Oh, absolutely. The most despicable thing about him is also very Trumpian: He's maintaining a grip on power to try to stifle an ongoing corruption and bribery case against him.

The sooner that man is out of power and in prison, the better.

I actually think it can be fixed, but doing so is hard work. It requires:

• Full and unreserved repudiation of Trumpism/fascism.
• Codifying the norms and standards he violated (and continues to violate) into law.
• Creating federal legislation that clarifies exactly what "emoluments" are to prevent the office of the presidency from ever being used for self-enrichment again.
• Going after every single Russia-compromised politician. Make politicians scared to get in bed with Vladimir Putin.
• Figuring out a way to cut off the sewage pipeline leading from Russian troll factories to our TV and computer screens.
• Implement ranked-choice voting at all levels.

I think it's possible. Generally, some form of ranked choice is happening in democratic strongholds. Shut out the fascists, and you get a broader range of Democrats.

Israel is hated by literally everyone around them…

Not to mention that Netanyahu staying in power (similarly to what will happen with Trump) is the only thing keeping him out of dealing with legal accountability. He can’t afford to lose any power.

I guaranfuckingtee you that if Israel gets glassed by its numerous opponents in the Middle East because America held up aid over Gaza.

I don't see how america holding up aid will instantly result in Israel getting glassed. It should be theoretically feasible to stop aid to Israel unless a) Israel stops its murderous campaign in Gaza or b) Israel comes under attack from a non Palestinian country. Unless Israel will fall within a few days, the US should be able to back them in case of an attack even though aid was previously being held back.

I’m a little confused, I didn’t realize that US stop supporting Israel would make them look weak. It would make them look strong in my books, especially if all the money is used for Ukraine.

As someone not from a western country, people always hated US using their military to police the globe.

Edit:

The situation is like the strong boyfriend defending their crazy partner. They look weak for bending over backwards for craziness.

Your analysis of the Middle East completely disregards religion?? AND the history of conflict between the various powers?

...you sure you're not over simplifying it?

Na, Islam does a fine job of creating horrors while fighting itself. Like using children to clear minefields, for example.

https://www.wearethemighty.com/mighty-history/iran-iraq-war-child-soldiers-mines/

A couple of reasons...

First, because any such fall would be slooooooooow. Israel wouldn't fall quickly, it would take a long time and would be absolutely catastrophic for everyone on all sides of the conflict, because they would take a lot of Iran and others with them.

Second, because it would reduce western, secular influence in the region considerably, while massively increasing Russia's influence. Russia doesn't give a shit about stability and quality of life in the region, they just want vassal states from which to work to expand. Russia doesn't think any country that isn't Russia should exist, especially near them.

tl;dr - The system is broken but we still have to pretend it isn't because otherwise its brokenness will allow terrible things to happen and the people who do those things will face no repercussions.

you are benefiting from your White Privilege

This is no longer effective rhetoric in 2024

if Trump wins in 2024, I'll hold you all accountable for what happens in 2025 and beyond

Why should anyone care about you or your opinions? You don't have the power to "hold" anyone "accountable". So don't pretend that you do

The working class deserves Medicare for All as a right, universal housing as a right, and living wages as a right. The working class has no interest in seeing its money sent to fund genocide in Gaza or a seemingly endless war in Ukraine against Russian aggression.

Unfortunately Biden does not represent the working class, he represents the ruling class, as does Trump. The working class is disillusioned with American bourgeois democracy and their upcoming nonparticipation in the presidential election could quite possibly result in another Trump victory. If that occurs then it will purely be the fault of Biden and the Democratic Party

you think the system is failing us now, you must have been asleep from 2017 through 2020, especially for the part where unmarked, literally secret as in unknown, police came in and abducted people protesting the murder of a Black dude, and beat the shit out of them before releasing them. The system REALLY failed us then.

Straw man argument, those police are not part of the executive branch, nor were they punished or prohibited from doing so again by the new executive.

get it. You think the Democrats don't represent your issues in the Congress. I don't agree with that, as a good half of the achievements listed here benefit the little guy in one way or another, but yeah. Biden answers to the moneyed class, and that is bipartisan. But you only get 26 out of 100 people in the room to flat out come out and say "Yeah, I'm with that guy," pointing to you. In the polls, you might net another 25 people, and 49 people vote for the R in this accursed D and R duopoly we call our government. But pay attention to those numbers. You can't afford to lose a lot of people. If Jill Stein picks off 3 of your 51 people, it's 49 Trump, 48 Biden, 3 Stein, and all 51 of the anti-Trump voters suffer with Trump. Those are the rules the game is played by.

