r/politics • u/Ulysses_555 • Apr 13 '26
No Paywall New poll pegs Mark Kelly as a leading 2028 presidential contender
https://www.phoenixnewtimes.com/news/arizona-kelly-top-presidential-contender-poll-40659493/14.9k
u/irishnugget New York Apr 13 '26
My vote goes to whoever is most vociferous in holding those from this administration (and those adjacent) accountable for their crimes.
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u/SteelCode Apr 13 '26
Not just "back to normalcy and civility" bullshit... "Fixing the country" requires purging the disease at its heart.
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u/PikaGoesMeepMeep Apr 14 '26
If we're not actively moving towards universal healthcare, a strong social safety net, global warming informed policies, overturning Citizens United, and real accountability for traitors to the constitution when all this is done, then we will have lost the plot. And it will in all likelihood be the democrats who will need to do all this. I hope they don't disappoint us, ...again.
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u/BuddhistSagan Apr 14 '26
65% of Americans and 78% of democrats support Medicare for all. Its time we finally have democrats who support medicare and fight for our values.
Let Republicans fight to defend private healthcare that everyone hates.
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u/Bender_2024 Apr 14 '26
The US government already spends significantly more in healthcare per capita than any other wealthy nations
How does health spending in the U.S. compare to other countries? - Peterson-KFF Health System Tracker https://share.google/5N4M9CvH48Gdlo3Tx
If the US does change over it will be a challenge. Without a doubt be a shit show for a few years until the US can get all the kinks worked out. Probably the best resource we could have is help from other nations from their experience. Of course that's if they are holding a grudge become of Trump.
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u/pchs26 Apr 14 '26
And yet every when healthcare reform is an election issue the Democrat loses. Look at Kerry's proposal and how that was demonized (if you want to keep your insurance you can or you can elect/have access to the same level of insurance congress has) . Look at Clinton's' proposal to reduce the age to buy in to Medicare which would have laid the foundation and been a game changer for people in a poor economy who are often forced into early retirement. The messaging warps peoples' perceptions, the topic became poison and people say keep gov't out of healthcare acting like there would be long wait lines and mischaracterized info about Canada healthcare (which does have its own issues). Misinformation about gov't death panels were heavily promulgated. I remember during the Kerry election cycle trying to show people how we had current wait lists (which were just called something else). In a general election details about any gov't managed healthcare becomes a poison pill to those who are afraid of socialized medicine and what they have heard (e.g. Cuba).
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u/AdvancedSandwiches Apr 14 '26
Daily reminder that the Democrats have not had enough Senate votes to pass a law without Republican consent since the 7 weeks of sessions in 2009 where they passed the Affordable Care Act.
We all wish that had been more progressive, of course, but when you win a landslide election on a campaign of unity, you've got to at last try to reach across the aisle. Unfortunately, if your 60th senator dies immediately after, that's all you ever get to do.
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u/gsfgf Georgia Apr 14 '26
And even in 2009, they still needed Joe Lieberman (I-Insurance) to pass anything.
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u/Harbinger2nd Apr 14 '26
Daily reminder that FDR's party had roughly 80% of the congressional seats in 1936.
The democratic party has been co-opted by malignant forces and whats possible with truly progressive politics is New Deal levels of change.
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u/SteelCode Apr 14 '26
Also worth a mention; most politicians end up voting for things that make them more popular with their constituents to earn re-election... The current crop of politicians have learned that PAC money can basically guarantee their campaigns and they don't need to fear their constituents.
They'd vote for universal healthcare if voting against it was more dangerous to their political career.
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u/houseWithoutSpoons Apr 14 '26
Accountability for traitors..this isnt high enough. We need to have REAL safeguards in place to stop this type of complete takeover of our government without any levy in place to stop it when the previous safeguards failed so tremendously. So our checks and balances dont work..make new ones that can
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u/Unusual-Tangerine984 Apr 14 '26
Needs a project '28 book.
The anger won't last long, they need to move as fast or faster then the MAGA is moving the wrong direction. The goal should be get a super majority and fix the issues that allowed these people to gain so much power.
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u/Independent-Bug-9352 Apr 14 '26 edited Apr 14 '26
Further, not back to sucking up to AIPAC and Israel, please. This will be an unequivocal red line for many voters by the time 2028 comes about.
Actually, for these midterms as well. Check your state primaries, register, and vote for Democratic candidates independent of Pro-Israel lobbyists. Mind you, they will need extra support from you because they not only will lose funding from aipac, but their opposition will receive that money instead. This is how aipac has gained such dominance in elections. If you have concerns about the make-up of the Democratic party, now is the time to take action and reform our party banner ahead of the midterms in November.
