Capitol Hill Blue Forums Political Issues Elections 2024 2024 Election Forum

I think this idea is misguided.

The point you have missed is the reality of actually being in power. The MAGA base has extorted politicians into holding the line regardless of what they believe or know. Trump is their voice ergo they must bend the knee in order to maintain their power. Selling their soul for a few bucks is nothing compared to having power.

They have the power and they will use it to destroy the federal government and by extension Democracy.

Interesting. I find it pretty interesting that nobody has, so far, mentioned the White Christians. You know, they are the ones who are flat out against women taking care of themselves and just do what your husband says. It also gets better. A Trumph Christian bible in EVERY school. They are also the power behind getting rid of ALL public education and no more money for local libraries. There is a LOT more but I suspect you get it. Oh, they also want a single christian church (theirs) by law. We are also told that this is the largest, best organized, Christian group in the United States.

Trump is well aware of these folks, and their power. They have been at it for 60 years and have stuck to their plan. Trump has consistently supported their efforts and continues to this day.

Just thought I might mention this one - its a dandy!

Theocracy, autocracy, it's what half of the voters want. Those that didn't vote, have no say!
What that half doesn't realize, or care - not sure which - is that what trump does will affect them as much as it will the other 50% of us evil folks that voted against it!

Is that what the voters wanted? I’m sure a lot of the MAGA vote, that is true. But MAGA probably makes up but a quarter of the electorate. Where did the other 25% of those who voted for Trump come from to make up his 50% of the vote he received? Republicans only make up 29% of the electorate according to Gallup. MAGA probably makes up 65% or call them avid Trump supporters within the GOP going by those who view Trump very favorably.

https://news.gallup.com/poll/15370/party-affiliation.aspx
https://d3nkl3psvxxpe9.cloudfront.net/documents/econTabReport_NgtZTja.pdf

Where did the other half of Trump voters come from? The non-MAGA, the non-Republicans, even from some who dislike Trump. I would suggest from those who viewed the Biden administration had done a poor job of governing, 56% of all Americans disapproved of the overall job Biden and his administration had done over the last 4 years. As VP, this included Harris. 63% of all Americans disapproved on how Biden handled inflation, 63% disapproved on his handling of immigration and so on. Throw in that most Americans thought Biden and company had this country headed in the wrong direction, off on the wrong track, 62%

https://d3nkl3psvxxpe9.cloudfront.net/documents/econTabReport_NgtZTja.pdf
https://www.realclearpolling.com/polls/approval/joe-biden/issues/inflation
https://www.realclearpolling.com/polls/approval/joe-biden/issues/immigration
https://www.realclearpolling.com/polls/state-of-the-union/direction-of-country

Those views are a lot to overcome. I don’t think most of this half of Trump voters were voting for him, for theocracy, autocracy or whatever. I would say they were voting against Biden, Harris and the democratic party who has been in power over the last 4 years. Not for Trump, but against Harris, Biden and the democrats for what they viewed as poor governing. Trump just happened to be Harris’s opponent, the beneficiary of this overall dissatisfactory view of most Americans.

I don’t think this quarter of the electorate who voted for Trump, who aren’t MAGA, Trump Supporters, who aren’t even republicans realize who they voted for in their rejection of Harris, Biden. They just wanted someone else in charge who hadn’t been in charge these last 4 years. I repeat, I would say this quarter of the electorate weren’t for Trump, they were against Harris, Biden, the democrats, the party in power, in charge. Any candidate would have done for them and would have received their vote as long as that candidate wasn’t from the party in power which they deem hasn’t solved the problems most important to them.

Here something else to think about, history. No sitting president has won reelection, nor his replacement won the election with an overall job approval of below 50%. Trump had history on his side. 8 elections where a sitting president’s overall job approval was below 50%, 8 losses for the sitting president or his party’s replacement or the candidate that replaced the sitting president. The list
1952 Truman 33%, his replacement Stevenson lost to Eisenhower
1968 LBJ 43%, his replacement Humphrey lost to Nixon
1976 Ford 45%, Ford lost reelection to Carter
1980 Carter 37%, Carter lost reelection to Reagan
1992 G.H.W. Bush 34%, Bush lost reelection to Bill Clinton
2008 G.W. Bush 28%, his replacement McCain lost to Obama
2020 Trump 43%, Trump lost reelection to Biden
2024 Biden 41%, his replacement Harris lost to Trump.

