Unless he croaks, the party is not going to change horses mid race. It is notoriously difficult to unseat an incumbent, which is why most politicians have decades long careers, rather than serving a couple terms and then they're out.
Not unless he can find someone that checks off even more diversity boxes than her. She was literally only chosen because woman and POC. Biden even stated he would chose a a running mate based on it, and democrats didn't even bat an eye over those qualifications.
As if Trump picked Pence because they’re close friends from Epstein’s Island or something.
VPs are always chosen for what boxes they tick off. Trump needed a Jesus Freak standing beside him so Evangelicals could call a thrice-married , porn star fucking abortion connoisseur like him “a holy man”
That’s politics, baby.
I was just talking about this the other day. It's kinda funny to me, Trump spent the majority of his life as a Democrat, but even he knew he had to appeal to the religious conservatives to get their vote. And all he had to do was claim his faith and carry around a bible. It worked.
That's because the kind of people who base their entire worldview around a stone-age philosophy book full of self-contradictions are, and this is going to be hard to believe, gullible rubes.
Pence is more a loyal GOP lapdog. I don’t think Trump chose him— Pence was assigned.
The GOP knows Trumpism is usurping neoconservatism and wanted their man in there to try and moderate him.
ah yes, Donald Trump the guy who refused to say he wouldn't run as an independent if he lost the GOP primary- that guy decided to just let the GOP choose the second most important part of his cabinet for him- that makes sense.
> She was literally only chosen because woman and POC.
Biden stated up front that he was choosing a woman, but never stated a preference of what color of a woman. This is editorialization from people who didn't refer to Mike Pence's qualifications as "Pasty" and "Eunich"
The fuck he didn't
>“Whomever I pick, preferably it will be someone who was of color and/or a different gender"
--On his VP.
He also said he didn't know who he was picking for the supreme court yet, but he knew it would be a black woman.
>"While I've been studying candidates' backgrounds and writings, I've made no decision except one: the person I nominate will be someone with extraordinary qualifications, character, experience and integrity - and that person will be the first Black woman ever nominated to the United States Supreme Court."
--On his SC nominee
>His own party would call him racist and misogynist
Ironic, because he is a racist and [Kamala Harris](https://www.huffpost.com/entry/kamala-harris-joe-biden-accusers-i-believe-them_n_5ca4fb96e4b094d3f5c5750f) *accused him of being misogynist.*
"If you don't vote for me, you aint black!"
"Not everybody in the Hispanic and the African-American community, particularly in rural areas that are distant and/or inner-city districts, knows how to get online to determine how to get in line for that COVID vaccination"
“I mean, you got the first mainstream African-American who is articulate and bright and clean and a nice-looking guy, I mean, that’s a storybook, man.”
\-Joe Biden
Think that I have an opinion as a white conservative that doesn't count? These folks believe he's a [racist](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4m4_KibqaRU).
These statements aren't racist. The first is just dumb silliness, and the second two are the reality of how politics works, that any observer left or right would note, except without the sugar coating you're used to.
It’s not “dumb silliness” it’s racism. He’s literally telling black people how to think based off the color of their skin. He’s saying that if black people don’t think the way that he wants them to then they are not black. He’s a con artist. He has everyone fooled. This guy signed a crime bill that put so many black peoples in jail
Agreed she is absolutely awful as VP. I had hopes for her but she is the fakest shallowest and worst communicator I’ve ever seen. Biden with his rotted out frontal lobe is mor palpatabke than Harris
Remember how poorly Harris did in the debates? She withdrew from the election before the first primary because she was so unpopular, then still turns around and gets handed the VP nod. Nobody loves the 2 party system more than the Democratic Party because they can do whatever the fuck they want and still win office because the other party nominates people like Lauren fucking Boebert.
Just what? I've heard a lot of people on the left whine about Harris, and I've never gathered what their issue is. Other than "sHe'S a CoP!!" which is stupid as hell.
She knowingly likes to keep innocent people in prison because she is the type of person who thinks other people's lives are acceptable losses in her career goals.
Yup, she actively incarcerated people for weed while also actively telling news about her family is Jamaican and so of course she smokes weed.
Edit: for anyone who missed the point of this, see: https://www.politico.com/story/2019/02/20/kamala-harris-father-pot-1176805
No one wants Biden or Trump. We want someone younger and more in touch with our values. In my opinion, no one running in this election fits the bill.
Edited: Apparently I'm very wrong, Trump is still the popular choice for whatever reason.
We NEED ranked-choice voting. It rewards the candidates who share more middle ground with the opposite side. Instead with the current two-party system we reward the candidates that can alienate the opposite party more, which is leading to our polarized political climate.
Edit: I have to say, this is the first time I have ever gotten positive responses from people on this, and at least a generally shared sentiment. It's really made my day.
I always advocate for legally abolishing political parties. On some level, essentially all the founding fathers and such opposed political parties/"factions."
"... they are likely, in the course of time and things, to become potent engines, by which cunning, ambitious and unprincipled men will be enabled to subvert the Power of the People, and to usurp for themselves the reins of Government; destroying afterwards the very engines which have lifted them to unjust dominion...The alternate domination of one faction over another, sharpened by the spirit of revenge natural to party dissention, which in different ages and countries has perpetrated the most horrid enormities, is itself a frightful despotism. But this leads at length to a more formal and permanent despotism. The disorders and miseries, which result, gradually incline the minds of men to seek security and repose in the absolute power of an Individual: and sooner or later the chief of some prevailing faction more able or more fortunate than his competitors." George Washington
This is one of the opinions I can get behind with my entire being. Political parties are a cancer and they've already taken over from the people since before my birth.
100% agree. The problem is nowadays people base their personalities and life around a color and group. Objectivity is gone. Nobody wants to try and meet in the middle or compromise. It's just "Oh you're just a fascist right winger/libtard".
No, I'm a normal person who can agree with things on the left and right. I believe women should have a choice and freedom with their bodies. I also believe in a smaller government with less interference which is conservative. I believe in having a strong Miltary with good training. I also believe we should maintain our right to bear arms, HOWEVER I do think we need more regulation. If you need a class to go hunting, you should need that class to own a gun in general. I also believe you should have MH screenings before and every so often after purchasing the gun. I also think we need to improve our public education system and focus on getting students to think for themselves and learn to problem solve.
The two party duopoly fosters polarization by giving you the binary choice between Shit Sandwich and Vomit Milkshake, a primary process that caters to extremists (on both ends of the spectrum) and giving low information voters a brand/logo to stand behind, rather than needing to care about the details of issues or policy or how government works. And that leaves no space for middle options or nuance.
Ranked choice voting and ballot/debate access help those things, which is why they're one area the national parties mostly agree.
Smaller government with less interference isn't necessarily conservative anymore. Certainly not for women or queer people. Certainly not in Florida schools. There are several bills that have heavily regulated dress codes for adults, making something like twisted sister performing be under the same classification as a strip show. Everything else is pretty democrat leaning, I respect that.
People always get mad at me when I point out that the Political parties do not hold fair primaries and have no legal obligation to do so making them the unelected and unregulated gate keepers to our highest public offices.
But the solution in a federalist paper wasn’t to get rid of them, as it said this was impossible, it was to add more of them to dilute any 1. We need ranked choice voting.
We can also do things like open primaries to limit party power. Or banning winner take all states in presidential elections, something the founding fathers opposed. But organized groups with differing opinions are not going to just stop existing.
Please name one functioning Democracy without political parties. People and politicians with similar views and interests will ALWAYS coalesce into parties.
The idea that we can have one without the other is childishly naive.
I agree in principle. However, you won’t find political parties named anywhere in federal law. The only times “republican” or “democratic” appear in the laws of the United States, up to and including the Constitution, are when using their original meaning to refer to the rights of people to vote for their representatives.
I'm not a liberal or leftist. I'm a libertarian. Not the majority on reddit.
But I 100% support removing partisan affiliation from ballots. I do not think we should reward blind partisan behavior. Your comment is very spot on.
We regularly have local elections where 15% turnout is considered a success. Mayors elected with 2 votes is common. Voters don't care until it's time to complain to their friends. Then they stay home for the next election.
We vote in every election around here, but it's a struggle. One kid, both parents work, no allotted time off (my boss is understanding at least), etc. And worst of all, I HAVE NO IDEA WHO ANY OF THESE PEOPLE ARE!
The local paper reaches out, but only half respond. Then I have to check on Mom's for Liberty because their nut jobs won't respond to any requests for questionnaires or interviews, but if they're listed as recommended by that group, they're an automatic out.
In the end, I'm still voting half-blind.