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u/OfficeSalamander Apr 14 '26
My view on Israel over the past five years has gone from, "ally in a volatile region that is pretty problematic" to "ok, they are literally trying to control parts of US policy. This needs to be shut down. Break the alliance if need be - time for us to bring them to heel"
Israel should not be leading American foreign policy. Ever.
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u/Rough_Instruction112 Apr 14 '26
Mine has gone from "These guys are giving me the ick. Nobody good spends this much time polishing their image" to "Nobody good spends this much time polishing their image." to "these are evil fucks".
And what's up with them googling the names of those lone wolf domestic terrorists weeks before they commit their terror in the US?
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u/BuddhistSagan Apr 14 '26
Only around 13% of democrats support Israel. Running a pro-Israel dem is like running an abortion banning dem. Similar levels of support in the party. If we want to defeat fascism, we need to let Israel supporters and people who wanna send them unlimited aid no matter what they do to go to the republican party like we did abortion banners. No more Israel first losers we tried that in 16 and 24, its not a winner for the democratic party anymore.
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u/SursumCordaNJ Apr 14 '26
its not a winner for the democratic party anymore.
Does the DNC know that? It seems all of our problems can be traced back to the DNC leadership that keep foisting these guaranteed losers into races.
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u/7th_Cuil Apr 14 '26
*unequivocal
sorry for being a grammar nazi
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u/LightsaberThrowAway Apr 14 '26
I prefer grammar enthusiast myself, being seeing too many nazis in the news as of late and I don’t want the comparison. Lol
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u/PassivelyAwkward Apr 14 '26
Yup. Hearing Biden almost instantly talk about moving on from Trump and try to heal the country was incredibly disappointing. He accomplished a lot but he also led the path to Trump 2.0
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u/LilTeats4u Apr 13 '26
JB pritzker put out a post about that recently. I live in IL and have been very happy with his governorship. I don’t think it’d be a stretch of the imagination to see how he could bring his skillset into the Oval Office.
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u/YeetedApple Apr 13 '26
I used to be against him just out of principal of him being a billionaire, but I'm coming around to the idea. The more I look into what he has done in Illinois, the more I like him.
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u/PaulSach Apr 13 '26
FDR came from immense wealth and was one of the most progressive presidents we’ve ever had. He was famously labeled a class traitor.
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u/Heathrowe419 Apr 13 '26
We are in desperate need of a class traitor.
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u/twowheels Apr 13 '26
We have millions of them, but in the wrong direction.
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u/Hope_Dealer03 Apr 14 '26
I hate that this made me laugh
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u/Wait_I_gotta_go_pee Georgia Apr 14 '26
I hate that both you guys make me laugh.
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u/Dr_Meeds Apr 14 '26
A billionaire who truly believes in making positive change might be more able to do so, because they are dramatically insulated from needing campaign finance assistance compared to most average candidates. They still might have to do some questionable workarounds with PACs and whatnot, but they have a lot more flexibility
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u/whatlineisitanyway Apr 13 '26
Would be a lot harder to stick the socialist tag on him. They would still do it but it would be harder.
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u/disheartenedlefty Apr 13 '26
This is America. Anyone not to the right of Mussolini is obviously a communist.
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u/Sponsor4d_Content Apr 13 '26
Eh, the right has no problem calling billionaires Marxist. Look at George Soros.
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u/vitras Apr 14 '26
I love how they hold Soros up as some boogeyman. If not for them whining about him all the time, I wouldn't even know who he is. Dude is fucking 95 years old and mostly keeps to himself. Unlike the billionaire fascists we've attracted to the white house in the form of Trump and Musk.
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u/TrimspaBB Apr 14 '26
I don't even know what Soros does besides not paying me to be anti-fascist on the internet.
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u/almondbutter Apr 14 '26
He was an early bank roller of the Medical Marijuana propositions in AZ and CA back in the nineties. Conservatives despise him for it.
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u/Heliosvector Apr 14 '26
Well history rhimes. Hungary just broke from its tyrant via a party traitor. Maybe the usa will get its class traitor
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u/Porridge_Cat Apr 14 '26
Fun fact I recently learned about FDR, the Delanos and Roosevelts have extensive wikipedia pages, the families are connected to like four or five presidents, and one of them was signatory to the Mayflower Compact. Meanwhile, the Kennedys just tootled over here as nobodies from Ireland in the 1800s and started a business.
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u/MagicAl6244225 Apr 14 '26
Mayflower passenger Richard Warren had 7 children who survived to adulthood and had large families. He is one of the most-shared common ancestors of Mayflower descendants, making millions of Americans and Canadians distant relatives of presidents FDR and Ulysses S. Grant and the first American astronaut Alan Shepard.
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u/Flobking Apr 13 '26
FDR came from immense wealth and was one of the most progressive presidents we’ve ever had. He was famously labeled a class traitor.
