I feel like Stewart was directly voicing the concerns I’ve had over Biden for basically his entire term. He just doesn’t seem to get it that the fascists are playing for keeps.
this post was submitted on 10 Jul 2024
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I also like that he’s grounded in his suggestion of opening up the conversation, rather than immediately calling for Biden to step down. The DNC should’ve started poll testing alternates immediately after the debate. There needs to be an informed plan for an alternate. Calling for Biden to withdraw with a four month runway, without a more popular and independently funded candidate is reactionary and reckless.
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Biden needs to fuck off. He’s going to lose us the Republic.
You see it. I see it. Jon Stewart sees it since forever.
The shills on Lemmy and other places like gaslighting. A lot.
Honestly, I hate the situation, but I haven’t heard any compelling arguments for alternatives.
By compelling, I don’t mean appealing. I’d love for any number of other candidates to just swap in. But because the U.S. got “Weekend at Bernie’d”, and primaries were held (with no realistic opposition candidates), or cancelled in the case of Florida and Delaware, and the dates for holding a primary have passed in every state, I just… don’t see how another candidate can be swapped in.*
And I know that John Stewart specifically called out other nations who were able to call entire elections within a few months, but the U.S. electoral system just doesn’t ‘do’ that. The focus on states rights means that every state has its own laws that are fairly rigid and cannot be overridden by the federal government. And even if the states could be overridden - well, I guess I don’t know if it’s possible for the federal government to do that.
I don’t believe I’ve ever heard of that suggestion as being even a remote possibility. I’m left with the belief that it is not legally permissible.
In fact - the Heritage Foundation said they would mount legal challenges to prevent this from occurring - but only in certain states. It’s very likely those challenges could not be resolved before the election, which would lead to at least two Democratic Party candidates, and certain defeat for both of them. The only way that Biden could drop out is if the states that have laws prohibiting candidate changes repeal or modify them, and that itself might be the subject of lawsuits.
*The only way I see for Biden to drop out and not ensure certain defeat is to die. That’s the only path I can think of that’s workable.
If I truly believe that Trump will end democracy and I must do everything I can to prevent his election - even if it compromises my better judgment and morals, and I know that Biden will not use the powers he was just granted to ensure that Trump is brought to justice before he can assume dictatorial powers, then… well, what’s the option but to be a shill? That’s not a rhetorical question. I legitimately feel trapped and hopeless by this shitty system, and I cannot see a way out.
I feel like I’m damned if I do, and damned if I don’t.
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The gaslighting is really pervasive, and most troubling. This is not the way to combat the fascists with their “alternative facts.”
Biden built his career on being a Republican basically - he was known as the Senator of “bipartisan compromise” who would always rush to give republicans whatever they wanted. Putting heads in the sand and pretending that we have to roll with Republican-lite to defeat a fascist uprising just seems incredibly foolish to me. Or pretending that Biden is even sound of mind anymore, for that matter. People don’t seem willing to have an honest conversation about anything anymore. Very unhealthy democracy right now.
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IMHO, calling people shills is just going to make people defensive and not listen to reasonable arguments.
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When politicians and their families taste power they can't let it go.
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It's pretty clear that Biden should've stepped down as soon as COVID 'ended' and he passed his big infrastructure/climate bill.
He'd have been a modern Cincinnatus, and would have given Harris the best opportunity to make her case to the voters.
Harris SUCKS and she would have lost worse than Hillary. She was always an awful VP which is part of our predicament.
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If he chose an actual VP people wanted, it would have worked.
Harris has an even worse chance of winning considering no one wanted her in the primaries.
The video:
Jon Stewart Examines Biden’s Future Amidst Calls For Him to Drop Out https://youtu.be/S9LZXheHddI
Biden is open game until the convention. After that it is time to circle the wagons.
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Stewart is basically calling for a primary, which we already had, which was known for years ahead of time would happen, which literally anybody could run in, and yet nobody significant seemed interested in running. I voted in the primary, there was more than one person to vote for, Biden even lost his primary in American Samoa. To say there was "no primary" is a lie, and suggesting a party swap out a candidate who already won a primary, and by doing so throw out the votes of millions of Americans who participated in that primary process, is anti-democatic. Do you want people to switch parties and vote in the republican primary? Because that's how you do it. Did the DNC learn nothing from getting caught trying to crush Bernie's primary chances?
You lose voters you disenfranchise, period. I don't care how good the DNC's legislative aims are, if my primary vote literally does not matter, why would I ever vote in their primary again?
Stewart is basically calling for a primary, which we already had, which was known for years ahead of time would happen, which literally anybody could run in, and yet nobody significant seemed interested in running.
...which was also canceled in many states, which you conveniently leave out. Biden was not elected, he is simply the incumbent. His candidacy does not reflect the will of the voters and you know it. The denial needs to stop.
The only reason someone would be advocating for Biden at this point is they want a Trump presidency. Biden cannot win.
