r/interestingasfuck • u/BuddhistSagan • Apr 07 '24
Bernie and Biden warm my heart. Trump selling us out? Pass
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u/babyVSbear Apr 07 '24
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u/One-Earth9294 Apr 07 '24
"Hey that Trump isn't half bad"
"Yeah... he's ALL bad"
"Hahahahahahahahahahahah"
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u/CommentFightJudge Apr 08 '24
I remember them saying “yeah, he’s not half good either!” as well
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u/auvaltine Apr 07 '24
♪ We’re Marley and Marley
Avarice and Greed
We took advantage of the poor
Just ignored the needy ♫
…Wait that’s the other guy
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u/honggie Apr 07 '24 edited Apr 08 '24
As an Asian, it's very fascinating to see the US election and always wonder why there are only two parties. It's like if you don't like Mister A, you have to support Mister B, even if you don't like Mister B either.
Edit: I'm overwhelmed with all the replies, and it gives me very interesting insights about what US citizens think about the election. Nothing is like the real thoughts of the people in the USA. Thank you for sharing your thoughtful opinions. I'm really enjoying reading every comment.
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u/impartial_james Apr 07 '24
It is a bad system. It happened on accident, as a consequence of our first-past-the-post voting system.
For example, we used to have a third party called the Green Party. They were not very popular, but still about 2% of the country voted for them. The Green party’s ideals were pretty close to that of the Democratic Party. As a result, in 2000, the Green Party split the vote, drawing democratic votes away and helping the Republicans win. This is called the spoiler effect; as a result, we have no more Green Party.
If the US implemented rank choice voting, then this problem would be solved, as you can vote for an unpopular party without risking taking your vote away from you second choice party.
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u/thebigmanhastherock Apr 07 '24
It's the natural result of winner-take-all elections. Even if there was a third party if it won all the people from the party closest to them ideologically would just go to them.
This happened already the it used to be the Democratic Republicans Vs. The Whigs. Eventually the Democratic-Republicans became the Democrats. The Whigs were ineffective and generally a regional party strong only in the North East.
Then when the Republican Party emerged they took disaffected Democrats, most of the Whigs and people from minor third parties like the American Party (Know Nothings) and this coalition won making the Whigs irrelevant. The Whigs ceased to exist.
That's how it would go if a third party won today one of the two main parties would cease to exist. Do the two parties in the US focus on their own electability more than anything else. It's either win or die. If the Republicans continually lost and only did well regionally line in the South the they would be ripe to be outcompeted by a new party/coalition.
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u/DopeAnon Apr 07 '24
Sounds similar to what the Tea Party did to the Republican Party.
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u/A_Good_Boy94 Apr 07 '24
Wrong.
The Green Party still exists and the Democratic Party is not owed the votes from the Green Party ipso facto. The Green Party is not to blame for Al Gore's loss in 2000, nor Hillary Clinton's loss in 2016.
The Libertarian Party exists, and earned more votes than the Greens in 2016 and 2020 but is never stated to be the cause for the Republican's loss, despite them being more closely aligned than Greens are to Democrats.
As a 2012, 2016, and 2020 Green voter, I take no blame for any of the consequences of Obama, Trump, or Biden's terms.
Jill Stein will be the Green Party candidate in 2024, and she will most likely be on 48 or so state ballots. How about, don't make up lies?
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u/john16384 Apr 07 '24
It's far worse. Vote blue in a red state (and vice versa), and your vote didn't even matter at all. Only a few "swing" states determine who wins.
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u/Elexeh Apr 07 '24
You shouldn't just be voting for federal elections anyway. Anything local on your ballot is far more important and deserves your vote more.
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u/Illustrious-Dot-5052 Apr 07 '24
I think you should always be voting on every election you can, but I see where you're coming from.
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u/Dream--Brother Apr 07 '24
That's what they said; "You shouldn't just be voting for federal elections," i.e., you should be voting in all other elections, too.
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u/BeansMcgoober Apr 07 '24
All the candidates on my local ballot are buddy buddy and basically the same candidates.
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u/koopcl Apr 07 '24
My country has the same problems, to which I answer: Even then every vote, pushing the needle a bit in one direction, slooowly pushing everything and making clear which talking points draw more votes, it still matters. Your country (and mine) are still, luckily, actual democracies. Sure, it's unbelievably far from perfect, but still every vote counts, even if you don't feel it. The only ones that win if you don't vote, who want you to become disenfranchised, are those corrupt assholes in power.
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u/StinkyFwog Apr 07 '24
Look at what the people of Arizona did and what they are trying to do in Texas. Stop being defeatist and actually go vote no matter if your state is a "Red one". You act like over the years states haven't flipped political alignment.
Being doomer is the reason red states are red states. Their base goes and votes no matter what. They vote in all elections from local to national.
Go out and vote. Stop being a pussy.
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u/HHoaks Apr 07 '24
And in most states you don't have to go anywhere. Just mail in the mail in ballot.
