And Sleepy Joe Will Get The Credit: US Politics January 2021

or am i supposed to say "thats right"

i never know how to use that one

Trump is obviously a magnetic presence, which goes both ways. People who like the message he sells have formed a cult of personality around him, while the rest of us can't get over how much he disgusts us (and our revulsion in turn adds to the cult of personality). Both his supporters and detractors find him outlandish and comical to a certain extent; they just differ on whether or not that's a good thing. No one else in the Republican Party is operating at that level.

tbc, I push back on describing Trump as unique because I believe it invites complacency. Obviously he has his particular set of skills (soundbyte-y quipping, ostentatious jackholery, preternaturally terrible at being photographed) and he has leveraged them in a transformative way; it is a surface transformation, not a fundamental one, and I think there is real and obvious danger in allowing the framing of his abilities as unique and only sustainable to him to lead to the conclusion that the fervent following he has whipped up is going to become disillusioned and fade away now that Trump himself has run out of runway as an elected official.

to me his historical position is what's unique to him, not anything about his psychology (though it has certainly influenced the former)

i think where trump is good at politics and not just good at media is hes willing to break washington taboos and express actually popular sentiments that are off limits due to them being not popular with the powers that be, there is something to be learned from that for upstart lefty dems

exactly. if Trump can win an election on "Mexico's gonna pay for a wall that literally cannot be built" then Dems can figure out how to campaign on broadly popular healthcare & climate legislation

another way i think about it is that the success of trump's 'saying the quiet part out loud' style, rather than being unrepeatable, has instead given any other republicans pre-approval to be even less apologetic for their racist bullshit than they would have been heretofore

this is some of the alltime weirdest shit, salute to a legend lol, hope you die shitting yrself on a gold toilet

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bvQDc76-ZyA

another way i think about it is that the success of trump's 'saying the quiet part out loud' style, rather than being unrepeatable, has instead given any other republicans pre-approval to be even less apologetic for their racist bullshit than they would have been heretofore

― Li'l Brexit (Tracer Hand),

Yes. Without Trump's uh panache.

They should turn all of his hotels into YMCAs.

if Trump can win an election on "Mexico's gonna pay for a wall that literally cannot be built" then Dems can figure out how to campaign on broadly popular healthcare & climate legislation

as has been noted by the great men of letters clowning is an important part of fascist leadership, it expresses the underlying hatred and degradation better than any formal political communication could, these people are out there intentionally spreading a virus getting it themselves dying they are not well

as someone who occasionally will lie around in bed wanting to die it's amazing to me how loudly and exuberantly some elements of the body politic want to die

Trump's entire shtick is so bizarre. the thing I can't stop thinking about is the rally where his biggest applause came from demonstrating that he could drink a glass of water with one hand. or the one where he spent 15 minutes talking about how he could walk down a ramp. it reminds me of those incredibly shitty professional sports teams where even the diehard fans know how much they suck, so they make weird folk heroes out of objectively bad players and go nuts whenever they do like, normal baseball things. like I've been to a bunch of Milwaukee Bucks games where the team was awful but guys like Luke Ridnour would randomly get hot and it would be fun to watch even if they'd inevitably blow it in the end

lol otm

ridnour wld be good in todays game tho

as someone who occasionally will lie around in bed wanting to die it's amazing to me how loudly and exuberantly some elements of the body politic want to die

― is right unfortunately (silby), Wednesday, January 6, 2021 11:38 AM (two minutes ago) bookmarkflaglink

theyre projecting so hard, they need therapy!

wish these people would just give us a day at least

Senator Joe Manchin (D-WV) this morning on 117th Congress after Georgia Senate runoff elections: "Now, more than ever, we must enter a new era of bipartisanship in Washington."

— Craig Caplan (@CraigCaplan) January 6, 2021

I've been to a bunch of Milwaukee Bucks games where the team was awful but guys like Luke Ridnour 

I too treasure the hoops nights I spent with Luke Ridnour

Out of morbid curiosity, I just clicked on video of the crowd waiting for Trump and 'Tiny Dancer' is playing. Followed, again, by 'Macho Man' in preparation for Trump taking the stage. Has there been any reportage on how overtly gay the GOP's music of choice has become of late? Are they even aware?

