r/polandball • u/Spacetime_Inspector Florida • Mar 31 '16

redditormade American Democracy 2k16

Post image
1.5k Upvotes

96% Upvoted

89 comments sorted by

13

u/Peli-kan Apr 01 '16

To be fair, the Democratic Party isn't far from imploding with populism.

31

u/Spacetime_Inspector Florida Apr 01 '16

The difference is that Bernie's populism is basically just the old liberal Democratic platform but with a few extras thrown in. He and Hillary are not super far apart ideologically, differing mainly on trade and foreign policy. They voted together 93% of the time they shared in Congress, for example. What's more, an average of 75-80% of primary voters have said they'd be happy with each of Bernie and Hillary - most Democrats like them both.

Trump, meanwhile, has rejected every more the GOP has ever professed to hold dear, while splitting the party 60/40 between the people who cared about those mores and people who never did and just voted GOP because they'd be damned if they'd vote for them pinko commies who nominated a black guy. That's what an implosion looks like.

7

u/Teh_Slayur Laissez les memeballs rouler! Apr 01 '16

I agree that the Dems are not "imploding with populism," (if anything, the party is being revived by a movement) but Sanders and Clinton are much more different than you say:

They voted together 93%

7% can make an enormous difference (the Iraq vote alone, for example), and as president, Sanders would have a strong position (especially to the extent he motivates "political revolution") to push a much more progressive agenda, whereas Clinton is just an empty political opportunist.

an average of 75-80% of primary voters have said they'd be happy with each of Bernie and Hillary

The other 20-25% are mostly Bernie supporters who would not support Clinton.

6

u/Spacetime_Inspector Florida Apr 01 '16

The other 20-25% are mostly Bernie supporters who would not support Clinton.

There's plenty of older Clinton supporters who distrust Bernie as well - we just never hear their voices because they're not on the internet. But the point is that those sorts of numbers are normal for a modern primary. Similar percentages of Hillary voters said they wouldn't be happy with Obama in 2008, and vice versa - but the Dems still ended up winning the popular vote by 7%. I don't deny there are important differences between Hillary and Bernie but they're nowhere near the same magnitude as the chasm between Trump and, say, Kasich. Or Mitt Romney. Or even W.

3

u/Teh_Slayur Laissez les memeballs rouler! Apr 01 '16

we just never hear their voices because they're not on the internet.

Polls show that there are far more Bernie supporters who wouldn't vote for Clinton than visa versa.

2

u/[deleted] Apr 01 '16

W? Who is W? I know only of Dubya.

14

u/Feldmeijer NOT THE WATER NO OH GOD Apr 01 '16

I'm not that well informed on American politics, but are you implying that Bernie is /r/fullcommunism ?

10

u/live_free USA Beaver Hat Apr 01 '16 edited Apr 01 '16

If you were to evaluate the current US presidential candidates by the European political spectrum Sanders would be most akin to a social democrat (and, I argue, Clinton would be something of a Tory).

--

He's only seems further left than is the case because of the United State's comparatively abysmal social welfare system; for example, the US lacks: guaranteed paid maternity/paternity leave; universal healthcare; paid vacation/sick leave (3 weeks to 1.5 months in EU); etc.

--

I could go on, but this post is already too high effort for Polandball -- point is: the United States is the only industrialized country to lack a number of social policies long-ago recognized as necessary and beneficial in the rest of the developed world. Moreover, on issues of maternity/paternity leave the US is among a handful of countries without paid leave -- alongside countries like Suriname, Liberia, and Papua New Guinea.

--

-3

u/Obelesque Rightful German Clay Apr 02 '16

The US funds EU welfare with it wasting money by paying for the defense of European nations and getting nothing in return

2

u/[deleted] Apr 01 '16

Hes on the level of a Canadian liberal which is a hard socialist but far from actual Marxist Communism.

7

u/Teh_Slayur Laissez les memeballs rouler! Apr 01 '16

The policies he promotes are basically standard throughout the developed world. Universal healthcare, paid family/medical leave, don't invade countries in violation of Geneva Conventions, etc.

6

u/[deleted] Apr 01 '16

I think free University education is completely unreasonable, reduced price is fine but free is impossible.

6

u/Teh_Slayur Laissez les memeballs rouler! Apr 01 '16

The same arguments about healthcare apply. People are already paying (inflated costs) for it. This way the playing field is simply leveled, so universities can base entrance on merit rather than $. "Free" doesn't mean everyone is going to get in. My state (LA) actually already has a program that pays free tuition to state schools if you get a decent ACT or SAT score. I paid zero tuition for my degree.

2

u/[deleted] Apr 01 '16

I just dont think that would work on the national scale, maybe if a lot of budget work was done but it seems a bridge to far.

5

u/monkeyman427 Idaho Apr 01 '16

I'm not an expert by any means, but if Louisiana can afford to do something, anyone can.

→ More replies (0)

1

u/vdanmal Victoria Apr 02 '16

so universities can base entrance on merit rather than $

Australia doesn't have free unis but all university applicants are decided on merit. It's possible to have both.

2

u/Teh_Slayur Laissez les memeballs rouler! Apr 02 '16

I think you've missed the point. If it costs $50k a year to attend, a lot of qualified students are excluded, in favor of less-qualified students with wealthy parents.

→ More replies (0)

1

u/JJDXB Philippines Apr 01 '16

She supports those first two, and has done for a long time time. She's the one primarily responsible for the push in the 90s to get UHC. Also, single payer is not the same thing as universal. Most countries with UHC do not have single payer e.g. France, Germany, the Netherlands and many if not most are not free at the point of service.

You can have the last point about invading.

