• pjwestin@lemmy.world
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    9 months ago

    A) I was using gaslightimg in its more general sense of making someone question their sense of reality, in this case by making concerns about Biden’s age seem silly or unfounded, even though they are very reasonable and shared by the majority of Americans. If you think it should only be used to describe the form of psychological abuse, fair enough, that is closer to the, “real,” definition, but remember that both uses are colloquialisms, and, “gaslight,” is and always has been a pop-psychology term, not a clinical one.

    B) Why the hell is it a good strategy to ignore Biden’s age until after Trump is gone? 86% of the country thinks he’s too old to be President. 73% of Democrats think he is too old to be President. In a functioning democracy, a real primary would have been held; Biden probably would have lost to a younger candidate, who probably would have gone on to beat Trump, since 62% of the country thinks he’s too old to he President.

    As I said, if the alternative is Trump, we should all vote Biden and let the DNC Weekend at Bernie’s him through another term. But running a candidate that 86% of Americans think isn’t fit to be President is not a smart or reasonable strategy, it’s an insane and unnecessary risk.

    • uis@lemm.ee
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      9 months ago

      I don’t know about american politics, but how did Biden win primary?

      • pjwestin@lemmy.world
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        9 months ago

        Last election, Bernie Sanders was winning, which the DNC didn’t like, so as soon as Biden won a state they pressured all the othe candidates to drop out and endorse him. This year, there simply isn’t a real opponent.

        • uis@lemm.ee
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          9 months ago

          Isn’t he even older than Biden? There wasn’t someone more… fresh?

          • pjwestin@lemmy.world
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            9 months ago

            The sad thing is there really isn’t. America lives under a gerontocracy, and the Democratics are especially bad a elevating new, young voices in their party. Dianne Feinstein was 90 years old and had dementia and the Democrats didn’t force her to resign. She served as a senator while experiencing cognitive decline for at least the last two of her life before dying in office.

            Even the, “new,” faces that are coming up are old. Every now and then you get a Pete Buttigieg, but by and large, most of the potential presidential candidates will be pushing retirement age by the next election. Gavin Newsom will be 60, Kamala Harris will be 63, Amy Klobuchar will be 67…they may not be quite as old as Biden, but I certainly wouldn’t call them, “fresh.”

              • pjwestin@lemmy.world
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                9 months ago

                Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez is 34. The DNC hates her because she’s very progressive and unseated Joe Crowley, who everyone expected would take over the speakership from Nancy Pelosi. That being said, the Constitution says that the President has to be at least 35 years old, and I think most Americans would prefer an experienced politician that’s in their mid 40s to early 50s for President. We need younger law makers though, people in their 20s and 30s.

    • tegs_terry@feddit.uk
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      9 months ago

      But this image isn’t making out it’s a reasonable situation, is it? It’s emphasising just how easy a decision it is, albeit by hyperbole.

      • pjwestin@lemmy.world
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        9 months ago

        Well, my comment was mostly directed your claim that we should, “deal with Biden,” after the election. If Trump is as dangerous as the Dems say he is (which, to be clear, I think he is), that’s a lot like saying, “we can talk about putting Grandpa in a home after he drives the kids to soccer practice.”

        To your point about the meme, is there anyone that’s actually struggling with this decision? I’ve never encountered anyone who claims their equally bad (online or IRL), but I know a lot of people (apparently 59% of Americans) that think they’re both too old to be President. So, to me, this meme is delegitimizing criticism of Biden’s age by falsely equating those two positions.

        • tegs_terry@feddit.uk
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          9 months ago

          No it’s just stressing how much worse Trump is regardless. It’s preaching to the converted, I don’t think it’s trying to rationalise issues with Biden, it’s poking fun there, too.

          • pjwestin@lemmy.world
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            9 months ago

            I mean, this meme is clearly making fun of someone, it just comes down to whether it’s a real, common viewpoint or a person the author made up in their head to get mad at.

            • tegs_terry@feddit.uk
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              9 months ago

              Gandalf is Biden, Saruman is Trump. Biden is being played down and ridiculed, Trump is being compared to a murderous lunatic whom anyone is, however regrettably, a better option to.

              • pjwestin@lemmy.world
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                9 months ago

                …yeah, and there is a first person narrator saying that they’re both, “so old,” and, “equally bad choices,” whose indecisiveness is being mocked. That strawman is what I’ve been complaining about, are you not following this?