As a corollary to Galloway’s point, this was also the Social Media Influencer Election. In addition to Rogan, whose podcast is promoted heavily on platforms like Elon Musk’s X, many other influencers had significant influence — including Musk himself, who posts incessantly on X and tweaked its algorithm to favor Trump.
Thanks Barth. Indeed it was. I just stopped posting on X because it was becoming unbearable. I also ran across this post-election piece from Thomas Frank (he of the "What's the matter with Kansas" fame) on why the Dems lost: "The Elites Had It Coming" https://www.nytimes.com/2024/11/09/opinion/democrats-trump-elites-centrism.html
I absolutely agree with both ends of this column: the Cabinet picks beginning and the manosphere ending. What I can't determine is if Trump is giving a big F-U to the Senate (I'd hate to be John Thune right about now) and testing the limits of his executive power, or...something else. I can't even think of something else. The mind of DJT is a dark and scary place.
I loved the Susie Wiles choice (take that, Mark Cuban!), and I'm comfy with Marco Rubio and even Elise Stefanik. Please, for the love of all that's holy pick someone smart for the economy roles!! But honest to God, those names you mentioned--the mind reels. One good thing has come out of all this--if Gaetz doesn't get confirmed, at least he's out of Congress.
Your analysis of the election is spot on, regarding who voted and why. One factor that you didn't mention was the insufficiency of the Democrat candidate. Not only did her campaign misread the electorate, i.e., the importance of the man vote, they over-emphasized the number and fervor of the female vote. Abortion rights was not the magic bullet they thought it was going to be. I do believe many women were also persuaded by economic and border issues. But beyond that, Harris was a lousy candidate. She was unconvincing. I've heard "inauthentic" bandied about (by AOC of all people), but actually, there's something to that. Regarding her not doing the Joe Rogan podcast, that was a huge mistake on her part. And from his perspective, why should he go to her? Trump came to him and stayed all 3 hours. She came to Texas for a fund raiser--why not go to court the manosphere? Oh well--hindsight is 20/20.
And yep, I loved the sentence about the "delicious" revenge of the voter. Good stuff!
Thanks Sharon. I fear Trump will opt for recess appointments for his worst picks (e.g. the three or four I mentioned), at which time we will be at an inflection point. I agree that Trump might be testing the boundaries of what he can get away with. Or he might be trolling the libs to make them cry (his supporters love that). I agree about Harris. Part of it is she just isn't a great politician, but I do think the Dems would have done better if Biden had simply announced two years ago that he was out. That way, the best candidate would have emerged and if it was Harris, the public would not have questioned her legitimacy as the nominee. Oh, and I wasn't trying to suggest that Rogan should have acceded to her demands. Clearly, her campaign tried all along to limit her media exposure as a means of damage control. Bad decisions all around ...
From Ezra Klein: "Demanding Senate Republicans back Gaetz as Attorney General and Hegseth as Defense Secretary is the 2024 version of forcing Sean Spicer to say it was the largest inauguration crowd ever. These aren't just appointments. They're loyalty tests. The absurdity is the point." https://x.com/ezraklein/status/1856798502484910130
As a corollary to Galloway’s point, this was also the Social Media Influencer Election. In addition to Rogan, whose podcast is promoted heavily on platforms like Elon Musk’s X, many other influencers had significant influence — including Musk himself, who posts incessantly on X and tweaked its algorithm to favor Trump.
Thanks Barth. Indeed it was. I just stopped posting on X because it was becoming unbearable. I also ran across this post-election piece from Thomas Frank (he of the "What's the matter with Kansas" fame) on why the Dems lost: "The Elites Had It Coming" https://www.nytimes.com/2024/11/09/opinion/democrats-trump-elites-centrism.html
Good piece, Terry. Thanks for sharing. Reminds me of this essay by David Brooks:
https://www.nytimes.com/2024/11/06/opinion/trump-elites-working-class.html?smid=nytcore-ios-share&referringSource=articleShare
Thanks Barth. I'm going to be writing soon about another Brooks piece that I'm sure you've seen: "How the Ivy League Broke America."
I absolutely agree with both ends of this column: the Cabinet picks beginning and the manosphere ending. What I can't determine is if Trump is giving a big F-U to the Senate (I'd hate to be John Thune right about now) and testing the limits of his executive power, or...something else. I can't even think of something else. The mind of DJT is a dark and scary place.
I loved the Susie Wiles choice (take that, Mark Cuban!), and I'm comfy with Marco Rubio and even Elise Stefanik. Please, for the love of all that's holy pick someone smart for the economy roles!! But honest to God, those names you mentioned--the mind reels. One good thing has come out of all this--if Gaetz doesn't get confirmed, at least he's out of Congress.
Your analysis of the election is spot on, regarding who voted and why. One factor that you didn't mention was the insufficiency of the Democrat candidate. Not only did her campaign misread the electorate, i.e., the importance of the man vote, they over-emphasized the number and fervor of the female vote. Abortion rights was not the magic bullet they thought it was going to be. I do believe many women were also persuaded by economic and border issues. But beyond that, Harris was a lousy candidate. She was unconvincing. I've heard "inauthentic" bandied about (by AOC of all people), but actually, there's something to that. Regarding her not doing the Joe Rogan podcast, that was a huge mistake on her part. And from his perspective, why should he go to her? Trump came to him and stayed all 3 hours. She came to Texas for a fund raiser--why not go to court the manosphere? Oh well--hindsight is 20/20.
And yep, I loved the sentence about the "delicious" revenge of the voter. Good stuff!
Thanks Sharon. I fear Trump will opt for recess appointments for his worst picks (e.g. the three or four I mentioned), at which time we will be at an inflection point. I agree that Trump might be testing the boundaries of what he can get away with. Or he might be trolling the libs to make them cry (his supporters love that). I agree about Harris. Part of it is she just isn't a great politician, but I do think the Dems would have done better if Biden had simply announced two years ago that he was out. That way, the best candidate would have emerged and if it was Harris, the public would not have questioned her legitimacy as the nominee. Oh, and I wasn't trying to suggest that Rogan should have acceded to her demands. Clearly, her campaign tried all along to limit her media exposure as a means of damage control. Bad decisions all around ...
From Ezra Klein: "Demanding Senate Republicans back Gaetz as Attorney General and Hegseth as Defense Secretary is the 2024 version of forcing Sean Spicer to say it was the largest inauguration crowd ever. These aren't just appointments. They're loyalty tests. The absurdity is the point." https://x.com/ezraklein/status/1856798502484910130