2020 Election Results

[lpetrich]

Recommendations:

1. Invest in organizing the base.​
2. Connect economic justice to racial justice.
3. Drive an economic message that connects with all working people.​

About that last one, "Whatever moderate Democrats think of Sanders and Warren, the unavoidable reality is that they have provided Democrats with a profoundly compelling economic message."

Opinion | AOC isn’t picking a fight over ideology. She’s staging an intervention. - The Washington Post

But Ocasio-Cortez isn’t the ideologue here. Her critique is entirely practical. Unless Democrats end their love affair with television and get cozier with smaller screens, she argued, they will keep losing; the medium matters as much as the message. You can quibble with Ocasio-Cortez’s faith in the insurmountable impact of Facebook advertising — but the widespread declarations that she has broken her truce with centrists miss the point precisely.

...
The former bartender from the Bronx spent the months following Bernie Sanders’s primary defeat acting not precisely as a surrogate for Joe Biden but at least as a liaison between the nominee and the left. She didn’t go on television to claim that she stood for everything the former vice president stood for, but she at least implied that what he stood for was, unlike the lies flowing forth from his opponent’s mouth and Twitter feed, something she could work with.

Opinion | The elites who think MAGA voters are rubes: Republicans - The Washington Post

A central tenet of the outlook of many conservatives is that “elites” look down upon them and regard them as bigoted, uneducated rubes. Well, they have a point: That’s exactly how Republican politicians and the revenue-generating, right-wing media machine regard them.

It was not the Democratic nominee who thought suburbanites would be afraid of integration; that was President Trump. Using George Soros — a Hungarian Jewish immigrant — as a slur and anti-Semitic code word is a right-wing tactic; Democrats have no such Jewish bogeyman. It is Trump who believes fear of immigrants is what motivates his base; Democrats trust voters to understand that immigration is essential to the United States. And it is Republicans such as Sen. Ted Cruz (Tex.) — not Democrats — who are convinced that constituents will buy into the anti-Ukrainian Kremlin agitprop that they dish out in generous portions.

Fox News is apparently convinced that its viewers want a steady diet of Hunter Biden conspiracy theories, horror stories linking immigration and crime, false and ludicrous claims of voter fraud from anonymous witnesses and climate change denial.

 

[lpetrich]

Rashida Tlaib on Twitter: "My residents walked by blighted homes, closed schools and breathed in polluted air, to vote for President-elect @JoeBiden & VP-elect @KamalaHarris. They don't deserve to be silenced. We must honor our communities that showed up. #EmbracetheBase" / Twitter
notes

Laura Barrón-López on Twitter: "NEW: Progressives strikes back at centrist Dems

Rep. Tlaib choked up in interview as she said people in her district walked past blighted homes to vote for Biden/Harris. “I can’t believe that people are asking them to be quiet.”

More w/@hollyotterbein https://t.co/uiHm1A1lRT" / Twitter

Laura Barrón-López on Twitter: "@hollyotterbein In a memo being circulated by Justice Dems, Sunrise and others, progressives laid out their own dire diagnosis of Dem election losses and criticize centrists for playing into Republicans’ “divide-and-conquer racism.” https://t.co/BGWkoiAMb4" / Twitter

Laura Barrón-López on Twitter: ".@AOC: “Anti-racism plays 0% of a role in Democratic electoral strategy -- zero, explicitly, implicitly. I'm not telling people to virtue signal, but there's just like no plan for it.”

Democrats need to “take our gloves off with Republicans," she said. https://t.co/uiHm1A1lRT" / Twitter

 

[lpetrich]

Pelosi floats above Democrats’ civil war - POLITICO

For the last decade, Pelosi has had the same post-election routine: swiftly quashing whispers of an insurrection as a handful of members look to end her long tenure as leader. But this year, Pelosi is poised to enter another — and possibly final term — as speaker, with her position as safe as ever despite losing at least six net seats after predicting they’d expand their majority

Instead of pinning the blame on Pelosi, House Democrats have turned on each other in a resumption of the ideological war gripping the party. The sniping has grown pointed and personal, with centrists and liberals blasting each other by name both privately and in the press. Both sides have been privately discussing how they will exert their will even further in the upcoming Congress.

Hakeem Jeffries of NY is not interested in the job this time around.

Much of the backlash, both publicly and privately, has been directed at Democratic Congressional Chair Cheri Bustos (D-Ill.), who has become something of a punching bag after she announced this week she would not seek reelection to the role. Moderates have argued that Bustos sought to craft too big of a battleground map — wasting millions of dollars in Texas in particular — and failed to see the enthusiasm on the GOP side.

