***Official Political Discussion Thread***

[staffsgtdignam]

This kind of dismissiveness—laughing off voters or labeling them as "dumb"—clearly didn’t help Kamala's campaign. The significant shifts we’re seeing in many states reflect a real sentiment among voters who believe they were better off between 2016 and 2020 compared to today. Mocking those concerns just alienates people further. So, go ahead, but the reality is that addressing these concerns genuinely is the only way to bridge that divide.

The fact is that these people's lives were not significantly improved from 2016-2020 compared to today. People believe what they want to believe, based on messaging and, credit where credit is due, Trump is phenominal with that.

 

[DCAllAfrican]

Name calling and talking down on fellow Americans like they're inferior because they didn't vote like you is not the way guys.. I didn't vote for him but he won and I respect whoever is running the show as I'm still an American at the end of the day and don't want the country to fail. America has spoken and they made it clear who they want to lead the country, let's stop the doom and gloom and just hope that he can right the ship.

Already this morning, white female coworker from Buffalo.

"I don't want to hear anything about a hurricane. Next time it happens, I will say look at 2024. I'm applying for grad programs in Europe. I'm out of here."

Hope folks are moving wisely at work. I get the frustration but move wisely folks.

 

[staffsgtdignam]

Yes and not only did he receive public backlash but he was charged with crimes as well, deservedly so... Wallowing in misery and name calling your fellow Americans does nothing and only worsens the divide currently in the country. I voted for her but I believe in the Democratic process and our country has spoken, they got who they want. Instead of name calling fellow Americans, we need to be more focused on why and how the left seems to continue to fall of favor with many of its supporters. Dems need to look and the mirror and see that fighting culture wars isn't working and go back to focusing on policy, policy, policy.

It also doesn't help that there are MASSIVE divides regarding Gaza, etc. on the left itself.

If there is one positive thing about last night for Dems (and for the left in general) is that now there is a common force to be united against once again like there was in 2016-2018 (which bodes well for the 2026 midterm elections). To your point, they need to focus on solutions, policy-wise otherwise 2028 is not going to go much better than last night.

 

[Magic33]

Notice the conspicuous absence of any allegations of 'voter fraud' this time around in spite of a foreign adversary specifically targeting one sides electoral process across numerous key battleground states on election night

It's only cheating when he loses

 

[keko jones]

Name calling and talking down on fellow Americans like they're inferior because they didn't vote like you is not the way guys.. I didn't vote for him but he won and I respect whoever is running the show as I'm still an American at the end of the day and don't want the country to fail. America has spoken and they made it clear who they want to lead the country, let's stop the doom and gloom and just hope that he can right the ship.

Extremists have no middle ground and are pathetic. Just as much as someone calling a person an idiot because they share an idea with the opposition.

 

[Armada]

I get not wanting to talk down to people and people maintaining decency but what I don’t get is why that **** is only one way. Why is it always the left that has to respect people doing and supporting clearly detrimental **** but people on the right can make bomb threats, ridicule, antagonize people they openly despise all damn day and people just go it is what it is?!

 

[frshstunna]

Yes and not only did he receive public backlash but he was charged with crimes as well, deservedly so... Wallowing in misery and name calling your fellow Americans does nothing and only worsens the divide currently in the country. I voted for her but I believe in the Democratic process and our country has spoken, they got who they want. Instead of name calling fellow Americans, we need to be more focused on why and how the left seems to continue to fall of favor with many of its supporters. Dems need to look and the mirror and see that fighting culture wars isn't working and go back to focusing on policy, policy, policy.

Trump didn’t win because of policy tho…He ran on the same name calling n culture wars you are talking about

 

[smedroc]

Unserious AF.

 

[gry60]

Kamalas campaign was TRASH .no way you thought how she approached this was any good and the money she wasted on top of that.

She trounced Trump during the debate.

She went on all those shows people said she would be afraid to go to.

She answered questions without feeding the Trump campaign attack ads.

By the end of the campaign, dude had nothing but insults towards her.

