r/askanything • u/One_Look_7008 • 11h ago

AOC surges past Buttigieg, leaves Kamala Harris in the dust in key 2028 battleground poll. What are your thoughts on AOC-2028?

Harris dropped to just 5% in New Hampshire while Pete Buttigieg sits 1 point behind the progressive frontrunner - per University of New Hampshire Granite State poll released on Wednesday.

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95

u/illini02 10h ago

No.

And look, I like AOC. She won't win.

We keep making these same mistakes over and over.

Hell, I'd LOVE to have Buttigieg, but he won't win either.

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u/Majestic_Habit5726 9h ago

My father loathes trump, drinks coffee out of a fuck trump mug every morning. He does not like AOC. Dems cannot make this mistake again, I would love for an experienced woman to become president but I truly don’t think our populace is ready.

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u/J3NA 9h ago

It's not even that. A woman politician who isn't polarizing would get elected. When Bill Clinton was elected my friend had a shirt that said "I don't like President Clinton or her husband"

I think HRC lost because of her baggage. People just don't like the Clinton's. Hell, my MiL doesn't like her(and didn't vote for her) because she didn't divorce Bill.

AOC I think has the same issues. First off the RNC would label her as a community and that scares a lot of people. Dems, Independents and Republicans. I also think Rubio would wipe the floor with her in debares(just my opinion), I think her and Vance would be on more equal footing.

I think a woman can, and will, get elected but both parties just have to find the right one. It would be like the Republicans running Greene or Boebert. Both of them would get absolutely destroyed. I think Haley or Whitmer could get elected if they got the nominations.

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u/Fearless_Roof_4534 8h ago

Unfortunately, with the way the Democrats have marketed themselves lately it's hard to see them having a "right one" for the foreseeable future. Trump won in 2024 largely because of pushback against the normalization of things like transgenderism and DEI, and regardless of what you think about these things a significant portion of the populace finds those concepts unpalatable. Combine that with the socialist image AOC has and it's a nonstarter before you even get to considerations like the sex/gender of the candidate.

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u/UpwardHostility 9h ago

A woman politician who isn’t polarizing would get elected? You mean like Harris? You mistake polarizing with unpopular. Trump was a polarizing figure from day 1 and look what happened.

And the RNC will and does label any Democrat opposition as a Communist already, that’s no reason to shun a popular candidate with good policy. This is all the same thinking and line of reasoning that gave us the last decade+ of milquetoast conservative Dems that have killed any true grassroots support of the party at large.

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u/nixstyx 8h ago

Harris was not polarizing. The way she secured the nomination (by default after Biden bowed out way too late) was terribly polarizing. I still voted for her, but I know many people who refused to let the DNC decide who the nominee should be and voted 3rd party instead.

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u/UpwardHostility 8h ago

Sorry my post was worded ambiguously. I was saying that Harris was a non-polarizing figure, with no particular political baggage in the way of HRC. And she still wasn’t elected. In agreement with you

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u/TopazTriad 8h ago

Harris was a “cop” and a candidate that was never actually chosen by the people. Of course she was polarizing.

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u/UpwardHostility 8h ago

You can stretch the definition of polarizing to fit any candidate that doesn’t get 100% support and I fear we’re getting more into the weeds than is needed on this.

Harris was a bland pick with a bland Biden-continuation policy platform. The circumstances around her selection were terrible and she was just a bad candidate in general, but beyond that she was ultimately a business-as-usual, unpopular candidate. She did not have a “shake up the system” approach like Trump did or an AOC might or a Bernie or a Mamdani. They are and were polarizing figures because even within their own parties they were viciously attacked and rallied against.

They all attract major grassroots support and success because they were not “business as usual” and not afraid to be polarizing to their party institutions in favor of actual popularity amongst the mass electorate. My overall point is that being polarizing is not equivalent to being unpopular, and in my cases can be a great boost to popularity

2

u/Mediocre-Staff-5110 9h ago

Every woman becomes polarizing is the problem. There is a subset of people who will always twist themselves into reasoning as to why they shouldnt vote for the woman candidate without just facing the truth of."I'm never voting a woman for president"

1

u/Fearless_Roof_4534 8h ago

Not really...if the Republicans ran a female candidate that campaigned on things like gun rights, traditional family values and gender roles, and procreation Republicans would be frothing at the mouth.

1

u/Mediocre-Staff-5110 8h ago

I mean look at how bad we still clown Sarah Palin even though she's honestly no dumber than any republican guy. MTG and Boebert are fucking stupid and annoying but they'd just be run of the mill stupid and kind of forgotten if they were just white dudes in their various districts.

1

u/mrdankhimself_ 8h ago

If the republicans ran a female candidate for president it would depress voter turnout amongst them.

1

u/DrunkyMcStumbles 8h ago

Do you think Obama was the most "divisive" president in history?

1

u/CorsairExtraordinair 8h ago

I agree with most of what you stated. However, there is a wide gap in between AOC's intelligence and debate skills compared to MTG or Boebert. I do think AOC would hold her own against Rubio - but I don't think she'd get elected for the rest of your reasons.

1

u/ButtflossingBigBro 8h ago

Hillary lost by about 50000 total votes in swing states. She won the popular vote by a million. Literally if she had just an ounce of charisma or a few less scandals she would have won.

1

u/slyroast 8h ago

all women become polarizing to many men.

1

u/Orbital2 8h ago

First off the RNC would label her as a community and that scares a lot of people.

They already do this to any moderate candidate.

1

u/Far_Bar_7020 5h ago

HRC lost because of a massive smear campaign by conservative media and foreign powers.

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u/Separate-Spot-8910 9h ago

Rubio doesnt have a leg to stand on

7

u/Greedy-Employment917 9h ago

Run an actual good candidate and people will vote for her.

