The Walking Joke That Isn't So Funny

 

Friends, we conservatives have a tendency to underestimate politicians like Kamala Harris, because we find it so hard to imagine why anyone would want to support them and vote them into office, but taking your opponent lightly is the best and most efficient way to lose elections, so let's not go down that road, huh?  My latest article tries to put into perspective why Kam-Kam would be a disastrous leader for this country.  I only scratch the surface, but see if you don't agree with one or two of my arguments...

https://townhall.com/columnists/nicholaswaddy/2024/07/25/kamala-harris-could-be-your-worst-nightmare-n2642503

 

In other news, both DJT and Kam-Kam agree that there must be a debate between them, but how many, when, and where is yet to be determined.  What fun!  Do you suppose that, if Harris underperforms, the Dems will replace her too?  Wouldn't that be a trip?

 

https://www.breitbart.com/2024-election/2024/07/25/kamala-harris-agrees-to-debate-donald-trump-im-ready/ 

Biden: The Cognitively Dissonant Candidate to the End

 

Friends, Biden gave his big speech yesterday explaining why he exited the race, and it left more questions unanswered than answered.  Basically, Biden said it was time for new, fresh, younger leadership (but for some reason it wasn't time last week?), and a change was also needed to "save democracy".  Funnily enough, "saving democracy" was the very reason Biden was running in the first place.  I guess it's a handy catchphrase that, for a Democrat, can be deployed in any situation, especially those involving the direct invalidation of democracy -- but there's nothing new in that.

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c047281jj8do

 

In other news, a slew of polls have been published since Kamala Harris became the heir apparent, and by and large they paint a picture of a race that hasn't changed all that much.  Trump remains in the lead nationally, by a slim margin, and in the swing states, by a slim margin, and he enjoys slightly bigger leads when the race is considered a five-way contest instead of a head-to-head matchup.  What's more, Harris may be enjoying her "honeymoon period" with voters, and especially with the media, so one has to wonder if she's found her ceiling yet, in terms of public support.  The stark reality is...no one knows.  This race has been, statistically speaking, a lot less dynamic than it has been in the sense of bullets flying, candidacies imploding, etc.  The best guide to the future is indeed the past, but even that is an imperfect guide, to be sure.

 

https://www.realclearpolling.com/latest-polls 

Musical Chairs

 

Friends, the selection of a running mate is the first substantive, high stakes decision that a presidential nominee has to make -- and, for Kamala Harris, it could just come just days after she becomes the presumptive frontrunner for the nomination, giving her very little time to weigh her options.  Who might Harris pick?  Who should she pick?  The smart choice would probably be a moderate, Southern white male Governor, but Harris isn't smart, so except something completely different.  Keep your eye on "Mayor Pete", our fearless and mostly clueless Secretary of Transportation, Pete Buttigieg.  He's Midwestern, white, male, and a military veteran...but he's also gay, which makes him palatable, and even exciting, to leftists.  In the end, though, when one asks "Who will Kamala pick?", the answer is a simple one: whoever the people who picked her tell her to.  That ain't the voters, that's for sure!

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/who-could-replace-harris-as-the-next-vice-presidential-candidate-meet-her-potential-choices/ar-BB1qnOA8

 

https://www.realclearpolitics.com/articles/2024/07/22/harris_vp_pick_could_make_or_break_her_chance_at_beating_trump_151305.html 

So Long, Gramps!

 

Friends, in sign #3,727,841 that I have no idea what I'm talking about, today Joe Biden dropped out of the presidential race.  Wow!  He's been doggedly claiming that OF COURSE he's running for president, and only "God Almighty" could shift him out of campaign mode.  Well, it would appear that we've seen two instances of divine intervention in the presidential election in less than two weeks: Trump's narrow escape from death in Pennsylvania, and now Joe Biden's epiphany, leading to his departure from the race.  Holy moly!!!  What else can you say???  Obviously, Biden's crumbling support within the Democratic Party -- among Congresspeople and Senators, among donors, and perhaps most damningly among the gentlemen (and ladies) of the Fourth Estate -- dictated his miserable fate.  It all goes to show you what a farce the Democratic primary process was, which Biden won hands down, and how grossly irresponsible the media's suppression of candid discussion of Biden's physical and mental deterioration was.  Seldom have we seen a clearer demonstration of the fact that these people are, to be blunt, full of sh**!

Having said all that, now the country, and the Democratic Party, must move on.  Joe Biden issued a bland statement about his decision to resign, which it is fairly clear he didn't write himself, and he apparently has no plans to talk directly to the American people or the press about the matter until several days have passed. Shortly after he announced that he would not be running, he further declared that Vice-President Kamala Harris had his "full endorsement and support".  This statement, however, felt like an afterthought, and Biden's endorsement was not developed with, for example, any reasons why anyone would want to vote for her.  I would say, therefore, that it would be more accurate to say that Harris has Biden's half-hearted endorsement and support, and that describes how a lot of Democrats feel about one of the least popular vice-presidents in recent history.  

