"It feels like a horror movie" -- Republicans weigh in on having to defend Trump

[Anonymous]

I am somewhat politically active, but at the state and local level. Here’s what I am seeing in my conservative, R-leaning state:

Democrats are mobilizing thanks to Trump, especially younger women, older women who remember pre-Roe, and suburban women in general. This mobilization will not be enough to take electoral votes from Trump, but I think it will be enough to send our Democratic Congresswoman back for another term. It may also be enough to send a Democratic woman (former Republican) to the United States Senate in 2020.

What I am actually most excited about is our statehouse-level elections. Suburban women are running for office. Most of these women were previously moderate Republican, but have changed parties and they are already working on 2020. Some are already canvassing.

Our current governor is a Democratic woman, but our statehouse actually became more conservative Republican in 2018. This is almost completely due to Koch funding of extreme Libertarian candidates posing as Republicans. Key moderate Republicans were picked off in the 2018 Republican primary. Our statehouse is the battleground and we are like David to the Koch Goliath. But Trump is actually helping- mobilizing women to do something before it is too late for our daughters.

I realize this is anecdotal, but if my state is like other red states we may get necessary change at the state level, even if the national level is not a sweep. Those few who have money to spare should consider donating in red states that have a chance to hold and/or flip congressional seats blue.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Sure, 86% of people who identify as Republicans still support Trump, but the overall number of people who identify as Republicans has dropped significantly since the 2016 election.

That isn't factored into the equation.

The number of independents are growing and they are coming from both parties. For example, I have voted consistently Democratic for decades but now I register as an independent because both parties are just ridiculously polarized. Whether I vote for a Democrat in 2020 will depend on who is nominated.

Because your default is...Trump?

More precisely I don't have a default. It used to be the Democrat in most races but the mindless partisanship on both sides is so out of control that it makes no sense to vote Democrat irrespective of the candidate. Whether it is for House, Senate or presidential elections, the candidate has to "earn" my vote.

So, again - your default is Trump.

Anyway, enjoy life up in your treetop, where you can wait for your ideal candidate to come whisk you away. Most of us are willing to compromise in order to not have a tantrum-prone corruption monster in charge. There is no perfect candidate, by the way. They are all humans - flawed, and human.

And my conservative friends - yes, I have conservative friends - who know that I have serious reservations about some of the Democratic nominees, tell me that if I don't vote for Trump, I am by default voting for a Democrat! So I guess, voting third party or not voting is tantamount to voting for whoever wins the next election!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Sure, 86% of people who identify as Republicans still support Trump, but the overall number of people who identify as Republicans has dropped significantly since the 2016 election.

That isn't factored into the equation.

The number of independents are growing and they are coming from both parties. For example, I have voted consistently Democratic for decades but now I register as an independent because both parties are just ridiculously polarized. Whether I vote for a Democrat in 2020 will depend on who is nominated.

Because your default is...Trump?

More precisely I don't have a default. It used to be the Democrat in most races but the mindless partisanship on both sides is so out of control that it makes no sense to vote Democrat irrespective of the candidate. Whether it is for House, Senate or presidential elections, the candidate has to "earn" my vote.

So, again - your default is Trump.

Anyway, enjoy life up in your treetop, where you can wait for your ideal candidate to come whisk you away. Most of us are willing to compromise in order to not have a tantrum-prone corruption monster in charge. There is no perfect candidate, by the way. They are all humans - flawed, and human.

And my conservative friends - yes, I have conservative friends - who know that I have serious reservations about some of the Democratic nominees, tell me that if I don't vote for Trump, I am by default voting for a Democrat! So I guess, voting third party or not voting is tantamount to voting for whoever wins the next election!

WELL INDEED. Not taking a stand IS taking a stand for the status quo - whatever that happens to be in your state. Do...you not know that?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I am somewhat politically active, but at the state and local level. Here’s what I am seeing in my conservative, R-leaning state:

Democrats are mobilizing thanks to Trump, especially younger women, older women who remember pre-Roe, and suburban women in general. This mobilization will not be enough to take electoral votes from Trump, but I think it will be enough to send our Democratic Congresswoman back for another term. It may also be enough to send a Democratic woman (former Republican) to the United States Senate in 2020.

