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Culture War Roundup for the week of July 15, 2024

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Shoot, I was looking forward to winning. I really hoped the Democrats didn’t have the capacity to force Biden out.

I can only hope they lack the competence to choice a “generic Democrat” candidate who has a chance of winning.

There's is some chatter (/ people are already making conspiracy theories) about Hillary making a comeback. I don't know if this would be good for Trumpcoin or not, but if it turns out our "we can't seem to make anything other than sequels and remakes" zeitgeist is not limited to media, I'd be extremely amused.

Hilary is in the potentially unique position of being the one of the only politicians in the US who is more polarizing than Trump.

I don't think they'll dare with Hilldawg, her health also seems to have declined perilously.

The only thing this chatter proves is that Hillary Derangement Syndrome is still going strong. A number of Republicans just can't let go of a long-time enemy, to the point of fantasizing about facing her yet again and again.

Its not Hillary derangement syndrome its Clinton derangement syndrome, just as CNN is the Clinton News Network. The GOP all through the 90s was best summed up by that Arron Paul meme "he cant keep getting away with it"

Hillary was their Hannibal. They're still chasing the dragon from that magical night in 2016.

I can not put into words the schadenfreude of Hillary's "deplorables" speech while some one in the crowd yells pepe. Hillary vs Trump was pure kino.

Could be, I just brought it up as an amusing idea. What are you going to say if it does happen, though?

That I was wrong?

About it not happening, or about Hillary Derangement Syndrome still going strong, or even being a thing at all?

About it not happening.

That's a shame. I think after dismissing someone's prediction on the basis of their psychological profile you came up with, you should update your profile if the prediction turns out to be right.

It became a moot issue fairly quickly anyway, as Bill and Hillary were some of the first major figures to endorse Kamala.

I'm a Democrat but I'm not sure how I feel about this. Despite what feels like obvious intuition, it's not entirely clear a new candidate will fare better. There's really no way to know and I think he had no choice but to step down, but, yeah, the counterfactuals here are difficult to calculate.

Kamala brings new energy to the party, has the same platform as Joe for continuity, and the GOP only has three months to attack her (versus 20+ years for Hillary.)

Women are fired UP after the Roe decision.

Overturning Casey was already baked in.

How much energy did Kamala bring to the Democratic Party in the 2020 primary, exactly?

Her benefit is the extent to which she imperfectly represents the "generic non-senile Democrat," not any energy she brings. And that's a very real benefit, but no one is excited about Harris. No value over replacement.

I wonder if Trump and co. are going to regret some of their choices now (e.g. picking Vance instead of the most whitebread, "don't scare the hoes" candidate they could find).

Especially given that Trump-adjacent people like Vivek and Vance himself have been mocking the idea that Joe Biden was going to stay in the race.

Vance was picked to appeal to the white rust belt vote. If Kamala is indeed the successor this could turn out to be a pretty decent choice. I don't see the DEI president helping much with the blue collar vote. Given her history as attorney general I don't see her appealing to the minority vote that well either. Maybe she'd poll better in the great lake swing states since she's been less supportive of Israel and could get some of the black/muslim vote there? Israel will be throwing big money around if she doesn't pivot on this and is the nominee though.

Having trouble deciphering what your second point has to do with the first, mind saying more?

To your first point, anyone opposed to the media's current darling will always get the Mitt Romney 'roof dog, binder women' treatment. Vance is a "don't scare the hoes" candidate compared to anyone short of a Nikki Haley (which it breaks my heart to say, probably would have been the preferred choice of the modal swing voter)

Haley is entirely unlikeable and an obvious (even for political standards) grifter. I don’t know how people talked themselves into liking her.

Having trouble deciphering what your second point has to do with the first, mind saying more?

I'm saying Vivek has been saying for months it won't be Biden. I thought Vance sent out a catty letter denying Kamala a VP debate because she was going to be the Presidential candidate, but it was apparently actually from the Trump campaign

Their own public posture has been that Biden wouldn't be the nominee. They can't claim surprise.

Wasn't Trump caught on camera saying he was going to have to campaign against Kamala?

Thanks, although I still don't really see your point. If they had already calculated Biden wouldn't be the nominee, surely that factored into their VP pick? Although maybe not, it was braggadocio, and now they're the dog that caught the mailman.

But again Vance isn't going to get raked over any worse than any other straight white guy, imo

If they had already calculated Biden wouldn't be the nominee, surely that factored into their VP pick?

Yeah, that's the point. Losing after having advanced warning would be particularly inexcusable.

Vance as an anti abortion, anti gay marriage guy is absolutely scaring the hoes. Even Trump himself is against him on these questions.

JD Vance wrote a popular book turned into a popular movie where his inoffensive chubby momma's boy character saves the day. Yes, he will receive the Romney treatment, but I question how effective it'll be

Is the Romney treatment when people object to your views?

Popular movie

It made like $40K at the box office.

The Romney treatment is when the media takes a perfectly normal family man and calls them a nazi, using specific allegories to back up their assertion "he left his dog on the roof, he has binders full of women!"

It was a netflix release during corona dude. The book was a #1 best seller, the movie was nominated for academy awards, the audience reviews were high, and millions of people watched it...on netflix.

Nazis? Allegories? What are you talking about?

I'm talking about his actual, literal policy positions that are considerably to the right of the median voter.

  • -13

I'm talking about his actual, literal policy positions that are considerably to the right of the median voter.

Except for the ones on labor and trade, which are to the left of some segments of the Democrats.

Gonna let you have the last word, best wishes

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I think part of the Vance pick was to inject youth onto the ticket. Age now turns from a strength to a weakness for the Republicans.