2026 Midterm election thread.. 400 days to save America

[Indus]

Americans have 400 days to save their democracy | Timothy Garton Ash

I never thought I’d see fear spread so far and fast. Next year’s midterm elections are now crucial for the Democratic party – and for democrats everywhere, says Guardian columnist Timothy Garton Ash

www.theguardian.com

So according to him dems have 400 days to save America. If Trump still has the senate/ house after next midterms he will expand his power.

But I think it's already too late.. we're already in the quicksand and can't get out.
Congress won't stop him, Courts won't stop him..
We're already at the end game.

What do you think the midterms result will look like?

 

[ivwshane]

If we are going by political ads and other types of influence I’d say things will not go well.

In California I see way more anti prop 50 ads than pro 50 ads. It’s anecdotal but what it tells me is that the right is heavily backed by billionaires and it’s unlikely the Dems can outspend them.

 

[Fenixgoon]

If we are going by political ads and other types of influence I’d say things will not go well.

In California I see way more anti prop 50 ads than pro 50 ads. It’s anecdotal but what it tells me is that the right is heavily backed by billionaires and it’s unlikely the Dems can outspend them.

Spending is a lot but it isn't everything - see the 2024 election. Harris had an incredible campaign war chest for ads, but limited ground game.

 

[eelw]

But don’t get why the Dem approval rating is lower than Rep

 

[pauldun170]

The people behind the Trump regime and certain members of congress, senate and judiciary have projected all of their moves and have been pretty predictable.
A lot of groundwork has been laid.

They have complete control of the media and have multiple propaganda networks with little competition.
they control the narrative and have conplete control of creating new narratives.

They have already set the stage for normalizing gerrymandering in the public eye and have injected people into the judiciary to let it go through.

They have conditioned the public to disregard things such election fraud, interference and manipulation while also putting in place people who will turn a blind eye.

They have normalized stupidity where now what was unacceptable to the public is now acceptable and that reintroduction candidates that will actually project professionalism will result in voters across the landscape voting for anyone regardless of their views.
Its a long con. After years of tea party people and Trump, people will now accept any lawfully evil men who can openly speak above a 5th grade level.

They've normalized tribalism in the United States and have already normalized American brownshirts that are excepted by a large % of society.

 

[Indus]

But don’t get why the Dem approval rating is lower than Rep

Well what do you expect from billionaire media stats?

That said Cuck Schumer and Jeffries aren't exactly the solution but are intent on getting in its way.

 

[dank69]

Every single day there are 5 or more significant events, any single one of which would have been unimaginable a decade ago. Each one would have dominated the media landscape for a month or more a decade ago by itself. Now we forget about each one and have moved on by lunch time, knowing we will read or hear about 4 more before bedtime. If someone told me there was less than a 50% chance we will have elections by then I wouldn't be able to form a cogent argument against it.

 

[Brainonska511]

But don’t get why the Dem approval rating is lower than Rep

Because people are mad that the minority party can't stop the bad things.

 

[dank69]

Because people are mad that the minority party can't stop the bad things.

Short answer is the media trains them to be mad at dems.

 

[biostud]

If we are going by political ads and other types of influence I’d say things will not go well.

In California I see way more anti prop 50 ads than pro 50 ads. It’s anecdotal but what it tells me is that the right is heavily backed by billionaires and it’s unlikely the Dems can outspend them.

I thought California was going to do gerrymandering, so the dem. would get all the seats?

 

[Moonbeam]

Short answer is the media trains them to be mad at dems.

If Americans weren't trained monkeys the economy would collapse and any fix proposed will be labeled a Communist revolution with millions of deaths. Those voted in to fix it only get voted in because they have the money to campaign provided by the owners of the game. Only the selfless would vote for campaign finance reform and that requires personal character, the think greed most fears.

Trained monkeys don't deserve what they will get but they will get it anyway.

I look at you all and I notice you're sleeping .................... Check out the lyrics

 

[hal2kilo]

But don’t get why the Dem approval rating is lower than Rep

Probably Dems pissed off at the lack of urgency by the Dem pols. Shut it Fn down mothers.

 

[Moonbeam]

I thought California was going to do gerrymandering, so the dem. would get all the seats?

It has to be voter approved and you can imagine the money that will be spent to try to keep it from passing. It rests on the premise that one wrong does not deserve another rather than the justifiable war bases on the right of self defense by any means when facing imminent death. But people aren't very good, in my opinion, at realistically assessing threat.

 

[pauldun170]

But don’t get why the Dem approval rating is lower

Because people are mad that the minority party can't stop the bad things.

Mad that the people that hold no power have no power to stop the people with power.

Then they start attacking the people without power by talking about how the people with power got into power.

Then they just shit on the people without power for the rest of the time.

Its called The Bill Maher effect.

 

[Fenixgoon]

Mad that the people that hold no power have no power to stop the people with power.

Then they start attacking the people without power by talking about how the people with power got into power.

Then they just shit on the people without power for the rest of the time.

Its called The Bill Maher effect.

The Turtle managed to grind the Senate to a halt despite holding a minority position.

People want Dems to put up a fight. Make the biggest fucking spectacle possible. Hold the government hostage when budget bills roll around, just like Republicans do. Use every tool and trick in the playbook to make it as difficult as possible for trump to accomplish his goals.

Instead, you have democrats voting to approve his appointees. Fuck. That. Shit.

 

[soulcougher73]

The Turtle managed to grind the Senate to a halt despite holding a minority position.

