If not for the misogynists and racists...

[True Dough]

we'd be preparing to celebrate President Kamala Harris in less than a month. She was clearly the superior candidate in every facet.




Jacob Michael Politte
@jacobpolitte

One of the most joyous moments of my existence was watching her make him look like a total bitch for 90 minutes straight. No matter how it actually ended in November, she really cooked his ass here.

[yorkster]

1. What we could have had...

I for one hope she hangs in there and is at least part of the process in 4 years.

[Scrivener7]

2. And the worst part is we are talking about the misogynists and racists in OUR OWN party.

[Bettie]

3. Iowa was a 50/50 state

until Barack Obama.

Then, a whole bunch of Democrats discovered their inner racist and began voting for Republicans, because of a Black man being elected president.

[Scrivener7]

4. The numbers of Democrats who voted for Joe but not Kamala would have allowed her to win easily.

[Bettie]

6. Right? I put that down to

racism and misogyny mixed together.

What it tells us is that our country will never allow a woman to be president (if we ever have elections again).

I am disgusted with who we are....I would say who we have become, but I am beginning to believe that this is who we have always been: worshippers of male whiteness and wealth.

[Scrivener7]

9. It would break my heart too much to say never. But for the next election, I really hope we don't

chance it.

Not only do we get this asshole back, but we also have had to watch two absolute superhero women being fed into the meat grinder of dumbass media and the "they made X fatal error, thus they campaigned badly" brigade.

They didn't campaign badly. They lost because they don't have dicks.

[Bettie]

22. With that orange clown

running on their side, they called her a whore, for having sexual relationships....at all. Men (and white women) will never allow a woman to be president. Never.

And you're right. They lost for lack of penises.

And white women largely went along with it.

[Scrivener7]

23. This white woman is one of the 47% that didn't

[lostnfound]

47. There are millions of us. And I'd guess the strategies used to suppress votes

included things we can’t even imagine.

[Bettie]

56. I assume everyone here

is part of that group.

But they exist. I live among them... weirdly enough, most of them are really religious and overtly "Christian", but they bleat about "god's love" and then say the most hateful things I've ever heard.

[electric_blue68]

53. It's a 5% difference between 47% to 53% that's Not Exactly "largely". It IS howver Devastating in it's Outcome 😔...

And Hillary losing, too.

I, a white woman know of about at least 6 other white woman who voted for Kamala, probably Hillary, and probably several more.

Too much sexism, added into racism, still.
😑

[lostnfound]

46. Not counted: people who tried to vote but their ballots ended up misdirected or thrown out

People who ordered absentee ballots and never got them.
I am not sure that we know where the voting age population actually landed.
I know people who tried to vote and couldn’t, for dumber-than-ever reasons.

[maddiemom]

21. Is Black still defined as having even a DROP of black blood?

Barack Obama is half White and was raised in a white family. Still he was our "first Black President". The Obamas are obviously more educated and more sanely intelligent than many couples in politics and public life...and still very down to earth. Amazing people!
As a retired teacher, I saw more and more mixed racial families over the years and among my own child's friends. (Granted in the mid- Atlantic region). I know, as well, that there are still some very raciest people out there. Change is not coming easily, but it is ultimately inevitable.

[Hekate]

31. His family was haole, but he was raised in Indonesia and Hawai'i

He came to the Mainland to discover his place as an African American man — but in neither Hawai’i nor Indonesia was he perceived as white.

[maddiemom]

70. Not talking about "perception" of others here;

neither in Hawaii or Mainland; just biological and family facts.

[MichMan]

27. President Obama won Iowa both times n/t

[Bettie]

57. Yes, he did

and after that....people dropped out of our county Democrats meetings and the entire voting pattern changed.

Maybe it was having a woman run after the Black man....but it changed after 2012 in a big way.

[onecaliberal]

13. THIS.

When are we going to stop acting like they don’t exist. I’m done with these kind of people.

[brush]

51. And that helped defeat Hillary too. Asshole trump benefitted both times from it.

Think of the damage this has done to not just our country, but to the world.

Are we the last major G-7–G-20 nation that has yet to elect a woman PM/president?

We are kinda pathetic in that regard.

