With the US General Elections just under seven months away (5 November 2024), it seems likely that the presumptive nominees during the primaries may well be the ones who will be representing their parties at the general election. The Democrats have picked the incumbent, a Democrat, 81-year-old Joe Biden. The Republicans have decided on 2020 incumbent, also a Democrat, 77-year-old Donald Trump. A country with a population of over 340 million has come up with two geriatrics as the best candidates to lead their nation for the next four years. How did it come to this?
Before I proceed, I want to answer why we, living here in Australia, should bother about the outcome of the election in another country. Two reasons:
a. The country is the United States, one of our closest allies, and the government there and its policies influence what happens here.
b. We have a similar two-party system: one is left wing and the other is right-wing/conservative. That is also the system in most western democracies. Although we don’t have a system of primaries here to select the party leader, our support for a particular candidate in the US election reveals our own criteria when deciding who gets our vote.
My focus in this election post is on the right-wing political party, also considered to be the conservative side. In this case, the so-called conservative party (Republican) in the US and the voting criteria of the party faithful, and the so-called conservative party (Liberal) in Australia and its voters – the influence of the US election on Australian right-wing/conservative voters.
At each election, the conservative parties appeal to their voters along the lines of:
– The other side is worse.
– If you vote for the other side, issues X, Y, Z (issues that matter to conservatives) will be passed and get implemented (in a way that will negatively impact conservatives).
– We are better than the other side.
– If you vote for us, we’ll ensure that….. (promise whatever is needed).
It is really a form of political blackmail. Vote for us. No matter the mess we make when we are in power. No matter the number of times we betray our conservative voters. No matter the number of times we break our promises. No matter the number of times we have moved to the left. Vote for us because the other side is worse.
And gullible conservative voters go ahead and vote for the right-wing/conservative party because this is the most important election ever and we cannot take the risk of the other side winning this time.
Rinse. Repeat. Every election the same lies. The same broken promises.
What strange times we live in, The Republican Party is supposed to comprise conservatives, so one would expect that only candidates with conservative credentials would be selected by voters at the primaries stage. Instead, the voters have opted for a candidate who has admitted, recently, that he is not a conservative.
It is not as if the voters had to select from a list of non-conservative candidates and went with the best of those options. They had a candidate who fit the bill as a Conservative (on most issues), but their preference was for the one who wasn’t. There have been plenty of clues to show that this GOP candidate for the 2024 Presidency, Donald Trump, is not a suitable candidate. Letting him take over the leadership of a party and the country is a huge mistake. How did the Republican Party allow it to reach this stage?
From 2016 to early 2021, I drank the Maga-Trump Kool-Aid. Gallons of it. I was aware of some aspects of Trump’s character that I did not like or agree with but I chose to blink over it because I thought that no one is perfect and that in the overall picture, Trump as President was more positive than negative.
The scales began to fall off around March-April 2021. Even then, I told myself I must be wrong or was being a harsh critic. Slowly, over the coming months of that year I began to see reality. Since mid-2021, I have posted plenty of info in the Open Threads as well as two election-related posts. I have shared not just my opinions but links to articles, videos, clips and other content so that those reading could look at the evidence and make their decisions.
It is almost three years now since I began to search for details about the real Donald Trump not the myth that got built up after that escalator ride. I’ve looked at the facts, records, data and other pieces of proof that all lead in one direction. With that much of material in the public domain, it is hard to believe that there are still millions under the Maga spell. There are reasons for this, and I have already shared them in either the posts or comments in the Open Threads.
So the current situation in the US: Unless events take place to prevent this, it seems likely that two 75+ year-olds will get selected as their party nominees in the final race for the top leadership position in the greatest country on earth. How did the Republican party and its voters choose Donald Trump as their nominee? How did that happen?
There are reasons for that. I have answered them somewhere in the past year, but there is so much more material to add that I decided to take up this topic again as a thread. There are three parts to the content I plan** to post in this thread.
