Republicans and Trumpers

[scotchtiger]

This is a bit like waking up on Sunday after the ND game. Just lots of disappointment and obvious, self-inflicted mistakes.

That said, we are left with a bright neon sign providing clarity on the way forward. That sign reads:

"Don't walk, RUN away from Donald Trump."

A historically unpopular and incompetent president combined with historic inflation and economic concerns should have resulted in a clear red wave in the midterms. History tells us so. Instead, this was a referendum on Donald Trump, Trumpism and his stain on the Republican party.

The 2020 election should have been clear. 8M more people voted for a potato in a basement over Trump. Very few were actually enthusiastic about Biden. But such a strong majority of the country hated Trump, that it drove record turnout and ultimately, a defeat for the incumbent.

After the election, Trump made mistakes that exacerbated his toxicity. Stop the steal, January 6th, screwing with the stimulus amount (saying it should be $2K when $600 was approved by both parties), torpedoing turnout in the GA runoffs, etc. So he went from being so toxic that he drove record turnout for a historically bad D candidate to completely radioactive.

Only problem, his core base didn't see it. They doubled down. They laughed at TDS. I'm looking at plenty of you here on TI. You are the problem that brought us to the disappointment of last night. I hope the veil is being lifted from your eyes. Here is the cold, hard truth for you:

Donald Trump CANNOT win a national presidential election.

He's too toxic, too divisive and too unpopular among voters in the middle. Look at swing states. Trump-backed Oz lost in PA. Trump-backed Walker had fewer votes than Warnock in GA. Trump-backed (and election denier) Kari Lake lost in AZ.

2016 is gone and is never coming back. It will not happen again. Trump cannot carry moderates, indies, young people and swing voters.

MAGAs: Do you agree? If not, how do you possibly see Trump winning a national election after last night?

It's time to move on. Maybe it's Desantis, maybe not. If it is, he needs to find a positive policy platform instead of divisive social issues. That's not a winner at the national level.

If the GOP does somehow manage to save a razor thin majority in Congress, it needs to work diligently to appear like the adults in the room (ie not hold pointless impeachment hearings). They also need to take some major issues off the table that are losers for them.

• Get abortion off the ballot. Work across the aisle to pass legislation that protects a woman's right to choose in the cases of rape, incest and health, plus more voluntary access within a specified range to be determined by the state (say, 12-20 weeks). This is a winner nationally. It would get 65%+ approval in a popular vote.
• Protect gay marriage. Just get this off the deck.
• More common sense legislation that the majority of Americans agree upon.

Then develop some ideas to help healthcare. Revise the climate policy from "climate changes does not exist" to an alternative, more logical path forward that helps the planet without hurting the economy and families' pocketbooks.

America First put the Republicans last in the midterms. It's time to grow up and be the adults in the room. I still believe that a fiscally conservative, socially moderate, logic-based platform is a winner nationally. Most people do NOT want liberalism and big government spending. But more than that, they don't want divisiveness, conspiracies and a narcissistic asshole anywhere near their ballot. That is abundantly clear.

 

[yoshi121374]

This is a bit like waking up on Sunday after the ND game. Just lots of disappointment and obvious, self-inflicted mistakes.

That said, we are left with a bright neon sign providing clarity on the way forward. That sign reads:

"Don't walk, RUN away from Donald Trump."

A historically unpopular and incompetent president combined with historic inflation and economic concerns should have resulted in a clear red wave in the midterms. History tells us so. Instead, this was a referendum on Donald Trump, Trumpism and his stain on the Republican party.

The 2020 election should have been clear. 8M more people voted for a potato in a basement over Trump. Very few were actually enthusiastic about Biden. But such a strong majority of the country hated Trump, that it drove record turnout and ultimately, a defeat for the incumbent.

After the election, Trump made mistakes that exacerbated his toxicity. Stop the steal, January 6th, screwing with the stimulus amount (saying it should be $2K when $600 was approved by both parties), torpedoing turnout in the GA runoffs, etc. So he went from being so toxic that he drove record turnout for a historically bad D candidate to completely radioactive.

Only problem, his core base didn't see it. They doubled down. They laughed at TDS. I'm looking at plenty of you here on TI. You are the problem that brought us to the disappointment of last night. I hope the veil is being lifted from your eyes. Here is the cold, hard truth for you:

Donald Trump CANNOT win a national presidential election.

He's too toxic, too divisive and too unpopular among voters in the middle. Look at swing states. Trump-backed Oz lost in PA. Trump-backed Walker had fewer votes than Warnock in GA. Trump-backed (and election denier) Kari Lake lost in AZ.

2016 is gone and is never coming back. It will not happen again. Trump cannot carry moderates, indies, young people and swing voters.

MAGAs: Do you agree? If not, how do you possibly see Trump winning a national election after last night?

It's time to move on. Maybe it's Desantis, maybe not. If it is, he needs to find a positive policy platform instead of divisive social issues. That's not a winner at the national level.

If the GOP does somehow manage to save a razor thin majority in Congress, it needs to work diligently to appear like the adults in the room (ie not hold pointless impeachment hearings). They also need to take some major issues off the table that are losers for them.

• Get abortion off the ballot. Work across the aisle to pass legislation that protects a woman's right to choose in the cases of rape, incest and health, plus more voluntary access within a specified range to be determined by the state (say, 12-20 weeks). This is a winner nationally. It would get 65%+ approval in a popular vote.
• Protect gay marriage. Just get this off the deck.
• More common sense legislation that the majority of Americans agree upon.

Then develop some ideas to help healthcare. Revise the climate policy from "climate changes does not exist" to an alternative, more logical path forward that helps the planet without hurting the economy and families' pocketbooks.

America First put the Republicans last in the midterms. It's time to grow up and be the adults in the room. I still believe that a fiscally conservative, socially moderate, logic-based platform is a winner nationally. Most people do NOT want liberalism and big government spending. But more than that, they don't want divisiveness, conspiracies and a narcissistic asshole anywhere near their ballot. That is abundantly clear.

