In my original comment, I omitted the necessary word "enough" in the first sentence, without which it makes no sense. I posted the revised comment, with this word added, below. Sorry about that!
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Dear Bernie and John,
I cannot emphasize enough how much I welcome your voices of calm reason at a time when American politics is dominated on the one hand by a vicious, dishonest, narcissistic, misogynistic demagogue (Trump), and on the other by a corrupt, senile, intellectually-challenged, amoral political hack (Biden). That you skewer each man with more or less equal joie de vivre is in my opinion proof of your own decency, integrity and political sanity.
For that reason I seek your guidance on how I should cast my vote in November 2024 if the choice is between these two moral reprobates. Having absorbed from Homage to Catalonia, George Orwell's memoir on the Spanish Civil War, the lesson that in politics and in life one has to make unpleasant choices involving gradations of evil ("The communists were bad, but the fascists were worse"), I sometimes feel obliged to bite the bullet, and as a conservative who thought much of what Trump did as president was beneficial, vote for him over Biden. But what if Trump in 2023 is even worse than Trump in 2020 or 2016, and in fact is now no better than Biden or, for that matter, Hillary Clinton? It seems to me that Trump has so degenerated ethically since his presidency ended that his positions on issues are now nothing more than reflections of his political needs: because Ron DeSantis has gone after Disney for its wokeness, Trump supports Disney.
What I am asking is whether it is ever the case that contending candidates for political office are exactly equally abhorrent, and that not voting for either of them is not just a defensible option but the only proper and ethical one? Or should I try, in this instance, to find some difference between Biden and Trump that would warrant my voting for one or the other?
I am genuinely perplexed by my dilemma, which I suspect afflicts many of your other listeners, and welcome any wisdom you might wish to share in this regard.
With my enormous gratitude for your calling out the unconditional and mindless obedience with which millions of American voters blindly support the two leading candidates for the presidency,
You can't gerrymander a statewide election like governor. It only works when districts are being carved up in a more localized election. I love it that the Dems can't stand a popular, broadly-elected governor like DeSantis who won in a landslide.
Excellent point - gerrymandering is only relevant in House elections. And you have to control the state legislature to gerrymander in your party's favor in the first place.
I cannot emphasize how much I welcome your voices of calm reason at a time when American politics is dominated on the one hand by a vicious, dishonest, narcissistic, misogynistic demagogue (Trump), and on the other by a corrupt, senile, intellectually-challenged, amoral political hack (Biden). That you skewer each man with more or less equal joie de vivre is in my opinion proof of your own decency, integrity and political sanity.
For that reason I seek your guidance on how I should cast my vote in November 2024 if the choice is between these two moral reprobates. Having absorbed from Homage to Catalonia, George Orwell's memoir on the Spanish Civil War, the lesson that in politics and in life one has to make unpleasant choices involving gradations of evil ("The communists were bad, but the fascists were worse"), I sometimes feel obliged to bite the bullet, and as a conservative who thought much of what Trump did as president was beneficial, vote for him over Biden. But what if Trump in 2023 is even worse than Trump in 2020 or 2016, and in fact is now no better than Biden or, for that matter, Hillary Clinton? It seems to me that Trump has so degenerated ethically since his presidency ended that his positions on issues are now nothing more than reflections of his political needs: because Ron DeSantis has gone after Disney for its wokeness, Trump supports Disney.
What I am asking is whether it is ever the case that contending candidates for political office are exactly equally abhorrent, and that not voting for either of them is not just a defensible option but the only proper and ethical one? Or should I try, in this instance, to find some difference between Biden and Trump that would warrant my voting for one or the other?
I am genuinely perplexed by my dilemma, which I suspect afflicts many of your other listeners, and welcome any wisdom you might wish to share in this regard.
With my enormous gratitude for your calling out the unconditional and mindless obedience with which millions of American voters blindly support the two leading candidates for the presidency,
Thanks for the reference to the Orwell book! I'll be sure to read it. I've read most of his other books and many of his essays. He's extremely insightful and a skilled writer.