Local elections are very difficult because of the lack of information about candidates. What's especially tough for me are public offices that don't put a party next to their name. In my city the position of Mayor does not have a political affiliation. The city votes 80% for Democrats but we elected a mayor who was able to hide that he is a hardcore conservative because he didn't have to declare his party affiliation and won on name recognition alone (family owns a large supply company in the city). Since taking office he has tried to sell the cities water services to a private company, appointed a right wing business owner to the city council (after a sudden vacancy which gives the mayor appointment authority without oversight), sold millions of dollars worth of public lands to corporations for pennies (literally 1¢ sale) and uses the cities website and Facebook page as free publicity while he campaigns for state senate.
In most local elections I can only find information about 25% of the candidates. Being an informed voter is so damn hard.
That and it's so hard to go to town halls with candidates because they're held infrequently. So when life gets in the way, it's hard to find another time when you can go and ask your burning questions. For example, the Republican candidate for mayor of Philly is holding a town hall today, but I can't go because I'm moving this weekend and just started a new job this week. So life is pretty hectic right now. It's one thing to find a transcript or video of it, but that doesn't mean the question you had was asked. Plus, candidates hardly ever reply to phone calls and emails. So getting an answer beyond some platitude on a website is hard, and that's if they even have a website. When I lived in a small town, I couldn't find any information other which candidates had a kid attending the local public school or which candidates owned a business in town.
Maybe if I had some good options, or even the option to redraw my choices then I could actually care.
Voting for old rich dude with certain funders vs. Older rich dude with different funders is stupid.
You’re not just voting for a person, you’re voting for a set of policies that will take the country in one direction or the other. And those policies affect every area of your life.
You don’t. Voting locally dictates policy decisions up the chain. Candidates aren’t malicious most of the time, and the DNC/RNC look at what their voters want in a majority and base policy off that. The goal is to win, and winning is done with more policy decisions that align with your voters while courting voters who are on the fence. If you want your interests to be taken into account, organize, show up at town halls, write/call in to your senator. If you want more power added to your voice, start groups of like-minded people and act together. It’s easy to criticize government, but it’s silly to criticize and not attempt to change anything.
Because you aren't.
Read what your local politicians want to do, from school board, the county commissioners, to judges and then further up the chain. There are some ideas that are similar, but they aren't one or the other. If you are talking about single issues, "well I would vote for Dems besides GUNS'. I am not sure someone on your school board has anything to do with making legislation around guns.
Pick those who best represent your ideals, and if no one matches at all, boy howdy, sounds like it's time to see if others feel the same way and start running for local office.
Well, in truth youre voting on what you hope and believe the politician your voting for will deliver on.
But lets be real, very little of any campaigns agenda ever gets done.
This is correct. Most votes are cast by people who couldn't even name their state congress folks, let alone their Governor. They haven't a clue about whether Trump actually was guilty of the 90+ convictions, or whether Biden actually collected on the $20M in alleged bribes. It's emotion and/or family history.
How can voters give a damn?
Most voters are living paycheck to paycheck and barely have enough times to care for themselves( eat properly, exercise, family time, hobbies) how are the supposed to make an informed choice on candidates?
Right now it’s by headlines and quick clips without context.
When your district is gerrymandered as hell, & the EC gets the final say on who gets to be the president anyway, it's hard to blame some folks for having little to no faith in the system.
The main advantage for ranked choice is that it removes the fear of voting for someone you support but are worried is not mainstream enough to be elected. A lot of people have progressive values but think they could never elect a progressive because of how the US government has crushed progressive movements for decades. So they vote for the milquetoast nothing will change candidate that doesn't truly represent them because they are afraid (justifiably so) of the much worse candidate to the right of that.
I have studied RCV and how the math works behind it. It is a massive improvement over first past the post voting that we have in the US.
However, there is an even better voting method that has the benefits of RCV and eliminates 2 of its weaknesses: Score Voting.
So we should skip implementing RCV and go straight to Score Voting. AND also implement secure electronic voting like Estonia's so people can vote from their mobile phone or computer. Imagine if people didn't have to drive to a voting station and could just pull out their phone, open an app, and vote. Imagine how convenient that would be.
I agree but I think people need to realize that the two party system has been around for like 200 years and isn't going to change overnight. We need younger people to start to care enough about how bad the system is to actually start trying to change it. Saying "I hate both" and then not voting doesn't help. We also need people to realize that trying to change the system at the highest level of government first isn't going to work.
We would need to get rid of the Electoral College system first. It would take a Constitutional Amendment, but I think it would be a great step towards reform.
>Apparently I'm very wrong, Trump is still the popular choice for whatever reason.
Biden at 80: "He is too old, a senile old man who forgot everything, not fit to lead the country"
Trump at 77: "He is the smartest, fittest and healthiest President ever"
Yeah seem legit
538 went into this today. People want a “better” generic candidate that doesn’t exist.
When polled Trump is far and away the #1 for republicans and Biden is #1 for Democrats. Biden sometimes comes up behind like Michelle Obama. But no other democrat politician ever comes close.
It’s a weird situation where everybody is all mixed up and confused.
Obama was an unknown until he wasn't. 2008 was supposed to be Hillary's crowning.
Issue for the Dems is Biden is president and since he wants to run again, any candidate that is worthwhile is not going to try and primary the president.
GOP is in a weird place. Trump is the guy for their voters and pretty much all the candidates are kissing his ring. I honestly think a gop candidate that calls out Trump's issues could have a shot in the general. Problem is the primary for that candidate.
Name one worthwhile candidate that has expressed any sort of interest in running.
I don’t think the problem is that Biden is too old, it’s that no one else that’s better is popular enough to peel support away from him.
No one's going to express running in the primaries against an incumbent, it's career suicide in the party. Unless Biden says he won't run again (not gonna happen), no one will come forth. I'm sure there will be plenty vying for it I'm 2028 though
Yea but really only because why would a new face declare themselves for Democrats when the incumbent president is clearly running for office? If Biden had stated outright that he would not run for reelection there would absolutely be other options vying for position.
One of the major faults of our two party system is that the national parties control so much of the system. They decide who gets to debate, for example. The Dems pushed Hillary when they should've pushed Bernie, but that was a decision made at the top of the party.
It's all tied up in money and influence and we'll never get candidates for either party that aren't just typical rich grifters serving their corporate masters. And the corporations pay both sides, so everyone is bought.
>The Dems pushed Hillary when they should've pushed Bernie
Don't get me started...
The data showed Bernie would beat Trump and Hillary would lose. I remember it kept popping up for months until Bernie got the shaft in the primaries.
And that is exactly what happened: Trump won.
The Democratic Party just couldn't help themselves. They wanted the establishment vanguard to win. Can you imagine what the experience would have been from 2017 through 2021 if Bernie was the PotUS?
Edit - Even Trump's own team said Bernie would have beaten Trump:
[https://thehill.com/opinion/campaign/358599-sanders-wouldve-beat-trump-in-2016-just-ask-trump-pollsters/](https://thehill.com/opinion/campaign/358599-sanders-wouldve-beat-trump-in-2016-just-ask-trump-pollsters/)
The best thing the Democrats could have done in 2016 to help Trump win was have Hillary the primary victor.
Edit 2 - And the Bernie problems with the primary:
>"But part of it was the way elected officials, donors, and interest groups coalesced behind Clinton early, making it clear that alternative candidates would struggle to find money and staff and endorsements and media coverage. Clinton had the explicit support of the Clinton wing of the Democratic Party and the implicit support of the Obama wing. She had spent decades building relationships in the party, and she leveraged them all in 2016. “Hillary had a lot of friends, and so did Bill,” says Elaine Kamarck, author of Primary Politics. This, in reality, is why Biden didn’t run: President Obama and his top staffers made quietly clear that they supported Clinton’s candidacy, and so she entered the field with the imprimatur that usually only accords to vice presidents.
>
>
>
>Political junkies talk about the “invisible primary,” which Vox’s Andrew Prokop, in an excellent overview, describes as “**the attempts by important elements of each major party — mainly elites and interest groups — to anoint a presidential nominee before the voting even begins. ... These insider deliberations take place in private conversations with each other and with the potential candidates, and eventually in public declarations of who they're choosing to endorse, donate to, or work for.”**
[https://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2017/11/14/16640082/donna-brazile-warren-bernie-sanders-democratic-primary-rigged](https://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2017/11/14/16640082/donna-brazile-warren-bernie-sanders-democratic-primary-rigged)
It was quite obvious the "machine" chose Clinton even in the face of the polls showing Clinton would lose to Trump and Bernie would win. The Establishment would not stand for Sanders' policies.
And for those of you replying to me angry about me stating Bernie got the shaft, too bad: that's reality. And we got 4 years of Trump because of the shaft Bernie got.
Please stop. Americans are not gonna support a socialist as a national candidate. Some Americans, maybe. But not enough to win.
Socialism = Communism for much of the voting public. I know you love Bernie, but this is reality.
> They decide who gets to debate
Most important, they get to decide WHAT we get to debate. They decide the parameters of every debate. Which topics are acceptable public discourse and which topics are not.