This is such a good post, and why I respect your positions and opinions. The reality is this, if the Republicans could be fiscally moderate, while not being socially divisive on topics such as Abortion and Gay Rights, etc I could vote for a Republican.

I will never, and I truly mean never vote for someone like Donald Trump or what he stands for. I need someone who isn't a total piece of shit. I voted for Biden, who I don't love, because of what a scumbag Trump is.

Policies matter to me, but I will not vote for my personal financial gain over someone who I respected and trust to make a smart decision. I don't have to like you,but I do need to repsect you.

 

[dpic73]

This is a bit like waking up on Sunday after the ND game. Just lots of disappointment and obvious, self-inflicted mistakes.

That said, we are left with a bright neon sign providing clarity on the way forward. That sign reads:

"Don't walk, RUN away from Donald Trump."

A historically unpopular and incompetent president combined with historic inflation and economic concerns should have resulted in a clear red wave in the midterms. History tells us so. Instead, this was a referendum on Donald Trump, Trumpism and his stain on the Republican party.

The 2020 election should have been clear. 8M more people voted for a potato in a basement over Trump. Very few were actually enthusiastic about Biden. But such a strong majority of the country hated Trump, that it drove record turnout and ultimately, a defeat for the incumbent.

After the election, Trump made mistakes that exacerbated his toxicity. Stop the steal, January 6th, screwing with the stimulus amount (saying it should be $2K when $600 was approved by both parties), torpedoing turnout in the GA runoffs, etc. So he went from being so toxic that he drove record turnout for a historically bad D candidate to completely radioactive.

Only problem, his core base didn't see it. They doubled down. They laughed at TDS. I'm looking at plenty of you here on TI. You are the problem that brought us to the disappointment of last night. I hope the veil is being lifted from your eyes. Here is the cold, hard truth for you:

Donald Trump CANNOT win a national presidential election.

He's too toxic, too divisive and too unpopular among voters in the middle. Look at swing states. Trump-backed Oz lost in PA. Trump-backed Walker had fewer votes than Warnock in GA. Trump-backed (and election denier) Kari Lake lost in AZ.

2016 is gone and is never coming back. It will not happen again. Trump cannot carry moderates, indies, young people and swing voters.

MAGAs: Do you agree? If not, how do you possibly see Trump winning a national election after last night?

It's time to move on. Maybe it's Desantis, maybe not. If it is, he needs to find a positive policy platform instead of divisive social issues. That's not a winner at the national level.

If the GOP does somehow manage to save a razor thin majority in Congress, it needs to work diligently to appear like the adults in the room (ie not hold pointless impeachment hearings). They also need to take some major issues off the table that are losers for them.

• Get abortion off the ballot. Work across the aisle to pass legislation that protects a woman's right to choose in the cases of rape, incest and health, plus more voluntary access within a specified range to be determined by the state (say, 12-20 weeks). This is a winner nationally. It would get 65%+ approval in a popular vote.
• Protect gay marriage. Just get this off the deck.
• More common sense legislation that the majority of Americans agree upon.

Then develop some ideas to help healthcare. Revise the climate policy from "climate changes does not exist" to an alternative, more logical path forward that helps the planet without hurting the economy and families' pocketbooks.

America First put the Republicans last in the midterms. It's time to grow up and be the adults in the room. I still believe that a fiscally conservative, socially moderate, logic-based platform is a winner nationally. Most people do NOT want liberalism and big government spending. But more than that, they don't want divisiveness, conspiracies and a narcissistic asshole anywhere near their ballot. That is abundantly clear.

Great post

 

[ctcseb]

This is a bit like waking up on Sunday after the ND game. Just lots of disappointment and obvious, self-inflicted mistakes.

That said, we are left with a bright neon sign providing clarity on the way forward. That sign reads:

"Don't walk, RUN away from Donald Trump."

A historically unpopular and incompetent president combined with historic inflation and economic concerns should have resulted in a clear red wave in the midterms. History tells us so. Instead, this was a referendum on Donald Trump, Trumpism and his stain on the Republican party.

The 2020 election should have been clear. 8M more people voted for a potato in a basement over Trump. Very few were actually enthusiastic about Biden. But such a strong majority of the country hated Trump, that it drove record turnout and ultimately, a defeat for the incumbent.

After the election, Trump made mistakes that exacerbated his toxicity. Stop the steal, January 6th, screwing with the stimulus amount (saying it should be $2K when $600 was approved by both parties), torpedoing turnout in the GA runoffs, etc. So he went from being so toxic that he drove record turnout for a historically bad D candidate to completely radioactive.

Only problem, his core base didn't see it. They doubled down. They laughed at TDS. I'm looking at plenty of you here on TI. You are the problem that brought us to the disappointment of last night. I hope the veil is being lifted from your eyes. Here is the cold, hard truth for you:

Donald Trump CANNOT win a national presidential election.

He's too toxic, too divisive and too unpopular among voters in the middle. Look at swing states. Trump-backed Oz lost in PA. Trump-backed Walker had fewer votes than Warnock in GA. Trump-backed (and election denier) Kari Lake lost in AZ.

2016 is gone and is never coming back. It will not happen again. Trump cannot carry moderates, indies, young people and swing voters.

MAGAs: Do you agree? If not, how do you possibly see Trump winning a national election after last night?

It's time to move on. Maybe it's Desantis, maybe not. If it is, he needs to find a positive policy platform instead of divisive social issues. That's not a winner at the national level.

If the GOP does somehow manage to save a razor thin majority in Congress, it needs to work diligently to appear like the adults in the room (ie not hold pointless impeachment hearings). They also need to take some major issues off the table that are losers for them.

• Get abortion off the ballot. Work across the aisle to pass legislation that protects a woman's right to choose in the cases of rape, incest and health, plus more voluntary access within a specified range to be determined by the state (say, 12-20 weeks). This is a winner nationally. It would get 65%+ approval in a popular vote.
• Protect gay marriage. Just get this off the deck.
• More common sense legislation that the majority of Americans agree upon.

Then develop some ideas to help healthcare. Revise the climate policy from "climate changes does not exist" to an alternative, more logical path forward that helps the planet without hurting the economy and families' pocketbooks.

