American gen Z voters share how they feel about Kamala Harris’s presidential bid, why they like or dislike her as a candidate and whether they think she could beat Donald Trump, as the vice-president races towards winning the Democratic nomination for November’s election.

‘I think she’s just what we need’

“I think [Kamala Harris] is the only one that makes sense. She will get the votes Biden couldn’t. She could get the Black, Asian, Latino, women’s, LGBTQ+ and youth votes. She stands more for progress and equality than an old white dude and if she wins it will be historic. The Democrats need a bold move and I think she’s just what we need.

“I hope the Democrats realize what an opportunity this is for them.” Will, 22, construction worker from Portland, Oregon

  • Jo Miran@lemmy.ml
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    4 months ago

    This is why I keep repeating “vote for the administration, not the candidate”. Just look at the damage the Trump administration circus did futing the shit show that was his term. Now look at the good that the Biden administration has done in its term. Harris would likely keep a large portion of the team.

    The only real deep blemish on the Biden administration has been its support of the Palestinian genocide. If Trump was president, he would has encouraged Netanyahu to be far more brutal. You can also kiss Ukraine, human rights, and democracy goodbye under a Trump second term. But sure…don’t vote.

    • Asafum@feddit.nl
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      4 months ago

      Vote for the administration AND JUDGES!

      we’ve had a front row seat to what happens when idiots don’t vote (for Hillary because butterymales or whatever) because they’re too focused on the personality of the candidate… Who picks the judges matters!

      • leadore@lemmy.world
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        4 months ago

        Yep. Trump pulled his judge picks right off the wish list of extremist judges the Heritage Foundation hand-picked for him. It’s sickening how many judges he got to appoint, on top of getting to choose 3! 😭 SCOTUS justices (one of the seats was stolen by McConnell).

        Of course one of those judges was Aileen Cannon who after delaying the classified docs case against him as long as possible, finally went ahead and tossed it out completely on the ridiculous grounds that there shouldn’t have been a special prosecutor for it.

      • ceenote@lemmy.world
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        4 months ago

        Alito and Thomas have both signalled that they’ll retire if Trump wins. I find forcing them to either remain in a job they both clearly dislike or get replaced with a judge who’ll reverse the harm they’ve done to be pretty motivational.

            • jaemo@sh.itjust.works
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              4 months ago

              As long as it’s at the end of a long, painful, emasculating blight that visibly withers them every day for all to see. They deserve to be turned into the ghouls they are on the inside, right in front of the public.

              Like morphing into Palpatine from shooting all that sith judicial ruling lightning.

      • Jo Miran@lemmy.ml
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        4 months ago

        For sure. I throw judge selection under administration. The President doesn’t know any of these judges, they are presented to the President by the team the President put together.

        • slickgoat@lemmy.world
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          4 months ago

          This is how it is done in Australia by our High Court. A judiciary panel shortlists the candidates and the Government usually takes the first on the list - conservative or liberal government, doesn’t matter. The selection isn’t politicised - the most qualified gets the job.

          Our high court has a reputation for annoying governments from either side.

          • Asafum@feddit.nl
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            4 months ago

            I wish… Our system is the heritage foundation chooses whatever judges align with what they want to accomplish, spend 2 decades calling liberal appointed judges “activist judges that want to legislate from the bench” and then hand the Republican president a list of activist judges who will legislate from the bench because everything Republicans say their opposition does is projecting what they actually intend to do…

            I hate that it works… They do it first so when you push back on what they are doing it looks like the childish “no you!” argument so it immediately defuses any resistance…

    • Tiefling IRL@lemmy.blahaj.zone
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      4 months ago

      As a professional circus performer, please don’t bring us down to their level. Most of us are bleeding heart communist hippies, and circuses take a TON of coordination to run.

    • Hawanja@lemmy.world
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      4 months ago

      If Trump were pres we’d probably have troops there helping with the genocide.
      We definitely would be helping out Russia against Ukraine.

      • ours@lemmy.world
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        4 months ago

        The sad truth is no US president can go against the Israeli lobby unless some major changes are made.

