I'm struggling with the concept of voting this time around.....

Voting has always been a requirement for me as I know that many died for me- for all of us - to have this right. This time around though - it's hard for me to muster any enthusiasm. I am utterly repulsed by DJT.....that hasn't changed. But I also believe that Biden is not up to another 4 years. I have a hard time voting for him due to this. So I may just sit this one out.

This is so sad. Voting for me has always been as important as offshoring all costs I can to Mexico - something akin to a moral and ethical imperative with no excuses for non-participation. But this time around I can't even guilt trip myself into voting.

Anyone else on the same page? Rob

I’m also seriously considering voting but not for prez. Kamala is even worse than Biden. And hell, no to the orange one.

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Originally Posted by gimmethesimplelife

Voting has always been a requirement for me as I know that many died for me- for all of us - to have this right. This time around though - it's hard for me to muster any enthusiasm. I am utterly repulsed by DJT.....that hasn't changed. But I also believe that Biden is not up to another 4 years. I have a hard time voting for him due to this. So I may just sit this one out.

This is so sad. Voting for me has always been as important as offshoring all costs I can to Mexico - something akin to a moral and ethical imperative with no excuses for non-participation. But this time around I can't even guilt trip myself into voting.

Anyone else on the same page? Rob

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No, not on the same page because I cannot conscience that with DT on the ballot.

This is my take on it: if we don’t show up to vote, we just look like we were too lazy to show up.

This doesn’t mean one has to actually mark a ballot, it means taking a ballot and leaving some races blank.To me, this shows the Powers that Be they did not present candidates who were palatable.

Besides, there are plenty of other issues to vote on besides the Presidential race. People who vote only at Presidential races remind me of C and E Christians*. i think 2022 was the first time in 30+ years I did not vote. I was still registered in city of St. Louis and the election there wasn’t worth driving from Hermann.

I will vote in next week’s election which has only school district issues: money items and board positions to vote on. Once I ascertained all school board candidates seem like reasonable human beings (no one is running to get God back into the classroom) I am chill about who/what wins.BUT I WILL SHOW UP TO VOTE.

* C and E Christians: People who attend church only on Christmas and Easter.

edited to add: keep in mind that when you vote for a third-party candidate, it raises their status in ways that every state defines differently, but your vote for third party counts more than just for one Presidential race.

I think it's critical that we vote. Pick a third party candidate if you have to. Or, as IL said, leave it blank. But show up. Rob, now is not the time for despondency!

There’s a novel I read that takes voting a blank ballot to the extreme. In Seeing by Jose Seramago 83% of the voters turn in blank ballots. As one might expect the government freaks the eff out…

Rob, I'm not crazy about our choices here either, but if one of those two men will be president for the next 4 years, do you not have any preference? Would you be just as OK with Trump regaining the White House as with Biden staying in office? If that is truly the case, then sure, don't bother, but otherwise you should get out and vote.

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Originally Posted by rosarugosa

Rob, I'm not crazy about our choices here either, but if one of those two men will be president for the next 4 years, do you not have any preference? Would you be just as OK with Trump regaining the White House as with Biden staying in office? If that is truly the case, then sure, don't bother, but otherwise you should get out and vote.

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Sold, Rosarugosa. I'll go vote then. But only because I'm voting against DJT. But yeah upon relection that's enough to get me to vote. Rob

Seems we have had this discussion before. People talking about voting for Perot, or Nader, etc. and how others were saying those third party votes were wasted or taking away from whichever candidate they supported, rather then understanding choosing the one of two other evils.

The AZ abortion thing has tipped me to voting for Grandpa Joe. I will have to hold my nose while doing it.

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Originally Posted by Tradd

The AZ abortion thing has tipped me to voting for Grandpa Joe. I will have to hold my nose while doing it.

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WOW!!! Do you want to be WOWED, too? I think I would have voted for Nikki Haley were she an option. Rob

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Originally Posted by gimmethesimplelife

WOW!!! Do you want to be WOWED, too? I think I would have voted for Nikki Haley were she an option. Rob

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Yes, I would have voted for Nikki. Now if Grandpa Joe gets incapacitated in office, we get stuck with Kamala, who will suck donkey balls. Talk about a DEI VP.

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Originally Posted by Tradd

The AZ abortion thing has tipped me to voting for Grandpa Joe. I will have to hold my nose while doing it.

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I actually happen to agree with DJ Trump about abortion (leave it up to the states) but that doesn’t mean I’m going to vote for him even though abortion is very high on my list as an issue.

Where that issue comes into play is at my state level. Which reminds me, I need to hustle to find a place to sign the petition to get this on the ballot in Missouri. We have only until May 1 to get the correct number of signatures, and what I found was that my signature is very much in demand because they need x number of signatures from each Congressional district and my district is one of the conservative ones.

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Originally Posted by Tradd

Yes, I would have voted for Nikki. Now if Grandpa Joe gets incapacitated in office, we get stuck with Kamala, who will suck donkey balls. Talk about a DEI VP.