It's hard to compete with Trump as an enthusiasm generator, however.

Bustos also took what was seen as a direct shot at Ocasio-Cortez’s critiques, saying “Democratic candidates outspent Republicans on Facebook by anywhere from a 2-to-1 margin to as much as a 10-to-1 margin” in tough districts. Other Democrats also said that Ocasio-Cortez’s claims that some Democrats spent $0 on digital ads the week before the election were wrong.

...
“Because of the threat from Trump, what he represented... we’ve had to suppress a lot of feelings,” said Rep. Gerry Connolly (D-Va.). “So now that it’s safe to come back to the surface, we have to avoid getting the bends as we come up for air.”

The biggest surprises of the 2020 Democratic House debacle - POLITICO

But the most shocking results available thus far make it clear that Trump did far better than polling indicated he would in many suburban battlegrounds, and in others Republican congressional candidates may have benefited from ticket-splitters. Overall, it looks like 2018 was a high-water mark for Democrats — a wave that crested and fell.

 

[GenesisNemesis]

Biden's Arizona win confirmed by analysts.

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/...tter&utm_source=reddit.com#Echobox=1605174832

Cry more MAGA babies.

 

[lpetrich]

Heather Caygle on Twitter: "“Do we want to govern or do we want to be internet celebrities?” Rep. Jeffries asked other top Dems on a private leadership call.

Behind the scenes in the House Democratic Caucus and its turbulent post-election day adjustment:

W @sarahnferris https://t.co/xvte6Zq8hE" / Twitter

AOC sees no contradiction between governance and being an Internet celebrity. How is going on the Internet much different from going on radio or TV over the last century?

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez on Twitter: "Pretty astounding that some Dems don’t believe it’s possible to govern, be politically popular, and command formidable bully pulpits at the same time, but it actually explains a lot about how we got here." / Twitter

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez on Twitter: "We don’t have to choose between these things! We can do better and win!" / Twitter

 

[lpetrich]

@chatfance on Twitter: "@DrJasonJohnson I’m a lifelong diehard Dem. I’m also a lifelong Marketing guy. #DefundThePolice was the absolute dumbest slogan ever. In layman’s terms, it ruined a good product before it even hit the shelf. Dems have to re-evaluate how they are going to market ideas & policy in the future." / Twitter
I agree with that.

Jason Johnson on Twitter: "Democrats didn't come up with #DefundThePolice *" / Twitter
It was activists who did that.

Jennifer Coleman on Twitter: "@DrJasonJohnson I'm not certain who came up with Defund The Police ..." / Twitter

I'm not certain who came up with Defund The Police but the first time that I saw it was on TV at a Black Lives Matter protest.
It was either Seattle Washington, California or Portland Oregon.
I remember cringing because I knew, Democrats would be BRANDED with that.

Then, the fires & looting started happening in many cities.
Politically speaking, I'm certain that scared the HELL out of people in the suburbs.
Personally, I don't believe destroying property or attacking someone, is justified for a wrongful killing.
Vigilante justice.

Democrats have to allow the SPACE for everyone to be who they are.
Black people are not monolithic and our political leanings are shaped by our experiences and culture.
Being progressive is not a bad thing.
Being moderate is not a bad thing.
I think MOST Americans are MODERATE.

Joy WE VOTED!! WEAR A MASK!! Reid ) on Twitter: "Correct. This was an activist-driven slogan, not a party slogan. And BTW, people who want police reform fueled turnout for Joe Biden. Stop blaming activists for structural and societal deficiencies in our politics." / Twitter

Joel Siegel on Twitter: "Teddy Roosevelt was just 23 when he was elected to the NY State Assembly. Khaleel Anderson of Queens is not far behind. The 24-year-old, who ran without party backing in the primary, won an Assembly seat last week. https://t.co/BGNVqx9G4T" / Twitter

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez on Twitter: "Let’s gooo!
We are so proud of you and rooting for you, @KhaleelAnderson.
Congratulations " / Twitter

Ayanna Pressley on Twitter: "Embrace the base " / Twitter
The party base of the Democratic Party.

 

[ZiprHead]

What will Trump do between now and Jan 20 Inauguration day to sabotage the country?

We know that he's going to try to stir up drama with lawsuits and try to get his base to become violent. What else?

