RamosDo you agree??!!!
Stale and rotted hell, I would suggest.
reheated from last term
The fact that Americans think that Biden (or Harris) was only “the lesser evil” is precisely why Americans deserve Trump. Democrat and Independent voters demand perfection from their candidates while Republicans will vote for whatever the dog dragged in from the sewer so long as it identifies as GOP.
pelespiritI thought Biden did a great job except for Israel. That’s a huge exception, I know. In the US, he was fantastic though.
He was also terrible (actively harmful) on policing reform and did next to nothing to block voter suppression efforts by the Republicans.
He was only good if you ignore the issues most important to minorities and for fixing/preserving democracy.
If you want to blame someone for Trump’s reelection (besides the people who actually voted for him), the single person most to blame for that is Joe Biden.
You’re being very vague about what you think he should have done instead. Tell us exactly what he could have done? What part of the US do you live in?
He was also terrible (actively harmful) on policing reform and did next to nothing to block voter suppression efforts by the Republicans.
He was only good if you ignore the issues most important to minorities and for fixing/preserving democracy.
InternetCitizen2Biden: Green energy, EV investment, union empowerment(inb4), student debt forgiveness, marijuana pardons, infrastructure, drug price controls, Chips act, PACT act, pardoning people kicked out for being gay, supporting Ukraine, etc etc etc. Also non-competes banned (by FTC along “party lines”).
Ppl on Lemmy: Why are they ignoring the left!
Unreal.
Let's talk about Biden, the rails, and sick days....
He did a bunch of that shit. I don’t get your point.
I never once woke up terrified of what fresh Hell was coming next.
I did*.
There’s a reason he’s called “Genocide Joe”.
I’m glad you didn’t have to fear for the safety of your friends and family because of Biden’s actions, but don’t minimize the experiences of those of us who did.
*(was kept up at night worrying about it, but the same principle)
The American Left has trouble admitting where their tax dollars go, or what children they kill.
They know that ADL & AIPAC is so tightly ingrained in our political establishment that practically no politician advances to the ballot without getting their endorsements, so voters will just have to live with that sordid lack of real alternatives until those interest groups become unpopular enough for viable politicians to break away.
Do you extend similar sobriquets to leaders of other nations who support Israel?
What names do you give them?
Joe financed a genocide
Idiot online: What about other people?? see? you’re wrong
pjwestinYeah, they avoid being blocked by keyword filters like “trump” etc, by just posting pics with a short nondescript title, but at leaat it’s not pro trump/maga.
True, but I’m also not Palestinian.
It kinda felt like Biden’s entire presidency was waking up knowing that fascist hell was coming. One could tell after Jan 6th, the Russian invasion of Ukraine made it clear, the midterms confirmed it, and Oct 7th enshrined the impending reality.
We did have a couple weeks of optimism though after he dropped out and before the campaign intentionally shit the bed.
So he did give us that.
ddittyHow about the elation of the day they finally called the 2020 election for Biden and we knew Trump was dethroned for 4 years too? People were laughing and cheering in the streets near me. Best feeling I’d had in 4 years
Yeah, I can give him that.
Unfortunately shortlived.
I think many ITT need to hear this: perfect is the enemy of the good.
Hope and strive for perfection, sure! But anyone looking for a candidate that is going to exactly mirror their own own views on policy are as misguided as those who voted for the orange shit stain because he “talks just like me.”
That’s such a copout though. There is like 3% of the population that won’t vote Democrat because they’re not super-based anarcho-communists or whatever. There is a far larger percentage of people that won’t vote Democrat because they fucking suck at doing half of what they promise, and only promise a quarter of what they should. Perfect is the enemy of good; good should be the enemy of student loans, or for-profit healthcare, or, oh yeah, fucking genocide. I voted for Kamala, I pushed people to vote for Kamala, but holy shit you can’t just bury your head in the sand and pretend that everyone who didn’t vote for her was just purity testing.
I think many ITT need to hear this: perfect is the enemy of the good.
