this post was submitted on 20 Oct 2024
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There's been a lot of memes going around, but I genuinely have a question. If PSL were on the ballot, I would obviously vote for them. However, they're write-in only in my state. Would writing in PSL have the same effect, or could the vote more easily be invalid or ignored.

In other words, is it better to vote for Greens if PSL is write-in only?

EDIT: THANKS FOR INPUT! I've decided to write in Hilary Clinton, have a wonderful day!

But really probably writing in PSL. Elections don't matter too much though, so I'm ever in an area where PSL is active, I'll make sure to join (which has been the plan for a while). Thanks again!

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[–] anarchoilluminati@hexbear.net 8 points 9 months ago (10 children)

Okay, I'll not ask anyone in this thread in particular, but since there are so many PSL voters can someone please explain to me why anyone should vote PSL?

The argument made for the Greens about down ticket candidates makes sense. PSL has none of that, as far as I am aware and I sincerely apologize for my ignorance in advance if I'm mistaken, so it's really just for promotional purposes. If the PSL did have down ticket, local candidates running, then I would totally understand and think it's a good strategy but they don't (again, as far as I know). Why don't they run local candidates for any and every office that they could potentially win in areas where they're active? It seems to me like they're not ready to win offices, or don't want to, which makes me feel like it's pointless to vote for them or even organize with them if this is the way they're going. Even if what they want is to get their name out, the local route with real wins and neighborhood organizing is way more effective in addition to the national campaign rather than the impossible, routine, and probably costly Presidential campaign every 4 years and some marches. If they even won the election, by some logistical miracle, it would be rendered meaningless because they have no one else in positions of power below them and they haven't built up their support over the years.

For the record, as I've said many times, I want to like the PSL and generally think they have good politics and I voted for them many years ago but I don't agree with or understand this strategy so I don't see the point in doing it again. I'm also not voting for anyone anyway so I'm not saying this in favor of Greens or to argue against the PSL or anything. I just really don't see the point but I'm willing to concede I'm wrong.

[–] RaisedFistJoker@hexbear.net 8 points 9 months ago (1 children)

the strategy seems like a deep theoretical blunder to me, the cost of running a candidate every 4 years has gotta be a large amount, probably enough to employ one or two professional revolutionaries full time. Theyre supposed to be a revolutionary party but i dont think ive seen a single one of their theoretical works be recommended in communist spaces maybe ever?

[–] LesbianLiberty@hexbear.net 6 points 9 months ago

The organizational muscles need to build a large party apparatus and connect with the community need to be built, the party isn't merely a spring that can be shot all at once but a rolling snowball that'll turn into an avalanche. There's lots of effective work that the party does nationwide, but these campaigns are a great way to get an ML party in people's faces and a way for the national level of the party to coordinate work between local branches and members and find systemic issues of organization in the party exposed by this effort

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