|
|
Post by mhbruin on Jun 16, 2020 10:19:24 GMT -8
While Republican strategists inside Washington view Donald Trump as a millstone around their necks, GOP officials in the states are donning their rose-colored glasses and chilling the Asti Spumante for Election Day. Politico reports that interviews with more than 50 Republican party chairs at the state, district, and county level revealed a mindset of optimistic denialism. They apparently think coronavirus is over, the economy is roaring back, and remain impervious to the national conversation about systemic racism and police brutality. Joe Biden? Well, he's old and frail and probably has trouble drinking and navigating ramps. And the media—ha!—they're out to lunch. “The more bad things happen in the country, it just solidifies support for Trump,” Phillip Stephens, GOP chairman in Robeson County, North Carolina, told Politico. Right on—Trump's failures are priceless! Robeson is a rural Obama-to-Trump county in a swing state that Trump won by 3.5 points and has grown very competitive in the last several months. “We’re calling him ‘Teflon Trump.’ Nothing’s going to stick, because if anything, it’s getting more exciting than it was in 2016.” Never a dull moment with a stable genius at the helm. "We're thinking landslide," Stephens added. We have our own facts |
|
|
|
Post by Born2BBruin on Jun 16, 2020 10:49:16 GMT -8
This story is kind of scary. I read it twice when it first came out.
What if these people, with their feet actually on the ground in their respective locales, actually know something the pundits don't?
On the one hand, they got their jobs because they're trump loyalists; they drank the Kool-Aid. They're probably not experienced political operatives, so the odds they have no idea what they're talking about, and are swimming into the depths of that famous river in Egypt, are pretty high. On the other hand, what if?
Even if the probability is low, the stakes are high; so the risk factor is significant.
Then again, on the third hand, this means those state and local parties are very likely not prepared to play defense, and don't have "sea walls" in place to protect them against a Blue Wave, which could put more House and Senate seats in play.
|
|
|
|
Post by mhbruin on Jun 16, 2020 11:30:29 GMT -8
Before you take these guy too seriously, remember the watch Fox News and AONN, and read Drudge. They believes Seattle is in flames, COVID is gone, and the economy is rising like a rocket. They say things like, “The more bad things happen in the country, it just solidifies support for Trump.”
Bad news is good news. Truth is lies. War is peace.
Welcome to doublethink.
|
|
hasben
Resident Member
Posts: 1,023
|
Post by hasben on Jun 16, 2020 13:07:02 GMT -8
As a life-long republican (until Obama) and now a moderate (registered independent) it never ceases to amaze and confound me how the gop became the party of the brain dead and the corrupt. Please don't tell me they were always this way.  |
|
|
|
Post by blublood on Jun 16, 2020 13:23:19 GMT -8
If these guys really think Trump is headed for a landslide victory, then they need to head on over to PredictIt.org, where Biden is leading Trump 58 cents to 45 cents. They can make a lot of money.
|
|
|
|
Post by northbruin40 on Jun 16, 2020 13:25:31 GMT -8
I remember back in the 2012 election, all the Republican pundits on TV seemed to be picking that Romney would win. I think it had less to do with them being dum, but that they understand their side valued loyalty over accuracy. Again, this is where politics mirrors sports fandom. Tom Kelly was never going to get fired by SC because he was too much of a homer.
|
|
|
|
Post by mhbruin on Jun 16, 2020 13:27:50 GMT -8
As a life-long republican (until Obama) and now a moderate (registered independent) it never ceases to amaze and confound me how the gop became the party of the brain dead and the corrupt. Please don't tell me they were always this way. Not at all. As a life-long liberal, I respect a lot of Republicans. If he weren't so paranoid, Nixon would have been an excellent Pres. I like a lot about Ford, Bush 41, and even some of the stuff Reagan did, even if supply-side is horrible. I have long believed we need a sane conservative party, that believes in science and governing responsibly. The GOP, pre-Gingrich. We need a liberal and a conservative party that are capable of working together. |
|
|
|
Post by northbruin40 on Jun 16, 2020 13:29:24 GMT -8
|
|
|
|
Post by spartacus on Jun 16, 2020 21:18:08 GMT -8
i saw this. insanity. like i've been saying, tRump basically was down about 10 points in the 2018 election as compared to 2016, pretty much everywhere. it's worse for him now, not better. i really think there's a blue wave coming, as Biden absolutely does NOT motivate the deplorables to turn out like HRC did. deplorable voices are louder, but there are not more of them. i'm calling it, Biden wins and the Dems take the house AND the senate. we collectively wake up from the nightmare.
