THANK YOU for speaking these truths! While I understand the sentiment of people who wish to use their vote to protest Biden's complicity with the atrocities committed by the Netanyahu government, I feel nothing but contempt for the end goal. Anyone who sits this election out, or votes for an unelectable third party (and at this time there are no viable third-party candidates), is themselves *complicit* in elevating Trump to the presidency. Sure, we can protest the Trump administration and make proclamations about what Biden "should have done," but it will be the Palestinian people who pay the price for that smug satisfaction. Make no mistake: this election is a choice between Biden's limited efforts toward humanitarian safe zones, or Trump's calls for removal of all humanitarian aid. Biden's inadequate pleas for moderation, or Trump's stated goal of increased destruction. Biden's reluctant complicity, or Trump's active support for genocide. Between these two, there can be only one moral choice. Those who just can't bring themselves to vote for Biden commit the same sin as Biden himself: handwringing inaction and ineffectual opposition while allowing the Israeli government to continue perpetuating war crimes against the Palestinian people.
I don’t know if I’m in agreement but I know one thing. To quote Janeway in the Equinox episode “You’re right I’m angry, I’m damn angry” as of 5/14/2023 Biden has, again, bypassed congress to fund a GENOCIDE. We the left, all of the left should be clamoring to get Biden to resign and have Kamala take office. Are we so afraid, so fearful of Trump to do the right thing? Are we going to stand up for what’s right and just and do what’s hard? Everyone talks about privilege, use your privilege to do what’s right. It won’t be easy, it never is. Imagine if we did this and we got Biden to resign. The government and administration would be forced to change course. With that in mind we could demand more. Medicare for all, reparations for minorities, help for the homeless. This is not about Biden, this about making the Palestinians whole. We must correct this wrong. The choice is clear. Use our collective energy to do the right thing. Get Biden to resign. We can do the right thing and defeat Trump. Walk and chew gum at the same time. But all I’m hearing is “thoughts and prayers”. Where is the call to boycott Israel? Where is the call For sanctions? How can you expect me to vote for Biden when you won’t even call for these things. Maybe I’m just shouting in the void. We could have really done something. If we get another Trump presidency it’s your fault! Your fault for not standing up for what we believe in. We could have had EVERYTHING we want and have brought justice. Feckless
Perfectly said. Thank you. "None" is not an option here. Refusing to stand in the way of an objectively-greater evil because you took issue with a lesser evil is still, to my mind, a form of complicity.
@@dinosaysrawr @paulm.8660 ITA with both of you. Heck, I'm still p*ssed that these purists deprived me of President Hillary Clinton in 2016. I barely made it through 1 Trump term; I shudder to think the hell that awaits us all if he's elected again.
@@dinosaysrawr I understand the need to prevent greater harm. However, the genocide in Gaza is an urgent crisis that demands immediate action. Supporting a leader complicit in such atrocities, even as a lesser evil, undermines our commitment to human rights. True moral integrity means holding ALL leaders accountable. By demanding accountability now, we can work towards a future where no form of evil is acceptable. Let’s continue to seek solutions that prioritize justice and human rights for all.
One phrase that keeps going through my head whenever I'm stuck with no good options is "The person you vote for isn't gonna be your friend, they're who you're gonna fight." Voting isn't the only way or even the most effective way to change policy in a country, but it is the simplest way that takes the least amount of effort and risk. If someone isn't even willing to vote vote when they're able to, then I doubt they will be willing to do anything else to help.
I grew up evangelical. When the war in Syria was kicking off, there was a city being bombed with loads of civilians dying. I believe it was Damascus. I visited my church and they weren’t sad or hoping to organize aid. They were cheering because the destruction of that city was a predicted prophecy prior to the rapture. We aren’t a small church either. We had 5,000 members and both the Bush families and Trump families were known donors (sometimes with taxpayer dollars). If you think Biden’s indifference is bad, wait till you see what authoritarian wannabes do at the behest of Evangelicals hoping to fulfill eschatological prophecy… Also look up Project 2025. It CAN get worse.
I just watched the Comey Rule, and frankly we need to get on board with pro-Biden, anti-Frump messaging to prevent the apocalypse. And for those of you who accuse moi of hyperbole, Google project 2025.
I still don't understand why more people are not talking about Project 2025. It's not necessarily comparable, but it's almost like Germans pointing and yelling at Mein Kampf the best seller in the 1920s and saying, "ARE YOU SEEING THIS CRAP?!?!?! ITS A BLUEPRINT!!!"
It's something how Biden is a Christian but at the same time doesn't behave the same way as evangelicals. Trump isn't an evangelical, he obviously doesn't believe in God, at least not a God above but I say he sees himself as a god because he thinks he's immune or above the law.
Man... I have been VERY back and forth on this concept.. for this reason I'm wildly uncomfortable with giving my vote, or any measure of approval, to any administration so excitedly in support of genocide -- but, it's NOT a reward... .. it IS an element of citizenship.. and even those opposed to both sides of the scale will still be weighed one way or the other I hate that these are our choices.. I hate that the Democratic Party sees nothing wrong with running Biden - but... Thank you for the clear words and foundational approach to what a vote is -- that's going to make November easier for me
Yeah, as a progressive voter in a swing state I'm really in a dilemma about what to do in Nov. I don't at all want to vote for someone that was complicit in a genocide. At the same time...the alternative is Trump...and I live in a swing state where I can't really afford to waste a vote. Something is really wrong with the political system when voters get put in this type of ethical dilemma. SMH.
Thank you for this. I've been getting increasingly irked at some of the more vocal people in my twitter feed who seem to think that their high horse is more important than helping insure Donald Trump does not win the presidency again. As though that will help anyone. As though the panoply of other issues facing your country are not also at stake this election.
Jews have emigrated to Palestine since the 1400’s. Many more from the late 1800’s to early 1900’s. Jews fled to Palestine during the rise of fascism in europe. And, let’s be honest; no one wanted millions of Jewish refugees and victims of war crimes. So the world got together, and shipped them to Palestine. So, the world took empty lands that belonged to Palestine, and gave it to Jews, because if it was under the rug, no one saw the dust on the floor. During the Cold War, Israel became invaluable as a spy factory. An intelligence gathering satellite against Russia for the west. However, the Arab powers, Iran, Iraq, and the Saudis, wanted Israel gone. Vowed to wipe them off the face of the earth. These nations, were, sadly, either pro Russia, or simply didn’t care. As a result, the US threw billions in military funds into the Israeli state. It was necessary to fight the Cold War, as far as the US state department was concerned. They needed the intel. They needed the bulwark against the spread of Russian colonization, and their hold on resources. Israel aided in making certain the saudis played fair with their oil. The afghans played fair with their opium. This unfortunately, led to Israel using its new military might to push Palestine off their map. Palestine. A land that everyone felt was their by religious mandate. Given them by the ottomans, taken away by the UN. Now, threatened by the Israelis. And the west could not interfere, because too much was riding on Israel. They meant too much for US national security and capitalism. The money we made in arms sales. Military hardware. The deals we made thanks to the Stick approach toward OPEC. The puppets we put into power that slid us right up against the USSR. Then, Russia fell. But it was too late. Now, our opium was in danger, because our puppets were overthrown by the Taliban. Our oil was in jeopardy, because our puppet was overthrown in Tehran. Our bargaining chip was in danger, because abuse OPEC was now far too powerful to leave unattended. Our commerce was threatened by Egypt, siding with Saudi Arabia. So we had to have a military power to rattle our Sabre. Sadly, Palestine, caught in the middle of this game of capitalism and power, was slowly eroded, pushed, beat, and bled from a thousand cuts. Now, 13 presidents later, and it’s “ Biden’s problem”…. No- it’s the world’s problem. It’s capitalism’s problem. It’s Power’s problem. It’s hate, religion, anti-this, anti- that, little magic books from thousands of years ago, and the fear of a mushroom cloud. Mostly, though it’s control. Control of the world. The US started this with help, over a century ago. The Spanish allowed it 600 years ago. Maybe it’s time to understand the realities, before we blanket judge the issues. The reality is, capitalism has destroyed our world. And we are all too beat down to fight back.
It took courage to make this video about a bad and a worse option. And Steve didn't even mention, what many people across the globe fear (I am not from the USA), that the next presidential election in the USA might be the last one... at least for quite a while and in the sense what you call a free election.
But isn't that the problem ? There's always a reason yo vote for yge lesser of 2 evils, but if we do that then the options will always be the lesser of 2 evils. I'm bad, but un better than yhat guy so vote gor me or he'll make things worse, while it might be true, is never going to lead to a better future
Holding out the the Perfect Candidate is never going to lead to a better future. Allowing the greater of two evils is never going to lead to a better future.
This is not a problem to be solved through the electoral system as it currently exists. The best you can do electorally is harm reduction, the rest will have to happen through other channels of agitation and reform.
Gee, I sure wish the DNC would let the voters pick who they want as their candidate for President rather than telling us what we want, by picking the candidate themselves, or shall I say, letting the highest donors pick the candidate. DNC = Daddy No Care. I agree with every word of this video, and think President Warren would have handled this differently.
I'm voting for Biden. It doesn't matter who we vote for. They were always say to vote for the least bad option and in the end we play that game, and everything still ends up being crap. The problem isn’t who is president, but the government itself. I'm done playing the "least bad option," game. If i vote, it's going to be for Claudia De Le Cruz or the Legalize Marijuana Party candidate. There's only so much they can do, and they probably won't win, but I'm not going to be bullied by the government into picking their option. Heck, i say more people should advertise these folks if they don't want Trump to win, cause the chances are low, but if enough people do it, maybe it'll do something
You have three entire years between each election to fight for a better voting system and a better government. Until you succeed in changing the game, you play by the current rules. If all you're doing to make things better is avoiding reality in November, you're not doing anything to help. You're just making yourself feel better.
As much as I'm frustrated with the democrats, you're right. Every point and policy is donald trump plotting to make everything worse. its a shit choice, but its the only choice left.
On the "g-cide" word: Yes, words matter! It IS a g-cide. As a Jew and the granddaughter of someone who escaped the Holocaust, I believe it is imperative that we say it loud. Never again means never again, to ANYONE.
Exactly! Being against genocide is just basic decency...I'm partly of Jewish descent myself, and am deeply appalled at the actions of Netanyahu's government - being descended from genocide-survivors does not make it okay to turn around and commit it against another group of people...Genocide is never okay - that we even have to point that out is shocking.
I've been saying it until I'm blue in the mouth, the GOP must not be allowed victory in 2024. They are the only alternative that counts, and they are a million times worse. People you know, people you are friends with will be placed in mortal danger if they win, and Gaza won't be any better off than it is now. It sucks, having to wait another 4 years to try to get a genuine progressive nominated for president, but right now we face the immediate and terrifyingly real danger of turning into a fascist state. You still have to vote.
As a Swede viewing this from the outside, America is in great need of more political parties and make it more about voting for a party and less about voting for a president. I'm not quite happy with how block politics in Sweden are working either. We're far from perfect. But still, if I hate what the largest party in a block does, I can always vote for another party in that same block in hopes of giving them more influence. I.e., if I hate something the Social Democrats have done, I can vote for the Left Party instead, or the Green Party, and still the left block will get that vote in the end as long as the party gets at least 4% of all votes. When the government is decided, the parties form alliances and the strongest block become the sitting party with a Prime Minister. From what I gather, in American politics, even if there are more parties than two in reality, in actuality they can do little to nothing in the long run and have very little to no mandate in the end.
Yes. This is why I'm glad my state has ranked-choice voting and hope other states will follow suit. It allows me to vote for the best candidates first without worrying about the "spoiler effect". And yes, I'll be using that to put Biden below more progressive candidates who don't have a chance of winning this November. Biden will get the lowest ranking on my ballot (Trump won't even get ranked.)
We would need to hold a Constitutional convention to get very far down that road due to the drastic nature of the change (the two party system is the logical consequence of our entire voting system), and I have little reason to believe that things wouldn't just get worse if we went that route. There are too many people in this country who would cut off their noses to spite their faces; we would become a de jure illiberal democracy instead of a de facto one.
Sadly, the major problem in the US voting system is people that only vote for a party, and not for a person. Lots of Republicans will vote for a dictator, for someone that wants to destroy the US democracy, because they are going to vote for their party, no matter what. And then they will regret their action.
The American culture tends to make things black and white. Us vs. them. The American voting system effectively enforces this process. Nuance is not something that Americans, as a whole, deal with particularly well.
we have plenty of political parties in the us. They just don't garner a noticeable percentage of the vote, and as one of the major political parties has descended over the past 3 decades into being a religious cult, that wants to burn the country to the ground there isn't a lot of ground to playing around
@karldubhe8619that's sweet. Naive but sweet. Setting aside the atrocities we're continuing to do but have simply renamed and rebranded them, last time I checked - we're the only country sending 4/5 year-olds to school wearing bulletproof backpacks and acting like that's the best and only thing we can do. "It's just a fact of life, there's no way to predict these things. It can happen anywhere at any time!" (Don't look at the other countries... or if you do; look at the one example of violence they've had in decades it's *absolutely* the same thing over there...)
