The 2024 Circus

[MechAg94]

And there you have part of the answer...a contingent of nominal Republicans are so fed up with the party they are engaging in self-harm. This is definitely a factor imo.

The RNC leadership are a bunch of elitists who need to be purged.  Calling that "self harm"?  Odd way of thinking.  The RNC has gone out of their way to work against more conservative candidates in Congressional elections.  If anything is "self-harm", it is that. 

Trump isn't perfect.  There is no perfect candidate.  There never was one.  The candidate you think is perfect has just successfully hidden the things you wouldn't like.  Trump doesn't seem to hide anything.  It is a nice change over most politicians in recent decades.  Complaining about mean tweets or other negatives is pointless.   

My position is pretty much the same as 2016.  I don't expect him to save the world.  I don't expect a conservative, libertarian savior.  Just move things back away from where they have been headed just a little more.  Trump's SC appointments in the first term have done a lot of that (they aren't perfect either before someone complains).  Far too many examples to mention in the last few years of all the things could have been a whole lot worse.

[Ben]

Complaining about mean tweets or other negatives is pointless.   

Maybe, but my complaint is that this is an incredibly easy fix for anyone with even a little self-discipline. By showing some, he would gain way more "fencesitting" supporters that otherwise agree with many of his policies than lose the small percentage of "we love Trump being mean" supporters. That he can't do so is a weakness, IMO.

On the campaign, I heard an interesting hypothesis this morning: Haley is staying in till the bitter end with part of the strategy being that there could be a "black swan" event for Trump that will take him out. This is not necessarily a bad strategy if you remove the bias of who you like or don't like. Trump has so far come out strong after each attack, but there is a not low possibility that the establishment will find a way to destroy him. Haley figures if she sticks it out and is "already there" that she will be the obvious nominee.

As of now it's 107 Trump to 17 Haley, with 1215 needed to win. So while Trump is killing it now, you just never know.

[MechAg94]

If he was going to "fix" it, he would have done so in 2016.  He mouths off at press conferences and he does it online as well.  That is just who he is. 

I say it is pointless because that is part of what took him to the top of the primaries in 2016.  R voters were tired of other R candidates saying bland remarks and being polite to media people that hate them.  Trump was willing to speak his mind.  Sometimes the remarks land, sometimes they don't.  He doesn't apologize for it. 

As I said in 2016, I would rather see every other federal candidate forced to personally comment online daily like Trump does.  I think it would be entertaining and informative.  Perhaps even force federal administration executives to do the same thing. 

[Ben]

Trump was willing to speak his mind.  Sometimes the remarks land, sometimes they don't.  He doesn't apologize for it. 

Sure, I can agree with that. However guys like DeSantis and Vivek seem to be able to do it without coming off as childish. Those two guys can both dish it out and take it. Trump can dish it out, but he can't take it.

[zahc]

The RNC leadership are a bunch of elitists who need to be purged.  Calling that "self harm"?  Odd way of thinking.

Trump isn't the RNC leadership? After being president of the United States, and being in a clear path to being the next candidate?

Or are you saying Trump is the RNC leadership, and he should be purged by...nominating him and voting for him for president?

Trying to grasp the logic here.

[grampster]

Sure, I can agree with that. However guys like DeSantis and Vivek seem to be able to do it without coming off as childish. Those two guys can both dish it out and take it. Trump can dish it out, but he can't take it.

Correct and concise.  The thing about Trump is a good deal of Americans follow Trump because he continually points out what a corrupt, clown show our 2 party system and government in general has become.  I sort of like it too.  America loves an underdog, especially if he is getting kicked.  The political parties, and their apparatchiks (media) have painted Trump in a way that their followers have been taught to irrationally hate him due to their lies and obfuscations about him, and their minds have become closed.  Trump in a perverse sort of way contributes to that image.

[Pb]

The RNC leadership are a bunch of elitists who need to be purged.

I agree completely... but Trump was an utter failure at that.  I don't think we should be nominating him to fail again.

[Boomhauer]

Y’all need to understand that there is not a way to fix anything until the collapse happens. The politicians are far too entrenched to be budged out by mere voting.

Trump is pure shits and giggles with the bonus of giving the leftists coronaries. It really doesn't matter who is actually president, we’re still going to hell in a handbasket.

[Angel Eyes]

https://twitter.com/zerohedge/status/1761907714861433156

[WLJ]

Never too early to start

    Russia is already spreading disinformation in advance of the 2024 election, using fake online accounts and bots to damage President Joe Biden and his fellow Democrats, according to former U.S. officials and cyber experts.

    The dissemination of attacks on Biden is part of a continuing effort by Moscow to undercut American military aid to Ukraine and U.S. support for and solidarity with NATO, experts said.

    "Experts said."

    …

    Moscow and its proxies have long sought to exploit divisions in American society. But experts and former U.S. officials said Trump’s false claims that the 2020 election was stolen, the country's deepening political polarization and sharp cuts in disinformation and election integrity teams at X and other platforms provide fertile ground to spread confusion, division and chaos.

