I traditionally have a thread heading to the election, here we go.

Get out the popcorn for this one.

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Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis is expected to formally announce next week he is running for president in 2024, NBC News reported Thursday, citing two sources familiar with the matter.

The governor's official entry into the Republican primary field will put him head-to-head with former President Donald Trump, the party's current frontrunner for the nomination. Trump has already spent months treating DeSantis as his primary campaign rival, thrashing him with torrents of criticism over his gubernatorial record, his political skills and his personality.

https://www.cnbc.com/2023/05/18/desantis-plans-to-officially-announce-presidential-run-next-week.html

Crusades said:

Not from the party of "victimhood"?. LOL. More like the party of creating victims. Telling black people they are too incompetent to get voter Id and or cannot possible make it in to post secondary education without affirmative action? Or that if they don't vote for Biden they sint black? 

The party that cries victimhood of every marginalized group for virtue points but could care less that young black men are being killed in large numbers. Connie these gun crimes don't matter? 

The party of creating victims and ignoring actual victims. I think this is more accurate. 

 

Gaslighting in extremis. 

toomuchbaloney said:

Moderates don't support felons or frauds who sexually abuse women and claim that accountability is persecution.  They don't support the guy who says that they live in failing country while planning to damage our global alliances.  Moderates don't support people who are working to turn free and Democratic societies into authoritarian dictatorships. 

Moderate Republicans don't support the guy who is proud of ending nationally protected reproductive health freedoms.  

Moderates don't support Trump, who promises to roll back Title IX protections for our LGBTQ+ neighbors.  

Moderates don't support the candidate that calls climate change a hoax.  

Your citation seems to contradict the notion that Moderate Republicans would support a right wing extremist like Trump.  Maybe you can explain.  

I would say that, in my view, a Trumper is a person who will vote for Trump regardless of Trump's disqualifying character flaws or any moral or ethical failures associated with him.  A Trumper might try to project Trump's lies or weaknesses onto other people or suggest that Trump's opponent is too mentally feeble to serve as president rather than deal with Trump's crazy behavior and verbalizations. A Trumper might always look for a reason to disregard and minimize Trump's legal troubles.  

Yes b3cause with all his "character flaws" he's still better for POTUS than Biden. ? 

subee said:

Gaslighting in extremis. 

Isn't it? 

subee said:

You laid it our much better than I!   Voting for Trump is immoderate action just by itself.  

Yes.

First, you said I couldn't be a moderate because of certain sources I used.

I shot that down.

Then you said I couldn't be a moderate because I was a "Trumper".

I shot that down.

Now, you're just going to agree with another member because they are in your opinion able to better articulate whether or not I fit into a specific label of political ideology.

 

 

Crusades said:

Yes b3cause with all his "character flaws" he's still better for POTUS than Biden. ? 

If only there was evidence to support that belief. 

Which metrics do you use to determine that Trump is better than Biden or is it just about your feelings?  I think it's about feelings and beliefs for you, not measurable points of comparison. This is about the cult or religion of Trump.  

toomuchbaloney said:

If only there was evidence to support that belief. 

Which metrics do you use to determine that Trump is better than Biden or is it just about your feelings?  I think it's about feelings and beliefs for you, not measurable points of comparison. This is about the cult or religion of Trump.  

The evidence is his first 4 years. Why do you talk about my feelings? Strange. 

 

"Our statistical forecast, which we launch this week, gives Mr Trump a two-in-three chance of winning in November. This is the same model, plus some refinements, that made Joe Biden a strong favourite to become president in 2020. Tested on election data from previous elections (with no knowledge of the outcome), the model gave Barack Obama about the same chance of winning in 2012 at this point in the race as it gives Mr Trump now. Like most pundits, it thought Hillary Clinton likelier to win in 2016—a reminder that models, though they offer a rigorous way to think about the world, are not crystal balls."

https://www.economist.com/leaders/2024/06/13/a-second-trump-term-from-unthinkable-to-probable

 

subee said:

You laid it our much better than I!   Voting for Trump is immoderate action just by itself.  

So the moderates should vote Biden? LOL

Crusades said:

The evidence is his first 4 years. Why do you talk about my feelings? Strange. 

 

Biden GDP growth > Trump GDP growth

Biden unemployment < Trump unemployment 

Trump increased budget deficits with tax breaks for the wealthy.  

Trump is ranked in the bottom of all presidents in effectiveness. 

Trump managed to divide the population during a national crisis and completely mismanaged his opportunity to show everyone his strong leadership skills.  

Trump lies about elections and tried to overthrow election results when he lost.  

Is that the evidence you are talking about? 

I talk about your feelings because you don't seem to have facts or evidence motivating you to vote for the felon.  I talk about from feelings because feelings and beliefs are what bind members of a cult together.  

Crusades said:

So the moderates should vote Biden? LOL

The moderates should have demanded that the GOP elevate a conservative rather than a crazy guy who has a right wing extremist agenda. Instead, Trumpism consumed the entire republican political party.  

toomuchbaloney said:

The moderates should have demanded that the GOP elevate a conservative rather than a crazy guy who has a right wing extremist agenda. Instead, Trumpism consumed the entire republican political party.  

https://www.nytimes.com/2024/05/13/us/politics/biden-trump-battleground-poll.html

Looks like he's consuming more than that. 

Beerman said:

Why are you complacent and letting Biden be your candidate?  I just said in another post that if Trump is as dangerous as you think, why arent you making noise to have Biden replaced by a better candidate?  I actually do think this will happen.  Almost anyone else woukd have a much better chance beating Trump.  But if not and Trump wins, the Trump alarmists will be to blame for not acting.

If the Squad is an embarrassment to the silent moral majority, they should be held accountable to stand up to them.

This is a fair question.

The noise I make about Trump is how he got there in the first place mostly because of his childish antics and his great lie that he won the election but understand at this point it is a moot question.

Same with Biden, I would have liked a challenger to win.  But given at the time most Democrats were okay with his agenda, competence and integrity, and that he was the sitting President and leader of the party it's more understandable to me how he got there in the first place.  I'm not baffled and shaking my head that he's the nominee.

I do think in the interim there have been some shifts.  First the economy is a sticking point.  Many of us, myself included can't say "yes" when asked the infamous question "are you better off than you were four years ago?".  Most of us are not and felt the sting of inflation especially here in Florida where we've risen by some metrics to be deemed those expensive state to live.

The other issue is Gaza.  Support for the Palestinians are highest amongst Democrats.  Biden is following the long-standing American policy of support of Israel.  While I do support a free Palestine and a two nation area there, I think some of the college protesters don't understand that they are supporting an organization who clearly has said their mission to kill and destroy all the Jewish people.  They don't care about death of Palestinians (they've long used them as shields) since they all are going to Paradise and send children with bombs to kill themselves and others.   I think Israel knows this and thus their harsh response and demands that Hamas no longer exist and have the power to do that. 

I don't think the squad are an embarrassment to Democrats.  Their rise to prominence and their pushback against Trump his first four years was something Democrats enjoyed happening.  At this point while a thorn in their side in their steadfast refusal to compromise, like the Freedom Caucus many Democrats at least believe in principal a lot of what they stand for.

Many of the Squad are up for election.  They are poised to continue to make noise, but also aren't without people standing up against them.

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Members of Congress' young progressive bloc are now grappling with one career-threatening problem or another, including personal controversies, criminal investigations and serious primary challenges.

https://www.politico.com/news/2024/02/04/squad-at-a-crossroads-00139318