There definitely is a difference between Trump and President Biden. A large factor - frequently a decisive one - in distinguishing them is one's politics. As a moderate liberal, I see President Biden markedly different from you and most here.
If Trump is elected, this time his inner liberal might come out. His fantasies notwithstanding, he knows it'll be his last hurrah. He might also take revenge on the so-called RINOs and never-Trumpers. Why not leave with a bang?
Bernie... with the recent reports on the government opening the files on UFO's ... or UAP's, much like personal COVID masks, should we begin getting sized up for the Tinfoil Hats?
Are you gentlemen as disturbed as I am about the crackdown on free speech north of the border in Canada? I know they don't have a 1st Amendment, but they do have a Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms that is supposed to govern these things. After reading about Robert Hoogland, a man who has been in jail for months for "misgendering" is own daughter, I read a little more on this Bill C-16. Seven years ago Jordan Petersen was highly critical of this law as "compelled speech," and apparently it has only gotten worse. Now Bill C-11 gives the Canadian government incredible control over Canadian content over social media and the internet. This looks, smells and stinks like government-sponsored censorship. I don't think Biden, or whoever is pulling his strings these days, has given up on the idea of a Disinformation Governance Board. I thought Western leaders were supposed to be staunch defenders of free speech and were not to be confused with closed societies like China, North Korea and Afghanistan.
It’s fun imagining what fun it would be to watch a debate between Nikki Haley and Joe Biden. She would clean his clock. The contrast between a clear-thinking Nikki and a befuddled Joe would be very stark. Far more interesting than a Trump-Biden debate. Been there, done that and don’t need to go there again. One caveat: They would have to keep Joe from sniffing her hair.
Oh, Haley would absolutely destroy Biden on a debate state. Biden, when he was younger, was actually a pretty formidable debater, but I can't imagine him besting anyone other than Trump these days.
Your rebuttals include things that are consistent with the Guy from Exit Ate. Alphabet News prosecuted Russia collusion before, during, and after 2018 notwithstanding countervailing evidence. Shit show for Covid? Like awarding Andrew Cuomo for his stellar news briefs? The level of obfuscation from over the air news is pathetic- and the average schnook in the street believes it. The viewership for boutique news is small enough to be almost irrelevant. FCC controlled News is the driver here - so find another method, Get Trump Zone.
Thomas, Trump devotees like yourself, when attempting to explain the GOP's sweeping losses over three election cycles under your lord and savior, always begin with the false premise that they didn't have anything to do with Trump himself, but rather people being mean to Trump. It's like a coping mechanism for you folks.
The GOP didn't get killed because of reckless lib-network speculation on the Russia investigation (that ultimately vindicated Trump), or vaccine-mandates (that didn't even exist prior to Trump losing), or Hunter Biden. I get that you desperately love Trump's never-ending b.s. and combativeness — to the point that you dismiss his immense corruption, ineptitude, and electoral toxicity — but most Americans see it clearly, and don't like it... and it's not because of the media. It's because they can see Trump with their own eyes, and listen to him with their own ears.
Oh, and what does Andrew Cuomo, and the media's embarrassing fawning over him, have to do with how ridiculous Trump's COVID press conferences were? Both of these guys handled the pandemic terribly, and as best I can tell, the only two people who still think Cuomo did a good job are Cuomo and Trump.
Again, the only people who still think Cuomo handled the pandemic well are Cuomo and Lord Trump. And it wasn't Fauci who made Trump look like an incoherent clown in those COVID press conferences. That's all on Trump.
In my original comment, I omitted the necessary word "enough" in the first sentence, without which it makes no sense. I posted the revised comment, with this word added, below. Sorry about that!
-----
Dear Bernie and John,
I cannot emphasize enough how much I welcome your voices of calm reason at a time when American politics is dominated on the one hand by a vicious, dishonest, narcissistic, misogynistic demagogue (Trump), and on the other by a corrupt, senile, intellectually-challenged, amoral political hack (Biden). That you skewer each man with more or less equal joie de vivre is in my opinion proof of your own decency, integrity and political sanity.