Pardon Julian Assange, Edward Snowden, Chelsea Manning, and Ross Ulbrecht. Then also issue blanked pardons or commutations for federal prisoners who are in for petty charges.
Pull all troops out of the Mid-East, south Asia, and Africa, so that it will be impossible to ramp back up without sending initial troops in.
Declassify all the material about the US government spying on the US people.
Declassify all the material about US government interference on foreign elections.
Declassify politically motivated political probes into US citizens.
Take Marijuana off the DEA schedule entirely.

You have to admit, if Trump did that on the way out it really would sabotage the Biden administration.

That sounds like your wish list, not Don's. Nothing on that list gets him any money.

 

[lpetrich]

Samantha Power on Twitter: "Our democracy is in deep, deep peril if a significant number of Americans are only prepared to see election results as legitimate if their preferred candidate wins." / Twitter
Like what Trump himself has gone on record as saying - the only possible defeat of him is a fraudulent one.

This is CA Rep. Adam Schiff
Adam Schiff on Twitter: "
Imagine if this happened in another country:

A leader refusing to concede, alleging fraud without evidence, resisting a peaceful transition of power.

We would condemn it.

It’s no different here. Trump lost. Biden won. America cherishes her democracy. It’s time we show it." / Twitter

Caroline Horn on Twitter: "@RepAdamSchiff PAY ATTENTION. Historians who have spent careers studying autocracies are calling this a "coup attempt" and an "autocracy attempt."

As Jennifer Rubin writes today: "The aim is not to steal an election, but to sow doubt about the legitimacy of our democracy." OBJECT LOUDLY." / Twitter

I like this response:
Toni on Twitter: "@RepAdamSchiff @AOC There’s no claim of election fraud in Alaska or NC? How odd...
Only the states Trump loss are the ones with election fraud? How odd...." / Twitter

Also, why only fraudulent Presidential elections and not Congressional ones?

 

[Keith&Co.]

That sounds like your wish list, not Don's. Nothing on that list gets him any money.

Does make sense from a bully's point of view, though. Biden 'hit' him and took away his big office, so he hits back.
Only ghing is, THIS list comes from someone other than Donnie.

Donnie's list would be things that directly impact the personal comfort, status symbols of the Pres.
Things like having Air Force One grounded to be redecorated.
Selling all the ovens, microwaves, fridges in the White House. And TVs. All the appliances.
Replace the light bulbs in the Oval Office with 40-Watt so it looks dingy.
Fill the mini-fridge in the limo with celery juice.

 

[Don2 (Don1 Revised)]

That sounds like your wish list, not Don's. Nothing on that list gets him any money.

Does make sense from a bully's point of view, though. Biden 'hit' him and took away his big office, so he hits back.
Only ghing is, THIS list comes from someone other than Donnie.

Donnie's list would be things that directly impact the personal comfort, status symbols of the Pres.
Things like having Air Force One grounded to be redecorated.
Selling all the ovens, microwaves, fridges in the White House. And TVs. All the appliances.
Replace the light bulbs in the Oval Office with 40-Watt so it looks dingy.
Fill the mini-fridge in the limo with celery juice.

...and install propagandists in positions of national security and intelligence.

 

[Jimmy Higgins]

What will Trump do between now and Jan 20 Inauguration day to sabotage the country?

We know that he's going to try to stir up drama with lawsuits and try to get his base to become violent. What else?

Pardon Julian Assange, Edward Snowden, Chelsea Manning, and Ross Ulbrecht. Then also issue blanked pardons or commutations for federal prisoners who are in for petty charges.
Pull all troops out of the Mid-East, south Asia, and Africa, so that it will be impossible to ramp back up without sending initial troops in.
Declassify all the material about the US government spying on the US people.
Declassify all the material about US government interference on foreign elections.
Declassify politically motivated political probes into US citizens.
Take Marijuana off the DEA schedule entirely.

You have to admit, if Trump did that on the way out it really would sabotage the Biden administration.

That sounds like your wish list, not Don's. Nothing on that list gets him any money.

Yeah, Jason seems to be of the misimpression that Trump gives a darn about America or has any sort of principles at all.

Of course, he can always fuck up the Census.

 

[Elixir]

Of course, he can always fuck up the Census.

Already did that.
He is running out of attention-grabbing stunts. Time for a war.
Killing people always get him the attention he crave, and adulation from his lemmings.

 

[lpetrich]

Matthew Chapman on Twitter: "Stop saying "defund the police." ..." / Twitter

Stop saying "defund the police."