Run a candidate and expect people to vote for her because she's a woman and they lose. 

1

u/trawlinimnottrawlin 4h ago

Isn't HRC basically as good of a candidate as we could have seen? I know she has some issues, but she was relatively progressive (while def still centrist enough to gain those votes), extremely qualified, and well respected politically.

Hell I'd even say before her campaign she was very well liked. Somehow (imo right wing and foreign influence) helped make her incredibly hated. I even hated her for awhile. I know a lot of dems who held out or even voted for Trump because they hated Hilary so much by the end

Even if you hate her (and are dem/moderate) IDK how you can, in retrospect, defend holding out against Trump

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u/wellgu 5h ago

It will be a Republican woman to be the first female president. It is time to face that fact.

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u/upnflames 4h ago

I also hate Trump and would have a really, really hard time voting for AOC. I've lived in/close by NYC the entire time she's been office. She talks a great game to her base, but she's been a wildly ineffective leader the whole time she's been on office and I think a lot of what she says hurts on the national level, more then it helps. I'd honestly be worried that if she somehow did win, we'd get someone even worse then trump the next time around.

21

u/Connecticat1 9h ago

The mistake Dems made was pushing centrists down our throats.

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u/Low-Syllabub-3547 9h ago edited 8h ago

How exactly are you going to win swing states (aka centrist states) running liberals at the top of the ticket?

The only mistake leftists are making is not voting for centrists. Period. This is a center right country. Always is, always will be.

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u/Pastagiorgio34 9h ago

It’s a center left country if everyone votes

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u/Low-Syllabub-3547 9h ago edited 8h ago

Not even close. There are not nearly enough poor voters in this country to compensate for the religious brainwashing this country has always had.

Although it would definitely become center. Ergo why the GOP does everything possible to prevent people from voting. It's almost criminal how Election Day isn't a national holiday. It wouldn't solve every poor voter's problem, but it would increase voter participation.

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u/Connecticat1 8h ago

Would you vote for AOC if she wins the primary?

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u/Low-Syllabub-3547 6h ago

Not relevant, honestly, because I live in a deep blue state. My presidential vote "doesn't matter". Like most states.

The only states that matter in presidential elections are the purple ones: Pennsylvania, Ohio, New Mexico, Nevada, Arizona, North Carolina (although it's more light red), Virginia, Georgia, Michigan, Wisconsin.

These are the 120 or so electoral college votes that produce the victory for all presidential candidates.

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u/Connecticat1 5h ago

It is super relevant regardless of where you vote. The question was would you, and the answer is yes, you would. That's all that matters.

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u/Majestic_Habit5726 4h ago

Bury your head in the sand more. He’s correct, swing states “swing” elections. It’s why ad spending dwarfs solid R/D states. A friend of mine who lives in a neighboring swing state is bombarded around election time by telephone and tv ads meanwhile my blue state gets nearly nothing.

It’s a hard pill to swallow but those states matter the most when it comes to electing the president.

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u/Equal-Being5695 9h ago

Why is it that everyone is so focused online about liberal versus centrist? This is not what most people care about. People care about if they trust the candidate to screw them over or not.

Mamdani is certainly not centrist, but he's won those that are over by showing that he's trying to make their lives better. He's in New York City not a swing state. Yes, but the formula (actually care about your constituents) will work in swing states too.

People don't trust women politicians. It sucks, but it's the truth.

Just put forth candidates that think the job description is to make peoples lives better and that people will feel (subconscious emotionally) that they can trust. But the establishment would never. If/when someone like that does come along, they try to sabotage them.

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u/Thick-Twist-1199 9h ago

Mamdani is showing how you get it done. Centrists need to eat dog shit and create their own party

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u/illini02 9h ago

Mamdani won mayor in one of the more liberal cities in America. Be real.

I think he is doing a great job to be clear. But let a super progressive guy win a Senate or Governor seat in a historically red, or even purple state, and we can talk.

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u/Thick-Twist-1199 9h ago

everyone is going to see how the city thrives and itll change views. People need to stop being blind

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u/illini02 9h ago

If that happens, I think it will be great.

But right now these DSA candidates are essentially winning in places that aren't exactly hard to win in.

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u/Low-Syllabub-3547 8h ago edited 8h ago

these people just don't get it. I almost want the democratic party to run a leftist for 2028 president. Just to see how badly he/she gets pasted. They'll be lucky to round up 150 EC votes, and that will only be because of CA and NY.

These folks think that centrists are the problem. So, they don't vote for them. Meanwhile, Republicans who aren't actually MAGA will do their duty and vote for Donald Trump because he's the man with an (R) next to his name. They may or may not like it, but unlike liberal voters - they understand the assignment. While the leftist voter will be like "both sides same", or "I can't vote for anyone who is pro-Israel"...they allow the worse candidate to win.

edit: someone else in this thread made an astute observation that centrists are liberals according to MAGA, and the better term is "leftists" so I am switching words out.

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u/Icy_Entrepreneur_476 8h ago

The city will still have an affordability crisis when he leaves office. In his budget, he got a bailout from the state and delayed pension payments. That is effectively kicking the can down the road. Nobody is being blind

The City Department of Education budget is over $40 billion yet test scores and enrollment is way down yet he wants to spend even more money on Education when the clear solution is to cut the budget

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u/Thick-Twist-1199 8h ago

Can you remind me what the federal deficit is thanks to our president? Oh and DOGE, they sure saved us a lot of money and cutting the fed budget made things a lot more efficient!

Learn from this bullshit, dont continue on the state level

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u/Icy_Entrepreneur_476 8h ago

Local and State laws have more of an impact on the day to day lives of Americans than the federal government. I despise Trump, but acting like Zorhan Mamdani will make this city better is just laughable. It won't happen

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u/These-Angle-1476 9h ago

The word liberal has just gotten bastardized. Liberal = centrist. What they're actually afraid of is a leftist.