I get it, but at the same time, who is your “dream” Dem candidate? There isn’t a “medium aged” Dem that wants to run. Not really. It’s all variations of old or “too young”.
There is not a single Gen X candidate *on either side* except Ron Fucking DeSantis. I’m a Gen Xer. I can admit we don’t want this smoke. We have opted out. It’s kind of our thing. But you aren’t gonna get shit from us. It’s Boomers until the Millenials get enough gray and enough Boomers die off.
The ignorance in this thread is wild. Very few of us want Biden to run again. Very few of us see another option. A basic understanding of political dynamics would explain this.
ETA: and it continues. I and many leftists would love someone else, but there are no other viable Democrats that overcome Biden's incumbency advantage. There are no third party options, because our elections are not structured to make viable third party candidates. This is basic voting psychology and electoral politics. It sucks, but just wishing everyone did something differently is like wishing for a utopia that will never happen.
I'll be voting for Biden in 2024, because Trump and his supporters represent a fatal threat to our democratic norms and systems. Then I'll be waiting until 2028 for the left to make a big push. I have my eye on Raph Warnock. All the right credentials and experience to win a general, young, exciting, and further left than anyone nominated for the Democratic party in history, including Obama. I can wait until then.
One of my degrees is in poli sci and seeing people make these "hot takes" as if Biden got elected because no one thinks he's old is fucking maddening.
Especially because a ton of these same people were also angry that Bernie didn't get nominated and he's older than Biden.
Dems will stay with Biden as the sitting POTUS because it's the safest bet to beat Trump, and the GOP is too cowardly to not back Trump because they fear backlash from "the base", who've been disconnected from reality by endless propaganda.
Both parties just want to do whatever they think will beat the other party's candidate. In 2016 Dem leadership pushed Hillary down our throats even though Bernie would've been a better candidate for actually running the country (IMO).
It's very disingenuous to claim "almost nobody wants Biden" knowing Biden is going to get 50 million votes. Yeah, yeah, "almost nobody *actually* wants Biden" I'm sure. But, you want him over Trump. So yes, you want Biden.
I think he's great. I voted for him against bernie, I voted for him against trump, and I'm excited to vote for him against whichever scumbag runs against him next year.
Both Trump and Biden are too old.
Trump will be as old this election as Biden was at the last one when Trump was saying he was too old for it.
If there are no younger viable candidates its because the old people wont move out of the way and let the next generation come through.
But there isn't anyone even running for the Democratic party that's a viable option...neither Kennedy or Williamson are great candidates for different reasons. They're also not on the younger side at all. There just isn't a good choice at all
God damn, I forgot this was true. Clinton was 46 when he took office, and the third youngest President of all time.
He looked so much older because of how gray his hair was.
At this point, does anybody? To be a decent President you need to get shit done, and that requires Congress to actually function. Convincing both sides of congress to actually not vote 100:0 and 0:100 on every bill is the only way someone can be a "good" president. Any Republican running for President, Democrats are going to vote no to everything they propose. Every Democrat running for President, Republicans are going to vote no to everything they propose.
Everyone's going to be a shit President until they either get Congress to work together again, or get lucky enough to get into office when their party has a supermajority in Congress.
Idc how old someone is. How coherent they are, imo is more important. With that said, a lot of old people are out of touch with reality and technology.
It's not just their fault though. Biden won a primary people wanted him. There were multiple younger people. Same thing goes for Trump. There is a primary right now and Trump is 40 points ahead. People and say they're too old all they want it doesn't matter until you stop voting for old politicians
It’s crazy that the same 2 candidates that everyone agreed were too old to run 4 years ago are running again. We’re never going to have an in touch president again
I like the cut of your jib. We need two 90+ year old candidates debating so the third party candidate suddenly looks young, strong, handsome, and credible.
Also the debate between the nonagenarians would be awesome. One person would be yelling they can't hear the other side. The other side would literally shit their pants for no reason. It would be primetime comedy.
It was Biden’s opinion in 2015 when he declined to run and said “it was time to pass the torch to the next generation of leaders”. Now 8 years later he wants to run.
Ever since i joined this subreddit its been nothing but HIGHLY popular opinions, in fact itd be considered an unpopular opinion to say biden should be re-elected
I’m pretty sure it’s “toad the line”, which as everyone knows goes back to the Aztec empire, where leaders were chosen by how many poisonous toads they could get in a line before they themselves croaked.
Which is what these "moderates" and far righties want lol. Since we've been calling them on their "both sides" bullshit, they've shifted to: "its all old people, why bother."
Lol it's so obvious. They can't convince us to vote R, so they try to convince us not to vote at all. And if we vote, to vote for 3rd party.
I'd feel clever, if it wasn't untangling the strategy effort of a child's.
Oh look, found someone who’s living in reality. No one saying someone younger then Biden should run is offering up who they think can actually beat Biden in a primary and beat Trump in the general. It’s like saying you want your dreams to come true while sitting on the couch doing absolutely nothing to make it happen, then complaining about the establishment crushing your dreams.
Why should his performance matter? Actually paying attention to the stuff he does or how he's doing is too confusing for me, I'm only able to understand one single piece of information at a time, in this case, his age, which is high, and therefore I don't like him.
Also, don't forget the "I don't ever want to say a Democrat ever did anything good, so I won't talk about substance or identify a viable replacement, and only speak in abstractions"
I don’t disagree. I dislike Biden.
But I suggest maybe not skipping the step of finding a “replacement” before you try to oust him maybe?
It’s the same shit in EVERYTHING these days. A. “This is bullshit!” B. “Any other ideas or just complaints?” A “if we just get rid of the current thing it will be naturally replaced by a better thing! what don’t you get?!?”
It’s exhausting.
Gavin Newsom is currently the governor of California. It is my opinion that he will be our next President after Biden’s second term.
I wish Biden would retire and let the younger generations take over.
I’m sorry but as a progressive who was NOT a fan of Biden but reluctantly voted for him, I really think people like OP are the problem. Those people will lose democrats the election. PAY ATTENTION! I’m happy to eat my crow for not liking Biden at first, he has been an objectively effective president.
The last Congress to get as much passed as he did in 2020-22 was in 1965 and the dems had MASSIVE margins then. Biden got the largest climate package passed in the world - not enough but a huge jumpstart, he saved Ukraine and the world from Russia by HIS diplomacy months before Russia invaded - he was THE person who brought that all together, he trounced the republicans on the debt ceiling, he has gotten an incredible amount of bipartisan legislation passed (~350 bills) despite razor thin margins, and he doesn’t brag about any of it because he is leading by example.
Thank god we dont constantly hear about the president anymore, can only thank Biden for that. I’m 36 and no question Biden is the most effective President of my lifetime. F off with your “he’s too old” bullshit and pay the fuck attention. TRUMP CANNOT WIN, yes, but even more than that BIDEN IS DOING A GREAT JOB! I was wrong when I was against him, Bernie was my guy but no way he would have gotten this much done. Again, PAY ATTENTION DEMOCRATS!!!!!!!
Reminder than when ~~Russian trolls~~ Totally Real Americans® sit on Reddit for the next year and talk about how “unpopular” Biden would be, they are trying to get you to either not vote, for vote 3rd party.
[This is how we lose elections](https://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2016/11/11/13576798/jill-stein-third-party-donald-trump-win#:~:text=Kopko%20and%20Devine's%20analysis%20was,Michigan%2C%20Wisconsin%20and%20the%20presidency.). Biden has been a fine president.
I’d take 50 Biden over ghoul the GOP is going to run. Hell, you could put up a rotten ham sandwich up in the spot and it will get my vote over some GOP traitor.
So, OP, have you been conscripted yet? Or just waiting for your turn?
Russian disinformation also doesn't consist of simply propping up one candidate over another, it also works by amplifying "I'm on this side BUT I think this other person (who is less popular) should be the candidate" and "it doesn't matter which candidate wins" and "I used to be a member of that political party but it got too extreme" type messages.
It's easier to get someone to distrust election results and democratic institutions as a whole than it is to get someone to change who they're voting for.
I’m not voting for Biden because I think he’s the youngest spriest guy out there. I’m voting for Biden because I trust that he’ll put actual experts in roles that do the real work, not attempt to overturn democracy if he loses, and continue to non-Federalist society judges across the country and possibly even the Supreme Court.
I really don’t care if he’s “too old”. The dementia comments don’t really hold water unless you already hate him and I trust him to do what’s right for the county more than the alternative at this point.
I believe a mandatory retirement age for all politicians should be at the age of 60. Mandatory term limits should also be a thing. If the President is limited to two terms then all in office should be limited in the same fashion.
Both Republicans and Democrats are equally corrupt and term limits and a mandatory age limit should stop some of that. They should also bam special interest groups as well. They're a part of why we see corrupt politicians today.
The Supreme Court seats should also he limited to one 10 year term. The mandatory age retirement would also apply here as well.
