Almost 40,000 people registered to vote in the 48 hours after President Biden announced he was suspending his reelection campaign and endorsing Vice President Harris, Vote.org said.
Vote.org said 38,500 new voters registered, representing the largest number of registrations in a 48-hour period this election cycle.
Of the new voter registrations, 83 percent were from people aged 18-34, according to the voting registration nonprofit group.
I love how all of lemmy and many other places on the internet bitched and moaned about people calling for Biden to drop out. Then he did and the party is more energized than it has been in years, and actually has a chance to, ya know, defeat American fascism.
I was one of those people. It seemed incredibly stupid to me.
I thought we’d fracture, and infighting would eat up our next three months. I thought it would squander our remaining chances. I thought the same people who didn’t want Biden also didn’t want Kamala, and I didn’t know of anyone else.
I thought it would open us up to litigation, and because I don’t trust our judicial branch, I thought that would let Republicans strangle a candidate in courts. Most importantly, I thought Republicans actually had a plan and a strategy.
I was very wrong and it doesn’t bother me at all to admit it. In fact, I’m relieved.
I thought the same people who didn’t want Biden also didn’t want Kamala,
I’m still one of those people. I think she is an OK candidate, but Mark Kelly is a far better one.
That being said, I don’t see a “Bernie Bros” situation forming here. I don’t see people voting against her if she wins the nomination.
I feel like a broken record as I keep repeating this, some agree some disagree I dont care.
Mark Kelly sucks. He opposes Medicare for all. Opposing Medicare for all is NOT a moderate position. It is definitively a right of center or conservative position. This is one of my personal deal breakers.
He also opposes the green new deal, as well as supported expanding oil drilling.
If these types of issues don’t bother you then that’s your prerogative.
. I think she is an OK candidate, but Mark Kelly is a far better one.
The last thing the Dems need is to go to the right again.
Right there with you. Now…people are acting like this is over and it is very far from it but I’m at least cautiously optimistic. Here’s to hoping Kamala makes a good VP pick and runs a good campaign. Long road ahead still but yes, I’m very much relieved it hasn’t gone off the rails so far.
By god, so far I am ecstatic I was wrong. Here’s to hoping I’ll still be proven wrong all the way into November 5.
I will admit I was wrong.
At first I was like noooooo, then when he endorsed Kamala I was like, oh god nooooooo…but I’ll eat my words. I’m excited and happy with the outcome so far and, regardless, was voting dem anyway.
Like, maybe I’m speaking too soon, but I almost feel…a modicum of hope again?
Okay, I rarely comment on political posts on Lemmy, because I value my time, and my sanity. And I agree with you. This is our best chance. But I just want to say that Kamala does not represent a way to defeat American fascism. She represents a way to buy some time until we can form a movement that goes so far beyond neo liberal policies it’s unreal. It’s still unlikely, but she’s hopefully buying us 4 years.
Maybe I’m just being pedantic, but it genuinely worries me when people think that Kamala or really any major politician in the US can defeat fascism. Normal got us here, normal will send us right back.
Again, not trying to be an ass, and perhaps you also meant she buys us time, but this shit scares me. If she wins in November, and even I, as a filthy commie, I hope she does, it isn’t a victory in the war against American fascism. It’s a bandaid, a canteen of water, and a chance to regroup.
I agree with you, but Kamala will probably still be the most left leaning president the USA ever had by quite a bit (AFAIK), and has a good chance to start shifting the Overton Window; if only by showing the Democratic Party that choosing more left leaning candidates actually gives them better chances of winning.
Kamala will probably still be the most left leaning president the USA ever had by quite a bit
Maybe in the last 50 years. FDR was closer to an actual socialist than any politician who’s had that label applied to them in America since. Kennedy was far enough left that he got shot for it. Kamala could have a chance to do some real good but let’s not get ahead of ourselves.
