A Trump dictatorship is increasingly inevitable. We should stop pretending.
There is a clear path to dictatorship in the United States, and it is getting shorter every day. So why is everyone behaving like normal?
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And yet people keep telling me that Biden needs to lose so that Democrats can be "taught a lesson."
Yea this is probably correct. The braindead MAGATS think they’re smart. But they’re just incels who know nothing about economics.
Remember when they tried to be sneaky with the "walkaway" shit before the 2018 midterms? 😂
Or they're accelerationists who think a dictatorship will wind up in a civil war, and the "true" society, whatever their concept is, will be able to rise from the ashes.
"First Hitler, then our turn"
Actual slogan of the German Communists under Thalman
I mean the social democrats had a similar slogan:
"Governments come and go. [...] After Hitler, we come to power! It will once again be the German republicans who will have to clean up the mess. We are preparing for that day!"
Fuck Trump, but tbf people shouldn't be allowed to be in office if they could die tomorrow from old age.
It's hard to understand for a non American, how it can be a Race between these two and only these two. This two party system seems so absurdly stubid. Not that we have it figured out anywhere else much better, but still.
If we had Ranked Choice voting, we'd likely have a much more diverse candidate pool. It's not a perfect solution, but it is better than what we have now
Remind me again, which party is making RCV illegal in the states they control?
Florida, Texas, Montana, Tennessee, South Dakota , Idaho all banned it. Sounds like republicans
Winner winner, chicken dinner.
I think they were obliquely trying to support your position, not challenge it.
Fuck me, gets so hard to tell, sometimes.
I could also be wrong.
You weren't, as evidenced by a follow up comment to someone else.
JFC.
I deleted the comment. I was wrong and misunderstood the context.
Been arguing with people making oblique arguments in bad faith a bit too much the past couple of days. My sincere apologies.
And trying to convince people to vote for someone else just increases the chance of the worst of the two winning.
It’s technically NOT a two party system. However the two major parties so dominate, that it’s rare for a third party candidate to get elected to any major office.
I think the biggest difference is we’re not a parliamentary system that encourages coalitions. Whoever wins, wins.
The bigger issue with third parties is that none of them actually bother to run anyone at a local or state level. If they started to grow their power and voting base normally, bottom-up, they'd have a lot more success than just sticking up a Presidential also-ran every 4 years and maybe a congressperson here or there.
a left party should 100% be running aginst democrats in any race where they can get more votes than the republican cannidate. think big city local elections and safe blue state rep/federal house seats
I mean, any president can die in office to be fair, regardless of age, hence we have a vice president to take over in such a case
Last American president to die in Office was actually youngest American president ever.
Isn't Trump only like 3 years younger? By yhe end of his term he'd be older than Biden would be at the start of his.
Biden also eats healthy & exercises every day. Trump hasn't exercised since he was in his 30's & has never seen a Big Mac he didn't eat.
That's not true. I'm pretty sure one of his former staffers said he threw one at a wall once.
I'm sure he took a bite out of it first.
Ah yes! Enlightened Centrist and Libertarians. They will always vote GOP no matter how horrible the candidate is with some shit reason to not vote Democrat. OR they will vote for some numbnuts third party candidate with an equally shitty reason.
The common talking points these days are either, "DeMoCrAtS aRe FaScIsTs, ToO!" or, "DeMoCrAtS nEeD tO eArN mY vOtE!"
And I'm sure the next generation will thank them for taking an ideological stand right as Fascism is trying to take over. /s
Democrats are fascists, too
Special emphasis on "too", of course
problem is your thinking lead to us getting to this point in the first place. y'all should have learned candidate quality matters in 2016 and it's your fault if biden loses because he was your idea in the first place
Too many Democrats are to be sure. But not all democrats. Sanders and others have shown the way to fix this. The biggest issue is that we need younger people involved and running. In my state many Republicans run unopposed for several offices. As bad as it sounds. I would reflexively vote for any Democrat over a republican knowing nothing about either of the two.
We're already seeing the beginnings of that with various candidates, but I agree that we need it to happen more rapidly.
The issue, in a twist of capitalist fuckery, is that running a campaign is massively expensive, and the barrier to entry is often too high for the people who should be running for office. Thankfully, there's orgs helping with that, but it's still an uphill battle.
They can be. At the state and national level to be sure. But even with zero budget, running someone against a Republican vs letting a Republican run unopposed. We'll win infinitely more times just by trying. It should start with smaller offices. And work up from there.
Also, outside of presidential election years. We should donate to a group or groups that back and fund Democrat opposition to Republicans locally. Even if we have to make those groups ourselves. At the national level they've largely given up on many states. So donating to them often does little at home.
