Monday, November 04, 2024

How Is the Election This Close?

David A. Graham: The most remarkable thing about the 2024 presidential election, which hasn't lacked for surprises, is that roughly half the electorate still supports Donald Trump. The Republican's tenure in the White House was a series of rolling disasters, and culminated with him attempting to steal an election after voters rejected him. And yet, polling suggests that Trump is virtually tied with Kamala Harris, the Democratic nominee.

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Trump's term was chaos wrapped in catastrophe, served over incompetence. He avoided any major wars and slashed taxes, but otherwise failed in many of his goals. He did not build a wall, nor did Mexico pay for it. He did not beat China in a trade war or revive American manufacturing. He did not disarm North Korea. His administration was hobbled by a series of scandals of his own creation, including one that got him impeached by the House. He oversaw a string of moral outrages: his callous handling of Hurricane Mara, the cruelty of family separation, his disinformation about COVID, and the distribution of aid to punish Democratic areas. At the end came his attempt to thwart the will of American voters, an assault on the tradition of peaceful transfer of power that dated back to the nation's founding.

The past few years have seen the FBI turn up some of the nation's most sensitive secrets on a ballroom stage and in a bathroom at Mar-a-Lago, where they had been stashed haphazardly (this, after his 2016 campaign criticized his opponent, Hillary Clinton, relentlessly for her handling of her email security). The former president has also been indicted on dozens of felony charges and convicted on 34 of them. In civil proceedings, he's been found liable for raping the writer E. Jean Carroll (he denies this) and to have committed millions of dollars of business fraud.

His 2024 presidential campaign has been built around two main promises: a mass deportation of undocumented immigrants and retribution against his political enemies. He's said he wants to deploy the military against domestic enemies, a category that he has made clear begins with elected Democrats.

Trump has also benefited from the media environment. A robust right-wing press has opted to become effectively a wing of the MAGA movement. Harris faces scrutiny from both the mainstream and conservative press, but he receives it only from the mainstream. Elon Musk bought [Twitter] out of a supposed concern for political interference, and has spent the past few months turning it into a gusher of pro-Trump disinformation.

#VOTE!

#1 | Posted by tonyroma at 2024-11-04 10:06 AM

Tony, this is 'the Confederacy rising again'.

They have been signaling that since 2021 and before.

There, now you know.

You're welcome.

#2 | Posted by Wardog at 2024-11-04 10:38 AM

To me, there's really only one explanation for a person who is obviously the epidemy of almost everything that is evil in a human being being acceptable to large numbers of the public.

antichrist45.com

I don't know that he is, but I do know that he matches the descriptions... all of them.

#3 | Posted by Corky at 2024-11-04 12:25 PM

epitome

#4 | Posted by Corky at 2024-11-04 01:43 PM

How is it so close?

Easy. America is still a racist / misogynistic nation.

Had the DNC chosen a European American male, Trump would have been blown out of the election.

Harris's biggest problems are her gender and her Southeast Asia/Jamaican heritage.

Beat of luck to American democracy surviving 4 years of Trump.

#5 | Posted by ClownShack at 2024-11-04 01:55 PM

Beat of luck to American democracy surviving 4 years of Trump.
#5 | Posted by ClownShack

It will not. Don't take it from me, take it from John Mitnick, a former Trump appointee:


A thread addressed to my fellow conservatives who are planning to vote, or considering voting, for Trump. 1/13

I was a senior, Senate-confirmed appointee in the Trump administration. I saw it from the inside. It was a chaotic disaster. I am also a lifelong conservative, a former Republican nominee for Congress, and a former White House Counsel. 2/13

Trump is reckless, angry, vengeful, and narcissistic, and he has no respect for the Constitution or the rule of law. 3/13

He is not a conservative; rather, he is a would-be autocrat and fascist motivated exclusively by his personal self-interest. If you think he cares about you or your family, I assure you that he does not. He cares only about himself. 4/13

So why did the country not go completely off the rails last time? Because there were just enough senior officials who served as "guardrails." I assure you that there will be no "guardrails" in another Trump administration. 5/13

If Trump is re-elected, senior administration positions will be filled entirely by blindly ambitious or unqualified radicals and grifters who pass a test of personal loyalty to Trump. 6/13

