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This thread is for discussing strategies for attaining the political results you want in the context of a democracy, as well as closely related issues. Direct Action Direct action refers to the use of economic or physical power to achieve political goals. Participation in elections or purely verbal interactions with opponents such as negotiation aren't considered direct action. Examples include civil disobedience, sit-ins, strikes, participation in black or grey markets, destruction of property, and physical violence. Different political ideologies disagree about the desirability or effectiveness of non-violent direct action vs. violent direct action. Direct action doesn't necessarily preclude engaging in electoral politics as well, unless the direct actions one takes cause them to become a felon. Revolution vs. Reform Related to the idea of direct action, a revolution is a rapid and fundamental transformation of a society's structures. Since the late 19th century, beginning primarily with Rosa Luxemburg's Social Reform or Revolution, there has been a debate among leftists about whether revolution is preferable to reform - defined as changing a system rather than abolishing and replacing it. Historically, those further left have tended to favor revolution, while those closer to the center have tended to favor reform. Revolutionaries such as Luxemburg argue revolution is the only way to address the underlying problems of capitalism rather than treating the symptoms indefinitely, while reformists argue that reform is more realistic or that its costs are lesser. Voting Voting affects government policy. The effect is increased by greater voter turnout. Demographics that vote at a higher rate, such as the middle class and older people, tend to see their interests considered in the government at a higher rate. We know this is not merely a chicken and egg situation where those who already feel better treated by the government are more likely to have the motive to play ball with them, because examples in recent history show that politicians are hesitant to undermine policies favored by high-turnout demographics, even when those policies also affect lower-turnout demographics. Though voting affects policy, the political preferences of the economically advantaged have a greater effect on policy independent of their voting rate in the United States, and this may be caused in part by private campaign finance, which some including myself believe is a form of corruption. A protest vote is a vote cast to demonstrate dissatisfaction with the choice of candidates. It can include leaving ballot choices blank, intentionally making the ballot uncountable, and joke votes such as Mickey Mouse. It is also generally applied to voting for a candidate who can't feasibly win, including third-party candidates in first-past-the-post systems, though some object to this on the grounds that it is qualitatively different from other forms of protest vote in that they are voting for a real candidate and desire them to win. The distinction may ultimately be philosophical, as it's extremely rare for dominant parties to be replaced in the modern era, with coalition changes instead bringing about political realignment resulting in a new party system. Abstention refers to not voting at all. Some abstain from voting for reasons of personal honor or morality, feeling that participation in an evil system makes them complicit. Anarchists sometimes abstain from voting for candidates, though not necessarily initiatives, due to a belief that democracy should be direct rather than representative. Protest voting communicates one's reason for not voting more effectively than total abstention. Party Politics As alluded to earlier, in a first-past-the-post system the emergence of two major parties is inevitable, according to Duverger's law, and this leads to party politics. Because there are generally more than two ideologies or interest groups in a single state, parties thus become coalitions representing multiple political philosophies and demographics. These groups naturally vie for power within the party just as the party does within the state. This is most visible in primary elections, where candidates represent different parts of the coalition to different degrees. A major cause of protest voting and abstention is when a group of voters feels that they aren't well-represented by a party's platform or nominees. This has political benefits and drawbacks for the group in question. In the vast majority of cases, one of the major parties is closer to the ideology of an unsatisfied group than another, so the group risks damage to their political interests if the more favorable candidate loses. On the other hand, a show of numbers and discipline might cause future candidates to incorporate more of the the group's views, and worsening a nominee's general election performance can act as a direct rebuttal to arguments during a primary that one candidate is more electable. Both supporters and protestors of nominees are aware of this dynamic and much of the rhetoric around whether or not one should protest grows out of it. For example, supporters tend to emphasize the damage a nominee's loss will cause and anything the nominee has said or done that is in line with the views of the protesters, while protesters emphasize the ways in which the nominee doesn't differ enough from their opponent on issues the protestors care about. Other parties are aware too, and can attempt to intensify dissent using wedge issues, which in turn creates another line of argument between supporters and protesters. Note: Though doing so is common on these forums, please refrain from using the word "electoralism" incorrectly, unless you explain that you are doing so. This is pursuant to rule I.A.4. The term you're looking for is probably "electoral politics." Koos Group fucked around with this message at 19:48 on Feb 13, 2024 |
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Feb 13, 2024 19:37
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| # ¿ May 10, 2024 06:52 |
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Relevant Tangent posted:Voting is a subset of direct action. Trying to steer the ship of state one of two directions (and at least in the US that's all voting is) isn't useless but generally speaking haranguing people about it doesn't do much. I help people get to the polls sometimes, sometimes I stand a legally mandated distance away from the polls with a sign and some pamphlets. I think it's worth doing. Voting is not a subset of direct action. Direct action doesn't mean useful, or proactive, or worthwhile, or anything like that. It defines a specific type of political action which does not include voting.
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Feb 13, 2024 20:44
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Kalit posted:Do you see a difference between fully supporting someone and casting a vote for said person? IMO, it seems like that is what you are struggling with. Note that once arguments in this thread are made, they can't be made again without elaboration or direct relevance. So congratulations if you get to be the person to make a simple one.
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Feb 14, 2024 05:47
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SMEGMA_MAIL posted:I would be interested to know why my post was reported and what the claimed rule I broke was. I'm going to clarify here because you might not know, but this is off-topic. If you haven't been punished for a post after some time, as is the case here, you were found not to have broken any rules so you don't need to worry what it was reported for. If in the future you're worried about this, you may PM me and I'll tell you if the report has been handled yet or not.
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Apr 7, 2024 22:26
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