are third party options available - but in that your option is "vote Biden (in an attempt to steer the country onto a less destructive path) or do not vote Biden (and let the country do whatever it's gonna do without your input)". "Don't vote Biden" can be accomplished by voting third party or by not voting at all, but the result is the same either way because third party candidates are simply not viable in our current system.

I'm a little jaded about third parties in general because I remember when Gary Johnson ran third party in 2012. Obama being re-elected was a pretty safe bet and Johnson was pushing HARD not for the win, but just to get 5% of the vote, so he would be eligible for federal funding in the next election. It was a pretty big movement, at least in the circles I was in at the time, to try to break down the two-party system and get a toehold for a third party to break onto the scene.

All that energy got him 1% of the vote in 2012, and when he ran again in 2016 against possibly two of the least-liked candidates in recent history he still only managed 3% (while Jill Stein of the Green party got 1%). And maybe they just weren't very good candidates, but there have only ever been about 8 third-party candidates in US history to get more than 10% of the vote, and almost none of those broke 20%. So I'm inclined to think breaking down the two party system is going to have to happen legislatively, rather than being accomplished by voting.

[1eos]

I’m actually so insanely sick watching “democrats” and liberals and late night show hosts talking about Biden like he’s our savior against trump and being made to feel guilty when I say what’s the point in voting, because when it’s Kids in cages everyone is, RIGHTFULLY, enraged but when it’s Palestinian children dying from US provided military arms, when it’s the US vetoing ceasefires, it’s VOTE BLUE NO MATTER WHAT. So attractions are only atrocities if the other side commits them in office? At what point will white liberals realize the old farts they’ve put into office are just conservatives with blue paint???? Sorry I’m just so so upset about all of this and want to scream at my democrat friends who are telling me to vote blue even after all this…

alllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllll of this. its actually very very disturbing. like the average democrat can't actually understand that human rights violations are bad unless a republican is in office when they're enacted? like if trump were president he would be giving aid to isntreal and all the ppl who are acting like biden can't be criticized would be raining down entreaties on trump. its been obvious for the past decade or so but the american two party system is just picking which vernacular you want your fascism to be loaded with. our current foreign policy is even more barbaric than when trump was in office but now its wrapped up in rhetoric that's only quietly racist and zionist. enough so that white ppl who want to feel good abt themselves and believe theyre committed to social justice can blow genuine concerns off as 'fear mongering' or being a 'psyop'. i just saw something the other day where someone asked a biden official what they had to say abt arab american voters and the bitch said some shit abt how isntreal has a right to defend itself??????? and if that isnt deranged and evil enough the vote blue no matter what dipshits will deadass look u in your face and act like blue is the better option. huh???????? the american voting system is the epitome of illusion of choice bc you're getting fascism regardless

[sl-newsie]

Query: Q x 00 Agent- Ch. 21: Courage Trumps Fear

“Hop in!”

The speeding car comes to a halt and I literally jump into the backseat. Up front Nomi pushes the accelerator and I’m pushed into the seat.

“Catch me up. What have you got?” 

“Been chasing a lead Bond sent me. Now I- Hold on.” Nomi holds the buzzing phone up to her ear.

Right now my head is spinning in a hundred directions. The only thing providing any amount of comfort is the chain around my neck. I keep fingering Q’s ring while I wait for Nomi to finish the call.

“Bond, where is she?”

I can’t hear the full conversation but Bond definitely sounds worried. 

“What’d he say?” I ask when she hangs up.

“Dr. Swann’s gone. We need to pick Bond up and get back immediately. Q’s waiting on the plane.”

Plane? Obviously Bond’s request has gone fulfilled but how on Earth is Q on a plane right now? He’s actually outside the lab! Normally I would encourage this but in these circumstances I wish he hadn’t gotten this up close with the mission. Last time Q left the lab I was there to guard him. What’s to stop an enemy plane from shooting him out of the sky? I can’t live with myself if something happens today and he gets hurt… or worse.

