[Special Moderation] Why I'm excited to vote Republican this cycle.

[immamac 42837]

I'm starting 2 of these threads and I'm going to moderate them pretty differently than all other threads, because I think it will give a forum to talk about the reasons why instead of just nonsensical rooting for it against. 

These aren't discussion threads, they are more observational. That's not to say some discussion won't happen in them, but this isn't a circle jerk rallying thread this is a thread to put your thoughts. So less back and forth, but building on other opinions/positions is fine. 

This is also not a thread for you to come in and tell everyone why they are stupid there are other threads for that.  

A few rules:

1) No clarifying questions that involve justification are allowed. (Example: I am pro life/choice cannot be clarified by "but what about a woman's rights" but can be clarified by "are there any exclusions to that position")

2) No "fact checking" or any other discussion around the stated reason why. This isn't a thread to pursuade or dissuade people, it's why you are excited. 

3) No negging of other candidates as a valid reason why. (Example: "I'm voting for xxx because I hate yyy") 

4) No tweets/social/regurgitated shit, all content must be your own thoughts. Summarizing or referencing specific legislation from .gov or 1st party citations is allowed. 

5) Posters who post more than 5 times per page will be removed from the discussion or have their comments removed. Exception being if you are just adding content or expanding on thought. 

[royiv 9261]

Hate to see this riveting thread drop to the second page.

[babysdaddy 2719]

wrote into chatgpt to write a short paragraph on why someone would be excited to vote R

"Voters should be excited to vote Republican in the upcoming election because the party is dedicated to promoting economic growth through lower taxes, deregulation, and policies that encourage entrepreneurship. Republicans emphasize a strong national defense, reducing government spending, and upholding traditional values, aiming to create a stable and secure environment for all Americans. Their focus on individual freedom and personal responsibility resonates with those who believe in empowering citizens and fostering a robust, dynamic economy. Voting Republican offers a chance to support a vision of limited government and a free-market economy."

[HornOnTheBayou 8917]

Bump. I just didn't want this thread to fall off the third page.

[Bookman 4638]

Does this mean voting *for* a Republican?

[troph 24781]

Trad values create stability and security for ALL Americans?

[ROFL BOX 6647]

21 hours ago, Bookman said:

Does this mean voting *for* a Republican?

As opposed to voting "For" a TRUE Conservative?  Because whatever is being sent out there to appeal to the modern "conservative" definitely isn't that; not a conservative at all.  They don't "conserve".

[HOOKEM4 5036]

Bump to keep this page 1. I am legitimately interested to read why someone will vote Trump. We are allowed to have true honest opinions in this country and it is fascinating to me how people value different aspects of society. Please, will someone answer the call? I would love to read an honest opinion.

[InkaUtexas 25868]

10 minutes ago, HOOKEM4 said:

Bump to keep this page 1. I am legitimately interested to read why someone will vote Trump. We are allowed to have true honest opinions in this country and it is fascinating to me how people value different aspects of society. Please, will someone answer the call? I would love to read an honest opinion.

[PenelopeWitherspoon 19100]

Still no takers?

[Snake Diggity 4620]

I hate Donald Trump and proudly voted for Joe Biden and will proudly vote for Kamala Harris.  The majority of my extended family and most of my friends from childhood are Trump voters.  Many of them are the cliche rural racists that take in Fox News brain poison and lack even the most basic critical thinking skills.  They represent Trump’s most loyal base.  They’re not worth talking about.  From the others, here are the 2 main reasons I have been given for why they vote Republican:

”I am a single issue Pro-life voter.”  

”I vote for whoever I think is going reduce my tax burden because I think the government is a very poor steward of resources.”

I have also been told by otherwise reasonable, moderately intelligent people who vote Republican that they believe the Republicans will be better on border security, the economy, and foreign policy, but those people haven’t wanted to or been able to provide any detail for why they believe that.

[Dbeasy 15042]

12 minutes ago, Snake Diggity said:

I hate Donald Trump and proudly voted for Joe Biden and will proudly vote for Kamala Harris.  The majority of my extended family and most of my friends from childhood are Trump voters.  Many of them are the cliche rural racists that take in Fox News brain poison and lack even the most basic critical thinking skills.  They represent Trump’s most loyal base.  They’re not worth talking about.  From the others, here are the 2 main reasons I have been given for why they vote Republican:

”I am a single issue Pro-life voter.”  

”I vote for whoever I think is going reduce my tax burden because I think the government is a very poor steward of resources.”