America First put the Republicans last in the midterms. It's time to grow up and be the adults in the room. I still believe that a fiscally conservative, socially moderate, logic-based platform is a winner nationally. Most people do NOT want liberalism and big government spending. But more than that, they don't want divisiveness, conspiracies and a narcissistic asshole anywhere near their ballot. That is abundantly clear.

I've said it before, I would vote for you. I agree 100% with both your analysis of how we got here and your path to digging us out of the hole. Let's be reasonable, negotiate, compromise, and move America forward. Let's leave toxicity behind and work constructively toward pragmatic solutions.

 

[97ClemsonMac]

Couldn't agree more. Also really think overturning of Roe really drove out women

 

[Jmoney843]

Florida is the model the Pubs need to follow.

Huge fan of DeSantis.

 

[okclem]

This is a bit like waking up on Sunday after the ND game. Just lots of disappointment and obvious, self-inflicted mistakes.

That said, we are left with a bright neon sign providing clarity on the way forward. That sign reads:

"Don't walk, RUN away from Donald Trump."

A historically unpopular and incompetent president combined with historic inflation and economic concerns should have resulted in a clear red wave in the midterms. History tells us so. Instead, this was a referendum on Donald Trump, Trumpism and his stain on the Republican party.

The 2020 election should have been clear. 8M more people voted for a potato in a basement over Trump. Very few were actually enthusiastic about Biden. But such a strong majority of the country hated Trump, that it drove record turnout and ultimately, a defeat for the incumbent.

After the election, Trump made mistakes that exacerbated his toxicity. Stop the steal, January 6th, screwing with the stimulus amount (saying it should be $2K when $600 was approved by both parties), torpedoing turnout in the GA runoffs, etc. So he went from being so toxic that he drove record turnout for a historically bad D candidate to completely radioactive.

Only problem, his core base didn't see it. They doubled down. They laughed at TDS. I'm looking at plenty of you here on TI. You are the problem that brought us to the disappointment of last night. I hope the veil is being lifted from your eyes. Here is the cold, hard truth for you:

Donald Trump CANNOT win a national presidential election.

He's too toxic, too divisive and too unpopular among voters in the middle. Look at swing states. Trump-backed Oz lost in PA. Trump-backed Walker had fewer votes than Warnock in GA. Trump-backed (and election denier) Kari Lake lost in AZ.

2016 is gone and is never coming back. It will not happen again. Trump cannot carry moderates, indies, young people and swing voters.

MAGAs: Do you agree? If not, how do you possibly see Trump winning a national election after last night?

It's time to move on. Maybe it's Desantis, maybe not. If it is, he needs to find a positive policy platform instead of divisive social issues. That's not a winner at the national level.

If the GOP does somehow manage to save a razor thin majority in Congress, it needs to work diligently to appear like the adults in the room (ie not hold pointless impeachment hearings). They also need to take some major issues off the table that are losers for them.

• Get abortion off the ballot. Work across the aisle to pass legislation that protects a woman's right to choose in the cases of rape, incest and health, plus more voluntary access within a specified range to be determined by the state (say, 12-20 weeks). This is a winner nationally. It would get 65%+ approval in a popular vote.
• Protect gay marriage. Just get this off the deck.
• More common sense legislation that the majority of Americans agree upon.

Then develop some ideas to help healthcare. Revise the climate policy from "climate changes does not exist" to an alternative, more logical path forward that helps the planet without hurting the economy and families' pocketbooks.

America First put the Republicans last in the midterms. It's time to grow up and be the adults in the room. I still believe that a fiscally conservative, socially moderate, logic-based platform is a winner nationally. Most people do NOT want liberalism and big government spending. But more than that, they don't want divisiveness, conspiracies and a narcissistic asshole anywhere near their ballot. That is abundantly clear.

Good post/thoughts, although I'd push back on the notion that 65% of Americans would support any restrictive abortion rights. America is more pro choice than ever and that trend is only going to continue.

 

[okclem]

Florida is the model the Pubs need to follow.

Huge fan of DeSantis.

What plays in Florida will not play nationally.

 

[Willence]

This is a bit like waking up on Sunday after the ND game. Just lots of disappointment and obvious, self-inflicted mistakes.

That said, we are left with a bright neon sign providing clarity on the way forward. That sign reads:

"Don't walk, RUN away from Donald Trump."

A historically unpopular and incompetent president combined with historic inflation and economic concerns should have resulted in a clear red wave in the midterms. History tells us so. Instead, this was a referendum on Donald Trump, Trumpism and his stain on the Republican party.

The 2020 election should have been clear. 8M more people voted for a potato in a basement over Trump. Very few were actually enthusiastic about Biden. But such a strong majority of the country hated Trump, that it drove record turnout and ultimately, a defeat for the incumbent.

After the election, Trump made mistakes that exacerbated his toxicity. Stop the steal, January 6th, screwing with the stimulus amount (saying it should be $2K when $600 was approved by both parties), torpedoing turnout in the GA runoffs, etc. So he went from being so toxic that he drove record turnout for a historically bad D candidate to completely radioactive.

Only problem, his core base didn't see it. They doubled down. They laughed at TDS. I'm looking at plenty of you here on TI. You are the problem that brought us to the disappointment of last night. I hope the veil is being lifted from your eyes. Here is the cold, hard truth for you:

Donald Trump CANNOT win a national presidential election.

He's too toxic, too divisive and too unpopular among voters in the middle. Look at swing states. Trump-backed Oz lost in PA. Trump-backed Walker had fewer votes than Warnock in GA. Trump-backed (and election denier) Kari Lake lost in AZ.

2016 is gone and is never coming back. It will not happen again. Trump cannot carry moderates, indies, young people and swing voters.

MAGAs: Do you agree? If not, how do you possibly see Trump winning a national election after last night?

It's time to move on. Maybe it's Desantis, maybe not. If it is, he needs to find a positive policy platform instead of divisive social issues. That's not a winner at the national level.

If the GOP does somehow manage to save a razor thin majority in Congress, it needs to work diligently to appear like the adults in the room (ie not hold pointless impeachment hearings). They also need to take some major issues off the table that are losers for them.

