To their credit, Republicans did have a real primary. And Nikki Haley did remarkably well against the former president. Unfortunately, anti-Trump sentiment within the GOP was split between Haley, DeSantis, Scott, Vivek and the others during the early primaries, which allowed Trump to gather the wins and consolidate a majority of delegates. If it had just been Trump against Haley from the beginning, I think the end result might have been different. Trump was not winning more than 50 percent of voters in those early primaries.

But, in any event, Republicans had a true primary with several plausible candidates. There was a competitive process and voters had a chance to choose among several alternatives.

Contrast this to the coronation that Democrats chose. Democrats decided not to have a competitive, democratic primary that allowed voters to choose among several alternatives. Democrats decided that America's only alternative to Trump would be a rapidly declining unpopular geriatric who will be 86 in his second term. It is democrats that chose autocracy. For democrats, it is the elites that choose who will be president, not voters. Might as well call it the Monarchy Party.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:No such thing as a protest vote. Stomp your feet all you want but voting third party or not voting at all is exactly what our enemies want.

Vote in every election, at every level.

So again, you have no actual choice. The system is slated so much that you *have* to vote for one of the major party candidates, whether they held a real primary or not. The other party put up a felon as their candidate. Do you actually have a choice? Is this actually democracy?

Yes, it is. We had a primary. These are now the choices.

We had a primary?? 🤣 You're joking, right?

No. I’m a lifetime Dem who voted for Nikki Haley because although I disagree with her on many issues, she’s a sane, mature adult. If she were the R nominee, I could rest easy knowing America would be ok no matter what happened. But here we are, on the cusp of killing America because so many people are ok with a lifetime conman felon who talks like a 4th grade bully, salutes North Korean generals, insults disabled people and military members, worships dictators and has to hold rallies even while in office to soothe his fragile ego. Idiocracy.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It's the vanity of old men, unwilling to cede any of the power they have enjoyed. Don't they realise that their legacy will be the successors they prepare to take over from them, to further the work already done?

I'm mad as hell at both of them. On the one hand we have a felon who believes he is above the law and tells outright lies just so he can tell people what they want to hear and whose questionable mental state is displayed in bizarre word salads. On the other hand we have someone bordering on senility who displays extreme selfishness by not preparing the ground for the next generation and who obviously surrounds himself with "yes-men" (and women) who aren't equipped to point out some truths.

To be fair, I look at all the other elections taking place around the world this year and the choice of other countries isn't much better. Apart from the UK, which looks like it's going to ditch a dysfunctional party to start afresh with a moderate and intelligent government.

Not sure I agree about the UK: Brexit has kneecapped them for a generation and no government can undo that disaster quickly.

But everything else, absolutely.

I think the reason why no one is asking Trump to step aside is because it’s obviously futile. He’s a narcissistic, selfish bully. Why the GOP actually support and vote for him though is beyond comprehension.

No one is asking Trump to step aside because his party by and large supports him. The Democrats, on the other hand, by and large think Biden is not fit to serve another term, but yet he still remains in the race and the people with the power in the party have been reluctant to clearly say he needs to step aside. It’s ludicrous.

The media is clamoring for Biden to step aside, but they have not once said Trump should step aside, even though he is a convicted felon

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Vote Blue no matter who!!

Closely consider the alternative.

Exactly. There is no choice. It’s Biden or dictatorship and decline

Biden can't win

Exactly. Dictatorship would be a disaster. Troops on the street won't solve it.

Dictatorship doesn’t mean troops on the streets it can behave as a ““ normal government“ with elections and everything, but do you think that Putin really wins all of those elections?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Vote Blue no matter who!!

Closely consider the alternative.

Exactly. There is no choice. It’s Biden or dictatorship and decline

I disagree. There will more than one name on my ballot- probably five.

I know you wish this was a dictatorship, PP, but it’s not.

You are free to choose one of the five options, but there will only be one of two outcomes, Trump or Biden, or possibly if Biden drops out another Democrat. Those are the outcomes. there’s no getting around that.

In a normal America I wouldn’t be too worried, but clearly Scotus is captured by the right and so is one house of Congress.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Vote Blue no matter who!!

Closely consider the alternative.

Exactly. There is no choice. It’s Biden or dictatorship and decline

Biden can't win

Exactly. Dictatorship would be a disaster. Troops on the street won't solve it.