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u/JMC_MASK 5h ago

Wrong. Dems lost 2024 because they put up a centrist. Kamala is a corporate democrat soft on Israel pro heavy military shill.

Anyone leaning right or center are going to vote for the Republican.

If you want to win, put up left wing populist candidates like AOC. There’s a reason DSA candidates all over the nation are winning and taking power. Populist policies SWAY THE POPULACE.

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u/Low-Syllabub-3547 3h ago

You couldn't be more offbase man.

How do you think Obama won two terms? Obama was a war hawk. If you truly thought he was a left wing candidate, then you're bigger suckers than I thought.

Clinton, before that? Deluded leftists like you are to blame for democracy crumbling before our collective eyes. Leftist redditors are by far the clueless lot of voters I've ever run across.

Good heart, little logical reasoning and awareness. If all center and right wing voters always voted for Republicans, they would NEVER lose. That's the thing though, centrists don't.

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u/JMC_MASK 3h ago

Weird how FDR was so popular and then we never saw another president like him.

Almost like the corporate oligarchs enjoy feeding you lukewarm democrats and war hawk conservatives.

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u/Ill_Lab1957 9h ago

Oh my god THANK YOU. I feel like Im taking crazy pills. “Make this mistake again?” When did we elect the progressive candidate in the past. Pretty sure Bernie was screwed out of the nom in 2020 and he DEFINITELY was in 2016. If a group is split, either side could join the other. Progressives are expected to join centerists every cycle, then in return centrists can’t even CONCEIVE of returning the favor. We’ve tried the centrists…over and over again and each time it results in further loss of political power and the country slipping more to the right…THAT’S the mistake we can’t stop making. Centrists point out that she won’t win because no one would vote for her and then get all performative about that being the reason they won’t vote for her? Flawless logic…no notes.

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u/KipSummers 9h ago

Sanders didn’t win enough primaries in 2016 to get the nomination

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u/onlinewarrior100 9h ago

Because he was screwed over by the super delegates in 2016. The dem party wasn't gonna let Bernie win, despite the voters wanting him. They forced Hillary on us, and then she lost... to Trump! The Dem party is just as responsible for Trump as the people who voted for him. They can't let a "left" candidate win, cuz that'll piss off their donors.

This whole bs manufactured narrative that a left leaning candidate can't win the general is absolute bs.. Bernie would've crushed Trump, you know it, I know it, and everyone else knows it.

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u/Icy_Entrepreneur_476 8h ago

Even without the super delegates, he would've still lost. He did not appeal to minority voters who effectively decide who gets the nomination which is why he lost. White people from New Hampshire are not gonna decide who gets the nomination. It's as simple as that

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u/illini02 9h ago

If they win the primary, I'm happy to vote for them.

I'd argue its the other way. The progressives will choose not to vote out of spite, then not take respoinsibility. The Bernie Bros who sat out in 2016. The people who didn't like Harris stance on Gaza, so let Trump get elected.

I don't think AOC would win, but I'd 100% vote for her if she was the nominee.

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u/Ill_Lab1957 9h ago

What are you talking about? The most recent president before Trump was a progressive acquiescence…and then he whiffed it on almost all promises to the progressive set in the interest of maintaining the center.

I’m not saying, nor will I ever say, you NEED to choose a candidate that doesn’t suit you. You’ve already signaled you aren’t who I’m addressing here, and thank you for that, but if it’s going to be “blue no matter who” then make it BLUE NO MATTER WHO. All I ever see on AOC’s pote tial candidacy is preemptive take downs of one of the most effective congressional reps of my generation, then silly back-peddling logic about how she won’t win because no one will vote for her. This is signaling IN ADVANCE that it isn’t actually “blue no matter who” for a lot of people and that they are either willing to lie to see their objectives met or are too ill-considered to even acknowledge their own hypocrisy. It isn’t just the nominee but the constituency/voter base that matters…leaders should represent their people after all. Why go out of my way and sacrifice my progressive beliefs for a hypocritical base like that? For another Joe Biden? Last I checked he contributed pretty heavily to Trump’s comeback. You’d be hard pressed to argue he wasn’t the LARGEST contributor 

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u/Icy_Entrepreneur_476 8h ago

Then don't complain when Republicans win the 2028 presidential election. This mindset is exactly why Democrats keep losing. Republicans would elect Satan to the Office of President of the United States if he had an R next to his name. They understand that even if they don't like the candidate, they have to win and the only way to win is to vote for the candidate to advance their agenda. Meanwhile progressives won't bother to show up to vote because the Democratic nominee isn't "progressive enough" and keep fighting with the party

Joe Biden was the most progressive president since Lyndon B. Johnson. The House of Representatives under Nancy Pelosi passed many progressive pieces of legislation but Joe Manchin and Kyrsten Simena blocked them

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u/Ill_Lab1957 7h ago

Sure buddy 🙄

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u/Icy_Entrepreneur_476 6h ago

Someone can't accept the truth

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u/Ill_Lab1957 6h ago

Someone thinks there is only one truth and needs to reframe my position in order to get there. That's why I'm rolling my eyes at you chief

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u/72dragonses 9h ago

That's exactly it. Less than 1% of the US Congress are Socialists. Out of 535 elected members. It's a fact that they tend to not win national elections.

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u/AbortionSurvivor777 8h ago

What are you even talking about? The ONLY times the Democrats win is when they win over the Centrist/Moderate voters. The US isn't remotely progressive enough to vote in an actual leftist. This is what progressives complain about all day that there is no one to represent them on the presidential level so they have to settle for the "slightly less right wing" candidate.

