We're NOT Doomed: May 15, 2026
Voting actually IS the most important thing
“Voting for the lesser of two evils doesn’t work.”
How would you know? It’s never been tried for long enough.
Al Gore, Hillary Clinton, and Kamala Harris all lost.
Biden won, but most people spent his entire presidency shitting on him and giving him absolutely no credit for his successes, which were MANY. (If you need a refresher: RFMA, PACT Act, Chips and Science, Inflation Reduction Act, Bipartisan Infrastructure Act, Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson etc.)
You can’t say “vote blue no matter who” and “vote for the lesser of two evils” doesn’t work if you refuse to ever give it a chance of working.
Also I hate that phrase “lesser of two evils” when we’re talking about someone who supports unions and immigrants and healthcare and food assistance and queer rights and voting rights over someone who is literally trying to end us all.
And the lesser of two evils is, by definition, BETTER.
It’s like the difference between a wound with a bit of an infection, and literal death. Those aren’t comparable.
Democrats are not perfect and no one has ever claimed otherwise, but they are making lasting change. It’s slow and it’s not linear , but it is happening.
Pro forced birth Democrats have been all but forced out the party. Same with anti-gay Democrats AND anti-trans Democrats. You don’t see many Dems supported by the NRA at all anymore. And all Dems believe in the climate crisis.
This was NOT a given even 10 years ago.
Democrats are not becoming more conservative. They’re becoming less. Across the board. Progressive policies have become a deal breaker.
This is what you’re saying is one of “two evils”?
Give me a break.
Do you want things to get better or do you want to scream “perfection only!” and watch it get worse?
Cause that’s what we’re living right now.
We’re living in a refusal to vote for and celebrate the successful harm reduction, or “lesser of two evils,” as you say.
There are rarely examples where we actually get to see what happens if the “lesser of two evils” wins.
And the thing is, when they win, they’re shit on so successfully that we lose next time. Again, Biden.
In the end, the only knowledge anyone has of their actions is that they can’t do anything right.
That’s a dangerous way of seeing the world.
I know this cause we are living it.
What is happening right now is a product of that way of thinking.
I don’t need to find statistics or read a report cause this is our reality.
When people choose a candidate in the primary who has no chance of a snowball in hell of winning and then complain and don’t vote when a candidate they REALLY didn’t like becomes the party nominee.
This is our life.
We don’t have to imagine it.
And yet, the mantra hasn’t changed. The goalpost keeps being moved. Dems don’t get any credit for doing ANYTHING right. People spread demands that are literally impossible and convince other people that they are not only possible, but easy. And enough people refuse to vote for harm reduction that the harm is constantly increased.
Perfection is the enemy of progress. That’s not just a catchy phrase, it’s a fact.
If Al Gore had won, we would be A LOT further along on climate than we are now, and we would not have gone into Iraq.
If Hillary Clinton had won, we wouldn’t have lost the Supreme Court. We would still have Roe and affirmative action and the VRA and the Chevron Doctrine.
If Kamala Harris had won, we wouldn’t be at war with Venezuela and Iran and possibly Cuba and maybe Greenland? Trans people would not be attacked at the federal level. Immigrants would not be kidnapped off the streets. We would still have the Department of Education and labor and a DoJ that doesn’t do the president’s bidding.
THIS is the result of refusing to vote for and support the lesser of two evils, WE ARE LIVING IT!
So maybe going forward we stop. We give a chance for the lesser of two evils to actually work. To scream from the rooftops every time they do the right thing. We don’t just vote for it once, but do so over at least a decade.
Cause we’ve tried your way. It hasn’t worked. Right now, as you are reading this post, is proof of that.
So let’s try this way, for once. Let’s give this country a fighting chance at actual progress.
PLEASE?
Festus, Missouri
Tue, April 7 - Covering local elections you learn pretty quickly that every candidate will always say their platform is “more transparency.” It’s so common, I barely even notice it anymore.
But in Festus, it does still mean something. I mean the anti-data center platform helped too. During their election last month they ousted half their city council over lack of transparency in regards to data centers. The four incumbents got between 19 and 34% of the vote. With their challengers winning with a margin of anywhere from 30 to 50 points.
Councilman Dan Moore, who beat his incumbent opponent by 32 points said:
This data center fight has struck this community to the core and really, honestly ignited a community-driven effort here. People are awake now, and we’re not going to let this continue on anymore.
As most articles about this are saying, this is a bellwether moment. It’s not just protests and petitions it’s elections. This is a deal breaker for so many. Republicans and Democrats alike.
Now it has been over a month and we still don’t have an update on if the project was canceled, but regardless, this shows our power, especially when it comes to elections. And that makes me feel less Doomed.
Virginia
Wed, April 8 - For the third year in a row the Virginia General Assembly passed The Right to Contraception Act with bipartisan support.
However, this year, thanks to Abigail Spanberger being the governor rather than Glenn Youngkin, it became law.
Lieutenant Governor Ghazala Hashmi was in the State Senate that entire time. She spoke with 13NewsNow about it finally becoming law:
For the third consecutive year, Virginia’s General Assembly passed the Right to Contraception Act. After championing this legislation during my years in the Senate and watching it vetoed by Glenn Youngkin, I am pleased to see the legislation signed and codified into law by Governor Abigail Spanberger.
She continued:
As the last Southern state that has not imposed sweeping restrictions on critical medical care, Virginia has the responsibility to protect access to safe and legal reproductive health care…Every Virginian should be able to determine their own medical options without the interference of politicians.
It’s a great reminder that it often takes things being introduced many times before the finally become law. There ARE bills Dems are introducing in states with Republican governors that WILL become law in the future.
And also, the importance of elections. Spanberger isn’t perfect (her recent collective bargaining veto is infuriating), but bills like the Right to Contraception Act couldn’t pass if she hadn’t been elected. And that matters and makes me feel less Doomed.
Des Moines, Iowa
Tue, April 28 - Des Moines is the latest city to have a “Leaving MAGA” billboard. It’s very simple, reading: “Having Doubts? You Are Not Alone. LEAVINGMAGA.ORG”
The goal, according to founder Rich Logis, a former believer in MAGA is to get the attention of those who are already not feeling great about the whole thing:
He told KCII Des Moines:
We created our community as a new destination, a support space and a safe space, and an off-ramp for those who feel like they can no longer support the MAGA movement and support the president but needed a place to go.
Logis said it cost around $4000 for each billboard and they’re mostly paid for through small dollar donations. If you feel moved, you can donate too!
And if you’re not convinced, Pepper Purpura at KCII said it is having an impact:
He says the group has already received a handful of messages from people who identify as current MAGA supporters but are seeking help in leaving.
Currently there are also billboards in Spokane, WA, Lancaster, PA, and Austin, TX with more to come in FL and ID.
We might not agree with them on everything, but we agree that Trump needs to go, and that’s good enough for now. And the more of them leave MAGA the less Doomed I feel.
I hope these stories made you feel less Doomed!
Remember, our voices are our superpower, but only when we use them!