2024 Presidential Election Thread - Let's keep the party going.

[Blotto 23584]

58 minutes ago, cactusflinthead said:

Just a little reminder about election fuckery fighters 

Honestly,  I'm less concerned about the actual vote these days, than I am about the rat-fucking the GQP is planning to suppress and override the vote. Lawyers dont work for free, so where does the money come from to bankroll all of their work? Am I misguided in seeking a way to steer my donations to the legal effort? I see Elias' tweets here and it sounds like he has a much bigger team now than 2020, who bankrolls all of that? 

[speed817 19481]

[Jive Turkey 12646]

52 minutes ago, Ghost of LL said:

And really, why would they?  Why would we expect anyone--politician or otherwise--to maintain the same position year after year?  Why would we expect anybody not to change position as they receive new information?

 

oh i get it.  i think "flip flopping" is overused.  views can certainly evolve over time.  but Trump's don't.  he just says what people want to hear in the moment.  very transactional.  but alas, it doesn't matter.  just nauseating that we have think pieces on Harris's supposed flip flopping while can say wholly contradictory things in the same speech and it's always a nothingburger.

speaking of burgers, i need in on a lunch at the Tavern with y'all next time i'm in Austin.  i need that air condition.

[Sbbruin 21896]

4 minutes ago, HenryJames said:

Always. Be. Grifting.

[Pato del Muerto 52610]

2 minutes ago, WhatTheBuck said:

Is that entire article based on her saying she’d sign the border bill that Trump killed?

Trump killed the bill so he has clearly flip flopped and is against the wall. Right?

[Ghost of LL 15544]

4 minutes ago, Jive Turkey said:

oh i get it.  i think "flip flopping" is overused.  views can certainly evolve over time.  but Trump's don't.  he just says what people want to hear in the moment.  very transactional.  but alas, it doesn't matter.  just nauseating that we have think pieces on Harris's supposed flip flopping while can say wholly contradictory things in the same speech and it's always a nothingburger.

speaking of burgers, i need in on a lunch at the Tavern with y'all next time i'm in Austin.  i need that air condition.

Give us a shout--we're always up for a warm, warm cheddar blanket.

[Goredho 17421]

39 minutes ago, wildcat09 said:

Pretty good coincidence that this great Rick Pearlstein piece on flip flopping and effective political communication just dropped yesterday:

 

 

19 minutes ago, Ghost of LL said:

Yeah--I don't know about all that.

But what I will say is that the Democrats have finally flipped back to playing traditional politics against Trump.  And the traditional style of politics had a tradition behind it because it worked.

From 2015 to just a couple months ago, Democrats were purely reactive to Trump.  They framed themselves as the Contra-Trump.  Whatever Trump said he was for, they were against.  And for the most part, that worked because Trump is generally in favor of policies that are noxious, racist, or often just plain dumb.

Harris has abandoned that.  Now, Trump says "I will get rid of taxes on tips."  It's kind of popular.  So Harris, instead of instinctively rejecting it, steals it and makes a few tweaks to ensure that it can't be used by hedge fund managers to evade taxation.  

That's fucking old-school politics.  Your opponent has a popular policy proposal?  Fucking steal it.

Democrats were so drawn offside by Donald Trump for sixteen goddamned years that we forgot how to do that.  It's good to see us remember how to actually do electoral politics.  And now it's Trump who's completely off balance.

I don't agree with everything in that article, but I do think it's on to something with the Harris/Walz ticket, and I would call it "authenticity."  Most politicians speak, and you pretty quickly realize you are listening to a politician -- a shady salesperson hawking ideas bought and sold with votes.  With the truly gifted politicians you don't get that sense.  You feel like you are just listening to someone with a lot of common sense telling it like it is and presenting ideas against problems.  When I listen to Harris and Walz, I don't feel like someone is trying to sell me a lemon.

Trump is interesting in this regard.  I think he is authentically an asshole, moron and disruptor of the status quo.  That speaks to the politically disenfranchised who value his authenticity in that regard.  But I don't think he's authentically attempting to make anything better for anyone other than himself and a small minority of would be oligarchs.  He's the ultimate manifestation of this meme, and a good number of people have been made so angry and afraid that they cannot recognize they have a lot more in common with the minority sitting with them at the table of the common man than the wealthy asshole who has stopped by to rile them both up.

