Vice President Kamala Harris vs Donald Trump 2024

The RTE coverage of the convention circus is particularly nauseating this time.

what is her baseline?

"Abrasive demeanour" and the whole Border thing that the GOP exhasperated themselves by blocking bills at Donnie's behest.

Thank you for actually fulfilling my request by not just leaning into the whole "Commie" thing, I actually appriciate it. I don't agree with you, but it's at least something.

Now, let's put the whole Trump Derangement Syndrome to one side, and consider people's attitudes to him. He is pretty hated / disliked by an awful lot of people, not only in the States, but around the world. It's not an unfounded feeling, since he has fostered and supported the very worst in society to come out in support racism & hatred of the "other". He has dramatically lowered the bar usually expected for public office and all manner destructive individuals have come forward to try to do that same as him. One such example (George Santos) just got jailed for massive fraud after having a record short tenure in Congress for being nothing but a fraudster. These may have existed pre-Trump, but it was Donnie who normalised it for them. He is hated, but that hatred is built from his actions, that hatred is rational and not "rabid".

Some of Harris' popularity might be down to the simple fact that she isn't Trump, but as pointed out by others her inclusion into the race has generated a degree of excitment that wasn't even there for Biden in 2020. People not only want to vote against Trump, but they also want to vote for her.

Harris isn't perfect, not by a long shot, but she is far and beyond a better option for America than Trump ever was. There are certainly better options out there too, but a win for Harris will at least make those options possible in future. A win for Trump may see him try to remove those options for a generation….or more.

Biden was not showing signs of cognitive decline, he was simply getting old. Words were getting elusive, he was getting tired more easily. That is not cognitive decline, it happens to most people as they get into their 80s. They know what they want to say but the words do not obey. Cognitive decline is (among other things) not being aware of what you are trying to say.

I agree that it was better that he stepped down. Whatever the reason for the problems, he was becoming less able to cope with the pressures of the job. It is the very fact that he was able to do it graciously, and supporting his potential successor that points up the difference between him and Trump, Trump could not even lose an election graciously, much less be aware that he is no longer competent.

It's a safe bet….the question is what form would that refusal would take?

Last time he was in the Oval Office, so he tried (and failed) to use the levers of office to prevent him from being unseated. In the end he resorted to sicking the Gravy Seals onto the Capitol to try to just end Democracy. That didn't work either.

This time around….? Hard to know. Will he flee the country? Will he try Jan 6.2? Or will he just try to repeat what he did 4 years ago in the hope that he can sit on the GOP ticket for another 4 years to try again in 2028, while the Q-Anon loons make up stuff about Trump being re-installed as President any day now.

Really hard to guess at this time. We'll have to see what state he's in by November.

And she is polling better than Trump because ???

Not really. Ireland, being a large offshore tax shelter for US corps, has a small amount of US corporate physical presence here - compared to the US.

Lower taxes on corporate profits in the US, means more money in corporate pockets in the US. That means more investment where jobs make sense - and it's not like, say, Microsoft has moved significant development here, there's some but tiny compared to say, India, where there's lots of staff savings. Microsoft still employees hundreds of thousands in the US. Likewise Amazon.

So, less tax paid in the US doesn't mean fewer jobs in the US. Lower salaries paid means fewer jobs in the US. Simple stuff.

Oh, and higher corporate taxes in the US, should it result in more tax take in Ireland, means more goodies for we citizens in Ireland. Fat dole, road projects, pensions with Xmas bonuses, cradle to grave free health care, free high level education, low population, low inbound immigration. Plus the EU does all the heavy legal and scientific/medical lifting to ensure good, safe quality of life here.

Now if only the pernicious influence of the RCC would disappear.

The contrast at the convention looks good for the Dems - normal, sane, explaining how they're going to try make voter's lives better. Meanwhile the latest from the Republicans is waving around tubs that JD Vance has supposedly shot his load into - unclear how that is meant to appeal to normal people.

I'm totally seeing finger guns.

Accomplished Prosecutor , both parents were accomplished in their respective careers to the point where both merit Wikipedia pages. She rose to the level of VP. Previously held the roles of district attorney, Attorney General of California plus her time as Senator. But you've concluded she has an average IQ, you need some time for some self reflection I think.

So what you're implying here is that you could actively do a better job than her as Attorney General, District Attorney, Senator and VP. So you'd be fine getting through the bar exam followed by the prosecutorial career etc? Sure any idiot could do it, right?