5K Pop Demon Hunters
Sometimes the metaphors inflate themselves. On the way to his midterm convention-cum-rally, “a military aide accidentally deployed an inflatable emergency slide on the new Air Force One … delaying President Trump’s departure to Dallas.” Fortunately, there was still enough hot air left for a two hour speech (Trump is speaking on both nights of the event) to a partially empty arena, in which Trump fear-mongered about the Democrats’ demonic threat to our way of life, and made at least his fourth promise to dole out cash to Americans: “If the GOP wins both the House of Representatives and the Senate, ‘you win with us,’ Trump said Wednesday, promising that ‘a dividend to every adult citizen in the United States of America for $5,000‘ would follow.” I’m not sure what’s crazier: fully bribing people for their votes or the idea that Trump would actually pay out the $5k. But reality never stopped Trumpism before, so maybe the message will work, along with laughable claims such as the promise that the war with Iran will end right after the midterms and that oil prices will come down then, too. (If not, at least the $5K will get you a partial tank of gas…) Will this messaging in the face of terrible polling work? I say no. But I said no during all the other elections when Trump’s numbers surprised us on the upside, so instead, I’ll just say, vote.
+ “President Trump began his midterm-convention address last night by casting his spell on the crowd in Dallas. ‘This place is packed,’ he announced from the stage, pointing to the back of the American Airlines Center, where everyone could see hundreds of empty seats. Those who looked up saw thousands more, whole sections without any people at all. But the crowd cheered anyway. A deal had been struck. Reality would be ignored.” The Atlantic (Gift Article): Trump’s Dream World in Dallas.
+ Of course, this election is about a lot more than messaging. It’s also about rigging. And that effort isn’t getting a great reception, either. US appeals court rejects Trump’s bid to impose restrictions on mail-in voting before midterms. And, Supreme Court blocks Missouri’s attempt to use newly drawn Republican congressional map.
