A friend of mine asked for assistance on social media. She is concerned that her 23-year-old son is not going to vote for Biden. She knows that he will not vote for Trump, but is concerned he might not vote, or will vote 3rd party.
Most of the suggestions on the thread were harm reduction. While lesser-of-two-evils is a VERY good reason to vote for Biden, it is not really a progressive case for the vote.
- We are in an existential climate crisis, and we don’t have time for centrist solutions. We need bold action.
- College debt is overwhelming, and is one of the main reasons that this generation may actually be poorer than the previous generation.
- Systemic racism is being exposed. It shows up in education, banking, housing, and in it’s most deadly form in law enforcement.
- Health care through employers has become unsustainable, and has always made for large swaths of uninsured citizens (especially in communities of color … see above).
- In addition there is the idealism of youth, which I think more of us older folk should rekindle.
Biden-Harris have the most progressive platform of any major party in recent history. But really, that argument goes nowhere if you look at the somewhat-left-of-center records of Biden and Harris. Platforms are aspirational for the party, and I am glad the democrats have such high aspirations. But this is a hard sell to progressives who made the gains of 2018 possible, yet feel left behind in 2020.
I suggested a couple of "Thought Experiments" for my friend’s son.
Supreme Court
What if we elected Supreme Court justices directly? Would he vote for Ruth Bader Ginsberg or Brett Kavanaugh?
And in essence, that is the choice, because we elect the president, and one of the responsibilities of the president is to name Supreme Court justices. (BTW, if you think Biden would not nominate an RBG, note that RBG was nominated by Bill Clinton, who is far more of a neo-liberal than Biden)
Congress
Let's pretend that Dems take the Senate and hold on to the house ... but Trump retains the presidency. AOC (in the house) and Bernie (in the Senate) introduce a sweeping bill to address climate change.
Would Trump sign that bill?
Would Biden sign that bill?
In other words, if you want to support the progressive people you DO like in government, it becomes clearer. Think of a vote for Biden as a pathway to progressive work in the other two branches of government.
I am a proud progressive. Hell, I even embrace that dreaded word, liberal. Since FDR, the democratic party has had a near monopoly on progressive change. It is through the Democratic Party that the most profound changes in civil rights, healthcare, LGBT rights, and worker’s rights have occurred. We need a powerful progressive democratic government to right the wrongs of the last four (and more) years. We need all three branches of government. A vote for Biden is a vote for progressive voices in the Judicial and Congressional branches of government.
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