The truth is, Americans want the Democratic party to be sweet talking magicians. They want to be lied to. They want simple solutions to complex problems, even if those solutions won't work (and there are many examples of that during the Trump years).

Democrats can't fix this mindset in a single election cycle. It will take a 1930s-depressioon level of pain to make people get it. And Elon is bringing it.

 

[sfc415]

What’s funny is that after all the curry and Indian ridicule towards Kamala, they’ve re-elected a president who would 10000% fit in Indian politics and promotes the worst aspects of India. Absolutely zero difference between him and Modi, even down to sucking up to Putin.

 

[rolaholic]

Simple. Lie to them. That's what the Republican party essentially does. These people are still poor and disenfranchised. Trump does nothing for them but he tells them what they want to hear.

Democrats have to start telling them they'll lower the prices of groceries. Start telling them they'll focus on illegal immigration and protecting our borders.

Essentially you have to be a Republican to beat a Republican. Cheaters beat cheaters. The key is once you win the presidency, take back the house/senate and so on then work on things that benefit all of society, protecting civil rights and so on.

The vast majority of voters don't know when something benefits or hurts them they just know what they're told. Treat them like the lowest common denominator they are, coddle them and do the work behind the scenes.

The key here is to still carve out your own principled policy positions and vision of the country or else you run the risk of falling into the time honored centrist fallacy of running instead as a republican-lite to appeal to the other side when we see it proven time and time again that Republican leaning voters will under no circumstances, ever vote for the half version over the genuine article.

The Obama-era coalition was a mirage that barely lasted half a cycle, gotta adapt to the current reality of the electorate.

Better off running on economic populism from the side of the other side of ideological spectrum that you're supposed to represent. Replicate their campaign strategy and message/line discipline but not the actual politics since you're supposed to be a credible alternative, not a polite version of the same thing they're already being offered.

Rehabilitating all the Bush-era neocons and ghouls led to absolutely zero gains and an actual decrease in Republican leaning voters voting Democrat from '20. That entire 'we love a strong republican party'/West Wing bi-partisan governing pipe dream line of thinking needs to be dead and buried for good of the Democrats. That's become a proven losing strategy multiple times.

Why not switch things up instead of doubling down into the abyss?

 

[keko jones]

Do you think mass deportations could actually happen? How would that even be implemented—would federal agents enter immigrant sanctuary cities? It seems like things could escalate quickly.

 

[rolaholic]

I get not wanting to talk down to people and people maintaining decency but what I don’t get is why that **** is only one way. Why is it always the left that has to respect people doing and supporting clearly detrimental **** but people on the right can make bomb threats, ridicule, antagonize people they openly despise all damn day and people just go it is what it is?!

It's bad faith through and through. Look at how they voted for the most openly hateful, divisive and doom mongering campaign in history filled with sheer contempt for half the country where political opponents were threatened non-stop with political violence and deportations yet want people to spare their poor feelings over things being called out for what they are...

Being more polite has never been the issue with these folks . The Democrats love of decorum and protocol highlights that it's never been about that at all. They LOVE that the other guy doesn't even pay passing lip service to basic human decency because that's who they are.

Spare me the crocodile tears over getting called garbage or deplorable for exhibiting that exact behaviour and attitude time and time again

 

[dacomeup]

let's stop the doom and gloom and just hope that he can right the ship.

This isn’t cheering for a sports team. He told us what he plans to do. Why do we have to “hope he can right the ship”?

 

[Kierris]

Trump didn’t win because of policy tho…He ran on the same name calling n culture wars you are talking about

I never said anything about Trump winning on policy. You gotta start looking at why the Democrats are losing more and more support.

 

[cedric ceballos]

Ok.......cool. Yall are free to feel that way. But I'm just trying to give some insight on why this demographic didn't support the Dems. But just keep this in mind, keep calling them incels, misogynistic, and smooth brained and you'll do nothing but ensure that the Dems will not sniff the white house again. They can't win without their support. And sooner tor later the party will have to come to terms with that. A lot of yall seem to have forgotten that politics is all about engagement.

