This framing is stupid. Every person eligible to vote is granted a modicum of power. Using the power or choosing not to use it effects the outcome. So the question becomes: how did you use the power you were granted? It has nothing to do with anyone earning votes.
We are not granted anything. I know you conservative Dem fascists believe our votes are something you have granted us, but it's our right to vote or not to vote based on whatever we choose to base it on - and many people are not going to affirmatively support someone who believes in doing evil.
The right to vote for 18 to 21-year-old subject to being sent to Southeast Asia to die in an unjust war happened in my lifetime. The right to vote for minorities in the Jim Crow South happened in my lifetime. Seems to me a large number of citizens were granted that right, relatively recently.
Adult citizens have the right to vote in this country. The Constitution grants them political power to determine how they will be governed. This is a fact. Not exercising that power is a choice of how to use it. And you are morally culpable for the consequences of that choice.
The people overall as a group have the constitutional political power to determine how to be governed - but thatdoes not extend or apply to any individual citizen. Individual citizens have a choice to participate in the political process or not - And many don't want to participate in a sham.
The last election was a situation in which all non-Republican-registered voters were presented with 2 options: participate in a corrupt, manipulated election with a binary choice between two nominees that they had no say in choosing whatsoever, or not participating at all.
If you are eligible to vote, your are always participating, whether you vote or not. Not voting is still participating. Not voting is still exercising the power that you have. You cannot disclaim this, any more that a do-nothing aristocrat can disclaim being part of the aristocracy.
See, you want to rely on a philosophical argument because you can't craft and affirmative one that explains why anyone should vote for your candidates, but there are philosophical arguments that participating in such a corrupt election is far more immoral than not participating at all.
You should have voted for Harris because the world is much worse under Trump than it would have been had Harris won. Even Gaza is worse off. This is dead simple argument to make. It is you who is inventing this philosophical "I opted out" doge to ignore that simple reality.
If you want the luxury of actually opting out, I invite you to renounce your citizenship
you speak of consequences of choice, nd there are consequences for enabling corruption like the Dem nominee being chosen in secret by Party powerbrokers and not Dem voters. It's easy to argue that the long-term consequences of that are much worse than the short term consequences you speak of.
In a vacuum, that might carry some weight. In the instant circumstances, it's laughable. Trump has been terrible on lots of things, but among the worst things is corruption. Like his corruption and corrupt effect breathtaking
There are also consequences for continuing to actively participate in a fundamentally corrupt political duopoly. You want to talk about hypotheticals? Ok... what would happen if, say, 80% of voters decided to boycott elections until we had a true multi party democracy?
Then the 20% would be the ones making decisions and governing.
All of this is very roundabout to ignore your position of 'I had the power to make things better but chose to let them get worse instead' And then you ask to be praised for your moral stance!
Voters participating now are enabling and otherwise supporting a corrupt electoral system that allows people like Trump to come to power in the first place. We can play hypothetical games all day about what alternate future would be better based upon how we participated in our electoral system.
Yeah, sorry. I reject all of this. None of this carries any weight in the context of November 2024
but there's one in controvertible fact here... Nobody hiding behind an anonymous troll account has any space whatsoever to pass judgment on how an American voter chooses to participate in our electoral system. I mean, there's no reason to believe you're even American.
it's just crazy that you malignant narcissist cannot wrap your minds around the idea that candidates have to do or not do things which earn our vote. I mean, earning votes is the fundamental basis of a competitive election. I know you fascists hate elections but that's just how they work.