Poll after poll after poll is clear. The public supports funding social services that fill some roles police currently have, but they DON'T support defunding the police. I don't care if you think those are the same thing. Voters don't.

There are neighborhoods in some cities where police are actually *underfunded* for their essential roles, and response times are low for people reporting crimes, accidents, etc. Police nonresponse hurts POC as much as police brutality. Defund activists have no answer for this.

"BuT wE dOn'T lItErAlLy MeAn GeT rId Of ThE pOlIcE!" Then find a new damn slogan, because at least some of the people chanting it with you do, in fact, literally mean that.

"Defunding" the police is an intellectual coward's way out for leftists who are "woke" to the point of being sleep-deprived. They don't want to grapple with the reality of crime and how systemic racism has put POC in the way of social harm that ensures they *need* police. I'm totally with you on decriminalizing a broad litany of social problems and diverting money to programs that address these noncriminally, from housing to drug treatment. But not all crime is fixable this way. What social program is going to end DUI? Domestic violence? Rape?

The real goal here is getting cops to serve POC the same way they serve white people. But that's so much harder to do than pretending you can just eliminate police and handwave away all crime through some piecemeal patchwork of other social programs.

We are at a crucial crossroads of social attitudes on law and order. The public is horrified by what happened to George Floyd and questioning why our prisons are so bloated. We're moving to a broader social understanding that the justice system has limits and can destroy lives. Hell, we've reached the point where even *Republicans* feel the need to take reformist postures. Trump did little in the way of real criminal justice reform, but he touts things like drug pardons and expanding time credit in federal prisons. It's surreal to see that from the GOP.

AND YET, the public, including nonwhite people, still very much want police to be available when they need them. And Republicans have successfully scared many voters into thinking that won't be the case under Democrats, because we have sent mixed messages. Dems very much got the ball rolling on justice reform and their actual ideas on how to hold police accountable to their communities poll very well. If we blow this moment because of a stupid three-word slogan and let the GOP look like the reasonable ones, we deserve what we get.

Opinion | Yes, We Mean Literally Abolish the Police - The New York Times - "Because reform won’t happen." - By Mariame Kaba, an "organizer against criminalization"
I read that, and she doesn't seem to have any good alternative.

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez on Twitter: "This was a call from communities that unfolded in real-time. Activists don’t focus group. BLM is not the DNC. It’s a pols’ job to own their message.

Btw, it was effective-NYC is shifting to mental health workers at some 911 calls & policies changed faster than an election cycle." / Twitter

One of the responses mentioned an alternative: "Demilitarize the Police".

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez on Twitter: "The idea that politicians can control activist messaging doesn’t make sense. They don’t work for us.

Our job is to listen and develop our message, own it, win,& lead. Civil rights movement didn’t poll well at the time either. MLK was disliked. Does that mean he wasn’t effective?" / Twitter

In fact, there were a lot of people who believed that the civil-rights movement was being run from Moscow. Like members of the John Birch Society.

 

[lpetrich]

Sahil Kapur on Twitter: ".@AOC tells @jaketapper that "not a single member of Congress that I'm aware of campaigned on socialism or defunding the police in this general election."

She says Dems' problem is a weak party operation that needs to become "stronger and more resilient to Republican attacks."" / Twitter

Andrew Lazarus, sheltered-at-home on Twitter: "@SeebooTheGoblin @jaredsmcelroy @NormOrnstein @sahilkapur @Scout_Finch @AOC @jaketapper Really? Abolition seems to me to be its plain meaning. I think it's an exceptionally stupid slogan where "More Mental Health Teams" or "Civilian Police Supervision" or "End Qualified Immunity" could go. Even just "Upgrade the Police"." / Twitter


Jared Huffman is a CA Rep from north of the Bay Area.
Rep. Jared Huffman on Twitter: "Agree with @AOC here. Before some blame progressives for election disappointments, let's remember: 1) most of these scary tropes are just GOP inventions; 2) progressives values/priorities are popular; and 3) progressives bring a lot to the table & should be respected/appreciated" / Twitter

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez on Twitter: "@JaredHuffman Thank you Jared!" / Twitter

Rep. Jared Huffman on Twitter: "@AOC You're welcome. The fact that my tweet is about to go viral just because you replied to it sort of explains why our caucus should be listening to you on social media strategy!" / Twitter

 

[lpetrich]

Cori Bush on Twitter: "

The base passed a $15 minimum wage in Florida.

The base legalized cannabis in AZ, MT, SD, & NJ.