“Here he is.” Nomi drives to the side of a field, where Bond is waiting impatiently. “Need a ride?”

He climbs into the passenger seat, looking roughed up and covered with dirt. “Where have you been?” 

“Chasing after your lead.”

“They took Dr. Swann,” Bond tells her. “And her daughter.”

The reminder of the involved child clenches my heart. “I didn’t know she had a daughter.”

Bond whips his head around and sees me pressed into the cushion. “What are you doing here?”

“It’s personal to me when kids are involved. Plus you need all the help you can get. You can’t talk me out of this, Bond.” I speak quickly before he can argue.

He still disapproves but keeps quiet as we speed through the evening traffic. Good driving, Nomi. In only a few minutes we arrive at a discrete airfield where a giant aircraft is waiting. 

“No time to waste. Let’s hurry.” I jump out and follow the other 00s to the plane ramp. When I look up, the sight of Q wearing a pilot’s helmet is both adorable and frightening.

“Bond,” he addresses the older agent.

Bond nods. “Q.”

At least this is better than the last time they met up on a whim. Bond seems to have forgotten his disagreement with our relationship.

“Told you I’d be back soon,” I smile softly and offer a gentle hug. Q however takes this time to examine me for injuries.

“Are you hurt? Did anything happen?”

I grab his hands and make him face me. “Relax. It was just a quick drive to pick up Bond. I’m here, all in one piece.” A smirk makes its way onto my face. “What surprises me is that you’re here. I thought you still hated flying?”

Q calms down a tad and shrugs. “Desperate times call for facing my fears and nearly fainting. I’m surprised I have enough guts to even be on a plane this big.”

“Excuse me?” Bond interrupts in an annoyed tone. “If you could please ignore your gushing feelings for five minutes we’d like to come up with a game plan, if you don’t mind.”

Q and I, both sharing flushed faces, pull apart and step deeper inside the plane. Right. I need to keep professional. Time to be a 00 agent.

“M, we’re ready,” Nomi says to the computer speaker.

“Good. The agenda is short: Confirm the presence of Hercules, kill Obrechev and Saffron, and get Dr. Swann and her daughter off the island.”

It sounds so simple yet hidden behind it is countless options for failure. Beneath M’s calm voice I detect signs of concern.

“Sir, permission for Commander Bond to be redesignated as 007?” Nomi asks. We all give her a look of surprise, to which she just shrugs. “It’s just a number.”

“Very well,” M answers. “Good luck.”

I look around the plane for parachutes. “How do we get down there?”

“This.”

Q points to a vessel hidden under a tarp. I peek under and see- A submarine? You’ve got to be joking. I’ve been fortunate enough to never have had a mission that involves going underwater. Just the thought of a dark, quiet abyss is eerie enough to make me shiver.

Strangling my fear, I turn back to finish checking on my equipment. Bond is also getting a new toy from Q.

“Bond. Your watch.” The Quartermaster reveals a watch similar to what I saw in the lab. “Contains an unlimited radius, electromagnetic pulse.”

Bond studies the new gadget as Q straps it on. “How strong is it?”

“It’s… fairly strong.”

“‘Fairly strong?’” Bond grunts. “What’s that supposed-?”

“I haven’t had the chance to test it. Just be careful. Oh, one more thing.” Q pulls out a set of syringes. “One shot, for your vitals. Bond, would you be up for a shot after work?”

This is genius! If there’s one way to distract Bond it’s to either talk about women or alcohol.

“Well I haven’t had a drink for 3 or 4- ouch! Hours.”

Nomi chuckles and is given her own shot. “Wow. Doesn’t sound like you. Ow!”

When Q turns to give a shot he already knows my answer. “You know I don’t approve of that.”

He nods and sets it down. “You brought the necklace tracker?”

I fish the chain out of my pocket, the blue pendant gleaming in the dim light. “For old times’ sake. Help me put it on?”

