Election 2024

[Sibster]

Looks like the GOP has taken the White House, the Senate, and may still hold on to the House of Representatives

[Dave Gray]

I am strangely at peace with how decisive it is.  I hope he's able to do all of the things he said he would.  I'd rather it be this way than to have won the popular vote and then trying to spend the next 4 years beating him back.

People chose this.  He has a mandate.  Do it all.

[Sunstroke]

I am strangely at peace with how decisive it is.  I hope he's able to do all of the things he said he would. 

Oh yeah, transitioning from a democracy to a dictatorship should be really interesting to watch...

[Phishfan]

I thought it would be closer. I've never been a Trump fan. I didn't even watch The Apprentice. I'm actually more bummed amendment 3 & 4 failed here in Florida.

[Sibster]

I thought it would be closer. I've never been a Trump fan. I didn't even watch The Apprentice. I'm actually more bummed amendment 3 & 4 failed here in Florida.

I'm not.   I own two liquor stores.  One in Orange City and one in Deland.

[Denver2]

I hope he actually implements his economic policies, the tariffs will cause a depression and all the idiots that voted for him can get what they deserve.

I can’t wait for measles and other infectious diseases to tear through grade schools after RFK2 guts public health.

[Dave Gray]

I hope he actually implements his economic policies, the tariffs will cause a depression and all the idiots that voted for him can get what they deserve.

I think the tariffs will work for what he wants to use them for.  It's a way for him to get the business community to bow to him.  He can hit tariffs on industries or locations that don't give him what he wants.  It's a bargaining tool.  We will have a society of oligarchs.  There will be a handful of wealthy people who have enormous influence over industry and media.  Their loyalty to Trump will have to be unwavering.  In trade, Trump will clear the way for them to amass more wealth and power.  The average American will still think they're in a democracy.

It's the Russia model.

I can’t wait for measles and other infectious diseases to tear through grade schools after RFK2 guts public health.

Putting the biggest moron in charge of every department isn't an oversight.  It's the point.  Trumpism doesn't want functioning departments of government.  That's why he puts someone who doesn't believe in public education to head the education department (Betsy Duvos).  He put an oil stooge (Rick Perry) as the secretary of energy.  He had that one dude who had experience with horses run FEMA, which ended in a terrible response and Trump throwing paper towels.  RFK is anti-vax and wants to take fluoride out of the water system.  Maybe he'll get some flat-earthers to run NASA.  The whole idea is to make it so government can't work effectively, then to reduce their influence.

[Spider-Dan]

Holy shit, these crosstabs:

Latino voters in 2024: Trump +13 (compared to 2020)
Latino men: Trump +18(!)
Latino women: Trump +7

That's your election right there.

Trump slightly lost support among white people and his abysmal support among black people held steady.  So for the last four years, I've basically been doing the 1960s equivalent of advocating for civil rights to a bunch of black people who absolutely love Jim Crow and think it should go even further.

My bad, y'all!  Let me step out of the way.  The will of the people be done.

[Downunder Dolphan]

I saw a stat where the Democrats under Harris had around 20 million votes less than they did the last election under Biden.

That's total abandonment for you right there - even if they didn't vote for Trump or anyone else, it's a total failure of a campaign.

[masterfins]

I saw a stat where the Democrats under Harris had around 20 million votes less than they did the last election under Biden.

That's total abandonment for you right there - even if they didn't vote for Trump or anyone else, it's a total failure of a campaign.

I think it's bigger than Harris/Biden, but certainly a central part of it.  IMO for the last decade the Democrats have ignored rural America and have ignored the needs of the middle class; which were once a large part of the Democratic Party.  All you have to do is look at the Democratic strongholds, which are the metropolitan cities, outside of the cities the Democrats get killed.  Last night they were saying Harris was getting 2% less female voters; in addition to Trump increasing votes from Hispanic voters (as compared to 2020) he also increased votes from black voters.

I feel bad for Harris as she felt she couldn't come out and say how she disagreed with some of Biden's actions because she didn't want to offend the man that did so much for her.  In the end it seemed her campaign was run like a "prevent defense" at the end of an NFL game, I believe the Democrats thought they could just edge a victory on the anti-Trump rhetoric like they did four years ago, which was the opposite of what the public wanted.

But back to my original point I think the victories in Senate and House races showed that it was about the Democratic party in general, and not just about Harris/Trump.

