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To people voting for Biden, what will make you not vote for him in the general election? (hexbear.net)

submitted 2 years ago by [email protected] to c/[email protected]

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I've noticed a lot of posts asking how we're going to vote, and people coming in trying to shame people for not voting for Biden, or any candidate in the general election at all.

So I'm curious and, asking in good faith, want to know - what will make you stop voting for Biden?

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[–] [email protected] 15 points 2 years ago

I read your entire response and appreciate your answer. I'm glad we can agree that Biden is at least shitty.

I also appreciate you taking personal ownership of your moral reasoning behind your vote. But I think the personal connections you have to your vote may be missing some broader context.

This stuck out to me:

Well, a turn to the blatant authoritarianism of the Republicans would be a start.

I feel that 'authoritarianism' as a term feels reductive. It's a term used to describe a politician's behavior instead of specific actions that we can assign morality. Providing weapons in another country or withholding support during a domestic crisis are more specific and can better crystallize what is wrong with a government or politician. In media narratives, 'authoritarian' is used to criticize without looking at the material changes that happen.

I think if Biden used the full force of his legal executive powers to do things to undo the harm of trump's presidency, that would be considered authoritarian and would be an unprecedented display of political power. I also think that would be a welcome and appropriate action to take.

You also used the word 'blatant' and I thought that was significant too. Trump was blatant with a lot of the shit he pulled in office. Appointing people with awful track records and making speeches that threatened people were blatant. However, 'blatant' is subjective.

What was blatant to you with trump was a reality a lot of people experienced before 2016 and after 2021. For me, what changed was aesthetics. Biden didn't have to say anything to keep the cages open. He didn't have to do much to let Roe v Wade get overturned. He could say he condemned the decision and then not have to do anything because that would be authoritarian. He felt no strategic need to undo trump's actions and so he didn't. He's just not saying the quiet part out loud.

It's definitely a fucked up situation we're in, but Biden won't save it, nor will the party who props him up even now.

Also, the adherence to the rule of law seems like a shaky standard given the people in charge of making the laws. Shakier considering how often legal loopholes come out of the woodwork to prevent meaningful policies from happening, like the parliamentarian. I'd only be okay with the rule of law if US law was in any way fair or just.