1. The first part will include examples by way of video clips, posts, articles and info that show what a candidate stands for – character, work ethic, leadership, policies, values. I will add links to articles, videos, clips and other info, some re-posts of links, as well as my own opinions and feedback. I have already shown a great deal of that, in my past threads and comments but there is no end to the evidence available for those who are truth-seekers.
2. In the second part, I will explain how and why the Republican Party and its voters, as well as the US as a country, has reached this point in terms of their choice of nominee.
3. Finally, is there a solution to this situation? What is the way out of this mess?
I am laying out the information for truth-seekers who apply reason and logic, not cultists who are playing a game of blindly follow the leader. It may not be possible, with all the findings we have, to make those who live in Magadonia see the reality. But for those to whom truth matters above all, this may be of interest.
As the post title indicates the focus of the thread is evaluating the candidates and nominees of the Republican Party – the party seen to be the party of Conservatives. The discussion in the thread will matter to you if you categorise yourself as a Conservative.
The thread is open to discussion from anyone. You can add your own opinions, info or debate, discuss or disagree. It is meant to be a sharing-learning process.
Note:
** That is the plan I will follow if time permits. There is a great deal by way of links and information that I have saved, as well as the stuff in my head that needs to be transcribed here on this thread. I’ve probably taken up a project that is bigger than the time I can afford to spend on it. I’ve taken it up because it is an important topic and I hope what I share will help those who don’t have the time for research to have easy access to information, check the facts, think, analyse and arrive at informed conclusions.
Related Posts and Comments:
▹July 2023 – US Elections 2024: Pre-Primaries Stage [1]
▹Sept 2023 – US Elections 2024: The Primaries Campaign [2]
▹Comments in the Open Threads from May 2021 to March 2024
Parking these questions here, for now, but will return to them later.
I expect that most of you are non-US citizens and thus don’t have a vote. But, let us just imagine that you were legally entitled to vote in the US elections. Here are some questions:
1. Who would you have voted for in the primaries? What would have been your criteria to assess and select from the list of candidates?
2. Do values, principles and integrity matter to you? If yes, how important are they? Would you compromise on what is important to you, or would you stand firm.
3. Would the end results justify the means used?
4. In the general election, when the nominee for each party has been finalised, how would you vote:
– Would you be voting for the candidate based on the political party?
– If your preferred candidate is not the nominee, how would you vote?
5. If none of the candidates fit your criteria for your vote, would you then:
– pick the best of the list?
– vote for the candidate of the party you prefer?
– the lesser of two evils?
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Conservatism, huh.
Now conservatism means a big free-for-all, thanks to you know who.
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AIPAC Tracker
@TrackAIPAC
·
Apr 4
These 14 members of Congress have received more than $1 MILLION in support from the pro-Israel lobby:
https://x.com/TrackAIPAC/status/1775696974160998694
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I’ll start my topics here posting links from latest events (today) and then going back (last week, last month…..) but there is too much matter so I’ll see how it goes.
Abortion
During the primaries campaign and until the primaries earlier this year, Trump has played a game of not revealing his stand on the issue of abortion. He stayed quiet before the primaries because he didn’t want to lose the votes of those who are pro-life.
1/.
In September 2023, during an interview he said:
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2/
He can’t avoid the subject any longer so he posted this (7 April 2024).
He mentioned phrases like “Abortion Rights” and “follow their hearts…” which is what you would expect from lefties.
3/
8 April 2024
According to the statement, he posted, he has taken the easy way out and says:
Abortion policy should be left to the states.
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Magadonians don’t have any objections. But Pro life supporters do.
Some comments on twitter:
In the second of my posts last year, there was a series of comments on abortion starting here.
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4/
April 9, 2024
A timeline of Trump’s many, many positions on abortion
5/
Babylon Bee says it best.
Trump Says His Position On Abortion Is Whichever One Will Get Him Elected
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6/
30 Jul 1987
President Ronald Reagan announced new federal regulations ending the use of federal aid for abortion
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7/
I was going to take up another subject today, but came across some more points to continue on from the abortion topic yesterday.
