quote:

He is not electable and most of those who rely on his backing or endorsement are not electable.

The first part of that sentence reminds me of those on this forum who said the same thing leading up to the 2016 primaries.

As far as the second part, if I'm not mistaken his record is 219 endorsements won, and 16 lost.

Lauren Boebert last count was down 60 votes with 25,000 still to count, closing fast, libs hair on fire in Co. Lake is going to pull out Az. They count absentee/mailins first and they are always heavy dem. The 675,000 Az votes yet to count are election day ballots and they favor Lake heavily. Drag it out to stop a victory lap and maybe get Lake's team to do something stupid. You can't blame Pa on Trump either, voting there has been fucked up forever.

If a good number of SF forum members are ready to move on from Trump. just imagine what moderate or swing voters are thinking.

From Red State:

What happened on Tuesday can’t be left to lie. There has to be a reckoning, and it’s going to be uncomfortable and challenge some deeply-held priors. Republicans can’t keep running the same play over and over, hoping that the next time things will be different. No one should escape accountability.

The recriminations don’t stop with elected officials, though. Donald Trump is the de facto leader of the Republican Party. He is the face, he does the rallies, he makes himself the center of attention, and he is the kingmaker. He has now failed in that role for three straight elections. Frustratingly, he refuses to take any responsibility for his failures, pointing to no possibility of change on his part as the standard-bearer.

For example, after Don Bolduc lost in New Hampshire, Trump trashed him despite the fact that he was one of the former president’s endorsed candidates. He also bashed Mehmet Oz after that race was called. Worse, in the midst of Republican struggles becoming clear late on election night, Trump took to Truth Social to celebrate the loss of Joe O’Dea in Colorado’s senate race. Later, he bragged about his supposed endorsement record, calling the disappointing night a “great victory.” That’s not leadership. It’s self-serving buck-passing, and it’s especially off-putting given Trump was attempting to take credit for the red wave right up until the moment that it ceased to be.

This excerpt from Spencer Brown’s post-election write-up over at Townhall is correct.

It’s also impossible to separate the national GOP political apparatus from former President Donald Trump, who, before the election, circulated a memo hyping up the number of rallies, candidate endorsements, fundraising numbers, and primary wins for which he claimed responsibility.

For Trump, his biggest win on Election Day was arguably J.D. Vance’s victory in Ohio. But losses for his candidates, including Oz, Walker, Bolduc, and numerous others, call into question his role in picking candidates and getting them across the primary finish line — something he’s bragged about endlessly.

After all, the rest of the GOP machinery ended up pouring money and time into the races where Trump-endorsed primary candidates advanced to the general, but that’s all downstream from Trump (and in some cases, Democrats who backed the same candidates in a now proven theory that those candidates would be easier to beat).

Meanwhile, in Florida, Ron DeSantis turned a state he won by 30,000 votes four years ago into a 20-point blowout. It was the most shocking shift in a single state in decades, with Republicans actually winning Hispanic voters outright. In a sea of terrible, what happened in Florida showed a better way. It showed what issues voters care about. It showed that being likable and effective as a leader matters. I don’t know if DeSantis runs in 2024, but Republicans would be foolish to pass over him for a nearly 80-year-old man with extremely high unfavorable ratings.

I realize saying that definitively is going to ruffle some feathers, but I assure you that’s not my goal. None of what I’m saying means that 2016 wasn’t special. It doesn’t mean that the big rallies weren’t fun when they actually meant something and weren’t just irrelevant spectacles. It doesn’t mean Trump didn’t accomplish a lot in the White House.

What it does mean is that times change, appeals diminish, and not adapting going forward would only guarantee another gut-wrenching loss in the next election. Republicans need a course correction just as they needed one after the George W. Bush era (which ended with Mitt Romney). It’s not about establishment vs. Trump because, to be frank, both sides have shown themselves incapable of winning at this point.

It’s going to take a combination of inspirational fight and extreme competence that hasn’t been shown by the party’s national leadership, from McConnell to Trump, to turn this ship around. And while I may personally think that’s DeSantis, I’m not trying to browbeat anyone into that position. I encourage people to support whoever they feel convicted to support, and if we end up agreeing on 99 percent of everything else but disagreeing on that one issue, there should be no hard feelings. All I ask is that people step back, look at the whole picture, and think critically about how we got to where we are. Changes have to be made because I’m tired of losing, and I hope you are too.

https://redstate.com/bonchie/2...-you-are-too-n656741

I remember being promised I'd get tired of winning.

https://www.nationalreview.com...lishment-has-failed/

I saw something somewhere that Trump endorsed candidates won 174-9 or something close to that. The media isn’t spinning that way. The media and Rino’s are all behind Desantis. They are trying to kill MAGA. Kari Lake was endorsed by Trump and I pray she still will win out.
The Republican party cannot just eject Trump completely. They need his fundraising and they need to come together. The problem is Lindsey and McConnell among others have thumbed their noses at him. That doesn’t help - there are lots of MAGA and pro-Trump people. I do like Desantis because he is accomplished and is more of a uniter and could get votes from the dems. I just think the Repubs are messing it up with Trump, but I fear he won’t step down at the right time for the good of MAGA.

