What did Republicans do wrong?

[dudalb]

I echo the need for an all of the above.

 

[dudalb]

And the electiooi of Jim Jordan as minority leader just shows that the DUke oF Wellington's comment on the Bourbons after their return to the throne of France applies to them:

They have learned nothing and forgotten nothing.

 

[ahhell]

Some fraction of 2024 GOP supporters flipped and I'd wager that an even larger fraction stayed home.

New election survey reveals what went ‘so disastrously wrong’ for Trump and GOP

The poll also outlined what Republican voters want to see next.

www.mlive.com

Their reasons for flipping or staying home would probably be in the OP list, but are probably a bit different than the reasons driving new voter turnout.

Nit to pick on that article. 1 in 12 Trump voters didn't vote for trump this time but then it says 1 in 8 listed Trump and his family's corruption as a reason. I assume that's 1/8 of the 1/12th so 1/10 of former Trump voters didn't vote for him due to corruption?

obvious math mistake there, 1/100th D4m10n is correct.

 

[johnny karate]

They must've liked (past tense) something about his platform and promises in order to vote him in two years ago. One way to frame the OP question is to ask which of those promises and priorities have Trump voters going through buyer's remorse only two years later.

Almost all of them. The only campaign promise Trump really broke was "No new wars". Everything else was pretty much as advertised.

He campaigned on tariffs, they voted for tariffs, and he gave them tariffs. Now we have a sluggish economy and increased living costs. Oops.

He campaigned on mass deportations, they voted for mass deportations, and he gave them mass deportations. Now we have paramilitary goon squads terrorizing American communities with impunity. Double oops.

He campaigned on putting an anti-vaxxer in charge of public health, they voted for an anti-vaxxer in charge of public health, and he gave them an anti-vaxxer in charge of public health. Now measles has returned with a vengeance and children are dying. Oops again.

Over and over again, Trump is just proving he is exactly who he said he was when he ran in 2024 and the people experiencing buyer's remorse are the people who weren't paying attention in the first place because all their social media feeds told them trans people playing sports was the most serious problem in the world.

 

[d4m10n]

He campaigned on tariffs, they voted for tariffs, and he gave them tariffs.

IIRC he and his ilk campaigned much more on desired ends than specific means to achieve those ends. Which campaign ads or speeches made the case for tariffs?

 

[d4m10n]

I assume that's 1/8 of the 1/12th so [~1/100] of former Trump voters didn't vote for him due to corruption?

Yes, that's my takeaway from Cygnal. One gets the sense that these disgruntled GOP voters are operating w/ a sort of he-who-must-not-be-named heuristic which they are afraid to override.

 

[Norman Alexander]

When you let rusted-on GOP voters become the deciding factor in US elections, you get local reps with rusty old ideas, state reps with the deep rust of corruption, federal reps with very rusty morals, and a rust-coloured president with a small pile of iron oxide dust for brains.

 

[johnny karate]

IIRC he and his ilk campaigned much more on desired ends than specific means to achieve those ends.

Well, for the most part yes, because his entire campaign was bull ◊◊◊◊. But the examples I cited are specific things he did in fact campaign on and delivered. It's just that a lot of the people who voted for him were apparently not capable of seeing more than one step ahead.

Which campaign ads or speeches made the case for tariffs?

He talked about it constantly. Multiple examples here.

 

[novaphile]

There was a bit of discussion on election day about the mismatch between promises and what was actually done.

The example that sticks in mind is Trump's promise to deport illegal immigrants who were rapists and murderers.

The Hispanic community voted for him in droves, because the rapists and murderers were pressing concerns in those communities.

Unfortunately what happened was ongoing harassment of anyone who looked a little brown, and no one voted for that.

Hence they all changed their votes.

 

[johnny karate]

There was a bit of discussion on election day about the mismatch between promises and what was actually done.

The example that sticks in mind is Trump's promise to deport illegal immigrants who were rapists and murderers.

The Hispanic community voted for him in droves, because the rapists and murderers were pressing concerns in those communities.

Unfortunately what happened was ongoing harassment of anyone who looked a little brown, and no one voted for that.

Hence they all changed their votes.

Those people were fooling themselves. Trump made it very clear they were going after more than just "rapists and murders":

At the Republican National Convention this summer, hundreds of attendees waved signs demanding "Mass Deportation Now!"

When former President Donald Trump took the stage on the final night of the convention, he promised to launch "the largest deportation operation in the history of our country" if reelected.

 

[johnny karate]

Honestly, I can almost sympathize with Republicans struggling to comprehend this absolute ass-kicking they just took. They delivered on so many things that they promised to do only to have the American electorate decide they don't like any of it now. Sucks to be them, I guess.

