EDITORIAL
THE RACE for the White House will be more clear in the next few hours, when the likes of Florida, North Carolina, Ohio and Pennsylvania are decided.
It is, without doubt, one of the most consequential elections since democracy began.
The best case scenario – for liberals, progressives and some conservatives – is that Trump is removed from the White House.
Unfortunately, the only way to do this is to replace him with Joe Biden.
Attitudes towards the former Vice-President have softened from the left in recent months – except for one incident where Mr Biden took an unnecessary swipe at Bernie Sanders – but one must not forget the reason why progressives chose Mr Sanders over the current nominee in the first place.
A dubious foreign policy record in the Obama administration, a refusal to back Medicare for All and choosing Kamala Harris as his own VP reflect a continuous anti-left agenda.
READ MORE:
– Anti-imperialist Democrats must nail Biden on foreign policy before it’s too late
– In the spotlight: Joe Biden’s dubious Latin American foreign policy
– Kamala Harris: Why Biden’s ‘top cop’ pick for vice-president is a tough sell
Some may think there is no choice for many progressives than to hold their noses and vote Democrat. Get Trump out. Push Biden to the left.
In the UK, Keir Starmer has responded to his victory (and he was ushered in by many former Corbyn voters) by purging the left and moving to the centre. Similar arguments about pulling Obama left were also made in 2008 and 2012.
In some states, voting Biden may indeed be the moral option. Things are looking tight in Pennsylvania, Florida and Iowa, for example. It’s difficult NOT to endorse a vote for Joe in swing states.
But everywhere else – in 40+ states where your vote won’t make a difference – this is the time to go for a third party.
Whether it’s Howie Hawkins and the Greens, or Gloria La Riva and the PSL, racking up numbers for anti-war, progressive candidates is the only way to push the Democratic party to the left.
In 2016, Jill Stein infamously garnered almost 1.5million votes. Gloria La Riva got another 75,000, a huge uptick on the party’s 2012 performance.
The majority of Americans today have a chance – and the privilege – to send a message to both parties that their votes cannot be taken for granted.
If voters continue to fall in line with establishment Democrats, the DNC will keep running uninspiring, centrist candidates.
So if you happen to be voting in California, New York, Vermont, Missouri, Louisana or one of the many ‘locked-in’ states – this is the time to vote your conscience. There is no need to rack up popular votes for Joe in states guaranteed to go Democrat.
Tonight, come and join the Redaction team as we watch the key results roll in on our marathon election live stream special.
The whole event will begin at 2200 GMT/1800 ET on our YouTube page and will be raising money for Safe Passage UK – a charity who help refugees access safe and legal routes to asylum.
Your donations will help Safe Passage lawyers address the disadvantage faced by individuals and particularly unaccompanied children claiming asylum in other EU countries by providing legal services to support their requests to join their UK based family.
You can donate by clicking here.
Featured Image: Mark Dixon @ Wikimedia Commons
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