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@Tanks , don’t insult the many educated people that did and will vote for Trump, my father has 3 college degrees and taught at a major university for 30 years, one of my brothers in laws flew army helicopters for 20 years and another is a doctor and a retired 2 star general. All three voted for Trump and I would hardly call them uneducated. These are just a few of the well educated people that I know that did, I’m somewhat of an outlier as I preferred DeSantis but I only have 2 degrees.
in my family alone, the credentials voting for Trump
1 PhD and retired vice chancellor from LSU
a retired HS computer science teacher
3 MDs
2 PharmD
1 MS data science with a BS in economics
1 MEd
1 med student
1 BS nursing working on MS in anesthesia
a USN helo pilot who graduated USNA Summa Cum Laude
2 MS hospital administration

that's a lot of bona fides voting for Trump, and that's just my family.
 
It defies logic that Trump was chosen over de Santis, and then that the Democrats chose Kamala. It is as if both sides have a death wish.
But it is what it is.
Now instead of a bright new chance it looks more like damage control all round.
Out here in the world it looks to me like Trump is the lesser evil, simply because he has far more presence than Harris. What the world needs now is leadership, hopefully in the right direction. If Harris gets in watch how quickly the leadership vacuum is filled by the bad actors.
 
It defies logic that Trump was chosen over de Santis, and then that the Democrats chose Kamala. It is as if both sides have a death wish.
But it is what it is.
Now instead of a bright new chance it looks more like damage control all round.
Out here in the world it looks to me like Trump is the lesser evil, simply because he has far more presence than Harris. What the world needs now is leadership, hopefully in the right direction. If Harris gets in watch how quickly the leadership vacuum is filled by the bad actors.
I think Kamala was a strategic choice. Anyone they replaced her with would have potentially suffered long term from party in-fighting. The dems aren’t just thinking about this election.

Kamala isn’t a great candidate but if she manages to win, there’s no loss for the DNC. If she loses, it will have been a modest sacrifice to set up someone stronger like Newsome for a 2028 run, when Trump can’t run again. A Kamala loss also helps the DNC pin Biden’s failures on her, wiping the slate for the next whitehouse run.
 
It would almost make a cynical person think the government was on a mass hiring spree just to make the employment numbers look better.

Of course we will have to wait 1-2 months for the real numbers to be revised downward.

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I think Kamala was a strategic choice. Anyone they replaced her with would have potentially suffered long term from party in-fighting. The dems aren’t just thinking about this election.

Kamala isn’t a great candidate but if she manages to win, there’s no loss for the DNC. If she loses, it will have been a modest sacrifice to set up someone stronger like Newsome for a 2028 run, when Trump can’t run again. A Kamala loss also helps the DNC pin Biden’s failures on her, wiping the slate for the next whitehouse run.
There was also the hundreds of millions of dollars worth of campaign funds that apparently only she could use. IIRC
 
There was also the hundreds of millions of dollars worth of campaign funds that apparently only she could use. IIRC

Well there was a work around for that money. The DNC was too concerned about losing the black vote. However, if the polls are right they are losing black males anyway. Should have picked Newsome.
 
There was also the hundreds of millions of dollars worth of campaign funds that apparently only she could use. IIRC
I don't believe it's legal for her to use those funds. But with that corrupt POS Garland running justice, nothing is going to be done about it.
 
It defies logic that Trump was chosen over de Santis, and then that the Democrats chose Kamala. It is as if both sides have a death wish.
But it is what it is.
Now instead of a bright new chance it looks more like damage control all round.
Out here in the world it looks to me like Trump is the lesser evil, simply because he has far more presence than Harris. What the world needs now is leadership, hopefully in the right direction. If Harris gets in watch how quickly the leadership vacuum is filled by the bad actors.
I like DeSantis, but he wouldn't have got elected. to many diehard trump voters......or deplorables as hiltery, tanks and redleg SEEM to think about anyone that would vote for trump.......all this talk about gathering all under the tent lol....just as bad as the dems. ...nobody is undecided at this point.....if they say they are , they are just looking for attention or plain stupid. the contrast couldn't be starker.

besides only a fool would vote for what the dem party stands for . ......bob
 
I think Kamala was a strategic choice. Anyone they replaced her with would have potentially suffered long term from party in-fighting. The dems aren’t just thinking about this election.

Kamala isn’t a great candidate but if she manages to win, there’s no loss for the DNC. If she loses, it will have been a modest sacrifice to set up someone stronger like Newsome for a 2028 run, when Trump can’t run again. A Kamala loss also helps the DNC pin Biden’s failures on her, wiping the slate for the next whitehouse run.
Agreed, except for Newsom. He is a far weaker candidate than most in the media are willing to acknowledge.
 
Agreed, except for Newsom. He is a far weaker candidate than most in the media are willing to acknowledge.
As a Californian, I certainly agree. But if Kamala loses he will have four years to campaign and work on a strategy. Plus he won’t have to worry about Kamala running as an incumbent in 2028 if she loses now. It will be an open race in the Dem primary.

Whatever his strength or weakness, he is ambitious and has held high executive office for many years. He also has powerful friends and family in the Democrat establishment.

He may not be inevitable but he’s someone to keep an eye on.
 
