People wanted to hear President Biden to, at very least, speak out about Israel's genocide in Gaza. That should be easily understood. Now, some thought that recognizing the passion of those college students exercising their Amendment 1 rights in a positive way would damage our party's chances in elections. Instead, our party's presidential campaign opted to focus upon getting support from republicans who couldn't stand the current president. That, of course, was a significant gactor in the 2016 and 2024 loses. It may or may not be the reason that we lost a state that should have been safe.
Now I had long wanted Joe Biden to be president. Though Biden hadn't lived in Scranton for long, my relatives there -- neighbors of the then governor, so as a kid, I competed in sports with the governor's son who became a Senator. I think that they had all known Biden's family, plus Joe is Irish, so I had heard conversations about this young man destined to become president as a teenager. A decade later -- the 1980s -- I was sure he'd eventually be president, and a mighty good one at that. Obviously, I didn't agree with a couple positios he took. But I'd hate to have a president that agreed with me on everything.
So I supported his campaign for re-election in '24. I understood his dropping out, and I fully supported VP Harris. Back when she ran in 2020, I remember wishing she did better in the primaries, because I thought she would be perfect for debating the convicted sex offender/felon. I think we had great candidates in 2016 and 2024, but lost to the sociopath now inhabiting the White House. So I often think about the why. There have to be reasons for that turd beating two out of three far superior candidates.
Now, I'm not saying this is the only reason, for I recognize that I'm not very smart. But in terms of numbers, from least to most, it goes like this: maga/republican, Democratic Party, and Independents. Politics 101 involves that in any campaign, you make sure your party gets out the vote, concentrate on appealing to the undecided (Indepents in today's reality), and avoid as much contact with your opposition as possible while campaigning. The exception is, of course, candidates' debates. Thus, in my opinion, it is a waste of resources to focus on appealing to the tiny number of republicans, rather than the Independents.
That may be easier for our candidates to do this year in the mid-terms. There doesn't appear to much support outside of DC for enabling the Israeli gross violence.
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