What I am actually most excited about is our statehouse-level elections. Suburban women are running for office. Most of these women were previously moderate Republican, but have changed parties and they are already working on 2020. Some are already canvassing.

Our current governor is a Democratic woman, but our statehouse actually became more conservative Republican in 2018. This is almost completely due to Koch funding of extreme Libertarian candidates posing as Republicans. Key moderate Republicans were picked off in the 2018 Republican primary. Our statehouse is the battleground and we are like David to the Koch Goliath. But Trump is actually helping- mobilizing women to do something before it is too late for our daughters.

I realize this is anecdotal, but if my state is like other red states we may get necessary change at the state level, even if the national level is not a sweep. Those few who have money to spare should consider donating in red states that have a chance to hold and/or flip congressional seats blue.

Kansas! PP, great post here. For the last few years I have been trying to get folks to invest in state and local races. This is really helpful. Do the Kochs 'live" in KS? Or claim it? FWIW, I used to see them all the time in DC. I would change lanes at Whole Foods as I could not bear be near someone who was doing so much to undo our nation's safety net.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Sure, 86% of people who identify as Republicans still support Trump, but the overall number of people who identify as Republicans has dropped significantly since the 2016 election.

That isn't factored into the equation.

The number of independents are growing and they are coming from both parties. For example, I have voted consistently Democratic for decades but now I register as an independent because both parties are just ridiculously polarized. Whether I vote for a Democrat in 2020 will depend on who is nominated.

Because your default is...Trump?

More precisely I don't have a default. It used to be the Democrat in most races but the mindless partisanship on both sides is so out of control that it makes no sense to vote Democrat irrespective of the candidate. Whether it is for House, Senate or presidential elections, the candidate has to "earn" my vote.

Oh my whatever. Stop with your nonsense and please read "It's Even Worse Than It Looks" - written by two centrist political scientists, both who engaged in a fair degree of whataboutism for years, and who finally admit that the GOP has taken a significant right-ward pivot, especially over the last ten years. They describe the GOP as an insurgent outlier, contemptuous of facts and scornful of compromise as well as dismissive of the legitimacy of its opposition.

We're Democrats, not door mats. At some point, people will push back.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I am somewhat politically active, but at the state and local level. Here’s what I am seeing in my conservative, R-leaning state:

Democrats are mobilizing thanks to Trump, especially younger women, older women who remember pre-Roe, and suburban women in general. This mobilization will not be enough to take electoral votes from Trump, but I think it will be enough to send our Democratic Congresswoman back for another term. It may also be enough to send a Democratic woman (former Republican) to the United States Senate in 2020.

What I am actually most excited about is our statehouse-level elections. Suburban women are running for office. Most of these women were previously moderate Republican, but have changed parties and they are already working on 2020. Some are already canvassing.

Our current governor is a Democratic woman, but our statehouse actually became more conservative Republican in 2018. This is almost completely due to Koch funding of extreme Libertarian candidates posing as Republicans. Key moderate Republicans were picked off in the 2018 Republican primary. Our statehouse is the battleground and we are like David to the Koch Goliath. But Trump is actually helping- mobilizing women to do something before it is too late for our daughters.

I realize this is anecdotal, but if my state is like other red states we may get necessary change at the state level, even if the national level is not a sweep. Those few who have money to spare should consider donating in red states that have a chance to hold and/or flip congressional seats blue.

Kansas! PP, great post here. For the last few years I have been trying to get folks to invest in state and local races. This is really helpful. Do the Kochs 'live" in KS? Or claim it? FWIW, I used to see them all the time in DC. I would change lanes at Whole Foods as I could not bear be near someone who was doing so much to undo our nation's safety net.

DP:
Kansas is the Koch family's traditional home. The corporation's headquarters are in Kansas. That said, the Koch brothers spent most of their time in DC or NYC.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Sure, 86% of people who identify as Republicans still support Trump, but the overall number of people who identify as Republicans has dropped significantly since the 2016 election.

That isn't factored into the equation.

The number of independents are growing and they are coming from both parties. For example, I have voted consistently Democratic for decades but now I register as an independent because both parties are just ridiculously polarized. Whether I vote for a Democrat in 2020 will depend on who is nominated.

