I think gender and race can not be ignored as part of the reason for the loss. But I do not think that means that women can’t/couldn’t/shouldn’t be the candidate going forward. I think whomever the candidate may be in the future needs to call out the lies for what they are. Be on offense. The example of the border problem continuing to be framed (incorrectly) by the MAGA narrative is spot on.
I believe foreign influences, racism and misogyny had a lot more to do with this. Texans were bombarded by “your kids are going to go home from school with their sex changed by their schools without parents’ permission or knowledge of it” commercials - the stupidest fucking thing I have ever heard of…but the scare tactic worked and there was no narrative from the Democrats other than Allred stating in one commercial that it isn’t true. It is embarrassing that the biggest asshat in the Senate continued to con Americans/Texans with absolute bullshit - but he is funded by these weirdo gaziilionairs in West Texas who are financing the Christo-Nationalist agenda, and you can’t ignore that - which promotes the school vouchers that our “Mr. Burns in a wheelchair” Governor, Abbott, is unhealthily obsessed with making a reality.
Trump exploits the ignorance and laziness of Americans like no other. Because it is exactly who he is. He is a con man. And the American people were and will continue to be the mark. Don’t fucking tell me about your groceries and gas being a hardship when you are tripping over yourselves to get some $300 gawd awful gold lame sneakers, shitty overpriced NFTs, weekly MAGAt parades in big trucks with big stupid flags up and down the main streets and highways burning up unnecessary “too expensive to afford” gas/diesel for absolutely unnecessary/voluntary travel. (If you can’t get to your job on Monday because fuel is so expensive, but you can drive around all day on Sunday being obnoxious and entitled in your actions -you aren’t suffering economically, your suffering from immaturity, lack of discipline and flat out “I don’t want to work but I want to get paid to sit on my ass and play video games, party, sleep all day-itis.)
Another casein point, the border is such a problem - “oh, all of our problems are caused by illegals that are ruining our country, stealing and raping and murdering…you can’t even go to the grocery store without getting killed” - how the fuck do you counter willful ignorance. People actually stood at his ridiculous rallies, heard him say that shit, and agreed wildly - EVEN THOUGH THEY HAD JUST GONE TO THE FUCKING STORE, bought groceries and filled up the gas tanks to convoy to the stupid rally - all without being unalived.
That a special kind of willful stupid. I don’t even know how to advise any candidate to attack that because I can’t. I had a conversation the day after the election with an acquaintance who was low key gloating and starting to go into his OG Republican spiel - and I put my foot down and interrupted him to tell him that he doesn’t get to use his party of law and order and upholding the Constitution argument with me ever again. And if I see him even think about reaching for one of his pocket Constitutions to have out, I will fucking break his arm. And then I proceeded to negotiate a smoking deal on his vehicle’s needed repairs. And he seemed shocked that I would do something for him considering. What? What is that?? It’s the difference between being a serious person do the adulting thing versus doing the unserious “own the libs” game playing, performative bullshit and sideshow antics.
One group wants to govern and actually wants to get it right, the other group is more interested in reliving their high school glory days and treating their positions as tryouts for a reality tv show, line The Apprentice.
Then there’s the ones who can’t do either of those two things, so they take money from Putin and other dictators to actively dox the American public in exchange for way more money than all of them put together should make, let alone individually. It requires a special kind of traitor to sew discord in your own country by using the talking points scripted by the Kremlin. Without questioning any of it even a little bit. “Oh, I didn’t know” is so not an acceptable answer.
I understand wanting the Democratic Party to own their shortcomings and do better. I agree. But to completely discount foreign actors in this is also irresponsible. Something has been very off in Texas - and I know others in various states have said the same. There’s an initial preponderance of evidence that points to tampering. The sudden silence from MAGA is at very least suspicious. Remember, these people are masters of projection and every accusation has turned out to be a confession. Has everybody forgotten Trump and Johnson “have a wonderful secret” - it isn’t just rhetoric. They’ve done something. I just don’t know what…but we’ve heard nothing but reports of record breaking turn out, but the totals don’t REALY reflect that observation. So, somewhere in here, there’s a lie. At least one huge lie, (no one’s ever seen the level of lie like this) or there’s a bunch of little lies that will show a massive fraud perpetuated with the help of shameless gerrymandering, intimidation and good ol fashioned hacking.
