Senate January 6th was not a Facebook ad: the 2024 US Presidential Election Thread

Trump has everyone lined up to make a strong closing statement to the American people on his behalf:

RFK Jr. says Trump has 'promised' him 'control of the public health agencies' - ABC News (go.com)

 

No vaccines only worms and parasites.

 

Did I miss something? Is Harris currently President? Did Biden step down knowing that he could not perform his duties? No he didn’t. In fact we have no fricken clue who is running the country. It ain’t Harris we know that.

And I am sorry for being this salty. This election is making me batty. I want both sides to lose for different reasons, while also wrestling with the fact I have a preferred party where I feel like a damn hostage. And both have demonstrated undemocratic actions in the recent past.

 

Glenn Youngkin is truly worse than Trump. But I worry about my state of Virginia.

There's just too many radical right-wing groups based here and, even in NoVa, you get a lot of evangelical chruches and right-wing congregations.

Too entrenched, even as people occasionally rebel by voting against the dominant Republican Party. That's why it's a "purple" state. But the left isn't as organized here as in other states, such as, say, Minnesota or even Wisconsin. There's a good chance that it will be red this year instead of blue. There's just not much of an organized Democratic machine compared to the Republican one in this state. And much of the residents are upper-middle-class suburbanites. Lots of rural and suburban areas. The Republicans care a lot about this election and the Democrats, or Democratic-voters, care too little.

 

This is an extremely dumb equivalence. Choosing not to retire is a personal decision that, even if unwise, is completely within the bounds of legality. Pressuring public officials, trying to incite riots, and sending a lynch mob after someone who didn't do want you want while you kick back to enjoy Diet Coke is a felony. It is blinkered and honestly kind of pathetic if someone really can't figure out which is worse.

 

That's basically what they did in January 6th of 2021.

It wasn't just a riot, too.

It was an insurrection.

 

I get it @InterestingLurker I was the one who argued with my climate group about travelling to Philadelphia to canvas when I thought we could do it here!

I never liked living in VA it's definitely disgusting sometimes. But there's good people too. My neighborhood has 0 Trump signs which is less than 2020 . I don't remember 2016. But neighborhoods around me are probably 5 Harris signs to one Trump. And even one Trump is too many for me! But I have retired military and well off neighbors/friends voting Harris. Keep the faith! Don't lump people into categories. Remember Youngkin lost the midterms.

 

Nicky Jam Walks Back Trump Endorsement: 'Puerto Rico Deserves Respect'
"I renounce any support of Trump," Nicky Jam said in a video Wednesday, a month after he joined Donald Trump onstage at a MAGA rally.

Donald Trump had previously misgendered him as a ‘hot’ woman to introduce him and his endorsement.


Donald Trump misgenders reggaeton star Nicky Jam at rally: 'She's hot'
Reggaeton star Nicky Jam endorsed Donald Trump at a Las Vegas rally over the weekend, but the former president seemingly had no idea who he was.

Just the latest sign that weekend rally in NY did some damage to Trump’s campaign.



Puerto Rico’s biggest newspaper endorses Harris

https://thehill.com/latino/4959998-puerto-rican-newspaper-endorses-harris/

 

@anakinfansince1983, y'see, they saw those books that say, "Everything I Need To Know I Learned In Kindergarten." They figured that was a good plan for everyone, so they can get rid everything after Elementary School and of the DOE.
Just hope and pray they don't see the book "Everything I Need To Know I Learned From My Dog," or all we'll get is a Saturday morning obedience class and a box of snacks.

 

I’m sorry, but at this point this is just callousness. You can have grievances about how the Democratic primary was conducted, but the idea that means Harris is just as disrespectful for the broader democratic system in the United States as Trump, is just absurd.

I understand that people would prefer someone else, but get a grip already. You’re within a hairs breath of an increasingly radicalised fascist re-attaining power and you’re still handwringing about these things. Look at the biggest picture already.

 

No

EDIT: I should elaborate, but there's a reason why we're not seeing "the biggest picture" here because this is just going to happen again. We're going to be having this same debate in 2028 because the same series of events will happen including similar bad decisions from the Democrats and frankly, I'm quitting the ride.

 

Among all these jokes, some dude caught at 1:43 flashing white power.

 

Feeling a bit contrary today?

 

I'm feeling like I'm done with this ride. Which, for the record, I was done in 2016 but we're tired of relitigating 2016 every year. It's not Puerto Rico that's garbage, it's America. And I'm so done with America. We're going to do this every election where I'm yelled at by people who don't know how to persuade others to do what they want because I don't want to vote for someone who wants to keep me exploited than the other person who wants to keep me exploited.

 

Primaries arent a constitutional right, they are privately held by political parties. Are the better for the overall democratic system? Yes. I don't know how it could have possibly worked this year given the time frame though.

I really don't think Harris stepping in for Biden rather than being chosen via primary is worth the time to gripe about. There's a way bigger bone to pick with her: Gaza.

 

Primaries aren't a constitutional right, no. But they do want me to vote for their candidate, so maybe giving a primary is in its best interest.

It's also a demonstration of absolute negligence. They were hoping Biden could hold things together until the election. This is the kind of incompetence that we're putting up to stop fascism.

 

I'm sorry you feel that way. I can see it happening very easily. It is, somewhat, a choice. There are people in the US that are blissfully ignorant. Yes, there's the billboard or the TV / YouTube ad that pops up. Can't avoid those. I've felt like leaving this swamp once or twice, myself.

