CNN obtained the DNC's 2024 autopsy

Scrubby

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Jul 2, 2025
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one other reason was that after republicans took the house - after 40 some years of Democrat control - Clinton pivoted more to the center. He was smart. He saw where the electorate was going and made a similar move.
The problem democrats will have is convincing moderate voters that they will actually govern with moderate policies. Abigail spangberger ran as a moderate in VA and has governed as a far leftist after getting in. Dems will need to find a candidate who has actively behaved as a moderate for years because any far lefty that vows to come to the center will be met with extreme skepticism, similar to the response people had to kamala claiming she was going to suddenly become a border hawk after allowing completely unvetted immigration for 4 years.
 
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Yellowsnow51

All-Conference
Jun 25, 2025
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You could go to a homeless encampment and get better candidates for at least half of the jobs Trump has filled.

A monkey on ritalin would be a better secretary of defense.

An ex heroin junkie with brain worms who eats road kill could be health secretary . . . oh wait.
Again. Don't disagree. AND Walz and KJP were just awful. You just can't get there, can you?
 

CRazzle

All-Conference
Jun 5, 2025
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Also important:

- Harris assuming the nomination rather than being chosen by the voters to represent them in the election.

- The Dems putting up candidates like Hillary and Harris more because it's "their turn" rather than because people think they're great candidates, or because they have the best chance of winning.

If they could actually find candidates that are just plain likeable across different groups, that would be a start. Be nice and plain spoken and talk honestly about the important issues that affect most all the people, ignoring those that don't. Quit giving Reps easy commercial fodder by spending time talking about fringe issues that don't bring anyone in, but risk turning lots of people away.
The thing is the estab-Dems don't want to do any of that. It wasn't so much "their turn" but more of the most likely candidate to cater to their highest donors. In a four year term, Dems use the first two to try to rip the left/progressive politicians down and the other two to try to get their man in the White House. They want the "can't vote for the other guy so vote for us" method for eternity.
 

Moral

Heisman
Dec 16, 2022
9,282
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Hey...projection! Nice. Pretend it's me living in a echo chamber while spewing nonsense only someone living in an echo chamber would say. As you would say...that tracks!

Unless this Clemson board has an algorithm, I would say I am not on one, as I have no social media. Unlike you Twitter boi.
 
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m.knox

All-Conference
Aug 20, 2003
3,268
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The GOP's ability to convince so many voters that "identity politics" was something actively threatening to them remains amazing to me --- best boogeyman they ever came up with ---- particularly the trans-phobia that literally impacts less than 1% of the population.

Intersectionality is one of the key reasons dems lost.
 
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m.knox

All-Conference
Aug 20, 2003
3,268
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She didn't need to campaign on it. She was born out of identity politics. Biden appointed her because she was a minority woman. He appointed a female, minority lesbian as a WH spokesperson because she was a minority, lesbian. He appointed a gay transportation secretary because he was gay and a trans Health secretary because she was trans. Harris chose lunatic Tim Walz as VP because Shapiro was Jewish.

The thing I didn't see listed was their three years of proclaiming there was "no issue at the border". No one beside them belived that and after seeing how they handled year four, not even they believed it. Every important decision Biden had to make, his people forced through the filter of "how can we appease the oppressed" first.

She didn't have to campaign on identity politics because it was in her genetic code.

You forgot the suitcase stealing Sam Brinton who was selected because of, well........ whatever. They was selected for THAT reason.

 

m.knox

All-Conference
Aug 20, 2003
3,268
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The left's outright refusal to abandon identity politics or the trans movement is the fault of democrats and nobody else. No matter how many times you guys cry about the right bringing it up and claiming it "isn't a big deal" you just refuse to abandon the insanity. Republicans are 100% correct to mock you idiots for it and make it a front and center issue (because it is)

Truth is if they had just been remotely reasonable, she very well could have won. But when you shout down a father of a girl who was sodomized in the girls bathroom by a dude in a dress at a school board meeting, it's a really bad look. Sadly, most on the left pretends it's all a big misunderstanding or one off.
 
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Jerome Silberman

All-American
Dec 19, 2022
2,649
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I have less faith in certain segments of the voting population that it ever changes.

I'm not sure the Radical Right would completely accept Nikki Haley for Prez.

