Mastodawn

Kevin Leecaster Sep 13, 2023

@TonyStark
It's so frustrating that so many non-Democrats get attention for saying what Democrats "should" do.

Second guessing Biden is a mistake a lot of people are making.

Tony, Pretty Much Sep 13, 2023

@GreenFire Bit of a disease this week.

All the flouncy complaining in the midst of a crisis often discourages voter turnout and participation (and often culminates in someone stating they're not going to vote because they're not delighted by the options).

Elections have consequences and it’s only been a couple of years since we’ve gotten Trump away from the controls.

It’s going to be a choice of Biden or Trump. Undermining the Democratic candidate is no laughing matter.

@pineywoozle ‘s #3WordNote Sep 14, 2023

@TonyStark @GreenFire I’ve run into at least three “there’s no point in voting” idiots in the last week and a half here on Mastodon. We have got to keep shutting that bullshit down, but man it’s depressing sometimes. How can anybody be that cavalier about other peoples lives that would be destroyed.

Kevin Leecaster Sep 14, 2023

@Pineywoozle @TonyStark
Somehow we've got to make it clear that the people that don't vote because #BothSidesAreBad are no better than are MAGAts.

They're essentially saying that they're privileged enough to not have to worry about what the damage GOP policies cause to people's lives or our planet.

Not saying people shouldn't vote but like... it's up to you to convince them. People don't automatically agree with your axioms and point of view. You want more people to vote? Get out there and get them registered. Do outreach. Don't just talk smack online. Liberal outrage isn't cute outside the blue-team echo chambers.

Especially don't say "the non-voters are as bad as the bad-guy-voters" - that's not even how the math works out.

Kevin Leecaster

@unikitty @Pineywoozle @TonyStark
You are wrong about that. Open to reevaluating other positions you hold?

An unusually robust survey of the 2016 electorate. In addition to having asked people how they voted, Pew’s team verified that they did, giving us a picture not only of the electorate but also of those who didn’t vote.

The data also makes another point very clear: Those who didn’t vote are as responsible for the outcome of the election as those who did. https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/politics/wp/2018/08/09/new-data-makes-it-clear-nonvoters-handed-trump-the-presidency/

New data makes it clear: Nonvoters handed Trump the presidency

A third of nonvoters were under 30. More than half of voters were over 50.

The Washington Post

Can't read the article because of paywall. And sure, in aggregate, if more non-voters had voted the way you wished they did, the outcome could have been different. I'm familiar with the graph I'm including as well.

That said, non-voters being a large plurality doesn't make them as bad as Trump voters on an individual basis. Better they spectate rather than support the other team.

Additionally, consider wondering WHY those non-voters aren't flocking to vote Team Blue. Maybe the Dems aren't delivering what they want and need. Maybe "harm reduction" and "lesser of two evils" isn't a compelling pitch. I vote Dem regularly in my deep Blue coastal state (where it makes very little difference). Meanwhile, the state level Democratic Party has a monopoly but still can't manage to deliver bold or Visionary changes we so desperately need. They actively fight progressive candidates and causes. Maybe the problem isn't just the voters.

Kevin Leecaster Sep 15, 2023

@unikitty @Pineywoozle @TonyStark
Nonvoters are a social scourge in a democracy, #JustSayin

They don't care what happens to other people based on their choices. They'd rather pretend that they didn't cause the problems that they could have helped us to avoid.

They're basically spoiled brats, but there have always been too many of those as far as I can tell so I don't know what to do about them or the harm they cause.

Sure. In a world where everyone agrees that the Dems are the good guys, the people who don't vote look like jerks. Unfortunately we live in a world where Team Blue and Team Red have basically split the electorate down the middle. That cartoon may be accurate from your perspective but it's not convincing to people who don't share it. And FWIW, I do agree at least that the Repubs are quite bad.

Edit to add: don't forget that a Republican strategy is to make it more difficult to vote. In those cases, you're blaming the victims. Dismissing the disenfranchised as 'spoiled' is paternalistic and weird and helps exactly nothing.

If you wanna snark-post about how a majority of [non-] voters are bad and dumb, I'm sure Daily Kos would love to have you.

P.s.: Dems also *aren't* doing enough but that's a separate problem.

Kevin Leecaster Sep 15, 2023

@unikitty @Pineywoozle @TonyStark
"Dems aren't doing enough" 😢

So you're going to let Republicans take away people's healthcare, demonize people with alternative lifestyles, and burn our planet up with unmitigated #GlobalWarming

Sorry, but yes, I do find that to be a disgusting attitude that obviously doesn't care about other people's suffering since they must feel privileged enough to be protected from the suffering.

I said earlier that I vote for Dems even though I live in a deep Blue state and it doesn't matter much. You're not even reading or engaging in good faith. Thanks for your time. Good luck!

@pineywoozle ‘s #3WordNote Sep 15, 2023

@unikitty @GreenFire @TonyStark Maybe you don’t realize that your constant dismissal of Dems as the “almost as bad guys who aren’t doing enough” IS enough to get someone else not to vote. Your words which repeat his propaganda precisely have exactly the effect Putin wants. BTW Dems’d do all the things you want if they could get a fully functional Congress their full terms That requires votes from as many people as ANY of us can persuade. #farL