Because Trump's opponents can now describe Trump in a way which is both factual and dismissive, not a mere value judgment : "convicted felon".
Because Trump's supporters will forgive him anything except losing.
Because Trump's supporters may fantasize about owning libs, committing adultery, or ripping off people, but they don't fantasize about getting caught.
Because "convicted felon" is a brief and powerful sound bite where other things like "he slept with a porn star and then paid her off so that she wouldn't rat him out" are not.
Because "convicted felon" is an objective legal description, not a subjective moral one.
Because every employee has had to answer the question, "Have you ever been convicted for a felony?"
Because no one will vote for a branded loser, except another branded loser... and then those who do so have to admit that they are losers.
I think this may be different. Coming home from upstate NY on Saturday we stopped at a Sheetz near Scranton, PA. I passed where the newspapers are stacked. The big headline on the local paper was: TRUMP GUILTY! I wonder how many people passed this news rack with this headline blaring. If it wasn't on their radar before maybe it is now and maybe, just maybe, they'll think, do I want to vote for a convicted felon for president?
Peggy Noonan is a partisan hack posing as a thoughtful, balanced conservative. She's not. I've been exposed to her columns for years and she consistently opines without "showing her work." It's disingenuous to throw around criticisms of your opponents without concrete examples. Heck, we already have the Marge Greenes and Kristi Noems for that.
JVL, sidebar commentary: Thank you for dropping in the text quote of the 2011 Lebron presser. I do plenty of video, but when I’m reading I like to read in peace and not be dragged into a youtube or twitter rathole. Old school maybe, but such a bonus to have it both ways. (And respectful IMO)
'YO, American people, get a clue!' has never been a winning slogan.
When Americans are especially clueless, they do stupid things. The only thing which can snap them out of cluelessness is events forcibly rubbing their noses in the accumulated mountains of their own mistaken beliefs, e.g., it took Japan's attack on Pearl Harbor to dispel the appeal of isolationism. Yes, the typical American is that slow on the uptake.
Even when we get a shock like 9/11/2001, we amuse ourselves by believing we can win wars in distant countries by making cultures which have been around millennia longer than ours New Americas so that they forget all their grievances and embrace commercial democracy.
As an aside, the LeBron thing really resonates for me. I’ve always liked him and never quite understood the hate he gets compared to Jordan, even though by all accounts LeBron is pretty good guy and Jordan could be quite the a-hole. At a very base level people tend to equate a-holery with strength and masculinity. Which we see play out with Trump every day.
Peggy and I are about the same age. We both have seen 10 presidents as adults. So how can you dismiss Biden by having him the equal of another old man who is a philanderer, liar, bully and now felon.
Why is Biden not at least a distinguished president? If not great. We have had smarter men as presidents but smart is not enough. Two of them were John Adams and John Q Adams. Then there was James Buchanan - perhaps the most prepared man to ever become president. Yet they were at best mediocre (Buchanan counts as a failure). And St. Ronnie? He did push a conservative agenda forward and this agenda began the increase in deficits via bad tax policy. He also gutted housing policy and ushered in the collapse of unions. At the time I applauded but these turned out to be terrible ideas. And Ronnie is seen as great or nearly so.
So enter Biden who reestablished the alliances that Trump discarded. He also allowed the structures of public health to deliver the new vaccines for COVID. (Can we have a cheer?) And he even managed to pass some domestic legislation.... Oh he also got the West to united behind Ukraine.
I know most folks say or write what is needed to keep their jobs. But following the company line is one thing when selling soap and quite another when trying to make sense of history.
Enough about Noonan... can we talk about Mitt and the Senator from Maine? WTAF. He is exactly what I thought he was and I am so glad he lost his election. The man lacks an actual spine. We already know about that Collins woman.
The Trump supporters I know are energized by this. I know at least one person who was not going to vote for him but has said he certainly will now. The rule of law failed and at least half the country knows this.
"But we wake up this morning and the American people are still the same people."
No one should expect a spontaneous, overnight shout of joy from those who have spent almost a full decade thinking TFG was IT. They will not, not now, not when, if ever, he spends time in the pokey. The ones who may wake up in several days, or weeks, and realize that, regardless of appeals, he is a convicted felon and will remain so on 5 November are those who your BFF, Sarah, sees are on the margins. Those are the "margins" that you seem to think are, in the "Big Scheme Of Things", insignificant. Sarah makes a continuously solid case that that is not accurate and I tend to go along with that, particularly when you look at the "margin of victory" in the swing states over the past, at least, decade of elections, both presidential and congressional.
We so rarely hear about or from the VP, in any administration, that I'm not sure what standards we apply to that person's performance!
Because Trump's opponents can now describe Trump in a way which is both factual and dismissive, not a mere value judgment : "convicted felon".
