#You don't even have other party's to vote for come November

[fantastic-mr-corvid]

Just woke up, labor won as expected, lib dems not the opposition but still doing really well, mogg and truss as just two of many high profile tory losses, snp... I'm sorry snp. No torys in Wales! Reform at four seats instead of the exit poll 13, thank fuck but that's still four of the counts. Independents doing well, mostly gaining from labor so hopefully that will scare them, and most are pro Palestine which was really good- though expect labor to be vile about those few losses.

My constituency flipped red, our labor candidate was great and might have got in a little trouble for agreeing with the green one on almost everything in the hastings- or whatever tf we call constituency debates again- if it wasn't for our strong red swing.

Tbh I'm mostly still pissed that hillary cass of the cass report and 16 [so far] dead trans kids fame got a Crossbench Nomination for the house of Lords. Really shows the sudden socially liberal shift once the election was secured that so many people yapped on about was a fucking lie.

Thats a Lifetime position with say in our bills and 388 QUID A DAY- when the best [non disability] benifits are 71 quid a Week. If your lucky enough to jump through all the hoops and fucking get it

[fandomtrumpshate]

Defeating Tr*mp and the Republican party: how you can help

So as you've probably heard, there is a presidential election coming up in the US this November. You may even be experiencing some concern about the outcome of that election -- given both the high stakes and the active efforts by Republicans to suppress the vote -- and wondering what more you can do to stave off the possibility of a literal fascist takeover of the United States.

The good news is: you're not helpless. There are wonderful organizations out there -- staffed by knowledgeable, talented people with their feet already on the ground -- and they could use your help.

Here are a few of them:

VoteBeat offers deeply-researched local reporting about elections, which is both valuable and rare in the current news environment. A spinoff of ChalkBeat, it was founded and is run by journalists from ProPublica.

Spread the Vote is an organization that works on the ground to help every eligible voter secure the documentation and the access they need to make their voices heard. In particular, StV runs a program called Vote by Mail in Jail to help ensure that incarcerated persons also have access to these rights.

VoteRiders, like StV, works to ensure that every American has the opportunity to vote. In particular, they provide financial and practical support to trans people so that they can get hold of the documentation they need and can vote safely and confidently.

FairVote advocates for ranked-choice voting, a system in wide use outside the US which far more effectively captures the will of the electorate. (we don't have an individual feature page for them, but FV was one of FTH's supported orgs in 2020.)

(This is just a short starter list of amazing organizations, pulled from FTH's supported orgs list in past years; there are plenty of others. Please feel free to add them in reblogs!)

Ways you can help

Donate to one (or more!) of these organizations. These are all fairly small operations, even if their goals and their impact is large; they could use the help!

Volunteer your time. Many of these organizations rely on volunteers to make their day-to-day operations work. Sometimes it's necessary to do this volunteering in person, but often there is a remote option for volunteering if that's what works for you.

Run a fanworks auction to raise money. FTH recently rolled out a full and detailed playbook, sharing all of our organizational materials and step-by-step guides for how to use them and adapt them to your needs. This is a great moment to put that to work! Whether you want to raise money for one of the organizations listed above, or for some other nonprofit, or even for a progressive local candidate that could use the support (FTH doesn't do individual candidates, but you shouldn't let that stop you!) you can make a real difference while also helping to put more fanworks into the world.

[traegorn]

why do you think that voting for someone doesn’t endorse what they do? voting for a certain president doesn’t mean that you’re going to start a fight against them like you’re desperately trying to use as an excuse. people, even the young, remember 2016, and maybe they wouldn’t feel great with the idea that they’re supporting a genocide- i don’t care if trump is worse or whatever, you’re still supporting a man who’s actively funding an ethnic cleanse and doesn’t even care about trans people since that’s your main concern apparently.

"i don’t care if trump is worse or whatever"

That is the most arrogant, privileged thing you could respond with. Imagine telling that to the folks facing mass deportation under a Trump presidency. Look those people in the face and tell them you don't care what happens to them because you'd feel icky.

If you really cared about what you say you do, you wouldn't be taking this position. This feels more like you care about who you hurt than who you help.

It's a two party system, and one of two people will be elected in November. If you're going to challenge the person in power, it matters very much who the person in power is. It's not endorsement, because in an electoral system strategic voting is a requirement for survival. There is no magical option that doesn't put us under either Trump or Biden.

And they aren't even anywhere near each other on the one issue you say you care about.

Biden's position on Israel can be changed. Trump's cannot. Biden has threatened to withhold aid to Israel (which is remarkable to happen at all coming from a US President), Trump says he wants to "finish the job." Trump will escalate things, while Biden can be pushed.

Allowing Trump to get elected will literally make the genocide worse.

And there is no other possible result of the Presidential election.

You want to stop what's happening in Israel, right? How will you do that if you also have to also fight mass deportation, a rollback on trans rights, and further attacks on women's rights? What will you do when two more seats come up in the next four years on the Supreme Court? Will we flip the court back to the left or will a conservative majority stay in place for another fifty years?

So leave your doomerism, selfish, self centered bullshit at the door.

There are real fights to be fought, and you're telling me that not only. is my life worthless in your eyes, but so are millions of others. You don't care if anyone else dies if it means you can feel better about yourself.

[musings-from-mars]

Just thinking about how Biden stepped down due to pressure from his party in what he viewed as the right choice for the good of the country. I'm not at all A Fan of his but just, when you compare that to the other option, someone who refused to peacefully step aside even when an entire election stipulated he do so, it makes this whole election into what I think is a very simple choice.

