Mega-Thread: Trump Focused Discussion

[Kaleredar]

This is really the one thing about the biden run that I had not really thought about during the primaries. After all this time trump still can't really find any mud or handle that sticks to biden because he is such a known centrist nobody believes any of it.

I think Biden was, legitimately, the most likely democrat candidate to be elected among the pool of nominees.

Like I said, you see Trump going hard on trying to paint Biden as some secret socialist. And he can't even point at any real direct policy or actions that Biden is supporting beyond, as Redwyrm noted, the generic anti-democrat republican attack of "omg they wanna raise ur taxes," and so have to construct this conspiracy where Biden, an established politician with a fairly straightforward track record, and his former district district attorney vice president are somehow the "tools of the secret far left," a political cult led by Bernie Sanders, an independent, and AOC, a fresh congresswomen, who have nonetheless wormed their way into influencing Biden to secretly do... whatever insidious things the "radical left" ostensibly wants to do. But Trump is still attempting to do just that. If Bernie or hell, even someone like Warren had won the nomination? ALL of that work would already be done for Trump. It would be yet another uphill battle they'd have to fight, whilst also trying to tamp down Trump's rantings and ravings.

Why? Because "socialist" for many in America is still a big scary word that they shy away from, regardless of how well you try to explain it or add subtlety or context. They'll prefer to "err on the side of caution" and say no when it comes to potentially "socialist" candidates or policies, and Trump will... hell, IS, feeding right into that notion that socialism is some grand boogeyman to be avoided at all costs and dismissed without second thought. So, in essence, you need to dress these policies up as something far more palatable, both in legal presentation and the person presenting them, and pass them that way... like medicare, farm subsidies, and all the other absolutely socialist things that the American government engages in and has engaged in for decades. But they're never presented as socialism, and that's why such programs are favored.

At this point it should be pretty clear that this race isn't about "firing up the democratic base." It's not about getting all the hipsters in Seattle to get off their unicycles and show up at the polls; it's about getting the far more moderate, and far more numerous, people in the swing states to get to the polls and reject Trump. And, if the polls are anything to go by, Biden leads by considerable margins, running not on radical change or "sticking it to the billionaires" but by running on being a solid candidate that will competently lead the country in stark contrast to Trump's shitshow.

And if Trump's plans with the USPS and such are clear, it's that he isn't counting on winning this election legitimately. I don't feel any other democratic candidate would have been "better suited" in dealing with Trump's attempted mail-in ballot malfeasance, which appears to be the only avenue Trump has left for victory at this point.

[Corvus]

During his balcony talk, Trump can be seen with bandages on his hand. They seem to be in the right spot for where a drip would be inserted.

[TheramoreIsTheBomb]

Trump was gonna wear a superman t shirt under his dress shirt and open it up like clark kent

[Breccia]

During his balcony talk, Trump can be seen with bandages on his hand. They seem to be in the right spot for where a drip would be inserted.

Old people heal slowly. He could have gotten those ages ago.

[Kaleredar]

Speaking of which, Trump says Biden is "weak on socialism." Which, the way Trump usually uses this, is to signal that the person is not supporting it strongly enough, as he does with the 2A and so on. So he's actually complaining that Biden isn't enough of a socialist here.

Which is probably an actual complaint because he needs him to be more socialist to successfully attack him lol

I think Trump’s bigly vocabulary might mean that he’s implying Biden isn’t “tough enough” on socialism, as in “he’s not hard enough on stopping the evil socialists from trying to take over the Democratic Party”

[Breccia]

Federal judge rejects Trump suit to block ballot drop boxes in Pennsylvania

Sounds like Texas.

[Hinastorm]

Is the president.....ok?.....Can someone check on him....?

https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/...98881126625280

"Joe Biden is a PUPPET of CASTRO-CHAVISTAS like Crazy Bernie, AOC and Castro-lover Karen Bass. Biden is supported by socialist Gustavo Petro, a major LOSER and former M-19 guerrilla leader. Biden is weak on socialism and will betray Colombia. I stand with you!"

Just, what the fuck.

[szechuan]

The Taliban endorses Trump!

[Fugus]

I think Biden was, legitimately, the most likely democrat candidate to be elected among the pool of nominees.

