Biden voice at start seems empty, in an open space. He jumps into the bright line of the election - dark and light. He has some teleprompter reading issues. And his pauses and hands work well 3/x
Jumping around a lot - dark/light, hope, soul. He is not looking at camera so his sight line is a bit off. Zoom in didn’t help 4/x
Stakes of election section has good alliteration (shadow and suspicion) but too many things are on the ballot. 5/x
The Trump section: good numbers, a few stumbles. A quick move to Obama, though. Then back to Trump. 6/x
The Trump section 2: is better than 1. But also jumps back and forth between bad Trump and what Biden admin would do. 7/x
The virus section: “no miracle is coming” - why so much emphasis on that? A rising tone of indignation as he lays out his plan. Again, another odd sentence to emphasize- “they can handle it.” 8/x
Speaking directly to camera with finger pointing was good and good sequeway into the section on loss. The move from self purpose to purpose of a nation is key rhetorical move. A theme finally emerges 9/x
Lessons from Dad moves into lessons of economy. (“Build back better” is so bad) A cadence emerges. Lots of top lines, goals. But not any proposals. 10/x
More righteous indignation and more promises. This is why three days of character was effective: people want to believe Biden when he promises. 11/x
Biden keeps straightening his back. It’s odd. 12/x
Beau transition into foreign policy and so the righteous indignation comes back. Russian bounty line was good. 13/x
Charlottesville as impetus to run brings us to American soul. We have had purpose and light and now soul. Not an orderly organization. But back for purpose for nation. 14/x
Purpose is possibility. I like former not latter but individual voters need both. The poet quote is not explained so it falls flat, to me. We are back to so many central concepts. And so we end. 15/x
Biden is good at righteous indignation. And so he was best at banging at Trump failures. He also is good at empathy. He parlayed those two strengths into forfeiting policy and economic lines. 16/x
He was bad at talking about the big tent of Democrat party - all the audiences Hillary labored to list. He was good on and focused on race and racism as key issue. He was less strong on other social issues. 17/x
Biden met the moment. He held his past and nation’s future together. And he crafted the comparison needed. 18/x
In 16 it should be “foreign” policy
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Interesting: Turning Point has removed Trump as confirmed guest to its inaugural eve ball to start at 8pm. Vance is highest profile confirmation. The “maga rally” at DC arena is at 3pm. Can’t imagine Trump will miss ball. ball.tpusa.com
And after Inauguration is moved indoors, the price for a ticket to the ball has TRIPLED to $15,000.
It is unclear whether Trump was ever an actual confirmed guest at any point. Wayback Machine doesnt show him. I could have sworn he was listed with Vance when I saw website last week. But in any case, again, I can’t imagine he would miss this.
Turning Point USA’s AmFest starts today. Trump and Charlie Kirk headline. This year #amfest is sponsored by a company linked to a man who a decade ago went to prison for heading one of the biggest synthetic marijuana operations in the US. That sponsor Kavasutra… 1/x
… is a multi state “kava bar” business with locations in Arizona and Florida among others 2/x kavasutra.com/about
It is owned (at least in part) by Dylan Harrison (pic below), imprisoned in 2013 for a year for selling “Mr. Nice Guy” brand of synthetic marijuana. He made millions in “one of the biggest synthetic marijuana operations in the country” at the time. 3/x wpbf.com/article/dylan-…
At the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, about 25 tents housed students calling for the university to divest from Israeli investments usatoday.com/story/news/nat…
And nine anti-war protesters at the University of Minnesota were arrested Tuesday morning after police took down an encampment apnews.com/article/columb…
@CaitlinPacific That the phrase “not what to think but how” has gotten to college tours shows how much conservative lies about higher education have changed it. What a shame Caitlin didn’t consider that. And on the subject of teaching in college…
@CaitlinPacific Teaching in college isn’t teaching debate. It’s not done to pair sides, know your own and strength/weakness of opposition. That is debate. And that a Georgia Board of Regents and Caitlin want more of that tells me…
@CaitlinPacific They don’t want professors to profess. We teach what we profess. We use dissoi logoi and Socratic method to do that. But we profess our POV/opinion/etc. In first year writing aka “how to argue” class I profess a specific …
Tenure gutted. Diversity deleted. Academic freedom under attack. In stark terms hundreds of Georgia #highered @BORUSG faculty describe the impact on research, students, and hiring in the Fall 2023 Georgia @AAUP newsletter. A thread. 1/x aaupgeorgia.org/newsletters
I’m having to watch my back and under
constant stress. This is not how I thought
the height of my academic career – I have
an international reputation in my discipline – would go.
I no longer feel that I can have frank
and open discussions on sensitive topics
with students. 2/x
I teach ethnic minority literature. I do
not feel safe teaching it these days.
I feel demoralized and unappreciated.
We had four failed endowment chair
searches this last year! 3/x
🧵 Much has been said about the Christian Nationalism of new House Speaker Mike Johnson. Charlie Kirk lays out in a concise tweet this ideology he shares with Johnson. Follow along to see the future 1/x
First thing to notice: Kirk and Johnson justify their political ideology with Christian scripture. Kirk uses the doctrine of depravity to justify constitutional “decentralization” of power. This is not same as “separation of power” though linked. Former is a nod to… 2/x
The hatred of federal government by conservatives. That doesn’t mean they hate power, only want it not merely in states but even church-based. Theocracy at local level. 3/x