[Joinfortmill]

5. Yup. Lots of people just plain suck.

And like the say, "Believe them when they show you who they are "

[Kaleva]

7. A lot of people supposedly on our side stayed home

60,000 fewer people voted for Harris in 2024 then for Biden in 2020 in Wayne County, Mi

[mdbl]

8. I do wonder how much of that was due to the voter suppression tactics

that made it confusing in some states.

[Kaleva]

10. Dems controlled the state in 2024

Governor, state legislature (both chambers), AG, SOS and Wayne County is a Dem bastion.

[mdbl]

17. Yes I got that. I was talking about states like GA where suppression tactics were in force

I should have made that clear.

[SickOfTheOnePct]

19. Georgia had record turnout

Not sure we can cry “voter suppression “ when more voters turned out than ever before .

[spooky3]

35. GA turnout was 64% of registered voters. The distance from 100% leaves a lot of room for voter suppression

(as well as voter apathy and other factors) to be present--to say nothing of those who weren't registered but would be eligible.

https://www.ajc.com/politics/georgia-voters-set-a-new-turnout-record-at-almost-53-million-in-2024-election/ZRE5Y6ZLBNCUBL54MZOMWGDIF4/

The Brennan Center reports that there is evidence of voter suppression:

https://www.brennancenter.org/our-work/analysis-opinion/racial-turnout-gap-grew-georgia-again

"Over the past 15 years, the racial turnout gap in the United States has grown dramatically. A good deal of the widening gap — but by no means all of it — can be attributed to restrictive state voting policies, such as Georgia’s Senate Bill 202, following the Supreme Court’s 2013 decision in Shelby County v. Holder, which hollowed out key protections against racially discriminatory voting rules. Perhaps just as important as formal laws and policies making voting more difficult are features in our democratic systems that leave many Americans of color underrepresented, which leads to disengagement from political participation. Campaign finance laws make it more difficult for low-income Americans to raise the money they need to run for office, the Electoral College reduces the value of most Americans’ presidential votes, and gerrymandered maps keep one party in power. To be sure, there were other reasons voters stayed home this year, like anger over inflation, that can’t be directly tied back to features of our democracy...."

[SickOfTheOnePct]

38. And yet

Turnout was higher than it was in 2020 when President Biden won Georgia…

[spooky3]

40. But that doesn't address the reality that voter suppression continues to be a problem.

It's like saying, "I need to lose 50 lbs. I have lost a pound. Therefore, I don't need to lose any more weight."

[SickOfTheOnePct]

42. We'll just have to agree to disagree n/t

[spooky3]

43. Facts are facts, not opinions. Read the Brennan report I linked if you are interested in facts. nt

[SickOfTheOnePct]

44. I did read it

As I said, I don’t agree that voter suppression is an issue.

[Kaleva]

60. I think we can agree that turnout for Harris was lower then it was for Biden in Dem strongholds

Where Repubs wouldn't have been able to use suppression tactics

[Hekate]

33. Voter suppression tactics throughout Red states had a strong influence on the outcome

We are experiencing a New Jim Crow era, and I wish like hell that DUers and Democrats in the Party would acknowledge that.

The ACLU knows it. SPLC knows it. Mark Elias totally knows it.

Just say it, people. It’s a fact.

[spooky3]

36. And the Brennan Center reports research on it

from Dec. 23, 2024:

https://www.brennancenter.org/our-work/analysis-opinion/racial-turnout-gap-grew-georgia-again

"Over the past 15 years, the racial turnout gap in the United States has grown dramatically. A good deal of the widening gap — but by no means all of it — can be attributed to restrictive state voting policies, such as Georgia’s Senate Bill 202, following the Supreme Court’s 2013 decision in Shelby County v. Holder, which hollowed out key protections against racially discriminatory voting rules. Perhaps just as important as formal laws and policies making voting more difficult are features in our democratic systems that leave many Americans of color underrepresented, which leads to disengagement from political participation. Campaign finance laws make it more difficult for low-income Americans to raise the money they need to run for office, the Electoral College reduces the value of most Americans’ presidential votes, and gerrymandered maps keep one party in power. To be sure, there were other reasons voters stayed home this year, like anger over inflation, that can’t be directly tied back to features of our democracy..."

[Hekate]

45. Trump has made claiming elections have been "rigged" a dirty word. We need to RECLAIM & REFRAME

As with so much else about Trump, the accusation is a confession. Dems need to SAY that.