Again, I’m not saying that the Democrats don’t have some serious work to do…I am saying that there have been a lot of test runs previously in order to fine tune the grift/con enacted to keep you know who from serving some deserved prison time.
"Centrism didn’t work. Proposing technocratic tweaks to a system that would remain intact didn’t inspire anyone."
Correct and correct. I am, and will always be, personally astounded by why anyone could vote for or support the orange goon. And that's why what I believe to be true about those people really doesn't mean squat.
Thanks for the wake up call - I got my own and though I have little faith the Dems will learn any actual lessons from this, one can always hope.
I Fucking Love You but please stop with the shitty folk-definition of insanity, it has no legal or clinical substance whatsoever.* ("Perseveration" is the disorderly variation of perseverance, but obviously that has no lede-buzz-currency nor is it ever likely to.) Banging heads against brick walls (e.g.) fits well enough. SHEER MADNESS! "You never learn, do you?" etc.
*oh and FWIW also not an Einstein quote, maybe they're thinking of Abraham Lincoln?
Thank you...do you think any really considers that an actual clinical definition of insanity? I confess I was using it in the purely idiomatic sense, but if people think that's an actual metric for it, I would like to know that!
I flung out alternative idioms to avoid coming off as "old boy shakes fist at living language". (I like to think i learned something about communication after flaming out years ago over "irregardless" being printed in a dictionary ...)
I mean ... i think it's an unfixable meme that should go away, regardless of how many/few outlier audience-members internalize it as anything substantive.
[The long version would plunge into my broader despair over language learning/instruction, chatgpt nightmares etc.]
"There are other examples. Time and again, the media sloppily, falsely mischaracterized what Trump said with maximalist bad/evil interpretations."
Here's another example --
Rabidly anti-Trump social posters insistence that Trump's pantomime of 5 separate and distinct sequential steps of a universally routine microphone check was actually a simulated BJ
You're awesome, Jonathan, but I've gotta disagree on the part about calling Trump a fascist. I don't think that had anything to do with the outcome.
My working theory is that many people received Kamala Harris' message via unreliable third parties, e.g., Fox News, TikTok, Twitter, Facebook, right wing talk radio, Elon Musk, Joe Rogan, etc. These voters were told that Kamala Harris couldn't talk unscripted, that she spoke word salad, she had no policy specifics, she had never had a position of leadership, she was woke as hell, a communist, etc.
I think it's hard for Democrats to get their message out to voters who increasingly do not watch broadcast or cable television. Also, Trump has star power, although the very thought makes me want to retch. He was annointed a star by NBC, and he has a great (bullshit) story.
Hey Paul, I certainly agree that calling him a fascist moved anyone to vote for him...but I do think it undercut the ability to reach people. And/or distracted from potentially more effective messaging. Plus, without an explanation of why democracy is better -- which I don't think we got aside from "freedom" pablum -- I think some people are comfortable with fascism if that's what it takes to stop all this crime they think is happening. And yes, the absolute asymmetry in media is something I need to address. You're dead-on there.
First time reader and now subscriber who appreciates you dropping the “fuck” bombs.
The whole email and text fundraising thing is annoying as fuck and doesn’t work. The campaign got a billion dollars and worse results to show for it.
I was affiliated independent (leaned left) until changing to Democrat after Jan. 6. A number of things can attract voters to campaigns. Sometimes when Kamala tried to explain her views, it came off as deflection, even if she is knowledgeable, cares, and has some quality policies. But I do think if you can explain progressive policies clearly, succinctly, non-wonkily, and show they are possible politically and fiscally, then maybe we’d see more progress. Though you explained clearly it isn’t one thing alone that will repair things.
Also, I think when the media says “BORDER!” and “INFLATION!” Ad nauseum instead of engaging citizens with information about day to day governance (what’s working, what’s not working, and how can we make things better), which isn’t dramatic and sexy, low-information voters acted accordingly. Also “he hates the same people we hate,” contributed.
Totally agree. There's a great article about a Keith Ellison campaign from years ago in which his canvassers literally just educated people about Social Security. Starting with explaining that it's a government program. Thanks, Paul!
