Are You Morally Obligated to Vote for Biden?

0:00 Intro
3:13 How Democrats Feel About Biden
5:22 Current Democratic Divides
9:35 Why There Are No Democratic Challengers
14:31 What If Biden Drops Out?
16:12 What Can Biden Do?
20:11 Do You Have A Moral Obligation to Vote?

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[portmantologist]

A point Sam Seder is fond of making is that you're not just voting for the president; you're voting for the people they appoint to other executive offices. Biden's Secretary of Education, Miguel Cardona, is a former teacher and principal who headed Connecticut's DoE before his appointment; Trump's Secretary of Education was Betsy DeVos, an uneducated Christian fundamentalist who wanted to defund public schools and direct the funds to parochial private schools. Current EPA head Michael Regan has a long history of addressing environmental racism; former head Andrew Wheeler is a climate denying former coal lobbyist. While Biden may not deserve our votes, an FTC chair who's actively pursuing antitrust cases does, a Labor secretary who's cracking down on union busting does, and so on.

[likecrazyhorse]

Technically I've only ever voted FOR one person. I've always voted against someone in every other election

[rockfire]

You are morally obligated to do more than just voting once every four years.

[zeyneptorun]

The US need more then two political parties…

[OlafFichtner]

Voting for someone not because you like that person, their agenda and actions, but because you're totally scared of what happens when the other person wins does sound just a tiny bit dystopian to me...

[erikrungemadsen]

When "Can you please stop mudering each other, and talk like adults" is the radical option."

[StarOx]

As a Floridian (registered democrat, not ideologically tied to them), I have witnessed friends and loved ones flee to liberal states to keep access to vital healthcare. I know people who have had sterilizing surgeries due in large part to the laws restricting abortion that are stuck in the limbo of Florida's mostly-conservative courts. I have directly experienced fear and anguish over seeking politicized healthcare of my own. I have had to inform not only peers who have the potential to be pursued by the state for exercising rights that are protected elsewhere, but also my own doctor so neither of us can be pursued for certain treatments. All of these restrictions were only possible because the Florida democratic party has been all but stamped out by gerrymandering, apathy, flight, and republican appointees, and when federal courts have successfully blocked the state's attempts to restrict us, it has only been because of justices appointed by democratic presidents. On the other hand, I have spoken to people who have directly benefitted (or have myself) from actions taken by Biden and democratic appointees regarding student loans, tax credits for energy improvements for private residences, and more. We can't disregard Biden's support for Israel's genocide and must ensure that he never lives it down, but we also can't pretend that Trump's war hawk military appointees and authors of the Muslim ban (which was revoked by Biden) would do better. When it comes time for people to vote for a president and they complain about feeling pressured to pick the lesser of two evils, it feels like they are ignoring all of the people those presidents will appoint and empower, and dismissing all of the civic engagement that occurs between major elections. For these reasons and more, it is absolutely a moral imperative in my eyes not only that ANYONE to the left of Trump (or DeSantis, or almost all of the mainstream republicans) vote for the most prominent opposition candidate, in this case Biden, but also to show up in opposition to fascism whenever possible on a local level and pressure politicians and organizations to oppose the genocide in Gaza. Unfortunately, we know that we can't count on "moderate" conservatives to do any of these in large enough numbers in red states to make a difference. To paraphrase another prominent political channel, "voting in the presidential election is the LEAST effective form of civic engagement, but it is still AN effective form of civic engagement."

[Ashberryvillage]

There should be a law where we add an option to vote for none of the candidates and instead have a new batch of candidates run. Then add another law where employers have to give the employees the day off, with pay, to go vote.

[LucyBean]

Also, the house and senate matter. Those are ACTUALLY democratically elected. Those votes DO count.

[Wizardofgosz]

Voting is an essential part of a democracy. Except we're an oligarchy. A few years ago Princeton (I think) did a study on the US government, and determined QUITE CLEARLY that we aren't a democracy, and haven't been for quite a while. We are an oligarchy run by giant corporations.

[QueenCallisto]

Rank voting could solve a lot of these problems.

[yeeyeeyeeye]

I'm not morally obligated to vote, but I am obligated to vote against tyranny and facism. It's dystopian, but it is how America works.

[UndertheNeedle]

As an African American I feel a moral obligation to vote. Knowing there was a time when my grandparents could not vote, motivates me. Knowing that when my mother was born my people did not have the right to vote motivates me. I feel like I'm letting every person who fought for my right down by not voting. Especially when all of them were voting for white men who felt like they should still be slaves and they voted anyway. They voted through fear and Jim Crow and the KKK and the general degradation of African American people. I feel like they would all shake their head at any African American person in 2024 who wastes that right. Unless we not forget the reason why we are at oligarchy today is because our supreme Court legalized bribery in citizens United. And who picked those justices? Presidents.

[lirpa]

The least you can do is vote in your local elections were conservatives do the most damage. Block groups like Moms for Liberty from taking a hold of school boards or City Council seats.

[grapeshot]

The United States has a history of supporting right-wing administrations all over the world.

[austinkruse]

Here’s an idea, instead of framing a campaign as the “lesser of two evils”, maybe list out some benefits and positive changes you will bring so people will feel like they can trust you

[gregs.]

It's more that I am morally obligated to NOT vote for Trump!

[SebastianTheGreat]

While you might just be a drop in the bucket in the presidential election, your vote could make a big difference in a local election. At the very least, show up to vote in your local races.

[Alaplaya]

"...it seems that rather than voting, she could engage in civil disobedience; write letters to newspaper editors, pamphlets, or political theory books; donate money; engage in conscientious abstention; protest; assassinate criminal political leaders; or do any number of other activities. It’s unclear why voting is special or required."
Why the 'rather'? Is there something about voting that prevents you from doing any of these?

[notoriouswhitemoth]

...I feel like this November I'm being forced to choose between _the devil_ and _a styrofoam potato_ - and like, that's an obvious decision, but _I don't want the potato._