Biden did not have to stand down from his reelection campaign, but did so for the greater good. Long before presidents had term limits, the peaceful surrender of power by one president to the next has been a tradition as old as the union itself. Time after time presidents would not seek reelection if they had served two terms because Washington set that unofficial standard and everyone up until FDR followed it, even though they weren't required to. It's because there was this understanding that there was no good to come from relentlessly trying to hold onto power forever, that being president was a massive undertaking, a responsibility, that no one person should take on for too long, lest the country risk falling into a pit of authoritarian strong-arming.

Biden stepped aside, gave up the the chance to retain the single most powerful political office in his country, and arguably the world, because he believed it was the right thing to do. If she is elected, Kamala Harris will also eventually surrender the office peacefully when the time comes. The same can't be said for Donald Trump, who has made it abundantly clear that he wants power and he wants to keep it.

I'm voting for whoever the Democratic nominee is in November because, unlike the other option, I know they would not try to take and keep power through any means necessary. It's just one out of many issues I care about that informs my vote. I don't want the country I live in to become an authoritarian dictatorship. Therefore, I will vote blue. If you also don't want the US to become an authoritarian dictatorship, you will vote blue. You will vote.

[walks-the-ages]

If I see one more post about "trump almost getting assassinated means its the end of the world he's guaranteed to win the election now" I'm going to scream.

First of all, stop doomposting. Get your head out of that mindset, and if you can't get out of that mindset, not filling your dash with doom will genuinely help.

Second of all, Trump was already almost guaranteed to win. If you're anywhere that is not on Tumblr, Biden's polling numbers are atrocious for individual states as well as nation-wide.

~60% of Americans disapprove of Biden.

~67% of Americans want Biden to step down and let another candidate run.

Instead of spending your time crying about how everyone needs to

"Vote for Biden, because even though he's actively commiting genocide right now, at least he promises that he will protect abortion rights and trans rights if he's elected into power for another four years!"

aka

"Vote for Hitler, because while he may not like other people, at least he promises to not take away the rights of Germans here in our country!"

Instead of supporting a genocide (voting for Biden, and trying to convince people to vote for him which is the opposite of beating a dead horse) and thinking the world is going to end if Trump gets elected, you should be

1) Research your other candidate options for November. It takes a single google search of "Presidential election candidates" and it'll come up with countless polls and articles about who all of the independent and third party candidates are.

2) Organizing within your local community, or at the very least, just. Get out there and get to know people. Get to know your neighbors, your cashiers at the local grocery store, join a local gardening Facebook group and start a small food garden, in the ground or in containers. Make some community connections, so if shit hits the fan, you have a local support network, and can help each other.

3) Listen to Palestinians. Listen to Indigenous people. Listen to Black activists. Listen to the marginalized groups who have been begging for years, decades, for people to see that there is no "Lesser Evil" if the side wearing blue hat continues to commit genocide, murders minorities, puts kids in cages, continues to put unlawful embargos on entire nations, and continues to commit war crimes and attempt to topple the governments of other nations.

Project 2025 has been the Republican plan for when they get elected for the last 40 years, they just so happen to have a fancy PDF to fear monger with this year.

The entire world is not going to end if Donald Trump gets elected, and if you truly do think it is, instead of attempting to convince people to vote for a man committing genocide that more than half the country disapproves of, how about you spend your energy on convincing BIDEN to halt all military aid to Israel and to use the troops HE stationed in Israel to actually give aid and prevent more war crimes?

Oh wait. He can't do that, he's already committed so many war crimes. they already dressed up as aid workers and slaughtered 300 innocent people for the "sake" of 2 hostages that Israel has refused all actual negotiations to return them, because Israel literally doesn't care about hostages, it just wants all of Gaza gone and under Israeli control.

You don't fucking bomb the place you think hostages are in, you don't go around slaughtering innocent people if you care about hostages, including slaughtering your own people you're supposedly there to rescue.

Biden literally said that if there were no Israel, America would have to invent its own. His opinion has not changed one bit, and you can see it every time he and his group call college students protesting genocide "outside actors", when he further militarizes the police so they can shoot, beat, and maim peaceful protestors. When he claims to have seen photographs of beheaded babies that don't exist and continues to spout claims long -debunked about October 7th.

"violence does not belong in our politics, but only when it doesn't involve me sadistically supporting crimes against humanity and genocide"

Anyways this post is long and rambling.

Tldr: stop acting like its the end of the world if Trump gets elected. Instead of screaming people need to vote for Genocide Joe, focus your attention on getting him to step down so another candidate can take his place in August. Look up third party candidates, and organize in your local community.

And, don't forget your daily clicks!

[mariacallous]

In the North Philadelphia neighbourhood of Fairhill, signs of Puerto Rico are never far off. The US island territory's red, white and blue flag adorns homes and businesses, and the sounds of salsa and reggaetón boom from passing cars and restaurants selling fried plantains and spit-roasted pork.

The area is the beating heart of Philadelphia's more than 90,000-strong Puerto Rican population and forms a key part of Pennsylvania's Latino community, which both the Democrats and Republicans have sought to woo ahead of the 5 November election.

But on Monday morning, many locals were left seething at a joke made at Donald Trump's rally the night before in New York, in which comic Tony Hinchcliffe described Puerto Rico as an "island of garbage".

The joke, some said, could come back to haunt the Republicans in a key swing state that Democrats won by a narrow margin of 1.17% - about 82,000 votes - in 2020.

"The campaign just hurt itself, so much. It's crazy to me," said Ivonne Torres Miranda, a local resident who said she remains disillusioned by both candidates - Republican Trump and Democrat Kamala Harris - with just eight days to go in the campaign.