Q doesn’t hesitate and gently clasps it around my neck. “It’s dated tech. Still looks lovely on you, though. Is that too tight?”

“Perfect. I always admire how you use your hands, Quartermaster.”

Behind me I hear him sigh and even though I can’t see him I know he’s smirking. “It’s what makes me good at my job. But if you make it back alive I might put them to much better use.”

My own breath catches and I have to keep from spinning around to kiss him. “Careful, Quartermaster. I’m on the clock. We have a planet to save from a global pandemic.”

He pats my shoulder as a platonic gesture to show understanding. “You’ll do brilliant, 0011. Good luck.”

“I’m not looking forward to it. I’m terrified of going underwater.” It’s the first time I’ve admitted the silly fear but Q doesn’t tease me.

“Guess we’re both facing our fears today.” He reaches out and gives my hand a quick squeeze. I look up and see he’s got the same fear in his eyes as I do. “Please come back safely.”

“I always try to, Quartermaster.”

He looks back at where Bond and Nomi are reviewing the blueprints of the island, then quickly pulls me in and whispers: “I love you.”

I blink in surprise. We hardly use the ‘l’ word, considering that each of us are not ones for mushy romantic talk. But we’re both thinking the same thing: this could be goodbye.

“I… love you too.”

Q tilts his head. “Sounds odd, doesn’t it?”

“Not as odd as I thought.”

“Ready, 0011?” Nomi calls from the sub.

I thought I’d be ready. This is going too fast. Out of all the missions I’ve gone through this one’s tripping my senses up the most. Something feels off, like something’s going to go wrong.

“Don’t think too hard.” Q must notice my concern. “You have your earpiece, I’ll be in your ear the whole time. After all this is over it’ll be you and me taking some well-deserved time off. I love you so much. Please be careful.”

I bite my tongue to help silence the aching intuition and sit down in the seat behind Nomi.

“Have you ever flown one of these things before?” Bond asks.

Nomi shakes her head. “Nope.”

I stifle a nervous laugh. “Lovely.”

The hatch closes and the only thing I can see through the glass is Q waving goodbye. I feel a shift forward and all of a sudden we’re pulled backwards out of the plane and plummet through the air. Unlike Q I enjoy this. The feeling of flying is good to let me relax. It lets my mind float away.

“Don’t forget to release the chute,” Q’s voice comes from the earpiece. “Gravity isn’t always your friend.”

Out the window I spot the island. “There it is.”

“Look for a concrete structure on the west side of the island. That’s your best bet for getting in.”

We touch down on the water’s surface and I squeeze my eyes shut as the plane begins to float towards the surface. Deep breath. Thankfully Nomi’s competent driving is quick to drive us over to one of the island’s docking chambers.

“Coming up for air, Q.”

“Good. You should be entering a World War II sub pen. Not much activity but still remain alert.” The pen itself is abandoned and nearly falling apart. Nomi drives the sub to a corner dock and we climb out. After a few more seconds I hear confirmation that Q’s gained access to the database. 

“You’re on the edge of a toxic merry-go-round. The main activity should be towards the hub just above you.”

We ready our weapons and carefully sulk down a dark, half-flooded tunnel. There’s too much echoing to focus on one target. We’d better get through this quickly.

Q’s voice starts to go static. “Bond, there’s something big up ahead. I think- it- ah-” His voice drowns out completely.

Bond checks his earpiece and sighs. “We’ve lost him.”

“These walls must be thick.” Nomi pats the concrete.

We get to the end of the tunnel and get a look into a giant room with water flowing beneath a single catwalk. On the side of the room there’s another structure that appears to be a lab.

“Quickly. Across the catwalk.”

I bring up the rear and we sneak further into the room. Now we see the original design.

“This was a missile silo.”

Down below there are people in hazmat suits. They seem to be prepping something in the water.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Bond shoots the ceiling and the workers scatter like mice. One man in a lab coat rushes out of the lab with a perplexed look. This must be Obruchev. 

