I think it’s the swing voters who ultimately decide most elections.
I agree with the second-place strategy but I’m not sure I can stomach DeSantis.
I’m currently leaning towards a vote for Hutchinson or Christie, whichever is more electable when the time comes, because I see most of the others as too soft on MAGA. I agree with your assessment of Pence’s chances.
We will have to do a focused discussion on DeSantis at some point. I don’t think he’s necessarily as bad as some do. The salient difference between DeSantis and, say, Chris Sununu is that when the NH legislature decides to do “crazy”, Sununu says “no, we’re not doing crazy,” where DeSantis revels in it and plays it for political points. But national politics is a different ballgame than Concord and Tallahassee. DeSantis is well qualified.
Like Trump, I think DeSantis is taking the party too far in a direction I don’t want to go.
I’m not saying he’s as bad or worse than Trump, but he’s bad in overlapping and different ways.
FWIW I’ve listened to some other Republicans I know who don’t like Trump (some since J6 and some beforehand) and DS is not well liked by most of them. Pence is pretty popular among this niche, as are Haley and Scott.
I'd agree if it was the DeSantis from 2019 (not that I'd vote for him), but his performance since has made that debatable: his decision to focus on "crazy" instead of governance (like making it possible for Florida homeowners to get new insurance policies) or assisting those still impacted from Hurricane Ian has to make you look twice to say the least.
Which is likely the best strategy: vote for the strongest alternative to Trump at the time of one's State primary, then vote against Trump (or a pardon promiser) in the general if he is the nominee (though I'd make the argument that the GOP *needs* to lose in order to send the message that Trump/MAGA/et al are unacceptable).
Scrambled eggs and toast this morning. Number 2 sandwich can wait for the looming NH primary. No GOP dark horse this time around. A candidate with a second place position can emerge as the Trump challenger, with the former guy likely to win in NH. Having a gaggle of single digit candidates will only benefit Trump. Waiting to see what candidate, if any, will benefit from Sununu exiting the race. The race to number two has begun.
Not going to get into the middle of this one, as a center-left D, it's all on you guys who you pick. That said, i was delighted to see the link to JVL's delightful column on R candidate logos. I start every morning (after my news feeds) with The Bulwark (obviously i still read you you guys) and absolutely love their commentary. It's fascinating to see how most of them have moved back to center-right...as i have moved from a more extremist left position. The mushy middle is where it belongs (IMHO).
Anyway, the 25% embedded in trump's ample behind is the problem...for all of us, but more so the Right. If trump isn't the candidate, many of them simply won't vote. If there is a saving grace, many of them used to be democrats and simply fell under his spell (and BS) and swore allegiance. That spells doom for conservatives up and down the aisle.
When Nikki Haley was ambassador to the UN, i was impressed by her body of work. She keeps trying to straddle the fence post regarding trump which is disappointing, but that's the problem with most of the candidates. At least she isn't in all out swoon.
It is always interesting to read Democrat recommendations for Republican candidates. I am not a diehard Trump supporter but I am at a point that I will not vote for a Democrat for any office anywhere. The Democrat Party is taking this country in a direction that will lead to our demise. There is no question about that fact. I will vote for any Republican that has a strong belief in the Constitution and will begin the process of dismantling the administrative state. The 2024 election is a long way off and there is no way to predict who will ultimately be the Republican candidate, but if it turns out to be Trump or another candidate, that’s for whom I will vote.
I didn’t see where Steve recommended voting for a Democrat, and none of the Racket authors are Democrats.
We are all at least former Republicans. Some are probably still Republican.
I won’t presume to speak for the others, but I was a Republican until 2016 when I became an independent. I’m still a conservative without a party.
I assumed that I would probably go back to the party after the Trump era was over, but I doubt that at this point. Trump has changed the party so much that it isn’t an organization that I want to associate with.
I guess I’m confused about where you see “Democrat recommendations.”
Democrat solutions and politics are not often inline with what I consider conservative values. But I have trouble assigning Trump to the ‘belief in Constitution’ camp following his post 2020 behaviors and performance. So the more MAGA the candidate, the less likely I would vote for them in a general election.
Which goes contrary to your love for the Constitution, as Trump and his followers outright attacked our Constitutional processes.
Define exactly what you don't like about Democratic policy and what you do like aBout MAGA populism. Otherwise all you're saying is "Democrats bad because they're Democrats" - which is meaningless.
Number 1 choice for me is DeSantis. Number 2 is Tim Scott. Mike Pence is a great American but will never get the nomination. His support among the Republican base is too low and many independents are pro-choice and think Pence is a prude. They are all better than Joe and Kamala.
I think it’s the swing voters who ultimately decide most elections.
I agree with the second-place strategy but I’m not sure I can stomach DeSantis.
I’m currently leaning towards a vote for Hutchinson or Christie, whichever is more electable when the time comes, because I see most of the others as too soft on MAGA. I agree with your assessment of Pence’s chances.
