GOP’s Latest Criticism: Biden is too Normal
John Cornyn this week:
“The president is not doing cable news interviews,” Cornyn said on Twitter. “Tweets from his account are limited and, when they come, unimaginably conventional.”
That’s right – Cornyn’s not happy that Biden isn’t acting like a narcissistic screwball Trump. I know that sounds stupid, but that criticism has gained serious traction along with the usual “Biden is feeble” and “who’s in charge?” insults. This one, though, plays to only one demographic – Trumpists. Trump is still the hijacker, holding the entire GOP hostage, even though his primary weapon, Twitter, has been taken away from him since January, and there are few chinks in his armor against challengers.
Also this week, the Washington Post published a report that Biden is doing exactly what he said he would do during the campaign, to not be continuously top of mind for Americans. His calm demeanor and low key political style has calmed the waters in American political life. As measured by studies of Google searches, Trump is fading in the American consciousness and Biden has not replaced him. Since the inauguration, the number of searches using the terms Trump and Biden have declined.
But even as the attention of the American people on the presidency has diminished, attitudes towards it are much different. By a large margin, Trumpists and Trump leaners believe that Biden has made communication to the American people MORE negative than when Trump infested the WH. They actually liked Trump’s loud, abusive, and confrontational style, and now criticize, like Ccornyn, that Biden is too normal and not bombastic enough. A lot of that is the constant torrent of vitriol that they are fed by rightwing media and Republican politicians trying to keep the spotlight on themselves. The other is that much of Trump’s base is actually attracted to over the top rhetoric along with the childish bullying and insults. In short, Biden’s not a big enough asshole to suit them, and probably could never be.
The GOP is so subverted that just being normal is now viewed as weakness. The Crazy Train to 2024 is already full and pulling out of the station. It promises to be a weird trip.
The G0P represents the people that identify as Rs.
These people:
How broad is GOP sympathy for the Jan. 6 insurrection?
– 45% of Republicans said the attackers “had a point.”
– 51% said Congress “did not go far enough” to support “Trump’s efforts to overturn the election.”
– 78% still say Biden did not legitimately win.
https://twitter.com/saletan/status/1382870611555405831
1I smell executive remorse. Failure to overturn the election stressing you out? Try Biden’s Build Back Better.
2And Remember: Common side effects of Ambien include: dizziness. Other side effects include: hallucination. See below for a comprehensive list of adverse effects. See your GOP representative as soon as possible.
If the data behind Will Saletan’s tweet (quoted above) are correct, then the trip will not be merely weird, but extremely bumpy to dangerous. People who support insurrections generally continue to support violence as a means of gaining their political goals.
3Going from his majesty to Biden is like going from Hurricane Ike to a spring-fed stream in the hill country. Biden has brought in competent people to head various departments and they are! Cornyn et al just can’t get any traction going against Biden’s policies such as resuscitating our economy, pushing vaccinations and now infrastructure. Call them a waaambulance!
Also, thinking of you Miss JJ and sending you a big hug!
4Moon@2:
Although the rest of us are continuously amazed at how uncoupled the MAGA types are from anything we recognize as reality, it turns out that reality does eventually seep through. In way peculiar to them.
Notice how drastically the “White Lives Matter” rallies fizzled. Everybody who would have participated had something else to do. Maybe the consequences (arrests) of more than 400 of them over the Jan 6 insurrection in the daily news looks like too high a price to pay. Maybe the lack of a leader (yes Trump was a leader of sorts) to whip them up is the factor. Most likely more sane family and peers are finally getting through to them.
Most of them will cling to their racist, low-information, right-wing addled views. But they have to show up for the riot and for whatever reason now they aren’t.
Unfortunately we are still left with the crazed individuals with access to high powered weapons who finally go over the edge to make their statements. If team Biden manages to do something visible and positive about them then I am sure he will be re-elected.
5Alan @ 4 Even a cult of personality requires a personality. Stalin’s died with him.
Once Trump was detwittered, he needed to get on the road. He didn’t.
About 40% of Americans need a fuehrer. The manipulators are desperately searching for a substitute. Noem has applied, Jordan, Hawley etc.
So far, none has caught the falling torch.
They won’t either. This morning Newsmax was reduced to defending Jordan’s hurt feelings.
6The Drama Doughnut is missing it’s hole. So far the applicants are either unhealthy lard or inedible air. No reason to list them as the day is still young and 2022? Meh. In Scaramuccis of QOP self destruction, h/t to the sci-fi fans and fans of The Rocky Horror Show.
