229 points

In the past few elections, voting feels more like a hostage situation than exercising my right to making a “choice”. This country is absolutely fucked if Trump is elected again.

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47 points

Yes. That’s the end game of our type of voting system. You get two options and both suck.

We will get no progress until we get something like ranked choice voting.

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21 points

Obligatory CGP Grey video about the inevitability of a 2-party system

https://youtu.be/s7tWHJfhiyo

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6 points

That’s my favorite. I’ve watched it more than a few times

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21 points

Which we won’t get, because it doesn’t benefit the right people

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23 points

If we can at least get 2 dems in a row in office we can begin to claw the Overton window back from the fascist side. It’d be a start at least

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47 points
*

Easier said than done I know but if Trump wins my wife and I would strongly consider emigrating to another country. There’s only so much insanity one can take before needlessly going down with the ship. And if the calculus is that that my kids will have better prospects elsewhere, then so be it.

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27 points

You’re assuming that 1st world countries will have us.

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23 points
Deleted by creator
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24 points

Fascism is on the rise globally. If enough decent people leave the US, we will fall into a fascist regime, and it will be the beginning of World War Three, with the US leading the equivalent of the Axis powers. No place in the world will be safe for you or your children. That’s the hard, honest truth.

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11 points

Agreed. We need to stay, and we need to fight to change the system from the inside. We can still prevent disaster at this stage.

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2 points

With my partner, friends, and I being “degenerates” and likely the first group the fascists genocide… nope, see ya, I’m out. We already are experiencing the low-tide effects of genocide and while people aren’t in droves killing us yet, there are state allowed murders seemingly popping up and medical genocides creeping into the states. It’s only a matter of time and there is effectively nothing I can do, so for the lives of my family, friends, and I, we will be doing whatever it takes to get out before it really starts.

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15 points

Good idea. I think it’s worth doing some research to find out where you might be able to go.

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11 points

The problem is that without good people to stop them, evil people taking charge of the USA would radically change the entire world.

It’s not easy, but most of us have to stay. Maybe all of us…

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4 points

I’ll be in my 3rdW country eating popcorn

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24 points

It always has been.

We might be tempted to think that our Democratic heritage automatically protects us from such threats. This is a misguided reflex. In fact, the precedent set by the founders demand that we examine history to understand the deep sources of tyranny and consider the proper responses to it. - On Tyranny by Timothy Snyder (Chapter 1, Page 13)

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5 points

I’ll have to read that book. Thanks for sharing.

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16 points

I wonder if Haley is staying in the race betting that Trump won’t be able to run in November

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7 points

That has been my assumption as well.

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3 points

I think she would help Biden if she stayed in the race as an independent

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2 points

Betting on Trump’s last hamburder

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12 points

We need to focus on smaller winnable races. Unfortunately we can’t shortcut our way into the presidential candidates we want, we need to replace the establishment and build a foundation of allies to support it. I know a lot of us are in conservative areas where you can’t realistically get new candidates elected locally, but you can still volunteer for races in other parts of the country. If we can shift politics in the house and Senate the presidency will follow. It’s hard work but it’s possible.

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2 points

When’s the last time that hasn’t been the case? 1964?

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12 points

When has a Russian puppet been the GOP front runner? This is bigger than politics.

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-3 points

Always has been that way

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105 points

Don’t forget, Sanders is the only person Trump has ever admitted he’s afraid of.

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83 points

Dems really underestimate what life is like for normal Americans. trump doesn’t get it either obviously, but at least he acknowledges shit is bad for them.

If Biden tries to run in the economy it’s going to hurt him because all the money is going to the wealthy.

Bernie acknowledges and actually has a plan to fix shit. And unlike trump points the finger at whose fault it is.

trump can’t compete with that.

But neoliberals don’t want to really address wealth inequality either.

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-69 points

Cannidates like Biden help fascism

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68 points

Biden is the only thing standing between democracy and fascism in the US. Hate it all you want,but that is the reality at the moment.

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19 points

You’re missing a crucial part of that process I think. Milquetoast candidates can cause voter apathy, yes. It’s the apathy that helps fascism.

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10 points

I’m afraid to ask what you think a vote for Trump helps.

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1 point

You’re out of your depth here.

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25 points
4 points
*

My favorite Gif of 2017. Thanks.

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-7 points

Take with a grain of salt, considering Putin says Biden is better for him than Trump. While I don’t necessarily agree with the argument, Republicans (and centrist dems) certainly believe Sanders would’ve been an easy target for smear campaigns.

