Progressive Americans opposed to Israel’s U.S.-funded war in Gaza face a difficult choice: whether or not to vote for Harris.
  • tate@lemmy.sdf.org
    167·
    2 months ago

    I don’t understand why people think they should be able to vote on their special issue in this election. It’s an election for president of the US, not a referendum on Gaza. Yes, lots of us want to stop the genocide - it’s just not on this ballot.

    If we elect Harris we can continue to work effectively in support of all sorts of causes. If we elect Trump it’s all over. We can continue to work, but not effectively.

    • Sundial@lemm.ee
      102·
      2 months ago

      It’s a really heavy choice — every choice is loss. It is so deeply dehumanizing to have to ignore a genocide and complicity in it, and a promise to continue the same policy, which is what Vice President Harris has said. At the end of the day, we’re being presented with a little bit of a false choice: If people can be protesting on this scale, and we don’t have an option that can align with that, and you can suppress anti-genocide voters in that calculus, I don’t know what kind of democracy you’re protecting. And that’s really heavy. My sister is trying to fill in her ballot, and she’s like, “I feel physically nauseous.” That’s real. If I see a shredded child on my timeline again, I don’t know what I’m expected to do, like, vote for that?

      This is more than a single issue vote. How can you expect people to cast a ballot knowing that no matter what they choose their ethnicity will be slaughtered from their own tax dollars.

    • EndlessNightmare@reddthat.com
      82·
      2 months ago

      Yes, lots of us want to stop the genocide - it’s just not on this ballot.

      What a democracy we live in where we don’t even have the choice to vote against a genocide. What a sham.

      I voted for Harris as a matter of cold practicality, but being railroaded into this is repugnant and I do have the right voice my disgust.

      • RagingRobot@lemmy.world
        32·
        2 months ago

        But how did Harris become responsible here?

        Like she’s about as responsible as Donald Trump is to be honest.

        Neither one of them are president currently and even if they were that’s not even the person making all the decisions to kill children. that would be the Israeli leaders.

        If this was your (not you specifically) single issue to vote on I would think you would choose the candidate who would at least be more likely to listen to you at some point.

    • FireTower@lemmy.world
      41·
      2 months ago

      In the US, a representative democracy, people typically want to vote for a representative (here the Pres.) who shares their views on issues. The US isn’t going to have a national referendum on Gaza where the people can directly vote.

      What ever your view point(s) your time to vote on your issue(s) is during a presidential or midterm election.