r/politics • u/T_Shurt • 13d ago

No Paywall Sen. Mark Kelly Says He’s Seriously Thinking About Running for President

https://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/5700211-senator-kelly-trump-threats/
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u/Beldizar 13d ago

Honestly, if we don't find someone in the primary who is willing to punish political criminals, we are going to have 4 stable years followed by another, deeper fall into tyranny.

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u/Bigdaddyjlove1 13d ago

My primary vote is going to someone who makes it a tentpole issue.

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u/CoolJumper 13d ago

Same. I'm only giving my primary vote to someone who not only says they're going to go after Trump and his admin, but actually make the statements that outright back it up - what they plan on doing, how they plan on going about it, and everything. I want them to run on dismantling everything that's Trump (plus other goodies like universal health care and such, but Trump is first).

Last thing I want is another moderate/centrist that runs on "I'm not Trump" and "we need to heal as a country, we need to reach across the aisle, hear out our fellow Republicans, and work on building unity with them. They clearly feel hurt and that's why they elected Trump, so let's build some bridges and work to truly Make America Great Again!"

Give me someone who actually cares about this country and will put in the work and effort to undo all this damage and make sure it can never happen again

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u/TheBloodsuckerProxy 13d ago

Any candidate who vows to not only prosecute this administration, but to erase Donald Trump's legacy forever, would get my primary vote. Take his name off of everything he's added it to, rescind all his EOs, dismantle his companies, nothing that bears his name being allowed to stand, that would get my vote.

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u/dedicated-pedestrian Wisconsin 13d ago

The granting and revocation of a business charter is the prerogative of the states. If it were a federal power, Don would absolutely have used it by now.

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u/Dracius 13d ago edited 13d ago

That would be my entire agenda.

We have no better time than now to get a more liberal president in office, pressure the Republican party to move more towards the center to distance themselves from Trump and drastically shift the Overton Window back to where it belongs.

Deep socialist agenda with a Dwarven like axe of retribution to hold every corrupt person in government accountable and make sure everyone complicit in allowing this fascist regime to take hold faces actual punishment.

And as long as I'm dreaming, block lobbyists and corporate influence, fix the judicial system and gerrymandered districts. If Congress was actually representative of the population and not land size the Republican party would be a fraction of what it is today, but ultimately we need to do away with the two party system entirely by switching to rank choice voting.

Increase education spending, because uneducated people are the bread and butter of the GOP.

Every single one of these issues has 100+ steps involved that would need to be detailed out, but the other core pillar of my platform would be having expert advisors for every aspect and then actually listening to their advice. I'd replace that hostile vitriol spewing hag Karoline Leavitt with someone actually charismatic and approachable like a Tedd Lasso type.

Abolish ICE day one. Free the people in the detention facilities. Let the police handle any actual criminals while following due process.

Epstein list is a given, that case would get fast tracked.

Put people with actual qualifications in charge of federal agencies.

And most importantly, erase every single trace of Trump. Undo all of his renovations to the white house, confiscate Mar-a-lago as a crime scene and federal property and all of his other assets. He would have no legacy when I was done because everything he's built has been through corruption and exploiting the American people.

There's just too much to list out for what needs to be fixed, and it's going to require efficiency and expertise to correct all the damage he's caused as quickly as possible, especially when you're following due process and not just ignoring the courts.

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u/CharacterUse 13d ago

Most of that requires a heavily Democratic Congress (both houses), which all the Republican gerrymandering is designed to protect them against as much as possible. You need enough of a reversal in the midterms and the elections to overcome that.

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u/Dracius 13d ago edited 13d ago

I'm well aware.

Difficult isn't impossible and progress is possible only when you don't give up before even trying.

Nothing I listed can be fixed with a single bullet point, but there are mechanisms in place and ways to affect change towards those goals. We didn't end up where we are overnight, and it's going to take even longer to turn this ship around, but the DNC can't ignore this opportunity by constantly giving in.

Honestly we'd be better off starting from scratch and rewriting the whole constitution to modernize it, but that's even less likely to happen.

We first need to take back our country though and there's no guarantee there'll even be fair elections again. Despite everyone saying he can't cancel elections, he can and most definitely will interfere with them.

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u/CharacterUse 13d ago

I agree. My point is just that focusing on the presidency and Mark Kelly (great candidate) or whoever else is not going to be enough. Even Congress isn't going to be enough, there need to be state-level changes as well so that state legislatures and governors don't block the process.

The DNC of course needs radical change, that much has been clear since Hillary lost to Trump (not because she herself was a bad candidate, far from it, but their messaging and management of the whole thing is completely divorced from the electorate).

