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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Out of a population of 320 million they pick this two twats.

100 replies

TinnitusEar · 15/03/2024 12:17

AIBU to expect the USA, with a population of 320 million, to come up with better candidates than Trump and Biden?

OP posts:
avocadotofu · 15/03/2024 17:07

It's so depressing. I'm an American living in the UK and it's such an awful choice, I'm so frustrated!

mathanxiety · 15/03/2024 17:15

WaterWeasel · 15/03/2024 16:56

He most certainly is.

In what way?

mathanxiety · 15/03/2024 17:17

Okayornot · 15/03/2024 14:52

I think it probably works great from at least one perspective to have a leader who is either so incapacitated (Biden) or so corrupt (Trump) he can be made to do what you want. This is how unelected people get to pull the strings.

Another believer in unseen hands pulling strings.

Well, well, well...

mathanxiety · 15/03/2024 17:19

YYURYYUCICYYUR4ME · 15/03/2024 16:42

I wonder who is really pulling the strings in the USA - is there something else at play here? Not a fan of conspiracy theories, but I can't believe this is the only two people in the entire country that can run!

I call disingenuous BS.

This 'pulling strings' baloney is coming from specific sources.

Startingagainandagain · 15/03/2024 17:21

Indeed.

Mad that people would consider voting for a sociopath like Trump again but equally bonkers that the other side chose Biden again who is getting on and has had a rather lacklustre presidency.

But then again many people here thought Boris Johnson was leader material...

TwigletsAndRadishes · 15/03/2024 17:24

I know, It is simply mid boggling. Every time I think about it I feel just so utterly bewildered. Its like something from a bad dream. And we think we've got problems in politics.

When I was growing up America was this glamorous, exciting, sophisticated place where everything seemed bigger, better, brighter and more wonderful. Now I wouldn't live there if you paid me.

easylikeasundaymorn · 15/03/2024 17:38

MrsTerryPratchett · 15/03/2024 13:20

They'd rather have old white men than highly qualified woman. So it's not really a population of 300+ million to choose from.

It baffled me when they made such a big deal about the first female vice-president as though it was so great rather than acknowledging they were so far behind so many other countries in never having a female leader.

But then the labour party have never had an elected female leader here so can't say much - given they are supposed to be the party of equality that's a bit embarrassing. Correct me if I'm wrong but are they the only british/irish party (apart from really tiny fringe ones), that haven't?

stuckdownahole · 15/03/2024 17:50

easylikeasundaymorn · 15/03/2024 17:38

It baffled me when they made such a big deal about the first female vice-president as though it was so great rather than acknowledging they were so far behind so many other countries in never having a female leader.

But then the labour party have never had an elected female leader here so can't say much - given they are supposed to be the party of equality that's a bit embarrassing. Correct me if I'm wrong but are they the only british/irish party (apart from really tiny fringe ones), that haven't?

Labour have never had a female leader but I'm a bit wary of criticising the last leadership election specifically, as both Lisa Nandy and Rebecca Long-Bailey seemed to come up short compared to Starmer. Nandy got very bogged down with trans issues and generally struggled for coherence, Long-Bailey was the continuity Corbynite and lost any hope of support from other quarters when she said she would rate him 10 out of 10 as Labour leader, shortly after he was responsible for their worst election result since 1935.

The female leader Labour should have had was Yvette Cooper in 2015. I can understand why she didn't stand again in 2020 but it was definitely their loss not hers.

OtherS · 15/03/2024 17:52

I'm interested in hearing from the 7% who think yabu- does anyone actually think Trump and Biden are great candidates?! 🤨

VenetiaHallisWellPosh · 15/03/2024 17:54

I learned a new word via the Presidential election: Gerontocracy. A country run by people far older than the mean age of the nation.

There may be a certain amount of ageism going on, but seriously? Why can't they pick someone decent?

(And yes, we are a total bonfire too)

AsTheyPulledYouOutOfTheOxygenTent · 15/03/2024 17:58

OtherS · 15/03/2024 17:52

I'm interested in hearing from the 7% who think yabu- does anyone actually think Trump and Biden are great candidates?! 🤨

I voted YABU
I don't think that Biden is a twat, although he wouldn't be my pick as candidate, and I think bundling him in with Trump as "both as bad as each other" is unreasonable.

mathanxiety · 15/03/2024 18:10

SOBplus · 15/03/2024 13:57

Seriously? Supreme Court Justice Ginsberg said in 1989 Roe V Wade is bad law and going to be over turned and Dems should fix the law before it is - but no one did. Don't blame Trump.
Trump got Nato members to agree to honor commitments which until then ONLY UK did.

Trump singlehandedly and without Congress got China to agree to cut trade deficit $500 billion per year! Trump got off shore corporate profits returned to US for investment at home totaling over $800 billion. Trump got everyone to start paying attention to China and global aspirations. Trump got first real wage increases since 1989. Trump got covid vaccines developed in record time, etc!

Wrt Roe v Wade - successive Congresses wouldn't compromise on legislation to make it lock tight. Initially, neither party had the votes within their caucuses. Increasingly, over time, the GOP made determination to topple Roe a clarion call in election after election.

