Micah: the most frustrating aspect of this campaign to me is that it has stripped me down to bare pragmatism "does this give us a better chance to beat Trump" is the only thing that is important to me anymore the danger is so overwhelming that nothing else matters and I hate it

the most frustrating aspect of this campaign to me is that it has stripped me down to bare pragmatism "does this give us a better chance to beat Trump" is the only thing that is important to me anymore the danger is so overwhelming that nothing else matters and I hate it

There are a lot of reasons to hate the NYT but right now my top one is that they’ve convinced me to defend Joe Biden and that really sucks

I would like to have personal preferences again! I miss it! It's not fun to have to focus on "do not let this guy back in under any circumstances, the end" day in an day out

I just try to be zen about it the other way. I will vote for the Dem in every election for the rest of my life. All the energy I would spend thinking about it I can spend somewhere else. (That said I'm here so who's to say it's really working out)

It… does lessen the decision fatigue, though? It’s one question, usually easily answered, unlikely to be subject to much readjustment, so it doesn’t have to be revisited often, and we can get on with the real work.

I have literally felt that way about every Republican presidential candidate and actual president for more than 40 years of voting. Starting with Reagan. No Dem nominee has been my first choice except incumbents, for the power of the office. Personal preferences for POTUS possible only in primaries.

That's primary season. I'd still rather have "incumbency" than a wide slate to choose from, though.

It's also a 100% sure-fire recipe for disaster. If the GOP can't win an election or the republic is done for then it's already done for, because America's shitty electoral system favors them and they *will* be in power again soon, even if they don't win THIS time. So it's only a matter of when.

Thankfully, Trump isn't immortal, and I don't think his particular brand of danger can survive him. Republicans will have to do soul searching after he dies, and I think they'll revert to being shitty but not existentially dangerous to the country.

The only thing Trump has done to the party is encouraged them to rip the mask off. They'll still be the same danger when he's gone. All those horrible policies are GOP policies. They're stuff Trump himself couldn't actually give two shits about, other than he can use stumping on them for power.

That's all true. The good news is that people usually recoil when the mask comes off, and it's only Trump's bizarre charisma that has people supporting it in these numbers.

I really cannot overstate how much it would be fucking amazeballs for the US to be fighting about positive visions for the future and on policy, and how much it fucking sucks that this year is our third cycle in a row where instead we're running a national referendum titled "sooooooo fascism?"

Still, it is what it is, and the only thing that matters is we collectively put those fascists upside down in the trashcan where they belong, and only then put in the work towards an election that's, well, an election, and not Yet. Another. Fucking. "police state fascism? [yes/no]" referendum

And how many times do we have to do this? We fought a world war. We just beat them 4 years ago. This such a stupid way to spend our time and energy as a nation.

We never finished the job. We kept them in power all over the world and even brought some of them over to work for us. This country never finishes the fights it needs to, see also: Reconstruction

https://youtu.be/OLkPwxcIji0?si=BSIksCiCHn0JvAlU

According to my text message spam folder, i guess once more. Every text in here tells me *this* election is the most important one of our life times. So clearly, this is the last time we have to do it.

I mean, the problem is that each one of those text messages is right. The stakes have gotten worse each year. That’s not fun to live through.

The stakes for Romney or McCain were not worse than Bush. It's just dumb hyperbole that they whip out every 2 years.

My frustration is we are having another election campaign where lots of the energy is wasted around whether the candidate themself is the right one (20 was less like this, 16 and now much more so).

Also. Like, he’s the nominee. He’s a flawed nominee, like literally every other nominee in the history of elections. But it’s going to be him or Trump being sworn in, and all the poasting in the world won’t change that.

That’s what makes me so sad: The Democrats have (or could have) a message for literally everybody. Fan of democracy? So are we! We’ve never launched an insurrection and support the protection of critical political rights!

Fan of capitalism? We support both freedom of business to take viewpoints we don’t like without stacking them with the power of the state!

Fan of religion? Us too! We wouldn’t ban Muslims! We have a president who not only progresses to be Christian but actually attends Mass!

Fan of immigrant rights? I mean we suck, but hold out feet to the fire and maybe we’ll suck less!

The way you stop having to do that to the fash every four years is that instead of upside down in a trash can it’s at a train station

gotta cut em down from the lampposts and put what's left somewhere tho SBM

Call me a traditionalist, but lets hang them upside down at a gas station instead? Figuratively, of course.

let me spend my day arguing about the best way to do renewable energy policy or something please, I beg of you

I think there is a bridge to that in how articulate it. Renewable energy is where the world is headed, shooting ourselves in the foot with another Trump term leaves us economically weaker, & makes us less secure as we cede manufacturing to China. We build a stronger nation, become energy independent

We want this argument but half the country thinks there’s no such thing as society and government is never a solution. Trump is their avatar to simply punch the Chinese and take their lunch money. They’re into dominion not competition.

I agree with you. However, this is an argument for undecided people, not for the wackos you were never going to get. That's the important thing. Practical, bread and butter arguments that are easy to understand.

I’m so demoralized by not having a reliable sense of the persuadable population. Election results indicate half of us are wackos — since elections are real and polling is meh 🫤 but the willingness to vote is also a sample bias. The research I’ve seen is polarization is p much complete.

Oh, if only it were just the Chinese....

I take your point. Just in the context of the economic competition argument above we’re lead to believe that’s our “main rival”.

But Trump isn't even capable of punching the Chinese. He'll just slap tariffs that do sh*t all except make goods more expensive, and yell some.

And that's what people need to be kinda coached into knowing. That Trump and his policies will cost everyday people more money.

Ok, fine EVs aren't as good as mass-transit for reducing CO2 and the env. impact of Li and other metal mining ain't great; but the harsh reality is that there's a ton of suburbs in the US and they aren't going anywhere soon, so EVs are a necessary step and regulatory carrots for adoption are good

Fight me, I need to feel something other than dead inside when I look online

OK. Counter. Electric vehicles are slow and low powered and can't possibly use renewable energy and every single person drives 5000 miles a day so there's no practical use case. Go for it!

You forgot to throw in "they're heavier so they make more brake and tire dust," that's the environmental attack

with these brilliant assholes? www.notus.org/policy/solar... just so insane all around

The War on Solar Is Coming to a Town Near Youwww.notus.org Right-wing crusades against Biden’s climate change agenda are threatening solar projects across the country — and making those who want to be part of the renewable energy push pariahs in their own bac...

I tried doing that, telling people that US policy is not really that important, that the US has screwed up every chance it had to make important decisions, and that really Chinese decisions (maybe Indian to a much lesser degree) are what matter now. People didn't like that.

yes. just once it would be nice to be on offense.

"hooray we staved off total annihilation for another four years" I want hope and excitement instead of relief, you know?

We can and will get there, but jfc we deserve better than this

at this point I'd even take "sneak some incremental positive change through that doesn't get intercepted by some random district judge and referred to the Robed Six (peace be unto them)"

seems like entire campaigns could be won on "we forgave your debt; conservatives went to court to saddle you with it again" or "we fed your kids, conservatives would rather they starve"

Yeah I hate it

Now the burning question, how long will it take to get there?

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