• givesomefucks@lemmy.world
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    2 days ago

    Reagan was one of the worst things to happen to the US.

    100% agree

    Maybe we should just stop electing shitty actors to do a difficult job.

    I’d argue the opposite on that tho.

    We kept hearing with Biden that a president can’t do much, it’s all Congress.

    So why are we running career politicians when the majority of America hates politicians? Why did we just one an ex-prosecuter when most Dem voters hate our justice system?

    Like, we can at least halfway it with someone like Al Franken, someone that started out somewhere else then switched to politics. But why not just say fuck it and run Taylor Swift for president? Count on her carrying the entire down ballot and getting dual majorities and she just has to not veto what lands on her desk.

    Either the president doesn’t really do anything and is just a figurehead or it has to be someone with decades of government experience.

    It can’t be both.

    But there’s certainly no reason to keep picking people with zero charisma for what’s basically a convoluted popularity contest. Even foreign relations, I guarantee foreign leaders would give Brad Pitt a better deal than Joe Biden. They’re not getting down into the nitty gritty, the drones work out the details anyways.

    Obama and Bill won off their charisma above all. Biden as well was incredibly charismatic back in the day, it’s just as came out recently, his health had been an issue basically the entire term. I’m not saying this as a dig, but he is a shell of his former self. 40 years ago he was considered the best public speaker of his generation.

    As much as I want a progressive and think they’d win on policy, what matters before the platform is charisma and we need to admit that.

    It’s insane we didn’t learn it after Al Gore, but clearly the DNC didnt.

    • LandedGentry@lemmy.zip
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      2 days ago

      As popular as it is to hate “career politicians“ I actually completely disagree with that concept. Most career politicians are fine and will do a competent job given the chance.

      I don’t want someone who promises me Mars and then spends 4 years figuring out the job and covering their ass. I want somebody who will get a rocket up in the air at all to start so we can build on it.

      • givesomefucks@lemmy.world
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        2 days ago

        It doesn’t matter how good you are at a job if you can’t get hired.

        The most important quality of any presidential candidate is being able to win a convoluted popularity contest.

        So we need to look at people that fit that criteria, then find a good candidate. Not find someone who would be a good president, that’s the easy part, there’s a shit ton of people who could be a good president like Dwayne Elizondo Mountain Dew Camacho, he didn’t have to be smart, just be popular and listen to a smart guy who told him what to do.

        • LandedGentry@lemmy.zip
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          2 days ago

          Most career politicians are actually not as dependent on the popularity contest as presidential candidates.

          • givesomefucks@lemmy.world
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            2 days ago

            Exactly.

            They do not have the experience or necessarily even the qualities required to win a popularity contest on that scale.

            So I’m saying we find an empty suit that is good at winning popularity contests then listen to the party leaders in the House and Senate, since they’re the ones with decades of political experience, and I was about to write “and they write the laws” then remembered it’s mostly lobbyists and think-tank employees these days writing legislation.

            But that’s a whole nother issue.

            • LandedGentry@lemmy.zip
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              2 days ago

              I’m not sure I agree with the strategy because that’s kind of what Trump is and it has not led to the Republican Congresses somehow being more effective

              • explodicle@sh.itjust.works
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                2 days ago

                But it has led to Republican voters getting what they wanted. Roe v Wade is no more. We’re getting tariffs that career politicians know are harmful.

                So a leftist equivalent would support Medicare For All, which is very popular with the public but unpopular with career politicians.

              • givesomefucks@lemmy.world
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                2 days ago

                We can worry about that once we can consistently keep Republicans out of the White house

                For the past 3 elections we’ve been told that’s all that matters and we’re 1/3

                • LandedGentry@lemmy.zip
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                  2 days ago

                  If you expand your view enough you can make any claim.

                  For the past 5 elections we’re 3/5. For the past 7 we’re 3/7. For the past 9 we’re 5/9.

                  • givesomefucks@lemmy.world
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                    2 days ago

                    Except I was referring specifically to the claims that the only thing that mattered was anyone besides trump. But since you want to go back further:

                    Go back one more candidate and you have Obama…

                    We won that because Obama had charisma and people like him.

                    Before that Gore and Kerry, both uncharismatic but were definitely qualified in every other way, both lost.

                    Before that was Bill, also insanely charismatic…

                    So going back to 92, about 30 years:

                    Charismatic Dem candidates:

                    4/4

                    Uncharismatic Dem candidates:

                    1/5

                    Does this help?

                    Do you understand why the most important metric when picking a presidential candidate is charisma?

                    Quick edit:

                    For bonus points both Bill and Obama were criticized in their primary by political establishment and mainstream media that they were too young and didn’t have the experience…

                    It didn’t appear to hurt them in the elections.

      • Mike D.@lemm.ee
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        2 days ago

        “Most career politicians are fine and will do a competent job given the chance” only concerned with keeping their position.

        This may be ego, greed, self preservation, or most likely a combination. On the Dem side I’ll pick Pelosi and Schumer as examples. Each thinks they are the best for the position, each has become rich, each continues to make deals to keep their position.

        • zephorah@lemm.ee
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          2 days ago

          Yes, an apartheid white overlord is what we need. This blows my mind. I just argued with a relative over Christmas who thinks he’s super cool. MAGA of course.

    • ChonkyOwlbear@lemmy.world
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      2 days ago

      We kept hearing with Biden that a president can’t do much, it’s all Congress.

      Keep in mind that while the president can’t do a lot of things unilaterally, there are a lot of things he can do to block, delay, and disrupt. Biden’s plans were mostly creating new things, which takes Congress. Trump just wants to destroy. It’s always easier to destroy than build.

      • MutilationWave@lemmy.world
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        1 day ago

        Very true and right alongside “a lie makes it halfway around the world before the truth gets its shoes on”.

        It’s so fucking depressing. Makes me want to give up on cold, dark, rainy days when I’m alone like today.

    • someguy3@lemmy.world
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      2 days ago

      Either the president doesn’t really do anything and is just a figurehead or it has to be someone with decades of government experience. It can’t be both.

      The lack of understanding is simply astounding, all for mental gymnastics.

      The president has to do a ton to navigate the political mess, negotiate with others, and press the issues they want with both their party and with the other party. That takes skill, knowledge, and experience.

      But they are NOT a king that gives orders. That’s where you are twisting the presidents limited power to “doesn’t really do anything”. Ultimately the bill has to be written and passed by Congress, to be signed by the president. The President has to use their words (not their power, because that’s not how it works) to convince others to do it. Again, because they are not a king.

    • MutilationWave@lemmy.world
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      2 days ago

      You’re an interesting person. Sometimes I outright despise the things you say and other times I think you’re on the right track.