Not sure I agree with this. I think it discredits him further and makes him less appealing in the eyes of swing voters etc. If anything, moves like this underlines that he is even more of a fringe figure nowadays. I would be massively surprised if the Republicans pick him as their presidential nomination again.
I agree with this, but it feels increasingly like swing voters are a vanishingly small minority. Obviously that’s not the whole truth but it does seem like both “sides” over there are increasingly entrenched and each side is becoming larger.
Oh I want it not to be true , and hope he fails miserably and loses in court and with the republican support.
If however he wins in court, all charges cleared, then he will be seen as untouchable and that brings so much support
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That feels too monolithic a way of understanding US politics. If anything, Trump seems to have lost a lot of the die hard support from GOP voters.
There will be no clean victory or defeat, unfortunately. He’s facing multiple other court cases. His martyrdom will run on and on. But hopefully people will grow bored of it.
I simplified it a bit but the way I see the US politically now is that there’s 5 major groups of people.
- Lifelong Democrats
- Lifelong Republicans
These people exist in every country. They vote for the candidates who run for “their” party because regardless of the merit (or lack of) of who they’re backing, the alternative is worse. They vote the same way their parents voted and that’s it. My parents and grandparents are this way for the Tories, and my hometown has always been a Tory safe seat. My best mate’s family is from a mining town and they’re the same for Labour. My old neighbour was American and was a retired airforce vet; used to go over and “fix” his computer or his TV when he’d set the resolution on his monitor wrong or something, and end up spending more time listening to his war stories or his Johnny Cash records. I’ll never forget him telling me that he would’ve laid down his life for whoever the president was at the time, because that was his duty to the country, but his spirit would’ve never rested if he’d died defending a Democrat president, and his “dear old daddy” would’ve slammed the pearly gates shut in his face. His parents and grandparents were Republican, as were his children and that was that.
- Democrats aren’t left enough.
If this group votes, it votes Dem because it’s the closest they’ve got to something that aligns to their political compass but they resent doing so.
- Trump/QAnon/Anti-“Deep-State” people.
Bit of a mix of Libertarians, lapsed hippies who’ve gone down the conspiracy rabbit hole and the angrily disenfranchised.
- Swing voters. Some are research-based voters who make an educated decision, some just follow those chosen media source or their favourite Twitter personality.
There’s a bit of bleed or osmosis between the groups but it feels like the last 10 or 15 years of US politics has been about the respective sides building their numbers and digging the metaphorical trenches. Admitting you were wrong or modifying your beliefs based on an altered perspective is seen as a failing of character. Much of the western world has followed suit but to a much lesser extent.
Like I say it’s a simplified point, and I know your academic field puts you on a much more educated footing, I just think it’s dangerous not to acknowledge it as a visible phenomenon.
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You’re right I think. If he gets away with it the inference will be that Biden deliberately arrested the main opposition candidate to grease the wheels of his accession to a new term. It’s all a bit risky.
I’m in the states right now and Trump was on tv last night giving it large. He’s right back in the limelight and he’s loving it. Not good.
He’s got a lot on his plate atm:
- E Jean Carroll case
- Stormy Daniels case (inc what’s just been dug up about some illegitimate kid he had in the 80s)
- Voting fraud case
- Classified docs case
He is royally fucked. Whenever he opens his mouth he either admits some crime or stitches himself up on one of his other cases.
Never interrupt your opponent while they’re making a mistake.
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The only response Ben Nordberg ever elicits from me is “damn I wish Flip made Mike Wright a superstar instead”
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It’s not nearly as cringe as it could’ve been.
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To be fair Nordberg’s alright. He’s pretty self aware. I’d be milking it as well.
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Yer fully - that article is well west field though.
Looks like some protesters are fucking the Grand National.
Apparently not racing them for a few minutes extra is causing massive damage to the horses physically and mentally.
Stares at handrail 
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Delaying some of them from the glue factory, how dare they
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Watching trump continually dig holes for himself is utterly utterly delicious.
Every time he opens his mouth he implicates himself. Complete dickhead.
He posted on his social network that he thought his companies were worth more than he declared on his tax returns…which is exactly what he’s in court for 
https://twitter.com/7Veritas4/status/1646921004520726539?t=vG6bZOucBjmF06VOH4usiQ&s=19
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Thankfully that’s the worst that will happen to them…
…oh dear
Fuck betting on the Grand National and killing animals for sport (money).
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