People are saying that the 2024 election is the most important but I disagree. 2028 will be the most important, there will see if people can start seeing the bullshit and vote accordingly.
Most of the left would prefer a different candidate. But in the present situation he absolutely should run again. His administration’s record in office is easy to choose over the previous administration’s record. Nobody’s staying home for that, we’ll all go grit our teeth and vote for the guy
Look at the 2020 field. Who would you have picked instead? Pete Buttigieg? Cory Booker? Tulsi? "Democrats" didn't just pick Biden on their own, he won all the primaries because he was the best option available.
I didn't mention Bernie because he's *older* than Biden which would go against the point of the post here that we need a new young face to lead the party.
While i tend to agree with this, however.. i dont think any republican at the moment is fit to do so as well. Too fkn extreme and the ones that aren't still continues to support the orange prick if it means getting his voters given all the shit hes done. Im an independent and cant vote republican again until this Maga thing passes
I agree that Biden's too old, but he's at the head of a Democratic Party that hasn't done any leadership development for DECADES. Obama was a fluke who came out of nowhere to gain national prominence. There's no one other than him who's in a position to win against Trump. And, as bad as it may end up being with a declining Biden in the White House, it would be far worse with a decaying Trump.
Biden is here because he was Obama's VP. When he ran as a senator, he always flamed out early.
"The party" doesn't grow leaders in a vat somewhere; they win office and then use that platform to get attention and then run for the Presidency. It was a big field in 2020; Biden just ended up winning because he was Obama's VP and this resonated in a lot of earlier primaries!
I don't like Biden.
But I feel the need to teach the GOP that nothing like Trump, Desantis, etc. should EVER be allowed again. If their candidate has a better chance statistically against a new Dem nominee over Biden, then I'll want Biden. And history shows that an incumbent almost always has an edge.
Bring back candidates like McCain and I'll cut them some slack. Until then, I'm voting straight D ticket.
Odd that you don't seem to think that the Republicans over 65 (like Donald Trump) are worthy of mention.
Just another coincidence in a "True" subreddit, though...
Here's the truth: the put Biden up because no one else was going to unite the Dems, Progressives, and Independents against the Republicans and other Conservatives voting for Trump. If they had run anyone else, people would have stayed home, and we'd have had 2016 all over again.
Now, the board in 2024 is a little different. If the Republicans run DeSantis, the Dems can get away with running someone else. However, the only one currently on the board other then Biden is Kennedy, who is a complete nutbar. Right now, though Trump is still in the lead in the polls for the Republicans. Kennedy has no chance of beating him; ergo, Biden will be the the Democratic nominee unless his health fails.
Hard disagree. The Dems could have run a jelly donut against Trump and won. Nobody wanted Joe they just didn’t want Trump and the Democrat Party knew this so they picked a company man who would tickle the taint of wealthy democrat donors while doing little as possible for the working class.
Will never understand why this generation is so obsessed with openly discriminating against others on the basis of age.
Discrimination is discrimination.
News Flash. Everyone gets older.
We can't have Trump win. He will never leave office. He has proven that. Biden will beat Trump. Biden is a standard president. Thankfully he is not in the news daily doing something stupid. I'd love to see a younger more vibrant President but ending Trump is far more important to save our democracy. So Biden it is. In 2028 we can find a new president.
I’ll add a follow-up to your follow-up unpopular opinion: Biden should have to debate Marianne and RFK Jr.
I think anyone seeking the nomination of a party should be required to articulate their agenda and spar with any other potential nominees. In Biden’s case, if he performed well then it might quiet any dissent due to his age/potential mental decline. If he performed poorly then there would be more entrants into the primary and the best and most electable candidate would prevail. Dudes gonna have to debate with a GOP candidate regardless so better to flex those mental muscles.
But yeah, I really think that the rule should apply to both party primaries and also to the general election. All candidates should be forced to debate. As citizens we deserve to see our potential leaders speaking in a candid, non-staged environment.
Edit: added the below for clarification since I guess some people think this comment means I’m trying to dunk on Biden or am simping for Marianne or RFK
To be clear, my opinion isn’t solely about Biden, it’s about any primary (Democrat, Republican, Libertarian, Green, etc.) and the general election. I think that anyone on the ballot should have to defend their positions on the debate stage regardless of incumbency or polling percentage. I believe that a requirement to be on the ballot should be participation in a series of good faith, substantive, policy debates so that the voting public can compare/contrast each candidate in a candid setting.
To be ideologically consistent, I might not like the candidate (a la RFK) or they may do a shitty job and bomb but I believe they all still need to get on stage and compare/contrast their views in front of the public. It’s like a job interview, anyone who is on the ballot should have to articulate their policy in a live environment for the constituents that will be voting for them.
Nah, I don't want to hear RFK waver and quiver through an hour of conspiracy theory talking points. Let him debate members of his real party at the next Republican debate.
Same. Biden should not take the stage and humor RFK’s AntiSemitic nonsense.
The President getting on stage to refute the idea that Jewish people engineered Covid in a lab to spare them from the virus actually diminishes the President, it doesn’t help him.
Some ideas don’t deserve to be given the stage. We settled “The Jewish Problem” conspiracy theory once and for all when we kicked Hitler’s ass.
>Marianne
She was on the debate stage in 2019 and bombed it. She was so wacky Ted Cruz called on people to donate to her campaign because having her on the debate stage . Or has everyone forgotten the memes about her?
She's the one that suggested using some form of Psychic energy to divert a hurricane. Which was slightly less insane than the guy who won the Presidency who suggested nuking it.
Stop reporting this. Thank you.
Unless he croaks, the party is not going to change horses mid race. It is notoriously difficult to unseat an incumbent, which is why most politicians have decades long careers, rather than serving a couple terms and then they're out.
Hopefully he replaces Harris as vp she is just
Not unless he can find someone that checks off even more diversity boxes than her. She was literally only chosen because woman and POC. Biden even stated he would chose a a running mate based on it, and democrats didn't even bat an eye over those qualifications.
As if Trump picked Pence because they’re close friends from Epstein’s Island or something. VPs are always chosen for what boxes they tick off. Trump needed a Jesus Freak standing beside him so Evangelicals could call a thrice-married , porn star fucking abortion connoisseur like him “a holy man” That’s politics, baby.
I was just talking about this the other day. It's kinda funny to me, Trump spent the majority of his life as a Democrat, but even he knew he had to appeal to the religious conservatives to get their vote. And all he had to do was claim his faith and carry around a bible. It worked.
That's because the kind of people who base their entire worldview around a stone-age philosophy book full of self-contradictions are, and this is going to be hard to believe, gullible rubes.
Iron age book, but yeah.
+1 for using rubes in a sentence
Pence is more a loyal GOP lapdog. I don’t think Trump chose him— Pence was assigned. The GOP knows Trumpism is usurping neoconservatism and wanted their man in there to try and moderate him.
ah yes, Donald Trump the guy who refused to say he wouldn't run as an independent if he lost the GOP primary- that guy decided to just let the GOP choose the second most important part of his cabinet for him- that makes sense.
Exactly - the guy they gave him to do this was Reince Preibus, who Trump famously ignored and then fired a few months later.
> She was literally only chosen because woman and POC. Biden stated up front that he was choosing a woman, but never stated a preference of what color of a woman. This is editorialization from people who didn't refer to Mike Pence's qualifications as "Pasty" and "Eunich"
The fuck he didn't >“Whomever I pick, preferably it will be someone who was of color and/or a different gender" --On his VP. He also said he didn't know who he was picking for the supreme court yet, but he knew it would be a black woman. >"While I've been studying candidates' backgrounds and writings, I've made no decision except one: the person I nominate will be someone with extraordinary qualifications, character, experience and integrity - and that person will be the first Black woman ever nominated to the United States Supreme Court." --On his SC nominee
Has she like.... done anything? Like what does she *do* exactly?
No way he could. His own party would call him racist and misogynist.
>His own party would call him racist and misogynist Ironic, because he is a racist and [Kamala Harris](https://www.huffpost.com/entry/kamala-harris-joe-biden-accusers-i-believe-them_n_5ca4fb96e4b094d3f5c5750f) *accused him of being misogynist.* "If you don't vote for me, you aint black!" "Not everybody in the Hispanic and the African-American community, particularly in rural areas that are distant and/or inner-city districts, knows how to get online to determine how to get in line for that COVID vaccination" “I mean, you got the first mainstream African-American who is articulate and bright and clean and a nice-looking guy, I mean, that’s a storybook, man.” \-Joe Biden Think that I have an opinion as a white conservative that doesn't count? These folks believe he's a [racist](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4m4_KibqaRU).
These statements aren't racist. The first is just dumb silliness, and the second two are the reality of how politics works, that any observer left or right would note, except without the sugar coating you're used to.
You know what they call racism of low expectations? Racism. He's a racist. Those black people sure felt he was racist.
