Is the GOP doomed to lose the House and the Senate in 2018?

jayem said:

Are Red state local economies generally in shambles? ..

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jayem said:

It's the old time blue collar manufacturing and brick-and-mortar retail industries that are in trouble. And let's be honest--there is no long-term future for those jobs. They've been done in by cheaper foreign labor, and the on-line economy. Protectionist rhetoric (which is all Trump has offered so far) may get votes, but realistically, the steady downward trend of these businesses can't be stopped..

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dgiharris said:

I think Republicans are screwed in all the purple States or states that see-saw back and forth between Blue and Red...

but I don't think the Solid Red States have much to worry about unless their front runners or pedophiles or obvious blatantly outspoken racists.

I believe the House and Senate will swing back to Blue control, but I don't think it will be a landslide swing.

Also, you have to remember, Trump is expert at tapping into the emotion and the outrage and we learned the hard way that that trumps fact. Facts don't matter.

Also, I feel that Democrats and Liberals are making the mistake of focusing on Trump's alleged idiocy. It's like we have failed to learn the lessons of 2016, and that lesson was-- it doesn't matter that he is an alleged idiot. It doesn't matter that he tweets like an emo teen having a temper tantrum or that he repeatedly says things that are inaccurate or that he whines 24/7 about fake news or a 100 other things.

Democrats and Liberals imo have FAILED to understand why Trumpers voted for Trump.
IMO, a very large segment of middle class White America for right or wrong feels neglected by both the GOP and the Dems. They feel not only neglected, but they feel *bleep* on. They feel disenfranchised, they feel minorities get the breaks, they see their jobs going overseas, they see minorities getting all the entitlement programs, they see Whites getting blamed for everything bad, they see reverse racism against them, they see their local economies suffering...

And in the midsts of all of the above, GOP and Dems do nothing.

But then comes Trump. He stands up in front of them and he empathizes, he "seems" to understand their gripes and complaints. He promises to address their key concerns. He expresses their anger and frustration and then vows to right the wrongs for them...

What I have failed to see Liberals and Dems do is to offer an alternative to these Trumpers. If I were a white middle class man in a Red State with my local economy in shambles, I would feel I'd have "no choice" but to support Trump because he is the ONLY politician addressing my plight.

So.... "The Left" needs to figure out a way to reach Trumpers. The whole, "Trump is stupid how can you vote for him" argument is a red herring and worse, it is a losing strategy. "The Left" needs to get off their elitist arrogant I-know-better-than-you high horse and they need to go hat-in-hand to the disgruntled middle class white voting block in these Red States, listen to their concerns, and figure out a sincere way to address those concerns.

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dgiharris said:

This attitude is exactly why this country is doomed.

Despite me hating Trump with the passion of a thousand white hot suns, I can give you a list of Trump's good qualities and positives.

However, there is this human condition about being unable to see the other side of the argument. The GOP has brainwashed so many of their members into thinking that there is NOTHING of value to the Democrats viewpoints, arguments, and side. Even worse, the GOP preaches that the Dems are trying to "destroy" America while the GOP is trying to save it...

There are plenty of things that the Democrats are right about that GOP is wrong about.
There are plenty of things that the GOP is right about that the Dems are wrong about.

However, each side pretending that that other side has no merit is why nothing of importance gets done in this country and/or why so much energy, time, and resources is spent fighting.

Take the DACA stuff. Both sides are in clear agreement that we need to get the DACA kids a path to citizenship yet both sides can't reach an agreement...

Learn to see the other side of the argument or else enjoy the view as this country burns to the ground because it was destroyed from within...

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dgiharris said:

Trump has painted himself the victim, so he can blame it all on the liberal media and the RINOs, and the Dems...

The GOP has gone from the party of obstructionists under Obama to the Whining Party that is unfairly persecuted and oppressed despite having a majority in the House and the Senate and having a Republican in the White House... Despite all of that, it is still not enough for them to do their jobs.

I also have to give Trump an A+ on his ability to distract the public from the stuff that really matters. We focus on the idiocy and in the background he passes Executive orders and policies that hurt us all... Well, everyone but the top 1%...

so at the end of the day, I think Trump's base will still stand by him. He is fighting the good fight for them as far as they are concerned. Truth be told, it is more important that he "appears" to be fighting the good fight then it is for him to make actual progress and actual achievements...

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Creech said:

There is a large difference in the eyes of Trump supporters, between saying "The Democrats are the reason the wall hasn't been built and amnesty hasn't been thrown out the window" and "I will work with the Democrats to support DACA (amnesty) in exchange for the wall"

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I think many Trump supporters know that is complete appeasement and will not make his base excited to vote Republican, especially since it is largely the REPUBLICANS which have hurt the Trump agenda.

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dgiharris said:

This attitude is exactly why this country is doomed.

Despite me hating Trump with the passion of a thousand white hot suns, I can give you a list of Trump's good qualities and positives.

However, there is this human condition about being unable to see the other side of the argument. The GOP has brainwashed so many of their members into thinking that there is NOTHING of value to the Democrats viewpoints, arguments, and side. Even worse, the GOP preaches that the Dems are trying to "destroy" America while the GOP is trying to save it...

There are plenty of things that the Democrats are right about that GOP is wrong about.
There are plenty of things that the GOP is right about that the Dems are wrong about.

However, each side pretending that that other side has no merit is why nothing of importance gets done in this country and/or why so much energy, time, and resources is spent fighting.

Take the DACA stuff. Both sides are in clear agreement that we need to get the DACA kids a path to citizenship yet both sides can't reach an agreement...

Learn to see the other side of the argument or else enjoy the view as this country burns to the ground because it was destroyed from within...

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Rion said:

Maybe because the Democrats haven't been arguing ideas but hatred of Trump? I've yet to hear an actual platform from the DNC.

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mark kennedy said:

Plenty of time for that and I'm thinking DACA and a shut down would be a big factor.

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Rion said:

I don't think that would work out how you want, but regardless, saying that it isn't fair that Democrats are being painted as the party of "No" when they have yet to even put forth a basic platform is rather odd.

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Liza B. said:

If the Democrats shut down the gov't over DACA, there goes your "Blue Wave".

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HereIStand said:

Hungary added a wall. It was effective in keeping out most illegal immigrants during the European migrant crisis.
The cost effective argument is an anti-Trump ruse.
The estimated costs of the wall is 8 billion. That's nothing in terms of the overall federal budget. The wall may not cover every inch of the border and drones and patrol agents can be added.

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