So y'all seen my posts about Dems being morons and that's why they lost. Anyways, I am seriously thinking of getting involved again, but I am torn who to associate with.

Here's my dilemma. I identify as center-left. As much discussed here, I'm pro-1A, pro-2A, social liberal, fiscal conservative and also some liberal fiscal policies in there, bit of an isolationist, non-religious, anti-illegal immigration, pro-criminal law reformation, etc. I am very down the middle and I am open to ideas that benefit the population as a whole, not corporations, but in reality, I have to pretend to be friendly to them; they got the money and power.

I'm in NJ, so this state is pretty left, but we saw the GOP gained some ground this past election. I used to be a registered Republican and I am a Latino. Personality wise, I am like Trump; pretty unhinged, extroverted, charismatic, and people tend to like me wherever I go, have little to no enemies.

What would you recommend on taking my first steps to this?

How likely is this? Not a shitpost. Genuinely worried. Anything he hints at is possible.

Long-time lurker, so bear with me. This election cycle has brought out the worst in a lot of us, so I’m just trying to find a sense of community here.

The curse of being a centrist is that you’re able to see both the rights and the wrongs of the policies proposed to us. This sub of all places would know exactly what I mean when I say that I wasn’t able to vote for either candidate without some form of doubt for our future.

So, for those of you that are unsure of whether to be optimistic or pessimistic about our future, I’d like to hear where you’re all at.

Walz / Harris instead of Harris / Walz

First off, I found my sub here. I don't understand how anyone could stand on the table and vehemently stand with either candidate without acknowledging their flaws. Also want to acknowledge I consider myself to be well educated and tend to put facts over feelings. But this election has been exhausting due to all the fear mongering and immaturity really so I've tuned much of it out.

In my research, he project 25 stuff is mostly fabricated, exaggerated, or extremely improbable. So I pretty much throw it all out with the bathwater.

To see the left trembling in fear has me super confused. Like I feel bad because I'm not so sure the left hasn't made their own people scared? Many of my LGTBQIA+ friends are extremely worried and many of them have cried. So my question is simple, what has Trump said he plans to do as far as their rights?

Same with women's rights. It's my understanding that Roe V Wade was overruled last year? So how does this fall on Trump? EDIT: Enough of you have explained this. It makes sense now. My bad, this one’s on me.

Again, I'm just trying to be informed folks. I'm not even going to pretend I like Trump as a person. But like music and art, sometimes you have to separate the art from the artist. Here I'm trying to separate the policies from the politician. He was elected by a landslide after all... So what has he said or plans to do in regards to ACTUAL policies?

I have had a few political discussions with some friends of mine at work about the election, and the question of who you voted for always comes to the table. I tell them I voted for Mickey Mouse, which seems to anger every side for some reason. And no, I'm not a fan of Disney, Mickey was simply the first fictional character that came to my head.

Context: I am a very apolitical person normally. My values are fairly right-leaning centrist. This is the first election that I have voted in even though I have been eligible to vote in more than this election. I chose to vote only because my wife asked me if i would vote to add the ammendment that protects womens rights, so I voted for her. I live in a blue state, so the outcome of the presidency was not determined by my state's electoral college votes.

Why did I vote for a fictional character? Well, it's simple: the American political system is a bipartisan system masquerading as a nonpartisan system, so voting for anyone other than the "big two" is throwing away your vote. It was screamed through the internet that you need to choose between the lesser of two evils. However, I do not agree with the vision that Kamala had for the country. At the same time, I do not agree with the radicalism of Trump, and definitely did not want one party to take a "clean sweep" of all areas of government. I refuse to throw away my own morals to pick between a lesser of two evils. I believe choosing evil, even if it is the only clear and present option, makes you (to some degree) evil, or at least compliant with evil. (BTW, I use this as a figure of speech that means "two people of whom I don't agree with" rather than truly evil, as I know that these policies are more nuanced than what can be simplified to be a good vs evil scenario.) I know America could have done better than choosing a convicted felon to represent the Republicans. I know the democrats shoehorning Kamala in as the democratic nominee without a fair primary is antithetical to democracy itself.

I have explained the fact that i will not support any candidate that I do not believe represents my personal beliefs to my friends and colleagues. They seem to understand this, yet fluster at the thought of me voting for a mouse. I've continued to explain that I feel "joke" votes or not choosing to vote for the president but still voting on all other election categories are the most effective strategies we as voters have to express that you are upset about the choices that we were given.

Yet even still, its either Trump or Kamala to most people, no nuance. My republican friends know I lean more on the right side, and can't seem to understand why I wouldn't support Trump when more of his policies are what I agree with. My Democrat friends think I am stupid for voting to protect womens rights at the state level while not voting to elect a president who is more likely to back the decision at the federal level.

It doesn't even matter which president you voted for in my state anyway, as our state's EC votes went to Kamala, yet Trump still won. Therefore, at least in my eyes, nobody in my state can actually be blamed for Trump becoming president. Those who voted for him are happy, yes, but they can't actually claim that they made that happen. He became president DESPITE what the majority of our state voted for.

Anyway, I wanted to post here and get your thoughts on this topic. What are your thoughts on being "forced" to pick the lesser of two evils? What are your thoughts on voting for Mickey Mouse? I'd love to discuss more details, but I have a lot of driving ahead of me tonight and will likely only be able to respond sporadically, to which I apologize.

“I don’t understand all the fear from the left. While I don’t personally like Trump, will he really end democracy? Will there never be another election again? The answer is no. Even after January 6th, there’s no realistic way Trump could simply take control of the country. I doubt he would even try. Maybe I’m an optimist, but I believe some serious good could come out of a Trump presidency. He could potentially broker peace between Russia and Ukraine, ending the war. The situation with Palestine may not improve, but perhaps he could help bring some resolution. His economic policies, like tax cuts and deregulation, could stimulate business investment, while his tariff policies might bring back American manufacturing jobs and boost the economy. I could be wrong, but I choose to remain hopeful for the future.”

In what's a footnote in comparison to the election, Biden’s attempt to allow an estimated 800,000 people here illegally who were married to a US citizen have an easier path to legal residency then citizenship officially died yesterday. A judge has officially ruled the program was illegal and has ordered the program closed. An appeal is unlikely because Trump will take office before the circuit court would hear the case, and Trump would rescind the program himself. Hopefully a new, tougher immigration deal can be made once Trump and the new Republican majority congress starts working.

https://www.cnn.com/2024/11/07/politics/judge-strikes-biden-policy-undocumented-spouses/index.html

There’s a problem with Democratic politics that goes beyond platforms or candidates. The Democratic Party has several structural disadvantages compared to Republicans. The most damaging one is also the most recent: Democrats are judged by a different and higher standard than Republicans. The problem is, it’s the Democrats themselves who created this dynamic. If they ever want to compete on something like a level political playing field, they’re going to have to undo this double standard.

https://americandreaming.substack.com/p/breaking-the-democratic-double-standard

The reason Trump won is simple: people were angry about economic failures and record inflation. Have those who voted for Trump not realized that his economic policies might worsen the situation? I’m convinced 75% of these voters couldn’t define a tariff. The problem Democrats face is that people vote based on their wallets and emotions. Kamala Harris was unlikely to win due to the perceived economic mismanagement by Democrats, despite the U.S. economy’s strong post-COVID recovery. However, Trump’s 60% tariff on Chinese imports will raise consumer costs and inflation, potentially triggering a trade war if China retaliates. His proposed 25% tariff on Mexico aims to pressure border control efforts but could also drive up prices, as U.S. labor is costly. This will force manufacturers to raise prices, further inflating costs and reducing Americans’ purchasing power.”