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3 points
*

Trump was an easy target for smear campaigns. That’s why Hillary’s campaign helped Trump win the primary, and that sure worked out well.

Americans don’t give two shits about what the neolibs think are devastating attacks. They are fed up with the out-of-touch wealthy and political classes.

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89 points

Is there a real plan to shore up our “democracy” if the Democrats win this election? What is Biden going to do next term that he didn’t do this term?

I feel like people are so fixated on Trump that they can’t see past him. Trump is a giant, clown-shaped piece of shit-- absolutely. How does the opposing party fail at politics so hard that someone like Trump ever even had a shot?

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I feel like people are so fixated on Trump that they can’t see past him.

Well yeah, because if he wins there won’t be anything past him for much of the country.

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8 points

But what can you really do? Not voting is beneficial to the open christo fascists, and the only person who has any real world shot at winning an election, for some mind melting reason Joe Biden. The same Joe Biden, who despite his kinda actually not terrible first term, is currently funding a genocide as the wold watches. It’s a shit choice, but this problem isnt going to be fixed this cycle. It’s like punching the clock.

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9 points

Biden isn’t the only one who could win, and seems to be worse off than a generic dem in swing States, by a long shot. They’re choosing the candidate again, like they did with Hillary, from the ranks of the least popular people in the US. They’re shooting themselves and blaming the left and Muslims in MI already.

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2 points
*

But what can you really do?

Not give into cynicism and participate in the democratic process? Democracy isn’t something that you can set and forget, it requires constant attention and participation or it breaks. We are where we’re at because the GOP and big corporations have been carefully engineering widespread burnout in a large percentage of the working class population.

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5 points

OK? What if Biden wins, is my question. Is the Democrat value-proposition nothing more than “periodic intervals of slightly slower slide into total fascism”?

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7 points

So, what’s your suggestion then?

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3 points

In what way have the Democrats advocated for sliding into fascism? They’re status quo politicians, not wannabe dictators like some other orange person.

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-2 points

Yes, that’s correct. Slower slide means more of a chance to fix it.

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28 points

I agree that it’s frustrating that Democrats use shitty Republicans as an excuse to be just a tiny bit less shitty. However, it’s getting really annoying that you can’t criticize Trump without someone chiming in with “whadabout Biden?!” and you can’t criticize Biden without getting a “whadabout Trump?!”

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13 points

They’re both fucking awful. It’s a waste of time criticizing Trump because everybody knows who he is, and the people that like him don’t give a fuck what he does. They aren’t listening to your criticism. I’m don’t think Dem leadership really wants to actually help working class people, but they definitely don’t have much reason to start when people keep voting for the most “conservative” ones out of fear from the monsters which have mysteriously found a way to represent the other half of voters.

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13 points

As far as Democrats go, Biden is amazing. He’s supported Israel no more than Obama or Clinton did. He’s forgiven tens of billions in oppressive student loans. He enacted a funding bill that will finally establish a HSR network in parts of America. He rolled back disastrous Trump era policies on immigration. He fixed Trump’s disastrous COVID response. He re-established relations among NATO countries and was paramount in alerting the world that Russia was about to invade Ukraine when we all knew Trump was trying to weaken their military with his quid pro quo scheme.

In your opinion, how has Biden failed America?

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8 points

You know they don’t . Their strategy was, is, and will continue to be: “The other side is worse”.

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5 points

Yep, and it is a shit strategy.

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7 points

Just ask about DC statehood and the Dems’ inability to enfranchise over a million US citizens.

As soon as you scratch this problem, you discover how shallow and unserious the party is in “protecting democracy”.

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6 points

I agree, I’m just trying to get others to see how little “resistance” the Dems pose to the more naked fascism of the Repubs.

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1 point

I think the case of DC Statehood is an obvious example. Whether we’re talking about Kennedy, Clinton, or Obama, we’re talking about a party that’s deliberately disenfranchised over a million people on their watch.

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5 points

The more he loses the less likely he’ll be to win, plus he’s old as hell and not aging gracefully. Rebuking Trumpism is shoring up democracy.

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7 points

Didn’t we rebuke Trumpism last election? I’m asking why the fuck is Trumpism alternating as the most popular political position for the American electorate. This is an indictment of the political acumen of the Democratic party.