People want Dems to put up a fight. Make the biggest fucking spectacle possible. Hold the government hostage when budget bills roll around, just like Republicans do. Use every tool and trick in the playbook to make it as difficult as possible for trump to accomplish his goals.

Instead, you have democrats voting to approve his appointees. Fuck. That. Shit.

I think Dems will lose support for being the part of pussies. Need a new liberal/progressive party to takes its place.

 

[nickqt]

Democratic politicians cannot stop anything. A few are doing what they can do, which is provide a megaphone of their constituents' thoughts on how our fascist government is violating all norms, ethics, and laws, in order to do fascism.

The people who ultimately can stop this are citizens. There's quite a few citizens in this country, although a lot of them are more comfortable thinking of themselves as consumers, as that is what business has been grooming citizens to be for decades. The hard part is getting people who can turn their gaze away from the fascism to look at it, acknowledge it, and then organize themselves to stop it.

It's not easy because it's not swipeable, and business has trained us that we're just a swipe away from what we want.

Citizens have to want things to change enough to start working on that change themselves. Relying on some elected politician who is busy making campaign donation phone calls isn't going to work. It never has, we just had a functioning bureaucracy working in the background and elected officials who at least pretended about following the law. Shit doesn't work when the President believes he is the law.

Put down your phones, unless you're recording some fascists doing fascist things. Take a look around. Find some other people who don't like what is happening. Talk to those people, preferably eye-to-eye.

"The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing", etc., etc.

 

[Brainonska511]

The Turtle managed to grind the Senate to a halt despite holding a minority position.

People want Dems to put up a fight. Make the biggest fucking spectacle possible. Hold the government hostage when budget bills roll around, just like Republicans do. Use every tool and trick in the playbook to make it as difficult as possible for trump to accomplish his goals.

Instead, you have democrats voting to approve his appointees. Fuck. That. Shit.

The Senate is largely grinding to a halt, so much so that Republicans were looking to expand the filibuster exceptions recently for various nominees.

Democrats have also been holding shadow hearings on various issues. But they can do all these things and it will be like pissing in the wind if people don't amplify it and spread it around.

And some people just like to be bitter and constantly play a game of "wrong rock" every time Democrats pick on a new issue or maybe don't do something quite the right way for the loud internet types.

There is definitely more to be desired out of the minority party, but there is also a whole ecosystem built up around all stick and no carrot when it comes to them doing stuff.

 

[K1052]

The Turtle managed to grind the Senate to a halt despite holding a minority position.

People want Dems to put up a fight. Make the biggest fucking spectacle possible. Hold the government hostage when budget bills roll around, just like Republicans do. Use every tool and trick in the playbook to make it as difficult as possible for trump to accomplish his goals.

Instead, you have democrats voting to approve his appointees. Fuck. That. Shit.

Increasingly looks like we are actually getting this on a number of fronts. The issue right now is that the media doesn't cover it with the enthusiasm watching Trump build a patio or stuffing his fat ass into a tux for the King and the guys in the leadership positions are not great at the performative end of politics .

 

[eelw]

I think Dems will lose support for being the part of pussies. Need a new liberal/progressive party to takes its place.

Lol here’s hoping dumb dumb Americans learned their lesson there is no such thing as a 3rd party to vote for

 

[dank69]

The Turtle managed to grind the Senate to a halt despite holding a minority position.

People want Dems to put up a fight. Make the biggest fucking spectacle possible. Hold the government hostage when budget bills roll around, just like Republicans do. Use every tool and trick in the playbook to make it as difficult as possible for trump to accomplish his goals.

Instead, you have democrats voting to approve his appointees. Fuck. That. Shit.

The dems are doing what they can do, which is very little. Can't filibuster bills when the GOP isn't even proposing any. That's why it's been said many times on this forum, that the filibuster doesn't benefit anyone but the GOP. Rules only stop people that are willing to respect the rules.

 

[soulcougher73]

Lol here’s hoping dumb dumb Americans learned their lesson there is no such thing as a 3rd party to vote for

i’m saying the dems need to become the 3rd party

 

[Indus]

https://twitter.com/x/status/1969611068218442133

Remember never to feel sorry for a Trump voter.

They are the fucking bad guys!!

That means no aid to farmers, cut off any hurricane aid.. let them fucking rot!
No medicaid/ social security for them.

And don't vote for a weak ass dem who wants to just roll over like Schumer and Jeffries.

 

[Pens1566]

If we get to '26, and the Ds somehow manage to take control of at least part of congress, I expect a full on effort to contest those seats to the point they won't be seated on 1-3-2027.

We've slid so far in just 8 months, to suggest that we just need to wait another 16 months for a solution is madness.

We are all underreacting.

 

[gothuevos]

Americans have 400 days to save their democracy | Timothy Garton Ash

I never thought I’d see fear spread so far and fast. Next year’s midterm elections are now crucial for the Democratic party – and for democrats everywhere, says Guardian columnist Timothy Garton Ash

www.theguardian.com

So according to him dems have 400 days to save America. If Trump still has the senate/ house after next midterms he will expand his power.

But I think it's already too late.. we're already in the quicksand and can't get out.
Congress won't stop him, Courts won't stop him..
We're already at the end game.

What do you think the midterms result will look like?

Well Dems are still losing voters, still losing young voters and young men especially. Still no message other than "not Trump." No new leadership, etc. No real plans on how to win voters back.

They are winning special elections obviously, but not sure how that will translate to a national level.