Recent Posts

Show posts from buddies only

If you take a look at their actual policy positions and compare to the two parties, Manchin and Sinema clearly fit in the Democratic Party and it's no contest. Neither would fit in the GOP as is at all.

The issue with them is not that they were moderate Democrats. People like Max Rose and Stephanie Murphy are moderate Democrats and they were still generally team players who no one ever thought of ever leaving the party. The problem is that they're both attention whoring grandstanders who kept trying to seek attention as much as possible and acting in that way. There's still room in the party for people like them in terms of ideology but they chose to throw a fit in this way.

Of course in both cases all they did was ensure their irrelevancy. Sinema moreso though, she could've voted to the right of 90% of the Democratic caucus without her grandstanding nonsense and still be on track to be renominated and win a second term, but she made every possible choice to burn her bridges as thoroughly as possible. Manchin was leaving anyway so this is just one final attempt for the spotlight.

Remember around 2018 when this clown was talked as potential Dem nominee in 2020?

No because no one took that nonsense seriously

Scott is going to win easily.  If he had retired it would have been a competitive primary on both sides and a MAGA winning the primary resulting in a flip.

What exactly does a major political party do where there is a better chance of them falling to 3rd than forming government again?

Select the son of a former PM as their next leader.

[corporatist]

The Democratic Party is a large tent.  It’s simply that corporatist de facto Republicans like Manchin and Sinema aren’t welcome in that tent.

Leaving aside that, I'm not denying that voter blocs have moved over time and shifted. But the basics of how demographics act in concert or in opposition with/to each other within the political system and have expectations from it remains as it has. Likewise, corralling the votes remains as it has. Maintaining a majority coalition with trifecta control requires taking such coalition management needs into account as well.
If people like you managed to shut out the likes of Manchin and Sinema of course we'd have a harder time taking a majority and would have an even harder time winning large majorities.That in turn would hurt our ability to wield power altogether.
"It's good to have zero senators from deep red states" is quite a take, one that if our party's leaders shared that, we'd be a party of losers. That we held at least one senate seat in a state as deep red (by 2024) as West Virginia continuously for over a century was good, not bad.
I want to win. I want to have trifectas. I want to win majorities on all levels. Whatever is good practice to that end, I'll happily accept. Manchin still caucuses with Democrats. His state has shifted massively anti-Dem over the past 20 years. I'm happy he still caucuses with Democrats, who are we to claim we know how the winds are blowing better than he does?

Manchin is an extinct relic.  99.99% of people like him are already Republicans (of course, Manchin is too in everything but name).  Sinema is going to be replaced by Ruben Gallego, an extremely progressive Democrat.  It has nothing to do with red states.  No one complains about Tester, Brown, etc and Arizona is a Democratic-trending swing state.  

Manchin is such a Republican he voted to impeach Trump twice, gave critical votes to countless legislation in 2021-2023, denied MAGA from owning both Senate seats in the state for close to a decade, and was the only winner of the Democratic primary to win any federal race in the state since Obama was reelected.
But yes, Manchin actually is a Republican. Supposedly.
Reality is that the things Sinema and Manchin blocked are things that lots of moderate Dems opposed, or at least enough that a majority of the Senate was clearly opposed to it. Sinema and Manchin got to take the credit. Manchin got praise and better branding in his home state and Sinema got more press attention among other things.

Imagine actually believing this

The appeal process won’t start until he is sentenced in July. The appeal won’t be decided until after the election.

So in theory, the conviction could tank his candidacy. But then months later his appeal is overturned, and the reason for his defeat in the election looks more and more like election interference - lost because of the conviction, only for the conviction to be over turned after the election, surely everyone sees that that’s not fair.

My prediction? Trump will lose support in the polls for a few weeks, but I expect him to rebound. Trump is lucky this trial didn’t take place in October.

Interesting.  My prediction is diametrically opposite.  It will look like Trump is gaining support in the next few weeks because the MAGA zealots will increase protests and fundraising.  But come July, he is going to be on a downward spiral with the key stakeholders - independents and moderate Republicans.  In the end, he will lose all the swing states and may also lose GA and/or NC.  He is done!

