OPINION: “Vote blue no matter who” has a chokehold on American democracy

Marli Damp

She/Her

Contributor

3/3/24

“Your grandmother is rolling in her grave,” my dad declared in a tone saturated with disapproval.

I could feel his head shaking through the phone. This was not the first time my political views have caught him off guard, and it will not be the last. I had just explained why I would not be voting in the upcoming presidential election. From his perspective, my decision contradicted everything I claimed to believe in. 

Critics may say I am relinquishing my voice, but I would argue that it wasn’t heard in the first place. The values I have are not amplified by any candidate. Biden is an opportunist who runs his campaign on being the lesser of two evils, making empty promises and wiping his shoes with them. Rather than hold him accountable, so-called progressives suffocate their movement by “voting blue no matter who.” As much as Biden would deny it, he and Donald Trump are two heads on the same oligarchic snake. 

My grandmother was able to have conversations across party lines; many of her closest friends were conservative. They would discuss politics on her deck, a cigarette in one hand and a cup of tea in the other. Now, that line of communication has been strategically cut. The Democrats and Republicans benefit from a divided public because it is easier to conquer. They rotate in and out of office, undoing the policies of their predecessor. They never pursue real reformation because they don’t work for the system, it works for them. 

I was initially drawn to the Democratic Party because they appeared to be socially progressive. At the time, I had not really thought about the economy. I never questioned capitalism because it has always been the only choice. The position of the government changes depending on what state you live in, but the economy is always a constant. Our culture compels us to work hard, so we do. Certain rights disappear beyond state lines, but the nine-to-five is the national norm. We all operate under the same economy, gears in a superficially oiled machine. 

The United States is the richest country in the world because of its workers. However, they do not receive proportional benefits because corporations pick the fruits of their labor. In 2023, the bottom half of Americans held only 2.6% of the wealth. The erasure of the middle class is so clear, it could be made of glass. The vast majority of politicians in Congress are millionaires. How could they possibly be in touch with the issues that affect the working class? In order to be a politician, you must already be in a position of privilege. You must be able to dedicate time and money towards extensive education. Even then, the capacity of your success is often set by your connections. To be a politician is to advocate for corporate interests and call it the will of the people. The real way to impact an election is to buy it, and that’s what dark money groups do.

My vote unfortunately does not count. Even if it did I would not vote for Biden. If he is reelected, many liberals will take a deep breath before returning back to the comfortable gray area of denial. Trump is blatantly authoritarian, openly incited an insurrection, and has pumped hatred into the bloodline of our culture. Any potential for democracy as we know it would be razed if he re-entered the White House, but we would be forced to confront democracy’s incompatibility with capitalism. I do not want Trump to be president, but I recognize that Biden is not an advocate for change. A vote for Biden is a vote to continue business as usual. This will inevitably lead us back to the same dilemma. If we do not demand reform, it will not come.

My grandmother always told me that voting is the backbone of democracy, but we have entered a state of paralysis. The ballot does not give us an answer, it drives us further from the solution. We have a racist, sexist, homophobic, islamophobic capitalist representing the Republicans, and an incompetent supporter of genocide speaking for the Democrats. This is not the best our country can offer. There is no authentic progressive party in the United States and by “voting blue no matter who,” we drive the political spectrum further to the right. Our voices are unheard because Biden considers the left a electoral given rather than a priority. I refuse to be another faceless number in the polls, supporting a candidate out of default. Regardless of your party affiliation, you do not truly have a say in who ends up in the White House. Although our elections are not rigged in the way Trump described, they have been bought and sold to keep capitalists in power. 

Marli Damp ’25 is a political science major and transfer from Bates College. She is a member of Model UN.