The one thing that annoys me about how everyone talks about this election is that the only thing up for election is the Presidency. All our representatives and about 1/3 of our senators are also up for election as well as countless state and local elections. Vote for BIDEN but also vote for representatives, senators, etc that would push Biden to his limit and lessen his complacency.
PSA & Case Study/ *Cautionary Tale:* Don't forget to research and vote on your local officials as well people. Not just POTUS, or Congress and representatives: The people who do not get offices in DC can have the biggest impacts as well; this can include DAs, judges, city and county officials, mayor's - *the governor* (remember if you live in a death penalty state they decide *who lives or dies* among other massive power). Despite the reputation for being the Absolute Wost™ (until Florida said "hold my Mai Tai" - my sincere apologies to everyone trapped there) we're actually *not* a red state despite what legislation - and mainstream, especially faux news - reflects. In fact, we nearly "flipped blue" for POTUS the previous two cycles (last time missing popular vote by approximately *500* total for the *entire* state). How/Why then? [Take out your notebooks because this is the TLDR/"Learn from our history" portion] Apathy and "protest" votes. Despite what so many may think, it's actually the not-so-silent 100% "minority" carrying on the the W. legacy of xenophobic wealthy-whyte het flunkie thinking making this "MAGA" country when the population is the polar opposite. (FFS I know more legitimate, deeply educated, anarcho/communists than cishet whte people here). But zealots *unite.* 2016 (separate from the mess that we all now know happened then) I watched *real* hardcore 'Berners' - not bots - proclaim if he didn't get the candidacy they would vote orange - *and they DID.* 2020 - Highest level of registration and turnout in record numbers. Some were 18-21, but a "surprising" amount were a considerable portion increasing every other section as well. Some may have been outliers, but it's common knowledge this was to be part of the "blue wave" and we were *so close* - systemic issues were one reason we failed voting access is a problem, intentionally, (something that could be fixed with local involvement especially elections NOT on POTUS years/ballots as that's when items the general public is unlikely to pass is put forth so those seated can customize the name and presentation to their known audience for their desired results - e.g more ballot boxes/polling stations/access ect).
@@Char00000on the one hand, yes. On the other hand, from the outside looking in, it's _really impressive_ how when Democrats hold the Senate, there always mysteriously turn out to be _just enough_ of them who don't reliably vote with the party to stymie any major reforms… and the party never does anything about them. No threats to withdraw the party whip (or whatever your term for it is), continuing support for them in their re-election primaries, the party apparatus _always_ seems to stand behind keeping some obstructionists around.
35,000 is actually a conservative estimate because the apparatus that measures casualties coming out of Gaza hasn't been in operation for at least two months now.
Bernie Sanders announced his re-election campaign openly opposing the situation. Not only does he have overwhelming support in his state, but *internationally* which is tremendously impressive.
I'm Spanish, and here we address our politicians (though they've been very ineffective on this issue, specially given that in Spain there is a large amount of support for the Palestinians).
The other day I was asked why Star Trek was my favorite show. Without being too long winded I simply said that if every politician in congress was forced to watch a full season of Star Trek I thought the world would be a better place.
The only one of your points I take issue with is the last one. I don't think it's totally wrong but it is incomplete. I live in Illinois. Biden won my state by over a million votes in 2020. He did so without my vote then and he will do so without my vote in November. If I lived just a few miles north, across the border into Wisconsin, I would be facing a much harder decision. But I don't. If Biden is going to win my state no matter what, I refuse to cast a ballot with his name on it. I'm not going to tell people in swing states who to vote for. I fully understand how difficult that decision is, given our options. All I ask is that others extend that same courtesy to people in states where our vote for president truly could not matter less.
It is the bitterest pill to swallow. I didn't really want to vote for Biden the first time, I really wished he wouldn't get the nomination. But he did. And I voted for him. And I'm mad at him, and I really don't want to give him my vote. But I will swallow the bitter pill and do it. I think its hard to find that balance between voicing the frustration and acknowledging the validity of it and realizing the system is broken while also acknowledging we simply have no alternative. I hate it so much. But I appreciate you putting it into words.
No nonviolent alternative. But most of the "I'm not voting for biden" folks haven't been putting 2-3 days a week at the range or using loopholes to get pew pews without documentation
One of my children is gay. This makes me a single issue voter for the Democrats, regardless of the fact that Bernie is closer to me politically. It's going to be Biden or Trump. We can influence this. That's all there is on offer.
This is a hard thing to ask of me, Steve. Biden is a terrible candiate and while hes done some good as president, he's slow to move or change. He and those like him believe in tiny changes and it feels lime he is merely allowing the status quo to stay in power. Seeing that Biden has been complicit in gaza makes it hard to support him. Do i want Trump? No, i don't. But every election its "vote for this guy OR we're doomed!" And its just getting tiring. I want a real candidate that cares, that wants big changes and wants to usher in a revolution. Biden is status quo. Trump is authoritarian nightmare fuel. Where is the candidate that will feed the poor, that will empower the disenfranchised, who will fight the lobbies and military industrial complex? It shouldnt be this hard. It shouldn't be this frustrating. I'm tired of voting for the lesser of two evils. Every election feels like a scare tactic.
Part of the solution is working to change the system itself. We can't just keep waiting for the next election, hoping for a hero to come and save us. Besides, the President is only one person and there is an entire apparatus of Federal departments, intelligence services, courts, and states that have to cooperate with the White House and each other in order to accomplish the goals we want. Feeding the poor, lifting up the disenfranchised, and fighting lobbies and the military industrial complex requires numerous other officials and institutions to cooperate with a president trying to do all that. If they refuse to cooperate then a president will be ineffective regardless of motivations. We need to work to pass a constitutional amendment to change or get rid of the electoral college. We also need to push for other electoral reforms, including ranked-choice voting, eliminating caucuses, etc. Finally, we need to make a point to care about and vote for local candidates. Everything from governor down to county councils. The problem I see is that a lot of Progressives/young people don't have a lot of tolerance for political projects that take longer than 6-12 months to enact. Everything I mentioned above needs to be done and sustained over a period of 10-20 years, and it requires us to focus on Congress, state legislators, governors, and cabinet secretaries, not just the president.
I agree with your frustrations but a better way to think of it is you are choosing who you're going to fight for the next 4 years not who you're going to support. If the Democrats only ever give us one thing on our wish list every couple of years that's still better than getting nothing or actually losing rights to the GOP. I'm sure someone's going to put it in your ear to vote third party but let's face objective reality third party never ends they're never going to win until we change the system. The only people that currently have access to power who are willing to change that system happen to be Democrats. It sucks but it's as simple as that. Choose your opponent and choose wisely.
People keep saying that foreign policy isn't about morality, it's about power. Like that is some kind of natural unchangeable property of nature or logic and not the ongoing cruel human choice it is.
We can and should oppose that situation, and we can also acknowledge that now and for the next decade or so at minimum (because foreign policy shifts more slowly than domestic, in _every_ country) it _is_ the situation. These are ideas that can _and must_ coexist.
I think it would also behoove us to look at which congresspeople voted to approve the appropriations package that is allowing Biden to send weapons to Israel, and keep that in mind in the upcoming congressional primaries.
The way that the appropriation was bundled, it was, effectively, everyone. The focus was on getting money for Ukraine (and Taiwan, to a less-discussed extent). Combining all three (plus that "short-form-media" ban) was the only way to get the bipartisan votes needed to get it all through.
Thank you, Steve. Facing the truth is vital, especially since we have so much work to do. In addition to voting through the entire ballot, I'd like to encourage people to support their local public libraries. Making use of the services there--libraries have so much more than books, which are already wonderful--joining the Friends of the Library group, and sitting on the board of trustees are all great ways to get involved in your local community. Seeing our neighbors is vital to feeling part of community.
I'm used to being unenthusiastc about who I'm voting for. I wasn't excited about voting for Kerry in '04, Clinton in '16, or Biden in '20. And if 2008 me had known the things I know now, I wouldn't have been excited about Obama in '08 or '12. But this is the first time I've been actively ANGRY about who I have to vote for. Given the options on the table, I am FURIOUS that there is only one option that even remotely acceptable. Biden is unlikely to make anything better, hell he's likely going to make things worse. But Trump would make the SO MUCH worse that it's not even a consideration. But I am PISSED that voting for Joe Biden is my only choice because the Democratic establishment refuses to move forward and the Republican establishment has handed itseld over fully to fascism. I'm voting for Biden, but I am PISSED about it.
Let that anger fuel you, and give you the energy to promote real change once the election is complete. That way, perhaps in 2028 you'll have someone more to your liking on the ballot. Democracy is participatory, or it isn't a democracy at all.
If you are so pissed, then why not get more involved in supporting progressive candidates at the ground level so they can get a chance to even get to the point of being a viable presidential candidate? People may not want to admit it to themselves, but Biden has been the most progressive president we’ve had since probably Jimmy Carter. This “umbrage” people all of a sudden have makes no sense to me give recent political history.
"Biden's going to make things worse" That is either some incredibly privilege, or just full-on MAGA alternate reality there. Negotiated a ceasefire between Palestine and Hamas, foreign aid, is the reason Ukraine isn't ethnically cleansed by Russia, forgave huge swaths of student debt, ended the Muslim ban, ended the trans military ban, suing states for their anti-trans bans, new Title IX rules to protect trans people, the biggest environmental bill in U.S. history, etc., etc.
We don't literally have two options. The issue is that our electoral system - First Past The Post - only allows for one vote and only one winner. Barring a complete collapse of either the Democratic or Republican Parties a la the Whig Party in the 1850s or the elimination of First Past The Post voting, it's not going to change.
Leaving aside the electoral college, I don't know that I actually believe that our first-past-the-post system is worse than the alternatives, given the clusters we've seen in parliamentary democracies, notably the UK and, ironically, *_Israel,_* where the vast majority has consistently voted for *anyone-but-Bibi* for years, yet he's the only one who can actually create a coalition.
Since there is a difference between the two, my first answer is "you live in a more democratic society than if there were only one option". My second answer is that in saying we are not a democracy indicates that you don't think the current options broadly represent the will of the electorate. Where's your evidence for that? Is our democracy skewed by power, privilege, the electoral college, and gerrymandering? Yes. But the electorate's will is skewed, not completely overwritten. Neither candidate may represent you or the people you know. That doesn't mean they don't represent the electorate at large in a large swath of issues. Keep in mind there are millions of Americans who think Biden shouldn't restrict weapon sales to Israel even now. Keep in mind how much people value stability in any status quo. But most of all, keep in mind Steve's truth number 2, that we, the American electorate as a whole, are complicit in what our government does. Please do not absolve me and other voters (and non voters who are eligable and able to vote) of our responsibility by wrongly saying we have NO electoral power to change things. That is comforting, and it is wrong. Thank you.
It's a bit more difficult than convincing Joe to turn. There's probably a considerable amount of interested government and private parties that benefit greatly from ongoing support to Israel. Those same parties are probably purting heaps of pressure - whether subtle or less so - on the administration to keep being...traditional.
"He can be moved." This, in my estimation, is the one thing which differentiates Biden over Trump. If you go back to Biden's original platform in 2020, you will find some pretty anti-progressive ideas. But pressure from candidates farther to the left of him moved him to a more progressive stance. (The lack of any such candidate this year illustrates why I dislike the party strategy of discouraging challengers during a re-election cycle. I understand why they do it, but I don't like it.) This is not to say Trump cannot be moved at all, but he's consistently moved to the right. Any form of appeal to progress or empathy appears to cause an equal and opposite reaction with him.
Example: I just saw about the FTC banning non-competes in employee contracts. Could you imagine something like that happening when Biden got elected? He's had a lot more of those under-the-radar good moves than I would have ever expected when he got into office.
@@ZyliahWar Biden has turned out to be the most progressive President in my lifetime, despite himself. Granted I grew up during the Reagan administration so maybe my standards are stupidly low.
He was moved to gaslight the public about Gaza. He was moved to call protesters antisemitic. He was moved to bypass congress, many times, to fund the genocide of the Palestinian people. Yes he was “moved”. He’s not a perfect person but hell neither was Hitler 🤷🏽♂️
@@Canoby Yeah, I've noticed the same thing. It's been a nice surprise. I hope the Israel thing doesn't wind up completely undercutting him; it's not good, but the American politcal system has been so all-in on Israel over the last few decades that I have a hard time imagining Obama, Bush, Clinton, or Reagan doing any better.
As an Australian, I have to say thanks for this Steve, I agree with every point you made. However, I think that people in the US may not appreciate just how much Biden has done for foreign policy, especially from the perspective of the US's allies. For the four years of Trump we couldn't know what would happen next, would the president just, out of the blue, cancel a treaty or a trade deal, throw an ally under the bus? Hell, we were looking toward Angela Merkel for leadership, for stability. In short I guess, as slow as Biden has been to come around to the Gazan genocide, I don't think a sudden about face has much merit when it comes to international relations. Foreign policy is all about power, after all, not morality, and the US can't maintain the status quo (and thereby its power) if its unpredictable. But it is changing, slowly.