I have also been told by otherwise reasonable, moderately intelligent people who vote Republican that they believe the Republicans will be better on border security, the economy, and foreign policy, but those people haven’t wanted to or been able to provide any detail for why they believe that.

Yup. This is exactly the Trump voter. I would just add that you could call the Pro Life voter, the religious voter. 

[texasdago 7568]

They are voting for him because they believe what the Bible tells them about the anointed one... well, the parts they like...

[horngrad03 1148]

[Snake Diggity 4620]

1 minute ago, Dbeasy said:

Yup. This is exactly the Trump voter. I would just add that you could call the Pro Life voter, the religious voter. 

Yes, all Pro-life voters are religious voters, but it’s the issue that doesn’t necessarily involve religion, and it’s the one they cling to when justifying their vote.  And I understand it.  If you believe that human life begins at conception, and that human life deserves equal protection under the law from the moment it begins, then abortion is basically genocide.  That gets into what defines “human” life, which is really subjective and complicated.  But I really do understand single issue pro-life voters.  The best counter to that line of thinking is actually something I read that was taken from Barbara Bush’s personal notes.  She was pro choice, and her thinking was that human life doesn’t begin until the “soul” descends into the body, and her belief was that the soul did not enter the body until birth, that the souls was essentially bestowed on a baby by its mother.  Not sure I agree with all of that, but the idea that the “soul” is what differentiates human life from all else, and that there’s no necessary connection to when a soul enters a body and any biological process makes sense to me as a good justification for a pro-choice stance.

[Blotto 23490]

21 minutes ago, Snake Diggity said:

”I vote for whoever I think is going reduce my tax burden because I think the government is a very poor steward of resources.”

While completely fucktarded, thats an impressive turn of phrase for the typical MAGA loyalist. I'm guessing that guy swept the tri-county spelling bee all 7 years of high school. 

[aggie08 21491]

I'm in San Diego and work/hang out with a bunch of ex military, and the two mainstays (apart from the cliche border stuff) for all the Trump supporters I know are crime and cities going to shit because of homelessness. One is factually wrong--cities, by and large, are safer than they've ever been--and the other I've yet to hear anything resembling a coherent solution for. But I can at least understand how, if you're seeing that everyday and feel more unsafe in public spaces that you need to have someone to blame. Not sure how Trump ultimately fixes that (since he didn't in 4 years), but it's something.

And trans jokes. Lots of distasteful trans jokes.

[NaTeWHO 852]

Is this the thread CR realizes they're in an echo chamber or the thread CR realizes their hostility towards opposing views has destroyed discourse?  No reply to the topic would be worth the effort and everyone knows it.

 

[Chuckie Finster 22694]

40 minutes ago, Snake Diggity said:

I hate Donald Trump and proudly voted for Joe Biden and will proudly vote for Kamala Harris.  The majority of my extended family and most of my friends from childhood are Trump voters.  Many of them are the cliche rural racists that take in Fox News brain poison and lack even the most basic critical thinking skills.  They represent Trump’s most loyal base.  They’re not worth talking about.  From the others, here are the 2 main reasons I have been given for why they vote Republican:

”I am a single issue Pro-life voter.”  

”I vote for whoever I think is going reduce my tax burden because I think the government is a very poor steward of resources.”

I have also been told by otherwise reasonable, moderately intelligent people who vote Republican that they believe the Republicans will be better on border security, the economy, and foreign policy, but those people haven’t wanted to or been able to provide any detail for why they believe that.

I've heard "I don't like Trump but I will vote for whoever will lower my taxes and let me keep my guns" more times that I can count.

And pointing out that they don't make enough to be affected by the Trump tax cuts or that Democrats aren't coming for your guns makes no impact.  This is sports masquerading as politics to many of these people, and they just feel a need to concoct a reason for their devoted fandom.

 

[Chuckie Finster 22694]

editing - not the appropriate thread

Edited August 23 by Chuckie Finster

[aggie08 21491]

2 minutes ago, NaTeWHO said:

Is this the thread CR realizes they're in an echo chamber or the thread CR realizes their hostility towards opposing views has destroyed discourse?  No reply to the topic would be worth the effort and everyone knows it.

 

You're not wrong...a pro-Trump post will likely be jumped on by the usual suspects, no matter how logical and level-headed the poster tries to be. 

But I'd counter with: does a logical, level-headed, and fact-based pro-Trump position exist? Honestly asking.

