Today in a Red Bar

[NowISeetheLight]

I live near Palm Springs. Being gay, retiring here was an easy choice (compared to the Deep South where I was).

So today I stopped by my local bar for a couple drinks and a fish n'chips. I will say right off the bat this is a Red bar, so I never talk politics. Well, I walked in and on the TV was "Biden backs out of race". The first I'd heard of it.

What I heard was "We are fucxxd" from the Republican crowd. There was a guy in an Elephant T-Shirt there and he was pissed. "Now Kamala is running, there goes the blacks! ." Another guy was ranting about who the VP pick would be. He was bitching it would probably be the Democrat Governor of Pennsylvania "Josh sonething". "They'll take the state then, we need that state."

I heard people in panicked distress. I sat there, nodded a lot, and I was laughing inside. It was a good lunch.

[NameAlreadyTaken]

1. Lunch with a floor show!

[calimary]

82. No kidding!

That’s a great way to put it!

[dchill]

2. Interesting observations.

[GreenWave]

3. Thanks for the in person reporting.

[chia]

4. You had a very good lunch indeed!

I'm sad today, but also hopeful.

[Traurigkeit]

5. May your silent observations ring true

[lindysalsagal]

6. The gqp's expect Harris/Shapiro. Love it!

[Captain Zero]

9. I prefer to win PA WITH Fetterman

As the VP nominee.

[Lulu KC]

25. I thought his popularity was fading in PA

But I've only seen that in MSM so it may be completely false. Don't quote me.

[ananda]

28. No, a governor is better.

We need to keep our Dems in the senate.

[Sky Jewels]

47. Oh god no, not Fetterman!

That would be a terrible choice, in my opinion.

[uponit7771]

66. Why? Haven't kept up with him but he ran a decent campaign ... tia

[Nimble_Idea]

7. the fear of Josh Shapiro as the VP, is my subsitute for maga tears until nov

I'll be sampling on that for a bit

[StarryNite]

8. That's because the MAGAts believed the MSM.

They actually thought it was an age issue. They don't know it was never about that. Follow the money.

[DinahMoeHum]

10. Well, it still IS an age issue. . .

. . .only now, the focus is on Trump, who can barely string two sentences together.

[StarryNite]

14. Now it's our turn.

[EverHopeful]

19. Or as I've been pointing out to anyone who's still willing to mention President Biden's cognitive ability to me

That other guy can't even speak complete words, let alone complete sentences.

[Farmer-Rick]

74. Well, the comments I've heard

In red rural TN is that it's a race issue now.

Libertarians and independents who were repulsed by Pedo Trump were leaning towards Biden.......now it's no go for them because of race and I think gender too. A Lot of sexism around here too. More so with the older folks who always vote.

Maybe give it a few months and they may get use to the idea.....

[yardwork]

77. TN was never in play. Too few people ever actually vote for the Democrats.

It's the swing voters in swing states where this election hinges. PA, MI, WI, and MN are must-wins, and we have to win some of GA, NC, AZ.

[Farmer-Rick]

80. Well that's good

But it could be in play.

It was very close when Obama ran. At least in East TN. I campaigned for Obama in North Carolina.

We kind of knew we couldn't totally move TN but we had a real impact on North Carolina. They are just 30 miles East of where I live.

[yardwork]

81. I'm in NC and grateful for your help!

Every vote counts. I didn't mean to imply that we should write off TN and other states. We can get them back if we fight.

[NowISeetheLight]

84. TV Commercials

Start running TV commercials with his crazy rants (shark vs electricity?). Clips of him just mumbling to finish sentences and freezing like Mitch McConnell.

The wanted to play the age game. OK with me.

[PennRalphie]

11. Shapiro would be great at the top

Of the ticket. Kamala can stay VP. Shapiro wins PA, MI, WI and maybe even OH. He is that well liked.

[Deminpenn]

20. We would be handing PA to an R gov in 2026

instead of coasting to 4 more years of Dem control if Shapiro becomes VP nominee.

[Joe Cool]

42. Not necesarily

Who would be the R governor?

[Deminpenn]

44. There's lots of ambitious Rs in the legislature

Josh Kail, HD-15, comes to mind right away to me. He's young, ambitious and has a base of support in SW Pa. He's like Shapiro in that he's been getting his ticket punched for higher office for awhile now.

[Joe Cool]

50. Who?

Never heard of him. Butler, PA here.

[Deminpenn]

55. He's the rep in southern Beaver

County and part of Washington County. HD runs along the Ohio border and west of the urban areas, long and skinny. He's a protege of Jim Christiana who held the seat before him. Kail's young, he's been in the state house 5 years or so. He'd probably like to be a state senator but he's kind of boxed in by Vogel and Barlotta.

[PennRalphie]

45. Our Lt. Gov is a Democrat

Austin Davis becomes Governor and the incumbent. A republican wouldn’t stand a chance.

[Deminpenn]

48. He'd have an advantage of incumbency

but I don't think he'd be a shoo in at all.

