I think the argument is that voting for status quo candidates aren't actually getting us those things, either. And any small incremental gains are quickly reverted the next time republicans are in power.

And you can only believe that if you ignore every bit of progress that has stuck around in the last thirty years.

Progress isn’t a straight line up. Like anything else it dips and wobbles. But it consistently moves upward.

Yeah there are always going to be things to make progress on. But to pretend that we are not in a better place on some of those issues now than we were thirty years ago is bafflingly silly.

As an example: In 1996, support for same-sex marriage was so low that congress passed and Clinton signed the Defense of Marriage Act, allowing states to ignore same-sex marriage licenses from other states in direct violation of the full faith and credit clause of the Constitution, and this was widely supported by the American people. In 2023, over 70% of Americans supported gay marriage while only 22% opposed. That number has dipped since, but not by much. In 2025, it was 68% support (88% of Democrats, 76% of Independents, and 41% of Republicans) while 29% opposed it.

That is an issue on which the American people have made significant progress. That progress hasn’t evaporated with alternating administrations. It ebbs and flows like literally everything, but over time it has improved.

Most are like this. Not all! Certainly some things consistently get worse, like wealth inequality. But to act like everything simply flip-flops between parties and that the Democrats are simply a ratchet that maintains the status quo and doesn’t let anything change just to let the next Republican make it worse is flat-out wrong.

Are Democrats largely spineless corporate shills? Yeah. But are they just as bad as Republicans? Fuck no. Go vote in primaries. Support candidates who will actually push for change. Giving up is pathetic.

And I do agree with that. 

I’m not American and we have the same issues here. 

But the answer has to be putting in grassroots support and fighting the power where you can. By the time Biden and then Harris had secured the DNC nomination it was way too late. 

I think right now the world at large needs big changes, and corporate power needs to be reigned in. But you have to engage with the possibilities in front of you, even though they suck. You can and should try to create new ones, but it’s a fight, and you have to treat it like one. 

Almost as if you have to actually work to have nice things.

Who could imagine??

And any small incremental gains are quickly reverted the next time republicans are in power.

Because the next 'status quo' candidate isn't good enough, so we piss away any progress because we didn't get the perfect candidate and stay home from the election (again)

Edit: guess I touched a nerve with abstainers