2016 Postmortem
In reply to the discussion: What exactly will not voting for the nominee accomplish? [View all]joshcryer
(62,265 posts)Disaffected independents, disappointed moderates, and the youth don't turn out.
And note I'm talking about turn out in general, in 2012 the Green Party got more votes than it had gotten since 2000. So even the disappointed progressives still voted. But overall turnout is depressed by this "there's nothing to vote for" rhetoric. And that's exactly what the Republicans depend on. The Republicans can only win if they depress the vote. That's their only lasting strategy. It's not Democrats making people have to show ID at the polling station, it's not Democrats doing all sorts of polling subterfuge. It's the Republicans.
Turnout is key.
If we had 100% turnout the Democrats would never lose an election and Congress would have supermajorities of Democrats.
But nope, the meme must be hammered home. There's nothing good to vote for. Don't vote. Stay home. Sit home. Don't do anything.
Then the people on the left saying it go off and vote for their token third party candidate and feel oh so good about themselves for being pure. While Congress goes rightward and nothing gets done.