Kamala will probably still be the most left leaning president the USA ever had by quite a bit
Please stop this. She’s an acceptable compromise candidate, which is better than what Biden was. Overselling her is just going to lead to disappointment and bitterness when the ad copy doesn’t match reality.
Yep. I was very wrong. I completely misread the pulse of the Democratic party.
Yeah, I really don’t understand the people that were against Biden dropping out. It was so very obvious after that debate. Just no way he was going to beat that narrative.
I didn’t expect the party to so quickly coalesce around Harris honestly. I thought if Biden dropped out, it would be chaos and the Republicans would sail to victory.
It almost seems possible the democratic leadership might have potentially possibly maybe learned something perhaps and came up with a strategy for how to deal with trump that doesn’t hinge on trying to do the same things that worked in 2020 (and then failed miserably in 2022). Good for them! Maybe next they’ll learn they don’t have to court moderate republican voters to switch sides, and instead focus on the vast swath of Americans who feel so disenchanted with American Politics that they don’t vote, or even really pay attention to politics, because the Democrats are, globally, conservative, and the Republicans are, globally, insane
I was absolutely baffled at how many downvotes I got for saying I didn’t think Biden had his head in the game after he was like “I’ll do my best but if I lose oh well 🤷♂️”. Like… holy fuck. That was perhaps the most catastrophically tone-deaf thing I’ve ever heard an otherwise fairly skilled politician say - and I’ve heard a LOT of politicians say a LOT of stupid things.
Hey, stop focusing so much on “I told ya so” to people who are definitely on your side. I was torn on it as well, but out of consideration for the potential impact being unknown. Hindsight is 20/20 and we’re all better served by not gloating if we were right and instead focusing on the future path we are now on. Let’s just keep it positive and build this victory through positivity instead of potential fractures with people who likely agree with you on the issues.
I think Biden supporters are not like bitter Bernie bros. I’m a Biden supporter, and all I’m seeing from fellow supporters is pleasant surprise. We didn’t expect Harris to get this kind of support, but we’re glad to see it.
Like Biden said in his speech today, saving our democracy is by far and away the most important thing, and it looks like Harris can do it so I’m happy to see my predictions were wrong.
I do still think Biden was done dirty, but Harris is an excellent candidate and will make a great President. And she has my full support.
Hey, stop focusing so much on “I told ya so” to people who are definitely on your side.
If they hadn’t been so arrogant and condescending while being absolutely completely 100% wrong, the temptation wouldn’t be there.
But they were. They’re the wing of the party that keeps insisting that everyone to their left doesn’t know how anything works. Turns out, political reality isn’t what it was in the early to mid '90s, and the republican-adjacent wing of the party is out of touch and doesn’t know how anything works anymore.
It’ll do centrists some good to eat crow. They need to reexamine their assumptions, because their assumptions led them to advocate continuing to run a losing candidate when democracy itself was on the line. And they need some of the uncharacteristic humility that some centrists in this thread are big enough people to actually show, and which I commend.
Sorry if this is a bit off topic, but id like to put a gentle reminder here that it doesn’t help when political trolls show up pretending to be Democrats and start agitating people and causing infighting. There’s actually sociology term for it. Covert trolling.
Sure, not everyone defending biden or those against biden was a troll, but I recently saw enough of them in the mix trying, and succeeding at causing infighting between people who otherwise agree on political issues.
I find it’s helpful to remind myself that a lot of the people espousing inflammatory opinions and generally being rude online are trolls, and they don’t reflect the real opinions of most of the population.
The trolls want to control the Overton window. We stop that by educating ourselves on their tactics, and recognizing them when they show up, and not engaging. They love nothing more than wasting everyone’s time with long comment chains filled with circular arguments.
Also, your feelings are totally valid, just don’t let shitheads make you bitter. I’m sure a chunk of the people you are calling out were instigators, and not people who actually believed what they were saying.
Sorry for the long comment, and feel free to ignore it if it’s unhelpful to you!