Be not mistaken. Jane and I are doing what we can for the bluest tsunami ever in 2022. We lack words to express what President Biden, VP Harris and their administration have done to restore ‘normal.’ We’re leaving Afghanistan! That’s a big fucking deal. We’re standing up to Covid-19, that’s a life saving times millions.
As much as the war on drugs, multiple wars in other countries, and war in general are known failures, as a bi-partisan “gift” to the QOP we’d like to offer them one last war, the “War on Stupid.” Whoa. Stop. Some of you might say that’s a war on their own selves. Jane & I would not disagree per se. But given their propensity for voting against their own interests, otherwise shooting themselves in the foot, and being abject failures, let’s go with some Matt Gaetz, Gym Jordan and Boebert et al kinky.
Enjoy the normal. Anticipate the good life. Not only for ourselves, but our children and grandchildren, if we continue to bore the QOP with policies that are solutions.
So yeah. We deserve a few dull moments after that former guy. In a bi-partisan offering to Donnie** the twice impeached and his court jester Rudy G, something from Glee: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=laHxMOzGpH0 (Time Warp)
Albeit the QOP part of the Texas lege would adore “Sweet Transvestite.”
But for the fun we all deserve after a year+ of Covid and 4 years of the ***king moron, I’d go with this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oUss_sqDBJE
Sweet ginger Jayma Mays in Glee is a damn good metaphor for Jen Psaki.
7There are people who prefer outrage. It provides them with an enemy to battle, it makes their blood boil, pumps adrenaline into their circulatory system, and makes them feel alive.
Trump provided this every day, Fox News has for decades. Their Tweets & broadcasts highlighted events comparable to car crashes at a NASCAR race, or noted how a driver almost caused one to happen, or maybe even wanted a multi-car accident to occur.
Biden, now in the lead position circles the track, too fast for their comfort, and they can’t stand it that their guy, the one they bet on, has disappeared into the repair pit changing tires and whatnot, drinking Diet Cokes while accepting tiny awards for nothing with a big smile.
8Headline today: Founding member of Oath Keepers pleads guilty in Capitol breach, agrees to cooperate against others.
Hmmm. Better change that to “Oath Breakers.”
9Speaking of GQP subversion, I was advising y’all to read this [below discussed] website months -before- the January 6th Insurrection by the worst of the GQP/MAGAot Trumpanzees.
Now there are serious articles and reports about it, after the fact, confirming my earlier alarm soundings; too bad nobody else much seemed to be paying attention…
[contrary to a statement below, the website is NOT “defunct’, it has simply changed its’ domain name and web hosting service]
.
https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2021/4/16/2026131/-Pro-Trump-website-TheDonald-confirms-detailed-plans-to-storm-Capitol-and-kill-members-of-Congress
https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2021/04/15/thedonald-capitol-attack-advance-democracy/
“If there were any lingering doubts as to the violent intentions and motives of those who stormed the Capitol on Jan. 6, those doubts may now be put to rest. From minute details, such as the most effective type of zip ties to restrain elected officials to the most effective methods of killing police officers, the rioters left a chilling and irrefutable electronic trail on a website dedicated to overturning the 2020 election on Donald Trump’s behalf. Prior to Jan. 6, that website, “TheDonald.win,” had generated over 1 million visits per day.
A research group called Advance Democracy, formed by former FBI analyst and Senate investigator Daniel Jones, collected thousands of messages posted by pseudonymous users of the now-defunct website in the days leading up to the insurrection. The posts were distilled into a report and provided to The Washington Post. Jones’ group had previously focused on the online effort to mobilize the riot, and it soon became evident that this particular website served as one of the rioters’ primary organizational hubs.”
There ya go…
10The Trumpists Crazy Train has never pulled into the station to let anyone off. It’s still out there, chock full of nutcases who are as addicted to Trump’s lies–especially the Big Lie that something was wrong with the last election (because Trump lost)–imaginary enemies, racism, and chaos as Trump is himself. I hope that changes, but I’m not betting on it.
The Biden administration is the best-equipped group we’ve had in years and years to do things that ordinary people say they want done. The passengers on the Crazy Train will fight them tooth and nail, and then take credit for whatever benefits get through Congress; so the Biden administration needs to blow its own horn enough for everyone who benefits to know who is responsible for them. I hope they can do that well enough to change some minds for the 2022 and 2024 elections. The struggle shouldn’t be that hard, but it is.
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