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(Thread) Good news & Bad news
Good news: Trump is losing
Bad news: He will up the ante on the racism, xenophobia, and hate. The white supremacists will get more desperate.
In other words, things will get worse before the election.
nytimes.com/2019/08/05/us/…
These are related.
Good news: Trump is losing
Bad news: He will up the ante on the racism, xenophobia, and hate. The white supremacists will get more desperate.
In other words, things will get worse before the election.
nytimes.com/2019/08/05/us/…
These are related.
1/ First, the good news:
Here is 538’s approval tracking of Trump over time (top) projects.fivethirtyeight.com/trump-approval…
Here’s civiqs (bottom) civiqs.com/results/approv…
They are roughly the same.
Here is 538’s approval tracking of Trump over time (top) projects.fivethirtyeight.com/trump-approval…
Here’s civiqs (bottom) civiqs.com/results/approv…
They are roughly the same.
2/ Here’s the Civiqs numbers translated into electoral college result (attached):
There is talk (in Texas!) of Texas turning blue.
Hurd’s decision to quit sent shock waves through the Texas GOP: theatlantic.com/politics/archi…
There is talk (in Texas!) of Texas turning blue.
Hurd’s decision to quit sent shock waves through the Texas GOP: theatlantic.com/politics/archi…
3/ Nate Silver says Trump’s trade wars will cost him percentage points in the general election:
This is no surprise. The Dems won in the midterms by 8 percentage points. Matching that in 2020 would be a bloodbath.
The numbers are now worse for the GOP.
This is no surprise. The Dems won in the midterms by 8 percentage points. Matching that in 2020 would be a bloodbath.
The numbers are now worse for the GOP.
4/ Trump's strategy is cynical and dangerous—but smart (in an evil genius sort of way).
@FrankFigliuzzi1 observed that it’s clear Trump will make the 2020 election about racism, xenophobia, and hate, thereby increasing the white supremacist violence.
@FrankFigliuzzi1 observed that it’s clear Trump will make the 2020 election about racism, xenophobia, and hate, thereby increasing the white supremacist violence.
@FrankFigliuzzi1 5/ @FrankFigliuzzi1 suggested that the GOP should put a stop to Trump’s dangerous behavior.
(That thump was the sound of me falling out of my chair. Seriously? Who thinks that can or will happen?)
Reading the Twitter feed of @GOPChairwoman Ronna McDaniel or listening to. . .
(That thump was the sound of me falling out of my chair. Seriously? Who thinks that can or will happen?)
Reading the Twitter feed of @GOPChairwoman Ronna McDaniel or listening to. . .
@FrankFigliuzzi1 @GOPChairwoman 6/ . . . Congressional GOP in the Mueller hearings should disabuse anyone of the notion that the GOP can—or will—reign Trump in.
The true conservatives and moderates—@maxboot, @JRubinBlogger, @BillKristol and many others—have left the GOP.
What remains used to be the fringe.
The true conservatives and moderates—@maxboot, @JRubinBlogger, @BillKristol and many others—have left the GOP.
What remains used to be the fringe.
@FrankFigliuzzi1 @GOPChairwoman @MaxBoot @JRubinBlogger @BillKristol 7/ The remaining GOP are full-on authoritarian. (For how the GOP transitioned to an authoritarian party, see:
The GOP is desperate. They can see that their base is shrinking. Their demographics is aging. They can read the polls.
The GOP is desperate. They can see that their base is shrinking. Their demographics is aging. They can read the polls.
@FrankFigliuzzi1 @GOPChairwoman @MaxBoot @JRubinBlogger @BillKristol 8/ So for the GOP this isn’t politics as usual.
Losing the election doesn’t mean temporary loss of power.
Losing the election—given the changing demographics of the nation—will be the end of them as a mainstream political party. They understand that.
This is their last gasp.
Losing the election doesn’t mean temporary loss of power.
Losing the election—given the changing demographics of the nation—will be the end of them as a mainstream political party. They understand that.
This is their last gasp.
@FrankFigliuzzi1 @GOPChairwoman @MaxBoot @JRubinBlogger @BillKristol 9/ If you wonder what they'll will do when desperate, you can stop wondering. They’re doing it now:
Up the ante of racism & xenophobia, and lie big.
Trump’s campaign used facebook ads to amplify his claims about an “invasion” of brown-skinned immigrants.
nytimes.com/2019/08/05/us/…
Up the ante of racism & xenophobia, and lie big.
