Trying now to take a step back and look at what happened and what might happen going forward In the next several years. Full disclosure: I voted for Biden and live in Cali, classifying myself as a moderate Democrat.
* the rural vs urban divide is amazingly strong. Trump killed it in rural areas and got killed in the cities. This divide defines our current “cultural wars” across the country.
* White people in rural areas now constitute the backbone of the Republican Party. That is amazing as I so clearly recall Republicans formerly dominating the suburbs and college educated business people. Trump’s populism truly energized his base. They came out in huge numbers.
* Dems also voted in huge numbers energized by hatred of Trump rather than love of Biden. Biden voters voted early while Trump voters voted on Election Day. Early voters were counted early in some states (Ohio and Florida) and counted late in other states (Pennsylvania, Georgia). The crazy diversity on how are states and counties count votes is astounding. Who the hell is counting votes in Nevada and Arizona? Nutty.
* If I’m a Republican, I’m happy that the majority in the Senate was maintained and the Democratic majority in the House was reduced. If I’m a Democrat, I’m relieved that it looks like Trump will vacate the Oval Office.
* The ultra leftists did not prevail. In California where statewide propositions dominate the ballot, moderation won and union-backed initiatives were defeated. Ex. Uber/Lyft drivers will remain independent contractors, not employees. Rent control expansion was rejected. The return of Affirmative Action in college admissions was rejected. Higher taxes for commercial properties was rejected. I was very relieved.
* How can Republicans continue to motivate its rural/populist base as Trump leaves office? Will DJT continue to agitate and perhaps run again? The White rural population continues to shrink. Can Republicans convert more minorities, particularly Hispanics, to become loyal Republicans? Trump’s team did a better job of understanding that the Hispanic population is itself highly diverse. Cubans, Mexicans, Puerto Ricans, Central Americans, Venezuelans, etc etc are not the same.
* Democrats should rejoice that the push from the West Coast is working. Look at the map. Washington, Oregon, California, Nevada, Colorado, New Mexico and now Arizona have turned Blue. When Texas turns Blue, it will be hard to defeat a Dem for President. Add in Georgia and North Carolina...look out.
* Biden was saved in the Midwest (Michigan and Wisconsin), an area neglected by Hillary.
* The most ignored voters? Asians. They constitute 15% of Cali voters and are heavily Dem, so far. Asian populations are growing in many, many states. If I was a Republican official, I’d create a strategy to move Asians to the Republican camp. Like Hispanics, they are a very diverse group ranging from Vietnamese workers in nail salons to PhD’s working in high tech industries. Don’t ignore them,
* Wall Street has loved that the government will be split between a Dem President and a Republican Senate. Nothing radical is gonna happen.
I’ve enjoyed the back and forth discussions of politics in the Lounge. Passionate stuff. May 2021 be a better year than this one!
* the rural vs urban divide is amazingly strong. Trump killed it in rural areas and got killed in the cities. This divide defines our current “cultural wars” across the country.
* White people in rural areas now constitute the backbone of the Republican Party. That is amazing as I so clearly recall Republicans formerly dominating the suburbs and college educated business people. Trump’s populism truly energized his base. They came out in huge numbers.
* Dems also voted in huge numbers energized by hatred of Trump rather than love of Biden. Biden voters voted early while Trump voters voted on Election Day. Early voters were counted early in some states (Ohio and Florida) and counted late in other states (Pennsylvania, Georgia). The crazy diversity on how are states and counties count votes is astounding. Who the hell is counting votes in Nevada and Arizona? Nutty.
* If I’m a Republican, I’m happy that the majority in the Senate was maintained and the Democratic majority in the House was reduced. If I’m a Democrat, I’m relieved that it looks like Trump will vacate the Oval Office.
* The ultra leftists did not prevail. In California where statewide propositions dominate the ballot, moderation won and union-backed initiatives were defeated. Ex. Uber/Lyft drivers will remain independent contractors, not employees. Rent control expansion was rejected. The return of Affirmative Action in college admissions was rejected. Higher taxes for commercial properties was rejected. I was very relieved.
* How can Republicans continue to motivate its rural/populist base as Trump leaves office? Will DJT continue to agitate and perhaps run again? The White rural population continues to shrink. Can Republicans convert more minorities, particularly Hispanics, to become loyal Republicans? Trump’s team did a better job of understanding that the Hispanic population is itself highly diverse. Cubans, Mexicans, Puerto Ricans, Central Americans, Venezuelans, etc etc are not the same.
* Democrats should rejoice that the push from the West Coast is working. Look at the map. Washington, Oregon, California, Nevada, Colorado, New Mexico and now Arizona have turned Blue. When Texas turns Blue, it will be hard to defeat a Dem for President. Add in Georgia and North Carolina...look out.
* Biden was saved in the Midwest (Michigan and Wisconsin), an area neglected by Hillary.
* The most ignored voters? Asians. They constitute 15% of Cali voters and are heavily Dem, so far. Asian populations are growing in many, many states. If I was a Republican official, I’d create a strategy to move Asians to the Republican camp. Like Hispanics, they are a very diverse group ranging from Vietnamese workers in nail salons to PhD’s working in high tech industries. Don’t ignore them,
* Wall Street has loved that the government will be split between a Dem President and a Republican Senate. Nothing radical is gonna happen.
I’ve enjoyed the back and forth discussions of politics in the Lounge. Passionate stuff. May 2021 be a better year than this one!
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