For that reason I seek your guidance on how I should cast my vote in November 2024 if the choice is between these two moral reprobates. Having absorbed from Homage to Catalonia, George Orwell's memoir on the Spanish Civil War, the lesson that in politics and in life one has to make unpleasant choices involving gradations of evil ("The communists were bad, but the fascists were worse"), I sometimes feel obliged to bite the bullet, and as a conservative who thought much of what Trump did as president was beneficial, vote for him over Biden. But what if Trump in 2023 is even worse than Trump in 2020 or 2016, and in fact is now no better than Biden or, for that matter, Hillary Clinton? It seems to me that Trump has so degenerated ethically since his presidency ended that his positions on issues are now nothing more than reflections of his political needs: because Ron DeSantis has gone after Disney for its wokeness, Trump supports Disney.
What I am asking is whether it is ever the case that contending candidates for political office are exactly equally abhorrent, and that not voting for either of them is not just a defensible option but the only proper and ethical one? Or should I try, in this instance, to find some difference between Biden and Trump that would warrant my voting for one or the other?
I am genuinely perplexed by my dilemma, which I suspect afflicts many of your other listeners, and welcome any wisdom you might wish to share in this regard.
With my enormous gratitude for your calling out the unconditional and mindless obedience with which millions of American voters blindly support the two leading candidates for the presidency,
Jay Bergman
Professor of History
Central Connecticut State University
New Britain CT 06050
You can't gerrymander a statewide election like governor. It only works when districts are being carved up in a more localized election. I love it that the Dems can't stand a popular, broadly-elected governor like DeSantis who won in a landslide.
Excellent point - gerrymandering is only relevant in House elections. And you have to control the state legislature to gerrymander in your party's favor in the first place.
Thanks, John!
Dear Bernie and John,
I cannot emphasize how much I welcome your voices of calm reason at a time when American politics is dominated on the one hand by a vicious, dishonest, narcissistic, misogynistic demagogue (Trump), and on the other by a corrupt, senile, intellectually-challenged, amoral political hack (Biden). That you skewer each man with more or less equal joie de vivre is in my opinion proof of your own decency, integrity and political sanity.
For that reason I seek your guidance on how I should cast my vote in November 2024 if the choice is between these two moral reprobates. Having absorbed from Homage to Catalonia, George Orwell's memoir on the Spanish Civil War, the lesson that in politics and in life one has to make unpleasant choices involving gradations of evil ("The communists were bad, but the fascists were worse"), I sometimes feel obliged to bite the bullet, and as a conservative who thought much of what Trump did as president was beneficial, vote for him over Biden. But what if Trump in 2023 is even worse than Trump in 2020 or 2016, and in fact is now no better than Biden or, for that matter, Hillary Clinton? It seems to me that Trump has so degenerated ethically since his presidency ended that his positions on issues are now nothing more than reflections of his political needs: because Ron DeSantis has gone after Disney for its wokeness, Trump supports Disney.
What I am asking is whether it is ever the case that contending candidates for political office are exactly equally abhorrent, and that not voting for either of them is not just a defensible option but the only proper and ethical one? Or should I try, in this instance, to find some difference between Biden and Trump that would warrant my voting for one or the other?
I am genuinely perplexed by my dilemma, which I suspect afflicts many of your other listeners, and welcome any wisdom you might wish to share in this regard.
With my enormous gratitude for your calling out the unconditional and mindless obedience with which millions of American voters blindly support the two leading candidates for the presidency,
Jay Bergman
Professor of History
Central Connecticut State University
New Britain CT 06050
Thanks Jay. I've added this question to this week's Q&A.
Thanks for the reference to the Orwell book! I'll be sure to read it. I've read most of his other books and many of his essays. He's extremely insightful and a skilled writer.
