ELECTION 2023! Early Referendum on MAGA Shutdown?

[Rasulis]

First thing this morning, GOP lawyers filed their 5th or 6th lawsuit against Prop 50.

California Republicans filed two cases already in the state Supreme Court, and the state Supreme Court didn't even wait for the state of California to answer before dismissing them.

Rep. Ronny Jackson (R-TX) filed a lawsuit in Judge Matthew Kaczmarek's courthouse. As you know, Judge Kaczmarek is very conservative. He's oftentimes a place where if you're very conservative, you go to his courtroom and hope to get a hearing. It was dismissed.

Darrell Isa tried to file a lawsuit in the same Texas courthouse. It was dismissed.

I think I am missing one lawsuit somewhere.

I doubt #6 will fare any better.

The lawsuit argues that Proposition 50 constitutes unlawful racial gerrymandering in violation of the Fourteenth and Fifteenth Amendments. The suit targets 16 congressional districts that, according to the complaint, legislators have explicitly characterized as “Voting Rights Act districts” designed to “empower Latino voters to elect their candidates of choice.”

How is that bad? Even their lawsuit is racist.

[Fugus]

I figure all someone has to do is point to Texas and Trump for any argument of selective enforcement on this one.

Edit: and also point out that the new maps only go into effect if Texas maps do.

[gondrin]

First thing this morning, GOP lawyers filed their 5th or 6th lawsuit against Prop 50.

California Republicans filed two cases already in the state Supreme Court, and the state Supreme Court didn't even wait for the state of California to answer before dismissing them.

Rep. Ronny Jackson (R-TX) filed a lawsuit in Judge Matthew Kaczmarek's courthouse. As you know, Judge Kaczmarek is very conservative. He's oftentimes a place where if you're very conservative, you go to his courtroom and hope to get a hearing. It was dismissed.

Darrell Isa tried to file a lawsuit in the same Texas courthouse. It was dismissed.

I think I am missing one lawsuit somewhere.

I doubt #6 will fare any better.



How is that bad? Even their lawsuit is racist.

I can do nothing but laugh at them for even trying. Isa is one thing. He is a Representative of California and, on a long shot, could possibly sue and have standing due to the fact he is from there. But Jackson or anyone from any other state literally has no standing as they are not directly harmed, or even indirectly, by said ballot measure. None. As ballot measures in one state that only effect that state will have no standing of any kind to be sued in any other court, federal or otherwise as federal courts usually only deal with appeals(gotta go to the right venue for that which would be the 9th circuit, not the 5th circuit).

And that is one of the actual requirements to sue. Someone has to show actual damages done to them. Right now, no Republican can actually show this. Not in California(potential for harm generally isn't a grounds to sue unless it is something that is imminent) or anywhere else.

- - - Updated - - -

I figure all someone has to do is point to Texas and Trump for any argument of selective enforcement on this one.

Edit: and also point out that the new maps only go into effect if Texas maps do.

And that is the thing here. If people from Texas can sue for this, then people from California can sue due to Texas doing their maps like they did.

[Fugus]

And that is the thing here. If people from Texas can sue for this, then people from California can sue due to Texas doing their maps like they did

Can imagine them losing across the board in the midterms even with gerrymandered districts and watch them try to sue claiming all of them were illegal including their own to have the results thrown out.

[alach]

I have a theory.
Mandami and trump are two sides of the same coin.
They both rose to power by an electorate that was sick of the status quo. Their policies are complete opposites but they are both the (nearly) extreme ends of each political side. Mandami is the left version of trump and if that theory rings true, expect to see alot of him over the next decade.
Both of them seem to shine a light on a subject that is discussed many times here, people just want substantive change in their politics.

[Cthulhu 2020]

You're misremembering history more than just a little, boyo.

I don't recall very many people being so sure about a victory, let alone a landslide.

Most of us were hopeful, maybe even somewhat optimistic, but definitely not sure.

And Trump didn't win because of Project 2025 or shady contacts with local politicians, he won because too many people who should have known better acted stupidly in the face of their recent economic uncertainty.

It was, yet again, a relatively narrow victory.

Yeah, it was narrow, but Trump is still president and has all 3 branches of government basically under his thumb.

But also, yes, there was A LOT of hopium copium on this very forum. Of course people weren't 100% sure but the way people were posting on here you'd think they were. Whenever I entered the conversation of "KAMALA'S GONNA WIN BY A LANDSLIDE BLUE TIDAL WAVE!" I was always called a doomposter (numerous times from numerous posters) because I didn't join in the revelry of our soon to be elected first female president, and instead felt incredibly cautious about all of the language Trump was using like saying he didn't need his party's votes and how they had "everything handled", among numerous other tells that was basically just them screaming they'd rigged things behind the scenes.