Trump’s campaign used facebook ads to amplify his claims about an “invasion” of brown-skinned immigrants.
nytimes.com/2019/08/05/us/…
@FrankFigliuzzi1 @GOPChairwoman @MaxBoot @JRubinBlogger @BillKristol 10/ Trump mimicked an Asian accent to mock South Koreans and Japan, while expressing love for Kim Jong-Un⤵️
rollingstone.com/politics/polit…
Trump’s only hope of winning in 2020 is to up the ante. Create strong emotions. Enrage his critics and thrill his supporters.
rollingstone.com/politics/polit…
Trump’s only hope of winning in 2020 is to up the ante. Create strong emotions. Enrage his critics and thrill his supporters.
@FrankFigliuzzi1 @GOPChairwoman @MaxBoot @JRubinBlogger @BillKristol 11/ If he tones it down, he will definitely lose. The 54% who disapprove of him will not suddenly change their minds if he stops saying horrifying things. If he stops bashing norms, his base will lose their enthusiasm.
On the other hand . . .
On the other hand . . .
@FrankFigliuzzi1 @GOPChairwoman @MaxBoot @JRubinBlogger @BillKristol 12/ . . . if he keeps everyone riled, he might win in 2020.
Expect Team Trump to:
💠Keep the fighters fighting. (This includes getting the Dems to turn on their own leaders. "It's all Pelosi's fault!"
💠 Bash rules & norms
💠Suppress the vote by making people NOT WANT to vote.
Expect Team Trump to:
💠Keep the fighters fighting. (This includes getting the Dems to turn on their own leaders. "It's all Pelosi's fault!"
💠 Bash rules & norms
💠Suppress the vote by making people NOT WANT to vote.
@FrankFigliuzzi1 @GOPChairwoman @MaxBoot @JRubinBlogger @BillKristol 13/ Bashing rules and norms helps keep everyone fighting. It:
💠Increases polarization,
💠Makes Democrats more likely to blame their own leaders (why is Pelosi letting this happen?),
💠Encourages his critics to engage in destructive behavior. . .
💠Increases polarization,
💠Makes Democrats more likely to blame their own leaders (why is Pelosi letting this happen?),
💠Encourages his critics to engage in destructive behavior. . .
@FrankFigliuzzi1 @GOPChairwoman @MaxBoot @JRubinBlogger @BillKristol 14/
💠Wears down democratic institutions so that if Trump does pull out a win in 2020, it will be easier to raze them completely,
💠Persuades people that the Democrats won’t have a chance up against people willing to cheat and take foreign help. . .
💠Wears down democratic institutions so that if Trump does pull out a win in 2020, it will be easier to raze them completely,
💠Persuades people that the Democrats won’t have a chance up against people willing to cheat and take foreign help. . .
@FrankFigliuzzi1 @GOPChairwoman @MaxBoot @JRubinBlogger @BillKristol 15/ All of this discourages people so that they're more likely to give in to despair and give up (It's hopeless! Why bother?")
Read this for how the 2016 online campaign suppressed the black vote by making them not want to vote:
soba.iamempowered.com/2019-report
nytimes.com/2019/05/06/us/…
Read this for how the 2016 online campaign suppressed the black vote by making them not want to vote:
soba.iamempowered.com/2019-report
nytimes.com/2019/05/06/us/…
@FrankFigliuzzi1 @GOPChairwoman @MaxBoot @JRubinBlogger @BillKristol 16/ Angering & discouraging people so they don't want to vote is easier and less costly than manually flipping votes or hacking computers.
What can we do?
Stop being shocked. From @TimothyDSnyder: “Being continually shocked is a luxury. It’s pre-helpless”
What can we do?
Stop being shocked. From @TimothyDSnyder: “Being continually shocked is a luxury. It’s pre-helpless”
@FrankFigliuzzi1 @GOPChairwoman @MaxBoot @JRubinBlogger @BillKristol @TimothyDSnyder 17/ Understand that the GOP is acting from desperation.
Don’t take the bait.
Grass roots politics keeps tactics like this from working:
nytimes.com/2019/05/06/us/…
Lack of grassroots politics makes people vulnerable to this kind of online attack.
Don’t take the bait.
Grass roots politics keeps tactics like this from working:
nytimes.com/2019/05/06/us/…
Lack of grassroots politics makes people vulnerable to this kind of online attack.
@FrankFigliuzzi1 @GOPChairwoman @MaxBoot @JRubinBlogger @BillKristol @TimothyDSnyder 18/ This is why rage tweeting, which spreads despair, is not productive.
Trump is an expert at manipulating us. He wants all that rage tweeting and despair.
The antidote: Get involved with local grassroots political organizations to help inoculate your community.
End/
Trump is an expert at manipulating us. He wants all that rage tweeting and despair.
The antidote: Get involved with local grassroots political organizations to help inoculate your community.
End/
@FrankFigliuzzi1 @GOPChairwoman @MaxBoot @JRubinBlogger @BillKristol @TimothyDSnyder All my threads are also blog posts. You can read this one here: terikanefield-blog.com/good-news-bad-…