• Get abortion off the ballot. Work across the aisle to pass legislation that protects a woman's right to choose in the cases of rape, incest and health, plus more voluntary access within a specified range to be determined by the state (say, 12-20 weeks). This is a winner nationally. It would get 65%+ approval in a popular vote.
• Protect gay marriage. Just get this off the deck.
• More common sense legislation that the majority of Americans agree upon.

Then develop some ideas to help healthcare. Revise the climate policy from "climate changes does not exist" to an alternative, more logical path forward that helps the planet without hurting the economy and families' pocketbooks.

America First put the Republicans last in the midterms. It's time to grow up and be the adults in the room. I still believe that a fiscally conservative, socially moderate, logic-based platform is a winner nationally. Most people do NOT want liberalism and big government spending. But more than that, they don't want divisiveness, conspiracies and a narcissistic asshole anywhere near their ballot. That is abundantly clear.

Play stupid games, win stupid prizes. This is what the Republicans keep doing over and over again with their infatuation with Donald Trump.

When the dust clears, I am going to bet that suburban women again put the Democrats over the top and singlehandedly blunted the "red wave." This will be over abortion which depresses me but it's still reality. I am a radical on abortion but I also know that my views are not in line with most of the country and I do not seek to force them on others. I'd rather make the argument and try to win it over the long term.

The GOP nominated so many bad candidates it's hard to know where to begin. Also, the soon to be Speaker of the House is not an effective leader. He is weak sauce and really someone else needs to step up to lead who is not a member of what's referred to as a "Freedom Caucus." Republicans have to decide they aren't going to be Charlie Brown anymore trying to kick the football. It's painful to watch because it is just not that tough to beat the Democrats as they are wrong on almost every major issue. Yet over and over the GOP picks positions and people who can find that one place which is worse and manage to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory.

Also, the people who are in charge of the GOP need to realize just how ignorant most people are who vote these days and understand there are very basic level ways to appeal to them. Getting into the weeds doesn't work because of the profound ignorance of the electorate in the US now.

 

[okclem]

Play stupid games, win stupid prizes. This is what the Republicans keep doing over and over again with their infatuation with Donald Trump.

When the dust clears, I am going to bet that suburban women again put the Democrats over the top and singlehandedly blunted the "red wave." This will be over abortion which depresses me but it's still reality. I am a radical on abortion but I also know that my views are not in line with most of the country and I do not seek to force them on others. I'd rather make the argument and try to win it over the long term.

The GOP nominated so many bad candidates it's hard to know where to begin. Also, the soon to be Speaker of the House is not an effective leader. He is weak sauce and really someone else needs to step up to lead who is not a member of what's referred to as a "Freedom Caucus." Republicans have to decide they aren't going to be Charlie Brown anymore trying to kick the football. It's painful to watch because it is just not that tough to beat the Democrats as they are wrong on almost every major issue. Yet over and over the GOP picks positions and people who can find that one place which is worse and manage to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory.

Also, the people who are in charge of the GOP need to realize just how ignorant most people are who vote these days and understand there are very basic level ways to appeal to them. Getting into the weeds doesn't work because of the profound ignorance of the electorate in the US now.

Profound ignorance of the electorate now? As opposed to when?

 

[2of3Tigers]

This is a bit like waking up on Sunday after the ND game. Just lots of disappointment and obvious, self-inflicted mistakes.

That said, we are left with a bright neon sign providing clarity on the way forward. That sign reads:

"Don't walk, RUN away from Donald Trump."

A historically unpopular and incompetent president combined with historic inflation and economic concerns should have resulted in a clear red wave in the midterms. History tells us so. Instead, this was a referendum on Donald Trump, Trumpism and his stain on the Republican party.

The 2020 election should have been clear. 8M more people voted for a potato in a basement over Trump. Very few were actually enthusiastic about Biden. But such a strong majority of the country hated Trump, that it drove record turnout and ultimately, a defeat for the incumbent.

After the election, Trump made mistakes that exacerbated his toxicity. Stop the steal, January 6th, screwing with the stimulus amount (saying it should be $2K when $600 was approved by both parties), torpedoing turnout in the GA runoffs, etc. So he went from being so toxic that he drove record turnout for a historically bad D candidate to completely radioactive.

Only problem, his core base didn't see it. They doubled down. They laughed at TDS. I'm looking at plenty of you here on TI. You are the problem that brought us to the disappointment of last night. I hope the veil is being lifted from your eyes. Here is the cold, hard truth for you:

Donald Trump CANNOT win a national presidential election.

He's too toxic, too divisive and too unpopular among voters in the middle. Look at swing states. Trump-backed Oz lost in PA. Trump-backed Walker had fewer votes than Warnock in GA. Trump-backed (and election denier) Kari Lake lost in AZ.

2016 is gone and is never coming back. It will not happen again. Trump cannot carry moderates, indies, young people and swing voters.

MAGAs: Do you agree? If not, how do you possibly see Trump winning a national election after last night?

It's time to move on. Maybe it's Desantis, maybe not. If it is, he needs to find a positive policy platform instead of divisive social issues. That's not a winner at the national level.

If the GOP does somehow manage to save a razor thin majority in Congress, it needs to work diligently to appear like the adults in the room (ie not hold pointless impeachment hearings). They also need to take some major issues off the table that are losers for them.

• Get abortion off the ballot. Work across the aisle to pass legislation that protects a woman's right to choose in the cases of rape, incest and health, plus more voluntary access within a specified range to be determined by the state (say, 12-20 weeks). This is a winner nationally. It would get 65%+ approval in a popular vote.
• Protect gay marriage. Just get this off the deck.
• More common sense legislation that the majority of Americans agree upon.

Then develop some ideas to help healthcare. Revise the climate policy from "climate changes does not exist" to an alternative, more logical path forward that helps the planet without hurting the economy and families' pocketbooks.

America First put the Republicans last in the midterms. It's time to grow up and be the adults in the room. I still believe that a fiscally conservative, socially moderate, logic-based platform is a winner nationally. Most people do NOT want liberalism and big government spending. But more than that, they don't want divisiveness, conspiracies and a narcissistic asshole anywhere near their ballot. That is abundantly clear.