Possibly true, but not why we are where we are
Hope and strive for perfection, sure! But anyone looking for a candidate that is going to exactly mirror their own own views on policy are as misguided as those who voted for the orange shit stain because he “talks just like me.”
Again, not why we are where we are, and it’s a copout to say that. Here’s why:
Good thing I didn’t say what you said I said.
???
I’m so tired of these takes. Trump won. I could care less if the next one is a slightly left of center corporate Democrat. The GOP has to be avoided at all costs.
The only way to avoid the GOP is to burn the existing Democratic party to ashes. That’s the lesson of the last three elections. The current Democrats are not capable of winning elections against the GOP.
Agreed there is no path to reform here.
Dude isn’t even on the scale of perfect to good.
I did. Because I knew, from the moment he got the nomination in 2020, that Trump would get a second term. You cannot fight fascism with the ideology that lead to fascism.
Yeah, I hear over and over again that we need to vote for a lesser evil to stop the greater evil, so that we have time to improve things and get a better candidate, and platform, to actually improve politics next time. What the people saying so never acknowledge is that that was 2020.
The 2020 election was that chance. The last chance, which was quietly evident, and became gob-smackingly so as early as January 6th, 2021. Not only was Biden not the guy to meet the moment, nobody started pushing him until it was far, far too late.
After 2020, it was only a question of when the fascists would win—2024 or 2028. And the longer it took, the more prepared they’d be.
And this somehow makes Biden “good”? All you’re showing is how bad Trump’s policies are.
What other country has people with masks and guns kidnapping other people?
And you think that’s good enough?
Have a better option?
Bernie Sanders?
Oh wait, my bad, the DNC wants status quo.
Not that I disagree with you but my question wasn’t aimed at hypothetically better options but practical, feasible ones.
There’s the rub that makes calamity of FPTP: at lower levels, working to enable better candidates is good and important, but at the presidential level, the definition of “better” is tightly constrained by realism. The greatest saint would be worthless if they can’t get elected, and at worst they would be actively harmful if their spoiler votes pull the less-bad candidate below plurality levels.
Before Bernie would become an option, the voting system itself would need a reform. That’s a tall order to be sure.
Here’s the problem with reality: It’s neither fair nor sporting. Often, the practical, feasible options aren’t good ones. Fall off a boat in the middle of the ocean? Your practical, feasible options are die now, or tread water for hours and die.
Reforming the voting system might compare to trying to swim a thousand miles to shore. But that’s reality.
Plenty of people around the world felt this during bidens term. Just because most americans didnt (not all, BTW), doesnt mean biden wasnt part of awful crimes against humanity, just like the presidents before him. America has been a brutal and unforgiving nation for a long time.
Biden and Trump are not the same and fuck every simple-minded dumbass that thinks they are.
Yeah, I don’t get why people say this. Trump is, for whatever selfish reason, at least trying to stop the genocide. I don’t understand how you can compare him to people who aid and abet the killing of thousands of humans.
He’s really not. He wants to be seen as “ending wars” because that’s what he campaigned on. I don’t think he cares one way or another about Palestinians.
The reason there’s a ceasefire is because Hamas finally returned hostages. That’s all, and that’s not because of any negotiating Trump did, but because the war has been so one sided for so long that Hamas was losing power, so they needed to refocus on maintaining control. If Harris had won, we would likely see the same thing on a similar timeline, though perhaps with more aid to people in Gaza.
Don’t give Trump credit for anything that’s happening in Gaza. Don’t give it to Biden either. Both could and should have been tougher on Israel.
I don’t care why Trump ends wars, as long as he ends wars.
Hamas has been ready to return the hostages for a ceasefire pretty much since the day they took hostages. That’s why they took those hostages in the first place - to stop Israel murdering their people. So the reason we got a ceasefire now has nothing to do with Hamas. Rather, it is because Israel finally agreed to a ceasefire. Why did Israel agree? There are a few possibilities:-
Pressure from Trump so he can ‘end the war’ and get his Nobel Prize.
Shortage of weapons because China banned the export of weapon components.
Financial crisis due to the Yemeni blockade.