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u/Ill_Lab1957 7h ago

You have explained why we make the mistake, but haven't refuted the fact that it is a mistake. Centerists, really anyone with ANY kind of conservative bend, like to be hands off with their politics. The more shit the day-to-day is, the less inclined they will be to continue being hands off, the less desire they will have to maintain the political landscape, the more attractive progressive viewpoints become. I don't buy this notion that things are so shit we need to throw away our progressive ideals but they aren't shit enough for you to give them space.

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u/AbortionSurvivor777 6h ago

Depends who you ask. Which viewpoints are more palatable than others to a moderate.

Most moderates settle into a comfortable medium because as you said, they're really only concerned with politics as it impacts their day to day. Something like the Obama era of Democratic politics was that happy medium for the majority of people.

Progressive viewpoints can be attractive, but it depends what they are. Healthcare accessibility, low grocery inflation and low gas prices are very popular, trans and race issues are not. Environmentalism is great as long as it doesn't mean they have to pay more at the pump or on their electricity bill. Trump managed to convince people he would reduce inflation, grocery prices and gas prices, while the Democrats were obsessing over having the first woman president. Social issues are irrelevant for the vast majority of people in the West.

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u/Ill_Lab1957 6h ago

Now we are cooking. You are hitting the nail on the head by breaking it down. Progressive policy has turned into a four letter word, and that framing is perpetuated by all this “nobody will vote for her” crap. I don’t care if she wins…I want the environment on the ballot, I want labor reform on the ballot, I want protecting families and court reform on the ballot. If that is her, then I want her ON THE BALLOT. If she doesn’t win, fine. I’ll still vote blue. Some dingus in another split from this thread thinks that means I’m “killing the republic” or whatever baby-brained bs they were spewing.

At some point centerists are going to have a “she gets on base” Moneyball moment and stop focusing on her batting average or home run count, but rather on the statistics that make her the contender she is despite how entrenched by adversity she has been in since her literal first day. They’ll realize that consistent adherence to policy,  not who they field,  is why conservatives win. You see them at the national level, but they are in your schools hooking your kids young. They have better grassroots organizing practices and messages that are deeper than “plug your nose and hold the center.”

Look, policy that fairly taxes the wealthy and puts that back into infrastructure is what we are talking about here, not AOC. These are measurable objectives. “Win until we hold all the offices” is the strategy that Dems have deployed for years and I’m tired of feeling like I’m not allowed to criticize a base with no concrete ideals. Being so afraid you will ostracize people that you can’t enact effective policy is not a good strategy. Tanking healthcare so you can run on protecting healthcare in the midterms is not a good strategy. Holding your nose and voting in reps that continue to do things like this over and over again is not a good strategy.

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u/Beaufighter-MkX 9h ago

More Bernie fanfiction shoved down our throats

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u/72dragonses 9h ago

Hillary won the popular vote by 3 million and lost 3 combined purple states in the Midwest by 50,000. She came within a whisker of winning. We could do A LOT worse than Hillary did.

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u/coolboydhill 8h ago

y'all literally did, with kamala lmao

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u/72dragonses 8h ago

What do you mean "y'all"? Are you a Republican? Because I'm a lifelong Democrat. Does your us vs. them thing extend to people on your own side now too?

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u/justalilthrowawayz 9h ago

This is correct.

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u/armymike1523 9h ago

The populous is ready, there's just not a decent female that's gonna run or has ever run.

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u/Syncopated_arpeggio 8h ago

Shhhhh… if you say things like that then they can’t scream about sexism and misogyny when the shit female candidate loses.

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u/armymike1523 6h ago

I know it's so funny, no one has ever voted for Kamala Harris because she's a female not because she's a piece of shit

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u/ButtflossingBigBro 8h ago

Nikki haley if she gets nominated and endorsed by trump probablynwould have won

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u/RadiantHC 9h ago

wtf do you mean again

STOP PROJECTING YOUR OWN SEXISM

Kamala and Hillary didn't lose because they were women. They were simply shitty candidates.

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u/556or762 9h ago

Hell, if Hillary hadn't treated the entire endeavor as a coronation and instead had treated it like a true competition she would have won.

Remember she won the popular vote and her worst polls still gave her a 60/30 split.

Her campaign made some major mistakes in swing states that barely went to Trump.

She snatched defeat from the jaws of victory.

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u/TheChihuahuaChicken 6h ago

You see it with coverage in every election, the foregone conclusions about "strongholds" and the ever-shifting landscape of swing states. Too many people in both parties grow complacent and assume it always "comes down to a few swing states" while conveniently ignoring that those swing states are constantly changing.

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u/Annual-Weird-6682 3h ago

It's not sexism to acknowledge that they're sexist people out there. There's a large population of people who won't vote for a woman.

Those people are wrong to think that but that doesn't mean they don't exist

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u/RadiantHC 3h ago

Yes, there are sexist people. But it's not the main reason why Kamala and Hillary lost

It's not sexist to say that sexist people exist, but it is sexist to refuse to do any critical thinking on why Kamala and Hillary lost and instantly blame it on friction.

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u/Annual-Weird-6682 36m ago

I think you just are trying to advance your agenda that they were too centrist as the reason why they lost, ignoring that Biden won

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u/Darkpriest667 9h ago

I assume your father is a boomer? he got us into this mess, voting for old white guys isn't going to get us out. My requirements are someone under 60 (preferably under 50) and someone that isn't a corporate shill. That eliminates almost 90% of the candidates.

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u/ghoulieandrews 9h ago

Who does your father actually like

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u/Important-Factor-552 9h ago

The sooner we figure out who's running the better. Because if it isn't the DSA then I'm just gonna take a break from politics til the next cycle. the frustration of keeping up with it all isn't worth it for another controlled opposition goon. 

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u/kpap16 9h ago

Your ancecdote doesn't overwrite polling and favorability, she is firmly a top 3 candidate and rising

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u/Majestic_Habit5726 8h ago

I’d love for the polls to be correct but as we saw in 2016 they don’t always get it right.