Post of the year! Trump needs to remove himself from the political arena and quietly back Desantis and then never go in front of a microphone again. I loved his policies but he is like nails on a chalkboard to the majority of women.

I'm terrified he gets beat by Desantis in the primary's then pulls a Ross Perot, goes independent and splits the vote.

 

[2of3Tigers]

This is a bit like waking up on Sunday after the ND game. Just lots of disappointment and obvious, self-inflicted mistakes.

That said, we are left with a bright neon sign providing clarity on the way forward. That sign reads:

"Don't walk, RUN away from Donald Trump."

A historically unpopular and incompetent president combined with historic inflation and economic concerns should have resulted in a clear red wave in the midterms. History tells us so. Instead, this was a referendum on Donald Trump, Trumpism and his stain on the Republican party.

The 2020 election should have been clear. 8M more people voted for a potato in a basement over Trump. Very few were actually enthusiastic about Biden. But such a strong majority of the country hated Trump, that it drove record turnout and ultimately, a defeat for the incumbent.

After the election, Trump made mistakes that exacerbated his toxicity. Stop the steal, January 6th, screwing with the stimulus amount (saying it should be $2K when $600 was approved by both parties), torpedoing turnout in the GA runoffs, etc. So he went from being so toxic that he drove record turnout for a historically bad D candidate to completely radioactive.

Only problem, his core base didn't see it. They doubled down. They laughed at TDS. I'm looking at plenty of you here on TI. You are the problem that brought us to the disappointment of last night. I hope the veil is being lifted from your eyes. Here is the cold, hard truth for you:

Donald Trump CANNOT win a national presidential election.

He's too toxic, too divisive and too unpopular among voters in the middle. Look at swing states. Trump-backed Oz lost in PA. Trump-backed Walker had fewer votes than Warnock in GA. Trump-backed (and election denier) Kari Lake lost in AZ.

2016 is gone and is never coming back. It will not happen again. Trump cannot carry moderates, indies, young people and swing voters.

MAGAs: Do you agree? If not, how do you possibly see Trump winning a national election after last night?

It's time to move on. Maybe it's Desantis, maybe not. If it is, he needs to find a positive policy platform instead of divisive social issues. That's not a winner at the national level.

If the GOP does somehow manage to save a razor thin majority in Congress, it needs to work diligently to appear like the adults in the room (ie not hold pointless impeachment hearings). They also need to take some major issues off the table that are losers for them.

• Get abortion off the ballot. Work across the aisle to pass legislation that protects a woman's right to choose in the cases of rape, incest and health, plus more voluntary access within a specified range to be determined by the state (say, 12-20 weeks). This is a winner nationally. It would get 65%+ approval in a popular vote.
• Protect gay marriage. Just get this off the deck.
• More common sense legislation that the majority of Americans agree upon.

Then develop some ideas to help healthcare. Revise the climate policy from "climate changes does not exist" to an alternative, more logical path forward that helps the planet without hurting the economy and families' pocketbooks.

America First put the Republicans last in the midterms. It's time to grow up and be the adults in the room. I still believe that a fiscally conservative, socially moderate, logic-based platform is a winner nationally. Most people do NOT want liberalism and big government spending. But more than that, they don't want divisiveness, conspiracies and a narcissistic asshole anywhere near their ballot. That is abundantly clear.

Post of the year! Trump needs to remove himself from the political arena and quietly back Desantis and then never go in front of a microphone again. I loved his policies but he is like nails on a chalkboard to the majority of women.

I'm terrified he gets beat by Desantis in the primary's then pulls a Ross Perot, goes independent and splits the vote.

 

[okclem]

Post of the year! Trump needs to remove himself from the political arena and quietly back Desantis and then never go in front of a microphone again. I loved his policies but he is like nails on a chalkboard to the majority of women.

I'm terrified he gets beat by Desantis in the primary's then pulls a Ross Perot, goes independent and splits the vote.

Well, it's going to be incumbent on republican voters to continue to reject Trump/Trumpism then, because something tells me Trump won't do what you're advocating.

 

[yoshi121374]

Play stupid games, win stupid prizes. This is what the Republicans keep doing over and over again with their infatuation with Donald Trump.

When the dust clears, I am going to bet that suburban women again put the Democrats over the top and singlehandedly blunted the "red wave." This will be over abortion which depresses me but it's still reality. I am a radical on abortion but I also know that my views are not in line with most of the country and I do not seek to force them on others. I'd rather make the argument and try to win it over the long term.

The GOP nominated so many bad candidates it's hard to know where to begin. Also, the soon to be Speaker of the House is not an effective leader. He is weak sauce and really someone else needs to step up to lead who is not a member of what's referred to as a "Freedom Caucus." Republicans have to decide they aren't going to be Charlie Brown anymore trying to kick the football. It's painful to watch because it is just not that tough to beat the Democrats as they are wrong on almost every major issue. Yet over and over the GOP picks positions and people who can find that one place which is worse and manage to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory.

Also, the people who are in charge of the GOP need to realize just how ignorant most people are who vote these days and understand there are very basic level ways to appeal to them. Getting into the weeds doesn't work because of the profound ignorance of the electorate in the US now.

Agree with most of this, but I would say Republicans need to come up with actual policies and plans instead of just being the opposition party.

 

[scotchtiger]

Well, t's going to be incumbent on republican voters to continue to reject Trump/Trumpism then, because something tells me Trump won't do what you're advocating.

Yep. We need @TigerGrowls, @TigerRagRob, etc to get with the program. Trumpism is a loser, period.

That may be the silver lining of this week. Had there been a red wave and Trump candidates performed well, it would have affirmed Trumpism in their mind. But now it’s clear that it is a failure. So perhaps we can move forward to 2024 free from his stain on the party.

 

[Willence]

Post of the year! Trump needs to remove himself from the political arena and quietly back Desantis and then never go in front of a microphone again. I loved his policies but he is like nails on a chalkboard to the majority of women.

