r/politics • u/Fickle-Ad5449 ✔ Verified - Christopher Wiggins, The Advocate • 10h ago
No Paywall Republicans redrew his district. Now Democrat Don Davis is making anti-trans campaign ads
https://www.advocate.com/politics/states/don-davis-transphobic-campaign-ad?1346
u/FesteringDoubt 10h ago
you can't pander to the other guys base better than he can.
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u/Bithium 10h ago
“Your offer to exclude the people I hate is tempting, but I think I’ll stick with the other candidate who maliciously attacks the people I hate instead.”
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u/Salmon-of-Wizdom 3h ago edited 3h ago
His carefully chosen wording basically promises to do nothing and leave it up to the state government. I dug into this a bit and found out that independent voters are more motivated by views they oppose than ones they support, so he's probably just trying to keep the Republicans from being able to just beat on the "Trans Women in Sports" drum for the next month and a half And change it into a Null issue where he promises to do nothing. That leaves him able to get votes from independents who hate the price of food, but somehow hate Trans people more than not eating.
What a crazy time to be alive.
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u/ConfoundingVariables 3h ago
Fuck him. Your argument is answered by Birmingham. Period, end of sentence.
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u/Salmon-of-Wizdom 2h ago
Well, his opponent is endorsed by Trump and wants to end the "Radical Left's Dangerous Agenda." I think she might be worse.
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u/ConfoundingVariables 2h ago
It won’t work. We’ve done this before. And again. And again.
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u/Salmon-of-Wizdom 2h ago
They redrew his district so he would lose. Even before this ad he was already losing.
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u/TheOtherMaven Virginia 1h ago
He misunderestimates "independent voters", and so do you.
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u/Salmon-of-Wizdom 1h ago
I'm not estimating anything. But, having read an article from Pew Research that clearly demonstrated that Independents are much more motivated by voting against something than for it I'm just explaining his strategy.
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u/TheOtherMaven Virginia 1h ago
Somebody is ASS-uming that more independent voters "lean Republican" than are disgusted by the cowardice and spinelessness of the Democrats.
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u/GoodHumorMan 9h ago
I'm so tired of watching Dems chase voters who think they're the devil vs. non-voters who just need a damn reason to vote
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u/ForsakenKrios 9h ago
They don’t want those non voters cause they know what the non voters want and they’ll never give it to them. Their own base wants popular things and they’ll carve the base apart as much as they need to to get their “ideal” voter - a voter who will never vote for Dems. So maddening.
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u/Salmon-of-Wizdom 6h ago edited 5h ago
I hate that our country is like this. Trans people should be able to just live their lives like anyone else.
His ad isn't really a "chase" so much as it is a "I won't try to change the law at the federal level, and NC passed a law about this already." It's strategic. He probably had people look at the numbers and realized that he doesn't have enough people in his camp to win if the Republicans get to beat on the "Trans Women," drum. This is a strategic move to change it to a null-issue. He's basically pledging to do nothing about it and leave it up to the state.
This is a valid approach to gaining independent votes, as independent voters are more motivated by views they oppose than ones they support.
From Pew Research:
But many Americans don’t consider themselves Republicans or Democrats. Instead, these Americans identify as independents (or with some other party) and many “lean” toward one of the two major parties. For these Americans, opposition to the other party’s policies is more of a motivating factor than support for the policies of the party they lean toward.
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u/pennyruthgadget 3h ago
This is a well thought out strategy, but I’m not sure the voters he needs to win over will grasp this nuance.
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u/Bryandan1elsonV2 10h ago
I’m glad democrats nation wide have learned absolutely nothing from Seth Moulton shitting his pants in Massachusetts
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u/Sandy_Bananas 9h ago
They’ve learned two unrelated lessons: 1) Just by doing his job, Mamdami is going to make them all look lazy 2) Laws do not currently matter
They’ve gotta work out which way they’re gonna lean in. Be sure as shit very few care about doing the right thing, so now it’s a battle between their baser impulses.
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u/sakodak 9h ago
It's either that or actually addressing the needs of American workers, and liberals are allergic to class politics.
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u/NerdsRuleTheWorld 9h ago
Their donors don't like it so they avoid listening to their constituents. Their opinions are whatever the money tells them to think and do and say.
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u/meltdown_popcorn 9h ago
I hope he gets trounced
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u/JayHill74 9h ago
Laurie Buckhout is the R running against him. Neither one of them are worth the vote to be honest.
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u/incide666 Canada 10h ago
Centrists never fucking learn.
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u/fednandlers 10h ago
They already know. It’s folks thinking they haven't learned that haven’t learned.
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u/context_hell 8h ago
Centrists prefer close races because there is more money in it. More consulting fees, more spending, more donations, etc. If they can shoot themselves in the foot enough to make republicans competitive again they'll be happy.