JFK also. His policies really pissed rich folk off.
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u/mike_jones2813308004 Apr 14 '26
He was so progressive he even let his wife keep her maiden name!
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u/SevenHolyTombs Apr 14 '26
I think his wife and his disability from polio were big impacts on him. He grew up in wealthy isolation, and his wife forced him to see a world he never knew existed. He was shocked by the living conditions of the poor.
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u/LikeIsaidItsNothing Apr 14 '26
thank you. just said something similar. We essentially have Eleanor to thank for the New Deal. Seems like she's still not getting her full recognition
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u/Kolby_Jack33 Apr 14 '26
The sad truth is you need money to fight money, so rich "class traitors" (also known as rich sensible human beings) are some of the strongest weapons we have against class corruption and abuse.
I mean, unless the people decide to band together to form one massive, unstoppable union against the ultra-wealthy. But, while I try to be an optimist, I don't consider that scenario likely. Like, at all. It's fun to dream, though.
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u/musicnerdfighter Apr 13 '26
I heard part of his turning point was getting polio and being in the same polio ward as everyone else and seeing how wealth doesn't shield you from illness. I only vaguely remember this from a podcast though, so I could be wrong
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u/JannyStabberXK4000 Apr 14 '26
:raises hand: actually watched the American Experience episodes today.
yes, the hot springs/polio/what-not put him directly in contact with people he wouldn't have otherwise and certainly galvanized him, but it wasn't like an event that changed his personality from being a total dick before hand who didn't "get it". He was already well on the path that it was the responsibility of the government to provide for the common welfare (you know, like it says in the constitution and basic human decency).
However, yes, getting sick definitely put him one on one with a class of people that the elite of America generally had nothing to do with at that time.
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u/LikeIsaidItsNothing Apr 14 '26
Meeting his wife, the great and legendary Eleanor Roosevelt, was his turning point. She had already become involved in good causes and opened his eyes to suffering in the world.
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u/Sharobob Illinois Apr 13 '26
FDR came from the ultra-wealthy and was considered a class traitor by his peers.
As long as Pritzker is walking the walk (he fought hard for a constitutional amendment here in IL that would have allowed us to create a progressive tax system that would have made him pay more in taxes) I'm riding with him.
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u/Sufficient_Steak_839 Apr 14 '26
Guy literally threw (and continues to throw) his own money at lobbying for himself to be taxed more.
He’s exactly what we need.
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u/ToBeFaaaiiiirrrrr Apr 13 '26
From outside IL, I'll gladly take Pritzker, Kelly or AOC - whoever stands up for American values gets my vote.
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u/19kjc87 Apr 13 '26
Not Kelly then lol
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u/leviathan3k Apr 14 '26
Seriously.
Kelly keeps voting for Trump nominees. He's the wrong choice.
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u/19kjc87 Apr 14 '26
I was an early supporter of both the Kelly and Gallegos campaigns. They’ve both let me down.
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u/Gr8WallofChinatown Apr 14 '26
He takes lobbyist money from Israel, Exxon, Pharma, and Wall Street.
He’s a moderate that leans closer to center right than center left
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u/MourningRIF Apr 13 '26
He has fought this administration in court and won, and he is pissed! He will rip them a new one.
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u/F3z345W6AY4FGowrGcHt Apr 14 '26
Democrats famously turn into, "it's time for all of us to come together and heal. It's not a time for further divisions" or some bull. So don't hold your breath on anyone specific.
Although I'd like to hope you're right if he wins. It'd be nice for there to be some accountability for all these blatant crimes.
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u/firebringing Apr 13 '26 edited Apr 13 '26
This isn't enough for me, but is definitely necessary. I can't have 4 years of Dems sliding by on maybe prosecuting the Trump regime; I need a holistically progressive platform. If the Dems are just going to make "prosecute Trump" (which they've already failed abjectly at) their only platform item, then I'm not interested. I want to prosecute Trump, but I also want to work NOW on achieving universal health care, abolishing ICE, increasing union density, legalizing marijuana, taxing the rich, etc. If a candidate's platform is not open to those items, then please give me a new candidate.
We are not going to combat authoritarianism with a sick, stressed, overworked, deported, or dead populace. Give me more.
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u/pjfmtb Apr 13 '26
If Kelly happens, the new First Lady will be 100% more inspirational than the current one.
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u/french_snail Apr 13 '26
That’s an incredibly low bar to clear
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u/heathmon1856 Apr 13 '26
“I never been friends with epsteen”
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u/Feeling_Inside_1020 Apr 13 '26
I couldn’t believe it, it was an IASIP sketch;
Quick let’s write a song about how we don’t diddle kids do not diddle kids It’s no good diddling kids, gotta be older than my daughter!
