Worst election ever?
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Anonymous
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I have been ranting amongst my friends about 2024 being the worst election, in terms of choices, in my lifetime. I was born at the tail end of the Reagan administration. Every election in my lifetime, including those I was too young to vote in, at least included one candidate who was somewhat qualified and competent.
Some older friends were saying that Nixon vs. Humphrey was worse in terms of candidates. What say the rest of you? |
Anonymous
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Nah. People have been whining about "two horrible choices" since I could start voting in 1999. Do you not remember the 2016 election between Trump and Clinton? People were PISSED about the "horrible choice."
The fact of the matter is that winner-take-all-elections structurally force you to vote for the least-worst option. 2nd place is the first loser and we don't have a power sharing coalitions. Parliamentary systems are better at expressing and realizing voter sentiments. |
Anonymous
What an odd take. Both Nixon and Humphrey were qualified and competent. One can question Nixon's morality, but not his competence. |
Anonymous
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You may disagree with him but Biden is qualified and competent.
The problem is that the GOP is running a lifetime criminal and conman who doesn’t respect the rule of law or democracy for their nominee. |
Anonymous
I'd say both Nixon and Humphrey were well qualified with relatable job experience and reasonably fit for the job while seeking office in their late 50s. Obviously Nixon's character flaws were exposed after he became president and while his flaws were very serious, I don't consider him to be on the same level of awful as Trump. There is no doubt the 2024 election will be the worst in modern times in terms of the caliber of candidates if Trump and Biden are nominated. There are no logical arguments for why either of these men should be president until 2029. It's just ridiculous but that's where we are. |
Anonymous
| rematch of 2020. |
Anonymous
| Only if you believe that both candidates are equally bad, which simply isn't the case. Biden may be old, but he knows how to get things done in Congress and actually govern. Trump, among numerous other serious issues, tried to overthrow an election because his ego couldn't hack losing; that alone should be an instant disqualification (but the SC dodged that issue altogether). |
Anonymous
+1. Biden is fine. Trump is the poorest quality candidate in terms of character, skill and experience we have ever seen. |
Anonymous
| ??? The candidates are the same as in 2020. At best, it’s a tie (and in actuality, the “choice” in 2016 was much worse). |
Anonymous
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You are insane - Biden does not know how to get things done and govern.
Biden can hardly stand up. Trump is just as bad of course. Yes - this is most definitely the worst election because it's not about politics it's about their sanity and character. Politics is something that you can get over and would be a sensible difference. Politics is about consideration and debate. What these 2 offer is absolutely nothing. There is nothing about Biden that is worth anything except that he's not Trump - that is it! He has made a mess of so many things and I am a Democrat that doesn't really want to be anymore. Only because GOP is so way over the line. as a minority woman, I cannot be GOP but that's a weak position to be in when the imbalance is so pronounced. This country is going to hell for sure. |
Anonymous
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There a not TWO bad choices. Ok, Joe is old, we get it. But really?
This election is not about individual candidates, it will decide the direction of our country. What kind of America do you want to live in? Democratic (real votes or proposals) vs. GOP (real votes or proposals) Abortion: Protect women’s healthcare vs. National Abortion (contraceptive & IVF) Ban Big business: Bringing American manufacturing back, hold corporations accountable for profiteering, address Shrinkflation, break up monopolies vs. Gut regulations around safety, child labor, pollution Climate: Most significant climate legislation in U.S. history to accelerate the transition to a clean energy economy vs. Defund Climate Transition Food: Protect and extend SNAP, WIC Meals on Wheels by raising taxes on the wealthiest Americans vs. Voted to slash SNAP, WIC, and Meals on Wheels for one million Seniors and another million Americans. Guns: Strengthen gun safety laws, safe storage initiative, established Office of Gun Violence Prevention vs. Offer thoughts and prayers, believes in unfettered access to guns, roll back gun laws Immigration: Proposed comprehensive border legislation which GOP refused to vote on. Seeking an immigration system that’s orderly and functional vs. Propose use the National Guard to round up immigrants and to set up detention centers for suspected immigrants Public Safety: Increased resources to reduce violent crime, more first responders to address mental health and substance abuse, and more investments in housing, education, and job training. (American Rescue Plan) vs. Voted to slash funding that would eliminate thousands of FBI and law enforcement personnel which will lead to more crime and violence Safety Net: Protect Social Security, Medicare vs. Proposed to gut Social Security and Medicare Taxes: Make big corporations and billionaires pay the taxes they owe*. *As of Jan. 2024 IRS has recouped $482 million in taxes owed by 1,600 millionaires vs. Propose more tax breaks for billionaires, blocked closing tax loopholes for corporations Voting Rights: Expand the electorate, protect voting rights, end gerrymandering vs. Curb voting rights: Voter ID, close polling locations, limit early and absentee voting, egregious gerrymandering, etc. |
Anonymous
HRC, Obama, Romney, McCain, Kerry, Gore, and Bush could all be considered fit for the four year terms they were running for. We're not talking about political policy positions that people may disagree with or think are horrible. We're talking about being able to work 15 hour days full of world travel and very important daily briefings. It's a lot more reasonable to assume Trump and Biden aren't fit to perform this job at an acceptably high level until 2029 than it is to assume they are fit to do so. This is basic science. No sense in denying the obvious. |
Anonymous
+ Good to see some sanity here. This board is full of senile boomers and they will never see that it’s their generation, regardless of party, that has brought us here. The old Max Planck paraphrase about ‘science advancing one funeral at a time’ is apropos here. We need a lot more funerals before our politics starts working for future generations and instead of boomer delusions. |
Anonymous
bOtHsIdeS |
Anonymous
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It's not about age, it's about which direction the country will go. Biden will respect our Constitutional form of government and try to work within its boundaries; Trump has already said - out loud, numerous times - that he would suspend the Constitution and be a dictator (if you believe he'll only be a dictator on "Day One", I have a bridge to sell you).
Trump is an existential threat, full stop. EVERY other consideration is window dressing. |