[Hefeweizen 5310]

 

this thread

[Dbeasy 15042]

1 hour ago, aggie08 said:

You're not wrong...a pro-Trump post will likely be jumped on by the usual suspects, no matter how logical and level-headed the poster tries to be. 

But I'd counter with: does a logical, level-headed, and fact-based pro-Trump position exist? Honestly asking.

The only supposedly “rationale” pro Trump argument voters point to is that they are voting for the platform, not Trump. That means basically Project 2025. So I guess there are people out there that believe the ideas in Project 2025 are actually reasonable and consistent with American values, which of course they aren’t not. So to summarize, no. There is no logical argument. 

[troph 24781]

2 hours ago, NaTeWHO said:

Is this the thread CR realizes they're in an echo chamber or the thread CR realizes their hostility towards opposing views has destroyed discourse?  No reply to the topic would be worth the effort and everyone knows it.

 

but here's the deal, the republican party is fueled by hate. there is no reasonable discourse when a party singles out groups of people to intentionally and with malice aforethought strip rights away from them.  You have found your witch, me. I am a trans woman and your politicians are trying to make me a second class citizen by systematically making me run, run from my homeland, run because my right to healthcare is threatened because of your religious beliefs, run because my right to live peacefully and productively in society is being threatened by a politician that wants to hunt me and my people down, run because god knows what's next.

when are you people going to get it?  I like guns, I like lower taxes, but I cherish the ideal of all mankind is created equal and has a right to equal protection under the law, much, much more.

stop the hate fueled witch hunts and you'd have reasonable discourse on mundane matters of policy. Until then? Fuck all of you, you called it a war, so you get what you asked for. You come for me, my cis gender kids and wife because you come after me and we are going to fight like hell to keep our dignity and to preserve our rights and that has nothing to do with your right to worship whomever, but it for damn sure means when you come for me, hell will be greeting you on my front porch. 

Freedom is for ALL of us, not just you.

 

Edited August 23 by troph

[troph 24781]

I'll put it another way... the honest answer for republicans is taxes, guns, etc. and either (1) I fucking hate trans people, or (2) I don't give a rats ass about trans people.  and when I say trans people, that's arguably the most clear example, but you can substitute me out for any other group of people that are not like you.

That's what excites folks to vote R and they either admit it or they don't. but it's true.

[The Original Greaser Bob 2822]

I like NateWho's avatar.

here is his avatar:

[SydneyCarton 48057]

Just now, The Original Greaser Bob said:

I like NateWho's avatar.

Pretty sure that's Brooklyn Decker back in her hayday. 

[Foosters 17841]

2 hours ago, NaTeWHO said:

Is this the thread CR realizes they're in an echo chamber or the thread CR realizes their hostility towards opposing views has destroyed discourse?  No reply to the topic would be worth the effort and everyone knows it.

 

even the safe space is too scary lmao

[Longhorn_Fan68 33866]

4 hours ago, NaTeWHO said:

Is this the thread CR realizes they're in an echo chamber or the thread CR realizes their hostility towards opposing views has destroyed discourse?  No reply to the topic would be worth the effort and everyone knows it.

 

uh oh, we hurt his feefees. 

 

1 hour ago, Foosters said:

even the safe space is too scary lmao

right?

[Longhornfan1024 1707]

4 hours ago, NaTeWHO said:

Is this the thread CR realizes they're in an echo chamber or the thread CR realizes their hostility towards opposing views has destroyed discourse?  No reply to the topic would be worth the effort and everyone knows it.

 

Be a bitch about it, then.

[troph 24781]

1 hour ago, Longhornfan1024 said:

Be a bitch about it, then.

I take copious amounts of estrogen, what's his fucking excuse?

[Jiggy-Z 3432]

I think we here over at Surly can all hold our heads high with pride, secure in the knowledge that, however lame this thread is, it's going about 100X better than a similar texags thread would go.

Advantage aggy.

Edited August 23 by Jiggy-Z

[Longhorn_Fan68 33866]

I just wish one person would have the temerity to come in here and just say what we all know - if you are a Trump supporter you want someone else hurt. You want your pain projected onto someone else to make yourself feel better. Pick any marginalized group - MAGAts have a reason to want to hurt any and all of them. Trump is the person who can most capably do that. He is the physical manifestation of their hate. If someone would just say that, I would respect them. I'd still hate their opinion, but at least they're actually speaking the truth.

[lemonlime 5503]

Still crickets.

