Trump at least had a story. It wasn't true, but people believed it. He billed himself as this self-made tycoon who understood business better than anyone else. Brilliant self-marketer.

What is Don Jr's narrative? Trust fund baby? Has he done anything in his life besides appear on the Apprentice a few times? Ivanka would have had the best chance since she sort of ran her own business and seemed more involved with the Trump Organization. But she's a woman and that's not happening these days.

Again, in my opinion you guys are overthinking it. I promise you, the average MAGA supporter is not thinking about much at all. The criteria is simple: "Will Don Jr. make liberals cry? Yes? Then I will vote for him."

14 days lol

The thread is quite a journey. Defense attorney nightmare to have the defendant get up to speak at sentencing and go on a crazy rant that shows zero remorse. But it seems to have paid off.

Jan. 6 defendant John Lolos is going off on a rant about voter fraud during his sentencing. pic.twitter.com/nq5itcQ0IB

— Ryan J. Reilly (@ryanjreilly) November 19, 2021

I agree with GD, although I'd add the corollary that making libs cry is primarily for entertainment purposes and secondarily about the actual policies.

The left has historically owned political entertainment, but the manner in which they did so was primarily through observational humor. The right finally figured out that the way to counter that is to make politics itself the entertainment. Forget using or creating a conservative "Hollywood" to produce fake newscasts that make fun of libs or skits or movies - take it directly to the politicians. Make them and their activities the entertainment. This is why so many of the worst offenders say nothing of substance, they just use their positions to create social media and AV bites that "own" the other side.

The perfect culmination of this approach would be making Trump the speaker of the house - not so much because of what he could do, but because of the entertainment value of the irony and revenge fantasies it brings with it. Nevermind turning American democracy on its head. This is about the attach rate for political donations in service of providing these people with entertainment.

I think Don Jr. is missing too much confidence to take the Trump mantle. The dude takes too many losses personally and then practically tears up trying to paint himself the victim, compared to Trump who takes all the losses personally, paints himself as the victim, but then crucially always suggests that he is too powerful to care, or that revenge/vindication is right around the corner. Don Sr. was somehow always able to conflate his own concerns with those of his base, and I don't know that Jr. has shown that ability.

I joked about the Mongols, but I think the basic issue is the same. Nobody understands and appeals to MAGA the way Trump does. When he dies, there will be any number of people that claim the mantle for themselves, but none of them will have the pull of Trump and the supporters will split into a few different camps and some just won't vote again until they find the next Trump.

Trump has an incredible advantage now in that every other GOP pol is scared of him, but the group that comes next won't have that advantage. Nobody is scared of Don Jr. or DeSantis or Jordan, etc. They'll all be willing to fight for the kingdom.

I dismissed the thought of him having much success if he runs, but the more I think about it the scarier a Pence run would be for Trump. Yes, he's hated by the MAGA crowd and he isn't pulling them, but he could pull enough support to make if really difficult for Trump and if he ran a pull no punches campaign he could be the guy that makes Trump as unelectable as he possibly could be considering he's always going to have his base.

I expect Cheney to run and she'll just make it more likely for a Dem to lose.

Because there will be a segment of Dems that vote for her?

I would think right leaning independents who would otherwise have voted Dem over Trump

Very similar to a cult leader. There are lots of people who will try to emulate, but that leader can't be replaced.

Cheney wouldn't break single digits in a Republican Primary. Once the party went authoritarian/fascist, her base dwindled to nothing. She won't even keep her house seat in another year.

The moderate Republican days are over. If it wasn't clear enough after 2016 when Jeb, Christie, and others got trounced, it should be clear now when they are purging the party of anyone who still supports democracy and basic rule of law.

This. The Bill Kristol like Republicans that won't vote for Trump but would be thrilled to have a GOP option rather than vote for a Dem.

Those Republicans likely don't exist anymore. And is she running as an independent in this scenario?

But would these people have voted Dem otherwise?

Hell, prior to this last election, as an independent I had voted 60/40 republican because they were generally the more moderate options. Going forward I will vote straight Dem until the GOP purges these fucking idiots from their ranks, which I don't see any time soon, if at all.

And honestly, I really wish the Libertarian party was a more viable option, as they match my political ideology much more than either Dems or Republicans.

Yeah. I don't care about her in a GOP primary.

It's going to be another close election and anyone siphoning votes from the anti-Trump coalition is a threat.

This. It's gone beyond Trump at at this point. You can see it in the vaccine reaction. Once people decided they were against that - and many other things, it's just a stand-in at a certain level - they were against it no matter what Trump said about it or what other elected GOPs said about it. There's multiple facets to Trumpism, but the conspiratorial, Qanon side isn't going to just go fishing once Trump is gone.

I agree with JPhillips that nobody will be able to tap into Trump's base the way he did, but at the same time nobody will be able to get broad Republican support who doesn't try and pretty much sound the same notes. I expect us to get various versions of Trump Lite until some new consensus emerges. The question is how much that hurts the right overall politically. It will hurt some, but not that much is my quite possibly wrong prediction. I really do think the unifying principle has gone beyond Trump, and 'make libs cry' is a big part of it but not all of it - i.e. some of the Q folks are apolitical, some are convinced all politicians suck but they think there's a slower decline if liberals aren't in power, there's a whole raft of elements there.

