this post was submitted on 05 Nov 2024
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politics

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Summary

Kamala Harris’s political skills have transformed a potentially disastrous 2024 presidential election into a competitive race.

Despite initial skepticism and a challenging campaign, Harris has improved her public image and closed the gap with Trump on key issues. Since Biden stepped aside in July and endorsed her, she has shifted from an unpopular vice president to a viable candidate, even matching Trump in polls on economic issues.

Her leadership has given Democrats a chance to prevent a Trump landslide and halt the rise of American authoritarianism.

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[–] [email protected] 26 points 2 hours ago (3 children)

Why is no one discussing Dems have lost the senate and given a bigger majority in the house to Republicans. Even without Trump they are bound to control house and the senate.

Stand by for nothing happening for the next 2 years or worse.

[–] [email protected] 7 points 2 hours ago

ABC thinks trumps lead is insurmountable in Penn. This shit is joever.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 hour ago

Thank that to even heavier Gerrymandering in part, which according to right wingers, is a "leftist conspiracy theory".

[–] hubobes 5 points 2 hours ago

Since Trump seems to win I think a lot of things may happen in the next few years.

[–] BigDanishGuy 25 points 2 hours ago

Did she win? No? Then it doesn't fucking matter!

What? Should she be getting a participation trophy? Sorry, I can't hear you over how Ukraine is being annexed by Russia.

[–] [email protected] 31 points 3 hours ago

Leave it to the modern journalist to spin a loss as a win. Comedic at best.

[–] [email protected] 13 points 2 hours ago (1 children)

Close, but no cigar does not preserve actual democracy, unfortunately.

Calling yourself a democracy, and being a democracy are two very different things. The first proper word in North Korea's official country name is "Democratic", and bear in mind Russia holds "elections" as well.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 2 hours ago

Only a small handfull of countries in the world dont at least claim to be democratic. Heres a map. https://www.reddit.com/r/Maps/comments/1b0md42/countries_that_dont_claim_to_be_democratic/?chainedPosts=t3_1cfr8lx

[–] [email protected] 32 points 5 hours ago* (last edited 5 hours ago) (1 children)

Edit: If Kamala loses, and it looks like she might, I'm blaming her and her campaign. She could have swooned the beliefs of America if she had ran on something better.

Her political skills are trash.

Kamala gained the most approved points after Biden gave her the race.

Since then, her approval rating has plummeted compared to her early numbers, and I think this is because Kamala doesn't really know what to believe.

You can see it with Tim Walz. There was a lot of momentum when Kamala took up the mantle, and that momentum was carried through once the Walz pick came out. Then, around the DNC, the campaign's tone shifted, crawling back to the ethos of the Biden administration. I think this is because Kamala couldn't decide to break away from Biden or not, and because she waited so long, she was around a lot of the same people in the Biden administration, and those people influenced her platform. You can also see this with marijuana and how she changed sides in her time between being DA and senator. Also, how she didn't really have a solid platform to begin with, which should have been established right when Walz was picked.

I'm not here to call her out as a flip flopper. I'm pointing to how she could have steamrolled this election, but chose not to. It saddened me so much when the campaign had silence Tim for his views and policies when those views and policies were the key to victory.

[–] [email protected] 24 points 3 hours ago* (last edited 3 hours ago) (1 children)

It's truly embarrassing as hell to have a Democratic party that can't absolutely crush a clown like Trump. The Democratic establishment isn't just out of touch, it's weak as fuck. Yes, this is on Kamala, but it's also on Obama, and the Clintons, and Pelosi, and Schumer, and the whole "anyone but Bernie" coalition. This is the consequence of running to the center instead of tackling wealth inequality head on.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 2 hours ago (1 children)

Maybe this says more about the electorate than the Democratic party.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 hour ago

That's what 50+ years of neoliberalism does to a population. It's a world wide phenomenon.

[–] [email protected] 85 points 7 hours ago (3 children)

It's honestly unreal that Trump is even in the race, let alone in a position to pull off a possible win. After everything that has happened. I try to keep a positive spirit in general, but it's not easy to be optimistic on behalf of the US right now.

[–] [email protected] 18 points 3 hours ago (1 children)

It's not unreal at all. I don't understand why time after time people underestimate what monsters the average American is.

[–] [email protected] 10 points 3 hours ago (2 children)

Well, now that it looks like Trump is actually going to pull it off, we're all in for a world of fun over the next four years. We might actually discover just how monstrous things will get.

[–] [email protected] 6 points 3 hours ago (1 children)

Four years? You’re awfully optimistic that he’ll ever leave if given power again.

[–] [email protected] 5 points 2 hours ago* (last edited 2 hours ago)

Death

McDonald's kills everything eventually

[–] [email protected] 2 points 2 hours ago

Its a historic win for accelerationists I guess. Viva la revolution.

Sometimes I wonder if the centrists are crypto-accelerationists, because they always run to the center for nonexistent votes like clockwork, and predictably always lose.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 2 hours ago

I think the dnc feared a desantis candidate more than they did a trump.

[–] [email protected] 15 points 5 hours ago

America is a fascist country and fascist leadership remains popular among enfranchised residents.