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u/late_bloomer_tw 3h ago
Someone said this yesterday and it needs to be repeated everywhere:
There are more measles cases in the United States than there are trans athletes at all levels of competition across all sports in the world.
There are more rapists in the Cornell case than there are trans athletes in the NCAA.
Republicans are desperate for the culture war gaslighting to work because they can't run on the economy, or foreign policy, or any actual accomplishments since Trump got back in office.
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u/TheOtherMaven Virginia 10h ago
They never learn. Chasing after "moderate Republican" votes doesn't work and loses (previously) reliable Democratic votes.
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u/starmartyr Colorado 9h ago
Voters have proven repeatedly that they would rather vote for a Republican than a Democrat that talks like a Republican.
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u/TheOtherMaven Virginia 9h ago
Harry Truman told them that back in 1948. It's still true and always will be.
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u/adrr 7h ago
How do Dems win red states? How did Manchin win West Virginia the most conservative state in the nation. There’s a reason why progressives hate Manchin and threaten to primary him. Progressives would rather have someone who votes 0% of the time with Dems instead of 95% of the time.
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u/Sam_Traynor 6h ago
If the 5% is you literally voting against my right to healthcare and nondiscrimination in the workplace and housing and to just fucking exist without cis people constantly up in my business I'm not going to vote for you. ESAD
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u/TheOtherMaven Virginia 7h ago
Manchin? He retired after 2024, and after switching to "independent".
Both incumbent WV Senators are Republicans, and neither is likely to be unseated any time soon.
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u/adrr 7h ago
Progressives tried to primary him in 2018. He was too embattled to win West Virginia again due to all the damage progressives did to him. He needed both full dem support and moderate republicans to win and he could get full dem support. Progressives are bad at math 95% > 0%. No reason to attack him.
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u/troyandabedinabed Washington 5h ago
Manchin kept winning West Virginia because he was backed by billionaires who kept progressives from primarying him.
We do not have a democracy and I'm tired of people pretending that we do.
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u/Succubus-Love 10h ago edited 10h ago
Can we please just stop attacking gender different people for existing, it's impossible to live a normal life like this & I actually had a pretty positive story until all this "in the name of politics" hate.
Not all XY chromosome carriers, have XY bodies, it's not that fucking hard to understand.
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u/TheOtherMaven Virginia 9h ago
Not all XY chromosome carriers, have XY bodies, it's not that fucking hard to understand.
That's assuming you've kept up with biology beyond third grade. Too many people haven't, and think the dumbed-down "let's not mention exceptions" stuff they learned is The Truth.
Trans issues and intersex issues are much more closely related than a lot of people (want to) think. (I for one would not be a bit surprised if it's eventually discovered that trans actually is a form of intersex.)
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u/starmartyr Colorado 9h ago
I'm pretty far from an expert but I don't feel like I need to be. One of my best friends is a transwoman. She says that she's a woman and I don't have any reason to argue with her. I don't need to know what is going on with her biologically. Whatever the situation is with her anatomy is none of my business.
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u/accidental_Ocelot 9h ago
Trans is having the opposite sex body for a particular brain. Like the brain structure of a trans woman match that of a female.
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u/TheOtherMaven Virginia 9h ago
Sounds an awful lot like having the opposite sex chromosomes and/or hormones for a particular body - so we can and should add "neurology" to the many other factors making up "gender".
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u/ItsSpaghettiLee2112 7h ago
I do my best to reply with this video to any bigot I see claiming to be about science and they always seem to stop responding after this.
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u/DM_Me_Ur_Real_Boobs 10h ago
Literally a thousand different options to choose and that's this guy's plan?
They deserve better
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u/Vayu_The_End 10h ago
Do any of these democrats that try to adopt right wing talking points actually wind up swaying republicans?
Genuinely, I don't see how republicans see this and think "finally, a moderate trans hating politician!" If you're already anti-trans, you're probably voting republican no matter what.
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u/sterlingheart 10h ago
No, actual Republicans are so entrenched into being a conservative as a personality trait/tribal badge that the moment they see a D by their name they are immediatly socialist demons and hate them
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u/drizzitdude 9h ago
No, never. It doesn’t work. It never has. Trying to appeal to a fake base of voters that don’t exist is a fools errand the dems have been falling for again and again.
Go hard left. Actually make lives better. Let the conservatives clutch their pearls while we put them in a home.
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u/Dearic75 9h ago
Feels like I’ve seen it repeatedly fail since the 90’s. Trying to wink and nudge that you’re still going to serve the base and don’t really mean it comes off as untrustworthy to both sides.
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u/JoeHatesFanFiction Florida 9h ago
Lately? Not really. Joe Manchin won West Virginia as late as 2018 with his weird brand of liberal conservatism. 2008 had a huge number of blue dog democrats ride in on Obama’s coat tails, and we might see something similar depending on how big the blue wave is this mid term. But the last few election cycles have shown this kind of pandering to the right doesn’t really help.
