Capitol Hill Blue Forums Political Issues Campaign 2020 J6: Putting it all together

I was on another site, after stating the 1-6 hearings hadn’t change anyone’s mind as to who they planned on voting for along with only Democrats and a few other anti-Trumpers paying attention to them. The response given to me was, “As far as changing many minds, it is true the 1-6 hearings have not tipped the scales much.

As far as discovering the details what caused 1-6, they have been spot on. And the main audience is the DOJ, not the public. The public is not very well informed, anyway.”

Now that made perfect sense to me. I had never thought of the 1-6 hearings in that light. Only from an election standpoint which is pretty much how I view everything political anyway. Hence, I placed the 1-6 hearings along with abortion into the irrelevant column since they failed to move the needle on who folks planned on voting for. Then it was on to the next issue or event that might move the needle or make some folks change their minds as to who they planned on voting for in the coming midterm.

That was an excellent response which I thought needs sharing.

So should I conclude you are OK with losing our Democracy to the fascist Trump gangsters. or did you think and continue to believe they are simply another brand of Republicans who are not out to damage Democracy?

Electorate not well informed? I use the word stupid.

None of the major issues matter if we lose our Democracy to fascist gangsterism.

Of course not. These traitors are completely fine with the Republican march to fascism. These people want white patriarchal, Christian rule.

Frankly, I find people like this are as useful at being American and human beings as teats on a boar.

Pero just told you:

Everything will work out fine. If the GOP retakes control of the house, nothing more than gridlock will happen. Trump doesn’t worry me, he’s a has been who doesn’t know it yet. Trump will get what’s coming to him sooner or later. No need to worry about that or him either.

Until I see states start passing laws to have state legislatures award electoral votes instead of awarding their electoral votes via the popular vote, I’m not going to worry about that either. There’s been so much talk and no action. Life will go on whether it’s the Democrats or the Republicans in charge of government. I take it you think people are stupid if they don’t have the same political ideology and beliefs as you. That’s your prerogative. You don’t preserve democracy by not allowing stupid people and those with different beliefs and political ideology to vote. Perhaps a majority of the people want this country to take a different track than it is on now? Only 26.1% of all Americans think this country is on the right track, headed in the right direction today vs. 66.9% who think this country is headed in the wrong direction, on the wrong track.

https://www.realclearpolitics.com/epolls/other/direction_of_country-902.html

Perhaps the people want a change in hopes that the change they make will help change the direction this country is on today. It never works out that way, but staying with what is isn’t working or getting this country on the right track isn’t going to change the direction this country is headed. Why not try something else?

That's because you seemingly don't have a full appreciation of the issue. The ISSUE IS there are other GOP'ers that think just like Trump. They are in government RIGHT NOW. There are Trump sycophants running for office RIGHT NOW. There are GOP voters who think like Trump. The J6 rioters are all GOP Trump voters. All of this said, these people ARE a problem - its just not Trump.

Do you think when Trump "goes away," that the end of it? No way, Jose! Ron DeSantis is Trump 2.0 - and Ron is WAY SMARTER than Trump. These people will glum onto DeSantis and Trumpsim will continue. THAT is a problem.

I agree with you on DeSantis. He doesn’t have Trump’s baggage, DeSantis has a pleasant personality, he’s not an obnoxious, uncouth, rude oaf. He is Trump 2.0 but with much more charisma and charm. Smooth perhaps and most important, much more political savvy. If you go back through history, beginning with IKE, you’ll find independents voted for the more charismatic candidate or the down-home boy in Carter’s and G.W. Bush are examples of the down home boy. Bill Clinton, Obama, Reagan had charisma up the ying yang. They won twice. Gore and Kerry were statues. Dukakis looked like an idiot in that tank. Carter the down-home boy was defeated by the charismatic Reagan. The stoic Ford lost to down home Carter. McCain fell into that category vs. Obama Etc.

What are elections other than beauty contests, popularity contests? People who take avid stances on the issues are already Republicans and Democrats. It’s those who are not affiliated and less to non-partisans that hold the decisive vote. Their finicky and at time wishy washy. As Greger calls them, the unwashed couch potatoes. 43% of the electorate fall into the non-affiliated group usually called independents. They’re a plurality of the electorate. To win elections, one needs to recognize that fact and play to them, try to attract their vote instead of just concentrating on one’s base.

Talking midterms, independents gave the Republicans the congress in 1994, they gave congress back to the democrats in 2006. Then turned around and gave the GOP the house in 2010 and then the senate in 2014. In 2018, independents switched to voting democratic as the Democrats took back the house. This year if the polls are correct, independents are going to give the house back to the republicans and maybe the senate to boot. It’s possible. Although I think a 50-50 tie is more likely.

You don’t have to convince me Rick. It’s all of America you must convince. Come to think of it, you’re not going to convince Republicans, but independents are open. Only independents see inflation, a thinning to flat wallet as this nation’s most important problem today. I just point this out.

Agreed. Republican voters and polticians are already quite satisfied with the GOPs march to white patriarchal, Christian national, Fascism. THAT is what "Make America Great Again" means.

...and I'm saying, if we want America to remain a democratic republic where EVERYONE participates, the people above can't win elections - but they're trying everything they can to put roadblocks in place to free and fair elections so that they do win - and they're doing it legislatively on the state level and on the federal level via the SCOTUS.

Then the party in power must govern for all the people and not just their base. By all I mean in referencing the Democrats is to govern in a way to also make independents happy with the way things are going, not just the democratic base. You’re then talking about 70% plus or minus a few points of everyone in the country. You’re not going to convince Republicans, forget about them. If one governs in a way independents are happy with your party being in power, they’ll continue to vote for your party. If you govern in a way that makes independents unhappy, disgusted with your party, they’ll vote for the alternative, the party out of power. That is how our two-party system works.

You’re living in an era where independents, the non-affiliated, the less to non-partisans make up 40% plus of the electorate. Where the two major parties now hover around 30% each. This isn’t a past era where the Democrats dominated the electorate anymore. Where the Democrats had around a 20-point advantage over the Republicans which led to the democrats controlling the house for 58 out of 62 years including 40 straight years. FDR through Bill Clinton. An era where independents made up 20% of the electorate, not 40% plus. A party can’t govern for just their base anymore, although both major parties still do. This is why we’ve had 4 changes in the control of the house over last the last 7 midterm elections vs. only 2 out of the 31 midterms previously.

And what have Republicans BEEN doing for decades?