[–] [email protected] 23 points 8 hours ago* (last edited 6 minutes ago) (1 children)

~~What's more amazing is that no one is saying "is America ready for a woman president?" this time around, like they were in 2016. It's refreshing, but also sad that it took this long.~~

Never fucking mind. At this point I decide whether suicide or applying for a green card is the easier option.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 5 hours ago (1 children)

"Look, I hate women, but I hate Nazis even more" - Boomer men

[–] [email protected] 7 points 2 hours ago

Ermmmmmm...check the results

[–] [email protected] 98 points 10 hours ago (6 children)

I'd argue the opposite.

The fact that Americans are possibly still voting for someone who will bring in the Fourth Reich if elected, over the first female president is a sign of just how badly Democrats have dropped the ball. ESPECIALLY after Jan 6th.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 2 hours ago

What exactly do you think would have won?

Humans are awful

[–] [email protected] 10 points 5 hours ago

There is an industry built on lies my guy. A literal lie industry. Industrial lies

[–] [email protected] 24 points 6 hours ago (3 children)

It's not the Democrats' fault that there are so many cowardly, weak-minded, brainwashed losers in this country who fall for every bit of propaganda the GOP puts out. Politics shouldn't be about culture wars but that's how the republicans get votes.

[–] [email protected] 9 points 3 hours ago

It is the Democrats fault that there are so many cowardly, weak-minded losers in charge of the party though.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 3 hours ago

The Democrats are responsible for 50+ years of neglecting working Americans that created the culture you're complaining about.

[–] [email protected] 15 points 6 hours ago

You could certainly say the Democrats should have been able to come up with a better outreach plan rather than running the same old plan that hasn't penetrated into this group for the last several elections. It's not as though the culture war nonsense and insane rightwing elements of the party are novel factors, such that the Dems can shrug their collective shoulders and say "Hey, we did our best, be we were flying blind into the unknown."

[–] [email protected] 24 points 6 hours ago (3 children)

I 100% agree except why is it that "Democrats dropped the ball"?

Democrats aren't voting for a fascist. Their politicians are not enabling a fascist. The Democratic voting base hasn't been bamboozled by 30+ years of obvious propaganda pretending to be news.

Christians dropped the ball. Conservative immigrants dropped the ball. Legit news media dropped the ball. Large corporations and wealthy individuals dropped the ball... on purpose.

Democrats work on harm reduction because we don't give them enough votes to make meaningful changes. A 1 or 2 vote margin isn't enough to vote around the moles like Manchin and Sinema.

[–] [email protected] 5 points 5 hours ago (1 children)

Christians dropped the ball. Conservative immigrants dropped the ball. Legit news media dropped the ball. Large corporations and wealthy individuals dropped the ball... on purpose.

There is a literal industry built on lies

[–] [email protected] 1 points 2 hours ago

To be fair, just being a corrupt industry full of scumbags is actually progress when it comes to religion. Go back 100 years let alone 500 and it was more like its own authoritarian political party. now it's just hobby lobby with more private jets, and...well, that's a good thing. I don't ever want to have to expect the Spanish inquisition.

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[–] [email protected] 16 points 9 hours ago (2 children)

I think both can be true. That she cleaned up the situation is a testament to her skill as a candidate, and the fact this situation happened is in no small part an indictment of the Democratic party, in which she's among its most senior leaders

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[–] [email protected] 2 points 5 hours ago (1 children)

Anything to blame the Democrats, huh?

[–] [email protected] 5 points 3 hours ago

Look blaming the democrats is done not because the republicans aren't to blame, but because blaming them is sort of pointless. It's like blaming terrorists for the shit they do. Yes, it's their fault. Yes, they're morally reprehensible. So what? Are you going to spend time trying to come up with detailed arguments for what they could've done better? No, you look to the material conditions, people, and organizations responsible for fighting them, and for making sure people aren't desperate enough to join them, because their job at least in theory is to do better. I blame the democrats because I believe they could have done better. I do not have even that small grain of hope when it comes to the republicans.

[–] [email protected] 44 points 11 hours ago (1 children)
[–] [email protected] 9 points 7 hours ago

Not fumbling the ball at the touchdown line is traditionally difficult for Democrats

[–] [email protected] 115 points 13 hours ago (13 children)

The fact that the election is a toss up shows to me just how dumb America is.

The choice is an average politician or an orange wannabe fascist ..... and a good percentage of the country can't decide? Or they choose the fascist?

The fact that it is even a close race just displays in big giant signs just generally how stupid the country has become.

I normally don't like being that blunt or unkind but these people are literally holding the future of the world in their hands and they have no freaking clue what they are doing.

I'm not American and it is completely frustrating to sit outside as we watch a bunch of idiots being indecisive about either choosing normalcy or insanity. It's such a hard question for America that they need to have a never ending debate about it.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 2 hours ago

Dude the right is full on talking about anyone they disagree with being a demon. Literally a thing that's never existed, and they at on top. If you're not in a state that's entirely unwilling to put you in a concentration camp, you might consider moving.

[–] [email protected] 14 points 9 hours ago

The problem is those of us who want a better life for all. For people to be able to live and not just exist, who strive for kindness. Our problem is always that we are too willing to turn our collective cheek. We are too willing to be kind for too long, be too tolerant, too understanding. Meanwhile, the angry and intolerable, and the malicious and evil, stand high atop shaky foundations yelling loudly serious threats.

This election cycle is a representation of where our own anger has gone. I just fear it has come too late.

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