I am so tired of watching people walk into the ideological propeller that is "the other guy would be worse, though." And I'm terminally exhausted by their efforts to yank us into the propeller with them.
Unfortunately- rubber stamp support of Israel is overwhemingly popular in politics in both parties. There is no such thing as a revolutionary progressive president. If we want a revolution in the way we handle the middle east - we need to change hearts and minds so the politics change, not elect a president to change things.
Agreed on the vote. I wonder though are we just delaying the inevitable fall at this point? Im starting to think voting for trump is to strike the match
Decent men dont slaughter thousands upon thousands of women and children and civilians, just because he wants money, power, and self-aggrandizing glory
The last point is a point not on Trump or Biden, but the failings of our election systems. Anyone who takes it personally or as a ding on "their guy" is missing the real point entirely.
Agree that our election system is borked to heck. But my feeling is that not voting for the better option in a binary system is a vote for the worse, regardless of what the vote was. The answer here is not to sabotage elections with your vote, but to work to better the system. Vote local - it has a much bigger impact than people think. Work to instill ranked-choice voting (probably our most realistic pathway out of a binary election system).
@@JDHutchison We've been told to work to better the system our entire lives. We've seen the outcome. Nonviolent pressure simply does not work. The alternative might not work either, but record voter disenfranchisement and cynicism comes from the results that we've all seen.
I just watched the Comey Rule, and frankly we need to get on board with pro-Biden, anti-Frump messaging to prevent the apocalypse. And for those of you who accuse moi of hyperbole, Google project 2025.
Correct. Revolution is a constant ongoing process. I sometimes wonder if Steve Shives and our Liberals are afraid of change. I guess they prefer, or are comfortable with, the devil they know as opposed to the devil they don't know.
Being poor all my life, I've always had to make tough choices or learn to deal with what I can get. We were given the choice between lemons and grapefruit. You can make lemon aid with the lemons, but the grapefruit will interact badly with your medications and put you in the hospital. You have to make the choice between the two or someone else will. There are plenty of people out there that would think it would be funny if you got sick and had to go to the hospital. We only have these choices, but at least we have a choice. With trump, we may never be given a choice ever again. As long as we have a choice, we can work to get better choices down the road.
Republicans in the Senate and House will also want to give more support to Netanyahu and more harm to Gaza. Hold your nose if necessary and vote for those Democrats too.
I’m maintaining my current stance of refusing to comment on my actual vote, and in large part because of the point Steve makes in the end of the video: creating pressure to maintain Biden’s change in direction is still paramount, and the more people there are declaring they’ll support Biden no matter what and advocating others to do the same, the more that pressure is blunted. While I understand the instinct to include it here, as a way to connect with those people who do advocate that way, if I’m honest it’s clear too many of those people haven’t done the hard look at themselves or done the work of learning about this atrocity that the moment requires. There’s a rush to push past just how harrowing this all is and boil it down to the voting, and along the way ignoring all the things that can and must be done. For months I’ve seen people I used to respect claiming that there’s nothing Biden could do and that the slaughter of Palestinians is inevitable so we have to ignore it to stop Trump, and in the last week we’ve seen all the things so many have argued that entire time, the ways the executive and Commander in Chief can slow and hobble military aide within the confines of the law. And how much sooner could that have happened if not for the insulating bubble created by moderates and liberals crying “but Trump!” from the first sign people were angry about the carnage they were seeing. There is something to be said for being more conciliatory now that change is starting to come, but for myself I think it’s best to wait and see if something lasting can be achieved.
As an outsider, I understand this viewpoint completely. But I hope that you understand, "but Trump" is going to be so much worse, for Palestine and for everybody. Real opportunity for change is going to come with the next US Presidential Primary season. It will be interesting to see who the options are there.
@@nicholassmith7984 why, exactly, when I spend the entire post talking about tactical considerations and how emphasizing the danger of Donald Trump negates the efforts to move Biden’s politics, do you feel it’s necessary or appropriate to lecture me about Donald Trump? You, and many like you, are the problem here. You think it’s more important to stop people criticizing the *President of the United States* than to do what you can, even in a small, infinitesimal way, to push our elected leaders to stop participating in a genocide and start listening to the people who elected them.
I completely understand what you’re saying. But I wonder if refusing to comment-and more broadly, if those refusing to express support for Biden over Trump because of Gaza, even if they know they’ll vote for Biden in November-might make it *harder* for Biden to take firm action right now. I know that sounds backwards. But Biden rightfully views Trump as an existential threat to American democracy. Biden also seems to understand that elections are generally won or lost by the middle of the voting spectrum, because they are the ones whose votes swing between the parties to affect the overall outcome. If support for Biden *seems* weaker than it actually is, then Biden might feel he needs to appeal *more* to that middle, including those who don’t like the atrocities against the Palestinians but are less vehement about it because “Hamas started it.” And including those who are loyal to Israel for religious reasons (and may be ignorant, even if willfully so, about Israel’s own recent atrocities). I don’t have an answer to this. I’m not asking as a rhetorical device, and I certainly don’t pretend to know whether this is actually happening. This is just something that occurred to me reading your comment. I genuinely wonder whether Biden thinks he simply doesn’t have the political cover right now to do more than he already is.
Yeah, the third one is hard to swallow. I just keep thinking about how another Trump Supreme Court Justice would ruin us all. That keeps my throat open for that hard to swallow pill about needing to vote for Joe.
Agree 100%. For all of Biden's faults, and he has been tragically weak on this issue, he can at least be pushed in the right direction. Trump, in all things, will be actively malignant.
Could an American please explain to me why the US government is so committed to helping Israel even now, when it is crystal clear that Israel is on the wrong side of this? What is America getting out of its support of a genocidal regime here?
Israel is America's unsinkable aircraft carrier in the middle east, a disruptive force close to major political rivals like Iran. Some of us on the left have even called it the 51st state; the relationship is that airtight. Plus... supporting genocidal regimes is kind of an American Tradition. Look at the CIA's activities throughout the back half of the 20th century for proof of that. Imperial capitalist hegemonies require constant maintenance in the form of slaughter, lest a different country's capitalist monopoly, or, even "worse", a socialist power starts to threaten it.
Foreign policy has nothing to do with what is right or moral in this case. If that were the case, our history would be dramatically different at all times. Israel, Saudi Arabia and Iran represent the strongest tentpoles in the region. The US wants as many of those as possible on their side, so we can continue to use the region for stability and money. More pressing is the need to divert US assets to Africa long term for the next regional fight. Again, none, nothing of this is about morality. It isn't 'right', but the last thing in your life that was fair was probably the division of birthday cake when you were 10. We need Israel for not very nice things, we cannot go out into the world and just be crass about it, so we go about it this way. After this is said and done, we will go on supporting them, because we need a stable Middle East where we can continue to be powerful in the region and generate wealth. It is about the good of this country at the expense of other countries. All countries play this game, we just have more levers and it looks far grosser when we let it happen.
Foreign policy is never about morality. It’s about power. The three major powers in the Middle East are Saudi Arabia, Israel, and Iran. The US is friendly with 2/3 and wants to keep it that way so it’s still able to influence the region.
Biden is not the best of the two. He's the least worst. If you're a single issue voter the question you should ask is will things get better for them under Biden? Or will they just get worse more slowly? I'm not sure if that's better. The best you can hope for is buying enough time for the protests to work and enough bodies to shake the electorate. But Trump will make things worse so there it is.
BIden supports a Two State Solution and works diplomatically with Israel and other countries in the region to make that happen. If it works,, Palestinians would gain a lot of sovereignty and international recognition.
The people making a difference are the activists, not the government. Government is an institution that needs to go and the way to do that is to stop recognising it’s authority.
While we in Germany don't have the Voting system the US has. We are of course also struggling right now what to do with the Gaza Conflict. What really troubles me is that I've seen a lot of people internationally attack us from both sides. If we support Israel, we are seen as Authoritarian genocide Supporting Nazis And if we don't support Israel we are Antisemitic, Holocaust Denying Nazis. Even the question if the mass murder in Gaza should be called a Genoside or not is something that will get people attacking you from the other side. So matter what side we pick people will take it as an example of us being "the bad guys once more"
If it helps, I don't know anyone who doesn't think your country has completely and successfully moved on from that dark period in your history. You've come up more than once as a model for how we in the US should be handling our own.
That is something I think about and do not envy - anything Germany does is especially scrutinized. Hopefully everyone in your community stays in best health as feasible.
It shouldn't be about how people will perceive you, it should be about what's right. American criticisms of Germany are hypocritical anyway, Lebensraum was literally inspired by Manifest Destiny, they're in no position to judge.
Support Israel... doing what? WHO will take WHAT as an example of which making "you" the bad guys. Accusations in a mirror will always fly from people doing bad things. First and foremost, don't essentialize. All countries have their reactionary element, and letting their bad faith criticisms painted with a broad brush force-team you with the worst elements of your body politic is playing into their hands. I'm not that clear on Germany's political situation presently, but you have an analogue of our Republican party in the AfD? Who are broadly in support of certain people getting reduced to vapor I assume? I think that's where some bad guys are, probably.
I guess I will just leave this here. I am curious of what is Liberals' political project. Because, maybe it is just me, but there seems to be a lot of differences between the Liberals' political project and Anarchists' political projects. Despite how some Liberals believe, and some have said to me, "G33k, you and I want the same thing, a better world." But my better world is a world without Capitalism. ruclips.net/video/V3xjF_piYJg/видео.html
One the three tenets I live my life by is "Every day, make the world a better place than it was yesterday. If you can't do that, at least make it no worse." That's why I'll be reluctantly voting Biden this fall. I wish there were better options. But the reality is just as Steve said, Trump or Biden will be president. And so I'll choose the option that will make it no worse. Not just in Gaza, but here at home as well.
Exactly right. I believe pretty much any US President will be bad on foreign policy because it's all about power and not about morality (shout out to Beau of the Fifth Column), but some like Trump will be undoubtedly worse on it than Biden. Then we get to domestic policy and it's no contest who the better option is. I and I'm sure many others here have several women, POC and LGBT people as friends and members of our families we care deeply about (or you may be a part of those groups yourself). Do they deserve to suffer the horrific consequences of another Trump presidency and GOP control of government just to stick it to Biden on the issue of Israel/Gaza? I certainly don't think so. And even if one decides to not vote at all because they don't like either candidate, we have stats that show that the fewer people vote, the more likely the Republican wins. Not showing up to the voting booth at all will more than likely benefit Trump, and him winning to create even more pain and suffering to the people in Gaza *and* to the marginalized people here in the US.
Either option will make things worse right so no vote right? Let me know what excuse you plan on telling your lgbt friends especially the transgender ones if trump wins. Because both sides are bad right so it doesn’t matter? Or your POC friends. Or the women in your life. Or the people of Gaza. Please let me know what you’ll tell them. I’m sure they’ll appreciate it. Because yeah they are fighting for their rights and republicans are more than eager to take even more but hey Biden is bad too.
What Steve said. (The IDF's atrocities against their palestinian hostages didn't start on Oct 7, they started decades ago) Also, call yer reps & senators. Daily. :'(
I always appreciate your eloquence, thoughtfulness, and skill with driving home points in a measured, deliberate manner. All of the truths in this video matter, but the third is arguably the most important, especially within the context of the first two. Go figure, I came to your channel for the Star Trek videos (which I definitely still enjoy and appreciate), but your videos dealing with social and political issues have me hooked, as well.
For my entire adult life, I have watched Americans go to the polls every four years and choose between two bad options. With only one exception, every four years those two bad options have gotten _worse._ When your entire political system can be boiled down to the Freedom (Capital "F" freedom, the BEST kind of freedom) to choose _the lesser of two evils,_ you have to wonder why anyone votes at all. Voting will not make things better. At best, it will keep things from getting worse (or at least getting worse as fast as it would if you didn't vote). I'm not saying don't vote. I'm saying I don't blame you if you don't. At this point, your personal convictions are all you have, because your political system has lost them.
Voting _for the president in the general election_ is the choice between the lesser of two evils. But the president doesn't stand alone, and his name didn't suddenly appear on that ballot from nowhere. A Biden presidency means having an old fart in charge who is apathetic to supporting the progressive policies led by local communities and more progressive members of congress. A Trump presidency means having a malignant narcissist who will do anything to prop himself up and who has learned that the way to get power is to indulge the most hateful and wicked desires of the nation, and especially to hurt people like us. Local races, congressional races, and primary races are where you drive policy changes of the party. The presidential election is just where we have to stand together and make sure those policy changes can actually have an effect.
For people who live in swing states, I think some of what you said deserves serious thought. As someone who lives in a state where Joe Biden will not be within the margin of error, I see no reason to compromise my personal morals to vote for a man who enables genocide. If you live in a swing state, If you live in a blue state, follow your conscience. I, from my red state hell hole, will be voting for a third party.
I hope you do not apply this logic to races down-ballot. Your state and local elections are decided by far smaller margins and are not only improved by blue votes from you but show that those places are worth attempting to oust Republicans from. I assume you left out "vote for Biden" in your "if you live in a swing state" statement?