“On the ground! Now!” Bond barks.

I guess we’re abandoning the idea of a stealth mission. Nomi gives a quick kick to a very confused Obruchev, who starts whimpering on the floor.

“Down boy,” she taunts.

We watch Obruchev while Bond starts placing explosives around the lab.

“No. No! You can’t blow up my laboratory!” Obruchev whines. “This is suicide mission! You will never leave this island alive.”

That’s what this job is all about.

“Look.” Nomi points to the multiple vials set up at the tables. “He’s mass producing it. It’s a simulation. He’s-”

“He’s going to kill millions,” Bond finishes.

Obruchev gets a crazed look in his eye. “You cannot stop it.”

Nomi rolls her eyes. “He’s really getting on my nerves.”

Bond doesn’t miss a beat. “Shut him up.”

Nomi takes the privilege to butt the gun to Obruchev’s nose. That does the trick.

“We have to destroy this whole facility,” Bond decides and tosses more explosives at me. “Get to work.”

“Mr. Bond, you have something of mine.” Saffron’s voice drones from overhead. “And I have something of yours. Maybe we can talk about it?”

Dr. Swann. Of course he’ll use her as bait. His plan works out because Bond now has the look of murder in his eyes. He reloads his gun and pulls Nomi over.

“If I don’t come back, blow it all to shit.”

“You don’t have enough explosives for that.”

He grins and starts walking across the catwalk. “Yeah but they don’t know that.” He turns back and waves for me to follow. “Cover me.”

I don’t hesitate. “On it, boss.”

“I’m not your-”

“Save me the lecture, Bond. Just go!”

We head through another tunnel and up a dark flight of stairs leading to- Oh my God. 

In front of us sits a dark-haired man with a scarred face and sinister eyes. Saffron. He’s clutching a small child who I assume is Dr. Swann’s daughter. Her innocent face tries to be strong but I can tell she’s scared.

“Welcome. On the floor. Please, sit.”

At Saffron’s request Bond lowers his gun and strips off his vest, which I copy. The whole time I keep eye contact with the girl and try to comfort her.

“It’ll be alright. I promise it’s going to be alright.”

Saffron chuckles. “You must be 0011. Bind her, and plug her ears. She may not listen, but I want her to see when I kill her mentor.” 

Immediately an armed guard comes up and ropes my hands behind my back, as well as stuffing cotton in my ears. He must be joking, right? Bond wouldn’t fall for something like this. And yet… I still see a hint of fear in his eyes as Saffron begins to rant about whatever scheme he’s cooked up. Whatever it is it can’t be good if Heracles is the star of it. As the conversation continues Saffron grips the child closer and Bond holds up a hand to surrender, then kneels down in defeat. Classic bluff. Suddenly Bond pulls out a hidden pistol from his chest pocket and shoots the guards just as Safin and the girl disappear underneath the floor.

“Damn it!” Bond hisses and tries to examine the floor. “Levie, go find Dr. Swann. I’m going to look for them.”

“Yes, sir.”

I grab my weapons belt and strap my vest back on as I make my way down another set of stairs. Surely they’d be keeping Dr. Swann close by as leverage in case things went south. The question is which room is it? Oh!

A quick glance of blonde hair catches my attention towards a door up ahead. I sprint to it and knock gently, hoping not to alarm her. Slowly the door cracks open to reveal Dr. Swann holding a lead pipe, ready to strike. She must have gotten free.

“Dr. Swann! Remember me? I’m a friend of Bond’s.”

Her eyes scan my face for any threat and soften in recognition. “Yes, I remember. What’s going on? Did you find my daughter?”

“Bond’s looking for her. He was just-”

“Her and Saffron dropped down to a lower level,” Bond pants as he jogs up.

“I swear we’ll find her,” I try to assure the worried doctor.

Bond keeps running down the hall and we hurry to catch up. “There has to be a another stairwell-”

“Momma? Momma?”

