I’m Canadian so I don’t really get a say in this, but he seems like a decent guy. Most astronauts are hard working, smart, and know to rely on other smart people to get tasks accomplished. His wife ain’t no pushover either, nobody can question that couple’s commitment to America.
It’s funny. Literally every astronaut I’ve met is exactly like this - quietly competent, affable, team player. As is the astronaut candidate I’ve met.
And yet…
Every person I’ve met who has been keen on becoming an astronaut or astronaut candidate has been an insufferable self-aggrandizing jerk face. Like, just awful people who suck all the air out of any room they’re in, expounding on how they (or the idea they’re selling) are the most amazing thing ever.
Whoa wait hol up
How many astronauts have you met???
3 Astronauts. 1 candidate. Only really got to know one astronaut (family friend) and one candidate (supervised her training in an unrelated field) super well. I’ve had long term interactions with two wannabes who were disasters.
Here’s a hint, it’s the same with politicians.
Unfortunately, in contrast to astronauts, most of the politicians I’ve met are complete shits. Only met a few at the civic level who are excellent. And one at the federal level. Everyone else has been truly🤮.
My BIL was selected as an alternate for teacher in space. He did some of the training, but he honestly wasn’t even too bothered that he never got called to go, which probably means he’d have done well up there.
I take it you never met Lisa Nowak.
For those that don’t remember:
What does this have to do with anything? Edit: figured it out, he is married to Gabby Giffords.
One of the people who was shot at this event is then-US representative Gabby Giffords. She was shot in the head and survived, but six people were killed. She is Mark Kelly’s wife. I would presume they’re going to have very strong opinions on gun control laws because of this.
And, just like AOC, he will understand on a personal level what’s at stake in the current contest for America.
I changed my mind, I like this guy, oil drilling or no.
And he would def have something to say about the nature of political violence. A madman with a gun is no basis for doling out governmental powers.
A madman with a gun is no basis for doling out governmental powers
Almost as bad as becoming king because some moistened bint lobs a scimitar at you!
Not just an opinion, she/they started an entire organization to fight the gun lobbies.
ctrl-f Kelly on that page
I’d like it to be mayor Pete. Young, smart, well spoken, Rhodes scholar, veteran. Plus it would set him up for a serious run at the presidency in the future.
He is center enough to balance her ticket. Problem is we’ll stave off fascism for one more cycle but we won’t get important changes pushed. It’ll be a don’t rock the boat presidency.
Winning the presidency will be a wake up call for Republicans. Trump would be finished politically. If Dems hold the Senate and take the House it’s a mandate
I certainly hope so.
People said the same thing in 2020.
We’re playing for time here. Good chance that Trump will be dead or clearly too old to run in 4 years. MAGA is a cult and without the cult leader, much of the danger is diffused.
That’s kind of assuming they can’t just find any other freak to take command while doing everything the foundations and conservative PACs and corporate donors want. I don’t actually think trump really has all that much charisma beyond his slightly flamboyant mannerisms and his weird accent that I’ve never heard anywhere else. They could pretty easily replace him with some other brainworm candidate, probably get someone way younger and slightly more well-spoken, lose maybe like, 10% of the diehard trump supporters, and then gain back those numbers and more after running their candidate for like five months and trying to ride with slightly more centrist appeal.
Trump isn’t like, the end of this, he’s just a kind of canary in the coal mine for what’s to come, because the conditions which created him still exist and are actively worsening pretty much all the time. It’s not gonna end with him.
How does center balance center? Or do you merely mean she’s a woman of color and he’s a white man?
Jump right in there with allegations and accusations do you?
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Did you literally stop reading right there? If so that’s on you.
Finish the fucking sentence.
Finish the sentence.
Fucking sold
I would love to see Mark Kelly as VP and then campaign for president.
He’s 60 right now. If Harris goes 2 terms, that’s 68.
I want this because in addition to Kelly being a great choice, I want Gabby Giffords as 2nd lady. We need a gun reformer close to the highest office, especially given the recent potshot at the gop candidate.
Can you imagine a VP debate between an actual fucking astronaut and Peter Thiel’s former blood boy?
Not a fan of him teaming up with Manchin to promote more oil drilling.
I’m just not a fan of Manchin.
Manchin can go to hell.
Manchin got us to 50 in a deep red state. There are so many red states in middle America that, in the current political spectrum, it is nigh impossible to get to 50 dems in the senate.
I hear you, Manchin wasn’t my guy, but we would have got bunk from the Biden administration without him.
Something something, it’s easy to hate, harder to love.
Manchin got us to 50 in a deep red state
With significantly more funding from the party coffers than other candidates and significant efforts to make sure that West Virginia would never get a choice of anyone but him and Republicans.
The desperately poor white working class of West Virginia might have primarily defaulted to Republican because of far right demagogues doing a better job than conservative Democrats of pretending to want to change the system to something that doesn’t abuse the poor as much.
A progressive candidate who genuinely cares about systemic poverty and agrees with the majority of West Virginians on the need for single payer health care could feasibly win in WV if not for the DNC fighting so hard to avoid it in favor of a coal baron beloved by party brass even know that he’s registered as an independent.
I recognize he’s done some decent things and he’s a dem in a deep red. I’m not a fan - but recognize his position. Rather have a DINO than Rep.
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You could just state you don’t understand political strategy without also insulting everyone…yikes.
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Lol wreck’d before I could read it, must have been a gem!
Spite, eh. You’re a turd, man.
And you’re a trolling shitlord yourself.