        But I agree with you, Trump would have happily and loudly complied with Bibi’s Government.

    • Infynis@midwest.social
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      4 months ago

      The only real deep blemish on the Biden administration has been its support of the Palestinian genocide.

      Definitely the biggest, but not the only. Two others that stand out to me are his breaking of the rail strike, and his border policies.

      But of course, this all comes with the caveat that all of this, under Trump, would be unimaginably worse

      • Wrench@lemmy.world
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        4 months ago

        Biden got the union workers their largest demands after ending the strike. People are stuck on the headlines immediately after ending the strike and apparently missed this fast follow a few weeks later IIRC

        • BradleyUffner@lemmy.world
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          4 months ago

          It doesn’t matter what happened after. The optics of breaking the strike set unions back decades. That damage can’t be undone just by doing then a few favors later.

          • assassin_aragorn@lemmy.world
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            4 months ago

            It doesn’t matter what happened after.

            It absolutely does. The administration fought to get the workers what they wanted. That’s more effective than a strike.

            Unions have not been set back decades either. In fact, they’re more powerful than they’ve ever been. UAW brought auto manufacturers to their knees. SAG joined forces with writers to get their due from Hollywood and secure worker protections against AI.

            This is what a pro union administration emboldens. Let’s not pretend that the rail strike was a simple black and white issue. It could’ve caused delays that would make water undrinkable in cities, prevent electricity or heating in winter, and delay crucial medication shipments.

      • AbsentBird@lemm.ee
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        4 months ago

        Congress broke the strike with a veto-proof majority, Biden didn’t have much choice in the matter.

        At least Biden was able to negotiate and apply pressure to get most of the demands met for the rail workers after the strike was prevented. The unions were largely grateful for the administration’s efforts on the issue.

          • tetris11@lemmy.ml
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            4 months ago

            my emotions in this chain have been so far:

            • outrage
            • pleasant surprise
            • outrage again
            • confusion

            I think I’ll settle on the idea that whatever Biden did, it was at least better than what Trump would’ve. Then again it’s this exact same blind logic that Trump supporters say about Biden.

    • Ensign_Crab@lemmy.world
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      4 months ago

      These people are voting. Biden is no longer the candidate. You no longer have to lecture people into voting for him.

      • Jo Miran@lemmy.ml
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        4 months ago

        These people *are* voting.

        These people are saying they are going to vote. Everyone needs reminding of the consequences of a second Trump term. Also, the “Kamala is a cop” narrative is also in full swing.

        • Jackie's Fridge@lemmy.world
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          4 months ago

          I’m sure that will get balanced out by all the “back the blue” conservatives lining up to support her, right?

          …right?

        • Ensign_Crab@lemmy.world
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          4 months ago

          Lecturing people who are already excited to do what you want is a great way to piss them off. But given a choice between being self-righteous scolds and winning, Democrats will choose sanctimony every last time.

            • Ensign_Crab@lemmy.world
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              4 months ago

              I’m glad the DNC listened. The prevailing attitude from centrists on this thread is “Oh my GOD, is nothing good enough for you?!” when it’s obvious that for the people in the article, Kamala is.

    • the post of tom joad@sh.itjust.works
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      If Trump was president, he would has encouraged Netanyahu to be far more brutal.

      I can’t imagine there is a higher level of cruelty than what is currently occurring right now. They’re being denied food and water and being shot for fun.

      Rest of your point aside,as far as Gaza is concerned it’s already at “worst”.

      Sure we can imagine hypotheticals but bibi is doing whatever he wants already.

    • Zetta@mander.xyz
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      Ahhh while Biden has generally supported Ukraine he has handicapped them and extended the war by the constant wishy-washy support.

      “You can have these weapons but not these better ones that you actually need” 6 months later they get the weapons they actually need anyway

      “Okay you can have the good weapons but you can’t use them inside Russia” a year later they can use the good weapons in some areas of Russia

      Constant weak minded actions like this from Biden are a big problem.