"Trump and Biden are the same"

Then why do you care who I vote for? Why do you care that I encourage people to vote for Biden? If it's all the sane to you, great. These two futures are very, very different to me.

If you're political activity is talking down to people with the same goals as you and calling me, someone who votes left in every election and donates to progressive causes, a "right winger" or "entitled" or "just trying to feel good about myself" then ya, I question that. That doesn't sound progressive to me, you're tearing down other leftists instead of finding the best ways to actually get the world we want.

I've read the platforms and to me, it's worth the bare minimum of voting. I care about the consequences and I KNOW one of these two guys will be president. I care how it impacts people and so instead of being pissed and throwing my hands up, I researched and decided. I do not understand anyone who would say instead I should just let the worst things happen. I can't stomach that.

I would rather try to better the world in real, actually possible ways than post smug emojis and let the people I claim to value be hurt by a very real threat like Trump. I'll take an L to protect the future of the country through the Supreme Court and prevent a fascist monster, who is letting a pandemic kill us, continue to be the most powerful person in the country.

I don't value moral purity if that leads to harm I could have prevented. That's not moral to me.

Obama should have closed Guantanamo, I disagree with him on that. I don't support everything every liberal president has done, but am aware the future is overall better now than it would have been otherwise. It's not fair to assume all of my opinions.

But I should point out that Obama passed the best healthcare reform in American history against great opposition in the senate. People are alive now because the ACA passsd. A single payer system continues to be killed in the senate and will be until those senators are voted out over time. The president can only do so much and to act like Obama did not do his best in that situation is very uncharitable.

Are you suggesting he should have refused to compromise so nothing passed at all? I would rather get actual gradual results now than fight for currently unreachable goals while people suffer needlessly. More healthcare will come as the ACA is expanded, but only if Trump is not allowed to completely gut it.

It's shocking to me that you would insult me for being realistic. I supported Bernie, I thought he would create the best possible future though I'm certain if the senate was not flipped he would have been unable to pass many of his promises. The president is limited by the senate and house and those things are only partially in our control. Bernie lost unfortunately. We are left with two possible futures, Trump or Biden. I see a future with Biden being better, he wants to increase wages, expand Medicare and protect LGBT people. His Supreme Court appointments will be better. His cabinet picks will be better and if we all vote for good senators more will get done.

I support gradual progress because it's real. Things will get better if we are activated and ask for better every time. It's unrealistic to expect everyone to suddenly want everything you want at once. I would rather make progress than turn it down for not being enough progress at once.

Refusing to vote for the best future and even insulting and discouraging people for doing so is the exact opposite of progress. It will cause nothing but preventable suffering. Less people will suffer if Biden wins than if Trump does and progress in the future will be easier. Those are the things I want so no one can stop me from at least trying to better the country in the few ways I can.

Anyone who wants me to sit by and let Trump win is telling me to let people suffer when I can try to stop it. You're telling me to keep living undef fear as a trans person and I cannot live like that anymore. I will not listen to anyone advocating for destruction and suffering for the sake of imaginary progress.

There is no such thing as "not supporting" in an election. It's a comparative competition. One of these people will win and the consequences of one are extremely dire. I don't care that Biden isn't perfect, I have looked at his platform and know he is better for America than Trump. Much better. This will be life and death for some people. The damage from another Trump term will haunt us for decades. To not support either is a useless stance, it leaves us vulnerable to the worst option.

I would rather cease an attack on our democracy while also pushing for better. Better senators, governors, mayors. We can campaign for better choices in 2024 and make more progress all the time. But that will be much, much harder if Trump is president. He and his cabinet picks are attacking every department of the federal government. If the Supreme Court is filled with more far right judges it will hurt progress for our lifetimes.

2020 is not the end of progress forever. You can always push for more leftist views in every part of the government. But progress begets progress. It's a slow process of compromise, not an entire upheaval of our system in one term.

Stopping Trump is progress. Our system isn't perfect and so your only real, effective option to remove him is Biden. I am going to do what I can now and try to do better later. This is very serious and Trump needs to be stopped now before he gets more people killed by mishandling a pandemic and gutting social services.

I genuinely do not know what other path there is to keep progress and prevent death and suffering. To suggest we say "well it's not exactly what I wanted" and allow a borderline fascist to continue is irresponsible. I refuse to do that. I know what is at stake. I would rather have less progress than I wanted than regression. I am going to do what is in my power. None of you have offered any other viable way to stop Trump, none of you have offered anything other than cynicism and vague suggestions of doom. It's not useful in these times.

This is so fucking sad

Just to clarify for the people sending me hateful shit in the DMs I was a Bernie supporter. I've been a leftist for years and vote progressive in every election I can.I am not a right winger and to try to boot me out of my own party because I'll vote for who I believe will make a fine president is just plain wrong.

I do not understand why I am being mocked, harassed and verbally abused for choosing to vote for Biden. What is the alternative? I know a third party will not win, I know writing in Bernie will not win. If the choice is between Trump and Biden (and it is) I will 100% choose Biden. He has a better platform and is not a maniac trying to dismantle the government from the inside out. He wants a $15 minimum wage, to overturn Citizens United, and make sweeping federal protections for LGBTQ people. I transitioned under Trump, Iive in genuine fear. Transitioning saved my life and I have nightmares about what Trump will do, can he criminalize HRT or SRS? How will getting name changes and gender marker changes be hurt by him and his cronies? How many trans people will be denied healthcare?

