Your assertion that the Dems lost because they’re elitists seems a little simplistic. You don’t suppose there could be additional or alternative reasons?
Also, saying Rex Smith comes off as elitist is kind of a judgment that may only be your impression.
It is an interesting assumption of the distinction between “elites” and “the common man” breaks down to “blue collar” being the common man and people like Rex Smith, I guess because Rex uses big words and works trying to thoughtfully consider issues. It is a pernicious slander against both blue collar workers and people like Smith who try very hard to be professional and do right by an often ungrateful and judgmental public.
Elitist in the Marie Antoinette Then-let-them-eat-cake sense of the word, or elitist in the sense that he makes the common man feel bad about himself for being stupid?
I think Democrats lost primarily due to inflation, housing costs, and the severe dislocation the pandemic had, and still has, on society. And yes, throw in a dose of racism and misogyny.
That said, I think it’s true that the Democratic Party has, over the years, placed too much emphasis on college education and has failed to truly value jobs that don’t require an advanced degree. (Yes, Democrats generally support unions, but that support was cancelled out by support of globalization of jobs.)
But no one should be naive enough to believe that Republicans value labor and "working class" jobs. That’s the party that truly is "elitist." I still can hear Trump and Musk laughing over firing striking workers.
Yes, Rex summed it up nicely. There are many more less polite adjectives I have used. As Mark Twain once said: “Profanity offers a relief denied even to prayer.”
Ken wrote: "Trump is now the establishment and when his policies cause hardship, the voters will do what they always do - look elsewhere during the next election."
I do think things may have to get worse before they get better. Let's hope we can vote in an election system that isn't compromised by corrupt Republican state legislatures and further gerrymandering.
74,834,220 people voted for a guy who tried to over-throw the government.... and like hitler (this is not hyperboyle) decided he could over-throw the the government by duping people with petty grevances and are ignorant of their actions
Have the rules of grammar changed? When did we stop saying Will and I did this or that and accepted Will and me did whatever? (I know this is off topic but I see it frequently and I know usage can evolve.)
I think Robert Reich’s got it. Bernie Sanders has had it all along. The fight for all Americans is against BIG MONEY. We can unite on that and bring back American Democracy.
Trump says in a statement: “I am honored to nominate Chairwoman Elise Stefanik to serve in my Cabinet as U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations. Elise is an incredibly strong, tough, and smart America First fighter."
Oh, no, not quite yet! Our Elise thinks she will be President after her ambassadorship. She didn't do all that sucking up to Trump just to work at the U.N.
I had taken a break from news for a bit, as I’m sure many Harris supporters did. I was trying to put a name to the feelings I had and I kept coming up with grief. Rex Smith put my thoughts into words. I AM in mourning. In mourning for the America I thought I lived in, the one where we were always the good guys like in old 1940’s war movies. I grew up with immigrant parents who left the devastation of Europe after WW2, and came here to start a new life. They believed with every ounce of their being in the goodness and promise of America as a beacon of hope to the world, and as a welcoming place where once you were a citizen, you belonged. Even if individual people or leaders were not so good themselves, the spirit of America to them was one of basic goodness, but also of constant improvement, always trending towards a more perfect union.
Was America really like that once but somehow morphed into the land I live in now? Or was it always a place where bigotry and selfishness and stupidity reigned and I just couldn’t see it? I feel like something beautiful has died, either way.
Whether Rex Smith is an elitist or not doesn't take away from the fact that 74 million voters preferred a criminal and a dictator to someone who would protect the environment, build better infrastructure for the nation, work for humane treatment of people at our borders and beyond, and respect and support women and minorities. The comforts and perceived privileges we as a nation have enjoyed are already being smashed by climate change, whether you are a denier or not. More people were killed by COVID-19 than in any other country in the world because people trusted a con man, that is a fact, and those surviving believers look to a criminal con man for their personal salvation. Who will benefit? Not the people in this or any other country, but corporations, the 1%-ers and other world dictators who will join in a fractious band of thieves. Selfish? absolutely!