Like I said, you see Trump going hard on trying to paint Biden as some secret socialist. And he can't even point at any real direct policy or actions that Biden is supporting beyond, as Redwyrm noted, the generic anti-democrat republican attack of "omg they wanna raise ur taxes," and so have to construct this conspiracy where Biden, an established politician with a fairly straightforward track record, and his former district district attorney vice president are somehow the "tools of the secret far left," a political cult led by Bernie Sanders, an independent, and AOC, a fresh congresswomen, who have nonetheless wormed their way into influencing Biden to secretly do... whatever insidious things the "radical left" ostensibly wants to do. But Trump is still attempting to do just that. If Bernie or hell, even someone like Warren had won the nomination? ALL of that work would already be done for Trump. It would be yet another uphill battle they'd have to fight, whilst also trying to tamp down Trump's rantings and ravings.

Why? Because "socialist" for many in America is still a big scary word that they shy away from, regardless of how well you try to explain it or add subtlety or context. They'll prefer to "err on the side of caution" and say no when it comes to potentially "socialist" candidates or policies, and Trump will... hell, IS, feeding right into that notion that socialism is some grand boogeyman to be avoided at all costs and dismissed without second thought. So, in essence, you need to dress these policies up as something far more palatable, both in legal presentation and the person presenting them, and pass them that way... like medicare, farm subsidies, and all the other absolutely socialist things that the American government engages in and has engaged in for decades. But they're never presented as socialism, and that's why such programs are favored.

At this point it should be pretty clear that this race isn't about "firing up the democratic base." It's not about getting all the hipsters in Seattle to get off their unicycles and show up at the polls; it's about getting the far more moderate, and far more numerous, people in the swing states to get to the polls and reject Trump. And, if the polls are anything to go by, Biden leads by considerable margins, running not on radical change or "sticking it to the billionaires" but by running on being a solid candidate that will competently lead the country in stark contrast to Trump's shitshow.

And if Trump's plans with the USPS and such are clear, it's that he isn't counting on winning this election legitimately. I don't feel any other democratic candidate would have been "better suited" in dealing with Trump's attempted mail-in ballot malfeasance, which appears to be the only avenue Trump has left for victory at this point.

As a person who supported Bernie Sanders and still do, I hate to say it, but I am thinking you are right. While Sanders would logically be the better person to get that spot, too many seem to fear the term socialism even without knowing what it means or even relying on it themselves. Taking a facebook break just because I was enjoying messing with them too much with facts that they disliked to watch them react.

If Sanders had won, they were be fearful for their lives because of all the BS they have conned themselves into believing, it isn't about facts or reality to them, it is all about feelings and fantasies. And while Biden is a crap option overall, none of those labels can stick to him really. By the US metrics, he is about as right leaning a Democrat as you can find and the primaries have shown the the older voters are still the main ones to show up.

My nieces and nephews won't be able to grow up in the America they deserve because of it, but hopefully they can clean up our generations and our parents generations mess so that their children can.

[xmirrors]

Bernie was what I wanted, but isn't what we needed. The country needs to heal after Trump to try and mend the division, not take a full swing into progressivism. Baby steps.

[Kaleredar]

As a person who supported Bernie Sanders and still do, I hate to say it, but I am thinking you are right. While Sanders would logically be the better person to get that spot, too many seem to fear the term socialism even without knowing what it means or even relying on it themselves. Taking a facebook break just because I was enjoying messing with them too much with facts that they disliked to watch them react.

If Sanders had won, they were be fearful for their lives because of all the BS they have conned themselves into believing, it isn't about facts or reality to them, it is all about feelings and fantasies. And while Biden is a crap option overall, none of those labels can stick to him really. By the US metrics, he is about as right leaning a Democrat as you can find and the primaries have shown the the older voters are still the main ones to show up.

My nieces and nephews won't be able to grow up in the America they deserve because of it, but hopefully they can clean up our generations and our parents generations mess so that their children can.

Simply imagine Bernie Sanders standing on a stage opposite Trump during a debate.

Bernie is doing his damndest to explain his policies in a subtle, nuanced and palatable way to get his point across.

And Trump, the entire time, will be standing opposite him saying (and I encourage you to read this in your most Trumpian inner voice) "no, wrong, the socialism... it doesn't work, it's never worked... look at Venezuela, you want to make America like Venezuela... They don't have the moochers that we have in the scandanavian countries, too many people would be exploiting the system, folks he wants to raise your taxes, he wants to tax the job creators so that you don't have the jobs, he's going to pay the lazy people not to work and take your money... the... it... the healthcare wont work, it'll have the death panels... you'll see that... you see, they have these systems in socialist countries where they decide who lives and dies because the hospitals are so crowded, you can't get in there to get treatment when you're sick because all of the welfare queens are in there, and your grandma... she needs a new liver, but no, the unemployed woman with the eight kids Bernie wants you to pay for is in the operating room instead because one of her little brats stubbed his toe... the medicare... the medicaid... it isn't socialism because the people WORKED for their money, you just want to give money to the moochers for free..." And he's basically just shouting that into the air waves for an hour and a half.