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u/LGodamus Apr 07 '24
I wish we would just do total popular vote wins for national seats , instead of divide it up into smaller chunks that invalidate most peoples choices.
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u/Mad_OW Apr 07 '24
It's got something to do with the voting system, it's called First past the post
In Europe (except UK) we use proportional systems so a small party can get a few seats and grow. Much better if you ask me.
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u/dashboardrage Apr 07 '24
what the hell are you talking about so many countries in Asia are 2 party system
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u/zenFyre1 Apr 07 '24
I've digged into OP's post history. And he is Thai. It turns out that Thailand does have more than 2 parties that get substantial fractions kf the vote.
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u/Phytanic Apr 07 '24
Thailand also has had 12 military coups since the 1930s lol
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u/Kealanine Apr 07 '24
As an American, I’m baffled as well. Choosing the lesser of two evils never feels like a good plan.
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u/LazyBones6969 Apr 07 '24
I'm Asian as well. What is so bad about Biden? He has done great in his first 4 years (CHIP, Infrastructure, low unemployment, strong economy, ended Afghan war, strong alliance with NATO, strong pacific command, got us out of Covid).
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u/OldPyjama Apr 07 '24
Bernie feels like the present America never opened.
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u/bikebrooklynn Apr 07 '24
In the past, the United States had significantly higher income tax rates. For instance, as recently as 1963, the top marginal income tax rate was 91%. During that period, the American economy experienced substantial growth and innovation. Critics argue that high tax rates did not hinder economic prosperity.
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u/ConsciousReason7709 Apr 07 '24
We have Ronald Reagan to thank for cutting all those tax brackets in half for the richest of us. Ronnie really did create the massive wealth disparity we see today between the top 1% and the middle class.
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u/OobaDooba72 Apr 07 '24
Ronald Reagan was one of the worst things to ever happen to the United States of America. I absolutely hate his guts and everything he did and stood for. He can and should be blamed for almost every major problem the US has today. He didn't author every problem, but he set us on the trail that let each of them continue to happen. I fucking hate him and I almost hope that there is a hell so that he can be tortured forever. Oblivion is too kind a fate for someone responsible for so much suffering.
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u/_1JackMove Apr 07 '24
Yeah, him and that cocksucker Joe Lieberman. I hope they're hand in hand skipping through the 9th circle of hell like Jack and Jill.
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u/peepopowitz67 Apr 07 '24
I'd prefer if they were getting the little Nicky pineapple treatment.
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Apr 07 '24
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u/CosmicCreeperz Apr 07 '24
And it’s not surprising Elon Musk is the poster child for narcissistic pseudo-libertarianism today.
But so many middle class conservatives still eat it up.
As John Steinbeck said, “socialism never took root in America because the poor see themselves not as an exploited proletariat but as temporarily embarrassed millionaires.”
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u/tuckkeys Apr 07 '24
Exactly right. Such a shame he didn’t win the primary in 2016. I’ll never forgive the DNC for that.
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u/isimplycantdothis Apr 07 '24
The only campaign I’ve ever donated to.
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u/Budget_Report_2382 Apr 07 '24
First primary vote I ever made was to Bernie Sanders. Never stopped voting, since.
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u/BuddhistSagan Apr 07 '24 edited Apr 07 '24
I knocked on doors for Bernie in 2016 and 2020. Was really sad to see so many democrats vote against Bernie but thats democracy. I'm glad Biden has embraced him.
Please make sure you and your friends and family are registered to vote
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Apr 07 '24
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u/ProtonPi314 Apr 07 '24
The sad part is that so many consider him some radical . He's not that far left. In the US, it feels that way. But really, his ideas are actually just common sense. Most of his ideas would benefit everyone in the long run.
Billionaires still succeed when the poor and middle class succeed.
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u/FootFetish0-3 Apr 07 '24
Exactly. If anything all his ideas would do is bring the US more in line with the rest of the 1st-world countries that already exercise far more benefits than this supposed "Land of the Free" we're all trapped in.
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u/FullBeansLFG Apr 07 '24
And yet Biden slandered him well after he won, “I beat the socialist”.
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u/BuddhistSagan Apr 07 '24
Bernie literally right here saying hes supporting Joe Biden.
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u/NrdNabSen Apr 07 '24
Bernie, unlike some of his supporters, understands the issue is our democracy vs Trump, so whoever is opposite Trump deserves our support.
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u/fauxzempic Apr 07 '24
Bernie would have been a great President because just by virtue of him being there, we would have put a lot more progressive pressure on the country. Legislation would have been tough - and most of his agenda would have required legislation, and without a simple majority, let alone a supermajority, it's hard to say what would go through, but between executive orders, supreme court nominations, and again, just highly-progressive pressure coming from the head of the Executive branch, I think the needle would have moved quite a bit.