Well, when we were saying this isn’t a good idea to replace Biden the only solution yall were giving was well let’s have a vote and see what people think.
That’s not what happened. Kamala stepped up and nearly everyone rallied behind her.
So don’t act like you’re any better because when we argued the only solution was ‘let’s just throw shit at the wall and see what happens’
I swapped from calling for Biden to stay to calling for Biden to go once sitting Congresscritters spoke out in public asking him to step down, since the main advantage of incumbency is supposed to be the ability to preserve party unity, but I was still expecting a lot more “DEMS IN DISARRAY HOW CAN THEY EVER WIN” style narrative to take root. There’s still time for me to be disappointed, but as of right now I’m pleasantly surprised.
I remember a week or two ago, the same crowd calling Biden to quit also bitch about how Harris would be a horrible replacement with absolutely zero chance gaining any support.
Even now, I have a few reservations. I hope it doesn’t get framed as some kind of DEI coronation. Well, I know the qons will try, but I mean, will it stick.
But if she’s the choice, she’s the choice. There are some alternatives I’d rather be running, but it is what it is. I’m still very pumped that Joe stepped down.
I hope it doesn’t get framed as some kind of DEI coronation.
Republicans have been crying wolf about DEI for so long, there’s no way that’s gonna stick.
No one on the left is offended by inclusivity, so their tantrums about her race and gender fall on deaf ears.
Also, folks on the left know she was elected to her biggest roles and not appointed. She earned her way to the top, unlike the shitty fake judges appointed by the cockroach party.
The problem is that they then pretend like they never acted that way & are going to great lengths to cover up that they ever did.
I was against Biden dropping out because I don’t think Harris has charisma. I’ve been pleasantly surprised at the initial reaction.
While I hope to be proven wrong, I suspect this initial momentum is going to fade before long and it’s going to get rough as the excitement dies down and the Right get their talking points dialed in.
But it’s going far better than I thought in these first few days, so I’ll happily take the L on my predictions.
No, we were wrong and we’re admitting it. Replacing Biden was the right call.
Be certain you are still registered! Florida cancelled me (years ago) because I hadn’t voted in a certain time frame.
Not calling you out because I’ve been guilty of this before, but this is a great reason to vote in every election, local all the way up to presidential!
Not only will your vote have more impact in local elections (due to even worse turnout), but you know you won’t be unfairly purged from voter rolls. Probably…
North Carolina here. Voter registration is done automatically when you renew your vehicle registration.
I get texts and emails about the comings and goings of my ballots as it makes its way via usps. I can’t even remember when the last time I had to make sure I was registered. But like you I think it was when I got my plates, or maybe my drivers license. Colorado is far ahead of its time… like they WANT me to vote with minimum effort.
Vote in your local elections! Even those stupid one issue ballots. Everything matters locally!
That’s more people than Taylor Swift got to register.
Young people respond when they feel like they’re being listened to. They don’t respond to boomers lecturing them about what to do, because they’ve heard job hunting advice from boomers.
kudos to everyone who thought Biden stepping down was a bad idea but admit they were wrong now. i understand why some people thought it would lead to uncertainty and chaos, might look weak, etc. it’s an understandable concern.
and now it’s in the past. if you can see that it’s helping your side by energizing people who might have checked out before, it’s severely hurting the other side who only had prepared attacks on biden and have nothing to say but whine that this isn’t fair, and most importantly her willingness to talk about project 2025 unlike biden is raising awareness and distaste for the republicans… and think “hey this went better than I expected and I’m glad that it happened”… then I salute you. i hope this inspires you to talk to more people and get more people to vote.
“hey this went better than I expected and I’m glad that it happened” you just described me exactly lol. I figured Biden dropping out would be bad for our democracy and Trump would be more likely to win.
A day after he dropped out I knew I was wrong given the absolute excitement from pretty much everyone except Republicans, happy it happened now.