The 24 Seven: Time Marches On Edition
24sight News’ twice-weekly newsletter highlighting the seven most important stories shaping the race for the White House
1 Ixnay the age shaming
Reluctant septuagenarian Donald Trump loves to tell supporters how old and feeble he thinks Joe Biden is compared to him.
The problem is, according to a New York Times piece, some of Trump’s geriatric fans see themselves in his attacks on the incumbent 81-year-old president.
“I don’t want to make fun of him. I are him,” 79-year-old Marjean Stern said of Trump bashing Biden for allegedly having “senior moments.”
Trump turned 78 last week, a milestone he wished had gone unnoticed as he made the rounds on Capitol Hill.
And with the first presidential debate scheduled for next Thursday in Atlanta, Trump is torn between portraying Biden as being barely aware and anticipating that the lifelong politician could land some rhetorical punches in the one-on-one meeting.
“Mr. Trump, 78, has spent months casting the 81-year-old Mr. Biden as a husk of a man who can barely walk or formulate complete sentences,” the Times wrote of the Trump campaign’s challenge in managing expectations.
2 Disinfo dysfunction
Competency-related attacks against both candidates are ramping up this cycle, with critics cranking out selectively edited clips designed to show Biden or Trump looking somewhat lost or uttering gibberish.
And federal authorities tell NBC News say there’s nothing they can do about it.
Biden administration officials and federal agencies are basically throwing up their hands and letting political disinformation run wild between now and November because they don’t want to appear partisan for calling it out. FBI agents note that while they remain on top of policing foreign election interference, cracking down on domestic deep fakes and AI-enabled “cheap fakes” is much dicier.
“The FBI can and does investigate allegations of Americans spreading disinformation that are intended to deny or undermine someone’s ability to vote,” the agency said in an official statement.
But that’s just the tip of the iceberg.
“In interagency meetings about the issue, an FBI official said, it’s clear that the Biden administration does not have a specific plan for how to deal with domestic election disinformation, whether it’s a deepfake impersonating a candidate or a false report about violence or voting locations being closed that could dissuade people from going to the polls,” NBC writes.
3 Fixated on Fox
In other careful what you read/see/hear news, CNN reports that Trump remains obsessed with the Fox News empire.
From religiously citing them in his stream of consciousness posts on social media to demanding that the conservative network cut former House Speaker Paul Ryan from its corporate board — Ryan recently told reporters he would not vote for Trump this fall — Trump seemingly can’t quit the cable outlet he used to call home.
“ALL YOU NEED IS TRUMP,” the lovesick former president wrote online.
4 Unintended (?) consequences
Law professor Joyce Vance highlights the anticipated trickle-down effects of Trump’s promised mass deportation plans and the the anti-immigration proposals in the second term agenda the far-right Heritage Foundation is preparing for him over
“They don’t seem to understand that Trump’s proposed mass deportations would have a dramatic effect on our economy and our daily lives,” Vance writes, adding that after Alabama lawmakers passed their own immigration crackdown, things quickly spiraled.
“There weren’t enough workers to bring in the tomato crop the following spring. Prices skyrocketed and supply was limited. Construction crews were hit hard … there weren’t replacement workers available,” she writes of the hit on labor. Vance adds that public schools also lost funding because of low attendance after wary immigrants pulled out their kids to avoid unwanted scrutiny.
“The unintended consequences when immigrants disappear cascade far beyond the intended consequences,” Vance writes.
5 Too close to call
Two-term Rep. Bob Good is currently trailing in his high-profile GOP primary in Virginia.
His Trump-backed challenger, Virginia state senator John McGuire, has already claimed victory, while Good is calling for calm as the counting of outstanding ballots — and a likely recount — plays out over the next few weeks.
But pundits seem fine with declaring the real loser in this congressional standoff: vengeance seeking former Speaker Kevin McCarthy.
“If he couldn’t get rid of Nancy Mace or Bob Good, then who is he going to oust?” Cook Political Report analyst Dave Wasserman told the Washington Post, citing two of the eight House Republicans McCarthy sought to ruin this cycle after they voted with every House Democrat to strip him of power.
“This guy’s the former speaker of the House and he has been humiliated,” Good supporter and Trump ally Steve Bannon said.
6 ‘Indianians’
Mitch Daniels, the former Indiana governor and Purdue University president known for drawing attention with his bold proclamations and sharp politicking, struck again this week, penning an opinion piece for The Washington Post declaring one-party rule bad — citing Indiana Republicans’ near complete dominance of the state.
The scandalous part wasn’t that Daniels, who fought fervently to elevate the state GOP to where it is now, argument that partisan dominance undercuts the competition needed in a healthy democratic republic. It lay in one proper pronoun tucked in the piece: “Indianan”.
(To get a sense of the level of scandal in just one name, the Post piece was updated after publication to remove any reference to “Indianan” or “hoosier”. It seems unlikely that Daniels would have used that term, as he is as steeped in Indiana culture as anyone.)
It is rare indeed to hear anyone from Hoosierland refer to themself as an “Indianan” (like a “Michiganite” or an “Ohioander” — no idea if these are real terms or not, but maybe they are as of this typing.)
“Hoosier” is the preferred nomenclature. It’s capitalized for the mighty college ball team, lowercase for denizens of the Crossroads of America.
No less than the bipartisan team of Sen. Todd Young and then-Sen. Joe Donnelly made it official in 2017. Young said the Government Printing Office officially designated “hoosier” as the proper term for a resident of Indiana.
“If you’ve ever had to correct someone who’s called you an ‘Indianan’, today’s the day to celebrate,” Donnelly said at the time (H/T Mirror Indy’s Peter Hanscom.)
But it turns out “Indianan” may indeed be a term of art here.
Hoosier history sleuth Libby Cierzniak writes that shortly after becoming the country’s 19th state, in 1816, “Indianian” was adopted as the official name. A century later, a hoosier historian campaigned successfully to drop the extra “i” in the name and “Indianan” entered into regular use.
So, now that that’s settled, what’s an “Indianapolitan”?
7 Voting felon
One self-described fan of “law and order” has no problem touting his unwavering support for the quadruply indicted, 34 guilty counts-carrying presumptive GOP nominee this fall.
“Well, he was convicted — not that I believe it,” a Missouri man tells political gadflies, The Good Liars, of Trump’s election tampering verdict in New York.
“I believe the last election was rigged, too,” the Trump fan adds, chuckling to himself about, presumably, the absurd place we all find ourselves just five months out from Election Day.
No. 7 is a good way to end. Exposes the very stable genius type-logic that runs through Red Hat Nation. They don’t really believe their own nonsense. But, it’s a cool shirt bro. Buy another.