I traditionally have a thread heading to the election, here we go.

Get out the popcorn for this one.

Quote

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis is expected to formally announce next week he is running for president in 2024, NBC News reported Thursday, citing two sources familiar with the matter.

The governor's official entry into the Republican primary field will put him head-to-head with former President Donald Trump, the party's current frontrunner for the nomination. Trump has already spent months treating DeSantis as his primary campaign rival, thrashing him with torrents of criticism over his gubernatorial record, his political skills and his personality.

https://www.cnbc.com/2023/05/18/desantis-plans-to-officially-announce-presidential-run-next-week.html

Beerman said:

That is correct.  Then I asked you what you think.

Do you believe what he said?  And, what was his purpose in saying it?

 

 

I think that this is just another weird criticism of Biden and projection of Trump's divisive nature and rhetoric.  

I don't need to assign a specific purpose to that tiny portion of that speech. I thought the speech was fine, much less divisive and cringe worthy than his leading opponent's speeches.  The audience didn't seem bothered.  

toomuchbaloney said:

I think that this is just another weird criticism of Biden and projection of Trump's divisive nature and rhetoric.  

I don't need to assign a specific purpose to that tiny portion of that speech. I thought the speech was fine, much less divisive and cringe worthy than his leading opponent's speeches.  The audience didn't seem bothered.  

This was a campaign speech.  He traveled to a specific church, with a audience of black people, and read a speech including that portion of it, that was written and likely considered and approved by a team of people.  It wasn't a accident.  And Biden's people knew that portion of it wasn't true.  That line had a purpose.

By not answering my questions, you answered my questions.

The City of St. Paul elects an all-female City Council, many of whom are under 40 and women of color.

I can't help wonder if the identity politics that came before them created opportunities where women felt free to pursue an agenda in local politics. While they may not be representative of the population they serve because there are no men, it's what the people voted on.  Did people vote because the most important thing to them was they were women and women of color?  Or did they was it the agenda of things like affordable housing and child care they promised to work on?

https://www.mprnews.org/story/2024/01/10/historic-all-woman-st-paul-city-council-sworn-in-and-ready-to-work

Beerman said:

This was a campaign speech.  He traveled to a specific church, with a audience of black people, and read a speech including that portion of it, that was written and likely considered and approved by a team of people.  It wasn't a accident.  And Biden's people knew that portion of it wasn't true.  That line had a purpose.

By not answering my questions, you answered my questions.

Ha

I answered your agitated and silly question.  I told you what I think.  

It's obvious Biden was campaigning. Do you know the significance of the church he visited?  No one said that the remark was an accident.  Yes, you think it's a lie, I'm not surprised. 

Just the other day Trump mused about negotiating the civil war and again insisted that the 2020 election was rigged against him.  No wonder Trump supporters need to project and point at Biden as divisive and dangerous.  

Tweety said:

The City of St. Paul elects an all-female City Council, many of whom are under 40 and women of color.

I can't help wonder if the identity politics that came before them created opportunities where women felt free to pursue an agenda in local politics. While they may not be representative of the population they serve because there are no men, it's what the people voted on.  Did people vote because the most important thing to them was they were women and women of color?  Or did they was it the agenda of things like affordable housing and child care they promised to work on?

https://www.mprnews.org/storIy/2024/01/10/historic-all-woman-st-paul-city-council-sworn-in-and-ready-to-work

I suspect that the answer to your questions might depend upon whom you ask. I didn't read the article carefully, I didn't notice that the political party affiliation of the women was noted.  

Tweety said:

The City of St. Paul elects an all-female City Council, many of whom are under 40 and women of color.

I can't help wonder if the identity politics that came before them created opportunities where women felt free to pursue an agenda in local politics. While they may not be representative of the population they serve because there are no men, it's what the people voted on.  Did people vote because the most important thing to them was they were women and women of color?  Or did they was it the agenda of things like affordable housing and child care they promised to work on?

https://www.mprnews.org/story/2024/01/10/historic-all-woman-st-paul-city-council-sworn-in-and-ready-to-work

I'm sure they received votes from people for both reasons.  Like any other election.

toomuchbaloney said:

Ha

I answered your agitated and silly question.  I told you what I think.  