I do blame Trump for rewarding the fundamentalists who got him elected with the SC appointments. He did this deliberately and with intent, and with the sole purpose of gaining power and keeping it. It was the cornerstone of Mitch McConnel's long political career, and McConnell was prepared to pay any price to ensure the electionnof any GOP candidate who would get the job done, even to the point of supporting Trumo, whom he loathed and despised. None of those appointments would have been made if Trump hadn't been President. Ironically, the GOP has seen support for abortion rights rise on a state by state basis since Roe was toppled. It may yet come about that individual states will write the right to abortion into their constitutions.

Bader Ginsburg's analysis of Roe's problems included the bypassing of the concept of women's rights per se, and she would have preferred to see another case go forward to establish a right based not on privacy but on the principle of equal protection for women. She disagreed with the less than solid reasoning establishing a right to privacy.

Wrt China trade - nope, wrong again. His trade policy - actually a display of jingoistic willy waving - cost the US about 250,000 jobs thanks to increased costs. China was ready to take intellectual property protection more seriously since it has now developed to the point where protecting its own intellectual property has become important. China has bought none of the agreed $ 200 billion in American exports. Tariffs hurt American consumers and producers alike. Increased in imports from Vietnam and Mexico are the result of these countries being used as pass throughs.
carnegieendowment.org/chinafinancialmarkets/83746

Real wage increases? Lol. Thanks to his willy waving / 'China trade policy', nominal increases have been more than canceled out.
theconversation.com/real-pay-data-show-trumps-blue-collar-boom-is-more-of-a-bust-for-us-workers-in-3-charts-131264

Vaccines in record time?
Even Russia did the same thing, but nobody else undermined the public health messaging about other precautions or even the vaccines themselves, something Trump did purely to rouse the illiterate and poorly educated MAGA faithful, whose buttons he chose to press every time he had a chance to, instead of pursuing responsible policies.

MorningSunshineSparkles · 15/03/2024 18:42

Sadly after Boris I don’t feel we have a right to laugh anymore. The world is overrun with idiots, it’s reflecting in our politics.

Biohive1 · 15/03/2024 18:53

RickyB · 15/03/2024 12:42

In my opinion... Biden is simply a puppet that is controlled by higher powers (banks, WEF etc.). Trump is a vote against the higher powers, or 'deep state' or 'swamp' as he calls it.
Basically, the western financial system is reaching the end of its life and Trump is popular because he wants to oversee the revolution.

and if they are the main candidates put forward then you can only choose what you have

Biohive1 · 15/03/2024 18:55

are any of these two better than a frank underwood type president ?

MereDintofPandiculation · 15/03/2024 19:54

CactusMactus · 15/03/2024 14:11

Please don't shoot me for being ageist but Trump and Biden are too old to work let alone run a nation!

If you don't want to be shot for being ageist, you could try not being ageist.

PermanentTemporary · 15/03/2024 19:56

Biden's pretty good.

Trump is literally diabolical.

These things are not the same.

Alalalalalongalalalalalonglonglilong · 15/03/2024 20:06

MereDintofPandiculation · 15/03/2024 19:54

If you don't want to be shot for being ageist, you could try not being ageist.

I agree with @CactusMactus they are simply too old. There should be a cut off. Call it ageist if you like but no more ageist than having an over 35 rule. Either it should be 18 to 100 or 35 to 70. Ageism can't work in one direction only.

MereDintofPandiculation · 15/03/2024 20:11

Alalalalalongalalalalalonglonglilong · 15/03/2024 20:06

I agree with @CactusMactus they are simply too old. There should be a cut off. Call it ageist if you like but no more ageist than having an over 35 rule. Either it should be 18 to 100 or 35 to 70. Ageism can't work in one direction only.

There's a slight difference between saying "magistrates must retire at 70" and saying "this person is over 70 so they must be incapable".

PermanentTemporary · 16/03/2024 06:48

Trump is completely there only for the super rich - he was there to get that big tax cut done that was passed early in his term, and to pack the Supreme Court with judges who will always decide for corporations. The rest is showbiz and unimportant (in their view) concessions on women's health care that keep the evangelicals happy.

But I agree that an awful lot of national leaders these days are profoundly awful, particularly ours.

Noicant · 16/03/2024 06:54

I’m really worried about Trump and his advisors being anywhere near intelligence information. Jeez he spilled the beans to the Russians, he’s a genuine liability to americas allies. I really hope Britain carefully considers what it shares if Trump gets in. I swear to god he just repeats what the last person he spoke to says as well.

Noicant · 16/03/2024 06:57

Tbh even if Biden won (who I trust to not be utterly batshit I just think he’s not at his peak and we are entering an immensely difficult global period, I don’t think he’s a twat either, if I were an American I would be voting for him) I would be very worried about him dropping dead and Kamala Harris being in charge, she’s just not competent tbh (I was really rooting for her).

DublinFemale · 16/03/2024 07:31

HornyHornersPinkyWinky · 15/03/2024 12:22

I know OP, I can't help feeling there have to be far better candidates out there than Tweedledum and Tweedledee...

But then I look at my own country (Ireland), and the godawful politicians we always have to choose from, and suddenly I'm not so smug.

The only defence I can attempt is they gave 320 million we have 5 million.

DublinFemale · 16/03/2024 07:33

Politics is money game, the talented cannot afford to run a successful campaign.

The rich have their nose in trough so zero interest in changing the status quo.

ToriesCashBackSchemes · 16/03/2024 07:44

@DublinFemale depressing but true :(

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