Donald Trump has a big problem ahead

Not voting is ultimately voting for whoever wins the election.

Exactly. Spread this message far and wide! While our voting system needs reform and "first past the post" is less democratic than ranked choice and other methods, Donald Trump is an existential threat to our country and needs to be stopped now. Vote. That's our current system! Then we can tackle voting reform, but you can be damn sure that will be impossible under a 2nd Trump presidency. But I know people hate hearing that things take time or can't be done right away...

Oh good, it's this argument again. I've really never heard a statement that is more damaging to a conversation with an intent to sway votership than this one.

A vote for candidate C is not a vote for candidate B, but for the sake of the argument let's assume it is. It's possible to model an election using game theory, and it can be done in a few different ways. First I'm going to try is a 1 dimensional approach from the perspective of candidate A. A vote for candidate A is worth 1 point. A vote for candidate B is worth -1 point. A vote for any other candidate is worth 0 points. This is actually a fairly accurate model of how a winner takes all election system works. I'll also play it from candidate B's perspective to illustrate something.

There are 300 votes for candidate A There are 340 votes for candidate B There are 20 votes for candidate C from constituents who claim to be from party A There are 60 votes for candidate C from constituents who claim to be from party b

Candidate A: -40 Candidate B: 40

Interestingly, people who voted for candidate C do not show up in the final results at all and they hurt/helped each candidate equally. The only people whose votes actually had any real bearing on the election in this model were the people who turned out to vote for candidates A and B. I'll let people draw their own conclusions from this thought experiment.

The real argument to make here however is that Biden is not the lesser of two evils and has in fact done a lot of good for the country in his term, or at least attempted to. The more important thing then voting for Biden is that people show up with an intent to put as many good senators and representatives in office as possible each election until we can get enough people in office to allow them presidential agenda to actually be able to do anything. Also to vote in your local elections for similar reasons.

edit: i'm saying ive heard it, not that it's something i agree with
i have heard the argument "with a democrat as president, the left is asleep"
i.e. there were no major protests during biden's presidency that involved burning dumpsters...

Not voting/third party voting helps the Republican party. This is a mathematical fact.

False, If it is a mathematical fact prove it.

Every single person who doesn’t vote for Joe Biden and could is supporting Donald Trump.

Also false. You are relying on the faulty assumption that there either candidate is entitled to your vote.

There is no “sitting out” option. It does not exist.

False. You are not forced to vote for anyone.

I agree with your overall point, but could you make your point without spouting blatantly false information that is just the party line.

In what world does : Not voting ≠ voting for someone else.

I can forgive some Trump voters in 16. A lot of them were just following the time honored script of republicans good, democrats bad, go team. I knew a few that eventually saw it for what it is and had enough character to admit they were wrong.

But that’s pretty damn limited. We knew who he was in 16. There were no surprises for most of us during his presidency. If you then voted for him in 2020 you had excuse. You were just a fucking idiot.

If you vote for him in 24. You’re not only an idiot you particularly hate America and you’re a joke.

I voted for him in '16. Mostly to thumb my nose at establishment and how much I hate Hillary. I honestly thought the power houses in D.C. were going to wrangle him and keep him on a short leash.

Wow, did that turn into a nightmare. (For the record, he lost big in my state, MA.) And obviously I did not vote for the Cheeto chimp in '20.

Better late than never for him to come to the realization.

Remember that he didn't actually try to overthrow democracy until after the 2020 election. There are plenty of other reasons not to vote for him, but I can understand how for some people that could be the last straw.

It's probably the same democrats that let Trump win in 2016 by doing nothing.

My California vote isn't worth the paper it's printed on, I'll throw my vote away if I like.

As I read the first sentence of your comment, I thought i was still reading the article summary. My jaw dropped! How I wish we would see professional journalists laying out the hard truth like that!

Thank you.

I don't know, the hatefest of between choosing two awful geriatric men is probably going to fuel incredibly low voter turnout for the Dems.

I would bet big money low turnout among young voters throws this to whatever independents decide they want.

Maybe in a country that isn't corrupt.

I've seen where that goes that's where he writes a revolutionary book

This boomer voted for him twice already and only now realized he's "as corrupt as he is." We're so fucked.

Look I know that Trump would be much worse for majority of Americans than Biden would be, but most democrats don't want to vote for Biden either. But they still will. Just like Trump voters would rather keep it republican than go Democrat, even if that means they don't want Trump.

I'm still disappointed and quite honestly hurt that I have to vote for Biden. But here we are. Americans on both sides bitterly disappointed and feel like it's over for America if either candidate wins. There is no good candidate. I'm surprised there hasn't been a nationwide revolt yet. Americans have been voting in the below average red morale since Trump and Hillary were candidates. Except maybe the die hard avid Maga trumpers. They're the only ones that are voting in the green morale. And they make up a small minority of Americans.

Nazi party in Germany only controlled 1/3 of the vote in the elections that got Hitler into power. Nazis weren't popular in Germany. But they were happy with their leader.

Not only that; he lost before Jan6.

Member when all we heard was "Hillary lost now she needs to shut up and go away."

I'm also fairly sure Trump had said at one point if he lost he'd go away too.

I know I know holding a politician and their cult at their word is a dumb game, but it's still a nice reminder that everything they say is bullshit.

He's never going to go to prison.

That is correct.

I hate the two-party system so much.