I watched Biden being interviewed by Fareed Zakaria yesterday. He's no Bill Clinton, but he's thoughtful and seasoned. How in God's name anyone can watch Trump bullshit his way through life, not to mention his obvious criminal behavior since 2015, and believe he can strightforwardly deal with all the issues required of a President is beyond me.
Moreover, the patently obvious attempt by the Republican Congress and state legislatures to smear Biden, make non-cis persons miserable, and even crash the economy now has turned politics into a 24/7 hate-fest.
Yes , compare the thoughtful responses Biden gave to Fareed Zakaria during the CNN interview with Trump's lie that he would end the Ukraine war in 24 hours. Biden interview over the weekend and his European tour this week to me is much more important and relevant to our National discourse than the type of Campaign Trump is running for the Republican nomination. . The first vote for the nomination is still some 6 months away!. After all he also ran a ''great'' Campaign in 2020 and lost.
I don't think he ran a great campaign at all in 2020. And I haven't seen many people who said he did. I think his 2020 campaign was a lot like his 2016 effort: Haphazard and deeply disorganized.
But haphazardNess and disorganization with self serving interests are Trump's Trademark. I don't see his General election campaign being any different if he makes it there
When over 30% of the Republican base are cultishly devoted to him and wouldn’t consider voting for anyone else even if he was dead, it’s probably easier to run a campaign.
I don’t remember many other politicians having that built-in advantage. I saw someone on the right criticizing Biden for not having his name on flags and hats everywhere.
It’s always a good thing to have politicians names on battle standards. 😉
This is as terrifying as the history of the 1932-33 campaigns in Germany, where the Nazis became "professional" in running their campaigns. We all know how that turned out.
I don't see how focused and on message he is if his main theme is talking about his criminal indictments and running down DeSantis. How do all of that benefit the American people?
Biden being able to keep NATO together to effectively confront Putin and his successful efforts to bring inflation down are worth more spotlighting than how Trump's campaign is doing preparatory for the Republican nomination.
"Donald Trump is running a highly effective campaign for president." No! No, he is not. Trump is running an effective campaign for the Republican nomination for president. That is a very different kettle of fish. And multiple shoes are yet to drop from multiple investigations that will result in multiple charges. A lot of columns from a lot of mainstream media folks may look a lot different 12 months from now!
The column is, yes, primarily focused on Trump's campaign for the Republican nomination. But, I also think that running a good campaign for the nomination bodes well for the sort of campaign he will run in the general election.
I stand by what I have been saying for months now--only in this insane asylum of a country could getting indicted (not once but twice, with a third potential indictment (in Georgia) hanging out there) work as a political ADVANTAGE. It goes to the point that Kevin Robbins made--over 30% of the Republican base will support him no matter what (I'd say that it's a considerably higher percentage, but what difference does that make?). No other candidate has anything close to that kind of fanatical support. The question is, can that support be expanded in the general electorate? Horrifyingly, the polling suggests that such might very well be the case.
I think that is, generally, true. But is is ALSO true that Trump was not anywhere near as strong in polling done 6 months ago-- especially in the primary -- as he is today. He and his campaign deserve credit for that -- whether or not you dislike him personally.
Okay, but perhaps that says as much about the weakness of his "opposition" (and I use that word in its absolutely most generous sense) in the primary? Who of his opponents can you say has run even a GOOD campaign? Maybe Chris Christie, but Christie is doing so with the knowledge that he has zero chance of capturing the nomination. It's easy to shoot from the hip when you know that you have nothing to lose. I can't think of one other candidate who has thus far distinguished themselves in the primary, and some have only diminished their own national standing (see, eg., Ron DeSantis).
Honestly, Chris, is it not about time you start writing something sensible about POTUS?. He has actually achieved quite a lot, but nobody seems interested in talking much about that, beyond his age. From the other side of the pond, it is quite amazing to watch the attention Trump is getting. He is after all a lier, denier of the 2020 election, 2 indictions, and maybe more to come. Everything is focussed on himself and what is to his advantage. And the 2024 presidential race will in the end be a choice between keeping the democracy or becoming an autocratic country.
Or at least keep it balanced and not Trump, Trump , T5 every day. Biden has done more for this country and the World in the first 2 years of his his first term than Trump did in his chaotic 4 years. His( Biden)accomplishments and his few failures all deserve discussion in this type of forum.
Chris - hard to argue with your analysis, based upon the results thus far.
