agreed. but also consider, which names appear on the ballot at all is largely the result of actions outside the election cycle (publicity events, fundraisers, grassroots door to door organizing, messaging, courting groups for endorsements).
in other words, voting is necessary but not sufficient.
not recognizing this is why so many movements lose momentum and fail to get their ideas in front of voters.
The way I like to put it is that voting is (one option for) the victory lap. It’s necessary, but will mostly take care of itself if you were successful in your other, vastly more important work. The desperate get out the vote efforts we see today are only like that because they’re the damage control leftists/progressives do after they fail in said vastly more important work (mostly by not showing up).
agreed. but also consider, which names appear on the ballot at all is largely the result of actions outside the election cycle (publicity events, fundraisers, grassroots door to door organizing, messaging, courting groups for endorsements).
in other words, voting is necessary but not sufficient.
not recognizing this is why so many movements lose momentum and fail to get their ideas in front of voters.
The way I like to put it is that voting is (one option for) the victory lap. It’s necessary, but will mostly take care of itself if you were successful in your other, vastly more important work. The desperate get out the vote efforts we see today are only like that because they’re the damage control leftists/progressives do after they fail in said vastly more important work (mostly by not showing up).
It’s funny, I was about to reply to another comment with “it’s insufficient, but it is not irrelevant.”