Lesser-Evilism Has Led Us Here…

In 2020 I voted for Joe Biden because I believed it was imperative that Donald Trump no longer continue to hold Presidential power in the United States. I believed his blatant goal to establish a dictatorship was a serious threat to this supposed “land of the free.”

After the election I shared a picture of an “I voted” sticker and was proud to be part of getting rid of Trump, yet I was still skeptical of what was to come with Joe Biden. I just knew Trump had to be stopped. Most recently, I re-shared this post on February 22 of 2024 and captioned it: “What a joke!”

A co-worker who I have shared left and liberal conversations with for numerous years decided to share her opinion on my social media post. I will not share the person's real name for privacy and out of respect to this individual. Instead, I will label them “Biden Supporter”.

Biden Supporter:

If you don’t vote for Biden, you are enabling Trump. I understand your frustrations, and we as a country are trapped between old apathy and old extremism. And I know to some degree, inaction is action. But trust me, not voting will be worse. And voting for a non-viable candidate is a vote against the least of the evils. I know none of this makes you happy. And I know your passion. But you know what happens if we make it worse. And it can get much worse. You know it can.

I took my time to respond to this person. I wanted to be as transparent and respectful as I could:

Biden Supporter, liberalism leads to fascism. I am a socialist, Marxist, anticapitalist, anti-imperialist, and I believe the only logical course of action is for the working people to take control of the means of production.

All the liberal talk from politicians is a ploy for your vote to keep them in power. If I chose to vote for either an open dictator, or an open Zionist war criminal, I would continue to play the game and believe the system we live under works. But it doesn't. And it isn't logical to argue the system “works”—because it only works for a privileged few. No matter what, Trump and Biden do not support the people, especially not those struggling the most. Both will uphold capitalism and profit over the well-being of the masses.

Instead of voting I will continue to organize around revolutionary socialism.

A genocide is being live streamed to the world. Genocide Joe has openly said he is a Zionist and supports Israel’s right to “defend itself”. If the people in power were qualified, honest, and truly representative of the people, liberty, and justice—they would know and understand the history of Zionism. From day one it was clearly established Israel could not become a Jewish ethno-state without the expulsion of the indigenous people living there: the Palestinians. Since 1948, 750,000 Palestinians were forced out of their homes violently pushed into the Gaza Strip. The IDF supposedly left some years ago, yet still controls the roads, air, and water. It keeps Palestinians in concentration camp-like conditions, and prevents economic development. It has always been an illegal apartheid and occupation of the Palestinian people—from day one. Joe Biden is a full-blown enabler and participant in the Israeli genocide of Palestinians—period.

The belief that voting for Joe Biden over Trump will make our lives any better is the fake ‘American Dream’ propaganda we have been indoctrinated to believe. Voting for Joe Biden is a vote for continued Israeli genocide, and a vote in favor of the destruction of Palestine. To me, you sound like you are struggling with your own divided consciousness or have detached yourself from the atrocities in Palestine as though it isn't the American peoples’ problem.

Voting for the lesser evil hasn't been the answer and it never will be. The sooner we can come to that understanding the sooner we can strategically organize for our liberation, our justice, and our freedom. We can never depend on a government that doesn't allow the people to govern themselves, or that doesn't allow people to live amongst one another equally and inclusively for the greater good of everyone with transparency and true democratic participation.

Expect a massive amount of liberal Biden support coming your way this election year. Hold strong and condemn the Democratic Party for their unwavering financial and genocidal support for the displacement and mass killings of Palestinian babies, children, the elderly, men, and women. Get ready for more propaganda regarding the only resistance force Palestinians have: Hamas.

Izzy Tellin is a worker, activist, writer, and artist based in Madison, Wisconsin.