However, is it still possible for Trump to snatch defeat out of the jaws of victory? I ask this simply because per news reports, Roger Stone was spotted with Trump in Iowa this past Friday, and flew with Trump on his plane to Las Vegas, I am sure not just because Stone could fly 'free' in a seat which "...would have otherwise been vacant..." (Justice Samual A. Alito, Jr., Wall Street Journal, June 20, 2023, Opinion). And if Roger Stone is involved, then the "chaos whisperer", Steve Bannon, would most likely also be 'advising' Trump, even if only through Roger Stone and not directly engaged.
With Roger Stone and his gang becoming involved, can controversy and complications be far behind?
Chris, what do you think the implications are of Roger Stone's involvement?
I agree with your assessment, Chris. Thinking back to the 2016 campaign, the infighting, people getting fired, people moving on, etc., was awful. I remember driving home from work and heard Kellyanne was hired, hearing her made me sick. So many people in that revolving door that spouted alternative facts. I do see the nomination going to Trump. Whether or not that translates into a well run and successful general election, too soon to tell. When it’s one on one with Biden, it will get down and dirty and with Trump that could mean he pulls out another win. I pray that Biden wins but don’t underestimate the power that Trump holds. Very frightening days ahead for the country.
I would argue that the "national" polls are not reflective of how the race will turn out. One, it's way too early to draw conclusions, and two, the outcome is state-by-state as we all know. For the nominations, they are somewhat useful, but for the general, most of the polling results are from states where we already know what the outcome will be. Wouldn't it be better to focus on 6-8 potential swing states and talk about those as bellwethers?
In reply to your question, Chris, may I ask you to ponder..."How many snowflakes does it take to cause an avalanche in the Alps?" Which snowflake is THE ONE that tilts the scale that causes the avalanche to catapult and pound its way into the valley below? A snowflake is so small, yet the avalanche happens...POOF! WHOMP! THUMP ON TRUMP!
In Trump's case, he faces a blizzard of legal complexities, while he inhabits an unhealthy, obese body that has its own bomb ticking...
I think that, on a banal, horse race level, we have to give the devil his due.
But a lot of this isn’t for very good reasons, for either the country or his party. His primary opponents are effectively running for second place, on the hope that eventually he’ll drop out due to his legal troubles. Very few of them are willing to simply reach up for that low hanging fruit, or even just walk into it and pretend it just happened to hit them in the head, of saying “you know... I’m sad for our country that a former president is being prosecuted. But Donald Trump thinks following the law is for suckers. If you think showing our war plans for invading Iran to a guy writing a book as a sort of ‘hey, look what kind of a big shot I was’ sort of brag is a good thing, raise your hands folks. Donald Trump is fond of saying they’re not coming after him, they’re coming after you, and he’s just in the way. But you see folks.. he’s not president any more. He’s not in a position to actually stop a rogue government from prosecuting you. And let’s be real... are you under FBI investigation right now? I woke up this morning, looked out the window... nope, no FBI. No black helicopters. None of the other candidates are being investigated.Just him. They’re not coming after you, they’re coming after him for things he really did, he just wants YOU to stand in the way. The presidency is not Donald Trump’s get out of jail free card, it’s a sacred trust that individuals are given for four years at a time, and then it’s passed on to the next person. At what point has Donald Trump ever acted like the presidency, or the country, is a bigger thing than himself? This isn’t how he thinks, folks. He doesn’t care about you, he cares about himself, and with the things he’s done, he’s put himself and us into the unfortunate position where his best way to stay out of jail is to return to the Oval Office. How’s that for a bumper sticker, ‘Vote Trump, I don’t wanna go to jail!’ What am I gonna do? Who knows? Something something something fight the libs something something I was robbed please don’t put me in jail. That’s his whole platform! That’s not a plan, that’s a plea bargain!”
Or, you know... something like that. The professionals could probably edit it down snappier than that.
In reply to your question, Chris, may I ask you to ponder..."How many snowflakes does it take to cause an avalanche in the Alps?" Which snowflake is THE ONE that tilts the scale that causes the avalanche to catapult and pound its way into the valley below? A snowflake is so small, yet the avalanche happens...POOF! WHOMP! THUMP ON TRUMP!
In Trump's case, he faces a blizzard of legal complexities, while he inhabits an unhealthy, obese body that has its own bomb ticking..
I watched Biden being interviewed by Fareed Zakaria yesterday. He's no Bill Clinton, but he's thoughtful and seasoned. How in God's name anyone can watch Trump bullshit his way through life, not to mention his obvious criminal behavior since 2015, and believe he can strightforwardly deal with all the issues required of a President is beyond me.