Basically, Trump would be vomiting up a word soup of buzz-word talking points faster than Bernie would be able to redress any of them. And even if Bernie does, trump will have seeded the idea that all of these evil socialist things will happen under Bernie. That would be the takeaway. He'll paint the image of a scary, unknown socialist America under Bernie that's worse than the shitshow of a presidency Trump's been leading, because, in effect, at least "people will know what to expect under Trump."

Biden is running on not being Trump. I think people misunderstand how powerful of a platform that is. By that merit he has Trump on the defense, somewhere that Trump hates to be. Trump and co. are trying desperately to paint Biden as a socialist because it gives Trump leverage to attack, the only place he can hope to make any ground. And Biden and Harris so far have been shirking such accusations like water off a duck's back, keeping the focus on things like Trump's taxes, his failed coronavirus response, and so forth, because they can stand back and say, demonstrably and with zero place for debate, that Trump is really fucking that stuff up. And the stuff they say Trump is fucking up is in the news constantly. There's no vague ephemera to be argued for, like with Bernie's policies.

[Draco-Onis]

Simply imagine Bernie Sanders standing on a stage opposite Trump during a debate.

Bernie is doing his damndest to explain his policies in a subtle, nuanced and palatable way to get his point across.

And Trump, the entire time, will be standing opposite him saying (and I encourage you to read this in your most Trumpian inner voice) "no, wrong, the socialism... it doesn't work, it's never worked... look at Venezuela, you want to make America like Venezuela... They don't have the moochers that we have in the scandanavian countries, too many people would be exploiting the system, folks he wants to raise your taxes, he wants to tax the job creators so that you don't have the jobs, he's going to pay the lazy people not to work and take your money... the... it... the healthcare wont work, it'll have the death panels... you'll see that... you see, they have these systems in socialist countries where they decide who lives and dies because the hospitals are so crowded, you can't get in there to get treatment when you're sick because all of the welfare queens are in there, and your grandma... she needs a new liver, but no, the unemployed woman with the eight kids Bernie wants you to pay for is in the operating room instead because one of her little brats stubbed his toe... the medicare... the medicaid... it isn't socialism because the people WORKED for their money, you just want to give money to the moochers for free..." And he's basically just shouting that into the air waves for an hour and a half.

Basically, Trump would be vomiting up a word soup of buzz-word talking points faster than Bernie would be able to redress any of them. And even if Bernie does, trump will have seeded the idea that all of these evil socialist things will happen under Bernie. That would be the takeaway. He'll paint the image of a scary, unknown socialist America under Bernie that's worse than the shitshow of a presidency Trump's been leading, because, in effect, at least "people will know what to expect under Trump."

Biden is running on not being Trump. I think people misunderstand how powerful of a platform that is. By that merit he has Trump on the defense, somewhere that Trump hates to be. Trump and co. are trying desperately to paint Biden as a socialist because it gives Trump leverage to attack, the only place he can hope to make any ground. And Biden and Harris so far have been shirking such accusations like water off a duck's back, keeping the focus on things like Trump's taxes, his failed coronavirus response, and so forth, because they can stand back and say, demonstrably and with zero place for debate, that Trump is really fucking that stuff up. And the stuff they say Trump is fucking up is in the news constantly. There's no vague ephemera to be argued for, like with Bernie's policies.

I disagree not because Trump wouldn't do what you said he would but because I think Trump has proven policies really don't matter anymore. If you were right Biden would be winning this by double digits easy win no sweat off our back but this race is coming down to the margin of error in the deciding states. Also if you have not noticed the reason Trump is doing badly it is because of Trump even with all the bad things he did if he acted presidential for 6 months he would be cruising to victory.

Trump isn't the problem and I am worried after he is gone people will think things are solved when the rot that put him in office will still be around.