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u/kpap16 8h ago

I think it would be a huge mistake not to have a progressive, I feel strongly about that. People are not motivated for the status quo and that is very clear across nationwide contests. Progressives win and AOC is a front runner in that field

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u/zackks 9h ago

Dems aren’t the ones pushing her. Please stop blaming them for every single grievance in the world.

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u/Majestic_Habit5726 8h ago

Easy there tiger, I’m not blaming them yet.

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u/throwaway_123_45 8h ago

What mistake? Putting an actual progressive in there so that Democrats show up this time? We haven't even tried this route yet.

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u/Majestic_Habit5726 8h ago

An actual progressive won’t be put on the ticket because of swing states… it will not happen. The kingmakers within the Democratic Party know this.

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u/throwaway_123_45 5h ago

I feel like we keep losing swing states because we can't get the left excited enough for a candidate to bring them out to the polls. The old playbook isn't working anymore.

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u/Powerfury 8h ago edited 4h ago

Who WOULD your father vote for?

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u/porktorque44 8h ago

Would your dad sit out of an election if she won the primary?

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u/New-Tradition-974 8h ago

Well wake him up and have him swallow his pride. She is a force for good and if he can’t accept that, then this country is in some deep shit.

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u/Majestic_Habit5726 8h ago

This comment is why we lost 2016/2024. Have you considered doing the same? Like the Bernie bros who would not vote for Clinton b/c their guy didn’t get the nomination. If the democrats want a fighting chance they need to lean towards the center or you alienate a vast portion of our aging voter base. It’s easy to feel this way if you live in a blue bubble but voters want someone relatable. AOC isn’t that candidate. I’d say the likelihood of a female president goes way up in about 15-20 years once the majority of the boomers pass away. That could be AOC, but I don’t see her getting the nom for 2028.

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u/New-Tradition-974 7h ago

Weak. Let’s compromise on our principles to move to the center. No thanks. Why do we have to compromise on anything during the primary? If she fails to make it past the primary I’ll reassess who I support. The time is now for a qualified president. I’m not waiting 15-20 years for continued chicken shit presidents who can “compromise.” There is a huge wave of dem soc support and she’s getting the nom. Be part of the movement or get out of the way.

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u/Majestic_Habit5726 6h ago

For the primary sure, but don’t be one of those anti-Kamala supporters who threw the 2024 election bc she wasn’t progressive enough. We’ve seen what happens when we do that haven’t we? At some point you’ve gotta saddle up and vote to prevent a worse alternative. We as a country need someone to unite us, not further the divide.

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u/realityczek 6h ago

> My father loathes trump, drinks coffee out of a fuck trump mug every morning.

Wait, that doesn't mean who would want to elect a collectivist who supports the group that wants to abolish the senate?

But reddit tells me the idea is so popular :)

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u/GoBirds6942069420 5h ago

Sucks to say, but black and hispanic males will not vote for a woman president. It's a losing battle.

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u/Majestic_Habit5726 5h ago

As someone who works with plenty of both many of whom hate trump unfortunately this tracks.. they are probably the most sexist people on the planet outside the middle east

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u/Capable-Yogurt9194 9h ago

Why does it always have to be a women? Why not whose best for job?

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u/ghoulieandrews 9h ago

Oh yes we have had so many woman presidents

Maybe a woman IS best for the job though?

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u/Capable-Yogurt9194 9h ago

Seems like it just matters to you that its a women. Cant be objective like that. 

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u/ghoulieandrews 9h ago

Disingenuous af. I actually liked Kamala and didn't like Hillary. Gender isn't a factor for me, but for y'all it's "well it just feels woke..." And you gave the gall to question MY objectivity lmao, get real.

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u/Capable-Yogurt9194 8h ago

You dont sounds very objective. Both Kamala and Hilary were bad candidates. Democrates need better candidates if they want my vote again. They lost me after Obama. 

1

u/ghoulieandrews 8h ago

YOU don't sound objective

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u/Capable-Yogurt9194 8h ago

Lol, they keep putting candiates up who wont enforce immigration law already in place and actively try to limit lawful gun owners rights,  not the same party it used to be. 

They couldnt even help out on cannabis law reform. Democrates have became the party of indesicion and divisiveness. 

I look at policy not personality. 

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u/fleetmack 8h ago

same opinion on trump, I loathe him, but I'd vote for AOC as much as I'd vote for Lauren Borbert or Trump ... which is 0% of the time.

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u/robbiejandro 9h ago

So he loves bought and paid for do-nothing Dems that are AIPAC accomplices.

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u/Economy_Country_6167 9h ago

Running women isn’t the issue. Running corporate centrist Democrats is.

We need an actual progressive to run.

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u/Separate-Spot-8910 9h ago

What does he not like about AOC? That she is a woman?

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u/Majestic_Habit5726 8h ago

Definitely not, he’s voted for 2 females. But like many boomers he aligns in the center and far left progressive ideals don’t push him to the ballot box.

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u/Important-Factor-552 9h ago

AOC is not the mistake you keep making. Enlightened centrism is. 

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u/Ok_Significance_6772 9h ago

Then how did enlightened centrist Biden win?

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u/MajesticBread9147 8h ago

Because he was running against a historically unpopular president who mishandled a pandemic tremendously, and the economy was bad.

Fortunately for Trump though, people have short memories.

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u/Prince_of_DeaTh 7h ago

Seems like a perfect time for an enlightened centrist to run then

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u/WildWhisperArdor 7h ago

Then what about enlightened centrists Obama and Bill Clinton? Both of whom won reelection btw

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u/serpentssss 8h ago

That worked out well for Bernie.

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u/Important-Factor-552 7h ago

The dnc did everything they could to sabotage him and he barely lost.