Because your default is...Trump?

More precisely I don't have a default. It used to be the Democrat in most races but the mindless partisanship on both sides is so out of control that it makes no sense to vote Democrat irrespective of the candidate. Whether it is for House, Senate or presidential elections, the candidate has to "earn" my vote.

Oh my whatever. Stop with your nonsense and please read "It's Even Worse Than It Looks" - written by two centrist political scientists, both who engaged in a fair degree of whataboutism for years, and who finally admit that the GOP has taken a significant right-ward pivot, especially over the last ten years. They describe the GOP as an insurgent outlier, contemptuous of facts and scornful of compromise as well as dismissive of the legitimacy of its opposition.

We're Democrats, not door mats. At some point, people will push back.

+1
I’m so tired of people like the PP who clearly fancy themselves above everyone else. Congrats, you’re a cog just like the rest of us and the machine can go one of two ways. One of those ways rolls toward authoritarianism, reduced rights for anyone not white, Christian and male and away from democracy. The other side rolls toward democracy, equal rights for all and progress. There is no “both sides.” If you vote for the GOP you are not a good person, full stop, no matter how much faux soul searching you engage in.

[Anonymous]

I would posit that 2020 is a critically important election given the census and prospects for even more gerrymandering and voter suppression if the GOP controls statehouses, particularly in purple states.

[Anonymous]

Kansas poster, re: the Kochs. Yes, HQ is here. No, I do not believe they spend much time in Kansas - but it’s more than their lapdog Sen. Pat Roberts does.

Unfortunately, the Kochroaches do not have to live here to spend their vast wealth on our state-wide and local elections. Kansas is their Petri dish.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I am somewhat politically active, but at the state and local level. Here’s what I am seeing in my conservative, R-leaning state:

Democrats are mobilizing thanks to Trump, especially younger women, older women who remember pre-Roe, and suburban women in general. This mobilization will not be enough to take electoral votes from Trump, but I think it will be enough to send our Democratic Congresswoman back for another term. It may also be enough to send a Democratic woman (former Republican) to the United States Senate in 2020.

What I am actually most excited about is our statehouse-level elections. Suburban women are running for office. Most of these women were previously moderate Republican, but have changed parties and they are already working on 2020. Some are already canvassing.

Our current governor is a Democratic woman, but our statehouse actually became more conservative Republican in 2018. This is almost completely due to Koch funding of extreme Libertarian candidates posing as Republicans. Key moderate Republicans were picked off in the 2018 Republican primary. Our statehouse is the battleground and we are like David to the Koch Goliath. But Trump is actually helping- mobilizing women to do something before it is too late for our daughters.

I realize this is anecdotal, but if my state is like other red states we may get necessary change at the state level, even if the national level is not a sweep. Those few who have money to spare should consider donating in red states that have a chance to hold and/or flip congressional seats blue.

Love this! I’m very active in state elections. Currently working in VA & LA. States go unnoticed and are really have more impact on people’s lives than Fed (this isn’t to say Trump mustn’t absolutely go!)

I too think Kansas could flip a Senate seat!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:
I’m so tired of people like the PP who clearly fancy themselves above everyone else. Congrats, you’re a cog just like the rest of us and the machine can go one of two ways. One of those ways rolls toward authoritarianism, reduced rights for anyone not white, Christian and male and away from democracy. The other side rolls toward democracy, equal rights for all and progress. There is no “both sides.” If you vote for the GOP you are not a good person, full stop, no matter how much faux soul searching you engage in.

You are out of your mind with the comment shown in bold. You have one thing in common with some on the right - they view anyone who votes for a Democratic candidate as being "a not good person", traitorous, etc.

As for reduced rights "for anyone not white, Christian and male" my family/extended family is a veritable model of diversity - yes, diverse in race, color, religion and sexual orientation,mostly college educated and some are post graduates, including professionals - and they are all over the spectrum when it comes to their political leaning. Most don't like Trump but they are decidedly Republican and conservative. For those within my family who lean right who don't like Trump, they view their vote for Trump as being for the lesser evil because they sincerely believe that a Democratic administration - and especially one which controls all the levers of the government - would be a disaster.