Every election cycle, pundits and political parties make the tired claim that not voting for either major political party in the United States is akin to throwing away your vote. Want to vote for a Libertarian for president? You're wasting your vote! Want to vote for a Green Party candidate? What's wrong with you!? Get in line with the Democrats!
And so it goes.
The flaw with this view is that it requires no principles to be upheld in determining how a person could vote. Case in point: the way the Democrats and the Democratic National Committee have treated Tulsi Gabbard. By all definitions, Tulsi should be the ideal candidate for Democrats: a non-white minority female candidate who also happens to be a military veteran. You'd think Democrats and leftists in general would be clamoring for more public support for Gabbard. But no.
They demand voters select wealthy, white males, the supposed evil enemies of progressive America. Joe Biden? He was Obama's VP! Bernie Sanders? Well, the DNC handled Sanders in 2016 and effectively prevented him from becoming the nominee, and it looks like it will happen again in 2020. But again, there's no real substance towards principles, such as "diversity", to make voting for either candidate worthwhile.
Sanders promises free things to the masses. Biden is a well-known political chameleon. The real question Democrats want voters to focus on is whether Biden or Sanders can beat President Trump. It ain't even about civil rights, or diversity, or white privilege. For many young voters, Sanders is the perfect anti-Trump because he's frumpy and grumpy with three houses and makes lots of promises, most of which he won't keep if elected president. And Biden is an old cronyist, an old establishment member, and the fact he is a front runner to become the Democratic nominee for president is a sad testament to how the Democratic Party itself has become obsolete.
But Sanders didn't run for president as an independent. He sought to crash the Democratic Party's nomination process, and it appears that once again, he'll be asking questions he should have learned from in 2016.
So, why are Democrats and leftists trying so hard to ignore Tulsi? Are they racists? Are they afraid of a female with a strong opinion of her own? A minority non-white female strikes fear in the hearts of Democrats? Nah. But it is more proof that Democrats are bankrupt with regard to principles. To hate President Trump is one thing; to want to change America for the better is an entirely different thing, even if Democrats mistakenly think they are one and the same.
During the Obama presidency, Democrats loved to shriek claims of racism if any person, especially white males, criticized Obama's policies, speeches, and so on. Today, Democrats claim support of President Trump is proof one is a racist, presumably because of things Trump has said and tweeted. Fine, and fair enough. But when it comes to the rubber meeting the road, in which principles mean something, Democrats fail. Proof? Tulsi.
Sure, some Democrats and leftists will say that Tulsi has no chance of winning the election. So, rather than vote for the right person at the right time, Democrats cower and vote based on fear of Trump, and of course, the fear of losing. And so the claim that Democrats and leftists care about things like "diversity" and "equality" and so on fall on deaf ears. For when the Democrats had an opportunity to practice what they preached, they failed and are more than content to make excuses for selecting a white male, you know, the supposed evil of progressivism, for their next presidential candidate.
Which leaves me a little bit perplexed about unaffiliated voters, whom at least here in Colorado, seem to basically be Democrats without joining the party. They seem to support the bulk of Democrat policies and candidates; but the Democrats' have consistently proven their aims and goals and means aren't about helping average Americans but about ensuring Democrats maintain political control. Mention how gun control laws are racist in origin and application and watch Democrats make false and vapid claims, namely, how one doesn't care about poor people if one doesn't agree with a Democrat.
And notice how when push comes to shove, at least based on this election, Democrats don't care about diversity, or equality, or the vast majority of things they claim to care about. They only seem to care about Trump, and so it's a curious question why so many unaffiliated voters continue to vote blue given the circumstances of the corrupt party. Why are they ignoring Tulsi, too?
Sometimes, I get the impression that unaffiliated voters seem to want Democratic ideas and proposals without the ugliness of the party's constant hypocrisy. It's just too bad folks don't consider that those same ideas and proposals won't work for average Americans but will instead work to ensure the party’s political authority is maintained by a certain committee.
I mean, just ask Tulsi.