If my choices are either Trump, who I KNOW wants me dead or legally defined out of existence, or Biden, a man who could be lying but will at least appoint good people and is not an active threat to me, I'll do what it takes to get him into office.

Everyone replying to me has no alternative. You want to shit on me for making a tough choice but one I believe will improve the country, but what do you genuinely think we need to do instead? Not voting is not an option anymore. Trump or Biden will be president and the idea that so many people who claim to be activated and progressive are ready to let Tump back into office where he will most likely stack the court for our lifetimes is horrific to me. Even if you refuse to believe Biden means a shred of his platform, you know very well what Trump will do.

I don't care if you think I'm a conservative sea lion. I know what is at stake and I want as few people to suffer as possible. A perfect president just is not in our grasp but I would rather take 1 step forward instead of 10 steps back. I have too much to lose to just assume I'm already screwed.

The amount of hatred, ignorance and snideness I've received for evenTRYING to vote for the better person has changed my idea about leftist online spaces. You don't give a fuck about me. You want to be negative and mean and refuse any shred of hope even if it will get people hurt. This isn't a meme to me, people will really die because of this election. I can't be like that because I'll really blow my brains out. If you just want to reply to lie about me or my intentions or bully me into hopelessness you are no friend to me or the progressive movement. I am going to try. I am going to do what I can to reduce harm because that is worth it to me. I'd obviously prefer Sanders, I loved his platform but it didn't happen. I'd rather be disappointed than dead.

I get leftist spaces get critical and we dont' want to compromise on important issues, but I truly see no other way. If there was an actually viable third option I would choose it. I will continue to vote for leftist ideas on all levels of government but that will be worthless with a conservative supreme court. I will vote for a person I agree is not an ideal candidate and even a pretty bad person because that is the most realistic way I see that we can halt this active dismantling of our Democracy.

I am not ashamed of being realistic and doing what I think will minimize harm and maximize progress. I'm Biden2020 and hope for a better candidate in 2024. I am not going to just say I give up because I don't have the privilege of nihilism.

I apologize if it appears I misgendered another user. I was trying to reply to an ftm I follow who reblogged a post from a trans woman. I don't know how mobile tumblr works very well.

I refuse to be hopeless and I don't deserve to be treated as subhuman for it.

I used to think that leftists all had a cause and valued each other. I've been insulted, called a right winger and a transphobe for saying that based on the limited choices I will vote for the one who does not have a track record of transphobia and who has a progressive platform.

If your message to me is that it's hopeless leave me and these posts alone. Why do you care if you don't plan to vote and think Biden will be exactly like Trump? Why are you so angry at me for weighing my real options and voting for my best chance to not lose my rights as a trans man?

I was wrong to think leftists cared about each other. You're cruel and condescending and want me to lie down and rot. I'm being treated like garbage for valuing my safety and the future of the country over purity. I need to believe Biden will be better than Trump. I need to believe things can get better. I can't live under a president and VP that want me dead. The idea that people meant to be on my side would spit in my face for that is nauseating and heartbreaking. You're calling me a bad person for having any hope at all. I know what will happen to me under Trump and I will take anything even slightly better. I'm not waiting until 2024 to improve the country, it may be too late by then.

If you decide to harass me for actually voting for my own interests you aren't progressive either. If your praxis is to insult me and demand I just have 0 hope and give up you're only helping Trump.

What is the plan here? Are you all saying you prefer Trump win? I don't. I would rather assume Biden is not magically lying about his entire platform and vote based on his stances and the fact that he will not ruin the supreme court for our entire lives.

If you refuse to vote Biden you aren't a progressive.

This election has come down to Trump or Biden. One of those two WILL be the next President, I guarantee it. You can say you don't like Biden but at this point that is your only real option to stop Trump.

Not stopping Trump means a conservative supreme court for most of our lives. That endangers abortion and all progress on gerrymandering, climate issues or LGBT rights. That is 100% true. If Biden loses because you would rather smugly refuse to prevent fascism people will be hurt and killed.

This isn't about you or your ethics. This is about stopping the extremely serious consequences that WILL happen if Trump wins. If you want someone better next time you need to canvas, you need to actually register to vote and you need to accept that sometimes progress is slow. Allowing the country to sink into fascism is not progressive. A real progressive would fight to save us from fascism now and then fight for a better person next time as well.

Saying you don't feel comfortable voting for Biden is worthless because it will either be him or Trump. Saying you won't bite for him because he doesn't support M4A is saying you want people to lose their healthcare. You can either improve things less than you wanted or let them get actively worse.

If I lose access to my healthcare or am legally defined out of existence I will blame you. If Roe v Wade is overturned I will blame you. You are the people meant to fight for those things and you decided to give up. What's worse is pretending it's noble.

If you are not willing to stop Trump, you are saying abortion, trans rights, healthcare and the climate just aren't important enough to justify compromising on your morals for the greater good.

This nihilism and willful disenfranchisement is going to get people killed. You've been given the real choice, you know the real consequences. I can only hope you realize the gravity of this passivity before it's too late.

Biden is a horrible person but is less likely to attack trans people so of course I'll vote for him.

Please don't let Trump win, I'm genuinely afraid of what he'll do. It's either let a rapist who wants trans people dead win or a rapist who doesn't. Idk seems obvious to me.