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Don't see any hard evidence for that. The GOP did shite in 2018, lost the Presidency as an incumbent in 2020 and underwhelmed in 2022. What's changed in their platform / offer that's suddenly going to turn that around?
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Not really. I was nervous, now I'm less nervous. Same media schtick in the run up to the mid-terms in 2022, with everyone predicting a red wave. Didn't happen. Every time Trumpism is on the ballot, it underperforms. The Republican platform (as much as they even have one....) is almost universally unpopular and they're in the grip of a personality cult for a divisive and unpopular candidate.
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It was a very comfortable electoral college win, which is what matters. The Republicans have only won the popular vote once in 30+ years. I think Harris gets a fairly blowout win in terms of popular vote, but merely a comfortable one at the electoral college. In the neighborhood of 2020...
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After a truly terrible 2 weeks for the Democrats and a post convention bump, I think that's about as good as it gets for the GOP. There are 103 days, of smart, charming, younger, former prosecutor vs glowering, batshit, orange, octogenarian, felon to come. Many a slip betwixt cup and lip, etc....but with enthusiasm, readily apparent in both fundraising and volunteering since Harris stepped up, I think the Dems have a considerable edge. Echoes of the Nixon / Kennedy 1960 campaign, ironically with Harris as the incumbent VP.
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Trump is not going to win. Legal shenanigans aside, I don't think it's even going to be that close. I saw another poll, with Kennedy included and Harris was even further ahead.
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I hope Richard Tice gets kicked in the head by a police horse. That would be very reassuring.
Kicked in a head by a horse, you say?...would explain a lot....https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3bhYK_xvmf4
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I'd get the 25l if I bought it again - there's no difference in size if you're just carrying a few things but you can stuff a bit more in. Useful if you carry a water bladder, as they take up a surprising amount of space. They're so well designed, that even packed with tools and water, you don't notice the weight.
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I have a Kriega 20. Top bit of kit.
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He looks adorable. Spaniels are hilarious. I remember watching a fella wade into one of the ponds at Hampton Court palace trying to get his Cocker Spaniel out after it had been doing laps for 40 minutes. One of my aunt's, once ran full tilt into a plate glass window, the noise inside was like being hit with a gong. No brain cells damaged, at least not noticeably....
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Mine will go for geese. He used to completely ignore them until one hissed at him, now they are fair game.
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They are sweet little bikes. That's screaming 750 quid though.
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Splendid.
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Haha - you must be reading different papers from me!
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If that's all baked in, there's no-one the Democrats can nominate that will save them. I'm not so cynical - I rather suspect the current media brouhaha will die down and there will be a substantial, hold your nose and vote Biden from the same crowd that unseated Trump in the first place. That said, Biden, and the democrats in general are certainly hampered by not having an alternative media / facts ecosystem, along the lines of Fox, etc. For those that trust them, they have Trump as a successful businessman and president, potentially cheated at the last election and now the victim of political prosecutions designed to frustrate their votes. Hopefully, I don't think that number has grown much since 2016, and he's certainly done nothing to expand the franchise.
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There has been an almost pathological, both-siding by a lot of mainstream news, where for every negative story they print on the republicans, they strive to do the same for democrats, regardless of false equivalence. The crux is, that this is a single issue election, you either vote for maintaining the right to have another election in four years time, or for minority rule and the continued slide towards autocracy, with all the attendant national (and international) consequences.
America has had old, infirm presidents before - even in the last 80 years (FDR / Reagan.) They've never had 'President is a mad King' though....surely that should be the bigger story?
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From Margaret Sullivan's piece in the Guardian today:
"There really is no comparison in the amount or intensity of coverage. One journalist, Jennifer Schulze, counted New York Times stories related to Biden’s age in the week following the debate; she counted a staggering 192 news and opinion pieces, compared to 92 stories on Trump – and that was in a week when the US supreme court had ruled he has immunity for official acts."
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That's not true - Biden has never been the best public speaker, but he can maintain coherency through a delivery, even if via the teleprompter. Trump sounds crazy with all sorts of tics and nonsensical asides. The enormous difference is that the media don't report it, or do so as a footnote. They have zero interest in trying to drive a wedge between trump and the republican apparatus because there is no window to do so. With Biden, they're falling into the trap of trying to force the issue to make the news, rather than report on it.
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Yes. There's an uncomfortable feeling in the US right now, that NYT and some of the other institutions are more concerned with the future of the 'business' part, rather than equal handed reporting of the news.
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I think the serious news institutions see a real chance of him being re-elected and are terrified of what he will do in office. The insanely one sided coverage, post the debate does nothing but increase that likelihood.
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Yeah, but with a hose and a catch can, you could undo one corner at a time and just pump and refill the reservoir. Not that I know anything about cars but you'd be stuck without someone to open and close the nipple, otherwise.
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One of my mates had an X7 when I was a kid. Quick little thing - it took a substantial amount of abuse before he eventually seized it.
On the ongoing RD saga - I did one jetting pass but it was showing signs of detonation, which I confirmed by removing the heads. Back on the lathe with them, to remove another CC from the dome. Next pass was inconclusive, I had suspicions it was still unchanged though, so took the heads off again. This time, after some chin scratching, I decided to skim the head and reduce the squish clearance a little more, from 0.95-1mm, down to 0.8-0.85mm - essentially, this should remove any remaining mixture from the boundary area and prevent detonation. I took one small clean up pass on the domes to compensate the for very slightly reduced total CC.
I've also rebuilt the carbs - Yamaha fitted an unusual, air bleed type, needle arrangement for the RD. It basically means air mixes with the fuel in the cavity between the main jet and seat. I drilled out the air jet for this, and converted it to the more common, primary type arrangement. This gives a much stronger signal, so you have to reduce the main jet size considerably. Also helps with the sputtering just before the pipe kicks in.
Anyway, since then, I've been creeping down on the jetting and am getting close enough for another proper jetting pass. Bike seems happier and more tractable everywhere, so fingers crossed. Waiting on a new throttle cable as the old one is knackered and hanging up one of the slides ever so slightly....
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Yeah - they're self bleeding. I can see using them on a car when you're on you're own. Bit pointless on a bike.
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Sounds like an air bubble. If you've got a syringe and hose....
Make sure the reservoir is full at the lever, pull the clutch in back to the bar and secure it with a rubber band. Then open the bleed nipple at the slave cylinder and start sucking with the syringe. You'll get air and bubbles. Keep an eye on the reservoir and don't let it drop below minimum. You might need a couple of goes - close the nipple on the slave, while you empty the syringe and reset. Once you feel some line pressure, you should be able to bleed as normal.
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Magic! Fantastic that you can put that sort of loop together. Looks especially appealing that you can pull off and have a quick pint / bite in a quiet country boozer.
Anything that length over here, you're way out in the boonies with the only the rattlesnakes for company. Exciting, but decidedly more hostile.
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I took my RD out for a little vintage spin yesterday with a couple of mates on 650 Triumphs and inadvertently wheelied past some cops in downtown LA. Classic, two stroke, second gear minger....most inopportune timing. I didn't see them parked up, of course the RD is now extremely loud, so they saw me. Whoops.