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this post was submitted on 14 Sep 2024
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Showerthoughts
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A "Showerthought" is a simple term used to describe the thoughts that pop into your head while you're doing everyday things like taking a shower, driving, or just daydreaming. The most popular seem to be lighthearted, clever little truths, hidden in daily life.
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These snarky jabs are missing the point. I'm not a major party prodigal son casting a spite vote, I am actually not interested in either of their platforms and want to force them slowly over time to change.
That's laudable, but the way to do that is to vote in primaries, not to vote third party in the general election
I'm not a major party member, so I can't vote in their primaries
That's easy for you to fix
Not if I want to continue participating in my party, it's astounding how that simple concept is so difficult for everyone to understand
Then the likely outcome of your actions is at odds with your stated goal of forcing the two major parties to shift their platforms over time.
The candidates themselves aren't really that important, they've shown themselves to be chameleons whose positions shift as it's convenient and necessary. Authoritarian self-styled strongman Donald Trump felt compelled to show up at the Libertarian National Convention only to get booed when he tried to woo voters, so there must be at least some recognition of third parties' interests.
Deny the two party regime legitimacy.
That's not how it works. You want to force the party left then build movement from the ground up. Go out on the corner and collect signatures to change your voting system to ranked choice instead first past the post. Run for local office as a socialist or green.
The fact that all you have to do is once every 4 years push a button should tell you that it's not the right thing to do to effect change.
Presidential elections are not about voting for a perfect candidate, very few elections are ever about that. They are about putting someone in power you are most capable of negotiating with. The person that is both capable of winning and closest to your ideals.
It does actually work that way, at least sometimes. If a major party loses enough votes to a third party, it forces them to adjust their platform at least enough to win back would-be voters.
Whenever third party voters honestly tell people that they are voting third party because it closely aligns with their values, and that neither major party is even slightly compatible, major party apologists and cheerleaders come out of the woodwork to saying actually you're one-of-us, you just don't know it yet, and if you just vote hard enough for my candidate then things will get better. It's been over a hundred years of least dirty of two shirts, and it's not getting better.
It doesn't work if that's the last time you get a vote.
Every four years it's "the most important election of our lives", and if we're not scared into voting D it'll be the death of Democracy itself. Sorry, I'm not a buyer. My state had a double-digit R majority in 2020, it's not in my interest to vote for a candidate I don't want.
we don't even need that many people to do third party vote to shake the regime. once it goes above few percent they will notice, in double digits they will have to start asking questions.