You don't have to be excited about Joe Biden to vote for him

Progressives, I beg you, don't sit this one out

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(Image credit: Illustrated | iStock, Apple)

In the fall of 2004, my father traveled from California to Ohio to canvas for John Kerry. It was no small undertaking; he spent weeks away from work and family, organizing and knocking on doors. Though his commitment to the cause was unwavering, he was not thrilled with the candidate he'd signed on to support. He considered Kerry insincere and ineffectual, and he talked openly to us about how he wished someone else had won the nomination.

As a fiery-bellied teenager, I didn't fully understand my father's choice to canvas for a candidate he disliked. But Dad never hesitated; he threw himself into getting out the vote. When the Democrats lost the election, he expressed little surprise, but also zero regret. And he used the disappointment of 2004 to fuel him in 2008, canvassing for a far more compelling Democratic nominee.

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Zoe Fenson

Zoe Fenson is a freelance writer based in the San Francisco Bay Area. Her writing has appeared in Longreads, Narratively, The New Republic, and elsewhere. When she's not writing, you'll find her doing crossword puzzles in cocktail bars or playing fetch with her cat.