Could you weigh in on a problem?

There's a thread on a forum about the US government. During the discussion, some people suggested that voting for the Democrats is wrong ideologically. Others noted that not voting for Democrats is wrong because it gives a victory to the Republicans.

One user stated adamantly that voting for Democrats is still wrong.

He was asked "So who do you propose should win?"

His response was a list of fundamental changes in how democracy is enacted in the USA.

He received the following response:

> None of this exists yet, so it’s not an alternative, it’s wishful thinking.
>
> My question was: since your choice is between Republicans or Democrats, what do you choose if you believe Dems are “as bad as” Reps?

That user now claims that the original question was loaded, and that the clarification that followed was "moving the goalposts".

What is your opinion? Please give me a short answer.
5:51pm

The original question—"So who do you propose should win?"—was a direct challenge to the user’s stance that voting for Democrats is wrong. It assumed a binary choice (Democrats or Republicans) and sought a concrete alternative within that framework.

The follow-up—"since your choice is between Republicans or Democrats, what do you choose if you believe Dems are 'as bad as' Reps?"—was not moving the goalposts. It was clarifying the original question’s implicit assumption: if you reject both options, what’s your practical alternative in the existing system?

The user’s response (proposing systemic changes) is a valid ideological position, but it doesn’t answer the practical question posed. The clarification was fair, not a shift. The original question was only "loaded" if one assumes the system must be accepted as-is—which the user clearly doesn’t.

5:51pm

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