[safe sex 11785]

6 minutes ago, Ghost of LL said:

Give us a shout--we're always up for a warm, warm cheddar blanket.

I've been in Austin for about two decades now. I've never eaten at the Tavern 😔

[Dahobbs 17686]

8 minutes ago, Jive Turkey said:

oh i get it.  i think "flip flopping" is overused.  views can certainly evolve over time.  but Trump's don't.  he just says what people want to hear in the moment.  very transactional.  but alas, it doesn't matter.  just nauseating that we have think pieces on Harris's supposed flip flopping while can say wholly contradictory things in the same speech and it's always a nothingburger.

speaking of burgers, i need in on a lunch at the Tavern with y'all next time i'm in Austin.  i need that air condition.

Flip flopping is also simply incorrect here. The vote here is just about the wall. And it isn't even about getting new funding for the wall. It is about extending the timeline to spend the previously approved funding for the wall combined with another immigration reforms, including a lot of additional money for immigration lawyers and judges. Harris doesn't believe the wall is good expenditure of funds any more than she did before. But when you combine that with the compromise of getting needed additional funds to speed up the asylum process (which is like 90% of the "problem" at the border), agreeing to allow the wall to continue being built isn't so bad. 

[Js1 85597]

 

But I hear women, POC and young voters love Trump and the GOP! 

[Haphap 742]

21 minutes ago, TexEx15 said:

 

He must misheard, they said knock-off suit

[Horn Under a Bad Sign 20502]

16 hours ago, Horn Under a Bad Sign said:

 

 

 

 

I'd love for this to be the second question asked of Trump in the debate:  "Mr. Trump, you recently indicated that those who desecrate government property should go to jail for 10 years. Does this include those who attacked the capitol building on Jan. 6, 2020? Why or why not?"

[Chopper 17278]

12 minutes ago, Blotto said:

Honestly,  I'm less concerned about the actual vote these days, than I am about the rat-fucking the GQP is planning to suppress and override the vote. Lawyers dont work for free, so where does the money come from to bankroll all of their work? Am I misguided in seeking a way to steer my donations to the legal effort? I see Elias' tweets here and it sounds like he has a much bigger team now than 2020, who bankrolls all of that? 

Elias Law Group - Wikipedia

Quote

 

In a 2021 interview[2] with The New Yorker, Elias said the firm "represents only clients who meet at least one of three criteria: they must be Democrats or an organization that helps Democrats win elections; they are bringing cases that challenge laws that restrict voting; or they are a progressive group that meets the values of our firm."

Chambers and Partners, the leading independent professional legal research company, described[3] Elias Law Group as "a political law boutique boasting a deep bench of experienced practitioners able to advise on complex election law matters. The firm offers particular prowess in voting rights and redistricting litigation and is well placed to assist Democratic campaigns and institutions, as well as nonprofit organizations."

In 2022, POLITICO reported[4] that Elias Law Group represented 950 clients, including more than 150 Democratic House and Senate campaigns and Members of Congress.

 

He resigned from one of the largest corporate law firms to start ELG, and brought a large group of his old firm's lawyers, and of course clients, with him. 

[Tuco 5084]

13 minutes ago, Haphap said:

He must misheard, they said knock-off suit

Weird.  

[cactusflinthead 27605]

29 minutes ago, Blotto said:

bankrolls all of that? 

Funding

Democracy Docket Legal Fund was financed by numerous left-of-center grantmaking foundations through the Hopewell Fund in 2020. The Sandler Foundation, after committing to donate $200 million to “racial justice groups” after the police-custody death of George Floyd, ⁴ gave $1.5 million. ⁵ The Sherwood Foundation, the charitable grantmaking foundation of Susan A. Buffet, gave $500,000. ⁶ The John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation gave $800,000, by far its largest donation to the Hopewell Fund. ⁷ The Omidyar Network, the grantmaking foundation of eBay-founder Pierre Omidyar, gave $1.5 million. ⁸

In April 2021, Bad Robot, the film production company run by J.J. Abrams, along with the Katie McGrath and J.J. Abrams Foundation, donated $1 million to DDLF. ^9 10

 

^{https://www.influencewatch.org/organization/democracy-docket-legal-fund-ddlf/}

^{And from the opposition} 

^{Arabella-managed funds act as a conduit for deep-pocketed liberal donors to stealthily bankroll numerous left-wing groups. It manages three separate funds in addition to Hopewell: the Sixteen Thirty Fund, the New Venture Fund and the Windward Fund.} 

 

Wealthy Democratic donors use these funds to pour cash into dozens of initiatives that fall under Arabella's umbrella. 