Some people just aren't on board with the "lesser of two evils" argument. Personally I agree whole-heartedly with you. But, idk, people see votes as endorsement, I guess.
I get the argument that if you vote for Biden, you become personally complicit in his wrongdoing, like throwing the switch in the Trolley Problem. But I think that choosing inaction also makes you personally complicit in the Trolley Problem, and in elections, and life in general.
Well due to the Electoral college, my vote doesn't matter being in a ruby red state. So it's easy for me not to vote Biden. Though I can't imagine how hard it would be in an actual battleground state. That being said if Biden does lose the buck stops at the White house and only he is truly responsible for losing. There's really no excuse to lose to someone as terrible as Trump.
This should be one of the biggest political issues this year. The fact that we don't have an anti-war candidate here with a focus on de-escalation is insanse. Absolutely insane.
@@rampantramblingI saw somebody above put it very well: vote for the enemy you’d rather have across the table. I’d go with pushing back on Biden any day as opposed to Trump. Only one of them are you going to get any compromise from.
Excellent summary. I disagree on a few point, could cite historical precedent fot those, blablabla, but I fully agree: Joe Biden is the better choice, Trump must not become president, not voting in a democracy is not good practice. You, Steve, made a compelling argument. That was a great breath of fresh air in a toxic discourse.
Im not with you on voting for BIDEN. Get him to resign first. He needs to be held accountable. You can’t ask someone to circumvent their morals. Think beyond the duopoly. Make hard choices. Biden doesn’t have to be on the ticket if we collectively ask for his resignation. Let’s have a discussion
No, thank you. That is an easy win for Trump. He is already going to get a number of votes just because of the protests on college campuses. When there are protests at the national convention, Trump will get more. Add in the inflation/ corporate profit taking in the economy, and Trump is winning. If Trump wins, then his agenda will be implemented. Read Agenda 47 and Project 2025 to see the plans. Steve is right, hold your nose and vote Biden.
EXACTLY! Vote Trump. What? Who's gonna win except Trump if you remove Biden? Harris? Newsom? Please, name the theoretical candidate that will bring enough Americans together, who has enough name recognition - especially in swing states - to beat Donald Trump in six months. Hell, we're already out of the Primaries- how would they be chosen? Just let the Dem Party decide amongst themselves at the convention? Heck, would the Convention have to put (a post resignation) Biden on the ballot, since he won the Primaries? So, let's have this discussion; remove Biden, AND THEN... what.
The election is a binary one. Biden or Trump will win. Not voting for Biden is helping to open a pathway for Trump. You don’t have to vote for Biden, but you’ll need to content with the fact that doing so could help Trump win. If you’d prefer Trump over Biden, then I’d say your plan of abstention is perfect.
@@JDHutchison And you and everyone that votes for Biden has to contend with voting for someone complicit in the crime, the genocide, of the century. When Nixion committed crimes the American people and politicians asked him to resign regardless if the other party wins. What have we become that when faced with GENOCIDE we don’t ask the same. I guess some lives don’t really matter huh?
If anything, this shows how vitally important it is for Americans to start forcing a multi-party democracy instead of a two-party duopoly. The issue here is the binary choice between Rep and Dem ... a third choice that "had a chance" would completely change the equation. I get that's not possible for THIS election, but surely this election shows just how AWFUL the duopoly is. As a Canadian, I have to suggest you need BETTER "viable options" than the ones presented, and that requires Americans to actually want to change the system into something that isn't a binary choice. Just a Canadian opinion ... your mileage (or L/100km 😀) may vary ...
Still not going to vote for Biden in November? THERE ARE CANDIDATES, AND EVEN QUESTIONS ON YOUR BALLOT!!!! THEY MATTER JUST AS MUCH!!! Skip voting for president and VOTE ON ALL THE REST!!!!!
I dont understand your use of other peoples self appointed honorific titles stop calling them a defense force when theyre an occupying military and stop letting the republicans call themselves the grand old anything i dont get why you go along with such nonsense
Thank you for including that final point. We may not like the choices that the electoral system provides us with, and we can attempt to change them, via support for ranked choice voting, or protesting, or whatever. But right now, THIS NOVEMBER, the choice that we have is between Biden and Trump. Not voting does not send a message of "both these guys suck", it sends a message of "I don't care who wins".
A text I've seen cited is "The Ones Who Leave Omelas," which is ironic because Le Guin herself did not believe that "leaving" was actually the moral choice.
It is also a moral duty. If the American voting public were imaginative enough to hold Biden to account there wouldn’t be a choice between genocide and democracy. All I see ppl doing is looking at a genocide and saying “eh? It’s just a genocide 🤷🏽♂️”
Political participation is a responsibility. Voting is only a valid form of political participation if it actually expresses the will of the people. If you are obligated to vote for a government that is actively opposed to your moral principles, then it is not a valid form of politician participation and you must seek to exercise it in another way. In this view, merely accepting the system as it is and limiting your political participation to ineffectual elections and protests is a shirking of responsibility. The default state of the world isn't cruelty. That's a choice. It's a choice that is renewed every election and every year that people fail to make the choice to stop it. The choice is not between more or less cruelty, the choice is whether or not you will support that cruelty or challenge it.
@darthhelmet If you don’t vote, you shouldn’t complain if the government that is voted in is acting against your interests plain and simple. If you won’t participate in literally the smallest bit of change you can do as a normal citizen, you shouldn’t complain when the wheels turn.
Problem is with the way Joe Biden has been conducting himself, he's lost all the people that would have otherwise been knocking on doors and getting out the vote for him in November. Even if politically savvy people understand that Biden would be better than Trump and we should vote for him, how many of those people are going to be cheerleaders for him now? All those kids on college campuses that he's calling antisemitic for supporting a free Palestine, those are the ones who would normally be going door-to-door to get out the vote for Democrats.
This I think is a fantastic argument for ranked choice voting. It would be much more expressive as a way for citizens to state their preferences, rather than a reward bestowed for running a good campaign.
Great point Steve, the MAGA party would be worse on Gaza, heck Trump would probably send US troops to help the IDF, even with the small cutting off of arms shipments the Republicans are saying Biden is supporting Hamas.
@@jefft5152Quoting the Likud manifesto, I see. Really ticks me off that people claim that sentence fragment is antisemitic when literally _everyone_ in the region has used it in their rhetoric at some point.
Could not have been better said. Not voting, voting for a third party candidate, or voting for the unspeakable is not punishing Biden, it is refusing to use the one tool at our disposal that could help avert a global catastrophe. On climate change, on human rights, on democracy, on civil rights, on Women’s health and Women’s freedom, on lgbtq rights, and yes,on Gaza.
Genocide is unspeakable. Voting for either of the major candidates is a vote for genocide. I am not looking to "punish Biden". I am voting for someone does not support genocide - specifically, Jill Stein. I genuinely can't believe so many shitty liberals like yourself and Steve don't view fucking genocide as a red line to get you to stop with the "vote blue no matter who" bullshit.
"Complicit", "helping", "involved", and "fully on board with"... c'mon Steve. At best, that's a blatant exaggeration. Where's your outrage video for the war in Yemen?
First, fan of the channel. Second, came here for your political/cultural takes. I am now watching DS9 for the first time. So, the opposite of some of your response videos. Third, I am for more of a leftist than a progressive. Still, as disgusted as I am that Biden is all I have to vote for, I think this video is correct. I am desperately unimpressed with the Biden Administration. And I am looking at the pinned comment as I type this. Yeah, I'm white. Being an ally means eating the same s**t sandwich the people you claim to stand with are eating. But, no kidding, the left is so sick of the lesser of 2 evils. We will never know what would have happened had Sanders beat Clinton in '16, but I am amongst the crowd that thinks we would have never had a Trump administration. If the GOP finds someone who is not a maniac in 28, expect a lot of self-identifying leftists to sit it out. 24 is not the time to do so. Mr. Shives, you never fail to either entertain and rarely fail to make me think about my own beliefs.
That 3rd bullet point is why I’m still voting. I hate that we never get to primary an incumbent President, but I also hate Trump more, and am painfully aware of how much worse he would be. Ineffectual as Biden has been, at least he says he’s trying. Trump would absolutely not be in any way trying to moderate this. And that’s not counting all the other groups who would be thrown under the bus, especially women and the LGBTQ community. But man, I would do a lot to have some election system that wasn’t a 2 party first past the post. 😞
Im sorry but no, Israel has no right whatsoever to "defend" itself, an occupying force has no right of self-defense, would you say Putin and Russia have a "right to defend themselves" from the recent Ukranian attacks on Russian territory? Israel is an apartheid state that has been slowly but surely taking Palestinian land since 1948, so the problem is the illegal invasion and occupation, the only solution, just like with Ukraine, is the complete and total withdrawal of the invading forces, in this case Israel from Palestinian territory and respect the Palestinian people sovereignty over their own land, thats the only and sole solution, no more apartheid, no more occupation.
I agree with most of what you’ve said here. I’m just curious: “How much of that blood is on our president’s hands and, by extension, on our hands?” Would you agree this same logic could be applied to Palestinians for the actions of Hamas? Or, for that matter, to Israelis for the actions of Israel? It seems either we are all responsible for the actions of our elected officials or none are. The distinction matters if we want to reach those who view Israel’s atrocity against Palestinians as “justified” by the atrocity of Hamas against Israel.
I feel like this breaks down at a certain point, for Palestinian Americans or people who have loved ones in Gaza, it's hard to say they are obligated to vote for someone supporting a genocide against their own family/loved ones, even if the other guy would be as bad or worse on that front, and come with a strong possibility of fascist dictatorship besides. That said, if I were American and lived in a swing state, I would absolutely swallow any sick feelings it gives me and cast a ballot for Biden to keep Trump out.
If there were another progressive candidate, I'd probably vote for them. But Biden is the one they're giving us that wouldn't sign a "gay people are illegal again." bill if the conservatives managed to push one through. So for that alone, given the options, he has my vote.
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THANK YOU for speaking these truths! While I understand the sentiment of people who wish to use their vote to protest Biden's complicity with the atrocities committed by the Netanyahu government, I feel nothing but contempt for the end goal. Anyone who sits this election out, or votes for an unelectable third party (and at this time there are no viable third-party candidates), is themselves *complicit* in elevating Trump to the presidency. Sure, we can protest the Trump administration and make proclamations about what Biden "should have done," but it will be the Palestinian people who pay the price for that smug satisfaction.
Make no mistake: this election is a choice between Biden's limited efforts toward humanitarian safe zones, or Trump's calls for removal of all humanitarian aid. Biden's inadequate pleas for moderation, or Trump's stated goal of increased destruction. Biden's reluctant complicity, or Trump's active support for genocide.
Between these two, there can be only one moral choice. Those who just can't bring themselves to vote for Biden commit the same sin as Biden himself: handwringing inaction and ineffectual opposition while allowing the Israeli government to continue perpetuating war crimes against the Palestinian people.
I don’t know if I’m in agreement but I know one thing. To quote Janeway in the Equinox episode “You’re right I’m angry, I’m damn angry” as of 5/14/2023 Biden has, again, bypassed congress to fund a GENOCIDE. We the left, all of the left should be clamoring to get Biden to resign and have Kamala take office. Are we so afraid, so fearful of Trump to do the right thing? Are we going to stand up for what’s right and just and do what’s hard? Everyone talks about privilege, use your privilege to do what’s right. It won’t be easy, it never is. Imagine if we did this and we got Biden to resign. The government and administration would be forced to change course. With that in mind we could demand more. Medicare for all, reparations for minorities, help for the homeless. This is not about Biden, this about making the Palestinians whole. We must correct this wrong. The choice is clear. Use our collective energy to do the right thing. Get Biden to resign. We can do the right thing and defeat Trump. Walk and chew gum at the same time. But all I’m hearing is “thoughts and prayers”. Where is the call to boycott Israel? Where is the call For sanctions? How can you expect me to vote for Biden when you won’t even call for these things. Maybe I’m just shouting in the void. We could have really done something. If we get another Trump presidency it’s your fault! Your fault for not standing up for what we believe in. We could have had EVERYTHING we want and have brought justice. Feckless
Perfectly said. Thank you.
"None" is not an option here. Refusing to stand in the way of an objectively-greater evil because you took issue with a lesser evil is still, to my mind, a form of complicity.
@@dinosaysrawr @paulm.8660 ITA with both of you. Heck, I'm still p*ssed that these purists deprived me of President Hillary Clinton in 2016. I barely made it through 1 Trump term; I shudder to think the hell that awaits us all if he's elected again.
@@dinosaysrawr I understand the need to prevent greater harm. However, the genocide in Gaza is an urgent crisis that demands immediate action. Supporting a leader complicit in such atrocities, even as a lesser evil, undermines our commitment to human rights.
True moral integrity means holding ALL leaders accountable. By demanding accountability now, we can work towards a future where no form of evil is acceptable. Let’s continue to seek solutions that prioritize justice and human rights for all.
@@AndreTJones You put morals over ethics, which makes you naive and quite comparable to the average Christian.
