The medium is the message
The alleged “appeal” of Ron DiSantis is that he’s “Trump without the baggage.” So why is DiSantis (and Nikki Haley and Vivek Ramaswamy, the other Trump imitators) doing so poorly? The answer is that the Trumpenproletariat *want* the Trump baggage. To them, that’s his appeal.
The Canadian philosopher Marshall McLuhan nailed this decades ago: the medium is the message. Trump is the medium and thus Trump is the message. Anyone else is a different medium and thus cannot be the same message. If you, like me, listen to the actual, you know, content of Trump’s speech and are puzzled, it’s because you don’t understand McLuhan’s point.
I had the same problem with Reagan. When I listened to him, he always sounded to me like a genial old fool. After his debates, I was stunned when the press said he “won” the debate. But Reagan was the medium and the message for his voters, and I was listening to him wrong.
Look, we all know Trump is going to be the GOP nominee. Regardless of the outcomes of any of his trials, the Trumpenproletariat will pull the lever for him in November. But to win the election, he’ll have to expand his base of support. He’s eight years older than he was in 2016, when he seemed to being having fun running for office. Actually having to serve as president for four years, then losing the 2020 election, then seeing many of his anointed candidates lose, then seeing the very real prospect of jail time on the horizon have all made him much angrier than when he last won in 2016. He will have months to test whether the new, angry, vengeful Trump medium plays well outside his cult.
Why Isn’t DeSantis the Guy
NY Times – Jan 19
He combines intensity and action, which might be the source of some of the weirdness that followed him and his campaign. …
Can Biden Still Win? How the Anti-Trump Coalition Crumbled (nymag.com)
Jonathan Chait – Jan 17
(A great read. Free for a while, they say.)
It seems like it will take a degree of Political Sophistication to get Joe Biden re-elected. So, go on people, Get Sophisticated!
@Fred,
The “political left” doesn’t exist in America. The POTUS contest in 2024 is between the Republican party and the Democratic party. The Republican party is the party of the Trump extreme right. The Democratic party is the party of conservatives. There is no significant left in this contest. Any analysis that talks about the role of the “political left” can be safely ignored. Chait is a clown.
By continually saying the political left ‘doesn’t exist’, you are (I guess) asserting that you have no say in how politics goes in the US, correct? Or do you feel otherwise? I think many feel this way. Are you by chance a registered Dem?
@Fred,
It’s not about me. My comment that there is no significant “left” in the US is based on observation.
I’m old enough to recall the era when “Rockefeller Republicans” ruled the GOP. As the GOP has moved to the right, the Democratic party of FDR has moved rightward too. Today, the GOP is the party of right-wing extremists and the Democratic Party is the party of Rockefeller Republicans. Since there are only two major parties in the US, there is no significant liberal or left party.
Also, look at politics in Europe and other nations that have a parliamentary system that can stably maintain more than two parties. In every case, you’ll find parties that are genuinely “left,” far more liberal than today’s Democratic party.
So by continually saying the p0litical left ‘doesn’t exist,’ I am asserting that casual inspection of the two significant parties here reveals zero parties on the political left as exemplified in most democracies on the planet.
It’s a common trope among progressives that the that there are no True democrats in the Democratic party, which is demeaning to moderates. This causes a lack of respect for Progressives among them.
AOC! AOC! AOC! (as soon as she’s old enough to run for President!
And then we’ll see how that goes. (I’m serious about this.)
Are you among those who figure Trump might as well be re-elected because that will bring this country to its knees so to speak, and then true progressives will come to its rescue.
So it would seem. (I’m pretty sure that the strategy is to not admit to holding such beliefs, however. Bwa hah hah.)
@Fred,
No, I am not. I am still a loyal American and don’t root for America’s destruction. And nothing I’ve posted her remotely suggests otherwise. YMMV.
The people in the group that cannot be named favor ending the nanny oversight of US. Evangelicals support ‘right-to-life’. Rocked-ribbyness requires NH GOP voters to go along with the former folks. Mrs Fred & I are looking forward to greatly diminished right-wing political clamor on our TV. Just let it be over up theah,
Joel,
I agree with many of your comments and postings, but to say the political left does not exist in America is a bit inaccurate. The Progressive wing of the Democratic Party is certainly representative of the political left and often has significant influence on decision-making including choosing POTUS.
I’m guessing that I’m at least as old as you. I worked in the environmental sector for 46 years and am supportive of the environmental movement in general.
To some extent the Progressive wing drives and forces positive change. Unfortunately, at times it can be so impatient, focused, and driven that it does not see the big picture. This is when it becomes destructive and counterproductive.
For example (one of many), many of the passionate and dedicated supporters of climate change solutions cannot see that there is only one choice to even begin to advance their cause in today’s world. They complain about Joe Biden’s age and say he is not doing enough. It’s fine to disagree with the Administration, but without a democratic government, there is no hope for climate change solutions or other solutions for that matter.