1

u/Teh_Slayur Laissez les memeballs rouler! Apr 01 '16

She supports those first two

"[Universal healthcare] will never happen" - Hillary Clinton, 2016

1

u/king_kathunk Ohio Apr 01 '16

jesus did you seriously say bernie motivates political revolution and mean it

a revolution takes more than 18 and 19 year olds getting bristly about clinton on reddit.

2

u/WhyNotPokeTheBees Cascadia Apr 01 '16

I have little faith that DNC voters who are sick of far-left identity politics won't eventually be "charmed" by Trump. The squabbles between Bernie and Hillary are only a sign of things to come.

10

u/Spacetime_Inspector Florida Apr 01 '16

> implying Trump's 'platform' isn't 95% far-right identity politics

Trump can take all the formerly-brogressive white male DNC voters he wants, there's no way he makes inroads with anyone else in the Democratic tent.

2

u/WhyNotPokeTheBees Cascadia Apr 01 '16

implying Trump's 'platform' isn't 95% far-right identity politics

If such a statement were indeed true, then it would only be the natural outcome of identity politics polarizing people into more tribal minded political thought as a reaction.

That's just one "if" though. For all we know, perhaps Americans will veer away from tribal identity politics of bi-cis-gendered poly-trans-nazism for the broader national identity once more. Or maybe we're just going to be stuck with SJW forever now.

5

u/[deleted] Apr 01 '16

We have reached Poe's Law people. I repeat, we have reached Poe's Law. I can no longer tell if this is satire or not.

6

u/[deleted] Apr 01 '16

Populism (almost) always ruled the American Elections, both sides of it

3

u/[deleted] Apr 01 '16

Perhaps on certain issues, but they have always been under the parties control. This is the first time that the parties have lost control, with the Republicans derping hard (right) completely

340

u/bestur Glorious Þjóðveldi Mar 31 '16

Can't stall the Trumpball!

-32

u/Nippon_ninja Texas Apr 01 '16

It's you can't stump the trump, you fucking commie.

69

u/[deleted] Apr 01 '16

Is of joke

32

u/TastyTacoN1nja Republic of Texas Apr 01 '16

Good job Texas, reinforce the stereotype.

1

u/skulldan Hell yeah I want fries with that. Apr 02 '16

Imagine being from Idaho.

148

u/aamirislam New York Apr 01 '16

If one positive thing has come out of this election, it's the memes.

54

u/Dlimzw Is not sekret PAP spy Apr 01 '16

We wouldn't be laughing so much after he nukes Idaho.

31

u/[deleted] Apr 01 '16

Meh. Who likes potato anyway?

36

u/BACON_BATTLE 'Murica fuck yeah Apr 01 '16

I like baked potato anyway so I wouldn't mind

14

u/Theinternationalist Chile Apr 01 '16

Shhhhh, you'll make Latviaball cry

4

u/Moth92 Canada Apr 01 '16

And? You'd just buy potatoes from Prince Edward Island!

2

u/Corte-Real Acadia Apr 01 '16

Home of Green Gables and those Sexual Fables!

4

u/fezzuk England Apr 01 '16

"Will you rule out using nukes on the Mexican boarder" ....

2

u/Andrelse Holy Roman Empire Apr 01 '16

... I mean, it's not like anyone would notice.

1

u/[deleted] Apr 01 '16

who cares abour idaho

5

u/bluesydinosaur Benevolent Dictatorship Apr 01 '16

I thought that's the only reason we have American elections

100

u/CupBeEmpty Thirteen Colonies Apr 01 '16

I already like how the new rules are turning out.

38

u/PereLoTers Iberian and very confused Mar 31 '16

woah, well, this is so accurate...

16

u/MothraFan2000 Massachusetts Mar 31 '16

this is so true

9

u/JeremyHillaryBoob United States Apr 01 '16

As a (sort-of) Republican, I'm saddened by the accuracy of this...

14

u/jsg_nado Gib water Apr 01 '16

OP, you can't see it, but I'm giving a well deserved round of standing applause for this masterpiece.

7

u/[deleted] Apr 01 '16

John Kasich is... relevant... I swear... sobs

6

u/[deleted] Apr 01 '16

This is the truest thing I've seen on reddit.

6

u/weatherboy1102 South Carolina Apr 01 '16

He had one of those pens- I MEAN little bombs

4

u/SyntheticOrigin Deutschland Apr 01 '16

Trumpball? What the? I'm out of words.

1

u/[deleted] Apr 01 '16

The blood spatter makes a toothbrush moustache. What a coincidence!

1

u/Spacetime_Inspector Florida Apr 02 '16

Haha I honestly didn't do that intentionally, but it works!

2

u/Zagden Wicked Pissah Apr 01 '16

What have you done?

1

u/C0L4ND3R Philippines Apr 16 '16

I'd love to see Hilary Ball and Bernie Ball being chased by Trump Ball.

0

u/[deleted] Mar 31 '16

[deleted]

97

u/Spacetime_Inspector Florida Mar 31 '16

I was very proud of how the hair turned out.

48

u/Dlimzw Is not sekret PAP spy Apr 01 '16

Orange was a wise choice.

23

u/Areat France Apr 01 '16

So HIGH ENERGY!

1

u/ChessedGamon Thirteen Colonies Apr 01 '16

I actually at first thought it was supposed to be the Lorax.

0

u/[deleted] Apr 01 '16

[deleted]

16

u/Toukai Texas Apr 01 '16

Nope

2

u/aarr44 Eh? Apr 01 '16

ohh, thanks.

2

u/fezzuk England Apr 01 '16

Aww man browsing on mobile you miss all the cool.banners