UNLESS...................russian/chinese cheating or overwhelming voter suppression, which is possible.
|
|
|
|
Post by grant73 on Jun 16, 2020 22:46:51 GMT -8
i saw this. insanity. like i've been saying, tRump basically was down about 10 points in the 2018 election as compared to 2016, pretty much everywhere. it's worse for him now, not better. i really think there's a blue wave coming, as Biden absolutely does NOT motivate the deplorables to turn out like HRC did. deplorable voices are louder, but there are not more of them. i'm calling it, Biden wins and the Dems take the house AND the senate. we collectively wake up from the nightmare. UNLESS...................russian/chinese cheating or overwhelming voter suppression, which is possible. I called that trio of wins a couple of months before we got this forum, but welcome to the "Hopeful Club." You will recall how many Dems, progressives like me, were saying Sanders had the best chance to beat Trump and that Biden should quit by the end of February. Not me, I felt Bernie might lose to Trump.
Now that we remember how NeverHillary obsessed the Right, just think how much the Trumpies would have piled on some dozen Bernie platform planks. I am probably a Yangman, but the Objective is to defeat Trump, get the Senate, and the SCOTUS eventually. But this other objective may seem weird -- I hope the GOP comes back to what mh describes above. That would be good for the country.
Spartacus, I agree with you, and I sure hope we are as prescient as we are hopeful.
: O)
|
|
dsc
Resident Member
Posts: 759
|
Post by dsc on Jun 17, 2020 8:32:19 GMT -8
What can "smart" Republicans do at this point to salvage the coming elections? (This is assuming that November is looking bad for the GOP which is NOT a sure thing).
It has to be too late for downticket candidates to distance themselves from Trump after 3.5 years of non-stop bootlicking. So are they stuck in the sinking ship (again assuming that the ship is indeed sinking) tethered to Trump? Jumping ship can't help when you have a millstone around your neck.
So what is a politically smart thing to do for self-preservation? Pray for an economic turnaround?
|
|
|
|
Post by grant73 on Jun 17, 2020 8:52:15 GMT -8
There isn't any hope for the GOP until they come up with moderate, reasonable candidates in the midterm 2022 -- a tall order and I am rooting against it). But a whole lot will depend on some Pub charisma, experience getting nominated for 2024.
And if Dems come up with a weak, or untra-left or unknown head of the 2024 ticket, that would help. Those two vectors would have to be a perfect storm and happen together. I'd hate it, but savvy Pub strategists would see those as their only hope. If Dems get the senate back in Nov. and don't stumble pre-2018, they might evade the typical off-year curse in '18. Biden will not run again, and Harris would be the perfect top of ticket in 2024. Especially if he stepped down early and she was an incumbent.
My opinions only.
|
|
|
|
Post by mhbruin on Jun 17, 2020 9:39:19 GMT -8
What can "smart" Republicans do at this point to salvage the coming elections? (This is assuming that November is looking bad for the GOP which is NOT a sure thing). It has to be too late for downticket candidates to distance themselves from Trump after 3.5 years of non-stop bootlicking. So are they stuck in the sinking ship (again assuming that the ship is indeed sinking) tethered to Trump? Jumping ship can't help when you have a millstone around your neck. So what is a politically smart thing to do for self-preservation? Pray for an economic turnaround? To some extent they are captives of the right-wing media and their own lies. They have created an information bubble that they all live in. If the supporters leave the bubble, they will realize how destructive their policies have been, and abandon the incumbents. They elected officials have to keep the base in the bubble, or they lose their jobs. Then there are the people cynically in it for the money, including rich people who want the tax cuts. They are all stuck in the bubble, even as the bubble shrinks. |
|
dsc
Resident Member
Posts: 759
|
Post by dsc on Jun 17, 2020 10:18:54 GMT -8
To some extent they are captives of the right-wing media and their own lies. They have created an information bubble that they all live in. If the supporters leave the bubble, they will realize how destructive their policies have been, and abandon the incumbents. They elected officials have to keep the base in the bubble, or they lose their jobs. Then there are the people cynically in it for the money, including rich people who want the tax cuts. They are all stuck in the bubble, even as the bubble shrinks. Can't disagree with your observations here. In a way, they are victims of their own success. The southern strategy has cost them California and New York for good, but so far, the gains in the South have outweighed the losses on the west and east coasts. But now after 50 years, the chickens are coming home to roost. Or maybe not. As the bubble shrinks, what is the next step? What do they have up their sleeve? The GOP is very innovative and forward-thinking when it comes to politicking. |
|
|
|
Post by mhbruin on Jun 17, 2020 10:29:08 GMT -8
Their new strategy is voter suppression and gerrymandering, that lets them hold on to power as a minority party.
|
|
