• MerrySkeptic@sh.itjust.works
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    9 days ago

    I love Bernie. I know he would have beat Trump in 2016. Both tap into populist sentiment, albeit on different sides of the political spectrum. The difference is Bernie wouldn’t have any of the baggage that Trump brings with the racism, misogyny, incoherence, etc. he would have won easily. I weep for what would have been. He would have been a champion for the working class, not the charlatan that Trump is.

    I think one thing that the Republicans did that Dems didn’t is they let the people pick their candidate. It’s that simple. They didn’t care how unpolished he was, his lack of pedigree, anything. There was no ideological purity test. They duked it out in their primary and let the people decide. Something for the Dems to learn from.

  • Moobythegoldensock@lemm.ee
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    9 days ago

    He’s 83 years old, older than both Trump and Biden.

    I’d like to see AOC throw her hat in for 2028. She’ll be 39 then.

    • ifGoingToCrashDont@lemmy.world
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      9 days ago

      I’d love to see this but her chances are likely worse than Harris. And that’s assuming we have an honest election in '28.

      • tea@lemmy.today
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        9 days ago

        Maybe, maybe not. Looking at the answers from her “AOC and Trump” voter cross-section, it seems like you just need to run someone who’s “genuine.” Both of them are seen as genuine or real (whether that’s true or not, it doesn’t matter).

        Populism can cut both ways and AOC might be just the ticket we need.

        • jordanlund@lemmy.worldM
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          9 days ago

          That was my primary complaint about Harris, she had the same plastic, fake insincerity Clinton did.

          I mean, I voted for her ANYWAY because the alternative is just… 🤢🤮

      • makyo@lemmy.world
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        9 days ago

        I’m starting to be of the mind that literally nothing matters in the presidential election except vibes/personality. Assuming there is an election and assuming people are sick of Trump by then I think she’d have a great shot.

        • jordanlund@lemmy.worldM
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          9 days ago

          There will be a proper primary in '28 and Newsome will be the Democratiic Mitt Romney. No idea if he’ll win.

          My favorite joke on Romney, I think it was Letterman? “Sears Catalog underwear model, Mitt Romney.”

          • Formesse@lemmy.world
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            9 days ago

            Proper like in 2016?

            The more one looks into the DNC, the more questions exist. Is it really a wounder how much inflation took place over the Obama years? Under Biden? They push party people, they get party people, who have the same great money management skills. And people are fed up with it.

            People are fed up with GOP folk just the same - for different reasons. Trump was the NOT GOP, not DNC nominee, it isn’t really a wounder why he found support. It’s really just a wounder how the leadership of the parties couldn’t figure out that serious reform is needed internally.

          • prole@lemmy.blahaj.zone
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            9 days ago

            Why does nobody seem to understand what fascism and, “dictator on day one” means?

            Your vote will never mean anything ever again.

            • jordanlund@lemmy.worldM
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              9 days ago

              That would also require Trump to be competent and while he’s a great many things, that is one thing he will never be.

    • cultsuperstar@lemmy.world
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      9 days ago

      As much as I love her, America will never elect a female president anytime soon. There are many men who believe the presidency is a man’s job.

      • Formesse@lemmy.world
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        9 days ago

        Why would you say that?

        Harris didn’t lose because she was a woman - she lost because she was associated so heavily with the Biden administration as more, and more questions started being asked.

        Hillary didn’t lose because she was a Woman, she lost because she was a Clinton and there are so many left overs - and by popular vote: She won, but the US isn’t about the popular vote. But when we look at the split - it is VERY interesting.

        AOC is generally speaking - widely approachable, talks some sanity, is willing to talk both sides of the Aisle, and so on. I can’t actually readily find a reason to be flat out opposed to her: I mean sure, there are policies and such that I don’t always agree with - but generally speaking, it is rare to find someone you completely agree with, and someone you completely disagree with: And if you ALWAYS disagree with everything, and can’t have a discussion - often times it’s not the other person with the issue.