One phrase that keeps going through my head whenever I'm stuck with no good options is "The person you vote for isn't gonna be your friend, they're who you're gonna fight." Voting isn't the only way or even the most effective way to change policy in a country, but it is the simplest way that takes the least amount of effort and risk. If someone isn't even willing to vote vote when they're able to, then I doubt they will be willing to do anything else to help.
First time I heard this was from Olurinatti and I think it's the best way to think about voting.
I grew up evangelical. When the war in Syria was kicking off, there was a city being bombed with loads of civilians dying. I believe it was Damascus.
I visited my church and they weren’t sad or hoping to organize aid. They were cheering because the destruction of that city was a predicted prophecy prior to the rapture.
We aren’t a small church either. We had 5,000 members and both the Bush families and Trump families were known donors (sometimes with taxpayer dollars).
If you think Biden’s indifference is bad, wait till you see what authoritarian wannabes do at the behest of Evangelicals hoping to fulfill eschatological prophecy…
Also look up Project 2025. It CAN get worse.
I just watched the Comey Rule, and frankly we need to get on board with pro-Biden, anti-Frump messaging to prevent the apocalypse. And for those of you who accuse moi of hyperbole, Google project 2025.
Indeed! Under trump, it absolutely will!
I still don't understand why more people are not talking about Project 2025. It's not necessarily comparable, but it's almost like Germans pointing and yelling at Mein Kampf the best seller in the 1920s and saying, "ARE YOU SEEING THIS CRAP?!?!?! ITS A BLUEPRINT!!!"
Ahh dispensationalism... the biggest threat to Humanity that has ever existed.
It's something how Biden is a Christian but at the same time doesn't behave the same way as evangelicals. Trump isn't an evangelical, he obviously doesn't believe in God, at least not a God above but I say he sees himself as a god because he thinks he's immune or above the law.
I like this dude and mostly agree, however I am not participating in the S-show any longer. Good luck, everyone.
100% truth spoken
History repeats itself and it's only been 8 years.
Thanks for saying what I've been thinking.
Man... I have been VERY back and forth on this concept.. for this reason
I'm wildly uncomfortable with giving my vote, or any measure of approval, to any administration so excitedly in support of genocide -- but, it's NOT a reward...
.. it IS an element of citizenship.. and even those opposed to both sides of the scale will still be weighed one way or the other
I hate that these are our choices.. I hate that the Democratic Party sees nothing wrong with running Biden - but...
Thank you for the clear words and foundational approach to what a vote is -- that's going to make November easier for me
An appropriate video to show up amidst Anson Mount’s self implosion of “let’s not bandy the term genocide” and his blocking spree of fans.
Yeah, as a progressive voter in a swing state I'm really in a dilemma about what to do in Nov.
I don't at all want to vote for someone that was complicit in a genocide. At the same time...the alternative is Trump...and I live in a swing state where I can't really afford to waste a vote.
Something is really wrong with the political system when voters get put in this type of ethical dilemma. SMH.
Thank you for this. I've been getting increasingly irked at some of the more vocal people in my twitter feed who seem to think that their high horse is more important than helping insure Donald Trump does not win the presidency again. As though that will help anyone. As though the panoply of other issues facing your country are not also at stake this election.
Steve saying a whole mess of truths here
Jews have emigrated to Palestine since the 1400’s. Many more from the late 1800’s to early 1900’s. Jews fled to Palestine during the rise of fascism in europe.
And, let’s be honest; no one wanted millions of Jewish refugees and victims of war crimes. So the world got together, and shipped them to Palestine. So, the world took empty lands that belonged to Palestine, and gave it to Jews, because if it was under the rug, no one saw the dust on the floor.
During the Cold War, Israel became invaluable as a spy factory. An intelligence gathering satellite against Russia for the west. However, the Arab powers, Iran, Iraq, and the Saudis, wanted Israel gone. Vowed to wipe them off the face of the earth. These nations, were, sadly, either pro Russia, or simply didn’t care. As a result, the US threw billions in military funds into the Israeli state. It was necessary to fight the Cold War, as far as the US state department was concerned. They needed the intel. They needed the bulwark against the spread of Russian colonization, and their hold on resources. Israel aided in making certain the saudis played fair with their oil. The afghans played fair with their opium. This unfortunately, led to Israel using its new military might to push Palestine off their map. Palestine. A land that everyone felt was their by religious mandate. Given them by the ottomans, taken away by the UN. Now, threatened by the Israelis.
And the west could not interfere, because too much was riding on Israel. They meant too much for US national security and capitalism. The money we made in arms sales. Military hardware. The deals we made thanks to the Stick approach toward OPEC. The puppets we put into power that slid us right up against the USSR.
Then, Russia fell. But it was too late. Now, our opium was in danger, because our puppets were overthrown by the Taliban. Our oil was in jeopardy, because our puppet was overthrown in Tehran. Our bargaining chip was in danger, because abuse OPEC was now far too powerful to leave unattended. Our commerce was threatened by Egypt, siding with Saudi Arabia. So we had to have a military power to rattle our Sabre.
Sadly, Palestine, caught in the middle of this game of capitalism and power, was slowly eroded, pushed, beat, and bled from a thousand cuts.
Now, 13 presidents later, and it’s “ Biden’s problem”….
No- it’s the world’s problem. It’s capitalism’s problem. It’s Power’s problem. It’s hate, religion, anti-this, anti- that, little magic books from thousands of years ago, and the fear of a mushroom cloud. Mostly, though it’s control. Control of the world. The US started this with help, over a century ago. The Spanish allowed it 600 years ago.
Maybe it’s time to understand the realities, before we blanket judge the issues.
The reality is, capitalism has destroyed our world. And we are all too beat down to fight back.
It took courage to make this video about a bad and a worse option. And Steve didn't even mention, what many people across the globe fear (I am not from the USA), that the next presidential election in the USA might be the last one... at least for quite a while and in the sense what you call a free election.
But isn't that the problem ? There's always a reason yo vote for yge lesser of 2 evils, but if we do that then the options will always be the lesser of 2 evils. I'm bad, but un better than yhat guy so vote gor me or he'll make things worse, while it might be true, is never going to lead to a better future
Holding out the the Perfect Candidate is never going to lead to a better future. Allowing the greater of two evils is never going to lead to a better future.
This is not a problem to be solved through the electoral system as it currently exists. The best you can do electorally is harm reduction, the rest will have to happen through other channels of agitation and reform.
Gee, I sure wish the DNC would let the voters pick who they want as their candidate for President rather than telling us what we want, by picking the candidate themselves, or shall I say, letting the highest donors pick the candidate. DNC = Daddy No Care.
I agree with every word of this video, and think President Warren would have handled this differently.
I'm voting for Biden. It doesn't matter who we vote for. They were always say to vote for the least bad option and in the end we play that game, and everything still ends up being crap. The problem isn’t who is president, but the government itself. I'm done playing the "least bad option," game. If i vote, it's going to be for Claudia De Le Cruz or the Legalize Marijuana Party candidate. There's only so much they can do, and they probably won't win, but I'm not going to be bullied by the government into picking their option. Heck, i say more people should advertise these folks if they don't want Trump to win, cause the chances are low, but if enough people do it, maybe it'll do something
You have three entire years between each election to fight for a better voting system and a better government. Until you succeed in changing the game, you play by the current rules. If all you're doing to make things better is avoiding reality in November, you're not doing anything to help. You're just making yourself feel better.
As much as I'm frustrated with the democrats, you're right. Every point and policy is donald trump plotting to make everything worse. its a shit choice, but its the only choice left.
Absolutely awesome. Thank you.
Hear, hear! A difficult and nuanced position well-stated and worth hearing.
On the "g-cide" word: Yes, words matter! It IS a g-cide. As a Jew and the granddaughter of someone who escaped the Holocaust, I believe it is imperative that we say it loud. Never again means never again, to ANYONE.
Exactly! Being against genocide is just basic decency...I'm partly of Jewish descent myself, and am deeply appalled at the actions of Netanyahu's government - being descended from genocide-survivors does not make it okay to turn around and commit it against another group of people...Genocide is never okay - that we even have to point that out is shocking.
I've been saying it until I'm blue in the mouth, the GOP must not be allowed victory in 2024. They are the only alternative that counts, and they are a million times worse. People you know, people you are friends with will be placed in mortal danger if they win, and Gaza won't be any better off than it is now. It sucks, having to wait another 4 years to try to get a genuine progressive nominated for president, but right now we face the immediate and terrifyingly real danger of turning into a fascist state. You still have to vote.
As a Swede viewing this from the outside, America is in great need of more political parties and make it more about voting for a party and less about voting for a president. I'm not quite happy with how block politics in Sweden are working either. We're far from perfect. But still, if I hate what the largest party in a block does, I can always vote for another party in that same block in hopes of giving them more influence. I.e., if I hate something the Social Democrats have done, I can vote for the Left Party instead, or the Green Party, and still the left block will get that vote in the end as long as the party gets at least 4% of all votes. When the government is decided, the parties form alliances and the strongest block become the sitting party with a Prime Minister.
From what I gather, in American politics, even if there are more parties than two in reality, in actuality they can do little to nothing in the long run and have very little to no mandate in the end.
Yes. This is why I'm glad my state has ranked-choice voting and hope other states will follow suit. It allows me to vote for the best candidates first without worrying about the "spoiler effect".
And yes, I'll be using that to put Biden below more progressive candidates who don't have a chance of winning this November. Biden will get the lowest ranking on my ballot (Trump won't even get ranked.)
We would need to hold a Constitutional convention to get very far down that road due to the drastic nature of the change (the two party system is the logical consequence of our entire voting system), and I have little reason to believe that things wouldn't just get worse if we went that route. There are too many people in this country who would cut off their noses to spite their faces; we would become a de jure illiberal democracy instead of a de facto one.
Sadly, the major problem in the US voting system is people that only vote for a party, and not for a person. Lots of Republicans will vote for a dictator, for someone that wants to destroy the US democracy, because they are going to vote for their party, no matter what. And then they will regret their action.
The American culture tends to make things black and white. Us vs. them. The American voting system effectively enforces this process. Nuance is not something that Americans, as a whole, deal with particularly well.
we have plenty of political parties in the us. They just don't garner a noticeable percentage of the vote, and as one of the major political parties has descended over the past 3 decades into being a religious cult, that wants to burn the country to the ground there isn't a lot of ground to playing around
I was about to comments on the "good name of the United States" but then Steve was already ahead of me.
The United States lost a lot of that "good name" when they invaded Irak.
If you want to find a powerful nation-state with a "good name", you're going to look for a long time.
@@podemosurss8316 Oh it was long before that. Iraq wasn't even close to the US's first imperialist project.
@karldubhe8619that's sweet. Naive but sweet. Setting aside the atrocities we're continuing to do but have simply renamed and rebranded them, last time I checked - we're the only country sending 4/5 year-olds to school wearing bulletproof backpacks and acting like that's the best and only thing we can do. "It's just a fact of life, there's no way to predict these things. It can happen anywhere at any time!" (Don't look at the other countries... or if you do; look at the one example of violence they've had in decades it's *absolutely* the same thing over there...)
The one thing that annoys me about how everyone talks about this election is that the only thing up for election is the Presidency. All our representatives and about 1/3 of our senators are also up for election as well as countless state and local elections. Vote for BIDEN but also vote for representatives, senators, etc that would push Biden to his limit and lessen his complacency.
Re-electing Biden and giving him the same split congress he has now would be the worst.
@@tbirdguy1 Even before the midterms the Democrats couldn't get anything done because of two people, so I'm not holding my breathe.
PSA & Case Study/ *Cautionary Tale:* Don't forget to research and vote on your local officials as well people. Not just POTUS, or Congress and representatives:
The people who do not get offices in DC can have the biggest impacts as well; this can include DAs, judges, city and county officials, mayor's - *the governor* (remember if you live in a death penalty state they decide *who lives or dies* among other massive power).
Despite the reputation for being the Absolute Wost™ (until Florida said "hold my Mai Tai" - my sincere apologies to everyone trapped there) we're actually *not* a red state despite what legislation - and mainstream, especially faux news - reflects. In fact, we nearly "flipped blue" for POTUS the previous two cycles (last time missing popular vote by approximately *500* total for the *entire* state).
How/Why then? [Take out your notebooks because this is the TLDR/"Learn from our history" portion]
Apathy and "protest" votes. Despite what so many may think, it's actually the not-so-silent 100% "minority" carrying on the the W. legacy of xenophobic wealthy-whyte het flunkie thinking making this "MAGA" country when the population is the polar opposite. (FFS I know more legitimate, deeply educated, anarcho/communists than cishet whte people here). But zealots *unite.*
2016 (separate from the mess that we all now know happened then) I watched *real* hardcore 'Berners' - not bots - proclaim if he didn't get the candidacy they would vote orange - *and they DID.*
2020 - Highest level of registration and turnout in record numbers. Some were 18-21, but a "surprising" amount were a considerable portion increasing every other section as well. Some may have been outliers, but it's common knowledge this was to be part of the "blue wave" and we were *so close* - systemic issues were one reason we failed voting access is a problem, intentionally, (something that could be fixed with local involvement especially elections NOT on POTUS years/ballots as that's when items the general public is unlikely to pass is put forth so those seated can customize the name and presentation to their known audience for their desired results - e.g more ballot boxes/polling stations/access ect).