Moreover, the patently obvious attempt by the Republican Congress and state legislatures to smear Biden, make non-cis persons miserable, and even crash the economy now has turned politics into a 24/7 hate-fest.
Yes , compare the thoughtful responses Biden gave to Fareed Zakaria during the CNN interview with Trump's lie that he would end the Ukraine war in 24 hours. Biden interview over the weekend and his European tour this week to me is much more important and relevant to our National discourse than the type of Campaign Trump is running for the Republican nomination. . The first vote for the nomination is still some 6 months away!. After all he also ran a ''great'' Campaign in 2020 and lost.
I don't think he ran a great campaign at all in 2020. And I haven't seen many people who said he did. I think his 2020 campaign was a lot like his 2016 effort: Haphazard and deeply disorganized.
But haphazardNess and disorganization with self serving interests are Trump's Trademark. I don't see his General election campaign being any different if he makes it there
Maybe! But I think the case can definitely be made that this campaign. has been much less haphazard and disorganized than his past ones.
The real under- told story is Biden 'sdomestic and foreign achievements
When over 30% of the Republican base are cultishly devoted to him and wouldn’t consider voting for anyone else even if he was dead, it’s probably easier to run a campaign.
I don’t remember many other politicians having that built-in advantage. I saw someone on the right criticizing Biden for not having his name on flags and hats everywhere.
It’s always a good thing to have politicians names on battle standards. 😉
Yeah, that was Trump.
This is as terrifying as the history of the 1932-33 campaigns in Germany, where the Nazis became "professional" in running their campaigns. We all know how that turned out.
I don't see how focused and on message he is if his main theme is talking about his criminal indictments and running down DeSantis. How do all of that benefit the American people?
Biden being able to keep NATO together to effectively confront Putin and his successful efforts to bring inflation down are worth more spotlighting than how Trump's campaign is doing preparatory for the Republican nomination.
"Donald Trump is running a highly effective campaign for president." No! No, he is not. Trump is running an effective campaign for the Republican nomination for president. That is a very different kettle of fish. And multiple shoes are yet to drop from multiple investigations that will result in multiple charges. A lot of columns from a lot of mainstream media folks may look a lot different 12 months from now!
The column is, yes, primarily focused on Trump's campaign for the Republican nomination. But, I also think that running a good campaign for the nomination bodes well for the sort of campaign he will run in the general election.
I stand by what I have been saying for months now--only in this insane asylum of a country could getting indicted (not once but twice, with a third potential indictment (in Georgia) hanging out there) work as a political ADVANTAGE. It goes to the point that Kevin Robbins made--over 30% of the Republican base will support him no matter what (I'd say that it's a considerably higher percentage, but what difference does that make?). No other candidate has anything close to that kind of fanatical support. The question is, can that support be expanded in the general electorate? Horrifyingly, the polling suggests that such might very well be the case.
I think that is, generally, true. But is is ALSO true that Trump was not anywhere near as strong in polling done 6 months ago-- especially in the primary -- as he is today. He and his campaign deserve credit for that -- whether or not you dislike him personally.
Okay, but perhaps that says as much about the weakness of his "opposition" (and I use that word in its absolutely most generous sense) in the primary? Who of his opponents can you say has run even a GOOD campaign? Maybe Chris Christie, but Christie is doing so with the knowledge that he has zero chance of capturing the nomination. It's easy to shoot from the hip when you know that you have nothing to lose. I can't think of one other candidate who has thus far distinguished themselves in the primary, and some have only diminished their own national standing (see, eg., Ron DeSantis).
No one ever went broke underestimating the gullibility or ignorance of the American voter.
Honestly, Chris, is it not about time you start writing something sensible about POTUS?. He has actually achieved quite a lot, but nobody seems interested in talking much about that, beyond his age. From the other side of the pond, it is quite amazing to watch the attention Trump is getting. He is after all a lier, denier of the 2020 election, 2 indictions, and maybe more to come. Everything is focussed on himself and what is to his advantage. And the 2024 presidential race will in the end be a choice between keeping the democracy or becoming an autocratic country.
Or at least keep it balanced and not Trump, Trump , T5 every day. Biden has done more for this country and the World in the first 2 years of his his first term than Trump did in his chaotic 4 years. His( Biden)accomplishments and his few failures all deserve discussion in this type of forum.
Chris - hard to argue with your analysis, based upon the results thus far.