This is very true. At a recent rally, the crowd booed Trump when he bragged about developing the vaccine. The next day he started selling anti-vax t-shirts on his site.

Trump is clearly the most influential voice and he has given permission to people to do things that were once socially unacceptable. But he is starting to see the limitations in his popularity and is at their mercy on many issues.

Parnell seems to be out of the Ohio Senate race after losing custody of his kids. Seems a bit premature as he had Trump's endorsement.

I mean, he was accused of abusing his wife. I figured that is good for a 10 point bump in the current GOP primary.

PA Senate.

Ohio is Mandel, Vance, and the guy that wants everyone to know Mandel is Jewish.

Which is the one that wants to shift to a theocracy?

Maybe there is more coming out that we don't know about with Parnell. But as GrantDawg said, I'd almost consider those revelations a positive for him in a GOP primary.

That's a tough question. Mandel, definitely. Vance, probably. Other guy, yes, but not for Jews.

I find it interesting that Socialism isn't as scary of a word as it was a few years ago so the right has been trying to rebrand left ideologies as Marxism now.

Video court exhibit released by US Justice Dept shows what happens as police tried to protect a closing door at US Capitol complex on Jan 6 ===> pic.twitter.com/PKHivMUHwN

— Scott MacFarlane (@MacFarlaneNews) November 22, 2021

I just got put in twitter jail for a week for saying "white trash is gonna white trash" but Madison Cawthorn can put out videos literally calling for violence. Yet the right scream about being censored.

I guess you can now scream about being censored. Call your favorite tv channel and get some air time.

I hear there's a new social media platform for people tired of being censored. :D

Twitter is weird. I don't post on it, just follow some news and sports accounts. But it constantly wants me to follow Andy Ngo. It's always the top suggestion even though I X it. He seems to pop up regularly in trending tweets besides me always clicking the "Not Interested" option. I even blocked the account because it would always pop up high in searches. But for some reason their algorithm really wants me to see Andy Ngo content.

It is your destiny.

I guess I am just not that controversial on twitter. I am pretty active, but have never been banned. I have been blocked a couple of times according to some app, but I don't know by who. No one I cared about.


LOL, I just checked who I blocked, and I have blocked Skip Bayless for some reason. I'm probably better off because of it.

You know you are. I know you are. That should be all the reinforcement you need.

So in other words, trying to do the same thing Iran, Russia and China have done, very effectively to us the last 4+ years

Frustrated with CIA, Trump administration turned to Pentagon for shadow war with Iran

Interesting that he only picked Iran, but as typical with bullies you go after those weaker than you, that don't scare you.

So I guess Mike Lindell's people have caught on that the voting machines aren't connected to the internet because now his people are claiming these machines can be hacked through their power cords.

Sorta like the guy who claimed he could control an airplane by hacking into the entertainment system?

That one at least has some basis in reality. Sometimes getting a foothold on something minor like an entertainment system that is connected to a network can lead to getting access to more important stuff. But through the power cord is pretty hilarious.

Airgaps, man

SI

This Jonathan Karl interview is crazy if what I'm reading is accurate. I mean, normal Trump behavior, but holy shit this guy...

Add Doctor Oz to the list of morons attempting to run for public office. PA US Senate. GOP of course!

Not terribly surprising but Conley should lose his medical license.

Trump tested positive for Covid few days before Biden debate, chief of staff says in new book | Donald Trump | The Guardian

Paging Merrick Garland, please do your fucking job.

I'm not sure whats more amazing, the way he effortlessly incriminates himself regularly or the fact nothing is ever done about it.

I guess the one positive from having Trump around is it blows the lid off what many of us have known. Laws just don't apply to certain people. Usually those people will at least pretend they do, but Trump just cuts to the chase and admits to crimes because he knows he's above the law.

Sadly, I think that the 1/6 terrorist attacks will end up falling into the same problem that a lot of Trump malfeasance falls into--there will end up being so many individual horrible things that happened that they all end up crowding each other out for attention, and, paradoxically, it will all seem less bad than if there had been just one single horrible act.

Steve Bannon's trial for contempt has been set... for July. Nothing like speedy justice. We basically have no congressional oversight anymore.

Sent from my SM-G996U using Tapatalk

And that's Congress' fault. Once they referred it to the executive branch for prosecution, it was over. Anyone with a calendar could see that that was just a look tough without being tough move.

If they cared about doing something, as opposed to making it look like they were doing something, Bannon would be sitting in a cell in the basement of the Capitol as we speak.

No need for liberal public education - just shut it down and pay to send your kids to Christian indoctrination schools if they want to learn anything.

Gov-hopeful David Perdue has proposed eliminating GA's income tax, ~$14 billion in revenue.

How could the state afford that?

Two options, the House budget chairman tells @jsalzerajc:
- eliminate K-12 education
- charge a 17% state sales tax rate#gapol https://t.co/Rt4vYh4wqa

— Emma Hurt (@Emma_Hurt) December 8, 2021

This is just pretty dumb by Perdue. If there is one thing that is really popular is K-12 education. Sure you have some wingnuts who are like I'll just send my kid to private school or I just homeschool my kids, but the vast majority of even Republicans are kinda really wanting K-12 school.

Hell, this may tank him with all the people who are really into big time High School football.