quote:

Originally posted by reloader-1:
You know… he could just have stopped after Midnight Hammer. Even if they got a bomb, that’s Israel and Europe’s problem…

Seriously? It's a coin flip as to who Iran hates more, Israel or America. Do you really think that if they got a bomb, those crazy fuckers would hesitate for one minute to use it against Washington or New York or Seattle or LA? This war HAD to happen, and it had to happen before Iran got its bomb put together. Whether that was as imminent as "intelligence" said it was a year ago, is open to debate. But this is not a problem that we can afford to just ignore. Yes, it's Israel and Europe's problem, but it's also our problem.

quote:

Originally posted by Fly-Sig:
It is folly to think that the Dem actions in the next 2 years will pave the way for a red wave in 2028.

Re-read what I wrote as I intentionally used the phrase "need to be." It is verb phrase that expresses necessity or obligation, indicating that something is required or essential in a particular context. In other words it was not a hope or a dream, but instead it was a plan of action that I'm suggesting the Republicans adopt. It means going on the offensive with PR and staying on message (i.e. I like Trump but he's all over the place with 20 messages).

quote:

Originally posted by Schmelby:

quote:

Originally posted by tatortodd:
In other words, the next 2-years the Republicans need to be hanging the Democrat Congress' inability to deliver affordability promised in 2026.

Do you really think that will happen? Republicans don't have a spine. Under Obama for three straight years oil was above 100 dollars a barrel. Where were the investigations? No impeachments? Affordability?
I'm not afraid, but I worry for my grandchildren and my country.

It really depends on who the Republican leadership listens to:

JD Vance actually has media savvy from his time in the Marine Corps' public affairs. He's already talking post-election messaging to bring voters back to the GOP — "end the war in Iran, focus on the cost of living and inflation, put America first, and change our relationship with Israel."

Senate Majority Leader John Thune's tone deaf (i.e. not the root cause of the loss) and tit for tat political response:


I would have liked to have seen Trump use his influence to have Thune removed earlier this as Sen Majority leader. Johnson and the House got things done, but it all died in the Senate thanks to Thune. Johnson announced he won't run for House Minority Leader, but that do nothing obstructionist Thune announced he's running for Senate Minority Leader. I'd like to see Trump use his influence to see that Thune is no longer leader.

---

Ego is the anesthesia that deadens the pain of stupidity

DISCLAIMER: These are the author's own personal views and do not represent the views of the author's employer.

This belongs in the Iran War thread, but if the threat was that Iran would get a nuclear bomb and have the capability to explode it in the US, that should have been communicated to us - as mushroom clouds exploded over Teheran and other relevant locations.

quote:

Originally posted by egregore:

quote:

posted by Fly-Sig: Most people seem to believe the President is responsible for the economy.

The same way a ship captain is responsible for everything that happens on it (and is expected to go down with it if it sinks), a military unit commander, even in your own workplace if you're the owner or a team leader, so goes the President. They don't get to blame anyone else, even if the someone elses are responsible. Rightly or wrongly, fairly or unfairly, that's simply how it goes.

A large part of what makes an economy work is people's confidence in it. If they lose that, it won't. And nobody is liking it right now. (Which still doesn't explain why they would vote for people guaranteed to foul it up, but still.)

Disagree because Congress does not report to the President. Unlike the crew of a ship. But that's how most Americans seem to view it, that the President is in charge of the whole government.

quote:

Originally posted by reloader-1:
This belongs in the Iran War thread, but if the threat was that Iran would get a nuclear bomb and have the capability to explode it in the US, that should have been communicated to us - as mushroom clouds exploded over Teheran and other relevant locations.

You know damn good and well we're not going to attack Iran with nuclear weapons unless they attacked us first in that manner. You know it, and I know you know it.

I want you guys to come back down to earth. Those of you here who have a personal problem with President Trump, everyone can see it, and everyone knows that this affects your opinion of anything and everything related to President Trump.

The actions of the United States against Iran, as directed by resident Trump- no one here knows the full story of what we're up against, and I find it comical that some of you sit there at your computer or your phone and make declarations of what we should and should not have done to quell these barbaric psychopaths.

