I don’t believe I am talking about two different numbers when I’m talking about the same voting bloc for both.
The “we” I used was probably misplaced, since I think you are making a distinction between your position and “leftists”, who are the people I’ve seen on Lemmy advocating for destroying the system.
I’m not sure I follow your point about political engagement, I don’t think I mentioned anything about that. I was commenting on the size of the group of third-party and non- voters. If that group wasn’t big enough to change the outcome, I just don’t see how they could be relevant at all.
I think we must be in agreement, though, since you suggest that Democrats need to better engage with the working class. Maybe we need a dedicated labor party, though without a more parliamentary system, the parties can’t really be single-issue in the US.
Sorry if I was unclear. I am a leftist. I care about Gaza. I understand that Gaza was not a winning issue.
I am making a distinction between people who vote third party or don’t vote to send a message and people who don’t vote out of apathy. The former group is small. I don’t think a foreign policy issue will usually swing an election.
I, for one, don’t believe that electoralism will solve our problems. I vote for harm reduction and on the off chance I’m wrong, and because our voices matter a bit more in down ballot races. I’d guess this is the most common position amongst people left of the Dems.