Democrats need a new younger bench. And this is a way to fix both the age and fash friendly issues at the same time. Perhaps then we can start to address things like getting money out of politics etc.
Forget running, they need to be voting.
Sanders lost both primaries due to Millenials and Zoomers being so allergic to turnout that they even turn their noses up at their own guy in the primary.
This is easy win territory for young voters, the gap between current performance and just matching their share of the general population alone would push the DNC significantly to the left, let alone if they started showing up with the easy dominating share they could take if they spent half the effort turning out for the cause that they do painting signs and tweeting about it.
primaries aren't free and fail elections, we saw fuckery in 2016 and 2020. why vote when the party leaders can legally rig it?
Rigging it by actually turning out for those instead of throwing a tantrum that the other voting blocks who don't agree with them didn't do the revolution for them?
The left's perennial problem, "well why didn't you fucking vote in (X previous election or primary) then?", every time they try to blame it on something else, it flows back to some other primary or general they also vote striked or protest voted in.
The narcissist's prayer is a fucking Mayan calendar style political prophecy to the white left and doing even the barest minimum in the way of political participation
Bernie had the primary win stolen from him alright, by on paper allies who have to be dragged kicking and screaming to do literally the first thing you should have to prove you did to be allowed to talk shit.
Every single one of you fuckers I see ranting about rigged primaries is just some flavor of Jean Paul Marat wannabe who fantasizes about being able to literally sit but naked in a bath tub all day and pass judgement upon the enemies of the revolution for everyone else to carry out for you.
We act like Democrats actually doing something to earn votes is impossible.
Not at all. But it sounds like you think they haven't done anything.
I think that Democrats appear very weak right now because they're not taking the drastic steps that are needed in order to fix a lot of the existential threats that America faces.
I truly believe that we cannot engage in capitalism as we are currently and still hold on to the planet in the face of global warming. And I don't see anyone in US politics or even global politics willing to make the drastic changes needed to literally save for the planet.
So no, I don't really think they're doing what they need to be doing right now, and it's disheartening.
indeed. weak "left" candidates leave the door open for fascism the world over. how the fuck do you tell people to "hold their noses" and expect that to work? like really, think about it for a minute. I'm mad because these idiots are ruining our country. a progressive candidate would both be a safer bet to win vs. trump and some reforms would sap fascism of it's power, yet we're stuck with candidates like clinton and biden for no good reason. disappointing if they win, and less likely to actually win
Centrist Democrats take the very idea as a greivously offensive blasphemy against all they hold dear.
Don't vote Democrat, vote third party I hear! Me, I'm like well with first past the post voting this is impractical and could help empower fascists to take over, but let's see what options we got.
/opens box of third party candidates, before gently closing it and walking away
Yeah no, Biden still best option, these guys are nutters. It makes sense though, a sensible candidate would run in the democratic primaries, rather than hurting their own purported causes by running in the general in a first past the post election. It's why you saw Bernie Sanders, an independent, running in the democratic primary, and not out there helping to siphon votes to fascists by running as a third party in the general against Biden.
Anyways, let's focus on continuing to empower politicians that want to improve our voting system (usually has been democrats, though with an exception in Alaska). This starts at the local level, but we're getting more and more federal offices now with ranked choice voting. Once you have that, then better quality third party candidates will follow, knowing they can fairly safely run without harming their own causes.
Biden can be the best option for you, and it can still be imperative that we vote third party. If you think the dems and repubs are ever going to give up FPTP, you're insane.
State ballot access is a big deal that can impact local elections as well.
I show up to vote against Brownback and in support of abortion. Then I vote against every incumbent and to fire all the judges.
Unfortunately, there are few leftists that push the same narrative, too. And all because Biden (or Obama, or Hillary) are not the pretty pony they think they were promised or something.
Point of fact: Clinton's centrists were so upset that they didn't get their very first choice in 2008 that they formed a PAC to try to get McCain/Palin elected. And they've been screaming "no matter who" ever since.
I have no special affinity for either of the Clintons. However, it cannot be denied that there is a certain type of leftist (often very loud, and probably the minority, thankfully) that behave like petulant children when they don't get their pretty pony, whoever that is.
Don't get me wrong - I'd like that pretty pony, too. I just realize that even if people don't love Hillary, she'd still be better than OJ (Orange Jesus) and so once the primaries are over, voting for donnie to really stick it to the man, or sit out, or vote for some completely unserious party like the Green Party is not really teaching anyone the lesson(s) that the people stamping their feet think they are.
OJ represents a very existential threat. Just because he flubbed the RW agenda the first time around doesn't mean he won't succeed in destroying America if given another chance.