Walz was a great communicator, and the consultants relegated him to high school gyms at best. I'll never give another cent to Democrats who them turn and give those consultants hundreds of thousands to loose, loose, loose.
Just upgraded to paid subscriber. Of all the post-mortems, yours resonates the most with me (I'm definitely to the left of the Democratic party). One data point I saw today was that 81% of white evangelicals/born-again Christians voted for trump. Although only 20% of the votes, their votes moved the needle away from Harris. Hard for me to understand.
OMG Bill, I didn't even see your comment until posting today's TFN on exactly the evangelical issue! I swear I didn't steal it from you! And also, thank you so much for the upgrade. The groundswell of paid subscriptions in the past couple days is just incredibly heartwarming and fortifying. Thank you.
To help with the 'understanding' part – It's the NAR, 7-Mountains, Christian Nationalism, and the grooming of women to be happily subservient to men, which also feeds mysogynystic male egos. Many are also for throwing out the Constitution in favor of 'fighting demons' and ushering in the second coming by 'supporting' Israel only to 'bring Jews to Jesus' first. Politicized pulpits and brainwashing are a HUGE factor. Many Hitler supporters were "Christians" as well.
Also...not just white evangelicals, but many blacks and latinos sit in those pews.
Trying to find something worthy of a chuckle here today. Apparently there were “alternative prognosticators” who have been yelling about a Trump popular vote win. The astrologers, etc. and what not.
So, apparently some of them fared better than all of the pundits.
But this was a fucking Insane Clown that Kamala lost to. This should have been no contest. But it was the madman against a fucking Barbie Doll. And the madman won.
What should she have done?
1. Speak the unspeakable forbidden words. HE BELONGS IN JAIL. Failing that at least askk the question. Why did he feel the need to plead for immunity when no president before or since has needed immunity BUT HIM. And no one has ever even threatened malicious prosecution of a former president BUT HIM.
2. Are you better off now than 4 years ago? IF THINGS WERE SO FUCKING GREAT 4 YEARS AGO YOU WOULDN'T HAVE LOST 4 YEARS AGO. How she allowed Insane Clown to blame the drastic rise in prices on Biden/Harris when the blame lies 100% on the pandemic and Insane Clown's clownish response to it. How she allowed this Insane Clown to portray himself as this brilliant economic genius when the fact is that 4 years of clowning he did everything to wreck the economy he inherited from Obama. Just as he inherited $400M from Papa Trump and still went bankrupt 6 times. And for good measure set the climate crisis back decades and even wrecked the Post Office attempting to thwart mail voting. And that it took Biden/Harris 3 years to overcome those 4 years of clowning and did it without causing a recession which most real economists on both sides thought impossible.
About it. We were told like last time that it might take weeks before our final count comes in. And now right on election night the motherfucker wins? No sorry. Unacceptable.
Jonathan, today I beg to differ with you. I don’t believe Trump won. Remember when he said he had a little secret? And that you won’t ever have to vote after this time? The fuck knows what he in his billionaire criminal element have gotten up to but something happened and why are we 20 million votes short of last time when there was supposed to be record turnout? I’m hoping Kamala does not concede. We need an investigation. I want a nationwide recount.
Hi Ellen, I am certainly eager to hear whether any Democrats or election observers report any vote-rigging. But even the exit polling (done independently) is consistent with the balloting. I think it’s dangerous to ignore the possibility it was rigged AND the possibility it wasn’t. Alas.
I’ve always felt this way. Child of the 60s–70s that I am, I’ve always wanted free health care, abortion on demand, and making billionaires illegal. Turning the police from militarized warriors into peacekeepers.
But over the years I’ve believed that I’ve had to “grow up” and recognize “reality” in order to “change things from within.”
Fuck that.
Does this mean that now, in my dotage, I get to free my inner radical?
Smash the state. Fuck the patriarchy. I’m going back to my 17-year-old leftist ways.
I hope college and university courses will include your immersive rant as core curricula throughout American history from now on.
Bravery, courage and patriotism look like this.
I think gender and race can not be ignored as part of the reason for the loss. But I do not think that means that women can’t/couldn’t/shouldn’t be the candidate going forward. I think whomever the candidate may be in the future needs to call out the lies for what they are. Be on offense. The example of the border problem continuing to be framed (incorrectly) by the MAGA narrative is spot on.
