701
Vaccine skeptic hired to conduct government study on whether vaccines cause autism
(www.washingtonpost.com)
this post was submitted on 11 Apr 2025
701 points (99.2% liked)
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I'd just like to caveat that a slim majority of American voters outdid themselves to undo decades of past hard-won progress.
A third of eligible voters didn't vote. The remaining people who did vote were almost evenly split. So, in rough numbers, 1/3rd of American voters put us all in this mess.
No, 2/3rds.
The third-ish that voted for Trump, and the third-ish that didn't vote for Harris.
In other words, the majority of Americans either wanted this government, or didn't care if this was the government.
Exactly one organization is to blame, the one that finally got Biden to step down long after it was clear he had no chance, just to replace him with someone who promises to change nothing.
The only reasonable explanation is that the Democrats threw the election on purpose. They very well know what it takes to motivate the voters and they did the exact opposite by putting Republicans on the campaign stage with Harris.
Oh piss off
I might, outside of the beef with Harris, that are kinda right. Dem advisors seem to have deliberately sunk the campaign once they took over and they seem to be pushing for another loss by moving even more right.
Here's a simpler explanations: DNC is an umbrella party with many different factions. Sometimes they miscalculate, make mistakes, and are raked over coals for it.
Compare that with RNC. Their voters show up to vote for R no matter what RNC does.
It's not DNC management's duty to go left. It's the duty of American leftists to push them left and withholding votes isn't the way to do it.
Exactly.
So, obviously, trying to appeal to them is at best a waste of time.
shouldve seen the excuses on reddit, right after the election.
Not even that. The majority of voters, 50.2%, voted for Harris or third party.
And how many eligible voters didn't bother to vote? They're also equally responsible for this.
They didn't technically vote for Trump. Which I don't say to absolve them of blame, but this particular thread of comments was pedantry over how many people voted for Trump.
"Or third party"
I see the problem...
A two party system that uses first past the post?
Needs to change.
Yes. But until it does you play the game as it currently works.
You vote for the best candidate?
There is no such thing as a "best candidate".
The best candidate on the ballot, genius.
I wouldn't exactly define this current situation as working, would you?
What does "pretending we have a different system" get you?
Absolutely nothing... hence the It needs to change bit.
Realistically it's the same question I could pose you saying just play the game... What exactly does picking the "lesser of two evils" net us? A race to the bottom. It's not ideal nor does it work. The most recent election is a perfect example of this.
MAGA played the game better than liberals. They got Trump. He's effectively a third party candidate. Republicans hated him. But liberals whine about "lesser of two evils" while maga voted.
Republicans hated Trump during (and only during) his initial run for the presidency. He was a grifter saying whatever he could to get a vote and his platform seemed threatening to them initially. Once they realized how easy he was to control they had no issue with him. He's a useful idiot who thinks he's winning a game of checkers when everyone else is playing chess.
Speaking of games - as far as I can tell MAGA isn't playing any game at all: they are simply a hate group with a figurehead.
...but I'll bite - what game do you think they are playing?
Yes, that is my point.
"Playing the game" is a figure of speech.
I'm keenly aware. But, as you are likely aware, your utilization of said figure of speech implied a stratagem being was being employed and/or that it was a functional one. It did of course have the possibility of meaning "continue down the broken path" amongst others. My initial comment clearly implies this was my interpretation of it. Based on your reply - I had little reason to assume that your figure of speech, which carries a broad variety of meaning in this context, differed from said interpretation. In fact: you supported my interpretation with your follow-up comment which is exactly what led to my response.
Forgive me, I'm confused as to what your point was then. Your figures of speech seem to have muddled the water enough to make this conversation cyclical... so perhaps some clarification would help. Care to provide some insight on the two times you used it?
Always glad to clarify when it's asked for.
I agree that we should have a more multi-party system. Period. Good idea - lets do it. But we don't have one.
So how do you effect change? Pitch a fit and claim the system is unfair and scream into the void? Or find a way within the existing system to change it? The latter is what I mean by "playing the game".
Hard-line ~~racists~~ conservatives have been similarly disillusioned as liberals about the two party system, both feeling unrepresented. The conservatives worked within the system to elect Trump who is effectively a 3rd party candidate within a 2 party system by co-opting one of the parties. They "played the game" as it were and they're changing the system now.
Solid. I assumed we were on the same page - but was struggling to figure out where things were misaligning.
I feel, personally, that it needs to be a bit of both. If people don't speak up it's difficult for others to find they may not be so alone in their views. Discontent needs to be visible and heard to start a movement. Sadly (as shown in the video referenced - and in recent elections) simply "playing the game" has resulted in this death spiral we appear to be in. What is to be done? Disproportionately congress is still occupied by boomers who refuse to pass the torch and tragically are out of touch with reality. Gen X and Millennials make up very few seats thanks to the death grip held on many of these seats. They're old so you need to speak up ;) Jokes aside - to gain any traction on subjects such as these we need to be vocal.
I disagree somewhat here. I believe both parties put a fairly significant effort into their particular candidate.
I firmly believe that Biden had 0 interest in running again but was talked into it. As I suggested earlier the majority of votes were lost to the candidate change at the 11th hour. Additionally the vote of the disillusioned groups you are (in part) referring to was due to swing to the Republican side this election, and did. Lastly, what I view as the final nail in the coffin was the efforts of "outside" influences resulting in the fragmentation and alienation of a number of social groups typically more aligned in their stance. Combine these factors and you get the overwhelming outcome we saw.
I will give you the "third party" dash of spice present on the grifter which clearly did draw some additional votes - but I'd attribute most of the vote disparity to the above.
Yeah - I hear that. I wouldn't say "don't speak up" so much as don't just speak up. Speak up but also work the system as it is, Losing the vote to somebody like Trump is counter-productive, maintaining the status quo would have been better even if it's still imperfect.
I'm thinking more of Trump's first campaign which set this all in action. That's when he was truly still an outsider.
Other than that I think we mostly agree.
That's a fair statement. I just wanted to draw attention to the fact that the current administration hadn't won as a result of the failure of the voters on the other side so much as the aligning of a series of events. Too many people are simply making statements like well you didn't vote hard enough... which simply ignores reality.
I believe we are aligned I this thought. It's their club and outsiders are a threat.
Cheers. This has been a fun exchange minus the earlier confusion. Appreciate you sticking it out to clarify 👊
Same, have a good one!
The only pathways are direct voter ballot initiativesmin the states that have them (only 26 states do) and progressive candidates and voters flooding the Democratic primaries to take over the party.
And this is how you have to do it in a two-party FPtP system.
That's exactly how the Tea Party turned the GOP into the mess it is now.
Yup. That at the Koch brothers pouring millions mostly into state and federal legislative races rather than focusing on the president.
Please.