US Politics

Can someone explain the J. D. Vance selection to me? It's not like Trump needed to solidify the ultra right nut jobs, they'd vote for him anyway.

I'd never heard of him before and what a fucking liability he is and seems to have the charisma of a wet sock. I thought he'd be unstoppable after the assassination attampt but with Kamala starting strong and the Vance selection it's anyone's game and I can only think the more Vance speaks the worse it'll be for Trump. Seems like a monumentally bad decision by the Trump campaign team.

Best explanation I’ve seen:

https://snyder.substack.com/p/veep-stakes

Whether it’s true or not I don’t know, but Snyder is a respected historian and isn’t prone to crackpot theories.

I’ve been enjoying the NYT’s coverage of the US elections. They’ve lost nearly all pretence of impartiality and are leaning into their anti-Trump stance. Part of me thinks it’s a bad precedent, but given the specific circumstances it’s a refreshing break from the BBC style “balance” that presents abhorrent ideas with no factual basis on the same level as established and developing science and history. That nonsense is what led us to post-truthism in the first place.

The Rest is Politics USA has Anthony Scaramouche as one of the hosts. He's good at self promo but a lot of his comments on Trump ring true.

I forget exactly what he said, but it was something to the effect that Trump is such a narcissist that he can't have anyone else on the ticket who people could say helped him win. He needs a lacy.

Trump on Corey Comperatore's widow: "Corey's wife said, 'I'd rather
have my husband.' Isn't that good? I know a lot of wives that would
not say that, I'm sorry." (Crowd laughs)

https://x.com/atrupar/status/1818770481618862329

I dunno. Kerry Katona coming out for Trump was a bit of a game changer.

Having graduated from Iceland she wants to become the Queen of a US-owned Greenland.

Greenland is Danish right?

How soon we forget - https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/aug/18/trump-considering-buying-greenland

Jesus I forgot about that, that was bizarre

It's an interesting read, although I think the narrative is creative but a tad fantastical, the idea that he picked him in exchange for a big bag of cash makes sense to me.

Thank you for that link.

The Rest is Politics USA has Anthony Scaramouche as one of the hosts. He's good at self promo but a lot of his comments on Trump ring true.

I think comments like this are just lazy, yes Trump will always make everyone know he is the reason everything happens but he knows how to win and also when he has to play politics.

When he picked Pence last time he did it because he needed support from the base of the GOP, this time he didn't because MAGA has completely consumed the party. To think he just wants a patsy in there is ridiculous imo.

Snyder is broadly right.

The broligarchs believe in neo-cameralism with Vance as their Chief Executive.

The most important democratic project is breaking the power of Silicon Valley.

Given how much money Biden has pumped into the US semiconductor companies, it beggars belief that a majority of Silicon Valley CEOs are supporting Trump. I think, but don’t know for sure, that those who are supporting him are a small minority of known head cases, like Thiel and Musk.

Thank you for that link.

np - I decided to address the issue in Latin at the time for some reason - https://www.sporcle.com/games/knightlancer/americane-redite-domum

I think you need to look at how much they're spending.

I know Musk says he's going to donate whatever a month, but I don't really believe that. On the whole most of the sums given are negligible for the donors. If Trump looses it'll be BAU, if he wins and they went against him?... Well he's already said his first 100 days is about payback.

So why wouldn't you donate?

Can someone explain the J. D. Vance selection to me?

In addition to what has been said already I would suggest that one of Vance's qualities is that apart from the Silicon Valley guys he doesn't have much of a base to lean on.
My guess is that Trump is still sore from Pence's standing up to him on Jan. 6th, and Trump might think this is because Pence had the fundamentalists to fall back on. Vance won't have anyone and will be Trump's puppet for the rest of his political career.

Blimey , just watched the BBC film - A Storm Foretold - wowsers …. ! The insight to Trump 2020 and all the goings on ….. Fucking hell ….

You can add Andreessen Horowitz to that list https://www.theverge.com/2024/7/24/24204706/marc-andreessen-ben-horowitz-a16z-trump-donations

Definitely owns the arsehole vote

I think they’re expecting a lot from a man in his late 70s

Plea deal signed a few days ago with the accused mastermind of 9/11 attacks has been revoked.

US Sec. Def. Austin removed the lead prosecutor who authorised the plea deal, a retired Brig. General, and nullified the signed and agreed plea deal that took away the possibility of the death penalty in the case in exchange for a guilty plea.

Families of those killed in the attacks praised the decision, while the defence team highlighted it as an example of the Pentagon disregarding due process in the case.