        The reality is, there are plenty of Men and Woman that won’t or will vote one way or another for a wide number of reasons, and odds are - put into the mix, it all washes out.

        Truth is, when Covid was raging on - I kinda thought that Republicans would basically screw themselves over with the way it was handled and the death counts etc. But what it turns out - is a lot of deaths were assigned to covid but related to Cancer, heart disease, and so on with Covid as a contributing factor: So while dangerous, it seems the numbers were conflated - and that, is a very dangerous thing to do as the truth will, sooner or later, win out. And here we are.

        The thing is: AOC doesn’t strike me as mainstream Democrat. And that alone will mean the DNC is unlikely to back her as a candidate - they want a party person through and through, and that, is ultimately what lost them this election.

      • StrawberryPigtails@lemmy.sdf.org
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        8 days ago

        I don’t think that Harris’s problem was that she was a woman. Her problem, same as Mrs. Clinton, was everything else. And that is a long list for both of them. Being women probably didn’t help, but it also wasn’t their main chute.

    • jerkface@lemmy.ca
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      9 days ago

      This thread is ridiculous. A woman or a jewish person cannot be elected President of the United States. How much more evidence do you need.

      • krashmo@lemmy.world
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        9 days ago

        They said the same thing about black people until a black man running as a progressive won the nomination. I think you’ve been learning the wrong lesson from all the elections since.

        • jerkface@lemmy.ca
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          9 days ago

          I think you are underestimating how deeply misogynistic your country is.

          • krashmo@lemmy.world
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            9 days ago

            Please read my previous comment again because the response to this statement is exactly the same.

          • grue@lemmy.world
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            9 days ago

            Man, you’ll really say anything to avoid admitting that progressives win elections, won’t you?

  • Melatonin@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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    9 days ago

    As impossible and abstract as it seems to realign the Democratic base by shared class interests, it’s still much a more concrete plan than “reduce bigotry in strangers”

    Amen. Amen. Tried and failed, twice. Populism is the only way forward. Democrats must become the party of the poor again.

    Strange thing to have to say.

    • CancerMancer@sh.itjust.works
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      8 days ago

      Voters are saying “I am going to be homeless and can’t even afford bread”. The Democrat response to this is “stop being racist, the economy is fine”.

      I’m really not sure what anyone expected besides failure from this.

      It sucks because some of the agencies were doing good work, especially the mounting attacks on landlords and monopolists/oligopolists, which are necessary but will almost certainly end now. Honestly it felt like they wanted to lose, having learned nothing from 2016.

  • Sanctus@lemmy.world
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    9 days ago

    He always would have. He knows how to get the people motivated and straight up fucking torqued. He hits every nail when it comes to social or economic problems. On top of it all, he’s so passionate about it he’ll argue until he’s red in the face for us. Honestly fuck everyone who worked to move that man out of the way.

    • CasualPenguin@reddthat.com
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      9 days ago

      And yet, he lost.

      Bernie bros whinge so much about how unfair such and such was to Bernie. Do you think Trump’s campaign would have been less fair?

      Also do you forget Russia was supporting Bernie because they wanted him as a spoiler, and yet you all sit here and continue to divide rather than support people who are damn close to your own values. It’s insane.

      • Saleh
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        8 days ago

        Bernie lost the primaries when the DNC pushed a bunch of people out of the primary and have them endorse Hillary in a night time maneuver right before the deciding states primary elections.

        • Schadrach@lemmy.sdf.org
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          8 days ago

          …and they did this because they’d agreed not to do superdelegates in 2020 which meant they couldn’t use the same levers they’d been wielding in 2016 and before to put a thumb on the scale.

  • blazera@lemmy.world
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    9 days ago

    Anyone can win, just as soon as you guys stop fighting tooth and nail to keep anyone but the most moderate democrat from being allowed to compete.

