A Republic, If You Can Keep It

[DVauthrin (David Vauthrin)]

@Col.SphinxDrummond

@Limey

@Col.SphinxDrummond

Harris made the wrong choice for her VP. Walz added absolutely nothing and Minnesota was a lock to go blue. She should have gone with Pennsylvania governor, Shapiro.

The campaign was flawless. Changing the VP pick is rearranging deckchairs.

I respectfully disagree about her campaign being flawless. And I was referring to the original placement of the deck chairs. Meaning, going with Shapiro from the get go, not replacing the already chosen Walz with Shapiro.

You think that would have changed the narrative with Latinos or young voters? Trump making inroads in those demographics played a big role in him winning the election.

[Knoxbanedoodle (Devin Walsh)]

Yeah, and Trump’s campaign was amazing!

Just kidding. It was awful. We’re just a bad country.

ETA: This is what a bad country looks like.

[Limey (Ray Ward)]

@HudsonHawk

Keeps it quiet? In what world do you live that it’s not only display in giant neon lights?

Oh I’m not talking about Trump’s rally crowds and flag fetishists. I’m talking about the “but her emails” crowd who had that fig leaf to vote against Clinton in 2016 but, faced with nothing to hide behind in 2020, just played at being undecided despite planning to vote for Trump all along.

[HudsonHawk]

@DVauthrin

@Col.SphinxDrummond

@Limey

@Col.SphinxDrummond

Harris made the wrong choice for her VP. Walz added absolutely nothing and Minnesota was a lock to go blue. She should have gone with Pennsylvania governor, Shapiro.

The campaign was flawless. Changing the VP pick is rearranging deckchairs.

I respectfully disagree about her campaign being flawless. And I was referring to the original placement of the deck chairs. Meaning, going with Shapiro from the get go, not replacing the already chosen Walz with Shapiro.

You think that would have changed the narrative with Latinos or young voters? Trump making inroads in those demographics played a big role in him winning the election.

It was disappointing, though not surprising, the discussion last night on why Joe Rogan made the difference with young voters. I’m not suggesting that we raise the voting age back up, but it sure seems like today’s 18-22 year olds have all the seriousness of yesterday’s 8-12 year olds. I’m sure that’s just me being a grumpy old man though.

[AstrosFanInBigD]

That’s the realization I’ve come to in the last 8 years: this is who we are.

[HudsonHawk]

@Limey

@HudsonHawk

Keeps it quiet? In what world do you live that it’s not only display in giant neon lights?

Oh I’m not talking about Trump’s rally crowds and flag fetishists. I’m talking about the “but her emails” crowd who had that fig leaf to vote against Clinton in 2016 but, faced with nothing to hide behind in 2020, just played at being undecided despite planning to vote for Trump all along.

I’m talking about a world where black people and women are seen as less capable leaders. It’s full-on display every day. I’m surprised that your surprised it’s manifested in elections.

[Col.SphinxDrummond]

@JimR

I personally believe Kamala, unlike Clinton, ran an excellent campaign. Questioning it now is the wisdom of 20-20 hindsight. Tell your blue friends to become professional political advisors. The Democratic Party has seen its traditional base erode.

Are all post election analyses are driven by hindsight or second guessing? I think some are but others are just accounting for what happened.

[Limey (Ray Ward)]

@HudsonHawk

I’m talking about a world where black people and women are seen as less capable leaders. It’s full-on display every day. I’m surprised that your surprised it’s manifested in elections.

I cannot understand that mentality. I know it exists, but I will never understand how or why.

I will never understand how anyone could’ve watched even just the last two weeks of Trump’s campaign and then voted for him.

[AstrosFanInBigD]

I’m surprised that you’re surprised that he’s surprised.

All of which is not surprising.

[AstrosFanInBigD]

Like Hudson said: we are unserious.

Just think about the pandemic response itself and how it was completely ignored in this campaign.

[Col.SphinxDrummond]

@DVauthrin

You think that would have changed the narrative with Latinos or young voters? Trump making inroads in those demographics played a big role in him winning the election.

Walz added absolutely nothing but comic relief. Harris lost in Pennsylvania. Perhaps, just maybe, the popular Democratic governor of Pennsylvania running for vice president would have added enough to win the state. Maybe not.

[DVauthrin (David Vauthrin)]

@Limey

@HudsonHawk

I’m talking about a world where black people and women are seen as less capable leaders. It’s full-on display every day. I’m surprised that your surprised it’s manifested in elections.

I cannot understand that mentality. I know it exists, but I will never understand how or why.

I will never understand how anyone could’ve watched even just the last two weeks of Trump’s campaign and then voted for him.

Because we have a ton of one-issue voters. For example, abortion, the border or the economy.

We also have people that view American politics as supporting their favorite sports teams and will vote for one party for the rest of their lives regardless of changes in the party, candidates, etc.

[AstrosFanInBigD]

@DVauthrin

vote for one party for the rest of their lives

My guess is that’s the biggest single issue demographic.

[DVauthrin (David Vauthrin)]

@Col.SphinxDrummond

@DVauthrin

You think that would have changed the narrative with Latinos or young voters? Trump making inroads in those demographics played a big role in him winning the election.

Walz added absolutely nothing but comic relief. Harris lost in Pennsylvania. Perhaps, just maybe, the popular Democratic governor of Pennsylvania running for vice president would have added enough to win the state. Maybe not.

I don’t disagree that Shapiro could have helped her carry Pennsylvania. But, would it have mattered in Wisconsin, etc?

[Limey (Ray Ward)]

@AstrosFanInBigD

Just think about the pandemic response itself and how it was completely ignored in this campaign.

The problem with Trump is that there is sooooo much shit that it’s impossible to cover it all and picking one or two risks not gaining voters who don’t care about those but might’ve cared about some other things.

His first term was a new existential crisis every day so that yesterday’s existential crisis went down the memory hole. Same with his campaign.

[DVauthrin (David Vauthrin)]

@AstrosFanInBigD

@DVauthrin

vote for one party for the rest of their lives

My guess is that’s the biggest single issue demographic.

I know relatives who are that way and see plenty of “Own the Liberals, Fuck the Liberals or Demonrats” references in online communities/social media. Many people aren’t voting for what’s best for the nation as a whole.

[JBM]

She lost support in almost every state. Would Shapiro have changed that?

[Waldo]

The problem is higher up on the ticket than the VP pick. Harris was the VP in an administration that has been massively underwater on approval ratings since mid-2021, and she was clearly unable or unwilling to distance herself from a lot of that baggage (e.g. milquetoast stance on Israel/Palestine, to name just one example).

Harris just wasn’t that good of a candidate. She probably never was: for a third straight presidential election, the polls undersold Trump by an amount greater than the margin of error. All the warning signs were there and we simply ignored them again. With the benefit of hindsight, she never had a chance. I don’t know why, but that brings me a strange sense of comfort today.

The DNC has a lot of shit to figure out.

[JimR (Coach)]

Exactly right. The country is far more right wing than it was after civil rights became a thing.

[Col.SphinxDrummond]

@HudsonHawk

I’m not suggesting that we raise the voting age back up, but it sure seems like today’s 18-22 year olds have all the seriousness of yesterday’s 8-12 year olds. I’m sure that’s just me being a grumpy old man though.

It’s that dad gum social media. It has stunted the development of social awareness in young people. I guess saying that makes me a grumpy old man too. Also, I don’t think they teach civics as a requirement in high school anymore. Not even sure if it’s an elective.