The war has been costly but I feel as if we had no choice, and the really funny part about this is that we may never know what we've stopped from happening in the world- events that could have caused a chain reaction that led to global catastrophe. Donald Trump may have saved your bacon, perhaps years after he's gone.

But, oh, I know, you've got it all figured out, and you could have done so much better. After all, what's he done with his life but be a clown and someone for you to criticize freely?

quote:

Originally posted by Expert308:

quote:

Originally posted by reloader-1:
You know… he could just have stopped after Midnight Hammer. Even if they got a bomb, that’s Israel and Europe’s problem…

Seriously? It's a coin flip as to who Iran hates more, Israel or America. Do you really think that if they got a bomb, those crazy fuckers would hesitate for one minute to use it against Washington or New York or Seattle or LA? This war HAD to happen, and it had to happen before Iran got its bomb put together. Whether that was as imminent as "intelligence" said it was a year ago, is open to debate. But this is not a problem that we can afford to just ignore. Yes, it's Israel and Europe's problem, but it's also our problem.

I do not believe that; after the WMD debacle in Iraq I don’t know why anyone would ever blindly trust the government with certainty of secret intel that can’t be shared.

And even if the intel was real, why didn’t he present it to congress and get authorization? The unilateral decision to attack Iran is now owned exclusively by him and was a major factor in this historic loss.

quote:

Originally posted by parabellum:
Donald Trump is still President.

Let's do our best to maintain an even strain, please. It's not the end of the world.

Otherwise: Dial 988 (Suicide & Crisis Lifeline in the US).

I just made the call. They asked me if I voted Democrat, and after I told them I voted Republican, they hung up on me.

quote:

Originally posted by tatortodd:

quote:

Originally posted by Fly-Sig:
It is folly to think that the Dem actions in the next 2 years will pave the way for a red wave in 2028.

Re-read what I wrote as I intentionally used the phrase "need to be." It is verb phrase that expresses necessity or obligation, indicating that something is required or essential in a particular context. In other words it was not a hope or a dream, but instead it was a plan of action that I'm suggesting the Republicans adopt. It means going on the offensive with PR and staying on message (i.e. I like Trump but he's all over the place with 20 messages).

I understand the English lingo just fine.

My point is that it won't sink in to people's heads because they already believe that POTUS is the top boss of everything. That's their underlying belief, and it will be reinforced at every turn by Dems and the media. Convincing them that a Dem congress hasn't made life cheaper isn't going to work.

First of all, life is never going to get cheaper. And that's another gap in the population's knowledge base when it comes to inflation. Even at 0% inflation prices just stay the same.

Second of all, dems and the media know that, and will play to it. They have no motivation to do anything that improves the economy, because they want ammunition against the Republicans and they don't want anything positive that could be claimed by the Republicans.

I've been thinking about the shellacking in Texas all day. I was concerned about Paxton going in, but I thought Gov, Lt Gov, Attorney General, Comptroller, Land Commissioner, Ag Commissioner, Railroad Commissioner (regulates oil & gas in TX) were all safe.

We've had a significant increase in registered voters the last 3 mid-terms (source Grok):
Year Registered Voters
2026 19,041,684
2022 17,672,143
2018 15,793,257

Percentage of voter turnout was better than '22 (i.e. when the red wave failed to appear) but not as good as '18 when we had a US Senator on the mid-term ballot (source Grok):

Governor Turnout (% of Registered Voters)
Year Votes Cast Turnout
2026 ~9.91 million ~52.0%
2022 ~8.10 million 45.85%
2018 8.34 million ~52.8%

U.S. Senate Turnout (% of Registered Voters)
Year Votes Cast Turnout
2026 ~9.89 million ~51.9%
2022 No Senate race
2018 8.37 million 53.0%

2018, Cruz beat Beto by 2.6 points, but last night Talarico won by 12 points

Abbott's won '18 by 13.3 points, '22 by 10.9 points, but lost last night by 7.2 points

Last night, wasn't purely a voter turnout issue because even if we matched the percent voter turnout in '18 or '22 and 100% were Republican that would've only been 140k to 200k votes which would not have swung US Senator, Gov, Lt Gov, Attorney General, Comptroller, Land Commissioner, Ag Commissioner, Railroad Commissioner.