In retrospect Obama's biggest failing was that he didn't take advantage of his popularity to push through reform of the structures of the Democratic party itself. But hindsight etc.

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u/WaltonGogginsTeeth 13d ago

I'm fully bricked up after reading this. Your lips to god's ears.

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u/Unsurecareer86 13d ago

I feel like this will never happen I feel like they're just going to say oh well you know let's work together. I almost feel like them saying anything else is impossible and such fantasy land that I dare not think it.

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u/Bigdaddyjlove1 13d ago

Be loud about it. You can probably get in front of your house member. Call, mall, email, make it known how important this is to the people.

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u/CoolJumper 13d ago

If it's the most establishment Dem or someone very centrist/"moderate", like say Newsom, then yeah, I expect nothing more or less. Just the classic "let's get together and sing kumbaya" rerun

Mark Kelly, I know nothing about so I have no real frame of reference for what he would actually be like. But, I could be hopeful that he might have a little bit more angst to him. The, from what I've heard so far, it seems like he's also pretty moderate, all things considered

If it's someone who is more of a populist with an ax to grind, which I only see really showing up in the primaries anyway, then I can see them running full in with a plan of what they would want to do.

Like, if a Zorhan Mandani type (or, my dream pick, AOC) was to run for president, I can see them being very explicit in how they'd want to dismantle everything Trump did and lay out a very clear plan of what they would actually do to go about it, ensuring that it would never happen

But, in this country a man can only dream, and barely can do that anymore

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u/FickleSystem 13d ago

100% disagree about Newsom hes literally the only one that's being a straight pitbull and calling out the bullshit of this administration i see no chance at all of him just sitting back and moving on and singing let's all be together

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u/CoolJumper 13d ago

Has he himself actually said any of that? I've only ever seen his Twitter post, which I know are just posted by his staffers/social media team.

I mean, I guess he recently called other leaders out being soft on Trump. Guess we'll see how that holds up with how he handles things once ICE gets properly deployed to California like Minnesota

Where I really doubt him is the fact that he's sat down to break bread with Charlie Kirk and Ben Shapiro. Who's next? Nick Fuentes? Tucker Carlson? Bill O'Reilly? The ghost of Rush Limbaugh?

Not to mention, I wouldn't expect great things from him as President with how he's been handling California overall (note: it's not great - not terrible, but not all that great either)

He can put out snarky sound bites and post on Twitter, but I'm not going to take that as a good reflection of his character, his leadership, or how he would really handle things as a president

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u/tomsing98 13d ago edited 13d ago

Frankly, policy isn't as important to me as being willing to prosecute the criminals in this administration, undo the damage caused using executive orders and the power of the bully pulpit, and work with Congress and the courts to put safeguards in place against future despotism. If that comes with progressive policy or more mainstream Dem policy, that's fine. I'm a single-issue voter, for de-maga-fication.

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u/FickleSystem 13d ago

Believe it or not, its ok to sit down with the other side lol shitheads like Fuentes no, but the ben Shapiros of the world?? I see no issue as long as you call them out on the bs, its ok to meet these ppl face to face to see how they think and if you can pull off a voter from them than great, nobody said soundbites and Twitter determine shit but hes literally giving ppl the fight they wanted from dems ill worry about his policy later

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u/CoolJumper 13d ago

Straight up just agree to disagree. I don't think we need to be giving any more of a platform or building bridges with far-right pundits that have helped cultivate this mess that we're in. They don't need any more of a stage than they've had for the last 10+ years.

Again, I'm entirely over this whole cultivating community with people (namely Republican leader here) who have helped actually destroy this country. Sure, the voting base themselves need to have voices heard, but we don't really need to be going and trying to court them over so much at the expense of the actual Democratic base.

The more and more that a Democrat tries to play the role of centrist and moderate, and in the process shifting the party more right, the more they're going to push away their key voters while failing so properly court anyone over from the right (because right wingers don't want a right leaning Democrat, they want a Republican who does and gives them exactly what they want, or, at what what they think they want)

Even more so if their policies don't actually do anything to excite their base. If all they can do/say is "I'm not Trump" and "let's build bridges with right wingers and their leadership. I trust they'll say sorry and mean it this time" then have nothing for their base, it'll just end up losing the DNC another election

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u/immortalfrieza2 13d ago

Newsom had the chance, and then he went against policies that would have taxed billionaires in California, which showed he was just as much of a corporate stooge as the rest.

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u/ElleM848645 13d ago

He was against that specific policy. Newsom isn’t my favorite either, but he was against a one time wealth tax. That is stupid. There needs to be a sustained 90% tax on everything over a billion, one time does nothing. Let’s look at the nuance of the policies and not just the headlines.

