Summary
In an emotional monologue, John Oliver urged undecided and reluctant voters to support Kamala Harris, emphasizing her policies on Medicare, reproductive rights, and poverty reduction.
Addressing frustrations over the Biden administration’s Gaza policy, he acknowledged the struggle for many voters yet cited voices like Georgia State Rep. Ruwa Romman, who supports Harris despite reservations.
Oliver warned of the lasting consequences of a second Trump term, including potential Supreme Court shifts.
Oliver said voting for Harris would mean the world could laugh at this past week’s photo of an orange, gaping-mouthed Trump in a fluorescent vest and allow Americans to carry on with life without worrying about what he might do next.
I saw an anecdote here the other day on why it is important to vote for Harris even if you disagree with Harris politically.
I’m pretty sure the anecdote is fake but the general story goes:
In 2000, someone attended a rally for Al Gore in Florida. They ended up deciding that the democrats didn’t represent their voice. They felt (correctly) that the environment was an important issue and that Gore wasn’t going to do enough to save the environment, so they voted green party instead as a way to punish the Dems and make them see the light.
We all know what happened after, but think of what might have been if just a few thousand Floridians voted for Gore instead of… well, anyone else.
You can “what if” and project this election forever, but I think its important to remember that if shockingly few people voted for Al Gore instead of a third-party candidate, or protest voting, the global war on terror probably would never have happened. Maybe the 2008 housing crisis too. We would likely be reaping the benefits of decades of green energy research, instead of just getting started.
Just found this post, seems likely to be the same thing: https://lemmy.world/post/21602581
Different post, same story.
Why would that anecdote be fake? Nothing about that is hard to believe, there were likely thousands of Floridians in 2000 that had that exact experience. It’s literally why Bush “won.”
Specifically because its told from the POV of someone attending a Stevie Wonder rally in Florida. But as far as I can tell Stevie only opened for Gore in Washington State or something.
It doesn’t really matter if the story is true or not though. The core truth is the same: your vote matters, don’t throw it away. Anyone who tells you your vote doesn’t matter or that your voice is unimportant is actively working against you.
So then why did we get further environmental destruction and more war on terror under Obama? Why was Hillary Clinton, a notorious war hawk set to succeed Obama instead of someone with genuinely progressive positions?
The US has a fascist far right and a far right with gay rights party up for election. And the far right with gay rights party has become more reactionary on issues like immigration and also in many places violently cracked down on peaceful anti-racist protests. It is currently violently cracking down on anti-genocide protests. Maybe there is a chance to reform that party. But this requires a mass uprising against the entrenched party elite. The party elite that has used the fascist far right as a boogeyman threat to not question their power. A threat that they rather accept bringing into power than to provide non-genocide, non-racist, non-exploitative policies.
Because Al Gore didn’t win and because the global war on terror happened and the 2008 housing market collapse happened. Obama might never have been president.
Like, what point are you even trying to make? The world you describe doesn’t exist in a timeline where Gore wins.
Hysterical and immature.