[Fugus]

I disagree not because Trump wouldn't do what you said he would but because I think Trump has proven policies really don't matter anymore. If you were right Biden would be winning this by double digits easy win no sweat off our back but this race is coming down to the margin of error in the deciding states. Also if you have not noticed the reason Trump is doing badly it is because of Trump even with all the bad things he did if he acted presidential for 6 months he would be cruising to victory.

Trump isn't the problem and I am worried after he is gone people will think things are solved when the rot that put him in office will still be around.

It's not about policy to Trumps most devout followers, the guy could rape a child in full public view and just call it fake news and they would still support him and the Republican politicians would as well because of that.

To the uninformed who aren't that devout though, while they know Trump is shit, they have been conditioned to fear the dreaded socialism even more so. Kinda like how Japan told its citizens that the Americans would rape and torture them and their families if they came while we were at war with them. While it was largely false (Warcrimes aside), the fear was there and they feared that more than death itself and would rather commit suicide or shoot their own kids to spare them that fate. That is the level of fear we have with that word and many who dislike Trump. That is why it would be worse.

I know Sanders has better policies and all but that fear keeps him back.

[Draco-Onis]

It's not about policy to Trumps most devout followers, the guy could rape a child in full public view and just call it fake news and they would still support him and the Republican politicians would as well because of that.

To the uninformed who aren't that devout though, while they know Trump is shit, they have been conditioned to fear the dreaded socialism even more so. Kinda like how Japan told its citizens that the Americans would rape and torture them and their families if they came while we were at war with them. While it was largely false (Warcrimes aside), the fear was there and they feared that more than death itself and would rather commit suicide or shoot their own kids to spare them that fate. That is the level of fear we have with that word and many who dislike Trump. That is why it would be worse.

I know Sanders has better policies and all but that fear keeps him back.

That is false his base is 33-35 percent far lower than his approval rating and the amount he is losing by. Biden isn't beating Trump, Trump is currently making himself lose. We got lucky with Trump imagine if he was a wise anything he would be crowned king of the USA already.

Here is my fear Biden takes office fails to shore up democracy in the name of bipartisanship and we are in a worse situation down the road. If Trump proved anything it is that our system is broken and a large chunk of the population are idiots.

[Kaleredar]

I disagree not because Trump wouldn't do what you said he would but because I think Trump has proven policies really don't matter anymore. If you were right Biden would be winning this by double digits easy win no sweat off our back but this race is coming down to the margin of error in the deciding states. Also if you have not noticed the reason Trump is doing badly it is because of Trump even with all the bad things he did if he acted presidential for 6 months he would be cruising to victory.

Trump isn't the problem and I am worried after he is gone people will think things are solved when the rot that put him in office will still be around.

I don't disagree with your assertion that Trump is a symptom and not the main cause. But if you have a bleeding wound from a gunshot, you stop the bleeding first, then remove the bullet.

But as you note, Trump isn't about "policy," he has none and has no such room for such subtlety. He will not allow a space in which policy, which is what Bernie was running on, to exist, as I outlined in my little hypothetical debate there.

Biden isn't running as much on policy (which, let's be clear, he does actually have) as much as on "I'm not Trump, the raving shitgibbon. Under him, these things are shit. Under me, they won't be, because I wont do the stupid shit he's doing." An angle that needs no real belabored explanations or nuanced policy discussions or selling of big ideas that have an uphill fight against a decades-long curated stigma of socialist boogeymen in the minds of many Americans.

As for why Biden "isn't winning harder," well, the republican party has gone full party-of-Trump. They've thrown every resource and politician into supporting him in lock (goose) step, basically cementing their base behind him. They don't actually view Trump's presidency as a failure; they view it as a success, or that "the bad things Trump does and says are worth his support of our single-button conservative issues" that Biden wouldn't have ever realistically drawn them away from, because they have a hard on for "no new taxes" or want the repeal of Roe v. Wade, or some other such hard-lined conservative policy. And Bernie's policies certainly weren't going to pull them away either. So that means the vast majority of Republican voters who still make up just shy of almost half the voting base of the US... were always going to vote for Trump.

[Draco-Onis]

I don't disagree with your assertion that Trump is a symptom and not the main cause. But if you have a bleeding wound from a gunshot, you stop the bleeding first, then remove the bullet.

But as you note, Trump isn't about "policy," he has none and has no such room for such subtlety. He will not allow a space in which policy, which is what Bernie was running on, to exist, as I outlined in my little hypothetical debate there.