DeSantis vote in the NH primary for me does not guarantee my vote in the general election.
My problem there is that I’m afraid DeSantis might be able to win the general. I don’t think that would be a good thing.
We will have to do a focused discussion on DeSantis at some point. I don’t think he’s necessarily as bad as some do. The salient difference between DeSantis and, say, Chris Sununu is that when the NH legislature decides to do “crazy”, Sununu says “no, we’re not doing crazy,” where DeSantis revels in it and plays it for political points. But national politics is a different ballgame than Concord and Tallahassee. DeSantis is well qualified.
Like Trump, I think DeSantis is taking the party too far in a direction I don’t want to go.
I’m not saying he’s as bad or worse than Trump, but he’s bad in overlapping and different ways.
FWIW I’ve listened to some other Republicans I know who don’t like Trump (some since J6 and some beforehand) and DS is not well liked by most of them. Pence is pretty popular among this niche, as are Haley and Scott.
I'd agree if it was the DeSantis from 2019 (not that I'd vote for him), but his performance since has made that debatable: his decision to focus on "crazy" instead of governance (like making it possible for Florida homeowners to get new insurance policies) or assisting those still impacted from Hurricane Ian has to make you look twice to say the least.
Good example: here's a 9-tweet thread of line-item vetoes from DeSantis.
https://twitter.com/Matt_Fleming321/status/1669677467630444545?s=20
Surely you don't favor what we have now.
Which is likely the best strategy: vote for the strongest alternative to Trump at the time of one's State primary, then vote against Trump (or a pardon promiser) in the general if he is the nominee (though I'd make the argument that the GOP *needs* to lose in order to send the message that Trump/MAGA/et al are unacceptable).
You well described my intentions.
Scrambled eggs and toast this morning. Number 2 sandwich can wait for the looming NH primary. No GOP dark horse this time around. A candidate with a second place position can emerge as the Trump challenger, with the former guy likely to win in NH. Having a gaggle of single digit candidates will only benefit Trump. Waiting to see what candidate, if any, will benefit from Sununu exiting the race. The race to number two has begun.
Not going to get into the middle of this one, as a center-left D, it's all on you guys who you pick. That said, i was delighted to see the link to JVL's delightful column on R candidate logos. I start every morning (after my news feeds) with The Bulwark (obviously i still read you you guys) and absolutely love their commentary. It's fascinating to see how most of them have moved back to center-right...as i have moved from a more extremist left position. The mushy middle is where it belongs (IMHO).
Anyway, the 25% embedded in trump's ample behind is the problem...for all of us, but more so the Right. If trump isn't the candidate, many of them simply won't vote. If there is a saving grace, many of them used to be democrats and simply fell under his spell (and BS) and swore allegiance. That spells doom for conservatives up and down the aisle.
When Nikki Haley was ambassador to the UN, i was impressed by her body of work. She keeps trying to straddle the fence post regarding trump which is disappointing, but that's the problem with most of the candidates. At least she isn't in all out swoon.
Apropos to the "their minds cannot and will not be changed" aspect: https://twitter.com/OmarJimenez/status/1669495143357992960?s=20
It is always interesting to read Democrat recommendations for Republican candidates. I am not a diehard Trump supporter but I am at a point that I will not vote for a Democrat for any office anywhere. The Democrat Party is taking this country in a direction that will lead to our demise. There is no question about that fact. I will vote for any Republican that has a strong belief in the Constitution and will begin the process of dismantling the administrative state. The 2024 election is a long way off and there is no way to predict who will ultimately be the Republican candidate, but if it turns out to be Trump or another candidate, that’s for whom I will vote.
I didn’t see where Steve recommended voting for a Democrat, and none of the Racket authors are Democrats.
We are all at least former Republicans. Some are probably still Republican.
I won’t presume to speak for the others, but I was a Republican until 2016 when I became an independent. I’m still a conservative without a party.
I assumed that I would probably go back to the party after the Trump era was over, but I doubt that at this point. Trump has changed the party so much that it isn’t an organization that I want to associate with.
I guess I’m confused about where you see “Democrat recommendations.”
Democrat solutions and politics are not often inline with what I consider conservative values. But I have trouble assigning Trump to the ‘belief in Constitution’ camp following his post 2020 behaviors and performance. So the more MAGA the candidate, the less likely I would vote for them in a general election.
Which goes contrary to your love for the Constitution, as Trump and his followers outright attacked our Constitutional processes.
Define exactly what you don't like about Democratic policy and what you do like aBout MAGA populism. Otherwise all you're saying is "Democrats bad because they're Democrats" - which is meaningless.
Number 1 choice for me is DeSantis. Number 2 is Tim Scott. Mike Pence is a great American but will never get the nomination. His support among the Republican base is too low and many independents are pro-choice and think Pence is a prude. They are all better than Joe and Kamala.