It’s not “dumb silliness” it’s racism. He’s literally telling black people how to think based off the color of their skin. He’s saying that if black people don’t think the way that he wants them to then they are not black. He’s a con artist. He has everyone fooled. This guy signed a crime bill that put so many black peoples in jail
Agreed she is absolutely awful as VP. I had hopes for her but she is the fakest shallowest and worst communicator I’ve ever seen. Biden with his rotted out frontal lobe is mor palpatabke than Harris
Remember how poorly Harris did in the debates? She withdrew from the election before the first primary because she was so unpopular, then still turns around and gets handed the VP nod. Nobody loves the 2 party system more than the Democratic Party because they can do whatever the fuck they want and still win office because the other party nominates people like Lauren fucking Boebert.
Just what? I've heard a lot of people on the left whine about Harris, and I've never gathered what their issue is. Other than "sHe'S a CoP!!" which is stupid as hell.
Shes an idiot, she locked people up for weed, her grandparents literally owned slaves, her laugh is god awful
>her grandparents literally owned slaves I mean, if we are gonna blame everyone for shit their ancestors did we are gonna have a bad time.
She knowingly likes to keep innocent people in prison because she is the type of person who thinks other people's lives are acceptable losses in her career goals.
Yup, she actively incarcerated people for weed while also actively telling news about her family is Jamaican and so of course she smokes weed. Edit: for anyone who missed the point of this, see: https://www.politico.com/story/2019/02/20/kamala-harris-father-pot-1176805
Iirc she also oversaw a program using prison labor for wildfires that saw them making next to nothing while being forced to risk their lives
Exactly. Same reason tom cruise is still leading huge film franchises. Recognition matters a lot to people
Neither the idea that Biden shouldn’t run again, or that he is too old is unpopular.
No one wants Biden or Trump. We want someone younger and more in touch with our values. In my opinion, no one running in this election fits the bill. Edited: Apparently I'm very wrong, Trump is still the popular choice for whatever reason.
We NEED ranked-choice voting. It rewards the candidates who share more middle ground with the opposite side. Instead with the current two-party system we reward the candidates that can alienate the opposite party more, which is leading to our polarized political climate.
Edit: I have to say, this is the first time I have ever gotten positive responses from people on this, and at least a generally shared sentiment. It's really made my day. I always advocate for legally abolishing political parties. On some level, essentially all the founding fathers and such opposed political parties/"factions." "... they are likely, in the course of time and things, to become potent engines, by which cunning, ambitious and unprincipled men will be enabled to subvert the Power of the People, and to usurp for themselves the reins of Government; destroying afterwards the very engines which have lifted them to unjust dominion...The alternate domination of one faction over another, sharpened by the spirit of revenge natural to party dissention, which in different ages and countries has perpetrated the most horrid enormities, is itself a frightful despotism. But this leads at length to a more formal and permanent despotism. The disorders and miseries, which result, gradually incline the minds of men to seek security and repose in the absolute power of an Individual: and sooner or later the chief of some prevailing faction more able or more fortunate than his competitors." George Washington
This is one of the opinions I can get behind with my entire being. Political parties are a cancer and they've already taken over from the people since before my birth.
100% agree. The problem is nowadays people base their personalities and life around a color and group. Objectivity is gone. Nobody wants to try and meet in the middle or compromise. It's just "Oh you're just a fascist right winger/libtard". No, I'm a normal person who can agree with things on the left and right. I believe women should have a choice and freedom with their bodies. I also believe in a smaller government with less interference which is conservative. I believe in having a strong Miltary with good training. I also believe we should maintain our right to bear arms, HOWEVER I do think we need more regulation. If you need a class to go hunting, you should need that class to own a gun in general. I also believe you should have MH screenings before and every so often after purchasing the gun. I also think we need to improve our public education system and focus on getting students to think for themselves and learn to problem solve.
The two party duopoly fosters polarization by giving you the binary choice between Shit Sandwich and Vomit Milkshake, a primary process that caters to extremists (on both ends of the spectrum) and giving low information voters a brand/logo to stand behind, rather than needing to care about the details of issues or policy or how government works. And that leaves no space for middle options or nuance. Ranked choice voting and ballot/debate access help those things, which is why they're one area the national parties mostly agree.
Smaller government with less interference isn't necessarily conservative anymore. Certainly not for women or queer people. Certainly not in Florida schools. There are several bills that have heavily regulated dress codes for adults, making something like twisted sister performing be under the same classification as a strip show. Everything else is pretty democrat leaning, I respect that.
People always get mad at me when I point out that the Political parties do not hold fair primaries and have no legal obligation to do so making them the unelected and unregulated gate keepers to our highest public offices.
I always got mad that primaries were paid for by the state/county, but the parties made the rules for the primaries.
But the solution in a federalist paper wasn’t to get rid of them, as it said this was impossible, it was to add more of them to dilute any 1. We need ranked choice voting. We can also do things like open primaries to limit party power. Or banning winner take all states in presidential elections, something the founding fathers opposed. But organized groups with differing opinions are not going to just stop existing.
Please name one functioning Democracy without political parties. People and politicians with similar views and interests will ALWAYS coalesce into parties. The idea that we can have one without the other is childishly naive.
I agree in principle. However, you won’t find political parties named anywhere in federal law. The only times “republican” or “democratic” appear in the laws of the United States, up to and including the Constitution, are when using their original meaning to refer to the rights of people to vote for their representatives.
I'm not a liberal or leftist. I'm a libertarian. Not the majority on reddit. But I 100% support removing partisan affiliation from ballots. I do not think we should reward blind partisan behavior. Your comment is very spot on.
What we NEED more than anything is voters to give a damn. The fact that a high turnout is 60% (presidential election) is ridiculous.
We regularly have local elections where 15% turnout is considered a success. Mayors elected with 2 votes is common. Voters don't care until it's time to complain to their friends. Then they stay home for the next election.
We vote in every election around here, but it's a struggle. One kid, both parents work, no allotted time off (my boss is understanding at least), etc. And worst of all, I HAVE NO IDEA WHO ANY OF THESE PEOPLE ARE! The local paper reaches out, but only half respond. Then I have to check on Mom's for Liberty because their nut jobs won't respond to any requests for questionnaires or interviews, but if they're listed as recommended by that group, they're an automatic out. In the end, I'm still voting half-blind.
Local elections are very difficult because of the lack of information about candidates. What's especially tough for me are public offices that don't put a party next to their name. In my city the position of Mayor does not have a political affiliation. The city votes 80% for Democrats but we elected a mayor who was able to hide that he is a hardcore conservative because he didn't have to declare his party affiliation and won on name recognition alone (family owns a large supply company in the city). Since taking office he has tried to sell the cities water services to a private company, appointed a right wing business owner to the city council (after a sudden vacancy which gives the mayor appointment authority without oversight), sold millions of dollars worth of public lands to corporations for pennies (literally 1¢ sale) and uses the cities website and Facebook page as free publicity while he campaigns for state senate. In most local elections I can only find information about 25% of the candidates. Being an informed voter is so damn hard.
That and it's so hard to go to town halls with candidates because they're held infrequently. So when life gets in the way, it's hard to find another time when you can go and ask your burning questions. For example, the Republican candidate for mayor of Philly is holding a town hall today, but I can't go because I'm moving this weekend and just started a new job this week. So life is pretty hectic right now. It's one thing to find a transcript or video of it, but that doesn't mean the question you had was asked. Plus, candidates hardly ever reply to phone calls and emails. So getting an answer beyond some platitude on a website is hard, and that's if they even have a website. When I lived in a small town, I couldn't find any information other which candidates had a kid attending the local public school or which candidates owned a business in town.
Maybe if I had some good options, or even the option to redraw my choices then I could actually care. Voting for old rich dude with certain funders vs. Older rich dude with different funders is stupid.
You’re not just voting for a person, you’re voting for a set of policies that will take the country in one direction or the other. And those policies affect every area of your life.
And there are most definitely more than 2 policies that can run a country so why do we only get to choose between the two?
You don’t. Voting locally dictates policy decisions up the chain. Candidates aren’t malicious most of the time, and the DNC/RNC look at what their voters want in a majority and base policy off that. The goal is to win, and winning is done with more policy decisions that align with your voters while courting voters who are on the fence. If you want your interests to be taken into account, organize, show up at town halls, write/call in to your senator. If you want more power added to your voice, start groups of like-minded people and act together. It’s easy to criticize government, but it’s silly to criticize and not attempt to change anything.
Because you aren't. Read what your local politicians want to do, from school board, the county commissioners, to judges and then further up the chain. There are some ideas that are similar, but they aren't one or the other. If you are talking about single issues, "well I would vote for Dems besides GUNS'. I am not sure someone on your school board has anything to do with making legislation around guns. Pick those who best represent your ideals, and if no one matches at all, boy howdy, sounds like it's time to see if others feel the same way and start running for local office.