I think this is ignoring op's main point.... That the inherent problems that are causing the vast majority of our problems have gone largely unaddressed by both the democratic and Republican party. COVID marked the largest wealth transfer from the middle and lower class to the rich in our nation's history, and we weren't doing so great before that. So unless Biden is hell bent on a very progressive tax scheme that would transfer more of that hoarded money back into the system...... I would hesitate to really claim he's doing anything meaningful.

As I said to the other person arguing that it's wrong to expect people to vote for people who don't give them exactly what they want, I agree. We need better choices. But there are smart ways to go about doing this, and dumb ways to go about doing it.

You are conflating someone wanting more choices, or wantinf someone like Joe Biden to change his stance/policy based on what the vast majority of his voters want.

The complaint isn't that Joe Biden isn't exactly what I want, it's that every time someone lays valid criticism at his feet and army of simps comes out to defend him with comparisons to trump.

And allowing the authoritarian jerk in isn't just a dumb way to go about doing it. It's a dumb and cruel way. And understand if you're a White Liberal choosing to vote Third Party or stay home and not vote Joe Biden the Genocidal Monster: you are benefiting from your White Privilege.

Again, op didn't say that he was going to vote third party, he just made valid complaints. In stead of saying, well yeah, we should probably change our position on that, you equated his complaint to racism.

You, like me, can keep your head down and pretend to be a Loyal Member of the Race, a Good American who pays your taxes and salutes the flag. You can scrub your Social Media posts and hide behind your anonymity on places like Lemmy, and go about your life. You will not be the first put into the cages by the Trump ICE. You will not be the first rounded up and deported to a foreign land with no citizenship. You will not be the first detained by the military during protests. Many, many people will pay the price for your privilege of voting third party or staying home because you won't vote for no 'genocider'.

Again, a strawman argument, mixed with some unprompted race baiting. I for one am not white, and have several complaints with Joe Biden and his presidency.

Again. Biden ain't no bed of roses.

Which is inherently the problem. If progressive voters are staying at home, it's not the fault of the voter. It's the fault of the democratic party for claiming a geriatric center right is the best the party has to offer.

This is like blaming the progressive party for Hillary loosing, despite polling worse than Bernie in swing states. And despite her ignoring Michigan on the campaign trail.

This is why Democrats loose elections, because they would rather loose running a center right than win with an actual left leaning candidate.

My vote is inconsequential, living in a deep red state and what have you. But, I'm not mystified why people would stay home or vote third party. It's upsetting, but my discontent is largely aimed at the party who refuses to change based on their constituents wants/needs. That when I have complaints about their neoliberal economics, or their participation in an ethnic cleansing, I get told by some white liberal that Im just "benefitting from my (non-existent)white privilege".

And as soon as the shittiest one wins, the bar for "least shittiest" drops a whole lot lower - it's a race to the bottom.

Of course, none of this affects policy - the class who benefits from the status quo will get what they want irregardless of who is in the Waffle House.

Regardless of the two party systems race to the bottom, 2016 saw the formal introduction of the Pied Piper strategy by the DNC during Hillarys campaign. Formally boosting the other parties evil factor by supporting trump and making the "vote for us, we arent them" the whole schtick.

How so?

No. Obama didn't have to rely on it to get into the Waffle House. Back then, the Dems could still promise some kind of "progressivism" (even though they never had any intention of delivering it).

Now look at them.

Let the hate flow through you. Feel the power of the dark side!

Voting third party is worse than slacktavism, as it's both pointless and counter productive.

Can you elaborate? Do you think it’s pointless if more red voters go for third party?

The only good argument I’ve seen against voting third party comes down to: dem voters are more likely to vote third party so more voting third party means more red votes.

Like wouldn’t it be a good thing in your eyes if existing red voters voted third party?

Circling back - I initially did not respond because I thought that my response would be caustic and catty.

It seemed that the first two paragraphs you wrote were in response to me, but the rest were just the same canned responses that get shared with everyone who throws out a ‘voting is pointless’ message. And that’s not really my stance, or my comment. It kind of upset me, so I felt that I couldn’t have responded politely at the time.
It is a reasonable conclusion to draw from my statements, but I don’t believe people should refrain from voting. I just believe political parties should deliver on their promises, and if they don’t deliver, then they should stop making those promises, or make way for parties that do.