Why is Manchin (III) a Dem?

someone arrange a sock party for Manchin

I know it's normie to like the georgia elections official guy but he answers questions well

Out of morbid curiosity, I just clicked on video of the crowd waiting for Trump and 'Tiny Dancer' is playing. Followed, again, by 'Macho Man' in preparation for Trump taking the stage. Has there been any reportage on how overtly gay the GOP's music of choice has become of late? Are they even aware?

MAGA rallies are basically circuit parties for exurbanites AFAICT

― Totino's Fortnite Training Room (DJP), Wednesday, January 6, 2021 11:02 AM bookmarkflaglink

lol frogbs' post reminds me of watching an incredibly shitty NBA exhibition game in high school between the Bulls and the (then) Bullets. Neither team brought any of their stars and it was an incredibly sloppy, boring ass game. By the mid-point of the fourth quarter every player on both teams had been on the court except one really tall, gangly, European guy on the Bullets. The crowd started chanting his name (wish for the life of me I could remember it) and the coach put him in with a few minutes left. The crowd started going nuts and standing up every time he touched the ball. With about thirty seconds left, his team down by more than 20, he made an incredibly sloppy layup and the place went batshit nuts like they just won the NBA Finals.

I think it’s unclear at this point what happens to the Q Anon believers, the hardcore Trump disciples, the Proud Boys, and all those people that Trump whipped into a lather. They supported the GOP largely for the benefit of him. But they seem pretty pissed off at the GOP right now more than anything. Do they stay politically engaged? Do they keep turning out to support fringe candidates? Can anyone direct their anger or does it start going in all directions? Do the less deranged Republican voters (if there are any) continue to fall in line with them without Daddy Trump holding everything together? I don’t think we can predict what’s going to happen.

How much dark money do you think will be tossed at Manchin to get him to switch parties?

im sure well see some sort of struggle to be the next trump, the official party trying to play both sides, who knows how it will play out tho

re:2022,
Warnock will win again. Abrams will also be on the ballot.

"it is a surface transformation, not a fundamental one"

For awhile I was hesitant to go along with the "Trump really isn't anything new wrt Republicanism" but I think this nails it. New shell, same rotten core.

xxxxp Gheorghe Mureșan?

one really tall, gangly, European guy on the Bullets. The crowd started chanting his name (wish for the life of me I could remember it) and the coach put him in with a few minutes left.

this could only be Gheorghe Mureșan, right?

lol xp

Why is Manchin (III) a Dem?

― pomenitul, Wednesday

Would you want him to be a Republican? He was an ass during the Obama years but voted against Barrett's confirmation and for impeachment.

trump was really good at turning out non voters some of them have no doubt become permanently politicized and some will just fade into bolivian

See also Brian Scalabrine

manchin's become a reliable vote for healthcare and against tax cuts for the rich, as annoying as he is

Would you want him to be a Republican? He was an ass during the Obama years but voted against Barrett's confirmation and for impeachment.

― meticulously crafted, socially responsible, morally upsta (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Wednesday, January 6, 2021 11:53 AM (two minutes ago)

I want him to be primaried

Yeah it’s sinema we have to worry about, not manchin.

take any dem senator from west va tbh, wld be better if they had also two from maine etc, thats on them

in his favor, Manchin also offered to defund his butt

I just want to sit back for five seconds and bask in the fact that we will have two D senators from GA. Give me another hit of that shit!

trump was really good at turning out non voters some of them have no doubt become permanently politicized and some will just fade into bolivian

true but he turned out way more for the other side and I think a lot of those people are going to permanently engaged as well

dc and PR boutta be states hopefully

we should find some more states to make too, whatre the politics of guam like

Gheorghe Mureșan

Nah, I wish. This was 1991 and he was still playing in Europe at that point.

we should find some more states to make too, whatre the politics of guam like

― lag∞n, Wednesday, January 6, 2021 11:58 AM (eighteen seconds ago)

ILH should be a state

the current guy for this on the Bucks is Giannis's brother. we love him so much we don't mind wasting a roster spot on his big bro

dc and PR boutta be states hopefully

What do people think are the odds of the filibuster going away? Seems like that is the first step toward anything even slightly game-changing.

lmfao had not seen this one

Georgia Reloaded is here.

The epic saga continues, this time in Georgia. Everything is on the line. Donate to the fight at https://t.co/2j2lVY8Ak7 pic.twitter.com/N5T4zqmdpc

— Dan Crenshaw (@DanCrenshawTX) December 13, 2020