Be nice to people. This changes the whole environment.
- Manlobbi
Halls of Shrewd'm / US Policy❤
No. of Recommendations: 3
From
https://x.com/OurShallowState/status/1793650862096...The Shallow State @OurShallowState
I wanted to comment on the Nikki Haley announcement, because I think there's a perspective to it that people aren't considering.
When these politicians on the Right do this, everyone comments about them wanting to be his VP. Everyone comments about their cowardice, ambition, and cravenness. Yes, ambition is the core motivator. But I think there's underlying calculations being made here that bear mentioning.
A lot of these people, Haley and her aides included, are assigning percentages that they don't want to talk about - Trump is fragile. He could go to prison, he could stroke out, he could continue to lose cognition, he could shoot himself in the foot in any number of ways and lose support, something new about him could break, he could even decide to flee - and this impacts the calculus.
They badly want to be in the game, not only now, but especially after he's gone. My point is, yes - it's craven - but it's not borne of Trump's strength, it's borne from the true math - the math that's underlying his weaknesses.
No. of Recommendations: 6
I agree with this but I disagree.
I agree because those politicians attempting to remain in this bizarre "near-non-friend" zone of Trump likely ARE hoping he strokes out or FINALLY says or does something SO beyond the pale that a quorum of remaining "Republicans" (whatever that means nowadays) finally exit the circus and his viability collapses. These people have calculated that avoiding outright alienation of Trump and his fanatics positions them as the heir (or "error") apparent to replace him.
I disagree with this interpretation that such a strategy might have been or is now the only alternative these "Republicans" had to take Trump out of the game and allow others to vie for the top spot. There were numerous points in the 2016 primary season or the 2016 general election where Trump's behavior and communications were enough for Republicans to cede one Presidential election, abandon him and ensure he would never be heard from again. Then there was impeachment #1. Crickets. Then there was the post January 6 mayhem and impeachment #2. Crickets. Then a rape-related civil lawsuit and loss. Crickets. Then four criminal indictments related to actions PRIOR to becoming President, actions WHILE President and actions AFTER exiting the Presidency. Crickets.
And now Trump is retweeting content making explict references to "reichs" while becoming more unhinged towards immigrants (legal or otherwise) and continuing to push election fraud fantasies that have already resulted in guilty pleas in criminal cases and professional sanctions against multiple lawyers who aided the scheme. And to top it off, his physical and mental demeanor even in tightly scripted situations in front of rapt followers seems very disconcerting. Mini-strokes? TIAs (transient ischemic attacks)? Not just crickets... Two plagues of overlapping broods of cicadas.
Republicans had plenty of chances to remove Trump from their party and national influence. Their failure to do so has less to do with faulty short-term strategy. Now it can only be attributed to a complete lack of any moral or ethical foundation remaining among any identifying themselves as "Republican." If it was power they were after, they could have squashed Trump like a bug in 2016, lost the White House for one term, then returned to compete in the cleverly disguised status quo for potentially decades to come. Instead, they ceded control of the party to the craziest wing in the party and now are afraid to dance with the monster that brung 'em to the dance.
WTH
No. of Recommendations: 12
WatchingTheHerd: ...FINALLY says or does something SO beyond the pale that a quorum of remaining "Republicans" (whatever that means nowadays) finally exit the circus...
Like sexual assault?
Oh wait.
Like telling parents of children slaughtered in mass shootings to "just get over it"?
Oh wait.
Like calling American war dead suckers and losers?
Oh wait.
Like stealing top secret national defense and nuclear capabilities documents, openly leaving them in a bathroom and on a ballroom stage, and obstructing their return after being subpoenaed for them?
Oh wait.
Like undermining the 2020 election and attempting to overturn the legitimate results?
Oh wait.
Like publicly urging ex-aides not to cooperate with the Department of Justice and dangling -- and then delivering -- pardons in exchange for loyalty.
Oh wait.
C'mon, it's a cult. He could have sex with Ivanka on the Hannity Show and Trumpers wouldn't bat an eye.
No. of Recommendations: 2
...hoping he strokes out or FINALLY says or does something SO beyond the pale that a quorum of remaining "Republicans" (whatever that means nowadays) finally exit the circus and his viability collapses.
You don't think his spawn will claim the mantle of the MAGA party?
Maybe we will have a "thousand year Reich". And if we're lucky it will last about as long as Hitlers did.
No. of Recommendations: 1
C'mon, it's a cult. He could have sex with Ivanka on the Hannity Show and Trumpers wouldn't bat an eye.
The MAGA cult would start extolling the virtues of incest.
No. of Recommendations: 0
She wants to be on the ticket.
She can bring the Big Warmonger Money.
Then Donald will slip on a banana peel, die, and Nikki the Mule of Israel can get into office, send Americans to die for a cause that much of the world despises for all of human history, defense companies make more money and Nikki's great grandkids can live well.
If she doesn't make VP - the Ruling Class sis hoping MAGA fizzles out and part of it is bought off.
Then the Google Jockey Ruling Class can go about hurting the country and enjoy more wars.
"Nikki brings independents". If she's on the ticket, you'll see the Racist White Liberals here show their colors.
Luckily, said racist white liberals are being displaced now- - - from the cubicle to the c-suite.
About time.
LOL