There definitely is a difference between Trump and President Biden. A large factor - frequently a decisive one - in distinguishing them is one's politics. As a moderate liberal, I see President Biden markedly different from you and most here.
If Trump is elected, this time his inner liberal might come out. His fantasies notwithstanding, he knows it'll be his last hurrah. He might also take revenge on the so-called RINOs and never-Trumpers. Why not leave with a bang?
Bernie... with the recent reports on the government opening the files on UFO's ... or UAP's, much like personal COVID masks, should we begin getting sized up for the Tinfoil Hats?
https://www.nbcnews.com/news/amp/rcna102897#amp_tf=From%20%251%24s&aoh=16939242057020&referrer=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.google.com
Are you gentlemen as disturbed as I am about the crackdown on free speech north of the border in Canada? I know they don't have a 1st Amendment, but they do have a Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms that is supposed to govern these things. After reading about Robert Hoogland, a man who has been in jail for months for "misgendering" is own daughter, I read a little more on this Bill C-16. Seven years ago Jordan Petersen was highly critical of this law as "compelled speech," and apparently it has only gotten worse. Now Bill C-11 gives the Canadian government incredible control over Canadian content over social media and the internet. This looks, smells and stinks like government-sponsored censorship. I don't think Biden, or whoever is pulling his strings these days, has given up on the idea of a Disinformation Governance Board. I thought Western leaders were supposed to be staunch defenders of free speech and were not to be confused with closed societies like China, North Korea and Afghanistan.
Well Sir Bernie you certainly did make a funny but I STILL want to hear your thoughts on my question, respectfully Your Royal Highness.
His Utmost Excellency, The Emperor , has spoken
It’s fun imagining what fun it would be to watch a debate between Nikki Haley and Joe Biden. She would clean his clock. The contrast between a clear-thinking Nikki and a befuddled Joe would be very stark. Far more interesting than a Trump-Biden debate. Been there, done that and don’t need to go there again. One caveat: They would have to keep Joe from sniffing her hair.
Oh, Haley would absolutely destroy Biden on a debate state. Biden, when he was younger, was actually a pretty formidable debater, but I can't imagine him besting anyone other than Trump these days.
Yes, Joe was a good debater as long as you didn’t mind him making up his own facts.
Very true.
Your rebuttals include things that are consistent with the Guy from Exit Ate. Alphabet News prosecuted Russia collusion before, during, and after 2018 notwithstanding countervailing evidence. Shit show for Covid? Like awarding Andrew Cuomo for his stellar news briefs? The level of obfuscation from over the air news is pathetic- and the average schnook in the street believes it. The viewership for boutique news is small enough to be almost irrelevant. FCC controlled News is the driver here - so find another method, Get Trump Zone.
Thomas, Trump devotees like yourself, when attempting to explain the GOP's sweeping losses over three election cycles under your lord and savior, always begin with the false premise that they didn't have anything to do with Trump himself, but rather people being mean to Trump. It's like a coping mechanism for you folks.
The GOP didn't get killed because of reckless lib-network speculation on the Russia investigation (that ultimately vindicated Trump), or vaccine-mandates (that didn't even exist prior to Trump losing), or Hunter Biden. I get that you desperately love Trump's never-ending b.s. and combativeness — to the point that you dismiss his immense corruption, ineptitude, and electoral toxicity — but most Americans see it clearly, and don't like it... and it's not because of the media. It's because they can see Trump with their own eyes, and listen to him with their own ears.
Oh, and what does Andrew Cuomo, and the media's embarrassing fawning over him, have to do with how ridiculous Trump's COVID press conferences were? Both of these guys handled the pandemic terribly, and as best I can tell, the only two people who still think Cuomo did a good job are Cuomo and Trump.
Everything- Cuomo is their benchmark. Trump followed Fauci’s BS.
Again, the only people who still think Cuomo handled the pandemic well are Cuomo and Lord Trump. And it wasn't Fauci who made Trump look like an incoherent clown in those COVID press conferences. That's all on Trump.