Some people will be miserable no matter who is running

  • Blackmist@feddit.uk
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    2 months ago

    Probably, but misogyny and racism is easier to call out than defending an old man who shouldn’t be behind the wheel of a car, let alone a country.

    And Trump is still too damn old, even ignoring the fact that he’s a repugnant human being to boot.

    • zik@lemmy.world
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      2 months ago

      Trump’s very obviously much less mentally competent than Biden. Biden rambled a couple of times. Trump rarely forms a coherent sentence at all.

  • blazera@lemmy.world
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    2 months ago

    I was a major biden naysayer. Id always love more but this was a huge ask that was answered. Lets kick republican ass

  • Catoblepas@lemmy.blahaj.zone
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    2 months ago

    We’re electing a president, not a monarch. Nobody is above criticism, and there’s a weird segment of people who act like criticism from the left exists only to help the right.

    Like, I actually saw someone say we shouldn’t do it because it’s too nuanced for the average voter, and sorry but I don’t do paternalism like that. If reading criticism of how a candidate isn’t far enough left makes you vote further right, that’s a basic political literacy problem.

    • Zachariah@lemmy.world
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      2 months ago

      I mean, we could focus on defeating the GOP and the day after the election results come in start using social pressure to guide our elected officials. If the criticism risks the GOP seizing even more power, it might be counterproductive to your goals even if the criticism is valid.

      • Catoblepas@lemmy.blahaj.zone
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        2 months ago

        Any good faith criticism of the Dem candidate should be obvious in its criticisms that R policies are inherently worse. For example, Harris’ record as DA is worth criticizing, but any bad decisions related to imprisoning people are going to be a million times worse under Trump, as Project 2025 shows.

        • ᗪᗩᗰᑎ@lemmy.ml
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          2 months ago

          Any good faith criticism of the Dem candidate should be obvious in its criticisms that R policies are inherently worse.

          Your argument would be great if we didn’t live in the reality presented below. There are too many people sitting on the fence who legitimately cannot discern between a mediocre candidate and a career conman, criminal rapist. Where you see nuance, others see “she’s no better than Trump”.

          Source: https://web.archive.org/web/20240721200927/https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2024/us/elections/polls-president.html

          I like Harris as much as I like Biden, which is not at all, but the alternative is the very real possibility of the end of America.

          • Catoblepas@lemmy.blahaj.zone
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            2 months ago

            For my money those charts will look very different after the next debate.

            There’s also not a combination of words that’s going to convince me leftists criticizing Dems are going to kill America. Even if Trump gets elected, you are missing every potential lesson if what you take away is “leftists too mean.”

        • Rentlar@lemmy.ca
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          2 months ago

          Exactly this. On this platform and elsewhere, there is a lot of well-meaning criticism but there are many agents of chaos or narrative pushers that disguise themselves as genuine criticism. I try to interact genuinely and give an opportunity to demonstrate that they are looking for a constructive path forward for the party.

      • Queue@lemmy.blahaj.zone
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        2 months ago

        Well, last time we pushed Biden left it was called too soon after election, give them time to form a plan. Form a cabinet, figure out policies.

        Then it was midterms. Questioning the policies for misterm gives Republicans a win. They have to keep these conservative polices set by the last Republican to win over Republican voters.

        Then it’s 2024. Questioning policies is a win for Republicans. They need to win this election, and then we can push them left.

        I’m hoping it ends with a younger nominee.

        • Keanu@lemmynsfw.com
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          2 months ago

          Biden enacted the most left-wing policies of any president in US history. If that’s not enough for you, you won’t be satisfied with anyone who will get elected in the US.

          Vote anyway.

      • Katana314@lemmy.world
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        2 months ago

        It’s a lot easier to criticize the Democratic Party if the GOP is first discarded as useless trash and gets no votes in an election. Then we can decide who among our progressive candidates actually has the best approach forward.

        Yet I keep seeing this thought assumed, that a 100% blue vote would “give them too much unchecked power”. This is the difference: We have a party while the GOP has a person. A bullet 2 inches to the right would have destroyed their whole movement.

    • Socsa@sh.itjust.works
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      2 months ago

      Because when all those people do is criticize Democrats, sabotage outreach efforts, and don’t put any time or effort into defeating fascists, then it is very obvious where they stand.

      Like I get it - huffing farts from time to time is great. But you gotta take a break and mix some productive advocacy and outreach if you actually care about Democracy instead of just smelling farts.

      • iknowitwheniseeit@lemmynsfw.com
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        2 months ago

        Just to point out… many people don’t care about the Democrats, except as a bulwark against the even more right-leaning Republicans. It’s not an institution that they respect and admire, but one they grudgingly tolerate.

        I only joined the party so I could vote for Bernie in the 2016 primaries! 😉

    • brucethemoose@lemmy.world
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      2 months ago

      Maybe I’m super cynical, but does that really matter on Lemmy and the platforms connected to it?

      Like, who’s reading this comment section that’s actually on the fence about going out and voting for a Harris ticket? It has to be a miniscule fraction.

