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In 1933 the Social Democratic Party decided that Hitler had to be defeated in the election for president. So they campaigned and voted for von Hindenberg, a very conservative (but not fascist) general. Apparently they believed that fascism could be defeated through elections. Hindenberg won. After some maneuvering, Hindenberg appointed Hitler as chancellor. (Hitler never won a majority in a vote.) So even in this extreme situation, when the choices were all or nothing (unlike today, when Trump is very bad but not a fascist), voting for the "lesser evil" did not work.

It is significant that the recent Shutdown finally generated serious talk of a "general strike" of federal workers or at least of airline workers. This is a major reason the Shutdown was ended; it could not be permitted to reach such a level. This is the direction in which to look: independent popular action.