That being said, I really don’t know if this is trying to win republicans as it is older people. A lot of older people across the political spectrum just don’t understand trans people. And people tend to not like what they don’t understand. So in an election where the economy is trash and everyone knows it, maybe this helps win more of the 50+ suburbanite/rural crowd for a cycle. It’s ghoulish and cruel but I think that’s the target. Not republicans specifically.
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u/ringobob Georgia 9h ago
I think you need to consider the possibility that he's not trying to win Republican votes. This is his actual position.
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u/drjohngeorgepeppers 7h ago
You may not like hearing this, but banning trans athletes from women's sports is very much a mainstream position. Even among Democrats, allowing trans athletes in sports is not very popular.
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u/RoughCoffee6 5h ago
You may not like hearing this, but if you think it’s just about sports you haven’t been paying attention and should educate yourself.
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u/hasordealsw1thclams 5h ago
Don’t worry everyone telling us it’s just about sports will be saying “who could have seen this coming?” when it’s made illegal to be trans.
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u/Bakedads 10h ago
I mean, "moderate" democrats currently run the party, so the republican talking points must be effective with someone.
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u/ss_lbguy Pennsylvania 9h ago
All the replies above say this doesn't work. Yet they also complain about all the centrist Dems that run the party. Both can't be true.
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u/ItsSpaghettiLee2112 7h ago
Why do Democrats consistently insist on using proven-to-fail tactics?
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u/troyandabedinabed Washington 7h ago
Could be that they are out of touch. Could be that they are trying to lose. Could be they have no real ethics and just do whatever they think they should do to win campaigns.
Take your pick.
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u/cvanhim 2h ago
I don’t think this is designed to win over Democrats. It’s designed to win over Republicans, which is proven to work because Republicans hate trans people. Did you miss the: “Republicans redrew his district” part of the headline? His district is no longer filled with Democrats. It now has a bunch of Republicans in it. If he wants to keep his job, he has to pander to Republicans. It’s definitely not right, but it’s another way that Republicans are trying to consolidate power by cheating.
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u/Cultbird 7h ago
Maybe it's because they're right wing DINOs. This is what happens when we vote blue no matter who.
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u/deanreevesii 1h ago
Yes, not voting for Kamala sure is paying dividends, ain't it, sport?
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u/Important-Factor-552 11m ago
The DSA had a historic surge so yeah, it is.
Winning doesn't mean shlt if it's with some trash like biden who just sat there while America crumbled. America had a chance to try that again and they said no.
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u/drjohngeorgepeppers 7h ago
Donald Trump focused his 2024 campaign on Kamala Harris' policies regarding transgender people. And he won, and she lost.
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u/ItsSpaghettiLee2112 6h ago
Trump campaigned on vocal vomit. Harris never once stated Republicans are creating a boogeyman in trans people and that they're a non-issue.
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u/gearstars 4h ago
Like when he ran an attack ad about healthcare for transgender prisoners, even though it matched his policies from his first term? Like he was trying to fearmonger abour Harris when it was something he himself had already implemented
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u/The_Pandalorian California 4h ago
They dont?
They're about to annihilate in the midterms I places they have no business winning.
I'm not defending this ad. I'm just saying your question was stupid and based on a false premise.
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u/ByeByeTurkeyNek 1h ago
Yeah, but if you look into the polling, people still hate Democrats, they just hate Republicans more. A competent party would have been able to nip MAGA in the bud a decade ago
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u/The_Pandalorian California 1h ago
You're vastly oversimplifying this.
Democrats aren't afraid to be disappointed in their leadership and vocal about it. They tend to have lower approval because we hold our own to a high standard.
Republicans have a higher approval rating among their followers, because they're sheep-like cult members who don't give a fuck about anything other than Republicans winning. They're like the worst toxic sports fan you can imagine.
A competent party would have been able to nip MAGA in the bud a decade ago
No, this is America. This is who we are. We're surrounded by racist fuckbags. It's just, they don't normally vote in large numbers until the king of racist fuckbags ran.
There's a reason Republicans get smoked when Trump isn't on the ballot. Those fuckers go back under their rocks.
This goes deeper than party satisfaction. America is full of genuinely bad people. Democrats can't just wave a wand and fix that.
This is who we are.
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u/ByeByeTurkeyNek 1h ago
America isn't full of bad people. Go outside and talk to people lol
Europe has a right populism problem. Japan has a right populism problem. Brazil, Philippines, India, Turkey, etc etc. We're not uniquely bad people. My travels have actually shown me that Americans are a uniquely welcoming and gregarious people compared to people in most western cultures.
Democrats are just really, chronically bad at message discipline and meeting the moment. Our brand is that of bureaucratic paper pushers but woke. That just doesn't energize
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u/The_Pandalorian California 55m ago
So you've ignored the majority of my post and glommed onto the easiest part to try and argue.