Trump has raised 100 million dollars and spent 15 million on this election cycle for other candidates. Mitch McConnel through the Senate Leadership PAC spent 234 million on senate candidates this cycle. Nikki Haley campaigned her butt off for everyone from coast to coast. She's a team player. Here's the thing. Trump purposefully went out of his way to lose two Georgia Senate seats in 2020 so he doesn't care about other Republicans winning elections. He will support candidates who completely kiss his ring, and attack candidates who don't. He took a shot at my Senate vote Joe Odea and delighted in his defeat. He is not a coalition builder, and he's exceptionally undisciplined. MAGA theory wins primaries, but loses general elections in the last three cycles. Time for the Republican Party to explore other options.

McConnelll spent his pac money on rino’s. Look at Murkowski in AK. He didn’t spend a dime in AZ to defeat Kelly. I’m sorry about your candidate but you live in a commie state. And MAGA is the best thing we have going, and it doesn’t have to equate to Trump, it is beyond him.

quote:

Mitch McConnel through the Senate Leadership PAC spent 234 million on senate candidates this cycle.

This comes from someone represented by McConnell. He was once well respected here in Kentucky, but many of us who would associate ourselves with the Tea Party movement tried like hell to primary him last time he was up for reelection because he has become just another swamp creature. You like him, great, but it hasn't been the case for many of us here in KY.

quote:

Originally posted by Black92LX:

quote:

Originally posted by joatmonv:
https://www.nytimes.com/intera...-ohio-us-senate.html

Can we get a copy and paste of the article please. I have no desire to creat an account with them.

https://archive.ph/gEJ8F

quote:

Originally posted by goose5:
Here's the silver lining in all of this. You know what the Dems are doing is unpopular. They are going to triple down on it now. You ain't seen nothing yet. In two years we're going to have another crack at bat.

quote:

The Republicans had better figure out a way to defend against this kind of attack...The Democrats' ground game and strategy is better and that's got to change.

Preach, brother, preach!

One thing I will say for Trump, the man has a gift for reaching out to and bringing in people that it would never occur to many in the GOP to even think about contacting. The good guys can't just rely on other people losing patience with Uncah Ho; winning in '24 is going to take asking as many people as possible to vote for the right Presidential candidate.

quote:

Originally posted by DougE:

quote:

Abortion was the hidden issue in this election cycle, more than the R party believed, more so than we thought,

Half this country is women, clearly when you look at the defeat the KY Constitutional amendment on banning abortions took, that made it a voter issue.

The media may have spun it that way, but the amendment wasn't a ban on abortion in Kentucky. The amendment merely stated that under the Kentucky constitution, there is no constitutional right to have one, nor have it funded by taxpayers.

As far as the election outcome, all the republicans kept their seats, with the only change being trading Yarmouth(D) for a different democrat.

The puzzler to me was the other amendment getting shot down that would have allowed the legislature to call themselves into a special session. Presently, only the governor can call the legislature into a special session, which to me, gives him/her the power to do whatever the hell they want, and the legislature has no recourse until the next session. I don't think that's a good thing no matter which side of the aisle you're on.

Kentucky never has many Constitutional Amendments that have passed. Ever. People don’t take amending the Constitution lightly around here. And I’m actually ok with it. Amendment 1 didn’t pass largely because of just that. It didn’t help that as it was aptly described on local talk radio that it was “longer than a CVS receipt”.

Kentucky also has something that many of these other states don’t. Fair elections. Our mail in ballot program is pretty tight. Most results were final within 90 minutes of each counties polls closing. County clerks were in bed by 10.

And as you said, for the most part up and down the card if you had a D next to your name you got pummeled. Now, on to the ‘23 Governor's race....

quote:

Originally posted by Fed161:
If a good number of SF forum members are ready to move on from Trump. just imagine what moderate or swing voters are thinking.

