Mornin’ POlitocadoes!
There’s a version of reality, somewhere in the Multiverse of Madness, not too dissimilar from our own where the point of divergence was simply that Joe Biden remained the nominee. He would have had his disastrous debate against Trump, but cooler heads would have prevailed and kept him on the ticket. July would have been less disruptive, but the feeling of unease and exhaustion would have remained. It’s the reality that the GOP (and to some extent, the press) would have preferred.
See, the GOP’s effort to “expose the Biden Crime Family” has finally reached it’s apex. Just two months before the election, the President’s son, Hunter Biden, is on trial in California for tax evasion and House Republicans released a 291 page report accusing President Biden of impeachable conduct. As we well know at this point, it doesn’t really matter what the outcome of these cases would be. The perception is all that matters. It looks shady. While it wouldn’t have turned people away from voting Biden to Trump, it certainly would have encouraged people to stay home or cast a protest vote.
But now, none of that really matters. With the elevation of Kamala Harris and Tim Walz, suddenly the Biden stuff is a sideshow. It deprives Trump of one of his favorite punching bags. It’s likely why he’s spent so much time talking about Biden while on campaign. And the thing is, I think that it would actually still have been worthwhile for the Trump team to keep talking about him had Biden stepped down earlier and they had more time to figure out a strategy against Harris. But they don’t. The run-up to the election was supposed to be to create a lot of doubt about Biden: his age, his trustworthiness, his son’s shady, lavish international lifestyle. It was all meant to play into the public’s exhaustion. Is Trump old, corrupt, and exhausting? Yes. Did anyone want to have to make a choice between the two? No.
So now Trump and the GOP have a strategy that can only really work against Biden. Try and get something on Harris and have it stick in the public consciousness for the next two months. It’s not as easy if you are operating on a shorter timescale. Maybe the debates will change things, but I doubt it. I do not foresee Harris making any big blunders, enough to change the entire narrative at least. Trump and his people really wanted/expected Biden to continue to be the nominee and it may well be their undoing.
Welcome to Thursday! Please be excellent to each other in the comments. The Mayor McSquirrel Rule remains in effect. Something to keep in mind! Police are using digital data to prosecute abortion seekers, and Facebook and Google are helping them! Even if they are not legally required to do so, the tech giants will aid them in this since it’s technically against the law. Please be careful when looking for abortion providers or helping someone who is looking for that assistance.
The Covid-19 pandemic continues even if the emergencies end, continue to vaccinate using the latest version of the FDA approved vaccines by Phizer and Moderna. Even if you are vaccinated, please continue to maintain social distancing measures, wear masks in public areas in accordance with CDC guidelines in regard to your own vaccination status.Also, according to recent polls approximately 50% of adults are not planning on getting their Covid-19 boosters. So please get them and older adults should also look to be vaccinated for RSV!