Vote Blue

Here are three stupid reasons for not voting Democrat. (Don't blame me, I voted for common sense.)

Photo by Elliott Stallion on Unsplash

We are two weeks away from another American presidential election (or shitshow if you prefer), and I’ve been torn as to what I should do about it. It’s no coincidence that I started this Substack during election season, but I’d be lying to myself if I were to consider it a legitimate get-out-the-vote tactic and then wash my hands of any further responsibility to our fragile democracy.

Until I figure out how to get more subscribers, I’m likely preaching to the choir anyway. (A very lovely choir—I must say. Thanks for reading, my friends.)

Like many of you, l get emails, calls, texts, and letters from politicians and nonprofit organizations asking me to volunteer to call/text/door-knock/”fight” to “save democracy” or asking me for money to pay for other volunteers to do those things on my behalf. The potential to do more is always there, and the shame around lacking the capacity, energy, and ambition to do so is ever-present for washed-up idealists like me.

What I’m about to write is the least I can do to get you to vote Democrat in November (or now if you can vote early). If you already voted or plan to vote Democrat, do your civic duty and forward this to at least one person who you think might be convinced. Then, maybe we’ll both feel a little less shame.

Quick note: I hate listicles, but I have a severe case of the Mondays. (My mind is truly fucked today—I blame legal weed.) Thus, I’m reduced to telling you why you should vote in the form of a list that seems to argue the opposite. My demented mind thought it best to empathize with left-leaning non-voters—otherwise known as ignoramuses, egomaniacs, and/or political purists—you know, the kind of people who think if they vote for a candidate, it’s the equivalent of losing their virginity to him or her. I feel like I can punch on them like the immovable rocks they are and likely only hurt my fists—because I was once just like them.

1. Your vote doesn’t matter because it’s just one vote

I certainly felt this way when I was studying abroad during the 2012 election and decided it wasn’t worth the trouble to vote absentee. However, this thinking is a problem for the simple reason that if too many people on your side punk out, the other side will always win. Will the election come down to a single vote? Almost certainly not—but it could come down to the votes of a few thousand fickle fuckheads who decided to get off their asses at the eleventh hour and shore up what little democracy we have left.

Stop thinking about how you feel now, and instead think about how you will feel once the side you like wins and/or the side you hate loses. I’m sure every soldier feels somewhat insignificant before the battle is fought and won. But a soldier signs up to play any part besides spectator. They sacrifice individual needs and comforts for the sake of the group, nation, etc. Do you really want to play spectator this election season? Can you justify that to your (present or future) children, grandchildren, or ninth grade social studies teacher? I sure as hell can’t. Your vote might not matter to you, but it matters to them—so fucking do it.

Photo by Janine Robinson on Unsplash

2. There isn’t any difference between the (major) candidates

I can empathize with this position the most because I used to feel this way—but then I grew up. Literally. 2024 is not 2004. If I had been old enough to vote in 2004, I would have voted for Ralph Nader. (The main reason was because the 2004 Democratic nominee John Kerry was not progressive enough on a number of issues—especially the Iraq War. In 2024, we have the curious case of U.S.-sponsored Israeli aggression that I’m sure is causing plenty of mind-fuckery for would-be Democratic voters.)

I’ll say it again: This is 2024. The Republicans sucked ass in 2004, but they didn’t nominate a twice-impeached convicted felon, philanderer, and imbecile (Bush only fit the latter) who tried to overturn a legitimate election through violence and subversion. Now, even Nader wants you to suck it up and vote Democrat. He still supports third parties in theory—as do I—but fascists aren’t defeated, or even deterred, by theory and symbolism. They scoff at your little protest votes and (admittedly justifiable) outrage over the perpetuation of a binary, seesaw-like political system run by and for the elites. They even promote third-party candidates—with help from Russian influencing operations—if it undermines their actual opponents.

Short of picking up a gun, which, for the record, I am not recommending, voting for the (non-fascist) party that has a chance to win is our only real weapon. What you’re voting against is sometimes far more important than what you’re voting for.

3. I can vote my heart/conscience by choosing a third-party candidate

Don’t fucking do it. Not this time. Not if you live in as swing state (namely Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, or Wisconsin). And not when someone like Trump is on the ballot. If you live in a deep blue state like New York or California and want to vote Jill Stein because you want to make the Green Party more viable —by all means—knock yourself out. When the Greens become more than an every-fourth-year wonder, we’ll celebrate together sometime in 2054 at a free, state-run retirement home while being tended to by environmentally sustainable robot nurses. I look forward to that day.

In the meantime, let’s deal with reality: The Greens are a dysfunctional mess of a party. I’ve seen it firsthand. The platform is strong, but the egos are stronger. Like a wise, young woman (Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez) said not long ago, they aren’t a serious alternative. As much as I respect his past work, I feel the same way about Cornel West. He lost me when he couldn’t find a meaningful difference between Hillary Clinton and Trump in 2016 and endorsed Stein—only to run against her now. Like me, he supported Bernie Sanders in the Democratic Party, but unlike Sanders, he’s incapable of putting his ego aside for the greater good. Does a Good Samaritan try to get on the ballot in Pennsylvania, a major swing state, when he knows the best he can do is help Satan win? I think not.

I’ll close with an excerpt from an opinion piece I wrote just prior to the 2018 midterm elections.

[Voting] is not about blind allegiance to the Democrats but damage control. When a vein is severed, the first order of business is to stop the bleeding. We are nowhere near finding a cure to our ailing democracy, but we can nurse it slowly back to health. Short of miracle cure in the form of a sweeping revolution, the Democrats are the best option we have.

And they remain the best option—like it or not.