2024 US Presidential Election Thread

[AshenGraey]

I still can't believe he won again but oddly enough I'm not surprised at all.

It's been almost 7 years since I left the US after spending nearly half of my life there. After witnessing some of the hatred this guy brings out of people / his so-called "followers", life took a turn during the first 2 years of his first term so I decided to leave and boy am I glad I did.

I'll say watching all of this unfold again, albeit from the outside now, is certainly a very "interesting" perspective. If the first go round is anything to go by, we are in for another wild and outlandish ride fuelled by some very gullible people. It really sucks that in Canada, it's nigh impossible to completely tune out and disconnect from all the US media coverage of this guy. I reckon it will likely increase even more now 🤦‍♂️

 

[dylansan]

I'm seeing a lot of people struggling to comprehend that margins shifted significantly and consistently towards Trump across the board.

These images are scary, but I want to remind everyone that margins and percentages don't tell a complete picture. In absolute terms, Trump didn't get more votes than last time. Harris just got significantly fewer (looks like about 15 million fewer, maybe less depending on what's still uncounted).

It's still appalling that Trump got so many votes, but there is a limit to his base.

 

[Danoff]

Well... what can I say. Awful news but it should be noted that these results tells more about the Democratic Party than the Republicans or their voters. As others have pointed out, many people perceive both parties as pretty much the same, similar political lean and policies and what not. When you don't do a good job making sure to differentiate yourself from the others, well guess what you lose out. I mean, she was endorsed by D*ck Cheney for gods sake! While I can get the idea that Cheney isn't as bad as Trump, thus you should vote Democrat, given that Cheney was involved in the War on Terror, I don't know if he's that much better to be honest, and it sure as hell doesn't help if you want to convince voters critical of the Gaza War to vote for the party actively helping the bad guys out - even if, as I've said before, it's a bipartisan issue, not just a Democrat one.

So in a way, it was a defeat just waiting to happen. Just sucks that the rest of the world let alone the US has to suffer for it.

Harris ran a solid campaign on a fairly unimpeachable platform. Trump fellated a microphone, lied, and threatened fellow American citizens. Harris campaigned on help and prosperity, Trump campaigned on retribution and RFK running the CDC. You want to blame someone? Blame the people who voted for Trump.
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There is no world in which Trump is an appropriate choice, none. Harris could have done so much worse and it would make no difference to the situation. Trump was, and is, unacceptable, and the people who voted for him should be permanently ashamed.

You don't expect to see the end of your country. I never expected that America would fall in my lifetime. But make no mistake, that's what happened last night. It does not matter how the future goes. Trump could drop dead of a heart attack tomorrow and it would make no difference to the fact that America fell. It is written in history at this point. Why do I say America fell? Because the US population just put in place a person, and the supporting cast, with the will and means to undo all of the carefully considered laws and protections that this country was created with. Whatever America is to become, it ceased to be what it was supposed to be.

An argument could be made that this happened during the civil war. But America endured in a way that was at least fractionally consistent with its founding across the civil war. That is not the case at this point. We are a failed nation this morning. How long did the experiment last? 248 years. Ended on my watch.

I put a foot in the door prior to the election just in case it went badly. It did, so I'm glad I cracked the door. Now I have to open it.

 

[Meythia]

I never expected that America would fall in my lifetime.

Having Trump on the ballot again this time was promising chaos already.
Either he was not elected - civil war
Or he was elected - not as bad as civil war, but the US has turned into a kingdom now, with the King sided by some religious zealots who cant read the book they pretend to follow on.

He simply shouldnt have been allowed to be voted, that or all criminals should have been allowed to cast their votes.
This already was against any concept of law and order.

 

[Joey D]

When you make the Russkies cheer, you did something very, very wrong.

'Trump is Useful for Us': Kremlin Cheers U.S. Election Victory, Seeing Trump as a 'Tool' for Russian Ambitions

As the results of the 2024 U.S. presidential election unfold, it has become increasingly clear that Russia views Donald Trump’s potential victory as a major win for their expansionist goals. Far from a mere election outcome, the Kremlin sees Trump as a “useful tool” in advancing its geopolitical...

dailyboulder.com

I was alive when the Reds would fear a Republican being elected because it meant that we were that much closer to shooting a nuke at the Kremlin. I hope Zombie Reagan is spinning in his grave right now.