She used to be the director of Planned Parenthood. But is now Pro-life.
Dr Abby Johnson
A few comments down the thread she adds this:
And this:
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8/
From a Catholic on her voting decision.
Mary MacElveen
The list
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9/
The day after Trump says it is an issue for the states, this is Arizona’s decision.
a/
9 April 2024
Abortions are banned in Arizona after the state Supreme Court upholds an 1864 law
b/
October 2022
When Kari Lake was running for governor of Arizona in 2022, she was pro-life.
c/
9 April 2024
Now she is running for US Senate in Arizona, she opposes the SC pro-life ruling. She said “the law was “out of step with Arizonans.”
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10/
What happens when you don’t hold strong convictions and just flip flop for personal gain?
The Dems are having fun posting and reposting clips from the past.
a/
Statement from Trump on the AZ abortion decision:
(Tuesday)
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b/
Did Arizona go too far sir?
(Wednesday)
Translation
Monday: abortion is a states rights issue
Wednesday: the states don’t know what they’re doing.
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c/
‘I’m very pro-choice’:
Watch Trump’s evolving position on abortion
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11/
When you flip-flop, you’ll face it from both sides.
a/From the Dems
June 2022
b/From the Conservatives
Part-1 … Part-2
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12/
Maga Abortion Policy
Policy-1
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Policy-2
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Policy-3
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Holy Week and Easter
1/
Last month, Christians celebrated Easter Sunday. It was preceded by the season of Lent with the final week – Holy Week.
Just before Holy Week, I posted this video in the Open Thread – meant as a reflection for Christians on Good Friday. Those who are Christians know well about the passion and death of Jesus. Others have some knowledge of the events.
The majority of the Maga base (Trump voters) would call themselves Christians. But not only do they have no objections to some of the blasphemy that emits from Trump and his team, they ardently support it.
Keep in mind what happened leading up to the death of Jesus on the cross. To think that there can be any measure of comparison between Christ, his persecution, torture and death and that of what is marketed as the “persecution” of Trump is not just ludicrous, it is blasphemy.
So during this Holy Week when Christians are meant to focus on what is central to their faith, this is posted on social media:
26 March 2024 – Holy Tuesday
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2/
27 March – Holy Wednesday
Bibles for sale
a/
It’s about God and Prayer?
.
b/
No, it isn’t.
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3/
30 March – Holy Saturday
a/
Article from Washington Times released on Holy Saturday.
The Crucifixion of Donald Trump
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b/
And he re-posts it.
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4/
3 April – Easter Sunday
It’s Easter Sunday. What is the meaning of that day?
It is all about….
a/
Easter Post – 2024
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b/
Easter Post – 2023
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c/
By contrast, this is the post from Ron DeSantis.
Easter message – 2024
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5/
With ref to the video in the comment 1/ on Saturday.
Compare-1
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Compare-2
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Compare-3
More links
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6/
Compare-4
(Lent 2023)
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Compare-5
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Compare-6
They’ve crucified him worse than Jesus
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7/
a/
Trump
Total Disrespect To Christians?
Just Biden?
b/
A response from Non-Maga
c/
During Holy Week, he was selling Bibles.
The weekend after Easter
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8/
Not everyone buys the act.
a/
The Babylon Bee
10 Changes Trump Made In The ‘God Bless The USA’ Bible
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b/
The Dems
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c/
“Favourite book” The Bible
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9/
a/
If I had read this article when it was published in September 2020, I would have dismissed it as a hit piece from the lefties.
Trump Secretly Mocks His Christian Supporters
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b/
April 2023
Donald Trump Isn’t the Messiah
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c/
March 2024
Why on Earth Did Donald Trump Just Compare Himself to Jesus Christ?!
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10/
a/
June 2021
Donald Trump Has Never Asked God For Forgiveness
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b/
From Maga
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c/
The Second Coming of Christ
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Witch-hunts, Election interference, Persecution of opponents
I have already done a portion of this in the Open Threads, so this section is partly a repeat.
