ADVERTISEMENT

Are some of you going to be OK next Wednesday?

I will not be emotionally effected in any event. I am pretty fascinated, maybe morbidly, in what's going on.

I have always been a political junkie in terms of being interested in the trends, strategies, etc...the actual politics of it. My interest kind of waned during GWB's second term and the Obama years, simply for not being that...interesting. Both were mostly average presidents who generated ridiculously outsized rhetoric from their opposition, but I didn't find anything particularly interesting through those years about the electorate, the political landscape (other than the shrill rhetoric), etc.

The Trump thing pulled me back into interest, because it certainly represented some trends and shifts that were fairly fascinating, and I've been pretty interested since.

I definitely have some strong political beliefs (skewing conservative) which I do my best to vote by but don't have a "team". I don't mean I'm particularly open minded and have a hard time imagining voting for any Democrat as currently comprised, but I don't have any particular allegiance or respect for Republicans. They're just closer to some of my policy interests, while Democrats represent almost none.

If this is a good election for Republicans, I will be happy at Democrats losing, but I won't have any joy at Republicans winning. It will mean any number of Republican garbage candidates won, which certainly kicks the can that much further down the road to some hoped-for non-garbage future.

My overall rooting interest is probably that until one of the parties normalizes, that neither party gets a dramatic "mandate" that justifies where they currently are. The best I can hope for is that they continue this stupid shovel fight between morons trading narrow advantages until one party coalesces around something better and less extreme than what they are today.

I wanted to see Biden beat Trump in the last election, but not in a landslide.

I want the Republicans to narrowly take back both houses this election. But if you asked me if I would want some dramatic wave that rewarded Republicans with 58 or 60 Senate seats? No effing way.

I want each side to keep losing close elections and questioning their positioning until one of them gets tired of losing eminently winnable elections and says eff this and positions themselves more moderately and thoughtfully and more in line with what I consider good politics and good government.
Holy. Hell. All of this sounds wonderful except that it's going to be proven to be massively bad if you get your way.

You're literally rooting for nothing. You hope for nothing for the USA. It's remarkable.
 
You're defending goldmom...the dumbest woman, BY FAR, to ever enter HROT. She's a dupe. You're a dupe. Everywhere there's dupes.
Wasn't defending her as much as roasting someone else. Obviously gets under his skin since he instantly resorts to name calling like a 4 year old.
 
Wasn't defending her as much as roasting someone else. Obviously gets under his skin since he instantly resorts to name calling like a 4 year old.
I am not name calling. You are objectively dumb.

In this very thread, I've had active, interesting debate with several conservative posters.

Alas, you aren't even conservative. Just low IQ.
 
This is the single worst political development in our lifetimes, the one that makes every other negative aspect possible. And nobody is talking about it or caring about it.

Our worst representatives, from the squad to the Jan 6th enthusiasts, come from ultra safe seats, and both parties want nothing more than create as many of those as possible. You see every election, those handful of people running in safe seats having to either distance themselves from their national figures, or are begging for their national leaders to moderate. But as a party, instead of moderating, you just keep redistricting away competitive seats.

It's literally the biggest problem in politics, and the biggest obstacle to a functioning government. And there is less than zero interest in talking about it, let alone fixing it.

It is drastically exacerbating our current shitty times. It prevents any party from taking the kind of brutal shellacking that you might see even 15-20 years ago that forces them to recalibrate where they stand in terms of the public, replace leadership, etc. Instead, it just swings 25-35 seats at most.
Please explain why "the squad" are such poor representatives. The hate on AOC is incredible. She's a good human being. There's far more good humans in the Democratic Party than Republican Party and it's not even close...but both sides, right? But you have a foreign owned "News" agency that is constantly blasting a base that isn't very smart with lies and propaganda, repeatedly, and has for 30 years. THAT'S why we are where we are. You have an evil entity that very effectively convinced half the country that they were the good guys, as they and their donors got filthy rich off of the rest of our backs.

We're effed, but just not how you think.
 
Is the Des Moines area conservative?
No, and nor is Iowa City. You know, the two places with the predominance of capital, business and population growth.

This is a great example of how effective the right-wing media echo chamber is. Even when presented with actual, hard data, they repeat lies and falsehoods. The scary part is, most of them just believe it and aren't even trying to gaslight.
 
Interested in watching the "evolution" of the HORT clan. What crisis is going to end humanity or worse......

May even have renewed optimism in the Hawkeyes season, or more likely just disappointed that Purdue beat us "again".

Lots of work too, 7 days a week. Boss is demanding when you are self employed. So the occasional check in to put my anonymous opinion on an anonymous message board. Maybe collect a like, or laughing emoticon, maybe the ultimate reward of an insult for a reply. Who knows NY may even flip Republican based on the polls. Get out and vote even if you have different views!


