Dear Lord, I hope I'm reading this correctly.

[11 Bravo]

I've heard from several right-wing outlets that the border will the defining issue for this election. My take is that they are completely underestimting (or intentionally ignoring) the white-hot incandescent rage among women and the men who love them regarding the concerted GOP effort to deny reproductive health care.
I have no doubt that a bunch of GOP incels who have never been within arm's reach of a "woman" that didn't come in the mail, complete with a pump and a repair patch kit, don't give a flying fuck about reproductive freedom and women's health.
But I am hard pressed to believe that those individuals barking at the moon as FOX"news" unveils their traditional election year "the immigrants are coming" campaign will display anything close to the enthusiasm that will be displayed on Election Day by a substantial majority of the American electorate.
As I said, Lord, I hope I'm right.

[onecaliberal]

1. Abortion rights. END

[Walleye]

2. They've got every other person saying illegal immigrants get free hotel rooms and meals and veterans sleep in the street

[Wonder Why]

3. So all we have to do is convince them that Antarctica is offering the same deal to Americans.

[Walleye]

39. Or Russia, that's where the propaganda comes from

[anciano]

4. Make no mistake about it....

women's rights will be "the" issue in Roevember.

[republianmushroom]

6. You are correct.

[cliffside]

10. No room for error, fight both issues and more :) nt

[Shermann]

5. They shot down the bipartisan Emergency National Security Supplemental Appropriations Act

...so they are building an unsound foundation on loose soil.

[AllaN01Bear]

7. the rs have been beating the immigration thing before eisenhower . time to give it a rest and stop beating a dead horse

[ShazzieB]

19. Good luck convincing Repubs of that!

Especially the MAGA morons. That is Trump's Number! One! Issue!

I agree with you that it's a dead horse. I just don't think the RW is ready stop beating it. If only...

[AZ8theist]

72. The vitriol happened WAY, WAY before Eisenhower....

My ancestors were Irish and emmigrated in the mid 1800's to escape the potato famine. They were called "micks" and ended up in city slums.
My wife's ancestors were Italian and called "wops". Same thing, shuffled off into slum onclaves, mostly in cities.

So, yes, the Reich wing has been demonizing immigrants for centuries. The current xenophobia du jour is brown people from the south.

The wingnuts know little about economic issues, they just live for their bigotry.

The funny thing is, if they are white, THEIR ANCESTORS were immigrants as well. The only people who can justify being here at all is the indigenous population. The rest of us are ALL immigrants in one way or another.

[AllaN01Bear]

73. ding. thanks for this . esp your last paragraph. well thought.

[lees1975]

8. One of the worst political moves Trump made was the undoing of a popular border bill.

That will prove to be historically damaging to his chances at election. But I think you've hit the nail on the head here, with the idea that women's health care is the vote getter.

[TheKentuckian]

66. He was in a pinch either way. Either be an idiot hypocrite or be an idiot with about nothing to campaign on.

Lord knows he couldn't actually come up with any beneficial policies or focus on them enough to pitch then so chaos and hypocrisy it is.

[Buns_of_Fire]

9. That's their effort to define the election ahead of time

and force play on their field, and on their terms. It ain't gonna work this year.

[Think. Again.]

11. You raise an interesting point...

...there may be one main issue this year for rightwing voters- the border, while for sane people there will be a completely different main issue -reproductive rights (oh, and preserving U.S. Democracy, too).

[Think. Again.]

13. Start here...

https://www.aclu.org/project-2025-explained

[Think. Again.]

17. Yeah, trump also claimed he had 106,000 followers at his N.J rally a few months ago...

....the venue only holds 20,000 max.

It is tump who is the hoax.

[obamanut2012]

15. Mirt

[Think. Again.]

18. Thank you.

[niyad]

22. Oh dear, did I miss another troll?

[obamanut2012]

30. Yes

A reoccurring one whose name will be a variation of Harris2024.

[niyad]

35. ahhh, but of course.

[Warpy]

16. If you're reading this as a minority of white males trying to enslave all women

then you're reading it all correctly. That is exactly what is going on.

Some males want to be tyrants and always will and enslavemenyt of women according to the will of a male god is where they invariably start. It's not where they finish, ever, so men might want to reconsider if they think they can sit on the sidelines becase none of this directly affects them. It will. It always does. You won't like it.

And I hope the GOP does try to make this about the border, since they and their Lard and Savior killed the bill that would have started to fix some of the trouble.

But the rest of us will know it's not about the border. It's about slavery.

[malthaussen]

45. They want to enslave them because it's the only way they'd ever have one.

Kinda like the only way they'll ever win an election is to cheat massively.

Because they think forcing their wills on someone proves they are Manly Men, when all it proves is that they are pathetic specimens who cannot earn the respect of anyone outside their own peer group.

-- Mal

[captain queeg]

55. I don't imagine your average MAGA believes that a viable border solution was in the works

Talking to one of them tells me they got blinders on and they dismiss anything that isn’t in alignment with their preconceived notions.