[electric_blue68]

54. I believe it, and the fact tge Voting Rights Act got partly defanged x years ago.

[Kaleva]

58. Mi isn't a red state. Nor is WI or PA

[Hekate]

59. And yet, New Jim Crow has come to town

[Kaleva]

61. Not going to be able to do that in Mi despite Trump winning the state

As our Governor, SOS, AG and state Senate is Dem and Dems have the majority in the state Supreme Court

[Hekate]

62. I was writing about voter suppression tactics around the country at large, & settled on the term "red states"...

I also used the term “New Jim Crow” as being inclusive of any region, state, or municipality that engages in voter suppression tactics.

But it was you that threw in a string of other states as not being red states ? Now you want to dispute one of them that you put into the pot to begin with ?

You may be confused as to my intent — but you have definitely confused me.

[Kaleva]

63. I was talking about how Harris got fewer votes then Biden did in traditional Dem strongholds

Like Wayne County in Mi. People brought up voter suppression but that's not the answer as Dems control the state and Wayne County

[Hekate]

64. I see. Wasn't that the area that Jillski Stein cultivated? And encouraged a lot of Muslim-Americans to...

…vote Uncommitted or not at all?

As practiced by Jillski, that was definitely a form of voter suppression — and given who she pals around with, also a form of interference by the Russians.

[Kaleva]

65. Using that standard, political ads could be considered voter suppression

Any ad by any candidate or organization trying to convince supporters of an opposing candidate to stay home or switch their votes would be voter suppression

[Hekate]

66. If you choose to construe her activities (and Russia's) that narrowly, so be it. But apparently...

… you fail to consider the significance of the source.

[Kaleva]

71. Harris underperformed in other regions too

Milwaukee County, Wi is one example. If I have time, I'll look at Madison, Wi , Philly and other typically Dem strongholds in the three swing states.

[LeftInTX]

52. The home of "uncommitted", "Muslims for Trump" and "Killer Kamala"

[niyad]

11. "make him look like a total bitch"??? WTF does that even mean? Sexist much?

[EdmondDantes_]

25. For a language without specific gender for things like table or chair, we sure use a lot of gendered terms

In addition to being sexist, it's unimaginative. Why resort to saying she made "him look like a total bitch" when you could say their relative performances showed Trump was as sharp as a bowling ball and twice as dense, or that he was a quick as a glacier or something more creative?

[DeeDeeNY]

12. I was sure after that debate that she would beat him easily

But a large segment of the population never watched it. And then of course there was the price of eggs.

[MuirWoods]

14. Bitch

While I agree with your sentiment, I think phrasing it this way is Misogynistic itself.

Aren’t there better ways to describe this without hurting members of our society??

[Autumn]

15. Trump isn't a member of society. He's barely human.

[spooky3]

26. Yes. Nt

[iemanja]

55. Thank you

The insults to women are constant. That it comes under the guise of denouncing misogyny is ironic to say the least.

[Mr.Bee]

16. The Most Experienced Person

To Take the Office of the Presidency was the Vice President.
You didn't have to like her. You didn't have to know what she stood for.
You didn't even have to understand her.

All you had to know is that she would keep sanity in the office, and Jabba The Hut out.

[3catwoman3]

37. "...and Jabba The Hut out."

That should have been reason enough, right there, to vote for Kamala Harris, just as the Supreme Court should have been reason enough to vote for Hillary Clinton.

Too many voters are just plain stupid.

[cyclonefence]

18. You are correct

and I'm afraid the misogyny is deeper-rooted than the racism.

In Hillary Clinton and to a much greater degree (because she is so much more at ease when speaking to crowds) we have run two absolutely superb, better qualified candidates--but they lost IMO because they were women.

I had some problems with Clinton's campaign, especially the "tin ear" she exhibited in some speeches, but the Harris/Walz campain was IMO flawless, and it was only Harris' gender that kept her from being elected. I'm sad to say that I don't believe women will vote for a woman president.

Sure, there are problems within our party--we don't have a deep pool of up-and-comers we can rely on and support (except IMO Hakeem Jeffries)--but I do not think we should run a woman again for the foreseeable future. And it breaks my heart.

