2025 & 2026 Elections | NJ, VA elections approaching

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I mean theoretically. But we have had a president born in the mid 1940s for 25 of the last 33 years. We just have to hope boomers don't stay here long enough to discover immortality.
 
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“…Where is the line on internet speech and basic decency, for example, when the White House conducts politics by meme, and the governor of California’s X account has resorted to open trolling? Where is the line on tattoos when the head of the Defense Department has tattoos associated with the Crusades, and the head of the National Counterterrorism Center has the word Panzer—the infamous Nazi tank—inked on his arm?

Whatever the reasons for it, the support for Platner feels like a departure from a time, not too long ago, when a controversy like this might well have sunk a politician, especially an upstart—and especially a Democrat. (Since at least the #MeToo movement, some Democrats have groused about how their party is quicker to force out otherwise-qualified candidates over perceived transgressions than MAGA Republicans, who seem to view disqualifying behaviors as badges of honor.) Platner’s candidacy looks like a test—of how “big tent” the Democrats want to be, and how willing its voters are to accept baggage, from social media and beyond, that less polished candidates can carry.“

🎁 —> How ‘Big Tent’ Are Democrats Willing to Go?
 
“…Where is the line on internet speech and basic decency, for example, when the White House conducts politics by meme, and the governor of California’s X account has resorted to open trolling? Where is the line on tattoos when the head of the Defense Department has tattoos associated with the Crusades, and the head of the National Counterterrorism Center has the word Panzer—the infamous Nazi tank—inked on his arm?

Whatever the reasons for it, the support for Platner feels like a departure from a time, not too long ago, when a controversy like this might well have sunk a politician, especially an upstart—and especially a Democrat. (Since at least the #MeToo movement, some Democrats have groused about how their party is quicker to force out otherwise-qualified candidates over perceived transgressions than MAGA Republicans, who seem to view disqualifying behaviors as badges of honor.) Platner’s candidacy looks like a test—of how “big tent” the Democrats want to be, and how willing its voters are to accept baggage, from social media and beyond, that less polished candidates can carry.“

🎁 —> How ‘Big Tent’ Are Democrats Willing to Go?
IMO, like it or not Donald Trump has completely upended the old notions that a president should be dignified and a model of good citizenship and a positive symbol of the country and so on, and I doubt we'll be going back to the old ways anytime soon. I hate it - Obama was a great model of what a president should be in terms of decorum and behavior, and so have most of our presidents through US history - but we now live in an age in which presidents and politicians can openly trash talk and insult their opponents on social media with no consequences whatsoever, seemingly no personal scandal can sink Trump or most other GOP politicians now, presidents and politicians can act as vulgar and crass as they want with no consequences, etc.

And too many people - not just MAGAs - seem to enjoy it. It's politics as trashy reality show, which is pretty much where our entire culture seems to be right now. The classic high school Civics textbook Magruder's American Government argues that one of the 8 roles presidents play is "Chief Citizen", or a model of good citizenship and behavior for the nation. Obama filled that role very ably, but Trump has made mincemeat of it, and frankly I'm not sure that the term "Chief Citizen" even applies anymore.

As for Platner, I think having Nazi tattoos and those offensive posts should be disqualifying and certainly would be pre-Trump, and as I've already posted I don't trust the guy if he got elected not to turn into another Fetterman or Manchin. I wouldn't vote for him. But polls still show him leading his Democratic opponent for the Senate primary next year, and I'm not sure that in this free-for-all political climate it will cause him to lose.
 
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IMO, like it or not Donald Trump has completely upended the old notions that a president should be dignified and a model of good citizenship and a positive symbol of the country and so on, and I doubt we'll be going back to the old ways anytime soon. I hate it - Obama was a great model of what a president should be in terms of decorum and behavior, and so have most of our presidents through US history - but we now live in an age in which presidents and politicians can openly trash talk and insult their opponents on social media with no consequences whatsoever, seemingly no personal scandal can sink Trump or most other GOP politicians now, presidents and politicians can act as vulgar and crass as they want with no consequences, etc.

And too many people - not just MAGAs - seem to enjoy it. It's politics as trashy reality show, which is pretty much where our entire culture seems to be right now. The classic high school Civics textbook Magruder's American Government argues that one of the 8 roles presidents play is "Chief Citizen", or a model of good citizenship and behavior for the nation. Obama filled that role very ably, but Trump has made mincemeat of it, and frankly I'm not sure that the term "Chief Citizen" even applies anymore.

As for Platner, I think having Nazi tattoos and those offensive posts should be disqualifying and certainly would be pre-Trump, and as I've already posted I don't trust the guy if he got elected not to turn into another Fetterman or Manchin. But polls still show him leading his Democratic opponent for the Senate primary next year, and I'm not sure that in this free-for-all political climate it will cause him to lose.
We’re a nation of morons.
 
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