God Has Abandoned Us: U.S. Politics November 2023

wait what did you lecture me about?

― jaymc,

I was one of those "lol Obama is as bad as Romney" guys.

The Nobel committee obviously classed Obama right up there with Kissinger.

YMP, i actually agree with a lot of what you write, which is why i continue to vote in down-ballot and local elections.

in the 2008 primaries, i supported john edwards

;_;

at the time he had the most progressive climate plan

soon afterward, i was bitten by many insects and entered a fugue state

How many electoral votes does a fugue state get?

all of them, eventually

Milo's point re tribalism is well taken.

Accordingly, in lieu of political polling, maybe we should just count up the TruckNutz sold vs. lattes sold, and go from there. Toby Keith albums sold vs. Harry Styles albums sold. Whole Foods locations vs. Bass Pro Shop locations. MyPillow vs. Virginia Woolf novels.

If we're going to embrace tribalism above everything else let's just frickin go ahead and go there. Skynyrd vs. Beyonce FITE

The Focus Group podcast with Sarah Longwell is pretty interesting on this stuff.

Is she on Team Beyonce or Team Skynyrd?

Not sure. I guess the whole brand is Team Nevertrump or RINO.

It's just interesting to me to hear why people flip or are considering voting which way. It's not always what I would think.

A zillion xps but fwiw I wasn't talking at or about tables or anyone in particular. It's just how things are at a certain level imo. Stakes are different different places. But for me, voting is not some sacred act, it's just the little nudge you choose to give or not give. I usually lean toward nudging.

Do we need to embrace tribalism or is it just a reality? Moving beyond the constraints of education (and attendant socioeconomic status), location and religion would require an unimaginable shift in American politics. Is there a political message that doesn't betray core Democratic principles (such as abortion access) that would let them win more than 25% of rural white evangelicals? I'd like to think a social democratic or socialist message of making life better for everyone would work but that would require rebuilding white evangelicals' worldview from the ground up and I'm sure we'd all be dead before it really started to take root.

I don’t think that elections are decided collectively by virtue of the actions of individual voters!

Candidates running for office aren’t spontaneously generated by the parties or the populace right before campaign season. Generally, someone who is running for an office has to have the backing of an organization, a wealthy interest, or bring their own cultural or financial capital to the table. (the metaphorical one, not the poster obv)

voters may not always notice or care about who has endorsed a candidate, but those endorsements, be they individual or collective, vocal or financial, are going to give you the roots and foundation of how an elected official is going to carry out their job

long story short, I think someone even being on the ticket is the culmination of a long series of choices made by many people upstream of elections and participation in organizing is as important if not more so than individual votes in an election

When will politicians learn not to talk to children?

.@NikkiHaley to nine-year-old girl in a “Nikki Haley” hat: “I love your hat.”

Nine-year-old girl: “Thanks, one of your guys gave it to me for free.” pic.twitter.com/06q87wube5

— Sarah Dean (@sarahmdean95) November 20, 2023

In case that doesn't embed:

Nikki Haley to nine-year-old girl in a “Nikki Haley” hat: “I love your hat.”

Nine-year-old girl: “Thanks, one of your guys gave it to me for free.”

my dad is consumed with the idea that haley’s going to get the nom and beat biden

he wants biden to abdicate like tomorrow

So there does seem to be some momentum to dumping Biden, there have been two op-eds by centrists in the Washington Post calling for him to not run.

for tracer's dad:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HKh6XxYbbIc

yeah no

I like Ukulele Ike!

The last time a reasonably successful Democratic president dealing with divisive overseas conflict didn't run brought the batshit GOP as we know it to life.

some momentum to dumping Biden

two op-eds by centrists in the Washington Post

The second thing is not evidence of the first thing.

Kinda spooky re: LBJ

In 1967, he secretly commissioned an actuarial study that accurately predicted he would die at age 64.

LBJ was a “here for a good time not a long time” bro.

xxp Unperson I feel like the milquetoast columnists in the Post actually have their fingers on the pulse of insular elite opinion.

I feel like the milquetoast columnists in the Post actually have their fingers on the pulse of insular elite opinion

They absolutely do, but those people don't really matter anymore and cannot effect real political change. Certainly not on the level of knocking an incumbent president, one who got the most votes of any presidential candidate in US history, out of running for re-election. I mean, I don't foresee Biden riding in any open-top motorcades anytime soon, do you?

LBJ at least appreciated a good pair of pants

LBJ was only 64? fucker looked like he was 85 by the time he died

About the only president who hasn't visibly aged over his time in office is Trump.

also LBJ looked 70 when he was 50 so there is that

xpost For starters, he wears a ton of make-up and dyes his hair. Beyond that, he didn't work that hard.

That is the most logical conclusion, yes.

LBJ also got pretty shaggy towards the end

https://cdn.theatlantic.com/thumbor/a0nB6LrYuwkw6AERQuYhQlqIw8A=/9x226:3145x1990/960x540/media/img/mt/2018/08/GettyImages_615297724/original.jpg

my dad is consumed with the idea that haley’s going to get the nom and beat biden

I can imagine Haley beating Biden, but having a hard time imagining her getting the nomination. Seems like fanciful centrist talk, people who still think "the fever will break" or something.

It's about as plausible as Newsom replacing Biden on the ticket

Guys, you gotta stop getting people's hopes up here

i think if something legal happens with Trump (as in, he's found ineligible to run somewhere, or gets convicted prior to the election)then Haley would probably get the nom.

Trump will be the nominee whether he's ineligible or gets convicted, the hell are you guys thinking.

what makes you think mere law will stop these people?

americans love a bad boy

Clearly, the best thing would be for Trump to die, preferably by a massive stroke or heart attack.

Trump and Biden will be the nominees barring what my favorite Cuban in Oliver Stone's JFK called ahn act o' gahd.

I don't want Trump to die or get removed from the ticket by lawsuit or otherwise. He needs to be beaten at the ballot. Repudiated.

He can die the day after the election.

But then we're stuck with someone even worse than Mike Pence.

Would be hilarious if Trump got nixed from the ballot for insurrection in a key GOP state like Texas (will never here happen since our state supreme court is 100% Republican). But you only need 1-2 swing states to bounce him for his candidacy to be DOA (say any two of Michigan, Georgia, Arizona, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, or Nevada).

He needs to be beaten at the ballot. Repudiated.

Already happened once. That's plenty enough for me, so let's get on with it. He's welcome to die asap.

i'm done with hoping for him to get his comeuppance. our society is too dumb for it to happen.

hoping he goes to a gas station one night and his driver dies mid-ride and careens into the pumps

He will have to be buried in an undisclosed location to prevent people from pissing on his grave.