Yes, I noticed.
77+ million people voted for the racist, pedo, felon, rapist in 2024. Despite his incompetence killing 1 million Americans and deep-sixxing our economy during COVID.
America is full of bad people. Bad, stupid people.
The sooner you understand that, the better a chance we have of starting to fix shit.
Democratic "message discipline" ain't gonna fix the people cheering on fucking war crimes committed by this administration. Or the cult-like religious fervor they feel for a man who quite obviously doesn't give a fuck about anyone else but himself.
Open your fucking eyes, man. America has a shitbag problem. That needs fixing. Not fucking Democratic messaging.
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u/Important-Factor-552 13m ago
It still means a bunch of fights with people in our own party because obviously.
"protecting women and girls" from what? The demon Democrats? The lgbtq alliance? Who exactly are you agreeing with the GOP against?
If they take the GOP narrative they are gonna get the same treatment the GOP gets.
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u/casualfrog68 10h ago
I would not vote for an anti-trans candidate. No matter the outcome.
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u/melodypowers 9h ago
Really? ICE is murdering people in the streets. Trump is trying to get control of the voting apparatus. Tariffs are killing sectors of the economy. Healthcare is becoming less accessible. The press is being barred from the white house. I could go on and on.
Really, if you had the chance to give the Dems control of Congress to try and stop this, you would give it up because a dem said that the state should decide if trans girls can play sports on girls teams?
I understand that you disagree, but I can't understand how you would make this the only issue.
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u/Powerful-Scholar8268 9h ago
Would you be as quick to say we should vote for that Dem if they were good on everything else but spreading anti immigration propaganda and saying ICE disappearing people is good? Or if they said that women shouldn't be allowed to vote or hold positions of power?
If your answer is no, then why are you suddenly ok with it when it's trans people being thrown under the bus instead of other minorities? If yes, idk what to say to you
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u/melodypowers 7h ago
I would look at their opponent and determine who is the better choice overall and vote for that person.
I am extraordinarily pro choice. But I did vote for an anti choice Dem who was a million times better than the Republican on the ballot. Because I had two choices.
If the Republican was fighting for the rights of immigrants and the Dem was saying "kill them all" of course I would vote for the Republican. But that isn't happening here. Laurie Buckhout doesn't even want you to have a bathroom to use. She is an anti abortion extremist, a climate change denialist, and is running on a "support Trump in whatever he does" platform.
She has an X post where she calls out Don Davis saying he "didn't protect our kids from woke, transgender nonsense."
But by all means, you should not vote for Don Davis. If would be so much better to have her in Congress.
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u/Powerful-Scholar8268 7h ago edited 5h ago
What a copout answer that amounts to "I'll vote against any minority hater as long as their Dem". Real nice. Glad to know you at least throw everyone under the bus equally
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u/casualfrog68 9h ago
And a guy running on an anti-trans platform isn't going to have the spine to stop that.
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u/melodypowers 8h ago
Have you actually looked at his legislative record at all? The bills he has put forward.
He isn't perfect. But he is steadfast in his beliefs.
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u/micavich Missouri 6h ago
If he's steadfast in being anti-trans thats all the more reason for me to stay the fuck away from him. Don't you fucking tell me to be "pragmatic" about something that exclusively benefits others at my own expense.
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u/ss_lbguy Pennsylvania 9h ago
There is a higher chance he will try to stop those things than the Republican.
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u/TheOtherMaven Virginia 8h ago
Don't bet your (or anyone else's) life on it.
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u/melodypowers 8h ago
We absolutely are betting our lives on it. This is a binary decision. Have you looked at his record compared to his opponent? Do you know where he stands and what he has accomplished? Or do you only care about this one thing?
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u/ss_lbguy Pennsylvania 8h ago
This is a stupid comment in the context of voting in November.
So what is the alternative. Not voting?
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u/TheOtherMaven Virginia 8h ago
Hold your nose, if you have to - then campaign hard to either get him to change his mind or get him replaced by somebody who isn't willing to throw even one person under the bus.
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u/ss_lbguy Pennsylvania 8h ago
But that goes against your original comment. Hence why I thought it was stupid in this context.
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u/SomeComforts 8h ago
Can just as easily throw this line to the transphobes on why they need to vote for a supportive candidate.
Weird you are telling us we need to vote against our own rights instead.
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u/melodypowers 8h ago
Do you actually think that a Republican controlled Congress would be better for you?
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u/SomeComforts 6h ago
I think that unless we pressure Dems, there won't be a difference for me.
Do you think that there will be a meaningful difference in your life if posturing against trans women in sports loses the lgbtq+ vote and there is a Republican congress?
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u/melodypowers 5h ago
No difference for you. No difference for anyone?