"Even if he [Mr Hinchcliffe ] was joking - you don't joke like that.

"We're Puerto Ricans. We have dignity, and we have pride," she told the BBC, speaking in rapid-fire Spanish with a strong Puerto Rican accent.

"You've got to think before saying things."

In the aftermath, the Trump campaign was quick to distance itself from Mr Hinchcliffe's joke, with a spokesman saying the remark "does not reflect the views" of Trump or his campaign.

The Harris campaign pounced on the joke, with the vice-president pointing to the comment as a sign that Trump is "fanning the fuel of trying to divide" Americans.

Her views were echoed by Puerto Rican celebrities Bad Bunny and Jennifer Lopez, who both endorsed Harris on Sunday.

A campaign official told CBS, the BBC's US partner, that the controversy was a political gift to the Democrats.

Some Puerto Rican residents agree with that assessment.

"[The joke] just put it in the bag for us. He literally just gave us the win," said Jessie Ramos, a Harris supporter. "He has no idea how hard the Latino community is going to come out and support Kamala Harris."

Residents of Puerto Rico - a US island territory in the Caribbean - are unable to vote in presidential elections, but the large diaspora in the US can.

Across Pennsylvania, about 600,000 eligible voters are Latino.

More than 470,000 of them are Puerto Ricans - one of the largest concentrations in the country and a potential deciding factor in a state where polls show Harris and Trump in an extremely tight race.

North Philadelphia in particular has been a target for Harris, who on Sunday made a campaign stop at Freddy & Tony's, a Puerto Rican restaurant and community hub in Fairhill.

The same day, Harris unveiled a new policy platform for Puerto Rico, promising economic development and improved disaster relief and accusing Trump of having "abandoned and insulted" the island during Hurricane Maria in 2017.

Whether or not this will sway Puerto Rican voters remains to be seen.

Freddy & Tony's owner, Dalma Santiago, told the BBC that she is not sure whether the joke will make a difference but that she believed that it was heard "loud and clear" in Fairhill and other Puerto Rican communities.

"Everybody has their own opinion," she told the BBC. "But nobody will be forgetting that one."

Similarly, Moses Santana, a 13-year US Army veteran who works at a harm reduction facility in Fairhill, said he is unsure of the joke's impact.

In an interview with the BBC on a Fairhill street corner, Mr Santana said the area is traditionally wary of politicians of all kinds, with many believing that both parties have failed to address socio-economic issues, crime and drug abuse there.

"Folks around here tend not to get what they ask for," he added. "Even when they vote."

On Tuesday, Trump will campaign in Allentown, a town of about 125,000 in central Pennsylvania where about 33,000 people identify as Puerto Rican.

But even among Trump supporters in Pennsylvania's wider Latino community, the joke was poorly received.

That included Republican voter Jessenia Anderson, a Puerto Rican resident from the town of Johnstown about 240 miles (386 km) west of Philadelphia.

Ms Anderson, a military veteran who was born in New York's heavily Puerto Rican Lower East Side, is a frequent attendee of Trump rallies in Pennsylvania.

She described the joke as "deeply offensive" and said the routine felt "wildly out of place" - and implored her fellow Republicans to engage in "thoughtful and respectful conversations".

But Ms Anderson has no plan to switch her vote.

"My belief in the party's potential to make a positive impact remains strong," she said.

"I hope they will approach Latino voters with the respect they deserve."

[tanadrin]

Opposition after Trump wins will only be effective if it can coalesce on a single program that can appeal to a majority of the electorate (assuming voting is even allowed in 2026 or later). Since the democrats' loss is going to shatter their credibility beyond recovery, and no third party movement has anything close to majority appeal, it's checkmate by the far right, no?

none of the premises of this ask seem correct to me.

one, even in authoritarian systems, free elections are usually late or even last to go; elections are a major source of legitimacy in the modern era. in the US, they're also administered mostly on the local level, distributed throughout the country, which makes them hard to rig. the bigger worry is orban or PiS-type shenanigans putting the thumb on the scale.

two, the two party system in the US means any opposition to the governing party is de facto united. you don't have to have (like you see in other countries) elaborate efforts at coalition-building between disparate political parties. because there's only one other party.

three, why would a trump victory destroy the democrats' credibility? he is unlikely to win the popular vote. he will certainly not win the EC by an overwhelming margin. reagen won the '84 election by crushing margins in both the popular vote and the EC and it didn't "shatter the credibility" of the democrats as a party. they had majorities in the House in 84, 86, 88, and 92.

trump still has a net -11.8 approval rating. he has never won the popular vote. he is currently trying to distance himself from the core far-right manifesto because it's wildly unpopular. he is also currently fighting with the evangelical wing of his party because they want him to commit to a national abortion ban and he knows that that is electoral suicide. there is no universe where a trump win in november is "checkmate" for the far right, and indeed i think it is quite possible trump wins the presidency but republicans lose the house--if the polls are to be believed, a big chunk of trump's support is coming from people who will vote Democrat down-ballot.

[fantasy-and-fiction-things]

What I am about to say is controversial. American politics always is.

But something I am very frustrated by is lack of voter literacy of our political system. Our system is built on checks and balances and with that comes the right and duty to vote. But that duty to vote does not only happen every four years. It does not happen only on the first Tuesday in November. It happens every year, at least twice a year (in the case of special elections, it will happen more). The rhetoric I have seen lately seems to ignore that.

