r/Askpolitics

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I've been weighing back and forth what the best option for the democratic party would be in 2028. My personal favorite would be Pete Buttigieg, or maybe AOC.

However, running those candidates is much riskier than running a older, straight, white... man. Like Shapiro or Newsom.

How does the party weigh its options between trying to ensure a small victory, versus taking a large leap and electing somebody who could reignite the party entirely?

It felt like in 2008, the election was all but guaranteed and they ran Obama to a similar effect. Is it worth risking it to get our first woman? Our first gay?

Don't get me wrong, I dont particularly care about who's gay or what gender a person is, but I resonate most with two candidates that until this cycle, i would've thought impossibilities to reach the oval.

I guess im horrified today, hopeful for tomorrow, but ready to be dissapointed by a very mild ticket.

Anyone have strong opinions of who might have the best chances of getting the nod, or how the party determines the risk of who they out up in such a turbulent time?

Question as in the title. The legislature has been deadlocked for half of my life. Power just bounces between Republicans and Democrats, with neither side having a veto proof majority for very long. Nothing ever seems to get done, and if by some miracle progress is made, the other party comes in and un-does it right after. Dirty tricks pile upon dirty tricks. So: what if Republicans just outright "win?" By some combination of voter suppression, gerrymandering, and popular support they established a medium-to-long term dominance over all branches of government. What would that look like? Would we see political attention shift to the Republican primaries instead? Would we actually get legislation passed, and could the factions of the newly ascendant Republican party come together to get anything done?

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What specific policies do you believe a significant majority would support? (Meaning not a small majority like 51%, but like 2/3s or 3/4s of the population).

"Specific" as in like a "single payer healthcare system" where there's very little interpretation of what that means, rather than "health care reform" which can mean a lot of different things.

The DOJ recently created a $1.776 billion "Anti-Weaponization Fund" using federal taxpayer money. The fund was established to settle Donald Trump’s lawsuit over his leaked tax returns.

Instead of going to Trump, this massive pool of money will be overseen by a commission appointed by the Trump administration. Its stated goal is to compensate individuals who claim they were victims of political "lawfare" under the Biden administration.

Critics and ethics experts are calling it an institutionalized slush fund designed to bypass Congress and funnel taxpayer dollars directly to Trump’s political allies, including J6 defendants.

What are the broader implications of an administration using a legal settlement to create a multi-billion-dollar fund without congressional approval?

Does this set a dangerous precedent for future presidents to pay off allies by claiming they were "wronged" by previous administrations?

How can a system like this have any real oversight when the people distributing the money are hand-picked by the administration itself?

I’ve noticed that people either accept or reject Supreme Court rulings, especially the most significant ones. But they’ve come up with a way to overturn them.

This proposed amendment would be based on the ratification provision in the Constitution, which requires only three-quarters of the states to approve an amendment. However, this amendment would only serve to overturn Supreme Court rulings if three-quarters of the state supreme courts reject the ruling or issue a contrary ruling.

If the threshold is met, the ruling could be overturned in the first case or the contrary ruling could be applied in the second. What would be the political and judicial consequences if this amendment were to take effect?

There has been a lot of discussion recently regarding the Trump Mobile T1 smartphone, which was initially unveiled by Donald Trump Jr. and Eric Trump as a "proudly built in the United States" alternative to major tech giants.

Recent reports from tech and independent news outlets have highlighted several significant changes and controversies surrounding the device as it finally begins to roll out:

The original "Made in USA" marketing has been quietly removed from the official website and replaced with phrases like "shaped by American innovation" and "American-Proud Design." Industry experts and hardware analysts note that the T1 heavily resembles the Chinese-manufactured Wingtech Revvl 7 Pro 5G.

Promotional materials and videos have drawn scrutiny for displaying inconsistent versions of the American flag on the back of the device—with some renderings featuring 11 stripes and others featuring 9, rather than the legally mandated.

The preorder terms were updated to clarify that a $100 deposit does not strictly guarantee the device will be produced, lock in the promotional $499 price, or guarantee network compatibility in all locations, leaving heavily weighted discretion to the company.

Despite these controversies, Trump Mobile's CEO recently announced that the first wave of devices has finally begun shipping to reservation holders, maintaining that American teams guided the quality control and final assembly process.

For those who placed a deposit or are planning to buy the T1:

How do these revelations about the manufacturing origin, marketing changes, and design inconsistencies affect your perspective on the device, and are you still planning to follow through with your reservation?

I'm not trolling, I swear. We all have something that people on our side do which makes us cringe. For example, I was at an anti-Trump protest and I saw a woman stepping on the American flag and I thought that was really stupid. What is it for you? Thanks.

I love California, but the politics are burning me out — independent voter looking for real answers

Before anyone jumps to conclusions, let me give you some context: I'm a 29-year-old independent voter in Sacramento. I have a wife who works in the school district and a young daughter. I run my own small business and I'm currently going back to college. I'm not here to bash the state — California is genuinely my home and I want it to thrive. But I'd be lying if I said what's been happening in this state doesn't bother me.

Here's what's been weighing on me:

**Crime & public safety** — I want my daughter to grow up in a safe community and attend safe schools. I don't think that's too much to ask. Policies that feel soft on crime make that harder to feel confident about.

**Our schools are in serious trouble** — My wife works in the school district, so this one hits close to home. Teachers are overwhelmed. Class sizes are too large and there simply aren't enough hands on deck to give kids the attention they need. On top of that, student behavior has become a real and growing problem — and teachers have almost no tools to address it. Discipline policies have been so watered down that kids who consistently disrupt the classroom face little to no real consequences, and the students who actually want to learn are the ones who suffer for it.

**Affordability** — As a young family in Sacramento, the cost of living is a real pressure. Housing, groceries, running a small business — it all adds up. California is increasingly hard to build a life in if you're not already established. My in-laws that are a military family were living in Georgia for a few years they recently got sent over here in California and they asked us "How are you even surviving?" and tbh I have no idea. My wife has been wanting to leave California because we feel like we can barely stay afloat with the high living cost, paired with an insane amount of taxes but tbh I don't want to leave California is my home and I love it here. 

**Taxes — and where they're actually going** — Let me be clear: I understand taxes are necessary. Roads need to be paved, schools need to be funded, services need to run. I get it. But Californians are being hit from every direction — at the gas pump, at the register, on our paychecks, on our property, at the bridge toll, and then again when we register our vehicles every year. It adds up fast, especially for working families and small business owners. What makes it truly infuriating isn't the taxes themselves — it's the feeling that the money isn't going where it's supposed to. When billions of dollars evaporate to fraud and mismanagement, it doesn't feel like civic duty anymore. It feels like being robbed. We deserve to know exactly where our money is going and why the people responsible for losing it aren't being held accountable.

**Homelessness** — It's a visible, ongoing crisis and after years of throwing money at it, I'm not seeing the results that were promised. Something fundamentally isn't working. when I think of all the money we have spent on it all I can think of is Fraud/Embezzlement and Failure. It's sad to see people on the streets but I also dont like going for walks with my wife and daughter and having a homeless man tweaking out and screaming at us.  

**What I don't want** is another career politician who cycles in, makes the same promises, protects the same interests, and leaves things the same or worse.

**What I'm actually asking:** Who do you think has real, substantive policies that could make a difference? Doesn't matter to me if they're left, right, or somewhere in between — I vote on issues, not parties. I just want to hear from other Californians who are paying attention.

What are your thoughts? Who are you watching and why?

For me, it's Sam Harris and Bill Maher. You can tell how non-partisan they are because far leftists consider them right wing, and far rightists consider them left.