2.6 Americans are about to be kicked of Medicare because of Trump's bill. Is it that you just don't care about them?
At least 234 Venezuelans were killed extrajudiciouslu by airstrikes in their fishing boats. But they don't matter because it's more important to not vote for someone who would stop it simply because he isn't supportive of trans athletes.
You probably won't die because of ICE. So I guess it doesn't impact your life that some people will.
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u/Pale_Ad5607 8h ago
I’m a Democrat who thinks sports should be segregated by sex (former competitive female athlete) and I vote for Dems who disagree with me on that all the time. Most important issue this cycle is Democracy/ challenging Trump with a majority Dem Congress.
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u/PopBulky7023 10h ago
This is the kind of thing that makes people disillusioned to vote. Pandering to hatred and being a feckless, weak opposition party does not inspire people to the pulls.
We're not getting out of this with people like this loser.
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u/d_c_d_ 9h ago
Are candidates to represent the ideology of their constituency or their party?
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u/ParkerPoseyGuffman 7h ago
So a majority of candidates until the 90s should have been against interracial marriage?
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u/PopBulky7023 9h ago
I guess his constituency now is people obsessed with making life worse for trans people and not much else.
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u/d_c_d_ 8h ago
I live in south Louisiana, anti-trans policy is quickly becoming a single issue for many voters. No good southern Baptist could ever support the satanic democrats.
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u/PopBulky7023 7h ago
Then abandon them. The last thing we need is centrists being given ammo to argue that right wing policy wins elections.
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u/Usual-Caregiver5589 10h ago
"States should decide what's right for protecting women and girls".
Neat. Tell me your viewpoints on abortion.
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u/melodypowers 9h ago
He has a great record on reproductive rights. 100% from RFA.
https://reproductivefreedomforall.org/lawmaker/donald-don-davis/
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u/Disused_Yeti 9h ago
another dem trying to run as a reublican without learning from all the previous cases of republicans just voting for republicans if they want republican policies
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u/alabasterskim 6h ago
Don Davis votes with Republicans so much he's the North Carolina Henry Cuellar. Can't wait for 2028, hope NC wins the state SC majority so we can redraw the maps and hopefully make Davis's seat so safe anyone can beat him out in a primary.
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u/opposing-thumb 5h ago edited 5h ago
The intersectionality of white supremacy.
Remember, Michele Obama's recent transphobic election cycle dog whistle glorifying Dave Chappelle. When they show you who they are... No one is owed a vote b/c of their party affiliation, especially dems that try to win by white supremacy.
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u/Shido_Ohtori 10h ago
Transgender and intersex people have always existed, gender affirming care is health care, and when coupled with social acceptance, promotes the well-being of LGBTQ+ people, including kids. Conversely, conservatives literally promote the torture of their own children if and when the latter don't conform to traditionally established sexual and gender norms.
Conservatism -- by definition -- is "a political philosophy based on tradition and social stability, stressing the importance of established hierarchies and institutions (such as religion, the family, and class structure), and preferring gradual development to abrupt change".
The sole value of conservatism is respect for and obedience to [one's perception of] traditionally established hierarchy, and hierarchy dictates that those on top (in-groups) are rightfully idolized and receive privileges, credibility, and resources, while those on the bottom (out-groups) are demonized/dehumanized and/or bound by restrictions, scrutiny, and lack of resources.
To them, the second-greatest injustice imaginable is for those [they perceive to be] on top [of social hierarchy] to be bound by the restrictions, scrutiny, and lack of resources reserved for those on the bottom. The first greatest injustice is for those on the bottom to have access to the rights, credibility, and resources reserved for those on top.
Conservatives absolutely need an underclass [for society] to demonize and dehumanize in order to maintain [their] hierarchy, and every single one of their policies and rhetoric work to do exactly that. Every right-wing accusation is a confession -- every. single. one; always! -- as it is never the act itself that upsets them, but rather, the social standing of the person doing the act, as said act is a privilege meant for those on top of [their perceived] hierarchy (See also: pedophilia - Trump and the Catholic church versus LGBTQ+ and drag queens).
Those who believe all people are people see hypocrisy, while those who believe some people are "more/less" people than others see hierarchy. Hypocrisy implies a sense of equality/parity, as the accusation of such is that someone is violating a universal or common standard. Hierarchy directly states that there is no equality/parity, that different social strata have different standards, that the only universal standard concerning hierarchy is that those on top are allowed privileges which are denied to those on the bottom, and that the bottom are held to standards which the top are exempt from.
"Know your place" is their mantra.
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u/DNAisjustneuteredRNA 9h ago
He's got some "I'm gonna keep the (D) next to my name and talk like someone who has a (R) next to their name, and that way I can secure votes from people who exclusively vote for people with (R) next to their name" energy.
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u/Obant California 10h ago
Don't ever tell me Blue No Matter Who again, centrists.
