The odds that she beats Trump are becoming increasingly long. It may turn out picking a candidate by default instead of holding an open primary may not be the best choice.
She was essentially invisible during the Biden presidency. The most noteworthy thing I can remember before Biden dropped out was a daily show skit lampooning her wishy-washy speeches. It captured the general feeling about her quite well:
It goes to show that both parties have serious problems.
I'm troubled by the "both parties have problems" approach because it insinuates that we can shrug it all off because both sides are equally bad.
Whatever deficits there might have been in either person or process, Democrats nominating Harris does even not belong on the same page as Republicans again lining up behind Trump.
It goes to show that both parties have serious problems.
I'm troubled by the "both parties have problems" approach because it insinuates that we can shrug it all off because both sides are equally bad.
Whatever deficits there might have been in either person or process, Democrats nominating Harris does even not belong on the same page as Republicans again lining up behind Trump.
I don’t think they are equally bad. I think the Democratic Party has been using Trump as an excuse to make and try to downplay some extremely serious mistakes.
If a Trump presidency is the most urgent emergency, hiding Biden’s health problems until the last minute was not the proper response. But party politics time and time again have proven more important than actually choosing the best candidate to beat Trump.
I think the OP has it exactly right. Hillary wasn’t the right candidate. And Kamala may easily become Hillary 2.0. I hope I’m wrong.
I'm troubled by the "both parties have problems" approach because it insinuates that we can shrug it all off because both sides are equally bad.
Whatever deficits there might have been in either person or process, Democrats nominating Harris does even not belong on the same page as Republicans again lining up behind Trump.
I don’t think they are equally bad. I think the Democratic Party has been using Trump as an excuse to make and try to downplay some extremely serious mistakes.
If a Trump presidency is the most urgent emergency, hiding Biden’s health problems until the last minute was not the proper response. But party politics time and time again have proven more important than actually choosing the best candidate to beat Trump.
I think the OP has it exactly right. Hillary wasn’t the right candidate. And Kamala may easily become Hillary 2.0. I hope I’m wrong.
If you know anything about my posting history, you know that I agree with you on Biden. I didn't think he should have been running, and I would have preferred an open primary.
US political parties are not very agile, however. They are big, lumbering, opaque beasts that have to satisfy a myriad of competing interests. That they occasionally get some things kind of right is something of a miracle in itself.
I'll be interested to see how the Harris gamble plays out. We'll know in a little more than a week.
I don’t think they are equally bad. I think the Democratic Party has been using Trump as an excuse to make and try to downplay some extremely serious mistakes.
If a Trump presidency is the most urgent emergency, hiding Biden’s health problems until the last minute was not the proper response. But party politics time and time again have proven more important than actually choosing the best candidate to beat Trump.
I think the OP has it exactly right. Hillary wasn’t the right candidate. And Kamala may easily become Hillary 2.0. I hope I’m wrong.
If you know anything about my posting history, you know that I agree with you on Biden. I didn't think he should have been running, and I would have preferred an open primary.
US political parties are not very agile, however. They are big, lumbering, opaque beasts that have to satisfy a myriad of competing interests. That they occasionally get some things kind of right is something of a miracle in itself.
I'll be interested to see how the Harris gamble plays out. We'll know in a little more than a week.
I think the duopoly has to die. Trump is kind of the case in point about how dangerous and flawed the two party system is. As awful as he is, he could be just the beginning.
I have friends and family in Utah who apparently experience elections very differently from what I experience here in Arizona. The narrative in the culture there seems to ensure no Democrat would seem competent unless a person extracts themselves from the pervasive negativity that is rightwing propaganda. It's interesting to see otherwise rational people approach me with an attitude of being unsure who they will vote for as if it's a given this is the fair minded position. Fortunately it seems only a few questions about why a person feels (and it's always a feeling) they can't see a meaningful difference between the two candidates helps bring a little clarity.
I don't know. Harris is a solid candidate and has been part of the most positively effective Presidential administration in my lifetime. I'd suggest one look closely at where they get their information if they feel she is unqualified.
I didn't say she was/is unqualified. I say she was not the best choice to beat this afore unknown monster maga world that reared itself two cycles ago. We don't know how to deal with it yet. It wasn't anything on the radar, this great mass of stoopid. We need it defeated and need the A-team on it.
Edit: I'm walking back my snark. I don't think there is a perfect candidate that can represent a majority of Americans no matter how we slice it. In the case of Trump, I think Harris ate his lunch in the debate, soundly putting to bed any honest question of if she could handle him or the other authoritarians in the world when she is in office. I genuinely believe what you are experiencing are the effects of negative political campaigning which is at its heights going into the final stretch. Both parties are working most hard to discourage voters who might vote for the other candidate from turning out. It's much easier and effective than trying to convince someone to flip. Be calm and look hard at where your fears are originating.
Last edited by honorentheos on Tue Oct 29, 2024 4:21 am, edited 3 times in total.
The odds that she beats Trump are becoming increasingly long. It may turn out picking a candidate by default instead of holding an open primary may not be the best choice.
She was essentially invisible during the Biden presidency. The most noteworthy thing I can remember before Biden dropped out was a daily show skit lampooning her wishy-washy speeches. It captured the general feeling about her quite well:
She basically brought a generation of voters back to the race. The idea any modern candidate would be blowing their opponent out in the polls going into November may be ignoring history in favor of current political pique.
Even to this day, it is easy to get Trump supporters to shout "Lock her up". With no restraints in 2025, it will be interesting to see how many people he does lock up.
Republican idiots are constantly calling Harris low IQ and the like, and it's because they are flailing. Harris did kick Trump's ass in the debate, totally manipulated him, and laughed at him as he spoke like an old senile idiot. If she's an idiot, she's an idiot who cleaned Trump's clock, so he must be completely retarded.
I really don't care what anyone says. Trump voters are stupid idiots. We are in this mess because Trump voters are stupid. Bottom line.
Religion is for people whose existential fear is greater than their common sense.
