There was a show primary but candidates were essentially stonewalled from participating and voters browbeaten for not supporting Biden, which is why only wackos like RFK Jr are the only other people who ran.
Up until tonight, there really was little point. Biden already beat Trump, has the incumbent advantage, and has had a successful term. I’m still not convinced that replacing him suddenly this late is even remotely a good idea unlike a lot of people seem to be
Not American, but a furby surrounded by Biden’s team would still be preferable to Trump to most people, so I’m not sure this changes much. Americans around here seemed to mostly be in the “hold your nose and vote for Biden” camp anyway. Not sure how representative that is.
Democrats suffer from a condition that I’ve come to call “Democratic Realism,” named after Capitalist Realism. No matter how much they get their shit kicked in. No matter how badly they do. No matter how little they accomplish. No matter how badly they look or do in debates. Democrats always believe, beyond a shred of doubt, that they’ll win elections without trying. Not because of their own merits, but because they’re just the only “real” choice; they simply can’t fathom anyone willingly voting for their opponents.
Hillary barely campaigned in the “flyover states” that she needed to win because she couldn’t be fucking bothered to actually try. It wasn’t worth the effort to try and persuade people she thought of as her lessers. And the DNC just went “well, it’s obviously her turn. She’s been waiting for the chance at the presidency for 20 years now. We should go ahead and let her be president.” Because that’s the mentality. They don’t have to “win” elections. They just pick a candidate and they get to win, because there is no “real” alternative. That Bush and Trump won don’t indicate that, yeah, actually, you do have to fight for the people who are voting for you, otherwise they’ll vote for the schmuck that appeals to their basest and most venal instincts. Those were just flukes…right? And you don’t have to inspire confidence and admiration in others, because they should just recognize how smart and accomplished and inoffensive their candidates are, and that they’re told to vote for them by people that are smarter than they are, so they should just shut up and do it.
It’s a party driven less by any kind of ideological goals and more by a pervasive sense of smug, impotent, lazy egotism. And, yeah, they’ll get a shitload of votes in the elections because the alternative always seems to be someone who is one goose-step shy of a literal Nazi. Biden will probably even win the popular vote. Y’know…just like Hillary did…
Good essay. I don’t know if you remember after Obama won in 2008 a bunch of democratic party apparatchiks came up with this idea of “the coalition of the ascendant” and that they pretty much had the government locked in for a generation, due to support that would never waver for them amongst immigrants, yuppies, tech bros, etc. They didn’t need the working class anymore and the Republicans would be the minority party for many years.
Two years later the democrats were wiped out in the midterms.
Of course they didn’t. They literally had every establishment democrat coordinatedly drop out of the primaries in exchange for cabinet positions to throw their support behind Biden when Sanders started winning the primaries in 2020. Like, it’s been clear they’d learned nothing. And thanks to the idiotic two party system, they got rewarded for that maneuver with the opportunity to say “we told you so! Look, we got trump out of office!” And when they lose this time…they won’t learn a goddamn thing. Again.
luckily, they won’t have to learn a thing if trump wins, because MAGAts will stack the odds so much in their favor that no dem will win a presidential election in many years. yay project 2025!
Why doesn’t anyone call him out on lying about running for a second term? I very vividly remember hearing him say in 2020 that he would not seek reelection and yet here we are.
Yeah, I don’t get it. I was confused and not happy when I saw he was running again. He could’ve gone out like a heavily watered down LBJ, instead he’s going to be forever remembered as the lost nursing home patient who wandered onto the debate stage. This is an unmitigated disaster, and the only way forward I see now is have Joe step down and let Kamala be the president. I’m not excited for that prospect, but I assume she can at least win a debate against a potted plant.
Just went ahead and Googled it and I can find no credible source that he actually said these words at any time. So, if you’d like to bandy out that source, I think we’d all appreciate it.
I would vote for a wet sandwich before I vote for Trump, but Jesus Christ, it would be nice if the democrats fucking tried.
why should they? you’re going to give them what they want from you anyways in november and multiple novembers into the future; there’s literally no reason for them to ever bother.
Remember when a bunch of people didn’t vote because the Democrat candidate was a piece of shit? And then trump won? And then the democratic party said “oh wow we should put up actual candidates instead of decrepit neolibs” except they didn’t because they didn’t learn shit.
They think they don’t have to, they just have to keep you scared enough of the GOP that you’ll vote for them out of terror. It’s how Biden won the first time, after all.
This is our choice. Come November I have no choice but to vote for this mumbling old man.
This is the choice that was forced onto us. The Democrats could have had a Primary and instead they chose this for us.
Most countries Primaries don’t exist at all. Getting to choose who represents a given party is a luxury.
They didn’t have a fucking primary? Jesus. (I’m Canadian)
There was a show primary but candidates were essentially stonewalled from participating and voters browbeaten for not supporting Biden, which is why only wackos like RFK Jr are the only other people who ran.
Oh. I had wondered what had happened to the 18 month shitshows from previous election cycles.
They had a primary, did everyone suddenly forget all the Palestine protesters that abstained from voting for Biden in the primary?
I didn’t, but I don’t think the dems gave a shit about them to begin with.
Up until tonight, there really was little point. Biden already beat Trump, has the incumbent advantage, and has had a successful term. I’m still not convinced that replacing him suddenly this late is even remotely a good idea unlike a lot of people seem to be
Three years I’ve been hearing vague rumours he was what I saw tonight. Trump is your next president. My condolences.