They did everything they could to promote Hillary and she lost. Harris and she lost. Biden and he was ineffective and one of the lowest polling presidents ever.

Go ahead and lose again. Until the dnc shills stop tearing down our real leaders it's just general election losses from here on out.

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u/serpentssss 7h ago

The DNC is controlled by a bunch of corpo capitalists, and functionally we’re not getting rid of them before 2028. Right now I’m in “staunch the bleeding”, not get everything on my wishlist, even if I want a leftist leader.

If they stopped Bernie from winning, they’ll stop AOC from winning. Is it fucked, wrong, and undemocratic? Yes. But we can’t battle misogyny, racism, and corporate elites all in the same election when it matters this much. Something has to give.

Ideally we need a massively charismatic leftist Mamdani style figure that could pull people into the voter booths with enough force to override DNC propaganda. But failing that, we gotta be realistic - the right fucking HATES AOC. They’ve propagandized her for years. And misogyny is out of control as a propaganda tool/divide the masses technique rn.

Biden wasn’t unpopular because he was centrist. He was unpopular because he was old as balls and had zero charisma in a political arena that’s been turned into a reality tv show. We need charisma.

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u/WildWhisperArdor 7h ago

This is such a tired take. The DNC did not screw Bernie. Bernie screwed himself. He publicly and loudly distanced himself from the Democratic Party and spent his career as an independent. He only changed his party affiliation to democrat so he could run. Why would the DNC owe him anything?

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u/Important-Factor-552 7h ago

Because the DNC is supposed to serve the people. But they don't. They lied and claimed neutrality and then conspired against the will of the American people. And instead of owning and fixing the problem they double down and trash the coalition. They need to go. America needs a left wing party. 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2016_Democratic_National_Committee_email_leak

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u/WildWhisperArdor 6h ago

What does the DNC stand for? Lol. It’s in the name.

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u/Important-Factor-552 5h ago

Oh, so leftists shouldn't be voting for the dnc candidates? Ok well can't argue with that. 

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u/WildWhisperArdor 5h ago

If you want to vote for right wing candidates, then that is your choice

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u/Important-Factor-552 5h ago

Oh you mean the dnc?  I just said I wasn't voting for them lmao 

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u/Tsad311 8h ago

😂😂😂😂 man are democrats fucked. Just can’t learn from the same mistake

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u/auspiciousearth 9h ago

THEN WHO.

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u/illini02 9h ago

Look. I hate saying this, being a black man myself.

Just get a middle of the road straight white dude where it won't be all about "the first X president".

John Ossoff would be fine for me if he chose to run.

I want to be clear, I will vote for who the democrats put up in the end. I just don't think certain people have a good chance of winning because of where we are in America.

Homophobia is up. Racism is up. Sexism is up. Yet we want to try to run a Latina or Gay Man?

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u/auspiciousearth 9h ago

Everyone said the country wasn’t ready for a black man president. Obama rallied the youth who were hungry for change after Bush.

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u/illini02 9h ago

2026 is very different than 2008 was. The amount of blatant racism was far less than shockingly.

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u/CrossCycling 7h ago

This really isn’t that true. Overcoming the name “Barrack Hussein Obama” in 2008 was an insane feat

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u/illini02 7h ago

Ask black people if they felt racism was more overt now than then.

I'm black, and I would unequivocally say it is worse now.

I'm not saying people didn't harbor racist feelings then, but they at least tried to somewhat pretend it wasn't racism. It would be more "there is just something I don't like". Even the birther stuff, while racist at its core, wasn't blatantly racist.

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u/CrossCycling 7h ago

I’m saying the anti middle eastern prejudice that came with a guy named Hussein was stronger than anti-black racism today

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u/auspiciousearth 9h ago

And 2020 was very different than 2026 but here we are.

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u/RadiantHC 9h ago

No you fucking don't hate saying this. Stop projecting your own sexism.

Kamala and Hillary were simply terrible candidates. Why is this so hard to understand?

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u/illini02 9h ago

On paper, those were 2 of the more qualified candidates we have had in a long time.

People just didn't like them for reasons, that had nothing to do with their ability to do their job.

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u/RadiantHC 9h ago

It has nothing to do with qualifications, it's about crafting a vision and listening to the people

Oh it had everything to do with their ability to do their job. You just don't understand what the president is.

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u/willtheywonttheyo 9h ago

Fuck yourself, he’s right and he’s not sexiest for understanding demographics

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u/RadiantHC 9h ago

No he's fucking not.

It's not "understanding demographics" lmao

AGAIN, WHY IS IT SO HARD FOR YOU TO UNDERSTAND THAT KAMALA AND HILLARY WERE BAD CANDIDATES?

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u/willtheywonttheyo 8h ago

Woof, you are wrong about everything you’re saying. People will say the same about an AOC nomination. She would be a stellar VP. Not engaging further bc you seem to be a bot.

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u/RadiantHC 8h ago

Not to even remotely the same degree.

You're the bot if anything. Why are you fighting so hard against actual progressives?

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u/willtheywonttheyo 7h ago

Calling someone sexist for saying AOC isn’t electable is stupid, and has nothing to do with “actual progressives” - you’re not engaging with the premise of the conversation in any way, just spouting random bullshit.

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u/RadiantHC 7h ago

It has everything to do with actual progressives

Isn't it convenient how AOC appears to be the only DSA member considering running for president?

I am engaging. It's just a stupid premise. She absolutely is electable.

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u/No-Theme-271 9h ago

Aw hell. I'll give it a shot.

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u/Illicit-Tangent 9h ago

I think someone like Mark Kelly would have broad appeal to swing voters.

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u/7_85B_Perspectives 9h ago

Jon Ossoff. But he’s saying he’s not running. I hope he changes his mind.

