• SatanicNotMessianic@lemmy.ml
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      1 year ago

      Honestly, it could be a real power move for some blue state republicans to flip parties. If they could pull a Reagan and say that the Republican Party has changed but they haven’t, they could take both the democratic voters and centrist republicans while losing the MAGAs, and still carry their district.

      That would be something for the history books.

      • GladiusB@lemmy.world
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        1 year ago

        I doubt they would be trusted at this point. Too many burnt bridges in the MAGA lifetime. They are on life support.

      • dhork@lemmy.world
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        1 year ago

        They don’t even have to flip outright to Democrats, they could simply announce they are now Independent. They are probably getting a Primary challenger regardless, and maybe Democrats pay back the favor by forgetting to run a candidate in that district.

      • Kecessa@sh.itjust.works
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        1 year ago

        What share of Republican voters are flexible enough to decide to vote for the Democrats just so they don’t support the Trump/MAGA movement? Because these people would need need to decide to vote Republican come next election and US electors seem to be very entrenched in their support for one party or the other, no matter what…

        • Taako_Tuesday@lemmy.ca
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          1 year ago

          There’s always more people to peel off, but I think a lot of the centrist republicans have already switched. Anecdotally, my dad, a lifelong republican, chose not to vote in 2016, and voted for Biden in 2020. I don’t see a lot of Trump voters switching over after voting for him twice, but maybe some of the moderates who held their votes will decide to vote for democrats in the future

      • Xhieron@lemmy.world
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        1 year ago

        It could, but brass tacks: Who are these people? I mean which Reps could survive jumping ship here with their political careers intact? I’m genuinely curious because I love the idea. I just don’t see it for the same reason I don’t see a single Dem flipping to get a more center Republican speaker.

        If you defect, you basically have to swap parties entirely, because you’re not just signing up for the Speaker. You also have to expect to protect him or her from the next motion to vacate. And the next. So in for a penny, in for a pound.

        This is the same reason it takes a majority to elect the Speaker in the first place: Otherwise you have a House with a Speaker that still can’t actually govern.

        • dragontamer@lemmy.world
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          1 year ago

          McCarthy was kicked out for working with Democrats to prevent the government shutdown.

          You’re grossly underestimating the RINO / propaganda that causes Republicans to knife each other in the back and demand loyalty.

        • Salamendacious@lemmy.world
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          1 year ago

          That’s analogous to a conservative commentor saying, “an easy solution would be a few Democrats voting for Jordan.” You and I know that’s about as likely as Hillary stumping for Trump though.

          • kirklennon@kbin.social
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            1 year ago

            That’s analogous to a conservative commentor saying, “an easy solution would be a few Democrats voting for Jordan.”

            I’m pretty sure that was exactly the point. There have been endless articles asking if Democrats will step in to help Republicans out of the mess they created by voting for a marginally less extreme Republican. This person was flipping that nonsense around and asking why a handful of Republicans can’t just vote for someone who actually wants to govern.

            • Salamendacious@lemmy.world
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              1 year ago

              Two reasons:

              (1) Republicans are knee deep in infighting right now. Working with Democrats is bad enough but voting for one would definitely bring a primary challenger.

              (2) Republicans have the majority in the house. Fair or not, it’s theirs and in my opinion it just isn’t realistic to expect them to give the gavel and the speakers bully pulpit (to borrow the expression) to a Democrat especially at the beginning of a presidential election cycle.

              I haven’t looked at these 20 Biden district Republicans in a lot of depth, only superficially, but I don’t see them switching party alliances and in my opinion that’s the only way they’d vote for Jefferies.

      • flipht@kbin.social
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        1 year ago

        There’s no chance of them crossing the aisle to elect a Democrat, yes.

        But there’s also no chance of them siphoning off Democratic votes if they’re unwilling to give anything up, and can’t be trusted even if they offer something juicy.

        So there’s about as much chance that they’ll elect Jeffries as there is that they’ll elect one of their own.

      • fleabomber@lemm.ee
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        1 year ago

        There are Republicans where they were able to win their seat but Biden won the general. They might be feeling purple.

        • Salamendacious@lemmy.world
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          1 year ago

          Purple? Definitely but feeling Blue? I don’t think so. I think it’s increasingly likely that we could see a republican & Blue dog supported speaker but in my opinion it’ll be a republican with some minority party rights. I can’t see Jefferies getting the gavel this time around. Hopefully 2024 gives it to him.