I don't want to be too negative on the "protest vote" crowd. I can envision a scenario where I, too, would withhold a vote for president.
But this just isn't the time. There is a tangible difference between what a Trump presidency means for the most vulnerable and what a Biden presidency means.
I am not, in any way, excited about Biden. I have my own list of what I want to see in year one from the next Dem president, and I frankly don't think Biden will do any of it. IMO, the best chance with Biden is that he runs essentially a caretaker presidency, where the federal government gets a chance to recover and re-equip from four years of chaos and cruelty. Then, we get a chance at a more bold administration. That's worth voting for.
So what's that list?
Because Joe Biden has already moved quite a bit to the left of Clinton, Obama, and even Joe Biden of 10 years ago. It isn't him being fake, he's responding to the demands of his constituency (the entire Dem party primarily, the nation as a whole secondarily).
Beyond that you're probably entirely correct that Biden will be essentially a caretaker.
Listen to his answer on if he'd Veto M4A. It was all about a hypothetical where he'd want to verify its fiscal viability. That was clearly him not giving room for Sanders as he's ran against Sanders under the auspices that Sanders proposals are fiscally untenable. Yet He's adopted parts of Warren's and Sanders' platforms in just the last few weeks and credited them with it. In the case of Warren it was her bankruptcy platform, an area where the two of them had a public argument that largely put Warren on the map politically.
Joe Biden, if elected, will be the least legislatively powerful POTUS in 30 years at a time when Dems will, hopefully, retake all three branches of gov't. and will have a mandate to start passing legislation.
Biden has always been a foreign policy wonk and is likely to spend his first half year or so focused on rebuilding bridges with existing European allies as a way out of global economic recession following COVID-19.
His cabinet will be tasked with basically re-building from the devastation of the Trump admin. on major departments within the government.
Domestic legislation would be in the hands of the senate and congress. They'll drive the bus and so long as it passes with the establishment leadership there Biden will gladly sign into law progressive new policy.
Thats also the win here for progressives. The progressive branch of the party has more power and representation in both congress and the senate than ever before. It will have meaningful say in the policy of the next administration. Not winning the primary in exchange for Dems winning the senate is the best outcome for progressive values available at this time.
And assuming Biden would just serve one term it would end in a pretty ideal time for a progressive candidate to take the nomination in 2024. We see time and again that Dem voters are basically shocked into voting after the ineptitude of Republican rule, then after a long time of Dem leadership get complacent and protest vote the status quo. Dem voters want a more progressive party, they're just not willing to risk a loss to Donald Trump to get it. There will be more sentiment among the Dem party for a progressive change candidate in 2024 than there is now. That candidate would have a lot better chance of winning in November '24 if a Dem POTUS, congress, and senate are the ones overseeing the 2020 census results and have some legislative power over redistricting efforts.