What are they going to do? "Oh no, people are unhappy with the two parties...well we better dilute our power and give them ranked voting."

Yes.
It’s not ‘the norm’ as far as beliefs go, but I do kind of think that should be exactly what they do. They are here to lead and govern. That is what public service is. It is service to the public.
If they behave in protectionist ways for the sake of their party’s over the public interest, then they lack the mandate to represent the public.
Leadership is sometimes sacrificing the power of your party for the good of the people. But that’s also irrelevant as an argument. If democrats represent the ideals they claim to represent, then next time they have a trifecta, they should move towards expanding democracy at a federal level, rather than leaving it to states. Leaving it at the state level guarantees the sort of gridlock that holds back local organizing - only certain kinds of ballot initiatives are even seriously considered at a state level because it’ll harm that state’s power on the national stage. In terms of ideology, more U.S. citizens align with democrats than republicans (but huge numbers of left leaning folks don’t vote due to lack of representation). Their political aims would see more progress with a better represented (and presumably more engaged) populous in a coalition government where their ideas can enjoy broader support.
But they don’t run on ideas or by providing better governance. They’re a business that relies on laws and marketing campaigns to succeed in a given ‘business cycle.’

When the Democratic Party did have a 60-40 in 2009 they did not act. Where they did they self imposed compromises with the GOP or simply didn't pass legislation they ran on. For example: codifying Roe v Wade with Freedom of Choice Act went from Obama's alleged first sct in office to "not a top priority." Then they got annihilated in 2010.

We know from precedent that when Democrats are elected there is no indication they will even promote what they or the party ran on.

Recent example: John Fetterman. Ran as a progressive, immediately said he wasn't progressive once in office and now pushing for right wing immigration laws.

Republicans get what they vote for. Democrats do not. Which is why these threads are so ignorant and frustrsting to read.

It’s not inspiring in the slightest bit. We are in a terrible position and we have been for my entire life and beyond. A 2 party system does not work because ultimately that 2 party system becomes the rich vs the poor.

We need 3rd, 4th and 5th party candidates not just holding office, but in the Supreme Court. We need term limits at all levels of government. We need free healthcare for all residents. We need to take corporate interests and money out of Washington. We need to erase these cockamamie gerrymandered voting maps and implement fair elections and ensure easy access to voting for all eligible citizens. We need to invest in more in education and less in bombs and super-soldier police. We need to hold elected officials accountable for their actions and ensure transparency in government processes. We need to elect leaders who prioritize unity, civil discourse, and the well-being of all citizens. We need to put all the issues up for votes and stop letting politicians decide our present and our future.

There’s a lot we need to do and it’s going to take a long while time and sustained effort to create a lasting change.

But, it’s 2024 and this is our current system and this year we have one of two choices: Joe Biden or Donnie Dickhead. So this year we have to accept that it’s going to have to be one of the two of them as president. But when you’re voting don’t just vote party lines, look into local politics and politicians. Vote in primaries. Vote period. Or, run if you feel so inclined.

Show me proof of Genocide or stop claiming it's happening. Just because you can use the word doesn't mean it's true. No one has deemed what the IDF has done to be genocide at this point.

Only three genocides in history have been officially recognized under the definition of the term in the 1948 Genocide Convention and led to trials in international criminal tribunals: one against Cham Muslim and ethnic Vietnamese perpetrated by Khmer Rouge leaders in Cambodia in the 1970s, the 1994 Rwandan genocide, and the 1995 Srebrenica Massacre in Bosnia. (The Holocaust occurred before the adoption of the 1948 Convention.) The mass killings of the Yazidis by ISIS in Iraq and of the Rohingya in Myanmar have been recognized as genocide by the United Nations as a whole. Though the US called the killing of Black Africans in the Sudanese region of Darfur between 2003 and 2005 “genocide,” a UN investigation ruled it was not genocide.

And you think Trump would be doing…what, exactly? Let’s not forget Trump Heights

Hyperbole, especially given the historical origin of Hamas as a Waffen-SS Afrikakorp unit.

Lies

You're highly regarded

Imagine if Coca-Cola tried to shame or guilt people into buying Coca-Cola.

Now imagine there are only 2 possible choices and Pepsi is going to further reduce the control the women in your life have over their own bodies, and other fucked up shit.

So the Dems need to figure out how to balance those two things by appeasing the powerful interest and paying lip service to the voters.

