I’m not an American but we always wondered ‘if only Bernie had won all those years ago…’. I’m reminded of the saying ‘The best argument against Democracy is a five-minute conversation with the average voter.”Great piece. 👏🏻 And I agree with you.
If “Donald Trump 2024 was the worst candidate in modern American history”, what does that say about the Democrat party that lost handily to him? Time to look in the mirror for some honest soul searching. It is only the losing party that has the opportunity to reform itself. The Democratic Party needs to take the opportunity.
I'm not an American either. I m a European woman and don't like Trump but I find it shocking how you speak of Denocracy when most of the (American or International) Press which should be impartial , have been campaigning against him and havw tried to influence people relentlessly. How this is democratic when only one voice is heard, I don't know.
And let's talk about allowing 200 members of the UK Labour Party to come over to the States to canvass for the Democrats.
This beggars belief. Allowing people from a foreign country who don't live in the States, don't pay taxes there, don't work there + have 0 idea about how the majority of Americans live, to come over to tell you how to vote?
Seriously? Hell, if any American party members were to do the same and come over to my country to tell us how to vote, there would be a riot!
Democrats also accuse Trump of having dictatorial tendencies and maybe he has but from where I'm standing you aren't much better. Anyone who doesn't share your opinion is automatically shut down and branded a fascist, a racist, an idiot, the list goes on..
If that's not totalitarian I don't know what is.
Maybe some Americans got fed up with it?
I also find it shocking how much dirt has been thrown at Trump while , frankly , Democrats have also been guilty of corruption and have gotten away with it.
And I'll explain to you one of the reasons why people may have voted for Trump: Because the attacks against him were so relentless, and the Press was so manipulative against him, that people simply had enough & decided to vote for him as a reaction to all the Trump bashing.
But the most shocking thing I find is how you and your Democrat friends have a complete disregard for the concerns of the working classes you pretend to fight for and for the middle classes.
What average Jo wants is being able to pay their bill, run their car to work, and feel safe. But every time, Democrats failed to address these concerns specifically about illegal immigration and the economic and safety problems this creates. You are not the ones living in trailer parks under the poverty line or just above , you are not living from pay check to paycheck, and your back garden isn't invaded by illegal migrants climbing over the fence ( it's an image).
But you are ignoring and worst, showing contempt for people who are confronted to this every day.
It infuriates me how the supposed "Left" (& this is a very lose term for American Democrats) in every country has become the party of the Rich middle class & privileged ignorant kids who decide to vote left because it's "fashionable" , tiktok says so, and it's the party of tolerance etc..
What we call the Left ( generic term) was always meant to protect the working class, address their concerns and defend their interests. That was its intent when Socialism appeared in Europe..But it has been high jacked by the upper middle class with money in the bank and more concerned about zooming around on their electric scooters and bitching about petrol cars and LGBT rights ( while jumping on a flight to Dubai without a 2nd thought thus dumping tons of kerosene on our heads) than about the real struggles of Jo Blog who hasn't taken a holiday in years and needs his old petrol car to make it to work and who lives surrounded by -and in fear of - mostly illegal religious extremist migrants from another culture ..
The Left has abandoned these people. The Left has ignored and ridiculed their concerns, dismissing them as racist, stupid or anti ecologist.
So the working classes, in desperation have turned to the Far right. And it's entirely the Left's fault.
Like some commentators in my country said: hate him or like him, Trump is the only one who listened and addressed these issues. You guys didn't. You just kept spreading your contempt for the people and for anyone who doesn't think like you.
Here is the result. You only have to blame you arrogance for this.
And after all this, I don't even like Trump and his friend Elon Must even less.
I am settling into the belief/hope that America did not choose this but rather rejected the party presiding over the last four years. Inflation, a less stable international world, culture war drama. The number of independents is way up, almost the dominant party in America. That indicates a huge number of people choose neither party right now. [I'm leaving aside Trump's base. They could have chosen Haley. They DID choose this.]
That Trump contributed significantly to all of the above, and that Biden/Harris managed them well, is at best vague to them. That Trump is an actual authoritarian is also vague; he went on Rogan and seemed fine. A lot of boy who cried wolf syndrome from Dems as well. You can't call Romney Hitler and then point to Trump and say, "No, seriously, this time for real!"
It's not a flattering portrait of America. We're vague, non-intellectual, rationalizing. But I still think we're not vicious in the way that "they chose this" would require. Even now, I hear so many people saying "I don't think he'll really do [tariffs/mass deportations/suspend the constitution/revoke licenses of news organizations]."
