• LandedGentry
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    3 days ago

    As popular as it is to hate “career politicians“ I actually completely disagree with that concept. Most career politicians are fine and will do a competent job given the chance.

    I don’t want someone who promises me Mars and then spends 4 years figuring out the job and covering their ass. I want somebody who will get a rocket up in the air at all to start so we can build on it.

    • givesomefucks@lemmy.world
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      3 days ago

      It doesn’t matter how good you are at a job if you can’t get hired.

      The most important quality of any presidential candidate is being able to win a convoluted popularity contest.

      So we need to look at people that fit that criteria, then find a good candidate. Not find someone who would be a good president, that’s the easy part, there’s a shit ton of people who could be a good president like Dwayne Elizondo Mountain Dew Camacho, he didn’t have to be smart, just be popular and listen to a smart guy who told him what to do.

      • LandedGentry
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        3 days ago

        Most career politicians are actually not as dependent on the popularity contest as presidential candidates.

        • givesomefucks@lemmy.world
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          3 days ago

          Exactly.

          They do not have the experience or necessarily even the qualities required to win a popularity contest on that scale.

          So I’m saying we find an empty suit that is good at winning popularity contests then listen to the party leaders in the House and Senate, since they’re the ones with decades of political experience, and I was about to write “and they write the laws” then remembered it’s mostly lobbyists and think-tank employees these days writing legislation.

          But that’s a whole nother issue.

          • LandedGentry
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            3 days ago

            I’m not sure I agree with the strategy because that’s kind of what Trump is and it has not led to the Republican Congresses somehow being more effective

            • explodicle@sh.itjust.works
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              3 days ago

              But it has led to Republican voters getting what they wanted. Roe v Wade is no more. We’re getting tariffs that career politicians know are harmful.

              So a leftist equivalent would support Medicare For All, which is very popular with the public but unpopular with career politicians.

            • givesomefucks@lemmy.world
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              3 days ago

              We can worry about that once we can consistently keep Republicans out of the White house

              For the past 3 elections we’ve been told that’s all that matters and we’re 1/3

              • LandedGentry
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                3 days ago

                If you expand your view enough you can make any claim.

                For the past 5 elections we’re 3/5. For the past 7 we’re 3/7. For the past 9 we’re 5/9.

                • givesomefucks@lemmy.world
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                  3 days ago

                  Except I was referring specifically to the claims that the only thing that mattered was anyone besides trump. But since you want to go back further:

                  Go back one more candidate and you have Obama…

                  We won that because Obama had charisma and people like him.

                  Before that Gore and Kerry, both uncharismatic but were definitely qualified in every other way, both lost.

                  Before that was Bill, also insanely charismatic…

                  So going back to 92, about 30 years:

                  Charismatic Dem candidates:

                  4/4

                  Uncharismatic Dem candidates:

                  1/5

                  Does this help?

                  Do you understand why the most important metric when picking a presidential candidate is charisma?

                  Quick edit:

                  For bonus points both Bill and Obama were criticized in their primary by political establishment and mainstream media that they were too young and didn’t have the experience…

                  It didn’t appear to hurt them in the elections.

                  • MutilationWave@lemmy.world
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                    3 days ago

                    Just a small note that Al Gore did win the election. He got ratfucked by Roger Stone et al in Florida. The governor of Florida happened to be his opponent’s brother. And Gore folded like a card table with his high road Democrat bullshit.

      • zephorah@lemm.ee
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        3 days ago

        Yes, an apartheid white overlord is what we need. This blows my mind. I just argued with a relative over Christmas who thinks he’s super cool. MAGA of course.

    • Mike D.@lemm.ee
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      3 days ago

      “Most career politicians are fine and will do a competent job given the chance” only concerned with keeping their position.

      This may be ego, greed, self preservation, or most likely a combination. On the Dem side I’ll pick Pelosi and Schumer as examples. Each thinks they are the best for the position, each has become rich, each continues to make deals to keep their position.