The Income Gap at the Polls

This is really important.

The fact that poorer people don’t vote as much AND non-voters are more likely to have more leftist political beliefs is… fairly motherfucking important.

I’m going to vote in the democratic primary (even though electoral politics are B.S.)

meanwhile you should vote on whether I should add pink to the ends of my hair?

Also someone should buy me an AR-15 because they’re going to get expensive.

Voting Is Not Consenting To Be Ruled

If a guy has you cornered, gun to your head, which the state does have essentially and asks you whether you want to be punched in the gut AND in the nose or just punched in the gut, you are not agreeing to either. Making the choice that hurts less doesn’t mean you can’t still fight back

I mean like spending time you could be spending organizing resistance to the whole “punched in the gut/punched in the gut AND in the nose” choice, trying to get people to vote for “just punched in the gut” is a fucking waste

You’ll also note that the only time we get real concessions is when we get together to demand massive “unrealistic” change.

It’s a very basic bargaining tactic as well, asking for more than you think is possible for you to get, because they expect negotiation, and sometimes you do get the big change you want.

That said I refuse to have any involvement with electoral politics beyond voting.

I don’t donate, I don’t campaign for candidates, I don’t do door knocking, because I’m busy doing that shit for radical mass organization and I don’t want to get sucked into the reformist vortex that gradually drags you further right until you’re meeting with senators to discuss compromising on a two cent minimum wage increase while wearing a four thousand dollar suit.

You Know I Think The Idea That Electoral Politics

Keep people from doing grass roots/revolutionary organizing is kind of bull.

Voting takes like max 15 minutes, unless yr polling place is really busy or far away (and it shouldn’t be). You can vote, and then devote the rest of your time to building mass social movements.

Seriously.

Reform vs. revolution is kind of a false dichotomy.