But it leaves some hope that they will reject Trump again as horrible things happen. And then they'll probably reject the Dems. And then...
Which is also not great. And the existential issues that are about to happen promote the possibility of a future in which people DO want a dictator to fix things. And I hear you about elections in four years. I share that fear. That's where I just have to hope that what is left of the system holds.
Perhaps Americans can accept a bullsh1tter, someone who tells big stories with lots of bluster, and who while a convicted felon, their crimes were far from awful and only came to light as the result of a targeted, politically-motivated, campaign, whilst he was trying to protect his reputation from muck-raking. That one man they can deal with.
What they can't accept is, when the shoe is on the other foot, an entire social network and the state apparatus stifles an equally important story about Biden's sordid connections in favour of the Democrats. They can't accept a campaign which targets women, women, women and turns a blind eye to everyone else - especially the everyone else with the highest suicide rates, lowest graduation rates, and declining outcomes across the board. And when that other group must sit in silence and do nothing but acknowledge its "privilege". They won't accept being told what they see in front of their very eyes (a man) is in fact a woman, that this man should be able to compete against their daughters in sport, and to challenge any of it is to declare oneself as a bigot and a transphobe. A bigot and a transphobe despite having sympathy and acceptance for actual trans people. They are probably ambivalent about abortion, recognising it is both important but also an avenue of last resort rather than a lifestyle choice. So to be told they are anti-woman for seeing nuance simply cannot vote for the Democrats. They resent the way Afghanistan was vacated. Want something other than continuous funding for Ukraine when there is a homelessness and fentanyl epidemic on their street corners. See obvious existential risk in an open southern border while every other avenue of entry to the US at least involves some form of security check. And most of all, when they see in front of their very eyes a President clearly in the depths of cognitive decline, likely dementia, saying as much, being concerned about it, apparently means they are spreading Russian disinformation...until the Democrats, at the last minute, acknowledge exactly what everyone else has been saying, and suddenly it becomes an acceptable viewpoint.
They can accept a deeply flawed story-teller - because they can take it or leave it.
What they can't accept is outright lies which must be taken as truth, repeated, and adhered to, or your risk being declared persona non grata.
I’m not an American but we always wondered ‘if only Bernie had won all those years ago…’. I’m reminded of the saying ‘The best argument against Democracy is a five-minute conversation with the average voter.”Great piece. 👏🏻 And I agree with you.
If “Donald Trump 2024 was the worst candidate in modern American history”, what does that say about the Democrat party that lost handily to him? Time to look in the mirror for some honest soul searching. It is only the losing party that has the opportunity to reform itself. The Democratic Party needs to take the opportunity.
I'm not an American either. I m a European woman and don't like Trump but I find it shocking how you speak of Denocracy when most of the (American or International) Press which should be impartial , have been campaigning against him and havw tried to influence people relentlessly. How this is democratic when only one voice is heard, I don't know.
And let's talk about allowing 200 members of the UK Labour Party to come over to the States to canvass for the Democrats.
This beggars belief. Allowing people from a foreign country who don't live in the States, don't pay taxes there, don't work there + have 0 idea about how the majority of Americans live, to come over to tell you how to vote?
Seriously? Hell, if any American party members were to do the same and come over to my country to tell us how to vote, there would be a riot!
Democrats also accuse Trump of having dictatorial tendencies and maybe he has but from where I'm standing you aren't much better. Anyone who doesn't share your opinion is automatically shut down and branded a fascist, a racist, an idiot, the list goes on..
If that's not totalitarian I don't know what is.
Maybe some Americans got fed up with it?
I also find it shocking how much dirt has been thrown at Trump while , frankly , Democrats have also been guilty of corruption and have gotten away with it.
And I'll explain to you one of the reasons why people may have voted for Trump: Because the attacks against him were so relentless, and the Press was so manipulative against him, that people simply had enough & decided to vote for him as a reaction to all the Trump bashing.
But the most shocking thing I find is how you and your Democrat friends have a complete disregard for the concerns of the working classes you pretend to fight for and for the middle classes.
What average Jo wants is being able to pay their bill, run their car to work, and feel safe. But every time, Democrats failed to address these concerns specifically about illegal immigration and the economic and safety problems this creates. You are not the ones living in trailer parks under the poverty line or just above , you are not living from pay check to paycheck, and your back garden isn't invaded by illegal migrants climbing over the fence ( it's an image).
But you are ignoring and worst, showing contempt for people who are confronted to this every day.