Biden isn't running as much on policy (which, let's be clear, he does actually have) as much as on "I'm not Trump, the raving shitgibbon. Under him, these things are shit. Under me, they won't be, because I wont do the stupid shit he's doing." An angle that needs no real belabored explanations or nuanced policy discussions or selling of big ideas that have an uphill fight against a decades-long curated stigma of socialist boogeymen in the minds of many Americans.

As for why Biden "isn't winning harder," well, the republican party has gone full party-of-Trump. They've thrown every resource and politician into supporting him in lock (goose) step, basically cementing their base behind him. They don't actually view Trump's presidency as a failure; they view it as a success, or that "the bad things Trump does and says are worth his support of our single-button conservative issues" that Biden wouldn't have ever realistically drawn them away from, because they have a hard on for "no new taxes" or want the repeal of Roe v. Wade, or some other such hard-lined conservative policy. And Bernie's policies certainly weren't going to pull them away either. So that means the vast majority of Republican voters who still make up just shy of almost half the voting base of the US... were always going to vote for Trump.

Yes the base but that doesn't make sense because the numbers don't add up. If he has proven nearly half the country is right wing then we are more fucked. It means those "independent" are really Republicans in the closet.

[jonnysensible]

You guys ever heard of Lifton? seems to be what some of you are talking about, ill just rip the wik (much better to read the whole book or use more detalied sources) :

"Eight Criteria for Thought Reform":

Milieu Control. This involves the control of information and communication both within the environment and, ultimately, within the individual, resulting in a significant degree of isolation from society at large.

Mystical Manipulation. The manipulation of experiences that appears spontaneous but is, in fact, planned and orchestrated by the group or its leaders in order to demonstrate divine authority, spiritual advancement, or some exceptional talent or insight that sets the leader and/or group apart from humanity, and that allows reinterpretation of historical events, scripture, and other experiences. Coincidences and happenstance oddities are interpreted as omens or prophecies.

Demand for Purity. The world is viewed as black and white and the members are constantly exhorted to conform to the ideology of the group and strive for perfection. The induction of guilt and/or shame is a powerful control device used here.

Confession. Sins, as defined by the group, are to be confessed either to a personal monitor or publicly to the group. There is no confidentiality; members' "sins," "attitudes," and "faults" are discussed and exploited by the leaders.

Sacred Science. The group's doctrine or ideology is considered to be the ultimate Truth, beyond all questioning or dispute. Truth is not to be found outside the group. The leader, as the spokesperson for God or for all humanity, is likewise above criticism.

Loading the Language. The group interprets or uses words and phrases in new ways so that often the outside world does not understand. This jargon consists of thought-terminating clichés, which serve to alter members' thought processes to conform to the group's way of thinking.

Doctrine over person. Members' personal experiences are subordinated to the sacred science and any contrary experiences must be denied or reinterpreted to fit the ideology of the group.

Dispensing of existence. The group has the prerogative to decide who has the right to exist and who does not. This is usually not literal but means that those in the outside world are not saved, unenlightened, unconscious and they must be converted to the group's ideology. If they do not join the group or are critical of the group, then they must be rejected by the members. Thus, the outside world loses all credibility. In conjunction, should any member leave the group, he or she must be rejected also.


Alot of this fits in with our resident trump supporters who have dispatched thier critical thinking skills and covered themselves in Trumps blankey to feel safe/powerful.

Id say Qanon is currently at 8. Alot of this has to do with rejection of our shared reality.

[Benggaul]

50,876 new cases, which is slightly higher than last Saturday, however Florida reported no numbers at all (explanation below) so based on their numbers and trends for the past weeks I'm going to unofficially add 3k to that. That's 4 days of hefty increases from last week.

Texas: 3,324 new cases; 63 deaths
California: 3,114 new cases; 66 deaths
Fuck Florida.
Illinois: 2,905 new cases; 30 deaths
Wisconsin: 2,742 new cases; 18 deaths
Missouri: 2,394 new cases; 27 deaths
North Carolina: 2,321 new cases; 18 deaths
Indiana: 1,918 new cases (new record); 21 deaths
Michigan: 1,648 new cases; 19 deaths
Tennessee: 1,646 new cases; 26 deaths
Oklahoma: 1,533 new cases; 4 deaths
Minnesota: 1,516 new cases (new record); 10 deaths
Pennsylvania: 1,452 new cases; 33 deaths
New York: 1,425 new cases; 6 deaths
Utah: 1,354 new cases; 5 deaths
Ohio: 1,334 new cases; 4 deaths
Virginia: 1,256 new cases; 10 deaths
Georgia: 1,237 new cases; 45 deaths
Iowa: 1,108 new cases; 14 deaths
Nebraska: 1,085 new cases (new record); 5 deaths
Alabama: 1,061 new cases; 11 deaths
Colorado: 1,023 new cases (new record); 9 deaths