Trump and co. got caught in 2020 trying to rig the election, but failed BECAUSE they were caught. I'm sure it happened in 2024 as well, but who's going to investigate it? Certainly not the current executive. Do people seriously think the fascists just gave up on cheating in elections after being caught in 2020, or do you perhaps think that they just got smarter?

The blue wave across the country certainly is hopeful, but if they were gonna cheat on elections do you think they'd do it in what are in the grand scheme, relatively minor issues? Let's wait and see if a blue tsunami can overcome tampering, but I get to gloat on here if the 2026 federal elections return another "completely unexpected" MAGA victory.

[s_bushido]

I have a theory.
Mandami and trump are two sides of the same coin.
They both rose to power by an electorate that was sick of the status quo. Their policies are complete opposites but they are both the (nearly) extreme ends of each political side. Mandami is the left version of trump and if that theory rings true, expect to see alot of him over the next decade.
Both of them seem to shine a light on a subject that is discussed many times here, people just want substantive change in their politics.

I don't like the comparison, because the only difference between Trump and the status quo he was supposedly set against was that he was just more open and vile about his stupidity and incompetence. Rather than hiding it behind a veneer of civility and political experience. Because otherwise, he represented everything that the GOP already stood for. The only exception being his obvious irreligiosity...which didn't matter since they elevated him to the level of messiah anyway.

If Mamdani becomes a prominent figure, it will be because he demonstrated that you can win running with labels that Republicans have been demonizing for decades. So other Democratic hopefuls should not shy away from them, and the geriatric out-of-touch DNC should get the fuck out of the way. I wouldn't be surprised if he struggles to make any substantive change because of resistance from within his own party more than anything, though.

[Relapses]

I have a theory.
Mandami and trump are two sides of the same coin.
They both rose to power by an electorate that was sick of the status quo. Their policies are complete opposites but they are both the (nearly) extreme ends of each political side. Mandami is the left version of trump and if that theory rings true, expect to see alot of him over the next decade.
Both of them seem to shine a light on a subject that is discussed many times here, people just want substantive change in their politics.

Your "theory" would only hold value if Mamdani were to be elected into a position of meaningful power then did anything remotely as polarizing as Trump has done. You only need to look at all the fucking retards calling him a "jihadist" on X to understand that the rest of the electorate is in no way, shape or form ready to elect another brown man of Muslim faith into a position of power. More to the point, however, he won't be able to do anything controversial in his role as mayor since capital interests are still going to reign supreme at the end of the day. His victory is performative, just as his policies will be.

[Elenos]

I really don't get the importance here of these elections.

Democrats won in Blue States, actually scratch that except for VA they are all Deep Blue States.

It's like cheering for a GOP candidate winning in....Alabama. It's exceptional if result goes otherwise.

[alach]

Funny, that is exactly what Mike Johnson was saying on tv right now.
But if you really want to know, it sends a pretty strong message, like in New York,

That did not stop New Yorkers from voting for Mamdani, however. On Tuesday night, when 91 percent of votes had been counted, his tally of 1,036,051 votes was already the highest any New York mayoral candidate has won since 1965, when Republican John Lindsay secured 1,149,106 votes, according to the city’s records.

New Jersey over performed by a wide margin..

Democrats also won the New Jersey governorship, where Rep. Mikie Sherrill decisively defeated Republican businessman Jack Ciattarelli in a race that had been a dead heat in public polls.

“It was a bloodbath. It’s a disastrous night for Republicans in the state, and I think nationally folks should probably heed some warnings as well,” said Mike DuHaime, a longtime New Jersey GOP strategist and former Republican National Committee political director. “It shows there’s some discontent certainly with the current administration and it shows that candidates and campaigns matter as well.”

Other data shows that 3/4s of the Dem voters were actually voting against trump, and in one race the margin changed by over 16 pts - from a Republican +2 to a Dem +14.
That is why is matters. You don't need a crystal ball to see the future on this one.

[Elenos]

Other data shows that 3/4s of the Dem voters were actually voting against trump, and in one race the margin changed by over 16 pts - from a Republican +2 to a Dem +14.
That is why is matters. You don't need a crystal ball to see the future on this one.

Alright and?

Want me to be impressed Deep Blue places voted...Deep Blue?