It's obvious Biden was campaigning. Do you know the significance of the church he visited?  No one said that the remark was an accident.  Yes, you think it's a lie, I'm not surprised. 

Just the other day Trump mused about negotiating the civil war and again insisted that the 2020 election was rigged against him.  No wonder Trump supporters need to project and point at Biden as divisive and dangerous.  

I'm sure you'd be happy to clarify this for me, because I don't see that you did answer this question.  To make it simple,  a yes or no would satisfy me and I'll move on.

Biden said that two identical houses in the same neighborhood will have different values based on if a white person owns it vs a black person.

And, the question is, do you believe that this is true?

Beerman said:

I'm sure you'd be happy to clarify this for me, because I don't see that you did answer this question.  To make it simple,  a yes or no would satisfy me and I'll move on.

Biden said that two identical houses in the same neighborhood will have different values based on if a white person owns it vs a black person.

And, the question is, do you believe that this is true?

You asked me what I think and I told you that I thought your question was silly. It doesn't matter what I think, it matters that you think that it was racist and divisive and damaging to the country while ignoring Trump's divisive rhetoric.  That projection is silly.  

Move on or don't.  Feel free to harp on your notion that there hasn't historically been racist issues in housing and that Biden was just being divisive. 

Do you also deny that those housing practices contributed to the racial wealth inequality in this country? That was really a rhetorical question.  I  think I know the answer.  

Quote

Ahead of this year's elections, Gilbert and the rest of the RNC are trying to get GOP voters comfortable with early and mail voting. But to do that, they have to counter a stigma, particularly against mail voting, that was created by Republicans themselves, including — most notably — former President Donald Trump.

https://www.npr.org/2024/01/18/1224432298/rnc-wants-republicans-embrace-early-voting-trump-rhetoric-makes-it-tough

 

Tweety said:

https://www.npr.org/2024/01/18/1224432298/rnc-wants-republicans-embrace-early-voting-trump-rhetoric-makes-it-tough

 

They need to spin that really hard and fast while the GOP frontrunner insists that the 2020 election was stolen because early and mailed voting is inherently fraught with fraud.  They are running into themselves at this point.  

toomuchbaloney said:

They need to spin that really hard and fast while the GOP frontrunner insists that the 2020 election was stolen because early and mailed voting is inherently fraught with fraud.  They are running into themselves at this point.  

The karma of it all makes me cringe-laugh.  I await to see how they will put lipstick on their pig.

How Biden plans to fight Trump in 2024, hoping for a repeat win

Quote

Exit polls show that most Republican voters don't care about Trump's string of criminal indictments and many believe untrue claims that Biden did not win the 2020 election fairly.

That has persuaded many in Biden's camp that there is little reason to try to reach Trump supporters in a bruising campaign.

At this point, most Americans either love Trump or hate him, Biden campaign aides said - and the same is true of Biden. The 2024 election will be focused on who can find their voters and turn them out.

Trump has accused Biden and Democrats of "fearmongering" and this month called Biden's record "an unbroken streak of weakness, incompetence, corruption and failure."

The Trump campaign did not respond to a request for comment.

You just have to admire Trump's commitment to projection. It's unfortunate that so many Republicans voters are blind to it, complicit even.  

Quote

Biden allies predict a new rush of funds will dwarf the $97 million that the campaign and the Democratic Party raised in the last three months of 2023.

Trump raised $45 million in the third quarter, the latest figures available, not including Republican Party fundraising.

"The Trump inevitability is a fundraising bonanza for Biden and I know a lot of Republicans who agree with that," said John Morgan, a Florida attorney and top fundraiser, who predicts the campaign could see $500 million in new cash.

"People fear they will lose their country, their democracy, their rights and there is a very high-level of motivation around that," Morgan said.

One has to wonder how much of Trump's campaign money is paying his legal fees.