NBC News: Russia's 2024 Election Interference Has Already Begun
https://twitchy.com/brettt/2024/02/26/nbc-news-russias-2024-election-interference-has-already-begun-n2393345

[dogmush]

At the risk of stating the obvious:  Biden is funding Russia's enemy in a hot war.  Trump has publicly said he would slow or stop that support, and Trumps voting base is on board with that policy.  Russia would have to be retarded NOT to be trying everything it could to help Trump's elections chances.

I've seen no evidence that the FSB is retarded.

I'd imagine Chinese bots and social media is attempting to help Biden out for much the same reason.

[WLJ]

At the risk of stating the obvious:  Biden is funding Russia's enemy in a hot war.  Trump has publicly said he would slow or stop that support, and Trumps voting base is on board with that policy.  Russia would have to be retarded NOT to be trying everything it could to help Trump's elections chances.

I've seen no evidence that the FSB is retarded.

I'd imagine Chinese bots and social media is attempting to help Biden out for much the same reason.

Oh I agree but that's not the point. The point is the media is getting the excuses going early for if the dems lose in Nov.

[dogmush]

As I pointed out to a long awkward silence at the last dinner with my inlaws this "excuse" is basically:

"Potential Democratic voters are so *expletive deleted*ing stupid Russian Bots on Facebook convinced them to vote for Trump"

Not the ringing endorsement of their electorate they may have wished it was.

[Boomhauer]

At the risk of stating the obvious:  Biden is funding Russia's enemy in a hot war.  Trump has publicly said he would slow or stop that support, and Trumps voting base is on board with that policy.  Russia would have to be retarded NOT to be trying everything it could to help Trump's elections chances.

I've seen no evidence that the FSB is retarded.

I'd imagine Chinese bots and social media is attempting to help Biden out for much the same reason.

Really though they don’t have to do a lot because Biden is making it very clear he is Herbet the Pervert with dementia

[Perd Hapley]

Trump isn't the RNC leadership? After being president of the United States, and being in a clear path to being the next candidate?

Or are you saying Trump is the RNC leadership, and he should be purged by...nominating him and voting for him for president?

Trying to grasp the logic here.

The informal leader of the party is not usually in the leadership of the RNC or DNC.

[Northwoods]

The informal leader of the party is not usually in the leadership of the RNC or DNC.

The RNC is really just a fundraising arm.  Other than how they direct the funds raised they don't really control party policy or positions.

[dogmush]

So they control the party and policy positions of all the Republicans that are dependant on their funding.  So like 95% of the party.  Got it.  Totally not the leadership of the party then.

[WLJ]

    Kamala Harris says the federal government is going to pay college students to register voters for the election
    pic.twitter.com/g0ZfmIR7D8
    — Greg Price (@greg_price11) February 28, 2024

    Imagine Trump doing/saying this. The media and the left would have a meltdown. But hey , it’s Kamala, so they will say how wonderful it is. The hypocrisy is mind numbing. https://t.co/PR8gIre9Eq
    — TheAmishTerp (@TheAmishTerp) February 28, 2024

https://twitchy.com/dougp/2024/02/28/kamala-harris-says-federal-govt-will-pay-college-students-to-register-voters-and-more-n2393416

[Ben]

https://twitchy.com/dougp/2024/02/28/kamala-harris-says-federal-govt-will-pay-college-students-to-register-voters-and-more-n2393416

Aw, come on - there won't be any hanky panky there.

Says the guy who, when he started grad school and needed to register in his new county, thought, "I'll just use this booth with the industrious and helpful college kids doing voter registration right here on campus". Somehow the registration that I marked "Republican" never got recorded. Had I not checked, I would have missed a presidential election. This was back in the 90s.

[Pb]

The informal leader of the party is not usually in the leadership of the RNC or DNC.

Who leading the GOP?

[Perd Hapley]

Who leading the GOP?

If you're asking about who's leading the voting base of the GOP, then it looks like Trump is. If you want to know who's in charge of the party machinery, then I don't know.

As for the RNC, McDaniel was Trump's pick.

[MechAg94]

If you're asking about who's leading the voting base of the GOP, then it looks like Trump is. If you want to know who's in charge of the party machinery, then I don't know.

As for the RNC, McDaniel was Trump's pick.

Was she his pick from 2016/17?

I saw an article saying Michael Whatley is Trump's current pick.  I haven't kept up with the current leadership.

The RNC is one of several groups who direct money to key candidates around the country.  I think Congressional leaders such as McConnel control other purse strings.  Beyond that I don't know what power they actually have. 
I think the Congressman that Brandon Herrera is trying to challenge is funded by one or more those groups.

[Jim147]

The Republican voters have been calling for her to resign for over 3 years. Most voters stopped donating to them, and she was wasting funds on herself, so they don't have much money to work with right now.

[230RN]

In my tiny segment of personal acquaintances back in college, I knew of two who bragged they voted both at their college addresses and their home addresses.

[Ben]

Trump and Biden both at the border. Biden talked about climate change and Neanderthals in Congress. Trump talked to Laken Riley's parents. Trump is still running 2:1 on "aw shits" vs "attaboys" in his speeches, but this was an attaboy.

https://twitchy.com/brettt/2024/02/29/donald-trump-at-border-confirms-he-spoke-to-laken-rileys-parents-n2393489