Maybe I am generalizing and, if so, I apologize. But I know many people who think that voting only happens every four years, occasionally they believe it is every two. Or, maybe they believe that those off-year and primary elections do not matter. I don't know their intentions. I just know that this sentiment is wrong.

If people want change, they cannot wait to demand it every four years. The presidential ticket does not magically give way to a completely new agenda. The vast majority of political decisions that impact you personally are done at the local and municipal levels. When are those elections? Generally not the same years as federal elections. That means local elections get negligible turnout, even worse than our terrible turnout during presidential elections.

I am not saying politicians listen to their constituents. That's a very real problem that should sway who you vote for. What I am saying, is you do not get to scream that "our system is broken" every four years, talk about voting for the "lesser of two evils," and demand a change to the two-party system without putting the effort in to do that.

You want third parties in government? Vote for them. You want ethical politicians that look like you? Vote for them. But not just every two or four years. Vote for your city council, your county commissioner, your sheriff, your local judges, your district attorneys and so many other positions that often are selected by small margins because people do not come out to vote.

If you want institutional change, you have to make it. Not only when its easy because the news is in front of you but when its hard. If you want every vote to matter equally, if you want to prevent wars on innocents and scapegoats, if you want to protect your rights and the rights of your neighbors, you need to vote in these elections.

These elections could change your state constitution. They could change whether or not a sitting judge or district attorney believes that poverty should be criminalized. Hell, it could change who sits in the police office and whether they will take charges of criminal abuse against the public seriously.

This does not happen if you do not vote. If you want change in this country, if you want it to become something to be proud of, you have to vote. Not only when its easy. Not only when the media shoves it down your throat. Always or as much as you can (the voting laws suck in this country-so if you can vote, do it to help promote the ways that everyone can vote fairly by changing it to a holiday or moving it to a weekend or whatever works for the state you are in).

TDLR: Voting matters. It especially matters when no one is voting. Primaries and off-year elections are notorious for that. Protect your future. Vote.

[prettycottonmouthlamia]

Listen to me right now, genuinely.

You should vote in November. You really should, but I don't really want this post to be about that. I have a pretty profound distrust of the average liberal "blue no matter who" crowd on here. I am not of the belief that you should willingly suspend your capacity of criticism and accountability of people in charge. If that can be extracted out of you, they will not give it back. Democrats are not a party full of people who love you and want to do everything you ask of them: they are a party who support the capitalist system first and foremost, and their interests are more beholden to the system than they are to us.

BUT, speaking as a trans woman right now, I'd personally really not rather see Trump get elected, obviously. If you're the type of person who sits and goes "I don't believe in politics", I want you to really listen to me. I get it. I truly do. American politics suck. Our politicians are chronic liars, they make promises they don't even try to keep. But there is almost one thing they never lie on, and that's the people they intend to oppress and stomp down. Trump wants to legislate and use his executive powers to push trans people out of existence. He can't be allowed to do that.

BUT

BUT. Voting cannot be the only thing you do. A bunch of the blue no matter who posters on here are going to do one of those things come November

Trump will win, and despite any evidence to the contrary, they will blame the like 50 communist bloggers on this website for ruining the election chances of the entire country. It was Russia yet again, somehow.

Biden will win, they will pat themselves on the back for a job well done, and proceed to sit on their hands until they find another reason to blame leftists for the actions of conservatives.

Trans history is full of examples of us being left behind. Your political plan for the future CANNOT just be to show up at a polling booth. You need to do more than that. What you will need to do will change somewhat depending on who is in charge, but I'm begging those among you to start taking action both now and after the elections.

Make sure your trans friends are safe. Check to see if they still have access to their medications. Check to see if they need money to get out of the country. Work to protest regressive and transphobic policies. If you're a lawyer, it's time to get ready to defend the cases of trans people against libelous suits. Plenty of you can do this pro bono.

Build mutual aid groups among your neighors and peers. Show up to a local LGBT organization and see what they need. Volunteer your time and money and often time spare clothes for other people. Educate yourself on our history, educate yourself on political theory, support organizations that help out the homeless directly.

Learn how to defend yourself and others during a protest when it faces police brutality and state sanctioned violence. Learn how to effectively neutralize tear gas, learn how to cover your self up so that you cannot be tracked by the pigs. Learn how to break kettle formations, learn your rights.

Never stop protesting against the people who feel it is their God given right to turn America into a theocratic dictatorship (which is not in the Bible by the way. I feel I should mention this. This is not a Biblical belief, the conservative Christians who tell you otherwise are lying out their ass.) Never stop protesting to stop the exploitation of the Global South by tech companies. Never stop protesting to end the genocide in Palestine. Never stop fighting so that the people of Sudan can be heard.

Just voting does not make you a politically active citizen, or really, a politically active person. It takes work, work that is very easy to burn out on. But if we can't rely on the American government and the Democratic party to do the things we need in order to avert the twenty crises looming over the horizon, then yes, we need to do more as a united people than fucking vote.

[im-a-simp-for-my-ships]

I'm so angry, so upset I can hardly think straight. I'd been staying away from the news for a while now because I couldn't take listening to what that tangerine and his cronies were doing next.

And after thinking I'm strong enough to see what I've missed, I hear that the Supreme Court, the right hand of that shitbag in an orange skinsuit, has given the Jan 6th insurrectionists the win they wanted, have overturned YET ANOTHER long standing precedent that now gives the judiciary a giant fucking knife to gut any and all regulations that go against special interests, because they can, AND has now said fuck you to the homeless and have upheld the ban to keep them from sleeping outside even though it's more often their only fucking option when there's no fucking services to give them the help they need.