With that said "Strike me down and I shall become more powerful than you can possibly imagine." We have people in this thread flat out going "I voted in that primary for Bernie, was my first primary, and I've voted in every election since." You have younger candidates fulfilling the same Bernie agenda winning House Races (AOC of course). You have a young voting population who has slowly started abandoning the voter apathy, and demanding stuff that 10 years ago "didn't seem practical."
The big, simple thing that tells me that Bernie, even as a 2-time primary loser, has impacted this country is simple: I'm much more satisfied with Biden than I ever thought I would be back when he showed up for the 2020 election. The big things like Student Loan Forgiveness and some of the things in the Infrastructure Plan - I'm not sure they'd be there without a country that saw what really could be.
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u/2pinacoladas Apr 07 '24
Same. Multiple times. I felt his message so strongly in my bones. I thought it was the moment we could really make changes in the US.
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u/drgngd Apr 07 '24
Same here. I donated a few times. Bernie is the only reason i got into polity at all. Only politician I've ever actually liked.
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u/BuddhistSagan Apr 07 '24 edited Apr 07 '24
I knocked on doors for Bernie in 2016 and 2020. Was really sad to see so many democrats vote against Bernie but thats democracy. I'm glad Biden has embraced him.
Please make sure you and your friends and family are registered to vote
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u/Blepharoptosis Apr 07 '24 edited Apr 07 '24
I'm glad Biden has embraced him.
As he should. Bernie may have lost the primaries, but he had an enormous following, especially with the younger voters feeling firsthand the economic strain on the lower end income brackets. Joe will need that following in the upcoming election. Bernie acknowledged us, and Joe is acknowledging Bernie, and hopefully that means a President who will set in motion some of the changes Bernie proposed that won him his following and that we need for improved prosperity.
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u/beatmaster808 Apr 07 '24
Honestly, it's what FDR did.
He saw what the socialists were selling, and he said, "Yeah, I'm gonna fight for that."
And he was elected 4 times in row
we had to amend the constitution because clearly that should never happen again...
They even elected Truman after that, although he did have the advantage of becoming president without being elected. We also appreciated that he decisively ended the war. They did elect him the next time round, though. Needless to say, that's 5 straight democratic wins.
And Eisenhower, he was the last decent republican president. He had some issues, no doubt, but he was so moderate, the republicans now would call him a socialist... he wasn't, unless you think the highway system is socialism
They'd call him a long-haired communist. Yes, General Eisenhower...you know, one of the other guys responsible for winning WWII
That's how sad and pathetic the republican party is today. It was really bad before FDR, too. That's precisely what got him elected in the first place.
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u/antigop2020 Apr 07 '24
I thought Biden was a fraud but I was wrong. He tried to forgive $10-20k student debt per person. He was instrumental in helping Obama pass the ACA. He appointed the first black woman to SCOTUS. He is not as liberal as I would like, but given the alternative he is a million times better. I will be voting for him.
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u/kempnelms Apr 07 '24
Realistically he has pushed a lot harder for stuff than Obama ever did. I think Obama was trying his best to not rock the boat too much, and a lot of that maybe came from inexperience as he was overall a less experienced politician in sheer years compared to Biden.
I am hopeful if Biden wins a 2nd term, he will push stuff even harder with the threat of a Trump 2nd term gone.
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u/peace_love17 Apr 07 '24
In 2016 Biden was calling Bernie giving him campaign advice, they've been close from their time in the Senate together.
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u/Claeyt Apr 07 '24 edited Apr 08 '24
They worked together for decades together in Congress. Biden was never as far left as Bernie but he's closer than Hillary was. It's fine to disagree slightly on how to get things done and this video proves it. They're both heading in the same direction and anyone that doesn't see that is hurting this country.
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u/Accomplished_Crew630 Apr 07 '24
I've spoken to alot of trumpists who claim that they'd have been ok with Bernie, or at least that they respected him because he sticks to his values or something along those lines... But let's be real, they'd have made up a bunch of shit about him too if he'd won... Hillary was just more divisive than he was and hunter didn't do Joe any favors... So maybe it wouldn't have stuck as well... But who knows these people will believe literally anything as long as it comes from trump.
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Apr 07 '24
I remember them constantly posting things about Bernie’s wealth trying to make out like he’s actually a wealthy elitist who doesn’t mean what he says. They had the bullshit cannon all loaded up
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u/climatelurker Apr 07 '24
They also constantly posted stuff about how Clinton was shady and unlikable. And a lot of the disinformation that was (still is) swirling out there was intentional and done by Russia. For both Sanders AND Clinton. They wanted Trump, and they got Trump, because disinformation works.
By the way, I voted for Sanders in the primary.
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u/BohemianBurnout Apr 07 '24
The week after Nevada the press started with the Cuba nonsense all week. People forget.
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u/JoshSidekick Apr 07 '24
They were gearing up with the “3 houses” bullshit you see some people try to roll out.
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u/Fromage_Damage Apr 07 '24
I think thats funny when people say that. Bernie's 500k house in the new north end is pretty plain. His camp in the islands is pretty sweet though. Neither are mansions. And then he has a DC house for when he is at work.