Don’t get me wrong - I’d like that pretty pony, too.
The only thing you want is unquestioning worship of the party from everyone to your left.
LOL, I only vote for them because I have to. What is the realistic alternative? Unless we have something like ranked choice, voting for Green or staying home or writing something in is just a vote for Republicans.
And you only choose to constantly belittle anyone who isn't 100 percent ecstatic with everything the party does because you want to.
So, I'm constantly belittling myself? I am not 100% ecstatic with the Democratic Party and never have been. Thing is, I recognize what an existential threat the Republican Party has become. In the general, the choice is you either support the Democratic Party (warts and all) or you are essentially supporting this threat to the country.
I wish it were otherwise, but wishing won't make that so.
I wish it were otherwise, but wishing won’t make that so.
You prefer ridicule to understanding, even when understanding stands a a chance of getting back lost votes. Ridicule does nothing to help you.
I wasn't aware I was running someone's campaign. I think it's perfectly reasonable to question what kind of motives people have if they don't get behind the Democratic Party in the face of a very radicalized Republican Party that will apparently cast aside all democracy in their will to power. And who have members in their base that constantly talk about civil war and murdering other citizens.
Primaries? Sure, of course. During the general, though? There are only going to be two actual choices.
I do worry that Biden will lose though. He was far from a popular candidate to begin with and his support of Israel's genocide of Palestinians has made him even less so. In many ways the best outcome might be for him to die in office prior to the election or for him to lose the primary. It would hurt the Democrats to have a non-incumbent running, but possibly less than running Biden. The real wildcard though is if Trump will even end up on the ballot considering his legal issues.
I do worry that Biden will lose though.
Good. Everybody should think this. Thinking Trump can't possibly win is how he won in 2016.
We need to behave as if it's a real possibility, even if you feel optimistic about next year.
We need to behave as if it’s a real possibility, even if you feel optimistic about next year.
Party leadership should also be doing this and doing what they can to win voters. Instead, the only message I'm hearing is "if you breathe so much as a word of discontent, it's because you're a Russian troll who wants Trump to be dictator for life."
100% this.
It would hurt the Democrats to have a non-incumbent
If Biden were not on the ballot next year, the Democratic candidate would be Kamala Harris. No mainstream Democrat would challenge her in 2024, the optics would be horrible.
Mmm, I doubt it, even other dems don't like her very much right now
I'd want Gretchen Whitmer to go for it,
Doesn't really matter if she is well liked, no other Democrat will challenge her in 2024. For starters, it is too late to get on the primary ballot.
I feel like in most cases "the incumbent croaked" would suffice as an excuse to get some names on the board, also, maybe Kamala turns out to be the second coming of LBJ, so we'll get some pretty good social programs everyone's gonna forget about eventually, some significant expansions in civil rights, but also entanglement in an unpopular conflict, venturing a guess I'll say defending Somalia Eritrea and Djibouti from invasion by Ethiopia.
Israel is unpopular enough, but being on the side of a dictatorship and a failed state that tries to force its control onto a breakaway that self governs at least better than its former fellow countrymen, all in the name of international law and order, feels like the kind of conflict Kamala would be involved in, and that folks would have misgivings over, most because "why are we sending our troops to defend a dictator?" and that select group everyone loves spouting off how you should withold from voting over it because something something respecting national sovereignty as well as the clear results in favor of independence in a fair referendum run by Ethiopia is colonialism just like how not letting Russia eat neighbors because something something little russians is colonialism.
I feel like in most cases "the incumbent croaked" would suffice as an excuse
Primaries aren't run by excuses, they are run by rules. There are state laws regarding who can get on a ballot, Biden/Harris qualified, and Whitmer did not. Which means that when the primaries roll around, Biden/Harris will be on the state ballots, and Whitmer won't. Which means that throughout the primary season, Biden/Harris will be racking up delegates who are loyal to Biden/Harris.
If anything happens to Biden at this point, his delegates will vote for Harris at the nominating convention. Why? Because they were chosen specifically for that purpose. You only get to be a primary delegate for Biden/Harris 2024 if you are a strong supporter of both Biden and Harris. Specifically if you support them a lot more than Whitmer, Newsom, etc. If you have doubts about either Biden or Harris, then the Biden/Harris campaign will find someone else to be a delegate. All this means Whitmer has no chance at becoming the nominee as long as Harris is still around.
As for the rest: yes, Harris might be a great president. But most people who want a different Democratic candidate do not realize that she is the only alternative for 2024.
The way that talking point gets pushed unusually hard by an unusually dedicated few using the same stupid arguments looks an awful lot like the kind of psyops campaigns I'd see when I was on Reddit during the Trump presidency.