In certain instances it is dangerous when Progressives attempt to use their political power, voting (or not voting), and activism, to express their disagreement with Administration policy, and fail to recognize that the alternative is the complete disenfranchisement of their position.
Just as there are many examples of where the persistent and passionate positions of the far right of the Republican Party have upset reasonable solutions, the Progressive wing of the Democratic Party is guilty at times as well.
In the past when the country was debating policy disagreements and alternative solutions to issues, the stakes were not as high. In 2024 the stakes could not be higher; they are between good v. evil; right v. wrong; and democracy v. autocracy.
I am convinced that if the electorate could keep its eye on the big picture, and temporarily set aside personal passions, democracy would win hands down. The Progressive wing (political left) of the Democratic Party will be a major factor in the outcome. Democrats, in particular, seem to have a problem prioritizing and focusing.
@McJ,
” . . . but to say the political left does not exist in America is a bit inaccurate.”
I don’t believe I wrote that “the political left does not exist in America.” I did post that there is no “significant” left in America, and I stand by that observation. By “significant,” I mean having the capacity to drive meaningful policy change, not having the capacity to get mentioned on CNN or attacked on Fox. Biden is governing like an old-school Republican–I certainly don’t see his nomination and election as evidence for the influence of the “left” in Democratic party politics.
There are undeniably voices on the left in America, both inside and outside the Democratic party. But we’re stuck with a two-party system, and neither party represents the “left.”
Part of the problem is that words like “left/liberal” and “right/conservative” have been redefined in the media. For example, it is considered left/liberal to advocate for reproductive choice. Actually, getting the nanny state out of a woman’s reproductive choice decisions is a profoundly conservative value. Criminalizing abortion is a right-wing extremist position, not a conservative one. I could give other examples.
It seems to me that the left is indeed able to drive political change in the Dem party, just not to the extent they’d like it to apparently. They are certainly not ignored, but they don’t get all they want, no doubt.
Getting the guv’mint out of reproductive rights is exactly what progressives want, and it is NOT necessarily what conservatives want.
They are looking out for the rights of the unborn, over the rights of mothers, certainly. Or, in other words, they are looking out for the rights of fathers.
@Fred,
“Getting the guv’mint out of reproductive rights is exactly what progressives want, and it is NOT necessarily what conservatives want.”
Conservatives want the nanny state out of the lives of citizens. People who want abortion (and birth control) to be criminalized are not conservative, they are right-wing extremists. Calling them “conservative” is just right-wing re-branding. I’m not falling for it. YMMV.
Joel,
In a reply to Fred above, you did say, “@Fred, The “political left” doesn’t exist in America.”
That aside, my point is the “political left” does exist in America and is embodied in the Progressive Wing of the Democratic Party, and has had significant influence over policy in our government. As I noted above, Progressives often move the government in a positive direction, but when they become obsessed and single-focused they can often be dangerous and counterproductive to the public good. Additionally, the failure of Progressives to sometimes recognize and accept a compromise that advances the cause, but may be less than perfect from their perspective, casts a negative perception on the Democratic Party and gives news media and Republicans the sound bites they crave.
While there are many examples, most notably:
1. They delayed and nearly derailed the massive infrastructure bill.
2. They did derail some very significant voting rights legislation.
3. By obsessing over their dislike for Joe Biden on some particular issue, and exercising their power to vote for an alternate candidate, or not voting, they may very well facilitate the election of Donald Trump.
@McJ,
If I posted that the political left doesn’t exist in America, then I apologize. I’m fully aware that there is an insignificant communist party and an insignificant socialist party in America. What I’ve mostly said here is that there isn’t a significant political left in America. There are only two significant parties in America, the Democratic Party and the Republican Party. The former is the conservative party and the latter is the party of Donald Trump and right-wing extremism.
I understand your concern that criticism by the “left” faction in the Democratic Party could pose a threat to Biden in November. I don’t happen to share that concern. I think most left/liberal voters will realize by the fall that by not voting for Biden, the lesser of two evils, they are voting for Trump. It’s way too early to panic yet.
Progressives are needed in the Dem party. That’s where they belong. They are influential. Not as much as unions, but hey. They have a voice. They are young, for the most part. ‘Nuf said?
@Fred,
I completely agree that progressives are needed in the Democratic Party, particularly young progressives. I’m not describing my wishes in my posts here, I’m just describing reality.
If you can, pick a GOP ballot in New Hampshire — and use it to stop Donald Trump
(By voting for Nikki Haley. I disagree.)
Boston Globe editorial – way earlier this morning
Independents can vote in the New Hampshire GOP primary. On Tuesday, they should help anti-Trump Republicans defeat the former president as he seeks the nomination again.
