Not voting for the Dem nominee next Nov is an act of selfish privilege, plain and simple. [View all]

[DanTex]

A GOP administration will do real, material harm to the nation. Some people will suffer a lot, some not so much, and a small group may benefit, if only temporarily.

As Clinton has consolidated her lead after a strong debate performance, and looks increasingly likely to become the nominee, chatter about sitting out the general, or voting third party, has increased. Let's be clear: doing this is an act of selfish privilege.

The main benefit cited by people sitting out the general is "conscience". This is selfish: it means being willing to see many other people suffer in real ways in order to feel better about oneself. Also, obviously, if the thing keeping you up at night is having voted for an imperfect candidate, that means you are sleeping in a comfortable bed, in a nice house, after a nice dinner. If you are at risk of losing your healthcare, SS, home, job, etc. due to the consequences of a GOP presidency, then you don't have the luxury of ideological purity.

And then there's the argument about "sending a message" to the party elites. Again, people who aren't well-to-do don't care about sending messages as much as they care about the basic necessities of life. People who will need to forgo medical care because the GOP gets rid of Obamacare, or people who will drop into poverty after the GOP cuts SS, aren't going to be very keen on trading that for the sake of a "message."

There are ways of sending messages that don't put the future of the nation at risk. For example, in writing. Or voting in the primary. If the primary doesn't go exactly the way you want it, that means that your message was heard, but there were more people who believed in a different message, and a different candidate. Burning down the house because you don't get your way is not acting on principle, it is acting like a spoiled child.