Therefore, I took a look at the margin of victory (source Grok):
Race Approx. Dem Margin (votes)
US Senator ~1.2 million
Governor ~706,000
Lt. Governor ~599,000
Attorney General ~631,000
Comptroller ~503,000
Land Commissioner ~438,000
Ag Commissioner ~453,000
Railroad Commissioner ~677,000

My conclusions:

Texas eliminated the easy 1-button straight ticket voting in 2020, but it appears that for Gov, Lt Gov, Attorney General, Comptroller, Land Commissioner, Ag Commissioner, Railroad Commissioner that it was more or less voters manually voting straight ticket.

Paxton's history of impeachment, legal issues, and other controversies lead to ~500,000–700,000 people who voted Republican on the rest of the ticket to vote Democrat (i.e. Talarico).

---

Ego is the anesthesia that deadens the pain of stupidity

DISCLAIMER: These are the author's own personal views and do not represent the views of the author's employer.

quote:

Originally posted by parabellum:

quote:

Originally posted by reloader-1:
This belongs in the Iran War thread, but if the threat was that Iran would get a nuclear bomb and have the capability to explode it in the US, that should have been communicated to us - as mushroom clouds exploded over Teheran and other relevant locations.

You know damn good and well we're not going to attack Iran with nuclear weapons unless they attacked us first in that manner. You know it, and I know you know it.

I want you guys to come back down to earth. Those of you here who have a personal problem with President Trump, everyone can see it, and everyone knows that this affects your opinion of anything and everything related to President Trump.

Para, I like Trump. He did something incredible for this country by beating Hillary and Kamala, and that saved us from a lot of suffering.

I can hold that viewpoint, and still be critical of him for doing the exact same things in his second term that hurt him in his first term. This may be unpopular, but he is the oldest US president ever - and I think that age has caught up to him.

Trump campaigned on several very important promises to the American people, and failed to live up to them. In his first term, he chose the wrong people around him, and that backfired severely; he then proceeded to do the same in his second term.

He has always had the habit of going off on rants, letting his ego get the best of him, and in general being a fairly antagonistic personality (to his friends, and former friends, and enemies etc). That’s fine when you are achieving results, not so well when it appears to be distracting you from what voters asked you to do.

Regarding Iran, Republicans lost WMD credibility in Iraq with Bush; the bar for attacking Iran has to be stratospheric if it involves WMD, and there was next to zero planning. We pulled out minesweepers out of the Gulf mere weeks before launching the attack. Again, if the threat was that severe, COMMUNICATE it to the American people, as to exactly why we are going to war, young Americans are dying, and for what.

Trump was elected in 2024 by a fantastic landslide; his legacy, as a 78 year old man was secured - all he had to do was focus on a few major things, stay off the phone, and not let his ego get in his way. That was it - the bar was quite low.

quote:

Originally posted by reloader-1:
all he had to do was yadda yadda yadda...

Every time you address this subject, you prove my point: You know better than he.

I can't make it any clearer for you.

quote:

Originally posted by Fly-Sig:
My point is that it won't sink in to people's heads because they already believe that POTUS is the top boss of everything. That's their underlying belief, and it will be reinforced at every turn by Dems and the media. Convincing them that a Dem congress hasn't made life cheaper isn't going to work.

First of all, life is never going to get cheaper. And that's another gap in the population's knowledge base when it comes to inflation. Even at 0% inflation prices just stay the same.

Second of all, dems and the media know that, and will play to it. They have no motivation to do anything that improves the economy, because they want ammunition against the Republicans and they don't want anything positive that could be claimed by the Republicans.

I'm not willing to waive the white flag. Mainstream media's influence has faded and Republicans need to hammer the "failed to deliver 2026 promises" messaging on X/Instagram and the MSM, and follow-up with the 4 Republican promises kept that Vance outlined.

If you disagree, then I challenge you to lay out a plan for Republican victory in '28.

quote:

Originally posted by parabellum:

quote:

Originally posted by reloader-1:
all he had to do was yadda yadda yadda...

Every time you address this subject, you prove my point: You know better than he.