Most likely it was some combination of all three.
I don’t think saying Trump is better than Biden or Harris is giving him a lot of credit. That bar is in hell.
Hamas has been ready to return the hostages for a ceasefire pretty much since the day they took hostages.
That’s just not true. Israel wasn’t attacking Gaza before Oct. 7, they did have them walled in and blockaded though. Hamas wanted complete independence and the territories from the 1967 demarcation at minimum, and wants the Israeli state destroyed long term.
The reason they agreed to return the hostages seems to be a mix of:
Israel maintained since the start that they wouldn’t stop until they got the hostages back, and it seems they were good to their word. Israel also wamt Hamas deposed, and I assume those are the terms they expect from peace discussions.
Trump had pretty much nothing to do with it, Israel just wore them down until the people started to turn on Hamas, which led Hamas to shift goals to try to retain power.
Israel wasn’t attacking Gaza before Oct. 7
True, but they were attacking the West Bank, and had taken a lot of Palestinians hostage.
Israel maintained since the start that they wouldn’t stop until they got the hostages back, and it seems they were good to their word.
The return of hostages was something both sides had agreed to pretty early on. However, Israel kept delaying and rejecting ceasefire proposals throughout the war, until Trump pressured them into agreeing.
which led Hamas to shift goals to try to retain power.
From what I understand, Hamas does not seem interested in holding (military) power any more. The joint Arab force, if it works out, will be much more effective at protecting the Palestinian people than anything Hamas can do. It will also have Trump’s support, so any Israeli attack will be a challenge to US power as well. (Of course, all of this assumes that Israel will act rationally. Which is a huge assumption.)
they were attacking the West Bank, and had taken a lot of Palestinians hostage
True, and what changed since Oct 7 in the West Bank? Things got even worse. And Hamas had no power in the West Bank at the time anyway, hence why the attack came from Gaza instead of from the West Bank.
To me, that’s the opposite of rational decision making, they turned an aggressor into a victim.
Hamas does not seem interested in holding (military) power any more
Well yeah, they lost support of the people, and they were facing pretty stiff opposition near the end. When Israel started pulling out, they seemed to be on the losing side of a power struggle, so of course they’d prefer a relatively independent group to take control vs one that would likely want them dead…
It will also have Trump’s support, so any Israeli attack will be a challenge to US power as well
I highly doubt that’s actually accurate. While it has Trump’s support, I bet the US would still back Israel when it comes down to picking sides.
To that end, I do believe Israel is acting rationally. They have had the support of the US for decades, regardless of administration, and that doesn’t seem to be changing. When Israel got into it w/ Iran, they were able to convince the US to assist in a bombing campaign there, despite the US generally wanting Israel to end the war. The US has shielded Netanyahu from criminal court proceedings, and will likely continue to do so. So it makes absolute sense for Israel to act aggressively because they know the largest military in the world has their back at the end of the day. For Israel to change how it makes decisions, the US-Israel relationship would need to fundamentally change.
To me, that’s the opposite of rational decision making, they turned an aggressor into a victim.
I don’t think either side in this conflict was rational - Israel didn’t need to be, and Hamas couldn’t afford to be. Israel has historically been supported by the US and Europe, and didn’t expect that to change. Hamas was throwing everything they had at the wall, hoping some of it sticks.
When Israel started pulling out, they seemed to be on the losing side of a power struggle,
I think Israel won the battles, but lost the peace. If the proposed Arab force plan works (and that’s admittably a big if) Israel won’t be able to shoot random Palestinians without impunity. We could actually see peace.
They have had the support of the US for decades, regardless of administration, and that doesn’t seem to be changing.
Yes, and no. Look at the US strikes on Iran - the US bombed three very fortified sites after giving the Iranians notice. On paper, they helped Israel. In practice, the scientists and uranium had already been moved, and the underground facilities withstood the attack. I don’t think the US will openly disown Israel, and they’ll probably protect Israeli politicians from the UN / ICC, but I do feel that the era of blank cheque support is over.