 

[sirjim73]

I'm seeing a lot of people struggling to comprehend that margins shifted significantly and consistently towards Trump across the board.

View attachment 1403295
View attachment 1403296

These images are scary, but I want to remind everyone that margins and percentages don't tell a complete picture. In absolute terms, Trump didn't get more votes than last time. Harris just got significantly fewer (looks like about 15 million fewer, maybe less depending on what's still uncounted).

It's still appalling that Trump got so many votes, but there is a limit to his base.

It's similar to what happened in the UK. The opposition got pretty much ALL the vote out, the encumbent party nosedived (its not in my opinion that people were too "lazy" to vote Democrat, I think a lot deliberately decided to effectively abstain because they didn't support Harris for whatever reason). In the UK election, the Labour vote was very similar to the last election but half the Tory vote went to Farage. The Liberal vote also went up by 1% only but they ended up with 3,4 times as many seats for the same reason.

 

[mellofello9]

After all, the US didn't stop arming Ukraine during Trump's first term.

Because it was unilaterally supported at the time. Now that the tides have changed, so have his positions. What everyone fails to consider is that absolutely NOTHING matters to Trump but Trump. If it doesn't benefit HIM, he can't be counted on. He openly admits these things, either directly or indirectly, yet people don't seem to listen. He is a grifter, through and through, and absolutely EVERYTHING is transactional with how it best benefits him being the only calculus that matters. Not our nation. Not your nation. Him.

He has said he has no interest in supporting the war in Ukraine for Ukraine. He's in it to help his friends. In that situation, it'll be Vlad. When Taiwan comes into play, it'll be Xi. And whenever the hermit kingdom feels like crawling out of their shell, he'll be there to help them, too.

I really, really hope I, and every educated person that has been sounding these same alarms, are wrong. That is a moment of humility I will happily and eagerly embrace...I just don't see that hug comin' anytime soon.😁

 

[McLaren]

Ever heard of negotiations? It is possible with Trump, because he doesn’t subscribe to the authoritarian idea that the United States should police the whole world.

Lol.

He has literally argued, “Nobody was allowed to start any wars when he was in office.” He has made the inclination that only he can achieve world peace.

That sounds a lot like he thinks he can police the whole world.

 

[TheCracker]

I was alive when the Reds would fear a Republican being elected because it meant that we were that much closer to shooting a nuke at the Kremlin. I hope Zombie Reagan is spinning in his grave right now.

You could argue that zombie Reagan and his economic advisor, zombie Friedman, were the ones who set all this in motion.

 

[Brett]

You could argue that zombie Reagan and his economic advisor, zombie Friedman, were the ones who set all this in motion.

You forgot Henry Kissinger.

 

[Eunos_Cosmo]

Well that was emphatic. I don't even really know what we're in for, other than a wild ride.

 

[Touring Mars]

I still can't get my head around how so many Americans can be so ******* stupid as to vote for this POS as their President.

When you make the Russkies cheer, you did something very, very wrong.

'Trump is Useful for Us': Kremlin Cheers U.S. Election Victory, Seeing Trump as a 'Tool' for Russian Ambitions

As the results of the 2024 U.S. presidential election unfold, it has become increasingly clear that Russia views Donald Trump’s potential victory as a major win for their expansionist goals. Far from a mere election outcome, the Kremlin sees Trump as a “useful tool” in advancing its geopolitical...

dailyboulder.com

I was alive when the Reds would fear a Republican being elected because it meant that we were that much closer to shooting a nuke at the Kremlin. I hope Zombie Reagan is spinning in his grave right now.

He's a tool alright...

 

[Keef]

When you make the Russkies cheer, you did something very, very wrong.

