How Far Can the Reluctant VOTE BLUE NO MATTER WHO Campaign Really Take Us?

This is not an uplifting read, but it is cathartic to share these feelings of increasing frustration and hopelessness

I have been struggling to wrap my mind around the approaching presidential election. With the recent news of Ron DeSantis dropping out and endorsing Trump, and it being made increasingly clear that the Democratic party has no desire to challenge the status quo with any candidate other than Biden, we are looking at a baffling, maddening repeat of the 2020 ballot.

In what true democracy does one of the most outrageous, reviled demagouges in the country find himself in this position again? How can voters feel like they have a say in anything when two of the least popular presidents in recent history have no serious challengers going into an election?

Every cycle, the VOTE BLUE NO MATTER WHO chant begins, a dark admission that we understand the so-called “progressive” candidate is severely lacking, but that we must choose the lesser of two evils. I’m tired of this system, and I think a lot of people my age are feeling that way too.

Looking back on the biggest changes of the last four years, including Roe v. Wade overturning, an increase in anti-LGBT+ legislation on the state level, the eventual neglect of the police brutality issues that were at the forefront of every political conversation in 2020, and the ongoing genocide in Gaza which Biden has unilaterally supported with every action while offering empty platitudes about peace, what exactly has this party done to earn the vote of a progressive in America?

It feels so defeated to just shrug and say “you gotta vote for him, because the other guy is worse,” when either of them would be signing off on bombs that are killing children, either of them would be standing by while reproductive healthcare is gutted, the climate crisis worsens, housing becomes increasingly inaccessible to most young adults, and a startling neo-fascist theocracy continues to gain steam.

I wish I had answers or some bright side to offer, but as I write this, I am not feeling hopeful or convinced of easy, actionable solutions. It feels like progressives are being pushed further into a corner with each passing election. Some of the issues that are swinging in the balance have ultimate points of no return, where things have gone so far that it would take a miracle or a revolution to correct our course.

As we get closer to the election, I am going to be doing a lot of reflecting on what the power of voting means to me, and what I believe my responsibility is to the country’s future and to the people who share my values. I wish I knew clearer how I felt in this moment, but presently find myself sharing the anger and frustration of many people who cannot wake up from this American dream which increasingly reveals itself to be a nightmare.