 

Needless to say, fierce battles are, as we speak, being fought in smoke-filled rooms to determine the shape of the process that will decide the new Democratic nominee, with an eye to ensuring that the "right" candidate emerges.  Who is that right candidate?  That depends largely on how much more uncertainty the Dems can stand.  Coronating Kamala would be the easiest, most straightforward thing to do, but that risks leaving the election stuck in a Trump-friendly groove, given Harris's obvious weaknesses.  If various candidates are permitted to announce their interest, and to campaign for the support of the delegates to the Democratic National Convention in Chicago in August, then a better, stronger candidate might emerge -- or the party could tear itself to shreds and large portions of the party elite and rank-and-file might come away from the process believing that it was misguided or even illegitimate.  The new Democratic standard-bearer might be fatally wounded before he, or she, even took the field against Trump.  

 

To make a long story short, therefore, the Dems are now -- still! -- in a position where they have no good options about how to move forward.  They've just disencumbered themselves of Joe Biden, yes, but they've simultaneously taken on a host of other challenges and burdens.  They're lucky, though, that they have a compliant media to help them pick up the pieces, which must give them some hope that, when all this chaos has ended and the party has settled on a candidate, the talking heads will do their best to make us forget that Joe Biden ever existed, or that the Democratic Party has ever been anything but united, focused, and ever so disciplined.  In other words, expect a campaign, come September, October, and November, straight out of 1984, in which the Democrats ask us to love and obey Leader X, and to fear and hate Donald Trump, without engaging in any unnecessary critical thinking, and certainly not with the aid of our faculty of memory, which, they might point out, isn't nearly as sound and trustworthy as, say, the judgement of the editorial board of the New York Times...

 

What an election year this has already been, and what an exciting finale we have in store!  The prognosis for the country may not be great, friends, but at least it's been a fun ride and not boring in the least.  Bullets flying, geriatric presidents retiring mid-campaign -- what will happen next???

 

https://x.com/JoeBiden 

https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/2024-election/president-joe-biden-drops-2024-presidential-race-rcna159867

 

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/live/2024/jul/21/biden-drops-out-presidential-election 

Peace in Our Time

 

Friends, in a very intriguing development, the West's favorite wind-up doll, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, made a non-collect call to none other than Donald J. Trump, to congratulate him on winning the GOP nomination and to express his outrage about the "heinous" attempt on his life.  Well well!  Trump said he appreciated the gesture, and both men referenced the possibility of peace talks with Russia.  Why is this interesting?  You would think that establishment leaders in the West would want their man in Kyiv to play along and help them ward off the threat posed by the wild-eyed populist/quasi-isolationist, Trump.  By speaking respectfully with and about Trump, Zelensky undercuts the Biden Administration's claims that electing Trump would lead, ipso facto, to the appeasement of Russian President Vladimir Putin.  In any case, Zelensky is being realistic, in the sense that Trump is now likely to win the election, and Ukraine will need to build a working relationship with him if it hopes to, well, survive as a country.  This is just one more sign, therefore, that the powers-that-be are coming to terms with the possibility, and even the probability, of a second term for Trump.

https://www.breitbart.com/politics/2024/07/20/donald-trump-speaks-with-zelensky-vows-to-end-russian-war-in-ukraine/

 

And, just for fun, you might want to check out what the talking heads at MSNBC have been saying about Trump, Vance, and the Republican National Convention.  It's pretty unhinged stuff, which just goes to show you that these people are reaching very deep into their bag of tricks for a way to scare the Democratic base into ponying up more cash for Biden's failing candidacy.  You gotta feel for these shills, no?

 

https://nypost.com/2024/07/19/opinion/msnbc-has-gone-completely-crackpot-this-summer/ 

The Rats are Abandoning Ship

 

Friends, I hate to compare something as detestable as a Democrat to something as adorable and cuddly as a rat, but here the parallel is apt, I feel.  Today Adam Schiff, smarmy establishment Democrat par excellence, announced that Joe Biden should step aside and let someone else be the Democrats' presidential nominee.  Ouch!  I find the timing odd, because the Trump assassination and the RNC have really taken the wind out of the sails of those Dems who were plotting against Biden.  In fact, all Biden needs to do now is coast for a couple of weeks, and he'll be the OFFICIAL Democratic nominee and that's that.  Schiff's gambit therefore seems highly speculative, and, since he's no idiot, I assume he knows that.  What this tells me is that, plain and simple, Schiff no longer fears Biden.  Either he doesn't think he'll be around much longer, because he's older than dirt, or he doesn't think he'll be around because he's going to lose.  On the latter point, I tend to agree.

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cy9473edpeeo

 

Speaking of which, the political transformation of Elon Musk, from progressive to outspoken conservative and Trumper, was consummated in just the last few days.  Most importantly, Musk has committed to injecting hundreds of millions of dollars into Trump's get-out-the-vote efforts.  This is big, people!  Musk, because he's super-rich AND because he controls one of the world's leading social media platforms, can be an immensely powerful ally.  What's more, he's at the leading edge.  His conversion will make it easier for other techies, billionaires, and former progressives to jump on the Trump bandwagon.  All the momentum, in short, is with Trump -- although, make no mistake, the election is still fundamentally competitive.