I believe foreign influences, racism and misogyny had a lot more to do with this. Texans were bombarded by “your kids are going to go home from school with their sex changed by their schools without parents’ permission or knowledge of it” commercials - the stupidest fucking thing I have ever heard of…but the scare tactic worked and there was no narrative from the Democrats other than Allred stating in one commercial that it isn’t true. It is embarrassing that the biggest asshat in the Senate continued to con Americans/Texans with absolute bullshit - but he is funded by these weirdo gaziilionairs in West Texas who are financing the Christo-Nationalist agenda, and you can’t ignore that - which promotes the school vouchers that our “Mr. Burns in a wheelchair” Governor, Abbott, is unhealthily obsessed with making a reality.
Trump exploits the ignorance and laziness of Americans like no other. Because it is exactly who he is. He is a con man. And the American people were and will continue to be the mark. Don’t fucking tell me about your groceries and gas being a hardship when you are tripping over yourselves to get some $300 gawd awful gold lame sneakers, shitty overpriced NFTs, weekly MAGAt parades in big trucks with big stupid flags up and down the main streets and highways burning up unnecessary “too expensive to afford” gas/diesel for absolutely unnecessary/voluntary travel. (If you can’t get to your job on Monday because fuel is so expensive, but you can drive around all day on Sunday being obnoxious and entitled in your actions -you aren’t suffering economically, your suffering from immaturity, lack of discipline and flat out “I don’t want to work but I want to get paid to sit on my ass and play video games, party, sleep all day-itis.)
Another casein point, the border is such a problem - “oh, all of our problems are caused by illegals that are ruining our country, stealing and raping and murdering…you can’t even go to the grocery store without getting killed” - how the fuck do you counter willful ignorance. People actually stood at his ridiculous rallies, heard him say that shit, and agreed wildly - EVEN THOUGH THEY HAD JUST GONE TO THE FUCKING STORE, bought groceries and filled up the gas tanks to convoy to the stupid rally - all without being unalived.
That a special kind of willful stupid. I don’t even know how to advise any candidate to attack that because I can’t. I had a conversation the day after the election with an acquaintance who was low key gloating and starting to go into his OG Republican spiel - and I put my foot down and interrupted him to tell him that he doesn’t get to use his party of law and order and upholding the Constitution argument with me ever again. And if I see him even think about reaching for one of his pocket Constitutions to have out, I will fucking break his arm. And then I proceeded to negotiate a smoking deal on his vehicle’s needed repairs. And he seemed shocked that I would do something for him considering. What? What is that?? It’s the difference between being a serious person do the adulting thing versus doing the unserious “own the libs” game playing, performative bullshit and sideshow antics.
One group wants to govern and actually wants to get it right, the other group is more interested in reliving their high school glory days and treating their positions as tryouts for a reality tv show, line The Apprentice.
Then there’s the ones who can’t do either of those two things, so they take money from Putin and other dictators to actively dox the American public in exchange for way more money than all of them put together should make, let alone individually. It requires a special kind of traitor to sew discord in your own country by using the talking points scripted by the Kremlin. Without questioning any of it even a little bit. “Oh, I didn’t know” is so not an acceptable answer.
I understand wanting the Democratic Party to own their shortcomings and do better. I agree. But to completely discount foreign actors in this is also irresponsible. Something has been very off in Texas - and I know others in various states have said the same. There’s an initial preponderance of evidence that points to tampering. The sudden silence from MAGA is at very least suspicious. Remember, these people are masters of projection and every accusation has turned out to be a confession. Has everybody forgotten Trump and Johnson “have a wonderful secret” - it isn’t just rhetoric. They’ve done something. I just don’t know what…but we’ve heard nothing but reports of record breaking turn out, but the totals don’t REALY reflect that observation. So, somewhere in here, there’s a lie. At least one huge lie, (no one’s ever seen the level of lie like this) or there’s a bunch of little lies that will show a massive fraud perpetuated with the help of shameless gerrymandering, intimidation and good ol fashioned hacking.
Again, I’m not saying that the Democrats don’t have some serious work to do…I am saying that there have been a lot of test runs previously in order to fine tune the grift/con enacted to keep you know who from serving some deserved prison time.