  • TimLovesTech (AuDHD)(he/him)@badatbeing.social
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    9 days ago

    It seemed that it was a rejection of whatever political group was in power across the globe for the most part this year. This is largely in part because the world as a whole is still healing/recovering from the damage of COVID, and in the US the Dems were left to clean up an economic disaster left by Trump. And we have a large number of people who felt the effects of inflation and for reasons I can’t wrap my head around felt the Dems needed to be voted out. Then we had all the people who wanted to teach the Dems a lesson because of Gaza by making sure Trump was elected to help Israel level the area and make sure there was no future for Palestinians (which is another contradiction I can’t wrap my head around).

    So really I think the Dems could have had a unicorn candidate (Bernie) and they still would have lost this election, because enough people only vote for themselves.

      • hark@lemmy.world
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        9 days ago

        Do you think the outcome would be different under democrats? Please tell me how the party that has given billions in support of israel’s genocide for over a year was so totally going to stop it at any moment if they just simply got voted in again.

        • clutchtwopointzero@lemmy.world
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          8 days ago

          I don’t think that the final, final outcome would be different. You are completely right on this. But under Trump it will be supercharged and any restraint that existed to this point will be gone.

        • joenforcer@midwest.social
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          8 days ago

          If you’re still asking this question, you are either a disingenuous troll or you are beyond help. You obviously haven’t spent even five minutes trying to understand why the U.S. is still funding Israel and the general positions of the two candidates and instead feel that time is better spent riffing on the same Lemmy buzzword.

          • Saleh
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            8 days ago

            The Biden/Harris administration just declared, that their “red-line” for more weapons to Israel, the continued starvation of Gaza with an ultimatum to today, was indeed not a red-line.

            Look at the actions, not at the words. There is absolutely no indication by the actions of Biden and Harris, that they would ends Israels US funded genocide. Especially now as the whole “we need to toe the line, because of the Israel-Lobby” bullshit falls apart. The election is over. If the Dems had any serious interest in preventing Israel from annihilating Palestine, now would be the time to do so. They don’t. Because they always were and still are in support of Israels genocide.

          • clutchtwopointzero@lemmy.world
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            8 days ago

            …yuuuup. the US position under the two main parties is about the same on the Palestine issue. The only difference is the speed and intensity that actions will take.

      • Kate@lemmings.world
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        8 days ago

        Under the democrats today, this is literally happening and has for the past year now.

    • Naz@sh.itjust.works
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      9 days ago

      Fucking THANK YOU, for elucidating this so cleanly into a two paragraphs.

      The wandering shell shock on Lemmy for a week was miserable to witness.

      • Cataphract@lemmy.ml
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        8 days ago

        Do you guys really believe the populist position is to “vote the Democrats out” and that Gaza was really the reason for voter apathy that effects half the population? Couldn’t be messaging or effective policies being lacking, definitely blame anyone against a continually funded arsenal in the hands of aggressive governments.

        • Tinidril@midwest.social
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          8 days ago

          Your right. The anti-establishment mood in this country and abroad has been building for decades. Americans have never voted based on foreign policy unless that foreign policy is directly impacting them.

      • Saleh
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        8 days ago

        I agree. If we now acknowledge that genocide was a relevant factor in making the Dems loose, this is bad for AIPAC. We need to quickly reestablish different narratives to protect AIPAC interests by claiming it was everything but the genocide. It took AIPAC a few days to develop the new narratives but now we need to embrace them.

  • Eiri@lemmy.ca
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    8 days ago

    Everyone loves Bernie.

    But dang it the man is 83. He should be enjoying the last years of his life in retirement. It makes me sad to think he still needs to be working in politics.

    He’s as old as Trump, who is already too old for this shit, will be at the end of his term.

    Maybe there should be a hard limit at 65 or something for politicians. Both to keep out people in whom dementia is clearly starting to appear and to let old people frickin’ rest.

  • inclementimmigrant@lemmy.world
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    9 days ago

    Honestly I think he would have simply because with the evidence we’ve seen, Americans are really that stupid and racist they as long as you promise them you’d magically fix all of their problems without any plan behind it.