The center-right didn't even support her when it was placed on a platter. Her platform was essentially just Trumpish policy without the graft and strange ramblings.

They got what they wanted twice and still aren't happy, and that should make everyone not fanatical about a particular politician think a little about what is happening.
 
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Jerome Silberman

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Dec 19, 2022
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Selecting Walz over Shapiro was also a big mistake

I guess I'm probably naive, but who votes for President based on the VP? It seems that that issue is almost entirely used as a club by conservative voters, both maga and those waiting for the GOP to return to whatever they're misremembering as normal.
 

Scrubby

Heisman
Jul 2, 2025
8,454
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I guess you are just back to being a maga again. It was really great when you were pretending to be thoughtful. Just another version of Bins.
"You were a good guy when you agreed with me. Now that you don't your an idiot and evil!"

Things a cultist would say
 
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Scrubby

Heisman
Jul 2, 2025
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Selecting Walz over Shapiro was also a big mistake
Shapiro didn't want any part of that train wreck and rumor is he turned it down. Walz was a terrible pick but he brought all that fraud money from the somalians in MN with him. The strategy was to buy their way to the presidency with celebrity endorsements and other such nonsense. In classic democrat fashion kamala overspent and ended up stiffing a lot of small businesses due to being millions in the red.
 
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Scrubby

Heisman
Jul 2, 2025
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I guess I'm probably naive, but who votes for President based on the VP? It seems that that issue is almost entirely used as a club by conservative voters, both maga and those waiting for the GOP to return to whatever they're misremembering as normal.
Are you making the argument that tim walz putting tampon machines in boys bathrooms and publicly declaring he has befriended school shooters is "normal"?
 
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Tom Paris

Heisman
Oct 1, 2001
142,829
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The GOP's ability to convince so many voters that "identity politics" was something actively threatening to them remains amazing to me --- best boogeyman they ever came up with ---- particularly the trans-phobia that literally impacts less than 1% of the population.
In Iowa MMM won with those ads. Now that lying beyotch is running ads about how she’s lowering healthcare costs. No she isn’t. She doesn’t vote to lower costs on anything. She’s a scammer, like her boss.
 
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Tom Paris

Heisman
Oct 1, 2001
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It really is strange how consistently, how rapidly, and how massively, political parties routinely overreach once installed in office. Political debts have to be paid, I suppose. One of the reasons Clinton was successful, IMO, is that he brought a pro (gergen) in to run the shop and rather than letting the lunatics run the asylum. That was the ultimate achilles heel of the Biden WH IMO, as it was reinforced by his cognitive isolation.
Clinton also put forth a balanced budget that the Republican Congress would have been insane to not pass.
 
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Scrubby

Heisman
Jul 2, 2025
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One of the most successful and hard hitting political ads in the last presidential cycle was trump's "kamala is for they/them, trump is for you"

Super powerful and effective
 
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Aardvark86

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Oct 12, 2021
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Clinton also put forth a balanced budget that the Republican Congress would have been insane to not pass.
I’m actually referencing the management of White House staff. Initially they had freaking teenagers with direct access to the president!!

Clinton indeed had strong political instincts.
 

magaboy

Senior
Apr 26, 2026
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I have less faith in certain segments of the voting population that it ever changes.

I'm not sure the Radical Right would completely accept Nikki Haley for Prez.
I don't disagree. It's a ****** situation. I do think we should elevate the ones on the left who really are fighting back. Rhetoric matters and she's got a gift. I'm realistic about it. I just can't vote for any more old white guys.
 
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tigres88

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Aug 7, 2022
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One of the most successful and hard hitting political ads in the last presidential cycle was trump's "kamala is for they/them, trump is for you"

Super powerful and effective
What's amazing about the ad is that it was completely and utterly true and effective as far as messaging goes. Kamala and her platform really was for they/them, and the majority of the voting populace didn't want that. Trump cut through the bull sh it and actually made the rust belt, poor whites, and the religiously bent latino Americans really believe he was for them. He is not.

My biggest blind spot is that I grew up lower/lower-middle class and looked at people like Trump, who has always been a rich, spoon fed, selfish a ss hole who always had everything handed to him, with disdain because they were nothing like me. It was literally ingrained in me to see rich/bombastic people in that way. I honestly (other than his willingness to say the most base level/dumb sh it in the world without worrying about the consequences) don't understand his appeal to the everyday American that he is NOTHING like. This dude thought "groceries" was a term from the 50's- that's how out of touch he is.

