These aren’t weird people with mental health issues standing on the corner with signs. These are elected Republicans. I’m afraid of Republicans. I’m afraid of the world. I’m afraid I can’t help it.
These aren’t weird people with mental health issues standing on the corner with signs. These are elected Republicans.
That’s exactly what they are.
Haha, fair enough!
Oh Margie, you’re still fun in my book. /s
They in fact are weird people with mental health issues.
I think a case can be made that a considerable amount of the ugliness we see in the world is a fairly direct consequence of the simple fact that a significant number of people in positions of power and influence are profoundly mentally ill.
The 1% has an undiagnosed hoarding mental illness. However, much like a gambling addict who always wins, no one thinks there is a problem.
Nana na nana nana nanana
If I was on the governing committee of a major political party, I’d be funding trips to places like Hiroshima and Auschwitz for members of our party that are running for office for the first time, not for the photo op, but so that maybe they can get some fucking perspective and not say batshit stupid things that make us look like a bunch of genocidal racists.
Idk, just a thought. Assuming that “genocidal racists” isn’t a significant voting demographic that you are trying to appeal to.
Be careful. That could backfire.
This is exactly the sort of nonsense that my suggestion is designed to avoid.
If all you know about Hitler is that he was in charge of Germany during the second world war, they lost, a bunch of people died, but their uniforms looked cool (Hugo Boss, looks sharp) and people called him “Fuhrer” (German sounds so badass) then yeah, this kind of thing doesn’t seem so off.
I want my representatives - whatever their affiliation - to have stood in front of the pile of children’s shoes and the mass graves and the charred ruins. I want them to have stared at the abyss, felt the horror and the despair and the inhumanity and the evil and truly understood the weight of the responsibility they have to ensure we learn from our history.
You don’t understand.
You can show them all the horrors of war, and they’ll tell you that they have the fortitude to do whatever is needed to protect the homeland. To them not flinching shows how tough they are.
That’s the problem, for republicans “genocidal racist” IS a voting demographic they’re trying to appeal to.
so that maybe they can get some fucking perspective
Your idea could maybe work, if they didn’t think was staged and part of some conspiracy. The real (harder to implement, but long term) solution would be to fix the education system and nip this in the bud.
Idk, maybe fundamental policy statements - “the holocaust was real”, “first strike use of nuclear weapons is abhorrent, inhumane, and we will never advocate for it”. If you want to be part of our organisation and have our support, you sign on in support of our fundamental position and if you go against that in public we’ll kick you out, pull our financial support, and run someone else against you next election
Those voting third party are ushering these guys in.
Wait a second. You could have been blaming the Republican voters, because they actually voted for the guy. You could have been blaming the Democrats for not fielding better candidates. Instead you’re blaming that small minority of people who thinks that both parties suck and neither of them is going to fix the major problems facing the United States. And all the while, Democrat candidates know exactly how to get more progressive votes: push progressive policies.
Wait a second. You could have been blaming the Republican voters, because they actually voted for the guy.
In this particular forum there aren’t too many Republicans but plenty of people that think voting third party will accomplish something. It won’t because that’s not how the system works. You want to change the system, you say? You aren’t going to succeed in changing a system you don’t know anything about.
And all the while, Democrat candidates know exactly how to get more progressive votes: push progressive policies.
This is exactly what’s happening. But too many people have been sucked into TikTok rabbit holes to know that’s happening. The small amount of progressive changes that they’ve had to claw and scratch to get could be drowned in the bathtub because some people would rather be self-righteous over Joe Biden not screaming “GENOCIDE” a thousand times at Netanyahu as an opening statement before trying to hammer out a ceasefire agreement with him that will save lives.
Voting third party is doing nothing. Evil prevails when good people do nothing.
Did I say I want to change the system? … Oh, yeah, I didn’t. That’s awkward, isn’t it. Please be careful when going into attack mode.
Also, voting third party is clearly doing something. Staying home is doing something. Trying to help people on the Internet understand various political stances is doing something.
There are a million approaches to politics. Why are you so convinced that yours is the one correct option?
Also, voting third party is clearly doing something. Staying home is doing something. Trying to help people on the Internet understand various political stances is doing something.
What positive change will come from these “actions”?
Nothing. You’re doing nothing.
Maybe “nothing” doesn’t mean what you think it means.
If I vote Democrat in a clear-cut red state, my vote changes nothing. Same as if I vote third party. Same as if I don’t vote at all. So … I’m doing nothing no matter what. Is that your standard?
Are you in a clear cut red state? Also is your congressional district definitely going red as well? You understand that the President isn’t a dictator, and there is a need for changes in legislation which is what congress does?
Even the GOP isn’t immune to voter margins. If the see that margin in their safe red states are starting to narrow, they may have decide whether they want to continue being fascist and face losing everything or maybe make some compromises to continue getting elected.
I minority of eligible voters wanted abortion to be illegal. They got what they wanted despite being the minority because they voted every time for decades. By not voting you’re conceding all power to those that do. Are you happy with how things are being run by the people that are put into power by this minority of eligible voters that show up and vote every time? Is so, continue to blow off voting. But you can’t complain about the results if you concede your rights to whims of people that will make the effort to vote.