There will be no "adults in the room" who stand up for the Constitution and our cherished American democratic institutions. 7/13

Perhaps you recognize Trump's many serious flaws, but you think you will benefit from some of his "policies" while escaping the effects of the chaos and lawlessness. To that I say the following: 8/13

1. Although Trump will tend to follow Project 2025 (a problem in itself), you can't trust him to implement any particular policy. Trump has no political principles. He will reverse any position any time if it suits his personal interest. Surely you've already noticed that. 9/13

2. You won't escape the disastrous effects of his policies (e.g., tariffs) on the economy, global instability and damage to national security resulting from his admiration for foreign dictators, or the chaos, lawlessness, and persecution that he promises. No one will. 10/13

But what about Kamala, you ask--if she's elected, won't the Democrats run amok implementing their dream list of leftist policies? No, they won't be able to do that. Please read this article, particularly "The Harris Risk" portion: 11/13

A Message for Haley Voters Still on the Fence
Understand, clearly, what Trump will do, what he could do, and also what Harris won't be able to do.
www.thebulwark.com

I disagree with Kamala Harris on many issues, but she will respect our constitutional system and the rule of law, and she will support our international alliances and allies. She has also pledged to appoint a Republican to her Cabinet. 12/13

I respectfully urge you to join me and many other conservatives and Republicans in voting for Kamala Harris. It's time to close the book on Trump and rebuild a truly conservative party based on respect for the Constitution, the rule of law, and each other.

#HarrisWalz2024 13/13

threadreaderapp.com

#6 | Posted by Gal_Tuesday at 2024-11-04 03:20 PM

#6

SO NW!

#7 | Posted by Corky at 2024-11-04 03:23 PM

"It will not."

Agreed.

Let's see what happens 48 hours from now.

#8 | Posted by ClownShack at 2024-11-04 04:04 PM

6

Ironically, he makes me feel better about a Trump presidency. Or less worse....

Because, at his core, Trump doesn't really care about Project 2025 enough to commit to any single part of it. Because he's a selfish prick who won't give 2 shits about anybody once elected to a 2nd term. We've always relied on 2nd term presidents to care about the future of their party. That keeps them from going too far off the rails because you lose all control in congress if that happens. Any president who gives 2 shits about at least their own party will observe some guardrails. I think even the most ardent Trump supporters will agree Trump won't give 2 shits about the future of the GOP.

LOL

#9 | Posted by eberly at 2024-11-04 04:10 PM

Michael Moore Predicts Trump is Toast

www.youtube.com

#10 | Posted by Corky at 2024-11-04 04:23 PM

Should Shitler prevail tomorrow...Shitlerites remember this...

May you receive everything you voted for.

I cannot think of a worse curse to lay on you.

#11 | Posted by truthhurts at 2024-11-04 09:26 PM

If Trump wins our allies will be Russia, China, North Korea, ...
Our enemies will be Europe, Australia, Japan...
We will withdraw from NATO.

And those are the easy calls to make.

#12 | Posted by YAV at 2024-11-04 09:35 PM

And those are the easy calls to make.

Justin Trudeau will build a wall and you will pay for it. :-)

#13 | Posted by REDIAL at 2024-11-04 09:37 PM

I got nothing,
That caught me flatfooted!

#14 | Posted by YAV at 2024-11-04 09:53 PM

@#11 ... May you receive everything you voted for. ...

Manic Street Preachers - If You Tolerate This Your Children Will Be Next (1998)
www.youtube.com

Nothing else to add.


#15 | Posted by LampLighter at 2024-11-04 10:21 PM

Drudge Retort Headlines

Is America Collapsing Like Ancient Rome? (126 comments)

Kamala Leads in Iowa (86 comments)

We've Been Underestimating the Scale of Women's Fury (32 comments)

The Next President Inherits a Remarkable Economy (28 comments)

Tim Sheehy: No Medical Records Exist for My Gunshot Wound (27 comments)

Epstein Tapes: 'I Was Donald Trump's Closest Friend' (21 comments)

Harris Ad Assures Men Their Vote Is Private Also (19 comments)

Ohio Sheriff's Lieutenant in Hot Water after Social Posts (16 comments)