 

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/elon-musk-announces-x-spacex-headquarters-to-relocate-to-texas-from-california/ 

https://www.msn.com/en-us/money/other/elon-musk-s-final-straw-moment-marks-political-transformation/ar-BB1q8wdi

Advance with Vance!

 

Friends, it's hard to believe that the selection of a vice-presidential candidate and running mate wouldn't be the top story of the day, but you can argue that today Trump's pick of J.D. Vance has been somewhat overshadowed by ongoing discussion of the failed assassination attempt, as well as the dismissal of the documents case by Judge Aileen Cannon.  Let's start with Vance.  I don't know much about him at all, but from what I can tell many consider him to be a conservative populist, a la Trump, and an intellectual, which is not an easy combo to pull off (just ask me!).  Many view him as the sort of fellow who could conceivably assume the mantle of MAGA leader after Trump exits the scene.  That's saying a lot, because Trump's shoes are notoriously hard to fill.  What's most heartening about this pick is the fact that Vance isn't just a mindless Trump puppet.  He's a man of substance, and his selection suggests that Trump takes seriously the future of the movement and the future of the country -- which would come as a surprise to those who think that Trump cares only about himself.  In fact, Vance probably doesn't help Trump win the election in November at all, unless you think that maybe he can appeal to working class whites in the Midwest, and maybe he can.  He certainly won't help with women or minorities, and those are pretty important demographics that Trump may regret failing to target more directly.  To me, in short, the Vance choice indicates that Trump regards himself as the favorite in 2024, and he's planning for the future, and he believes that Vance is the guy who can guide us into that bright future, when The Donald himself has faded away.  I hope and pray that he's right.

 

https://www.breitbart.com/2024-election/2024/07/15/donald-trump-announces-jd-vance-as-running-mate/ 

 

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cn07dv4mrg2o 

 

Meanwhile, in a severe blow to the lawfare gambit, the classified documents case against Trump has been thrown out by a federal judge.  Good!  Unfortunately there's plenty more legal jeopardy on Trump's plate.  Still, the legal system has very rarely given Trump a win, so this is one to savor!

 

https://www.breitbart.com/politics/2024/07/15/donald-trump-dismissal-lawless-florida-indictment-should-be-first-trashing-witch-hunts/ 

Lastly, there are a lot of serious questions swirling around the Secret Service's bungling of the security for Trump's Pennsylvania rally.  To leave such an obvious area of vulnerability open to exploitation by a would-be shooter is totally unacceptable.  Do I think this suggests incompetence or malice?  Well, I tend to believe that, if the Deep State wanted Trump dead, they would have found themselves a better marksman, but that's just me.  To put the pieces together, we really need to know more about Thomas Crooks and what drove him to do what he did.  Let's hope he was a lone nut, because if he was anything else our country is in much deeper trouble than we thought!

https://www.realclearpolitics.com/video/2024/07/14/dan_bongino_the_secret_service_failure_here_is_catastrophic.html

Bulletproof

 

Friends, it's early days, but I invite your comments on the attempted assassination of President Trump.  I want to know more about the assassin, needless to say, and what motivated him.  I want to know why he was allowed to scale a building so close to the rally.  I want to know whether any of these formulaic statements by Democrats and world leaders convey genuine sympathy and regret -- or secret disappointment that the shooter missed.  Overall, I expect Trump will emerge from this trial (which I think many of us saw coming) stronger than ever, and that ought to scare his enemies to no end! 

Big Tech Gets Trumpier

 

Friends, I'm a long, long way from claiming that DJT has this election in the bag, but there are plenty of hopeful signs.  Here are two: Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, has officially cancelled its persecution of Trump, allowing him full use of all of its platforms; and Elon Musk, lord of X and CEO of SpaceX, has overcome his distaste for Trump and plowed an unspecified but massive amount of money into one of his SuperPACs.  Musk could, needless to say, be a powerful ally, indeed.  So cheer up, my fellow fascists!

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c4ngj2x5638o

 

https://www.breitbart.com/politics/2024/07/12/elon-musk-worlds-richest-man-comes-off-sidelines-begins-to-spend-vast-fortune-to-elect-donald-trump-president/ 

Elections Have Consequences (!!!)

 

Friends, my latest interview with the incomparable Brian O'Neil considers in depth the predicament of the Democrats, as they ponder which memory hole to shelve the sitting president and erstwhile leader of the party in, the predicament of the European establishment as it attempts to fend off a "far right" movement gaining in strength, the predicament of Congress as it considers the mental and physical fitness of the Commander-in-Chief, and a bevy of other predicaments, up to and including your predicament in deciding whether to listen to the broadcast once, twice, thrice, or possibly an infinite number of times until your own mental and physiological reserves give out...  In short, it's a show that may give your life meaning and purpose that hitherto it has (by all accounts) lacked.  Hard to pass up an offer like that, wouldn't you say???

https://rumble.com/v56d38i-wlea-newsmaker-july-10-2024-dr-nick-waddy.html