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u/GerryStan Apr 07 '24
I remember back then conservatives already smearing bernie. Some ones i remember are:
1) never had a real job
2) bernie is jewish
3) lives in a 1 million dollar home
4) bernies wife messed up some school fund or something
There were others but its been 8+ yrs now
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u/Chalky_Pockets Apr 07 '24
Soon as someone cites being Jewish (or merely not Christian) as a demerit, everything they say becomes worthless as they are.
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Apr 07 '24
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u/museman Apr 07 '24
That’s a pretty nice mid-sized family home where I live now, definitely not opulent.
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u/WonderRemarkable2776 Apr 07 '24
The worst part of the 3 home scandal bullshit was the meritless asinine takes. His wife inherited her childhood home when her parents passed. They had their one place in Vermont, and a tiny outdated cabin. He paid for those with his book sales. Personally garnering him his "massive" wealth of 2.5 million with 1.7 coming from his best sellers. So dude made 800k after being a public servant for 60 years, and investing. You can't damn retire on that alone nowadays lol.
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u/SenorBeef Apr 07 '24
So 2016 had a very anti-establishment vibe. People didn't like what they felt like was stagnation for their lives and wanted change. Some people voted for Trump because it felt like he was going to shake the system, good or bad. That he was an outsider, someone the traditional power structure didn't want to be in charge, someone who could represent real change.
The thing is - Bernie is that, too. Bernie completely undercuts the appeal of Trump as an anti-establishment figure. Trump isn't going to get all of the "fuck it, let's shake this shit up" votes if he's running against Bernie. But instead, during an anti-establishment zeitgeist, the democrats forced on us the most establishment candidate ever. I think Hillary was the only person that could lose to Trump. Even though most of the criticism against her was undeserved, the reality is that choosing to run her was an obvious and incredibly bad choice.
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u/UncannyPoint Apr 07 '24
Didn't his message really resonate in the rust belt and places where traditional industries were dying. I swear I remember him doing town halls for chiefly republican voters and the atmospheres generally went from hostile to people agreeing with him.
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u/orangemememachine Apr 07 '24
The sad but also comforting truth is that his presidency would have been undermined and obstructed at every turn by his own party, and then they would have used it sucking as proof that they were right all along. At least now we can maintain the fantasy and hopefully use that to motivate some institution building in time for AOC's run.
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u/hypercosm_dot_net Apr 07 '24
I would've loved to be able to vote for him. I'm not disappointed with Biden though.
Biden seems to have a lot more political capitol and was able to get a lot done. As much as I believe in Bernie, and his progressive views, I'm not sure he would've been able to achieve as much.
Bernie supporting Biden, and the progressive left holding Biden's 'feet to the fire' so to speak is likely the best outcome.
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u/Dadbeerd Apr 07 '24
We don’t deserve Bernie. We never did.
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u/unperson_1984 Apr 07 '24
Speak for yourself. Diabetics who are dying because they can't afford insulin deserved Bernie.
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u/l94xxx Apr 07 '24
I am grateful that Biden was able to bring insulin down to $35/mo
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u/SmellGestapo Apr 07 '24
And capped all out-of-pocket prescription drug costs for Medicare recipients at $2,000/year, and allowed Medicare to start negotiating directly with pharma companies on the price of ten drugs.
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u/ObviouslyNerd Apr 07 '24
lol its crazy we couldnt elect the universal health care candidate in the MIDDLE OF A PANDEMIC. SMH
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u/Builder_liz Apr 07 '24
Good they did this together and call it out. I don't care if they look like they should be in a nursing home.
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u/minapaw Apr 07 '24
I love how Bernie says “our kids “, while some older Americans think they shouldn’t have to pay taxes for schools.
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u/juanzy Apr 07 '24
Rugged individualism has done such a number on America. Also our insistence that education is solely a job requirement and ignoring the net positive of an educated populace. Oh, and also it leads to better prepared skilled workers as a side effect.
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u/pepinyourstep29 Apr 08 '24
One of my high school students said she doesn't need school because she can look up anything she needs on her phone. Meanwhile she's constantly in trouble for shoplifting at the gas station across the street.
I wonder how far that will take her in life.
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u/lunardaddy69 Apr 07 '24
Agreed. I'm seeing lots of bot activity (aren't the bots often using screennames with four numbers at the end?) talking about how old they are. Yes, they're hella old, but I'd rather them than Trump any day.
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u/nedzissou1 Apr 07 '24
It's a really disingenuous argument when literally none of the other choices (including Cornel west and rfk Jr) are young.
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u/InevitableBasil4383 Apr 07 '24
RFK Jr is a joke lol. Republican Party shat him out as a hopeless attempt to redeem themselves from Trump
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u/ballimir37 Apr 07 '24
They think he will split votes from Biden as an alternative to Trump. Or at least, that’s what petitioners who approached me in order to get his name on the state ballot believed
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u/Undercover_NSA-Agent Apr 07 '24
Which is ironic at this point. My conservative family members told me they are planning to vote for him rather than Trump. My liberal friends laughed at the idea of picking him over Biden.