 
No, and nor is Iowa City. You know, the two places with the predominance of capital, business and population growth.

This is a great example of how effective the right-wing media echo chamber is. Even when presented with actual, hard data, they repeat lies and falsehoods. The scary part is, most of them just believe it and aren't even trying to gaslight.
Best Places describes Polk County as "somewhat liberal".
 
Yep. Its a fair point for sure. Just like how dems screamed Russia collusion for 3.5 years after Trump won but then it was fair when Biden won...

Losers will cry foul. It's the current phase of American politics. It appears this mid-term is the dems turn to lose (and cry foul).

It won't change until everyone is willing to change it. As long as making elections more secure for all is labeled "voter supression," nothing will change.

Our elections are free and fair. Even the Christians say so.

 
No, and nor is Iowa City. You know, the two places with the predominance of capital, business and population growth.

This is a great example of how effective the right-wing media echo chamber is. Even when presented with actual, hard data, they repeat lies and falsehoods. The scary part is, most of them just believe it and aren't even trying to gaslight.
So rural conservative Iowa and liberal urban Iowa are thriving so I'm not sure what part @joelbc1 thinks is not. I guess we will have to wait for his response.
 
So rural conservative Iowa and liberal urban Iowa are thriving so I'm not sure what part @joelbc1 thinks is not. I guess we will have to wait for his response.
Rural conservative Iowa is not thriving.

It is losing population. It is losing economic power.

Why do you think populist politics are on the rise out there?
 
Joel, may I suggest you get back to God's Country, picturesque Pella, Iowa now and again to get a taste of the good life. And trade unions ruin everything, look at Pella Corp and Vermeer going strong vs Maytag gone forever.
They are there because they are LOCALLY owned and not part of a conglomerate organization. These locally owned folks pay their help well and the local culture is very Conservative and always been “ anti-Union”....My dad was an interloper from western Illinois who married a “local”, ran a business there, was a Roosevelt Democrat and served on the city council and as mayor there for 30 years...if by nothing else but accident, I think I have a pretty good understanding of how and what Drives my home town, even today.
As long as there is local ownership, there is local pride and local investment. once someone else (an outsider) takes over you become a line on someone else’s P/L statement and subject to the wills and needs of others who really don’t care about you r your community. Pella is lucky in that regard. Newton, not so much.
 
I am not name calling. You are objectively dumb.

In this very thread, I've had active, interesting debate with several conservative posters.

Alas, you aren't even conservative. Just low IQ

If I am such the deplorable you believe me to be, then why not block me instead of try to respond to every thread?
 
  • Haha
Reactions: Tom Paris
Our elections are free and fair. Even the Christians say so.

[URL

I think the two are very very different.

There was Russian interference in the 2016 election but I don't think it made a difference and I'm not sure who benefitted. Ultimately, though Hillary conceeded (and fairly quickly) and there was a peaceful transistion of power led by Obama.

In 2020, Trump did not concede and directly said the election was rigged by Dems and contested it in several courts (and lost all of them btw). He also tried to pressure GA officials into changing the vote. Then we did not have a peaceful transition of power and Trump wasn't even there.

I think it's fair to say the Right has carried this much much farther than the left ever did. They are still crying foul to this day without any proof. When you convince an entire base that the election was rigged when it wasn't, that is a major problem. It creates distrust in the system, when there isn't any.
The two are always very very different when it's your own party. It's not that different.

Election denial on the right has only been going on for 2 years. Dems held on to the hope they'd find a way to get Trump ousted from office for over 3 years, until the gift of COVID came along and finally gave them the fuel needed to get him ousted legitimately, through election...

To your point, dems never stormed the capital, where several hundred right wing lunatics did. So there's that...but it's not as if liberals didn't burn cities for months after Trumps election... one of those actions is a direct attack on democracy, the other is a direct attack on American citizens. Argue which is worse, they. Both should end in prison sentences for the offenders (and what of the R and D politicians offering to bail out/defend the criminals in each case)?

You see, it's always different when it's your own side. The left/msm loves screaming 'it's not both sides, it's only the right.' By any objective measure, that’s completely false. However as desperation sets in before midterms, I expect we'll hear that line repeated ad nauseum over the next 6 days.

I guess we'll see on Wednesday...who will be the first to cry the election was stolen? I see the posturing already beginning.
 
So rural conservative Iowa and liberal urban Iowa are thriving so I'm not sure what part @joelbc1 thinks is not. I guess we will have to wait for his response.
Again...the Quad Cities, CR/IC corridor, the DSM/Ames corridor and Sioux City area...draw 30 mile circles around Quad Cities and Sioux City, DSM and Cedar Rapids and you got pretty much most of the good areas of Iowa. You might miss a couple of others but smaller areas.
( I would consider Pella in the DSM area and Sioux County in the Sioux City area. )
 
The two are always very very different when it's your own party. It's not that different.