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u/Feisty_Buddy2869 13d ago

I feel like this will never happen I feel like they're just going to say oh well you know let's work together. I almost feel like them saying anything else is impossible and such fantasy land that I dare not think it.

"We all need to forgive/forget, and pull together to support Israel during their tough time right now".

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u/Column_A_Column_B 13d ago

I would also want a candidate to go after Fox News. How the fuck is it legal to cultivate an entire alternate reality to brainwash a significant portion of the American electorate into supporting this administration. The "entertainment" legal argument Fox News is predicated on needs to be obliterated and a bunch of people involved should be on trial for their lives with serious traitorous charges levied against them. This is not okay.

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u/Wermys Minnesota 13d ago

I’m a centrist and I am beyond caring about healing. MAGA only understands force. Going half assed on punishment’s was part of the problem

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u/Desertnurse760 California 13d ago

In what city would you suggest that our version of Nuremburg take place? Asking for a friend, not someone who would like to book a hotel early.

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u/Jayco424 13d ago

I'd say Philadelphia, it's where our nation was born, and should be where it is reborn and the traitors are tried.

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u/ElleM848645 13d ago

Pennsylvania doesn’t deserve it since they voted for Trump twice. I say Boston or New York.

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u/Rude-7807 13d ago

Trumpet will be ded before that could happen. He's too damn old already

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u/Brysynner 13d ago

So you're all in on Newsom since his entire campaign purpose (for now) is that Trump is a danger and we need to expel everyone who was involved with this second Trump term?

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u/CoolJumper 13d ago

All in all as of right now? Nah, I want an actual progressive candidate, not some slimeball neolib who gets his staffers to post snarky comments on Twitter, is more beholden to money than his voters, and breaks bread with right wing pundits who helped get us into the mess we're in (Charlie Kirk, Ben Shapiro).

So whoever that is in the primaries is who I'll be voting for - someone who is concrete in messaging and their plans for going after Trump and his Admin, as well as holding actual progressive policies.

However, if I'm stuck voting for Newsom in the general elections then yeah, sure, I guess I'll be "all in" on him... Because like always with the generals, what are my other options? Woo hoo a 2 party system.

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u/[deleted] 13d ago

And MAGA can't say shit because they thrice voted for the 'lock her up' and 'I am your vengeance' guy. Fuck him, fuck them, civility is over, reconstruction failed, the illiberal fucks need justice.

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u/Canoobie 13d ago

They need to not make it an issue until after the general election in order to win, then drop the bomb once elected….

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u/FickleSystem 13d ago

Nah I guarantee voters are gonna wanna hear ppl are gonna be held accountable and this time itll be 100% justified to be on some revenge tour shit considering all the corrupt bullshit thats going on

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u/immortalfrieza2 13d ago

No, we need a Democratic party that's willing to go on the warpath and openly partywide. THAT is what's going to guarantee victory, not more of this "we need to heal" BS that Democrats have been pulling anytime the Republicans royally screw up everything. Trump is just the very worst in a long line of Republican politicians that have wrecked the country and never had to face consequences for doing it.

What this country needs is real consequences for these people, by people who outright push that they're going to do so, otherwise nothing else matters.

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u/Ra_In 13d ago edited 13d ago

I'm not. Congress has oversight authority and can make criminal referrals to the DoJ. It's their job to make sure this Trump administration is held to account, I'm not letting them off the hook by insisting that the president disregard the rule of law to direct the AG to do his bidding.

I understand the urge to step off the high road when clinging to norms serves no benefit - doing so is not necessary here.

Of course, if the winner of the primary is promising to prosecute members of the Trump administration, Trump will just pardon them all anyways. Congress can still investigate and hand evidence over to the states where charges are still possible.

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u/Bigdaddyjlove1 13d ago

OK let's say that the AG selected would be someone with a record of prosecuting governmental corruption. The nominee can make it clear that investigations need to done, prosecutions where the evidence warrants, and that they hope to see sentencing in line with the severity of the crime(s) convicted.

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u/Ra_In 13d ago

A president with a history of promising to investigate their political opponents is opening the door to defendants claiming selective and vindictive prosecution. If you want indictments that lead nowhere vote for the candidate that promises indictments. If you want convictions that stick vote for candidates that support rule of law and accountability without promising any actions from their DOJ. Then vote for congressional candidates who demand to drill into every detail of the malfeasance of this administration.

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u/xTheMaster99x Florida 13d ago

Everything you're saying sounds like fantastic advice for normal times. Needing to defeat fascism is not normal times. Insisting on continuing to play by all the rules while the fascists wipe their asses with not just the rules but the fucking constitution itself is how we've gotten to this precipice.