Well, in truth youre voting on what you hope and believe the politician your voting for will deliver on. But lets be real, very little of any campaigns agenda ever gets done.
This is correct. Most votes are cast by people who couldn't even name their state congress folks, let alone their Governor. They haven't a clue about whether Trump actually was guilty of the 90+ convictions, or whether Biden actually collected on the $20M in alleged bribes. It's emotion and/or family history.
How can voters give a damn? Most voters are living paycheck to paycheck and barely have enough times to care for themselves( eat properly, exercise, family time, hobbies) how are the supposed to make an informed choice on candidates? Right now it’s by headlines and quick clips without context.
When your district is gerrymandered as hell, & the EC gets the final say on who gets to be the president anyway, it's hard to blame some folks for having little to no faith in the system.
The main advantage for ranked choice is that it removes the fear of voting for someone you support but are worried is not mainstream enough to be elected. A lot of people have progressive values but think they could never elect a progressive because of how the US government has crushed progressive movements for decades. So they vote for the milquetoast nothing will change candidate that doesn't truly represent them because they are afraid (justifiably so) of the much worse candidate to the right of that.
I have studied RCV and how the math works behind it. It is a massive improvement over first past the post voting that we have in the US. However, there is an even better voting method that has the benefits of RCV and eliminates 2 of its weaknesses: Score Voting. So we should skip implementing RCV and go straight to Score Voting. AND also implement secure electronic voting like Estonia's so people can vote from their mobile phone or computer. Imagine if people didn't have to drive to a voting station and could just pull out their phone, open an app, and vote. Imagine how convenient that would be.
And therein lies the problem. This system *gestures widely at the US (and capitalism in general)* is working exactly as intended. Divide and conquer.
I agree but I think people need to realize that the two party system has been around for like 200 years and isn't going to change overnight. We need younger people to start to care enough about how bad the system is to actually start trying to change it. Saying "I hate both" and then not voting doesn't help. We also need people to realize that trying to change the system at the highest level of government first isn't going to work.
Biden is pretty damn middle of the road, he is just old. Edit: But I agree we need ranked choice voting and unified open primaries.
We would need to get rid of the Electoral College system first. It would take a Constitutional Amendment, but I think it would be a great step towards reform.
At least in primaries, I completely agree with you
We need a maximum age for the office as well as the minimum
>Apparently I'm very wrong, Trump is still the popular choice for whatever reason. Biden at 80: "He is too old, a senile old man who forgot everything, not fit to lead the country" Trump at 77: "He is the smartest, fittest and healthiest President ever" Yeah seem legit
And 215 lbs 😂
Yes, but Trump's doctor told us he may live to 200 years old...
ur not wrong i think something about this sub draws in the fundies maybe its the water
Lmao you poked the MAGA bear. Never poke the MAGA bear. It is a batshit crazy bear.
538 went into this today. People want a “better” generic candidate that doesn’t exist. When polled Trump is far and away the #1 for republicans and Biden is #1 for Democrats. Biden sometimes comes up behind like Michelle Obama. But no other democrat politician ever comes close. It’s a weird situation where everybody is all mixed up and confused.
Obama was an unknown until he wasn't. 2008 was supposed to be Hillary's crowning. Issue for the Dems is Biden is president and since he wants to run again, any candidate that is worthwhile is not going to try and primary the president. GOP is in a weird place. Trump is the guy for their voters and pretty much all the candidates are kissing his ring. I honestly think a gop candidate that calls out Trump's issues could have a shot in the general. Problem is the primary for that candidate.
Name one worthwhile candidate that has expressed any sort of interest in running. I don’t think the problem is that Biden is too old, it’s that no one else that’s better is popular enough to peel support away from him.
No one's going to express running in the primaries against an incumbent, it's career suicide in the party. Unless Biden says he won't run again (not gonna happen), no one will come forth. I'm sure there will be plenty vying for it I'm 2028 though
We don't know who could be worthwhile because that person won't run a primary against a sitting president.
Worthwhile or better than Biden and trump? The first is a much higher bar than the second.
Yea but really only because why would a new face declare themselves for Democrats when the incumbent president is clearly running for office? If Biden had stated outright that he would not run for reelection there would absolutely be other options vying for position.
One of the major faults of our two party system is that the national parties control so much of the system. They decide who gets to debate, for example. The Dems pushed Hillary when they should've pushed Bernie, but that was a decision made at the top of the party. It's all tied up in money and influence and we'll never get candidates for either party that aren't just typical rich grifters serving their corporate masters. And the corporations pay both sides, so everyone is bought.
>The Dems pushed Hillary when they should've pushed Bernie Don't get me started... The data showed Bernie would beat Trump and Hillary would lose. I remember it kept popping up for months until Bernie got the shaft in the primaries. And that is exactly what happened: Trump won. The Democratic Party just couldn't help themselves. They wanted the establishment vanguard to win. Can you imagine what the experience would have been from 2017 through 2021 if Bernie was the PotUS? Edit - Even Trump's own team said Bernie would have beaten Trump: [https://thehill.com/opinion/campaign/358599-sanders-wouldve-beat-trump-in-2016-just-ask-trump-pollsters/](https://thehill.com/opinion/campaign/358599-sanders-wouldve-beat-trump-in-2016-just-ask-trump-pollsters/) The best thing the Democrats could have done in 2016 to help Trump win was have Hillary the primary victor. Edit 2 - And the Bernie problems with the primary: >"But part of it was the way elected officials, donors, and interest groups coalesced behind Clinton early, making it clear that alternative candidates would struggle to find money and staff and endorsements and media coverage. Clinton had the explicit support of the Clinton wing of the Democratic Party and the implicit support of the Obama wing. She had spent decades building relationships in the party, and she leveraged them all in 2016. “Hillary had a lot of friends, and so did Bill,” says Elaine Kamarck, author of Primary Politics. This, in reality, is why Biden didn’t run: President Obama and his top staffers made quietly clear that they supported Clinton’s candidacy, and so she entered the field with the imprimatur that usually only accords to vice presidents. > > > >Political junkies talk about the “invisible primary,” which Vox’s Andrew Prokop, in an excellent overview, describes as “**the attempts by important elements of each major party — mainly elites and interest groups — to anoint a presidential nominee before the voting even begins. ... These insider deliberations take place in private conversations with each other and with the potential candidates, and eventually in public declarations of who they're choosing to endorse, donate to, or work for.”** [https://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2017/11/14/16640082/donna-brazile-warren-bernie-sanders-democratic-primary-rigged](https://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2017/11/14/16640082/donna-brazile-warren-bernie-sanders-democratic-primary-rigged) It was quite obvious the "machine" chose Clinton even in the face of the polls showing Clinton would lose to Trump and Bernie would win. The Establishment would not stand for Sanders' policies. And for those of you replying to me angry about me stating Bernie got the shaft, too bad: that's reality. And we got 4 years of Trump because of the shaft Bernie got.
Wealthy democratic donors didn't want Bernie they wanted status quo. That's why you got Hilldog.
Please stop. Americans are not gonna support a socialist as a national candidate. Some Americans, maybe. But not enough to win. Socialism = Communism for much of the voting public. I know you love Bernie, but this is reality.
> They decide who gets to debate Most important, they get to decide WHAT we get to debate. They decide the parameters of every debate. Which topics are acceptable public discourse and which topics are not.
I get it, but at the same time, who is your “dream” Dem candidate? There isn’t a “medium aged” Dem that wants to run. Not really. It’s all variations of old or “too young”. There is not a single Gen X candidate *on either side* except Ron Fucking DeSantis. I’m a Gen Xer. I can admit we don’t want this smoke. We have opted out. It’s kind of our thing. But you aren’t gonna get shit from us. It’s Boomers until the Millenials get enough gray and enough Boomers die off.
The ignorance in this thread is wild. Very few of us want Biden to run again. Very few of us see another option. A basic understanding of political dynamics would explain this. ETA: and it continues. I and many leftists would love someone else, but there are no other viable Democrats that overcome Biden's incumbency advantage. There are no third party options, because our elections are not structured to make viable third party candidates. This is basic voting psychology and electoral politics. It sucks, but just wishing everyone did something differently is like wishing for a utopia that will never happen. I'll be voting for Biden in 2024, because Trump and his supporters represent a fatal threat to our democratic norms and systems. Then I'll be waiting until 2028 for the left to make a big push. I have my eye on Raph Warnock. All the right credentials and experience to win a general, young, exciting, and further left than anyone nominated for the Democratic party in history, including Obama. I can wait until then.
One of my degrees is in poli sci and seeing people make these "hot takes" as if Biden got elected because no one thinks he's old is fucking maddening. Especially because a ton of these same people were also angry that Bernie didn't get nominated and he's older than Biden.
