It's pretty good...
by Kbyrnes (2024-03-07 11:06:19)

In reply to: Apocalypse Not  posted by El Kabong

Cannot Reply Return to Political

...I agree with him, and have long held, that our everyday lives really are not all that much affected by who is president; they are more impacted by the even more difficult to understand whirling of short-term economic forces. And I have been around long enough to have experienced 13 presidents and we are still standing.

On balance, though, I think it would be dangerous to say that because neither man would "destroy" America, that it's therefore a matter of indifference who is the next president. I would prefer an anodyne experience under Biden II because I think he would mostly have cabinet people, NSA people, etc., who were fairly sane and capable and who would stay the course of the administration for the most part, versus leaving in disgust as some did under Trump. Maybe I'm fantasizing, but I'm seeing Marjorie Taylor Green, Steve Bannon, or Steven Miller as secretary of state or some other high position under Trump, and they really are crazies.

And Trump did try to break what we have--he was apparently quite willing to see the electoral count in Congress upended, which if I were shockable anymore, would be shocking enough; but his apparent bland regard for rules in general make me wonder what goofiness might ensue under Trump II.

Goldberg did write in this piece:

"Still, a second Trump presidency, I believe, is far, far, more likely to do more harm to the country that I love and the ideals I hold close to heart."

I hold there is no comparison between Trump and Biden.
by IAND75  (2024-03-07 12:15:34)     cannot delete  |  Edit  |  Return to Board  |  Ignore Poster   |   Highlight Poster  |   Cannot reply

As you suggest Biden would be pretty much what we are accustomed to for the past 70 years. More or less. Some may feel he is, would be, a “bad” president. But that is very relative. That type of “bad” presidency is very survivable and we would likely experience little difference in our day to day lives.

Trump is in an entirely different category. As a reminder, presidential scholars ranked him the worst in history. The next worst led us into the Civil War. That was based on his first term where there were senior members of the administration that thwarted his worst impulses. They would not be there in a second term.

You mention MTG as a possible Sec of State. Possible, yes. But as I posted in a thread below we could also be looking at a Chief of Staff, head of the NSA, and the Speaker of the House who all would like to literally establish a fundamentalist Christian theocracy.

I take Liz Cheney’s warnings seriously.

I believe his purpose...
by El Kabong  (2024-03-07 11:07:46)     cannot delete  |  Edit  |  Return to Board  |  Ignore Poster   |   Highlight Poster  |   Cannot reply

...is to create the mindset "having a Democratic President won't be the end of the world" in the minds of Republican voters.
But what if he forgives student loans?
by Kali4niaND  (2024-03-07 11:13:15)     cannot delete  |  Edit  |  Return to Board  |  Ignore Poster   |   Highlight Poster  |   Cannot reply

(that's intended to be a joke)
Staying home and writing in are options too *
by El Kabong  (2024-03-07 11:45:33)     cannot delete  |  Edit  |  Return to Board  |  Ignore Poster   |   Highlight Poster  |   Cannot reply

Back to my 2004 comment, if this were then
by ravenium  (2024-03-07 12:41:53)     cannot delete  |  Edit  |  Return to Board  |  Ignore Poster   |   Highlight Poster  |   Cannot reply

I would wholeheartedly agree. I remember being stupidly pissed about Bush, but in the end life went on, our country continued existing. Maybe policy went the other way that I wanted it, but a robust congress (hah, in theory) forced a compromise bill rather than pure single-party goodies. We tested civil liberties a heck of a lot in the early 2000s, but our institutions held.

This is basically, in my mind, "meh" vs "let's test how far someone can go in his own self interest and maybe not cause an actual second civil war". So many of our guardrails have been predicated on strong institutions and good men/women that we had no plan for when a lot of people fell into line behind a bad one.

Voting for Biden isn't intended to be a signifier that you embrace him - it's a game of "who would you rather". I would that we had RCV or similar such that you could say "THIS person embodies my principles but if they don't get in, this person is ok, I guess".