Frankly, Chris, the subjects you suggest are kind of the “same ol’ same ol’” and you’ve covered them all. Mostly, they’re “interesting” but ultimately not significant (Trump’s VP won’t really matter, as Trump’s the top of the ticket; Haley’s vote totals won’t matter, as the nomination is Trump’s; etc).
What I would be interested in your take on is the indictment of Alexander Smirnov, the disintegration of Comer’s & Jordan’s foundation for their Biden impeachment attempt, why they are making total fools of themselves, and what they could POSSIBLY be thinking is their best path forward. I’ve read a lot of good legal considerations (Joyce Vance, Jay Kuo, The Bulwark, etc), but am interested in your more “centrist” take on the politics, including what the “messaging” will be on the Republican side and what the “messaging” SHOULD BE on the Democratic side.
That said, I’m wondering what you think about “messaging” on both sides going forward, particularly what you think EVERY Democratic politician NEEDS to be saying….
Defining what being a “centrist” is has become a harder and harder target to hit, given just how FAR RIGHT the MAGA-controlled Republican Party has gone. I once considered myself to be a centrist (and even took a few quizzes online to see where they placed me in the political spectrum), but I’m finding more and more that I am being pushed further to the left by the circumstances.
And Dr., just because YOU are a diehard Biden apologist and an “establishment liberal” doesn’t mean that Chris doesn’t try to hew more to the center. While I love your enthusiasm and fervent belief that this election will be a “cakewalk” for Biden, I think you’ve lost perspective and should really think about that…
Thanks Larry, Biden is going to win in November and I am not saying it would be a cakewalk as I know it's going to be close. But in the end Biden will win. It was not a cakewalk in 2020 but yet Biden won. Though I will describe myself as being socially liberal and physically conservative, I know a centrist when I see one, believe me
My question: How is is that Republicans are paying ZERO price for their cozying up to Russia? It wasn't that long ago that Ronald Reagan, the ultimate Cold Warrior, was the President. Now, we have elected Republican officials and other higher-ups in the party taking trips to Moscow, and Tucker Carlson is still out there, spouting off about how much better Russia is than the United States. How has this 180 degree turn happened so quickly? Is it ascribable entirely to Trump?
Chris, How do you think Alabama Supreme Court ruling that frozen embryos are actual people will play in the election? Is it part of the abortion election issue?
I understand that most people, when asked if Biden is too old to be president, would say "yes". Same with Trump. But, that is a lot different than asking "Who will you vote for?". Does this issue really influence voting? Especially when the choice is between these two candidates. The electorate continues to elect people they think are "too old", i.e. Grassley, Feinstein, McConnell, etc.
Abortion seems to be a big driver that appears to drive up votes for Democrats. Do you think the Alabama ruling that frozen embryos have the same rights as people will move the needle further, or is the increase in Democratic votes already baked in?
What did you think of Ezra Klein’s piece in the NYT on why Biden should step down? The gist: he’s not too old to govern but he may be too old to campaign and win.
Chris, the Republican party has, for years, been embracing Russia. This has most recently been exemplified by Donald Trump consistently expressing admiration for Valdimir Putin and also largely refusing to criticize him. We also recently had Tucker Carlson traveling to the country and calling himself "radicalized" by the visit.
Russia has been the sworn enemy of the United States for many decades. They were the "Red Menace!" Republican Ronald Reagan was viewed as the vanquisher of the USSR. Now it's all love and admiration.
Why have Democrats not leveraged this to say that Republicans in general and Donald Trump in particular are sympathizing with the sworn enemy of the US? To my mind, they should be using this as a cudgel to say that Republicans in congress are Communist sympathizers. However, outside of the Mueller investigation and stray comments here and there, it seems to be somewhat of a non-issue. Why haven't the Democrats weaponized this?
So much is made about a VP being “good” at their job. What do you think makes a VP good at their job? My general thought is it is a person we could see being president. The challenge is that person has to be prepared to sit out for 8 years. Since 1980, I would say we had had 2 “good” VPs, Bush and Gore. Maybe Biden but I recall a lot of stories about the distance between them on major issues.
Starting in 1988, the candidates have picked VPs to counter an issue they have (young vs old, insider vs outsider). Are they doing it wrong?
Why did the media correct Trump’s assertion that NATO countries don’t pay their bills? I would think if they illuminated how Trump doesn’t even know how NATO works would be a more accurate coverage.
Nikki Haley is clearly staying in the race under the long-shot belief that Trump will be forced to drop out, either for legal or health reasons. Could this be a shrewd strategy? The most likely scenario is that Trump is ultimately the Republican candidate, but could Haley maintain a low-budget campaign for a few more months? She can't beat him, so she doesn't really need to spend a lot of money trying. She just needs to be the last contender standing if he stumbles. Thoughts?
How long do you think the RNC will last once it becomes clear that their funding sources for candidates other than Trump will be completely cutoff? At what point will they reconstitute as a separate party?
Chris, I saw on Twitter/X that a gofundme account has been set up for Trump’s $350M legal expenses and it was already at $900,000!!! (Could be clickbait, of course).
Coffeezilla did a dive into that (look it up on Youtube). It seems to have been started by some lifestyle and crypto grifters, and it doesn't actually say that the funds would go to Trump (maybe they will, maybe they won't), but that seems to be why GFM isn't policing this as against their T's and C's
Frankly, Chris, the subjects you suggest are kind of the “same ol’ same ol’” and you’ve covered them all. Mostly, they’re “interesting” but ultimately not significant (Trump’s VP won’t really matter, as Trump’s the top of the ticket; Haley’s vote totals won’t matter, as the nomination is Trump’s; etc).
