To vote or not to vote, that is (always) the question

With the Midterms approaching, the establishment noise machine has been ratcheting up its calls to get the citizenry to the polls, as usual asking them to choose from the duopolist option, an act that only gives the illusion of democratic choice. From the viewpoint of the ruling class—the corporate plutocracy that long ago hijacked the US government— it is important to get people involved in their rigged elections as the very act of voting legitimates their rule. This is why we have often advised to refrain from participating in bourgeois elections altogether. Meantime, in the ranks of the left—such as it exists in the US, chiefly centrist liberals and left liberals—there are again voices advising a vote for the Democrat "Blue Wave", given, the argument goes, the extreme dangers posed by Trump and his fascistic minions. Obviously we have heard this before; with the Democrats the Republican wolf is always at the door. This is an essential component of the duopoly ruse, terrifying the public into the lesser evil option. But, is this really any different? Is the big bad lupine at the door this time? Whatever the case, the ranks of skeptics have been growing. Their politically astute views are represented in the sample of comments excerpted below, contributed by some of our readers and colleagues. Obviously, we appreciate and concur with much of what they say.

Featured voices: Luciana Bohne • Eric Schechter • Brad Holhut • John Steppling • Peter Pavimentov • Che Guevera
Patrice Greanville (Mod)

My friend and comrade Luciana Bohne just replied to my query for her opinion on this rising wave of people of some prominence in leftist cicles recommending a vote for the Democrats in this election. I presented a couple of examples on this page, one by Andrew Levine, the other by Paul Street, both writing on Counterpunch, a publication that needs to be handled with caution. This is what Luciana said, upon reading a passage from Street's piece (What Debate? Some Strategic Electoral Considerations)—PG

John Steppling

What qualitative change? Seriously.....Trump has invented none of this. he is only the logical end game for capital ....the naked face of imperialism and neo liberalism. And it only serves to point out that Bill Clinton and Bush and Obama were fascists too, only semi hidden...The patina of civility and appearance masked the fact most of what is going on today was already happening and was destined to intensify REGARDLESS of who is president. It's a real political immaturity to say oh there is no debate. I mean it's childish besides...
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Addendum: It's class. It's not the president. Just to be clear. Classes haven't altered. Not really. A managerial class has grown. But this is still government in the interests of the ruling class. Nothing has changed about that.
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Street has always been a crypto imperialist. Always. Now I write for Counterpunch so I take some issue with that handle with caution notion. There are a dozen really really good writers at CP.
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Street though, while once upon a time more reliable on domestic issues, especially in and around Chicago, as I recall anyway, is today increasingly a left anti communist and as for imperialism...if he can't see that Hillary was as likely to start WW3 as Trump, then something is seriously wrong. He is also just pretty arrogant.

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Patrice de Bergeracpas

Eric's arguments, as usual, are thought-provoking, to say the least. While it's hard to dispute his utilitarian logic in this case, my problem is that all political situations are dialectical, dynamic, and in that sense, Eric's "categorical margin of benefit" to call it that, assigned to the Democrats as exponents of the "lesser evil", could actually dissolve faster by a strong vote of confidence, since they could and probably will read that endorsement as a shield for a faster process of delivery of the common interest to the plutocracy. If so, we would shortly find ourselves at the same place as before, with the imagined advantages of a "kinder" corporatist rule virtually evporated before our eyes. Let us not forget who te Democrats are in bed with now, from the CIA to tge FBI and the Pentagon, besides teh customary Neocon zionists and Wall Street...nor that it is they, in the main, who have pursued the McCarthyite Russiagate hoax and the criminalisation of free speech using the "Fake News/Russian meddling in our democracy" psyops.
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Bottom line, then, at best, by backing the Dems we would have wasted some precious time. Thus except for voting Green or similar options, no one should vote duopoly again, ever. As part of the pushback against this corporate fascist mess, the duopoly must be deligitimated as quickly as possible. Voting Lesser Evil is not going to help that at all.

Peter Pavimentov

The problem as I see it, is personality politics which are directly an outcome from identity politics, i.e. fault is ascribed for the present state of chaotic affairs onto a few people and a property-controlling tribe. Granted they are the dregs of society, but then dirty foam always rises to the top in human cohabitation under old fashioned systems like feudalism and capitalism. Trump is not the problem by himself; the whole society is, as clearly and succinctly laid out by Street in his article on this website. Blaming this or that politician does not solve the real underlying disease, namely the utter unreality of a pyramidal form of society, whereby the base supports the rest. Being fearful is advisable because should power devolve onto the other party then the status quo of all the delusion and exploitation will continue. Voting will be no solution, not even for creating a temporary one. What is needed is a total inversion of the deeply harming qualities of this chattel ‘civilization’. Everyone is bound, from men to women to children and what needs per force to change is the way people perceive their environment and relationship to each other. Eisenbud is correct in her comments that the Judeo-Christian principles have distorted human perception so that deep violence and rape of humans and earth are rights given by a (male) God. The inviolate paternalism of Judaism has imbued all of Christianity (and Islam) with the rights to oppress the less powerful and it is in fact what Marx and Engels battled against. Once the fallibility of humans is realized (the instinctual wisdom of wild animals would be a very good example), maybe then a more just and safe societal structure can be contemplated. Until then the best one can do is to struggle each according to her/his demands, even if it is only scratching at the iron pilons that support this structure as sooner rather than later the simple need to survive will bring it down.

Che Guevera

Thanks for the discussion, that is just about how I had it figured despite my affection for a lot of what Paul Street has written. It is such a disgusting state of affairs with the current political horrorscape, but I am equally horrified by the entirety of the U.S. political class. That said I still wouldn't mind the outcome as much should Herr Trump get a little pushback and disappointment, not that it would be any solution. All my energy goes to the Green Party while looking for a larger alliance that seems to be there but just can't wake up. The Greens or organized with structure in almost all states and could easily get on the ballots in all 50; if numb nut Bernie would team with Jill I think there would be a very good chance they could take the election in 2020. There is a lot of discontent with both parties as evidenced in 2015 with the Sanders phenomenon and the revulsion directed at both parties. That would be the most direct path to peacefully and legally establishing new priorities at the national level. Alas, Bernie seems to be at heart a ^@? worthless piece of Democrat shit.