Do the goodest they can.
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- Ancient Athens was not a polity anyone would want to emulate in the modern world, nor did it function especially well.
- To the extent it can function at all, direct democracy is severely scale-limited. If everyone knows all the facts and cares about the same stuff, maybe you can consult them directly. But with a lot of issues across a big scope, almost no one understands or cares enough about any given issue to form or express an opinion. In practice, adding more notionally democratic elements to a system can make the outcome less representative of what the public wants, because in a world of endless community meetings and consultative hearings, the people who have the motivation and resources to participate on a particular issue are systematically different from the average person. Paradoxically, representativeness comes best from having a small number of highly salient, legible opportunities to vote.
This doesnât work well in the U.S., because the system (when functioning normally) pushes candidates to run towards the median voter, so theyâre often peddling two different spins on basically the same set of values, and voters who arenât centrists donât have a satisfying way to express their views. But that needs a structural fix, like proportional representation that could allow non-centrist parties to contest elections and participate in politics without committing electoral suicide. Adding ill-considered âdemocraticâ elements just because you donât like the current system and they sound nice ends up just breaking the virtues that our current system could have, without fixing anything.
The Biden machine correctly assumes that if at some point everybody concludes that he really really really isnât going to step down they will get back on board, however reluctantly, because the alternative is so much worse. To be clear, âeverybodyâ includes funders, other dem lawmakers, etc. Most voters will come along, but a lot obviously wonât, and he had zero to spare. And in a situation like this where enthusiasm is so crucial it is just a debilitating handicap that I donât think can possibly be overcome.
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Lose while following all the norms. Thatâs what this election is about.
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Biden might end up like an enhanced version of Bush 2004 where his polls go up a fraction of a percent everytime he appears in public and doesnât soil himself on TV
The Dems are going to lose a ton of the voters they are actually in a contest with Republicans to get. Dems have a chance if the election boils down to âRs will give you tax cuts but we will give you Xâ where X is something so appealing to them that they will bite (think health care coverage in the Obama elections). Dems have no chance if the elections boil down to âRs will give you tax cuts and the Dem candidate has good days and bad days, but he is basically functional, we swearâ. Like how is that even a contest?
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Lots of potential Dem voters are just going to stay home. This whole situation is completely ridiculous. The party for Very Serious People running an obviously mentally deficient candidate is infuriating.
Serious question but would you trust Biden to do straight forward tasks for you? Lets say take care of your dog while you are gone for a day or two? Watch your kids? Go and get groceries for you? Seems pretty obvious he couldnât do any of these things. He sure as hell shouldnât be president.
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Just absolutely amazing that the Democrats are going to lose in the most loserish way possible.
Just handing the fucking keys to the country to 81 year old Donald Trump without even trying anything.
eDems have turned into Republicans who have invented this kayfabe Universe where we are told to not believe what we all see with our own fucking eyes. Joe Biden is not salvageable as a Presidential Candidate at this point. Even if the debate was an aberration, there is clearly enough wrong with his public presentation that the White House knows better than to have him do public events. Common wisdom among the entire country is that he is old and unfit and that canât undo itself.
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Despite all of this, I will still vote for him if heâs the candidate. I assume that when the call comes in the middle of the night and itâs time for the President of the United States to make a decision that only he is empowered to make, somebody else will make the decision. I understand thatâs not how itâs supposed to work, but I still prefer that scenario over Donald Trump being the one to make the decision. And as for all the other stuff that a government does, again obviously I want the Biden administration over the Trump administration
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If I was in a state where it mattered I would vote for him because I agree with you. I think im just not voting for president if this shitshow persists though.
You were arguing for the primaries being not democratic and the parties just choosing their candidates. I guess that is legible for the two parties just just pick people and then everyone gets to vote for Kodos or Kang, but itâs far from a democracy.
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I will too as will tens of millions of people Iâm sure. Because the priorities of a Republican Administration are so out of line with what I think a civilized, educated society should look like in 2024.
But I just donât see how marginal low info voters are pulling the lever for Biden with the shitshow that theyâre seeing.
What is especially offensive to low info voters is that Democrats have positioned themselves as the party that is following norms and telling the truth. When the entire messaging from everyone in that party is âThat old guy you see physically struggling and hear mumbling through public appearances isnât oldâ, it just gets absorbed as the same old political bullshit and they just tune it out or vote for the other guy.
Itâs the same concept as why âBernie Sanders is a Socialistâ hits way different to a low info voter than âJoe Biden is a Socialistâ. The accepted truth is the Bernie is a Socialist while Biden isnât. The accepted truth among the entire population is that Joe Biden is too fucking old. You can decide if thatâs acceptable or not but you canât deny it or else youâre just a liar.
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People in congress donât read the bills either. Ted Lieu comes to mind because Cactus just mentioned liking him. He even sponsored a bill to criminalize boycott of Israel and then apparently didnât know thatâs what the bill would do.
(U.S. Lawmakers Seek to Criminally Outlaw Support for Boycott Campaign Against Israel - The Intercept)
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welp. sure this is going to make all the difference
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I disagree with the description of the discourse. It was dissipating until yesterday when, Clooney revived it.
Has there been some sort of poll of folk that said they voted Biden in the âprimariesâ?
What does that have to do with an election in America?
How many drugs would I need to be on to consider this press conference might end with âSo thats why, for the good of the country, I announce my resignation effective immediately,â Harrisâ music plays, and out she comes with Sotamayor to take the oath?
And then they all do the Evolution pose.
For reference:
If the answer is âa lotâ im willing to take that bullet.
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