    Americans are rightfully concerned about the economy and I, even as a upper middle class person, was concerned about inflation but I’m pretty plugged into what’s going on in the world because I have the luxury of having a job where I’m posting on Lemmy in the middle of the day.

    Bernie would have offered loud, in your face I’m going to fuck corporations and get you a living wage, wither he could actually do that given America, it wouldn’t have mattered because that what Americans wanted to hear, even if you never wanted to do that in the first place.

    God I hate that Greenday is correct.

  • Blackmist@feddit.uk
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    8 days ago

    Is pretty clear that people are unhappy and want change.

    There’s no meaningful change to be had. The political parties and their funders have got very wealthy the way things are, and they’d like to keep it that way thank you very much.

    The whole process in almost every country in undemocratic as shit. We need to be able to vote and have referendums on individual policies. Few people are 100% behind any candidate. What if you want abortions but hate immigrants? What if you’re transgender but still think corporations should be able to stomp all over us?

    • derpgon@programming.dev
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      8 days ago

      You want X, you get X, Y, and Z. This is why it’s always “lesser evil” and not “greater good”. Your vote is diluted by sewage.

  • BananaTrifleViolin@lemmy.world
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    9 days ago

    A lot of democrats could have won this election. Ultimately the big mistakes were allowing Biden to run unchallenged, then sticking with Biden until it was too late. Harris then had an impossible task to win.

    If the democrats had an actual democratic process, and put their best possible candidate forward they may have won. Instead this election was very much a repeat of 2016 - the wrong candidate, being favoured through to the election by the DNC. In 2016 the DNC closed ranks around Clinton because of fear of Bernie and also because of a crazy notion that it was “her turn”. Biden didn’t run when he should have. This time Biden ran when he shouldn’t have, and other strong candidates in the party didn’t get a chance.

    But it was more than the candidate - the election focus was totally wrong. 1/3 of the electorate did not vote - and this election is not a story of Trump breaking through. Trump got 74m votes in 2020 and about 74m now. The Dems got 81m votes in 2020 and 71m votes now - Trump is basically static; but the Dems lots 10m votes because they ran a bad campaign. Those missing 10m voters are in the 1/3 who are not included in polls; because Trump has not broken much above his 74m ceiling. The Dems floor fell out under them instead.

    The polls always showed 50:50 but that was just “likely voters”. Really 1/3 support dems, 1/3 support reps and 1/3 weren’t going to vote. That vast pool of people are not all never voters; the missing 10m are in there. THAT is where the Dems should have been going for votes. Forget the republicans; they should have been reaching out to the disinterested and disenfranchised. A positive message that actually addresses their concerns.

    The “moderate” Republican votes were never in play nor worth courting, and the abortion and democracy focuses were not the priorities of voters. The dems needed to listen to the actual voters - and the message of what the voters cared about is clear: the economy. The Dems needed to have a clearer message on the economy - “it’s doing great” does not tally with voters experiences who are living with high cost of living after inflation. Prices haven’t fallen back, they’ve just stopped rising as fast. The message to voters should have been “we’ve done some stuff but there is more to do” and offer clear policies are wage growth, housing/rent costs etc. Give the disinterested in particular something to vote for.

    So yes, maybe Bernie would have won. But lets not forget he chose to endorse Biden, not run in the democratic party primary. So it’s actually his fault too.

    Only Dean Philips, Marianne Williamson and Jason Palmer actually stood up and challenged Biden in the primaries, and they were criticised for doing so as if they were the reason Trump would win.

  • Etterra@lemmy.world
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    7 days ago

    I’ve been saying that since the DNC muscled him out in 2015. Stupid establishment Republicrats.

  • jordanlund@lemmy.worldM
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    9 days ago

    I love Bernie, but he would not have won. He’s not healthy enough to have run a national campaign like that, not after his heart event in 2019.

  • lennybird@lemmy.world
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    8 days ago

    Bernie may have, but also fuck The Intercept and we dodged a bullet not letting Tulsi Gabbard anywhere near the White House (I mean, until now anyway).