r/politics • u/croato87 • 4d ago

America Lost the First Biden-Trump Debate Soft Paywall

https://www.rollingstone.com/politics/politics-news/america-lost-first-biden-trump-debate-1235048539/
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u/birdlawexpert11 4d ago

The Democratic Party should really have spent the last couple years building up a potential backup candidate. Getting the publicity and making them present and visible at big events. Hopefully Trumps image is tarnished enough but this should have been planned.

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u/eeeezypeezy New Jersey 4d ago

Yeah, there should have been a real primary process. The fact the party squashed that, despite all the legitimate concerns about Biden's ability to carry out a second term, is a real travesty. And it'll only look worse in hindsight if Biden can't win this election in November.

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u/EccentricMeat 3d ago

It’s insane to me that the DNC can just choose like that. Primaries shouldn’t be a choice. It shouldn’t matter who the party wants to be the nominee. It should matter what the voters want.

The power that the DNC holds just highlights how rigged the entire process is.

Voters: “Yea, we don’t want Biden representing our party this election”.

DNC: “Awww you think you have a choice”

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u/CT_Phipps 3d ago

Biden crushed everyone. It wasn't even close. No other candidates inspired unity among the progressives, moderates, and anti-Trump types.

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u/Count_Backwards 3d ago

When did Biden crush everyone? He barely pulled off being the compromise candidate in 2020, and only because the other moderates dropped out and supported him while Sanders and Warren divided the progressive voters. So everyone set aside their misgivings in order to get rid of Trump. 

Once he said he was running again, it was made clear to all of the major contenders that primarying an incumbent would be pointless and risk costing Democrats the election, so no one serious even bothered. Everyone else who could've run is being a good soldier and a good surrogate, but this idea that some vast majority of voters wanted Biden more than any other candidate is utter nonsense. This time around the establishment shoved him down everyone's throats. And now we're seeing why that was a bad idea.

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u/CT_Phipps 3d ago

The other candidates with similar policies dropping out and rallying behind one candidate is kind of how it's supposed to work.It's also how it works in every election.

The strongest candidate emerges once it becomes clear who will get the most votes.

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u/Count_Backwards 3d ago

I didn't say it was unusual, but it was by no means a "crushing". Biden was struggling in 2020 until the others droppd out and 12.5 million primary voters ultimately preferred Sanders or Warren. This idea that Biden "crushed everyone" is ridiculous fanboy nonsense. Biden has never been very popular as President, his approval ratings have been the worst of any Democratic President going back to Truman, and in February only 37% of Democrats thought he should run for a second term. Most Democratic voters wanted a primary but the party didn't listen. That's not "inspiring unity".

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u/atramentum 3d ago

Easy to crush people when you're the only one allowed to run.