Is it really…? Sure enough, the little girl pops out from under a table. Clever girl. Dr. Swann rushes over and holds her close. 

“We need to get you two out of here,” Bond says with little emotion, though there’s no denying his look of relief to see the girl safe.

“Ah. Just in time.”

Nomi struts in from another hallway holding her gun in triumph. Dr. Swann seems confused by the large rescue party but relaxes when Nomi puts her gun down.

Bond gestures to the girl. “Nomi, Matilda. Matilda, Nomi.”

Nomi nods in greeting. “Hello.”

Now he points to me. “Matilda, this is Levie.”

I kneel down and offer a hand to the timid child, which she shakes softly. “Hello, Matilda. You’ve been very brave today.”

Sadly the moment does not last long.

“We need to get out of here now,” Bond says to Dr. Swann. “We’ve rigged the lab to explode to destroy Heracles for good. We’ll get you two to the boat and hopefully get a signal to contact Q.”

Q. I almost forgot. For all he knows we’re all shot dead. Bond’s right- we need to get out of here.

[justinspoliticalcorner]

Sam Levin at The Guardian:

As Joe Biden faces increasing pressure to withdraw his candidacy following last week’s poor debate performance, Kamala Harris has emerged as the frontrunner to replace him. The president forcefully rejected calls to end his campaign on Wednesday, telling his staffers: “No one is pushing me out … I’m not leaving. I’m in this race to the end and we’re going to win.” His defiant remarks came after the New York Times reported that Biden had privately told allies he understood he might not be able to salvage his candidacy if he could not convince voters of his viability. As the White House has continued to deny reports that Biden was weighing the future of his campaign, talks of who would step up if he did withdraw have escalated.

Senior sources at the Biden campaign, the White House and the Democratic National Committee told Reuters that the vice-president was the top alternative. Harris, a former senator from California, has stood by the president’s side as he weathers the debate fallout this week, and reportedly told campaign staffers on Wednesday: “We will not back down. We will follow our president’s lead.”

But pundits advocating that Harris take over the ticket have pointed to polls suggesting that she could have advantages over Biden in a race against Donald Trump. A post-debate Reuters/Ipsos poll found that one in three Democrats think Biden should quit, and that 81% viewed Harris favorably, compared to 78% for Biden. Michelle Obama was the only hypothetical Democratic candidate to beat Trump in the poll, but the former first lady said in March she was not running. Biden and Trump were tied in that poll, and Harris performed similarly, earning 42% of votes compared with Trump’s 43%. A CNN poll published Tuesday also found Harris “within striking distance of Trump in a hypothetical matchup” – 47% supporting the former president, and 45% supporting Harris, a result within the margin of error. The Biden-Trump matchup in that poll had Trump earning 49% of votes and Biden earning 43%. Harris’s modest advantage was due partly to her having broader support from women and independents, CNN said.

With two Democratic congressmen now publicly calling on Biden to step aside, other party leaders have privately suggested they favor Harris as his potential replacement, according to reports. Hakeem Jeffries, House minority leader, signaled to members that she would be the best option, the Washington Post reported. James Clyburn, a senior congressional Democrat, said publicly he’d support Harris if Biden were to withdraw his candidacy, urging Democrats to “do everything to bolster her, whether she’s in second place or at the top of the ticket”. Summer Lee, a House Democrat from Pennsylvania, also said Wednesday that Harris was the “obvious choice” to replace Biden, if he decided not to run. Some Harris supporters who are advocating she take over the campaign have argued that she would perform better than Biden with Black and Latino communities, and that she is a more powerful abortion-rights spokesperson than Biden.

In the event that President Joe Biden decides to step down from the nomination, VP Kamala Harris is the likely candidate to rally around to replace him should it come to fruition.

