This is the key difference:

[hakeemg@mastodon.social]

@me_valentijn @randahl

We don't need better Democrats, we need smarter voters.

[hakeemg@mastodon.social]

@jmcs @sasanb @randahl

These people are in a leftist cult, just as brainwashed as MAGA. They will sit there and tell you to your face that one of the most liberal senators in Congress was identical to Trump. They have no connection with reality, and Bernie has played a significant part in their indoctrination.

[leeloo@c.im]

@HakeemG @randahl
I'm not claimkng that what's'is'name is a good guy, but at least he gives a faint hope of change. With Orban there was none.

[hakeemg@mastodon.social]

@leeloo @randahl

Apologies I misunderstood your comment.

[me_valentijn@m.ai6yr.org]

@HakeemG @randahl
You really are just a shill for the Democratic Party centrists. It literally can't get anymore disconnected than "we're perfect, but the voters need to learn to care about what we tell them to."

Kamala Harris & co haven't gotten any better. You're just doubling down on it being sufficient that their GOP opposition has gotten worse.

What an incredibly defeatist, destructive, and disgusting approach to politics and governance.

[hakeemg@mastodon.social]

@me_valentijn @randahl

I didn't say the Democrats were perfect, far from it, but voters electing Trump TWICE are F'ing morons, and if you don't know that I've got bad news for you.

[me_valentijn@m.ai6yr.org]

@HakeemG @randahl
And that is why you spend more time attacking progressive democratic elected officials and challengers than Trump. You are so full of shit

[hakeemg@mastodon.social]

@me_valentijn @randahl

I spend more time attacking them because they're in a cult and they refuse to admit that they helped put Nazis into power with their both sides are the same bullshit. Kind of like your original comment.

[auser@mastodon.social]

@nemeciii @randahl If you haven't let Trump get elected ICE wouldn't be on the streets in the first place.

[fazalmajid@social.vivaldi.net]

@GoSeiGer @benroyce @randahl Sure, but I remember circa 2000 when I worked in Amsterdam, my Duch sales rep from Worldcom bemoaning how the Dutch tax authorities had insisted they do a Black-Scholes cptions pricing calculation to value their stock options and calculate their income tax liability, and he ended up losing money on them. Even the IRS hasn't gone that far...

[reflex@retrogaming.social]

@randahl 2024 had the second highest turnout in a US presidential election since 1968. While yes more turnout is a good thing, I would not assume it would have actually changed the results.

[benroyce@mastodon.social]

@imanormalperson @GoSeiGer @randahl

if someone doesn't vote, you can talk about valid reasons for that, and i have no problem with their valid reasons for not voting

but you can also talk about people who don't vote for invalid reasons

both camps exist

and i am continually needing to say that my words are scoped *only* to those people who can vote, but simply choose not to

[benroyce@mastodon.social]

@imanormalperson @GoSeiGer @randahl

"fighting for the people that want to vote"

yes

that's called voting

so anyone who can vote, but doesn't, is betraying those who are disenfranchised

so join me in castigating such assholes

[reallyflygreg@mstdn.ca]

@blaue_Fledermaus @randahl Canada too.

[benroyce@mastodon.social]

@imanormalperson @GoSeiGer @randahl

"other forms of political action are necessary"

oh yeah? like what?

"voting alone isnt going to fix gerrymandering and systemic oppression"

if people fucking showed up, it will fix that

[caravantraveller@social.cologne]

@randahl

Hungary kept their problematic leader for 16 consecutive years. Don't be like them!

[benroyce@mastodon.social]

@imanormalperson @GoSeiGer @randahl

and such politicians are aided by people who can vote, but just give up and accept their abuse

[benroyce@mastodon.social]

@imanormalperson @GoSeiGer @randahl

so you vote, and sustain, and iterate, and shit gets better

but if you go community organize, and ignore the vote, then we go full fascist, and so they just show up and machine gun us while laughing

please: community organize

*and* vote

[benroyce@mastodon.social]

@imanormalperson @GoSeiGer @randahl

right, and i continually encounter this

me: "everyone vote"

"some people can't vote"

me: "yes, i know, i'm not talking about those who can't, i'm talking about those who won't"

"we should do other things"

me: "yes i know, i never said we shouldn't. organize, educate, protest, boycott, resist: do it, all of it. and vote"

i've been in this conversation 1,000 times

[pmonks@sfba.social]

@benroyce @imanormalperson@kolektiva.social @GoSeiGer @randahl 137,242 times to be exact - I’ve been keeping count!