I'm so angry, so scared, I can't think straight. My heart is in my throat and I'm fucking terrified that with all these assholes telling people not to vote and to throw their vote away because both parties are bad, that it's gonna get A LOT worse come November. If fucking trump gets back into the white house, that's it. The Supreme Court is already unhinged because of what he did during his first 4 years. I'm horrified to think how much worse it can get.

They came for roe v wade. They came for affirmative action. They've made the judiciary into a hammer to break anything they don't like in their way. The majority of the court hates women, people of color, lgbtq+, the poor, and they're gonna come after every one of us just because they can.

Anyone who says both parties are the same?? You can all fuck off into a fucking lava pit. I loathe every single one of you who incite people not to vote because they need to have picture perfect fucking candidate that fits EVERY SINGLE FUCKING ONE OF THEIR IDEALS and refuse to compromise to the detriment of the rest of the country.

This is YOUR fault we're where we are. It's YOUR fault that Hillary wasn't voted president, and we got that fucking grease stain for 4 fucking years, that gave us the supreme court we have now, who's tearing up our rights with every ruling. It's YOUR fault that roe v wade was lost, and that women's bodies, which have always been fair game in red states, are now in even more danger than ever. That handmaidens tale universe is getting closer to being a reality with all the shit you dumbass fucks have pulled.

And now you want to continue with your fucking misinformation and encouraging people not to vote because what, because you think your cause is more righteous than everyone else's? You think someone can't condemn what's happening in Gaza what's happening with Palestinians and still vote blue??? You think if I don't want to hand over control of my body to the government, if I don't want to lose my right to vote, to not worry that they'll be coming after me if I'm lgbtq or a minority or anything they don't view as deserving of basic human rights, that I should be like you??? And toss this country into hands that want to take all that away??? Do you really think not voting for biden or any other democrat is gonna help Palestinians??? Really?? Are you that. FUCKING. DUMB???!! I want to shake every single one of you to wake the fuck up because you'll do nothing but make it easier for the Supreme court to keep doing what it's doing, for the party that hates anything not white, not rich, not straight unless it benefits them, to get stronger and stronger until all of us that don't think like them are crushed like fucking ants under their boots.

So fuck you to anyone who spread lies, who tells others not to vote, that a vote for democrats is a vote for genocide, because you know what? You're slowly helping to kill your friends, families, and yes strangers, because of your inaction. You're helping to put people in power that don't give ONE FUCK about Palestine. Don't give ONE FUCK about anything but turning this country into their own personal fucking playground where they can do whatever they want, with impunity.

VOTE FUCKING BLUE PEOPLE VOTE LIKE YOUR LIFE IS ON THE LINE---BECAUSE IT IS.

[goldenavenger02]

The U.S Election and Anxiety + Tips For Voting

Hello everyone! I've decided that this year, during the election cycle since I live with my conservative family still, instead of getting into useless arguments with them and doomscrolling the whole time, I'm going to practice some mindfulness instead and this is where you come in!

I am writing down every single healthy coping mechanisms/distractions I can, that way I can stay vigilant and informed but I also don't spend four days watching a slow ticking map again, and putting them on folded pieces of paper and into a small bowl. That way anytime I get too stressed or I get into a fight with my family, I can pull one out and at the very least, distract myself for a little bit.

If you know of any healthy coping mechanisms that you use, it doesn't even have to be something you only do every 2 to 4 years, it can just be something you do when that feeling of panic starts to build in your chest, comment below, message me, submit them or reblog with it in the tags.

What I currently have right now is rewatching/rereading comfort media, exercising, cleaning, deep breathing/visualization, hanging out with my pets, crafting and playing mobile/PC games.

I am also willing to make my list public for anyone who needs it if they also suffer from debiliting election anxiety.

At the end of this, I just want all of you to remember a few things. Election anxiety, especially after 2016, is incredibly common and you shouldn't feel ashamed for having it when this political climate has turned into one of hate.

If you are a United States Citizen/registered/old enough to vote, vote. If you are in the line before 6 p.m on November 5th, 2024, they legally cannot turn you away. Bring food and water, there are states where it is illegal for someone to bring you food and water in line. Remember not to wear anything that can be seen as political when you go to vote (not even your Captain America shirt that is in your dresser). And voter intimidation and voter interference is illegal. If someone is standing outside of your polling place, harassing you or others about who they're voting for, let your poll workers know. If you hear someone talking to their buddy about doing something like, I don't know, lighting a ballot box on fire (this has already happened in Washington and Oregon), report it to your non-emergency police line. If it ends up being nothing, you won't be in trouble and if it ends up being something, YOU HELPED PROTECT DEMOCRACY.

Even if you are in a blue state, even if you're in a red state, even if you are in a swing state, even if you hate Kamala Harris and her opponent, even if you don't want to vote down the ballot (which you totally should because it can slowly turn your state blue), even if you are scared of the outcome, vote like your rights as a POC, as a woman, as a member of the LGBT+ community, as someone who isn't a white, straight man will be taken away from you. Because that is the sick reality of the US right now. This election isn't Harris v opponent (remember, names have power), this election is freedom v fascism, no matter what your MAGA relatives say.

And finally, when we fight, we win. Let's beat Kamala Harris' opponent in such a landside that he can't go crying to his lackies AKA the supreme court and beg them to overturn this in his favor with any evidence of "voter fraud" AKA him not getting his way.

And if you're like me, anxious about what will happen to your rights in the upcoming week, we should stay informed. But there is a difference between staying informed and doomscrolling. Yes, there is a LOT at stake in this election, there is no sugarcoating that.