  • Veneroso@lemmy.world
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    2 months ago

    What will the tankies use to justify not voting now?

    Probably her prosecution of Marijuana possession.

  • kromem@lemmy.world
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    2 months ago

    I don’t know.

    I really dislike Harris. She’s probably the bottom of my pick list for the nominee and a Dem President.

    But it’s not like a gaping sore of a liability the way Biden was.

    I’m excited the conversation can finally shift to “Trump fell asleep during his own convention? Doesn’t he seem tired in his speech?”

    I think it being a woman nominee is an interesting newsworthy discussion point at a time when the other party is actively working to harm women - even if she’s the last of the many other qualified women I’d rather see in the position.

    I don’t like her, I don’t like listening to her nonsensical off the cuff statements, I thought she did very poorly in the 2020 campaign, I am anxious about a law enforcement politician as President in a system with too much Presidential power over the Justice department.

    But in spite of all that, I just don’t care enough to push back strongly on her.

    She’s boring in the neoliberal way we’ve gotten used to, but she’s not addled and she’s not a neo-Nazi, and with an interesting VP pick she’s a ticket I could potentially even be excited about four months from now instead of watching her be put into a nursing home as the October surprise.

    I’d love to see an actual competitive open convention, but barring that I’m just going to accept a turd sandwich that’s palatable, as even that seemed like a stretch a week ago, and I’ll take what I can get.

    • abracaDavid@lemmy.today
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      2 months ago

      I don’t like Harris at all. She’s just more status quo. We need big changes. Climate crisis is looming.

      The more salient point though, is that I don’t think she is the candidate to beat Trump. She just isn’t very likable. She’s not inspiring anyone.

      We need someone with some juice to beat Trump. We need a candidate that gets people excited.

      • kromem@lemmy.world
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        2 months ago

        She doesn’t need to be inspiring. She just needs to not be half dead.

        I think people are underestimating just how weak of a candidate Trump has become.

        It just wasn’t really able to be capitalized on because we were doing a whole “the emperor has clothes” thing on the left so the left media couldn’t point out Trump running around naked.

        He’s old and tired. And there’s now 4 months to show him as not only a fascist, but a half dead one that’s meandering and weak.

        He was only able to cosplay as a strongman when his opponent was literally presenting with Parkinson’s. Against a younger person the narrative immediately becomes “old man yells at clouds” and his BS can be rebranded as ‘confused.’

      • Wrench@lemmy.world
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        2 months ago

        I agree. But there’s not enough time to get momentum on any of the other front runners. She has the biggest name without a lot of negativity from Right propaganda (Newsom).

        She’s our candidate. Any kind of run off is going to waste time and probably fragment the party. I’ll vote for Harris. Not as happily as I would even the old and faltering Biden that dropped out. But I’ll fall in line and vote for her, and promote her to others.

        Because it’s our best chance.

  • fantasyocean@lemmy.myserv.one
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    2 months ago

    And I will remain blind to them. America is about to live in the context of the Coconut Lady. (I will support whoever gets the nomination at the end of the DNC.)

    • InternetUser2012@lemmy.today
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      2 months ago

      I would support a steaming pile of Biden’s dogs shit over that old as fuck racist rapist with 34 felonies. VOTE

      • queermunist she/her@lemmy.ml
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        2 months ago

        This attitude almost got Biden nominated, which would have guaranteed a Trump presidency.

        You have to force Democrats to be good enough to actually win.

      • HappycamperNZ@lemmy.world
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        2 months ago

        What policies will this shit provide for the everyday American?

        Its not a convicted felon and has taken 0 human rights away. Vote for the cleanest shit!

  • Cagi@lemmy.ca
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    2 months ago

    Some people think criticizing is the same thing as not supporting.

    If you want things to get better, you have to honestly and critically examine your leaders, not blindly support them and pretend they are flawless. Shutting down criticism is short-sighted nonsense and will only lead to worse candidates in the future.

    • Qwazpoi@lemmy.world
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      2 months ago

      Exactly. Those in the highest positions of power should damn well have criticism. The argument otherwise seems to imply that accountability and transparency have no place in American politics

  • Socsa@sh.itjust.works
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    2 months ago

    I’m sure the Russians already have their list of alliterative agitprop ready to test on .ml before pushing the best ones to prod on Reddit and Facebook.

    • PhlubbaDubba@lemm.ee
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      2 months ago

      I mean just reprint the copmala material from when she was announced as VP pick and you’re golden.

  • AWistfulNihilist@lemmy.world
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    2 months ago

    Thus far I’ve only seen memes over people salty about Biden making the right decision talking about rhetoric switching to Kamala. In fact I’ve seen several now.

    It’s like you want something to push back against so bad you need to make it!

    Edit:

    Yeah I was wrong… Jimmydoreisalefty is spamming anti Kamala memes right when Russia starts their 9-5 shifts like it’s his job… Oh wait

  • TechNerdWizard42@lemmy.world
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    2 months ago

    Another reminder that not everything is black and white to the tribal folk of the USA.