[ikebanaka]

You're the one who brought up voting on that post, though. Presumably anyone with your same "they're both awful but vote for the less awful one" should also want everyone to hate Biden, since your argument for voting for him relies in no way on actually liking him, so why do you have a problem with someone pointing out how he, in specific, sucks shit? And back at ya bud, if you can dismiss anyone who can't give you a 4-month revolutionary outline, how about you give us a foolproof plan for protecting trans kids, abortion rights, and ending the several foreign genocides currently going on? I bet you can't, but for some reason you get the luxury of saying that doesn't matter.

Hi! You seem to have a misunderstanding about how politics works. And also how logic works, so let's start with that.

First, not approving of Biden's actions wrt to the current genocides does not mean I want people to hate him. Those things are not A=B. I understand that that might not really make sense, but I'll explain why.

The reason I want people to avoid spreading hatred of the old bastard and think it is unproductive to hate on him is that shitting on the most progressive viable candidate, i.e. the lesser evil, plays directly into the kind of mindset that will keep people from voting. This is why all those goddamn psyops in previous elections keep fucking doing it. And lo and behold, it fucking worked in 2016.

Second, the problem isn't that quick radical change isn't possible or that I hate the idea and think it'll never work. It will, and people are already taking steps to make that happen. The protests are making a difference, the direct actions are making a difference, the people stepping up to help their community and make it strong enough to survive the ways this country is determined to tear them down are making a difference. The letter writing campaigns, the fundraisers, the calls to representatives, the voting in local elections, it all makes a difference.

But we're still laying the groundwork for more radical change. In the leftist bubble it seems like support is near unanimous, and we're all arguing about semantics, so talking down about enacting radical change right now sounds like being all talk and getting in the way of actual change. And it's true that the idea is gaining traction nationwide! Unfortunately, there's a whole lot of people who exist outside that bubble that don't have the same knowledge or perspective and aren't even aware that radical change is an option, let alone where they stand on it. Enough people to make most catalysts of revolution fizzle out and die.

What I'm saying is, we need more time. Change can happen fast, but not that fast. And the only guaranteed way to get that time is to elect the guy who has proven himself willing to uphold at least the veneer of democracy. And who, frankly, has made a lot of positive changes to infrastructure that just don't get as much press because righteous anger about buzzword topics sells better.

Which, circling back around, makes doing the same things as Russian psyops, who have successfully used them to get Trump elected once, a bad idea. To clarify, the things in question very much include constantly shitting on the more progressive main candidate and insisting both candidates are actually equally shitty and denying or ignoring all evidence to the contrary.

I hope you consider everything I've said here seriously, without immediately rejecting everything out of anger. I hope you can see where I'm coming from, even if you don't agree with everything.

[kayarai]

Political anxiety venting under the cut.

Any time I see someone advocate for not voting I want to ask them "How do you think Trump being president will improve the situation?" because I'm going to assume that is what you think and I want an actual answer to that question.

"Biden is complicit in genocide!"

Yes, he is. We can agree on that. However, how will Trump being president improve the situation?

Answer: it won't. Trump has basically stated that he intends to actively make it worse. Along with a whole host of things in our own country that he will also actively make worse.

So, when you say you won't vote, I'm going to assume you mean that you are completely fine with having a fascist in power. That you're fine with Trump increasing aide to Israel. That you're fine with him rolling back protections for minorities. That you're fine with more conservative Supreme Court justices over turning more rulings and people losing more rights. That you are just fucking FINE with all the harm and damage that his presidency will do, including actively making your main talking point WORSE, as long as Biden and the democrats are taught a lesson or something. Is that right?

Our choices are basically maintain a shitty status quo, or make it actively worse. It fucking sucks but those are our only real options. If we vote to maintain the shitty status quo at the presidential level, we can put our resources into fighting to make it better. Whereas if the person in charge is, I repeat, actively making everything worse we will be spending all of our energy and resources trying to prevent further deterioration.

So, sure, fine, whatever. Don't vote. But don't be surprised if people are mad at you if Trump wins and goes about keeping his promises to actively make everything worse by actively making everything worse.

