Environmentalists Often Don't Show Up to Vote

[brooklynite]

Political Wire

Sara Goddard: “Apparently, many of us who say we vote, actually don’t. In fact, as a group, ‘environmentalists’ have a terrible voting record. Research by the Environmental Voter Project shows that registered voters who identify the environment as their number one priority simply don’t vote.”

“In 2016, for example, over 10 million didn’t vote (representing 50% vs 69% of all registered voters); and during the 2018 ‘Blue Wave’ mid-term elections, only 53% (vs 57% of registered voters) of ‘environmentalists’ showed up at the polls.

[Historic NY]

1. They'er just too busy

Hugging a tree or demonstrating about something to actually do the one thing that would help their cause VOTE.

[we can do it]

4. Throwing food on paintings, like that does any good.

[sarisataka]

2. You can't get to the polls

When you are glued to a painting or a dinosaur.

They need to plan ahead and fill out their absentee ballot before heading to the kitchen.

[Walleye]

3. Voting. It makes much more sense to them to throw soup on a priceless painting

[intheflow]

7. Well, from their perspective,

voting has done nothing to advance their completely legit concerns over the environment, and often can't even get on ballots. But here you are still talking about them throwing soup at a Van Gogh painting two weeks later. So I gotta think it was totally worth their while to throw soup on a painting because their message is getting out. And the fact that so many care more about a piece of art by a dead white guy than the activists' environmental message really just proves their point that society's priorities are severely screwed up.

[Walleye]

10. Sure if they think it'll work they should throw the soup. should also vote it doesn't cost anything

I don’t see how it is one or the other. Plus just getting the message out can be overrated. While the oil company executives still rub their greedy palms together

[Hekate]

11. When ISIS destroyed irreplaceable cultural sites from dead BROWN men, they sure made their point

The Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) destroyed the Lion of Al-lāt, the temples of Bel and Baalshamin, the Arch of Triumph, and other sites in Palmyra. The group also destroyed the Monastery of St. Elian, the Armenian Genocide Memorial Church, and several ancient sculptures in the city of Raqqa.

List of destroyed heritage - Wikipediahttps://en.wikipedia.org › wiki › List_of_destroyed_heritage

Spare me.

[intheflow]

12. Apples and oranges.

Throwing soup on an oil painting didn't destroy the painting. Spare me your bothsiderism.

https://www.artnews.com/art-news/news/just-stop-oil-protestor-van-gogh-sunflowers-why-video-1234643678/

“I want to make one thing perfectly clear, we did no damage to the painting whatsoever,” Phoebe Plummer, a climate activist who, along with Anna Holland, threw the soup at the famous painting and then glued their hands to the gallery floor on October 14.

...

The National Gallery has said the van Gogh painting had not been hurt, although its frame had sustained “minor damage.” The painting went back on display at the National Gallery two days after the protest.

[Hekate]

13. Add a banana and you get fruit salad. What we're still talking about is what idiots both groups are.

Ta

[W_HAMILTON]

16. When exactly did they ever show up to vote?

[AZSkiffyGeek]

25. What exactly is their message?

I haven't heard what point they're trying to get across because everyone is talking about what idiots the activists were. Not talking about climate emergencies.
So their stunts seem to be muddling their message.
They could try doing something productive, but instead they're going for attention while not actually talking about the issues.

[Johnny2X2X]

5. Incrementalism is a tough pill to swallow

Our entire political system is built so radical change isn't really possible. It's supposed to be incremental and thus stable. But as a planet, the time for incrementalism on the environment is long past, so this group of voters is frustrated.

I get it, we're in a climate crisis, and the laws we're passing are not enough. But you can't let the good be the enemy of the perfect. Take what you can get and then work for more. The IRA was a huge step for our country and our planet. Take that win and vote to elect people that will do more. With both Houses of Congress, Biden can do several more things in the next 2 years that might add up to radical change.

[Mad_Machine76]

6. +1

Exactly

[Hortensis]

14. You can't even get ready for Halloween any way but incrementally.

So agree.

But it's only a tough pill for people who are having a tough time handling reality itself. How sad not to be proud of the IRA, something every Democratic voter helped make happen, or to be so dispirited that they think joining a group in their own town to plant trees is a waste of time.

It's an unpalatable truth for those looking for dishonest, hypocritical excuses to justify doing nothing AND, often, for resisting action by others. The internet's providing phony validation for the inexcusable. They need counseling to develop insight into what's wrong with them, but they're not going to get it.

"The IRA was a huge step for our country and our planet." Yes! Whenever we get more power, we turn it into more action.

[Peacetrain]

8. If someone cannot get their lazy backsides to the polls or write in or early vote

their complaints will go to those who can bury us on the environment.. there is no excuse.. none.. my Mother was bedrideen and in a wheel chair when up got her vote out.. there is NO NO NO excuse..

[Ron Green]

9. Before I clicked on this OP, I somehow knew from its title

just who the poster is.

[NoRethugFriends]

17. Yup

[Brenda]

19. It's Halloween.

Last edited Tue Nov 1, 2022, 08:20 AM - Edit history (1)

[Hermit-The-Prog]

20. Does that have any bearing on the data? Looks like an opportunity to GOTV.

[Autumn]

21. Did I miss the link to the data in the article? Seems like an opinion hit job with no facts

in the article to back it up.

[Hermit-The-Prog]

22. click through ...

https://greenthatlife.com/vote-for-the-planet/

which cites:

https://www.environmentalvoter.org/

[Autumn]

23. Thanks for the link. I will check it out.

[Hermit-The-Prog]

24. ballotpedia gives a good comparison through the years of overall turnout ...

https://ballotpedia.org/Voter_turnout_in_United_States_elections

[FakeNoose]

15. Awww... Al Gore should have won

He just picked the wrong issue to run on. The environmentalists let him down.

[Hortensis]

18. Just saying one is an environmentalist doesn't make it so.

I'm sure a study group chosen for indicators of actual environmental commitment would show they vote environmental issues, and Democratic!, in large percentages.

Btw, "environmental" professionals (the real thing) who run for office overwhelmingly run as Democrats. That's where 100% of the action in government is.