"Will you shut up, man?" US Politics October 2020

jfc

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — DOJ charges Houston billionaire Robert Brockman with $2 billion tax fraud in largest such fraud case against an American.

— Zeke Miller (@ZekeJMiller) October 15, 2020

Big “If I did it” energy here. https://t.co/ewFfJgqBF6

— Nick Confessore (@nickconfessore) October 15, 2020

related (?) to the prosecution of $2bn of tax fraud in plain sight, i think this would be a strong campaign pitch

https://newrepublic.com/article/159339/biden-democrats-2020-campaign-promise-good-governance

The left has a diagnosis of the larger problem—that the pandemic clarified the brokenness of the existing order—and a program to fundamentally reorder society into a vastly fairer and more just one. The center-left, or the moderate wing of the Democratic Party, has a narrower view of the problems ailing the country and a more circumscribed plan for the future, articulated well by the Covid-19-inspired slogan of Joe Biden’s presidential campaign: “Build Back Better.”

I tend to think the left, broadly defined, has a clearer sense of the problem and better ideas for solving it. But the center managed to persuade enough Democratic voters that moderation was a safer path to defeating President Trump. In the interest of equanimity and coalition-building, I would like to suggest something to Democrats who reject calls for revolution and total reordering of the system: Why not try promising to simply fix shit and govern well?

Many (perhaps most) nonrevolutionary Democrats may think they already do this, with their appeals to competence, invocations of “believing science,” and constant claims that they are realistic and “get things done.” But it’s actually a rarity to hear a politician explicitly promise to govern effectively and make things work as they are supposed to work. Nearly everyone in politics (on both sides) makes electoral arguments based on values (or simple negative partisanship), with surprisingly few promising just to run things well.

Perhaps the argument’s rarity comes from an unwillingness to acknowledge that almost nothing in American life is working as intended. Or perhaps, more charitably, it’s ignorance: Many in the political class don’t know how bad it’s gotten.

xpost Drunk Hunter leaves a laptop in every port...

The Republican message of the day is that Big Tech is censoring Conservatives https://t.co/kCv0z27vYr

— Dan Pfeiffer (@danpfeiffer) October 15, 2020

granted, facebook is a cesspool, the world's biggest extreme right wing social network, and everyone who works there should be ashamed. but would the equivalent top 10 performing links on twitter each day be much better?

Jesus, that WaPo story they reference is harrowing.

xxp

I've said some variation before, but: there hasn't been a GOP president or presidential nominee in my lifetime whose appeal I couldn't understand in the abstract. Like, when divorced from their politics, they've mostly seemed like someone's lame + square dad or grandpa. As a dumb kid, I thought Reagan seemed downright avuncular. But Trump is just such a thoroughly repellent figure on every conceivable level that it continues to baffle me that he has any (uncynical) supporters whatsoever. I'd think by now he'd have become an avatar for that worst person everyone knows: the slimy neighbor, the shifty boss, the off putting coworker. His appeal seems limited to those overflowing with free-floating vitriol who view him as little more than a justification for bailing on their anger management classes.

― OrificeMax (Old Lunch), Wednesday, October 14, 2020 11:11 PM (yesterday) bookmarkflaglink

From a NYT article yesterday on Trump's appeal among Latino men:

"'We saw him being a boss,' said Edwin Gonzales, 31, who held a large American flag outside the Trump campaign office. “And for him to go down the escalator is basically the same thing — it’s like, 'Dang, the boss has stepped down and he’s putting himself out there to be the president.' That’s what’s exciting.'

Mr. Gonzales added that for him, and many other Trump supporters, the president represented the best of capitalism, adding, 'He’s a boss and they wanted to be him, they idolize him.'"

everybody loves bosses, right?

This is why The Rock would win 47 states.

'Donald Trump is a boss,' says person who has ignored absolutely everything about Trump but what Trump has said about himself for the past thirty+ years.

They won't admit that the real reason they voted for him was his participation in Wrestlemania 21.

once and future Wrestlemaniac

As Republicans wrap up the Amy Coney Barrett hearing with plans to vote, Dianne Feinstein praises Lindsey Graham: "I just want to thank you. This has been one of the best set of hearings that I've participated in," she tells him. "Thank you so much for your leadership." pic.twitter.com/I3oXSYpVDk

— Sahil Kapur (@sahilkapur) October 15, 2020

Lol she’s going to vote yea isn’t she

Senator Feinstein wants the healing to begin with her.

the worst

Read somewhere that Dianne Feinstein has raised over $40k for her reelection in 2024, when she'll be a spritely 91 years of age.

A mask-free embrace between Feinstein and Graham to cap things off.

And the Amy Coney Barrett hearings are over. pic.twitter.com/3gJcpWpi5Z

— Sahil Kapur (@sahilkapur) October 15, 2020

fingers crossed

"thanks for actively skewing the political nature of american jurisprudence for a generation to come; it's been great"

oh lindseypaws, you're nice to me when no one else is, and there was a time in politics when i could go out for dranks and gud fud

oh feinsteinpaws, i love you so much

how tf has she never been primaried?

