Trumpism is here to stay

conservative media doesn’t just put party over country. It has long placed party over family.

I feel your pain. Real 2008 story, driving w my dad.

“Dad, when you say Obama never had a real job in his life, you realize your son is also a professor, right?”

(yelling) “And I’d never vote for you either!!1!”

“Okay, I’m glad we cleared that up. Not planning to run, but if I do, I won’t ask you to campaign events.” (Silence for next hour.)

 

I think you're underestimating QAnon power. Not QAnon in particular. But basically, the more of a divergent fantasy universe the Far Right can construct and teh more cutoff it becomes in reality, the easier it gets to maintain.

Seems bizarre to most normal people like you and me but the loopier and more intricate it gets, the easier it is to ignore reality like COronavirus, police violence, etc, and the more attractive it gets for bored previously apolitical normies in red states with few other distractiosn than facebook.

 

I agree - and those people will definitely still exist. But to really be effective, you need someone to harness and amplify all that - Trump was the key that held that whole alternate reality together. I'm not convinced anyone outside of Trump can do that. Like if Tom Cotton or Nikki Haley are the nominee in 2024, can they spout all the nonsense Trump does and get away with it? I'm not yet convinced - though I could very well be wrong. This seems, to some degree, a Trump-specific phenomenon.

 

Ivanka

 

It does take a mesmerist, truly, whether one sells Hope or one sells Self-Pity.
And Trump is among the greatest salesmen and mesmerists this nation has ever seen. Usually doesn't have a very good product (whether casino, steaks, or fake university, or self as a leader), but he can get people to invest. (Well, not banks, apparently, but random folx.)

 

Well look for the Dems to lose big time in 2022 as McConnel does a repeat performance and blocks all progress. Then a pissed off hurting public will blame the Dems. Biden, the corporate Dems and the Repubs will revert to form and get all concerned about the budget deficit which the mainstream billionaire media will rediscover as a major reason to only spend money on regime change wars and propping up the stock market.

 

Here's the idea in another thread. If you're able to activate large swathes of low information/apolitical voters with a charismatic presence in Presidential years, why not do that and pair with a strong policy team (rather than a team of hopeless grifters and bad actors like the Trump adminsitration).

If ultimately those voters just want to belong to a movement and don't care about policy - build the movement and then enact your policies.

What I'm saying is, based on all available evidence, Dwayne Johnson - Elizabeth Warren really *would* have been the dream ticket and could have resulted in a Democratic trifecta lasting a decade or more.

 

GOP won’t vote for a woman...she’s also a Dem at heart.

 

Looks like Trump is here to stay too - this ain't over folks.

 

Donald was both and they voted for him

 

Umm......

 

The popular vote was not PRO Trump - it was PRO Republican....

DD

 

'ROFLMAO !!!

The Stupid is strong with that email.

DD

 

Republican voters have always been party-first voters. Much moreso than Democrats. A lot of that has to do with being pro-life. The hardcore pro-life voters are going to vote for ANYONE with an R by their name - as long as it's not a baby-killing Demoncrat. I know this because I have several in my family.....

Another more positive way to look at this election is that a lot of Republican voters voted FOR Republicans all the way down the ballot (as evidenced by GOP actually gaining 6 seats in the House) but voted AGAINST Trump (as evidenced by the popular vote).

I'm not a professional election analyst - but I did stay at a Holiday Inn last night - but that would lead me to believe that a lot of normal Republicans are pretty much done with Trump and ready to move on. Maybe that's just me being overly optimistic.

 

If you noticed, I was gone for a couple of days, the stress was getting to me. So I went out and toured The Hill Country. Every ranch I passed, and it was hundreds, was fully decked out in Trump regalia, It did not help my stress, ha.

The only thing I think that can crack that is some convictions on criminal charges, fraud specifically.
It will still be Republican but maybe not so virulent Trumpers if there is some disgrace associate4d with it.

But if you go out there TX 16 and especially TX 337 are some fantastic drives. Lost Maples was sold out though.

 

I hear you northern Minnesota is the same way, and also a beautiful drive.

 

I agree that Trump is a particular figure and it's possible that other Republicans won't be able to keep this type of cult support. I also feel that the Democrats need to find someone who is charismatic and energetic.

Biden was a compromise candidate and also a stability candidate. Charisma and energy weren't the selling points. It looks like he's doing the job he was brought in to win back the upper Midwest states that went to Trump but considering how poorly the Democrats are doing in the Senate and the House it wasn't enough to inspire a lot of support down ballot.

 

I'm generally not a fan of celebrity candidates and usually I distrust candidates with little experience getting by primarily on charisma. A celebrity who can capture the imagination of the country might be what's needed to get the Democrats to a true majority party. The Johnson - Warren ticket might be a good shot in 2024.

 

When you watch Ms. Harris in a longer interview form, she is very impressive. I have no doubt she will be a very active face for the administration and will probably do a lot of the nuts and bolts work. But Mitch and the boys would be fill on obstructionist just like they were for Mr. Obama so it may end up looking like a "do nothing' administration.

If the Senate goes 50/50 though she will be the face of decisiveness.