'Trump is Useful for Us': Kremlin Cheers U.S. Election Victory, Seeing Trump as a 'Tool' for Russian Ambitions

As the results of the 2024 U.S. presidential election unfold, it has become increasingly clear that Russia views Donald Trump’s potential victory as a major win for their expansionist goals. Far from a mere election outcome, the Kremlin sees Trump as a “useful tool” in advancing its geopolitical...

dailyboulder.com

I was alive when the Reds would fear a Republican being elected because it meant that we were that much closer to shooting a nuke at the Kremlin. I hope Zombie Reagan is spinning in his grave right now.

The shift data is enough evidence for me that we can stop labelling and considering the Republican party as merely conservative but use other terms like populist for sure, nationalist, authoritarian, I wouldn't necessarily call the Party fascist but Trump himself insinuates an awful lot. They'll probably be in control of every branch now which will make it incredibly easy for Republicans to go full fascist almost immediately, and it's trending that way quickly.

The party needs a new description, a new definition. Democrats need to hit the history books to find out how to counter a real fascist party. I think decades from now we're going to read in history books that these past 8 years wasn't merely a back-and-forth or a speed bump for the Republican party, it was a definitive moment where it officially became a fascist party. People who don't believe that 1930s Germany can happen again just haven't wrapped their heads around the fact that many Germans at the time had no idea what the implications were. They had no clue. They ****ing found out. Knowing your history means that you can make better decisions before you ever find out how bad the bad decisions were.

 

[dylansan]

The shift data is enough evidence for me that we can stop labelling and considering the Republican party as merely conservative but use other terms like populist for sure, nationalist, authoritarian, I wouldn't necessarily call the Party fascist but Trump himself insinuates an awful lot. They'll probably be in control of every branch now which will make it incredibly easy for Republicans to go full fascist almost immediately, and it's trending that way quickly.

View attachment 1403304

The party needs a new description, a new definition. Democrats need to hit the history books to find out how to counter a real fascist party. I think decades from now we're going to read in history books that these past 8 years wasn't merely a back-and-forth or a speed bump for the Republican party, it was a definitive moment where it officially became a fascist party. People who don't believe that 1930s Germany can happen again just haven't wrapped their heads around the fact that many Germans at the time had no idea what the implications were. They had no clue. They ****ing found out. Knowing your history means that you can make better decisions before you ever find out how bad the bad decisions were.

Agreed on all points, just take the shift data with a grain of salt as I mentioned above.

 

[Joey D]

The shift data is enough evidence for me that we can stop labelling and considering the Republican party as merely conservative but use other terms like populist for sure, nationalist, authoritarian, I wouldn't necessarily call the Party fascist but Trump himself insinuates an awful lot. They'll probably be in control of every branch now which will make it incredibly easy for Republicans to go full fascist almost immediately, and it's trending that way quickly.

View attachment 1403304

The party needs a new description, a new definition. Democrats need to hit the history books to find out how to counter a real fascist party. I think decades from now we're going to read in history books that these past 8 years wasn't merely a back-and-forth or a speed bump for the Republican party, it was a definitive moment where it officially became a fascist party. People who don't believe that 1930s Germany can happen again just haven't wrapped their heads around the fact that many Germans at the time had no idea what the implications were. They had no clue. They ****ing found out. Knowing your history means that you can make better decisions before you ever find out how bad the bad decisions were.

Ya I don't think they're full-on fascist yet, but they're certainly trending that way. They are 100% fully populist/nationalist, though. Maybe something like the Grand Old Populist.

One thing I find interesting on that map is that the section of Northern Michigan where I live shifted blue. I thought for sure it would've shifted even more red. I'm like on the edge of Antrim and Kalkaska and Antrim went .4 point more Democrat and Kalkaska when 1.6 points. I know that's not a big shift but it's still incredibly interesting to me since it suggests there are more closeted anti-Trumpers than I thought. This area is traditionally a red stronghold, but maybe, just maybe that shift will start to carry over into local elections.

Another telling sign in how much Wayne County shifted red. It went 9.9 points more into the red than last time which suggests that Harris pissed off the Arab population and Trump spoke to black voters.

