Is it too early to think about 2026

[LordMortis]

Edit: Damn you new page

From CPAC this week:

Trump's enthusiastic support among attendees included a scheduled press conference on Thursday from the Third Term Project, which is pushing to reform presidential term limits to allow Trump to run a third time in 2028.

Shane Trejo, the campaign lead for the Third Term Project, pointed to Trump's struggles against the "deep state" as just one reason they are supporting Rep. Andy Ogles's (R-TN) resolution that would amend the Constitution to allow Trump and future presidents to serve a third term.

...

Ogles's resolution would permit Trump to serve another four years in the White House but would not allow another term if a president has served two consecutive terms, which would disqualify most living presidents, except for Joe Biden, who ended his run for a second term last summer.
...


Steve Bannon, the former Trump White House aide and media executive, endorsed the third-term strategy during his fiery speech on the CPAC stage.

"The future of MAGA is Donald Trump!," Bannon said to cheers Thursday night. "We want Trump in '28. That's what they can't stand. A man like Trump comes along only once or twice in the country's history. We want Trump!"

The Third Term Project is in its infancy, laying the groundwork to target Republican lawmakers, particularly those in the House Freedom Caucus.

...

"If you look at, you know, constitutional changes, the original intent of the Constitution, they had no term limits for executives," [Trejo] said. "That was put into the Constitution later in the 20th century. So if we're talking original intent of the Constitution and what the founding fathers want, which is generally what conservatives support, then you know, presidential term limits is not a part of it. So we reject the constitutional argument."

Nothing I have seen gives me any confidence that this can't happen.

Wherein Mangione, a criminal or someone who was murderously mentally ill by all accounts, would start to look like a modern John Brown rather than a modern Hinkley. The thought makes me ill and does not help my ever growing heart condition and anxiety.

[Lagom Lite]

You're still thinking traditions matter anymore.

I do.

[Unagi]

"matter" vs "still holds any weight"

[Holman]

Again, it's only one election, but PA Dems just flipped a state senate seat in a county that went Trump+16 less than six months ago.

[msduncan]

I can't find the article, but there is one out there that is suggesting the Democrats are coalescing around AOC and if it continues on this path she could be a favorite for President in 2028.

[El Guapo]

AOC's a talented politician with a strong base of support, so feels like a presidential run from her at some point is inevitable (assuming for the moment that we continue to have competitive elections). People are also pushing her to primary Schumer in 2028, so possible she may run for the Senate then and then run for president in 2032.

[RunningMn9]

Again, it's only one election, but PA Dems just flipped a state senate seat in a county that went Trump+16 less than six months ago.

Not just that, the district has *never* elected a Democrat before.

[stessier]

I would be fine voting for AOC, but there are just so many people in my neck of this red state who would never vote for a woman for president that I think it might be doomed and that's sad.

[LordMortis]

I would be fine voting for AOC, but there are just so many people in my neck of this red state who would never vote for a woman for president that I think it might be doomed and that's sad.

Woman, who was a poster child for their anger since before she was first elected, has non WASP ethnicity showing, who demonstrably cares about people and community building, and does her diligence, can be well spoken, or yeah, and she actually is very far the scale of being far left.

I'd vote for her, even as my preferences go other ways, but if Harris was a nonstarter against this GOP administration, AOC has hill to climb that seems insane.

My top three are Buttigeig, Raskin, and Merkley in that order. If Merkley hadn't said he'd not run before and wasn't so old, he's be be my second pick.

I'd love to see AOC, specifically, become Speaker Merkley become Leader, with Buttigeig being president (in 2028). That's my dream scenario.

[Zarathud]

The difference may be AOC has done the work and is known in advance. Same thing with Pete Buttigeg who has done well on FOX News appearances by all accounts.

[stessier]

I suspect Buttigeig is even worse than AOC. At least AOC's mere existence isn't a problem.

[El Guapo]

FWIW Buttigieg is my favorite politician right now, and I'd love for him to be president one day. I do worry about the homophobia issue, but who knows, maybe eventual blowback to the Trump era will make that less of an issue.

[Zaxxon]

I would be fine voting for AOC, but there are just so many people in my neck of this red state who would never vote for a woman for president that I think it might be doomed and that's sad.

Reminding us yet again that we (collectively) deserve what we got. Imagine believing in 2025 that only a man can run the country, despite... frantically gestures at everything.

