'Like choosing between a hedgehog or a porcupine' The presidential election rematch no one wants
The Guardian Weekly|March 15, 2024
In past years, the first phase of the general election has involved at least one of the presidential nominees introducing themselves to the public and presenting their case for taking the US in a new direction. But that has been rendered unnecessary this year: former president Donald Trump and president Joe Biden are very familiar to the electorate and are broadly unpopular.
Joan E Greve
'Like choosing between a hedgehog or a porcupine' The presidential election rematch no one wants

"I think this is the worst election in my lifetime," said George Argodale, a Nikki Haley supporter from Gainesville, Virginia. "It's just terrible that we don't have better candidates."

"That's a sad state of affairs for our country that those are the two best candidates that we can come up with," agreed Peggy Hudson, a primary voter in Charleston, South Carolina.

Judith Smith, from Moncks Corner, South Carolina, said of Biden and Trump: "That's like choosing between a hedgehog and a porcupine."

As the primary season sputters to an expected ending, following Haley's withdrawal from the Republican primary last week, voters' frustration with their election options is palpable.

According to Five Thirty Eight's polling averages, Biden's approval rating stood at 38.1% last weekend, and Trump's rating rested at a nominally stronger 42.6%, meaning both men are disliked by a majority of Americans.

Those low opinions have carried into voters' views on the general election. A YouGov-University of Massachusetts Amherst poll conducted in January found that 45% of Americans believe a Biden-Trump rematch is bad for the country. Another 26% say the rematch is neither good nor bad, while just 29% view it as good for the nation.

It's not all for the same reason; the many voters lamenting their general election options represent a diverse array of ideological perspectives, ranging from anti-Trump Republicans to progressives outraged over Biden's response to the war in Gaza.

"On the whole, there's a lot of ambivalence and disappointment about the prospects of a rematch," said Jesse Rhodes, a political science professor at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. "There's a widespread perception among those individuals that the candidates are too old and that they tend to focus on issues that are issues of yesterday."

هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة March 15, 2024 من The Guardian Weekly.

ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 9,000 مجلة وصحيفة.

هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة March 15, 2024 من The Guardian Weekly.

ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 9,000 مجلة وصحيفة.

المزيد من القصص من THE GUARDIAN WEEKLY مشاهدة الكل
'Grey Zone' How The IDF Views Some Journalists As Targets
The Guardian Weekly

'Grey Zone' How The IDF Views Some Journalists As Targets

Despite denials by Israel of deliberate targeting to silence critics, record number of media workers killedin Gaza

time-read
3 mins  |
July 05, 2024
Airports Are Everywhere -But Where Are All The Passengers?
The Guardian Weekly

Airports Are Everywhere -But Where Are All The Passengers?

Last month, the governor of Zamfara, one of Nigeria's poorest states, held a ceremony to mark the start of construction on an international airport in the state capital Gusau.

time-read
3 mins  |
July 05, 2024
Biden's Burden President Needs To Give Way To Someone Who Can Beat Trump
The Guardian Weekly

Biden's Burden President Needs To Give Way To Someone Who Can Beat Trump

What was the worst moment? Perhaps when one especially rambling sentence of Joe Biden's ended in a mumbled, confused declaration that "We finally beat Medicare", as if he were the enemy of the very public service Democrats cherish and defend.

time-read
3 mins  |
July 05, 2024
UN Aid Chief Departs With Warning Of 'Huge' Famine
The Guardian Weekly

UN Aid Chief Departs With Warning Of 'Huge' Famine

Sudan is facing horror "beyond imagination", the outgoing UN aid chief has warned, with 750,000 people under imminent threat of famine and with conditions in danger of worsening even further.

time-read
2 mins  |
July 05, 2024
LENDERS OF LAST RESORT
The Guardian Weekly

LENDERS OF LAST RESORT

In 2024, Britain's libraries aren't just for books. They're support centres, homeless shelters and safety nets-filling huge gaps left by the state

time-read
10+ mins  |
July 05, 2024
New chapter What next for Julian Assange and WikiLeaks?
The Guardian Weekly

New chapter What next for Julian Assange and WikiLeaks?

As Julian Assange enjoyed his first weekend of freedom in years, there appeared to be no question in the mind of his wife, Stella, about what the family's priorities were.

time-read
3 mins  |
July 05, 2024
On the line The supreme court handed Trumpa partial win. Now what?
The Guardian Weekly

On the line The supreme court handed Trumpa partial win. Now what?

Ruling means the former president is now less likely to face trial in the subversion case before the election

time-read
2 mins  |
July 05, 2024
"This makes us nervous' Balloon wars raise stakes in the DMZ
The Guardian Weekly

"This makes us nervous' Balloon wars raise stakes in the DMZ

Just a stone's throw from North Korea, farmer Park Se-un tends to his crops under the watchful eye of the South Korean military.

time-read
3 mins  |
July 05, 2024
"They won't silence us' Activist's vow after ambush and beating
The Guardian Weekly

"They won't silence us' Activist's vow after ambush and beating

Opposition is pinning its hopes on parliamentary elections in October, amid attacks on government critics

time-read
3 mins  |
July 05, 2024
Before the Conservatives came to power in 2010, David Cameron set out his vision of a prosperous, secure country that would care for all. By every yardstick, his party has failed The long and wasted years of Tory Britain
The Guardian Weekly

Before the Conservatives came to power in 2010, David Cameron set out his vision of a prosperous, secure country that would care for all. By every yardstick, his party has failed The long and wasted years of Tory Britain

There have been times in the past few weeks, watching Rishi Sunak, with his hands flailing for the steering wheel, when just for a second or two the ghosts of the Conservative party's last 14 years have seemed to play across his features, and we all have been forced to endure the unspooling catastrophe once again: the Truss budget and Partygate and proroguing parliament and Theresa May croaking her way to her P45 and No Deal is Better than a Bad Deal and Eat out to Help Out and, God help us, Get Brexit Done.

time-read
5 mins  |
July 05, 2024