US Presidential Election, Nov 5th 2024

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This is an interesting one.

Starr County, Texas, shares a border with Mexico. Population 97% Hispanic, most Hispanic county in America.

2016 voted 79% Clinton, 19% Trump.
2020 voted 52% Biden, 47% Trump.
2024 voted 57% Trump, 41% Harris.

First time Starr County has voted for a Republican since 1892.

 

[Dax777]

I’m here all the time mate. At least once a quarter til I retire.

We'd have to meet up in the City for drinks one of these days. So you can size up and decide if you wanna pummel this knucklehead that gets on your nerves from time to time.

 

[Dax777]

This is an interesting one.

Starr County, Texas, shares a border with Mexico. Population 97% Hispanic, most Hispanic county in America.

2016 voted 79% Clinton, 19% Trump.
2020 voted 52% Biden, 47% Trump.
2024 voted 57% Trump, 41% Harris.

First time Starr County has voted for a Republican since 1892.

The signs were there though. From 79% to 52% 4 years... Not surprised it flipped against a weak candidate.

 

[Palerider]

This is an interesting one.

Starr County, Texas, shares a border with Mexico. Population 97% Hispanic, most Hispanic county in America.

2016 voted 79% Clinton, 19% Trump.
2020 voted 52% Biden, 47% Trump.
2024 voted 57% Trump, 41% Harris.

First time Starr County has voted for a Republican since 1892.

It's a strange world. On the whole, the left and liberals champion immigration whereas the right tend to want much more controlled immigration. However, on the human side, economic immigrants tend to be risk takers and risk takers tend to be capitalists and capitalists tend to bend to the right. So it's probably not a shock, except to the left/liberals that so many immigrants and children of recent immigrants are actually right leaning.

 

[Dax777]

It's simply not true. It has been debated amongst Christians throughout history and continues to be until this day under what circumstances abortion is allowed. And it's also worth mentioning that church's official positions on moral issues are there to act as guidance for their members, they are not necessarily something they believe should be imposed on wider society. That's why you can still buy pork and alcohol in almost all Muslim countries despite literally every Muslim scholar agreeing that consuming them is a sin. So is banning pork a "Muslim position?" No, it's a conservative position, held by people who seek to impose their religious beliefs on everyone else.


They were attacking the Catholic (not Christian) church on a whole host of issues related to feminism, because they saw it as a threat to women's emancipation. Choice over abortion was one of these issues that they identified as an important area where the Catholic church held back, as they saw it, progress towards these ideals. Evangelicals got involved because they saw feminism as a threat to wider Christianity.


The point of that post is to mention that the vehemently and vocally anti-abortion churches of today were actually very late to the party, and shared the view along with plenty of other churches Again, what you're doing is basing your view purely on who shouts the loudest, not what the huge range of churches and Christian scholars actually think, which is of course far more varied and nuanced.

The Wikipedia article Abortion and Christianity highlights the many varied and nuanced views that Christian groups take on the issue. The vast majority do not have a blanket opposition to abortion. And it's worth mentioning again that an official position of a church is there to act as guidance for its members, it is not necessarily there as an indication of the laws they want to impose on everyone else.

However, the pattern that comes up again is that conservative members of whatever particular sect of Christianity are more likely to oppose legal abortion in more circumstances. So what are you left with there? The realisation that conservative religious people are more likely to vote for the conservative political party. Well no shit. And that's why, despite him clearly not being religious in the slightest, they vote for him, because they share a far more important value with him: authoritarianism.

There is much to disagree with here. But it's all clearly beyond the realms of US politics. And we've deviated far of field.

On the issue of Authoritarianism though, I'd argue the Conservatives are hardly the authoritarians. I suppose that's another one we can deliver into :)

 

[KS55]

Interesting take by one Fareed Zahkaria who has a weekly show on CNN and is by no means a right winger. Hell, he has a show on CNN FFS!! His take was the Dems made three big errors:
1) The border...."there was blindness to the collapse of the immigration system and the chaos at the border" Check

2) Over the top wokeness "there was a dominance of identity politics on the left" ie they took extreme positions Check

3) Attacking a political opponent using the justice system. There was "an overzealous misuse of the law to punish trump" Check

Now I know number 3 will be like catnip to those of you who totally hate Trump. I get it. You think he is the devil.