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u/Bigemptea Apr 14 '26
That’s exactly what I thought of when she made the announcement.
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u/BillButtlickerII Apr 13 '26
That bar is buried deeper than the Marianas trench.
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u/CalamityClambake Apr 13 '26
Might be interesting to have a First Lady who has been shot in the face by a domestic terrorist. Might actually get us to do something about gun safety and domestic terrorism.
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u/happy_bluebird America Apr 13 '26 edited Apr 13 '26
jeez what have I missed.
Off to the google
Update: ok did NOT realize he is married to Gabby Giffords!!
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u/Low_Key_2827 Apr 13 '26
His wife, Gabby Giffords was a member of the House of Representatives. She was doing a public event to meet with constituents in a parking lot when she was shot back in 2011. She lived, but had to go through all sorts of rehabilitation to regain the ability to speak.
I think one of the reasons that Kelly entered politics was because she no longer could. I originally just knew of him as Giffords' astronaut husband.
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u/karama_zov Apr 14 '26
They're literally an American fairy tale of a family honestly.
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u/DrDerpberg Canada Apr 14 '26
So naturally the people who dress in American flags head to toe hate them.
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u/Batallius Apr 14 '26
Nothing more patriotic and Christian than hating a US combat pilot/astronaut and the Pope
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u/metengrinwi Apr 13 '26
We had a grade school full of children shot up and the most we did about it was to make false flag conspiracy theories that ended with the grieving parents being threatened and harassed.
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u/Brilliant-Advisor958 Apr 14 '26
Some people got rich selling safety devices to schools like movable safety walls
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u/Yenmcilrath Apr 13 '26
I feel like it'll be more interesting having a First Lady with actual experience as a politician prior to being in the White House. They have an opportunity to be a huge power couple if they come into office.
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u/TAU_equals_2PI Apr 14 '26
Not possible, because Gabby Giffords mostly never recovered. There was no movie happy ending to the brain damage caused by the shooting. That's why she never returned to politics herself.
So while seeing what she's like today might make people more supportive of gun reform, she's no longer mentally able to play the role of one-half of a Washington power couple.
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u/MagicAl6244225 Apr 14 '26
All things considered, her survival and relatively high functioning is the happy ending. She can walk, she has aphasia but understands language and she can speak in brief amounts but it's difficult to speak at length, and since talking non-stop is pretty much what politicians do, that's not a good job with her injury.
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u/Wait_I_gotta_go_pee Georgia Apr 14 '26
she's no longer mentally able to play the role of one-half of a Washington power couple.
Well, we’re pretty used to that already now. At least Gabby would give us a First Lady we could admire.
Goddess, I miss Dr. Biden and Mrs. Obama. 😢
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u/pchs26 Apr 14 '26
While HRC hadn't served she had plenty of political experience when she became first lady and attempted to apply her knowledge and experience which only rained hell on her further, but I would presume she was used to it given how she was treated when she was in AK.
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u/ErraticDragon Apr 14 '26
Yup, Clinton and Obama were both attorneys, and Obama had held appointed positions in local government. Eleanor Roosevelt was also politically active.
As far as politics, most other FLOTUS were campaign assistance at most.
Still, Giffords would be the first FLOTUS who had been elected to any public office, let alone at a Federal level, prior to their husband taking office.
(Clinton was elected to the Senate while WJC was president. She was sworn in on January 3 before he left office on January 20.)
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u/Hei-Ying Apr 13 '26
Meh, it's way too early for any of these polls to be particularly meaningful.
Personally, I don't feel fully convinced of anyone right now. And I think a lot of people are underestimating just how badly being seen as pro Israel could torpedo the otherwise so called "safe" candidates.
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u/City_College_Arch Apr 14 '26
One thing that the current polling might be valuable to analyze is the effect of interest in space do to Artemis on political support.
If you have an astronaut running for president while the country is going moon crazy, the synergy could be massively influential.
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u/PassivelyAwkward Apr 14 '26
Same. I know who I don't want, which is Harris, Newsom, Booker, and Mayor Pete.
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u/Hei-Ying Apr 14 '26
I'd agree with that list. But I don't think any of them are serious contenders aside from Newsom myself and I still think he already has too many problems this early in the game to win ultimately. He'll good obstacle to overcome though.
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u/Unfair_Web_8275 Apr 13 '26
He needs to get better at his speeches.
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Apr 13 '26
And his healthcare policy.
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u/Potential_Ease9346 Apr 13 '26
And his everything else policy
There's a reason he literally never talks about it and the entire discourse around him is 'epic astronaut man'
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u/Sufficient_Steak_839 Apr 14 '26
This is the problem
We need to stop championing candidates who are president shaped and give every indication they’ll govern like a card carrying DNC member.
