#not very presidential

[remotewatch]

the last unwritten 15% of the paddle board fic watching me dive headfirst into a president reader x White House staffer Jack concept like 🫤🫤🫤

[percypaints]

Trump survived. Here's what will happen.

Every media, news outlet will be showing this photo. Not of a convicted felon who was impeached, who summoned violent terrorists to the white house, who sexually assaulted many women, but of a survivor, a hero.

And Trump will win 2024. The Alt Right and his MAGA supporters will see this and be more motivated than ever to vote Trump. Centrists will see this and think "the left is so much more extreme than the right" and vote Trump. Fuck, even liberals, after seeing Bidens disastrous debate performance might vote trump. In their eyes, he's a survivor now, he's strong now, he's worthy now. If you don't believe me, wait and see the top comments of news articles, the Reddit posts, the twitter quote tweets.

It isn't if Trump wins, it's when Trump wins, Ukraine is Fucked. Palestine is extra Fucked. And of course, America is absolutely Fucked.

I don't like Biden, but Americans have to remember: you live in a two-party system.

It is Biden or Trump.

And I'd much much rather an old husk of a man that has done so much good for trans rights, social policies, and human rights in general, than Trump. Yes, Biden has sent aids to Israel. Do you think Trump won't do the same? Do you think Trump won't do worse?

"Vote for a third party, they're both awful" you might say. Come on, be realistic. This is about holding the line against fascism. It is going to be way WAY easier to change the system when you're up against milk toast Joe than an actual dictator. So,

For the love of god, vote Biden in Novermber.

[muffinlance]

From NPR this morning:

President Biden called for term limits and an enforceable ethics code for Supreme Court justices yesterday. The White House said that the proposal would appoint a justice every two years to spend 18 years in active service to the Supreme Court. He also called on Congress to pass binding, enforceable conduct and ethics rules that require high court justices to disclose gifts, refrain from public political activity and remove themselves from cases if they or their spouses have financial or other conflicts of interest. The president also called for a constitutional amendment that would limit the broad immunity presidents now enjoy due to a recent Supreme Court decision.

...Yes please.

Le source: Up First briefing: Trump shooter update; Crypto and the 2024 election

[ramabear]

favorite part: when she clearly wanted to call him a motherfucker and yet restrained herself. incredible

second favorite part: she said dictators around the world would manipulate him with flattery and how putin could/would 'eat him alive'

i wished so badly she could have said that he was obviously easy to manipulate because she was clearly doing it the whole debate through. every single time she went after his ego (his crowd sizes, being laughed at by world leaders, etc) he ALWAYS had to jump into defend himself. every single time. she pushed his buttons all night long. this fucking guy

[kalscattergood]

HOLY FUCKING SHIT that guy just said something so egregiously and factually incorrect that the moderator HAD to fact check him, even though the debate rules said no fact checking.

[jewish-sideblog]

Young USAmericans will straight up say “Why do we have to pick between two super old dudes! I hate this” and then proceed to vote at half the rate that octogenarians do. Like idk bestie maybe if you had actually showed up to the polls to vote for a candidate you respected during the primaries this wouldn’t be an issue

[short-wooloo]

It's pride month, so I think now is a good time to remind all my fellow Queers...

THE REPUBLICANS WANT US ALL DEAD!!

This is not a secret, they are very much open about it, our lives (along with so many others) are very much on the line this election, if trump and the republicans win the presidency-or worse, the presidency and one or both of the houses of congress, WE WILL BE IN DANGER!!

And that's (just one reason) why we need to be voting for not just Joe Biden, but every Democrat in every election, vote blue down the ballot, because if you aren't, if you vote third party, if you don't vote at all, that only helps trump!! We know this!! We already went through this 8 years ago!!

Trump and the republicans want us dead

Biden and the Democrats do not

It's a simple choice

(And anyone commenting/reblogging something to the effect of "Biden/ Democrats don't rEeEeAaAaLlLlYyYy care about us/aren't doing enough, you can fuck right the hell off)

[navree]

genuinely would love for some of the "both parties are the same" people to name me a single election in the entirety of the twenty first century where the outcome for the country wouldn't have been better if a democrat had won

[fanboy-feminist]

Biden dropping out has been, no joke, the best thing for the Democratic Party in years.

I haven't felt this sort of excitement in electoral politics since Bernie's 2015/2016 campaign. I genuinely do not believe that the Dems have had anything this good happen for them since Obergefell v. Hodges in 2015.

After weeks, months! of Biden fumbling so fucking much (student protests for a ceasefire in Gaza, god-awful debate, etc), to drop out and suddenly . . .

the main Democratic candidate is now a charismatic woman of color who called for a ceasefire in Gaza

a category 5 storm of memes about the biggest album of the year in pop music and pop culture and Kamala Harris

the Republican VP pick generally being an off-putting grifter weirdo

a rumor about aforementioned VP pick having sex with a couch starts to pick up traction

a genuinely exciting search for the Democratic VP slot

Minnesota governor Tim Walz (correctly) calls Trump and Trumpian Republicans “weird”

Harris picks Tim Walz, a middle class, ex-military, former public school teacher who coached his school's football team and sponsored the gay-straight alliance, now a pro-union Democrat attack dog (which I have never seen on a Democratic ticket as long as I have been alive) to be her running mate

he makes a JD Vance couch joke in his first speech as Harris’ VP pick!

