Exactly. People forget that on stage at the primary debates there were about 5 different parties represented. Biden was picked because in an instance all the serious candidates who got that the stakes were too high, and a coalition needed to be built to ensure Trump does not win because of a fractured electorate, threw their support behind Biden. Name one other candidate where everyone from Moderate or Anti Trump Republicans to AOC & Bernie Sanders while gaining strong African American support can get behind. If I see someone on FB, here, or whatever going negative on Biden and starting this nonsense about 3rd party, it just is a tell that this is either a complete idiot or a passive Trump supporter who thinks they are clever but really they are just gutless in their inability to truly own their support of Trump. Biden's campaign is a coalition of about 5 or 6 different party ideologies, and those parties can work together in a Biden admin if shared values are focused on.
Biden is the unity candidate. Center left and going to use the next 4 years to dig us out of the mess we are in using expert advice instead of the sycophants we have running the country now.
The Biden admin reminds me of the last season of Game of Thrones when the Starks, The Wildlings, Danerys, and the Lannister cast outs all teamed up to defeat the White Walkers. Everyone knew that if defeated, that coalition would likely turn on each other after the fight against the Night King, but it was a fight for existence that had to happen first. It was too important to squabble over the throne. Trump represents the destruction of our Democracy at the very least if re-elected. We all know whats coming if Biden wins though. It'll be ugly, but right now everyone realizes the stakes, and has unified if only for a few short months. Anyone not on team Biden to help this cause is basically rooting for the Night King.
For all of those who don't like the direction this country is going the most important thing is getting Trump out of office. Nothing will change until that happens. I understand Joe Biden isn't what many would hope for. He's definitely not what I would hope for but what I would hope for probably isn't the same that many would hope for. He is a compromise but that's the point. People who say "we shouldn't compromise" often forget that many don't agree with them on what we shouldn't compromise on. After Trump is defeated there will certainly be other debates on all sorts of issues but the first step has to be defeating Trump.
There’s a lot of confidence in biden here that I did not expect . I guess I can see Joe being the “unity” pick ... but I don’t think all democrats saw it like that during the primary . Most Bernie supporters were devastated and felt that the others who dropped out were pressured to do so . Pete , Amy , etc dripped our and endorsed him before Super Tuesday. furthermore , democrats primary voters are just that ... primary voters . I’m not sure their priority is the same as the general voter I don’t think biden won because he had the most favorable slate of policies within the party ... I think he won because that’s who primary voters thought had the best chance vs DT. I’m not sure he’s even in the center of the den party . Someone like warren was a better compromise between the (let’s call it ) socialist and corporatist wings on the Democratic Party . that being said y’all do make sense ... and this is probably just as much a scam to get your email address as it is a serious run at the WH . most people’s confidence in Joe seems to stem from who we think he’s gonna our around him ... he will have to pick a VP soon . Hillary picked one on the 22nd , so joe should be making that choice soon . I’m obviously not equally scared of biden and trump ... way more scared of trumpy... but it’s not like I’m not also scared of Biden . He’s old AF and has been hiding in the basement so as not to show ? It’s a good strategy ,but for me , It falls short of what a leader needs to be doing right now . I might be overreacting but I feel like the country is falling apart
First on the narrative "Be scared of Biden because he's old" that the right wing media is trying to push out: Keep in mind that you aren't voting for Biden as a monolith. You aren't voting for him as the cult leader like the Republican party of Trump is. A vote for Biden is a vote for the collection of minds around him that will be making decisions for the country as a group. Yes... Biden will be the final say so on policy decisions, but everyone in the room coming from the Bernie camp, the Pete camp, the Warren camp, and yes... the never Trumper ex Republican camp will have a say so in his decisions made on a daily basis. You are looking at an admin that could see a cabinet post being held by a Bernie progressive like a Ro Khanna and another cabinet position being someone like Jim Mattis. A vote for Biden is a vote AWAY FROM a monolithic cult like approach to governing and that is VERY refreshing and VERY American IMO. If Biden fails ill because he's old, there's a #2 in line to lead that coalition. In Trump's party, the entire infrastructure of government revolves around one person's batsh$t crazy ideas, racism, and whatever he watched that morning on Fox N Friends. If Trump died this afternoon, tomorrow the party of Trump would cease to exist because it's a monolithic cult. Secondly on your point about Warren being party center: Yes if the Democratic primaries were just focused on "Democrats" absolutely, but it was not. You had on that stage a coalition of wild swings in ideology. You had a Dem Socialist, a Green party candidate (Williamson), a classic independent (Yang), and some Republicans (Delaney, Bullock) although they call themselves Democrats. Then there is the African American voter which is often lost in party alignment. African American voters are not a monolith, but they aren't stupid. They vote for the person they feel best has their interest, and they overwhelmingly flocked to Biden. That decision meant ALOT. Biden was special in the sense that this bizarre collection of wildly different "Parties" could all back one unifying candidate. I personally donated to Warren and felt like I was initially best aligned to Warren, but in the end on super Tuesday felt that Biden was the best candidate... not just for ME, but for the Country.