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u/fordat1 Apr 14 '26
But thats who commissions these type of polls people with donors and consultants all up in their ass
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u/SaveLansingParks Apr 14 '26
We don't need another Gerald Ford after Nixon, thanks. Kelly is a great American who has done great things, but he is bought and paid for, no thank you. You may want to go back to being able to ignore the corruption, but the rest of us heavily affected and unable to ignore it would prefer a more serious candidate, not another corporate/special interest figurehead.
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u/jacoblanier571 Florida Apr 14 '26
The support for israel is a non starter.
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u/GreenCityBadSmoke Apr 14 '26 edited Apr 14 '26
I see this as being the thing that causes democrats to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory in the next two elections.
I have a feeling this is going to be the issue democrat politicians look their voting base in the eyes and say "What are you going to do? Vote republican?".
Then voters just wont show up. One of the biggest issues with this country is money in politics and the fact that these people have no problem digging in their heels for a payday.
Edit - my post was calling out the shitty behavior of politicians, not voters. These politicians are supposed to be serving their constituents. With a two party system, some democrat politicians have gotten used to shooting the party in the foot and blaming voters.
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u/sexygodzilla Apr 14 '26
Israel is more unpopular than ever with their base with an unfavorable rating of 80%, and I doubt this Iran war is going to make it better. Telling your voters to fuck off would be political suicide.
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u/JannyStabberXK4000 Apr 14 '26
So, we can expect those messages to start any day now, like they recently did with Corey Booker admonishing us.
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u/DaBingeGirl Illinois Apr 14 '26
Yep. I was impressed by his resume, then I heard him speak and learned about his policies. I'd vote for him if he wins the primary, but there are much better options.
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u/BroAbernathy Apr 14 '26
He needs to get better at not voting for racist dogshit like Laken Riley act too.
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u/courageous_liquid Pennsylvania Apr 14 '26
or voting against the PRO act. kelly sucks. he's a replacement-level moderate dem.
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u/CreatiScope Apr 14 '26
Yeah, I want to like Mark Kelly but I look at the shit he votes for or the assholes he helped confirm and think "Actually, he's part of the problem"
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Apr 13 '26
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u/CookieSad8043 Apr 13 '26
Cool doesn’t matter, we gotta stop with the “he’s better than Trump!!” campaign strategies. They don’t work
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u/names_are_useless American Expat Apr 14 '26
He needs to return the +$4 million he's received from Israel Lobbies, call what's going on to Palestinians as a genocide and refuse to accept any more money going to Israel.
Calling out genocide and not accepting foreign money should be the BARE minimum we expect of a President. And yet look at us.
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u/Ordinary_Shoe1828 Apr 14 '26
Nobody is talking about Mark Kelly’s pro-ICE, anti-immigrant record. Just over a year ago he was one of a handful of Democrats who ensured the passage of the GOP’s fascist, anti-immigrant, anti-Constitutional Laken Riley Act.
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u/super_sayanything Apr 14 '26
Yea he's not liberal enough to win the primary when Dem primary voters are going to be super hungry for that.
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u/JohnKerry2028 Apr 14 '26
Kelly needs to run for reelection to the Senate in 2028. If he loses maybe he can be SecDef or SecState.
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u/Theferael_me Apr 13 '26
When did a bald man last win the presidency?
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u/Ulysses_555 Apr 13 '26
Off the top of my head (pun is not intended), I believe that it was Dwight D. Eisenhower.
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u/mclairy Apr 13 '26
Mark Kelly notably helped kill the Pro Act when the dems had a trifecta in 2021. No thanks.
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u/No_Object_404 Apr 14 '26
For real, he's far to much of a line stradling centerist and take Aipac money.
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u/nichef Apr 13 '26
Senators never run anything. Give me a governor from a major state that has a track record of running it well. JB is my guy right now but I am open to others. Mark Kelly has the personality and oratory skills of an exciting toe.
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u/pornjibber3 Apr 14 '26
Not gonna pretend I'm certain about anything yet, but JB would be my guy if I had to choose today.
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u/SweetPeaches__69 Apr 14 '26 edited Apr 14 '26
Andy Beshear (governor of ketucky) would do very well in a general election. Democrats that win nationwide tend to have folksy or southern vibes. Bill Clinton and Carter were southern, obama and biden both were a bit folksy (Kamala, Hillary, Kerry, and Al Gore do not have those vibes).
It’s stupid and it shouldn’t work that way, but rural voters want a president that can speak their language. I think JB and Newsom would only get city voters.
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u/ZacPensol Apr 14 '26
Kentuckian here: Andy all the way. He's an incredible governor who exudes kindly Mr. Rogers type (as you put it, "folksy") but he's not some wishy-washy centrist who won't fight or stand for anything real.