But when you feel yourself start to panic, or your relative starts yelling at you for something they believe your party is doing even though it's not real AND even if it was, you aren't the one doing it, or you feel yourself leaning to unhealthy coping mechanisms, reach into the bowl.

I'll make a list of coping mechanisms to reblog under this and edit it as more come in. The fandom tags under this are so the post gets more reach which is NEEDED and most of these main characters would be voting blue if they were real.

[anti-endo-safe-space]

CW: Politics ahead. This is our single political post we will ever make. It might get updated from time to time but we do not ever plan on making another one as we do not want this blog political.

Yet again breaking my break because of a few asks I've gotten that while no, I won't answer them for the people's privacy, it needs to be said.

As anyone who lives in the US or stays up to date with US news knows, the elections are coming up faster and faster, and with it is coming a new wave of fear, especially for the LGBTQIA2+. We are not here to fear monger, that is the last thing we want to do. However, as time has gone by, we've gotten some asks about if there is a place LGBT+ folks can go to depending on the results of the election.

So, here's the deal folks.

If your 18 (or will be before November 5th 2024) and aren't already, register to vote. If you are registered, I know the options are shit. You've got a lose lose situation. But go and vote.

We don't like the options there are, and I'm sorry but no amount of "I'm gonna vote third party" is going to stop either side from winning or losing. A third party is most likely not going to win for a lot of reasons, including just simply the fact that here in the US, third parties are seen as the "pick a side" party. Until changes are made, a third party won't win. But for now.

Yes, both sides suck. Yes, both sides are going to lead to people in some way suffering. But go and vote. By voting instead of just "well I don't like the two so i won't", your helping change history in a MAJOR way. Especially with plans that have been made (which will be touched on further in this post as this is the SINGLE political post we will make and then after this our break is continuing until probably the start of August).

We also want to take the chance to educate people on something. Many have probably seen something about a "Project 2025" floating around. Well, two of our system decided to go ahead and get a free (legally sources from the places OWN website) pdf to read it. And, well.

Project 2025 does not EXPLICITLY say they are going to make LGBT+ illegal. It DOES say that it wants to do things like ban gender affirming care and promote heterosexual marriage only. Not to mention a bunch of other things that include attack China, stop birth control entirely, full blown ban abortions, and throw religion back in schools without a question. So.

That is something that is out there, that some people are rallying for. YOU, yes you reading this, can put a stop to it. Go out and vote. You can change the world. Tell your friends and family to go vote. Especially because then, you have no reason to be upset if you didn't even try to participate in it

Do not harass anyone, endo, pro endo, anti endo, or political stance

[heathersdesk]

THIRD PARTIES IN AMERICAN POLITICS ARE POINTLESS AT THE FEDERAL LEVEL AND IF YOU VOTE FOR THEM IN 2024, YOU'RE A CLOWN

All right. Civics for Dummies from the American History nerd. Sit down. If any of you suggests voting third party anywhere near me between now and November, I'm going to throw chalk at you. And we're going to talk about why right now, so there's no more confusion.

The Electoral College makes voting third party the stupidest, most unproductive thing you can be advocating for right now.

To become president under the system we have now, you need to reach 270 electoral votes. It is physically impossible for a third party candidate to do that with two other parties at the table. It's not that it won't happen. It's that it CAN'T happen.

As long as we have the Electoral College, voting for third parties for president is a waste of a vote. You might as well stand outside of your polling place and piss on a wall, for all the good it does anyone.

There are two ways forward if you're tired of the way things are. You're not going to like either one of them because they're both hard.

1. Get rid of the Electoral College

2. Get rid of both of the parties we have and replace them with different ones who will do what we want instead of engorging themselves on our money like the corrupt, bloated ticks they all are.

Get rid of the electoral college?

You need a Constitutional amendment to do that. You need 2/3 of the states to hold a Constitutional Convention, then 3/4 of either the Conventions or the state legislatures to ratify and pass it.

Make the list right now. Go ahead. Find me 38 states that would pass an amendment to get rid of the electoral college, so you can vote for whichever socialist is promising you they can somehow get people in red states to listen to them without starting a civil war.

Go ahead. I'll wait.

Y'all can't even agree on which socialist without a snowball's chance in hell of winning you expect people to vote for instead of Joe Biden in November!

You've had since October 7th of last year to come up with one and you haven't done it! It's over! Pack it up and call it a day! We don't have time for this! Start picking who you want to replace Biden in 2028, if we're not in the middle of a civil war by then.

Why do I keep saying that? Because I went through a Civil War phase and we've been checking the boxes off one by one for years now in how that war started. Down to states trying to remove the opposition candidate from the ballot in an election year.

Anyway, Constitutional amendment sounds too hard? We're going with the party dunk tank approach?

Cool. This is the one I actually think we could achieve in the next 20 years.

Before you can get a third party candidate to win, you need a party that has mass appeal that people would actually want to join, then have it usurp and replace an existing party. Then that party runs a candidate that could win in a national election. But at that point, they're not a third party candidate anymore.

Ever heard of a Whig? Seen one on a ballot? Exactly. We have a history in the US of ditching parties that have outlived their usefulness. It's been a few centuries, but at least there's a precedent for it.

I don't know if y'all recognize what you're looking at, but this is already happening within the Republican party. They've been infiltrated by fascists and foreign agents, and any Republicans who aren't down with their corruption are currently getting tossed out of the cuckoos nest. Republicans can't win elections through democracy anymore, so they're just going to get rid of democracy now.