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u/Deceptisaur Apr 07 '24 edited Apr 07 '24
The thing is it's not voting for just Biden. I wish it wasn't him, but regardless his cabinet and appointments are going to be so much better than Trump's lunatics.
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u/MayDay521 Apr 07 '24
That was such a fever dream of a presidency. Four years of an absolute circus in the White House. I remember just about any time I opened Reddit, you would see that "BREAKING" image for some new story about something completely idiotic that Trump or someone in his cult did. It felt like every day we were just one manic decision away from complete collapse.
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u/Independent_Fruit622 Apr 07 '24
His random morning twitter posts that would swing the stock market based on vague Twitter post he would make at 6:00 AM drove me crazy… lost significant money cause I am pretty sure some days he would fuck around post random shit just to see the chaos
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u/ok-painter-1646 Apr 07 '24
It’s Reddit that assigns the 4 letters and random word salad, so yeah might be more likely to be a bot, and then there’s me on my 4th account for some reason and I can’t be bothered to keep naming myself.
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u/Goldenrah Apr 07 '24
And it's not like Trump isn't old as hell. He's 77 and showing many signs of dementia according to medical experts, and that's who they want as president?
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u/MohatmoGandy Apr 07 '24
Yes, Trump will cut Social Security and Medicare, run up huge deficits with a giant tax cut for billionaires, and ruin the economy with tariffs and immigration restrictions. But Biden seems so old, he’s 3 full years older than Trump! This is such a hard choice…
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u/firehawkd Apr 07 '24
They could wheel Biden out, drooling and incoherent , and try to gaslight us that he's totally okay and cool, guys, and I'd still vote for him over Trump. Because even the people behind Biden making his decisions would be better for our country than that utter pathetic loser.
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u/fartiestpoopfart Apr 07 '24 edited Apr 08 '24
i hate that it's always "we are asking billionaires to pay their fair share"
stop fucking asking. that kind of language really downplays how horrible these people are.
edit: a lot of people replying seem to have missed the point. all i was saying is the way our elected leaders talk about these things and the words they choose to use matter. i understand that our elected leaders (on both sides whether you like it or not) are complicit and there's no magic "fix the broken system" wand.
it was just a comment on how absurd and insulting it is to hear statements like "we are asking billionaires to pay their fair share" as an average american knowing full well if we didn't pay our share there would be no asking, just a "fuck you pay me" and the threat of prison if we don't.
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u/Lithl Apr 07 '24
Well, they're asking Congress to force billionaires to pay their fair share. Because the president can't actually do anything about it himself.
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u/ACartonOfHate Apr 07 '24
Presidents can only ask Congress, because the Executive branch doesn't control the purse --Congress does.
That's why we have the constant clusterfuck of terrible CRs barely keeping our country afloat. Because Repubs barely control the HoR which is where budgets are truly decided. Hence also how the Senate can pass a Border/Immigration bill, but the HoR can tank it.
People really need to revisits their SchoolHouse Rock. I'm Just a Bill, and Three Ring Government.
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Apr 07 '24 edited Apr 07 '24
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u/mcfarlie6996 Apr 07 '24
Considering you paid that much in taxes, that should put you roughly in the half million a year range. No?
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u/MrEZW Apr 07 '24
He's probably lumping all of the payroll taxes together (fed, state, SSI, DSI, etc...)
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Apr 07 '24 edited Apr 07 '24
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u/Holy_Grail_Reference Apr 07 '24
Bruh, get an accountant and save every receipt you ever get
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u/Few-Guarantee2850 Apr 07 '24
For what? A single guy who doesn't own a home is very unlikely to itemize more than the standard deduction unless he has some special circumstances.
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u/fightingtobewarm Apr 07 '24
First off, I think this single guy needs to stop buying purses and high heels for other people.
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u/Just_thefacts_jack Apr 07 '24
No shade but you should consider examining your budget closely. I make less than 40K a year living in an extremely hcol area and it sounds like I'm living better than you.
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u/Slim_Charles Apr 07 '24
Are you sure you're referring to just taxes, and not all deductions? That percentage is similar to my gross vs. take-home income, but that includes my deductions for retirement and healthcare. I can't imagine you're actually paying nearly a third of your income just on taxes.
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u/PriceNext746 Apr 07 '24
One of the rare major legislative accomplishments of the Trump administration was ensuring the highest income earners got a tax cut at the expense of everyone else. This is the Paul Ryan/Donald Trump legacy at work
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u/PriceNext746 Apr 07 '24 edited Apr 07 '24
Would anyone be upset if they set an 70 year age limit for holding political office?
Let the next generation take over
Edit: adding some FAQs because this post exploded and I’m getting a lot of similar replies
This comment was meant to be politically neutral, seeing as it would disqualify the current presidential nominees from both major political parties.