(successfully)

haha jks I know why


https://www.opensecrets.org/members-of-congress/contributors?cid=N00007364&cycle=CAREER

I think Feinstein knows Ole Lindsey won't be back... she's saying her goodbyes.

how tf has she never been primaried?

It’s top two primary in CA though so she’ll be in the general election even with a strong challenger.

Trump bragged about Reinoehl’s killing at a rally in North Carolina on Thursday, getting cheers for a description of a summary execution by the state.

“We sent in the U.S. Marshals, took 15 minutes and it was over,” Trump said. “They knew who he was, they didn’t want to arrest him, and 15 minutes, that ended.”

idk the raylan givens i know wouldn't do that

ok, maybe he would

So brave

NEW: @SenSasse, during apparent call w/ constituents, excoriated @realDonaldTrump, saying he mishandled #coronavirus, "kisses dictators' butts," spends like "drunken sailor," mistreats women & trash-talks evangelicals. There's so much more... https://t.co/BneEOGX0J6 @dcexaminer

— David M. Drucker (@DavidMDrucker) October 15, 2020

The largest error in here is 5.9 points (1996), which is smaller than Trump's current deficit in Pennsylvania, the most likely tipping-point state. https://t.co/sA7U4Ytotv

— Nate Silver (@NateSilver538) October 15, 2020

Nate Silver (@NateSilver538) October 15, 2020

(emphasis added) - but yeah, the hand of the nation appears to be poised over the toilet handle and ready to flush Trump out

So the Trump train has even taken out CSPAN boy scout Steve Scully by pushing him to the brink and over the edge?

it's amazing that clinton was able to get such a lead over bob dole (at least at this point in October 1996), while biden is still only 10-11 up, nationally. Dole was useless, but Trump i mean jfc

The 1996 election was the only one of my lifetime which I remember as irrelevant to my interests at the time.

My biggest what-if: Poppy beating Clinton in '92. Would the Gingrich lunacy have been contained? otoh replacing White and Blackmun on SCOTUS would've suuuuucked.

My current fear, probably not unfounded, is that mail-in voters will in big (or significant) numbers be unable to accurately follow the specific instructions on how to vote by mail. Stuff like this does not inspire hope:

🚨🚨Notice to Voters Regarding Mailed Ballots. 🚨🚨 Please use the return envelope provided by DC BOE to return your ballot. DO NOT deposit a ballot in a Drop Box without an envelope OR use your own envelope.

— DC Board of Elections (@Vote4DC) October 15, 2020

reagan +17.7 damn fritz didn't have a chance

i think your fears about people not following instructions are probably a little overblown! i mean, what's wrong with that tweet? i'm sure that's not the only place that DC voters are advised to use the return envelope provided. if it's anything like the Illinois ballot, it said it all over the place in the instructions too.

but beyond just speculation, i also think the early voter data cited by ned and others upthread is a good indication that even if some ballots aren't being properly sent, a huge number of them are getting through

xp

Yeah, that's a factor for sure re proper mail voting instructions, but not necessarily deciding, and I'm willing to bet it cuts across all levels.

Yeah, that's my fear, too. Also see:

S.C. absentee ballot received by a voter after SCOTUS ruling Monday that witness signatures *are* required. Seems likely to lead to many discarded votes. pic.twitter.com/hdRdPwi2pq

— Trip Gabriel (@tripgabriel) October 10, 2020

It's a bit similar to gathering signatures for an initiative petition, where if you need 100,000 valid signatures, you try to get 125,000 to account for the ones that will be tossed out as invalid. One must hope that the groundswell of revulsion from Trump is so overwhelming that it will overcome a certain 'wastage' of absentee votes and still be utterly crushing.

yeah, i guess i should say that early voting in red states, who knows. i'm sure they're doing everything they can to make voting as difficult as possible, just like every year.

but in blue states or red states with any remaining respect for democracy (utah? maybe none) - states that are trying to do a good job, basically - i'm not worried

It's not that it hurts the Dems more than the GOP, it's that any opportunity for the GOP to call a vote into question (should they choose to go that route) is one too many. Which ... yeah, hurts the Dems more than the GOP, given how hard it is to get the party to fight for what is right theirs (2000 election, Garland, etc.).

Of the unfounded non-fears I have, I was just talking with a friend about how nice it would be if after the election *none* of the bullshit we expect to happen actually happens.

Ben Sasse making a classic "Know what I mean, Vern?" face in that picture

"I think Feinstein knows Ole Lindsey won't be back... she's saying her goodbyes"

He's beating Harrison rather handily in the latest polls.

Anyway, hate all you want but this is funny:

We fixed Don Jr.’s crazy ad. pic.twitter.com/TE929T1f2x

— The Lincoln Project (@ProjectLincoln) October 15, 2020

He's beating Harrison rather handily in the latest polls.

It's South Carolina, not surprising. The question is not necessarily that Graham was going to lose, but how much he would have to sweat. Per Nate Cohn and others, he still is.