Now is this because of Trump, or because conditions on the ground have shifted (Saudi Arabia and Qatar can give the US all the oil and military bases they want, for none of the trouble Israel brings)? I think it’s primarily the latter, but Trump being a businessman rather than a politician probably makes him more open-minded on such drastic changes to US foreign policy.
but lost the peace.
Israel’s plan was never peace in Gaza, but return of hostages and destruction of Hamas. I think they obtained those objectives. I don’t agree with how they did it, I’m merely saying that they achieved their objectives.
I do feel that the era of blank cheque support is over.
What evidence do you have of that? The furthest either major party will do in the US is, “come on now Israel, could you cut down on killing kids?” That’s it. If you look at Europe, they’ll add “and don’t kill soamy innocent women and children,” but nobody is actually seriously condemning Israel. Netanyahu is basically the scapegoat here and you can bet Europe is still on Israel’s side overall. People are mad about the Gaza war, but that’ll fade in a few years IMO.
Trump being a businessman rather than a politician probably makes him more open-minded on such drastic changes to US foreign policy.
He’s not open minded, he’s self-absorbed. He’ll support whatever makes him look good. Qatar gave him an airplane, so he’s definitely interested in lending them his ear.
I haven’t seen a single case of Trump making choices because it’s a shrewd business move, and I’ve seen plenty where he has been bribed. He’s not even a good businessman, he would’ve made more by investing in the S&P 500 than establishing his business empire. Pretty much everything he claims gets immediately debunked.
He’s not beholden to political norms and politicking, but that doesn’t make him open minded, it just makes him easier to corrupt and manipulate.
Israel’s plan was never peace in Gaza,
Agreed.
but return of hostages and destruction of Hamas. I think they obtained those objectives.
First yes, second no. Hamas has not only survived, it will now find new recruits among those who lost friends and relatives in the conflict. And, if Trump’s plan goes ahead, it can do so from behind a neutral peacekeeping force. Hence ‘lost the peace’.
What evidence do you have of that?
The way the strikes on Iran were conducted. Neither the US nor the EU care about what Israel does in Gaza. But both have now been shown to be vulnerable to Iran closing the Hormuz gap (or Yemen closing the Red Sea). So if there is a future war in Gaza, and Iran / Yemen intervenes, the US / EU will need to be very careful. (And this could be why the US is suddenly very interested in Venezuela and Nigeria - both countries have large oil reserves.)
He’s not open minded, he’s self-absorbed. He’ll support whatever makes him look good. … He’s not beholden to political norms and politicking, but that doesn’t make him open minded, it just makes him easier to corrupt and manipulate.
Fully agree. He’s just unpredictable enough that he might accidentally do a good thing because that helps him in some way. But 1% good is still better than 0% good.
Hamas has not only survived, it will now find new recruits
Idk, there’s a power struggle going on, and it’s not clear people will side with them over another group. I guess we’ll find out though.
And this could be why the US is suddenly very interested in Venezuela and Nigeria - both countries have large oil reserves.
I understand the strategic interest in oil, but that’s really it as far as where US interests lie.
I haven’t heard of any indication of military involvement in Nigeria, the only thing I’ve seen is that Trump latched onto some nonsense from Fox News and is pandering to his base. I’m not going to give any more credence to it than that.
For Venezuela, it’s a mix of Maduro being a dictator and not doing what the US government wants.
The way the strikes on Iran were conducted
Sure. That was very clearly “Israel, we have your back,” while also being “Iran, we don’t really want to start something, let’s resume diplomatic talks.” It sent a message to Israel, Iran, and other countries in the region that the US still has interests in the area and it will defend Israel, but the US also wants to avoid fullscale war there.
But 1% good is still better than 0% good.
I disagree. I’d rather have a predictable leader than an unpredictable one.
Complete nonsense. Global views of the country, most importantly our allies were quite high and people were optimistic about American leadership. Compare that to now where confidence in our country and it’s leadership is at an all time low and some of our strongest alliances are damaged by the sheer stupidity of the orange buffoon.
