Yes, by all means vote. But let's be honest. An argument often made for Biden was that he mattered as the "pragmatic" anti-Trump candidate. In this brief comment, the whole history of lesser evil persuasion in presidential elections cannot even be summarized. This much has to be said. A big problem arises when people who call themselves progressive insist Every Vote Counts in one breath, and then in the next breath voter shame anyone who does not vote for the candidate and party of their choice.
I vote Green and independent socialist every chance I get. Moreover, we can have democracy in this country or we can have a "two party system" that is neither an act of God nor spelled out in the Constitution. But we cannot have both. Until the leading career pols of the Democratic Party commit themselves to Ranked Choice Voting and abolition of the Electoral College, they are in fact not serious about basic democracy.
Four years of Trump was a misery. Now we face Biden in high office, and he opposes single payer Medicare for all during a pandemic. He has always been a pillar of the right wing of the Democratic Party. Whether we are people of faith or secular, a class conscious social movement against both corporate parties is well in order. No friction, no traction.
Thank you for this timely message. We must remember that we vote for what is best for the people in our country who need a fair shake, keeping in mind that Jesus cared for all people and especially for all who were being missed treated.
Someone recently expressed this poignantly by saying something to the effect of,
“Choosing not to vote is a good way to let marginalized individuals and groups know that your abstract moral and theological principles matter more to you than their real lives.”
Diana, Thank you. Reinhold Niebuhr would be proud. He would remind us that we humans and our human organization are innately flawed, limited, myopic and yet at the same time can be partial organizers of justice, of reaching for God's dream. The mindless convergence of proximate forms of politics with any ultimate pure vision is a sure sign of the sin of pride. Principle is always in a dialectical relationship with practice. What do you think?
Staying home during this election should be considered a ‘Mortal Sin’ (a term from my RC upbringing, that I don’t believe I have ever heard in my ‘now’ Episcopal church home). It would mean that one has seen and recognized the evil, but has chosen to allow, and even grow its presence, though the dangers are tangible, recognizable, reckless and growing daily. The toll it has already taken can be counted in lives lost, in people killed, in hatred rising, in leaders getting away with bold falsehoods and blatant lies, in compassion ebbing, and human values, care for those less fortunate, and the values and laws in the country becoming meaningless.
Please reconsider why you would abandon your hard-fought right to vote and choose, over your apprehension. Should one NOT EXERCISE that right, one abandons one’s right to opinions over the results.
Thank you for pushing back on the idea that staying home on November 3rd is a "Christian" option. I will soon turn 73, and there has not been an election in my lifetime when the need to vote has been so acute. Your points, not Wehmeyer's, define the moment and the need.
Yes, by all means vote. But let's be honest. An argument often made for Biden was that he mattered as the "pragmatic" anti-Trump candidate. In this brief comment, the whole history of lesser evil persuasion in presidential elections cannot even be summarized. This much has to be said. A big problem arises when people who call themselves progressive insist Every Vote Counts in one breath, and then in the next breath voter shame anyone who does not vote for the candidate and party of their choice.
I vote Green and independent socialist every chance I get. Moreover, we can have democracy in this country or we can have a "two party system" that is neither an act of God nor spelled out in the Constitution. But we cannot have both. Until the leading career pols of the Democratic Party commit themselves to Ranked Choice Voting and abolition of the Electoral College, they are in fact not serious about basic democracy.
Four years of Trump was a misery. Now we face Biden in high office, and he opposes single payer Medicare for all during a pandemic. He has always been a pillar of the right wing of the Democratic Party. Whether we are people of faith or secular, a class conscious social movement against both corporate parties is well in order. No friction, no traction.
Thank you for this timely message. We must remember that we vote for what is best for the people in our country who need a fair shake, keeping in mind that Jesus cared for all people and especially for all who were being missed treated.
A wise and meaningful essay.
“What would Jesus do?” Indeed. Follow in His footsteps and vote what is in your heart.
You are right, Diane.
Someone recently expressed this poignantly by saying something to the effect of,
“Choosing not to vote is a good way to let marginalized individuals and groups know that your abstract moral and theological principles matter more to you than their real lives.”
Diana, Thank you. Reinhold Niebuhr would be proud. He would remind us that we humans and our human organization are innately flawed, limited, myopic and yet at the same time can be partial organizers of justice, of reaching for God's dream. The mindless convergence of proximate forms of politics with any ultimate pure vision is a sure sign of the sin of pride. Principle is always in a dialectical relationship with practice. What do you think?
Staying home during this election should be considered a ‘Mortal Sin’ (a term from my RC upbringing, that I don’t believe I have ever heard in my ‘now’ Episcopal church home). It would mean that one has seen and recognized the evil, but has chosen to allow, and even grow its presence, though the dangers are tangible, recognizable, reckless and growing daily. The toll it has already taken can be counted in lives lost, in people killed, in hatred rising, in leaders getting away with bold falsehoods and blatant lies, in compassion ebbing, and human values, care for those less fortunate, and the values and laws in the country becoming meaningless.
Please reconsider why you would abandon your hard-fought right to vote and choose, over your apprehension. Should one NOT EXERCISE that right, one abandons one’s right to opinions over the results.
Thank you for this fair, balanced perspective!
Thank you for pushing back on the idea that staying home on November 3rd is a "Christian" option. I will soon turn 73, and there has not been an election in my lifetime when the need to vote has been so acute. Your points, not Wehmeyer's, define the moment and the need.
Thank you for this clear, compassionate, and compelling call to vote!