Curious why the infidelity part of an (implied) affair with Loomer would matter. Trump not being loyal to any particular wife - much less his current one - seems baked in. So too does his tendency to latch onto extremists. It all should be documented of course. I just don’t think it matters.
I think it matters in two ways. First, the fact that it would be Loomer would highlight Trump's attraction to racists and bigots. Second, as a process story -- and the media loves those -- it would raise questions about just how stupid Trump could be that he would do this in the middle of a presidential campaign.
Yes. An actual affair would launch a lot of stories - including to inform Mr and Mrs America who Ms Loomer is. Really doubt the campaign wants to be dealing with that instead of pushing an anti-Harris message.
I don’t think the red wall will crack around Trump the way the blue did with Biden, but it would still be a drag on the campaign.
After a little reflection, I find it hard to believe that even someone as impulsive and brazen as Trump would actually conduct an affair out in the open with 2 months to go. But …
Yours is the effortful, uncomprehending reflection of a sane person. Your kind of health and the perspective it endows is literally unimaginable to Trump.
Of course it's scurrilous, that's what's so fun; after all: "what's good for the goose...". I mean why not? Trump's proudly trumpeted middle name — Scurrilous — is his MO. (I know: I made that up, but it's fun to boomerang his lying behavior back at him. That's why so many enjoy The Borowirz Report — it's comic relief from the ugly gruel of Trump's mind on display everywhere one turns.)
Innuendo is not a good word, FYI, and people who seek to think clearly do not indulge in it. Also Harris has been smeared in exactly the same way. How did you miss that?
Didn't miss the smears; they're everywhere, and gain credence with those who can't or won't discriminate fact from fiction.
I was simply replying to the "slept to the top" analogy — that there's zero evidence of it for anyone inclined to read and research Harris's history, and plenty of asocial, manipulative, cruel and bizarre signature behavior of Trump to provide reporters' a reason to search, for that's what they do.
History will not repeat. The big difference is that Biden's support derived almost entirely from the belief that he was the best positioned to beat Trump (as opposed to any personal loyalty to him). Once it became clear that that was no longer the case, his demise was inevitable.
Unfortunately (for our country in.general and for the Republicans in particular), Trump has developed a huge personal following, who may genuinely not vote Republican if he's not on ticket. As long as that is the case, his position is impregnable.
There's a big difference that is going to prevent this from taking off the way the Biden push did; with Biden, the US MSM jumped all the way in with both feet (multiple days the Times and the Post had their entire front pages covered with "Biden OLD!" stories, which added to the pressure Dems were feeling). You can already see with Trump that they're hoping to move on to whatever's next; they'll bring up a few of his more deranged statements, but they're also sane-washing some of his debate answers and making it clear that it was "a bad debate, but everyone needs to move on".
I find it amusing/infuriating that Drezner ignores the constant sniping of the NYT and WaPo, how the press ignored Joe Biden's speeches to concentrate on the gossip coming out of California and the chattering classes reported unsourced gossip.
And let's not forget supposedly big donors.
And what did they all want? No Biden. No Harris. And a floor fight at the DNC.
So that guy who was to old to be president?
He stepped down and launched his VP into hyperdrive.
This won't happen with Trump.
1. Lara Trump is still head of the RNC and won't give up that grift.
2. Trump would rather watch the world burn down before he stepped away.
3. Neither Nikki nor DeSantis will agree to be JD Vance's VP. And if he did agree to step aside all of the ballots will have to be reprinted
Joe Biden dropped out to guarantee his vice president and the Democratic Party weren't destroyed by a divided convention. That took skill on the part of both Biden and Harris.
There isn't a Republican politician capable of that kind of finesse.
The new post-debate Trump arc you've described - which, as you note, preliminarily resembles the Biden arc - is fascinating. Whatever its effects on the campaign (undetermined and perhaps indeterminable) it dfi6refkects how Trump's pathology compels him always to lean increasingly on ever more sycophantic and extreme minions
The other importance of the affair, if real, is that it rules out, or at least complicates, the obvious best course for Trump, where he "discovers" that LL is a racist loon and casts her into the outer darkness. She could retail all sorts of alleged pillow talk.
In fact, given the photos already available, she could plausibly allege an affair whether or not it was actually consummated, and Trump would find it hard to deny.
One critical 6th step was the incessant media coverage of the slightest little misstatement from Biden after the debate as reinforcing "proof" that we needed to step aside. So far, although Trump has doubled down since the debate on two separate appearances on the most insane gibberish about Haitian immigrants eating the pets of Springfield, OH, that has yet to show up in any MSM outlet...
Curious why the infidelity part of an (implied) affair with Loomer would matter. Trump not being loyal to any particular wife - much less his current one - seems baked in. So too does his tendency to latch onto extremists. It all should be documented of course. I just don’t think it matters.
I think it matters in two ways. First, the fact that it would be Loomer would highlight Trump's attraction to racists and bigots. Second, as a process story -- and the media loves those -- it would raise questions about just how stupid Trump could be that he would do this in the middle of a presidential campaign.
