Miscellaneous And Off Topic Subjects

[Dr. Strangelove]

[Hannibal]

I think it's likely they'll be in the 220s.

Enough to hold hearings and whatnot on subjects that the R base cares about. But not much more than that. Given how much power the executive branch has nowadays to implement sweeping changes with the stroke of a pen, the House's power of the purse hardly means anything anymore.

[iam416]

You get shit candidates though because the Republican Party establishment hates its base. So the most competent candidates end up acting more like controlled opposition than actual Conservatives when they win. This has been a problem for a long, long time. This cycle, the R base chose ideology over electability, for the most part. In the past, they have done differently and that has resulted in huge do-nothing majorities led by losers like John Boehner and Paul Ryan. You're damned if you do, you're damned if you don't.

DeSantis lies at that intersection between "electability" and "ideology". And he's not even that gifted as a politician. His formula can be copied elsewhere if the Rs are smart enough to do it (spoiler alert: They aren't).

Well, they chose ONE ideology -- fealty to an asshat. If they had actually chosen candidates with a principled ideology that doesn't depend on the whims of DJT, it may have been different.

Oz BARELY won the primary. BARELY. The guy he beat would have easily beat the invalid. But, nah....why would we want that? Why would we want an R to win if that R doesn't adhere to the tenets of DJT?

So, yeah, GTFO with "ideological" Rs.

[lineygoblue]

Enough to hold hearings and whatnot on subjects that the R base cares about. But not much more than that. Given how much power the executive branch has nowadays to implement sweeping changes with the stroke of a pen, the House's power of the purse hardly means anything anymore.

Well, at least it gets Pelosi out of the speaker's chair.

As I said, small victories.

[iam416]

Enough to hold hearings and whatnot on subjects that the R base cares about. But not much more than that. Given how much power the executive branch has nowadays to implement sweeping changes with the stroke of a pen, the House's power of the purse hardly means anything anymore.

Well, maybe the Rs ought to try to win the Executive. Or maybe they just piss on electability in the name of "ideology".

[Dr. Strangelove]

Doug Mastriano: a man of ideas. And he expressed them so well.

[CGVT]

Another take away is that as a whole, the country rejected not only Trumpism, but bat shit crazy election deniers, and QAnon believers. Of course, there are still pockets of that stupidity, but...

Maybe, just maybe, the Republicans will return to some semblance of sanity.

Hannibal and crashcourse must be crushed.

[iam416]

So, IMO, this remains a 50/50 country. And there remains a ginormous middle lane for even modest moderates. The Ds are largely beholdent to the Progs -- which is a shame because they are a minority in the party. That's not going to change after this election -- in fact, it'll probably become further entrenched. The Rs are largely beholdent to DJT. That'll either change in the next 2 years or last until he dies.

*IF* Ron DeSantis can oust DJT and do it in a way that embraces the "contributions" he's made to the R party in terms of his populist policy issues (and not nutjob bullshit) and sort of claim even a small swath of the middle-ish area, then the Rs will be in a strong position. The Ds aren't coming back to the middle. Ever. So, if you can give the electorate a sane alternative, then you have a real chance.

Now, it's clear that DJT and DJT toadies are not sane alternatives.

I guess it's also possible that the Ds could "Sista Soulja" the Progs and move more toward Tim Ryan/Joe Manchin. But, I really doubt that. I'd love it. It'd be great for the country, but I just don't see them moderating on anything. I actually hope I'm wrong on that.

[Hannibal]

Well, they chose ONE ideology -- fealty to an asshat. If they had actually chosen candidates with a principled ideology that doesn't depend on the whims of DJT, it may have been different.

Oz BARELY won the primary. BARELY. The guy he beat would have easily beat the invalid. But, nah....why would we want that? Why would we want an R to win if that R doesn't adhere to the tenets of DJT?

So, yeah, GTFO with "ideological" Rs.

What makes you so sure that the other guy would have actually beaten Fetterman? The base would have never turned out for that Bush legacy RINO swamp creature. And if he was in there, what makes you think that he wouldn't have just been another rubber stamp for Biden's next USSC pick?

[iam416]

Did the base turn out for Oz? He lost by 3ish? It wouldn't have taken much to convince independents that, yeah, I'm better than a borderline socialist that can no longer function normally.

Am I "sure" -- no. I do think it very likely, though.

And the "in name only" guy would have voted down the line with the Rs. Including on judiciary issues. But, nah....why would you want someone who isn't a DJT toadie?

[CGVT]

What makes you so sure that the other guy would have actually beaten Fetterman? The base would have never turned out for that Bush legacy RINO swamp creature.

Because he's not batshit crazy and Dems would not have turned out to vote against him. The same reason that Trump won in 2016. A lot of people didn't vote for Trump, they voted against Hillary

Too bad for you, but the Repubs need your so called RINOs.

Your ideology is as bad as the far left Progs.

[Hannibal]

The Ds are largely beholdent to the Progs.

How do you propose to take advantage of that electorally if the only "electable" candidates are all John McCain types? Therein lies the problem. You are under the impression that the voters will someday wake up on their own without a great push from the Rs. But the only Rs willing to make that push are the kook candidates that you hate. Or guys named Ron Desantis.

You weren't an R-lean back when the country had six years of Bush + an R Congress in both houses and the country did nothing but get more Liberal. If you had been, maybe you would appreciate this frustration more.

[froot loops]

The Michigan GOP has no bench of great candidates of possible gubernatorial candidates. They were reduced to their big hope being James Craig, who I'm not sure is a Republican and his sudden transformation into a Trumpian figure didn't fit at all. Plus he turned out to be a terrible politician.

Dixon was by far the best candidate they could have picked, but she was terrible at raising money and was facing a great politician like Big Gretch.

[Dr. Strangelove]

CNN hasn't called it but seeing that NM-2 has likely flipped Dem. That's ousting Yvette Herrell, another election denier and Trump toady.

[iam416]

It's really going to be this simple for the Rs -- either rid themselves of DJT or lose. It's clear to me that, by a small margin, the country has a stronger distaste for DJT crazy as opposed to Prog crazy. It may not be much, but elections are won on the margins -- look at how many seats the Ds will win with 51-52%.

And I think it's going to have to be done with force. And I think it will cause the Rs a fair amount of short-term pain. But, last night armed DeSantis with the force needed. Now he's got to figure out how to thread the needle. If he can do it, then I think the Rs ultimately control the government. If he can't, the Ds will continue to win the Executive, modest control in the House and have a fighting chance in the Senate (though, as noted, 2024 is looking brutal...but certainly nothing that DJT can't fuck up).