I was excoriated when I posted that his convictions would HELP him in the election. Many voters saw what the cases were about and the main actors behind them and thought "No I am not having this."

Alvin Bragg and Tish James. Now i dont expect the audience on here (mostly living in England) to be familiar with the Manhattan DA and the Attorney General of the state of New York. Both are horrible human beings.

Bragg is a no bail guy and doesnt like locking up violent criminals. hell, when the radical students of Columbia university took control and unleashed mayhem and violence on its Manhattan campus he didnt prosectue anyone. They even used violence and held a poor working stiff janitor hostage! Nothing to see here.
James is the Attorney General of the state, an elected position. She got the nomination of the Democratic Party. A potted plant would win the office if they had a D at the end of their names! If we had an over/under bet on her IQ and the number was 90 I would bet my lungs out on the UNDER!!

I also predicted that his convictions would get overturned on appeal. I am certain the Appeals court in NY state is infested with rabid right wingers-NOT!

Also if Trump is Hitler, which is all we heard for months, how the hell can Harris certify his election?

I am telling you if the Democrats dont have more of an introspection about the direction of the party and its core positions they MIGHT NOT take back one of the houses of Congress in the mid term elections in 2026. That is if the elections will actually happen. Trump will do what Lenin did when Russia had free elections in 1917. When Lenin lost, he declared to results null and void and took power-SARCASM ALERT.

I find it almost painful hearing and watching the Democrats sniping at each other-especially the octogenarians Sanders/Pelosi/Schumer.

Question for Alvin Bragg. When you prosecuted the Trump organisation execs, why did you not include Trump?

 

[threespires]

Nothing really.

Even in the Transition period, Trump is trying to dictate things by saying Dem's shouldn't be allowed to make appointments in open positions, despite Trump's government making over 30 appointments after they lost the 2020 election (including Judge Aileen Cannon of the classified documents case).

He's also refusing to sign the updated Presidential Transition Act, which includes a whole raft of rules regarding donations to the transition fund, classified briefings and oversight of the transition of power.

Then there is reporting that he's told the Senate to be prepared for immediate recess in January, which essentially means he's free to make 'recess appointments' to key government positions without the need for Senate confirmation.

All sounds very 'dictotorial' in nature...

So as grim as it sounds on paper then?

I assume the leaning on the Senate majority leader candidates around recess appointments implies that some of his planned appointments will be so barking that he doesn't think he'll get them through his own party.

 

[Dax777]

It's a strange world. On the whole, the left and liberals champion immigration whereas the right tend to want much more controlled immigration. However, on the human side, economic immigrants tend to be risk takers and risk takers tend to be capitalists and capitalists tend to bend to the right. So it's probably not a shock, except to the left/liberals that so many immigrants and children of recent immigrants are actually right leaning.

While the above is true generally, I think In the particular case of Starr County the real issue is feeling the direct effects of illegal immigration themselves.

A lot of them probably moved to America for a better life and away from the cartels and lawless crimes. Only to now find themselves coming too frequently in contact with the crimes and control of the cartels they thought they had left behind.

 

[Trevor Morley's Tache]

So as grim as it sounds on paper then?

I assume the leaning on the Senate majority leader candidates around recess appointments implies that some of his planned appointments will be so barking that he doesn't think he'll get them through his own party.

I would not be surprised if there is pushback on more than a few of his nominations, but if he does manage to get away without going through the normal process it won't matter.

When he said 'dictator on day one' he wasn't joking.

 

[Palerider]

While the above is true generally, I think In the particular case of Starr County the real issue is feeling the direct effects of illegal immigration themselves.

A lot of them probably moved to America for a better life and away from the cartels and lawless crimes. Only to now find themselves coming too frequently in contact with the crimes and control of the cartels they thought they had left behind.

Are you saying the cartels are themselves emigrating and infiltrating into the area?