What I would be interested in your take on is the indictment of Alexander Smirnov, the disintegration of Comer’s & Jordan’s foundation for their Biden impeachment attempt, why they are making total fools of themselves, and what they could POSSIBLY be thinking is their best path forward. I’ve read a lot of good legal considerations (Joyce Vance, Jay Kuo, The Bulwark, etc), but am interested in your more “centrist” take on the politics, including what the “messaging” will be on the Republican side and what the “messaging” SHOULD BE on the Democratic side.
Thanks!
Larry, I wrote about Smirnov last night!
Jeez, how dumb am I (don’t answer that!)!
I read your piece last night and “liked” it!
That said, I’m wondering what you think about “messaging” on both sides going forward, particularly what you think EVERY Democratic politician NEEDS to be saying….
"Centrist"view? Really
Defining what being a “centrist” is has become a harder and harder target to hit, given just how FAR RIGHT the MAGA-controlled Republican Party has gone. I once considered myself to be a centrist (and even took a few quizzes online to see where they placed me in the political spectrum), but I’m finding more and more that I am being pushed further to the left by the circumstances.
And Dr., just because YOU are a diehard Biden apologist and an “establishment liberal” doesn’t mean that Chris doesn’t try to hew more to the center. While I love your enthusiasm and fervent belief that this election will be a “cakewalk” for Biden, I think you’ve lost perspective and should really think about that…
Thanks Larry, Biden is going to win in November and I am not saying it would be a cakewalk as I know it's going to be close. But in the end Biden will win. It was not a cakewalk in 2020 but yet Biden won. Though I will describe myself as being socially liberal and physically conservative, I know a centrist when I see one, believe me
My question: How is is that Republicans are paying ZERO price for their cozying up to Russia? It wasn't that long ago that Ronald Reagan, the ultimate Cold Warrior, was the President. Now, we have elected Republican officials and other higher-ups in the party taking trips to Moscow, and Tucker Carlson is still out there, spouting off about how much better Russia is than the United States. How has this 180 degree turn happened so quickly? Is it ascribable entirely to Trump?
Why is it that the Trump supporters are more fearful of “woke”, a topic most are unable to define, than they are of a Russian Dictator’s agenda?
Great question!
Chris, How do you think Alabama Supreme Court ruling that frozen embryos are actual people will play in the election? Is it part of the abortion election issue?
Where to move if Trump screws us, win or no win.
I understand that most people, when asked if Biden is too old to be president, would say "yes". Same with Trump. But, that is a lot different than asking "Who will you vote for?". Does this issue really influence voting? Especially when the choice is between these two candidates. The electorate continues to elect people they think are "too old", i.e. Grassley, Feinstein, McConnell, etc.
Abortion seems to be a big driver that appears to drive up votes for Democrats. Do you think the Alabama ruling that frozen embryos have the same rights as people will move the needle further, or is the increase in Democratic votes already baked in?
What did you think of Ezra Klein’s piece in the NYT on why Biden should step down? The gist: he’s not too old to govern but he may be too old to campaign and win.
Are the GOP knowingly doing Putin’s bidding or is it a coincidence.
Chris, the Republican party has, for years, been embracing Russia. This has most recently been exemplified by Donald Trump consistently expressing admiration for Valdimir Putin and also largely refusing to criticize him. We also recently had Tucker Carlson traveling to the country and calling himself "radicalized" by the visit.
Russia has been the sworn enemy of the United States for many decades. They were the "Red Menace!" Republican Ronald Reagan was viewed as the vanquisher of the USSR. Now it's all love and admiration.
Why have Democrats not leveraged this to say that Republicans in general and Donald Trump in particular are sympathizing with the sworn enemy of the US? To my mind, they should be using this as a cudgel to say that Republicans in congress are Communist sympathizers. However, outside of the Mueller investigation and stray comments here and there, it seems to be somewhat of a non-issue. Why haven't the Democrats weaponized this?
So much is made about a VP being “good” at their job. What do you think makes a VP good at their job? My general thought is it is a person we could see being president. The challenge is that person has to be prepared to sit out for 8 years. Since 1980, I would say we had had 2 “good” VPs, Bush and Gore. Maybe Biden but I recall a lot of stories about the distance between them on major issues.
Starting in 1988, the candidates have picked VPs to counter an issue they have (young vs old, insider vs outsider). Are they doing it wrong?
Another question!!
Why did the media correct Trump’s assertion that NATO countries don’t pay their bills? I would think if they illuminated how Trump doesn’t even know how NATO works would be a more accurate coverage.
Any idea when the civil trial of police and Congress members against Trump is going to start and what the potential payout from him would be?
Nikki Haley is clearly staying in the race under the long-shot belief that Trump will be forced to drop out, either for legal or health reasons. Could this be a shrewd strategy? The most likely scenario is that Trump is ultimately the Republican candidate, but could Haley maintain a low-budget campaign for a few more months? She can't beat him, so she doesn't really need to spend a lot of money trying. She just needs to be the last contender standing if he stumbles. Thoughts?
I totally agree, and think she’s also positioning herself for 2028.
How long do you think the RNC will last once it becomes clear that their funding sources for candidates other than Trump will be completely cutoff? At what point will they reconstitute as a separate party?
Chris, I saw on Twitter/X that a gofundme account has been set up for Trump’s $350M legal expenses and it was already at $900,000!!! (Could be clickbait, of course).
If it’s real, what the heck is wrong with people?
Coffeezilla did a dive into that (look it up on Youtube). It seems to have been started by some lifestyle and crypto grifters, and it doesn't actually say that the funds would go to Trump (maybe they will, maybe they won't), but that seems to be why GFM isn't policing this as against their T's and C's
Thanks for that!