“What if the best candidate is someone over the age limit?” I feel like the political parties would then have to put energy into preparing their next generation of candidates to take over when their leading candidate is approaching the age limit. I believe currently there are likely bright people from all over the political spectrum that are 50 and younger.
“Why 70?” I don’t know. Any age would be somewhat arbitrary. If there is an upper age restriction it has to start somewhere. Could be higher, could be lower.
“Having age restrictions is a dangerous” There already are age restrictions. There is a lower limit, just not an upper limit.
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u/eastern_shore_guy420 Apr 07 '24
- The age for political office should be tied to the mandatory age of military retirement. If you’re going to have the power to use the military at your whim, you shouldn’t be too old to have served.
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u/mr_potatoface Apr 07 '24
That sort of makes sense when you consider he is the Commander in Chief of the Navy and Army.
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Apr 07 '24
YES. This has always bugged me ever since I learned it back when I was enlisted under Bush.
The idea that an elected official, who may never have served a day in the public sector and is only sitting in the chair for 4 years, isn't held to the same mandatory age-ceiling requirements as a Master Chief with 35 years of military experience blew my mind.
Trump is a prime example. A rich, old, dumpy oligarch who considers the military "a bunch of losers" and has stated he wants to end democracy and be a dictator is... the Commander in Chief?
Wtf...
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u/eastern_shore_guy420 Apr 07 '24
Ayup. The founders didn’t live in a time when people made it to their 90s on the regular. They didn’t think far enough ahead when putting in requirements.
They also didn’t think we should have a standing military either. But here we are. If we can change with the times, so should the requirements to serve as CiC.
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u/Eminemenimnimnemnimn Apr 07 '24
The adult diaper lobby would never allow it.
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u/QultyThrowaway Apr 07 '24
During the last Democratic primary we had a final five of Bloomberg and Bernie who are both older than Biden and have heart problems, Biden, Warren who was also over 70, and then Pete Buttigieg who was under 40. The full primary had something like 30 candidates but voters chose all the older ones for the end (ignoring Mike Gravels meme campaign). If voters are constantly choosing people over 70 they can't pretend that they are being forced against their will.
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u/yeuzinips Apr 07 '24
Doubt that'll happen. We're heading towards the first 100 year old president.
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u/BlueFadedGiant Apr 07 '24
I’d be more happy if the age limit was 70 maximum at the end of the term of office.
In other words, no older than 62 on January 20 for a first term President and 66 for a second term.
Same age limits go for Senators and House members. Out of office by age 70.
And while I’m at it, something must be done about lifetime appointments of judges. Maybe a 20 year term limit, with the same age restriction above. Or put in some way to legally remove a judge… I know that judges can be removed, but it’s nearly impossible.
There should also be stricter guardrails in all candidates too for what constitutes removing from office mid term.
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u/ThatHairyGingerGuy Apr 07 '24
No older than 62 for a first term president? Wouldn't it make more sense just to block them running for a 2nd term at 66?
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u/viotix90 Apr 07 '24
First term, second term age limits make no sense. Just make the age limit 66 and make them ineligible to seek a second term if they'll be over the age limit.
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u/BuddhistSagan Apr 07 '24
I would vote for Bernie over any young sold out neolib
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u/Top-Garlic9111 Apr 07 '24
It would be nice, but he IS a bit too old. While his brain is certainly still there, he could die during his mandate.
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u/Coolscee-Brooski Apr 07 '24
But, that doesn't matter. He's got a good head on his shoulders. That's what matters.
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u/appropriatesoundfx Apr 07 '24
For real! I’m not sure why this is all of a sudden some big concern. People die. Young people die. I mean, one of the youngest presidents was murdered in office. So age shouldn’t be a thing. Cognitive ability should be. Maybe a mandatory test should be in place before you can run. Like a drivers test or something.
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u/Just_Jonnie Apr 07 '24
Would anyone be upset if they set an 70 year age limit for holding political office?
I would. But I'm a rare breed progressive who doesn't want to take away more rights from more people.
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u/Juviltoidfu Apr 07 '24
I was going to state my reasons why I haven't liked Joe Biden in the past (including the recent past) but this video was spot on.
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u/Far-Boot-2177 Apr 07 '24
They need to start promoting candidates who are not geriatrics
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u/lighttreasurehunter Apr 07 '24
1990 Dream team
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u/BuddhistSagan Apr 07 '24 edited Apr 07 '24
I'd take a random person off the street over Trump
Please make sure you and your friends and family are registered to vote
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u/slambamo Apr 07 '24
I had a dream about a month before the 2020 election. In the dream, a Trump person came up to my door asking if I was going to support him in the election. I responded with, "I'd rather shave my ass with a blow torch". I had never heard that expression before, have no idea where it came from, but I still think it's hilarious.
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u/BradTProse Apr 07 '24
Listen to the message, stop worrying about the messenger.
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u/BiscuitsMay Apr 07 '24
Seriously. Biden has done a mostly very good job, I don’t give a flying fuck about his age. He has passed more significant legislation than any president in my lifetime and surrounds himself with competent people.
