2020 Retrospective

[NYSforKennedy2024]

Thought this would create some interesting dialogue, so 6 months out from Trump's administration, let's have some retrospective. Feel free to follow the format.

November 2020 - Progressive Democrat, voted third party presidentially, Democrat rest of the ballot.

June 2021 - Shifted toward the center, surprisingly mostly a fan of Biden/Harris, still support a mixed list of candidates, however.

- Biden turned out to be about what I thought he'd be. No major upsets yet, but, I'd like to see some work on marijuana, the student loan crisis, and calming the housing market/inflation.

- Anyone who was anti-KHive fairly shocked by Harris so far? I gotta admit, I like her. A lot less toxic than VPs of recent memory. I think the "border crisis" is largely made up. I can see a future President in her.

- 1/6 really made me feel pessimistic for the long-term politics of the US, particularly on the right. I think Q Anon, but even more so, the Nick Fuentes-esque America First politics and its consequent violence is here to stay. (silver lining: I made one of the longest threads in Atlas history as I noticed the riot starting?) The GOP desperately needs to go back to basics and kitchen table issues. They will suffer greatly at the polls if not.

2021/22 - I intend on voting fully Democratic.

[EJ24]

November 2020 - Establishment/normie Democrat, voted Biden in the primary and the general election.

- Biden has been exactly what I expected, maybe even slightly more progressive.

- Kamala Harris has been exactly what I expected. Never understood the hate for her. She motivates and excites the Democratic base, regardless of what people on Atlas try to say. Perfect choice for Joe, and yes she will be President eventually.

- Manchin has been exactly what I expected.

- Sinema has NOT been what I expected, and I'm really disappointed there.

- Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez is easily the smartest person in the Squad, politically speaking. I think she has a huge future in the party. She's built her brand, but also isn't completely immersed in woke Twitter world and she's warmed up to Pelosi and some of the other establishment figures in the party. This is something Bernie never learned how to do, and it's why he got toasted both times he ran. The fact that AOC is being called a "sell-out" by the likes of Jimmy Dore and Kyle Kulinski shows she's on the right track.

I guess in conclusion I'm not surprised by much of anything as of yet outside of AOC being much better than the 2018 version of herself, the Republican Party is also exactly what I thought it was this entire time.

Will vote Democratic in 2022/2024.

[Mr. Smith]

Voted 3rd party, switched registration and avvie colors to Independent

Biden has admittedly done better than expected, and might be worth actually getting my vote...but I have to see how everything plays out after 2022.

The Squad continue to impress on all counts. Ossoff has definitely been better by a lot.

Harris has been mostly obscured, which is a bit odd. She's back to what I remember voting for as opposed to the grandstander of her Senate tenure.

Manchin and Sinema have done exactly as expected.

The GOP have become more unhinged...as expected, but I did expect them to put more direct vitriol at Biden and throw Trump aside...so that's different.

[Motorcity]

November 2020: Enthusiastically voted for Biden and Democrats down ballot, despite voting for Bernie Sanders in the primaries

June 2021: Glad Democrats won Georgia senate races. Proud that Biden got the ARP so quickly and economy is booming. Glad mask mandates are over and COVID doomers are sad. Disappointed more haven't been done about the filibuster, student loans, inflation, and public option. Wish Biden was firmer with Israel but glad Netanyahu is finished

Harris has surpised me. She always rubbed me the wrong way and it was clear she ran for president only because she wanted to be president and thought her race would win her the nomination. Since being VP, she has stayed out the spotlight and focused her efforts on learning the job and supporting the administration. I thought she would have started her 2024 campaign at the inauguration but she has done a good job

[Liberalrocks]

Kamala Harris has been a great supportive VP. She’s intelligent, tough when needed, thoughtful, joyful. I really can’t understand the contempt this forum has for her. It’s really disappointing to read, and not what I hear from most of my friends on the street and within the Democratic Party.

[支持核绿派 (Greens4Nuclear)]

Kamala Harris has been a great supportive VP. She’s intelligent, tough when needed, thoughtful, joyful. I really can’t understand the contempt this forum has for her. It’s really disappointing to read, and not what I hear from most of my friends on the street and within the Democratic Party.

I've heard some Kamala skepticism in real life (mostly from South Asian Millennials and regarding her record as SF's DA), but it's nothing compared to what I'm seeing on Atlas.

Nov 2020: the GE results vindicated my decision not to back Biden or Sanders in the primaries, even though Warren and Yang would've done worse. A bit disappointed to see how much Trump support there was among Latinos, Asians, and immigrant enclaves in general. Non-college whites voted roughly how I expected outside of the Northeast.

Jan 2021: glad to have correctly predicted Ossoff and Warnock's victories; horrified that 01/06 happened. Between that and polling errors at every federal office level, this cycle did not feel like a spiritual repudiation of Trump or Trump-era polarization.

June 2021: maybe it's just from exposure to the Atlas hivemind, but I'm pleasantly surprised at how the Biden administration has gone so far. Stimulus and vaccine rollout have gone reasonably well.

[Absentee Voting Ghost of Ruin]

November 2020: Left-leaning Democrat, voted for Biden in the general, worried about what Trump and his Republicans would do to hold on to power.

June 2021: I think Biden is doing slightly better than I expected. I was pleasantly surprised by the number of Republicans in key positions who did stand by their oaths, and who put country over Trump to defeat his (unsurprising) attempts to seize power. At the same time, I (as is my habit) overestimated Republicans in general. I expected a more competent coup attempts, and then expected the GOP to distance itself from Trump after his defeat, not worship gold statues of him.