I’ll pass on Kamala. Biden should have let democracy do its thing during the primary.
Joe Biden stands down as Democratic candidate
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Re: Joe Biden stands down as Democratic candidate
#722Earlier quoted context omitted.
He got us out of Afghanistan too... this was a huge win and was very risky. Doesn't get enough credit for this one. Agreed on NATO + Ukraine too but I wish they would allow us to strike Russia directly even with NATO equipment.
> He got us out of Afghanistan too Yeah, it turns out all we needed to do was run away in the middle of the night and let the country slide back into a illiberal theocratic hell hole.
Much better for it to be an illiberal Americo-cratic hellhole.
You do remember what the "Afghan government" partners and soldiers were like right? Mostly child rapists and gang leaders...
Re: Joe Biden stands down as Democratic candidate
#723Earlier quoted context omitted.
The problem isn't just his age, it's his decrepitude, both physical and mental. I know people in their 90s who are able to speak clearly at any hour of the day...
It’s weird that an incoherent Trump never gets called out for his ramblings that run on and on in circles. Yet Biden’s gaffes are blown out of proportion. I wish someone just called out Trump directly and told him to stop the ramblings. But nobody in his circle could do it when he was president, nobody could get him off twitter and so on.
Trumps been called out for his ramblings for 8 years now. Its not news anymore. Hes mastered the post truth tactic of overwhelming people with bullshit so much that they dont care about it anymore.
Re: Joe Biden stands down as Democratic candidate
#724Two points that people are making that I feel necessary to refute because they come across as being offered from a place of bad faith or ignorance: 1) the suggestion that Biden should resign from the presidency because he is standing down from running. Biden is not saying that he is incapable of running. He and his team just understand how to read polls and don't want their party to lose the election which seemed alm…
On 2 I think the suggestion is more that this whole chain of events has resulted from persistent and willful dishonesty by Democratic leadership (including Harris) about the President’s health. So the argument is that if the public was not intentionally misled then there would have been a real primary. And now we are getting whoever those same party elites decide we should get.
Re: Joe Biden stands down as Democratic candidate
#725Earlier quoted context omitted.
Ordinarily, yes. But she doesn't poll well with a lot of key demographics due to her tough on crime stance as a DA. Making her president would mean she'd be the presumptive nominee, and I think the party has more optimal choices lined up. This election will come down to four battleground states. Those are the only states and battles that matter.
Polls indicate Harris is holding her own, and it's clear that voters seeking an alternative to Trump have already found it in the Biden-Harris ticket. By selecting Harris as his running mate, Biden has given them a viable choice. Now, it's essential for Biden to see this through and commit to the path he's chosen. Ultimately, he should resign at a time of Harris' choosing, ensuring a seamless transition and maintaini…
> and it's clear that voters seeking an alternative to Trump have already found it in the Biden-Harris ticket
Do you have anything to back up that claim?
There are scores of voters planning to vote third party or sit out the election due to the lack of good, viable candidates. If the DNC nominated someone who honestly spoke to the ways our country is messed up and the things we'll need to do to change them they could easily see a considerable increase in their votership.
Re: Joe Biden stands down as Democratic candidate
#726Re: Joe Biden stands down as Democratic candidate
#727As a registered Republican who voted IND in 2016 and then for Trump in 2020 (which probably puts me in about a 0.1% minority on a site like this), I feel upset that the democratic process for choosing a nominee for the Democratic Party is about to just get bypassed. Are other folks feeling this? I’d be even more riled up if this were my party telling me, “Oh, that guy you voted for in the primaries? We thought he cou…
No, I am not feeling riled up about this. I’m much more riled up about the state of the executive branch from 2016-2020.
Re: Joe Biden stands down as Democratic candidate
#728Earlier quoted context omitted.
There is a lower limit but not an upper limit. Who knows how old we can be in the future, there are coherent smart people over 80 today. But hey, it’s a democracy and if you want to change it you can try…!
> Who knows how old we can be in the future Read as "who knows how much more entrenched future politicians will be able to be? who knows how many more favors they will owe, how many more donors will have their ear?"
Civilization progresses one funeral at a time, but maybe if we knew we would live to four hundred we would take up longer term thinking and work for projects that took 100 years. Nod to Kim Stanley Robinson.
Re: Joe Biden stands down as Democratic candidate
#729Not going to happen, but I wonder how a mixed party ticket would do. Kamala (or whoever) + Mitt Romney as VP ? Has it ever been done? Would it work to attract the center/swing vote, or more likely to be a negative?
In principle, if you got everyone to agree to it (and this would be a big if), this would probably be an interesting enough ticket that it might just win. Maybe.
In practice, Romney is 77 years old and is ready to retire - and think how often age has come up as a factor in the presidential race recently. Romney isn't running for reelection, but if he had wanted his senate seat for another 6 years, I am quite certain it would have been his. So ultimately, I don't think Romney would go for it, simply because he wants to spend more time with his (large) family.
Re: Joe Biden stands down as Democratic candidate
#730Putting politics aside … Why don’t they have an age limit on the president (or any elected office)? E.g., you must be younger than the average life expectancy (currently men: 73yo / female: 79) - while in office. https://www.ssa.gov/oact/STATS/table4c6.html
There is an argument that in a well functioning democracy voters should be able to decide who is qualified to lead them. It shouldn't matter if the person is 20 or 80 if they are able to fulfill their obligations and win the support of voters. With a well informed population and an electoral system that fairly represents voter preferences there should be no need for arbitrary rules.