Yes. An actual affair would launch a lot of stories - including to inform Mr and Mrs America who Ms Loomer is. Really doubt the campaign wants to be dealing with that instead of pushing an anti-Harris message.
I don’t think the red wall will crack around Trump the way the blue did with Biden, but it would still be a drag on the campaign.
After a little reflection, I find it hard to believe that even someone as impulsive and brazen as Trump would actually conduct an affair out in the open with 2 months to go. But …
Yours is the effortful, uncomprehending reflection of a sane person. Your kind of health and the perspective it endows is literally unimaginable to Trump.
That's it? Not the whole idea is without evidence, stupid, scurrilous?
Of course it's scurrilous, that's what's so fun; after all: "what's good for the goose...". I mean why not? Trump's proudly trumpeted middle name — Scurrilous — is his MO. (I know: I made that up, but it's fun to boomerang his lying behavior back at him. That's why so many enjoy The Borowirz Report — it's comic relief from the ugly gruel of Trump's mind on display everywhere one turns.)
They do it so we do it is not a good look
Actually, both points you raise have been proven to exhaustion, but with little change in tRump's election chances.
This has the same credence as the Harris slept to the top narrative. Partisans have a lot in common, regardless of politics.
Although there may be no truth to the innuendo, there is no Trump/Harris parallel: Trump's history provokes the innuendo; Harris's history refutes it.
Innuendo is not a good word, FYI, and people who seek to think clearly do not indulge in it. Also Harris has been smeared in exactly the same way. How did you miss that?
Okay: lying.
Didn't miss the smears; they're everywhere, and gain credence with those who can't or won't discriminate fact from fiction.
I was simply replying to the "slept to the top" analogy — that there's zero evidence of it for anyone inclined to read and research Harris's history, and plenty of asocial, manipulative, cruel and bizarre signature behavior of Trump to provide reporters' a reason to search, for that's what they do.
Certainly not to his immovable supporters, but may carry away a few that persistently remain undecided. No understanding or guessing their criteria.
Loomer seems like the kind of person who would leak stories about the tryst herself. A) to make MTG jealous, and B) because she's a forking lunatic.
She could also give an interview to the NY Post. "Best sex I ever had, but I'm not saying who."
The first paragraph is hilarious. This is the world of Trump: ugly flotsam swirling in its whirlpool.
History will not repeat. The big difference is that Biden's support derived almost entirely from the belief that he was the best positioned to beat Trump (as opposed to any personal loyalty to him). Once it became clear that that was no longer the case, his demise was inevitable.
Unfortunately (for our country in.general and for the Republicans in particular), Trump has developed a huge personal following, who may genuinely not vote Republican if he's not on ticket. As long as that is the case, his position is impregnable.
Looking forward to the Trump pivot! Any day now...
It’s always infrastructure week
There's a big difference that is going to prevent this from taking off the way the Biden push did; with Biden, the US MSM jumped all the way in with both feet (multiple days the Times and the Post had their entire front pages covered with "Biden OLD!" stories, which added to the pressure Dems were feeling). You can already see with Trump that they're hoping to move on to whatever's next; they'll bring up a few of his more deranged statements, but they're also sane-washing some of his debate answers and making it clear that it was "a bad debate, but everyone needs to move on".
This.
I find it amusing/infuriating that Drezner ignores the constant sniping of the NYT and WaPo, how the press ignored Joe Biden's speeches to concentrate on the gossip coming out of California and the chattering classes reported unsourced gossip.
And let's not forget supposedly big donors.
And what did they all want? No Biden. No Harris. And a floor fight at the DNC.
So that guy who was to old to be president?
He stepped down and launched his VP into hyperdrive.
This won't happen with Trump.
1. Lara Trump is still head of the RNC and won't give up that grift.
2. Trump would rather watch the world burn down before he stepped away.
3. Neither Nikki nor DeSantis will agree to be JD Vance's VP. And if he did agree to step aside all of the ballots will have to be reprinted
Joe Biden dropped out to guarantee his vice president and the Democratic Party weren't destroyed by a divided convention. That took skill on the part of both Biden and Harris.
There isn't a Republican politician capable of that kind of finesse.
The new post-debate Trump arc you've described - which, as you note, preliminarily resembles the Biden arc - is fascinating. Whatever its effects on the campaign (undetermined and perhaps indeterminable) it dfi6refkects how Trump's pathology compels him always to lean increasingly on ever more sycophantic and extreme minions
Sorry about the typos. That should have read, "...it reflects how Trump's pathology..."
The other importance of the affair, if real, is that it rules out, or at least complicates, the obvious best course for Trump, where he "discovers" that LL is a racist loon and casts her into the outer darkness. She could retail all sorts of alleged pillow talk.
In fact, given the photos already available, she could plausibly allege an affair whether or not it was actually consummated, and Trump would find it hard to deny.
One critical 6th step was the incessant media coverage of the slightest little misstatement from Biden after the debate as reinforcing "proof" that we needed to step aside. So far, although Trump has doubled down since the debate on two separate appearances on the most insane gibberish about Haitian immigrants eating the pets of Springfield, OH, that has yet to show up in any MSM outlet...