Scallionsandeggs
We have a nascent left-wing movement in the local governments of many cities. It’s loose and relatively unorganized but it’s more than we’ve had in decades. Bernie’s run in 2016 has a lot to do with that.
Our primary election turnout is abysmal, and Americans need to realize that the primaries are how the parties get reformed. Maybe the Democratic Party will have its Tea Party moment in 2026.
Job #1 has always been to loot the treasury. It’s a class war and they just scored a major victory.
This is why I don’t even think Trump really cares all that much about immigrants, or trans persons, or abortion rights. All of it was campaign rhetoric to keep him out of jail, and otherwise they are all in the same basket of people he doesn’t spend a second thinking about. The problem is that also means he also doesn’t care about what the white supremacists and the evangelists in his party will do.
This was also my takeaway from the debate. Trump looked weak from the jump when he let Harris take the lead in shaking his hand. He was on the defensive all night. All this capped off by a cringe-inducing “I saw people on television talking about it” when fact-checked on the immigrants eating cats and dogs comment (which was also batshit insane enough to lose some of the 67 million watching). Truly an “okay, let’s get you to bed, grandpa” moment.
The substance behind his words has never mattered to his supporters, no matter how vile or dissembling, but the vibe absolutely does. They won’t turn around and vote for a Black woman, but there has to be a loss of enthusiasm that comes about from this, if not breaking the spell entirely for a few people. He looked old, small, and weird.
Jon Stewart’s appearance on Crossfire was also 20 years ago now.
I’m subjected to a few hours of Fox News/right-wing YouTube a week, and it’s certainly felt like the vibe has shifted. Reading between the lines with some of the talking heads, it sounds like they’d rather Trump lost and the GOP made gains in both the House and the Senate.
They can still run the party status quo ante that way for at least a little while. If Democrats get through voting rights legislation, the GOP will be forced to come up with an actual party platform beyond “loot the treasury.”