"Centrism didn’t work. Proposing technocratic tweaks to a system that would remain intact didn’t inspire anyone."
Correct and correct. I am, and will always be, personally astounded by why anyone could vote for or support the orange goon. And that's why what I believe to be true about those people really doesn't mean squat.
Thanks for the wake up call - I got my own and though I have little faith the Dems will learn any actual lessons from this, one can always hope.
Thank. You.
I felt this. You have definitely changed my perspective on this loss.
I Fucking Love You but please stop with the shitty folk-definition of insanity, it has no legal or clinical substance whatsoever.* ("Perseveration" is the disorderly variation of perseverance, but obviously that has no lede-buzz-currency nor is it ever likely to.) Banging heads against brick walls (e.g.) fits well enough. SHEER MADNESS! "You never learn, do you?" etc.
*oh and FWIW also not an Einstein quote, maybe they're thinking of Abraham Lincoln?
Thank you...do you think any really considers that an actual clinical definition of insanity? I confess I was using it in the purely idiomatic sense, but if people think that's an actual metric for it, I would like to know that!
I flung out alternative idioms to avoid coming off as "old boy shakes fist at living language". (I like to think i learned something about communication after flaming out years ago over "irregardless" being printed in a dictionary ...)
I mean ... i think it's an unfixable meme that should go away, regardless of how many/few outlier audience-members internalize it as anything substantive.
[The long version would plunge into my broader despair over language learning/instruction, chatgpt nightmares etc.]
I'll try to be conscious of it going forward. Thanks.
.
"There are other examples. Time and again, the media sloppily, falsely mischaracterized what Trump said with maximalist bad/evil interpretations."
Here's another example --
Rabidly anti-Trump social posters insistence that Trump's pantomime of 5 separate and distinct sequential steps of a universally routine microphone check was actually a simulated BJ
.
Honestly, I nearly wrote that very point, but it didn't seem like a hill to do on at the moment. I salute your courage!
Thank you, sir -- proud to serve
You need to move on from that now, k?
You're awesome, Jonathan, but I've gotta disagree on the part about calling Trump a fascist. I don't think that had anything to do with the outcome.
My working theory is that many people received Kamala Harris' message via unreliable third parties, e.g., Fox News, TikTok, Twitter, Facebook, right wing talk radio, Elon Musk, Joe Rogan, etc. These voters were told that Kamala Harris couldn't talk unscripted, that she spoke word salad, she had no policy specifics, she had never had a position of leadership, she was woke as hell, a communist, etc.
I think it's hard for Democrats to get their message out to voters who increasingly do not watch broadcast or cable television. Also, Trump has star power, although the very thought makes me want to retch. He was annointed a star by NBC, and he has a great (bullshit) story.
Hey Paul, I certainly agree that calling him a fascist moved anyone to vote for him...but I do think it undercut the ability to reach people. And/or distracted from potentially more effective messaging. Plus, without an explanation of why democracy is better -- which I don't think we got aside from "freedom" pablum -- I think some people are comfortable with fascism if that's what it takes to stop all this crime they think is happening. And yes, the absolute asymmetry in media is something I need to address. You're dead-on there.
First time reader and now subscriber who appreciates you dropping the “fuck” bombs.
The whole email and text fundraising thing is annoying as fuck and doesn’t work. The campaign got a billion dollars and worse results to show for it.
I was affiliated independent (leaned left) until changing to Democrat after Jan. 6. A number of things can attract voters to campaigns. Sometimes when Kamala tried to explain her views, it came off as deflection, even if she is knowledgeable, cares, and has some quality policies. But I do think if you can explain progressive policies clearly, succinctly, non-wonkily, and show they are possible politically and fiscally, then maybe we’d see more progress. Though you explained clearly it isn’t one thing alone that will repair things.
Also, I think when the media says “BORDER!” and “INFLATION!” Ad nauseum instead of engaging citizens with information about day to day governance (what’s working, what’s not working, and how can we make things better), which isn’t dramatic and sexy, low-information voters acted accordingly. Also “he hates the same people we hate,” contributed.
Totally agree. There's a great article about a Keith Ellison campaign from years ago in which his canvassers literally just educated people about Social Security. Starting with explaining that it's a government program. Thanks, Paul!
