last year i had heated arguments with nonvoters
putting aside #geopolitical #trollfarm accounts working a #psyop, some of them were real (that's why they work this psyop: #toxicidealism is real)
the #democrats suck
but the choice matters
you *build* on it
you iterate
you don't expect perfect, then pout when you don't get it
#vote, motherfuckers
not voting is exactly like being #antivax
morons on the right are worked over to abandon their own health because they are ignorants is *exactly* the same as morons on the left worked over to abandon their own rights because they are airheads
fuck the social obligation arguments: it's pure self-interest
the #democrats suck, of course
as if it's a fucking romance!
#midterms2026 #vote and reign in #trump, you assholes
@benroyce Arguments like this are what gives Schumer the cover to stab us all in the back and continue being the dem leader.
Fuck #Schumer
Nobody is normalizing or accepting Schumer the spineless turd
The problem is arguments to not #vote and give us #Trump
That choice matters more than your point
Meanwhile, until #midterms #midterms2026, we #primaries2026 the fuck out of these centrist milquetoast centrist corporatist shit dems
And if someone doesn't vote in the #primaries?
Then they can shut the fuck up because actions speak louder than words on their supposed ideals
Show the fuck up #America
Fight!
@benroyce My point is “vote blue no matter who” will/does normalize Schumer’s refusal to fight. Demand better now to win in 2026.
The dem establishment needs to have its nose rubbed in the reality of the moment until they acknowledge that the GOP they knew and worked congenially with no longer exists.
There is no way back.
The only way out is through.
@benroyce@mastodon.socialNo
Because you frame it as
1. Punishing centrist dems
2. Expecting them to be perfect before you vote
What you do is you ignore that toxic waste
Then you show up in the #primaries #primaries2026 and replace them
The #Democrats are an empty vessel
Fill them with your will
Don't listen to toxic #socialMedia "the Democrats suck so I won't show up"
Of course they suck!
And?
Do you see the #psyop that only helps #Trump?
If your reasoning results in inaction *you* fucked up
@benroyce @pliny I have to go look up the source again, but broadly speaking: an experiment was run via Facebook to see if you could actually influence election outcomes with online advertising. This experiment became suddenly messy (well, messier... It was pushing live advertisements to unwitting and unconsenting Facebook users) when the significance of the race exploded because of a scandal.
But the salient takeaway was that there are, broadly speaking, for a given side of a two-party election system, strong-support and weak-support voters.
Weak support (and undecided), you advertise at them about what the other candidate is doing well, hoping they hop the fence. That's the obvious one.
But what they found was that the most effective advertising for strong support was to advertise about the bad shit their own candidate did. The goal? Get them to have an attack of conscience and, even if they'll never hop the fence... Just stay home. Let someone else go pull the lever on election day. It's a sure thing anyway; they don't need my vote.
It's worth remembering that lots of people read that study, so any time anyone online is suggesting you just don't vote... Could be legit, could be propaganda from the other side of the aisle. Their only tool against strong supporters is discouraging them from showing up.