… Florida Governor Ron DeSantis is also still in the race, but he appears to have given up on New Hampshire. …
If his record in office wasn’t enough, Trump also hasn’t done much to earn New Hampshire’s support. He’s barely deigned to campaign, much less make the rounds of the states’ breakfast spots. Partisans of the New Hampshire primary like to say it forces candidates to engage in the rigors of retail campaigning, but Trump hasn’t done anything like that. …
? And, Biden should pay the price for dissing NH in favor of allowing SC to have the first primary, obviously. If nothing else, the Globe is looking out for NH interests.
Nikki Haley …
Her careful, clever challenge may not succeed in the Republican primary, but it points the way to a post-Trump GOP.
Boston Globe – Jan 17
… Haley, to be clear, is still a longshot. She trails Trump by wide margins in national polls. And if the former president manages to rout her in New Hampshire, the race will effectively be over.
But if she can pull off a near-victory in the primary here — or better yet, an upset — she could alter the dynamics of the race.
Tom Rath, a New Hampshire politico who served as a senior adviser to five Republican presidential candidates, says a Haley win in the Granite State would be a “cataclysm” that opens up “genuine competition” in the contest.
And even if she falls short, she could still wind up as Trump’s pick for vice president. Going easy on the frontrunner is more than a clever strategy for securing the nomination; it’s a path to the consolation prize. …
(No, that’ll be Tim Scott, also from SC.)
@Fred,
“No, that’ll be Tim Scott, also from SC”
Your prophecy is noted.
I would not rule out a late change to Jim Jordan, or someone else in the Freedom Caucus. Note that Marjorie T-G has lately been kicked out of that group, perhaps to make them seem more moderate.
@Fred,
Melania apparently favors Tucker Carlson. I’ve seen a number of names. Not an adult in the group.
As you have said, Trump is a foregone conclusion for the GOP nomination, despite all the indictments and departures of former Cabinet members from his list of supporters, attempted insurrection, all the warnings of how bad a Revenge Presidency would be, the threat of martial law at the drop of a hat, theft of guv’mint secrets, etc.
Too much time has been consumed on the various prosecutions, owing to his consumate skill at delaying court action. Not possible to do a graceful exit from all that though, it may seem.
Trump Tries to Turn the GOP Race Into a Vice-Presidential Casting Call
NY Times – just in
Painting himself as inevitable, and seeing who will butter him up the most, Donald Trump has paraded a series of possible running mates, including Tim Scott, Elise Stefanik and J.D. Vance.
I’m thinking Elise Stefanik as UN ambassador, with Nikki Haley as vice ambassador.
Since SC is already in the tank, maybe a guy from Ohio for vp? An even better idea than someone from Indiana.
Elise Stefanik being from NY, home base for the UN, that’d be a natural fit, and Nikki Haley could serve as an excellent assistant, what with her prior UN experience.
Stefanik represents Albany, the state capitol, and all of NYS north to Canada, roughly a third of the state geographically.
NY Times ,,,
Y’know, putting Rep Stefanik on the ticket might win NY for Trump, but most likely not, so why bother. Need to pick someone from a swing state maybe? Ohio is more pro-GOP than not, but still..
Wikipedia: (Ohio’s) politics has been described as nationalist, protectionist, and moderate; the state is known for its status as both a swing state and a bellwether in national elections. …
The Biden campaign is joining Nikki Haley in piling on Donald Trump for his recent confused statements on the campaign trail in New Hampshire. Biden just put out an ad on X saying “I don’t agree with Nikki Haley on everything, but we agree on this much: She is not Nancy Pelosi,” referencing Trump confusing the two multiple times.
NY Times – a short while ago
NY Times –
The Union Leader, New Hampshire’s largest newspaper and one that reliably picked Republicans for a century before the rise of Donald Trump, endorsed Nikki Haley on Sunday in the Republican primary.
“Of course, we can’t talk about Nikki Haley without addressing the elephant in the room and the rather old donkey hiding in the White House,” it wrote, alluding to Mr. Trump and President Biden — though making no mention of Mr. Trump by name.
@Fred,
LOL! DiSantis has pulled out and endorsed Trump. It doesn’t matter what happens in NH. Haley will lose bigly in her home state of South Carolina. She may swirl the drain for a couple of weeks, but Trump will be the GOP nominee. All the rest is just theater.
Fred:
Instead of machine gunning an array of articles (20-something) to this commentary, step back, take a moment, think about what you are going to write, and write. A link or two, three in fine. What you are doing is abuse.
Where did I read this?
DeSantis dropped out of the presidential race & endorsed (fellow Floridian) Donald Trump.
@Fred,
Well, I posted it at 3:27 PM upthread. You might have read it there.