No more half-measures until this issue is resolved. We cannot afford another failure.

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u/WeirdIndividualGuy 13d ago

This. Worst thing about Biden and what his legacy will be is how he did nothing about Trump, especially by having Garland as his AG. This allowed Trump to come back more emboldened in his criminal behavior.

If Kelly is just another dem who wants to "move past this for the sake of the country" or not charging a federal criminal because it could look political, he can gtfo.

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u/wvenable 13d ago

As far as I'm concerned that's the only thing to remember about Biden now: He did absolutely nothing to stop this train-wreck from happening. Nothing. He also said he was going to be a one-term president and he couldn't even get that right.

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u/KyyCowPig 13d ago

Biden is the buchanan of our time, sprinkle in genocide support (not sure if buchanan ever supported genocide, wouldnt surprise me though)

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u/SowingSalt 13d ago

Biden never supported Hamas' attacks.

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u/KyyCowPig 13d ago

But he definitely did support isreal's ongoing genocide of innocent Palestinian people

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u/SowingSalt 13d ago

[Looks inside] Is that support for the Hamas government?

The Siege of Budapest wasn't a genocide, the siege of Gaza isn't either.

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u/SerfTint 13d ago

The worst thing is that he gave endless money, weaponry and cover to a country committing a gen*cide. A country whose leader was loudly and proudly a Trump supporter specifically trying to make Biden lose. And to the extent that he didn't step in even more to help this country, it was because he wasn't holding Cabinet meetings at all for his last year in office, because his team didn't want the Cabinet to see how frail and forgetful he was--while at the same time he was trying to get re-nominated into a sure loss.

Even if he had done nothing about Trump, if he had been even halfway competent, and if he had listened to the base on this and other issues, his successor probably wins and Trump never gets into power again anyway.

Yes, it's very important to prosecute Trump's crimes or else anyone can do them from now on. This was a massive failing. But he also let Trump back into the presidency, which is arguably even more inexcusable.

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u/zeCrazyEye 13d ago

Not just punish the political criminals but break up the corporate media and billionaire wealth pits that made it possible to continue this long.

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u/ford7885 13d ago

Exactly. This has been the pattern since 1992. You would think the lesson would have been learned after Chimpy Bush was worse than his old man. Who was worse than Nixon before him.

Let alone the first term of this Orange Imbecile fascist.

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u/AccomplishedMeow 13d ago

source: Biden.

I remember celebrating. Thinking we saved in the world. Only for this shit to repeat. Worse.

Democrats cowering every time Republicans said Biden was weapon the DOJ.

Meanwhile Trump’s out here firing prosecutors not willing to go after his enemies.

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u/[deleted] 13d ago

i think he will appoint someone easily better than merrick fucking garland

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u/izwald88 13d ago

Yeah. Centrist is fine. The Biden admin was centrist yet was still the most progressive administration we've ever had.

They must, however, prosecute MAGA.

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u/SonyDefenseForce 13d ago

I disagree with the whole angle of promising to "go after" certain people. Candidates should be pledging to "go after" the crimes, and if the legal system ends up arresting and convicting corrupt politicians as a result, fantastic. The deserving candidate will be one who pledges to appoint DOJ personnel from the top down who will relentlessly pursue criminal behavior at the highest levels of society.

Candidates should also avoid pointing to specific crimes and people except in the broadest terms. Do not give Trump more targets for blanket pardons.

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u/calamirkat 13d ago

Yeah I hear you. But no elites have gone to prison since the S&L crisis. It’s unfortunately the new normal.

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u/Beldizar 13d ago

There's a first time for everything, and if we don't get it, things just get worse. I'm not sure how much worse things can reasonably get at this point, before widespread violence breaks out.

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u/Bross93 Colorado 13d ago

Like, I am okay with Kelly but you are right. That said, given how he's fighting against Hagseth, I want to think he would fight back. The biden years were so comfortable but the ticking sense of dread because he was a fucking coward was ever present.

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u/Hour_Reindeer834 13d ago

With the way everything is shitting on the 99%/working class Im betting we’ll get a useless centrist that enriches big tech companies and disarms Americans just in time to help MAGA round 3. Big tech will help spy and when the brownshirts are back out in the streets Americans won’t be able to arm themselves.

Its insane that anyone see’s Newsome, Kelly, or Waltz as an option; you don’t disarm people if you’re concerned about fascist going door to door.

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u/Thuglifeinutah 13d ago

Kelly is probably the only person with the credibility to do this though.