Donald Trump: Classic or Dud?

Table speaks truth, but it is simultaneously true that there is still a sizable chunk of people
for whom voting FOR the pussy-grabbing sentient swastika is a motivator. Owning the libs and whatnot.

The more you tell them not to do a thing, the more they will want to do it. In my dark fantasies I try to come up with ways to convince them that "the woke libs" don't want them to walk off ledges and die horribly.

So. To be clear: Walk off a ledge, MAGANauts, it's the best way to own the woke libs. I would be SO TOTALLY OWNED.

2020 was never going to be low turnout because Democrats were amped up to get Trump out of office since basically November of 2016. many of those people will still be motivated af to turn up in 2024.

would be cool to get young voters interested by not running the eighty-something incumbent whose popularity level never rises above "eh"

otm

sure but we all had that concern in 2020 too and he got the most votes ever so I guess at the end of the day keeping Trump out of office is a pretty strong motivator

imo one of the biggest factors is that people are just really fucking sick of him, sick of him driving the news constantly and putting himself at the center of everything, to the point where even professional sports were all about Trump. that first debate between him and Biden made a lot of people sick to their stomach and it kinda felt like that was the point where his shtick just stopped being entertaining

His only chance of winning would be if he was running against a doddery dithery old fossil who, when he talks, looks like he might not make it to the end of the sentence ... oh, hold on a minute ...

C'mon man, Biden still shows flashes of wit. And besides, America voted for the obviously sundowning Reagan twice.

are we gonna argue this again

did we ever stop?

I'm not saying it's wise to field Biden in 2024 or that he doesn't have doddery moments or even that he's a good president, but I saw this clip earlier this week and he doesn't seem doddery or dithery. This seems a firm and fair a putdown of a reporter regurgitating Republican talking points.

just catching up on this exchange from Biden's news conference yesterday where he grilled a reporter to specify to him what spending cuts McCarthy is actually proposing pic.twitter.com/Ipyd7eOZvD

— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) May 10, 2023

I realize this doesn't say much about the Democratic Party, but I genuinely don't know who would be a more viable general election candidate than Biden. It's not like there's someone obvious waiting in the wings who can instantly generate enthusiasm.

would be cool to get young voters interested by not running the eighty-something incumbent whose popularity level never rises above "eh"

This is an amazing idea! And it'll totally work, since we've got something like 50 great candidates to put up instead, all of whom have broad popular and media appeal and better policy ideas than Biden...oh, wait.

xp

Biden's fine for an 80-year-old man who is slowing down. He will be the nominee. He may die in office; if so, then Kamala Harris will be the next president. I lose no sleep over any of this.

Usually you'd say that the candidate who ran a strong second-place primary campaign in the last two elections would be the obvious successor, but he's older than Biden.

No one in the known universe is excited about Joe, but I am also not hearing a compelling alternative

Actually, that's a sharp clip, stevie. There he is at his best.

This Hamilton Nolan column is a journalist's fantasy. It's such a fantasy, in fact, that I'm surprised Nolan (a writer I have occasionally thought was pretty smart and on-his-game) didn't end with "and then you just punch him right in his fat face and he dies and you are loved forever, by the American people and especially your dad!" The simple fact is that journalists who are not servile bootlickers Don't Get In The Room With The President (or the ex-president). The real takeaway from last night's shitshow was not the person flinging the shit. It was the people who had their arms and mouths wide open to catch it all. They're not ex-presidents; they're not ex-anything. They live in your neighborhood, and they are *far* more dangerous to this country than he is, because he's not gonna be re-elected. He was elected on a wave of "I hate that bitch, and anyway, how bad could he be?" And then we spent four years, stretching into seven years now, finding out. He will not be re-elected. But his shit-eating cult members are out there. (I'm probably surrounded by more of them as I type these words than I've ever been in my life.) They're not going away.

Actually, that's a sharp clip, stevie. There he is at his best.

I genuinely think he could peel off a few faithful Republican voters in this mode, which is what is necessary to fend off a Trump win, which is necessary for the future of the US, the world. Biden definitely has copious shortcomings but maybe there's a way to engage with those without regurgitating Trump talking points.