1/
Elections should be contested on a platform of policies not personalities. Each candidate or party places before the voters the policies they stand for, what they will implement if they are elected, their past record to show their experience and prove their credentials. They can also hold up their opponents policies to point out its short comings and weaknesses in comparison to their own.
The background and character of the candidate also matter if it will affect their job in the government, at whatever level. If it is at the highest leadership level, much higher standards should be expected. However, indulging in pettiness and low level methods to prove that one is better than the rival candidates should not be the way to go.
In the race to the 2024 Presidency, Donald Trump has been accusing the other political side (Dems) of witch-hunts and persecution and insists that this is election interference. Is it true? Maybe to some extent. But assuming the role of the victim, may work well with one’s loyal supporters and advocates who are blind to the failings of the one they consider their god and saviour.
Those watching objectively, see the events differently. Many of the “incidents” in these witch-hunts could have been avoided or dealt with in a different manner.
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2/
Trump and Magadonians like to think that they are the side being persecuted. But they stay wilfully blind to their own actions.
The Democrats are supposed to be bad people for using every trick they can to ensure that the Republicans lose the 2024 election and they – the Democrats – win? Isn’t that the game played by every political party all over the world?
Let’s roll back to around October 2022. The focus of the US was on the mid-term elections. So anyone who cared about their side winning would have been doing all they could to support the candidates fighting to win seats, governorships and whatever else was on the ballot.
In Florida, Ron DeSantis was focussed on winning Florida for the Republicans and his second term as governor. That was his priority in 2022. But Trump was annoyed because RDS has not given him the guarantee about not running for President in 2024. So, a few days before these mid-terms, Trump started his petty name calling – DeSanctimonious. Was he hoping to use his cult power to get Florida voters to not vote for DeSantis? Did he want the Dems to win Florida? Who would stoop to this level to not care if your party lost a state election just because you did not get the lollipop you wanted, when you wanted?
This is the Republican Party which in 2016 gave him the nomination and thus the opportunity to get the highest achievement of becoming the President of the country. He had made other attempts before without success. Then, in 2020, he was again the nominee, as incumbent. He got two opportunities.
The US is not a monarchy, yet Trump believes that he is entitled to a third run, unopposed, by claiming “stolen elections”. Whether the elections were stolen or not, he had two runs. How about letting others have a go?
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3/
Sending mean tweets and name calling when it comes to the Dems can be tolerated – Crooked Hillary, Sleepy Joe, New Scum. But when you do the same to your side – DeSanctimonius, Birdbrain and so on, it is different. There are many of his supporters who say that these things happen during primaries – it’s okay. That’s the way it is. If all is fair in election campaigns, why is Trump and the same Magadonians complaining about witch-hunts and persecutions from the Dems?
I have shared about the E Jean Carroll case (links in next comment).
It is false? Never happened? A witch-hunt?
Then how about Trump’s attempts to insinuate that DeSantis was a paedophile by using some old faded photo to stir up some muck? Or Maga posting fake stories about RDS having affairs with Robinson and Reynolds while his wife was undergoing chemo treatments? There is evidence that Trump cheated on his wives and had affairs with other women. There is nothing to suggest that RDS was unfaithful to his wife or in his younger days did something improper in a sexual context.
I have come across posts shared by RDS supporters about the allegations made by Trump/Maga about RDS being connected to his sister’s death, about Casey faking her cancer to get votes and calling her the c-word. Mean posts about their children.
How about the attempt by Maga to get RDS disqualified as a candidate for the primaries? The case was thrown out of court.
That’s not election interference?
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4/
I’ve seen the garbage from supporters on both sides but when it comes to the candidates themselves, Trump has been attacking RDS from October 2022. Called RDS a Rino, pro-establishment, pro-globalist, disloyal. No proof except falsehoods – and his Magadonians do the same. Even after RDS suspended his campaign and “endorsed” Trump as required by the pledge he signed, Trump continued with his pot-shots.
How blinded are his supporters that they cry about the persecutions faced by their hero but do not object to his persecutions of others, even those on the same side of the political fence?
