MistaT it’s a good confluence of events. For several months everyone was complaining about choosing between Biden and Trump. And then Dems really fell out of Biden but he dug his feet long enough that it was both fractious for the party and delayed a decision until the election’s eve. So now everyone is focused on getting over the line. And it helps that she’s a candidate without a massive recent national track record, so she can brand herself quite freely.
I think she will do it
the stunning thing is just how sharp her messaging has been since she got the nomination. during her campaign in 2020, her messaging was terrible, her tone was awful, and she was just flailing around. now, she seems to pretty on point with her messaging and attacks and is much more focused. her record still isnt great (i also dont think its awful but she is a cop) but if she can focus less on herself and more on attacking trump and vance with clear, concise talking points, it can go a long way. shes gotten a big bounce in the polls (compared to where biden was), but that will level off in the next few weeks. what she does to keep pushing that momentum will be key
here is a great example. nothing fancy, just a direct attack in a few sentences and its a quote tweet of a video of trump yesterday saying that this is the last time his supporters will need to vote, he'll take care of it so they dont have to vote anymore. really easy stuff here, no need to come up with a complex platform or strategy, just let trump make errors and then dunk on him.
how are you going to say some shit like this and your wife ends up looking like the embarrassment?
i guess if i was married to such a weak pathetic woman i would fuck a couch too.
priming his base for stop the steal 2.0. people who wrote off the big lie and jan 6th as a bunch of uncoordinated yahoos will soon realise that was only the trial run. they have been working to install cronies at the state level for the last 4 years to ensure any checks and balances can be steamrolles this time around. his VP is on record as saying he wouldnt have certified 2020 if he were in pences position. his base has been radicalised to the point that they will feel justified in intimidating people at polling places. they know their positions are unpopular to a majority of the US, but they won't abandon those positions. they'll abandon the democratic process instead.
Conventional wisdom would suggest that Vance seems like a missed opportunity for the Republicans. They should have gone for a middle of the road conservative to strengthen their hand in swing states and amongst undecided voters but instead they've doubled down on another lunatic like Trump which is an ominous sign of what lies ahead incase they do win.
Seems odd to me that Vance is Theil’s guy.
Surely there’s someone smarter and more put together that Theil could have bought.
Mirth the thing is, there really arent any "middle of the road conservatives" left.
people like susan collins and lisa murkowski are basically republicans in name only. anyone to their right has been maga-pilled at this point and gone completely off the rails. vance is from ohio and people thought he could appeal to younger voters, but now that people are digging in on him, they are realizing hes a freak too.
in 2024 you are either a never trumper or youve been full on maga-pilled, there is no in between
No difference between Trump Netanyahu and Harris. That goes for the majority of US Politicians Republican or Democrat .They are all evil
GooneriC buddy im as big a critic of the dems as anyone but there is a pretty big difference between harris and trump/bibi
Mirth Conventional wisdom would suggest that Vance seems like a missed opportunity for the Republicans.
It makes Biden's team look more strategic. It hadn't really occurred to me that Vance would be very unable to hype a crowd. I expect to see revised tactics from the Trump campaign—an increase in Vance's derangement, and more joint appearances.
mdgoonah41 That Times profile on Vance is truly damning, but I don't think it'll matter unless he validates it himself somehow.
GooneriC in terms of foreign policy, yeah the US machine keeps turning and will continue to do until another apex power emerges which will be a hell of a ride when that happens, I'm sure.
But till we get there, there's further ramifications with Trump being President that the rest of the world will have to deal with. There's plenty of strong man leaders - some running the largest economies in the world - and far right parties that are waiting to take their cue from Washington to what the new normal will be. If the Democrats represent managed decline, Republicans are a shot to the head.
as the planet becomes more uninhabitable every year due to climate change, "managed decline" is pretty much like a 90th percentile outcome. i shudder to think what the earth is going to look like in 50 years.
i'm glad i'll be near death in 50 years (if everything goes to plan).
Last time Trump got elected the state, defence, intelligence and foreign policy establishments were pretty ready to kick his executive into line. Cabinet picks such as Rex Tillerson didn't last too long. It seems the GOP is intent on arriving with a greater degree of preparation if there's a second success.
I admit I'm surprised by how poor a "retail politician" JD Vance has looked so far. I'm not surprised he can't pull off a "mini-Trump" act, but his poor performances in interviews and at rallies are a testament to how far a career in public life can go based on tweets and sound bites.
But doesn't it seem likely the GOP will go on offence in response to the material being dredged up from Vance's murky, liberal past? That would mean something like more joint campaign appearances with Trump, and more arch-conservative rhetoric.
GooneriC The world includes a hell of a lot people accustomed to thinking of the United States as a rogue nation, and questioning the gross, withering Frankenstein of Clinton-neocon foreign policy it's still practising today.
Every one of the world situations that's become a "foreign policy question" for the US has its concrete details, but the overall posture of the last decades has been a violent, unprincipled mess.
