US Election 2024

I would have picked Mark Kelly from Arizona as he was a sitting Senator and not up for re-election so Arizona wouldn't lose the seat if he lost or won. Arizona has a democratic Governor and would have replaced him with a Democrat. Kelly is more conservative and tough on immigration and also white like Walz.

Anyway, the pick is in and they have gone more progressive. This might not sway third party voters but we shall see.

At least the Dems will be using the words "weird" a lot on the campaign which is amusing.

Chicago: Pollster.

You can't go wrong with an astronaut, but great idea to make this about who has the weirdest laugh/non-laugh. Sometimes I just wonder if we'd all be better off if that giant meteor that's going to inevitably hit the earth one day just hurried up and got on with it, and we gave the ants a chance.

I just watched his speech and he seems like a lovely guy. Funny. Not weird.

A number of comments on not-Twitter pointing out how much he debunks the Republican grifters nonsense about modern men. He was in the military, a football coach, he’s successful, has a family, he hunts… and yet he is compassionate, likeable, respects women, and he’s not scared of tampons. According to them, he either does not, or should not, exist.

I think the resident peodo-troll was alluding to Walz referring to Trump as being weird because no-one's ever seen him laugh in public. Or something.

But I could be wrong.

Oh I wasn’t responding to trollboy. I was just contracting Walz with the Republican weirdos.

They are going to swift boat him over the military thing. Not sure of the facts but the story being pushed is that he quit when he found out his unit was being deployed to Iraq. Vance actually did serve in Iraq (as a military journalist but still....)

Those guys are the real heroes.

He was in the Army National Guard whose primary responsibility is domestic disaster response and security with a secondary role in supporting the Federal armed forces, which he did when deployed to Europe in support of the initial Afghanistan war effort. He retired after 24 years of service as a Command Sergeant Major, the highest NCO rank you can achieve, having had to have surgery on his ears after years of artillery training (his specialty) wrecked his hearing.

He also doesn't try and campaign off his military service. The soldiers he served with, and who served under him, say that his decision to retire when he did was a long time coming, they were and are supportive of it, and that he was a great champion for them when they returned from deployment.

www.mprnews.org/story/2018/10/03/tim-walz-national-guard-career-minnesota-governor-race

If that's the best the Republicans can come up with then they're really going to struggle against this guy.

Trump now down to evens with betfair. First time I've seen that.

It is remarkable how quickly and effectively the Dems have turned his tactics back on him, but in a much more nuanced and less nasty way. It's like the whole Democrat organisation became twenty years younger overnight and suddenly realised how to play the modern social media game - they always had the support of the younger constituency, they just needed to provide the ammunition. Apart from the whole "weird" thing which seems to have been stupidly effective, you've now got the likes of Schumer clowning Trump on Twitter as well.

Suddenly it feels like Trump is on his own versus the entire Democrat machine and half the nation, while Vance does nasty little stumps to 200 people that are only notable for the bizarre quotes that the media pulls out to make him look increasingly, well, weird, and the rest of the GOP stands around half confused, half amused because they long since realised that MAGA is out of control and they need the Dems to stop it if they're to avoid having to join in.

And Harris is now favourite.

Are we going to get daily updates?

Vance was very weird on the tarmac yesterday. And I don’t understand why Trump is going off the radar? (Well I do but it’s a strange decision)

No, just happened to check and breaking those two thresholds was interesting to me and clearly shows the momentum of the race. I'd assume it'll fluctuate back and forth now based on news.

He's still making the odd bizarre ranty post on some of the social media platforms. He seems to have reverted tp type following a brief period of relative almost-calm that followed in the aftermath of the TV debate.

Quite, quite fucking mental.

One of the many pleasures of being in Italy for a month is that it’s so much easier to avoid the deranged ramblings of that imbecile.

Mus: not looking forward to election coverage on his return home.

Well you chose to leave UK. Our elections are completely normal, & not one of our recent leaders has been remotely deranged or imbecilic.

Oh.

Still, “Murca, love it or leave it!” (as I believe they say back in your “home”) [Winky thing in a MAGA hat and ear bandage]