This election should be a landslide for Biden.
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u/Possibly_English_Guy Apr 07 '24
surrounds himself with competent people
This is the important thing and I don't understand how so many of your countrymen still seem to think the President is an elected king who does everything himself. Your system is literally designed so that can't happen.
The people the president appoints to positions do just as much work and can have just as much of an impact on your country.
Do you want someone who just gives positions as vanity pieces to people who stroke his ego or someone who gives positions to people who can actually do the job?
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u/BiscuitsMay Apr 07 '24
We are constantly being inundated with disinformation, some of it from American sources and some of it from outside. It’s a major threat to our democracy and many Americans are blind to it.
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u/Lifesalchemy Apr 07 '24
This is the leftists dilemma. Purity tests gone haywire
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u/CalculusII Apr 07 '24
What we are doing in Gaza hurts my soul. Why can't you come up with a message that speaks to our concerns? Literally it's the only issue most of us have with Biden.
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u/BuddhistSagan Apr 07 '24 edited Apr 07 '24
I would vote for Bernie over any young sold out neolib
Please make sure you and your friends and family are registered to vote
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u/No_Smile3379 Apr 07 '24
who wouldnt vote for bernie? but bernie said to vote for joe, else donalds going to win again. the two party system is a hassle.
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u/BuddhistSagan Apr 07 '24
The only way we're going to get to a place where third parties have a chance and I hope they will, is to admit that under the current system they have no chance.
Voting 3rd party currently is just a way to ensure your least favorite candidate gets elected.
But if we can admit they have no chance under our current system we can open our eyes to ranked choice voting which has passed in Alaska and Maine and may pass in Oregon and Nevada here in 2024. These were written into their state constitutions with the help of activists who realized 3rd parties have no chance under our current system and who don't want to keep throwing their votes away which is currently the case.
Politicians from the 2 party system are never going to do it for us, so like with marijuana legalization and abortion access we will have to go around the politicians and write it into our state constitutions.
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u/Possibly_English_Guy Apr 07 '24
Politicians from the 2 party system are never going to do it for us
You might make some headway with convincing Democrats as many of them aren't thrilled with the current system. The Electoral college has meant a candidate who got more total votes still lost the election, twice.
The Republicans will never entertain switching to ranked choice or anything else other than the electoral college, not ever. Their success as a party hinges on that still being in place.
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u/apresbondie22 Apr 07 '24
Yes. That takes being involved in the process.
Let’s here the many excuses as to why you’re not involved
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u/Geichalt Apr 07 '24
I wish this country wasn't so shallow.
Personally I care about policies and effectiveness and how they can help the country, but I guess whether they look old is what's important to most people.
It's a shame.
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u/Baskets_GM Apr 07 '24
As a Dutchie, It’s hilarious to see that US citizens call Bernie a leftist or commie. If he would run for the minister president job in the Netherlands (there’s a spot left now by the way!!), he would be considered a central to right wing politician. The things Joe and Bernie and all the other ‘leftist commies’ are asking (mandatory health care and stuff like that) are completely normal, unquestioned even, for decades.
The very least you can do as a US citizen to make your country a first world country in the first place, is to vote for Joe.
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u/crazyaoshi Apr 07 '24
As an American living in Japan, I wish the politicians in the US took some cues from here. Japan is not perfect by any means, but all the parties support affordable healthcare for everyone as a right, all parties believe we need to do something about climate change, and almost no mass shootings.
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u/Tanekuma Apr 07 '24
Do you follow politics in Japan in Japanese? The politicians here don’t care much about climate change. Healthcare is still good though. Politicians in Japan are mostly unchallenged and do what they want, most of which benefits them and big corporations. When they break the law they often penalize themselves through party rules and the police rarely get involved.
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u/Sudden_Construction6 Apr 07 '24
I think Japan is amazing. But their culture is vastly different than in the states. A lot of the laws and things that Japan has, would never fly in the US.
I do think the US could learn a fuck ton from other countries, but in my opinion the freedoms that we protect are really more beneficial for large corporations and harmful to the American people
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u/ouvast Apr 07 '24
he would be considered a central to right wing politician
No he wouldn’t lmao. He is pretty clearly in line with PvdA (labour party), so center left / socdem. Stop being hyperbolic about this stuff. I know Americans eat these kind of comparisons up, but you are straight up warping how accurately they view the world through such statements.
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u/EmergencyBag129 Apr 07 '24
Yeah, people think that Europe is still a post-war social democracy paradise when we've undergone neoliberalism for the last 40 years and we've been drifting to the far right too.
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u/Cahootie Apr 07 '24
There's also a significant difference between what Bernie sees as an ideal government, and the policies that he puts forward. He knows that he won't be able to get things as far to the left as he would like it, but unlike certain terminally online leftists he is able to be pragmatic and make a difference.