I'm terrified he gets beat by Desantis in the primary's then pulls a Ross Perot, goes independent and splits the vote.

This would not surprise me sadly.

 

[okclem]

Profound ignorance of the electorate now? As opposed to when?

Really interested in some clarification on this @Willence, if you don't mind.

 

[nytigerfan]

This is a bit like waking up on Sunday after the ND game. Just lots of disappointment and obvious, self-inflicted mistakes.

That said, we are left with a bright neon sign providing clarity on the way forward. That sign reads:

"Don't walk, RUN away from Donald Trump."

A historically unpopular and incompetent president combined with historic inflation and economic concerns should have resulted in a clear red wave in the midterms. History tells us so. Instead, this was a referendum on Donald Trump, Trumpism and his stain on the Republican party.

The 2020 election should have been clear. 8M more people voted for a potato in a basement over Trump. Very few were actually enthusiastic about Biden. But such a strong majority of the country hated Trump, that it drove record turnout and ultimately, a defeat for the incumbent.

After the election, Trump made mistakes that exacerbated his toxicity. Stop the steal, January 6th, screwing with the stimulus amount (saying it should be $2K when $600 was approved by both parties), torpedoing turnout in the GA runoffs, etc. So he went from being so toxic that he drove record turnout for a historically bad D candidate to completely radioactive.

Only problem, his core base didn't see it. They doubled down. They laughed at TDS. I'm looking at plenty of you here on TI. You are the problem that brought us to the disappointment of last night. I hope the veil is being lifted from your eyes. Here is the cold, hard truth for you:

Donald Trump CANNOT win a national presidential election.

He's too toxic, too divisive and too unpopular among voters in the middle. Look at swing states. Trump-backed Oz lost in PA. Trump-backed Walker had fewer votes than Warnock in GA. Trump-backed (and election denier) Kari Lake lost in AZ.

2016 is gone and is never coming back. It will not happen again. Trump cannot carry moderates, indies, young people and swing voters.

MAGAs: Do you agree? If not, how do you possibly see Trump winning a national election after last night?

It's time to move on. Maybe it's Desantis, maybe not. If it is, he needs to find a positive policy platform instead of divisive social issues. That's not a winner at the national level.

If the GOP does somehow manage to save a razor thin majority in Congress, it needs to work diligently to appear like the adults in the room (ie not hold pointless impeachment hearings). They also need to take some major issues off the table that are losers for them.

• Get abortion off the ballot. Work across the aisle to pass legislation that protects a woman's right to choose in the cases of rape, incest and health, plus more voluntary access within a specified range to be determined by the state (say, 12-20 weeks). This is a winner nationally. It would get 65%+ approval in a popular vote.
• Protect gay marriage. Just get this off the deck.
• More common sense legislation that the majority of Americans agree upon.

Then develop some ideas to help healthcare. Revise the climate policy from "climate changes does not exist" to an alternative, more logical path forward that helps the planet without hurting the economy and families' pocketbooks.

America First put the Republicans last in the midterms. It's time to grow up and be the adults in the room. I still believe that a fiscally conservative, socially moderate, logic-based platform is a winner nationally. Most people do NOT want liberalism and big government spending. But more than that, they don't want divisiveness, conspiracies and a narcissistic asshole anywhere near their ballot. That is abundantly clear.

This is a great post, and I would add that the pubs should:

1. Throw out the trumped up conspiracies along with trump. Enough with defunding the FBI.

2. Change the laws at the border. Other than remain in Mexico, the laws have not changed between trump and biden. Change the asylum laws in a way to discourage the flow, and stop saying dumb shit like "we have open borders!".

3. When the husband of a political rival is beaten with a hammer in his home, just say "we condemn all political violence". Don't make jokes about it or come up with gay love conspiracies.

Maybe both parties will take this election as a learning moment. Dems can move away from some of the woke stuff and pubs can move away from the batshit, cruel trumpy politics that people are tired of.

 

[okclem]

This is a great post, and I would add that the pubs should:

1. Throw out the trumped up conspiracies along with trump. Enough with defunding the FBI.

2. Change the laws at the border. Other than remain in Mexico, the laws have not changed between trump and biden. Change the asylum laws in a way to discourage the flow, and stop saying dumb shit like "we have open borders!".

3. When the husband of a political rival is beaten with a hammer in his home, just say "we condemn all political violence". Don't make jokes about it or come up with gay love conspiracies.

Maybe both parties will take this election as a learning moment. Dems can move away from some of the woke stuff and pubs can move away from the batshit, cruel trumpy politics that people are tired of.

I'm hopeful this was a referendum on the extremism in both parties, and that centrist people on both sides can sieze back control of their parties.

 

[nytigerfan]

This is a bit like waking up on Sunday after the ND game. Just lots of disappointment and obvious, self-inflicted mistakes.

That said, we are left with a bright neon sign providing clarity on the way forward. That sign reads:

"Don't walk, RUN away from Donald Trump."

A historically unpopular and incompetent president combined with historic inflation and economic concerns should have resulted in a clear red wave in the midterms. History tells us so. Instead, this was a referendum on Donald Trump, Trumpism and his stain on the Republican party.

The 2020 election should have been clear. 8M more people voted for a potato in a basement over Trump. Very few were actually enthusiastic about Biden. But such a strong majority of the country hated Trump, that it drove record turnout and ultimately, a defeat for the incumbent.

After the election, Trump made mistakes that exacerbated his toxicity. Stop the steal, January 6th, screwing with the stimulus amount (saying it should be $2K when $600 was approved by both parties), torpedoing turnout in the GA runoffs, etc. So he went from being so toxic that he drove record turnout for a historically bad D candidate to completely radioactive.

Only problem, his core base didn't see it. They doubled down. They laughed at TDS. I'm looking at plenty of you here on TI. You are the problem that brought us to the disappointment of last night. I hope the veil is being lifted from your eyes. Here is the cold, hard truth for you:

Donald Trump CANNOT win a national presidential election.

He's too toxic, too divisive and too unpopular among voters in the middle. Look at swing states. Trump-backed Oz lost in PA. Trump-backed Walker had fewer votes than Warnock in GA. Trump-backed (and election denier) Kari Lake lost in AZ.