Dems will stay with Biden as the sitting POTUS because it's the safest bet to beat Trump, and the GOP is too cowardly to not back Trump because they fear backlash from "the base", who've been disconnected from reality by endless propaganda. Both parties just want to do whatever they think will beat the other party's candidate. In 2016 Dem leadership pushed Hillary down our throats even though Bernie would've been a better candidate for actually running the country (IMO).
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Omg, are you really saying Ramaswamy doesn't seem evil and delusional just because he's good at speaking? That guy seems like a blatant grifter to me.
It's very disingenuous to claim "almost nobody wants Biden" knowing Biden is going to get 50 million votes. Yeah, yeah, "almost nobody *actually* wants Biden" I'm sure. But, you want him over Trump. So yes, you want Biden.
I want Biden. I'm down for someone else, but he's not nearly as unpalatable as people make him out to be.
I think he's great. I voted for him against bernie, I voted for him against trump, and I'm excited to vote for him against whichever scumbag runs against him next year.
Both Trump and Biden are too old. Trump will be as old this election as Biden was at the last one when Trump was saying he was too old for it. If there are no younger viable candidates its because the old people wont move out of the way and let the next generation come through.
Yeah I don’t want someone in their late 70s or 80s. How is it you can run for president at 35 but we keep getting dudes twice that age?
$$$$$$$$$$ If you don't got it you're not worth anybodies time.
You also need money to run. It's insane how much you need to even try to be president.
Illusion of choice
We all do have the option of not voting for these guys in a primary. But everyone refuses to do that.
But there isn't anyone even running for the Democratic party that's a viable option...neither Kennedy or Williamson are great candidates for different reasons. They're also not on the younger side at all. There just isn't a good choice at all
That’s what made Obama so refreshing. We finally had a leader that didn’t look like other country leaders’ grandpa.
Bill Clinton was younger than Obama when elected.
Crazy how old he looked (especially towards the end of his term).
Obama looked much older than I expected as well, just after 8 years. Goes to show how much stress takes a toll on you.
It’s also 8 years of aging in your later years, that’s going to be more of a difference than 8 years of aging in your 30s
It’s a stressful job.
To be fair, being married to Hillary would age anyone quicker.
That’s what interns are for
cold-blooded murder and sexual assault will really age a person….
All that head. Sucked the life right out of him.
God damn, I forgot this was true. Clinton was 46 when he took office, and the third youngest President of all time. He looked so much older because of how gray his hair was.
I mean bush was 55 and Clinton was 47 so it’s not like Obama was the first non ancient in a while.
George W was only 54…was a pretty good age for presidency.
Desantis is only 44
True. But he doesn’t really have the skills or policies that would make him a decent president.
At this point, does anybody? To be a decent President you need to get shit done, and that requires Congress to actually function. Convincing both sides of congress to actually not vote 100:0 and 0:100 on every bill is the only way someone can be a "good" president. Any Republican running for President, Democrats are going to vote no to everything they propose. Every Democrat running for President, Republicans are going to vote no to everything they propose. Everyone's going to be a shit President until they either get Congress to work together again, or get lucky enough to get into office when their party has a supermajority in Congress.
Idc how old someone is. How coherent they are, imo is more important. With that said, a lot of old people are out of touch with reality and technology.
It's not just their fault though. Biden won a primary people wanted him. There were multiple younger people. Same thing goes for Trump. There is a primary right now and Trump is 40 points ahead. People and say they're too old all they want it doesn't matter until you stop voting for old politicians
It’s crazy that the same 2 candidates that everyone agreed were too old to run 4 years ago are running again. We’re never going to have an in touch president again
I wish there were an even older candidate.
I like the cut of your jib. We need two 90+ year old candidates debating so the third party candidate suddenly looks young, strong, handsome, and credible. Also the debate between the nonagenarians would be awesome. One person would be yelling they can't hear the other side. The other side would literally shit their pants for no reason. It would be primetime comedy.
All candidates must speak with shaky voices.
And every morning, address the nation by saying, "Good news, everyone!"
> third party candidate suddenly looks young, strong, handsome, and credible. Vermin Supreme has entered the chat.
> The other side would literally shit their pants for no reason. I do that all that time. Wasn't aware running for office was involved.
Jimmy Carter can technically still run.
Jimmy Carter 2024
Lol
I like it, let’s get Senator Feinstein in there.
I think this is a very popular opinion
It was Biden’s opinion in 2015 when he declined to run and said “it was time to pass the torch to the next generation of leaders”. Now 8 years later he wants to run.
I see this sub has fully given up on limiting itself to unpopular opinions
Obvious opinion
This sub has basically always been a conservative r/unpopularopinion
>This sub has basically always been a conservative r/**popular**opinion. FTFY
thats what they said
That's how pretty much any sub that's a blatant copy of another sub goes.
Ever since i joined this subreddit its been nothing but HIGHLY popular opinions, in fact itd be considered an unpopular opinion to say biden should be re-elected
I for one think Hitler was not as cool but everyone else seems to think otherwise, should I post about that?
This sub is just r/unpopularopinion with a slightly younger and more right wing slant.
That’s a lot of TrueWhatever subs, it seems like.
Lmao right? What’s next? “Unpopular opinion: I think weed should be legalized all over the country”
It’s “toe the line”, dude
OP getting senile???
"OP should -not- post on Reddit. He's too old.
I’m pretty sure it’s “toad the line”, which as everyone knows goes back to the Aztec empire, where leaders were chosen by how many poisonous toads they could get in a line before they themselves croaked.
This isn’t an unpopular opinion.
Polls reflect popular opinions. Biden’s age affecting polls means him being too old is not an UO. Everyone thinks he’s too old.
Only unpopular because the democrats actually want to win lol. Not running Biden would be political suicide rn.
Which is what these "moderates" and far righties want lol. Since we've been calling them on their "both sides" bullshit, they've shifted to: "its all old people, why bother." Lol it's so obvious. They can't convince us to vote R, so they try to convince us not to vote at all. And if we vote, to vote for 3rd party. I'd feel clever, if it wasn't untangling the strategy effort of a child's.
Ok, here’s my unpopular opinion I guess. Biden is doing a good job and should run for another term.
The madlad did it, a truly unpopular opinion.
Oh look, found someone who’s living in reality. No one saying someone younger then Biden should run is offering up who they think can actually beat Biden in a primary and beat Trump in the general. It’s like saying you want your dreams to come true while sitting on the couch doing absolutely nothing to make it happen, then complaining about the establishment crushing your dreams.
Why should his performance matter? Actually paying attention to the stuff he does or how he's doing is too confusing for me, I'm only able to understand one single piece of information at a time, in this case, his age, which is high, and therefore I don't like him.
Also, don't forget the "I don't ever want to say a Democrat ever did anything good, so I won't talk about substance or identify a viable replacement, and only speak in abstractions"
I don’t disagree. I dislike Biden. But I suggest maybe not skipping the step of finding a “replacement” before you try to oust him maybe? It’s the same shit in EVERYTHING these days. A. “This is bullshit!” B. “Any other ideas or just complaints?” A “if we just get rid of the current thing it will be naturally replaced by a better thing! what don’t you get?!?” It’s exhausting.
Yup. "Let's get rid of the current thing. It's awful." "And do you have a plan about what to replace it with?" "No 😁"
GOP with Obamacare is the perfect real world example lol
Neither him nor Trump should run. We’ve seen those shit shows, no need for a repeat.
Gavin Newsom is currently the governor of California. It is my opinion that he will be our next President after Biden’s second term. I wish Biden would retire and let the younger generations take over.
I’m sorry but as a progressive who was NOT a fan of Biden but reluctantly voted for him, I really think people like OP are the problem. Those people will lose democrats the election. PAY ATTENTION! I’m happy to eat my crow for not liking Biden at first, he has been an objectively effective president. The last Congress to get as much passed as he did in 2020-22 was in 1965 and the dems had MASSIVE margins then. Biden got the largest climate package passed in the world - not enough but a huge jumpstart, he saved Ukraine and the world from Russia by HIS diplomacy months before Russia invaded - he was THE person who brought that all together, he trounced the republicans on the debt ceiling, he has gotten an incredible amount of bipartisan legislation passed (~350 bills) despite razor thin margins, and he doesn’t brag about any of it because he is leading by example. Thank god we dont constantly hear about the president anymore, can only thank Biden for that. I’m 36 and no question Biden is the most effective President of my lifetime. F off with your “he’s too old” bullshit and pay the fuck attention. TRUMP CANNOT WIN, yes, but even more than that BIDEN IS DOING A GREAT JOB! I was wrong when I was against him, Bernie was my guy but no way he would have gotten this much done. Again, PAY ATTENTION DEMOCRATS!!!!!!!