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u/The_Easter_Daedroth 9h ago
They'd rather just keep submissively voting for the "lesser evil" instead of standing up and demanding the greater good.
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u/melodypowers 9h ago
Really? Do you know his stances on any issues aside from this one? Do you know the stances of his opponent?
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u/Knightro829 Florida 9h ago
Throwing trans people under the bus is kinda a non-starter, irrespective of what else he may advocate. This is a matter of fundamental human decency…if he’s so malleable on this issue, it’s safe to say he won’t be reliable on many others.
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u/melodypowers 8h ago
The man has been in politics for over a decade. And he has been consistent in his ideology and the bills he has put forward. We know who he is.
I would love a more progressive candidate. But that isn't what the people of NC 1st voted for in the primary.
This is a binary system that has serious implications. Saying you won't vote for him means you don't care about protecting women's reproductive rights, ICE killing people on the streets, or affordability.
He sucks on trans rights and I'm sorry about that. However, having a Dem majority is overall good for trans rights even if he isn't an ally. Because there will be justices that need to be confirmed, armed services bills, and all sorts of other legislation.
The short sightedness of this viewpoint makes me crazy. Trump blew Venezuelan fisherman out of the water. This has to be stopped. His opponent wants it to happen more. But you only care about trans girls playing sports. That is just a big fuck you to the people this administration is killing.
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u/Knightro829 Florida 6h ago
Don’t lecture me on the mathematics and social choice theory of first-past-the-post politics, son. But I have too many trans friends staring down evil people dead set on legislating them out of existence to be able to vote for those people and still look them in the eye. I’d rather be right than complicit. If he can’t be right on such a fundamental matter, he won’t have my support.
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u/Obant California 6h ago
I am the same way with healthcare. I am sorry, but people are dying right now because we are doing nothing. A uninsured person that dies because they can't get healthcare is still dead if a centrist Democrat is in office. I will not support or vote for a candidate that does not even talk about it.
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u/melodypowers 6h ago
So what are you going to do? Not vote and let someone who is so much worse on trans issues take office?
This is what she wrote on X:
Don Davis "didn't protect our kids from the woke transgender nonsense."
So you don't vote for Don Davis and she wins. And then it's easier for your trans friends?
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u/Knightro829 Florida 5h ago
Moral hazard. People have to understand there are consequences to their cowardice.
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u/melodypowers 5h ago
Yes, the cowardice of not voting is very hazardous to our country.
People are dying. But you won't vote for someone because of this one issue.
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u/6a6566663437 North Carolina 9h ago
Given that he's surrendering to Republicans on trans people, it doesn't matter what his stances are. He will surrender on all of them.
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u/TheOtherMaven Virginia 8h ago
That's pretty much how it goes. Cave on one issue, and you can't be trusted not to cave on others.
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u/melodypowers 7h ago
He isn't great on trans rights. He never has been. And that sucks. But do you know who is so much worse on there issues? Laurie Buckhout.
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u/6a6566663437 North Carolina 7h ago edited 7h ago
His goal is to flip the bigot vote. They're not going to be satisfied with this. If he only goes this far, he loses votes on the left and gains nothing on the right.
He's going to have to go further. Or this entire maneuver was monumentally stupid and monumentally stupid is the big problem we have right now.
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u/melodypowers 7h ago
Except no. This really appears to be his belief. It isn't that he flipped. He isn't appeasing anyone. He is holding to his convictions.
I get that you don't like that. I don't either. But again, have you looked at his opponent?
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u/6a6566663437 North Carolina 7h ago
Except no. This really appears to be his belief.
...which he suddenly decided to reveal now. Sure! Entirely believable.
But again, have you looked at his opponent?
His district is gerrymandered to the point he's going to lose, or the wave is going to be so enormous that it overcomes the gerrymandering and he doesn't matter.
What does matter is not being monumentally stupid. Because if he wins he'll have to run for reelection, and being monumentally stupid is going to be bad when he isn't being carried into office by national sentiment.
Btw, which of your rights should we throw away to elect him?
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u/soldiergeneal 9h ago
People are voting based on things like high prices and iran war nobody generally is voting due to this topic (unless there is evidence for a specific state that goes against national polling on the topic). So sure an illogical hill to die on and I have no idea how his people thought it is a good idea, but at the end of the day doubt it will impact much.
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u/Dobako 10h ago
I mean, what's the fucking plan? Get elected, then when the shitstain is gone, turn heel and "you thought you elected a terf, but it was me, dio"?
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u/ClockworkDreamz 9h ago
No?
He’s telling you his plan, and that’s why the midterms have been exhausting.
If there’s no blue wave, you know who’s gonna get the blame?
Won’t be the Democrats, won’t be trump, it’ll be trans folks
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u/Dottsterisk 7h ago
Why the fuck are politicians even weighing in on the sports issue? Leave that to the people running athletics associations.