WHEN THE LDS CHURCH STARTS TELLING YOU IT'S OKAY NOT TO VOTE FOR REPUBLICANS, Y'ALL NEED TO WAKE TF UP AND REALIZE THAT PARTY IS GONE NOW, AND IT'S NEVER COMING BACK.

So the Democratic Party is what we have left now, and they suck. We know they suck. They've sucked since Jimmie Carter, and even then the poor guy was in over his head. Their leadership is full of hypocrites and liars who are too busy taking Israeli PAC money, putting kids in cages at the border, letting Facebook engage in genocides across the globe, and banning TikTok to have a conscience. They squander every opportunity they have to truly fight back effectively against anything, and they're never going to change. I've lost all respect for Nancy Pelosi and Chuck Schumer. If they won't let go of power, it's time to take it from them. I agree with that sentiment 100%. I mean, I think it's better to primary the old guard, but y'all want radical change! So let's talk about it!

You want to usurp the Democratic party with another party? You need a well-funded coalition of people in every state, fully mobilized with quality candidates they can run locally, to get the ball rolling. That needs to go on for many years. It needs to be a party that attracts the disaffected from the left and right, and has a platform they all can agree on. What Republicans and Democrats won't do, this party would need to do. It would need celebrity endorsements. It would need to be something that the vast majority of Americans would pull out their wallet right now and give money to because they believe it's capable of change that will actually help them.

You want to replace the Democrat and Republican establishment with something better? You put it together correctly and it can be done. Like I said, I think y'all could get that done in the next 20 years.

You don't have 20 years?

Exactly! You're not getting any of that done before November! I don't care how hard you try.

Fastest amendment to ever be ratified was the repeal of Prohibition. 3 months and 10 days. This ain't that. No one wants to vote for your inexperienced socialist candidates as badly as they wanted to drink during the Great Depression. To give you some perspective, it took 41 years to pass the women's suffrage amendment. THAT'S a more realistic timeline.

As for forming a party... why do you think the opposition is doing a hostile takeover of the Republican party instead of forming their own and starting from zero?

Because it's easier and faster!

People on the left who are still talking about third parties in this country will literally do anything but build a coalition with those they consider morally inferior to themselves. But the problem is, they can't do anything with the microscopic group of people they consider to be morally acceptable. They can't pass an amendment to get rid of the Electoral College. They can't form an alternate party to replace the Democrats. They can't do a hostile takeover of the Democrats. They can't unite behind a single candidate and get them funded to win campaigns except in the bluest districts of blue states. And they're totally unprepared to take any idea they have on the road to the Midwest or the South where they'd truly have to deal with people who don't trust them.

All y'all have to offer is the same dysfunctionalism we already have.

There's no way forward into the future where you get the kind of policies you want AND to opt out of being in community with people you don't like. You have to pick a struggle. If you don't have the skill set and temperament to work with Democrats, you don't have what it takes to replace them either. You just don't. Not in this economy. Not in any economy. Not on this timeline or any other.

I don't care how much you don't like Joe Biden. That's who we're voting for in November because there's no one else. Y'all waited until Gaza was on fire for the umpteenth time to become a single issue voter, and you want all of us to jump off the cliff of the moral high ground with you?

Nah. I've decided I'm going to live through this.

I'm strategizing what to do if Biden dies in office and how to primary Kamala Harris as a potential incumbent in 2028. And if (God forbid) Trump wins, I'm picking out people at church who would hide me in their basement when the round ups start. Because I live in the purple section of Boise, surrounded by nothing but Klan members and neo-Nazis in the middle of the desert. It's nothing but Confederate wannabees for hundreds of miles in every direction.

When you're ready to get serious, you're welcome to join.

[tomorrowusa]

Anybody who claims that both major US political parties are the same is either a mindless airhead or a self-deceived cult member.

Third parties and independents in US presidential elections are a bad idea in "normal" cycles due to the archaic Electoral College. This year is not close to normal.

As Rachel Maddow pointed out, Biden would like to campaign on abortion and the economy. But the existential threat to democracy by Trump and his groveling Republican Party has shifted the emphasis to the basic existence of this country.

Complain all you like about the electoral system in the US but don't ignore it while trying to make progress politically.

It doesn't matter if a majority of Americans don't want Trump to be president if they don't properly use the available electoral tools. Republicans need to be stopped via the system that currently exists. Voting for impotent minor parties will do nothing to keep Trump from returning.

Way bad régimes in other countries have come to power with much less than a majority of popular votes.

In South Africa in 1948, the pro-apartheid National Party won 37.70% of the popular vote as opposed to 48.18% for the more moderate United Party. But because of the existing first past the post parliamentary system then, the National Party in coalition with the even more extreme Afrikaner Party (3.93% of the vote) won a majority of seats in Parliament and were able to institute apartheid which lasted until 1990.

In both elections in Germany in 1932 the Nazis got less than 40% of the popular vote: 37.27% in the July election and just 33.09% in the November election. Despite these unimpressive results they managed to take power because the opposition was divided and failed to stop them. Famously, the Communist Party of Germany (16.9% of the popular vote in November '32) welcomed the Nazis. According to Communist ideology, fascism is supposed to be the final stage of capitalism and the German Communists were licking their chops; long story short – Ernst Thälmann, head of the German Communists, was executed on Heinrich Himmler's orders. Communists are stupid – but that's another story.

Not taking the threat of dictatorship seriously does not have happy endings in history. And it's always easier to prevent dictatorships than it is to remove them. If a candidate tells you he's going to be a dictator, believe him.