The real long term solution is changing how we vote. Star Voting or some form of Ranked Choice. That's how I respond along with https://fairvote.org so, in case some impressionable soul happens along, they aren't taken in by such silliness. I encourage others to consider doing something similar.
We already learned that lesson - in 2016.
People have no idea how to move the overton window.
Why can't democrats run a better candidate?
Voting is a chess move, not a love letter.
Absconding with that quote.
Ok you're being out played when your best move is vote Biden
Tell me you don't understand how party politics & voting work without telling me you don't understand how party politics & voting work.
"I'm not owned that's just how the game is played"
-person who's totally getting owned
Because the party isn't going to defy the incumbent president. This should be obvious.
It's not obvious, please explain why not. He's worse for their chance of winning.
The why not is that he wants to run again and he's the president. Why do you think the Democrats would say no to him? He's the president.
Those reasons are total dog shit
What do you think happens when you tell a president no? Do you think he says, "okay then, you know best."
In a functioning democracy or in the United States
I think you can figure that out based on everything we've been talking about so far.
They all ran before the 2020 election, people mainly liked Biden. (I voted Bernie). The time to get a better candidate than Biden was then, changing things up would be a huge risk for Democrats and would help Trump (R's can't easily say Biden is insane and take their away their rights, unlike a new candidate which they can say is the bogeyman). This is the exact same reason Trump ran basically unopposed for his 2nd term, its generally the best idea in the US's system vs picking another candidate. If you care about how "bad" Biden is, then vote in the next general and help out the best candidate.
Depends how cynical you feel today.
IMO it's either:
OR
Probably a little of both of those actually. Also, maybe a dash of - boomers are going to control our politics until a bunch more boomer voters and boomer politicians die of old age.
They can and I wish they would, but it's too late this election. Anyone else would have two weeks or so to get on the ballot and get name recognition and get people to like what they're doing. Not really sure that's possible.
My Roman Empire is remembering how the shitheads screamed and yelled denying responsibility on the day Dobbs came down.
Was grocery shopping with my grammy and had to pull the most hemmeroid passingly determined poker face in history to not break out into cursing them and their obvious waste of what privileges they live with to be in the position of treating this like it's teaching the DNC a lesson.
Fucking Priv Shit Vote Karens, every last one of them, "Take me to the party's manager right now or I'll let the fascists take away even more of your rights!"
it's because of people defending biden's atrocities. like, there's more than one person you can run, and most of the options could poll better vs. trump.
Such as?
Biden needs to deliver on at least one campaign promise - be a 1 term President, and drop out of the race now, so we don’t risk the election.
His ego, nor the desires of his donors, are not worth sacrificing democracy.
Your wish is granted.
Is Lemmy really loading whole images when loading a site, even though I can't enlarge them? What a good way to waste data.
what does "reignited the WHO" mean? some of these are so vauge as to be meaningless.
Only on the internet:one side of the argument posts a lengthy list of facts, and the response is simply “fuck all”
unsourced images on a random post in the fediverse
Bottom right of the image literally reads: "List source: whatbidenhasdone.wordpress.com"
The site isn't as thorough with sourcing from there, but they have a blog post with various sources cited, and their twitter account is full of sources for their claims.
No I mean a source that is easily and clearly placed in front of me that I can still complain about not being the “correct” sources. /s
Funnily enough, I already noted in my comment that the wordpress site didn't cite as well as I'd like. They do however have a number of sources for many of their claims (I outlined where you can find those, if you're interested).
The Inflation Reduction Act was a big deal internationally, but I feel like you and I have already talked about it, so I don't want to rehash it.
For everyone else's safe, I'll just say that even though it isn't enough, Biden still achieved a historic level of funding for sustainability with the IRA, to the point that it forced European countries to pass similar legislation so their green energy companies could still be competitive with US green energy companies. I would've preferred to see legislation like this 15-20 years ago, but the second best time is always the present.
The man has kept plenty of campaign promises. Pretending he's done nothing for the American people at every level is just dishonest. People have the right to express bullshit if they choose, and I have an equal right to call it out.
Like which things in particular? Biden has done things, and having an image with BS undermines his actual accomplishments.
Wait, you not only want him to be a one-term president, you don't even want him to finish his term? We get President Harris until 2024?
Your ability to fly has come at the cost of your reading comprehension I see.
Or I wrote that before your edit. You do know people can see when you edit a post on Lemmy, right?
I'm not op, you're not helping your case lol
Ok, I wrote it before OP edited it. Either way, I wrote it first when it said Biden should stop being president and now it's been edited to say something else.
I'm not sure what you think my "case" is.