[B00M 6414]

On 8/5/2024 at 5:09 PM, babysdaddy said:

wrote into chatgpt to write a short paragraph on why someone would be excited to vote R

"Voters should be excited to vote Republican in the upcoming election because the party is dedicated to promoting economic growth through lower taxes, deregulation, and policies that encourage entrepreneurship. Republicans emphasize a strong national defense, reducing government spending, and upholding traditional values, aiming to create a stable and secure environment for all Americans. Their focus on individual freedom and personal responsibility resonates with those who believe in empowering citizens and fostering a robust, dynamic economy. Voting Republican offers a chance to support a vision of limited government and a free-market economy."

They don’t have a plan for limited government or reduced spending but they do have concepts of a plan! 

[royiv 9261]

Hey @Horn75, here’s a safe space for you here to educate us on why you’re so enthusiastic about Trump. But if you’re just trolling, then by all means, continue to troll on, troll.

[Horn75 193]

3 minutes ago, royiv said:

Hey @Horn75, here’s a safe space for you here to educate us on why you’re so enthusiastic about Trump. But if you’re just trolling, then by all means, continue to troll on, troll.

Last time I did this my old account got banned from almost 209 down votes 

[royiv 9261]

Just now, Horn75 said:

Last time I did this my old account got banned from almost 209 down votes 

So you’re just trolling? No neg reps allowed in this thread.

[Gatorubet 30185]

Reading rules is hard. 

Edited October 22 by Gatorubet

[Brian Fantana 6680]

2 minutes ago, Horn75 said:

Last time I did this my old account got banned from almost 209 down votes 

Easy fix, have @immamac say anyone who negs gets a vacation. I wouldn't neg your post in this thread no matter how much I disagreed. Kind of goes against the whole point of the thread. Please, I actually want to hear it.

[Gatorubet 30185]

9 minutes ago, Horn75 said:

Last time I did this my old account got banned from almost 209 down votes 

Well, that makes your recent neg-fest in CR even more interesting 

but i will take the no-neg pledge. 

Edited October 22 by Gatorubet

[HOOKEM4 5036]

This is your safe space @Horn75. I honestly want to understand why folks do not align with me. My job is 100% problem solving with folks that are from an insanely wide range of backgrounds and beliefs. My goal is to learn. I would love honest and articulate feedback on the topic.

I will rep you everywhere if you provide honest, thoughtful feedback. The beautiful thing about this country is that if you are sincere, people will for the most part respect your opinions. If they don't, you can walk away.

[Stros121 4]

[Sawbonz 27541]

On 8/23/2024 at 8:43 AM, NaTeWHO said:

Is this the thread CR realizes they're in an echo chamber or the thread CR realizes their hostility towards opposing views has destroyed discourse?  No reply to the topic would be worth the effort and everyone knows it.

 

Waaahhh!!!

[Dbeasy 15042]

Every few weeks I get this urge to understand how the heck anyone could vote for Trump. I then initiate a conversation with someone and within five minutes I realize it’s a complete waste of my time because the Trump supporter is so uninformed about reality and facts that it’s an impossible discussion to have. 

There have been a few people who’ve said they don’t care about anything Trump says at all, they just want a Republican to win to either keep their taxes low, or to push Christian religion anywhere and everywhere they can. Such fine Americans. 

[Gatorubet 30185]

53 minutes ago, royiv said:

Hey @Horn75, here’s a safe space for you here to educate us on why you’re so enthusiastic about Trump. But if you’re just trolling, then by all means, continue to troll on, troll.

Yep.  This is a chance to deliver something more than “Kamala Harris (the law school graduate, DA, Senator and Veep) is uneducated.”

You see, that is why you got negged last time.   Surely you can see that her not agreeing with your policies - we still have no idea what they are - makes her “uneducated.”  For example, Ted Cruz is one of the most deplorable politicians on the face of the Earth by any metric. And while we can talk about that, saying that Ted is “uneducated” would not be a valid criticism. 

[royiv 9261]

27 minutes ago, Stros121 said:

Care to elaborate?

[Pato del Muerto 52485]

38 minutes ago, Stros121 said:

You put this in the other thread like a day ago. This is not an argument, it’s a picture of 6 people. Three are referred to by their last name, and three by their first- which goes against every style guide for consistency. 

[Biff Tannen 45665]

20 minutes ago, Pato del Muerto said:

You put this in the other thread like a day ago. This is not an argument, it’s a picture of 6 people. Three are referred to by their last name, and three by their first- which goes against every style guide for consistency. 

Go team!

[Sawbonz 27541]

1 hour ago, Stros121 said:

x, x

x, 1

x, x