this post was submitted on 15 May 2024
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politics

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[–] eestileib@sh.itjust.works 104 points 5 months ago (25 children)

He's not wrong, the two main parties absolutely do collude to create a duopoly.

He's also the wrong messenger to deliver the message.

[–] givesomefucks@lemmy.world 43 points 5 months ago* (last edited 5 months ago) (3 children)

It's not just that.

Every other election debates are held by a nonpartisan organization and a third party that meets certain requirements can also join.

Because political parties are private organizations not attached to the government.

This election both parties agreed they will only do debates that they arrange.

Meaning they're in charge of who shows up, and they'll never both agree to let anyone else join.

People keep acting like it doesn't matter, but it's a big deal.

Edit:

Obviously RFK is a joke and won't win, but we shouldn't just shrug as the two private parties seize more and more power when they have zero accountability to voters and neither side will ever be held accountable by their own politicians.

[–] Bishma@discuss.tchncs.de 11 points 5 months ago* (last edited 5 months ago)

Every other election debates are held by a nonpartisan organization and a third party that meets certain requirements can also join.

They change the rules rather arbitrarily to suit their needs anyway. During the 2000 election Nader was excluded from debates under the new rule that the green party had to have gotten 5% of the vote (nationally) in the previous presidential election to quality. Some of the votes for Nader, that helped get Bush elected, were cast to make sure the green party got that 5% for the next election. They didn't, it ended up at 4% and change, but the rule was changed for 2004 anyway so it wouldn't have mattered.

[–] Drusas@kbin.run 5 points 5 months ago (3 children)

He's being left out not because Trump or Biden are keeping him out. He's being left out because he does not meet the minimum requirements to qualify for a place on the debate stage. He has to have a certain percentage of voters polling for him and he simply does not have that.

[–] Rolder@reddthat.com 5 points 5 months ago

I think the point was that the polling requirement was how it USED to work, but this election season the parties are holding their own debates with their own rules. I don’t have a source on it myself but I think that’s the claim here.

RFK Jr wouldn’t be invited regardless though.

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The lower one side goes, the lower the other side goes. How are you gonna vote out fascism when the Democrats go a low as they can simply because Republicans go lower. Trump doesn't even need to win at this point for fascism to continue encroaching because Dems will continue to strip liberties like fair debates away under the guise of stopping the other sides fascism. Every day we march rightward.

[–] newthrowaway20@lemmy.world 20 points 5 months ago (1 children)

The two main parties are so big that they don't need to collude. Every single component of our media will do the work for them.

[–] snooggums@midwest.social 13 points 5 months ago* (last edited 5 months ago) (4 children)

Colluding involves communication and coordinated ation. They don't need to collude because excluding third parties is in their best interest.

Both parties are still wary after the outcome in 1992 when Ross Perot received nearly 20% of the vote after being included in the debates. Neither want to risk having a wildcard on stage.

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[–] Pips@lemmy.sdf.org 9 points 5 months ago

It's the network's rule:

Kennedy has already hit CNN’s 15% polling threshold in two out of four qualifying polls. But the network also announced that participants must “appear on a sufficient number of state ballots to reach the 270 electoral vote threshold to win the presidency prior to the eligibility deadline.”

I think as a bare minimum requirement, being able to appear on the ballots of enough states to actually have a chance of winning makes perfect sense as a rule. With all the things to shit on the parties for, why make up a strawman?

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[–] Rapidcreek@lemmy.world 34 points 5 months ago (1 children)

Trying to worm his way into the debates

[–] TimeSquirrel@kbin.social 7 points 5 months ago* (last edited 5 months ago)

This is it. That is the man's legacy now. His tombstone will read "brainworm guy".

Not sure what he thought he had to gain by divulging that info.

BTW guys sorry I was off the Fediverse for a while, had to go get some polyps removed...big'uns too, size of a golf ball. /s

[–] Whattrees@lemmy.blahaj.zone 19 points 5 months ago (1 children)

Oh my God, he's getting better, he finally invented a conspiracy theory that doesn't implicate the Jews! Progress!

[–] Everythingispenguins@lemmy.world 2 points 5 months ago

How do you know that he doesn't think Trump or Biden are Jews?

[–] dhork@lemmy.world 16 points 5 months ago (1 children)
[–] Everythingispenguins@lemmy.world 7 points 5 months ago

Sorry this is the best your going to get.

[–] some_guy@lemmy.sdf.org 15 points 5 months ago (1 children)

Not to bash on anyone who has a disability, but I wouldn't want to have to listen to him. Not that I'll tune in either way.

[–] Raiderkev@lemmy.world 5 points 5 months ago (1 children)

I actually tuned in to his Rogan episode to kind of hear him out and see what he was all about (surprise, it's antivax conspiracy shit) and yeah man, idk how he even thinks a debate will help him with a voice like that. He's super hard to listen to.

[–] vaultdweller013@sh.itjust.works 1 points 5 months ago

Also the brain worm.

[–] cheeseburger@lemmy.ca 15 points 5 months ago (2 children)

This guy is pretty annoying.

[–] Son_of_dad@lemmy.world 6 points 5 months ago (1 children)

How did the son of one of the most progressive politicians end up like this?

[–] Cignul9@lemmy.world 11 points 5 months ago

A worm ate part of his brain.

[–] Olgratin_Magmatoe@lemmy.world 3 points 5 months ago (1 children)

To be fair, brain worms would make anyone annoying.

[–] lengau@midwest.social 2 points 5 months ago

That's unfair to brain worms.

[–] Nightwingdragon@lemmy.world 12 points 5 months ago (1 children)

This shouldn't be a big surprise; In a winner-take-all contest, the two bigger players are going to gang up and eliminate the smaller one first before focusing on each other. Neither Biden nor Trump are going to allow RFK to waltz in and get a boost off of those two fighting each other; it would just make it harder for them to eliminate him later.

[–] Drusas@kbin.run 2 points 5 months ago (1 children)

It shouldn't be a surprise because there are rules to qualify for presidential debates and he does not meet the minimum requirements. It has nothing to do with Biden or Trump.

[–] ShittyBeatlesFCPres@lemmy.world 2 points 5 months ago

I’m pretty sure there are no rules this year. The Commission on Presidential Debates isn’t involved.

[–] Froyn@kbin.social 11 points 5 months ago

To quote Invader Zim
"Have you the Brain Worms?!?!"

[–] Seasoned_Greetings@lemm.ee 10 points 5 months ago

Biden and Trump couldn't collude on a place to order takeout

[–] fiercekitten@lemm.ee 7 points 5 months ago

Rfk jr should just accept this as the blessing it is. These events aren’t debates, these are like all the worst parts of reality tv stitched together into an inane freakshow of attacking one another and dodging questions, without any accountability for their lies and deceit. It’s void of nearly any intellectual nutrition, served as entertainment to the American public.

[–] MataVatnik@lemmy.world 6 points 5 months ago

I highly doubt Trump and Biden are coordinating in any capacity

[–] Passerby6497@lemmy.world 6 points 5 months ago (1 children)

That's just the worm talking Bobby. In reality, no one respects you or sees you as a real candidate.

[–] NoSpiritAnimal@lemmy.world 2 points 5 months ago

There are a few RFK signs by houses in a rural area by me. They used to have Trump signs though, so I think it's a wash.

[–] moshankey@lemmy.world 4 points 5 months ago

Now that made me laugh.

[–] TheJims@lemmy.world 4 points 5 months ago

Trumps brain worms died of starvation

[–] bbuez@lemmy.world 2 points 5 months ago

No honestly, he should join the debates. I'll start getting a bingo card ready

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