I really hope you're right and there is a down ballot effect too.

My thoughts on the creation of this thread ...

RIP

Friends, workers, comrades, Atlasians, thank you for joining me today. It’s not often someone like me has the honor of addressing the people like this, so to begin let me tell you a little story about a of nation of prosperity. Just over two years ago, this country stood ready to enter a golden age. Its economy and workers was strong. Its political system was stable. And it was a global leader in human rights and decency. That nation was Atlasia under my administration, my friends. We had achieved so much under Labor governance and were ready to keep building for a brighter future. Unfortunately in my time in office, I discovered the moral rot beneath this metropolis. Our institutions, despite years of reform were controlled from top-to-bottom by esoteric cults devoted to the causes of racism and capitalism. In my attempt to strike back against these war ministers, coal barons and WEF ghouls, I was brutally slandered and ILLEGALLY removed from office. Upon my removal, my successor moved almost immediately to introduce sweeping neoliberal legislation, plundering the working class of Atlasia. While this Color Revolution, most likely conducted by the CIA, may have been successful in the short run, the people of Atlasia I am sure will not forget so easily this heinous treason.

I stand before you today a legitimate candidate for office. While I had previously been barred from my right to participate in our “democracy”, they could not hold us back forever. I’m running for a second term because I’ve seen what’s going on today in Atlasia. The mobilization against our country’s labor force by our bourgeois “Labor” government is an absolute disgrace. It’s time we put our country back in order, set prices where they should be and stop the highway robbery of the proletariat. Some have asked why I now bear the banner of the “Game Over” Party. Do I call for an end to Atlasia? No, quite the contrary. Our movement stands for a revitalization of Atlasia, a restoration of our nation’s honor. The only ones it is Game Over for are those who would stand in our way. IT IS OVER for the Deep State. IT IS OVER for the neoliberals. IT IS OVER for the economic elites. And it is for that reason I am offering these proposals:

Issue Interest free money into our system to end the Federal Reserve Banking Cartel. No longer shall this institution serve as a means of propping up the big banks which have perpetrated some of the worst fraud on the Atlasian proletariat of all time.
Splinter the CIA into a thousand pieces and scatter it into the winds. This sinful organization’s only purpose has been to create wars and snuff out any attempts at global working class unity. On day one I will dissolve their operations entirely and direct the Justice Department to investigate their leadership’s role in the illegal coup of April ‘22. In addition, we will bring their operators to justice of the working people of the world for whom they have undermined the democracy of and allow them to decide their fate.

Correct the historical record. We do not recognize the “impeachments” or myself and Attorney General Truman two years ago. There was no high crime or misdemeanor to speak of. We intend to annul these actions and hold those responsible for this treachery responsible.

Restore the Fourth Constitution of Atlasia. Unicameralism has been a disaster. It has brought many unqualified and nasty individual into our government. In 2020 and early 2021, as Speaker of the House I coordinated with the Senate efficiently to craft an effective pandemic response that protected our nation’s most vulnerable. The Fifth Constitution was ill-advised think tank claptrap from the onset and has degraded the quality of our government. It’s time for it to end, throw it out completely, do it!

BAN CAMPAIGNING THROUGH PERSONAL MESSAGES!!!! The proletariat is tired of being pestered by pencil-necked statisticians begging for their votes. It’s unacceptable the lack of respect the political elite shows for ordinary people through this harassment, commanding to vote whichever way suits their narrow-minded interests and depriving them of political education. We will prohibit this pernicious practice and introduce strong penalties for those who are found in violation. These will be consist of, at minimum, but may exceed, a one year suspension from Atlasia.

I truly believe that if this platform is enacted, we can restore that golden age. I’m proud to stand-by-side with FalterinArc, who faithfully served me years ago in delivering results and providing for the people of this nation. I see a vision of all marvelling as the blinding light of the voters’ justice burns away the Cabal of Evil which controls our nation today. If you share this vision with me, I would be honored if you would join our campaign and help us FINISH THE JOB!

Thank you all very much.

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/amp/rcna154791