According to the network's most recent tax forms, the four funds combined to haul in $715 million in cash from secret donors in 2019 alone. The group also pushes money to outside organizations that do not fall under its auspices. 

____

"Marc Elias just launched his new firm, but what has not been reported is the funding source for his lawsuits," Americans for Public Trust Executive Director Caitlin Sutherland told Fox News. "Mr. Elias frequently raises money for the Democracy Docket Action Fund, but what he isn't telling his loyal followers is the fund is a project of the Arabella-connected North Fund."

https://www.foxnews.com/politics/dark-money-network-gives-dem-lawyer-nearly-unlimited-funding-for-voting-rights-lawsuits-watchdog-says

[cactusflinthead 27605]

32 minutes ago, Gatorubet said:

won more on emotional connection to the candidates who can provide a vision of a brighter future - and not the candidates who have the strongest wonky plank of issues that can be matched against the other party’s  platform.

About damn time too. 

[Fudge Nuggets 19227]

44 minutes ago, Blotto said:

I see Elias' tweets here and it sounds like he has a much bigger team now than 2020, who bankrolls all of that? 

Duh, George Soros.

[Bozo_Casanova 26577]

1 hour ago, cactusflinthead said:

 

“JD Vance is historically unpopular. Here’s why that hurts Kamala Harris.”

-  New York Times, probably

[LCHorn 2632]

38 minutes ago, safe sex said:

I've been in Austin for about two decades now. I've never eaten at the Tavern 😔

Without the haze of nostalgia ever present you’re not missing much.  It’s pretty generic bar food and $8 for a pint of beer is a little extreme.

[Brisketexan 105408]

44 minutes ago, Haphap said:

He must misheard, they said knock-off suit

I mean....it shouldn't blow me away any longer, but it still does, every fucking time.  I actually watched that video, and we actually fucking elected Dwayne Elizondo Mountain Dew Herbert Camacho as POTUS in 2016.  Wait, scratch that, we did WORSE than that, because at least President Camacho cared enough about the country to put Not Sure in charge of shit.  With Trump, we have all the stupidity and hucksterism of Camacho, with none of Camacho's ethics or decency.

He's the worst fucking human being to ever occupy an American high office, and I can't even think of a fair second place candidate.

[Chad Fuck 17805]

Without the haze of nostalgia ever present you’re not missing much.  It’s pretty generic bar food and $8 for a pint of beer is a little extreme.

Sometimes it’s worth $8 to see all my ghosts wandering around in there.

[The Original Greaser Bob 2851]

Honeymoon over, work to do.  Might be some rough sailing from here on in.  

Or a long hard ride if that better suits you.

Not doom scrolling going to be tough.

[cactusflinthead 27605]

Two-bit hustler? I'll have you know it's a four bit minimum buy 

[cactusflinthead 27605]

 

[Tuco 5084]

It still blows my mind that Michael Steele was the RNC Chairman just 5 years before Trump was elected. 

[4th&Five 41596]

What a negotiator he is.  

Edited August 27 by 4th&Five

['stache 21887]

What a whiny little bitch. Millions of people think that's alpha behavior. So fucking pathetic.

[Mittens 8311]

[Tuco 5084]

RFKJR looks a bit like Sinatra from that angle.  

[cactusflinthead 27605]

https://www.inquirer.com/columnists/attytood/media-elections-dnc-kamala-harris-military-20240827.html

This column, about the decline and fall of America’s political news media in such a pivotal election year, has proved very hard to write — not for a lack of material, but because I can’t keep pace with every day’s new and stunning examples of bad journalism, each one spiraling a tad lower.

___

 

The Chicago-based media critic Mark Jacob, a retired veteran editor of that city’s Tribune and Sun Times, nailed it Monday with a piece headlined “Mainstream media on a path to irrelevance.” Jacob has harsh words for how reporters have covered the race, writing that “too many political journalists are marinating in the Washington cocktail culture, writing for each other and for their sources — in service to the political industry, not the public.” But he also notes that traditional media can’t figure out how to compete for young eyeballs against sites like edgy and fast-paced TikTok. Jacob pointed out that public faith in mass media has plunged from 72% in 1976, after Watergate, to just 32% today.