Global views of the country, most importantly our allies were quite high and people were optimistic about American leadership.
Here is the problem that you won’t be able to see.
Such allies had a past of colonizing the “third world”, “Global south”, “non-western countries” or whatever labels kids these days use to label the “not allies”.
My country, Brazil, was/is one that fought hard to really get a good global view.
Though I’m not sure if we can maintain the good will of most countries if Trump decides to bomb just a little south to Venezuela (Which would hit Roraima or other Brazilian state, mostly) and start to call us narco-terrorist (and there was an attempt to do so).
But still, to my point, It is hard to find any country who hates Brazil.
For that reason I’d say that My country should’ve be used as parameter of (positive) global views given how known we are and how there is basically no bad blood between Brazil and any other country.
Edit: Only 2 countries, Paraguay and Portugal, do have some animosity with Brazil.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anti-Brazilian_sentiment
Paraguay is a “murky water” case because of wars around 1876. It is the closest that Brazil has as current diplomatic dispute, but similar to almost all (non-military) border disputes around the world.
IDK, I am still not a fan of the nonsense that happened with Bolsonaro, which was much like what Trump did his first term and the Jan 6 nonsense. It’s cool that he was found guilty (he also went harder on supporting the coup), but he was still elected despite tons of warnings signs, like admiring Brazilian dictators, racist and homophobic views, and supporting voter fraud conspiracies.
You can’t just wipe that away with the next administration.
I’m not a fan of Bolsonaro either.
But my point was challenging the idea that the global view of US was high before Trump reelection.
When the previous guy pointed that Biden was still following the political path of America’s warfare he wasn’t wrong to do so.
No matter what party wins, US will be still an empire throwing their weight around (because they have nukes and because of dollar) and waging wars against any country who “dreams to defy US hegemony” (defy is a code word for not obeying US demands because US was always a Mafia Boss demanding a racket).
The so called dallies, as trump has shown, are no more than countries hat happens to be closer enough to the Mafia Boss. But the Boss Uncle Sam will throw them under the bus as soon as needed to save his own life.
Since you mentioned Bolsonaro, All of us, Brazilians who were not bolsonarists, saw that Bozo would betray any ally as soon as he got some heat on his back.
The same applies to Trump, but, even more important:
That was who US was as a nation all along.
as Henry Kissinger said: ‘It may be dangerous to be America’s enemy, but to be America’s friend is fatal.’
Downvoting anyone who denies the crimes of US under both republican and democratic presidency doesn’t change the truth value of this quote.
But my point was challenging the idea that the global view of US was high before Trump reelection.
Oh sure, we’ve had problems at least since Bush, but probably earlier. I don’t know if we’ve had a net positive reputation since WW2 or so.
That was who US was as a nation all along.
I disagree. Believe it or not, Henry Kissinger isn’t particularly popular here. The quote is certainly valid though.
I think it all started a bit after the Korean War. That’s when the Cold War really heated up, so it was all about getting as much power and influence to oppose the commies. But once the USSR fell, there wasn’t really an empire to oppose, so the US just kind of coasted and kept doing what it was doing.
AFAICT, the American people don’t like what the government is doing. We didn’t want to be in Iraq, we didn’t want to stay in Afghanistan (esp. after bin Laden’s assassination), etc.
No. Here are tangible things I was worried about:
- Biden attempted workplace vaccine mandates, which is a huge incursion into privacy (i.e. forced sharing of medical records)
- Biden would try to “fix” inflation instead of letting the Fed handle it
- Ukraine war could spill over to other European countries or the US could escalate and Russia resorts to nukes
- support for Israel vs Gaza could get us involved in war with other regional powers
- China could see the weak US President and decide to invade Taiwan
Biden was a bad president IMO, but I’d take him any day over Trump, and it’s not even close. I was relieved that I didn’t see him in the news every day, and and I mostly worried about what he might do.
Dishonest. You purposefully left out telling everyone how much you love ICE, AND how happy you are that Trump is cracking down on all the brown skinned people you hate.
Uh, what? You okay there?
Hush, racist.