Because Trump's supporters will forgive him anything except losing.
Because Trump's supporters may fantasize about owning libs, committing adultery, or ripping off people, but they don't fantasize about getting caught.
Because "convicted felon" is a brief and powerful sound bite where other things like "he slept with a porn star and then paid her off so that she wouldn't rat him out" are not.
Because "convicted felon" is an objective legal description, not a subjective moral one.
Because every employee has had to answer the question, "Have you ever been convicted for a felony?"
Because no one will vote for a branded loser, except another branded loser... and then those who do so have to admit that they are losers.
Because we still believe in guilt by association.
I think this may be different. Coming home from upstate NY on Saturday we stopped at a Sheetz near Scranton, PA. I passed where the newspapers are stacked. The big headline on the local paper was: TRUMP GUILTY! I wonder how many people passed this news rack with this headline blaring. If it wasn't on their radar before maybe it is now and maybe, just maybe, they'll think, do I want to vote for a convicted felon for president?
Peggy Noonan is a partisan hack posing as a thoughtful, balanced conservative. She's not. I've been exposed to her columns for years and she consistently opines without "showing her work." It's disingenuous to throw around criticisms of your opponents without concrete examples. Heck, we already have the Marge Greenes and Kristi Noems for that.
I think the only thing that might help is if the American people see more of Trump and realize how crazy he is.
Devastatingly on point JVL
JVL, sidebar commentary: Thank you for dropping in the text quote of the 2011 Lebron presser. I do plenty of video, but when I’m reading I like to read in peace and not be dragged into a youtube or twitter rathole. Old school maybe, but such a bonus to have it both ways. (And respectful IMO)
'YO, American people, get a clue!' has never been a winning slogan.
When Americans are especially clueless, they do stupid things. The only thing which can snap them out of cluelessness is events forcibly rubbing their noses in the accumulated mountains of their own mistaken beliefs, e.g., it took Japan's attack on Pearl Harbor to dispel the appeal of isolationism. Yes, the typical American is that slow on the uptake.
Even when we get a shock like 9/11/2001, we amuse ourselves by believing we can win wars in distant countries by making cultures which have been around millennia longer than ours New Americas so that they forget all their grievances and embrace commercial democracy.
Excellent Triad entry. Also, nice "Contact" reference.
You are right, it will only move the polls on the margins. However, maybe that will be enough.
As an aside, the LeBron thing really resonates for me. I’ve always liked him and never quite understood the hate he gets compared to Jordan, even though by all accounts LeBron is pretty good guy and Jordan could be quite the a-hole. At a very base level people tend to equate a-holery with strength and masculinity. Which we see play out with Trump every day.
You are correct. I confused her with someone else. WSJ has same owners as Fox-so expect same outcome.
Peggy and I are about the same age. We both have seen 10 presidents as adults. So how can you dismiss Biden by having him the equal of another old man who is a philanderer, liar, bully and now felon.
Why is Biden not at least a distinguished president? If not great. We have had smarter men as presidents but smart is not enough. Two of them were John Adams and John Q Adams. Then there was James Buchanan - perhaps the most prepared man to ever become president. Yet they were at best mediocre (Buchanan counts as a failure). And St. Ronnie? He did push a conservative agenda forward and this agenda began the increase in deficits via bad tax policy. He also gutted housing policy and ushered in the collapse of unions. At the time I applauded but these turned out to be terrible ideas. And Ronnie is seen as great or nearly so.
So enter Biden who reestablished the alliances that Trump discarded. He also allowed the structures of public health to deliver the new vaccines for COVID. (Can we have a cheer?) And he even managed to pass some domestic legislation.... Oh he also got the West to united behind Ukraine.
I know most folks say or write what is needed to keep their jobs. But following the company line is one thing when selling soap and quite another when trying to make sense of history.
Enough about Noonan... can we talk about Mitt and the Senator from Maine? WTAF. He is exactly what I thought he was and I am so glad he lost his election. The man lacks an actual spine. We already know about that Collins woman.
The Trump supporters I know are energized by this. I know at least one person who was not going to vote for him but has said he certainly will now. The rule of law failed and at least half the country knows this.
"But we wake up this morning and the American people are still the same people."
No one should expect a spontaneous, overnight shout of joy from those who have spent almost a full decade thinking TFG was IT. They will not, not now, not when, if ever, he spends time in the pokey. The ones who may wake up in several days, or weeks, and realize that, regardless of appeals, he is a convicted felon and will remain so on 5 November are those who your BFF, Sarah, sees are on the margins. Those are the "margins" that you seem to think are, in the "Big Scheme Of Things", insignificant. Sarah makes a continuously solid case that that is not accurate and I tend to go along with that, particularly when you look at the "margin of victory" in the swing states over the past, at least, decade of elections, both presidential and congressional.