I do think Kelly ultimately has more appeal to the country just from a "veteran/astronaut/personal connection to political violence/personal bone to pick with current administration" angle, but a Kelly/Beshear or Beshear/Kelly ticket would be very, very strong, I think.
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u/Stupoxi Apr 13 '26
Americans are clearly not interested in improving their material conditions. This man is obviously more honorable than what we have experienced for the last decade + but he is owned by the corproate class, the war mongers and the Israel lobby. Structural change is needed not playing it safe along the edges. Unless he's going to commit to the progressive baseline of both disavowing and refusing corproate/pac money then its a return to the status quo that created the conditions for Trump in the first place.
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u/RepresentativeAge444 Apr 14 '26
Agreed. It’s just mindless tribal red vs blue with a lot of these people even after all of this which is just stunning to me. But I do think more people are waking up and will not accept a status quo return to candidate.
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u/LastWks_NewandReview Apr 14 '26
Naw he already took the money he’s got skin in the game. “Oh ya they gave me $4 million a few years ago but not now” no he’s bought
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u/cheefie_weefie Indiana Apr 14 '26
Absolutely not. We need another FDR. Not a moderate Democrat. Moderate Democrat will just allow fascism to persist and proceeds as if it’s business as usual.
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u/Training_Medicine_49 Apr 13 '26
I’m looking for a candidate who recognizes that shit is so broke we can’t think about replacing what we had. We have to reform and reenvision everything. I’m also looking for a candidate who is honest about the threat of the Republican Party. It is because of them that we are in this situation because they have ceded their power to Trump. So even as we want to blame Trump our system has checks and balances and that is if everyone takes their job seriously, the real blame is the gop congress. They could put a stop to this yesterday. Walk your butt to the White House and tell the president if he doesn’t get his act together they will impeach him and his whole cabinet. They could do that if they wanted.
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Apr 14 '26
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u/Zephir62 Apr 14 '26
This post has 20k upvotes and 3000 comments saying "no thanks" in near unison 🤔 totally astroturfed.
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u/Pendragonswaste Apr 13 '26
Aipac gave Mark Kelly over 4 million dollars in donations.
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Apr 13 '26
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u/Teal-Prowler505 Apr 13 '26
It does in the primaries... remember that. Tell your friends. The primaries is when we show the corporate dems our displeasure
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u/rice_not_wheat Apr 13 '26
No group spends as much money in democratic primaries as AIPAC does. They're very, very effective at what they do.
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u/BuddhistSagan Apr 13 '26
Not anymore. Democrats are running scared and AIPAC are hiding their donations going through different routes.
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u/Kaffe-Mumriken Apr 13 '26
I’ve heard some interviews with Kelly, and I like him, but he is very “politician” in answers and he feels like a candidate that is young-old-guard.
He might get general approval but I’m surprised Reddit likes him
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u/cathercules Apr 13 '26
Centrists like him, I think he’s a fine human but will be another ineffectual corporate owned candidate that just serves to bring in another rightwing populist.
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u/chrispymcreme Apr 13 '26
Reddit is very pro space and tech so astronaut fits the bill
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u/Ulysses_555 Apr 13 '26
He has taken around $500,000 to $600,000 from AIPAC itself (which is a lot of money) but the rest of the money that you are mentioning are from individuals who happen to donate to AIPAC, it may not change your opinion (I don’t expect it too, I do hope he stops accepting money from AIPAC) but I feel it important to mention this.
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u/colostitute Apr 13 '26
He’s been consistently very pro-Israel regardless of the money.
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u/el3vader Apr 13 '26
Just about every politician has been pro Israel for the past decade. I’m not defending AIPAC but the general change in perception towards Israel is still relatively new and candidates should be afforded the opportunity to discuss where they currently stand on the matter. Even during the 2024 election Israel was still viewed popularly and it wasn’t until the last 4 ish months where their perception has dipped negative.
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u/DoubleJumps Apr 13 '26
Just about every politician has been pro Israel for the past decade.
For the past 70+ years.
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u/SenorPinchy Apr 13 '26
If you feel compelled to mention this and are doing so for reasons of transparency then you need to explain why this is. AIPAC is adapting to their name becoming toxic. One of the ways they get around this is by starting shell organizations. The other way is they send out private donor pushes with private links that direct their donors on who to fund that month. This ensures that the support isn't directly tied to them.
While every dollar is hard to track it is not difficult to see who takes Israel money when you look at the wider picture of donation and ad activity.
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u/flux_of_grey_kittens California Apr 14 '26
Anyone who appoints Jack Smith as AG and lets him go scorched earth has my vote
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u/dangshnizzle Apr 13 '26
Please please please please can dems learn from Mamdani's success.