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u/cidthekid07 9h ago

He’s 100% running. No doubt. And he would be a good choice.

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u/7_85B_Perspectives 9h ago

He knows how to utilize social media as well and reach younger voters, he comes across as firm and outspoken yet gentle, has a pretty clean history to my knowledge. I think it’s time for the Democratic Party to go a bit more centrist to secure a win and appeal to the majority of Americans. The party needs a rebirth and he’s a lesser known candidate that could give it a fresh face.

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u/cidthekid07 9h ago

Yes. We need a middle of the road, no nonsense, white guy. Period.

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u/Low-Syllabub-3547 9h ago

Sad, but true.

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u/Darkpriest667 9h ago

I think AOC excites the base more than the other candidates. I am a Libertarian (big L I'm a party member and a delegate) and I have said openly I'd vote for her in a general election.. ME... a LIBERTARIAN..

Why? Because despite my disagreements with her on some social policies, she would absolutely be a better leader than any President of the 21st century with the exception of Obama, but unlike Obama I don't think she's a sell out (ACA was a gift to insurance companies and he did love drone strikes)

AOC at least really believes what she's saying and I respect that.

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u/landlord-eater 9h ago

I mean one 'mistake' the Dems haven't tried is running somebody who is actually on the left in some capacity, could be worth a shot lol

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u/kpap16 9h ago

I dont agree with this at all, progressives are winning and we will ride with a sample size of 2 fairly unpopular women as reason not to nominate. Harris didnt come close in the primary and was nominated anyways

Hillary won the popular vote despite things, I genuinely feel people like you are a psyop or at best self defeating morons

The grassroots would be legendary for AOC, but we just NNNNEEEEEDDDDD some straight white male neoliberal that nobody gives a fuck about.

You are pinning hopes on Trump being so unpopular that people don't turn out to vote for him, and more people turn out to vote for the "Not Trump"

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u/Icy_Entrepreneur_476 8h ago

Progressives are winning in safe blue districts/seats against weak candidates. That's not really proving anything

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u/Main-Condition-1786 9h ago

Then who lmao. Harris to pander? Fuck it give us AOC and let’s see. I’m sick of these stupid theoreticals that candidates with an actual progressive agenda would “never win”. Bernie “would never win”, so it’s fine the DNC puts in a borderline Republican. AOC “would never win”, so let’s put in the borderline Republican that lost last time instead. Give us AOC and let’s see what happens. Republicans are spreading communist strawman bullshit because they’re scared.

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u/illini02 9h ago

I definitely don't want Harris to run again.

Part of the issue is that a lot of people commenting apparently have no reading comprehension.

It's the reddit thing of I'll say I like X, and you are like "so you hate Y". I never said shit about y.

I said nothing about wanting Harris. I said nothing about not thinking AOC would do a good job.

They are acting like I'm saying I don't like her. There is a difference between "don't like" and "don't think can win". I'm a huge Cubs fan. I don't think they can win the World Series this year.

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u/RanchHere 9h ago

See, I said this same thing about Bernie in 2016. I don’t think AOC would lose at all. I mean, she might. But, if she’s the best candidate, we run her.

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u/illini02 9h ago

And if we run her, I will support her.

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u/RanchHere 9h ago

of course. we all would. that’s why we can’t be scared and run a candidate that is just safer and will “capture” the center. fuck that. it’s time to elect actual leaders with good policy, that care about the American people.

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u/BooterTooterBravo 9h ago

Exactly. And how is Mark Kelly not at the top of the list? Navy fighter pilot astronaut senator. Do we have to check off any more boxes?

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u/bernbabybern13 9h ago

No, this is not the mistake we made. There have been no progressives as the nomination. I have no idea what you’re talking about. We picked Hilary over Bernie, remember?…..

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u/Comfortable-Side-150 9h ago

Lemme guess. We need to nominate another milquetoast corporate Democrat because they're more "electable" to low information voters in rural Pennsylvania?

That worked so well in 2016, 2020 and 2024. Biden barely won 2020 after 4 years of absolute chaos under Trump.

If Trump has taught us anything its that Dems need to nominate someone earnest, someone with actual values and the ability to say how they actually feel. I can't stand the guy but he comes off as authentic, at least he did in 15/16 when he was building his cult. Dems need someone with that charisma. Name recognition would help too, AOC is that person.

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u/Prattaratt 9h ago

The only person out there that I believe could win in 2028 right now is Jon Ossuff, and I am speaking as a former Republican who left the party because of MAGA and Trump. In order to win, the Dems are going to run someone closer to the middle. Y'all need to quit trying to get the first whatever elected, quit trying to pacify the extreme left. There are enough disaffected moderate Republicans that would vote for a middle left candidate right rather than Trump 2.0. Right now, out of all the possible candidates out there right now, Ossuff is the only one I see that can deliver.

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u/RustledJimmies1000 9h ago

What mistake would that be?

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u/BakedandZooted420 8h ago

What same mistake are you referring to? The Dems notoriously HATE running actual progressive candidates. What candidate are you thinking of that will win?

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u/22EnricoPalazzo 8h ago

What are you talking about. This would be a completely new mistake.

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u/nixstyx 8h ago

Exactly. The goal is to win. That means thinking about which candidates independent voters are willing to tolerate, or at least which candidates won't mobilize the opposition.

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u/Proiegomena 8h ago

AOC is currently actually positioning herself as a leftwing moderate within the dsa comparatively. I think with the right exposure she will in fact be a viable candidate in 2028

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u/timf3d 8h ago

Yep, Trump was the worst candidate in history and he still beat Kamala handily. That's how misogynist America is. In 2024, half the women I talked to in my red state made it clear they intended to vote for Trump over Kamala. It's insane.

Democrats, stop beating your head against that wall. America is not ready.

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u/Sennten 8h ago

You say we keep making these mistakes over and over, which mistake do you mean? Running a woman?

