Jman

Vance has a tenth of the charisma but also a much more even temperament. I imagine what he does will be much more subtle. It’s why his debate with Walz was so weird. Both of them came off as relatively normal.

I’m sort of in the “depressed but not despondent” phase. My main concern is hoping they get as many environmental protections etched in stone, same with the Dept of Education. I don’t think Trump is going to dissolve them or let RFK run roughshod with our health (what’s the point of running a country of dead people?) but they will be facing cutbacks.

https://www.nature.org/en-us/newsroom/state-ballot-measures-2024-election/ Nature conservation and climate adaptation bills passed to the tune of billions, because people like clean environments and don’t want the world to be inhospitable.

More food for thought as we wind this down. Bernie is right. The issue here isn’t policy, it’s delivery and how people were feeling.

Normally I’d forgive weak linear if Max made up for it, but it hasn’t. So this is going to be an uphill battle. We’ll need to see if they retain viewership as well as get those Max numbers up.

Be kind of funny if he gets his presidency and just keels over. Shades of William Henry Harrison, who ran a populist campaign to win the Presidency, then died a month into his term from pneumonia.

More proof that Trump’s MO probably dies with him, at least for a while.

I fully expect Musk and friends to attempt something crazy vs a green energy transition, like sulfur dioxide geo-engineering.

The Paris Accords is what worries me. We need a clean environment.

Yeah, you had me at the groceries, then lost me there. Also I stand by GOP policies not being popular given how many policies on the ballots were defeated and passed and their breakdown, but the GOP has way better messaging with an army of online apologists. The Democrats need to create something equivalent if they want to do better past the inevitable anger that will hit the GOP come midterms.

Honestly at this point we deserve a military ruling dictatorship. I’m also pretty sure the military seizing power from an uneducated citizenry and ineffective government is the backstory for Starship Troopers (the book).

I know some people online who swear by the adage “nothing ever happens.” I want them to be right. I really do.

It’s kind of true though. Trump had a brand through his media empire and shows. None of the other GOP do.

It didn’t work for the “Black Nazi” who got thrashed. Cult leader charisma can’t work for just anyone.

She would need to be focused hard on policies and the like, which is always the issue with branding. I know the GOP would go after her hard on appearances.

It’s been a busy week, but did we get any ratings data?

Their issue is one of branding, not policy. Moving right on issues just gets rid of the things people like in a vacuum.

My brief take at this point remains that Democratic policy is popular. Abortion, minimum wage, legal weed, all did pretty well. Taxpayer money for private schools did not. But the party itself needs to rebrand and rebuild.

Like I said before, anyone who expects a second Trump term to see Hollywood move closer to center is deluding themselves. More female led legacy movies, more Current Year cartoons, and more LGBTQ+ representation because Hollywood is going to see it as a moral necessity to provide a counterweight to Trump and later Vance.

Neither Biden nor Kamala have said anything. Not even a tweet. Not to mention how the turnout is somehow 20 million less than last time even with more registration. I’m kind of expecting the other shoe to drop very soon, and I don’t know what it will look like.

Also, and this is semi-related, don’t be surprised if Elon advocates for a mass launch of sulfur dioxide in the atmosphere to lower the world’s temperature 5 degrees or so. Because he’s all about dramatic ways to fix problems instead of you know, public transportation.

Judging by how many states passed their abortion protections, people voted for Trump on the false belief that he would improve their economic situation. Lower grocery prices, lower housing prices, and getting Israel to agree to a withdrawal from Gaza. Midterms are going to be funny when none of that happens.

It's why I'm focusing on the obvious economic stuff and the Biden admin's poor optics because the voting for abortion protections and minimum wage increases does not scream "Misogynists yelling at the poor."

For a look at policy devoid of political party, as per the Times: Florida fuckery aside, you see a lot of policies here that aren't exactly what one would call conservative. Medical marijuana and abortion win. Minimum wage increases did decently well. Two solid red states rejected sending taxpayer money to private schools.