Election denial on the right has only been going on for 2 years. Dems held on to the hope they'd find a way to get Trump ousted from office for over 3 years, until the gift of COVID came along and finally gave them the fuel needed to get him ousted legitimately, through election...

To your point, dems never stormed the capital, where several hundred right wing lunatics did. So there's that...but it's not as if liberals didn't burn cities for months after Trumps election... one of those actions is a direct attack on democracy, the other is a direct attack on American citizens. Argue which is worse, they. Both should end in prison sentences for the offenders (and what of the R and D politicians offering to bail out/defend the criminals in each case)?

You see, it's always different when it's your own side. The left/msm loves screaming 'it's not both sides, it's only the right.' By any objective measure, that’s completely false. However as desperation sets in before midterms, I expect we'll hear that line repeated ad nauseum over the next 6 days.

I guess we'll see on Wednesday...who will be the first to cry the election was stolen? I see the posturing already beginning.
Those burning cities were a social protest over George Floyd. Had nothing to do with politics or an election.

Again, there has only been one sitting President in the modern era that was not present to hand over power. That was Trump. If you can't see the difference between 2016 and 2020, then you are blind. Dems conceeded almost immediately. Trump never really did. And I didn't see Dems out there campaigining in 2018 that the prior election was a fraud with fraudulent voters. Rs are doing exactly that.

Two sides are not the same. Not at all. Dems suck but Rs are at an entirely other level right now. It is sickening and I hope its just a phase but I'm not sure anymore.
 
According to election denier "Scary" Kari Lake: "If I win the election it was free and fair. If I lose, definitely fraud!"
 
Again...the Quad Cities, CR/IC corridor, the DSM/Ames corridor and Sioux City area...draw 30 mile circles around Quad Cities and Sioux City, DSM and Cedar Rapids and you got pretty much most of the good areas of Iowa. You might miss a couple of others but smaller areas.
( I would consider Pella in the DSM area and Sioux County in the Sioux City area. )
So now you've said what 75% of Iowas population is thriving. Earlier you said Iowa was dieing. Nobody in Sioux County would attribute any of their success to Sioux City. Most of Sioux city is a dump.
 
The two are always very very different when it's your own party. It's not that different.

Election denial on the right has only been going on for 2 years. Dems held on to the hope they'd find a way to get Trump ousted from office for over 3 years, until the gift of COVID came along and finally gave them the fuel needed to get him ousted legitimately, through election...

To your point, dems never stormed the capital, where several hundred right wing lunatics did. So there's that...but it's not as if liberals didn't burn cities for months after Trumps election... one of those actions is a direct attack on democracy, the other is a direct attack on American citizens. Argue which is worse, they. Both should end in prison sentences for the offenders (and what of the R and D politicians offering to bail out/defend the criminals in each case)?

You see, it's always different when it's your own side. The left/msm loves screaming 'it's not both sides, it's only the right.' By any objective measure, that’s completely false. However as desperation sets in before midterms, I expect we'll hear that line repeated ad nauseum over the next 6 days.

I guess we'll see on Wednesday...who will be the first to cry the election was stolen? I see the posturing already beginning.
Democrats didn't burn cities. Such horsecrap.
 
I wonder if it is a coincidence that 2 of the most staunchly conservative areas of Iowa seem to be thriving when other are supposedly not.
Pella is a good choice but outside of that, southern Iowa is a damn hellhole that has absolutely no future.

That’s not a political statement either. I’m from a small town and while it hurts to see, urbanization is ultimately going to win out, which is why there’s a lot of resentment out there.
 
  • Haha
Reactions: FranCantCoach
I long ago resigned myself to the fact that Kimi the Drunk and Uncle Chuckle the Vegetable would likely win so I'm only left with a bit of sadness about the state of the State. Is what it is.
 
The problem is that people are moving from Iowa. We have painfully little to offer people. No big cities, relatively few professional jobs, few tourist options, very limited state parks, constantly worsening water, and our education system keeps getting worse. Throw in a brutal winter, no beaches, no mountains, few lakes, and not much to look at, beyond corn and soy fields, and you get what is rapidly becoming a undesirable state to live in.

Pretty sure that Iowa is still growing in population. Now look at the state to the east to see population loss...Illinois must not have any major cities or fancy jobs.
 
  • Haha
Reactions: jonesy5960
Hopefully chrishawk's wife and family have the sense to get away for a few days. I fear for their safety if Republicans take over both houses of Congress.
 
ADVERTISEMENT