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To say there WAS a primary is a lie, the other credible candidates were forced out. Claiming that a coronation is a primary is how you lose voters.
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We didn't have a primary. Dean Phillips was the only real Democrat challenging Biden, he wasn't on the ballot in half the states, and he was run out of the party for challenging the incumbent. They forced him to step down from leadership, they got someone to primary him for his house seat, and he's now dropped out of politics.
But let's ignore that for a minute. The administration and the DNC also kept Biden's decline from the public. They carefully manipulated his public appearances to make sure his mental state wasn't fully known until he was on a debate stage with Trump. The voters were defrauded. The result of that fraud is that we are saddled with a candidate that cannot win. Demanding the DNC fix this colossal fuck-up so we have a shot of winning isn't just fair, it's the only reasonable course of action at this point.
Do you remember the special investigator's report into Biden keeping classified documents? They said Biden legitimately had a really bad memory at the time forgetting many important life events, and the Biden campaign then tried having them change it and then Biden claimed executive privilege over the tapes? The Biden campaign literally used executive privilege to try to prevent Biden's memory issues from becoming public.
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That's bullshit. There was not one debate, Biden didn't even campaign, and now we know why; because the Biden campaign was deliberately obfuscating his condition until the "primary" was over. If they hadn't lied to the voters, the primary would have actually happened and maybe looked a lot different.
Edit: and since when has the DNC cared about the will of the voters? They clearly haven't given two shits about that since at least '16. Why suddenly care about it now unless it's a bad faith argument?
There was effectively no primary -- no legitimate other candidate was on the ballot in my state -- because they fed us the impression that Biden was totally fine cognitively.
And then the debate happened. There was no realistic way anybody but Joe Biden came out of this primary, and I think that in itself is pretty anti-democratic.
Not that any of it matters in the end, because Biden is not going to step aside and I don't think Democrats have the power to push him to the side.
if my primary vote literally does not matter, why would I ever vote in their primary again?
Exactly. When one primary candidate won in 2016, the party nominated the other candidate. Your primary vote doesn't matter. SCOTUS even agreed with you, stating that if one doesn't like how private organizations run their primaries then they shouldn't participate in them.
Why would anyone ever vote in the primary again?
Are you talking about Bernie? He literally got less primary votes, thats why he lost, period. I agree the DNC tried to fuck him over, but at the end of the day he got less votes and that's all there is to it. If Bernie's voters were as vote-happy as they were loud, he would have been the winner of the primary.
They implemented a number of reforms after Wikileaks exposed their corrupt practices, their primary system is more fair and robust than it was in 2016. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2020_Democratic_Party_presidential_primaries#Reforms_since_2016
Bernie got fewer votes, but it was the result of blatant cheating. So its much more correct to say he was the rightful winner of it, especially considering that he would have beaten trump (according to polls). So he was a better representation of both the will of the people had there not been meddling, and the greater good for the left.
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It must be noted that the same people who told me that Bernie was too old in 2016 are now telling me that Biden is fine.
Also, that’s not even the thing that’s most concerning. The thing that’s most concerning is that Biden doesn’t appear to understand that if he loses, we probably also lose democracy. But that’s ok because he’ll have tried his goodest.
I dunno man. That sounds a hell of a lot like malarkey to me.
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Who cares how bad/lost Biden is at debates or interviews. That is not what he will be doing as president. He will be discussing policy with advisors in meeting where further discussion where rewrites are made with further discussions and more rewrites.
Stewart spent almost no time at all on the treasonous acts of the other candidate like pushing for fake electors and attempting to subvert the peaceful transfer of power. The guy mumbling through an interview was funnier to talk about while the treasonous guy is just too boring cause we already talked about the treasonous stuff...gahh
Look, this is what I would say to people who asked "who cares if Trump is an unprofessional ass?" The president represents all of us on the world stage. He's the one American most of the world knows. It IS ALSO the president's job to go and speak with anyone we need him to, to represent us faithfully as the most polished representation of the American people. If Biden can't communicate, if he's just going to mumble at other dead leaders at G7, then he literally can't do the job.
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To be fair, the second half of his argument addressed why he thought it was important to focus on Biden, and not Trump for that segment.
Shitting the bed without a path forward isn’t clever. It’s just petty whining.
Stewart offered what seemed to me a thoughtful path forward: Be the party of democracy and transparency, listen to voters, and run a convention to pick the candidate ...
... and, you know, maybe don't be strangely authoritarian about who gets to be the candidate while claiming you're also the only part that can "save democracy".
Very authoritarian. Like how Dems are saying the press owes Karine Jean-Pierre an apology for "offending" her over asking about the Parkinson's specialist and not letting up on her non answers. WH Press Secretary is a paid propagandist position! You're paid to lie.
Calling your own voters bed-shitters, bed-wetters, whiners, etc. isn't helping
Neither is calling the president an ineloquent loser without having an alternative. So stop acting like complaining is the answer.
You want to replace Biden? Come up with a viable candidate that can beat Trump or realize that Biden is the best we’re gonna get before November and deal with it.
