I'm in NYC looking to get to Boston. My bus options are either Chicago or Los Angeles. I'd rather walk, thanks. Or maybe look for an alternative mode of transportation.
I'm in NYC looking to get to Boston. My bus options are either Chicago or Los Angeles. I'd rather walk, thanks. Or maybe look for an alternative mode of transportation.
But there's no "stay in NYC" option. You're going to either Chicago or LA whether you like it or not. It's fine to say "I don't want to participate in 'deciding' to go somewhere so far from where I want to go," or "they're both so far away they might as well be the Moon," or even "they both suck but I'm not going to have to walk as far if I'm in Chicago," but whatever you decide the bus ain't going to Boston. And sure, look for an alternative mode of transportation, but you're going to be looking in either Chicago or LA.
A better example might be: you're trying to get to Boston from LA and you're in LA now. You can take a bus to another place in LA or a bus to Vegas.
This completely discounts that not voting/voting 3rd party is a political decision with its own set of (incredibly minute, as with voting) consequences and implications. Let's acknowledge that one's vote has no consequence in the outcome of an election and the actual, small influence is in amplifying or invalidating different political messages, movements, and ideals.
So, yes, you're going to L.A. or Chicago no matter what. Your vote has no bearing on this. You can decide to do a selfie that says "Well this sucks, but Chicago is better than L.A. C'mon guys let's work and try for Chicago," or you can post a selfie where you've written FUCK THIS on your forehead and encourage people not to validate this kidnap-and-bus process with participation.
Has not voting/voting third party ever been interpreted as that? Look at 2016 -- all the takes from the mainstream or the Democratic establishment were "those folks helped put Trump in the White House." It doesn't matter whether that's the reality of it; if you're trying to send a message, whether you're successful depends on how the message was received.
I think that strategy could work if we had (1) coordination of votes, (2) enough people on board to make it matter, and (3) a unified leftist messaging apparatus that said "this is what we're intending to accomplish and why we've chosen to do this." But I don't see any of that except maybe (2).
When it’s a re-election, wouldn’t it actually be stay where you are or take a bus somewhere else?