OK, I'll start it

[gherkin]

Happy that Trump won, and happy that it seems to have been...well, I would definitely not say a landslide, but at least a solid victory, including a significant lead in the popular vote. I think this is obviously a good thing from the standpoint of national and international security (from a variety of angles); from the standpoint of dealing with the heinous evils of the transgender agenda; from the standpoint of handling immigration, etc. It's definitely a much, much better result when we think about pro-life issues than a Harris win would have been, but it's clearly not looking nearly as solid on this front as it did in 2020. The Trump coalition is not about 'social conservatism' and is willing to marginalize it. So I can't exactly get giddy. But it's a relief, anyway. Harris would have been a disaster on so many levels, and I can't imagine what we might have seen from the Chinese, the Russians and now perhaps the Iranians over the next four years if she'd won.

[zeno]

I, too, am relieved we have been spared a Harris presidency, but I can't shake the nagging feeling this was all for Gavin Newsom's benefit with no incumbent President/Vice President to stand in his way in 2028. The prospect is horrifyingly frightening.

[Doom]

Newome is toast in California, don't you remember when, earlier this year, he tried to call the legislature to an emergency session, and both houses told him to pound sand and refused to even go through the motions? Historically, what has happened is the legislature meets and then adjourns within 5 minutes. This time they refused to even do that, when asked to come to Sacramento they issued a statement saying "no".

This wasn't political, the legislature is just as far left as he is, they just hold him in so much contempt that they felt like humiliating him, making the statement "you're a nobody and you have no power over us." Even California Democrats are done with him.

[zeno]

I feel the hate. In my district the Republican (who won) ran a campaign tying his opponent to Newsom. But he is a slick frat boy/used car salesman. I wouldn't underestimate him and I definitely wouldn't count him out for good yet.

[peregrinator]

Newsom and Shapiro (PA) are the future of the Democratic party imho, which is probably why neither was picked for running mate (can't have the running mate outshining the candidate)

[Deacon Arky]

I think Shapiro was asked....and said no. He knew better than to hitch his horse to Kamala's wagon. Unless he stubs his toe really badly, he is setup to be the man for the Dems in 2028.

[gherkin]

Will it be Newsome? I'm no student of contemporary politics, but my impression is that he's at least as far left as Harris. Will any of the D's start to realize that the hard left wing of the D party is not popular? Or will they just keep blaming this loss on racism and sexism? If the latter, I can see Newsome becoming the big shot. If the former, maybe not so much?

[peregrinator]

I'm not sure Harris's leftism is the primary reason she lost. She was just a bad candidate overall.

[gherkin]

She was an incredibly bad candidate, and I don't pretend to be an astute analyst, but it does seem to me like the hardline left stand on, say, letting men play in girls sports or not having a border played into her loss. Maybe not. Maybe it was just that people recognized she was an empty suit.

[gherkin]

On another matter, why do I keep hearing that Trump's win was a landslide? It wasn't a landslide.

[peregrinator]

it does seem to me like the hardline left stand on, say, letting men play in girls sports or not having a border played into her loss. Maybe not. Maybe it was just that people recognized she was an empty suit.

I'm sure it played a part - I just don't think it was the primary reason, and a better candidate with the same views might have been able to eke out a W.

[BobCatholic]

I'm glad Trump won. As soon as PA was called, that was it, game over for Kamala.

[Tired]

I don't see how Newsom can be a help to the democrats (and for that reason, I think it would be great if they picked him). His state is an absolute disaster. Everything about the state. They will continue to hemorrhage people while their terrible policies remain in place. And as more and more wealth leaves, they'll experience the doom cycle San Francisco will have a hard time escaping. It's mind boggling to me the guy has so little self-awareness (and common sense) to realize it is his policies that are destroying the state.

[Riverboat]

She was an incredibly bad candidate, and I don't pretend to be an astute analyst, but it does seem to me like the hardline left stand on, say, letting men play in girls sports or not having a border played into her loss. Maybe not. Maybe it was just that people recognized she was an empty suit.

Clearly both. A bad candidate leans into bad positions.

[peregrinator]

A better candidate might have been able to counter Trump's "pronoun" ad ("Kamala Harris is for they/them, Donald Trump is for you").

[Riverboat]

I have to hand it to Trump's ad team. They used a laser-focused beam on issues that resonated with most Americans.

Remember the Dukakis-in-a-tank ad? The Mondale ad that showed a roomful of experts bemoaning the Reagan ads "wrapped in the American flag"? Sometimes the mask slips on the face of the campaign that reveals desperation and sheer idiocy. For me, the Harris ad with the dudes who aren't afraid to vote for a woman encapsulated just how far they had to go to reach sane people.

https://youtu.be/Hk4ueY9wVtA

"I eat carburetors for breakfast!" Riiight.