What is this unity party's policy ideas on things like healthcare? Closing the wealth gap between races? What are Rogan's thoughts on this as one of the party leaders? I don't want party based in unity. I want a party based in sincerity in solving our systemic problems. Unity implies we have to accept some of the bad faith framing by conservatives on these issues.
@dobro1229 appreciate the perspective. I agree with the gist of it , but I am an uneasy trusting the Democratic Party (just as I don’t trust the republicans or trump (as his own thing) ) is it not equally likely that Biden’s cabinet is stuffed with wallstreet backers vs progressives ? Trump has absolutely failed us during this crisis , but so have democrats . ALL of Congress was slow to provide any sort of plans or support for dealing with the pandemic and economic fallout . biden being willing to compromise is a good thing ... until it goes so far in the direction that he’s being pushed around . I do think he would be serviceable in some aspects of the job , but I’m not confident in his ability to evaluate new ideas and implement them . I trust biden perfectly well on Covid , but the issue there is that it will be 6 months before he’s even in a position to lead on that front . The main issue when he reaches office will be the economy . And I have no idea what Biden’s plan is for that @fchowd0311 i don’t think the party is actually called the unity party or even exists yet . That’s just the thread title . Also , Rogan isn’t a leader of the party , the idea was just brought up on his podcast . As far as specific positions the idea is still in its nacency. But , you could probably look at Yang’s positions on many things and assume the “party” would espouse something similar . I think the overall idea isn’t picking the center policies for America and that’s why they will vote for you ... it’s picking the two best , most competent people possible instead of either 80 year old
While Biden wasn't my first choice, he is exactly what the country needs to recover from the last four years, if only based on the measure of decency.
So, I think they've already done it. You didn't see because they dropped out before they got started because they never had a chance in the first place. We have a winner-take-all system. So, our equilibrium is going to be at 2 major parties. A 3-major-party system is unstable and cannot last. There is enormous pressure on the two smaller parties to combine to beat the plurality party and grab hold of the power. One party must fall by the wayside eventually. So, if you have a unity party come up, for them to survive they must kill and absorb either the Republican or Democratic party. And then they most be in opposition to the remaining party. Then they aren't the unity party anymore. That's winner take all.
The Democrats have passed a bill "Heroes 2" a month ago if not longer. Mitch McConnell (likely at the direction of Trump) is literally refusing to even take the bill up in a committee. He's literally ignoring the bill to help the economy and keep small businesses afloat. He could at the very least mark up "Heroes 2" with an ask of concessions to start negotiating, but he's not even allowed to do that which is INSANE. Republicans only do this because they understand how the media covers Congress, and how un-informed citizens see Congressional work done from the outside. I'm not calling you un-informed, but you did basically just restate exactly what Republicans know folks will say which is "Well... the Democrats aren't doing anything either." I get sick and tired of the Democrats in Congress getting blamed for doing nothing when the inaction in Congress has nothing to do with them, but that's just the way the narratives spin out of Washington. That being said... I have LOTS of issues with Democrats in Congress and their tactics. However I do believe that the policy decisions, and the majority of their tactical decisions are made with the goal of providing a stable progressive Democracy. The other side isn't even trying to do that. They are literally throwing the rule of law out the window and bowing to Trump to give him autocratic powers with a partnership with the murderous Russian dictator.... because maybe they'll keep their Senate seats, and secure some spiffs in an Exxon contract a few years down the line. It's disgusting, and in 2020 the parties couldn't be more different. I don't expect people to have Obama level enthusiasm for Biden or the Democrats in Congress, but I do expect that level of enthusiasm for literally saving our Democracy. The Democrats are not perfect but they allow our country to preserve the institutions and hopefully give new leaders and young minds the ability to influence future generations of our country. Hate to sound idealistic and corny, but it's really the truth this time around. If Trump and his Republican enablers win again this year, just throw the Constitution out the window because we will not be able to preserve a true Democracy.
