I’d put the odds around 2% for 2028 attributable to Gov Abbott
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Tammy Duckworth
I feel a paraplegic is certainly possible, but it would inevitably be a harder sell due to unconscious bias.
I’m not sure if I’d expect a massive difference in likelihood between the parties. I’d lean toward Democrats being more likely to elect. Both parties have examples of higher-tier paraplegic politicians. Trump has been caught saying it would be more convenient if the disabled would just die, and the GOP seems more willing to pull veteran’s benefits and Medicaid/Medicare.
Altogether it seems an uphill battle, but a Black man has been President recently with women being very close. A gay man was within reasonable grasp of the position. I think a paraplegic could do it, but would need to be quite charismatic and generally bereft of meaningful scandal.
I was very encouraged when Obama was elected as that was a great step forward imo. Hopefully a woman President will be the next step. I think someone who professes a religion other than Christianity (or no religion) would also be a major step.
Roosevelt managed to get elected even while in a wheelchair because there was no TV or Social media back then. He was able to project strength and competence via the radio and the papers. Thats how he reached people.
Roosevelt clone today would be attacked relentlessly via the media (TV) and social media. I don’t think anybody would put themselves through that one (Congress and Senate is one thing, but trying for the Presidential ticket would bring out the crazies nationally on a large scale).
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I don’t know. Isn’t the GOP governor of Texas in a wheelchair? Also Madison Cawthorn had a brief stint in Congress despite being in a wheelchair. I suspect that someone with the right story could get elected president despite needing a wheelchair.
I found it interesting in my HS history class to find out that JFK being the first Catholic President (and the general controversy around that at the time) was a big deal.
But I think we’d need to see more of that happening in Congress before I see it being something “realistic” for President.
GOP Governor of Texas would have no chance nationally (he is far too extreme right). And Crawthorn was basically a combination of inept and inexperienced.
Both were basically of the more extreme right in the US.
Oddly enough, just as an example, a guy like Walz might go the distance if he was in a wheelchair. He is authentic and likeable, and you simply cannot fake that.
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It certainly was a big issue at the time.
I wondered how Shapiro would have been viewed as Harris’ running mate because of his religion. May have been a factor in Harris choosing Walz?
lol, a good example where projecting toughness by punching out rotten trees is the wrong way to go about it.
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Personally, I feel the most important thing is beating trump, with a Black/Asian/Woman with a Jewish husband, as the primary, this is no time to test how anti-sematic this country actually is by adding another minority to the ticket.
Lieberman was more middle of the road than Shapiro and I feel his religion held him back during a less volatile period.
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I was just giving them as examples of recently successful politicians in wheelchairs. If they can do it with little impact from being in wheelchairs, I’d think another politician could do it.
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Laughing at a current Nanos poll in Canada that shows the most popular choice for leader of the Federal Liberal Party is “None of the Above”: NOTA polled 29%, well above all the real peoples’ names including Justin Trudeau at 9%.
We could be looking at a UK-type landslide in next Federal Election except the Conservatives will win here.
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I am encouraged though that there are groups such as Republicans for Harris and the Lincoln Project that are willing to sacrifice winning this election in the hope that a Trump defeat will vanquish him and allow the Republican Party to refocus.
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Following that advice likely violates several faith traditions, actually.
I mean, I get what he’s saying but when you start telling people they’re not allowed to believe what is and isn’t sinful you’re really crossing a line. Even if I agree with Booker or most of you about what is or isn’t sinful.
And a lot of those statements boil down to “Stop saying X is sinful. I don’t think it’s sinful so therefore you shouldn’t either.”