 

[Mongrel]

Honestly, I can almost sympathize with Republicans struggling to comprehend this absolute ass-kicking they just took. They delivered on so many things that they promised to do only to have the American electorate decide they don't like any of it now. Sucks to be them, I guess.

Although I'd counter that many of the Republicans listened to what he was spewing and regarded it as a buffet, a lot of the claims were hand-waved away just so they could focus on a couple of things and try to say "Well, I never voted for that!" down the line

 

[d4m10n]

But the examples I cited are specific things he did in fact campaign on and delivered.

As a skeptic, I'm going to have to take your word on this in the absence of any supporting evidence.

Multiple examples here.

Rather few of which were part of a campaign effort. I do not find the claim that people (particularly swing voters who put Trump over the top in 2024) voted on tariffs in significant numbers to be particularly credible in light of these three examples.

 

[Thermal]

Almost all of them. The only campaign promise Trump really broke was "No new wars". Everything else was pretty much as advertised.

He campaigned on tariffs, they voted for tariffs, and he gave them tariffs. Now we have a sluggish economy and increased living costs. Oops.

He campaigned on mass deportations, they voted for mass deportations, and he gave them mass deportations. Now we have paramilitary goon squads terrorizing American communities with impunity. Double oops.

He campaigned on putting an anti-vaxxer in charge of public health, they voted for an anti-vaxxer in charge of public health, and he gave them an anti-vaxxer in charge of public health. Now measles has returned with a vengeance and children are dying. Oops again.

Over and over again, Trump is just proving he is exactly who he said he was when he ran in 2024 and the people experiencing buyer's remorse are the people who weren't paying attention in the first place because all their social media feeds told them trans people playing sports was the most serious problem in the world.

Damn. We finally get a politician who is forthright when campaigning and delivers on his promises...

 

[johnny karate]

As a skeptic, I'm going to have to take your word on this in the absence of any supporting evidence.

It's seems like we're going down some weird rabbit hold where even the most basic, well-known facts are being disputed absent supporting evidence.

Honestly, I'm not sure what you're doing in a politics forum discussing the Trump campaign when you appear to be wholly ignorant of its details.

Rather few of which were part of a campaign effort.

I don't know what hair you're try to split here, but Trump very much campaigned on tariffs and I provided evidence that he did.

I do not find the claim that people (particularly swing voters who put Trump over the top in 2024) voted on tariffs in significant numbers to be particularly credible in light of these three examples.

Here's how it works: If the candidate you vote for campaigned on doing a specific thing and you vote for that candidate, you are voting for that specific thing to be done. There is no à la carte option. Trump campaigned on tariffs. You vote for Trump, you vote for tariffs.

 

[johnny karate]

Although I'd counter that many of the Republicans listened to what he was spewing and regarded it as a buffet, a lot of the claims were hand-waved away just so they could focus on a couple of things and try to say "Well, I never voted for that!" down the line

Yeah maybe, but that's on them. Voting for liars and grifters has its consequences.

 

[d4m10n]

a lot of the claims were hand-waved away just so they could focus on a couple of things and try to say "Well, I never voted for that!" down the line

I don't imagine everyone votes for everything on any given party platform, but it's weird for voters to disclaim some of the things that were very obviously in the offing, e.g. massive ICE surges.

 

[d4m10n]

I'm not sure what you're doing in a politics forum discussing the Trump campaign when you appear to be wholly ignorant of its details.

This thread is only about the Trump campaign inasmuch as campaign promises were either fulfilled or broken and voters were paying enough attention to notice. Mostly it should be about conservative governance and policy over the last two years whilst they held all three branches.

I doubt that voters who knew about the tariff promises and voted on that issue feel like that promise was broken, though they are likely upset about the consequences of tariffs while living in denial about the causal relationship.

 

[d4m10n]

Here's how it works: If the candidate you vote for campaigned on doing a specific thing and you vote for that candidate, you are voting for that specific thing to be done.

I don't think it is reasonable to expect every campaign promise to be kept, especially the ones that contradict the other ones.

 

[Norman Alexander]

Perhaps it is worth noting that many MAGA voters have no idea what the policies are they are supporting. Just that Trump wants them so that's good enough for them. Many a comedy show has been made showing them having no ◊◊◊◊◊◊◊ clue abort deportations, tariffs, health care, etc. Their votes can be bought by simply saying "Trump" and "God". It's that easy.

So expecting them to understand the policies, the nuances of their decisions, and the consequences of voting for Trump is something entirely beyond their capabilities. They DUM(B)!!