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Today I will post of the ballot measures. Similar to 2024, there were a lot. What is notable to me is that many states that ended up electing Democrat politicians also ended up voting for many initiatives that I'd consider Republican priorities, including lower taxes and voter ID. This includes four states that limited transgender athletes, transgender bathroom access, and more, those four states being Arizona, Colorado, Nebraska, and Washington.
One of my friends in Arizona quickly said that this might be the death of transgenderism as a politically relevant issue. He thought it was likely that the issue would be dropped as an election loser, as something that the people obviously did not want since they voted against it by majority in even what you might consider quite "Blue" states. I said what could be summarized as "I doubt it", maybe along with "you'd be surprised". I think I have been vindicated in saying this, as the Colorado governor is outright saying that he's going to fight these measures that have been passed to the best of his ability, and there are already schemes to nullify those ballot measures. Anecdotally, I see transgender rights commenters saying that the Arizona propositions are illegal even if the people did vote for them.
Most of these culture war issues are not things that can be resolved by simple votes. They can only be resolved through decades-long grueling lawfare. Blues don't take 'no' for an answer, as their responses to Heller and Bruen and now this ballot measure show.
This is why I'm finding it impossible to panic in the wake of the election.
"Voters demonstrated they have a strong preference for X policy" followed very shortly by "Dem politicians declare they will try to do the opposite of X policy."
Congenital inability to learn the lesson or take the actual temperature of the electorate. I was calling this out back before Trump won election the FIRST time. "If you ignore the shouted complaints of the voters to zero in on issues that impact 1-2% of the population, it doesn't matter how popular you THINK you are."
The Dems don't have the outright power to shove everything down people's throats now (except in Cali)... and for the near future SCOTUS is unfavorable to them so going the lawfare route is risky. I do expect them to try to re-open the immigration floodgates.
I don't see how they stay 'mask on' for the next two years.
Somehow I don’t imagine the cost of milk will get cheaper this time around and the cost of living will continue to go up. The political class in D.C. is so unbelievably out of touch with ordinary people it’s hard to imagine. Why don’t you focus on housing affordability, the energy crunch and climate initiatives, general cost of living, taking out a mortgage to go to college, the healthcare system bankrupting people, new cars costing between $40-$70k, giving preferential treatment to illegal immigrants; among other things; rather than fucking with some other country on the other side of the planet to further the foreign policy objectives of some secular, messianic morons who don’t even believe the way we do?
You can get a brand new toyota or honda SUV for under that, to say nothing of a sedan.
US MSRP for a new Toyota Camry (which was the best-selling car in America as late as 2020) is in the 29-36k range depending on trim level.
The reason why new "cars" cost a lot more than they used to is that Americans have normalised buying a light-duty truck as their "car". @Tretiak thinking that "cars" cost 50% more than a Camry and that this is why normie-Americans are feeling the economic pain is evidence for any or all of the standard vibecession theories:
And for my snarky theory, which is that America is a country where personal physical safety is bought in a zero-sum auction. Elites seem to think this is normal, but it generates permanent economic anxiety among the middle class of a type that doesn't exist in countries with less crime, safer roads etc. "A car large enough to feel safe letting your kids in given that a moron could crash into you any time" is defined relative to the other cars on the road, so the morons being able to buy pickups with 7-year subprime auto leases directly raises your cost of living.
Even if one (or more than one) of these theories is true and the American economy is actually fine (official statistics say it is, and it is definitely doing better than other countries with similar or lower levels of normie economic anger), saying so is of course a voter-hostile position of the type that tanked the Dems in 2024 and the Reps last week.
You’re obviously coming into the discussion of economic woes pretty late if you’re referencing me. The average cost of a new Toyota Camry here is between $38k-$39k, which approximates the lower bound I put it at. I’ve argued numerous times and have been attacked for saying the economic “crisis” most people are experiencing owes more to lifestyle inflation than it does other factors. If you’re prepared to eat from an older recipe book and a crock pot and not own a smartphone, living becomes much more easier if you’re willing to cut down. Yeah, you can always buy a beater car too. If you’re willing to dump $10k-$20k into it over the course of the long-term maintenance of the vehicle. Head gasket blown? Drop half the price on a single trip to the mechanic. Fix it yourself? Impractical if you have neither the knowledge or the time. Buy a new car? Be prepared to repeat the process, lather, rinse, repeat.
Incidentally, the data’s well documented on the wage stagnation that began happening during the 70’s and 80’s, which also coincided with the neoliberal push and deregulation of the financial sector. That doesn’t mean owning multiple 4k televisions in each room of your house doesn’t mean you don’t have a spending problem. People tend to live to the maximum of their income and don’t bother with financial planning. They’ll immediately blow their direct deposit 48 hours after it hits the bank.
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