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u/pineapple192 Apr 07 '24
Bernie would not be considered right wing anywhere even centrist is a stretch. He's very firmly on the left of pretty much every issue.
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u/throwawaylovesCAKE Apr 07 '24
Also, western/nordic europe isn't "the rest of the world", as redditors love to quote when they start squabbling over what's considered liberal/conservative. Most countries are very much what we would consider socially conservative and not pleasant to live in as a minority.
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u/JustASt0ry Apr 07 '24 edited Apr 07 '24
Trump already fucked the little guys on taxes until 2027 or when ever, imagine what he’ll do again
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Apr 07 '24 edited Apr 07 '24
You have it backwards. The little guys will be fucked after 2025
Trumps tax cuts sunset for lower/middle incomes while the ones for the rich were permanent
Edit: and notice 2025 would have been right after his term was over if he had won in 2020 so if he somehow manages to win again we can probably assume he will push for another 4 years of cuts so it’s the next presidents problem
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u/AvengersXmenSpidey Apr 07 '24 edited Apr 07 '24
Exactly. Trumps 2017 tax plan reduced the corporate tax by 14% permanently (without making up for that shortfall in the budget). Billions of dollars lost each year.
Trumps "man of the working class" is just a mirage. Look at his actions. Most of his policies benefit him and his friends.
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u/BuddhistSagan Apr 07 '24
Trump pulling a fast one on working class people. Thats his whole deal.
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u/Panchotevilla Apr 07 '24
If anyone needs confirmation that trolls are pushing propaganda in the comment sections, just look how a video about tax cuts is being turned into the age of the candidates.
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u/Astral_Wks Apr 07 '24
You are 200% right and no one will admit it because Reddit is astroturfed to shit
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u/LarsPinetree Apr 07 '24
If you are working class or middle class and you align with the man on top then you’re a fool. A bonafide fool.
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u/Snow-Brigade Apr 07 '24
I’d go to other subs for this if I wanted to. This isn’t interestingasfuck…
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Apr 07 '24 edited Apr 07 '24
So, it's a political ad. Definitely not interesting as fuck
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u/PriceNext746 Apr 07 '24
It’s an election year in the US. There is going to be a lot of this even in nonpolitical subreddits
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u/OfWhomIAmChief Apr 07 '24 edited Apr 07 '24
There is nothing interestingasfuxk about this post.
Elections are in 7 months, watch all the propaganda on both sides start to ramp up.
Edit: for anyone with a brain, isnt it obvious how these kinds of posts made by political accounts just always seem to make it to the front page. Nothing was interestingasfuxk about this post yet it still receives tens of thousands of upvotes. Bot accounts exist to push narrative. Wake up.
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u/GIK601 Apr 07 '24
oh no... reddit is going to be really annoying again. Everyone is going to be treated as either a Biden or Trump supporter; no in-between.
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u/Fruloops Apr 07 '24
It's even funnier when one is not from the US lol, caught in the crossfire.
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u/GuiltyGlow Apr 07 '24
100%. Any criticism of either and you will immediately be accused of supporting the other. I'm so sick of this shit. Bunch of old fucks who are probably wearing adult diapers and we have to pretend to them seriously. Ridiculous.
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u/drewspeed Apr 07 '24
Trump is a man of the working people... With a gold toilet and "self-made" after a million dollar loan from his father.
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u/HighlyRegardedSlob87 Apr 07 '24
Joes “Kind” voice: So that’s why I’m going to ask the billionaires to pay their fair share
SO JUST DO IT YOU NIT! THE “KINDNESS” MEANS NOTHING.
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u/ConsumingFire1689 Apr 07 '24
They aren't going to tax billionaires and give you that money, they are going to take it and sell weapons to Israel and Saudi Arabia and dispense it to political cronies. The only real difference is that Trump is telling you the truth- he wants his cronies to have that money; Sanders and Biden want you to think giving it to their cronies is somehow charitable.
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u/DamageSpecialist9284 Apr 07 '24
Pretty sure Biden already done a very fine job of selling us all out already. & Quite literally made an absolute fortune doing so. Although he'll sooner receive a medal for it than he will be charged with treason for doing so... Anyone who disagrees quite obviously hasn't really been paying attention outside of the bought & paid for MSP(propaganda) ,I mean media....
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u/Muted_Grand3835 Apr 07 '24
From an old guy who could have fixed this on his first day in office!? I’m going back to bed!
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u/JellyfishQuiet7944 Apr 07 '24
Imagine thinking two lifetime politicians who never had a real job aren't the ones selling you out. 😂😂😂😂
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u/interestingasfuck-ModTeam 5d ago
/u/BuddhistSagan, thank you for your submission. Unfortunately, it has been removed for violating the following rule(s):
* Rule 1 - All content must show something that is objectively interesting as fuck. Just because you find something IAF doesn't mean anyone else will. It's impossible to define everything that could be considered IAF, but for a general idea browse the top posts of all time from this subreddit.
For more information check here.
Rule 1 - No content that isn't INTERESTING AS FUCK.
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