I like DeSantis, but he wouldn't have got elected. to many diehard trump voters...

besides only a fool would vote for what the dem party stands for . ......bob

So, you are saying that if DeSantis had gotten the nomination, Trump voters would have stayed home? Another set of "pearl clutchers" as some would say? :unsure:

all this talk about gathering all under the tent lol....just as bad as the dems. ...nobody is undecided at this point....
I somewhat agree. That being said I am ambivalent, I like Trump for almost every policy statement except for foreign policy. Trump is not making it easy for people to hold their nose and vote for him. Haley could have helped if she was active in the campaign.
 
This guy just may be onto something.

A short from that interview

 
From my perspective that is a completely incorrect observation. I have always couched my concerns with respect to Russian imperial ambitions in context to how much more difficult those goals make our challenge in curbing China. Xi obviously understands this full well even if you refuse to do so. That effort to divide our focus by threatening Europe and our interests there through a resurgent Russia was the only purpose of the Sino-Russian agreement prior to the '22 Olympics. Failing to understand that as the neo-isolationists seem determined to do, simply furthers not only Russian strategic goals, but also those of China.

Iran, unlike China and Russia, is a regional nuisance. They can indeed cause a great deal of arm through terrorist sponsorship, but in no way does Iran represent a true strategic threat to our international interests. Indeed, in some ways they are useful, because the regional threat they represent overshadows much Arab concern with Israel. That was a major motivation for the initial success of the Abraham Accords and the current lack of Arab support for Hamas and Hezbollah.

Therefore, it is actually the big picture that the isolationists are missing. If all that is too nuanced or laden with minutia for some, then I would suggest they not burden themselves with reading my commentary.

Fully agree, Iran like North Korea are only a nuisance. They are far from the threat of Russia or China. And I would put the latter far above the former.

As @Red Leg has made me (and I hope others) understand is that a combined Russo-Chinese front would be even more challenging, making Russia bleed to death will only ease the confrontation with China.
 
So, you are saying that if DeSantis had gotten the nomination, Trump voters would have stayed home? Another set of "pearl clutchers" as some would say? :unsure:

A significant number of Trump voters would not vote for DeSantis. Bush was the last old line Republican to be elected. The policies of the same old line party of McCain and Romney proved to be unelectable. That's why Bush, Cruz, Rubio, Kasich etc. were rejected in the 2016 primary. That's why Haley and DeSantis were rejected in 2024. Instead of embracing the Tea Party movement and their ideas, the Republican party co opted and ignored their policies. Trump embraced them. The Republican party pre Trump was quickly moving in the direction of irrelevancy, out of touch with the constituency just like the Whigs.

Trump brought many people into the "Republican" tent that DeSantis and the "Old line Republican Party" would not be able to reach, starting with blue collar workers in 2016. Significant gains in black, hispanic, union, anti foreign entanglement, fiscally conservative/socially liberal Democrats, etc this year. Those are the people that would not vote for DeSantis if he was the candidate. So yes. A significant number of Trump voters would not vote for DeSantis. No pearl clutching about it.
 
I will have to disagree that Trump represents the economic aspirations of the Tea party, and while I agree with his "let the states decide" approach on abortion, it is going to result in many evangelicals, who also fueled that movement, staying home. He clearly does represent that movement's position with respect to immigration.

My problem with the "big tent" interpretation of Trump is that he is struggling against Harris and was, until the debate - where he did nothing - struggling against Biden. When still in the race, Haley was crushing Biden by double digits in polling and DeSantis, though not equalling Haley's numbers, was doing much better than Trump. We'll never know, but I would lay serious money should we step over into an alternate universe, either would be in landslide territory against Harris. That is what a big tent looks like.

Trump has bled college educated voters - male and female. He is trying to make up that deficit with working class and minority voters. We'll see how it goes shortly, but I do not see a bigger party, merely a few rearranged chairs.

DeSantis today handling a reporter. Compare that to our current nominee's Covid press conferences - and that was quite a while before he turned 77 and started claiming Haley was responsible for Capital security on January 6.


 
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A first edition of that, his first real book, has sadly escaped the limits of my library allowance.

I have this late night dread that the kids will not follow my directions with respect to where to consign the library and they will all go for five or ten dollars a copy at an estate or yard sale.

Have them call me, I’ll put up a generous 20$ a copy ;)
 
From my point of view, Trump will carry the election in a few weeks. The very young vote will surprise, as they are more free speech oriented than the generation just before. Also the “female minority” card has not really been played in full for Kamala. Not like with BHO.

Despite all Trumps deficiencies, I think he’ll come on top.
 
From my point of view, Trump will carry the election in a few weeks. The very young vote will surprise, as they are more free speech oriented than the generation just before. Also the “female minority” card has not really been played in full for Kamala. Not like with BHO.

Despite all Trumps deficiencies, I think he’ll come on top.
As I postulated a few pages back, the evidence continues to grow that the electorate is making that typical last minute turn before election day. It seems to be turning Trump's way.
 
As I postulated a few pages back, the evidence continues to grow that the electorate is making that typical last minute turn before election day. It seems to be turning Trump's way.

I do not think it is due to people changing minds. Rather that those holding out to vote Trump to see what the Democrats had to offer have not been enthralled by the Harris bid.
 

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Had a fire on the cattle ranch where we hunt kudu all the neighbours came to help and we got it under control quickly!

Grz63 wrote on x84958's profile.
Good Morning x84958
I have read your post about Jamy Traut and your hunt in Caprivi. I am planning such a hunt for 2026, Oct with Jamy.
Just a question , because I will combine Caprivi and Panorama for PG, is the daily rate the same the week long, I mean the one for Caprivi or when in Panorama it will be a PG rate ?
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