But enough with the bitching and moaning.
Or how about listen to your voter base? Biden was looked at as a stand in after his first win. Ppl were not happy to vote for him twice. The DNC had 4 years to look for a viable replacement. Instead of acting like they can decide for us the DNC should of exercised potential replacements. It's what got us Hilary even though she was wildly unpopular and clearly democrats learned fuck all since her campaign.
The DNC think they're king makers in a democracy they claim they want to preserve. And yes I'm voting for anyone over Trump but the DNC should've not pushed their pick and let the primaries play out like the democracy its suppose to be
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Neither is calling the president an ineloquent loser without having an alternative.
Yes, the emperor has the finest clothes.
Come up with a viable candidate that can beat Trump
Want a list of names to dismiss?
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calling the president [..] ineloquent
He obviously demonstrably is
without having an alternative
Are you calling Joe "there's 50 other Democrats who could beat Trump" Biden a liar? You gotta be, since you're denying that he's ineloquent.
stop acting like complaining is the answer.
I must have missed that part of the first amendment. Is it next to the part about a constitutional right to redress of grievances?
You want to replace Biden?
Yes, please.
Come up with a viable candidate that can beat Trump
Not our job. I bet you're one of those people who tell anyone who doesn't like your favorite music act to "make a better album yourself or shut up".
You think that's a good point, but it's not. In fact, it's every bit as asinine as any argument for voting for the Mango Mussolini.
Biden is the best we’re gonna get
Since the US democracy isn't very good at listening to the people in general rather than only those with the most money and power, you're probably right for the first time in your impassioned defense of settling for awful.
enough with the bitching and moaning.
You say at the end of a rant bitching and moaning about people rightly being wary of having to choose between having a severely impaired president or not having a democracy at all.
Be better. Demand more of the people who are supposed to represent your interests.
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Neither is calling the president an ineloquent loser without having an alternative. So stop acting like complaining is the answer.
Complaining is the answer. Biden shouldn't have ran in the first place, his Cabinet should have threatened to 25th Amendment him if he decided to run again. He's going through dementia. And most importantly he's loosing in the polls especially so in 6 out of the 7 swing states. And voters considering Biden state that his age and competence is their #1 reservation keeping them from voting for him. RFK has nearly 10% in some places a couple of percentage points from himeams that he'll beat Trump amd what he needs to do is adress his obvious shortcomings.
But unless rank and file Democrats complain, nothing will change. They didn't complain enough before the faux-primary and now they need to complain even more now.
You want to replace Biden? Come up with a viable candidate that can beat Trump or realize that Biden is the best we’re gonna get before November and deal with it.
Harris, Butttiget, Booker, Whitmer and one other person whose name I can't recall at this time were polling withing 2 points of Biden's clip last week. According to this poll Harris polling ahead of Biden and beating Trump nationally in polling. While I'm not sold on a Harris Presidency because of her very poor record; I think she's in the best position to take over.
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Yeah, sorry, all of this shit has been on full display since day one. We always knew he was a senile career politician invested in maintaining the status quo. What, you think all of us who were genuinely excited about Bernie Sanders didn't all fucking see this? Like the DNC isn't a corrupt organization? EVERYONE KNEW THIS. What, now that we're facing this fascist existential threat is when you wanna bring it up?
Hey guys I know that the demon king showed up out of the portal to hell, and we placed all of our faith and hope in defeating him with this aging warrior, but how about right before he goes into battle we ridicule and taunt him? Especially since the power that the warrior has is derived from those that support him, let's just make sure that after the corrupt org forces this dumbass fucking "solution" onto us, and makes us all realize that him losing means we end up speed-running a fascist dictatorship, let's just make sure to shoot our warrior in both kneecaps right before his big fight. Can we do that? Can we just place all of our hopes and dreams into this one vessel and then fucking shoot it because for some reason NOW neo-liberals are just waking up to what everyone else has known SINCE DAY FUCKING ONE!?
The time for this was before the South Carolina primary in 2016 and 2020. Not now. No, 4 months isn't enough fucking time. Every moron who forced Biden down our throats deserves the next 4 months of pant-shitting nightmares because this is their fucking fault. But anyone saying this bullshit now is just trying to score points like this is a fucking game. It's not. It's our lives and the future of our fucking planet. just vote for progressives, and when you can't vote for the democrat.
These threads are great at baiting the .ml tankies out so I can block them. It'd be nice if server blocks also blocked all their members, but Tank traps like this'll have to do for now
So you can remain in an echo chamber?
blocking fascists and fascists wearing the skin of the lefties they killed is not creating an echo chamber
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I like Jon Stewart. I usually agree with him.
Today he's part of the problem. I don't want to be in the position where we talk about losing an election to 'both-sides-ism" and "but his stammer", because the part where we say "I told you if you prevented people from voting to preserve democracy we'd lose it" is a really poor consolation prize. Get back to slamming sleepy joe once this thing's over, okay? #binaryChoice
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