Trying to smear the reputation of a man who is faithful to his wife, attempting to get him kicked off the primaries ballot, making suggestions about his personal life when there is no proof, calling him names, sending out posts with negative comments or standing at a podium and ridiculing him, telling fibs, all this is okay?
Just part of election campaigns?
If you nod yes to it, if you agree with what Trump does to his Republican opponents in general, but DeSantis in particular since October 2022, then you should not complain about what the Democrats are doing to win the 2024 election. Otherwise it means you have double-standards.
Check the links here and here. You’ll need to scroll below the linked comments as there are several others related to witch-hunts.
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5/
Endorsements at elections are not a right. If someone wants to endorse you, they will. To ask, pressure, threaten people to get those endorsements is not the way. Neither is abusing, ridiculing or intimidating those who don’t give it.
a/
Some politicians like Reynolds, Massie and Roy endorsed RDS. For that they got abused with attempts to primary Massie and Roy.
b/
Josh Hawley had not endorsed Trump so this threat.
c/
Two days later.
Josh Hawley officially endorses Donald Trump for President in 2024.
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6/
d/
Here is Laurel Lee. She initially endorsed DeSantis ….so this post.
Massie’s comment:
Not happening. Most of them are too afraid.
e/
Lindsey Graham, his faithful stooge, at least outwardly, dared to criticise him on his abortion statement. The result.
The battle isn’t to win as many Republican seats as possible; it is to avenge those who did not endorse him. If this results in the GOP losing seats and the House and Senate, that’s okay. As long as those who do not endorse him lose their seats.
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7/
This week has been the start of the trial in New York.
a/
From this article:
Trump’s attorneys have requested that Trump be able to skip the trial on May 17 so he can attend his son Barron’s high school graduation, in Florida. The judge has acknowledged the request but has refused to make a ruling. Of course, this is being termed as “yet another witch hunt”, “political attack”, “political persecution”.
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Trump’s post.
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b/
Some Info
Just an FYI, Barron graduates Friday, May 17th at 7:00 pm. There is no court on Fridays and even if there was court it ends at 3:00 pm. Trump will not have to miss graduation.
c/
This
and
This
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8/
To close off this section.
a/
Do you agree with Judge Jeannie?
Isn’t it good to have such high standards for leaders in important jobs like US President?
That clip was from 2016.
b/
And so is this quote.
Can those same high standards be applied in 2024?
Or have they changed now?
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Debates and Polls
1/
During the primaries last year, Trump refused to participate in the debates. And he was allowed to get away with it. The other candidates did what every candidate should be doing – participating in debates so the voters can understand what each one stands for. Who is the best of them all.
Trump claimed he didn’t need to take part because of the polls. The RNC should have required that either all candidates running under the Republican banner have to take part and sign the pledge. Or not applied the rule at all. But the RNC chair was in that seat due to being endorsed by Trump. So she didn’t dare object.
Why didn’t Trump take part? Because he would be faced with questions that would show him up and reveal him to be worse than some of the other candidates He went the route of solo interviews so he could manipulate the show (interview) to his advantage.
Now he is calling for debates with Biden. Why? Biden can claim that he is the incumbent and doesn’t need to debate. Or just wait till August after Trump is confirmed as the GOP nominee and see” the polls” then. Biden can use the same “the polls” to avoid a debate and Trump won’t be able to do anything about that.
As for the polls, when they are favourable to him, they are honest polls and he’ll let the world know about them. When they go against him, they are fake polls.
I’ll post links on this topic.
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2/
I’ve posted plenty of links to Trump’s posts boasting about the polls when in his favour. But when they aren’t …
2020
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New Hampshire-1
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New Hampshire-2
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3/
One of his die-hard supporters posted this during the 2022 mid-terms (with reference to Democrats). But went silent during the primaries when his idol proved himself to be a fraud and coward for not taking part in the GOP primaries debates.
Trump didn’t have the guts to take part in debates so he watched them and criticised the o