I mean, that's what they're doing now, right? "Oh, we all want to do these things, but the big mean republicans won't let us do them, we're just smol beans who can't help it, we couldn't possibly kill the filibuster or reform the court, it's our birthday, why do you hate us?"

That's been the case for over a decade now and there's still a filibuster. And the court is still only 9 justices. I submit they don't want to solve it. They don't want to catch the car.

Which is why I'm a bit angry about it.

There's plenty of Republicans happy to mimic Trump given the chance. Closest right now is probably Ted Cruz, if Republicans weren't mostly misogynists I'd also say Margarine Taylor Greene.

Well right now Trump doesn't even have a VP pick. Ostensibly: whomever he picks for that.

But just as the movement quickly coalesced around Trump, they'll easily pivot to someone like Nicki Haley who will easily recouperate any Republicans Trump lost by being Trump, [edit:the type of voter] who the Democrats have been trying to court for about the same 40 years christian fascism has been on the rise.

I know this is a reddit link which makes it bad but I don't know where else there is such an easily accessible list: https://www.reddit.com/r/WhatBidenHasDone/comments/1abyvpa/the_complete_list_what_biden_has_done/

He's not a saint and there's a lot more I'd like him to do but for someone who has had a largely opposition Congress he's done a lot.

That's exactly it. That's what the DNC tried to sell us on with Biden the first time around: a return to the status quo, despite the fact that our status quo is fucked and is killing us.

This time they're trying to do what they did with Hilary back in '16: mock and shame us into voting. "He's not Trump" truly is their only selling point.

Nothing is going to get better under these Democrats. They want to tell you that things will get worse for vulnerable groups if you don't vote for them, but all that they are really doing is continuing to use the same social issues they've been using to divide to now control us. Things have already gotten worse for vulnerable groups under this administration.

Donald Trump is the best thing that ever happened to the DNC, and they don't actually want him to go away. If he's gone, who will their boogie-man be?

Don't worry dem shills will keep doing exactly that, blaming the electorate.

I was replying to OPs points directly. They didnt mention Gaza at all. What the fuck are you on about?

If he would stop sending arms today, he would win in a landslide.

... this the same American electorate in which under half of the Democratic Party is in favor of reducing aid to Israel?

It's fucking insane how some people pretend that the US electorate agrees with all of their opinions, very conveniently.

Well we've had that option for over three years and for over three years Biden has told us to go fuck ourselves. If that's how the system is supposed to work then the system isn't worth defending for me. I'll leave that to the people who actually benefit from it.

I will almost certainly be voting for Biden, but why on Earth do you think we can push the DNC to the left? "Stop fascism now, then right after the vote is won, start pushing the party Left" has been the calling action for progressives and leftists for decades and the US has gotten more right-wing with time.

Why is this time any different? Is it finally time to realize that you cannot vote the DNC to the left at the scale required to make actual change?

This is what happened in 2020.

The party refused to move left. I won't be suckered into giving up my vote for a procorporate piece of shit again. If Biden wants my vote he'll fucking work for it.

You can't remember Bernie?

By any standard, this Presidency has been a failure.

https://www.edf.org/blog/2022/08/12/biggest-thing-congress-has-ever-done-address-climate-change

By any standard, this Presidency has been a failure.

Yep so let's help elect an actual fascist that says he'll finish the job in Gaza, has never seen a corrupt dollar that he didn't want deposited in his bank account, wants to shoot protestors, extrajudicially executed antifa in the Pacific Northwest with federal goons, wants to be a dictator "only on day one", and has already attempted to overthrow the government because he didn't like the way an election turned out.

Also, nevermind the fact that in a global pandemic the fucking guy wanted us to inject disinfectant, said the disease would go away like magic, had store shelves so empty we were wiping our asses with our hands, and had his administration steal crucial supplies from frontline workers to auction off around the country.

Also set aside that he will let Russia steamroll Ukraine and will probably try to get the US out of NATO.

And that he's been indicted with something like 90 criminal counts and a dozen or more civil cases, some of which have already rendered judgements against him.

And nevermind the non-stop craziness of the general population when he was originally elected in 2016 who while flying his flag ran over protestors with their cars, screamed at people on airlines, went to pizza places with weaponry demanding answers.

Biden didn't singlehandedly turn everything around from it being a country on active fire in four years, so let's put Trump back in to finish the job both abroad and here at home.

