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Don’t want to get into the “How could he win? I don’t know anyone who voted for him!” mode.
The coup-makers held the con in anticipation that Donald would blow his stack and start firing people right and left, thus establishing “obstruction of justice.” I thought that could work. Trump let them twist in the wind instead, which is what I was hoping he would do. “Russia, Russia, Russia” is a punch line now; one that the media can’t get out from under because they’ve never dealt honestly with it.
In 2012 I could not imagine that the nation would elect Obama a second time. I think that the early voting has attenuated any benefits of a last minute surprise at this point in this election. But I still agree with the last sentence of this post.
I believe this depends on the characteristics of the individuals, whether they think independently or whether their mindset is influenced by others, particularly educational institutions and media. I saw some age category breakdowns of poll responses and as far as I can tell this really shows up in 18-29 year-olds. I think your view prevails in the over thirty age group who shape their own views from more from their life experience. I see the same thing you describe at AU in Athens, Ga. at UGA. Maybe they will be too busy protesting to remember to vote.
[wrong thread]
Except, only half of America accepts the truth – as we view the “truth”. We are cocooned in our warm and agreeable Ricochet enclave. There is a vast percentage of Americans (and the world) that has a stridently different viewpoint, that they see as “the truth”. They still believe Russia, Russia, Russia, emoluments, graft, grift, racism, white supremacy, The second coming of Hitler, fascism, and rape. And to top it off, they simply
don’t likehate the guy. Take a venture into the foreign lands of the Huffington Post, The Atlantic, CNN, The Bulwark, or any of the media sites that dominate the landscape. They are monolithic and consistent in their unabashed hatred and condemnation of all things Trump. When @garyrobbins declares that all his friends agree that Trump is horrible, he is telling the truth. We dismiss and belittle him for bravely declaring that belief in our secure little land of Ricochet. For that other half of the populace that watch and listen to MSM, how can they, and why should they, believe anything else?Clarifications: “they simply hate the guy.” They actually have been trained to hate the guy. Every. Single. Day. they are told lies about him and his supporters being evil, racist, fascist. They are told that Trump supporters deserve to be punched in the face, and they are acting on it now with impunity.
“bravely declaring that belief” When I first joined Ricochet, it felt like there was a more diverse pool of opinion, where disagreements were rationally and objectively debated. Like the rest of America, the arguments there and here, have become more emotional, more baseless, and more insulting. The posters that disagree are verbally punched, and they either shut up or leave. That Gary is still around continuing to post his anti-Trump rants is admirable because he stands alone in our cocoon, knowing he will be as vilified here, the same as as when we are posting a pro-Trump post on FB. Or in real life like the Jews For Trump rally found, are being physically attacked https://thepostmillennial.com/breaking-antifa-militants-attack-trump-supporters-in-new-york-city
I was at a massive Trump party yesterday (and feeling the pain today, lots of beers and hot dogs). These things are popping up everywhere. I’ve never seen enthusiasm like this and I live in a fairly split district (far more Biden signs than Trump signs). It gives me hope that there’s a massive surprise out there ready to smack the polls upside the head.
I agree with your general assessment of Romney. He showed up in Utah with a great deal of money and out of state support and those are election factors created by the 17th Amendment. I’m in Arizona now and see a similar squishy Republican mentality leftover from the McCain machine that was dominant here for so long. I don’t think his political posture has much to do with his religion.
At some point anecdotal information combined with rigorous analysis of various polls, plus discernment of motivation on the part of the media, reveals a better prediction.
Anecdotal information for me in 2016 was seeing giant Trump signs while driving across Michigan, knowing Michigan normally tilts blue, and like other swing states, was reliant on manufacturing with many voters holding a healthy contempt for NAFTA, to predict an upset. National reporters don’t normally drive through Michigan ( unless they are Selena Zito)
Now, without any explanations about how they got 2016 predictions so wrong, these same polling companies -being paid by the corporate media, let’s not forget – are assembling data telling us the same thing with a different and weaker candidate. This, while Trump has a record of success and has proven a valiant fighter for conservative principles (regardless of his personal history or reputation) and won over many skeptics who did not vote for him in 2016. It doesn’t add up. How can a pathetic candidate like Biden be so popular? As popular or more-so than Hillary Clinton. Wasn’t Trump an ‘oafish boor’ in that election also?
There is a huge trove of evidence that Trump is far, far stronger than the polls report( including other polls which are considered ‘unscientific’ by the media corporations who hire their own pollsters). The overwhelming support Trump received in primary voting, which has proven a worthy metric for a century, indicates the incumbent is on the path to victory. The obvious indications, both anecdotal and polling results, of markedly increased support from the black demographic and an increase in Hispanic support.
The justifiably tepid reaction to Biden by Progressives, which highlights the very real Democrat party split between the establishment globalist elites and the ordinary rank-and-file union Democrat and the struggling poor and the government-dependent poor, who are slowly awakening to the fraudulent promises from the Democrat party regulars and the collapse of whole meta-narrative they’ve been marketing.
When political yard signs first started appearing in large numbers, I figured Trump would win the election by about 50-1 if the election was held in rural America where I ride my bicycle. There are more yard signs now, but the Democrat ones always did tend to come out a little later. I’m not sure if the ratio would even be 10-1 any more. And the small towns are a lot more evenly divided, though Trump probably predominates. However, if you ride near the lakes with expensive homes where the ruling classes live, you will find only Biden signs. Close to home I’ve seen Trump signs and flags in places where I’ve never before seen political yard signs, but I’m not sure those expensive lake homes ever displayed political signs before, either.
Nor do I Bob. I think he’s just squishy.
Great use of the word, by the way.
I try never to dismiss or belittle anyone. I think its fine to disagree, but there’s no need to be ugly about it. I have views I am sure would be unpopular, but I try not to cram them down other people’s throats. I figure if I disagree with someone on here, I can just keep on browsing. Someone once told me never to get in an argument with an idiot, because someone you don’t know might come by and not be able to tell which one of you is the idiot. I try to remember that, and I wind up erasing a LOT of my comments.
How can Trump NOT be given the Nobel Peace Prize now that he’s had the interplanetary diplomatic skills to ink that secret deal with Planet Xoron?!?!!??! When I picked up the Enquirer last week, I heard they were about ready to invade!
Just got back from southwest Florida. Trump signs everywhere, including on the roof of a restaurant…I mean, you’d think they might be worried about driving people away. Apparently not.
I wonder if the person meant to say what polling, concretely, has become, rather than what he said: what polling is by definition.
To say that polling is aimed at shaping opinion is like saying that locksmithing is aimed at facilitating burglary.