 

[Danoff]

The party needs a new description, a new definition. Democrats need to hit the history books to find out how to counter a real fascist party. I think decades from now we're going to read in history books that these past 8 years wasn't merely a back-and-forth or a speed bump for the Republican party, it was a definitive moment where it officially became a fascist party. People who don't believe that 1930s Germany can happen again just haven't wrapped their heads around the fact that many Germans at the time had no idea what the implications were. They had no clue. They ****ing found out. Knowing your history means that you can make better decisions before you ever find out how bad the bad decisions were.

The time has passed for political action.

Had Trump not won the popular vote, I think that there might have been something that could be done. But with the popular vote it is going to be very difficult to make the hard moves necessary at this point. When Putin is taking office, you don't just hand him the keys to the most powerful military on Earth and hope someday in the future people can die trying to get him out. That is what is happening in the US.

The nation needs to fracture before Jan. 6th. Otherwise Putler Trump is the most powerful dictator in the world. That's basically where we are.

It went 9.9 points more into the red than last time which suggests that Harris pissed off the Arab population and Trump spoke to black voters.

This is an insane statment.

 

[Pupik]

For the first time in my lifetime, I'm less worried about a religious cult than a democratically-elected one.

It really sucks that in Canada, it's nigh impossible to completely tune out and disconnect from all the US media coverage of this guy. I reckon it will likely increase even more now 🤦‍♂️

Yeah, well we have to hear about your Prime Minister at least once or even twice a year. Usually in relation to world rankings of most attractive leaders or something my wife reminds me every time I have a trip to The True North.

 

[Joey D]

This is an insane statment.

Why? Those are the major populations that make up Wayne County. It has one of the largest Arab populations in the country and it has Detroit, which is 80% black. Maybe a more accurate state would be to add the qualifier "in that area." I don't know enough about other parts of the country to say if that happened or not. If Trump gained percentages in that area, it's because he managed to resonate with the voters. It's all telling the Jill Stein got 2% of the vote there, which makes sense considering how well she's liked in Dearborn.

 

[Sprite]

Well I’m flabbergasted “The littlest Dictator” got back in power and managed to secure all the backing he needs to make the USA bend to his wet-dreams.

I just hope this now shows the EU how much we need to pull together and also for the UK to have a door opened by the EU to come back into the fold.

 

[dylansan]

Even I'm surprised to calculate that even if every third party voter for any other candidate had voted for Harris, she still would have lost the popular vote by over two million. (Feel free to check my math)

Don't think there's any individual states where she would have won, either.

This is an insane statment.

Which part? Wayne county includes Dearborn, where about 55% population has middle eastern descent.

Biden got 74% of the vote in 2020.

This year, Harris got 36%. And Stein got 18%!

It's fair to say that Arab voters were turned off, for one reason or another.

I can't speak to black voters, haven't looked into the data there. I would be curious if Trump got more black voters than last time in absolute numerical terms, or just in percentage because Harris did so poorly.

 

[Danoff]

Why? Those are the major populations that make up Wayne County. It has one of the largest Arab populations in the country and it has Detroit, which is 80% black. Maybe a more accurate state would be to add the qualifier "in that area." I don't know enough about other parts of the country to say if that happened or not. If Trump gained percentages in that area, it's because he managed to resonate with the voters. It's all telling the Jill Stein got 2% of the vote there, which makes sense considering how well she's liked in Dearborn.

Because Trump appealing to black voters is insane. And Arab voters preferring a Trump admin is insane.

 

[Eunos_Cosmo]

I think Netanyahu played the Arab-American population hard. It's not what tipped the balance, to be clear, but it might have made the difference in Michigan.

I guess people just really want ground beef to be what it cost in 2019 again, **** everything else?

 

[Terronium-12]

Days like this one are probably the first time I've ever legitimately been ashamed to be American.

I'm not the most patriotic person to begin with, but this ****? If I had the means to do so, I'd uproot my entire life and move outside of this place. But that's not an option so I have to keep my head down for four years and just let whatever happens...happen.

How un-effing-believably depressing.

 

[Yard_Sale]

 

[Joey D]

Because Trump appealing to black voters is insane. And Arab voters preferring a Trump admin is insane.