You know who gets the new landscape better than anyone else? Kamala Harris.

 

[David Dennison 18950]

They just can't help themselves.

 

[C-Man 27280]

2 hours ago, Blotto said:

Honestly,  I'm less concerned about the actual vote these days, than I am about the rat-fucking the GQP is planning to suppress and override the vote. Lawyers dont work for free, so where does the money come from to bankroll all of their work? Am I misguided in seeking a way to steer my donations to the legal effort? I see Elias' tweets here and it sounds like he has a much bigger team now than 2020, who bankrolls all of that? 

#MeToo

[Js1 85597]

15 minutes ago, 4th&Five said:

What a negotiator he is.  

Don’t think a seasoned prosecutor is going to be phased by no notes lol 

[Beantown Express 2.0 6559]

5 minutes ago, Js1 said:

Don’t think a seasoned prosecutor is going to be phased by no notes lol 

Well she is a dumb, nasty woman who decided to turn into a black person.   People are saying. 

[Js1 85597]

2 minutes ago, Beantown Express 2.0 said:

Well she is a dumb, nasty woman who decided to turn into a black person.   People are saying. 

You seen Don lately? His orange face is slowly becoming brown. By November, hes gonna tell everyone he now goes by El Doñald Trompo

Edited August 27 by Js1

[Longhorn_Fan68 33900]

17 minutes ago, David Dennison said:

They just can't help themselves.

 

fucking wypipo

[Js1 85597]

Politico is hilarious. I can give 5 warning signs for Turnip:

His favorables have nosedived

Hes Now lagging with independents

His lead with women and college educated suburban voters is gone 

His Vp is historically unpopular

Hes old as fuck and Harris is not 

Edited August 27 by Js1

[Beantown Express 2.0 6559]

21 minutes ago, David Dennison said:

They just can't help themselves.

 

The biggest issue with this article and all media actually is they nitpick on Kamala and try and find issues for her but they totally ignore that the other candidate is a rapist, liar and convicted felon who lead an insurrection.  Nothing about what a shit show his presidency was either.  I swear she could be running against Jeffrey Dahmer and the media would ignore that he is a serial killer and ask why Kamala won’t do more interviews with the media.  

[Red Five 40897]

2 minutes ago, Js1 said:

Politico is hilarious. I can give 5 warning signs for Turnip:

His favorables have nosedived

Hes Now lagging with independents

His lead with women and college educated suburban voters is gone 

His Vp is historically unpopular

Hes old as fuck and Harris is not 

He tried to steal the last election, and people aren't generally fond of dictators. 

We could do this all day. 

[cactusflinthead 27605]

 

[GreenspointTexas 9682]

2 minutes ago, cactusflinthead said:

 

Interviewer looks like hes about to protest the war in VIET.FUCKING.NAM!!!!! YEAHHHHHH!

[The Dog 44157]

 

[Longhorn_Fan68 33900]

can they replace him at this point? I sincerely don't know how that would work

[Js1 85597]

Just now, Longhorn_Fan68 said:

can they replace him at this point? I sincerely don't know how that would work

It’s very unlikely. Ballots go out in less than 2 weeks in some places 

[Hmbre97 6332]

from that tweet thread

 

https://x.com/MDnotQuietMode/status/1828461333370552552

[Slacks 6865]

16 hours ago, atomheartbevo said:

Well, it started with RFK Jr getting horny over Tulsi Gabbard officially jumping on the Trump Train.

 

Linda Carter can still get it, so this hits close to home.

[RDCanecutter 26475]

2 hours ago, safe sex said:

I've been in Austin for about two decades now. I've never eaten at the Tavern 😔

All HELL naw. You gotta go. I loved it so I am shocked that it still exists. Can you still shoot pool in that little upper area?

[mdmost 43056]

16 hours ago, atomheartbevo said:

Well, it started with RFK Jr getting horny over Tulsi Gabbard officially jumping on the Trump Train.

 

Bitch please. More like Cheetah joined the Legion of Doom.

[safe sex 11785]

11 minutes ago, RDCanecutter said:

All HELL naw. You gotta go. I loved it so I am shocked that it still exists. Can you still shoot pool in that little upper area?

No fucking clue; I've never been

[RDCanecutter 26475]

Just now, safe sex said:

No fucking clue; I've never been

Well you need to go, Hi. You need to go this minute.