From Red State:


https://redstate.com/bonchie/2...-you-are-too-n656741

Man, what a piece of trash article. Just like all of them pundits and talking heads out there, before the election, peaching "red tsunami" "red wave" is coming crashing down, "we got this" blah blah blah, based on bullshit polls again. Their expectations were through the roof. Then, when it didn't materialize, they acted like their world just ended. "Oh, it's Trump's fault. He endorsed bad candidates. Time to move on. DeSantis it is now".

First, let me point out that the GOP will most likely take the House. No matter how any of you guys look at it, it's a win. That means the commie maggots can no longer ram shit down our throat like they did the last 2 years. Think about it. It's a fucking WIN.

Second, the Senate control is far from over. Three are still in play. Laxalt is leading in NV. They are still counting in AZ, despite asshole McConnell not pitching a dime in there to help Masters. And GA is heading for a runoff, despite what this jerk wrote (that Walker lost). And, he claimed that "numerous others" that Trump endorsed lost, without naming even one. Whatever. Wait and see. It's a guarantee that if the GOP wins the Senate, these assholes will come back and say, "Man, Trump did it again". Fuck them.

Don't get me wrong, I'd love to see DeSantis getting into it eventually, and Trump shooting off his mouth is at times very annoying, but blaming him now when final results aren't even all in, and putting DeSantis on a pedestal, is just off-putting.

^^^^Well said. I am not ready or even thinking about giving up on Trump.

quote:

And as you said, for the most part up and down the card if you had a D next to your name you got pummeled. Now, on to the ‘23 Governor's race....

Yep, the amendments had zero effect on the outcome. We just swapped one D for a different one in Louisville.

quote:

Originally posted by RichardC:

quote:

Originally posted by BigSwede:
"The other thing that needs to be done is the GOP needs to forget about the abortion issue nationally."


Totally agree. When Graham introduced the ban bill, it was a WTF moment



Graham's abortion ban stuns Senate GOP


https://www.politico.com/news/...-senate-gop-00056423

Hanlon's Razor© ?

I think not. Whatever else one might believe about Lindsey 'Devious' Graham, he's not stupid.

Hanlon, on the other hand, might be.

It looked like somebody got into his knickers, I thought it was pretty stupid too. He may have an old skeleton in his closet someone used against him. But I've seen this before with him, it's strange for sure.

quote:

Originally posted by 12131:

Man, what a piece of trash article. Just like all of them pundits and talking heads out there, before the election, peaching "red tsunami" "red wave" is coming crashing down, "we got this" blah blah blah, based on bullshit polls again. Their expectations were through the roof. Then, when it didn't materialize, they acted like their world just ended. "Oh, it's Trump's fault. He endorsed bad candidates. Time to move on. DeSantis it is now".

First, let me point out that the GOP will most likely take the House. No matter how any of you guys look at it, it's a win. That means the commie maggots can no longer ram shit down our throat like they did the last 2 years. Think about it. It's a fucking WIN.

Second, the Senate control is far from over. Three are still in play. Laxalt is leading in NV. They are still counting in AZ, despite asshole McConnell not pitching a dime in there to help Masters. And GA is heading for a runoff, despite what this jerk wrote (that Walker lost). And, he claimed that "numerous others" that Trump endorsed lost, without naming even one. Whatever. Wait and see. It's a guarantee that if the GOP wins the Senate, these assholes will come back and say, "Man, Trump did it again". Fuck them.

Don't get me wrong, I'd love to see DeSantis getting into it eventually, and Trump shooting off his mouth is at times very annoying, but blaming him now when final results aren't even all in, and putting DeSantis on a pedestal, is just off-putting.

And, we're back to normal.

I agree with 12131.

[FLASH_VIDEO] [/FLASH_VIDEO]

Myself I think Trump should move into the right lane and let DeSantis pass.

I truly like President Trump. He’s the foundation.

Ps. I feel just like this lady is looking.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: recoatlift,

I don’t blame Trump…

But I do think he’s too divisive and would not win simply because too many people in the middle don’t like him. He’s unbending as well, which is a shame. A simple adjustment on how he presents his positions would go miles in helping his electability.

So, sadly, it’s time to get on the Desantis train.

quote:

Originally posted by Patriot:
I don’t blame Trump…

But I do think he’s too divisive and would not win simply because too many people in the middle don’t like him. He’s unbending as well, which is a shame. A simple adjustment on how he presents his positions would go miles in helping his electability.

So, sadly, it’s time to get on the Desantis train.

'Unbending' is a desirable quality in a Leader!!!

There's been far too much 'bending' going on by those loyal to the Republican establishment (and the 'uni-Party') for DECADES!