However, is it still possible for Trump to snatch defeat out of the jaws of victory? I ask this simply because per news reports, Roger Stone was spotted with Trump in Iowa this past Friday, and flew with Trump on his plane to Las Vegas, I am sure not just because Stone could fly 'free' in a seat which "...would have otherwise been vacant..." (Justice Samual A. Alito, Jr., Wall Street Journal, June 20, 2023, Opinion). And if Roger Stone is involved, then the "chaos whisperer", Steve Bannon, would most likely also be 'advising' Trump, even if only through Roger Stone and not directly engaged.
With Roger Stone and his gang becoming involved, can controversy and complications be far behind?
Chris, what do you think the implications are of Roger Stone's involvement?
I agree with your assessment, Chris. Thinking back to the 2016 campaign, the infighting, people getting fired, people moving on, etc., was awful. I remember driving home from work and heard Kellyanne was hired, hearing her made me sick. So many people in that revolving door that spouted alternative facts. I do see the nomination going to Trump. Whether or not that translates into a well run and successful general election, too soon to tell. When it’s one on one with Biden, it will get down and dirty and with Trump that could mean he pulls out another win. I pray that Biden wins but don’t underestimate the power that Trump holds. Very frightening days ahead for the country.
The American people are wiser than that, Elaine.
Don't worry about Trump being back to the White House again. It's not going to happen
I would argue that the "national" polls are not reflective of how the race will turn out. One, it's way too early to draw conclusions, and two, the outcome is state-by-state as we all know. For the nominations, they are somewhat useful, but for the general, most of the polling results are from states where we already know what the outcome will be. Wouldn't it be better to focus on 6-8 potential swing states and talk about those as bellwethers?
In reply to your question, Chris, may I ask you to ponder..."How many snowflakes does it take to cause an avalanche in the Alps?" Which snowflake is THE ONE that tilts the scale that causes the avalanche to catapult and pound its way into the valley below? A snowflake is so small, yet the avalanche happens...POOF! WHOMP! THUMP ON TRUMP!
In Trump's case, he faces a blizzard of legal complexities, while he inhabits an unhealthy, obese body that has its own bomb ticking...
I think that, on a banal, horse race level, we have to give the devil his due.
But a lot of this isn’t for very good reasons, for either the country or his party. His primary opponents are effectively running for second place, on the hope that eventually he’ll drop out due to his legal troubles. Very few of them are willing to simply reach up for that low hanging fruit, or even just walk into it and pretend it just happened to hit them in the head, of saying “you know... I’m sad for our country that a former president is being prosecuted. But Donald Trump thinks following the law is for suckers. If you think showing our war plans for invading Iran to a guy writing a book as a sort of ‘hey, look what kind of a big shot I was’ sort of brag is a good thing, raise your hands folks. Donald Trump is fond of saying they’re not coming after him, they’re coming after you, and he’s just in the way. But you see folks.. he’s not president any more. He’s not in a position to actually stop a rogue government from prosecuting you. And let’s be real... are you under FBI investigation right now? I woke up this morning, looked out the window... nope, no FBI. No black helicopters. None of the other candidates are being investigated.Just him. They’re not coming after you, they’re coming after him for things he really did, he just wants YOU to stand in the way. The presidency is not Donald Trump’s get out of jail free card, it’s a sacred trust that individuals are given for four years at a time, and then it’s passed on to the next person. At what point has Donald Trump ever acted like the presidency, or the country, is a bigger thing than himself? This isn’t how he thinks, folks. He doesn’t care about you, he cares about himself, and with the things he’s done, he’s put himself and us into the unfortunate position where his best way to stay out of jail is to return to the Oval Office. How’s that for a bumper sticker, ‘Vote Trump, I don’t wanna go to jail!’ What am I gonna do? Who knows? Something something something fight the libs something something I was robbed please don’t put me in jail. That’s his whole platform! That’s not a plan, that’s a plea bargain!”
Or, you know... something like that. The professionals could probably edit it down snappier than that.
I wonder how much will change when the debates and primary are in full swing
I think Trump has been very lucky that his posts on Truth Social just don't get a lot of attention.
But how will he blow himself up? What more could he do? (I am asking seriously)
Joy
just now
In reply to your question, Chris, may I ask you to ponder..."How many snowflakes does it take to cause an avalanche in the Alps?" Which snowflake is THE ONE that tilts the scale that causes the avalanche to catapult and pound its way into the valley below? A snowflake is so small, yet the avalanche happens...POOF! WHOMP! THUMP ON TRUMP!
In Trump's case, he faces a blizzard of legal complexities, while he inhabits an unhealthy, obese body that has its own bomb ticking..