The Pennsylvania Democrat recalled his time serving as a Hillary Clinton surrogate in 2016, even after he supported Bernie Sanders in the primary.

    • @givesomefucks@lemmy.world
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      5110 months ago

      Yeah, but you’re still going to vote for him, just like I’m going to have to…

      We don’t really have a choice.

      But it’s not enough for moderates to count on progressives voting for them in the general, that’s not “supporting” to them anymore.

      They want our unwavering support and complete refusal to criticize them before, during, and after assuming office.

      They’ve been slowly creeping right for so long chasing conservative votes that they’ve got the same expectations of their voters that Republicans get.

      I think more than a few of the party leadership truly wish Dem voters were more like Republican voters.

      • Semi-Hemi-Demigod
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        3810 months ago

        We don’t really have a choice.

        This is the real problem. Not Biden’s age or his actual policy goals and achievements. It’s that we know what we’re getting and we know we won’t be enthusiastic about it.

        But ya gotta do what ya gotta do, and unlike last time I’m in a swing state and can’t cheekily write in my favorite candidate without ending the world.

            • phillaholic
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              110 months ago

              Enthusiasm doesn’t lead to anything most of the time. Throughout history the greatest Presidents all had to make difficult decisions that either went against their ideals or were questionable if they had the right to do them. Anyone can run on grand ideas, but once you’re in the seat the unattended consequences are revealed to you, and unless your a monster who doesn’t care, they have to be dealt with.

              An example that made me change my mind about some things under the Obama administration was watching documentary series on declassified CIA/FBI counterterrorism incidents. The number of plots they were stopping was overwhelming. And if those interviewed are to be believed those were only a small fraction of the situations they dealt with.

      • @cloud@lazysoci.al
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        710 months ago

        You have plenty of choices. First of all you can vote for someone that isn’t red or blue, second you can take action yourself and do politics on your own

        • @givesomefucks@lemmy.world
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          3210 months ago

          First of all you can vote for someone that isn’t red or blue,

          If I wanted to waste time I wouldn’t stand in line to vote…

          In our political system any vote besides R or D means the same as not voting. Thats just reality, it sucks but it is.

          You want to change it? Great, me too. But we do that by being more invested in the current system and electing people willing to improve it.

          • Zorque
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            610 months ago

            Its more likely to matter in downticket races, where the total amount of votes is less than the margin for victory in most federal elections.

            Sure, we’re not going to see a third party president any time soon, but its more than feasible in state and local elections. People just tend to ignore them because they’re not as in your face as federal elections. Even though they’re often as important as federal elections.

            • phillaholic
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              310 months ago

              No third party in the US has a workable platform and they don’t even try to make one. They do literally nothing. We can argue back and forth about why they are at a disadvantage or why they have no chance blah blah blah, but it doesn’t take any of that.

          • @cloud@lazysoci.al
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            510 months ago

            Don’t feed on the propaganda. There’s a shitty movie out every month or so who millions go to watch because they get blasted with ads. It really doesn’t take much to teach people to vote for someone that isn’t red and blue. Drop that mindset and tell everyone to vote for someone else

        • @cloud@lazysoci.al
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          210 months ago

          So if Hitler and Osama bin laden gets resurrected and run for elections you would vote for one of the two according to who killed less people?

          • Franzia
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            210 months ago

            Mate, yeah, I fucking have to, because we as Americans have a deeply imperfect electoral system at the federal level. Sorry, but one of those fuckers is gonna be the president and then I have to call my Senator and beg them to go for impeachment.

      • @MotoAsh@lemmy.world
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        3810 months ago

        Brother, that’s what the 35 cutoff is for… A lot of people start losing facultiee 65+, so it is you who ends up supporting rule by toddlers in reality.

        Not to say Joe Biden would be worse than Trump by any means. Pointing out one flaw in a candidate is in no way an endorsement of their opponent.

      • JJROKCZ
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        2410 months ago

        I want someone in touch with the modern world, understands technology and climate change, and who will be around to feel the effects of the policies they’re enacting. Being old doesn’t rule out most of those qualifiers but a 70+ year old won’t be around to feel the effects of many policies enacted today, so they may be more willing to enact policies with short term benefits but long term detriments.

        If a 70 yr old wants to work on climate change regulation and tech regulation, they need to understand at least the basics of both, and the majority of legislators cannot use technology and refuse to begin to understand how computers or the internet in general work, despite the internet existing for 30 years and being everywhere for 20. And computers have in workplaces as commonplace for 40 years

        • @Rapidcreek@reddthat.com
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          810 months ago

          Al Gore was in his 60s when he won the Nobel for his work on environmental climate change. John Kerry, the current US Climate Envoy and the guy who got us back into the Paris Accords, is almost 80. They both know more than most on the issue.

          • JJROKCZ
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            1710 months ago

            Exceptions not the rule, the majority of baby boomers are actively working against climate change and technology

            • @Rapidcreek@reddthat.com
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              510 months ago

              Perhaps in your imagination. We’ve passed the largest legislation for climate change ever, plus the CHIPS Act has brought high tech manufacturing and R&D back to the US.

          • @Zaktor@sopuli.xyz
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            810 months ago

            And there are/were younger, more energetic, and more knowledgeable options than both of them. The dinosaurs don’t have unique skills, they’re just names we’ve known for years. We have a country of 330M, there are plenty of talented and capable people to choose from.

              • @Zaktor@sopuli.xyz
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                810 months ago

                They give Nobels to people whose names are known. It wasn’t a recognition of brilliance, it was a recognition of impact. Put a younger, smarter, and more vibrant leader in place and they get it instead.

                • @Rapidcreek@reddthat.com
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                  210 months ago

                  Correction. They don’t give Nobles to people who don’t do things. But, no skin off my nose. If you have a younger, smarter, and more vibrant leader put them up for election and quit screaming at the clouds about age.

    • Franzia
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      210 months ago

      He’s got dozens of aides and advisors. No one man’s got all that power.