Not American, but a furby surrounded by Biden’s team would still be preferable to Trump to most people, so I’m not sure this changes much. Americans around here seemed to mostly be in the “hold your nose and vote for Biden” camp anyway. Not sure how representative that is.
I would vote for a wet sandwich before I vote for Trump, but Jesus Christ, it would be nice if the democrats fucking tried.
Yep. Same boat.
Democrats suffer from a condition that I’ve come to call “Democratic Realism,” named after Capitalist Realism. No matter how much they get their shit kicked in. No matter how badly they do. No matter how little they accomplish. No matter how badly they look or do in debates. Democrats always believe, beyond a shred of doubt, that they’ll win elections without trying. Not because of their own merits, but because they’re just the only “real” choice; they simply can’t fathom anyone willingly voting for their opponents.
Hillary barely campaigned in the “flyover states” that she needed to win because she couldn’t be fucking bothered to actually try. It wasn’t worth the effort to try and persuade people she thought of as her lessers. And the DNC just went “well, it’s obviously her turn. She’s been waiting for the chance at the presidency for 20 years now. We should go ahead and let her be president.” Because that’s the mentality. They don’t have to “win” elections. They just pick a candidate and they get to win, because there is no “real” alternative. That Bush and Trump won don’t indicate that, yeah, actually, you do have to fight for the people who are voting for you, otherwise they’ll vote for the schmuck that appeals to their basest and most venal instincts. Those were just flukes…right? And you don’t have to inspire confidence and admiration in others, because they should just recognize how smart and accomplished and inoffensive their candidates are, and that they’re told to vote for them by people that are smarter than they are, so they should just shut up and do it.
It’s a party driven less by any kind of ideological goals and more by a pervasive sense of smug, impotent, lazy egotism. And, yeah, they’ll get a shitload of votes in the elections because the alternative always seems to be someone who is one goose-step shy of a literal Nazi. Biden will probably even win the popular vote. Y’know…just like Hillary did…
Yeah, I think you’ve got a good handle on it.
Good essay. I don’t know if you remember after Obama won in 2008 a bunch of democratic party apparatchiks came up with this idea of “the coalition of the ascendant” and that they pretty much had the government locked in for a generation, due to support that would never waver for them amongst immigrants, yuppies, tech bros, etc. They didn’t need the working class anymore and the Republicans would be the minority party for many years.
Two years later the democrats were wiped out in the midterms.
I never thought of it like that, well written.
They won’t until they absolutely have to.
Which at this rate is fucking never.
“You’ve convinced me, now make me do it”
You are seeing what 80 years of worldwide violent repression of leftist ideology have culminated in.
Fuck the boat, I hope we all drown.
Thought they would have learned something from that whole Hillary and Sanders debacle. But I guess not.
OR… they don’t give a fuck either since they’re all on the same corporate payroll
Of course they didn’t. They literally had every establishment democrat coordinatedly drop out of the primaries in exchange for cabinet positions to throw their support behind Biden when Sanders started winning the primaries in 2020. Like, it’s been clear they’d learned nothing. And thanks to the idiotic two party system, they got rewarded for that maneuver with the opportunity to say “we told you so! Look, we got trump out of office!” And when they lose this time…they won’t learn a goddamn thing. Again.
luckily, they won’t have to learn a thing if trump wins, because MAGAts will stack the odds so much in their favor that no dem will win a presidential election in many years. yay project 2025!
Imagine if they had spent last 4 years promoting some young faces as potential candidates.
Why doesn’t anyone call him out on lying about running for a second term? I very vividly remember hearing him say in 2020 that he would not seek reelection and yet here we are.
Yeah, I don’t get it. I was confused and not happy when I saw he was running again. He could’ve gone out like a heavily watered down LBJ, instead he’s going to be forever remembered as the lost nursing home patient who wandered onto the debate stage. This is an unmitigated disaster, and the only way forward I see now is have Joe step down and let Kamala be the president. I’m not excited for that prospect, but I assume she can at least win a debate against a potted plant.
never saw this. citation requested thanks
Yeah I remember it.
Google’s right there when you’re done being obtuse.
Just went ahead and Googled it and I can find no credible source that he actually said these words at any time. So, if you’d like to bandy out that source, I think we’d all appreciate it.
https://thehill.com/opinion/white-house/4718993-did-biden-break-his-one-term-pledge/ it’s been memory holed. https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2023/09/biden-reelection-transition-president/675395/ (btw I was using “google” as a verb, my mistake. There’s nothing on Google, you need to use search engines without agendas, or at least not that agenda)
I dunno about you guys, but I didn’t believe it for a second when he said he was going to be one term. Shame on him for lying, even if it was obvious.
why should they? you’re going to give them what they want from you anyways in november and multiple novembers into the future; there’s literally no reason for them to ever bother.
Remember when a bunch of people didn’t vote because the Democrat candidate was a piece of shit? And then trump won? And then the democratic party said “oh wow we should put up actual candidates instead of decrepit neolibs” except they didn’t because they didn’t learn shit.
not only did they not; but the cock blocked a popular progressive candidate from running; twice.
And then spent the next several cycles systematically forcing anyone who supported him out of the party.
You can’t pin that on the voter because not voting for the democrats is effectively voting for the republicans. It’s a problem of the two party system
They think they don’t have to, they just have to keep you scared enough of the GOP that you’ll vote for them out of terror. It’s how Biden won the first time, after all.
And they’re right. I mean, Trump’s a waste of oxygen, so why should anyone vote for him?
Democrats do not need to make us scared. The gop does it themselves.