@@Char00000on the one hand, yes.
On the other hand, from the outside looking in, it's _really impressive_ how when Democrats hold the Senate, there always mysteriously turn out to be _just enough_ of them who don't reliably vote with the party to stymie any major reforms… and the party never does anything about them. No threats to withdraw the party whip (or whatever your term for it is), continuing support for them in their re-election primaries, the party apparatus _always_ seems to stand behind keeping some obstructionists around.
35,000 is actually a conservative estimate because the apparatus that measures casualties coming out of Gaza hasn't been in operation for at least two months now.
Because the Israelis targeted schools, hospitals, and journalists first.
Not to mention the undercounting of people buried in rubble.
Over 15,000 children, and Joe funds it, it’s unforgivable in my view
Iirc Nader thinks its 150k
There are maybe 5 politicians who oppose the war in Gaza, in the US. You didn't elect them.
Bernie Sanders announced his re-election campaign openly opposing the situation. Not only does he have overwhelming support in his state, but *internationally* which is tremendously impressive.
One thing that's sad you have to say, "we know its not all Joe Biden".
Its deflection, we know, we just gotta address OUR president, not anyone else
I'm Spanish, and here we address our politicians (though they've been very ineffective on this issue, specially given that in Spain there is a large amount of support for the Palestinians).
@@podemosurss8316 I'm glad people remember Biden isn't the President of Earth.
@@TheYpuriasno one said he was
@@TheYpurias Well put! Americans not only believe the US is in control, they don't even hear the proof otherwise.
The other day I was asked why Star Trek was my favorite show. Without being too long winded I simply said that if every politician in congress was forced to watch a full season of Star Trek I thought the world would be a better place.
Sadly Republicans often either take the wrong message or just miss the point entirely. Steve has videos about right wing trek fans.
Biden: Here another billion dollars, now please stop the genocide.
Netty: No.
Me: gee, I wonder why it isn't working. 🤷♂️
Arguing over the meaning if genocide is a tactic used to absolve UN members of responsibility. I.E. Rwanda, Darfur, Srebrenica
We wouldn't have to argue about it in this case if people didn't unhelpfully insist on using the word inaccurately for dramatic effect.
Shit. The world is shit. People are shit. Shit, fuck, damn. I have spoken. Bah.
The only one of your points I take issue with is the last one. I don't think it's totally wrong but it is incomplete.
I live in Illinois. Biden won my state by over a million votes in 2020. He did so without my vote then and he will do so without my vote in November. If I lived just a few miles north, across the border into Wisconsin, I would be facing a much harder decision. But I don't. If Biden is going to win my state no matter what, I refuse to cast a ballot with his name on it.
I'm not going to tell people in swing states who to vote for. I fully understand how difficult that decision is, given our options. All I ask is that others extend that same courtesy to people in states where our vote for president truly could not matter less.
It is the bitterest pill to swallow. I didn't really want to vote for Biden the first time, I really wished he wouldn't get the nomination. But he did. And I voted for him. And I'm mad at him, and I really don't want to give him my vote. But I will swallow the bitter pill and do it.
I think its hard to find that balance between voicing the frustration and acknowledging the validity of it and realizing the system is broken while also acknowledging we simply have no alternative.
I hate it so much. But I appreciate you putting it into words.
No nonviolent alternative. But most of the "I'm not voting for biden" folks haven't been putting 2-3 days a week at the range or using loopholes to get pew pews without documentation
Personally I’m the same, however he’s not getting my vote, I can’t reward him with my vote after what he’s done
As someone voting in Nevada for the first time, I fully understand and feel this.
One of my children is gay. This makes me a single issue voter for the Democrats, regardless of the fact that Bernie is closer to me politically.
It's going to be Biden or Trump. We can influence this. That's all there is on offer.
I'm still a bit salty over that primary. We had so many good progressives in the running with pretty great records... and we got Joe Biden.
This is a hard thing to ask of me, Steve. Biden is a terrible candiate and while hes done some good as president, he's slow to move or change. He and those like him believe in tiny changes and it feels lime he is merely allowing the status quo to stay in power.
Seeing that Biden has been complicit in gaza makes it hard to support him.
Do i want Trump? No, i don't. But every election its "vote for this guy OR we're doomed!"
And its just getting tiring. I want a real candidate that cares, that wants big changes and wants to usher in a revolution.
Biden is status quo.
Trump is authoritarian nightmare fuel.
Where is the candidate that will feed the poor, that will empower the disenfranchised, who will fight the lobbies and military industrial complex?
It shouldnt be this hard.
It shouldn't be this frustrating.
I'm tired of voting for the lesser of two evils.
Every election feels like a scare tactic.
Part of the solution is working to change the system itself. We can't just keep waiting for the next election, hoping for a hero to come and save us. Besides, the President is only one person and there is an entire apparatus of Federal departments, intelligence services, courts, and states that have to cooperate with the White House and each other in order to accomplish the goals we want. Feeding the poor, lifting up the disenfranchised, and fighting lobbies and the military industrial complex requires numerous other officials and institutions to cooperate with a president trying to do all that. If they refuse to cooperate then a president will be ineffective regardless of motivations.
We need to work to pass a constitutional amendment to change or get rid of the electoral college. We also need to push for other electoral reforms, including ranked-choice voting, eliminating caucuses, etc. Finally, we need to make a point to care about and vote for local candidates. Everything from governor down to county councils.
The problem I see is that a lot of Progressives/young people don't have a lot of tolerance for political projects that take longer than 6-12 months to enact. Everything I mentioned above needs to be done and sustained over a period of 10-20 years, and it requires us to focus on Congress, state legislators, governors, and cabinet secretaries, not just the president.
I agree with your frustrations but a better way to think of it is you are choosing who you're going to fight for the next 4 years not who you're going to support. If the Democrats only ever give us one thing on our wish list every couple of years that's still better than getting nothing or actually losing rights to the GOP. I'm sure someone's going to put it in your ear to vote third party but let's face objective reality third party never ends they're never going to win until we change the system. The only people that currently have access to power who are willing to change that system happen to be Democrats. It sucks but it's as simple as that. Choose your opponent and choose wisely.
I am reminded of all the times a trumpie said something to the effect of "The left only criticizes trump, the never criticize their own."
People keep saying that foreign policy isn't about morality, it's about power. Like that is some kind of natural unchangeable property of nature or logic and not the ongoing cruel human choice it is.
We can and should oppose that situation, and we can also acknowledge that now and for the next decade or so at minimum (because foreign policy shifts more slowly than domestic, in _every_ country) it _is_ the situation. These are ideas that can _and must_ coexist.
I think it would also behoove us to look at which congresspeople voted to approve the appropriations package that is allowing Biden to send weapons to Israel, and keep that in mind in the upcoming congressional primaries.
The way that the appropriation was bundled, it was, effectively, everyone. The focus was on getting money for Ukraine (and Taiwan, to a less-discussed extent). Combining all three (plus that "short-form-media" ban) was the only way to get the bipartisan votes needed to get it all through.
Thank you, Steve. Facing the truth is vital, especially since we have so much work to do. In addition to voting through the entire ballot, I'd like to encourage people to support their local public libraries. Making use of the services there--libraries have so much more than books, which are already wonderful--joining the Friends of the Library group, and sitting on the board of trustees are all great ways to get involved in your local community. Seeing our neighbors is vital to feeling part of community.
I'm used to being unenthusiastc about who I'm voting for. I wasn't excited about voting for Kerry in '04, Clinton in '16, or Biden in '20. And if 2008 me had known the things I know now, I wouldn't have been excited about Obama in '08 or '12.
But this is the first time I've been actively ANGRY about who I have to vote for. Given the options on the table, I am FURIOUS that there is only one option that even remotely acceptable. Biden is unlikely to make anything better, hell he's likely going to make things worse. But Trump would make the SO MUCH worse that it's not even a consideration.
But I am PISSED that voting for Joe Biden is my only choice because the Democratic establishment refuses to move forward and the Republican establishment has handed itseld over fully to fascism.
I'm voting for Biden, but I am PISSED about it.
THIS 🤬👊🏽✊🏽
Let that anger fuel you, and give you the energy to promote real change once the election is complete. That way, perhaps in 2028 you'll have someone more to your liking on the ballot. Democracy is participatory, or it isn't a democracy at all.
If you are so pissed, then why not get more involved in supporting progressive candidates at the ground level so they can get a chance to even get to the point of being a viable presidential candidate? People may not want to admit it to themselves, but Biden has been the most progressive president we’ve had since probably Jimmy Carter. This “umbrage” people all of a sudden have makes no sense to me give recent political history.
"Biden's going to make things worse"
That is either some incredibly privilege, or just full-on MAGA alternate reality there. Negotiated a ceasefire between Palestine and Hamas, foreign aid, is the reason Ukraine isn't ethnically cleansed by Russia, forgave huge swaths of student debt, ended the Muslim ban, ended the trans military ban, suing states for their anti-trans bans, new Title IX rules to protect trans people, the biggest environmental bill in U.S. history, etc., etc.
that’s absolutely pathetic
I think a fourth and most uncomfortable fact is that, if these are the only two options, you must ask; do you really live in a democratic society?
We don't literally have two options. The issue is that our electoral system - First Past The Post - only allows for one vote and only one winner. Barring a complete collapse of either the Democratic or Republican Parties a la the Whig Party in the 1850s or the elimination of First Past The Post voting, it's not going to change.
10000000%
Precisely. What has holding my nose and voting for the least horrible candidate done? Just more horrible candidates. I’m so done with this country.
Leaving aside the electoral college, I don't know that I actually believe that our first-past-the-post system is worse than the alternatives, given the clusters we've seen in parliamentary democracies, notably the UK and, ironically, *_Israel,_* where the vast majority has consistently voted for *anyone-but-Bibi* for years, yet he's the only one who can actually create a coalition.
Since there is a difference between the two, my first answer is "you live in a more democratic society than if there were only one option". My second answer is that in saying we are not a democracy indicates that you don't think the current options broadly represent the will of the electorate. Where's your evidence for that? Is our democracy skewed by power, privilege, the electoral college, and gerrymandering? Yes. But the electorate's will is skewed, not completely overwritten. Neither candidate may represent you or the people you know. That doesn't mean they don't represent the electorate at large in a large swath of issues. Keep in mind there are millions of Americans who think Biden shouldn't restrict weapon sales to Israel even now. Keep in mind how much people value stability in any status quo. But most of all, keep in mind Steve's truth number 2, that we, the American electorate as a whole, are complicit in what our government does. Please do not absolve me and other voters (and non voters who are eligable and able to vote) of our responsibility by wrongly saying we have NO electoral power to change things. That is comforting, and it is wrong. Thank you.
It's a bit more difficult than convincing Joe to turn. There's probably a considerable amount of interested government and private parties that benefit greatly from ongoing support to Israel. Those same parties are probably purting heaps of pressure - whether subtle or less so - on the administration to keep being...traditional.
The last president who tried his hand at 'a better way', had his head perforated.
"He can be moved."
This, in my estimation, is the one thing which differentiates Biden over Trump. If you go back to Biden's original platform in 2020, you will find some pretty anti-progressive ideas. But pressure from candidates farther to the left of him moved him to a more progressive stance. (The lack of any such candidate this year illustrates why I dislike the party strategy of discouraging challengers during a re-election cycle. I understand why they do it, but I don't like it.)
This is not to say Trump cannot be moved at all, but he's consistently moved to the right. Any form of appeal to progress or empathy appears to cause an equal and opposite reaction with him.
Example: I just saw about the FTC banning non-competes in employee contracts. Could you imagine something like that happening when Biden got elected? He's had a lot more of those under-the-radar good moves than I would have ever expected when he got into office.
@@ZyliahWar Biden has turned out to be the most progressive President in my lifetime, despite himself. Granted I grew up during the Reagan administration so maybe my standards are stupidly low.
He was moved to gaslight the public about Gaza. He was moved to call protesters antisemitic. He was moved to bypass congress, many times, to fund the genocide of the Palestinian people. Yes he was “moved”. He’s not a perfect person but hell neither was Hitler 🤷🏽♂️
@@Canoby Yeah, I've noticed the same thing. It's been a nice surprise. I hope the Israel thing doesn't wind up completely undercutting him; it's not good, but the American politcal system has been so all-in on Israel over the last few decades that I have a hard time imagining Obama, Bush, Clinton, or Reagan doing any better.
Nonsense
As an Australian, I have to say thanks for this Steve, I agree with every point you made. However, I think that people in the US may not appreciate just how much Biden has done for foreign policy, especially from the perspective of the US's allies. For the four years of Trump we couldn't know what would happen next, would the president just, out of the blue, cancel a treaty or a trade deal, throw an ally under the bus? Hell, we were looking toward Angela Merkel for leadership, for stability.
In short I guess, as slow as Biden has been to come around to the Gazan genocide, I don't think a sudden about face has much merit when it comes to international relations.
Foreign policy is all about power, after all, not morality, and the US can't maintain the status quo (and thereby its power) if its unpredictable.