I'd love to see AOC, specifically, become Speaker Merkley become Leader, with Buttigeig being president (in 2028). That's my dream scenario.

I endorse this outcome. Would also take AOC as VP or swapping AOC and Buttigeig. Unfortunately I agree that these two are... unlikely... to garner enough electoral votes, assuming those still matter in 2028.

[Smoove_B]

Ok, I'll say it.

Things need to get much, much worse and then stay worse for any of these people to become viable candidates - assuming the process allows for a free and fair election when the time comes.

[msduncan]

I would be fine voting for AOC, but there are just so many people in my neck of this red state who would never vote for a woman for president that I think it might be doomed and that's sad.

That's a misnomer. I have lived around Republican voters all my life. They won't vote for a liberal woman. They have no problems voting for a conservative woman. The problem is that the other Republican male candidates primary them before they can lead the ticket.

[stessier]

I would be fine voting for AOC, but there are just so many people in my neck of this red state who would never vote for a woman for president that I think it might be doomed and that's sad.

That's a misnomer. I have lived around Republican voters all my life. They won't vote for a liberal woman. They have no problems voting for a conservative woman. The problem is that the other Republican male candidates primary them before they can lead the ticket.

Maybe you haven't been around the flavor of Baptists that inhabit my parts (I have no idea the type, just the overarching character)? Being a woman is absolutely disqualifying regardless of affiliation around here - they were never meant to lead, you see.

[ImLawBoy]

One ugly thing the last election uncovered was that there were a lot of nominally liberal men, or at least men who would vote for a male D for president, who would not vote for a woman.

[msduncan]

One ugly thing the last election uncovered was that there were a lot of nominally liberal men, or at least men who would vote for a male D for president, who would not vote for a woman.

Is that the case, or was Kamala just a bad candidate that was anointed and not elected in the primaries, and never put together a 'this is what I'm going to do' but rather relied on 'I'm not him''?

I voted against him, but not because of anything she said she was going to do. In fact, her not saying what she was going to do made it easier for me since I was likely not going to like her policy positions.

[ImLawBoy]

I think the "anointed" thing was a red herring used more in conservative circles than elsewhere. I read at least a few things that indicated that D men, in particular non-white D-men, were not comfortable with electing a woman. (That's not to exonerate white men, as too many of us were already lost causes.)

[El Guapo]

I would be fine voting for AOC, but there are just so many people in my neck of this red state who would never vote for a woman for president that I think it might be doomed and that's sad.

That's a misnomer. I have lived around Republican voters all my life. They won't vote for a liberal woman. They have no problems voting for a conservative woman. The problem is that the other Republican male candidates primary them before they can lead the ticket.

Do you think being a woman is a problem in a Republican primary? Presumably that's why the other Republican male candidates can primary them out before they can lead the ticket?

I've come to appreciate in the last few years (separate from the 2024 election) just how much raw animus / bigotry there is against women as women out there. Among other things a good friend of mine is married to a successful (female) comic books artist, and he's told me about all the bile that floods her e-mail on the regular from Gamergate types.

I think it's hard to quantify how much of an impact this has had against female candidates (including 2024 and 2016) but it's hard to imagine it not having some kind of material impact.

[YellowKing]

and never put together a 'this is what I'm going to do' but rather relied on 'I'm not him''?

She stated what she was going to do...explicitly....numerous times. She had actual detailed plans that she reiterated over and over. Yet people decided to vote for the guy who would end the Ukraine war before he was sworn in and had "concepts of a plan" for healthcare.

The idea that Harris had no plan is straight out of Fox News propaganda-ville. I will concede she had a difficult time separating herself from Biden, but anyone would who was A) His VP and B) only had a handful of months to campaign.

It drove me absolutely insane when commentators would be like "Voters just don't really know where Harris stands" as she gave specific dollar amounts on things she was going to implement, while giving a free pass to Trump somehow magically fixing everything with a wave of his tiny orange hand. Pretending to not know what Harris planned to do, I'm convinced for many voters, was a way to avoid responsibility for not voting for her because she was a woman of color. It's much easier to sleep at night if you're telling yourself she was a poor candidate, and not that you're a racist misogynistic piece of shit.

[Alefroth]

and never put together a 'this is what I'm going to do' but rather relied on 'I'm not him''?

This is right-wing propaganda.

edit: What YK said.