We'll be a nice smoldering pile of rubble by next election season.

-- 💩🔥🇺🇸

Easy choice

That’s true, but tbh I would do that for Biden too…

You're making a lot of assumptions about my opinions and intended actions that just can't be gleamed from a post kvetching about the sorry state the US finds itself in.

Maybe think about your own knee-jerk responses before you make up ones for others.

It is, but blocking individuals on Lemmy sure is a nice function. Not sure if it is a Lemmy function or a function of Boost for Lemmy.

Also, I will say good on the lemmy.world moderator that removed the post where dude really went unhinged. I really shouldn't have called him out for being on a particular instance but I've noticed trends. Lemmy.world is definitely not the worst

We understand how it works perfectly fine, thanks. The Democrats just can't seem to get that if you constantly run on nothing but "Hey, the other guy is worse," while supporting unconscionable policies, failing to deliver on popular policies and being yet another in a long line of disappointments for significant parts of the population, eventually people will say "You know what? If you want to lose this bad, fine."

The Democrats will never actually change and improve if they keep managing to squeak by with more of the same. Unless they genuinely fear losing an election and take action to address it, we're going to be in the exact same position in another four years, complete with liberals screeching at everyone who doesn't fall in line, "Don't you understand, this is the end of democracy! The other guy will be so bad, and we promise not to suck this time, scout's honor."

Stay classy Lemmy World user. 👍

Lmao

get wrecked

Ok bro

Nice fanfic. All that writing just to excuse genocide.

1. Trump has not flip flopped on abortion. He said banning all abortions was too far, but simultaneously said that overturning Roe was a big achievement. The latter causes the former. His position is that states should pick but they shouldn't pick wrong but also the government won't force them to not pick wrong.
2. Trump lies constantly. I don't believe I have to say this seriously on Lemmy. You cannot trust a single thing he said because he's a habitual liar. It's more extraordinary when he tells the truth.
3. Do you really think that if a Republican House and Senate sent him a federal abortion ban, he wouldn't sign it?
4. He's acknowledged Gaza is a bad look... And says Israel should just finish it all up and be done. He literally said they should finish the problem.
5. You forgot to mention Ukraine, which Trump wants to abandon and Biden wants to support. Russia has already committed genocidal actions against Ukrainians.

Not to mention, you're judging Biden for his actions but judging Trump for his words. It's a terrible comparison. The problem with Biden is that he expresses disapproval for Israel but doesn't back it up with action. You really think someone who says Israel should finish the job is going to take action against them?

Are you going to vote to support the Ukrainian genocide or to help Ukraine fight back? Because if you hate genocide, there's just one option.

Yeah, Trump is responsive to ‘the will of the people’ because trump is a populist.

Unfortunately populism is a terrible way of running government.

Why?

It proposes simple solutions to complex problems and ignores nuance. (Lock her up, build the wall, make America great again, drain the swamp).

It’s contradictory; trump wants to simplify government and reduce expenditure but at the same time expanded various government functions.

It lacks expertise; populists don’t care for expert opinion because the ‘will of the people’ is correct. It’s often not.

Correct: The Liberal Track record around here is one so fucked that when most people here "Progressive Coalition", they're not thinking "Healthcare Reform and Stronger Labor Laws", they're thinking "We will now fine people for calling him Spider-Man instead of Spider-Person. Otherwise women and non-binary individuals will think they can't be arachnid themed heroes!"

Because that's what Liberals do; Blink and you miss it minor concessions to the poor mixed in with half-assed efforts to social justice that piss off everyone involved, because real change is too hard.

It's still preferable to the Republicans who consider the UK as being "Far too supportive of trans people" (A country that recently made it so that you must be 25+ and neurotypical to transition) and believe the best solution to the housing crisis is "Literally hunting the homeless for sport."

And it's obvious that if anything is going to improve around here, the former is a better environment for it.

I'm not talking about messaging to the average voter. These articles are directed at leftist and leftist communities.

Right? Biden was president for over three years. Did he do anything to address the rise in fascism? Of course he didn't because he's a procorporate piece of shit

I recommend you still vote for the most progressive Congress people that you can. That could make a difference in a few election cycles... Hopefully.

I remember that argument from 20 years ago! It was reasonable in theory.

But now ranked choice voting is a reality in some states. The Democratic legislators had no choice because otherwise they would have lost their voter support to a third party under FPTP, and then been even worse off.

Supporting RCV is a winning strategy and we should keep at it.