As Tip O'Neil said back in the 1980's "All politics is Local". and citizens are not happy about the everyday costs of living, no matter what some politician in Washington says about it not being bad.

[Dave Gray]

This is not at all about Democrats.  America wanted Trump.

The difference was clear.  He ran a campaign of in-your-face demagoguery, criminality, lying, division, misogyny and racism.   People chose it because that's what they wanted.  It was a feature.  They like his cruelty.

There may be some universe where had the Democrats run a full cycle, run a white man, pivoted left instead of center, went on Joe Rogan more, blah blah blah and squeaked out a victory.  Maybe.  But even if they squeaked it out 52-48, the rot was still there and it was still deep.

Trump should've been rejected by his party in 2016, but they were unable.
He should've been rejected by the media, but they were in on it, because they loved the ratings.
He should've been taken out from the Russia stuff, but the "moderate Republicans" thought he learned his lesson.
He should've been taken out by his own party after Jan 6th, but Mitch McConnel chose not to pursue it.
He should've been taken out by the courts, but they failed.
He should've been taken out by the wealthy donors and businesses, but they didn't act.
He should've been taken out by the power that the Democrats had, but Merrick Garland wanted to appear hands-off and impartial, so he didn't see trial for 4 years.
The last line of defense was the American voting public.

They chose him.  No excuses.

America failed in its job to stop fascism.  They saw it and they chose it.  They knew what Trump was.  Many of them (and you) said it.  Yet they told themselves whatever they had to in order to permit themselves to vote for it anyway.

Now we will fall into fascism and not even realize because it's going to be the frog boiling in the pot.  He will use tariffs as leverage to get businesses and organizations to support him or at least limit criticism of him -- media, unions, corporations are all compromised.  It doesn't take much.  Your union is causing a stir in Pennsylvania?  It's a shame that I am planning a tariff on imported steel that you use.  Your TV channel has a late night host spouting off against me every night?  We'll just take a look at some potential FCC violations.  It's just gonna be little things where businesses don't fight back because it's more profitable to just not deal with it.  You're already seeing it.

We will be a system of oligarchs where the wealthy and powerful get more wealthy and more powerful by protecting him while he protects them.

I hope those of you that know me know that I'm not prone to hyperbole, but I believe we have witnessed the death of American democracy.  We will still call it democracy, like Russia does, but it will be a corpse dressed up like Uncle Sam.

[CF DolFan]

Not here to gloat but to point out the obvious. You have made this place an echo chamber and crucify anyone with a different opinion. For your own sanity ... please get outside of your personal echo chambers and experience the real world.  Hell ... even Eminem is friends with Kid Rock.

If Trump really was a racist, mesogenic, homophobic, dictator that wanted to take away women's rights he wouldn't have won like he did. Just because corporate sponsored MSM says so does not make it true and the results show that many people have awoken to the false attacks. The more they lie the easier it is to see the connection to the money. College campuses are even becoming republican friendly again as the truth comes out. Inner cities are seeing through the BS. His numbers went up pretty much everywhere ...  even Miami-Dade voted for Trump.

I've said it before but I still don't like a lot about the guy ...  but am looking forward to seeing the next 4 years. He's going to have the most diverse cabinet in our lifetime. Who knows ... maybe the Dolphins will win a playoff game in that time?  

[Spider-Dan]

If Trump really was a racist, mesogenic, homophobic, dictator that wanted to take away women's rights he wouldn't have won like he did.

And that's the point of disagreement: you seem to think he won in spite of his racist, misogynistic, transphobic, fascist rhetoric, while Dave and I believe he won precisely because of it.

There is a large portion of this country that vigorously agrees with door-to-door deportation squads.  I'm done trying to stand in the way.

[Pappy13]

Holy shit, these crosstabs:

Latino voters in 2024: Trump +13 (compared to 2020)
Latino men: Trump +18(!)
Latino women: Trump +7

That's your election right there.

I'll tell you what, Democrats have got to stop choosing women to run, it's a losing formula I'm convinced now. That's twice now he's run against women and won and he lost the only time he ran against a man. I'm convinced that's the difference. There are those that absolutely will NOT vote for a woman under any circumstances. That was my fear when Kamala was picked to replace Biden.

[Pappy13]

I saw a stat where the Democrats under Harris had around 20 million votes less than they did the last election under Biden.

That's total abandonment for you right there - even if they didn't vote for Trump or anyone else, it's a total failure of a campaign.

See my above comment.