2016 is gone and is never coming back. It will not happen again. Trump cannot carry moderates, indies, young people and swing voters.

MAGAs: Do you agree? If not, how do you possibly see Trump winning a national election after last night?

It's time to move on. Maybe it's Desantis, maybe not. If it is, he needs to find a positive policy platform instead of divisive social issues. That's not a winner at the national level.

If the GOP does somehow manage to save a razor thin majority in Congress, it needs to work diligently to appear like the adults in the room (ie not hold pointless impeachment hearings). They also need to take some major issues off the table that are losers for them.

• Get abortion off the ballot. Work across the aisle to pass legislation that protects a woman's right to choose in the cases of rape, incest and health, plus more voluntary access within a specified range to be determined by the state (say, 12-20 weeks). This is a winner nationally. It would get 65%+ approval in a popular vote.
• Protect gay marriage. Just get this off the deck.
• More common sense legislation that the majority of Americans agree upon.

Then develop some ideas to help healthcare. Revise the climate policy from "climate changes does not exist" to an alternative, more logical path forward that helps the planet without hurting the economy and families' pocketbooks.

America First put the Republicans last in the midterms. It's time to grow up and be the adults in the room. I still believe that a fiscally conservative, socially moderate, logic-based platform is a winner nationally. Most people do NOT want liberalism and big government spending. But more than that, they don't want divisiveness, conspiracies and a narcissistic asshole anywhere near their ballot. That is abundantly clear.

 

[Howard's Jock]

This is a great post, and I would add that the pubs should:

1. Throw out the trumped up conspiracies along with trump. Enough with defunding the FBI.

2. Change the laws at the border. Other than remain in Mexico, the laws have not changed between trump and biden. Change the asylum laws in a way to discourage the flow, and stop saying dumb shit like "we have open borders!".

3. When the husband of a political rival is beaten with a hammer in his home, just say "we condemn all political violence". Don't make jokes about it or come up with gay love conspiracies.

Maybe both parties will take this election as a learning moment. Dems can move away from some of the woke stuff and pubs can move away from the batshit, cruel trumpy politics that people are tired of.

I really hope.your last paragraph comes to fruition

 

[Howard's Jock]

Lol @ his hands

 

[dpic73]

 

[Willence]

Agree 100% with Duncan. Time to move on. And people need to read into what voters have been saying the last couple of elections. They don't want crazy. The picked Biden hoping he would be stable and sane. He isn't. They were poised to pick Republicans but they showed they aren't stable and sane either. Just freaking normal center politics and then we can start working on winning with conservative ideas but that's not what you lead with. Start with sane and normal.

 

[okclem]

Agree 100% with Duncan. Time to move on. And people need to read into what voters have been saying the last couple of elections. They don't want crazy. The picked Biden hoping he would be stable and sane. He isn't. They were poised to pick Republicans but they showed they aren't stable and sane either. Just freaking normal center politics and then we can start working on winning with conservative ideas but that's not what you lead with. Start with sane and normal.

What did you mean by the profound ignorance of the electorate now?

 

[nytigerfan]

Agree 100% with Duncan. Time to move on. And people need to read into what voters have been saying the last couple of elections. They don't want crazy. The picked Biden hoping he would be stable and sane. He isn't. They were poised to pick Republicans but they showed they aren't stable and sane either. Just freaking normal center politics and then we can start working on winning with conservative ideas but that's not what you lead with. Start with sane and normal.

winning?

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/wonk/wp/2017/06/15/kansas-conservative-experiment-may-have-gone-worse-than-people-thought/

 

[dpic73]

Agree 100% with Duncan. Time to move on. And people need to read into what voters have been saying the last couple of elections. They don't want crazy. The picked Biden hoping he would be stable and sane. He isn't. They were poised to pick Republicans but they showed they aren't stable and sane either. Just freaking normal center politics and then we can start working on winning with conservative ideas but that's not what you lead with. Start with sane and normal.

Interesting that he said Trump has gone from a movement to a distraction for the Republican party now. Hope he's right because it would be a breath of fresh air if we could get to a point that he's not taking up all the oxygen in the room. It's time for a new generation of politicians on both sides that are reasonable and decent.

 

[nytigerfan]

View embedded media

The republicans couldn't make trump go away in 2016, they are not going to be able to do it now. Especially if Elan puts him back on twitter. Ooh boy.

 

[okclem]

The republicans couldn't make trump go away in 2016, they are not going to be able to do it now. Especially if Elan puts him back on twitter. Ooh boy.

I really hope democrats don't repeat the mistake of underestimating him in 2024.

 

[Willence]

winning?

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/wonk/wp/2017/06/15/kansas-conservative-experiment-may-have-gone-worse-than-people-thought/

You don't know what a conservative is. That's part of the problem I have with you and I'm sure that you have with me. Your idea of what a conservative is is completely warped from what it should be and that's no surprise given how many warped looking conservatives there are out there in the landscape right now.

 

[harristeeter]

Dang, who would have thought the mid-terms would have the left and right on this board agree with each other. There is hope!!

 

[okclem]

You don't know what a conservative is. That's part of the problem I have with you and I'm sure that you have with me. Your idea of what a conservative is is completely warped from what it should be and that's no surprise given how many warped looking conservatives there are out there in the landscape right now.

Did you get a chance to respond to the question I've asked you 5 times itt? Kind of seems like you're intentionally avoiding it.

I'd hate for people to start making assumptions as to what you meant by the "now" part of your statement.

 

[iceheart08]

I really hope democrats don't repeat the mistake of underestimating him in 2024.

He cannot win in 24. It won't happen. Not even against Biden.

 

[Willence]

He cannot win in 24. It won't happen. Not even against Biden.

I agree. Trump looks to be a fair bit crazy now.

 

[TheSweatshirt]

This is a bit like waking up on Sunday after the ND game. Just lots of disappointment and obvious, self-inflicted mistakes.

That said, we are left with a bright neon sign providing clarity on the way forward. That sign reads:

"Don't walk, RUN away from Donald Trump."