Trump lost in 2020 (and lost de facto in 2022) because Biden peeled away enough independents scared of Trump.

I can't imagine that a Trump campaign based on "Actually, I won last time" is going to win over any independents either

necessary for the future of the world

Can’t wait for him to put even more periods on his ending of oil and gas drilling on federal land

Trump lost in 2020 (and lost de facto in 2022) because Biden peeled away enough independents scared of Trump.

This is doubtless true but I worry that as the media embraces Trump again in a way they haven't since 2020, so he might be redeemed in some voters' eyes.

Can’t wait for him to put even more periods on his ending of oil and gas drilling on federal land

I'm not saying it's wise to field Biden in 2024 or that he doesn't have doddery moments or even that he's a good president

But also I'm more interested in that as a progressive critique that "LOL he's old"

This is doubtless true but I worry that as the media embraces Trump again in a way they haven't since 2020, so he might be redeemed in some voters' eyes.

I'm pretty misanthropic but I don't believe most people have the memories of goldfish.

the media legitimizing Trump seemes like something that would've been a bigger probem in 2016, when people still stupidly thought there might be something behind the facade. even the "home run" town hall he did yesterday was primarily just him defending himself..."its a witch hunt", "that woman is a liar", "I did nothing wrong", etc. etc....I don't think that's exactly a winning message. you have to at least be able to pretend it's about inflation or "economic anxiety" or whatever. can't even do the freedom angle when your party is constantly in the news for trying to strip them away.

Biden beat Trump because he told him to shut up in the televised debate is how I break it down. If he remembers to do that again, he'll win again

I believe that

Given how at least 60% of Trump's campaign will be about Hunter Biden, I wouldn't dismiss the idea of Joe punching Trump in a debate

If Trump faces Biden in 2024, will it be the first time the same candidates have been pitted against each other four years apart?

Harrison vs. Cleveland

Bryan and McKinley rematched in 1900.

Depends on whether you count former presidents, though.

Ike v Adlai

Adams Vs. Jefferson

the civil suit's outcome will certainly be remembered by what Lindsay Graham calls 'our suburban women problem'

In his unguarded moments, Lindsey is quite the truth-teller.

this is lovely

https://avidly.lareviewofbooks.org/2023/05/10/e-jean-carroll-bought-me-a-dress/

oh wow that made me cry

Just in ... meh:

Just in: CNN's town hall with Donald Trump averaged 3.1 million total viewers. The event outrated Fox and MSNBC, as expected, but these are not 2015/16 level numbers for Trump — not even close.

— Brian Stelter (@brianstelter) May 11, 2023

That being said, the kids are not alright

In the key 25- to 54-year-old demo, the town hall averaged 703,000, about five times higher than CNN's typical performance at 8pm.

“Low-Ratings Donnie”

24-54? that isn’t a demographic, that’s nearly three different generations, if not four lmfao

and how many of those were either pointing and laughing, or playing drinking games?

I have no idea why they break TV demos the way they do ... I couldn't possibly have less to do with 25-year-olds' viewing habits, and vice versa.

By the way, can you imagine CNN hosting a town hall with Bernie and the audience being filled with socialists who booed Dems and Republicans alike, cheered Bernie when he attacked the media, and applauded every reference to Medicare for All and justice for the Palestinians? https://t.co/S5RuI5I41u

— Mehdi Hasan (@mehdirhasan) May 11, 2023

Sounds like compelling TV tbh?

iiuc 25-55 is the group of people who mostly no longer live with parents and have disposable income, but are not yet old enough to be worth advertising drugs to

Furthermore, no idea what the major difference is between 18-49 and 25-54

The timing of this 'town hall' - months before anything campaign-related has really begun - makes me think this is just a hasty and cynical attempt by CNN to woo disgruntled FOX viewers over to their new rightist programming... for their ilk, it's like getting Taylor Swift to play a tune on your late night show

Furthermore, no idea what the major difference is between 18-49 and 25-54

― fair but so uncool beliefs here (Eric H.), Thursday, May 11, 2023 3:53 PM bookmarkflaglink

feelings about My Chemical Romance

omg