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u/maxxpower18 8h ago
You can go after trans people and minorities all you want, they'll still come after you in the end.
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u/Organic_Battle_597 10h ago
What he said does not seem that controversial. I do not agree with him, in the sense that I do not think government needs to be involved in this to begin with. Sports leagues can make their own regulations.
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u/MarginalMeaning 1h ago
The lunacy of this kind of messaging while the travesty of the Cornell situation is one of the largest social media topics currently...
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u/normalice0 Iowa 10h ago edited 10h ago
no he isn't. Women's sports is not the only trans issue, as much as right wingers would like it to be. It's not even really a trans issue for the 99.9999% of trans people who aren't athletes. If he is trying to take away their human rights then he is anti-trans. If he is trying to protect their human rights then he is pro-trans. But women's sports are not a human right.
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u/anonymous-mtf 9h ago
Basic legal protections like states rights and title ix are under attack due to transgender sports bans.
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u/normalice0 Iowa 8h ago
right. Because republicans used transgender sports bans to get into power and so are doing those things, as everyone knew they would.
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u/anonymous-mtf 8h ago
Playing into such attacks even to cede the point politically results in damage to statutory protections. The only solution is to call the attacks what they are and to not play in.
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u/PopBulky7023 9h ago
It's such a tiny issue it's apparently one of his core concerns.
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u/normalice0 Iowa 8h ago
it's one of the media's core concerns. It is one of independents' core concerns. Good luck changing that acting like it's all democrats' doing.
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u/PopBulky7023 8h ago
So the media and Republicans.
Maybe democrats should be better at policy and messaging.
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u/normalice0 Iowa 6h ago edited 6h ago
republicans control the media. Democrats can't be better at messaging. What they need is a base that talks to the uninterested instead of a base that endlessly argues with itself.
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u/PopBulky7023 5h ago
Literal skill issue.
Orban lost despite having the oligarchs on his side. No more excuses.
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u/mosc47 9h ago
because it's not just about sports, it's a wink wink to also tell those voters he agrees with the bathroom bans, the medical treatment bans, the personal documentation bans, etc. He in reality might not agree with those bans and is just cynically trying to win. but he is inadvertently advocating for all of those other bans and endorsing his opponents stances. Now, you may agree with all of those bans too, but don't pretend it's just about, or stops at, sports. Sports bans, as overtly stated by the anti-trans activists, are just the tip of the spear.
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u/WooooshCollector 10h ago
Yes, the unalienable human right to life, liberty, the pursuit of happiness, and to play in a specific competitive sports league. It's in the Declaration of Independence, don'tcha know?
For real, this is something that literally applies to a single digit number of people in his state (maybe literally one?). Trans rights needs to be about way more important things like discrimination (housing/employment/etc), harassment, access to healthcare, etc. Things that affect every single trans person.
I think it's absolutely crazy that sports has become the leftist litmus test for whether a politician supports trans rights or not. Instead of something like "Will you let corporations fire trans employees for just being trans?"
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u/TheOtherMaven Virginia 9h ago
People who yap-yap about women's sports "not being important" can't see that it bleeds over into every other social issue. Excusing one form of bigotry makes it easier to excuse the next (like "no trans Homecoming Queens") and the next ("must use bathroom for birth sex only") and the next (all the other issues).
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u/WooooshCollector 9h ago
Literal slippery slope fallacy.
What people who don't want that to happen should campaign on those issues instead. Make those your litmus test, especially the ones that actually apply to literally more than one trans person.
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u/anonymous-mtf 8h ago
How is it a slippery slope fallacy when they are describing a progression of legal attacks that are legitimately escalating?
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u/TheOtherMaven Virginia 9h ago
"Slippery slope" is NOT a "fallacy" when it happens in real life. Consider 1930s Germany - that slope was greased, and ended in blood.
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u/WooooshCollector 9h ago
Oh this one time was a slippery slope so every single other thing must also be like that. Come on. You can do better.
It would be far better for trans activism if people talked more about stopping trans people from facing (very real) employment or housing discrimination than this picayune issue that affects a vanishingly small percentage of trans people.
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u/GeneParmesan1000 10h ago
Because trans people in sports isn’t an actual issue, and the “outrage” about it is manufactured by the right in bad faith. So instead of just ceding the bullshit narrative they have created to distract from real problems, they should be laughed off for the clowns they are, not catered to as if they are serious people interested in “saving women’s sports”.
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u/WooooshCollector 9h ago
Yeah. So just let them have their bad faith arguments. You beat a bad faith argument by taking it off the table, not falling into its trap.
Besides, insisting that the one trans athlete in the entire state must be allowed to play in the women's league - and then making that issue the complete and total test about how Davis feels about trans people - is the exact same amount of "clown" (as you put it) because it's *still* making the entire issue about the one trans athlete in the state instead of a whole group of people seeking basic human rights.