But it is changing, slowly.
I am so tired of watching people walk into the ideological propeller that is "the other guy would be worse, though." And I'm terminally exhausted by their efforts to yank us into the propeller with them.
Unfortunately- rubber stamp support of Israel is overwhemingly popular in politics in both parties. There is no such thing as a revolutionary progressive president. If we want a revolution in the way we handle the middle east - we need to change hearts and minds so the politics change, not elect a president to change things.
Agreed on the vote. I wonder though are we just delaying the inevitable fall at this point? Im starting to think voting for trump is to strike the match
Decent men dont slaughter thousands upon thousands of women and children and civilians, just because he wants money, power, and self-aggrandizing glory
Then don’t vote for Netanyahu.
@@JDHutchison See, most of us have deductive reasoning and don't make excuses for puppets and their masters
The last point is a point not on Trump or Biden, but the failings of our election systems. Anyone who takes it personally or as a ding on "their guy" is missing the real point entirely.
Agree that our election system is borked to heck. But my feeling is that not voting for the better option in a binary system is a vote for the worse, regardless of what the vote was.
The answer here is not to sabotage elections with your vote, but to work to better the system. Vote local - it has a much bigger impact than people think. Work to instill ranked-choice voting (probably our most realistic pathway out of a binary election system).
@@JDHutchison We've been told to work to better the system our entire lives. We've seen the outcome. Nonviolent pressure simply does not work. The alternative might not work either, but record voter disenfranchisement and cynicism comes from the results that we've all seen.
Revolution isn't a one time event.
I just watched the Comey Rule, and frankly we need to get on board with pro-Biden, anti-Frump messaging to prevent the apocalypse. And for those of you who accuse moi of hyperbole, Google project 2025.
Correct. Revolution is a constant ongoing process. I sometimes wonder if Steve Shives and our Liberals are afraid of change. I guess they prefer, or are comfortable with, the devil they know as opposed to the devil they don't know.
Being poor all my life, I've always had to make tough choices or learn to deal with what I can get. We were given the choice between lemons and grapefruit. You can make lemon aid with the lemons, but the grapefruit will interact badly with your medications and put you in the hospital. You have to make the choice between the two or someone else will. There are plenty of people out there that would think it would be funny if you got sick and had to go to the hospital. We only have these choices, but at least we have a choice. With trump, we may never be given a choice ever again. As long as we have a choice, we can work to get better choices down the road.
Excellent metaphor.
Great analogy! In the American political system, I think we all know which side it is that laughs loudest when the poor and vulnerable get hurt.
Republicans in the Senate and House will also want to give more support to Netanyahu and more harm to Gaza. Hold your nose if necessary and vote for those Democrats too.
Democrats are also giving support to Israel
I’m maintaining my current stance of refusing to comment on my actual vote, and in large part because of the point Steve makes in the end of the video: creating pressure to maintain Biden’s change in direction is still paramount, and the more people there are declaring they’ll support Biden no matter what and advocating others to do the same, the more that pressure is blunted.
While I understand the instinct to include it here, as a way to connect with those people who do advocate that way, if I’m honest it’s clear too many of those people haven’t done the hard look at themselves or done the work of learning about this atrocity that the moment requires. There’s a rush to push past just how harrowing this all is and boil it down to the voting, and along the way ignoring all the things that can and must be done. For months I’ve seen people I used to respect claiming that there’s nothing Biden could do and that the slaughter of Palestinians is inevitable so we have to ignore it to stop Trump, and in the last week we’ve seen all the things so many have argued that entire time, the ways the executive and Commander in Chief can slow and hobble military aide within the confines of the law. And how much sooner could that have happened if not for the insulating bubble created by moderates and liberals crying “but Trump!” from the first sign people were angry about the carnage they were seeing.
There is something to be said for being more conciliatory now that change is starting to come, but for myself I think it’s best to wait and see if something lasting can be achieved.
Well said!
As an outsider, I understand this viewpoint completely. But I hope that you understand, "but Trump" is going to be so much worse, for Palestine and for everybody.
Real opportunity for change is going to come with the next US Presidential Primary season. It will be interesting to see who the options are there.
Very well put
@@nicholassmith7984 why, exactly, when I spend the entire post talking about tactical considerations and how emphasizing the danger of Donald Trump negates the efforts to move Biden’s politics, do you feel it’s necessary or appropriate to lecture me about Donald Trump?
You, and many like you, are the problem here. You think it’s more important to stop people criticizing the *President of the United States* than to do what you can, even in a small, infinitesimal way, to push our elected leaders to stop participating in a genocide and start listening to the people who elected them.
I completely understand what you’re saying. But I wonder if refusing to comment-and more broadly, if those refusing to express support for Biden over Trump because of Gaza, even if they know they’ll vote for Biden in November-might make it *harder* for Biden to take firm action right now.
I know that sounds backwards. But Biden rightfully views Trump as an existential threat to American democracy. Biden also seems to understand that elections are generally won or lost by the middle of the voting spectrum, because they are the ones whose votes swing between the parties to affect the overall outcome.
If support for Biden *seems* weaker than it actually is, then Biden might feel he needs to appeal *more* to that middle, including those who don’t like the atrocities against the Palestinians but are less vehement about it because “Hamas started it.” And including those who are loyal to Israel for religious reasons (and may be ignorant, even if willfully so, about Israel’s own recent atrocities).
I don’t have an answer to this. I’m not asking as a rhetorical device, and I certainly don’t pretend to know whether this is actually happening. This is just something that occurred to me reading your comment. I genuinely wonder whether Biden thinks he simply doesn’t have the political cover right now to do more than he already is.
Yeah, the third one is hard to swallow. I just keep thinking about how another Trump Supreme Court Justice would ruin us all. That keeps my throat open for that hard to swallow pill about needing to vote for Joe.
Amazing and well done. So honest and articulate. This is an important message so many need to hear.
Agree 100%. For all of Biden's faults, and he has been tragically weak on this issue, he can at least be pushed in the right direction. Trump, in all things, will be actively malignant.
Could an American please explain to me why the US government is so committed to helping Israel even now, when it is crystal clear that Israel is on the wrong side of this? What is America getting out of its support of a genocidal regime here?
$$$$$$
Israel is America's unsinkable aircraft carrier in the middle east, a disruptive force close to major political rivals like Iran. Some of us on the left have even called it the 51st state; the relationship is that airtight.
Plus... supporting genocidal regimes is kind of an American Tradition. Look at the CIA's activities throughout the back half of the 20th century for proof of that. Imperial capitalist hegemonies require constant maintenance in the form of slaughter, lest a different country's capitalist monopoly, or, even "worse", a socialist power starts to threaten it.
I wish I knew for sure
Foreign policy has nothing to do with what is right or moral in this case. If that were the case, our history would be dramatically different at all times. Israel, Saudi Arabia and Iran represent the strongest tentpoles in the region. The US wants as many of those as possible on their side, so we can continue to use the region for stability and money. More pressing is the need to divert US assets to Africa long term for the next regional fight.
Again, none, nothing of this is about morality. It isn't 'right', but the last thing in your life that was fair was probably the division of birthday cake when you were 10.
We need Israel for not very nice things, we cannot go out into the world and just be crass about it, so we go about it this way. After this is said and done, we will go on supporting them, because we need a stable Middle East where we can continue to be powerful in the region and generate wealth. It is about the good of this country at the expense of other countries. All countries play this game, we just have more levers and it looks far grosser when we let it happen.
Foreign policy is never about morality. It’s about power. The three major powers in the Middle East are Saudi Arabia, Israel, and Iran. The US is friendly with 2/3 and wants to keep it that way so it’s still able to influence the region.
I just can’t bring my self to ask someone who has lost over 50 members of their family in Gaza to vote for Biden.
Biden is not the best of the two. He's the least worst. If you're a single issue voter the question you should ask is will things get better for them under Biden? Or will they just get worse more slowly? I'm not sure if that's better. The best you can hope for is buying enough time for the protests to work and enough bodies to shake the electorate. But Trump will make things worse so there it is.
BIden supports a Two State Solution and works diplomatically with Israel and other countries in the region to make that happen. If it works,, Palestinians would gain a lot of sovereignty and international recognition.
The people making a difference are the activists, not the government.
Government is an institution that needs to go and the way to do that is to stop recognising it’s authority.
Truly, The Revolution™ is just the Rapture for leftists.
While we in Germany don't have the Voting system the US has.
We are of course also struggling right now what to do with the Gaza Conflict.
What really troubles me is that I've seen a lot of people internationally attack us from both sides.
If we support Israel, we are seen as Authoritarian genocide Supporting Nazis
And if we don't support Israel we are Antisemitic, Holocaust Denying Nazis.
Even the question if the mass murder in Gaza should be called a Genoside or not is something that will get people attacking you from the other side.
So matter what side we pick people will take it as an example of us being "the bad guys once more"
If it helps, I don't know anyone who doesn't think your country has completely and successfully moved on from that dark period in your history. You've come up more than once as a model for how we in the US should be handling our own.
@@TheRatsintheWallsI wholeheartedly agree with you. Germany has anti Nazi laws I wish we had in the US.
That is something I think about and do not envy - anything Germany does is especially scrutinized. Hopefully everyone in your community stays in best health as feasible.
It shouldn't be about how people will perceive you, it should be about what's right. American criticisms of Germany are hypocritical anyway, Lebensraum was literally inspired by Manifest Destiny, they're in no position to judge.
Support Israel... doing what? WHO will take WHAT as an example of which making "you" the bad guys. Accusations in a mirror will always fly from people doing bad things. First and foremost, don't essentialize. All countries have their reactionary element, and letting their bad faith criticisms painted with a broad brush force-team you with the worst elements of your body politic is playing into their hands. I'm not that clear on Germany's political situation presently, but you have an analogue of our Republican party in the AfD? Who are broadly in support of certain people getting reduced to vapor I assume? I think that's where some bad guys are, probably.
I guess I will just leave this here. I am curious of what is Liberals' political project. Because, maybe it is just me, but there seems to be a lot of differences between the Liberals' political project and Anarchists' political projects. Despite how some Liberals believe, and some have said to me, "G33k, you and I want the same thing, a better world." But my better world is a world without Capitalism.
ruclips.net/video/V3xjF_piYJg/видео.html
One the three tenets I live my life by is "Every day, make the world a better place than it was yesterday. If you can't do that, at least make it no worse."
That's why I'll be reluctantly voting Biden this fall. I wish there were better options. But the reality is just as Steve said, Trump or Biden will be president. And so I'll choose the option that will make it no worse. Not just in Gaza, but here at home as well.
Either option will make the world worse. Vote for the option that makes it less worse
They’re both going to make it worse and I can’t in good conscience vote for either of them. I’ll let you all figure it out without me. I want no part.
Exactly right. I believe pretty much any US President will be bad on foreign policy because it's all about power and not about morality (shout out to Beau of the Fifth Column), but some like Trump will be undoubtedly worse on it than Biden. Then we get to domestic policy and it's no contest who the better option is. I and I'm sure many others here have several women, POC and LGBT people as friends and members of our families we care deeply about (or you may be a part of those groups yourself). Do they deserve to suffer the horrific consequences of another Trump presidency and GOP control of government just to stick it to Biden on the issue of Israel/Gaza? I certainly don't think so.
And even if one decides to not vote at all because they don't like either candidate, we have stats that show that the fewer people vote, the more likely the Republican wins. Not showing up to the voting booth at all will more than likely benefit Trump, and him winning to create even more pain and suffering to the people in Gaza *and* to the marginalized people here in the US.
Amen Britton.
Either option will make things worse right so no vote right? Let me know what excuse you plan on telling your lgbt friends especially the transgender ones if trump wins. Because both sides are bad right so it doesn’t matter? Or your POC friends. Or the women in your life. Or the people of Gaza. Please let me know what you’ll tell them. I’m sure they’ll appreciate it. Because yeah they are fighting for their rights and republicans are more than eager to take even more but hey Biden is bad too.
"Full on board" is an opinion, not necessarily a fact. You lost me right there.
What Steve said.
(The IDF's atrocities against their palestinian hostages didn't start on Oct 7, they started decades ago)
Also, call yer reps & senators. Daily. :'(
In PA, my wife & I voted "uncommitted" for the presidential primary knowing full well we'd vote for Biden in Nov
I always appreciate your eloquence, thoughtfulness, and skill with driving home points in a measured, deliberate manner.
All of the truths in this video matter, but the third is arguably the most important, especially within the context of the first two.
Go figure, I came to your channel for the Star Trek videos (which I definitely still enjoy and appreciate), but your videos dealing with social and political issues have me hooked, as well.
What's crazy...is that there are extreme right wing Star Trek fans...he goes over this in a different video.
Well said Steve. As livid as I am about Gaza, Trump being defeated has to be the goal. For the sake of the people of Gaza, as well as us.
Unfotunately, You are correct! Very disturbing! Tragic!