A historically unpopular and incompetent president combined with historic inflation and economic concerns should have resulted in a clear red wave in the midterms. History tells us so. Instead, this was a referendum on Donald Trump, Trumpism and his stain on the Republican party.

The 2020 election should have been clear. 8M more people voted for a potato in a basement over Trump. Very few were actually enthusiastic about Biden. But such a strong majority of the country hated Trump, that it drove record turnout and ultimately, a defeat for the incumbent.

After the election, Trump made mistakes that exacerbated his toxicity. Stop the steal, January 6th, screwing with the stimulus amount (saying it should be $2K when $600 was approved by both parties), torpedoing turnout in the GA runoffs, etc. So he went from being so toxic that he drove record turnout for a historically bad D candidate to completely radioactive.

Only problem, his core base didn't see it. They doubled down. They laughed at TDS. I'm looking at plenty of you here on TI. You are the problem that brought us to the disappointment of last night. I hope the veil is being lifted from your eyes. Here is the cold, hard truth for you:

Donald Trump CANNOT win a national presidential election.

He's too toxic, too divisive and too unpopular among voters in the middle. Look at swing states. Trump-backed Oz lost in PA. Trump-backed Walker had fewer votes than Warnock in GA. Trump-backed (and election denier) Kari Lake lost in AZ.

2016 is gone and is never coming back. It will not happen again. Trump cannot carry moderates, indies, young people and swing voters.

MAGAs: Do you agree? If not, how do you possibly see Trump winning a national election after last night?

It's time to move on. Maybe it's Desantis, maybe not. If it is, he needs to find a positive policy platform instead of divisive social issues. That's not a winner at the national level.

If the GOP does somehow manage to save a razor thin majority in Congress, it needs to work diligently to appear like the adults in the room (ie not hold pointless impeachment hearings). They also need to take some major issues off the table that are losers for them.

• Get abortion off the ballot. Work across the aisle to pass legislation that protects a woman's right to choose in the cases of rape, incest and health, plus more voluntary access within a specified range to be determined by the state (say, 12-20 weeks). This is a winner nationally. It would get 65%+ approval in a popular vote.
• Protect gay marriage. Just get this off the deck.
• More common sense legislation that the majority of Americans agree upon.

Then develop some ideas to help healthcare. Revise the climate policy from "climate changes does not exist" to an alternative, more logical path forward that helps the planet without hurting the economy and families' pocketbooks.

America First put the Republicans last in the midterms. It's time to grow up and be the adults in the room. I still believe that a fiscally conservative, socially moderate, logic-based platform is a winner nationally. Most people do NOT want liberalism and big government spending. But more than that, they don't want divisiveness, conspiracies and a narcissistic asshole anywhere near their ballot. That is abundantly clear.

I wish that were true but I still think trump wins if he runs. DeSantis is the closest thing to trump and he won in a landslide.

Nothing would make me happier than to see MAGAism die a quick death, but I don’t see it happening. I do believe abortion played a huge hand in the elections but also that the candidates who lost were so batshit crazy that even moderates chose worthless dems. Herschel Walker? Mehmet Oz? Kari Lake? Lauren Boebert? These are some of the craziest people to ever win a nomination. And none of them are as good at lying as trump is, nor do they have his charisma.

 

[dpic73]

I wish that were true but I still think trump wins if he runs. DeSantis is the closest thing to trump and he won in a landslide.

Nothing would make me happier than to see MAGAism die a quick death, but I don’t see it happening. I do believe abortion played a huge hand in the elections but also that the candidates who lost were so batshit crazy that even moderates chose worthless dems. Herschel Walker? Mehmet Oz? Kari Lake? Lauren Boebert? These are some of the craziest people to ever win a nomination. And none of them are as good at lying as trump is, nor do they have his charisma.

The only one that surprises me is Kari Lake, though her loss isn't official. She is telegenic and has the charisma to be a superstar if she hadn't chosen the dark side.

 

[harristeeter]

Interesting that he said Trump has gone from a movement to a distraction for the Republican party now. Hope he's right because it would be a breath of fresh air if we could get to a point that he's not taking up all the oxygen in the room. It's time for a new generation of politicians on both sides that are reasonable and decent.

I'm hopeful this was a referendum on the extremism in both parties, and that centrist people on both sides can sieze back control of their parties.

This is a great post, and I would add that the pubs should:

1. Throw out the trumped up conspiracies along with trump. Enough with defunding the FBI.

2. Change the laws at the border. Other than remain in Mexico, the laws have not changed between trump and biden. Change the asylum laws in a way to discourage the flow, and stop saying dumb shit like "we have open borders!".

3. When the husband of a political rival is beaten with a hammer in his home, just say "we condemn all political violence". Don't make jokes about it or come up with gay love conspiracies.

Maybe both parties will take this election as a learning moment. Dems can move away from some of the woke stuff and pubs can move away from the batshit, cruel trumpy politics that people are tired of.

kudos

 

[iceheart08]

I wish that were true but I still think trump wins if he runs. DeSantis is the closest thing to trump and he won in a landslide.

Nothing would make me happier than to see MAGAism die a quick death, but I don’t see it happening. I do believe abortion played a huge hand in the elections but also that the candidates who lost were so batshit crazy that even moderates chose worthless dems. Herschel Walker? Mehmet Oz? Kari Lake? Lauren Boebert? These are some of the craziest people to ever win a nomination. And none of them are as good at lying as trump is, nor do they have his charisma.

There is absolutely no way trump wins a national election now.

I'd bet my house on it.

Last night proved it.

 

[okclem]

There is absolutely no way trump wins a national election now.

I'd bet my house on it.

Last night proved it.

If the election were now, sure. But so much can change in a short amount of time in politics.

 

[ecrumpton]

Holy cow! What a BREATH OF FRESH AIR all these posts are. Thought I was the only moderate Republican on here. I've been telling my friends P45 cannot run again, he's a damn trainwreck. I voted for him because Biden and the far left 15% scare the shit out of me.
I do agree that the elections last night hopefully put P45 and his antics in the rear view mirror.