[Warpy]

60. Those assholes don't truly believe anything except TFG is their god anointed king

and that's all they care about. I'm talking about the churchy types who are the first tell you what good Chrisitians they are and how their version of god tells them that women should be subservient in all things.

They parade around wrapped in the flag and toting theirunread bibles and pretend that the OT is the only part worth reading.

They're the people the Jesus of the NT despised the most, the hypocrites who thought they had a right to point out eveybody else's shortcomings and tell them what to do about them, while demanding everyone around them admire their own perfection..

Meanwhile, we know their phones and computers are all stuffed to the last megabyte with the worst types of porn out there, which they'll tell you they're only using for research, or something pious.

[captain queeg]

61. The Pharisees. Yep he kicked them out of the temple.

[TheKentuckian]

76. They don't give a crap what the truth is.

The border will be fine and dandy the second a Republican is in and it won't be mentioned again until it is a convenient cudgel to flog Democrats with.

MAGA is a whole life commitment to bad faith.

[soldierant]

20. Saw a story today which combines both issues in a way -

from, of all places, Arizona. even if it doesn't help figuring out what the issues are, it should give everyone here a little lift.

https://azluminaria.org/2024/08/30/small-town-firefighters-sawed-through-arizona-border-wall-to-rescue-an-injured-man-who-waited-24-hours-for-help/

[Diraven]

21. The border is not the number 1 issue

With anyone except the far right.

[Think. Again.]

42. Bingo.

[bdamomma]

70. That felon

and his minions killed the bill in the House, and here we are. Project 2025 is his manifesto, and that needs to be killed.

[wryter2000]

23. Even selfish men should care about abortion

If a selfish idiot gets a woman pregnant, doesn't he want abortion available? Does he really want to pay to care for a child for 18 years?

[RockRaven]

27. As the system stands, it is "especially" not "even" -- but of course

if they could, those men would change the system to relieve them of any responsibility to get their personal best of both worlds and f- the consequences to others.

[mucholderthandirt]

40. The thing is, I believe the laws would change and no man would pay child support. Why should he?

The woman got pregnant, it's her fault, she has to pay for being "easy", or in the immortal words of NC's lt. governor, she should have kept her skirt down.

[ecstatic]

24. Imagine women getting probed at the borders of Southern States

If it's not the number one issue then we're lost as a country.

[Cha]

25. They wish. We'll see what the Masses

of Women have to say & VP Kamala who will leading on that Life or Death issue.... :

Straight White Dude Shares Why Young Men Should Vote For Harris

https://www.democraticunderground.com/100219408362

[JoetheShow]

26. Democrats have overperformed in EVERY election since the Dobbs decision came down.

VP Harris and team can defuse a lot of the immigration issue by pointing out that the Orange Menace and his cowardly henchmen torpedoed it. It won't matter to the Fox news dead heads but anyone with an IQ higher than the average turnip will realize it could have been fixed but TSF killed it.

[Metaphorical]

34. Unfortunately

There are a lot of people out there for whom a turnip would give them a serious run for the money in the IQ department.

[usonian]

28. And they're still fighting Joe Biden.

I am loving those "Feeble old man" memes.

I am old, but not feeble.

They basically have no idea what people outside their cult thinks or feels.

[Meadowoak]

54. Trump is the feeble old man, now

[bdamomma]

68. and

a demented felon.

[Klarkashton]

31. Apparently trump wasted a fortune on the boarder

For nothing. It must have been all temporary since apparently the day after he got his ass kicked out he claimed that it was an open border even though nothing changed.

[WarGamer]

32. POLLING SAYS THAT THE ECONOMY AND IMMIGRATION ARE #1-2

[SomedayKindaLove]

67. Just saw a poll the other day

That claimed abortion is now the #1 issue.

[WarGamer]

71. not quite

https://www.nytimes.com/2024/08/31/us/elections/abortion-polls-women-trump-harris.html

Economy is still #1 with approx double the number of people picking it to abortion... 28% - 14%

Abortion is tied with immigration.

[SomedayKindaLove]

77. I stand corrected

Was duped by the NYT headline.

[Scruffy1]

33. I live a hundred yards from the Mexican border.

There is absolute peace and quiet all the time. Our crime rate is one of lowest of any large city. El Paso is used to being on the border. Most of my neighbors have relatives in Mexico. It will vote at least 70% for Harris and that includes Fort Bliss. To me the border is not a problem but part of our way of life. Going across to get new glasses tomorrow from my optomitrst. About $70 versus $300 in the good ole USA.
Friendly and kind people on both sides. If it is not a problem here then how can it be a problem some where else?

[LeftInTX]

36. Because it's a manufactured problem.

Well not completely, but people say that's how drugs get in the country etc. It's always been an issue.

It's also harder to cross illegally in El Paso, than areas surrounding South Texas.

[LeftInTX]

37. Immigration is the second most important issue to voters

https://www.statista.com/statistics/1362236/most-important-voter-issues-us/

Abortion is the fifth.

[Think. Again.]

41. Which voters though?

Hardcore rightwingers prioritize issues that are vastly different from the priorities of sane voters.