Walz was a great communicator, and the consultants relegated him to high school gyms at best. I'll never give another cent to Democrats who them turn and give those consultants hundreds of thousands to loose, loose, loose.
Yeah, the media seems to think their job is to amplify Republican attack lines.
Just upgraded to paid subscriber. Of all the post-mortems, yours resonates the most with me (I'm definitely to the left of the Democratic party). One data point I saw today was that 81% of white evangelicals/born-again Christians voted for trump. Although only 20% of the votes, their votes moved the needle away from Harris. Hard for me to understand.
OMG Bill, I didn't even see your comment until posting today's TFN on exactly the evangelical issue! I swear I didn't steal it from you! And also, thank you so much for the upgrade. The groundswell of paid subscriptions in the past couple days is just incredibly heartwarming and fortifying. Thank you.
Even more evidence that you and this community resonate with me 👍
Yes.
To help with the 'understanding' part – It's the NAR, 7-Mountains, Christian Nationalism, and the grooming of women to be happily subservient to men, which also feeds mysogynystic male egos. Many are also for throwing out the Constitution in favor of 'fighting demons' and ushering in the second coming by 'supporting' Israel only to 'bring Jews to Jesus' first. Politicized pulpits and brainwashing are a HUGE factor. Many Hitler supporters were "Christians" as well.
Also...not just white evangelicals, but many blacks and latinos sit in those pews.
Trying to find something worthy of a chuckle here today. Apparently there were “alternative prognosticators” who have been yelling about a Trump popular vote win. The astrologers, etc. and what not.
So, apparently some of them fared better than all of the pundits.
Gah 😖
TLDR(too long didn't read).
But this was a fucking Insane Clown that Kamala lost to. This should have been no contest. But it was the madman against a fucking Barbie Doll. And the madman won.
What should she have done?
1. Speak the unspeakable forbidden words. HE BELONGS IN JAIL. Failing that at least askk the question. Why did he feel the need to plead for immunity when no president before or since has needed immunity BUT HIM. And no one has ever even threatened malicious prosecution of a former president BUT HIM.
2. Are you better off now than 4 years ago? IF THINGS WERE SO FUCKING GREAT 4 YEARS AGO YOU WOULDN'T HAVE LOST 4 YEARS AGO. How she allowed Insane Clown to blame the drastic rise in prices on Biden/Harris when the blame lies 100% on the pandemic and Insane Clown's clownish response to it. How she allowed this Insane Clown to portray himself as this brilliant economic genius when the fact is that 4 years of clowning he did everything to wreck the economy he inherited from Obama. Just as he inherited $400M from Papa Trump and still went bankrupt 6 times. And for good measure set the climate crisis back decades and even wrecked the Post Office attempting to thwart mail voting. And that it took Biden/Harris 3 years to overcome those 4 years of clowning and did it without causing a recession which most real economists on both sides thought impossible.
About it. We were told like last time that it might take weeks before our final count comes in. And now right on election night the motherfucker wins? No sorry. Unacceptable.
Jonathan, today I beg to differ with you. I don’t believe Trump won. Remember when he said he had a little secret? And that you won’t ever have to vote after this time? The fuck knows what he in his billionaire criminal element have gotten up to but something happened and why are we 20 million votes short of last time when there was supposed to be record turnout? I’m hoping Kamala does not concede. We need an investigation. I want a nationwide recount.
Hi Ellen, I am certainly eager to hear whether any Democrats or election observers report any vote-rigging. But even the exit polling (done independently) is consistent with the balloting. I think it’s dangerous to ignore the possibility it was rigged AND the possibility it wasn’t. Alas.
I am a paid subscriber because I love how you say “fuck” so much.
Thank you, Aslo. (I feel like my response is missing something…)
“Fuckin’, thank you!” might season the gratitude stew well
“Now we put the radicals in charge.”
I’ve always felt this way. Child of the 60s–70s that I am, I’ve always wanted free health care, abortion on demand, and making billionaires illegal. Turning the police from militarized warriors into peacekeepers.
But over the years I’ve believed that I’ve had to “grow up” and recognize “reality” in order to “change things from within.”
Fuck that.
Does this mean that now, in my dotage, I get to free my inner radical?
Smash the state. Fuck the patriarchy. I’m going back to my 17-year-old leftist ways.