Dude, fucking Nebraska? I mean, I'm fairly sure that's partially a correction since they reported nothing a couple days ago, but even so they would be approaching 1k (much like North and South Dakota are doing) and that's nuts for such a low pop state. The Midwest is infecting everyone around them. This is the first time Colorado has ever had more than 1k cases and their previous high was set back in April. Oklahoma is nearing the record they set after Trump's Tulsa rally. Once again new records are being set and totals are approaching previous records. Florida reported absolutely nothing today because apparently the Helix lab they get results from dumped a shitload of info (including numerous doubles) on their desk and it's going to take them a while to sort through it all:

"Last night, the Department of Health received approximately 400,000 previously reported COVID-19 test results from Helix Laboratory — a private lab that is not affiliated with the state of Florida," the agency wrote in a press release that directed calls to the spokesman for Gov. Ron DeSantis.

"The massive size of the data file and the need to de-duplicate hundreds of thousands of results prevented the Department of Health's automatic reporting system from processing yesterday's results as it normally does," the release said, promising the report would resume Sunday.

The reporting issue, DOH said, does not affect notification of individual results, which comes directly from the lab to the patient.

The Helix lab issue reported Saturday is not the first time the state has had issues with a lab.

I'm not entirely sure DeSantis isn't also somehow to blame given how much he's fumbled everything else about the COVID-19 response there but I can't prove anything in this instance.

The death tally for today is 635, but that's not including the normal number from Florida which would be somewhere around 90-100 (on a Saturday). Adding that up would make it slightly lower than last Saturday but not by much. The official (without Florida) national total is now 219,282. Right now we're hitting around 5k deaths per week. Next week might be about the same...but I'm thinking it's going to be going back up shortly after that. These are not numbers a "first world country" should be happy about.

Related news:

Trump hosts another superspreader event. That link might not be correct.
Senate GOP are worried about the price tag of COVID-19 relief--proposed by the White House. Fuck those assholes. People STILL want to claim Dems are the problem?
Vet care centers are again getting ravaged by COVID-19. Seriously, if you're a vet and you're still voting for Trump after the way this administration has treated the pandemic because you're a "single issue voter" then you're probably scum.

Stay safe, folks.

[Kaleredar]

Yes the base but that doesn't make sense because the numbers don't add up. If he has proven nearly half the country is right wing then we are more fucked. It means those "independent" are really Republicans in the closet.

I think the numbers of who leans where is pretty clear. And it paints the image that the democrats are indeed more popular in the United States, and that the republicans, through various means, have strong-armed their way into retaining much more power than is due to them.

But look at the demographics. The only demographic Trump holds a majority approval rating in is among white, non-college educated men. That demographic is shrinking, and the republican party has not been attracting any others.

I honestly think that breaking up the ways that republicans have been able to weasel their way into undue power and influence is politically paramount. Because, as we saw with Obamacare, any flashy policy, socialist-leaning or otherwise, can just be repealed (and they WILL try and repeal it) by any incoming republican government. So stopping them from obtaining that power when they circumvent the will of the people will do a lot more in the long run than spending all political capital on flashy legislation that may last only four years.

[Eviscero]

I think the numbers of who leans where is pretty clear. And it paints the image that the democrats are indeed more popular in the United States, and that the republicans, through various means, have strong-armed their way into retaining much more power than is due to them.

But look at the demographics. The only demographic Trump holds a majority approval rating in is among white, non-college educated men. That demographic is shrinking, and the republican party has not been attracting any others.

I honestly think that breaking up the ways that republicans have been able to weasel their way into undue power and influence is politically paramount. Because, as we saw with Obamacare, any flashy policy, socialist-leaning or otherwise, can just be repealed (and they WILL try and repeal it) by any incoming republican government. So stopping them from obtaining that power when they circumvent the will of the people will do a lot more in the long run than spending all political capital on flashy legislation that may last only four years.

This. However I also agree with Pelosi, the US needs a strong, principled conservative party. The Republicans are no longer viable in this role. Hopefully an implosion if the Republican party will make space for something that actually strengthens democracy, and doesn't try to subvert it at every turn.