Harris came darn close to upsetting the historical apple cart. Just losing the popular vote by 1.8 points. That was the third closest presidential election since 1900. Only 1960 and 2000 were closer. But as the old saying goes, close only counts in horseshoes, grenades and nuclear warfare.

Was I delusional?

What I saw was, half of the voters voted for Trump. I don't think I mentioned MAGA at all did I? A big part of Trumps message was retribution against all those that spoke against him. He also hyped his authoritarian tendencies. If you voted for Trump, you also voted for Trumps beliefs. He wants to be a strongman and has said by his own mouth and also through his support of Putin and all of the other strongmen that have come or been in power in their countries for some time.

To anyone that thinks Trump can bring the prices of gas and food down, good luck on that! Although I am not an economist, I think It goes against our monetary system for those prices to come back down. Sure, inflation has subsided, but those prices will never come back down to what they were before Covid no matter who the president is! Why Harris, or anyone else for that matter, has never mention that the prices will never come down is beyond me. I learned that in high school civics class - things like our monetary system as well as the way our government works and many more things. Oh that's right, they don't teach civics any more. Huh!

Maybe I am just being paranoid, but my belief in what is going to happen in the next 4 years has moved me to take some action to try to protect myself. I am moving money from my bank accounts to a personal safe where I will be able to still access money after the banks close and I can't get to it any longer. I have also taken other measures that I will not mention here. Yes, that is how bad I think it is going to get. I am hoping for the best, but preparing for the worst!

Maybe I am delusional after all!

Delusional? To what extent? I agree, prices will never go back down no matter who’s president or what party is in charge. Trump will be out for revenge, not doubt about that either. He’s one vengeful man. My attempt was to explain or give my thoughts on why around half of the voters who voted for Trump, voted for him. They weren’t voting for Trump per se. They were voting against an administration who they thought did a bad job of governing along with holding them accountable for the way they governed, handled certain issues.

I’d say little thought was given to how Trump would govern or what he’d do among this quarter of the electorate who weren’t MAGA. They saw paying 3.50 for a loaf of bread of 6 dollars for a dozen eggs a good enough reason to vote against Harris, they voted against the current administration’s handling of the economy, inflation, immigration, etc. Not necessarily for Trump, but against. They rejected the party in power just like they rejected Trump in 2020 and the republicans. I doubt they paid any attention to Biden or how he might govern in 2020 either. They were too focused on rejecting Trump. Which could bring us back to an informed electorate, which we don’t have.

The biggest irony is that 57% of all Americans thought Trump wasn’t honest and trustworthy. Yet a good number out of that 57% voted for him anyway as they thought he’d be much better at handling the economy and inflation than Harris by a 55-44 margin. But that in a way shouldn’t surprise anyone as the economy has been the number issue in most presidential election. 2004 was an exception when the Iraq war took over the number one place.

I'd say around half of all those who vote don't give voting much thought. It's more of a knee jerk reaction to what they either like or don't like come election day.

Then they paid little to no attention to what he was saying. That is still on them for not knowing who they were voting for. And, when it hits the fan, I will be reminding those that voted for him, that they in fact DID vote for Trump whether they knew what he was pushing or not! They,should, have, known and shame on them for not! If Trump were my only other option, I would not vote at all.

I would not vote for anyone that is pushing what he is pushing! Ever!

Yep, that's about it. When he left his last presidency he was figured as the worst president the United States had ever had by over 150 historians. One can only wonder what's gonna happen this time around when he is better organized. My own suspicion is that its not going to be exactly good, especially for the lower middle and the poor. Then, of course, there are all the other 'promises'.

Gonna be an interesting time. my main concern is whether we have a democracy left. Hold on!!!