Left-leaning Americans will be faced with a difficult choice in 2020. For this year’s momentous presidential election, whoever the nominee may be, many in the Democratic Party will feel disenfranchised. However, it is imperative that they suck it up and vote for their party.
As unfortunate as it is that many people will be presented with two candidates who do not fully represent voter’s interests, that’s the nature of our heavily flawed two-party system.
Although opening the door for more diverse political platforms is something we should strive for in the future —Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s comments that she and Biden would never be in the same party in any other country hold true—right now, for a party to win, it needs unity.
The 2016 election was a bitter pill to swallow. Donald Trump’s meteoric rise and fiery nationalism captured the hearts and minds of half the country and enraged the other half while Hillary Clinton’s flaccid campaign strategy did little to inspire support.
Many Americans felt that neither candidate represented their interests. Clinton, a centrist, alienated much of the far left who thought that she wouldn’t act in their interests. And Trump’s very public indiscretions put him at odds with Mormon voters.
The Green and Libertarian Parties garnered more support than they have in years, and Mormon center-right candidate Evan McMullin almost took Utah. Ultimately, no states were carried by either party, meaning casting a vote for them was about as effective as shouting into the wind.
This, in conjunction with her assumed victory, led to many not voting, or casting “protest votes,” which are votes either for politicians who have no chance of being elected or just jokes.
The 2020 presidential election is the most important of our lives. Trump’s lawyer’s assertion that any action Trump takes that could aid in his reelection is unimpeachable is a shocking perversion of democracy.
I personally oppose Joe Biden on the majority of his positions. I think that his voting history, his policies and his approach to politics, in general, l would make him a below-average to poor president overall.
Despite my extreme ambivalence towards him as a candidate, I will enthusiastically vote for him should he clinch the nomination, and I implore others to do the same. Trump: act two would be a disaster.
The left-wing has a tendency to be hyper-critical of itself, and in many ways this is a good thing as it keeps the group honest. Self-criticism is a necessity to self-improvement, however, it often gets in the way of their success.
Members of the progressive wing of the Democratic Party, as much as I agree with them and think that they are the future of the party, have a tendency to throw up their hands and go home when the candidate doesn’t agree with them on everything.
The sad truth is that if everyone who has since complained about Trump’s presidency had voted for Clinton, she would have won by a landslide.
This is not the time to be picky. Whatever your political leanings, understand that a vote for anyone other than the Democrat nominee might as well be a vote for Trump.