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One, two, three.....don't go into cardiac arrest, IL, ok? I agree with you about Kamala Harris - and this comes from someone who voted for Hillary Clinton in 2016 and I am still down with this choice to this day. So why am I against Harris? She has made a large number of cringy gaffes that I have seen only by virtue to going to youtube and watching them on Sky New Australia's account. One was so bad that she claimed, while giving a press briefing in the demilitarized zone in Korea that the US and NORTH KOREA have had a years long cooperative and prosperous relationship - yep, she said NORTH KOREA. And the US Press gave her a free pass on that.

I believe it's long overdue that a woman ran this country......and I support this, I truly do. Just not this particular woman, just like I say regarding DJT - not this particular man. Rob

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Originally Posted by gimmethesimplelife

One, two, three.....don't go into cardiac arrest, IL, ok? I agree with you about Kamala Harris - and this comes from someone who voted for Hillary Clinton in 2016 and I am still down with this choice to this day. So why am I against Harris? She has made a large number of cringy gaffes that I have seen only by virtue to going to youtube and watching them on Sky New Australia's account. One was so bad that she claimed, while giving a press briefing in the demilitarized zone in Korea that the US and NORTH KOREA have had a years long cooperative and prosperous relationship - yep, she said NORTH KOREA. And the US Press gave her a free pass on that.

I believe it's long overdue that a woman ran this country......and I support this, I truly do. Just not this particular woman, just like I say regarding DJT - not this particular man. Rob

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Actually I was the one who said that about Kamala, not IL. LOL

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Originally Posted by Tradd

Actually I was the one who said that about Kamala, not IL. LOL

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Oops! You are right. Sorry. Rob

I can't in good conscience vote for either of these prez candidates so I will either do a write-in or a blank. Fate has a way of throwing surprises at us so hang on to your hats, ie our choices may change.

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Originally Posted by pinkytoe

I can't in good conscience vote for either of these prez candidates so I will either do a write-in or a blank. Fate has a way of throwing surprises at us so hang on to your hats, ie our choices may change.

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What, specifically, is wrong with Biden for you? From my perspective he’s done a competent job of getting a surprising amount of his agenda put into law, he’s attempted to do things in a bipartisan fashion, and I trust that he won’t attempt to overthrow the government if he loses reelection because he’s not a sad sack sore loser.

No presidential election is going to be determined by how someone in California votes, the state will go for Biden no matter what. If I want to send an anti-Trump message I may vote Biden (quite likely). If I'm in a very bad mood and disgusted with all, I'll leave it blank or vote some obscure 3rd party that exists only in California or something.

I'll vote because there will be more to the election than just president, gotta vote on the propositions even though they are almost all bad and deeply demoralizing these days. They are just whatever vested interest has tons of money to run a garbage proposition mostly (so maybe just to make sure all the bad stuff fails, even if it is all corrupt and incredibly demoralizing to even have to do this)

For me, there is absolutely no question. The choice is between a president who seems to be taking the most humane, most beneficial course for all Americans (not just the ultra-rich), and for the world in general in a time of possible global war....and a narcissistic, impulsive, lying, megalomaniacal grifter who is out for absolute power and revenge and who doesn't understand or care about economics or global politics, or even common kindergarten virtues of kindness, compromise, sharing, and the Golden Rule. In short, Biden is doing about the best I think anybody could, even though I don't agree w/what he does 100%, and Trump is a destructive nutcase who will take down our country if he regains the helm. I will vote Democrat down the line. Leaving a ballot blank or voting for a 3rd party (RFK, Jr? don't make me laugh) would be tantamount to giving up, IMHO

[QUOTE=befree;435067]For me, there is absolutely no question. The choice is between a president who seems to be taking the most humane, most beneficial course for all Americans (not just the ultra-rich), and for the world in general in a time of possible global war....and a narcissistic, impulsive, lying, megalomaniacal grifter who is out for absolute power and revenge and who doesn't understand or care about economics or global politics, or even common kindergarten virtues of kindness, compromise, sharing, and the Golden Rule. In short, Biden is doing about the best I think anybody could, even though I don't agree w/what he does 100%, and Trump is a destructive nutcase who will take down our country if he regains the helm. I will vote Democrat down the line. Leaving a ballot blank or voting for a 3rd party (RFK, Jr? don't make me laugh) would be tantamount to giving up, IMHO[/QUOTE

Yes. Thank You. Thank You for posting this that made me really think. And I agree. Though I am frustrated with his cognitive decline (which is not his fault, I do get that), he is the better choice. Your description of Trump is dead on and is much more powerful than my fear of Biden's cognitive decline. I WILL vote after all - of course for Biden, there really is no other choice. Though I will say one thing that might surprise a few of you - perhaps it is not a huge tragedy if Trump does get back in office.

Why? Because a Trump Nation is a nation much more likely to split up - hopefully giving us a choice of whatever nation(s) emerge from such a split up. But I'd just as soon have Trump made an unfortunate bizaree asterik in US History. Methinks rising crime and rising homelessness coupled with stingy employers not giving raises that match inflation, and then inflation itself - perhaps we don't need Trump to split this country up - it seems more and more to be headed that way each day anyhow. Rob