November 3 : Written by 404EthanNotFound
8. Leadership, Voting, and the Shutdown
It is unclear if the U.S. population realizes the gravity of elections tomorrow on November 4th. It is a very real possibility that these are the last free and fair elections that will be held in the United States. While this may sound hyperbolic, understand that the Trump Administration is already flirting with the idea of a third Trump term (https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c797q57ple9o). There is a pattern of the administration downplaying their extremist plans before they take action (Project 2025, ICE will only go after the criminals, Medicaid will not be cut, etc.). Therefore, the possibility that Trump and his cronies would try to wield power in a way that postpones or cancels elections in 2028 is completely within reason given how they have left the door open for future use.
The right wing in this country operates not through principle, but rather through whatever tools of power are available. This is why Mitch McConnell can refuse to grant a hearing to Merrick Garland to be seated on the Supreme Court because March 2016 was too close to the upcoming election, but can speedily process Amy Coney Barrett mere days before the 2020 election. The rules are only useful to Republicans so long as they help them win, otherwise they are to be ignored. This has led to a moment that the Democratic establishment is ill-equipped to handle. The current leadership is seemingly incapable of meeting the moment, and has to be dragged kicking and screaming into standing up for a single principle. This is on full showcase with the current state of the government shutdown.
I have friends directly affected by the government shutdown, who have been furloughed or rely on government funded benefits to get by. To avoid their further pain, I wish for the shutdown to end. The Democrats are asking for two things. Firstly, that the Affordable Care Act (ACA also known as Obamacare) subsidies are not defunded, which would cause healthcare premiums to skyrocket. Secondly, that there be legal assurances made that the administration will execute the budget as set forth. Trump has withheld funding for USAID and reappropriated funds for things like bailing out Argentina (to the tune of $40 BILLION). Putting forth any budget or continuing resolution is meaningless if the President is going to spend the money as they see fit regardless. To this end, it is clear that the Democrats are not asking for anything outlandish, yet the Republicans are refusing to engage in negotiation. House Speaker Mike Johnson still has not called the House back in session so understand that the House of Representatives are basically receiving a paid vacation while plunging millions of Americans into potential starvation as SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) funding runs out. The FDA has an emergency reserve fund specifically for addressing this type of scenario to fund SNAP, yet the administration refuses to release the funds (https://apnews.com/article/snap-shutdown-lawsuits-deadline-4af8b0dec6cd31cddd023cc99c131b73). Every November, I help organize a food drive with my co-workers where we partner with a local action center. This year I am told the request for aid is unprecedented and the lack of food security in this moment surely plays a role.
Election Day is tomorrow. Increasing voter turnout is essential for a healthy democracy. Having engaged voters is even better. A population informed upon the issues can elaborate their decision making beyond the presence of a ‘D’ or ‘R’ next to a candidate’s name. Engaged voters also understand a critical reality. Voting is only a minor tool in the toolkit; there are 364 other days of the year to be making voices heard and being active in the community. You do not need to be in love with a candidate’s platform to vote for them. Selecting a viable candidate that you feel will be most responsive to your voice is the best course of action. In this regard, voting will always be about choosing the lesser evil. This being said, there are several leftist candidates popping up across the nation that are giving voters a reason to be energized and the response from the establishment Democrats is telling.
The best word to describe current Democratic leadership is ‘feckless’. Whether frozen in inaction by corporate capture, or by their own stupidity, the results are the same. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries are perhaps the two worst people in the world to address this moment of authoritarianism and pain felt across the nation. They are terrible at messaging to the American public, even when doing something good! They capitulate to right-wing framing on issues like immigration and crime narratives. When the National Democratic Party clearly stands for nothing outside from opposing Trump, the messaging turns into personal aggrievement rather than building a movement worth pursuing. The fight regarding this government shutdown is the fight that should have taken place during the last passing of a continuing resolution in March. The current leadership is two-steps behind at every turn and working class Americans are the ones paying the price right now.