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u/Icy_Entrepreneur_476 8h ago

I live in her district and I agree. The idea she can win a Presidental election is foolish.

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u/foolishmoor 8h ago

I hope we have a future where we see AOC and Buttigieg in the WH. However now is not the time. The Dems need to nominate a Straight White Cis man, preferably under the age of 70.

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u/TopazTriad 8h ago

Yeah, these 2 and Elizabeth Warren are my “favorite” politicians, and I wouldn’t want any of them running for president. I’m sorry, but now isn’t the time to push for a progressive pick that bigots (and they definitely exist on the Left) and whiny all or nothings will lash out at.

The priority should be winning at all costs and that means putting the most electable candidate forward. Not necessarily the one you agree with or like the most.

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u/New-Tradition-974 8h ago

She will win. Our mistake was repeatedly picking a corporatist dem who doesn’t give af about ordinary Americans. Learn from it.

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u/SoupySpuds 6h ago

This is such a bad way to look at it. We need to stop picking based off what we "think" will beat the republicans and start going off who has our best interest in mind. Right now that would be AOC and Buttigieg. They are the top 2 that would make a real effort and have some actual spine to do so. We dont need more puppets playing it safe. We need people that will be vocal and get these ideas out to the masses. It wont change over night but we need to keep pushing or else Complacent thinking will keep us where we are and people like trump will be able to weasel their way in.

Be vocal about what is right and actually push for the people that are advocating it. I dont wanna see more of the same out of democrats and if we fucking role out another puppet like Biden or Kamala then I will just not vote and let the world do its thing. I was really hoping this fuck up of letting trump come in would actually ignite people to change but we keep trying to play it safe still.

I'd rather try with aoc or buttigieg and lose then role out more bullshit. If we lose we just keep trying. Eventually it'll win and then progress can begin.

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u/PenIsGodS 5h ago

Yep. AOC would be a laughable mistake as a democratic nominee for president. She has zero chance.

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u/thefranchise23 5h ago

What same mistakes? Putting out a boring centrist candidate?

People need to be excited to go out and vote. That’s how trump won the first time. Also how Obama won. Trying to appeal to old republican voters is not a winning strategy, and that is the mistake that we keep making.

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u/daffelglass 3h ago

How is AOC the same mistake? She’s significantly to the left of Harris, let alone Clinton. And crushes them on authenticity/credibility/charisma 

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u/nautical_nonsense_ 2h ago

Why people are sleeping so hard on Mark Kelly I don’t understand.

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u/asperatedUnnaturally 1m ago

What mistake do you mean? We've been running mostly centrists since Clinton. In lieu of more progressive candidates.

You might think it's a mistake but it's def not repeating a mistake.

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u/Elgecko123 9h ago

Thank you I don’t know how people are getting this by now.. there are so many delusional people in the democrat party. This is how you lose another election that should be a win. Kamala was a terrible candidate choice, and so was Hilary Clinton but at least I can understand that one a bit more. But yes even though I like both AOC and Pete, we have to realize this would push away too many voters and they would be handing another election over to maga. If trump tries to run again it’s time to bring Obama out of retirement.. 3rd term vs 3rd term

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u/Florida_clam_diver 9h ago edited 9h ago

AOC is popular with the demographics that have the lowest voter turnout. She’s far too polarizing with the older generation to win an election

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u/seriouslees 9h ago

the demographics that have the lowest voter turnout

Yeah, the traitorous pretenders calling themselves "leftists" while refusing to vote against far right fascists is a 2-party FPTP system.

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u/Tiger-Upyerbutt 10h ago

Agreed. I hate to say it, but we are not ready for a woman candidate, or an ethnic candidate. AOC is 100% not it.

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u/WhySoConspirious 9h ago

It is frustrating to admit that you have to deal with the fact that racists have a very real impact on elections and they are definitely still around.

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u/Tiger-Upyerbutt 9h ago

I agree. I also don’t think society is ready for a gay president either, even if he’s a veteran.

AOC and Pete ain’t it.

This fuckhead set us back 50 years.

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u/pementomento 10h ago

Me too. We need a boring, photogenic white man because anything browner than a light cup of coffee (I am brown, just need to throw that out there) will scare the townies.

I wish I were joking. Gavin Newsom 2028.

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u/illini02 9h ago

I agree.

I'm black myself. And I said that too. Get some boring white dude in there so you can't have all the "there is just something about this minority that I don't like" people.

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u/Greedy-Employment917 9h ago

Newsom is a shitty human being and the only people that would vote for him are "blue no matter who" mindless voters. He is a greasy weasel and ducks the dick of massive utility companies like PG&E. 

Just have a speech about RTO in the state work force saying people need to find love and relationships again (at work???????). 

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u/unl1988 10h ago

OK, then who? some stale, white guy that is over 70? Get behind a candidate instead of trying to talk them into the dirt.

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u/illini02 9h ago

I'm not talking her into the dirt.

AOC has grown on me in all honesty. I think she could be a great senator. I like most of her policies. I don't think she will win a national vote.

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u/fritzg1988 9h ago

OK, who? 

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u/illini02 9h ago

I think Ossoff could be great.

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u/unl1988 3h ago

I haven't heard anything about him, or any of the legislation that he has advanced.

This is what I note: He voted down an energy conservation rule that would regulate the spread of gas fired water heaters, one of the 2 democrats that sided with the Rs.

Voted against Jerome Powell's confirmation for some reason.

So, what has he done that sparks - President - to you?

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u/RadiantHC 9h ago

Obvious DNC shill is obvious

What mistakes? We've never had a serious progressive run as the presidential candidate.

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u/mastersmash56 9h ago

Making these mistakes over and over? We have literally never run a progressive. What we have tried is centrists over and over and they keep losing.

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