Outside the Beltway

Thursday Tabs

Go ahead and pop a few.

Steven L. Taylor
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13 responses to “Thursday Tabs”

  1. Mu Yixiao Avatar
    Mu Yixiao

    You hadn’t heard about the KFC thing?

    They blamed it on a social media bot.

    1
  2. steve Avatar
    steve

    I guess the headline should say that Mo Brooks finally awakens from Fox induced coma to notice what half of the country had already noticed. More seriously, GOP leadership working directly with Trump were aware of his faults but largely benefitted from them. However, now that they want to disown them how do they undo everything they did to grow and cement the faith of the cult? Most Republicans, in polls, claim they really believe the election was stolen. That means Trump can really win if you eliminate the steal. They have spent major efforts, coordinated with right wing media, trying to undermine the concept of truth. If Trump says it then it is true. If that is the case how can they now tell people Trump is lying?

    I get that politics can turn on a dime but in this case I think that by tapping into the evangelical base they have a core group of Trump supporters who are true believers. They are more likely to believe that the politicians like Mo Brooks turning against him are joining the evil elites, were secret socialists all along or whatever. As true believers they will easily create a narrative to explain those new doubters which if anything will reinforce their own faith.

    Steve

    3
  3. gVOR08 Avatar
    gVOR08

    Re Scott Adams (Dilbert) and Mo Brooks, Tom Nichols wrote a column a few weeks ago saying he was kind of done with GOPs. He introduced it by talking about his backing of Romney. He thought he was saying, “See what a thoughtful moderate I am.” What he was really saying was, “See what a slow learner I am.” However, saying Brooks is a slow learner may be unfair. He’s probably always known what Trump is. It’s just no longer profitable for him to pretend otherwise.

    1
  4. Kathy Avatar
    Kathy

    @steve:

    They can attack Benito as stupid, weak, and ineffectual, without ever calling him a liar.

    It’s even true.

    2
  5. CSK Avatar
    CSK

    @gVOR08:

    I agree about Brooks. Nichols has been opposed to Trump ever since Trump came down the golden escalator.

    1
  6. Kylopod Avatar
    Kylopod

    I truly think that in the case of Scott Adams, it’s because he thinks Trump no longer trolls effectively.

    3
  7. gVOR08 Avatar
    gVOR08

    @CSK: Yes, Nichols opposed Trump early. But, as I may have said once or twice in these threads, it ain’t just Trump. Nichols didn’t support the biggest liar to ever get the GOP nomination. But he did back the second biggest.

    I’ve been saying since probably 2017 that once Trump went away the rest of them would blame it all on Trump, claim they threw him out, and that with him gone we can trust them now. Nichols seems to see through DeSantis. I said he was a slow learner, but maybe he has learned. Let’s see how it plays out.

    1
  8. CSK Avatar
    CSK

    @gVOR08:

    You’ll be interested in this, particularly the final sentence of the piece:

    http://www.theatlantic.com/newsletters/archive/2022/09/a-sadistic-immigration-stunt/671470/

  9. JohnSF Avatar
    JohnSF

    @gVOR08:
    Thing is, you are likely to have two parties in the US system.
    Likely one will be broadly centre to rightwards, the other centre to leftward.
    Unless you get the Dems to shift over right, and get replaced by, dunno, a GreenSocialist Party, while Dems get transformed by an influx of homeless righties under the US open party alignment system, then you are probably stuck with the Republicans.

    Do you expect nobody to ever have voted for them, or ever do in the future?
    Sort of a “placeholder party” that just does it’s duty and loses? 🙂
    Effectively one party systems are dangerous.

    Personally I’d say you’d be better off with an actual “conservative” party, rather than the weird “right wing liberalism” of the Republicans, but given American traditions that’s a bit of an ask.

    1
  10. just nutha Avatar
    just nutha

    JohnSF: I see gVOR’s comment as reinforcing the details of what even “good” conservatives believe and will support. There is an ongoing hope in these parts that Trump is some sort of an aberration (which he is) and that “good” conservatives (who were toxic enough, in retrospect) will “take” back their movement and all will be well again (which I don’t foresee).

    Yes, a loyal opposition that helps the policy stay in balance would be a nice thing though. I’d like one that would press liberals to avoid taking on commitments that we’re chary about paying for without, when said opposition is in power, cutting programs so that the top .10% of the country can live tax free.

    1
  11. Barry Avatar
    Barry

    “‘I’m out’: Dilbert cartoonist says he’s finally done with Trump.”

    Note that this makes Scott Adam smarter than almost all journalists.

  12. Kathy Avatar
    Kathy

    @Barry:

    Maybe, but it comes 6 years late and over one million deaths from COVID short.

    I used to read Dilbert. Most of the cartoon’s characters were mean, with Dilbert mostly the exception. In many ways it often read like who can hurt whom most. There was also a good deal of satire of workplaces, bosses, employees, etc.

    Since he endorsed Benito, I see Adams mostly as mean and not so funny anymore. I haven’t even glanced at the strip since 2016.

    1
  13. Just Another Ex-Republican Avatar
    Just Another Ex-Republican

    What happened with Adams is so weird. Trump is pretty much the real world equivalent of a pointy-haired boss. Never been able to reconcile how Adams think Trump is a hero with his decades of comic strips.

    4

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