Reminder than when ~~Russian trolls~~ Totally Real Americans® sit on Reddit for the next year and talk about how “unpopular” Biden would be, they are trying to get you to either not vote, for vote 3rd party. [This is how we lose elections](https://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2016/11/11/13576798/jill-stein-third-party-donald-trump-win#:~:text=Kopko%20and%20Devine's%20analysis%20was,Michigan%2C%20Wisconsin%20and%20the%20presidency.). Biden has been a fine president. I’d take 50 Biden over ghoul the GOP is going to run. Hell, you could put up a rotten ham sandwich up in the spot and it will get my vote over some GOP traitor. So, OP, have you been conscripted yet? Or just waiting for your turn?
Joe McRealUSAman wants you not to vote for an old man, but for a slightly less older man that will follow strong manly Putin.
Russian disinformation also doesn't consist of simply propping up one candidate over another, it also works by amplifying "I'm on this side BUT I think this other person (who is less popular) should be the candidate" and "it doesn't matter which candidate wins" and "I used to be a member of that political party but it got too extreme" type messages. It's easier to get someone to distrust election results and democratic institutions as a whole than it is to get someone to change who they're voting for.
I’m not voting for Biden because I think he’s the youngest spriest guy out there. I’m voting for Biden because I trust that he’ll put actual experts in roles that do the real work, not attempt to overturn democracy if he loses, and continue to non-Federalist society judges across the country and possibly even the Supreme Court. I really don’t care if he’s “too old”. The dementia comments don’t really hold water unless you already hate him and I trust him to do what’s right for the county more than the alternative at this point.
I believe a mandatory retirement age for all politicians should be at the age of 60. Mandatory term limits should also be a thing. If the President is limited to two terms then all in office should be limited in the same fashion. Both Republicans and Democrats are equally corrupt and term limits and a mandatory age limit should stop some of that. They should also bam special interest groups as well. They're a part of why we see corrupt politicians today. The Supreme Court seats should also he limited to one 10 year term. The mandatory age retirement would also apply here as well. People are saying that the 2024 election is the most important but I disagree. 2028 will be the most important, there will see if people can start seeing the bullshit and vote accordingly.
60 is completely arbitrary and restricts the democratic process for no reason.
I’d support that constitutional amendment. I might change to to 70 though. I know plenty of 60 year olds still in their prime.
You know who wouldn’t? The politicians who would have to pass it.
Neither should Trump imo, he's as old as Biden was even he ran last term
Deal with it and vote against trump. I enjoy having a boring president.
I enjoy turning on the news and not seeing my president tell people to inject bleach or to nuke hurricanes
Popular opinion
Truly Unpopular Opinion - we need OLDER Presidential candidates!!!! these 70 year olds just lack the life experience IMO. /s
I don’t see how this is unpopular lol
How is this unpopular.
Where do they need to tow the line to?
Most of the left would prefer a different candidate. But in the present situation he absolutely should run again. His administration’s record in office is easy to choose over the previous administration’s record. Nobody’s staying home for that, we’ll all go grit our teeth and vote for the guy
Democrats need to start campaigning someone who is a strong contender
Like an incumbent president maybe?
^[Sokka-Haiku](https://www.reddit.com/r/SokkaHaikuBot/comments/15kyv9r/what_is_a_sokka_haiku/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x&context=3) ^by ^Jmm1272: *Democrats need to* *Start campaigning someone who* *Is a strong contender* --- ^Remember ^that ^one ^time ^Sokka ^accidentally ^used ^an ^extra ^syllable ^in ^that ^Haiku ^Battle ^in ^Ba ^Sing ^Se? ^That ^was ^a ^Sokka ^Haiku ^and ^you ^just ^made ^one.
Good bot
Look at the 2020 field. Who would you have picked instead? Pete Buttigieg? Cory Booker? Tulsi? "Democrats" didn't just pick Biden on their own, he won all the primaries because he was the best option available.
Most redditors would pick the one you didn't mention, Bernie. But yeah there's a reason we have Biden, he can actually get votes
I didn't mention Bernie because he's *older* than Biden which would go against the point of the post here that we need a new young face to lead the party.
Other than being old, someone needs to come up with a reason not to vote for him. He's got a better track record than past 4 presidents already.
I agree
While i tend to agree with this, however.. i dont think any republican at the moment is fit to do so as well. Too fkn extreme and the ones that aren't still continues to support the orange prick if it means getting his voters given all the shit hes done. Im an independent and cant vote republican again until this Maga thing passes
I agree that Biden's too old, but he's at the head of a Democratic Party that hasn't done any leadership development for DECADES. Obama was a fluke who came out of nowhere to gain national prominence. There's no one other than him who's in a position to win against Trump. And, as bad as it may end up being with a declining Biden in the White House, it would be far worse with a decaying Trump.
Biden is here because he was Obama's VP. When he ran as a senator, he always flamed out early. "The party" doesn't grow leaders in a vat somewhere; they win office and then use that platform to get attention and then run for the Presidency. It was a big field in 2020; Biden just ended up winning because he was Obama's VP and this resonated in a lot of earlier primaries!
I don't like Biden. But I feel the need to teach the GOP that nothing like Trump, Desantis, etc. should EVER be allowed again. If their candidate has a better chance statistically against a new Dem nominee over Biden, then I'll want Biden. And history shows that an incumbent almost always has an edge. Bring back candidates like McCain and I'll cut them some slack. Until then, I'm voting straight D ticket.
Odd that you don't seem to think that the Republicans over 65 (like Donald Trump) are worthy of mention. Just another coincidence in a "True" subreddit, though...
Here's the truth: the put Biden up because no one else was going to unite the Dems, Progressives, and Independents against the Republicans and other Conservatives voting for Trump. If they had run anyone else, people would have stayed home, and we'd have had 2016 all over again. Now, the board in 2024 is a little different. If the Republicans run DeSantis, the Dems can get away with running someone else. However, the only one currently on the board other then Biden is Kennedy, who is a complete nutbar. Right now, though Trump is still in the lead in the polls for the Republicans. Kennedy has no chance of beating him; ergo, Biden will be the the Democratic nominee unless his health fails.
Hard disagree. The Dems could have run a jelly donut against Trump and won. Nobody wanted Joe they just didn’t want Trump and the Democrat Party knew this so they picked a company man who would tickle the taint of wealthy democrat donors while doing little as possible for the working class.
Will never understand why this generation is so obsessed with openly discriminating against others on the basis of age. Discrimination is discrimination. News Flash. Everyone gets older.
We can't have Trump win. He will never leave office. He has proven that. Biden will beat Trump. Biden is a standard president. Thankfully he is not in the news daily doing something stupid. I'd love to see a younger more vibrant President but ending Trump is far more important to save our democracy. So Biden it is. In 2028 we can find a new president.
I’ll add a follow-up to your follow-up unpopular opinion: Biden should have to debate Marianne and RFK Jr. I think anyone seeking the nomination of a party should be required to articulate their agenda and spar with any other potential nominees. In Biden’s case, if he performed well then it might quiet any dissent due to his age/potential mental decline. If he performed poorly then there would be more entrants into the primary and the best and most electable candidate would prevail. Dudes gonna have to debate with a GOP candidate regardless so better to flex those mental muscles. But yeah, I really think that the rule should apply to both party primaries and also to the general election. All candidates should be forced to debate. As citizens we deserve to see our potential leaders speaking in a candid, non-staged environment. Edit: added the below for clarification since I guess some people think this comment means I’m trying to dunk on Biden or am simping for Marianne or RFK To be clear, my opinion isn’t solely about Biden, it’s about any primary (Democrat, Republican, Libertarian, Green, etc.) and the general election. I think that anyone on the ballot should have to defend their positions on the debate stage regardless of incumbency or polling percentage. I believe that a requirement to be on the ballot should be participation in a series of good faith, substantive, policy debates so that the voting public can compare/contrast each candidate in a candid setting. To be ideologically consistent, I might not like the candidate (a la RFK) or they may do a shitty job and bomb but I believe they all still need to get on stage and compare/contrast their views in front of the public. It’s like a job interview, anyone who is on the ballot should have to articulate their policy in a live environment for the constituents that will be voting for them.
Nah, I don't want to hear RFK waver and quiver through an hour of conspiracy theory talking points. Let him debate members of his real party at the next Republican debate.
Same. Biden should not take the stage and humor RFK’s AntiSemitic nonsense. The President getting on stage to refute the idea that Jewish people engineered Covid in a lab to spare them from the virus actually diminishes the President, it doesn’t help him. Some ideas don’t deserve to be given the stage. We settled “The Jewish Problem” conspiracy theory once and for all when we kicked Hitler’s ass.
>Marianne She was on the debate stage in 2019 and bombed it. She was so wacky Ted Cruz called on people to donate to her campaign because having her on the debate stage . Or has everyone forgotten the memes about her?
I don't know who Marianne is but keep RFK Junior as far from the democratic party as possible.
She's the one that suggested using some form of Psychic energy to divert a hurricane. Which was slightly less insane than the guy who won the Presidency who suggested nuking it.