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4 points

We did but facism will never go away. Before they slunk away but now fascists can connect with each other online. Instead of it being a few people that happen to meet up and connect now they can seek each other out. It’s the same reason that racism has made such a dramatic resurgence. It will literally require eternal vigilance.

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4 points

Because Trump is great for me fundraising and keeping party bigwigs at the trough

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4 points

I don’t think there really can be a plan. Like what would you want Biden to do to shore up democracy?

One of the inescapable, fundamental, bedrock concepts of democracy is that people will not vote for a corrupt, criminal, authoritarian, self serving demagogue.

If a society can’t achieve that basic state then they can not be a democracy.

Honestly, I suspect that the best thing Biden can do is to “grey rock” the American people and hope that Trump self combusts, which seems to be what’s happening.

That said, that’s just the best Biden can do. The dems need an actual leader that can inspire the american people to see a better version of themselves.

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1 point

Did you mean to have the word “not” in your second paragraph? Because people absolutely vote for leaders like that all the time lol.

Oh I think I see. I agree that we’re not a real democracy.

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-3 points

Sometimes in life there is such a thing that is called: “Maybe there is no Good Vs. Bad just assholes all around”. Good luck with that

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72 points

MUST WATCH: Bernie Sanders - Why People Vote For Trump

https://youtu.be/FSuaxqZLNwE

He’s 100% right on this.

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61 points

Man, it’s crazy how similar that sounds to exactly what Biden has been saying all along:

And I’ve said many times before: I believe we’re at an inflection point in this country — one of those moments where the decisions we’re about to make can change — literally change the trajectory of our nation for years and possibly decades to come.

Each inflection point in this nation’s history represents a fundamental choice. I believe that America, at this moment, is facing such a choice. And the choice is this: Are we going to continue with an economy where the overwhelming share of the benefits go to big corporations and the very wealthy? Or are we going to take this moment right now to set this country on a new path — one that invests in this nation; creates real, sustained economic growth; and that benefits everyone, including working people and middle-class folks?

That’s something we haven’t realized in this country for decades.

Here’s the simple truth. For a long time, this economy has worked great for those at the very top, while ordinary, hardworking Americans — the people who built this country — have been basically cut out of the deal.

And I’ve said this from the time I announced I was going to run: I believe this is a moment of potentially great change. This is our moment to deal working people back into the economy. This is our moment to prove to the American people that their government works for them, not just for the big corporations and those at the very top.

Yet an off-the-cuff remark about asking wealthy people to accept slightly higher taxes is somehow all his breathless detractors want to pretend has ever existed.

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9 points

Man, it’s crazy how similar that sounds to exactly what Biden has been saying all along:

I get your frustration, but this is a good thing. Bernie having the same message only strengthens it, and can convince people that won’t listen to Biden.

We don’t have the luxury of picking allies. If holding my tongue gets us a reluctant ally, I’ll take it. None of us have to like each other. We just need to remember that fascism is the ultimate evil. We may bicker like dwarves and elves, but when the orcs appear, we need to fall lockstep shoulder to shoulder immediately.

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8 points

Actions speak louder than words. Biden locked in Trump’s $2T tax cuts for the rich and corporations, bringing the corporate tax rate from 35% to 21%. Never mind the open loopholes they exploit to pay virtually nothing anyway. Then, Biden claims he wants to bump up the corporate tax rate to 28%, but can’t, for “reasons.”

What is this halfway corpo-fascist stance? How are we going to pay for that?! By cutting social programs meant to support the working class. Biden is full of shit on this issue, open your eyes.

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54 points

Biden locked in Trump’s $2T tax cuts for the rich and corporations, bringing the corporate tax rate from 35% to 21%.

Nuance glossed over for the sake of partisan shit-flinging:

He proposed over $3.5 trillion in new taxes, including raising the corporate rate to 28% from 21% and returning the top individual rate to 39.6% from 37% and taxing capital gains at those rates for Americans earning over $1 million. He promised no increases for those earning under $400,000 a year. But opposition from Republicans and Democratic senators Joe Manchin and Kyrsten Sinema, now an Independent, forced Biden to scale back his revenue plans.

Then, Biden claims he wants to bump up the corporate tax rate to 28%, but can’t, for “reasons.”

Yes, reasons. Amazing how Bernie would have had to deal with exactly those same “reasons”, isn’t it?

Biden is full of shit on this issue, open your eyes.

Oh they’re quite open. Trust me on that.

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1 point
Deleted by creator
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3 points

Fuck it. I’ll write in Bernie. /s

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46 points
*

deleted by creator

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