• suburban_hillbilly@lemmy.ml
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    4 months ago

    I know people are focused on the implications for the upcoming election, but I find myself wondering “Who is running the country right now?”

    I’m guessing the answer is something along the lines of “It’s complicated”, which should be a completely unacceptable answer for everyone.

    • freagle@lemmygrad.ml
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      4 months ago

      The idea that any of our presidents ever actually “ran the country” should actually be completely unacceptable. You think farmers can run an entire country? How about actors? Failsons? Sex pests? None of these people should be “running the country”. The country has a massive bureaucracy running it and the president is filling a specific role of making judgement calls and tweaking the roster of bureaucrats

      • suburban_hillbilly@lemmy.ml
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        4 months ago

        My bad, I guess I should have written a 5000 word essay detailing the intricate workings of the executive branch instead of a simple shorthand most people readily understand.

        I’m glad to hear the president isn’t actually important to the day to day operation of the executive branch. I guess I can stop caring who even gets elected.

        • Assian_Candor [comrade/them]@hexbear.net
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          4 months ago

          This but unironically. The actually important roles of the executive have been divorced entirely from the vagaries of democracy (foreign and monetary policy) via the Fed and the intelligence apparatus. The machine is far too complex for an individual to understand let alone control, so these guys form cabinets of ghouls that basically tell the president what to do, and if he doesn’t, well… ask JFK.

          Domestic policy is another story but even there the two parties are remarkably close, if you pay attention to actions and not rhetoric. Especially now with the 6-3 court it pretty much couldn’t matter less, anything that would actually help people is DOA

    • SGforce@lemmy.ca
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      4 months ago

      The country is not a dictatorship. It is run by the administration the same way it was when trump went golfing.

    • Auzy@beehaw.org
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      4 months ago

      The guy had a brainfart and lost his chain of thought during a debate.

      It doesn’t mean he’s an idiot. It happens to everyone. It actually sounded like he was a bit sick

      Trump only seemed competent because it’s easy to make up BS.

      • suburban_hillbilly@lemmy.ml
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        4 months ago

        I disagree that the concern about the President’s mental state originates from a single answer given during the debate.

        I’ve never really seen Trump in a state I would define as competent, but even I had this is rank whataboutism. The question at hand is whether or not Biden is well enough for continued occupation of his office and Trump has fuck all to do with that.

        • Auzy@beehaw.org
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          4 months ago

          He was answering questions fine otherwise. It was literally just one answer he had a brain fart

          Would I prefer someone younger? Yeah

          Does it affect me… not entirely since I’m in Australia

          • JillyB@beehaw.org
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            4 months ago

            It’s not the first time he’s done something like that though. People (on both sides) have been accusing Biden of being senile basically since he took office.