[Andy McDandy]

They're still treating him as the novelty candidate, so "Ooh, innee funnee?" is about as deep as it gets.

[Crabcakes]

This should be all over the news. It's just complete and utter gibberish, and the crowd - not even a partisan crowd - applauded it. I've heard the term 'sanewashing' being used to describe a lot of the US media's reluctance to portray Trump's terrifying mental decline properly, and I think it's absolutely spot on - the second link is how politico reported the event he was at, calling it a 'sweeping economic vision'.

This is not a well man, and not a well fourth estate.

https://www.thepoke.com/2024/09/06/trum ... ess-sense/

https://www.politico.com/news/2024/09/0 ... y-00177543

[Youngian]

Autarky patriotism does have historic relevance in the US long before Trump. Ross Perot made a respectable showing on a protectionist anti-NAFTA platform.

[The Weeping Angel]

They're still treating him as the novelty candidate, so "Ooh, innee funnee?" is about as deep as it gets.

Yep. The American press treat Trump as part horror show but also it's not our job to call him out.

Case in point

[Philip Marlow]

Maybe it’s just me, but in addition to being very obviously staged on a much grander scale US national conventions seem to attract a wilder breed of weirdo than our own party conferences.

https://thebaffler.com/latest/noise-pollution-moore

It wasn’t just the right’s media class that felt compelled to lay siege to the Windy City. There were more obscure figures lurking around, hoping, perhaps, for a viral turn, like the purple-haired woman with a penchant for throwing up Roman salutes, who managed to parlay her brief virality as a racist instigator into an interview with Giuliani himself. And there were her friends, including a former Ohio National Guardsman who was discharged for his participation in violent neo-Nazi groups, and a man dressed like an anime femboy who waved a National Bolshevism, or Nazbol, flag while advocating for “homonationalism.” There was, in other words, a diverse group of fascists and right-wingers in town, all briefly united by their hatred of the Democratic Party and the Palestinian cause.

[Tubby Isaacs]

It was thought at the time that Pat Buchanan's speech at the 1992 Republican Convention had put a lot of voters off. Not now.

The funny thing is that the big majority of people who vote Republican aren't like this. They nonetheless stick with the party. Partly because I think there's no "Liberal Democrats" to switch to.

[Crabcakes]

I had one of my periodic moments this morning when I looked at the news and thought “what the fuck is going on? How is Trump - a fucking narcissistic bullshitting maniac with rampant cognitive issues - still even a candidate?”

[Youngian]

And still neck and neck in swing states.

[satnav]

American politics has never been has polarised as they are at the moment and the public seems to pick their news channels and paper depending on which candidate the news channel or paper appears to be supporting. If you get all your news from Fox news you probably think that Trump has done nothing wrong and that he is the victim of countless conspiracies.

[Abernathy]

I had one of my periodic moments this morning when I looked at the news and thought “what the fuck is going on? How is Trump - a fucking narcissistic bullshitting maniac with rampant cognitive issues - still even a candidate?”

I’ve been struggling with the same conundrum since before even 2016. Trump is a proven felon, a sex offender, and possibly the worst human being on this planet. In a sane country, there is no way he’d even be allowed anywhere near elected office. The closest I’ve been able to get to some kind of explanation is the cringeing cult of celebrity. Trump is in essence a TV celebrity : a sort of Alan Sugar on steroids, and appeals, as do most so-called “celebrities”, to the simple-minded and hard of understanding. That, in essence, is Trump’s core support.

[Watchman]

I’m in the “useful idiot” camp

[The Weeping Angel]

It's because the Republican Party has completly failed to stop Trump and have gone out of their way to fall into place for him all becasue they're too gutless to come and find that they cannot control the monster they have created.

[Youngian]

Farage and Johnson also talk like children's TV presenters to their audience. Low IQ adults.

[Abernathy]

It's because the Republican Party has completly failed to stop Trump and have gone out of their way to fall into place for him all becasue they're too gutless to come and find that they cannot control the monster they have created.

Well, yes, that’s obviously a prime factor, but it doesn’t explain why 70 million Americans apparently think the sun shines out of Trump’s dayglo arse.

[Malcolm Armsteen]

I think that the fatal weakening of the education system by Reagan and later Bush may be significant.

[davidjay]

I had one of my periodic moments this morning when I looked at the news and thought “what the fuck is going on? How is Trump - a fucking narcissistic bullshitting maniac with rampant cognitive issues - still even a candidate?”

I’ve been struggling with the same conundrum since before even 2016. Trump is a proven felon, a sex offender, and possibly the worst human being on this planet. In a sane country, there is no way he’d even be allowed anywhere near elected office. The closest I’ve been able to get to some kind of explanation is the cringeing cult of celebrity. Trump is in essence a TV celebrity : a sort of Alan Sugar on steroids, and appeals, as do most so-called “celebrities”, to the simple-minded and hard of understanding. That, in essence, is Trump’s core support.

Because - like Johnson - he makes people feel good. Bozo plays the lovable buffoon, Trump's the good ol' boy fighting those goddam Commies who want to destroy the American way of life.

[Abernathy]

It must only be intellectually challeged people whom he makes feel good, though, no?

[Crabcakes]

I get all the appeal to people whose education was effectively denied them by previous generations of GOP arseholes, but even so - I can only assume a lot of people who will vote for him have never actually seen him speak, or at least have never really listened. Because he is well past the stage where he just doesn’t make sense. At all. It’s just absolute gibberish.

And even someone lacking an education would be able to recognise someone who literally cannot answer questions.

Maybe tonight will shift things and he’ll look as old and lacking in faculties as he quite obviously is, and it will be impossible to ignore against Harris.

[RedSparrows]

I get all the appeal to people whose education was effectively denied them by previous generations of GOP arseholes, but even so - I can only assume a lot of people who will vote for him have never actually seen him speak, or at least have never really listened. Because he is well past the stage where he just doesn’t make sense. At all. It’s just absolute gibberish.

And even someone lacking an education would be able to recognise someone who literally cannot answer questions.

Maybe tonight will shift things and he’ll look as old and lacking in faculties as he quite obviously is, and it will be impossible to ignore against Harris.

Predictions for tonight:

1) Harris will appear absolutely sane and establishment as against Trump's delusional 'anti-establishment' rambles.
2) This will be presented as a Trump win, because Harris is held to sane standards and Trump is not
- Trump won't shit himself live, and therefore is a man of great democratic power; Harris will not recall a number or policy 100% correctly, somehow proving she's an out-of-touch technocrat AND incompetent
- Trump will call someone some shitty nickname and it'll be seen as a mark of ingenious low-brow wit
3) Harris's policy positions will magically not count, nor her experience; Trump's presidential experience will simultaneously count and he'll also be an outsider radical whose policy slate of 'vote me feel good fuck Mexicans' will be waved away as 'what the people want'

On and on and on and on

[Crabcakes]

Scores on the doors all say it was solid Harris win, with Trump frequently rambling, ranting and fact checked. And then Taylor Swift endorsed her too.

As bad a night as Trump could have had short of him literally shitting himself. Which he probably actually did do, but mercifully the adult nappy held out.