 

Trump’s 2024 campaign is worse than his 2020 campaign, and that’s saying something. After what he said about Arnold Palmer, I wouldn’t be surprised if he says something off-color about Harris. He told on himself on Sunday night while speaking about his father. But we know that the most recent presidents with daddy issues were Bush and Trump. Bush at least attempted to sound presidential and professional. Trump sounds like a depraved frat boy or high school bully, and his dementia has made it worse.

Bush Jr.: “I’m the worst president in American history, and I say the craziest, most ****ed up **** that makes you lose brain cells.”

Trump be like, “Hold my Diet Coke.”

 

But you don't know that this will happen again. Just as we couldn't predict Trump's rise we can't predict what his fall will be like. If Trump loses again, the GOP will likely have to chuck him. It's hard to win after you're a 2 time loser, and enthusiasm for him is already falling. He's also slowly losing his mind. There's a good chance he won't even be able to run again.

It's true that their far right agenda will continue, but they need a charismatic leader. This has become a cult of personality, and a cult almost always collapses when it loses its leader. Who's going to replace him -- DeSantis, Vivek, Vance?

And Trump, even as he falls deeper into dementia, won't go from the scene quietly. He'll try to maintain his grip of power over the GOP. Like he threatened in 2016, he might run 3rd party. That could split the party in two.

If in 4 years the Dems are still doing Gaza-like crap and it seems like this political cycle will never stop, I would seriously think about sitting out the 2028 election.

But with democracy on the line, the likely permanent reversal of many of the progressive gains of the last century imminent, and the possibility of an unchecked fascist malignant narcissist returning to the White House, I think this is the worst of all times to sit things out.

With a little patience, we may be seeing the GOP on the edge of tearing itself in two after another Trump loss.

Plus, there's the added satisfaction of seeing such a total ******* lose and then have to face Jack Smith in court.

 

I don’t equate the stop the steal / Jan 6 bull**** with what the Democrats have done this election cycle. They are not the same. One is clearly worse.

I will, however, not pretend that this election is a fight for “democracy” when it’s been abhorrently clear for some time that the Democratic Party is not responsive to its voters. The “party” and its elites steer the ship, not its voters. I refuse to accept that just because the opposition is worse we can continue to paper over everything the Democrats and Team Biden have done to jeopardize what should have been an easy win.

• It was clear that Biden was incapable of running in the 2024 campaign for some time now
• They did everything in their power to restrict an open primary process, including kicking off RFK Jr from every ballot they could. The country DID want a choice, and we were not allowed to even have one
• They literally cancelled whole primaries in some states to just choose Biden
• Left leaning media gaslit us all in attempt to persuade us into believing Biden was still capable of performing his duties, even after we all knew the worm had turned
• Then the debate occurred and everyone rushed to kick him out. Both Pelosi and Obama wanted a mini primary and for the winner of this primary to be crowed at the convention, cause they knew how much of a political liability Harris was. Sure she would do better than Biden, but not so much better to ensure a victory
• Biden is STILL in office. So he is OK to continue to perform as president but not good enough to run again? How can we not recognize this as being incredibly incongruent?

The cherry on top of this all is the Biden’s administrations Israel and Ukraine policy which have both been such tremendous blunders it literally frightens me to think Biden is still the one running the show. Now we have Harris claiming Iran is the greatest adversary of the United States? Hmmm, you got the Cheney’s there, wonder what they are cooking up?

The Democrats very likely lost my vote because of all of this, though mostly it was the fact that Harris will just continue the Biden admin’s contributions to the Gaza genocide.

I say likely because everyday I waffle between pulling the lever for Harris or lodging a protest vote. I live in a squarely democratic state with no fear of a Trump win so I have the option not to fret overmuch about the ramifications of my vote, and even with this I am having trouble with my choice.

 

It boils down to the fear that if the US leaves Puerto Rico to its own fate, the loss of billions in federal funds will lead to a lower quality of life standard, and that "communist, socialist countries" like Venezuela and Nicaragua will have undue influence here and we will turn into them, instead of course of thinking we could turn into more productive countries like, say, Costa Rica.

It is a mix of legitimate concerns and Cold War fear mongering.

 

Well there was a “primary” in the sense that I voted uncommitted instead of Biden and then everyone representing that view at the convention got told to pound sand.

 

I hear you, but that wasn't what I was going for.

The Supreme Court back in 2020 made up a rule (along with the "Major Questions" doctrine and other BS they like to invent) that you can't do **** like this too close to an election. Yet SCOTUS just....allowed Glenn Youngkin to do **** like this really close to an election.

That's what has me worried. It may not matter that much in Virginia, but if the Pennsylvania lawsuit goes through, many thousands of likely Democratic votes will have to be tossed. I have little doubt that the Supreme Court will do whatever they can to help that process along.

Also, the "independent state legislature theory"--literally, that state legislatures are supreme when it comes to setting federal election laws and are immune to intervention by any state or federal entity (except SCOTUS, of course)--is back in this case. The Court bounced it before, but there was some sympathy for this viewpoint from Justices Gorsuch and Kavanaugh when it came up last. That does not inspire confidence.

 

Alternately, it's a demonstration of the fact that systems that work by voting usually work by building political alliances and accruing favors over time. This disproportionately favors incumbents, especially those who have been active in politics for a long time. The effect is such that if they want to stay, it's pretty difficult to dislodge them. Rather than trying something with a significant chance of failure, a lot of people just choose to go along with it and wait them out.

That's highly normal behavior that emerges from individual ambition. I don't know why you paint it as some sort of secret pact made at midnight. The truth is this is highly unlikely to occur again in 2028, especially if Trump loses. Kamala Harris will not age 20 years in 4 years and wouldn't have the influence to force her continued presence in power in the same way even if she did. Come on.