American liberals, learn your own history: Ralph Nader didn't stop Al Gore. Jeb Bush and the Supreme Court did. The Vietnam protesters didn't elect Nixon, the Democratic Party did that, by refusing to nominate an anti-war candidate. If Trump wins, it's on you. Not the kids in the streets. #uspolitics
@Geoffberner keep in mind there was some, you know, voting that went on in those elections...
Far too often people seem to forget that at the core of voting are voters.
... every politician has been voted in.
Every one of these representatives has been chosen by vote, and most have been re-empowered by vote after their previous actions.
We could vote for different people. We could vote for change. We will when we want it.
Or we'll keep voting for the status quo.
Yes, voting is the driving force behind political change. And it's the driving force behind maintaining the same old.
We get the representatives we elect and that we re-elect, rewarding the lack of change.
They're our votes to use as we wish.
@volkris no. Voting is *a* driver of political change. Sometimes. It's not the main driver. That's political activism. Activists have driven every good political change in America, and the politicians only supported it because they were dragged along. L.B.J. is a perfect example. It's good to vote. I'm not discouraging it. I'm saying when voter turnout is low, that's not the responsibility of individual voters. That's because you ran a shit campaign.
@Geoffberner you talk about change, but this isn't about change. This is about what is.
Every one of these politicians was voted in. In fact, a whole lot of them have been reelected because apparently we like it this way. Apparently we decide to keep electing the same people because we like the way they are performing in office.
You're talking about a driver of political change, but in reality we are actively deciding to keep voting for the status quo. You talk about change, but we are voting to keep things the same way.
You say voting is a driver of political change. What I'm trying to highlight is that voting is why politics don't change.
We keep electing and re-empowering these representatives.
@volkris no, they actually don't forget that. People who think it's voting that's the driving force behind political change think people forget that.