Election 2018 Thread (An Adult Finally Has the Gavel)

[justice98]

So what do we think of a million new voters in Florida n 2020 and beyond now that felons can vote?  How will that play out?  The difference in 2016 and now in 2018 between winning and losing has been a hair's width.

[The Caretaker]

3 minutes ago, Spaceman Spiff said:

 

So the left should continue to insult the people in rural areas and act confused as to why they don't do well in those areas...?  

 

It's just obvious that we'd be holding hands and singing in perfect harmony with a Coke if we all voted for Democrats.  I'm not sure why everyone can't understand that.

My argument is that it makes no difference to that demographic if the left insults them or not, their views are heavily ingrained and as a poster said above, self-radicalized, and based on anecdotal evidence can only be improved through self-realization and a change of environment. I don't think Democrats generally are confused as to why they don't do well in those areas, it's quite obvious why. However if you have data suggesting that they are effected by the way the left sees them I'd be interested in reading that. 

 

I think the American political landscape will be in a healthy place once we have more then two viable parties, and the conservatives field a less extreme mainstream right. Democrats are not perfect but they represent at a bare minimum common decency and sanity, quite frankly they are the only responsible option until Trump is out of office. 

[The Evil Genius]

Kim Davis lost reelection for county clerk.

 

?

 

Bye bye you ****ing homophobic ****.

[Bozo the kKklown]

3 hours ago, Llevron said:

Second Dems now are in position to HAVE TO move more to the center. I know alot of us dont like that but they won big yesterday thanks to Republican votes in Republican districts doing to Democrats if I understand correctly. That means if you take these peoples votes and go super libtard socialist nightmare they will make you pay the next time around and you will never get those votes again in their lifetime. Gotta know your base, and in this case I think that means the center. 

the center has moved right.

 

Why do Dems have to move to the center, but Reps can move as right as they want?

[Spaceman Spiff]

4 minutes ago, Burgold said:

It really is that simple... except I've never really liked Coke.

 

But what a government funded, bought and paid for Coke?  You know, a free one.

[tshile]

3 minutes ago, Burgold said:

The other side of this, and I think it's one that's being poorly stated, is that we on the left want you on the right to have better candidates.

 

Im not voting for republicans and haven’t for a while. I voted for one local guy this time and for the most part, he doesn’t seem very republican. So I’m not your target audience here. 

 

But I don’t think you should be surprised that, in response to the liberals, the right has found the nastiest anti-liberal people to support. 

 

It seems like the natural order of things to me. When you see the liberals of northern va take over, and your numbers and power shrinking, you gravitate towards the person that is the most against liberal northern va. 

 

Plus, the whole eating their own thing the GOP has been going through. 

 

Btw I prefer liberal northern va to rural Va. rural VA ****ing sucks. Loudoun is awesome. 

 

Im not against the northern liberals I just think it’s hilarious they can’t figure out why Rural VA doesn’t like them. 

3 minutes ago, BenningRoadSkin said:

the center has moved right.

 

On what issues has the center moved right?

 

on pretty much all the social issues the center has clearly moved left. 

 

 

[The Evil Genius]

12 minutes ago, justice98 said:

So what do we think of a million new voters in Florida n 2020 and beyond now that felons can vote?  How will that play out?  The difference in 2016 and now in 2018 between winning and losing has been a hair's width.

 

I'd be curious if the demo of that group is largely minority (as from what I can tell current demographics currently show a 5+ to 1 minority vs white incarceration rate in Florida).

 

If so, then that has to frighten the MAGAts.

 

7 minutes ago, tshile said:

 

 

Im not against the northern liberals I just think it’s hilarious they can’t figure out why Rural VA doesn’t like them. 

 

For someone who doesn't live in Virginia anymore, what is/are the reason(s) for dislike? I ask because it feels like rural voters there ( and in WV and other places) are cutting their nose off to spite their face. The GOP largely isn't offering economic opportunities to them anymore so than the Democrats. Is it all social based?

[No Excuses]

14 minutes ago, Spaceman Spiff said:

 

So the left should continue to insult the people in rural areas and act confused as to why they don't do well in those areas...?  

 

It's just obvious that we'd be holding hands and singing in perfect harmony with a Coke if we all voted for Democrats.  I'm not sure why everyone can't understand that.

 

I don’t think anyone on the left is confused by the voting patterns of rural Americans. 

 

It’s their support for insane candidates that is bewildering.

 

I’m not even sure if “conservatism” is a thing at this point, as it was traditionally understood. The GOP and rural America are voting for white nationalist candidates who overtly lie about their support for social safety net programs. 

 

[Dan T.]

The thing about Corey Stewart is that, by most measures, he was a pretty effective local elected official.  But instead of running on his ability to get things done, he made a conscious, strategic decision to turn himself into a fire-breathing dime-store Donald Trump knockoff . His recent fear-mongering campaign ad that immigrants were coming to rape your daughters and kill your sons was a sick parody to anybody not living in the Fox/Rush/Brietbart bubble.

