Roy Cooper makes it official

[rodoheel]

Me voting Republican in this race isn’t as likely as you seem to think. It’s probable, but not a sure thing. I love me some Roy Cooper. Great Tar Heel.

Each Senate race is ultimately a race for which party’s national agenda wins the power, rather than voting for a particular executive to make a bunch of decisions on their own (like a governor’s race), so by definition a Senate race is more “do I like republicans more or democrats more?” compared to a governor’s race where you are voting for an individual.

There are too many unknown variables right now, including who he will be running against, how well the country is doing under Republican leadership between now and then, and what kind of campaign Roy runs.

If Cooper campaigns on being in support of biological men playing women’s sports then yeah, I’m not voting for him. If he runs a moderate campaign like he did for NC governor, I’ll at least have an open mind when it comes to voting for him.

This will be a good test case for where I’m personally at on the political spectrum come November 2026. I increasingly dislike all politicians and have less and less loyalty to the “Magic R”, even though I do generally align more with Republicans on a majority of issues.

Ah yes - I am confident that your support will surely turn on the candidates' positions on "biological men playing women’s sports" which is undoubtedly the most important issue facing our nation. I can understand why one would be thinking about this important issue in deciding who to vote for in the 2026 North Carolina senate race. I am sure we will all be waiting with baited breath to see whether Roy Cooper will be campaigning on this critical issue, which certainly no one can predict as of now.

 

[HeelYeah2012]

I’ll set some odds

Heelyeah votes D in 2026 -2000
Heelyeah votes R in 2026 +1800

I’m assuming you meant the inverse of what you posted. The way you posted it in what I quoted, me voting Democrat would be heavily favored.

On this particular race I would set the line on who I will vote for as follows:

Republican -180
Democrat +160

 

[HeelYeah2012]

Ah yes - I am confident that your support will surely turn on the candidates' positions on "biological men playing women’s sports" which is undoubtedly the most important issue facing our nation. I can understand why one would be thinking about this important issue in deciding who to vote for in the 2026 North Carolina senate race. I am sure we will all be waiting with bated breath to see whether Roy Cooper will be campaigning on this critical issue, which certainly no one can predict as of now.

That issue is more of a litmus test for how beholden the Dem candidate is to the loony left, or whether they have the conviction to use a little common sense and get themselves on the “90” side of a 90/10 issue.

Recall this was ultimately the deciding issue in the 2024 POTUS election. With Harris supporting taxpayer-funded sex changes for prisoners being the single most effective ad the Trump campaign had in the swing states among key demographics.

 

[NOVAHEEL13]

Zoo, I have to say, this is a really weird rant you're on. I respect you as a poster. I get your frustration. But all I see on this thread is a bunch of woe are we, and nothing concrete about what could be done differently. If you think Jackson or Stein should be the candidate rather than Cooper, say that. If you think there's someone else who would be an even better candidate, say that. Otherwise, I'm not sure what you think you're adding here.

Eh this is zoo doing zoo things. This isn't the first time zoo went on a pessimistic rant and it won't be the last.

That said, while I think RC will be just fine, the overall idea isn't completely wrong... Dems can fuck up free tacos and ice cream day so...

 

[mpaer]

That issue is more of a litmus test for how beholden the Dem candidate is to the loony left, or whether they have the conviction to use a little common sense and get themselves on the “90” side of a 90/10 issue.

Recall this was ultimately the deciding issue in the 2024 POTUS election. With Harris supporting taxpayer-funded sex changes for prisoners being the single most effective ad the Trump campaign had in the swing states among key demographics.

And it was a practice Trump had. That’s how incompetent the Dem counterarguement was

 

[rodoheel]

That issue is more of a litmus test for how beholden the Dem candidate is to the loony left, or whether they have the conviction to use a little common sense and get themselves on the “90” side of a 90/10 issue.

Recall this was ultimately the deciding issue in the 2024 POTUS election. With Harris supporting taxpayer-funded sex changes for prisoners being the single most effective ad the Trump campaign had in the swing states among key demographics.

You are probably correct about the efficacy of that ad, but of course neither Harris nor any other Democrat remotely "campaigned" on that issue in 2024. So I guess what you're saying is that you'll make your decision based on whatever an attack ad tells you Cooper advocated for 8 years ago or something.

BTW - that was a quick pivot from "men playing women's' sports" to "prisoner sex changes," eh?

 

[Calheel]

I’m assuming you meant the inverse of what you posted. The way you posted it in what I quoted, me voting Democrat would be heavily favored.

On this particular race I would set the line on who I will vote for as follows:

Republican -180
Democrat +160

Yea. Typing too fast on my phone at the doctors office. Fixed now.

 

[tarheelbillie]

Speaking of talking points...

Not to derail the conversation, but Republican discipline on talking points is impressive.

Not just MAGA. RNC is focused and efficient.

 

[rodoheel]

Not just MAGA. RNC is focused and efficient.

if there's one advantage of having your entire party apparatus being devoted to absolute servility to a single individual, one side benefit is "message discipline."

 

[HeelYeah2012]

BTW - that was a quick pivot from "men playing women's' sports" to "prisoner sex changes," eh?

Same basic issue. Forcing taxpayers/society to play along.

 

[Icky Mettle]

Cunningham was just as good a candidate as Jackson would have been when he was nominated in 2020. Probably better. I have no idea if Cunningham would have won if he had kept it in his pants, but in terms of their name recognition, charisma, etc., it would not have made sense to run Jackson that year.

I do agree about Beasley. She's an absolutely incredible person but was not a good candidate.

I'm about 70% sure it was in Jackson's long-term best interest NOT to be the candidate in 2020. He has tremendous potential. He's also still young. He needs to pick the right spot, and I don't that would have been the one.

As for 2026, I don't think it has to be a major recession for Cooper to win. That's entirely possible, but it's not necessary. Look at the polling right now. Trump will not be on the ballot. Regardless of what the RNC says, Cooper is perceived as a moderate. It's why he's done so well in prior elections. He's the right guy for this cycle. Jackson, Stein, etc. have PLENTY of opportunities to come.

I thought Cunningham was lacking significantly in charisma and was not a good communicator. I remember him doing terribly in his debate with Tillis as well. It was really bad.

 

[rodoheel]

Same basic issue. Forcing taxpayers/society to play along.

OK, sure man. Still has the same relevance to the 2026 NC Senate race, which is zero. It's very telling that you chose to bring this issue up out of nowhere in pre-defense of voting for the Trump-backed Republican candidate. Even more telling which part of my post you chose to respond to. You are smart enough to know that Dems didn't campaign on the issue in 2024 and certainly won't be campaigning on it in 2026, but you will certainly choose to let yourself be taken in by whatever ads the Republicans decide to run against Cooper.

 

[1moretimeagain]

 

[BillOfRights]

Same basic issue. Forcing taxpayers/society to play along.

Hell yeah, heelyeah! If people want to be black/LGBTQ/disabled/Jewish in their own home, that's ok, but when I have to open my "whites only" lunch counter or bake a cake for them, that's going too far. Don't shove that woke s*** down my throat.

But posting the 10 commandments or requiring "christian" prayer in school is good.

/s

 

[HeelYeah2012]

OK, sure man. Still has the same relevance to the 2026 NC Senate race, which is zero. It's very telling that you chose to bring this issue up out of nowhere in pre-defense of voting for the Trump-backed Republican candidate. Even more telling which part of my post you chose to respond to. You are smart enough to know that Dems didn't campaign on the issue in 2024 and certainly won't be campaigning on it in 2026, but you will certainly choose to let yourself be taken in by whatever ads the Republicans decide to run against Cooper.

The reason that issue is relevant to the NC Senate race is because a lot of the national Loony Left supports the 10 side of that 90/10 issue. Harris may not have “campaigned” on the issue in 2024, but not once did she deny the messaging from the sex changes for prisoners ad or say she supports people playing sports against their biological sex (you know, like we’ve all done for generations until recently). So yeah, no kidding the Democrats don’t campaign on this issue because it’s a losing issue for them. Bigly. Which is why the Democrats on this board who aren’t off the reservation have realized they need to cool it on some of the weird social stuff if they want to try and win elections moving forward.

It’s true the transgender issue has been mostly meaningless in recent governor’s races in NC where the Democrat has to be moderate on silly positions like that in order to win. State and local politics are a little less silly than national politics in general.

But in the US Senate, there is a lot more potentially crazy stuff out there coming from the left as well as the right. Congress is nuts. And it’s all a numbers game to see which side of crazies in Congress has the power.

 

[superrific]

The reason that issue is relevant to the NC Senate race is because a lot of the national Loony Left supports the 10 side of that 90/10 issue. Harris may not have “campaigned” on the issue in 2024, but not once did she deny the messaging from the sex changes for prisoners ad or say she supports people playing sports against their biological sex (you know, like we’ve all done for generations until recently).

What will it take for you to give up this idea of a "Loony Left"? Where are Dems loony. I will grant you for the sake of argument this trans issue, but you're using it as a proxy for other lunacy. What is it? Who are the Loony Leftists you speak to?