The blind spot is not that I "hate Trump" but that all the people with similar backgrounds as me are the demographic that are his most fervent supporters. I genuinely don't understand it.

But it worked in 2015 and it worked in 2024, and he really connected with everyday Americans and made them believe in him enough to vote for him. Us Dems have GOT to learn from that to our peril.

I think you're a legitimate idiot @Scrubby. You've been here for a week, and in that time I've seen that you're smart enough to not dabble in the stupidest of MAGA conspiracies, but you're dumb enough to gas light/refuse to see actual facts and truth. You constantly repeat conspiracy theories, maga propaganda, and are an absolute expert in Whataboutism. Again, I've only seen your beliefs for a week, and in an objective way its pretty clear you pick and choose what you believe and don't look at literally anything objectively.

All that to say, you are right in your post, and I find that very sad
 

Jerome Silberman

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Dec 19, 2022
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The GOP's ability to convince so many voters that "identity politics" was something actively threatening to them remains amazing to me --- best boogeyman they ever came up with ---- particularly the trans-phobia that literally impacts less than 1% of the population.

Yeah, that **** don't play with us middle-American Christians. No way some godless big city coastal elite trans gay man knows what's real and what isn't.


I think tweaked a muscle trying to fit all of the irony in a couple(which should absolutely only be a man and woman, or two hot women) sentences.
 
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Scrubby

Heisman
Jul 2, 2025
8,454
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What's amazing about the ad is that it was completely and utterly true and effective as far as messaging goes. Kamala and her platform really was for they/them, and the majority of the voting populace didn't want that. Trump cut through the bull sh it and actually made the rust belt, poor whites, and the religiously bent latino Americans really believe he was for them. He is not.

My biggest blind spot is that I grew up lower/lower-middle class and looked at people like Trump, who has always been a rich, spoon fed, selfish a ss hole who always had everything handed to him, with disdain because they were nothing like me. It was literally ingrained in me to see rich/bombastic people in that way. I honestly (other than his willingness to say the most base level/dumb sh it in the world without worrying about the consequences) don't understand his appeal to the everyday American that he is NOTHING like. This dude thought "groceries" was a term from the 50's- that's how out of touch he is.

The blind spot is not that I "hate Trump" but that all the people with similar backgrounds as me are the demographic that are his most fervent supporters. I genuinely don't understand it.

But it worked in 2015 and it worked in 2024, and he really connected with everyday Americans and made them believe in him enough to vote for him. Us Dems have GOT to learn from that to our peril.

I think you're a legitimate idiot @Scrubby. You've been here for a week, and in that time I've seen that you're smart enough to not dabble in the stupidest of MAGA conspiracies, but you're dumb enough to gas light/refuse to see actual facts and truth. You constantly repeat conspiracy theories, maga propaganda, and are an absolute expert in Whataboutism. Again, I've only seen your beliefs for a week, and in an objective way its pretty clear you pick and choose what you believe and don't look at literally anything objectively.

All that to say, you are right in your post, and I find that very sad
Whay conspiracy theories do I repeat?

The left needs to return towards the center. The far left is driving your party and the majority of americans aren't interested. Run on nationwide abortion with reasonable limits like 12 to 14 weeks (none of this abortion up to the point of birth crap), sane border control (will be a very hard sell for you guys after biden/harris), cutting spending which means all the wasteful social programs that you've been pushing for years, etc.

Sadly for dems you basically need an entire brand makeover. It is what it is. I have a feeling that rather than dealing with this difficult reality you guys will lean into nuts like AOC and Mamdani types. Republicans only need a ~20% win rate in the mid terms to maintain the majority in the house with map redraws. The senate is likely completely off the table (thankfully for you the republican senate is mostly worthless and doesn't want to do anything). The 2030 census is going to result in 12 electoral votes and house seats disappearing from dem stronghold states and going to strong republican states with current population changes. A 24 point swing on both. The future is looking very conservative for the next decade or more based on the current direction of things.

If Republicans can change the census count to only counting legal american citizens in house representation totals then dems lose another 10 or so seats AT MINIMUM. Let's hope they do it :)
 
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