Hey VGC, your favorite enemy from within here.

Sorry for my conspicuous absence today. Even though I knew this was coming (told you), I can't help feeling pretty depressed right now. This moment feels like a rejection of my very being. I'm sure it's not all that, but I need some time to process the reality that this is actually happening and that it might not be as personal as it feels.

Anyway, rest assured that I have my thoughts on what went wrong and might even share them with you some day when I'm feeling more motivated. Just keeping you posted. Didn't kill myself today or anything.

Kudos, Jai. Life goes on.

Yeah I'm not a fan of orange man either (I personally think he's a stupid obnoxious old git tbh, that's coasting on his daddy's empire). I'm of the middle (despite also being a Brit), and I want practical solutions and thought out reformation planning, but calling anyone that doesn't lean left a "Nazi" or a "fascist" does not work and doesn't win ppl to your side (if anything it causes those tagged with either phrase to slap back, rather than listen). 

Also I've seen enough of the net to know both the right and the left control different sectors of media. It's not 100% all right dominated like some think it is (there's barely any spaces for centrists at all, and no one ever talks about the middle having any space to discuss). 

So is the election still rigged? Or is it suddenly all sweet and dandy now?

Harris still has not won a single swing state. Trump currently leads the popular vote by 5,000,000. GOP is up to 53 senate seats.  Feels like it is time for liberals to rethink that platform and rework their messaging. Like many of us have been saying since page 1.

Oh and Curl has really good points and he is right. Not that anybody will listen.  Curl has a much more accurate view on how middle America feels than most others in this thread.  He isn't wrong.  

Edit

And the folks who want to claim "inflation" is the reason...  nah and that is an excuse.  Worse, that means no one is taking the time and energy to learn what actually happened, which means you won't be better positioned in the future.  Can't fix something until you acknowledge it is broken.

In hindsight I think the moment Biden decided the run for reelection it ensure Trump victory. I could show the facts that the USA economy under Biden have thrive more than any other country on earth but at the end of the day it don't change the fact that many many people in the USA is suffering, that the vast majority of this country unless they getting help from parents cannot afford their first house and inflation have made life very difficult. No party in power have ever won the presidency when the majority of it citizen feel like the economy is bad.

If Biden have announce after the 2022 midterms he was not going to seek re-election then maybe a open primary where the winner could distance themselves from Biden and run on the economy might of work but even that am not certain would of worked.

I think Harris did the best she could with the hand dealt to her but at the end of the day there was nothing she could of done or say that would of led to victory. Unfortunately, I think this ends any chance of her ever becoming president. I just feel like the Democrats going to need to find a new leader in the next couple years to run in 2028. Most likely one of there popular governors.

As for "MAGA" I not sure anyone other than Trump can lead the movement. I could be completely wrong but I got the feeling without Trump at it head there going to be a lot of in fighting and divisions forming with in it ranks that make it hard for any one person to unify it like Trump can. One thing we have see over and over again is an Trump endorsement is not that valuable in a general election. Many Trump picked people lost yesterday in places that Trump won. Don't get me wrong if the Economy booming in 4 years the republican could hold on to power but if it bad Democrats got a great shot who ever the republicans choose.

This assuming that we still living in a constitution republic in 4 years but am going to be hopeful that will be the case because the alternative too horrible and there really nothing that can be done about it at this point. The American people have made their choice and we will all have to live with the consequences. Hopefully they be good ones not bad ones.

Musk cleared out Twitter pretty quick. A year may be all he needs.

Obama said Trump's economy was so good because of what Obama left him.

Waaaaait a second...

It happens in Canada as well, but the media is much more careful about how they show and talk about it.

There's a few reasons, like others have stated, but it's also useful when identity politics is at play.

Instead of doing things the hard way, and solely catering to critical thinking by coming up with good ideas and good policies, it's way easier to also label your opponents as racists, sexists, homophobes, etc, and hope those demographics vote for you just because they fit that profile. This alone isn't enough to win, but it can be quite successful if done in smaller doses in just the right way.

Whether true or not it sorta irrelevant.  From a election standpoint if the american people feel like the economy good the party in power get the credit and when it feels bad they get the blame.  It really dont matter if they had anything to do with it being bad or good.  This have always been the case with elections.