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Edited by Mrph1 on Nov 30th 2023 at 11:03:59 AM
Absolutely, looking back at 2016 my biggest mistake was underestimating the vitriolic bigotry that animates the Republican base. I sadly took them at their word when it came to their motivations which now feels ridiculously naive.
Considering his 80%+ approval rating with them I seriously question the accuracy of that sentiment, frankly it sounds like an excuse for Republicans who wanted to vote for Trump but were too cowardly to reveal their true motives.
If it were a serious motivation they wouldn't approve of him as much as they do.
Edited by Fourthspartan56 on Jul 29th 2018 at 9:26:04 AM
"Einstein would turn over in his grave. Not only does God play dice, the dice are loaded." -Chairman Sheng-Ji YangI honestly doubt most people actually have that sort of shame.
It's been mentioned before that his approval rating is so high with Republicans, because the Republicans who would disapprove of him have gone even further and just stopped identifying as such.
Not to say that the bigotry isn't a major factor either way, it obviously is, especially in certain geographical areas...
Edited by LSBK on Jul 29th 2018 at 8:27:11 AM
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And yet I don't see any evidence for some mass exodus of Republican voters, have some people stopped identifying as Republicans? Certainly, and for that I applaud them.
But unless their base has substantially shrunk then most Republicans were liars who were voting for Trump and likely voting against Clinton.
"Einstein would turn over in his grave. Not only does God play dice, the dice are loaded." -Chairman Sheng-Ji YangAs 2016 wore on, I became more and more convinced that Trump had a chance. Not a great chance, mind you, but a chance. Especially after I heard story after story about Trump supporters. I was still hopeful about an HRC win, but I realized I couldn't just take it for granted. It's one of the reasons I voted even if I am overseas and registered in a very Blue district in a Blue state.
Disgusted, but not surprised
Considering that they won't be going against Hillary Clinton I think it's likely they won't, sure the propaganda wing will do its best to rile them up but it's simply not possible to surpass decades worth of propaganda.
Doesn't mean that we should count on them not voting but I think the lack of Hillary Clinton (as much as I adore her) will be a benefit.
Edited by Fourthspartan56 on Jul 29th 2018 at 9:42:34 AM
"Einstein would turn over in his grave. Not only does God play dice, the dice are loaded." -Chairman Sheng-Ji YangI just hope that Democratic voters don't let apathy get to them as so often happens. Yeah, things seem to be improving on that front given the results of special elections, but I'm not taking it for granted.
The GOP voters will turn out for the midterms. The thing about these people is, for all their other faults, they recognize that votes are power. And these people don't like giving up power.
Disgusted, but not surprised
Eh, the special elections suggest that they won't turn out as much as the Democratic voters.
It's not something we should assume but there's quite a bit of evidence to make it plausible.
"Einstein would turn over in his grave. Not only does God play dice, the dice are loaded." -Chairman Sheng-Ji YangI just hope the 2020 republican voters don't bring the same..."enthusiasm" they had in 2016.
Its the opposite problem really, republican "enthusiasm" never changes, it is always consistantly high turnout with them to go vote.
The problem lies with our end, and democrats "Not really liking the candidate that has been picked" or "Not feeling like they need to vote" or "That my vote doesn't mater"
Which is why all the talk of a blue wave concerns me so much, because I am worried that it will feed into sentiment 2 "If the wave is going to happen why do I need to vote?" and we will get a repeat of 2016 all over again.
Its finally starting to look like that may not be the case, but the concern over it should never be discarded, because we cant rely on an an apathetic opponent, history has shown that doesn't happen.
The New York Times responded to Trump's depiction of the meeting
. They're not happy.
I told the president directly that I thought that his language was not just divisive but increasingly dangerous.
I told him that although the phrase “fake news” is untrue and harmful, I am far more concerned about his labeling journalists “the enemy of the people.” I warned that this inflammatory language is contributing to a rise in threats against journalists and will lead to violence.
I repeatedly stressed that this is particularly true abroad, where the president’s rhetoric is being used by some regimes to justify sweeping crackdowns on journalists. I warned that it was putting lives at risk, that it was undermining the democratic ideals of our nation, and that it was eroding one of our country’s greatest exports: a commitment to free speech and a free press.
Throughout the conversation I emphasized that if President Trump, like previous presidents, was upset with coverage of his administration he was of course free to tell the world. I made clear repeatedly that I was not asking for him to soften his attacks on The Times if he felt our coverage was unfair. Instead, I implored him to reconsider his broader attacks on journalism, which I believe are dangerous and harmful to our country.
Except even Handsome Jack was, if the Pre-Sequel is any indication, at one point an almost sympathetic person. Almost.
By all indications, it seems like Donald Trump was always an entitled sack of shit. One who has only gotten worse with age.
Edited by M84 on Jul 29th 2018 at 10:39:27 PM
Disgusted, but not surprisedObjectively Handsome Jack is still worse given his bodycount and the fact that he commits murder personally. But that's in part due to the lawlessness of Pandora meaning he has almost no real checks on his power.
You better believe that if Trump weren't constrained by checks and balances on his power that he'd be eclipsing Handsome Jack's atrocities. Imagine what he'd do if he had something like The Warrior at his beck and call.
Disgusted, but not surprised

In hindsight, as soon as Trump won the Republican nomination he had a serious chance of winning.
I mean, I assumed most Trump voters would be more concerned about his ignorance, his sex offending, his falling apart under the slightest pressure, and his abject failure as a businessman. But once he got the nomination, Republicans were going to vote for him.