This is an excellent point. Everyone likes the idea of unity but unity around what? This country has been divided since the days of the first Continental Congress and unity was only achieved by very hard fought compromise, and also in the face of the common enemy. This sounds more to me like that Rogan likes Yang and Adm. McRaven so thinks it would be a good idea if they had a larger platform. Nothing wrong with that but that's not unity. That's just saying that you think these guys should be the candidates. A true "unity" candidacy would likely be candidates that many people don't like. It would be likely be people who had big name recognition but didn't rock the boat a lot. It would be a ticket of a Republican and a Democrat but neither one who was the extreme of each party. It would be like a ticket of Klobuchar and Mike DeWine.
To be honest, how much of the unity behind Biden is attributed to him rather than just attributed to how horrific the alternate choice is? Ya, I'm standing behind Biden this election but not because I like him or have him as one of my top choices. If this was a Mitt vs Biden election, I probably would sit out as I would be like "meh". It's too important to sit this one out.
I've seen Weinstein pitch that idea a couple of times recently. It's a good idea, simply because it would be better than what we've got going on right now. I don't believe democracy is broken. Our two party political system is mucking it up. Term limits would solve so much.
On Rogan... Rogan absolutely is a cultural "party" lead. Maybe not an official political party running for office, but he represents a large demographic of US citizens that represent a major issue contributing to the culture that then is transferred to its politics. Rogan represents mostly white men between the age of 25 to 45. Rogan crafts many of the ideals that men in this demographic buy into. It's not just a podcast BS'ing with your friends about MMA, movies, and hot chicks. If you listen to him, he's a cultural mind sharing safe space for this demographic. Had Bernie won the nomination, and Rogan stuck with his endorsement of Bernie, that nomination along with the daily support of him on his show would have KILLED Trump. However, I suspect Rogan was not endorsing Bernie in good faith IMO. I think Rogan knows his listeners very well, and toys with their cultural and political insecurities and true aspirations. He absolutely is a "party" leader even if not truly defined by a political party running for office.
I disagree with those statements . Saying the democrats have done “nothing” is of course wrong and a simplification . But , the Democrats are just as much to blame as McConnell IMO . I’m not talking about right now . I’m talking February, March , April ... there were republicans outflanking democrats by starting the conversation on direct cash help ... initially the Dems were not in favor . I have no doubt that Mitch is making things tough , but he was effective as minority opposition and he’s also getting his way as majority leader . either Democratic leadership is complicit or they are incompetent. I see things in a more establishment vs anti establishment way than a left vs right perspective... maybe I’m wrong .
I'm neutral on the idea of term limits. I agree there is a problem of people like McConnell and Pelosi becoming entrenched in DC at the same time term limits for the President I'm not sure it has made things better. It's essentially made at least half a President's term a lame duck.
I don't think that's the choice at all. AOC and others on the left I'm sure see a chance to influence the country moving forward with a Biden admin in a way that really is inspiring to them. I think progressives are framing this decision on the thought process that Republicans want them to, rather than the reality that is in front of you. If you are a Bernie or AOC supporter who will you have leverage over in order to make policy decisions? Biden or Trump? Biden or Ted Cruz? Biden or Mitt Romney? Biden or even John McCain? The answer in all of those scenarios is Biden. Look at the leverage the Freedom caucus had over the Republican party to do terrible things the past few years. Just imagine the political power that the progressive caucus will have TO DO GOOD THINGS if a Democrat is elected. Of course if Biden uses Bernie & the progressives to get elected, and turns his back on progressive policies, YOU DESERVE to support a challenger. That's important to note, and important for you to state going in as a progressive voter. He owes you a seat at the table, but keep in mind that you actually have a seat at the table you wouldn't have even with the most moderate Republican ever. I don't know how I can make it any clearer. You should vote your self interests, and I honestly believe you have interests in seeing Biden or any Democrat in office over a Republican if you are a Bernie progressive.
I agree that the proggesive voice is obviously going to be heard more by Biden than Trump. My claim is that the unity behind Biden is just a result of how horrible the other choice is. Ya, Biden will most likely atleast hear out people like Bernie and AOC and try to compromise in good faith. No denying that. I mean that's one of the main reasons I'm picking Biden other than just the fact that he's a far superior moral leader than what we currently have.
People seem to forget that our system of government is supposed to work slowly. Legislation is supposed to be go through a process of debate and amendment. I understand that can be frustrating and is difficult in times of crisis but I'm far more suspicious of when one party dominates and we start seeing stuff getting railroaded through. I'm also very uneasy about anti-establishment versus establishment. We've had 3 and half years of an outsider who has shook things up. I think many Americans would be happy to get back to boring insider.