Another thing to also say on this: Local elections just that: local. You don't vote a mayor for his party. A lot of people vote a mayor for basic stuff like rent, street signs, bus stations, cleaning etc.

There are of course significant aspects of this for the GOP. Largely due to VA: It shows the GOP has a very serious problem: The people who win primaries are bad candidates.

[Ivanstone]

I really don't get the importance here of these elections.

Democrats won in Blue States, actually scratch that except for VA they are all Deep Blue States.

It's like cheering for a GOP candidate winning in....Alabama. It's exceptional if result goes otherwise.

There wasn’t a lot of red state elections happening but the Dems won those as well as rural GOP counties in blue states.

[Milchshake]

We're getting MAGA Copium from Europe....

It only begs two questions;
How many turnips per post?
Whats the tarriff rate for re-importing MAGA talking points?

[gondrin]

Alright and?

Want me to be impressed Deep Blue places voted...Deep Blue?

Another thing to also say on this: Local elections just that: local. You don't vote a mayor for his party. A lot of people vote a mayor for basic stuff like rent, street signs, bus stations, cleaning etc.

There are of course significant aspects of this for the GOP. Largely due to VA: It shows the GOP has a very serious problem: The people who win primaries are bad candidates.

I mean, there is the fact that Mississippi lost their supermajority in their legislature.

[s_bushido]

Alright and?

Want me to be impressed Deep Blue places voted...Deep Blue?

Double digit gains in the Virginia legislature and breaking the supermajority in Mississippi seem pretty impressive to me. But then, I'm not desperate to pretend that the GOP isn't staring down the barrel right now. Of a gun that they've decided to point at their own heads through their fealty to an incompetent buffoon.

[Kathandira]

I really don't get the importance here of these elections.

Democrats won in Blue States, actually scratch that except for VA they are all Deep Blue States.

It's like cheering for a GOP candidate winning in....Alabama. It's exceptional if result goes otherwise.

The only state I have a deep understanding of, is NJ since I lived there for 44 years. I left this year.

NJ has a history of going back and forth with governors. While it is seen as a blue state, it flips often enough.

The major FM radio talk program has been pushing a conservative narrative during prime time radio hours. Morning and Evening commutes. Their own morning host was running for office. Conservatives have gained a lot of ground in NJ, and this election was quite important as it had a very real possibility of flipping.

[Rasulis]

The only state I have a deep understanding of, is NJ since I lived there for 44 years. I left this year.

NJ has a history of going back and forth with governors. While it is seen as a blue state, it flips often enough.

The major FM radio talk program has been pushing a conservative narrative during prime time radio hours. Morning and Evening commutes. Their own morning host was running for office. Conservatives have gained a lot of ground in NJ, and this election was quite important as it had a very real possibility of flipping.

Latino is NJ, which contributed to Trump's near victory in NJ in 2024, swung hard toward Democrats. Will Latinos in Texas border towns and in Florida vote differently in 2026 than Latinos in New Jersey did this year? Don't know. However, Texas and Florida were two of the states hardest hit by ICE arrests. Especially Texas.

[PACOX]

What is that conservative cope/talking point? The Left and Democrats not only won high seats, that had strong state sweeps too. It's indictive if voter opinions that people would even come out in an off year. Whenever voters show up, left adjacent agenda policies and people are elected. Try to cope all you want, people have spoken.

[s_bushido]

What is that conservative cope/talking point?

Idk. Johnson was still saying the same shit the other day, complete with his pathetic "DEMOCRAT SHUTDOWN" sign on his podium, so I have no idea if they've decided on one yet.

[DarkTZeratul]

Alright and?

Want me to be impressed Deep Blue places voted...Deep Blue?

Another thing to also say on this: Local elections just that: local.

If that's all you're focusing on, is the results themselves and whether they will have a direct impact, of course it's going to seem like a big lot of nothing. But those handful of high-profile elections the poll mentions, that everyone knows about, those weren't the only elections happening. There were hundreds of (yes, small, local) elections going on.

The Republicans lost virtually across the board. Moms for Liberty, the group that's been running for things like school board in order to ban LGBT books? They ran 31 candidates across various cities and states and every single one lost. And that includes all of their candidates who they'd already put into office, who were now up for reelection, and just got booted out. Maine passed a gun reform bill! Democrats broke the Republicans' 13-year supermajority in the Mississippi legislature!

And you also can't lose sight of the fact that this is an off-year election. Turn-out in such cases is historically incredibly low. This year? Turn-out was at record highs.

Yes, the individual results themselves may mean very little. But taken as a whole, this America telling Republicans to fuck off writ large.