Those 100s of other candidates? They were in R+15 and greater districts. In the competitive spaces where we should’ve won, and didn’t, it was a direct result of moderates rebuking Trump aligned candidates. Not retaking the Senate was a massive kick in the balls. I’d rather have the Senate than the House. You control the courts if you own the Senate. The Dems literally pushed Trump candidates in the primaries and their strategy worked.
I'm afraid you're correct. I don't believe Desantis can win the nomination vs Trump if there is a large field running for the nomination. If it was just Trump vs Desantis Ron D would have a real good shot.
I’m just skeptical of the polls, motivations of them, how they’re worded, etc. to drive strategy within the GOP. The election denial narrative pushed by the Dems is real and has been successful. Compare that to the “leftist loons” narrative and in the minds of the middle, it’s 6 of 1 and half dozen of the other. Maybe Trump can catch lightning in a bottle a second time, I’m just extremely skeptical. He didn’t win the first time with a mandate though, it’s hard to imagine the left being able to engage at the level they did in 2020 with both candidates securing more votes than did Obama. It’s crazy to think about to be honest.
I don't disagree with that, my only beef with what you're laying out here is I just can't see a typical Democrat Leftist beating Trump. Without the Left's base energized, Trump easily beats anyone else they may try to scam us with. He doesn't have to win ALL of the centrists, just enough to support his already motivated base.
Of everyone, in the general, I think DeSantis, Nikki Haley, or Larry Hogan are the only potentials. Hogan won’t get through the Primary and will likely have the most support from the establishment. People like Pence and Cheney have zero shot. DeSantis is the only one I think gives us the best chance. Trump and Roe v Wade created a lot of Blue, No Matter Who.
I know you can't trust polls, but as things stand now DeSantis is nowhere near Trump in GOP preference polls. You can't run in the general until or unless you win the party's nomination! DeSantis has a long way to go to beat Trump among GOP primary voters. He is also firmly Pro-Life!
I said she’d be good in the general. I want to win the WhiteHouse, I’m not locked into McGovern like idealism. Winning is all that matters and I don’t believe Trump can win.
He lost the last election because he was polarizing as hell and was hated to the point of energizing the opposition unlike anything we’ve ever seen from an engagement perspective. His post election antics cost us the 22 midterm elections. He’s also 79 years old. If he wants to stay in the fight and take grenades to insulate electable candidates from his toxicity, that’s a strategy I can get behind. If he wins the primaries, it’s possible his being on the ballet could cost us a referendum on the down ballets.
He is very toxic to moderates.
To be clear, I wasn't limiting "the establishment" to just the GOP.
You don't think the media had anything to do with Biden winning the 2020 election?
Media, fbi and many other government agencies had everything to do with it .... people still believe the Russian collusion story and China did all they could to stop the coronavirus and masks work ....
Not arguable. We are indeed mired in the intricately woven and diabolically constraining web of the swamp. However Trump's appeal is to break that up and they thought they had disposed of him after 2020. Nope.
I think they had everything to do with it. Why were they so motivated to see change? Did it have anything to do with Trump going to war with them? Mocking them?
We’ll never know. I don’t know that it would’ve made that much of a difference, but it’s possible. I mean, take PA for example. John Fetterman just won there. There is zero reason he should’ve won. That was insane.
No argument from me.
I love his policies. I didn’t like him, but I don’t vote based on who I like. I vote Policy and electability. Being idealistic and losing is still losing. Winning is all that matters. I want the candidate who has the best shot of winning in the general. Period.