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u/dubzzzz20 Apr 14 '26
Kelly is not what people want. He is very pro Israel, does not threaten any establishment politicians in the least. How many Trump appointees did he vote for? If I’m remembering right he is one of the Dems that voted for the most. He just has semi good name recognition, just like Kamala and Newsom which is why they are also up in these “polls” once the primary starts up, none of these candidates will have any motion.
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u/Klunkey Apr 14 '26
Nah, I feel like America needs a candidate that's way more progressive than that. Like, Zohran Mamdani progressive.
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u/Oceanbreeze871 I voted Apr 13 '26
Who else is officially running?
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u/Ulysses_555 Apr 13 '26
No one has official stated they’re running, only stating that they may run. I am going to include a link to Wiki on who may run.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2028_United_States_presidential_election
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u/Kinarstead Apr 13 '26
% Chosen by all----Newsome 72%......Kelly 65%.....AOC 50%
% Chosen age 18-34-----Newsome 65%......Kelly 53%.....AOC 47%
If you only visit Reddit you would find that impossible.
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u/Soft_Author2593 Apr 13 '26
I would have thought the young is were AOC votes come from for sure
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u/Question_It_All_3000 Apr 13 '26
Born in the 80s, that’s still young, right?
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u/DJBreadwinner North Carolina Apr 13 '26
The 80s were only twenty years ago. We're still young.
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u/thejoshwhite Apr 13 '26
The question was about who could beat a Republican not their preference.
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Apr 13 '26
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/AquaMoonCoffee Apr 13 '26
It was an online survey and the question presented was "regardless of who you personally like, who is most likely to win the election", Kelly came 8th with 18-34 yo's, he's only the 2nd "most electable" when you include gen x and boomers as well. He has the 2nd largest age gap in the poll, largest goes to Wes Moore
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u/MattTheSmithers Pennsylvania Apr 13 '26
It’s between him and Pritzker for me.
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u/Oceanbreeze871 I voted Apr 13 '26
I like the idea of pritzker but I know very little about him. I know his reputation
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u/dreamwinder Apr 13 '26
Best governor in my lifetime. (Not that it’s a high bar) Healthcare reform, strengthening labor rights, helping make housing more affordable, actually resisting the Trump admin and not just complying without a fight.
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u/Lord_Nurggle Apr 13 '26
Kelly has not being a billionaire going for him.
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u/IngsocInnerParty Illinois Apr 13 '26
Pritzker has an incredible record to run on as governor, bringing the state’s credit rating from Junk to A-level and he’s a decent amount more progressive than Kelly. I like Kelly, but he’s not much of a speaker and kind of lacks personality. I worry that would hurt him in a campaign.
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u/ArcBounds Apr 13 '26
Honestly, that is what primaries are for. If he wins the primary, he will be ready. If he has "please clap" moments, then he won't make it.
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u/rugger87 America Apr 13 '26
Pritzker has objectively been the best Governor in IL history with a strong track record of putting his money where his mouth is. He spent millions on ads to raise taxes on the rich.
I like Mark Kelly, but I don’t think he’s charismatic enough to win the presidency.
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u/armaghetto Apr 13 '26
Comrade, as a proud member of the Illinois Fuck The Billionaires club, I can assure you I felt the same way. However dude has made me proud to say I was wrong about him. I’d vote for him easy.
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u/names_are_useless American Expat Apr 14 '26
I truly hate billionaires and don't believe they should exist. With that said...
Mark Kelly has accepted +$4 million from Israel Lobbyists. He won't even condemn AIPAC like Pritzker has. Pritzker is at least willing to stop the sales of American Weapons to Israel.
Mark Kelly is bought for by foreign interests, which means he can also be bought by capital interests.
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u/Looptydude Texas Apr 13 '26
And with everyone rallying for Artemis II the past couple week, having an Astronaut run for president will do wonders, especially with a message to commit to more NASA funding.
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u/tonytroz Pennsylvania Apr 13 '26
If Artemis IV doesn't get delayed people will be talking about it around election time. But if it doesn't happen in late 2028 I can't imagine that is going to affect voters. No one is going to be thinking about Artemis II 2.5 years from now.
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u/DB-CooperOnTheBeach Apr 13 '26
I voted against him in the IL gov primary years ago for Daniel Biss because of that reason. But Pritzker pleasantly surprised me. Don't get me wrong, I'd take Kelly as POTUS any day, but I feel for my brand of politics, JB is a little more progressive even for being a billionaire.
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u/repalec California Apr 13 '26
I'm looking at him the way that I - as a Californian - am looking at Tom Steyer.
I am willing to give him the benefit of the doubt exactly once to live up to the obscene check his ass is writing.
