One thing I worry about is a contingent presidential election. That situation arises when no candidate gets a majority of electoral votes (270 of 538). Should this situation arise, Congress gets to pick the next president and vice president.

  • flossdaily@lemmy.world
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    1 year ago

    We have a lot of nightmare scenarios in the future: Trump wins, Trump loses and we get insurrection part II, Biden wins and we don’t take the house and keep the Senate, and we have at least 2 more years of gridlock while our lives continue to get shittier, etc etc.

    The true tragedy is that there isn’t even a good outcome in the mix. Biden wins and Democrats take Congress. Fine, will they fix the courts? Fix student loans? Will they even try for universal healthcare? Universal Basic Income? Anything even close to meeting the moment?

    So depressing.

    Anyway, vote Biden so at least we don’t wind up in a fascist dictatorship.

    • Cryophilia@lemmy.world
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      1 year ago

      Fine, will they fix the courts? Fix student loans? Will they even try for universal healthcare? Universal Basic Income?

      Of the four things you listed, Biden and Congressional Democrats are actively working towards three. State level Democrats are working towards the 4th.

      Last time Democrats had a supermajority (just for a few months!) they gave us the ACA which has saved countless lives.

      Vote Democrat if you want your goals to become reality. They aren’t dictators who can declare things by fiat, and they aren’t genies who you can demand wishes from. They need political power to do the things that you want and that they already support.

      “Congress doesn’t get things done” is a myth.

      “Republicans block things” is the reality.

      • flossdaily@lemmy.world
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        1 year ago

        I fully agree with your assessment of the basic partisan realities, but the ACA is the perfect example of the problem.

        Democrats aim low, and compromise even lower.

        The ACA was sold to us as a stepping stone. Democrats told us not to worry that it didn’t go far enough, because we would build on it.

        What ACTUALLY happened was that passing it was like releasing a pressure valve, which took away all momentum for fixing the healthcare crisis.

        Not only did they fail to expand it, they spent the next decade watching it get chipped away and chipped away.

        15 YEARS LATER and we are STILL in a full-blown healthcare CRISIS.

        So sure, the Republicans are evil fascists that will destroy the country, and must be defeated at all costs. But Democrats are embarrassingly incompetent, and I am so fucking tired of watching them tout their insufficient, mediocre accomplishments as if it’s something to be proud of.

        • Cryophilia@lemmy.world
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          1 year ago

          Not only did they fail to expand it, they spent the next decade watching it get chipped away and chipped away.

          And why is that? Think about it for a minute. Guess what we haven’t had at all since then: enough democrats in congress to override Republicans.

          Democrats can’t do shit until there’s at least 60 senators and preferably 62 or so in case of Manchins. All they can do until then is make small gains here and there while staving off republican bullshit.

          You keep saying dems are incompetent but they don’t have the numbers in Congress. That’s politics 101.

    • shalafi@lemmy.world
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      1 year ago

      Insurrection Part II comes to theaters, I’m taking to the streets.

      Contrary to popular belief, a great many of us liberals are armed and practiced. POC, LGBT and women are the largest gun buying demographic since 01/06, and they’re asking how to safely learn and defend themselves.

      Easy for this old white guy to say, I’ve lived a great life, but I’m not getting on any fucking trains.

      • flossdaily@lemmy.world
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        1 year ago

        That’s great, but a civil war won’t be decided by citizens with guns. It’s going to be military and police forces. How confident are you that they are all on the right side?

        • emeralddawn45@discuss.tchncs.de
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          1 year ago

          Oh they’re definitely almost all on the ‘right’ side. I think there’s an acronym people sometimes like to throw out that illustrates the reality of the situation.

        • Reptorian@lemmy.zip
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          1 year ago

          Georgia military ballots went to Biden 2:1. Police forces swing Republicans. Military is overall younger which means they vote Democratic. The military and the civilians that sides with them calls the shot in a hypothetical civil war.