For my entire adult life, I have watched Americans go to the polls every four years and choose between two bad options. With only one exception, every four years those two bad options have gotten _worse._ When your entire political system can be boiled down to the Freedom (Capital "F" freedom, the BEST kind of freedom) to choose _the lesser of two evils,_ you have to wonder why anyone votes at all. Voting will not make things better. At best, it will keep things from getting worse (or at least getting worse as fast as it would if you didn't vote). I'm not saying don't vote. I'm saying I don't blame you if you don't. At this point, your personal convictions are all you have, because your political system has lost them.
Voting _for the president in the general election_ is the choice between the lesser of two evils.
But the president doesn't stand alone, and his name didn't suddenly appear on that ballot from nowhere.
A Biden presidency means having an old fart in charge who is apathetic to supporting the progressive policies led by local communities and more progressive members of congress.
A Trump presidency means having a malignant narcissist who will do anything to prop himself up and who has learned that the way to get power is to indulge the most hateful and wicked desires of the nation, and especially to hurt people like us.
Local races, congressional races, and primary races are where you drive policy changes of the party. The presidential election is just where we have to stand together and make sure those policy changes can actually have an effect.
Tell me the name of the political utopia you live in?
@@andrewszabo1552 I think that is the point. The world is a shit show. I am born and raised in the USA. But fuck the USA. Fuck it up its ass.
This feels like an awfully privileged perspective. One of the candidates WILL be far worse for huge subsets of people.
@@andrewszabo1552 What difference would that possibly make? The US system is obviously failing. You don't have to live in a utopia to see that.
For people who live in swing states, I think some of what you said deserves serious thought.
As someone who lives in a state where Joe Biden will not be within the margin of error, I see no reason to compromise my personal morals to vote for a man who enables genocide.
If you live in a swing state, If you live in a blue state, follow your conscience.
I, from my red state hell hole, will be voting for a third party.
Same
I hope you do not apply this logic to races down-ballot. Your state and local elections are decided by far smaller margins and are not only improved by blue votes from you but show that those places are worth attempting to oust Republicans from.
I assume you left out "vote for Biden" in your "if you live in a swing state" statement?
Some people just aren't on board with the "lesser of two evils" argument. Personally I agree whole-heartedly with you. But, idk, people see votes as endorsement, I guess.
I get the argument that if you vote for Biden, you become personally complicit in his wrongdoing, like throwing the switch in the Trolley Problem. But I think that choosing inaction also makes you personally complicit in the Trolley Problem, and in elections, and life in general.
Well due to the Electoral college, my vote doesn't matter being in a ruby red state. So it's easy for me not to vote Biden. Though I can't imagine how hard it would be in an actual battleground state. That being said if Biden does lose the buck stops at the White house and only he is truly responsible for losing. There's really no excuse to lose to someone as terrible as Trump.
This should be one of the biggest political issues this year. The fact that we don't have an anti-war candidate here with a focus on de-escalation is insanse. Absolutely insane.
I hate that I'm going to have to vote for Biden this year.
@@rampantramblingI saw somebody above put it very well: vote for the enemy you’d rather have across the table.
I’d go with pushing back on Biden any day as opposed to Trump. Only one of them are you going to get any compromise from.
Excellent summary. I disagree on a few point, could cite historical precedent fot those, blablabla, but I fully agree: Joe Biden is the better choice, Trump must not become president, not voting in a democracy is not good practice.
You, Steve, made a compelling argument. That was a great breath of fresh air in a toxic discourse.
That 35,000 number is low, it's actually closer to probably 100 to 200,000 but that just came out like a day ago
It will be 2+ million if Bibi has his way (which it seems he will).
Im not with you on voting for BIDEN. Get him to resign first. He needs to be held accountable. You can’t ask someone to circumvent their morals. Think beyond the duopoly. Make hard choices. Biden doesn’t have to be on the ticket if we collectively ask for his resignation. Let’s have a discussion
No, thank you. That is an easy win for Trump. He is already going to get a number of votes just because of the protests on college campuses. When there are protests at the national convention, Trump will get more. Add in the inflation/ corporate profit taking in the economy, and Trump is winning.
If Trump wins, then his agenda will be implemented. Read Agenda 47 and Project 2025 to see the plans.
Steve is right, hold your nose and vote Biden.
EXACTLY! Vote Trump.
What? Who's gonna win except Trump if you remove Biden? Harris? Newsom? Please, name the theoretical candidate that will bring enough Americans together, who has enough name recognition - especially in swing states - to beat Donald Trump in six months. Hell, we're already out of the Primaries- how would they be chosen? Just let the Dem Party decide amongst themselves at the convention? Heck, would the Convention have to put (a post resignation) Biden on the ballot, since he won the Primaries?
So, let's have this discussion; remove Biden, AND THEN... what.
The election is a binary one. Biden or Trump will win. Not voting for Biden is helping to open a pathway for Trump.
You don’t have to vote for Biden, but you’ll need to content with the fact that doing so could help Trump win. If you’d prefer Trump over Biden, then I’d say your plan of abstention is perfect.
@@JDHutchison And you and everyone that votes for Biden has to contend with voting for someone complicit in the crime, the genocide, of the century. When Nixion committed crimes the American people and politicians asked him to resign regardless if the other party wins. What have we become that when faced with GENOCIDE we don’t ask the same. I guess some lives don’t really matter huh?
If anything, this shows how vitally important it is for Americans to start forcing a multi-party democracy instead of a two-party duopoly. The issue here is the binary choice between Rep and Dem ... a third choice that "had a chance" would completely change the equation.
I get that's not possible for THIS election, but surely this election shows just how AWFUL the duopoly is. As a Canadian, I have to suggest you need BETTER "viable options" than the ones presented, and that requires Americans to actually want to change the system into something that isn't a binary choice.
Just a Canadian opinion ... your mileage (or L/100km 😀) may vary ...
Still not going to vote for Biden in November? THERE ARE CANDIDATES, AND EVEN QUESTIONS ON YOUR BALLOT!!!! THEY MATTER JUST AS MUCH!!! Skip voting for president and VOTE ON ALL THE REST!!!!!
Do not skip voting for Biden. Or if you do and Trump wins, you better hope you and I don't get sent to the same concentration camp.
That's largely my plan. Supporting the status quo just makes someone a sheep.
I dont understand your use of other peoples self appointed honorific titles stop calling them a defense force when theyre an occupying military and stop letting the republicans call themselves the grand old anything i dont get why you go along with such nonsense
Steve Shives is a liberal, the "white moderate" that MLK talked about, the duplicitous "fox" that Malcolm X talked about.
If our government can’t offer anything besides the lesser of two evils we probably shouldn’t use that government anymore.
Thank you for including that final point. We may not like the choices that the electoral system provides us with, and we can attempt to change them, via support for ranked choice voting, or protesting, or whatever.
But right now, THIS NOVEMBER, the choice that we have is between Biden and Trump. Not voting does not send a message of "both these guys suck", it sends a message of "I don't care who wins".
Voting is a responsibility. To shirk that responsibility out of moral outrage is still a shirking of that responsibility.
A text I've seen cited is "The Ones Who Leave Omelas," which is ironic because Le Guin herself did not believe that "leaving" was actually the moral choice.
It is also a moral duty. If the American voting public were imaginative enough to hold Biden to account there wouldn’t be a choice between genocide and democracy. All I see ppl doing is looking at a genocide and saying “eh? It’s just a genocide 🤷🏽♂️”
Political participation is a responsibility. Voting is only a valid form of political participation if it actually expresses the will of the people. If you are obligated to vote for a government that is actively opposed to your moral principles, then it is not a valid form of politician participation and you must seek to exercise it in another way. In this view, merely accepting the system as it is and limiting your political participation to ineffectual elections and protests is a shirking of responsibility. The default state of the world isn't cruelty. That's a choice. It's a choice that is renewed every election and every year that people fail to make the choice to stop it. The choice is not between more or less cruelty, the choice is whether or not you will support that cruelty or challenge it.
@darthhelmet
If you don’t vote, you shouldn’t complain if the government that is voted in is acting against your interests plain and simple.
If you won’t participate in literally the smallest bit of change you can do as a normal citizen, you shouldn’t complain when the wheels turn.
Problem is with the way Joe Biden has been conducting himself, he's lost all the people that would have otherwise been knocking on doors and getting out the vote for him in November.
Even if politically savvy people understand that Biden would be better than Trump and we should vote for him, how many of those people are going to be cheerleaders for him now? All those kids on college campuses that he's calling antisemitic for supporting a free Palestine, those are the ones who would normally be going door-to-door to get out the vote for Democrats.
What makes you think there will still be a gaza in November?
was going to comment the same thing
This I think is a fantastic argument for ranked choice voting. It would be much more expressive as a way for citizens to state their preferences, rather than a reward bestowed for running a good campaign.
Great point Steve, the MAGA party would be worse on Gaza, heck Trump would probably send US troops to help the IDF, even with the small cutting off of arms shipments the Republicans are saying Biden is supporting Hamas.
US special forces have already been on the ground in Israel aiding the IDF
It would be "River to the sea." Only filled with Palestinian blood and craters.
@@jefft5152Quoting the Likud manifesto, I see. Really ticks me off that people claim that sentence fragment is antisemitic when literally _everyone_ in the region has used it in their rhetoric at some point.
Im surprised more people don't talk about how we would almost certainly end up sending troops to help Russia take countries that were once our allies
Unfortunately, I agree 👍
Could not have been better said. Not voting, voting for a third party candidate, or voting for the unspeakable is not punishing Biden, it is refusing to use the one tool at our disposal that could help avert a global catastrophe. On climate change, on human rights, on democracy, on civil rights, on Women’s health and Women’s freedom, on lgbtq rights, and yes,on Gaza.
Genocide is unspeakable. Voting for either of the major candidates is a vote for genocide. I am not looking to "punish Biden". I am voting for someone does not support genocide - specifically, Jill Stein. I genuinely can't believe so many shitty liberals like yourself and Steve don't view fucking genocide as a red line to get you to stop with the "vote blue no matter who" bullshit.
Agreed all around
I vote both of the candidates for prison.
"Complicit", "helping", "involved", and "fully on board with"... c'mon Steve. At best, that's a blatant exaggeration. Where's your outrage video for the war in Yemen?
First, fan of the channel. Second, came here for your political/cultural takes. I am now watching DS9 for the first time. So, the opposite of some of your response videos. Third, I am for more of a leftist than a progressive. Still, as disgusted as I am that Biden is all I have to vote for, I think this video is correct. I am desperately unimpressed with the Biden Administration. And I am looking at the pinned comment as I type this. Yeah, I'm white. Being an ally means eating the same s**t sandwich the people you claim to stand with are eating. But, no kidding, the left is so sick of the lesser of 2 evils. We will never know what would have happened had Sanders beat Clinton in '16, but I am amongst the crowd that thinks we would have never had a Trump administration. If the GOP finds someone who is not a maniac in 28, expect a lot of self-identifying leftists to sit it out. 24 is not the time to do so. Mr. Shives, you never fail to either entertain and rarely fail to make me think about my own beliefs.
Original script: "This is a genocide!" (Looks up UN definition of genocide) "I don't care what you call it!"
That 3rd bullet point is why I’m still voting. I hate that we never get to primary an incumbent President, but I also hate Trump more, and am painfully aware of how much worse he would be. Ineffectual as Biden has been, at least he says he’s trying. Trump would absolutely not be in any way trying to moderate this. And that’s not counting all the other groups who would be thrown under the bus, especially women and the LGBTQ community.
But man, I would do a lot to have some election system that wasn’t a 2 party first past the post. 😞
Im sorry but no, Israel has no right whatsoever to "defend" itself, an occupying force has no right of self-defense, would you say Putin and Russia have a "right to defend themselves" from the recent Ukranian attacks on Russian territory?
Israel is an apartheid state that has been slowly but surely taking Palestinian land since 1948, so the problem is the illegal invasion and occupation, the only solution, just like with Ukraine, is the complete and total withdrawal of the invading forces, in this case Israel from Palestinian territory and respect the Palestinian people sovereignty over their own land, thats the only and sole solution, no more apartheid, no more occupation.
Yep.
I agree with most of what you’ve said here. I’m just curious:
“How much of that blood is on our president’s hands and, by extension, on our hands?”
Would you agree this same logic could be applied to Palestinians for the actions of Hamas? Or, for that matter, to Israelis for the actions of Israel? It seems either we are all responsible for the actions of our elected officials or none are. The distinction matters if we want to reach those who view Israel’s atrocity against Palestinians as “justified” by the atrocity of Hamas against Israel.
Our two choices are both awful. Democracy!
I don’t disagree. But I’d rather go with the day old pudding than the literal pile of bloody poo.
I feel like this breaks down at a certain point, for Palestinian Americans or people who have loved ones in Gaza, it's hard to say they are obligated to vote for someone supporting a genocide against their own family/loved ones, even if the other guy would be as bad or worse on that front, and come with a strong possibility of fascist dictatorship besides. That said, if I were American and lived in a swing state, I would absolutely swallow any sick feelings it gives me and cast a ballot for Biden to keep Trump out.
If there were another progressive candidate, I'd probably vote for them. But Biden is the one they're giving us that wouldn't sign a "gay people are illegal again." bill if the conservatives managed to push one through. So for that alone, given the options, he has my vote.