    You are allowed to dislike someone on the basis of their character even if they have a certain skin colour, genitalia, or age.

    • Angry_Autist (he/him)@lemmy.world
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      2 months ago

      Sure would be nice if people realized they are being manipulated, but being we are a stubborn species, pointing it out just makes idiots dig in harder.

    • bostonbananarama@lemmy.world
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      2 months ago

      It’s not a narrative as much as it is a fact. Her approval numbers are pretty terrible. Not insurmountable, but not great.

      • enbyecho@lemmy.world
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        2 months ago

        Her approval numbers are pretty terrible.

        Well, she is an uppity woman, after all.

        /s

        • bostonbananarama@lemmy.world
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          2 months ago

          I know you’re being sarcastic, but I worry that people take that attitude. Some not voting for her because she’s a woman, and then her supporters taking the Hillary Clinton angle that any criticism must be misogyny. All that did was ignore legitimate criticism that pointed out her low approval and failure to speak to her constituents. In the end, Dem voters didn’t turn out.

          • enbyecho@lemmy.world
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            2 months ago

            There is legitimate criticism which is substantive and specific. And then there is the “I don’t know what it is, but there’s something about her I just don’t like” which invariably and (to me at least) is quite obviously a gut reaction against strong-minded, intelligent and bold women.

            Hillary Clinton got both. I’ve yet to see any substantive criticism of Harris… it’s all been in the latter vein. Like literally “she’s just not likable”.

            • bostonbananarama@lemmy.world
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              2 months ago

              I don’t have a criticism of her, but I do have concerns. My biggest concern are the people who won’t vote for her based on her gender or race. As you said, they’ll shroud it in ambiguous statements about just not liking her, but that’ll be the reason for some people.

              As for me, she’s not as centrist as Biden, which is nice, but not as progressive as I’d like to see. But I’ll vote for whomever the nominee is because they’re not Trump. Knowing I’d have to vote for Biden again was bothering me though, he’s given his life to public service, but his time was done, too many concerns.

              • enbyecho@lemmy.world
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                2 months ago

                My biggest concern are the people who won’t vote for her based on her gender or race.

                Agree with you broadly. Yet… this type of concern is exactly why we end up with candidates like Biden. I say at this point pedal to the metal, let’s go all in and make it stick. For me she’s progressive enough given that no electable candidate will be as progressive as I’d like.

    • Zipitydew@sh.itjust.works
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      2 months ago

      There already was one. No one but Biden showed up.

      And no Jill Stein and your buddy Cornel West are still not viable.

      Are you going to flip to bitching about Harris all the time? Most of us know the real reason you’re here even though you won’t admit it.

      • irreticent@lemmy.world
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        2 months ago

        Are you going to flip to bitching about Harris all the time?

        You know he will. His tactics are so obvious.

    • MataVatnik@lemmy.world
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      2 months ago

      This is going to be another talking point “but DiD yOU eLecT her???” When in truth only 2% of the US population votes in the primaries

      • Linkerbaan@lemmy.world
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        2 months ago

        Someone winning an election once and then being in power for the rest of their life.

        What do we call that again

      • Crismus@lemmy.world
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        2 months ago

        I didn’t vote for either in my primary. I chose any other Democrat, like many other people.

        We don’t need another DA/Prosecutor or proponent of prison slavery and ignorer of Police Brutality as President. She was against the Israeli War before this, I wonder if that position will change now.

        Kamala Harris lost badly in the 2020 Primary, so putting everything on her will not do well for us.

        • EnderWiggin@lemmy.world
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          2 months ago

          If you didn’t just vote for her in 2024 then you were never a Biden/Harris voter to begin with, so I’m not really too concerned with your opinion on the matter.

          • iknowitwheniseeit@lemmynsfw.com
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            2 months ago

            I don’t understand your comment. Are you literally telling another Democrat that because they didn’t vote for a Biden/Harris ticket in the Democratic party primaries that their opinion does not matter?

            I hope that I am misreading it this.

      • Linkerbaan@lemmy.world
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        2 months ago

        Plenty. There’s MONTHS before the actual election.

        No other country in the world has “election seasons” lasting an entire year.

    • UnderpantsWeevil@lemmy.world
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      2 months ago

      Can’t do a primary. There’s no time. We only have enough time for a coronation followed by a bunch of people screaming “Vote Blue No Matter Who!”

      • Angry_Autist (he/him)@lemmy.world
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        2 months ago

        I’ve always been fascinated with written correspondence between regular people in early 19th century Germany before the nazis took over, and how the ignorance and delusion of everyday people became the paved road that led hitler to power.

        A lot of them sound exactly like yours.

      • Omega_Man@lemmy.world
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        2 months ago

        It’s not a coronation. You can still vote for Trump, if you think he’s the better choice.

        You have to admit, Joe senility was apparent at the debate.

  • Wrench@lemmy.world
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    2 months ago

    I wonder if all those rampant anti Biden astroturfers are going to create new accounts to dump on Harris, or if they’ll just continue on.