As the title states I am confused on this matter. The way I see it, the USA has a two party system and in the next few weeks they’re either going to have Trump or Harris as president, come inauguration day. With this in mind doesn’t it make sense to vote for the person least likely to escalate the situation even more.

Giving your vote to an independent or worse not voting at all, just gives more of a chance for Trump to win the election and then who knows what crazy stuff he will allow, or encourage, Israel to get away with.

I really don’t get the logic. As sure nobody wants to vote for a party allowing these heinous crimes to be committed, but given you’re getting one of them shouldn’t you be voting for the one that will be the least horrible of the two.

Please don’t come at me with pro-Israeli rhetoric as this isn’t the post for that, I’m asking about why people would make such choices and I’m not up for debate on the Middle East, on this post, you can DM me for that.

Edit: Bedtime here now so will respond to incoming comments in the morning, love starting the day with an inbox full 😊.

Edit 2: This blew up, it’s a little overwhelming right now but I do intent on replying to everybody that took the time to comment. Just need to get in the right headspace.

  • rocci@lemmy.ml
    3014·
    2 months ago

    In my situation, I’m in a solid blue state so I’m voting for a third party to push the country to the left.

      • Mr Fish@lemmy.world
        151·
        2 months ago

        Or literally any voting system with more than two seconds thought put into it

        • eldavi@lemmy.ml
          71·
          2 months ago

          they put a lot of thought into our system; the electoral college was intentional and it’s doing it’s job very well.

          it’s meant as a firewall to guard against poor people from getting sufficient political representation. our ruling class uses it today to keep this country conservative.

    • dependencyinjection@discuss.tchncs.deOP
      11·
      2 months ago

      This kinda makes sense, I guess that means not a swing state (I’m not American).

      Do you have to be in a heavy blue state to do this without fear that if enough people do this it will swing red?

      • KammicRelief@lemmy.worldEnglish
        195·
        2 months ago

        Yes, exactly. If you live in a solid blue or red state, your vote is a drop in the bucket, so it won’t matter if you vote third party. But in swing states like Michigan, Wisconsin, Pennsylvania… in 2016, the number of votes won by Jill Stein was slightly greater than the difference between Trump/Clinton. Ouch! Was it worth it? Did it move the country left?

        • eldavi@lemmy.ml
          33·
          2 months ago

          the strategy definitely wasn’t worth it, but we’re doing it again anyways.

        • TheOubliette@lemmy.ml
          517·
          2 months ago

          The country did move left under Trump and has moved right under Biden. While your logic on Stein’s influence is flawed, if your goal was to shift the population left you’re basically making an argument for voting for Trump in swing states.

          • azulavoir@sh.itjust.works
            21·
            2 months ago

            While it sometimes feels like this, it’s because the vocal minorities on the side not associated with the current president are always the loudest political figures.

            • TheOubliette@lemmy.ml
              32·
              2 months ago

              No, it is because liberals were agitated under Trump and were told to care about women, black people, abortion rights, etc, and mobilize to spaces where they could be recruited for political education. Under Biden, they feel a sense of normalcy and have returned to supporting the equally violent status quo.

      • rocci@lemmy.ml
        71·
        2 months ago

        Yeah it’s a strategy that would work in any heavy red or blue state, because there’s an absolute zero percent chance the dems lose my state.

    • snooggums@lemmy.worldEnglish
      716·
      2 months ago

      So playing the first round of Russian Roulette for no real benefit.

      Congrats I guess.

      • davel@lemmy.mlEnglish
        215·
        2 months ago

        Do you not understand how the Electoral College works?

        • Pacattack57@lemmy.world
          420·
          2 months ago

          Yes and your vote does absolutely nothing in “pushing” the country left. Who taught you that? Please do better research as the future of your country depends on it.

          • TheOubliette@lemmy.ml
            196·
            2 months ago

            Sometimes being principled in your vote is a good first step towards doing something politically meaningful. Many liberals are chained to the idea that their vote is their political being. And then they go vote for genociders!

            That first step of pulling at their chains can lead to further political education.

            • Pacattack57@lemmy.world
              25·
              2 months ago

              I would say you have to be the stupidest person on earth to vote 3rd party but I know that Magidiots exist.

              You do nothing but enable genocide by voting 3rd party. A Democrat loss in November GUARANTEES the genocide continues. The Republican Party is the party of Israel and they would bend over backwards to give them whatever is necessary to bring back Jesus Christ

              • TheOubliette@lemmy.ml
                21·
                2 months ago

                I would say you have to be the stupidest person on earth to vote 3rd party but I know that Magidiots exist.

                Yep just big dum-dums that won’t support your genocider candidate. If only they were smart like you and supported 98% Hitler!

                You do nothing but enable genocide by voting 3rd party. A Democrat loss in November GUARANTEES the genocide continues.

                You know Dems are doing the genocide, right? And at the point where they have the most to fear from supporting it, they aren’t even pandering.

                You’re the baddies, bud.

                The Republican Party is the party of Israel and they would bend over backwards to give them whatever is necessary to bring back Jesus Christ

                The Democratic Party is also the party of Israel.

                It’s impressive that you’re calling people names while writing polemic that obviously applies to “your team”.

                • Pacattack57@lemmy.world
                  21·
                  2 months ago

                  I am not a Democrat. At this point I’m closer to Independent because both parties have gone off the rails over that last decade. However I understand the importance of this election and I understand how our system works. Voting 3rd party does nothing but pull votes from Democrats. It happens EVERY election. I’m sorry to burst your bubble but voting third party doesn’t give you the moral high ground. It just makes you an idiot because not only will your candidate not be elected but more often than not you enable Republicans to win elections based on how our voting system works.

                  • TheOubliette@lemmy.ml
                    21·
                    2 months ago

                    I am not a Democrat. At this point I’m closer to Independent because both parties have gone off the rails over that last decade. However I understand the importance of this election and I understand how our system works. Voting 3rd party does nothing but pull votes from Democrats.

                    “I’m not a Democrat but the thing that makes me mad and insult you is that you take votes away from the Democrats”.

                    Sure, bud. Maybe you’re not registered as one but that isn’t meaningful regarding your political team sport logic.

                    It happens EVERY election. I’m sorry to burst your bubble but voting third party doesn’t give you the moral high ground. It just makes you an idiot because not only will your candidate not be elected but more often than not you enable Republicans to win elections based on how our voting system works.

                    You’re just repeating yourself instead of acknowledging all the stuff I wrote in my previous comment.

                  • jatone@lemmy.dbzer0.comEnglish
                    1·
                    2 months ago

                    However I understand the importance of this election and I understand how our system works.

                    your actions say otherwise. you understand what you want to avoid. but you don’t know how to actually avoid it.

                    Voting 3rd party does nothing but pull votes from Democrats.

                    does it? i’ve never seen evidence of this. I’ve seen 3rd party candidate pull enough votes that if they were applied to democrats they would have won. But there is no evidence those votes would have gone to the democrat if the third party was absent. This is a fiction you’ve made up in your head to appease your ego and to place blame on others.

                    What really is happening here is you’re upset that your candidate lost and you want to blame others instead of the candidate for being a horrible human. Harris can fix her genocidal chains, she won’t, but she could. And worse if she does lose then the entire basis of you voting for the lesser evil is proven ineffectual further damaging your self image because now not only did the evil you wish to prevent succeeded, but you compromised your morals and enabled a genocide.

                    Its a shame really the lies we tell ourselves.