[nokingsonlyfooles]

“It’s my hope, Mr. President, that you listen to us, that you choose democracy over tyranny.” - Abdullah Hammoud, Dearborn Mayor and Voter

YES! I can't fuckin' believe the media accurately reported this as a protest and printed/publicized the words of the voters explaining why they did it. AND NOBODY HAD TO ATTEMPT SUICIDE! This is big and it could get even bigger! But it's a qualified bigness, because...

Walz, a major supporter of Biden’s reelection campaign, said Michigan’s “uncommitted” results were a healthy demonstration of democracy. “I think they feel passionate, as they should, about an issue we all care about,” Walz said, adding that he expected most protest voters would eventually return to Biden’s side in a likely November rematch with former President Donald Trump, who himself has struggled with college-educated voters and suburbanites in his ongoing Republican primary against former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley. “I’m much more convinced there’s a chance bringing those folks home is much greater than bringing the ‘Never Trump’ folks back home,” Walz said.

Yeah. I know this song and dance. I've seen it happen in person, at protests, in reatime. They come out to "do voter outreach" and they're all smiles to start. "Yes! Please do continue to act upon your freedom of speech in a way I, an advocate for the status quo, find nonthreatening. Your feelings are valid, ha-ha! I expect nothing to change, and indeed I will act to change nothing, but good for you!" A few folks always believe the message has been received and quiet down, that's why they do it. But wait and see what happens to that smile when a few people start interrupting and yelling, "THAT'S NOT GOOD ENOUGH!"

At least this guy's willing to suggest Biden would pick up more votes by moving left than moving right, although I doubt he actually expects anything radical. A few more forgiven student loans or somewhat cheaper drugs aren't much of a problem, and that's leftist too! So we don't really have to worry about the ongoing genocide.

The thing is, if/when this picks up momentum and the DNC starts to think they might have to change something or lose, it will become something other than a positive demonstration of free speech. It'll be childish tantrum-throwing, pointless, uncivil, attention-whoring, astroturfed, counterproductive foreign interference, and whatever else sounds bad. If any of you out there in internet-land already feel threatened by it, you're probably saying that right now. (Go ahead and comment, you'll boost this with other people who think like you, and I might change some minds.)

And, if you are comfortable with it and want voters to do it instead of threatening to withhold votes from Biden in the general, check your privilege. Not every state offers this. Unless something changes real fast (at least, I THINK it hasn't changed, it's hard to do a search when "uncommitted" brings up SO MANY news articles about Michigan 😁), mine won't. I can't do this. I can't vote in a third party primary either. It'd be all blue or nothing. And neither of those things will get me any press, so I gotta keep talking. Maybe I'll motivate someone who can vote uncommitted! Or scare a politician! I still think I'm doing more good by staying alive, and I'm a bit distant from any property I might meaningfully damage (although I am open to suggestions that won't get me arrested and silenced), so this is the only thing I got that won't injure a human being.

Tumblr, no matter how you actually intend to vote, if you're not up for living in a two-party system where both parties think they can do a little genocide and stay in power, you have ways of making yourself heard. There are options beyond falling in line behind the lesser evil. Don't let anyone tell you there aren't. And when you start hearing "stop!" or "you can't!" that means you have something they want. A cessation of hostilities! Well, now you might be in a position to negotiate terms! Don't give up!

Please, please, please don't give up. There is so much to be done.

[madamepestilence]

I keep seeing people talking about third party candidates' ballot access as though it's this stagnant black box, comparing the ballot access of the Democratic (neoliberal fascism) and Republican (traditional and neofascism) parties to the ballot access of third party candidates, but don't exercise any critical thinking beyond that

I want to politely respond to that, rather than resorting to an ad hominem attack about someone's capability of doing research yada yada

The ballot access for candidates is often viewed from the perspective of what we call a Black Box Model, where people technically know what something does, but not how it achieved that goal - i.e. what the process is

In the case of ballot access, this is determined by having enough signatures from electors - which literally just means your state representative's for your state's Electoral College - in a state-specific petition for ballot access in that state

There are legal documents for these that you can acquire from each state's political party/Independent ballot access websites, or in the case of more intelligent candidates like Dr. Cornel West, Ph.D., they provide the documents and instructions for you on the website, which expedites the process

Here's the thing: you as a voter manufacture the ballot access problem. You can, at the minimum, pledge a signature to a party to grant them ballot access, even if you change your mind by the time of the November general presidential election

If a party receives enough signatures on the ballot access petitions, they have acquired electors, and can officially proceed towards increasing the number of pledged voters for full ballot access

For example, in the time that Dr. West has been running as a Socialist presidential candidate for the 2024 US election, he's gained access in 6 states

That may not seem very fast at all, and you may mistakenly assume that would require him to continue this process for over 4 years, but that's a fallacy of underrepresentative samples and a misunderstanding of statistics via assuming stagnation or steady growth as the only options, rather than considering the voter impact

In order to fix a third party's ballot access, you have to get off your ass and support them - ballot access isn't something just determined by your state governments without your input

YOU - THE VOTER - HAVE TO DO IT

If you yourself are unable to participate due to economic or housing situations making it difficult or impossible to commute to petitioning events, then at least take the time to help other people find them so they can help

Here's the part I will be a dick about: Biden is a fascist. If you are voting for Biden, you are voting for a fascist. Your whole, "damage control," thing isn't working anymore - the only difference is whether your rights are taken away by force or by attrition

Y'all cowards who vote for Biden are the exact type of people who would've opposed past civil rights movements, and you need to come to terms with that

You want fascism to end? Give a damn and try, and don't abruptly stop after one single election. "We'll try next election," has been used for decades.

Do it now. Do it angry. Do it scared. But fucking try.

You can help Dr. West here: