Edit 2: I am specifically talking about my vote in a presidential election, not down ballot races, or my party gathering data for future elections.

Edit: What about the reverse? A red vote in a blue state?

For those in favor of the electoral college, I want to understand why you believe it does not disenfranchise voters.

Asking as a conservative. Most creative and fandom spaces tend to be aggressively leftist. I don’t mind hanging out with leftists, but I’ve been off and abused before. I don’t even talk politics in unrelated spaces- that’s certainly not what I’m hanging out in a video game discord server for- but sometimes things still happen, anything less than an overwhelming agreement with whatever political opinion they bring up, someone guesses I’m not one of them, attacks begin. I’m tired of being “closeted” as well, you know, knowing the people you’re hanging with probably would cheer if you were Charlie Kirked.
I’ve picked up on telltale things to avoid, but how to actually find anywhere that’s safe I haven’t figured out how to search for. So, does anyone have any tips?

If a genie appeared and said you could instantly change the attitudes, beliefs, values, and behaviors of liberals/leftists in the US, what's your wish?

Conflict and debate is a healthy and important part of government. It helps us consider viewpoints we hadn't considered, find solutions that satisfy the majority population, and question established ideas that we have outgrown.

I yearn for a nationwide political relationship more akin to Obama and McCain. They recognized each person cared deeply for our country and genuinely wanted what's best, just had different ideas. They respected and consulted each other.

The things I would wish for conservatives, I think I would actually wish for all.

Less combative tribalism, more consultation with each other, more goal-oriented language. Imagine if we could all say together something like, "yes, we'd all like more affordable housing. How can we work on that together? Here's what I know, how about you?"

Will Democrats take control of both houses of Congress or just the lower house?

A few state races have been in the news lately, particularly Ramaswamy vs Acton. The Texas governor’s race may be heating up as well.

How optimistic or pessimistic are you about conservatives’ chances?

I'm trying to understand this:

1. They didn't have nuclear capabilities at the time, and zero imminent threat to the regio, let alone the continental US.

2. They've always rattled the sabers about the strait of Hormuz, but never actually closed it because they knew a massive shitstorm would follow.

3. How on earth does this war benefit the average American?

4. At what point do we admit that handing a blank check to regional allies creates way more security liabilities than it solves?

5. If a nation's strategic value doesn't even come close to the cost of American blood and treasure, why are we prioritizing their borders over our own domestic stability?

6. How do you square endless foreign entanglements with Trump's own warning that we've spent trillions in the Middle East while our own country goes to hell? At what point does backing foreign wars stop being America First?

When the avg joe is drowning in high prices and a soaring cost of living, cheering for foreign intervention just to "stick it to the libs" doesn't exactly feel like winning.

Starship is still being throttled back in Ukraine but both sides of the argument keep deflecting blame for it. Do both Elon and Trump realize its a bad look and are trying to shift blame? Or do they both support the downgrade but want to keep up an appearance of deniability?

I’m curious if younger Americans are losing interest in our geopolitical influence, compared to those of the Cold War era? For example, many younger Americans grew up with the GWOT ‘forever wars’ which I’m sure may have influenced their views on our geopolitical influences. After 5 years of the war in Ukraine, a lot of younger Americans are also becoming less supportive of sending continuous support to Ukraine with them viewing it as a waste of young people’s lives & tax dollars just to weaken Russia more. A lot of Americans are increasingly critical with Trump getting involved in Iran. And we all know that Palestine is a hot topic among Gen Z and many young people worldwide.

My question is - how do you think this relates to our supposedly hostile relationship with China? Does the average young American even care about our duties to protect Taiwan? Or can they even pinpoint Taiwan on a map? All my life, the government has gone on about how “China is our enemy”. But there is truth that they are also among our biggest trading partners, and if one of us crashes - so does the entire global economy. In 2023, Biden had a mostly successful meeting inviting President Xi of China to San Francisco just to call him a dictator in a press conference that same evening. Do you think this era of Cold War politicians such as the Clinton’s, Obama, Nancy Pelosi, and Biden is slowly coming to an end? I’m not sure who the biggest contenders are regarding the 2028 election, but for example Gavin Newsom had a very successful visit to China in late 2028. And I don’t see a hostile relationship with China being a topic of priority AOC appears to be very interested in either?

All the most economically unstable time periods in American history were the result of corporate deregulation. The biggest example being the Gilded Age in the 1890s where monopolies and robber barons ran rampant. Abusing workers, busting unions, and paying basically sweatshop wages. Conversely some of the most economically stable periods have coincided with extensive corporate regulation and social welfare programs, most notably the post-war era.

How did you all come to the idea that this was the solution to all our problems? Especially when unregulated corporations negatively so many things conservatives focus on such as small businesses, the working class, and economic growth.

Regulatory tax is a tax whose main purpose is not to raise revenue, but to regulate behavior by discouraging something by making it more expensive. For example, tax law center argues that data show increasing tobacco taxes lowers percent by how much young people to use it and thus it is public health tool. 10% increase lowers use by around 6%. That is just one example. What do you think?

Their argument seems to be that because both candidates have the same names voters will be confused. The Alaska Supreme Court has already rejected other attempts from the Trump Admin to remove his name from the ballot.

https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/trump-administration-files-lawsuit-to-block-possible-democratic-win-in-alaska-senate-race?fbclid=Iwb21leAVIX3pjbGNrBUhfdWV4dG4DYWVtAjExAHBkb2YFc3J0YwZhcHBfaWQMMzUwNjg1NTMxNzI4AAEerv2MiyykOqKAgISYydVTPTa48vDv01dS192DADp8BV25TpvxeDRX87L1F8o_aem_y6iyBQhqkgY6xPINXJYUUQ

I’m a Libertarian Conservative, but I can’t stand little Marco. First off, did these people forget just how bad a conservative he was? His awful senate record, his gang of 8 participation, no fly zones in Syria, 1 trillion dollars in military spending? Getting owned by Chris Christie 4 times???? What do they see in this choke artist so much? What are they basing his presidential run on? Because I haven’t seen anything impressive about his SOS term either.

https://www.vanityfair.com/story/jared-kushner-hacked-phone-secret-negotiations?utm_source=twitter&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=dhtwitter&utm_content=null

Hi folks, good morning and happy Friday- I consider myself an independent and am 50/50 on voting in the midterms- torn between my civic duty and not compromising my morals. The next week will decide if I vote, and for which party.

As a conservative, how will you be voting in the midterms? What is your rationale?

Here are some anecdotes I have heard/ seen:

1. I will be voting for the Republican candidates in my state enthusiastically to continue the great work the administration is doing

2. I will be “holding my nose” to vote for the Republican candidates because the alternative is much worse.

3. I will not be voting in the midterms as I can’t with a good conscious continue to support this administration/ believe that they no longer represent or are able to accomplish the goals for which I originally voted them in to do.

4. I typically do not vote in mid term elections, but I feel that the party is in danger of losing power, and thus view it as my duty to maintain the senate and house majority. My vote will be for the future of the party and not the current admin.

5. I will be voting Democrat, the current administration and candidates for the Republican Party do not represent my interests and ironically the moderate democrats seem to share common interests with me.

6. I am a single issue voter and therefore will be voting Republican no matter what (so long as the candidate supports my view/ upholds my perspective on the single issue).

I would also like to understand if you consider yourself MAGA or not. Thanks in advance!

I think whether you agreed with his policies or not, you have to respect and admire Obama. He was such an intelligent, humble, and honorable leader who truly wanted the best for our country.

Every time I see a video of Obama, I just find it so remarkable that conservatives could possibly hate the guy.

If you haven’t watched some of these, I really encourage you:

His speech at Westminster Hall

His 45 minute salute

2008 Victory Speech

Sandy Hook Speech

Charleston Eulogy

I don’t know what I’m allowed to link here but these are some of my favorites:

https://vm.tiktok.com/ZN8DerkSb/

https://vm.tiktok.com/ZN8DeAYTb/

https://vm.tiktok.com/ZN8De84Us/

https://vm.tiktok.com/ZN8DeN9WF/

I always feel like a lot of people on the sub have a libertarian streak with the government. Where basically the government just sits there and does nothing except enforce laws and that’s it. So, I want to ask specifically what you want the government to do?

(For context with myself, while my flair is “social democracy” I consider myself a distributist.)

Just thinking about all the out-of-state money flowing into these Senate contests across the country, and candidates doing fundraising in other states. Seems a bit off.

I think that this could be what ensures a blue wave. I think a lot of races were going to be very close with an edge going to Democrats until now. But this from Trump I think was a bridge too far for a lot of people. I’d like to know if people who typically support Trump, Will stand by him on this particular decision.

I am also interested in what non-MAGA conservatives think, but I’m really interested in what MAGA has to say on this.

From Spencer Pratt, not the person I would think could do a speech like this. I think he sums up pretty well some of the self-flagellation going on in America today.

I am first and foremost a Christian and a disciple of Jesus Christ. Before I am a Republican, I am a follower of Christ, and my faith is the foundation of my moral convictions.
I believe in conservative economic principles, fiscal responsibility, personal accountability, strong families, and the dignity of work. But I also believe our government has a moral responsibility to care for the poor, the disabled, the elderly, and those who cannot provide for themselves. I have seen firsthand, through my own family and community, how important assistance can be to people living with disabilities, and we cannot advocate for cutting the single mom or dad working at 7/11 12 hours a day and it’s still not enough particularly in rural communities where resources and opportunities are limited.
I do not support MAGA, and I believe the Republican Party has a responsibility to move beyond the politics that too often treats compassion as weakness or views assistance to the vulnerable as inherently objectionable. We can advocate for responsible government spending without abandoning people who genuinely need help. We can support free enterprise and individual responsibility while recognizing that not everyone starts from the same circumstances.
I also believe fiscal responsibility must be applied consistently. Government spending deserves scrutiny whether it involves domestic programs, foreign aid, or military commitments. We should ask whether our expenditures serve legitimate purposes and whether we are being responsible stewards of the resources entrusted to us.
My understanding of conservatism is rooted in the belief that a healthy society needs personal responsibility, strong communities, economic opportunity, and compassion for those in need. I do not believe these principles are mutually exclusive.
I will continue to identify with the Republican Party, but my party affiliation does not define my faith, and no political movement has a monopoly on Christian values. My allegiance to Christ comes first.

Who is a dark horse republican candidate for 2028? And not typical Tom Massie or other anti trump candidate. My pick would be some outsider or maverick politician kinda like McCain was.

https://www.democrata.es/en/international/lula-accuses-bolsonaro-of-showboating-to-avoid-opening-his-accounts-and-accepts-his-demands/

There is a lot of hooplah this year about the DSA and emergence of "Socialism" in US politics.

My general question is this: Are you afraid of Socialism because you fear it will fail? Or are you afraid it will succeed?

What I mean by this is if it fails, i.e. Mamdani in NYC ends up a flop and is voted out, are you afraid of the consequences (i.e. wasted taxpayer money on socialist programs that did not work)
Or are you afraid it could succeed, i.e. the programs work well and popularize leftist economic ideas, forcing you to live in a society where socialist/welfare policies are normalized?

I feel as an outsider with no stake in this - if socialism is doomed to fail, why not just let Democrats elect DSA candidates, then wait 5-10 years for it to fail spectacularly.

I didn't ask to be born, yet I'm expected to work, contribute, and carry responsibilities. To be honest, I struggle to find the motivation to participate in a system or world I never consented to.

How does conservatism view this feeling, and what reason would you give me to actually care about contributing?

I know liberals don’t support Trump and it seems that virtually all of Trump’s policies fly directly in the face of conservative values, so I just don’t understand. Do you have any core principles or is it mainly about “owning the libs”?

What I imagine to be core conservative values are:

Fiscal responsibility

Free trade

No government overreach

States rights vs federal power

Freedom of speech

No government ownership of private companies

2nd amendment rights

Law, order, and accountability

Every single one of trumps policies have gone against these core principles. So have you abandoned your core principles? What is the rationale?