Sometimes I think we live in a bubble.

[redstatebluegirl]

I keep seeing posts here that say the republicans are going to lose or go to jail. Many are convinced the orange traitor will be in jail soon. I cannot begin to say how short sighted that is.

With all of the gerrymandered districts in the country very few of the remaining republicans in the House are in any danger. You can delude yourself all you like. Red states are not going to get rid of the left hating Senators, it just is not going to happen. Few if any Republicans will be doing prison time. Trump may be impeached but will not be removed. We cannot count on anything happening to republicans, we can only take care of our own business and keep people from staying home this time because they are angry their candidate didn't win the nomination.

A warning to all of us on DU, don't get cocky, you are expecting things to work as they did before, they will never be the same. We are in new territory. We need to ignore polls, ignore what was normal in the past and just work like hell to get out the vote. If we don't get out the vote, Trumps reign of terror is just beginning. Think about what he would do if he had 4 more years and no election in front of him.

Any Democrat who stays home in 2020 is a traitor to the Republic, bottom line. I don't care of the polls say the Democrat is winning by 40 points, these polls are nonsense, they mean NOTHING.

[bearsfootball516]

1. DU is very much a bubble.

It's significantly further left than most of the country.

[redstatebluegirl]

2. That is the truth, a ton of them have no clue how the rule world of politics works.

[DownriverDem]

10. Yep

We are a Center/Left country and need a Center/Left candidate.

[TheRealNorth]

3. I am not sure what threads you frequent

But I have not seen msny posters here who see 2020 as a slam dunk. Rather, I see people who disagree on whether running to the center or energizing the base is the winning strategy. And I think it differs state-by-state.

[redstatebluegirl]

8. The majority of the country reside in the center of the political spectrum.

Republicans try and figure out how to deal with the far right of their party, they didn't do a good job so they took it over. Now we have the far left of our party, if we go that way, we will lose, there is no doubt about it.

[walkingman]

13. I admit that I am a liberal and proud of it. I question your opinion that most of the country

is moderate. We know that about 40% of the nation supports Trump no matter what and that is certainly extreme right-wing without a doubt. Add in "progressives" which I would argue are left of center and what does that leave? I can't see how you think most of America is center of the political spectrum?

[The Mouth]

17. I disagree.

Although I'm loathe to admit it, I do not think that as far as a lot of the electorate goes, Trump is 'far right. At the most he's 2/3 of the way there. Lots of people just don't see anything wrong with casual racism, don't believe in climate change and don't feel we have the slightest obligation to any refugees or asylum seekers, and no one outside of our far left have the slightest problem with deporting all undocumented immigrants not fortifying a border wall with full military force; the fact most of US are outraged about such things is more of a weakness than a strength, as far as winning elections.

The sheer number of people on DU who throw around 'Fascist' without even knowing the technical definition (it doesn't mean "Anything I think is 'far right', like Hitler and other yucky things" ) makes me think that DU is a bubble within a bubble. To a LOT of the country Hillary was, and Biden is 'Far Left'. The 'center' of American politics is very conservative with a couple of selfish, bizarre exceptions such as trade unionists and medicare.

I'd like to be wrong, and hopefully am, but the 'center' is much farther to the right than anyone I've seen post on DU in the last two years, in my observation.

[walkingman]

20. Enjoyed your post!! It might be that "the 'center' is much farther right" than I would like to think

God, I hope not. How could we have let that happen? Is the lack of empathy for our fellow man so pervasive that it has become 'normal'? As a 69 yo I simply cannot understand that kind of mentality. I live in Texas and have to agree that most of the people I know or have known through my work life think almost exactly like you describe but I can remember prior to '94 that was not the case in Texas. We saw the illegitimate election of "W" in 2000, then a bogus war in 2001, then another one of those huge tax cuts at a time of war, then a financial crisis at almost the level of the GD and then, thank god, Obama came in and saved us from ourselves. Only to be smeared and hated like no other in my lifetime - what the hell is wrong with this picture? I have to believe that the American people are not this irrational - I have to believe we are not that delusional.

[The Mouth]

21. It's cultural

Most of the middle just isn't as liberal as you and I would like. At least 50 percent I bet see it as '2 genders, with gender= biological sex', do NOT care for immigrants except those that completely assimilate, and have not the slightest intention of doing a damned thing to combat climate change.

I'm a San Francisco native, and life in Northern CA, but when I go to, or talk with, relatives in Montana, Texas, Florida or Wyoming, not a one believes in such a thing as gender dysphoria, or that humans affect the climate, or that guns are anything but a Gawd-Given right, or that there is any reason for a refugee to come here.

Folks on the coasts, we who read the New Yorker, NYT and the Atlantic are a bubble, and DU is a tiny, tiny blue bubble within that. We have people on this board who see Joe Biden 0JOE BIDEN! as too conservative.

The Overton Window of what is 'right wing' begins at about George Wallace and the Proud Boys for a lot of the electorate.

[redstatebluegirl]

24. Not this center dweller I consider myself a left of center girl.

I am just realistic about what can be done and what can't be. I wish everything could be free, but it can't be. I do a ton of volunteer work in my small city, I also volunteer for the party a good bit. I just have grown weary of people saying I'm not "a real Democrat" because I don't agree with Medicare for All, Free Tuition and such.

[walkingman]

25. Regardless of whether we agree on M4A or any other progressive ideas it is hard

to imagine voting for another 4 years of Trump. I truly believe if that is the case our Democracy, our environment, and our standing in the world will be devastated. Just the divisiveness alone is so sad. I just hope people realize the consequences.