It's your prerogative I guess.

[elendsessor]

BEFORE YOU VOTE IN 2024: A GUIDE TO ALTERNATIVE OPTIONS

DISCLAIMER: i can’t believe i have to add this but this is not a post supporting the misuse of the term “zionist” nor antisemitism. the use of the term here refers to candidates who are in support of using government money to fund israel and assist in the genocide in gaza. if you support the harm of jewish individuals in any way, even if it is in “support” of palestine, you’re no better than the government that you are against. do not interact with this post.

hey so i lied about only making one political post but considering how corrupt both of the democratic and republican parties are, plus both biden and trump are zionists and have failed to meet many promises, it’s time we start voting for actual people who can change a corrupt country instead of the lesser of two evils. as talks of the election are already underway and is more heated and important than ever, it’s safe to say it’s time to look at the options.

it’s painted in media that there are only two options as to who is okay to vote for, often times leaving out other parties including independent. this is not democracy. this is not freedom of choice anymore. continuing to support the red v blue debate supports further division in the country and, as such, further corruption.

DO NOT SKIP THE VOTE. NOT VOTING MEANS EITHER DEMOCRATS OR REPUBLICANS CAN TAKE OVER AGAIN. INSTEAD, CONSIDER VOTING FOR ALTERNATIVE PARTIES.

your rights matter. your voice matters. deciding to not vote “because it won’t matter” still means compliance. you are actively choosing to let these things happen and continuing a cycle of political corruption. while yes politicians are often criticized for corruption and generally not caring, the political landscape has changed to the point where there are currently a few candidates in the presidential running that are independent and do, in fact, have ideas that could better the lives of americans, a few of which are also against israel and have openly called out trump and biden for their continued support of what’s happening in gaza.

if you want ideas on who you should vote for, here are two candidates running for president who are progressive and are anti-zionist.

cornel west - formerly people’s party, now runs independently

a scholar and activist (identifying as a non-marxist socialist mainly due to his religious beliefs) who is very openly pro-palestine. he believes that the current state of the country is that of a “white america,” that military funds should be cut down, public housing, and action on climate change. he’s more focused in racial activism.

jill stein - former green party candidate

there’s a lot more info on her than cornel west but she’s also a bit more controversial, so keep that in mind. another activist, she’s helping push a green new deal along with guaranteed employment and industry nationalization. she’s also pushing for improvements in education including accessibility, cutting military funds by at least 50% and removal of nuclear weaponry, not supplying weapons to foreign countries especially relating to the russia-ukraine war, to cut down on space exploration, and wants to end racial oppression in the usa. a lot of her views on industrialization are based in making it environmentally friendly. she’s a big climate activist. however, please note that she is in support of brexit and has complicated views of vaccines (not opposed to them, but her statements about them are confusing).

doing your research is important. please look into these two in your own time. this is just a post about alternative options, and the information listed about them here are basic summaries on viewpoints.

it’s time to stop blindly voting based on parties. it’s time we vote based on the person.

even if neither of these two win, just beginning to vote for those outside of democratic and republican parties is a huge step forwards and opens a gateway for others to throw their hat into the ring and further improve america. spread the word. let people know they have options.

EDIT: here is a list of every presidential candidate of 2024. this may change over time. the current independent runners are kennedy jr., west, and stein. kennedy jr. is more radically right-winged if that’s what you’re looking for but don’t want to support republicans, however do be warned that he is a zionist.

EDIT #2: added a disclaimer. if you are antisemitic fuck off.

