Ben, you really need time off and rest. How could you miss the strongest and most powerful English suporter there is, the Right Hourable member of the oldest Parliament there is: Nigel Farage
Minnesota last voted Republican in 1972, not 1960. Also I think elections like 2016, which saw Trump win 2 states that hadn’t voted Republican since 1988, show that it isn’t safe to assume that just because a state hasn’t voted for a party for many years that it won’t this time. More important is the fact that if Walz is the only thing that preserves Minnesota for the Dems then the election is clearly lost in other states.
Thanks Ben, really interesting, particularly on the confidence implied in the Tim Walz pick, and the amount of focus group work that will have been done. For me there are two additional strands that have resonated. One from the Washington post that walz fits with a more optimistic, less dramatic tone to the democrats attack on trump. Instead of adding to the sense of doom and being about saving democracy, showing themselves as having a more positive outlook and leaving the doom mongering to their opponents… weird is a great fit for that and walz’s style and demeanour also. Second is that he avoided progressive in fighting that would likely have been set off by a Shapiro pick. They’ve only got 100 days, they just don’t have time for that
Very interesting, as ever. On the point about the Democrat reputation for indecisiveness, I wonder if the speed with which they fell in behind Biden when he won the nomination and the speed this time for Harris means it is time to start calling that a misleading reputation?
I think we are all still caught up with the great Simpsons DNC Democratic poster 'We Hate Life and Ourselves'. They have been pretty effective since the Hilary / Bernie slugfest.
A little late at reading this but exciting stuff, professor. Good insights. I do wonder though if you are underestimating the effect of the attempted assassination. It has created a sympathy wave in my opinion that has surely spread like wildfire at least in the short run. Although losing momentum now, the attempted assassination visual is just too powerful to ignore. Keeping the somewhat political scientist in me on the backseat I believe the assassination attempt was just too potent to forget. After all, politics is as much about emotions as it is about empirical truths more so in this presidential race
Ben, you really need time off and rest. How could you miss the strongest and most powerful English suporter there is, the Right Hourable member of the oldest Parliament there is: Nigel Farage
Minnesota last voted Republican in 1972, not 1960. Also I think elections like 2016, which saw Trump win 2 states that hadn’t voted Republican since 1988, show that it isn’t safe to assume that just because a state hasn’t voted for a party for many years that it won’t this time. More important is the fact that if Walz is the only thing that preserves Minnesota for the Dems then the election is clearly lost in other states.
Sorry good catch on MN and 1972. Agree completely with your last point.
Thanks Ben, really interesting, particularly on the confidence implied in the Tim Walz pick, and the amount of focus group work that will have been done. For me there are two additional strands that have resonated. One from the Washington post that walz fits with a more optimistic, less dramatic tone to the democrats attack on trump. Instead of adding to the sense of doom and being about saving democracy, showing themselves as having a more positive outlook and leaving the doom mongering to their opponents… weird is a great fit for that and walz’s style and demeanour also. Second is that he avoided progressive in fighting that would likely have been set off by a Shapiro pick. They’ve only got 100 days, they just don’t have time for that
+1 for the title reference
Very interesting, as ever. On the point about the Democrat reputation for indecisiveness, I wonder if the speed with which they fell in behind Biden when he won the nomination and the speed this time for Harris means it is time to start calling that a misleading reputation?
I think we are all still caught up with the great Simpsons DNC Democratic poster 'We Hate Life and Ourselves'. They have been pretty effective since the Hilary / Bernie slugfest.
A little late at reading this but exciting stuff, professor. Good insights. I do wonder though if you are underestimating the effect of the attempted assassination. It has created a sympathy wave in my opinion that has surely spread like wildfire at least in the short run. Although losing momentum now, the attempted assassination visual is just too powerful to ignore. Keeping the somewhat political scientist in me on the backseat I believe the assassination attempt was just too potent to forget. After all, politics is as much about emotions as it is about empirical truths more so in this presidential race
Such a great song too.thanks