[NoCalMike]

More evidence that "liberal" is a dirty word, while liberal policies themselves are fine & dandy.  A handful or red states where a Republican won governorship, the people voted for stuff like medicaid expansion.  It's an interesting dilemma for liberal politicians that the people are in favor of their brand, but not of them. 

 

To me, that is where the right-wing has been so successful.  Convincing people not to vote for candidates that they actually agree with on issues. These rural areas, people are so wrapped up in being "anti-liberal" that they continue to vote against the politicians that want the same things as them.

[justice98]

2 minutes ago, The Evil Genius said:

 

I'd be curious if the demo of that group is largely minority (as from what I can tell current demographics currently show a 5+ to 1 minority vs white incarceration rate in Florida).

 

If so, then that has to frighten the MAGAts.

 

They'll come up with some suppression gymnastics to make it work.

[Hooper]

1 hour ago, mistertim said:

So what should the Dem/liberal approach be to get rural voters?

Welfare vouchers for meth and Mountain Dew. 

 

It will either change their minds or speed up their decline.

 

Then hipsters who can't afford living in hip cities will move their, buy everything on the cheap, and turn it into a carbon coby of the hip city they just left. 

 

It's basically already happening except for the vouchers part.

 

Only sorta kidding.

 

Also, I love the South so it all pains me.

[Going Commando]

3 minutes ago, BenningRoadSkin said:

the center has moved right.

 

Why do Dems have to move to the center, but Reps can move as right as they want? 

 

To scoop up voters outside of the coastal strongholds.

 

We can probably win the Presidency and the House with strong candidates like Obama and a turned out liberal base.  But to win the Senate we have to compete in the middle states.  And pick off some Southern seats in places like North Carolina and Georgia and Florida.

 

The Republicans have moved way the Hell off to the Right in many ways, but in many others conservative voters have not followed them.  I see increasing support for marijuana legalization.  I see decreasing opposition to gay marriage.  I see increasing support for single payer healthcare.  I see support for raising or maintaining taxes to provide for education and infrastructure spending, which is a ****ing shock.  This is where Democrats can win seats back in legislatures and governorships and hopefully in the Senate.  It's worth it to compete for these votes.

[Renegade7]

5 minutes ago, stevemcqueen1 said:

 

I didn't think there was a pathway for compromise candidates before, but there is.  People somehow like both Trump and the Democratic agenda.

 

 

We've talked about this in other threads, there are a lot of Republicans that arent conservatives and dont even realize it.

[Hooper]

1 hour ago, skinsfanfrombirth said:

 

 

I said that to say this, there is zero hope for a Democrat to win in rural Appalachia at this point, zero. Party politics play too large of a role,the people of my area continue to get poorer, continue to have less opportunity for upward movement and continue to vote Republican.

Trickle down will save them all.

[Cooked Crack]

 

Add it to the list of states we can stop focusing on nationally.

[Going Commando]

5 minutes ago, Dan T. said:

The thing about Corey Stewart is that, by most measures, he was a pretty effective local elected official.  But instead of running on his ability to get things done, he made a conscious, strategic decision to turn himself into a fire-breathing dime-store Donald Trump knockoff . His recent fear-mongering campaign ad that immigrants were coming to rape your daughters and kill your sons was a sick parody to anybody not living in the Fox/Rush/Brietbart bubble. 

 

Good enough to win you a state-level primary, not good enough to win you an election.  Same thing killed Gillespie last year.  The big majority of Virginians don't give a crap about Nancy Pelosi or MS13.

[No Excuses]

5 minutes ago, stevemcqueen1 said:

 

To scoop up voters outside of the coastal strongholds.

 

We can probably win the Presidency and the House with strong candidates like Obama and a turned out liberal base.  But to win the Senate we have to compete in the middle states.  And pick off some Southern seats in places like North Carolina and Georgia and Florida.

 

The Republicans have moved way the Hell off to the Right in many ways, but in many others conservative voters have not followed them.  I see increasing support for marijuana legalization.  I see decreasing opposition to gay marriage.  I see increasing support for single payer healthcare.  I see support for raising or maintaining taxes to provide for education and infrastructure spending, which is a ****ing shock.  This is where Democrats can win seats back in legislatures and governorships and hopefully in the Senate.  It's worth it to compete for these votes.

 

I agree. Democrats won the Kansas governorship largely because the voters will still reject radical candidates like Kobach. Running good moderate candidates will go a long way in creating a contrast with the nutjobs that keep winning Republican primaries.

 

There is still a firewall against insanity in this country in some places. 

 

[TradeTheBeal!]

2 minutes ago, Hooper said:

Trickle down will save them all.

 

Gonna kick in any minute now!!