[appmanga]

28. It's worse than that...

...in a truly egalitarian, forward-thinking country we would have no issue electing a ticket of Harris-Buttigieg. People who are capable, brilliant, and are dedicated to this being the best country it can be for all its people. There's a strain of white primacy and anti-LGBT bigotry that will persist in this country even as overt racism continues to be beaten back.

That's heartbreaking.

[CrispyQ]

32. I thought her campaign was flawless, too.

She had three months to put together a national campaign. She was expected to provide & did provide detailed plans of things she wanted to accomplish & how, AND she had to carry all the Biden admin's baggage at the same time. No one in American politics has ever done anything close to what she did.

Look who's at the very bottom. 💩

[TBF]

20. Agree, the misogyny was strong (also racism, but we did manage to elect Obama) -

people in this country are especially determined to keep women out of the top spot.

I'm a little more left in theory than many on this board, but I returned (same username, I had just taken a break after 2016) in order to work with democrats and try to keep them in office. I knew if Donald made it back in, he'd be worse than ever - because he's mad from those court cases. And probably broke. So, he will pilfer all he can, and he has no fucks left to give. Not only will he be a handful - but he particularly hates women - as evidenced by him being a rapist (duh) and also stacking the Supreme Court to overturn Roe. Young women are dying because of his actions. But damned if he didn't find plenty of other people who also hate women to put him back in office.

[appmanga]

29. And when things get bad enough again...

...we might elect another black person.

[Evolve Dammit]

24. That was a beat down. He had nothin.' She would make a great President. Loved Walz too..

[I_UndergroundPanther]

30. I can't fathom why she lost.

Kamala was inspiring. She was real and she knew how to deal with people like trump.
Some magas are having a FAFO moment.

They voted for shallow reasons like he speaks his mind he is funny or the price of eggs.

Now we all are gonna suffer.

And fuck you very very much maga

[Godot51]

34. Mothers and teachers

One of the mysteries of this world is a general disrespect for women. The abuse of women. The misuse of women. The fear of women being "equal" to men.

For a simplistic explanation I've always looked at the relationships of men to their mothers and to many of their teachers.

In my case, a male of the 50s and 60s, the first male teacher I ever had was a PE teacher in JHS 7th grade and even then most of my teachers were women, even in SHS. It wasn't until college that I had more male than female teachers, instructors, and professors.

My point: for most men, despite the "love" they affect towards their mothers, for a large part of their childhood and teenage years they were told what to do by women and they resent this. Women molded and shaped them, attempting to smooth off the rough edges that little boys saw as manhood.

Women denied them the possession of needless things, the violence against the weaker, and, in the case of teachers, these same women graded them on their abilities. In many cases these same men married and resented their wives attempts to curtail their appetites. How many men complain about a nagging mother, teacher, or wife.

Sadly, partly because of religion and partly because of culture and the societies they've created, a certain percent of women are controlled by their male counterparts. It has only been in the last few decades of human existence that women have gained even a modicum of power. And so many women still side with "their" men.

My ideas are neither original, conclusive nor proven but I feel them inside.

The pictures in this post tell me a story and, while it is a true and good story, that Kamala Harris was true, righteous, and powerful candidate, it also shows me an image of what too many men see, hear, and feel.

So, misogyny, racism, and other factors included, enough men voted for a "man" and we all await, fear, and are unsure as to what happens next.

[Blue Owl]

39. The criminal won and the prosecutor lost

Very unsettling — it’s like if Hans Gruber would have triumphed in ‘Die Hard’

[PortTack]

41. Exactly! Pundits and everyone else has weighed in about this loss. But, most don't talk about the real reason

The f..king sexist racist a holes in this country gave us this.

[dai13sy]

48. The smirk on his face says he's scared to death of her

[Orrex]

49. All she needed was a fuckface billionaire to buy the electon for her for $250M.

[bluboid]

50. methinks someday we will know what really happened to the vote...

Shakespeare said it best: something's rotten in Denmark...

[Polybius]

68. Yeah, they got more votes than us

[Blue_Tires]

67. And don't forget that Donnie chickened out of a second debate

I really want to hear from anyone who watched that debate and still decided to vote for Donnie 🧐

[Polybius]

69. There's a whole list of reasons why

Misogynists and racists are only a small factor, because they tend to be extremely conservative, and wouldn't vote for Biden, Gavin, or any other white male Democrat either.

Unless you're saying that somehow, some misogynists and racists voted for Biden in 2020?