Morning. It’s prolly unwise, but I am gonna attempt a brief clarification of my voting thread from the other day. Here we go:

My argument about why I think (as a former Warren supporter) that you should vote Biden/Harris (particularly if you are on a left voter) turns on the singularity of the COVID threat. Numbers: 35K Black people dead since March. 171K folks in the U.S. dead. https://www.apmresearchlab.org/covid/deaths-by-race#black

A lot of the folks who argued against me are floating a disingenuous argument that COVID is not a singular threat. They say that since the U.S. militarist project + our terrible healthcare system kills untold numbers every year, they have no duty to stop an acute threat.

That reasoning is untenable. No one claims that you don’t triage a gushing wound because there is an underlying chronic condition. In fact, the great presence of chronic conditions makes the treatment of the urgent wound more necessary.

Additionally, no one, (and I did actually see someone) wants to be out here claiming that all diseases, like all lives, matter as a reason to refuse to use their vote as a matter of triage in this moment. For obvious reasons.

It is def true that the Dems always have a singular reason why the left should vote despite hating the centrism of the party. The hard truth is that many of those singular reasons have actually been singular. In 2016, for instance, the courts were a reason. We’ve lost those now.

I say this because let it not be said that I don’t understand the deep frustration many on the left feel about being held over a barrel each election by the Dems who never seem to govern for any kind of sea change. I see it, agree, and also still plan to vote Biden/Harris.

The fact that the Dems have been raggedy and duplicitous forever does not mean that now is the moment in history to stage one’s protest only outside the voting booth. Vote inside. Protest outside.

There are those who will come here and yell about how 171K lost lives cannot be distinguished from the other losses poor American policy causes. I urge you, again, to reject such all lives matter logics in this moment because it’s bad argumentation. Period. Vote.

For those who reject my singularity argument, I would just point out to you, that it is literally unsafe for any of us to leave our houses, or physically go to vote. And that is because of the Trump presidency. People of conscience have a duty to vote him out.

Yes, I am offering a moral argument. No I will not apologize for it. Because our principles should never be so pristine that make us feel like we can’t get our hands dirty (in a voting booth during Covid for instance) to help vulnerable people. Vote.

Final caveats: I am not arguing that voting is the only way to participate in this democracy. There are many meaningful ways. I am not arguing that Biden/Harris are amazing and that they will save us all. They won’t. They can’t. I am saying that harm reduction matters.

And since there are really only two viable choices in this election, only one choice is harm reduction. I recognize the ways in which the choice is odious. Crime Bill, Anita Hill, even the problems with VAWA, Biden’s support of credit card companies and on and on.

I know all these things. Those of us who are thoughtful all do. And I still think you are ethically and morally obligated to create the conditions that will make surviving this pandemic and resisting the descent into fascism possible.

And yes, I do tend to resent a performance of woke politics that operates by obscuring these immediate stakes that affect folks quality of life, while using bigger longer standing issues as a cudgel that casts the rest of us as centrist complicit sheep. It’s deeply dishonest.

In short, the sky is actually falling this time. In fact it is on the ground. We have a chance to improve our conditions, through the incremental change represented by Biden and Harris. I will take that chance. I hope you will too. Have a great one.

P.S. I plan to continue protesting, teaching my students about decoloniality and feminism and white supremacy, writing books that help folks, supporting family members harmed by the carceral state, sending money to orgs I support, etc. In short, I’ll be doing my work. Peace.

And...because I’m still me, if you feel like this is a ‘lecture,’ note that you have attended of your own accord. I didn’t @ you. That is all.

Places where I talk longer (very long LOL) about these things. https://www.instagram.com/tv/CECfZQCJmfO/?igshid=1o1sfje3wbd9v