• raccoona_nongrata@beehaw.org
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    11 months ago

    The thing is, the logic that Biden is holding to in order to justify clinging to his presidency (i.e. “people who don’t want outright fascism must vote for me, they have no choice”) applies just as well to any candidate who is put in the general.

    Go watch Marianne Williamson speak and tell me she wouldn’t do just as well if not better than Biden if it were her and Trump. The people who always talk about “gotta vote blue, even if it’s the lesser of two evils” are going to vote for whichever Dem is in the race in the end. The only difference is, someone like Williamson could actually be pallatable to young people and the progressive base as well. You’re not going to lose the liberal boomer dems, only gain younger progressives and liberals.

    Biden stepping down would only be a win for Democrats, because he is the impediment to Democratic unity. People want something different, desperately.

    • Zworf@beehaw.org
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      11 months ago

      The people who always talk about “gotta vote blue, even if it’s the lesser of two evils” are going to vote for whichever Dem is in the race in the end.

      Of course but isn’t it the swing voters that are most decisive? How would they react to a relatively unknown person?

      I’d love to see a woman in that job though. It’s about time.

      • Pigeon@beehaw.org
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        11 months ago

        Georgia didn’t flip because of the “might vote Republic or might vote Democrate” swing voters people usually talk about; it flipped because of hoards of people who don’t normally turn out at all finally were approached and motivated to do so. Another kind of swing voter, between “might not vote of all, or might vote Democrate.”

        Pundits make much of the first group because they always have, and because politicians insist on putting that group front and center in their priorities, but I think they become less and less of a genuinely powerful block as the two major parties get farther and farther apart. Who is even left in the middle, anymore? Never Trumpers, who won’t vote for Trump anyway?

        Meanwhile, Biden’s unconditional aid for Israel’s genocide is alienting Arab Americans, who have a lot of voting power in some key states, as well as a large (though I can’t say exactly how large) portion of young, Black, and Latin American voters who can see the obvious racism at play.

        I think he’s made a political bet here to appeal to the people the DNC always tries to appeal to at the cost of other groups, but I genuinely think he may lose because of it, especially if Trump ends up sidelined and replaced with another Republican.

        Then again, maybe pushing the abortion rights thing will make enough of a difference to counteract this. I don’t know. But I hate that I feel like this election could easily go either way.

        • Zworf@beehaw.org
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          11 months ago

          Meanwhile, Biden’s unconditional aid for Israel’s genocide is alienting Arab Americans, who have a lot of voting power in some key states

          Hmm good point yes.

          as well as a large (though I can’t say exactly how large) portion of young, Black, and Latin American voters who can see the obvious racism at play.

          Yeah I was reading this article about how Trump is super loved by Cubans in Florida. I could hardly imagine it, his whole 2017 campaign was based on keeping the latino’s out with his big-ass fence!! But they love his conservatism. Even though he’s not actually conservative, he just does whatever he wants.

          Then again, maybe pushing the abortion rights thing will make enough of a difference to counteract this

          It’s also such a hot topic with conservatives that it will really make them go vote, whereas it’s something most democrats don’t really care about as much (until they actually need one).