This is a huge inconvenient truth. At the end of the day Trump made gains and polled much better than your traditional conservative politician amongst groups who normally vote blue. Attacking them and calling them stupid isn’t going to fix that.

Even if a person privately feels that sentiment. Shaming them and attacking them is only going to validate their shift to the right in their eyes. Calling them stupid etc. All that’s doing is pushing them to keep voting red out of spite. At the end of the day those people vote and a vote is a vote. The vote of someone who doesn’t have much education and doesn’t follow much politics but thinks Trump is funny counts just as much as someone with a masters degree in political science. Only difference is there’s way more people who don’t follow politics and think Trump is funny who will vote strictly off of that than there is people who follow politics regularly. Your vote doesn’t count any more than the other persons does just because you’re more knowledgeable in politics.


I don’t know if the Dems necessarily need to shift further to the center. But they do need to privately acknowledge the uphill battle. They got 2 years to put the house and senate in play. They got 4 years to find a likable charismatic candidate who can get people out to vote and poach any type of right leaning votes that they can. Policy is important, but being likeable and having mass appeal is just as important when you consider how well or unwell versed the average American citizen is politics wise. Dumb the message down, use buzzwords that resonate etc.

But either way the Dems gotta do some internal self reflection, hit the reset button and not just rely on the GOP to self destruct and alienate people over the next 4 years.

 

[Kierris]

Y'all guys got it man lol

 

[allergic2broke]

Already this morning, white female coworker from Buffalo.

"I don't want to hear anything about a hurricane. Next time it happens, I will say look at 2024. I'm applying for grad programs in Europe. I'm out of here."

Hope folks are moving wisely at work. I get the frustration but move wisely folks.

Im working remote today for this reason.

 

[dacomeup]

Wallowing in misery and name calling your fellow Americans does nothing and only worsens the divide currently in the country.

He literally just won after doing this for the past 8 years.

 

[Wargames]

Then we are F'd.

Yes, yes we are. I lied to myself in 2016 but I won’t this time.

 

[brownsuga1]

What I see in this thread and what I hear from people who live in liberal bubbles is pretty eye opening.

- "The hillbillies are doubling down"
- "These rednecks are going to get him voted in again"

By the time the night is done, people will be shocked how large of the Black, Hispanic, Asian and even Muslim vote he will receive. It's not just the "hillbillies" who are voting for him this time around. People are fed up with the open borders, inflation and the funding of foreign wars.

Whether you like it or not, Republicans ran on policy (whether you agree with the policy or not). Democrats ran on "Trump is bad, vote for us".

Like I said last night, folks would be very surprised how many people of different communities would vote for Donald Trump.

It's what they're talking about on the news. Republican policy talking points hit home harder than the Dems. Identity politics that the Democrats use to muster up votes does not work.

They failed to see how big of an issue the border was.

 

[rolaholic]

He literally just won after doing this for the past 8 years.

LITERALLY coasted off of unabashed grievance politics, fear mongering and machismo to 2 terms

 

[elpablo21]

The benefit of the doubt some people get lmao

I thought it was dumb in 2016 when ppl gave it to Trump but 8 years later and we're hoping the same Leopard to change his spots.

Idk what message or policy defeats the line of thinking moving forward. I really don't

 

[WASHED KING]

Already this morning, white female coworker from Buffalo.

"I don't want to hear anything about a hurricane. Next time it happens, I will say look at 2024. I'm applying for grad programs in Europe. I'm out of here."

Hope folks are moving wisely at work. I get the frustration but move wisely folks.

It's extremely hard as a teacher today. I'm not discussing any politics, not joking laughing or smiling with anyone today, giving my students a test and a video assignment and sitting down to grade, eating lunch in my room with the door shut.

Leaving work at exactly 3:55 when that bell rings. No one is getting me today.

 

[worldbeefreeg]

There is a global push toward fascism currently that goes far beyond the U.S., that's what people seemingly across the globe seem to be choosing. There is only one path toward recapturing people and bringing them toward the left (the same left that seemed to an oncoming juggernaut when Obama was elected in 200 and it doesn't involve consistent pandering toward an ever-shrinking center as the Dems have chosen to do.