This election is about values, not policies. It was *always* about values and not policies. This was obvious to anyone with half a brain-cell from the first day that Trump announced he'd be running again. Every single comms person who does not get that should be given their severance and a reference
Every single question needs a pivot to values.
"Why shouldn't we deport all those immigrants?" Great question Jake, because they are people, many of whom have lived here for decades and have lives here. And we don't just deport people, even if they do crimes, or else I'd have to deport Trump.
"What about inflation?" Great question Jake, love the question, it's my favorite. The reason for the inflation is because of COVID, which Mr Trump made catastrophic, and the war in Ukraine, started by Mr Trump's friend in Russia. That sucks! Mr Trump is lobbying in Congress to deny you help.
"Are you too old?" Fantastic question Jake, love the enthusiasm. You know, this country is pretty old too. I love this country. Even though it's very old and a little creaky sometimes, I love it dearly. I think it's future looks bright, and I'm proud to work for all the generations after me
"What about Ukraine?" Great question Jake, love it, my favorite question so far. America is blessed with liberty and safety, and I work every day to keep it that way. But it's our duty to defend liberty and our values overseas too, unlike Mr Trump, who wants to abandon our friends to subjugation
"What about your golf handicap" Wow, what a kooky question, so inventive. You know, I haven't had much time to work on my golf game these past few years because I've been working so hard for the American people to get us out of an inflation spiral started and made worse by Mr Trump over there
America has real problems, Jake, it's true. A lot of folks are anxious about the future. I get it. Every day we're working to correct that, and Mr Trump is working hard to keep you poorer and promise you a future of violence and revenge. He's a fraud and a crook. You know it. Folks at home know it.
But wait, Jake, I have a stray neuron firing about HBCUs and Pell grants that some staffer tried to jam in my ear when I should have been resting and hanging out with my wife, and I have to get it in here because I'm told it really moves the needle
“Ask yourself, why does every fuckwit asshole billionaire want this obvious *loser* of a man to be President? So they can continue to fuck over every person who works for a living, because that’s what he did and he won’t stop them from doing it to you“
Also... Everyone knows Trump lies about his golf scores, so why take his word about his golf handicap. Just like you shouldn't take his word that he'll accept the election results when we all saw with our own eyes Mr Trump inciting a mob to steal an election for him.
I can't believe he started bickering with Trump about his golf handicap. "I'd play a round of golf with you if you carry your own bags," was a great line and it got completely lost in the subsequent rambling about his handicap when he was VP.
Clickbait headline:
"Joe Biden Knows Illegals Commit Crimes…and Doesn't Care!"
This entire thread is perfectly cogent, but the person who can deliver those lines isn't Biden, no matter the prep or coaching. He would eventually devolve in to his folksy ice-cream shop brain.
All elections are about values at their core.
Policy is just the application of values to the real-world.
Poll-driven ‘median voter’ wonk brain approaches cannot grasp this because they are fundamentally amoral.
particularly grim if your poll-driven consultant-brained comms staff are obsessed with chasing 5 votes you'll never get at the expense of demoralizing 5000 votes who'll sit at home because you've let them down
he's fucked up so badly i'm sitting this one out, as a canvasser, because it's hard to advocate for him when this term's mostly been broken promises
i really fucking hate that! i moved across the country to do politics
whichever fucking dipshit at the WH told him to go with "actually illegal immigrants murdered people under *your* administration" was a good line to take needs to be bundled into a black van and taken to a monastery or something to reflect on their life choices and try and grow a soul
I'm astonished not only that he willingly pivoted to illegal immigration--his weakest topic and Trump's strongest--but he pivoted to it AWAY from abortion and women's rights--his strongest issue and Trump's weakest. I wanted him to blast that motherfucker about Roe
My grim amusement right now is that normally I think that who cares what the figurehead is saying, it is the people behind him that count, and the people behind him are telling him to say that the supreme court is legitimate.
I'm sure Biden's not the first politician to say it, but I know I've heard him say it, "Show me your budget, and I'll tell you what your values are." (Pretty sure he said to Paul Ryan)
All elections are about the values of the oligarchs who pay for them at their core. The candidates’ job is how to trick the voters to vote against their interests.
Honestly, I think Trump 2016 disproves the values thesis. I think historical contingency put him in a position to win the Republican nomination, and as bad as the values already were, they got substantially worse to accommodate Trump.
I'm arguing something similar to the Overton Window. Basically, I think people's values have plasticity, and will deform to protect ego, to fit in, or when under threat.
I hate it but I think you are correct. By and large people care about fitting in and getting on with their community.
Values mold to fit community norms.
What I wanted to hear Biden say:
“You disgust me sir. You are a liar, a cheat, a narcissist. It sickens me to share the stage with a man like you. But I am here because I am here to to ask the American people, the people who love democracy, the people who truly love this country, to stop you.”
Honestly the #1 reason I want Dems back in is out of the decently probable hope that Thomas and Alito die within the next 4 years which I guess could be both a values and policy vote
I mean, this to some extent, but what's really important is what maybe 50,000 voters out of a potential ~250,000,000 think. Which guy do they WANT to vote for?
How do you make them WANT to vote for your candidate?
No one sells dresses by making them "factually better."
I remember as a child watching ABC nightly news doing (probably rather shallow) 'deep dives' into the relative merits of the Clinton and Dole budget proposals.
I can't even imagine that now, in part because one party doesn't even have them.