[quakerboy]

62. What is more important

The presidency or the governorship of any one state?

[Deminpenn]

67. We've been under Republican goverance

for years. Prior to the fair redistricting we got in 2020 that allowed Dems to take control of the state house, the only thing protecting us from being subjected to the same kind of culture wars nonsense going on in Ohio and other red states were our Dem governors, Wolf and now Shapiro. We'll keep them thank you.

Let me also point out that a candidate who was born and raised in Pennsylvania before his family moved out of state and his wife who was also born and raised in Pennsylvania recently were unceremoniously dumped by the Democratic party leadership. The party can look elsewhere for it's unicorn VP.

[debm55]

73. agree

[MLAA]

27. I'm now all in on Kamala for President.

Is there something she is missing that would disqualify her as president?

[flying_wahini]

59. Uh, no. Kamala is the top of the ticket. No white guys for President. Sorry

[onetexan]

61. No. Kamala on top for many reasons

[calimary]

83. Begging your pardon but we already have a Top of the Ticket.

And SHE will make an outstanding President. And I’m GREATLY looking forward to voting for her in November!

[BittyJenkins]

12. That is good news and

My son and his lady just got married in Palm Springs. They eloped and had a very sweet time there even in 100 degree weather! Glad you have a nice safe spot to live.

[NowISeetheLight]

85. Nice!

Congrats to the new couple. It's only 110 here today... So cooling off!

[DownriverDem]

13. Your experience

is helping me feel better. I still say we need a non-threatening, white, male Dem to run with Harris as VP.

[Sympthsical]

15. Republicans did not want this

Every conversation I've had and bit of reading I've done in Republican spaces had more or less the same flavor: "We want it close enough so he doesn't leave the race, but bad enough that it's an easy win." Once the swing state polls started tanking, a lot of Republicans started going, "Uh oh." I do believe "Shit." is the universal reaction I'm hearing and seeing right now.

[KPN]

16. Good to know. Thanks for sharing.

[djacq]

17. Wow.

"there goes the blacks!"

As an African American, the majority of us are not so monolithic.

[somaticexperiencing]

18. well, for once I like their point of view.

[Attilatheblond]

21. Am familiar with the area

Appreciate the report of what some locals are saying.

[ProudMNDemocrat]

22. I recall the scene in APOCOLYPSE NOW about the smell of napalm in the morning.

"It smells like VICTORY!"

Only this time the shoe is on the other foot...MAGAts are running around like chickens with their heads cut off in desperation. The day of reckoning is coming.

[Lulu KC]

23. Love it!

[DontBelieveEastisEas]

24. Lovely

[MLAA]

26. Fish, chips and maga tears make a fine combo!

[AllaN01Bear]

29. interisting pov. thanks . listen to kgay now and then .

[Dem4life1234]

30. It's funny how she's just as much Indian as black

But all they see is black. American view of race is interesting.

Good to see them scared.

[Carlitos Brigante]

31. "there goes the blacks! ."... It's mind boggling, that this death cult of a party hasn't

been winning the black vote by double digits for years, with this kind of thinking.

[yardwork]

78. They were hoping to peel off just enough Black male voters to Trump.

It's been Trump's strategy for a while, to make inroads in traditionally Democratic voting blocs.

The 2020 election was won with only 40,000 votes spread across four key battleground states. This election will be the same, I think.

[Silent Type]

32. Good to hear. Bet is was enjoyable.

[OMGWTF]

33. I live part-time in beautiful Palm Springs

and wonder which bar you’re referring to. I used to frequent a bar with live music but stopped going after they put up a “Let’s go Brandon” sign. I’m not giving those fkers any of my money.

[NowISeetheLight]

86. No Signs

No signs here and the staff are very neutral in public. It's kind of a western place so they get a lot of white folks. The funny thing is there are several African American regulars. They sit with us regulars and are very welcome. I guess thats why the "there goes the blacks" comment from one guy shocked me.

I'm in there 2-3x a week and usually there is no talk of politics. I hear occasional things which led ne to conclude it's a Red bar, but it's not crazy.

Still I really enjoyed yesterday.

[MiKenMi33]

34. This makes me feel better.

[Cha]

35. Lol.. your Red Bar story Cheered me UP!

Mahalo!

[peppertree]

36. No wonder Shady Dunce didn't want to debate her!

He knows she'd wipe the floor with his fascist, kleptocratic face.

[Upthevibe]

37. NowISeetheLight ............

That's wonderful!

Thank you soooooooooooo much for sharing your experience

[Warpy]

38. That' hilarious!

Yeah, we're all up against master strategists, all right.

[FarPoint]

39. I am rooting for Pete Buttigieg for VP....

He is young, brilliant, a warrior and can shut down any MAGA even on a rainy day...

He cleans up when he goes on Fox Noise.... Yea...if we are going for gusto...let's do it justice.