Yes my state is red and has been for decades, for Congress and the White House.
Yes, I can complain with results even if I don’t vote. The First Amendment makes that crystal clear. Who told you otherwise?
In fact I often vote, and it affects nothing. Not once has my vote affected state or national government. A few times it mattered in local elections. So is it worth my time? I don’t suppose it matters much, but it’s a quick enough process.
Evan McMullin’s vote total in Minnesota in the 2016 Presidential election was larger than Hillary Clinton’s margin of victory. Gary Johnson’s vote total was almost 3 times McMullin’s total. Johnson’s vote total was larger than Clinton’s margin in Colorado, too. If it weren’t for third-party voters, Clinton would’ve had an even worse electoral college drubbing. (Perhaps this is the case in other states, too. Those are the two that I know off-hand.) Much has been made about how Jill Stein’s vote total in Wisconsin in 2016 was higher than Clinton’s margin of defeat, but without any 3rd party candidates, she would’ve lost by even more.
In 2020, Jo Jorgensen’s vote total in Wisconsin was larger than Biden’s margin of victory, as well as in Minnesota, Arizona, and Georgia. Her vote total in Pennsylvania was very close to Biden’s margin of victory there. Without 3rd party candidates, Biden would’ve lost in 2020.
This article is about Rep. Tim Walberg, who blew out Democratic Party challenger Bart Goldberg in 2022. The 3rd party candidates in that race were from the Libertarian and U.S. Taxpayers parties. Without them, Walberg’s margin of victory would’ve been greater.
It’s absolutely true that voting third party is a really dumb strategy that will never achieve anything good and could conceivably allow for worse outcomes. It’s also true that this potentiality is way overblown because of ineffective Democratic politicians using third parties as an excuse for their pathetic underperformance.
People freaking out about third parties having a spoiler effect are basically making the case for an alternative voting system like Ranked Choice. Oh a spoiler effect exists? Good point, let’s fix it. Thanks for bringing it up! Very helpful of you to point that out for me.
I get why Republicans hate more democracy, but what is the excuse for the blue states? Maine and Alaska have done away with first past the post voting, why hasn’t yours yet? The Republicans don’t control every single one of the states still using FPTP.
Back in the mid -1990s, an outfit called the New Party tried to remedy the issue by a different angle, called fusion voting. That’s a practice which lets more than one party nominate a candidate, and the candidate’s name appears more than once on the ballot. That way, different parties can team up, eliminating the spoiler effect, and the winning candidate knows from whence their support comes.
You’d think that the Democrats would be all about that? Think again. Minnesota’s state law bans fusion, and the Supreme Court held that the ban does not violate the 1st Amendment right of freedom of association, on the ground that the state has a compelling interest in preventing electoral chaos. That’s patently ridiculous, as New York allows it without issue. The DFL could change the law in Minnesota, but they still have not. The New Party subsequently disbanded, and only one former affiliate (Progressive Dane) is still active.
The two major parties work along the same lines to hinder voters to protect their own power, and this is only one example. But I still think of that case when people insist that 3rd parties should build their base in state and local races. That’s when I learned that, at the bottom line, the Democratic Party cares more about its power and prerogatives than what’s good for the country. Just like the GOP.
He’s been in politics for a long time
Upset people dare to insist on being represented in government? Well I have good news for you my blue conservative friend!
Electoral reform is possible one state at a time. We don’t need federal reform to do away with first past the post voting. This means instead of laughing at the disenfranchised, you could be outside touching grass right now campaigning to make third parties viable in your state!
If you’re so upset with people bitching from the sidelines… put them in the game. Make them show us how it’s done.
Republicans are moving to make alternative electoral systems illegal in their states. Republicans LOVE first past the post voting. Just sbsolutely adore it. Why the hell do you want to use the same voting system republicans want? Highly suspect, perhaps we should all take what you comment with a huge grain of salt.
You’re ushering in MAGA by denying people the right to be involved in the electoral process! More people voting means more democratic votes. This is on YOU if the Republicans defeat your shitty candidates. You didn’t fight hard enough for the USA.
Capitalists hate competition…
no, they’re not. the people voting for these guys are the ones ushering them in. people voting for a so-called third party are voting against these guys
No, sadly with the way US voting works at the moment the chances of a third party winning is microscopic, so voting for a third party is only taking votes away from the only party that stands a chance of beating the republicans. Statistically third party voters would be more likely to vote democratic than republican if they didn’t have a third party option, so in reality the more people voting third party the more they’re helping republicans win. It sucks but that’s the reality.
voting for a third party is only taking votes away from the only party…
no. the votes belong to the voter, not a party, and its up to politicians to earn those votes.
Statistically third party voters would be more likely to vote democratic than republican if they didn’t have a third party option,
i haven’t voted for a democrat for president in over a decade and i’m not starting again this year.
You know politics isn’t like sports, right? You don’t identify with a team but instead you vote to get rid of cruel fatcat racists and replace them with people who will actually benefit the country.
Like who?