I can't make it any clearer for you.

I disagree. The American people just said that what he did, they didn’t like.

I may not know better than Trump, but clearly what he did didn’t work. Perhaps we can start with that premise, then that might help us to win future elections?

No, I'm done with it. I'm done with the criticism and second-guessing, and excuses about what I see on these pages with my own eyes.

I'm tired of the "Everything is permanently and completely screwed up" pissing and moaning over the past 24 hours. Who wants to listen to that shit? Who? Huh? What is the point? That's why I've been so quiet. It's depressing as all get-out and I am not going to participate in the pity party.

No more

In WI here comes the marijuana stores. They will likely try gun restrictions, no private sales, magazine capacity limits, CCW restrictions, etc..

The guy that won Gov, Crowley is a DEI empty suit. I think he’s very susceptible to signing what his overseers put on his desk. They will likely keep the current Gov staff in place to steer him through his governorship.

As far as the overall election, I look at it as a challenge. I’ll do my best to keep marching forward. I don’t plan to hide in a hole, expect some serious overreach.

I don’t blame the candidates, it’s the electorate. Then we have the lifespan of a democracy to factor in. Earlier today oil was down a fair bit. If I was the Iranians I’d play around more. It could be that oil falls now, then the Dems try to take credit. That’s even after their policies do nothing but increase the cost of energy. The Iranians can’t win militarily, may as well use other tools. The lefties would be oblivious.

I don’t think we can go back to all the Brandon nonsense while Trump is President. Of course now he will be hounded for his last 2 years.

FWIW, my adopted home state's results: https://www.indystar.com/story...results/92518386007/ Of note are three constitutional amendments passed:

quote:

Constitutional Amendment 1
This amendment allows a court to hold a defendant without bail before trial when that defendant is accused of: an offense punishable by the death penalty, an act of terrorism, second degree murder, aggravated rape of a child, aggravated rape, grave torture, or any crime for which a convicted person would be required to serve 85% of their sentence. Passed 67-33.

Constitutional Amendment 2
This amendment prohibits the legislature from imposing a state property tax on real, personal or mixed property. Passed 67-33. (They didn't have one before, but can't now, ever.)


Constitutional Amendment 3
This amendment clarifies existing rights for crime victims and adds new rights. Passed 76-24.

Nothing else really surprising. This is generally a conservative state to start with. My district (1st, Diana Harshbarger) has not had a D rep since 1881.

This is a temporary setback and could end up helping us in 2028. Democrats have just elected a lot of moderates. Their new comrades are going to have real trouble supporting an extreme agenda. If they want to achieve anything, they will need to find issues that can help voters that they can get Trump to endorse. These people are not clever and patient enough to defer attacking Trump. They will accomplish little and find that the great blue wave was really just a rejection of high prices and more war!

I am in NE Oregon, Morrow County. I voted the day I received my ballot in the mail and then took it to the ballot drop box.

Our county voted red by mostly a 2/3 majority. I am disappointed with the election results in my state and nation, but I realize I can only control that which is in the boundaries of my property line.

If I take care of what I can control, and my neighbor takes care of what he can control we will have a nice little community.

I remind folks that if they really want change they have to start with a bottom up approach (school board, city council, county commissioners, etc..) as that approach works better than a top down approach (hoping federal candidates who win will be able to change things locally).

My state has a statute preventing law enforcement from enforcing immigration law and will prosecute law enforcement officers if they assist immigration officers.

The vote numbers coming out of Texas are wild.

A lot of people here and elsewhere think that ac president is only going to do what he campaigned on. I’ve think it was Harold McMillsn who, when asked what kept him awake nights, replied “Events, my boy, events.
Shot happens everywhere all the time and the president’s main constitutional responsibility-his alone—is foreign policy.
Trump did absolutely the right thing in bombing Iran. What ruined everything was JD Vance’s ceasefire, then months of equivocating instead of letting Israel finish off the mullahs.
For the rest—the economy is as good as it can get; manufacturing of coming back to America;,China is weakened; out military is vastly better. And American innovation I’d licking the world’s ass.
That’s reality. The rest is doomerism.

Trump did the right thing but got talked out of not finding it.