[captain-n-crunchies]

WE ARE FUCKED

Maybe I'm just looking into things a little bit too much.But what I've seen on TikTok and tumbler is a lot of white leftists apparently are the most morally correct people on this earth? It baffles me how many people shape their political views about Kamala Harris from seeing white people dislike her. I saw a video on TikTok of this white man telling black people! African Americans that they shouldn't vote for Kamala Harris cause she put it black people in jail?? Which is the most stupidest thing I've ever heard because I'm pretty sure her job as a prosecutor is to put people in trial. But what was crazy about that?Is that I went to the comments section and it was full of people agreeing , saying that the "BLM protest must have been for nothing because THEY want to put a cop in presidecy"

Like I must be crazy The Donald Trump gave the deaf penalty he signed off a group of black men who were falsely accused of RAPING SOMEONE The death penalty, I'm pretty sure he did that. It's actually a photo of him smiling with that same paper with him signing off. The death penalty for those 5 men and YES they were black, BUTTTT Kamala Harris is a terrible person because somebody with their own free will and their own money wanted to buy marijuana....they got caught and because it was a illegal they were put on trial for doing something illegal??

Like I don't support cops it all but I cannot hold Kamala responsible for your cousin going to jail for a marijuana position that they knew was a legal.I cannot hold her accountable because you did on your free will. AND yes kamala Here's maybe Zionist.Yes, because she, along with Joe Biden supported Israel.I don't support israel at all but I do know how to read a book and I do know how to read a article and I do understand history. I am understand that the United States has an alliance to Israel, no matter what America has the backup Israel Barack Obama, did Trump ,did even Reagan? And the best thing we can help in pray.For is the kamala pulls the u s out of this alliance that we have we israel because no other president has.

But back to the white people I then saw another video of this, so-called moral correct white man telling people of color people did look like me black.A woman fit if Kamala Harris doesn't check all of our boxes supporting palestiniabl GB.T and minority rights we can't vote her n, I AGREE. But where he got off track was that he was saying to vote third party because kamalo's just as bad as Trump.No, she isn't Kamala is the same thing.You'll talk, Joe Biden was the same thing.That you thought every other President was the LESSER EVIL! I mean, this man was trying to put morally correct compassive in presidency and I had to think when was the last time a President with a so-called morally correct compass became President. Oh yeah, I remember every President. Oh yeah, I remember Joe Biden was the same person you white people said was morally correct and HE FAILED!!! I'm not saying Kamala is the better option if we had Morocco Obama or michelle Obama up there?But I am saying this voting.Third party is giving your vote to Trump.Voting for 3rd party is like voting for a person you never seen before because they waltz up in a free Palestine and a pride flag pin and you rush to vote for them with no background info. THE SAME THING PEOPLE DID FOR BIDEN!? I'm telling you this NOW everybody that is a third party candidate for presidency you only see them every 4 years, you never see them any other time.

In paper bottle for every time you lit the so-called democratic primordially correct, white people tell you how to vote and you don't do no background research you only listen to what they say. Because those same people I scroll 2 videos up. I see their entire point getting debug. Kamala Yu thought here is a cop.She turned out to be a prosecutor whole made up that rumor??WHITE PEOPLE! At this point, it is not democratic or Republican. It is handmaid's tale or nothing. A blank slate everything that Kamala stands for is what democrats believe in. But Kamala stands for also probably some bad things. They republicans are sure ready to fire for. But it's only gonna take a white person to come app on a app with no background information of what they're talking about and just writing on full-fledged emotions you will believe them, and this is what's going to make America fall. This is what's going to make Project 2025 happen faster than it's already going, you don't read on your own. You listen to other people on the internet and you don't want to read, you don't want a Google search. A person in every comment section is saying so are WE... multiple people, they're saying they're basing THEIR vote off of other people...They're basing their vote off of what THEY think, other people think is morally correct.That is the same thing that's going to kill more palestinians.Think. Read.

If people do not take advantage of reading in the next few years because you do not read and you did not think about this one election, you're not gonna have a next election? If you vote for Trump, you're not going to have an option of Democrat or Republican. It is not fear-mongering and it's not a scare tactic. To get people to vote Democrat. It is real life now. The scare tactic was used for Biden. It's no more scary tactics. It's real life now. It is only one clear option. Do the same thing that you did for Biden, vote for Kamala because you just want to keep your rights.