Like the majority of representatives and senators? Not to mention stopping the return of Mango Mussolini? Jeez, do we really have to spell this out for you?
I was wondering who would actually benefit the country.
(I dont see how that can ever happen until lobbyist bribery is utterly abolished and criminalized)
I’d have voted for Bernie in 2016, and he ran as a democrat
biden helped get us a country that elected Trump.
You know Trump was first elected BEFORE Biden was president, right?
I think they are referring to Biden being a career politician.
the more people voting third party the more they’re helping republicans win
only votes for republicans help republicans win
As much as it would be nice if the world worked that way, that’s not how the world works unfortunately.
Can you explain why the voting system is this way in states democrats fully control?
I’m happy to inform you that there are Democrat-controlled states and localities that have successfully passed ranked-choice voting.
And there are states that have BANNED ranked-choice voting as well. I’ll let you guess which party was behind those.
So does this change your stance on whether Democrats are doing anything to change first-past-the-post voting systems?
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ranked-choice_voting_in_the_United_States
it is. a vote for Cornel West must be counted for Cornel West, not any other candidate
Your votes don’t exist in a vacuum. There absolutely needs to be election reform to make third party voting a more viable option instead of a liability, but it hasn’t happened yet so for now you live in a reality where you’re voting in an imperfect system and trying to will the fantasy of a perfect system into existence instead of acknowledging that isn’t helping anyone, least of all people who want to be able to actually vote third party.
Not in an effective way.
the ethics are in the act itself, not in the consequences.
The ethics don’t matter if you don’t get the outcome you want… The ends do not justify the means here.
deontological ethics are unconcerned with ends. the act itself is either ethical or unethical.
That’s not how the US electoral system works. If the vote turns out 49%/48%/3%, then the guy with 49% wins. Unless your 3rd party is polling in the mid forties (and is therefore not a 3rd party) all you are doing is vote splitting
there is no reason to believe someone voting for a so-called third party would vote for another politician. it’s not as though we don’t know they exist, and haven’t been browbeaten repeatedly about this.
Wow. What a mathematically flawed electoral system!
So now that we all understand how first past the post voting will always result in a two party system… what is the ETA on Ranked choice voting being implemented in all blue states?
You keep assuming that third party voters will vote for your guy. They very well may vote against him, if at all.
I dont think you understand anything about third party voters.
Do the work for third parties between elections. That’s when the hard-fought progress is made toward rising platforms and ideas. Vote third party in primaries. Attend third party meetings and help organize. But don’t make the work to spread new ideas and build other options even harder by allowing democracy to creep further backward and affect up to 35+ years of judicial decisions.
Do the work for third parties between elections.
i have more important work to do than building a party
Vote third party in primaries.
i will, but how will that have any bearing on the democrats or republicans? it won’t. i’ll be nominating jill stein for the green party, and then i’m going to vote for her for president.
One of these guys is already in the white house.
I’m so fucking embarrassed for my state right now.
This makes two assbag comments just in the past three days.Most of us here really are rational, normal people.
I expected it to be the same guy who called a basketball team a bunch of illegals, but it’s not the same person. Are all Michigan reps this dumb? Just asking questions.
Edit: typo
Are you familiar with the Republican party?
looks at Flint water disaster
yes
Whitmer was at least a very very nice upgrade from Snyder
I once considered myself an Independent voter who could go with either a Democrat or a Republican. Republicans are making it very easy these days to call myself a Democrat.
My wife’s family was all Republicans. The matriarch is even a politician and was elected as a Republican.
With my goading, Trump’s four years in office was enough to convert all of them to Democrats.
They see it like, to the extent they were ever Republican, that’s not today’s Republican party, period.
It’s nice to hear a story with a good outcome. Thanks.
That’s great, but unfortunately that’s only a temporary victory since once trump is gone, it’ll be seen as if the problem has been rid of, when in reality the problem is republican policy as usual, which trump is following to a T.
This is disgusting. I hope this guy gets voted out.
Unsurprisingly the “genocide Joe” crowd never comments on articles like this when Republicans say or do stupid shit. I’m looking at you @linkerbaan
Likely not. His constituents are nutters.
I will. This is all Republicans are. This stupid genocidal shit right here.
No one should be supporting genocide.
Remember all the people saying we shouldn’t vote for Biden because of what’s happening in Gaza? It’s literally all over this website.
This is the alternative. Vote in November.
We should vote for Biden. Biden should also stop supporting genocide.
Sick, demented
Americans have forgotten all of the lessons of WWII.
To be fair all guys like this remember is that we dropped nukes on Japan and the war ended. That’s the depth of the thought process. Maybe also that we didn’t drop nukes on Vietnam and we lost. That sounds about right for that guy’s age.
Israel apparently as well.
These fucks are evil.
This isn’t new. I remember them talking about glassing Afghanistan and Iraq back in the “turrerists hate our freedumb” days.
Pretty average statement from a republican, why do people support these deranged monsters again? I thought there was limits to stupidity but Americans keep making me hold their beer
Pro Life!
…wouldn’t that just be nuking both of them? Israel is about the size of New Jersey.
Yes, he thinks he is brilliant for his subtlety.