How absolutely perfect is this? I have never seen this energy and excitement in electoral politics (save for MAGA-types [but they're a cult]) in my life. This is potentially a godsend for the Democratic party.

Moreover, I genuinely think this could make conditions for pushing for more progressive and left-leaning policies at all levels of government in the U.S. possible.

[mentaldentistoffice]

can someone please explain to me (oblivious british person) what the hell happened at the trump/harris presidential debate last night? because i've been hearing some weird shit. eating pets??? transgender aliens in prison??? america, are you okay???

[persephone-belladonna]

the handshake at the beginning, led by harris- she was very mindful, very demure

[deadpresidents]

Just after the 2008 election, outgoing President George W. Bush invited all of the living former Presidents to the White House for a private lunch with President-elect Obama. A memorable Oval Office photograph shows the Bushes, Bill Clinton, and Obama chatting like old friends on the left, with Carter standing alone on the right. One of the Presidents confided later that the photo perfectly captured the chemistry of their meeting and lunch that day. The other Presidents gave Obama convivial advice on the peculiarities of the office, while Carter wanted to press his serious policy agenda. Carter later told Brian Williams of NBC News that the body language was deliberate because "I feel that my role as a former President is probably superior to that of other Presidents."

-- Jonathan Alter, writing about a lunch at the White House on January 7, 2009 with all living American Presidents and President-elect Barack Obama which highlighted the often-strained relationships that former President Jimmy Carter had with his successors, His Very Best: Jimmy Carter, A Life (BOOK | KINDLE | AUDIO).

[fictionadventurer]

The more I learn about Civil War politics, the more I'm convinced that Lincoln's most impressive and useful leadership trait was that he never let his pride get in the way of doing his job.

Other people in Lincoln's position would have come to Washington with something to prove. They'd have resented the insults and tried to disprove them. They'd have tried to seize power and credit, rejected help, spent a lot of time trying to reach a certain level of respect.

Lincoln's response to, "You're just a backwoods lawyer with no executive experience who makes too many dumb jokes," was pretty much always, "Yeah. And?" He had no interest in petty personal power plays. He had a country to run. There was a war on. It didn't matter what people thought of him so long as the job got done.

He was aware of his personal shortcomings and was always willing to accept advice and help from people who had more knowledge and experience in certain areas. He presided over a chaotic Cabinet full of abrasive personalities who thought they were better and smarter than him, but he kept working with them because they could get the job done. For example: Stanton was absolutely horrible to him when they were both working as lawyers. Just incredibly mean on a personal level. But when Lincoln needed someone to replace Cameron, he swallowed his pride and appointed Stanton as Secretary of War, where Stanton proceeded to be mean to everyone in the world, but he whipped that department into shape and kept it running efficiently through a very chaotic war. Pretty much no one except Lincoln would have been able to put up with that. He could put up with people who were personally difficult if they could do the job he needed them to do--which he was only able to do because his own ego didn't get in the way.

Lincoln's example is a prime demonstration of how humility isn't underrating yourself--it's being so secure in your own abilities and identity that you don't need to attack anyone or defend yourself to prove your worth. He knew his shortcomings, but he also knew his strengths. He was willing to give other people credit for successes and take blame upon himself for failures if it kept things running smoothly. He was secure enough in his own power that he could deal generously--but firmly--with people who tried to undermine him. In a city full of huge egos, in a profession that rewards puffed-up pride, that levelheaded humility is an extremely rare trait--which is what made it so impressive and effective.

[littleapocalypsekitten]

I went looking for Presidential debate memes and my Gen-X ass was not disappointed.

[vintageseawitch]

moderator: will you veto an abortion ban if it comes across your desk, yes or no?

trump: blah blah blah, i'm the greatest, i got the most votes in history, everyone wanted Roe v Wade overturned, i worked the hardest, the Supreme Court worked really hard, blah blah blah (no yes or no, btw)

moderator: as president, would you continue to aide Ukraine, yes or no

trump: blah blah blah, we need to stop the senseless killing, it's horrible, blah blah blah (still no yes or no ofc)

moderator: do you regret anything about Jan 6?

trump: blah blah blah, they let all their illegals in, crime is the worst it's ever been, the crime here is worse than the rest of the world, blah blah blah (no response once again)

we all know if he gave his true answers to both of these it wouldn't be good for him. either he's been coached or is still in enough of a "sound" mind to know this & we ALL know what his answers are: he's in bed with putin & wants Russia to win which could lead the way to chaos in the rest of Europe. as for abortion, have you heard jd vance speak at all? he hates women & abortions should be banned no exceptions. someone getting raped & pregnant as a result of it is "AN INCONVENIENCE." he plans to support a national ban.

he doesn't care what happened on January 6th. HE STILL BELIEVES IN THE LIE THAT HE WON. he seems confused. should we be concerned?

[flameunquenched]

imagine how fucking funny it'd be if kamala harris took 'make america great again' back from trump tho