Bundlng them all together into "likely voters" doesn't give anybody much information to work with.

[LeftInTX]

43. Are they only polling right wingers?

If they don't include right wingers, then it's not a valid poll either. Likely voters are the most accurate polls.

[Think. Again.]

46. A poll of "likely voters" is going to give...

...a mix of votes that can't be appealed to.

Hardcore rightwingers are not going to vote Blue, even if we put out ads that focused on their priorities such as immigration. We will not win them over, so what their top issues are is unimportant in a useful poll.

[LeftInTX]

47. Likely voters are people who have a history of voting.

They aren't right wingers. They're just people who have voted in the past and are likely to vote again.

[Think. Again.]

48. rightwingers that have a history of voting...

...and are likely to vote again are included in a "likely voter poll, and they have very set priorities that are very different from sane voters.

Including them in the poll will give a skewed result of what priorities should be focused on by Democratic campaigns.

We will not win their votes even if we focus our campaigns on their priorities, so if we focus our campaigns on their priorities, we are wasting resources.

[LeftInTX]

49. Polls include both left, right, in-between etc. All persuasions.

Who are they supposed to poll?

[Think. Again.]

50. We should be polling specific subsets of the voting population...

...that we need to, and can, convince to vote for us to find out how we can focus our campaigns on their priorities.

rightwingers are not in that group, they will not vote for us no matter what, and so the mixed bag of priorities of all "likely voters" doesn't give us any useable information.

[LeftInTX]

51. Those are internal polls by the party and are generally not released to the public.

[Think. Again.]

52. oh, so the "likely voter" poll is just political entertainment.

[LeftInTX]

53. They're public non-partisan polls. Likely voters are also included in internal polling.

They may also focus on numerous groups to contrast and compare. They may take three our four groups. Unless you work on a campaign strategy is often kept private. A Democratic candidate may poll: Democrats, Republican, Independents and Undecided voters in four separate polls.

Public polls give you a hint at things.

[Think. Again.]

58. yeah, useless, just clickbait.

[Martin Eden]

38. Trump does not have a leg to stand on regarding the border

Any effective solution requires Congressional legislation. Remarkably, a bipartisan team in the Senate worked four months on a bill that greatly strengthened and funded our southern border and the processing of those who cross it.

With a phone call to his Republican allies, Trump killed the bill explicitly so he could continue to demagogue the border issue as a campaign strategy.

[malthaussen]

44. It will be the big issue... for the media and the politicians.

Who will once again demonstrate that they are totally disconnected with the people they purportedly serve.

I am constantly getting the "Border" advertisements on YT because Bill Casey of PA is up for reelection. His ads say no one has ever been tougher on the border than he, his opponents say he is "soft" and a "danger to the Nation."

It's bullshit, IMO, and the Incel Bro-boys who are running things in the GOP are going to be surprised by the number of women who don't meet their fantasies and submissively vote for the Republicans. And will just continue to whine about how the bitches never meet their fantasies.

-- Mal

[Initech]

56. No, the defining issue will be abortion.

The border will only be an issue for rabid right wingers whose brains have been turned to mush by Fox and Newsmax. Those of us who live in the real world know that abortion is the main issue people will vote on.

[CrispyQ]

57. I just saw a poll of Gen Z & the three top issues they were concerned with were,

inflation, democracy, & abortion, in that order. I was happy to see democracy on that list!

[LeftInTX]

59. I saw that too. Now they need to vote!

[captain queeg]

62. Remind me what is gen Z? (Ages)

[CrispyQ]

63. Gen Z, born 1997-2012, aka Zoomers.

Here's a chart of all generations.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Generation_Z#/media/File:Generation_timeline.svg

[captain queeg]

64. That's still some prime reproductive years. I'm a little surprised abortion wasn't higher on the list.

I guess a lot of these people already have started their families. I’ve read for the youngest voter crowd their #1 issue is climate change.

[recovering_democrat]

65. I agree you are right.

oh and by the way, you are 100% correct.

[DJ Porkchop]

69. Happy Immigrant Caravans Day everybody!

(That's when we win again in a blue wave!)

[Kashkakat v.2.0]

75. Why not two defining issues - women's autonomy over our own bodies AND securing the border

which in case you missed it, is ready to go on day one - Kamala has said a number of times she'll sign the bipartisan legislation that Repubs backed out of at the request of their cult leader). What you read is just BS, them trying to claim that only they are doing something about it. I think it just needs to be made clear that our way is to actually fix the broken system - allowing for a certain amt of legal, sustainable immigration and work visas - while theirs is only to... I dunno, brutalize people .

[Jack Valentino]

78. I haven't seen any "immigrants" around here lately,

and none of them have taken my job...

Last I heard, we needed many of them to harvest our food,
or we might go hungry...

However, when I hear that Kamala Harris is coming,
I will sit up and take notice,
and contemplate how I might be able
to be there and support her!!!!

(I haven't seen a presidential candidate since Bill Clinton in '96,
but I will wait and see how this campaign unfolds....)