Democratic strategists are still patting themselves on the back for a catastrophic defeat.

  • corsicanguppy@lemmy.ca
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    2 days ago

    Aw jeez, can we get off the cheap ‘primary’ diversion? If Mr Trump dies of congestive heart failure on day 207 from an astounding number of big macs, you also don’t get a primary to choose the next American president OR HIS VP.

    • toast@retrolemmy.com
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      4 days ago

      It’s hardly a diversion. As stupid a choice as Trump is, he was still viewed by voters as their pick. While the Republican party is held hostage to the populist Trump and his supporters, the DNC won’t even let voters participate in the selection of candidates. Can you really say that Biden won a normal primary (coming from behind as other candidates strategically dropped out)? Would you say Harris was selected by voters at all? Did Clinton’s bailing out of the DNC in 2016 not register with you?

      I understand why voters haven’t been that excited about the Democrats for over a decade.

      • Hugin@lemmy.world
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        3 days ago

        Yup the only Dem I voted for president instead of holding my nose voting against the Republican was Obama. Clinton, Kerry, Biden, Harris all sucked.

        Obama barely won the primary against Clinton and she made sure that wouldn’t happen again with Bernie.

      • btaf45@lemmy.world
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        2 days ago

        the DNC won’t even let voters participate in the selection of candidates.

        Can you stop with the nonsense? You just made that up out of nothing. You know the DNC is not a person right? Every primary works exactly the same. The voters elect the delegates who chose both the candidate and the DNC membership.

      • FanBlade@lemmynsfw.com
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        4 days ago

        Ideologically similar candidates dropped out of a race and put their support behind someone ideologically similar when it became apparent that they were splitting support. Once they did that support of the voters coalesced behind Biden. Not sure why people think that’s so strange.

        • toast@retrolemmy.com
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          4 days ago

          Putting aside how primaries are really not like team sports, I think that you have to admit that it was the DNC (or, charitably, the candidates) that chose Biden to remain in the race, rather than the voters. My whole point is that voters have had little say in the DNC primaries. That is what is strange. Voters should drive candidate selection, rather than just “coalesce”.

          • btaf45@lemmy.world
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            2 days ago

            , I think that you have to admit that it was the DNC (or, charitably, the candidates) that chose Biden to remain in the race, rather than the voters

            That is not the slightest bit how things actually work. The DNC literally does not have any such power.

            You know the DNC is not a person right?

          • FanBlade@lemmynsfw.com
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            4 days ago

            Biden received nearly twice as many votes as Bernie. Before Buttigieg and Klobuchar dropped out Biden had received more votes than them combined. Seems like voters did choose.

            • toast@retrolemmy.com
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              4 days ago

              Ideologically similar candidates dropped out of a race and put their support behind someone ideologically similar when it became apparent that they were splitting support

              ie, like a team

              You brought up how the candidates seemed to view the contest in more of an us vs. them, or team competition, sort of way. This isn’t how primaries typically work. Primaries are typically contests of individuals. Sorry if that was unclear enough that I had to explain it to you.

              Anyway, the point is that the voters didn’t decide on Biden so much as Biden was decided for them.

              • btaf45@lemmy.world
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                2 days ago

                Anyway, the point is that the voters didn’t decide on Biden so much as Biden was decided for them.

                Dude every primary has worked the same since the early 1950’s. The early states always have much more influence than the later states.

                Should all states vote at the same time? Yes probably so. But it likely made no difference. You still had the chance to vote for whoever you like, regardless of when your primary was.

                Who the hell would be dumb enough not to vote for Bernie just because earlier voters chose Biden?

              • FanBlade@lemmynsfw.com
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                3 days ago

                Sorry that I keep posting and delete or edit. I think we’re talking past each other for whatever reason so it isn’t particularly useful to keep making arguments.

                Our differences aside I hope you have a good day :)

    • Maggoty@lemmy.world
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      2 days ago

      No, the negligence goes that far back. You don’t get what happened at that debate over night. They should have announced he wasn’t running again in 2023 and allowed a proper primary.