[redstatebluegirl]

28. I will vote for our nominee and will work tirelessly to elect a Democrat in every election.

[The Mouth]

29. Hard for you or me

But we aren't the issue.

Actually, impossible for pretty much anyone who isn't a troll, but not at all difficult for people who disagree culturally with the assumed values of our bubble here.

[emmaverybo]

27. The casual use of "fascists" here I find disturbing. Lack of world history and perspective.

[The Mouth]

30. Thanks.

As we both know, it's a technical term, describing a specific political vision and system. A term coined and defined (although with some fuzzy variations as circumstances required) by the person who implemented it. The number of folks that don't know the difference between "NAZI" and "Fascist", and/or use them -often interchangeably- to describe 'conservative shit I don't like' is depressing.

[redstatebluegirl]

22. I consider myself a liberal, but more moderate than some on here.

[DownriverDem]

11. It's not

who we like, but who can win.

[IcyPeas]

4. agreed about ignoring polls

everybody and their brother has a poll. Hillary was supposed to win by a landslide according to polls..... also, it's too damn soon for any poll to be reliable. also I can't stand steve kornacki and his board.

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

5. We do. We need to get out more.

And some need to learn a little more about how our government and our legal system work before advancing preposterous ideas about how Trump can be removed and Hillary or Nancy Pelosi will become president and why judges can't just decide things right now and if they don't, or if even they grant a temporary stay, they must be Republicans, and so forth. Also, confirmation bias, to which everyone is susceptible, is not our friend. Be aware of it and don't assume that the things you want to be true actually are true.

[The Mouth]

18. Next, you're going to tell me my Ferrari with a unicorn isn't

awaiting me when I get off work here in the coal mine!

[Celerity]

26. it's right here

[still_one]

6. More of wishful thinking I suspect

[Progressive2020]

7. In The Bubble

I think it is true. A lot of people thought the Mueller Report would save us. Turned into a big nothing. Now we are pinning hopes on Impeachment. Trump is not going to be removed by his criminal cronies in the Senate. Another big nothing. Our only recourse is to win in 2020 and that is where our main efforts must be.

That said, I still think Impeachment proceedings in the House might help take Trump down or two a notch in the election by exposing his high crimes. Some Dems keep thinking that Trump will be taken out of office due to his crimes. The fact is that he has been getting away with it, and his Republican allies back him up.

Trump's base loves that he is a criminal and can get away with it. He really could shoot someone on 5th Avenue and not lose a single vote. Because his base loves his criminal behavior and they reinforce it. Our only recourse is voting Trump out in 2020. No one else (Mueller, Schiff) is going to save us. If anyone thinks that the law is going to take Trump out of office, they might be in a bubble.

[LanternWaste]

9. I feel lucky in sense that most of my friends are disengaged from politics.

A few veer right, a few others veer left, but all in all, their eyes pretty much glaze over when anything political is brought up. And I kinda like it that way... no down-n-dirty, name-calling arguments, very few digs or button-pushing ever happens, and (nicest of all) no one walks on political eggshells.

Although now that I think about, that lack of interest may be a bubble in and of itself. If it is though, it's a very kind, very nice and very pleasant bubble of friends complaining about work, talking about their families, and discussing vacation plans. The simple stuff.

There was an incident about a month or two ago when we invited a friend from HS we hadn't seen since HS (my circle of friends and I have been close since we met in HS back in the early 80s) and met with him for drinks. He immediately began frothing at the mouth as the primary debates were being televised at the dive we were at; quickly going from typical Nice Dude-bro to "Lock her up!!!!" in about five minutes.

A few of the wives at our table were giving him the stink-eye while we were just trying to change the topic. He wouldn't have it, so on cue we told him it was late and we were leaving, it was great to see him again and we hope his life turns out well. Walked him to his car, saw him off... and then we all went back inside and finished our monthly hang-out.

So I guess I'm cool with bubbles. Especially bubbles of apolitical friends.

[DownriverDem]

12. Really?

I find those folks sad.

[LanternWaste]

15. No worries. They may find us sad as well. nt

[CrispyQ]

14. I haven't seen a cockiness that we're going to win in 2020, but

I have seen a confidence that the Con is going down & I don't know where that comes from.

[Midnight Writer]

16. i come to DU to get out of my deep Red bubble.

I am surrounded by neighbors, co-workers, family, friends, 24/7 RW hate radio, RW newspapers, newsletters, TV, all kissing the ample buttocks of President Trump.

Even the broadcast local news is now Sinclair. They fired the longtime local weatherman who refused to read a Sinclair message on the air.

[redstatebluegirl]

23. Me too, but I want reality as well or else I may begin to believe everything will be perfect again.

[Andy823]

19. You are right

polls right now don't mean anything, no matter what anyone tries to tell you. There is only one way to go, get out and VOTE when the time comes. Pick the person you think would make the best president, not who someone else say's is our only chance. Only the voters can decide who would make the best president, and getting out the vote is crucial to winning.

Once we have a nominee, support that person and encourage others to get out and vote!

[SKKY]

31. You hit the nail on the head. WE NEED PEOPLE TO VOTE!!!!

We only lost the last election by a combined 77,740 votes. THAT'S IT!! If we do three simple things, I firmly believe we will be in good shape next hear.

1. We need a "Get our the vote" campaign like the world has never seen.
2. Focus more on the Senate. The GE will take care of itself, but if we get very, very localk we can have a huge impact upward.
3. We need a "Get out the vote" campaign like the world has never seen.