Arabs in Dearborn didn't prefer Trump, though. They preferred Stein. As @dylansan pointed out, she got 18% of the vote in Dearborn. I think there's a not-so-insignificant number of blacks who support Trump, too, just not out loud. The song with Kanye and TI called Ye vs. the People is a good example of why they don't announce it either. More often than not, they're labeled a "race traitor." Wayne County blacks are also, typically, lower income than average and probably hurting more with inflation than the average person too just because they don't have money to begin with. Couple that with Harris being "a cop" (I know she was a prosecutor) and I can see where she loses support there as well.

I think the shift is less about people voting for Trump and most about people just not voting for Harris, but to get that big of a swing one of those populations needed to be energized by Trump.

 

[Danoff]

Arabs in Dearborn didn't prefer Trump, though. They preferred Stein. As @dylansan pointed out, she got 18% of the vote in Dearborn. I think there's a not-so-insignificant number of blacks who support Trump, too, just not out loud. The song with Kanye and TI called Ye vs. the People is a good example of why they don't announce it either. More often than not, they're labeled a "race traitor." Wayne County blacks are also, typically, lower income than average and probably hurting more with inflation than the average person too just because they don't have money to begin with. Couple that with Harris being "a cop" (I know she was a prosecutor) and I can see where she loses support there as well.

I think the shift is less about people voting for Trump and most about people just not voting for Harris, but to get that big of a swing one of those populations needed to be energized by Trump.

This did not make the case for it being any less insane. Trump is racist. Harris is Black. Trump supports Israel wholeheartedly. It's crazy.

 

[CodeRedR51]

Days like this one are probably the first time I've ever legitimately been ashamed to be American.

I'm not the most patriotic person to begin with, but this ****? If I had the means to do so, I'd uproot my entire life and move outside of this place. But that's not an option so I have to keep my head down for four years and just let whatever happens...happen.

How un-effing-believably depressing.

With you 100%. And unfortunately my brother is a Trump supporter, so I can't completely hide from it.

 

[Keef]

The nation needs to fracture before Jan. 6th. Otherwise Putler Trump is the most powerful dictator in the world. That's basically where we are.

As far as I can tell, we aren't many steps away from establishing a single-party system and the SC recently made precedent that it's okay to undo prior precedent.

Republicans would have to introduce a bill to eliminate already-public parties and establish a new party which serves all Americans under this existing public precedent. Dems would fillibuster, fail, law would pass. Lawsuits would have to fly. The SC would have to decide that the new party satisfies the concept of parties being public entities that can be regulated, and in doing so they could override several other judgements concerning 1st Amendment issues etc, and they would have no qualms in doing so because they will be free of Federal oversight by their own party. That's the hard-mode-but-permanent solution.

I imagine it would be much easier to just legislate the Democrat party into irrelevance which they're certainly going to try. We're so close guys, we're so close!

Whatever. I just hope I'm on the white side of history when it's all said and done.

 

[TheCracker]

For the first time in my lifetime, I'm less worried about a religious cult than a democratically-elected one.

Not worried about the surge of catholicism that's powered JD Vance into the limelight? I would be.

I used to think that it was the evangelicals that held the GOP's theology balls in a vice, but i think like a lot of right leaning organisations, they're just there for the ride. I know it sounds a bit Dan Brown, but there are some pretty far reaching catholic groups with friends in high places, who now have a friend in a very high place. Trump is not a young man. Vance is.

 

[mellofello9]

There has to be some awareness around the nature of this support and where it's rooted, though. What we're not doing is taking into account the absolute deluge of BS that most of the electorate has been fed. Step into the Fox/OAN/NewsMax echo chamber (amongst a bazillion others) for a couple years and let me know if your original ideals are still intact.

Point being, I'd be willing to bet that 50% or more of the people that voted for Trump have no clue WHO they actually voted for. They know a candidate through the conservative media lens via hyper-curated messaging. If you live in that space and that space alone, and believe all you are told, what other outcome will there ever be?

This country has been handily undercut with one simple tactic: Lies

Trump's own motto goes something like "The truth doesn't matter, what you keep saying does." Until we tackle the lies, this division will continue along with the horrible backslide into authoritarianism it fosters.