I voted in the primary and my choice did not win. The one who did is not the man for the job, but neither is the other choice.

I think there has been a plan all along by the Ds to do a bait and switch. Keep Kamala away for the fray so that the Rs continue their assault on Biden and not her.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:No such thing as a protest vote. Stomp your feet all you want but voting third party or not voting at all is exactly what our enemies want.

Vote in every election, at every level.

So again, you have no actual choice. The system is slated so much that you *have* to vote for one of the major party candidates, whether they held a real primary or not. The other party put up a felon as their candidate. Do you actually have a choice? Is this actually democracy?

Yes, it is. We had a primary. These are now the choices.

We had a primary?? 🤣 You're joking, right?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I actually don’t think our election system is rigged at all. Not meaningfully.

I’m not a big fan of conspiracy theories that can’t be backed up with actual evidence. I think the people screaming them are attention seekers trying to benefit personally from manufactured outrage.

Like Kamala herself. She and her inner circle are literally the only people with hair on fire about the primary results now.

Did you vote for Biden? Did you *want* to vote for Biden or were you voting against Trump? Do you think there were better candidates who didn't run? Do you understand *why* those candidates didn't run? Do you understand *why* you didn't even have the opportunity to vote for other legitimately qualified candidates?

Come on. You can put this together. You'll see it when you want to.

I voted for Biden in 2020.

I voted for Dean Forrester in 2024.

You probably voted for Biden a few weeks ago, correct?

Most Democrats did.

That’s how winning and losing works.

So your concern is only with winning, not who is best to lead us. Why? Why are you okay with that? Do you not want better leaders for this country? You honestly believe this is the best we can do?

Anonymous wrote:All I remember about him is that he’s from the Midwest and he got donor interest. He also talks like a mainstream Democrat and actually addresses policy more than hashtags. I remembered “Dean” and colored in the circle.

It’s not that difficult.

Dean Phillips as kind of unmemorable for me. Though the other Dean who I thought would be terrific was Howard Dean, who got pilloried by the Dem establishment for nothing more than winding up his audience with an enthusiastic whoop.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:No such thing as a protest vote. Stomp your feet all you want but voting third party or not voting at all is exactly what our enemies want.

Vote in every election, at every level.

So again, you have no actual choice. The system is slated so much that you *have* to vote for one of the major party candidates, whether they held a real primary or not. The other party put up a felon as their candidate. Do you actually have a choice? Is this actually democracy?

Yes, it is. We had a primary. These are now the choices.

Anonymous wrote:All I remember about him is that he’s from the Midwest and he got donor interest. He also talks like a mainstream Democrat and actually addresses policy more than hashtags. I remembered “Dean” and colored in the circle.

It’s not that difficult.

And by forgetting his last name, I just shared that I am a Gilmore Girls fan more than a TV news fan.

I only read enough to decide who to vote for.

Anonymous wrote:This is not about “flubbing a debate” PP. Let’s drop the attempted gaslighting.

Gaslighting schmaslighting. Yeah Biden is old. Yeah he stutters. Yeah, he's not spry. And having seen him twice now after the debate where he was no longer noticeably hoarse, congested and tired as he was during the debate I *DO* think he just had a cold as had been stated.

But you people are deranged with your absolutely hyperbolic and over the top commentary about him being "vegetative" and "advanced dementia" and other garbage. If he were actually so far gone mentally, he would not have been able to focus and recite facts and be able to take his eyes off of a teleprompter without getting lost and losing his place.

Frankly Trump shows far more real signs, given how he constantly just makes things up rather than being able to recite facts, how he often slurs his words, https://www.newsweek.com/videos-trumps-gaffe-filled-rally-go-viral-1878150 how his vocabulary and speaking pattern has gone from being very articulate in the 1990s to speaking at a 4th or 5th grade level now - https://www.newsweek.com/trump-fire-and-fury-smart-genius-obama-774169 and the fact that Trump's family has a strong link to Alzheimers. https://wamu.org/story/24/03/28/donald-trumps-family-history-with-alzheimers-disease/

I think we all need to start suggesting you are the ones gaslighting for not acknowledging Trump's obvious steep mental decline

All I remember about him is that he’s from the Midwest and he got donor interest. He also talks like a mainstream Democrat and actually addresses policy more than hashtags. I remembered “Dean” and colored in the circle.

It’s not that difficult.