The pictures of the cop make me think of pictures of a certain Alaskan politician. You can kind of tell the guy is an asshole just by looking at his photo.
Sullivan is um, weirdly never talked about.
I didn't even know anyone was talking about the race being competitive.
> What I found in their answers was one part Stockholm Syndrome, one part survival instinct. They all may not love the president, but most share his loathing for his enemies on the left, in the media, and the apostate Never Trump Republicans with a passion that engenders an alliance with the president, if not a kinship.
> And even among those who don’t share the tribalistic hatreds, they perceive a political reality driven by base voters and the president’s shitposting that simply does not allow for dissent.
My above link about GOP campaign consultants is really very interesting. Basically, they're all saying that "loyalty to Trump" is the #1 factor that the GOP base is looking for, like by a mile. Which means that other GOP candidates can't distance themselves and get elected
> This same calculus pervades no matter the race, no matter the district, no matter the geography: The operatives insist that the pro-Trump zealotry the president’s supporters demand makes it far more difficult for candidates to win over anyone else.
> This view is so widespread that when asked, all of the consultants but two said they haven’t even had a conversation about the possibility of distancing from Trump with any of their candidates or campaign teams.
@Frank Even if they lose faith in their figurehead (which I'm not sure is possible; he could just as easily become a martyr in their eyes), the precepts of the cult seem likely to remain as strong as ever:
(the media as liars, the left as wanting to destroy the country, the right as the only wholesome American truth-and-flag lovers)
I've got some family in that cult, and its surprisingly resilient to fact-based refutation
> But in 2006, Republican candidates could strategically distance themselves from an unpopular president without facing a mutiny within the ranks. That won’t work in 2020, as — though Trump’s numbers are plummeting with some demos — they are solidifying or improving among his core support demographic. Which makes running afoul of Trump fatal in the eyes of these strategists.
Improving among his core demographic. I'm not surprised.
Horrifying the number of people who support Trump despite all he's done.
@Wipqozn I'd love to see some figures on how many people have left the GOP base
Some figures are easier to get ("identifies as GOP"), but others are harder, but just as important ("independent but generally votes with GOP", that kind of thing)
@Wipqozn Yep, fully agree. Kind of like the "Trump appointee dilemma" (anyone Trump appoints is, merely due to the fact that Trump would appoint them, untrustworthy)
> The Trump administration has formally notified the United Nations of its withdrawal from the World Health Organization, although the pullout won’t take effect until next year, meaning it could be rescinded under a new administration or if circumstances change. Former Vice President Joe Biden, the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee, said he would reverse the decision on his first day in office if elected.
Emphasis mine. Hopefully that means it won't happen.