Well, not quite. He is about half right. Almost half did not vote for this, and many who did, did so for emotional and ignorant reasons. The reality has always been that when something like this happens, it then changes. All of my Democrat friends were hand wringing when Newt Gingrich announced his Contract with/for/on America in '94, but while it transferred control of the House, I knew it wouldn't last in its most extreme form, and it didn't. There are many good hearts and minds in the Democratic Party, and they will put together a response to MAGA. Michael Harrington, a socialist, said that he remained with the Democrats because most of the best people in the country were to be found there. Even though they make mistakes sometimes, I agree.
I see Elise's departure as a bright spot (faint, to be sure, but a bright spot). Maybe NY-21 will get a rep who bothers to visit the district.
Trump doesn't have a lot of respect for the women he appoints, nor for the positions he appoints them to. I'm sure the contempt Trump has for the UN will serve Elise about as well as it served Nikki Haley.
OH MY GOODNESS..THANK YOU REX! However, having written all this...what do we do now? e know the election is NOT over yet. We may still have a voice through the House of representatives, .and one Senate race in Pennsylvania is still up for grabs even though the press has "called it" for the republican. I've turned off the news on TV and online fur the duration.. It's time to reflect on my own "two foot square" which is all I can do anything about right now. Over the next 2 months, there is still good being done for the American people, we must not forget that...Happy Veterans Day everyone.
This!
It is all Rex Smith’s fault that Dems lost!
Glad we got that figured out.
Absolutely! I just proved it!
Your assertion that the Dems lost because they’re elitists seems a little simplistic. You don’t suppose there could be additional or alternative reasons?
Also, saying Rex Smith comes off as elitist is kind of a judgment that may only be your impression.
It is an interesting assumption of the distinction between “elites” and “the common man” breaks down to “blue collar” being the common man and people like Rex Smith, I guess because Rex uses big words and works trying to thoughtfully consider issues. It is a pernicious slander against both blue collar workers and people like Smith who try very hard to be professional and do right by an often ungrateful and judgmental public.
Elitist in the Marie Antoinette Then-let-them-eat-cake sense of the word, or elitist in the sense that he makes the common man feel bad about himself for being stupid?
I think Democrats lost primarily due to inflation, housing costs, and the severe dislocation the pandemic had, and still has, on society. And yes, throw in a dose of racism and misogyny.
That said, I think it’s true that the Democratic Party has, over the years, placed too much emphasis on college education and has failed to truly value jobs that don’t require an advanced degree. (Yes, Democrats generally support unions, but that support was cancelled out by support of globalization of jobs.)
But no one should be naive enough to believe that Republicans value labor and "working class" jobs. That’s the party that truly is "elitist." I still can hear Trump and Musk laughing over firing striking workers.
Well, the "not in touch with the common man" is a very large crowd - mainly politicians. Rex Smith sure does not seem to be a member of that crowd.
Thank you, thank you!!
We all need to take a stand and stand together to make a difference. Yes, the sun will come up but on what kind of a nation?
Yes, Rex summed it up nicely. There are many more less polite adjectives I have used. As Mark Twain once said: “Profanity offers a relief denied even to prayer.”
Ken wrote: "Trump is now the establishment and when his policies cause hardship, the voters will do what they always do - look elsewhere during the next election."
I do think things may have to get worse before they get better. Let's hope we can vote in an election system that isn't compromised by corrupt Republican state legislatures and further gerrymandering.
That is also a concern.
He will leave behind another pile of smoking rubble to be cleaned up by Democrats. It's what they do.
that will take more than four years to fix... and because it isn't fixed..
It's like hpmpy trPEDophole in 2020, he couldn't screwed up the pandemic more if he tried.. just as gwb screwed up the bank scenario before Obama
"No, besides that."
I am not sure that joke works for most Americans
74 million people voted for a rapist.
74 million people voted for a convicted felon
74,834,220 people voted for a guy who tried to over-throw the government.... and like hitler (this is not hyperboyle) decided he could over-throw the the government by duping people with petty grevances and are ignorant of their actions
"No, besides that."
sadly, is not understood by enough people
hmpy pedophile had
74,223,975 votes in 2020
62,984,828 votes in 2016
so 74,223,975 (in 2024) knew he was a rapist, felon... corrupt and voted
I contend.. if you put jesus in the race, the pedophile would still get 70+ million votes
Have the rules of grammar changed? When did we stop saying Will and I did this or that and accepted Will and me did whatever? (I know this is off topic but I see it frequently and I know usage can evolve.)