It infuriates me how the supposed "Left" (& this is a very lose term for American Democrats) in every country has become the party of the Rich middle class & privileged ignorant kids who decide to vote left because it's "fashionable" , tiktok says so, and it's the party of tolerance etc..
What we call the Left ( generic term) was always meant to protect the working class, address their concerns and defend their interests. That was its intent when Socialism appeared in Europe..But it has been high jacked by the upper middle class with money in the bank and more concerned about zooming around on their electric scooters and bitching about petrol cars and LGBT rights ( while jumping on a flight to Dubai without a 2nd thought thus dumping tons of kerosene on our heads) than about the real struggles of Jo Blog who hasn't taken a holiday in years and needs his old petrol car to make it to work and who lives surrounded by -and in fear of - mostly illegal religious extremist migrants from another culture ..
The Left has abandoned these people. The Left has ignored and ridiculed their concerns, dismissing them as racist, stupid or anti ecologist.
So the working classes, in desperation have turned to the Far right. And it's entirely the Left's fault.
Like some commentators in my country said: hate him or like him, Trump is the only one who listened and addressed these issues. You guys didn't. You just kept spreading your contempt for the people and for anyone who doesn't think like you.
Here is the result. You only have to blame you arrogance for this.
And after all this, I don't even like Trump and his friend Elon Must even less.
I am settling into the belief/hope that America did not choose this but rather rejected the party presiding over the last four years. Inflation, a less stable international world, culture war drama. The number of independents is way up, almost the dominant party in America. That indicates a huge number of people choose neither party right now. [I'm leaving aside Trump's base. They could have chosen Haley. They DID choose this.]
That Trump contributed significantly to all of the above, and that Biden/Harris managed them well, is at best vague to them. That Trump is an actual authoritarian is also vague; he went on Rogan and seemed fine. A lot of boy who cried wolf syndrome from Dems as well. You can't call Romney Hitler and then point to Trump and say, "No, seriously, this time for real!"
It's not a flattering portrait of America. We're vague, non-intellectual, rationalizing. But I still think we're not vicious in the way that "they chose this" would require. Even now, I hear so many people saying "I don't think he'll really do [tariffs/mass deportations/suspend the constitution/revoke licenses of news organizations]."
But it leaves some hope that they will reject Trump again as horrible things happen. And then they'll probably reject the Dems. And then...
Which is also not great. And the existential issues that are about to happen promote the possibility of a future in which people DO want a dictator to fix things. And I hear you about elections in four years. I share that fear. That's where I just have to hope that what is left of the system holds.
Perhaps Americans can accept a bullsh1tter, someone who tells big stories with lots of bluster, and who while a convicted felon, their crimes were far from awful and only came to light as the result of a targeted, politically-motivated, campaign, whilst he was trying to protect his reputation from muck-raking. That one man they can deal with.
What they can't accept is, when the shoe is on the other foot, an entire social network and the state apparatus stifles an equally important story about Biden's sordid connections in favour of the Democrats. They can't accept a campaign which targets women, women, women and turns a blind eye to everyone else - especially the everyone else with the highest suicide rates, lowest graduation rates, and declining outcomes across the board. And when that other group must sit in silence and do nothing but acknowledge its "privilege". They won't accept being told what they see in front of their very eyes (a man) is in fact a woman, that this man should be able to compete against their daughters in sport, and to challenge any of it is to declare oneself as a bigot and a transphobe. A bigot and a transphobe despite having sympathy and acceptance for actual trans people. They are probably ambivalent about abortion, recognising it is both important but also an avenue of last resort rather than a lifestyle choice. So to be told they are anti-woman for seeing nuance simply cannot vote for the Democrats. They resent the way Afghanistan was vacated. Want something other than continuous funding for Ukraine when there is a homelessness and fentanyl epidemic on their street corners. See obvious existential risk in an open southern border while every other avenue of entry to the US at least involves some form of security check. And most of all, when they see in front of their very eyes a President clearly in the depths of cognitive decline, likely dementia, saying as much, being concerned about it, apparently means they are spreading Russian disinformation...until the Democrats, at the last minute, acknowledge exactly what everyone else has been saying, and suddenly it becomes an acceptable viewpoint.
They can accept a deeply flawed story-teller - because they can take it or leave it.
What they can't accept is outright lies which must be taken as truth, repeated, and adhered to, or your risk being declared persona non grata.
Thanks a lot for this.
18m fewer people voted compared to 2020. Where did they go? Non-voters are 100.00% to blame for all this.
The final tally won't be finished for weeks. It will probably turn out to be close to or slightly lower than 2020.
The levels of delusion have not yet peaked.