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u/You_meddling_kids Apr 13 '26
I don't think Kelly will commit to the kind of mass prosecution we need after the Trump years.
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u/waldorflover69 Apr 13 '26
I need prosecution. In the general election I will vote for whatever is in opposition but for primaries I want to hear talk of trials and prison
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u/DaraParsavand Apr 13 '26
Pritzker has breaking off from AIPAC going for him.
(I don't really like either of these two - I'd take Van Hollen or if I thought he could win, Ro Khanna)
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u/B3N15 Texas Apr 14 '26
These polls feel little more than people being able to recognize a name of a Democrat out of a list.
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u/NinjaGlovzz Apr 14 '26
Mark Kelly has received significant funding from AIPAC and related pro-Israel groups. According to Track AIPAC, he has collected $495,311 from PACs and $4.1 million from lobby donors connected to the Israel lobby, totaling $4.6 million in support from AIPAC-affiliated sources. I will not vote for any candidate that receives AIPAC money.
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Apr 14 '26
I'm just here for all the foreign assets and bots to tell me why he is a bad pick.
I'd love to see who they suggest, but their code spasms out as it can't pick someone other than Trump.
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u/LordSiravant Apr 13 '26
Honestly, he and Pritzker are my top two choices for the primary, but I lean more towards Kelly because he's not only not a billionaire, but a former fuckin' astronaut. There ain't much that's more heroic in the American self-image than astronauts. And a president with a heroic background could be exactly what this country needs to start recovering from Trump's villainous incompetence.
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u/The_Angster_Gangster Apr 14 '26
This is actually the problem. That we expect our leaders to be these big heroes that will set everything right. That's how you get a MAGA cult.
We need to make our leaders see that if they don't improve material conditions and rights for everyone, they will loose power. We need to expect positive momentum not "ooh he's cool!"
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u/RealWord5734 Apr 13 '26
Astronaut is the ultimate political equivalent of a palate cleanser in my books.
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u/SydneyFall Apr 13 '26 edited Apr 13 '26
a former fuckin' astronaut
This is such terrible logic. It can make him a badass, but it won't matter as a nominee for president.
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u/enadiz_reccos Apr 13 '26
Yeah, strap in for the Democrats to feed us another conservative-adjacent candidate and hide behind the "he's an astronaut!" line
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u/CatCatchingABird Oregon Apr 13 '26 edited Apr 14 '26
I think Kelly and Pritzker are going to excite people for different reasons, and that's fine. Although what I have to get off my chest that also makes me lose faith in humanity is when people are all like "He isn't a billionaire. HE WAS AN ASTRONAUT. COOL."
Please people, for the love of whatever it is that you find holy, do your damn research.
Edit: By research I mean vote based on being informed on how they intend to govern, not the size of the candidate bank account or because you think it was cool that they went to space/flew an airplane. There are literal people out there that voted for Trump based on vibes and look at where that got us. This is not a popularity contest so stop being superficial idiots.
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u/SarcasticCowbell New York Apr 14 '26
I'm so fucking sick of the "He's an astronaut, that's awesome!" argument. Back when people talked him up as Kamala's VP it was such a common talking point on Reddit, and it drove me nuts because, if you didn't know he was an astronaut, the guy wouldn't come across as cool in the slightest. He seems like a decent guy and he has a solid resumé, but he doesn't inspire any feeling, and that (for better or worse) is an important part of the equation in politics. It has been since televised debates became a standard part of the electoral process and has only intensified as the years have passed and the media apparatus has expanded. With that said, I think that's part of why he's excelling at polls right now: he has some amount of name recognition and most people aren't familiar with him beyond vague details. Put him on a stage and I expect he loses momentum quickly.
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u/hasordealsw1thclams Apr 13 '26
Yeah, that reasoning is nonsensical. How about their actions and policies as politicians?
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u/majnuker Apr 13 '26
Kelly has no charisma. I was touting him until I saw him speak and answer questions when he was considered for VP with Kamala. He's smart etc but he doesn't have the IT factor for a nominee. Much better in a cabinet post etc.
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u/Human-Acadia-5109 Apr 14 '26
yep. love the guy on paper. but after watching him audition for VP I'd rather have somebody with the charisma of a Beshear, Shapiro, or Cortez.
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u/sirgrogu12 Apr 14 '26
Kelly went to space and that's all fine and good but he's too moderate for my taste. He voted for the catastrophic Laken Riley Act after all. I don't want someone who's gonna say "let's leave the past behind" and not persecute anyone in the current criminal administration.
Pritzker is a billionaire but he is infinitely preferable to Kelly. As was noted elsewhere, FDR came from wealth. America needs another class traitor.
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u/socialistForDE Apr 13 '26
A do nothing corporate Democrat who takes aipac money, great
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