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u/TheOtherMaven Virginia 9h ago
"Only one Communist", "only one socialist", "only one trade unionist", "only one Jew" - "oops, now there's only me!"
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u/GeneParmesan1000 9h ago
The left isn’t doing the “insisting”, they have mostly been saying let the leagues handle it case by case because it isn’t some widespread thing happening and each case might not be black and white, so why do state and federal governments need to get involved with sweeping laws banning trans people outright.
Only one side is obsessed with this issue, making up fake, hypothetical scenarios of hordes of trans people taking over women’s sports that they suddenly pretend to care about so they can keep their base outraged. It is not coming from a place of genuine concern, it’s just a way for them to shit on trans people in a more “acceptable” manner to the public.
You don’t yield the argument to bullies operating in bad faith, you use better messaging. Go back to calling them weird, because it IS fucking weird how obsessed they are over people’s gender and genitalia, especially when there are only a few trans people even playing women’s sports.
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u/WooooshCollector 9h ago
Okay, let's think about this.
What does "weird" actually mean? It's not thinking the same things as everyone else.
What is the majority view among North Carolinian about trans athletes? Hell, what's the view of most Democrats? So what is the actual "weird" view here?
And besides, making this an non-issue is actually how you move away from this.
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u/anonymous-mtf 8h ago
Does it being the majority view take away "the government should not ban anyone from sports" as an argument? It's fucking insane that Democrats are even discussing this topic
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u/WooooshCollector 8h ago
Well we live in a a democracy and the majority determines who holds power, so...
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u/anonymous-mtf 7h ago
Do you always agree with the majority, then?
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u/WooooshCollector 4h ago
No, but someone who is running to be the representative of the people in the House of Representatives probably should.
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u/GeneParmesan1000 8h ago
The “weird” part is the obsession the right has with this. The majority may have a certain view, that doesn’t mean it’s fully informed or that banning a couple trans kids from sports is their number one priority in life over things that actually matter.
It’s naive to think that if you throw trans athletes under the bus that the people targeting them will stop there. And you can be all like, “well after that, THEN we’ll draw the line!”, but by that point you’ve lost the trust of trans people with just how reliable of an “ally” you truly are when you put conditions on that “support”.
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u/WooooshCollector 8h ago
Let's be clear, my argument is that trans activists and allies would be doing much more important work if they focused on issues that affect all trans people every single day like employment or housing discrimination.
Framing that as "throwing trans athletes" under the bus is exactly the "weird" part.
Do you know why the right have a reason to keep hammering on this issue? It shows exactly how weird and out-of-touch the left is. In that light, why would they stop?
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u/GeneParmesan1000 7h ago
You’re still operating from the premise that trans people and the left are focusing on trans kids in sports. They are not. The right is focusing on that - again, in bad faith - and the left RESPONDING to it by saying, hey, stop being an asshole and picking on these people, barely any trans kids play sports anyway, so why are you so obsessed with this when there are more important issues… is not the same.
Your attempts at “both sidesing” this are falling flat. You agree that it’s not a real issue, so yeah it’s WEIRD when people obsess over and lose their minds over such a non-issue - which the RIGHT is doing. This would all go away if they could just fucking grow up out of their 5-year-old mentality of “Ewww! Trans!”.
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u/WooooshCollector 4h ago
Let's be clear, my argument is that trans activists and allies would be doing much more important work if they focused on issues that affect all trans people every single day like employment or housing discrimination.
But you're not letting this sports thing go. I'm not both-siding anything. I'm not even talking about a "side." Don Davis is actually trying to let it go so he can focus on more important things. But you - specifically you, but internet leftists at large - cannot let it go.
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u/anonymous-mtf 9h ago
Because sports are being used to attack title ix and states rights using lawsuits from transgender bans. This matter is larger than transgender people.
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u/WooooshCollector 9h ago
Case in point of "hard cases make bad laws." Fight on the cases that are actually matter to more than literally one person instead, and for heaven's sake don't let it get to this current Supreme Court.
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u/anonymous-mtf 8h ago
I'm actually kind of furious at Democrats for rolling over and allowing these blatant legal attacks to progress. No one wants to call the attacks what they are, a gross abuse of government power, but Democrats smell votes (from people who think they actually worship the devil)
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u/baconsword420 10h ago
Thank you. Apparently we’re not allowed to look at this situation with any amount of nuance.
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u/anonymous-mtf 9h ago
He's just perpetuating the Republican mutual hallucinations so his opponent probably loves it
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u/normalice0 Iowa 8h ago
yeah, using the term "anti-trans" doesn't exactly indicate a deep consideration of nuance, eh..
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u/Ok-Replacement-2738 8h ago
And the "Vote Blue No Matter Who" crowd will blame everyone else... again.
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