[tshile]

4 minutes ago, The Evil Genius said:

For someone who doesn't live in Virginia anymore, what is/are the reason(s) for dislike?

 

for where I live, which is hardly representative of all of rural VA, I just live on the outskirts of Northern VA.

 

I live where all the people who either can't afford what they want in NoVA( a tiny town house costs 500-600k, with a yard big enough to fit maybe 2 or 3 cars in it), or all the people that can't stand how busy NoVA is , move to. And they're coming here and pushing for/voting for/asking for/ the same stuff that turned NoVA into a place they can no longer afford or don't want to be.

 

The natives (you know what I mean) are not happy. They're beyond not happy. They're pissed. They're watching a place they've lived in and loved their whole life get overrun by people who want to change all of it - people who are only here because they've (in the natives' view) chased themselves out of NoVA with these very same ideas.

 

I love NoVA. Loudoun particularly. They've managed to build an awesome area without making it look like Manssass or Centerville. But NoVA brings with it significantly higher taxes. Way more construction, way more traffic. All the **** this area doesn't have, that makes/made this area nice to live in, that's now coming here.  The natives aren't happy. I wish this place would grow up a bit, but I certainly understand why they're not happy. Again, they're beyond not happy - they're pissed. Political conversations around here, if you're not hard right, are tricky to navigate.

 

For the rest of rural VA... they're your stereotypical rural republican. Religion, the gay and trans stuff, guns, and taxes... They pretty much hate you guys on every front  Kidding side, I should defer to the poster that lives there

 

 

And despite some people wanting to pretend the country has shifted right, everyone who's paid attention for the last 20 years has seen it shift very much to the left on social issues. The rurals aren't very happy about that

 

[Kilmer17]

19 minutes ago, justice98 said:

So what do we think of a million new voters in Florida n 2020 and beyond now that felons can vote?  How will that play out?  The difference in 2016 and now in 2018 between winning and losing has been a hair's width.

According to an article I read this past weekend (maybe Vox) there is no political party advantage when felons get their voting rights restored.  The Manatee County GOP endorsed restoring the right to vote, so that should tell you something.

[Bozo the kKklown]

4 minutes ago, stevemcqueen1 said:

 

To scoop up voters outside of the coastal strongholds.

 

We can probably win the Presidency and the House with strong candidates like Obama and a turned out liberal base.  But to win the Senate we have to compete in the middle states.  And pick off some Southern seats in places like North Carolina and Georgia and Florida.

 

The Republicans have moved way the Hell off to the Right in many ways, but in many others conservative voters have not followed them.  I see increasing support for marijuana legalization.  I see decreasing opposition to gay marriage.  I see increasing support for single payer healthcare.  I see support for raising or maintaining taxes to provide for education and infrastructure spending, which is a ****ing shock.  This is where Democrats can win seats back in legislatures and governorships and hopefully in the Senate.  It's worth it to compete for these votes.

That proves my point.

 

You do not have to go to those people with a moderate message. Goto those people and talk about improving their lives. Talk about building green factories and building hospitals, drug treatment centers, guaranteed wages, etc. National Dems problem is they think pushing the same candidates in those parts of the country over and over again is going to win and it hasn't. 

[The Evil Genius]

Pelosi will get Speaker again but I hope like hell they groom Joe Kennedy and other younger members to take over in the near future. She's an effective leader but she's also to easilyy a target for GOP campaigns.

[Llevron]

19 minutes ago, justice98 said:

So what do we think of a million new voters in Florida n 2020 and beyond now that felons can vote?  How will that play out?  The difference in 2016 and now in 2018 between winning and losing has been a hair's width.

 

I'm very curious to see how each side tries to get these votes. These are people Republicans largely threw away as trash up till now. They cant do that an continue to win me thinks. 

 

11 minutes ago, The Evil Genius said:

 

I'd be curious if the demo of that group is largely minority (as from what I can tell current demographics currently show a 5+ to 1 minority vs white incarceration rate in Florida).

 

If so, then that has to frighten the MAGAts.

 

Exactly. 

 

 

 

 

I'm also curious if yall think that Dems in the house should actually go after Trump as hard as possible or relax a bit and focus on small wins and getting more Republican/independent votes and defeat him flat out in 2020. Cause they arnt gonna have him impeached anyway. I feel like going after him just enrages his base more. 

[Kilmer17]

10 minutes ago, No Excuses said:

 

I don’t think anyone on the left is confused by the voting patterns of rural Americans. 

 

It’s their support for insane candidates that is bewildering.

 

I’m not even sure if “conservatism” is a thing at this point, as it was traditionally understood. The GOP and rural America are voting for white nationalist candidates who overtly lie about their support for social safety net programs. 

 

The left needs to accept and then figure out how to change this fact-  There is a huge percentage of people who hate their ****ing guts for no good reason.  But they still hate them.  Bill Maher is one of the few people on the left trying to get this point across.