For most of this century, the "Loony Left" has been centered around the anti-vaxx movement. Now that's your problem. Here's what I see the Dems supporting:

1. Fiscal responsibility without compromising the safety net or universal health insurance, by raising taxes on the people who can afford them.
2. Investment in future technology. Trump has cancelled most of the high-tech investments created under Biden. He's replaced them with stuff like selling rice to Japan. Do you really think it's in America's best interests to cancel solar and wind energy projects?
3. Equal voting rights for all, including an end to the horrifying practice of gerrymandering.
4. Sensible constitutional interpretation, as opposed to the ridiculous nonsense from the Supreme Court. This "originalist" court has managed to create a situation that was the one thing the Framers were trying hardest to avoid. Meanwhile, gun rights are now more protected than any other right, which surely you can admit is perverse even if you are a gun enthusiast. It's gotten so bad the Court isn't even trying to explain itself, because it knows it cannot.
5. Free trade, with support for manufacturing through industrial policy, like what China has done to be such a juggernaut.
6. Medical research, science research and university scholarship, which has long been the support for American technology.

Meanwhile, the right seems a lot more loony, don't you think? You've got the anti-vaxxers, the people who lie with every breath about how their Medicaid cuts won't cause anyone to lose insurance (it will and it's already started), the anti-science freaks, the religious nutjobs, the conspiracy theorists, and the professional gaslighters like Trump, Vivek, Elon, etc.

Please don't bring up "the border" because most all of that noise is straight bullshit. Biden's border policies were basically the same as Trump's. The only difference was nobody was traveling during Covid. Also, Biden cared about following the law, which Trump is not doing.

So where is this loony left and what is it doing? Wouldn't you agree that 95% of the BSC people in politics right now are GOP?

 

[rodoheel]

The reason that issue is relevant to the NC Senate race is because a lot of the national Loony Left supports the 10 side of that 90/10 issue. Harris may not have “campaigned” on the issue in 2024, but not once did she deny the messaging from the sex changes for prisoners ad or say she supports people playing sports against their biological sex (you know, like we’ve all done for generations until recently). So yeah, no kidding the Democrats don’t campaign on this issue because it’s a losing issue for them. Bigly. Which is why the Democrats on this board who aren’t off the reservation have realized they need to cool it on some of the weird social stuff if they want to try and win elections moving forward.

It’s true the transgender issue has been mostly meaningless in recent governor’s races in NC where the Democrat has to be moderate on silly positions like that in order to win. State and local politics are a little less silly than national politics in general.

But in the US Senate, there is a lot more potentially crazy stuff out there coming from the left as well as the right. Congress is nuts. And it’s all a numbers game to see which side of crazies in Congress has the power.

Can you give me an example from the last six months of someone on the “loony left” in Congress expressing a radical position that you disagree with? What exactly is the radical stuff you think is going to happen if Dems control the Senate?

The big distinction you have elided for years is that in the Republican Party the MAGA loonies are in charge while on the left the “radical” Dems are a fringe minority. It’s too bad Paine isn’t here anymore because I’d love to see him react to the idea that the “loony left” has significant agenda-setting power in Washington.

 

[HeelYeah2012]

Can you give me an example from the last six months of someone on the “loony left” in Congress expressing a radical position that you disagree with? What exactly is the radical stuff you think is going to happen if Dems control the Senate?

The big distinction you have elided for years is that in the Republican Party the MAGA loonies are in charge while on the left the “radical” Dems are a fringe minority. It’s too bad Paine isn’t here anymore because I’d love to see him react to the idea that the “loony left” has significant agenda-setting power in Washington.

Statehood for DC and Puerto Rico
Pack the court
Abolish ICE
Defund the police

 

[superrific]

Statehood for DC and Puerto Rico
Pack the court
Abolish ICE
Defund the police

1. Wait, wait? Representative democracy is now loony? WTF dude?
2. "Pack the court" -- you mean with solid judges who are actually judges? The current Supreme Court isn't even a court any more, and I mean that quite literally. A court hands down rules and opinions to go with orders. This SCOTUS has issued more than a dozen orders without rules or opinions.
3. Abolish ICE -- LOL. A position that no Dem holds. Now, I'd like to restructure DHS to eliminate ICE but I wouldn't eliminate the function. The agency is corrupt.
4. LOL LOL LOL LOL.

Do you really think this post deserves to be treated with respect?

 

[Milk and Cookies]

Statehood for DC and Puerto Rico
Pack the court
Abolish ICE
Defund the police

I’m not sure if any Dem leaders are calling to “abolish ICE” so that may be a straw man but I do know a few weeks ago the latest poll was that a majority of Americans believe ICE arrests have gone too far. So maybe you’re on the looney right?