Listening to Former Vice President Harris re-emerge into public life (catalyzed by a tone-deaf book tour), it is clear to me that no one is engaging with the true reasons behind Harris’s defeat in the 2024 election. Former President Joe Biden’s callous attempt to run again despite promising to be a one-term president led to a complete meltdown during a Presidential debate. At this point he was dragged like a screaming toddler out of the race. Harris was then inserted into a campaign infrastructure created by the Biden administration, forgoing any democratic selection in an election where the throughline was that democracy was on the line. Harris did not make herself distinct from Biden in any meaningful way and failed to address the genocide in Gaza that she is complicit in facilitating. Then finally, she ended the campaign by trying to court suburban Republican voter by doing events with Liz Cheney of all people. All this accomplished was depressing the voter turnout of those on the left and failing to pick up any of these imaginary conservative swing voters who would rather choose a real Republican versus a diet Republican. In conclusion, the lessons to be learned are obvious. Get these old asshats out of positions of leadership in the party and stop selling out the portions of the voter base in order to court imaginary swing voters by trying to co-opt right wing ideas. Voters crave a platform they can vote for rather than this lesser evil voting I described previously. My advice to failed Democratic leadership is clear, retire. Go take your millions and relax on a beach somewhere for the rest of your days and keep your shitty opinions and policies to yourself. We do not need your help and we certainly do not need you standing in the way of the candidates bringing actual energy.
There are so many important races across the country this year, but the national conversation has landed primarily on the NYC mayoral race as well as the Virginia and New Jersey gubernatorial races. To me, the gubernatorial races are infinitely less interesting than the NYC mayoral race. Democratic nominee Zohran Mamdani is a once in a lifetime political figure. Campaigning on a poignant message of affordability in New York City has resonated soundly. Through a platform of freezing the rent of rent-stabilized apartments, increasing the corporate tax rate (to match the neighbor state of New Jersey) for the purpose of funding free busses and childcare, putting state run grocery stores in food desert neighborhoods, and reallocating police funds towards trained mental health response professionals to unburden police with dealing with situations they are ill-equipped to handle has led Mamdani to successfully claiming victory in the Democratic Primary where he smoked Former Disgraced New York Governor Andrew Cuomo. The attacks against Cuomo have been relentless and despicable. Leaning heavily on AI and Islamophobia, Cuomo has sought to focus this race on the U.S. foreign policy regarding Israel and Gaza, something the NYC Mayor will have no ability to impact. Cuomo feels the need to do this for two reasons. Firstly, he is just a bully and this is how he operates. Secondly, he has no platform to present. He represents the donor class who have no interest in changing a system where they are overwhelmingly winning. Republicans are now lining up to defend Cuomo (https://www.fox5ny.com/election/nyc-mayor-poll-cuomo-sliwa-mamdani-republican). Hakeem Jeffries finally endorsed the DEMOCRATIC CANDIDATE IN THE RACE, mere hours before early voting started (https://www.nytimes.com/2025/10/24/nyregion/hakeem-jeffries-zohran-mamdani-endorsement.html) and even then could not bring himself to utter Mamdani’s name during the endorsement! Schumer has still failed to endorse. Feckless. Frankly, I think Mamdani could show the country a different way forward, perhaps even helped by the fact that the deplorable establishment has failed to rally with him. Already his campaign strategies and platform are resonating elsewhere. Candidates like Omar Fateh (Minneapolis Mayoral Candidate) and Graham Platner (Maine Senate Race) echo a true desire to improve the material conditions of working-class people in this nation. I truly hope that some good emerges from this immensely dark period in American history.
So, what can you do on the eve of election day? Ensure you know your polling place and have a plan to go vote. Look up what your ballot is going to look like beforehand so you are not surprised with anything upon arrival. Finally, understand that your civic duty does not stop once you have cast your ballot or the results are in. Your civic duty to better your community and engage with those in it is a constant obligation. Otherwise, we are doomed to sink further and further into despotism. Vote like this is your last chance to do so and make your voice heard every other day of the year.