[FrankTC]

54. Buttigieg Is the Man

Totally agree about Buttigieg for VP. He’s thoughtful, knowledgeable, articulate, poised, and unflappable. Nominating Harris will cause visceral distress among the MAGATs, transgressing their gender and racial prejudices, but adding Buttigieg to the ticket will cause MAGAT heads to explode. A delightful symphony of self-immolating bigotry.

[livetohike]

65. He's my choice too. I hope he's under consideration.

The convention is going to be interesting and maybe for once we won’t hear about Trump for a few days.

[NowISeetheLight]

87. Heads Explode

A black woman and a gay guy. I could just see RepubQcan heads explode at a ticket like that.

[SunSeeker]

40. Awesome.

I'm psyched!

[Joe Cool]

41. She picks Josh Shapiro of PA, it's over.

No way anyone except the Trump cult would want Vance over Shapiro.

[debm55]

75. Josh was the AG in PA when Trump wanted the PA votes recounted, Josh refused

[Liberty Belle]

43. I am in a Utah airport, and was surprised to hear pto Dem comments

In this red area. Old lady in gift store said she would vote for a corpse over Trump because he is like Hitler, and she is Jewish. A pilot who is ex military thinks Trump is dangerous and force military members to refuse to carry out unconstitutional orders. Gave me hope after today's depressing news.

[peggysue2]

46. Thanks for that, NowISeetheLight

Certainly brightened my day and mood.

[Gaytano70]

49. I love this post!

My first post on DU! As a fellow gay, I am so happy I joined today and read your post!

[summer_in_TX]

58. Welcome to DU, Gaytano!

A good day to be together to process such momentous news! Love the comments in the red bar and in Utah!

[Gaytano70]

70. Thank you!

[AllyCat]

63. Welcome to DU!

[Gaytano70]

72. Happy to be here!

[NowISeetheLight]

88. Welcome

Welcome aboard! We are happy you're here. I still remember when I found DU. It was like I was lost in the forest and found the path out.

[badhair77]

51. This warms my heart. I love to see MAGA in turmoil.

Shapiro would be great but I hate to lose him as governor.

[Hekate]

52. Very cheering indeed

[Maru Kitteh]

53. In a Red State with MAGA coworkers - initial jubilation followed by PANIC. Deep,

and thoroughly entertaining PANIC.

[Sky Jewels]

60. Love it!

[Maru Kitteh]

71. One of them said "Trump should make hime stay in the race, this isn't FAIR."

Orange Jesus is suddenly looking very weak again.

[Sky Jewels]

79. Omg!

[TBF]

56. I'm glad someone is talking about Josh Shapiro besides me -

he really would be an excellent choice!!

[BlueSky3]

68. The Philadelphia Inquirer

has lots of good coverage of Josh Shapiro and his chances of becoming VP. He and Kamala go way back and have campaigned together. And they’re both prosecutors.

[beaglelover]

57. I live here too. Heard a comedian state a funny description of PS.

He said it’s a utopia where the gays peacefully coexist with Republicans. Much truth in that statement! LOL

[NowISeetheLight]

89. Gay Utopia

When I lived in Phoenix I'd come over here for vacations. There's a gay resort neighborhood called Warm Sands with a bunch of resorts. I had a regular place I stayed and it's only a three block walk to Arenas Ave which is "Gay Street" will all the bars. They even have a GayMart store!

The entire city council was LGBT when I moved here. The mayor is Transgender. She's just awesome. The new police chief is very gay friendly. I just love it here. I knew that after moving to the Deep South for a great job, I would try to move here when I retired.

[beaglelover]

90. Yeah, we moved here from L.A. at the end of June 2023. We moved up our move to the desert by a year as living in

L.A. was becoming unbearable for many reasons. I'm so glad we moved here.

We've been coming out to the PS area at least once a year for decades. When we were younger and prettier we usually stayed at Terrazzo on 111 near Sunrise. Great little gay clothing optional hotel. It's now a straight place and very expensive. In recent years we'd rent a place on VRBO when we wanted to get away to the desert.

The barracks used to be our 'go to' bar. Can't believe it is closing for good in about a month. Friends in our new neighborhood recommend the Roost as a nice neighborhood gay bar.

It's so great living in a resort town. We've had lots of friends and family visit us in the past year and it's been a lot of fun to host them in our new home.

[NowISeetheLight]

91. Desert Paradise

I always stayed at Desert Paradise in Warm Sands. Was good friends with the old owner and the manager. He finally sold the place and retired. The new owners are also very nice. They did some nice remodeling. When I bought my house out here I actually stayed there a week while I was going through closing on the new house.

[Old Crank]

64. Now every lead in can be about the oldest nominated candidate ever

and his obivous dementia.
GOP are running a criminal who is old and out to lunch. Proping him up to get VAnce to take over.

[travelingthrulife]

69. Good to hear an anecdote like this

Today their GOP talking points will be delivered to them via Fox or Newsmax or CNN and they will find their feet.

[LetMyPeopleVote]

76. That sounds like a fun lunch