r/facepalm Jul 12 '24

🇲​🇮​🇸​🇨​ That's the truth

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u/play-what-you-love Jul 12 '24

That's why articulate is not enough in itself, hence "intelligent" and "balanced". Implicitly that means being able to push for good policies that take into account reality/facts as well as addressing the needs/anxieties of both sides of the political divide.

In some circles someone like Ben Shapiro would pass off as "articulate", and definitely "intelligent", but no way in hell is he balanced. He once compared waiting in line at Disney Land to waiting in line to cast a vote, as though taking a ride at Disney were a constitutionally protected right and if you could wait in line for hours at one at the former, you could definitely wait in line for hours at the latter.

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u/[deleted] Jul 12 '24

Bringing up intelligence at all is pointless, obviously nobody wants a stupid candidate. The issue is what defines intelligence. For many it's good rhetoric instead of good substance. As for balance, excessive centrism is also bad. Policy is the best way to gauge all that, and rhetoric only matters because people make it matter.

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u/[deleted] Jul 12 '24

People want Donald Trump. So people do sometimes want a stupid candidate

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u/dedicated-pedestrian Jul 12 '24

Being fair, what doesn't matter in an election only because people make it matter?

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u/SojournerWeaver Jul 12 '24

Nobody wants a stupid candidate? Please direct your attention to the years 2000, 2004, 2016 and quite possibly 2024.