The base re-elected 112 co-sponsors of Medicare for All.

The progressive agenda wins. #EmbraceTheBase" / Twitter
Or at least supported the passage of all that stuff.


Signal Boost on Twitter: "When asked by @jess_mc & @ZerlinaMaxwell if she felt similarly to @AOC about being stifled at times by Democratic leadership, Congresswoman @AyannaPressley got incredibly honest about the overall difficulties of the last two years https://t.co/9Jm4TxcUN6" / Twitter
then
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez on Twitter: "“Unity at the expense of my equality and safety is not an option.”

- Rep. @AyannaPressley" / Twitter

AP herself:
Ayanna Pressley on Twitter: "This is one of the most vulnerable & candid interviews I've given on the subject. Thank you @SignalBoostShow @ZerlinaMaxwell @jess_mc for the space to do so. I swear you two are journalists+thought leaders+feminist society of therapists." / Twitter

 

[lpetrich]

At least one Republican is considering what next for the Republican Party after the defeat of Trump.

Rubio: GOP must rebrand as party of 'multiethnic, multiracial, working-class' voters | TheHill
notes
Rubio says the GOP needs to reset after 2020 - Axios

"The future of the party is based on a multiethnic, multiracial working class coalition," said Rubio.

...
Rubio said Republicans have long believed in and supported the free market, "but the free market exists to serve our people. Our people don't exist to serve the free market."

He added that working class Americans are now largely against big businesses “that only care about how their shares are performing, even if it's based on moving production overseas for cheaper labor."

"They're very suspicious, quite frankly, dismissive of elites at every level. And obviously that's a powerful sentiment."

...
The bottom line: "We still have a very strong base in the party of donors and think tanks and intelligentsia from the right who are market fundamentalists, who accuse anyone who's not a market fundamentalist of being a socialist to some degree," Rubio said.

"If the takeaway from all of them is now is the time to go back to sort of the traditional party of of unfettered free trade, I think we're gonna lose the [Trump] base as quickly as we got it. ... We can't just go back to being that," he added.

He has said similar things in the past, and it will be interesting to see where it goes. But to make it happen, it would require massive grassroots action, and not just oligarch-financed astroturfing.

 

[Shadowy Man]

At least one Republican is considering what next for the Republican Party after the defeat of Trump.

Rubio: GOP must rebrand as party of 'multiethnic, multiracial, working-class' voters | TheHill
notes
Rubio says the GOP needs to reset after 2020 - Axios

"The future of the party is based on a multiethnic, multiracial working class coalition," said Rubio.

...
Rubio said Republicans have long believed in and supported the free market, "but the free market exists to serve our people. Our people don't exist to serve the free market."

He added that working class Americans are now largely against big businesses “that only care about how their shares are performing, even if it's based on moving production overseas for cheaper labor."

"They're very suspicious, quite frankly, dismissive of elites at every level. And obviously that's a powerful sentiment."

...
The bottom line: "We still have a very strong base in the party of donors and think tanks and intelligentsia from the right who are market fundamentalists, who accuse anyone who's not a market fundamentalist of being a socialist to some degree," Rubio said.

"If the takeaway from all of them is now is the time to go back to sort of the traditional party of of unfettered free trade, I think we're gonna lose the [Trump] base as quickly as we got it. ... We can't just go back to being that," he added.

He has said similar things in the past, and it will be interesting to see where it goes. But to make it happen, it would require massive grassroots action, and not just oligarch-financed astroturfing.

If Rubio wants to run on this message in 2024 he has a big hill to climb. Good luck to him.

 

[Jimmy Higgins]

This was said by a few after '08 and '12. And then they nominated a Bigoted Troll in '16.

 

[Jimmy Higgins]

So Red Hats celebrate massive court victory in Pennsylvania, which indicated that the ballots that arrived late shall not be counted.

Said idiots didn't realize that they had yet to be counted.

Even dumber knowing that the only way Trump can win is by counting more ballots because he is losing right now!

 

[T.G.G. Moogly]

So Red Hats celebrate massive court victory in Pennsylvania, which indicated that the ballots that arrived late shall not be counted.

Said idiots didn't realize that they had yet to be counted.

Even dumber knowing that the only way Trump can win is by counting more ballots because he is losing right now!

Their law firm just withdrew in Maricopa County, Arizona. The number of ballots they were contesting would not have made a difference. The judge accepted their withdrawal as the counsel of record, or some legal jargon to that effect.