Almost 10 comments in this thread and near 400 words from you without one single explanation of WHY Mark Kelly is a bad choice. You’re one example of why voters are so uninformed, you would rather argue than present anything credible for others to learn.
Nah, not going to. Some of the others who have commented have stated their reasons and I sided with them. Perhaps if you’ve taken at least a minute into my post history while you’re downvoting every comment like a little stupid child (hey this isn’t Reddit by the way so points don’t affect me in the rate I’m posting so ha). You would see what comments I’ve responded to!
Like mind blowing shit there.
I would suggest taking some time to evaluate yourself, I haven’t downvoted anything and was looking at your comments to see what your actual thoughts were since you seemed like you were informed on the subject matter (but guess not). I believe you’re the only one here worrying about votes (if it doesn’t matter why even bring it up?). If you’re here just siding with people who comment actual relevant information, just upvote and move on. You’re being the loud voice that says nothing and doesn’t add to the conversation, just making the actual information harder to find with more comments of bickering to scroll through.
He’s scared. He’s low-educated. He knows it guarantees Harris the White House.
Based on your personal experience, which color crayon would you say tastes the best?
Anecdote time: last week a 30 year old woman I work with stated with confidence she wouldn’t be voting this year. Earlier today she told me she would be voting for Harris and asked who the vp would be. I said Shapiro, beshear, or Kelly. She looked up each of them on Wikipedia and immediately said something to the effect of, “why have I never heard of Kelly? I’d vote for this guy at the top of the ticket. I hope she picks him.”
The guy’s bio speaks for itself. Plus we’d get fun twins hijinks at the naval observatory and I think we as a nation need that.
I would love to see Mark at the top of the ticket, and Scott as his Chief of Staff.
Hell yes.
Unexpected
HuffPo be huffing something hard.
Hey guys! I’ve got a great story!
Lots of randos on Reddit, Mastadon, and Lemmy are saying “Kelly” should be the VP.
GFY Huff…
It’s pretty odd to me that people feel like they really need to shore up the “moderate” lane. Boosting the AZ chances makes perfectly fine sense, but Harris isn’t expected to be particularly progressive. She’s a middle of the road Democrat, so unless she’s going to come out fighting for big progressive change, just run her as a solidly competent Democrat. No need to find a new Joe Lieberman.
Plus, for the love of god, don’t give up an iffy senate seat.
On that last point, it is possible to run for VP while still holding the Senate seat, and only give up the Senate seat if they get that promotion. It makes campaigning a little tough, since it has to be done around their day job, but it’s manageable.
And their Governor is a Democrat, so if Kelly has to give the seat up the Governor can name an interim Democrat to replace him.
The vacancy would be filled at the next general election (2026), and Arizona’s senate seats are not safe. Kelly’s term would otherwise go until 2028. It’s not immediately catastrophic, but I have a hard time believing the VP (for a young nominee) is going to matter enough to be worth opening that seat up.
isn’t expected to be particularly progressive
Absolutely true if you look at it objectively.
But people aren’t objective. She’s a black, partly asian woman and thus her existence as a presidential candidate is already majorly “progressive”.
Yes, you have the right wingers throwing out “whore” for no reason, for saying her mothers name should be enough to disqualify her…
Now these people are too far gone to get any hope of their vote to be sure, however I suspect milder versions of those sentiments lie perhaps even subconsiously in some moderate voters. They may feel vaguely “uncomfortable” and doubling down might just exacerbate that while a milquetoast white dude might alleviate that discomfort.
Dem Governor, his seat is filled by her appointment. She’s been pretty great on not taking GOP shit from the state legislature, so I don’t expect any “concession” from her to try to appease anyone. She knows the GOP only takes and never gives those.
Not a fan, and I don’t like his relative lack of political experience. However, his status as a white male veteran who is the husband of Gabby Gifford could win some points.
Hate that it comes to that, but this is what we get. Fuck, I just want out of this shithole.
The military background shuts up a lot. As it should.
How’s that going to help anything? Right now, we’re looking for solutions to improve our society through progressive means. Fighting wars is not the answer regardless if formerly served or actively served.
It’s about perception. I’m not saying to go fight wars. But military leaders have the respect of those that could lean right. It’s always about the middle. The left and the right are set. It’s the centrists that make a vote happen.
I’m sure John Kerry remembers the value of military service.
Yeah, and I don’t know that Drumpf fans care all that much about military service. Well, at least they don’t care what Drumpf says.
He was running against someone who also had vaguely credible military service, so there was room to discredit without blowback
It’s harder to nitpick a military record when running a draft dodger as your candidate. Given that the GOP is “supposed” to be law and order, it should provide some challenge for them to be running a draft dodging felon against a prosecutor and ex-military ticket.
His opponent’s service was literally draft dodging. For the war Kerry was honored and injured in. We’re not talking about someone with a better service record dismissing some lesser record as insubstantial.
That people were making fun of an actual combat injury, regardless of whether his opponent did some air drills back at home, proves that military service isn’t some sacred trait. And John Kerry didn’t just serve, he was an actual war hero who saved people’s lives and took a bullet in the process. Nothing either Kelly or Vance has done remotely compares to that and he was eviscerated for the very thing that’s supposed to be such a gotcha for the Republicans.
Oh, but some of the clueless idiots here think he’s a WONDERFUL choice apparently. God damn, people are such fucking morons that don’t know anything about the candidates thoroughly. They just saw him as a replacement, got a boner and now will smite anyone critical of it.
Stupid idiotic voters are the bane of our existence every election cycle. We should hold them accountable as much as politicians. Because their stupid decisions fucks us all over.