Well done!
I think Robert Reich’s got it. Bernie Sanders has had it all along. The fight for all Americans is against BIG MONEY. We can unite on that and bring back American Democracy.
Thank you.
Trump says in a statement: “I am honored to nominate Chairwoman Elise Stefanik to serve in my Cabinet as U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations. Elise is an incredibly strong, tough, and smart America First fighter."
😟
THAT certainly does not deserve a "like"! Now she has what she's been "working" towards.
Oh, no, not quite yet! Our Elise thinks she will be President after her ambassadorship. She didn't do all that sucking up to Trump just to work at the U.N.
Actually there was a news article on MSNBC - get a load of this!
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/why-no-one-may-be-more-frustrated-with-elise-stefanik-s-cabinet-gig-than-elise-stefanik/ar-AA1tW4zl?ocid=BHEA000&cvid=4bf75caf3dd34ab7d165b058492b772f&ei=17
Hahaha! Love this! Thanks for posting it.
Maybe that will help a little bit while we figure out how to survive this!
I had taken a break from news for a bit, as I’m sure many Harris supporters did. I was trying to put a name to the feelings I had and I kept coming up with grief. Rex Smith put my thoughts into words. I AM in mourning. In mourning for the America I thought I lived in, the one where we were always the good guys like in old 1940’s war movies. I grew up with immigrant parents who left the devastation of Europe after WW2, and came here to start a new life. They believed with every ounce of their being in the goodness and promise of America as a beacon of hope to the world, and as a welcoming place where once you were a citizen, you belonged. Even if individual people or leaders were not so good themselves, the spirit of America to them was one of basic goodness, but also of constant improvement, always trending towards a more perfect union.
Was America really like that once but somehow morphed into the land I live in now? Or was it always a place where bigotry and selfishness and stupidity reigned and I just couldn’t see it? I feel like something beautiful has died, either way.
Whether Rex Smith is an elitist or not doesn't take away from the fact that 74 million voters preferred a criminal and a dictator to someone who would protect the environment, build better infrastructure for the nation, work for humane treatment of people at our borders and beyond, and respect and support women and minorities. The comforts and perceived privileges we as a nation have enjoyed are already being smashed by climate change, whether you are a denier or not. More people were killed by COVID-19 than in any other country in the world because people trusted a con man, that is a fact, and those surviving believers look to a criminal con man for their personal salvation. Who will benefit? Not the people in this or any other country, but corporations, the 1%-ers and other world dictators who will join in a fractious band of thieves. Selfish? absolutely!
Well, not quite. He is about half right. Almost half did not vote for this, and many who did, did so for emotional and ignorant reasons. The reality has always been that when something like this happens, it then changes. All of my Democrat friends were hand wringing when Newt Gingrich announced his Contract with/for/on America in '94, but while it transferred control of the House, I knew it wouldn't last in its most extreme form, and it didn't. There are many good hearts and minds in the Democratic Party, and they will put together a response to MAGA. Michael Harrington, a socialist, said that he remained with the Democrats because most of the best people in the country were to be found there. Even though they make mistakes sometimes, I agree.
don’t want to get off topic here, but … oh, okay, i will .. elies is headed for the u.n. job. good riddance, i say.
I see Elise's departure as a bright spot (faint, to be sure, but a bright spot). Maybe NY-21 will get a rep who bothers to visit the district.
Trump doesn't have a lot of respect for the women he appoints, nor for the positions he appoints them to. I'm sure the contempt Trump has for the UN will serve Elise about as well as it served Nikki Haley.
I posted the same on her facebook pate
JOIN THE RESISTANCE!
OH MY GOODNESS..THANK YOU REX! However, having written all this...what do we do now? e know the election is NOT over yet. We may still have a voice through the House of representatives, .and one Senate race in Pennsylvania is still up for grabs even though the press has "called it" for the republican. I've turned off the news on TV and online fur the duration.. It's time to reflect on my own "two foot square" which is all I can do anything about right now. Over the next 2 months, there is still good being done for the American people, we must not forget that...Happy Veterans Day everyone.