Earlier in the week, the Morning Call had a story about campaign contributions already flowing to Ryan Mackenzie. The Mackenzie-Wild race in 2024 cost $38 Million. Considering that we have one newspaper and one television station, most of that was spent, or wasted, on oversize postcards. If you weren't offended and annoyed by the endless stuffing of your mailbox, you should be nominated for sainthood.
I have serious doubts about how many votes those endless cards actually swayed, I believe very few. If you divide the few who were swayed by the cost of the election, that per vote cost was astronomical. I find it so wasteful, I will not contribute to the candidates that I do support.
On my last post about Trump, the comments said "give him time, you'll see and it's worth the short term pain." Come 2026, I believe Mackenzie will be facing a headwind of voter discontent about the Trump administration. I suspect by then he won't be touting the company line. Trump and the Republican victory, along with the coattails, were by a very large part from the independents like myself, sitting out the election. For Mackenzie to get my vote in 2026, he'll have to cut bait with Trump, and much sooner than the mid-terms.
Mike, Yes cut bait with McKenzie and sidle up to the Democrats next year. The rest of us will continue to fear the radicalized and angry Democratic Party far more than Trump. You may ask why. Because while Trump is Trump he is not a radical or an ideologue. He is not brimming with anger, weaponizing the federal government and putting his opponents in jail, building a government censorship infrastructure, saying men can be women, supporting drag queen story times for children,...but most importantly, he is working to end pointless death and destruction rather than prolong our reprehensible proxy war. But hey! That's just me.
ReplyDeleteThe problem is that while the Democrats are flailing around looking for the reason their party went off the cliff last November (believe me, they truly are clueless why, and AOC is not the answer), while the Republicans have swung to the extreme right and about 30% of them are coalescing around Trump, whose MAGA supporters consider a God.
DeleteI've seen many elections since the first one I really remember in 1968, and MAGA is a Trump cult whodr mrmnrtd you can't even talk to before their eyes glaze over and call you a "liberal".
Those conservatives, like myself and many others who are far less right wing, and value our trade relations with other nations, and who see NATO as one of the true pillars of world peace, the Russians are not our friends, and who view the people of Ukraine fighting for their freedom and liberty and resting the tyranny of Russia are isolated from Trump and the MAGA Republicans. Quite simply, Trump's economic policies are an unqualified disaster and in the past three months Trump has destroyed the basis of United States power and inflence in the world, and what made us the greatestst power in world history. Can you name any nation as a result of Trump's policies that feel the United States is a reliable friend? I certainly can't.
The Republicans, while not going off the cliff like the Democrats have, are going to take a real bath in the 2026 Congressional elections, likely losing the House and perhaps the Senate also. It's only been three months, and Trump has plenty of time to lose more support yet.
With regards to Mr. Mackenzie, he is going to have to defend Trump's policies to a constituency that is largely Democratic or moderate Republicans; the 30% or so of MAGA Replicans are just not enough to get him re-elected.
Congressional Republicans in general are going to have to find the backbone to push back against Trump or they are going down the toilet in 2026. And that is the same where I live which has a constituency very similar to that of Allentown's.
Delete‘Push back’ on what Trump is doing? That presumption suggests what Trump is doing is not intended to improve the health, well-being, and future security of American lives. Some examples might help me better understand your concerns.
anon@4:37: Trump now states that he got Putin to compromise by not taking ALL of Ukraine. This is the same Trump who said that if he was president instead of Biden, Russia would have never attacked. This is the same Trump who said that he would end the war on day one.
DeleteAs a conservative, I'm hoping that enough Republicans cut bait with Trump to keep a conservative movement viable, because the Trump and MAGA cult already lost its credibility and electability. Fortunately Trump wasn't president when the cold war was hotter.
As for health and well-being, he appoints a person known as a anti-vaxer, cuts aid to Africa when there is a world-wide measles epidemic.
Some "examples" will never make you understand, but you'll get the message mid-terms and 2028.
Should your mid-year election desire prove correct I would see nothing positive about any future change in plans. I would consider this to be a reversal. A fallback once again leading to wide open borders, foolish spending of taxpayer dollars, etc. This kind of decline is not something any of us should hope for.
DeleteIt’s pretty obvious Mackenzie won by riding the coat tails of trump. The democrats and Mackenzie know this. Talking to a lot of republicans they seem to feel the writing is on the wall. It’s hard to see a world where Mackenzie isn’t a single term congressman.
ReplyDeleteScott@7:37: Although your ultra partisan lens worked in 2024, you might consider why Dent ( a Rino in your mind) was in office for such a long time. The Democrats will move right toward the center, and smart Republicans will move away from Trumpism.
ReplyDeleteMike, Charlie Dent would still be our congressman if he wasn't foolish enough to see Trump as a bigger problem than the Democratic Party. History and the American people have proven him wrong.
DeleteCharlie was in office for such a long time because he was a pleasant guy and people liked him. He avoided conflict and was accessible.
Deletemj adams.
Yes, he was pleasant enough, but Charlie Dent always came across as swarmey... a "go along to get along" type of person not able/ready to make the hard choices..
DeleteCharlie Dent was weak and ineffective. Yes, a typical go along to get along bystander who avoided direct confrontations. Dent found his proper niche after leaving office rather than face a certain election loss.
DeleteDent settled in more comfortably taking potshots at others from a distance, allowing himself to be a stooge for liberal media. What an embarrassment.
Indeed that is just you. He IS brimming with anger, he IS weaponizing the federal government. He IS a Russian asset. He IS destroying the country.
ReplyDeleteUnder the circumstances, I think President Trump is showing much greater restraint than I or most people would! He is now in the driver's seat and he should drive and drive hard! The dems sure drove hard!
DeleteAmong comments not being published:
ReplyDeletewhat tv channels someone thinks I watch
list of Trump accomplishments and I'm driving him out of office.
off topic on art museum... by coincidence, tomorrow's post
What's up with that? Can't wait.
DeleteOur Congressman seems to be already getting the picture that Trump’s coat tails are not what they were last year, as I’ve seen him vote at least twice against the party line since he took office. The first vote, to allow proxy voting for new parents in Congress, and the second, when Republicans just recently pushed a bill through to eliminate the $5 cap on bank overdraft fees.
ReplyDeleteI hope he continues to pursue the path of common sense and normalcy, while not diverting from his conservative principles, because the last thing we need is another Ed Pawlowski era politician (Susan Wild) representing us in Congress.
You see that’s not true, in typical Lyin Ryan form also.
DeleteYou mentioned he bucked the GOP by voting to allow proxy voting? Well then you forgot to mention he then only a week later voted to table that same bill.
He just thinks his constituents are too stupid to follow his con.. I imagine his primary will be interesting let alone his general.
I have been tinkering with a new computer and the mail settings. If you submitted an intelligent comment and it did not appear, my apologies.
ReplyDeleteAn ANONYMOUS comment accusing me of meekness was rejected.