for god's sake can we please primary biden, please

[SGR]

i don't feel his charisma but i don't really like taylor swift either

I don't get the obsession with Taylor Swift. Her music is mid. And yeah, no charisma or unique draw. Physical attraction goes a long ways I guess. Even still, I prefer curves in women. Bebe Rexha over Swift any day of the week.

[Jwb]

i don't feel his charisma but i don't really like taylor swift either

in the case of desantis i don't think he's even popular for any supposed charisma he has. He's grinding the culture war hard first with covid shit and then later with the trans shit. That's why he's popular. He takes hard line positions and is the relatively successful governor of one of the most populous states.  He's never been the sort of cult of personality that Trump is.

But he needs to find some balls if he's gonna take on trump.  Those pudding finger ads are hilarious.

[Nimbly9]

DeSantis is basically a Rhodes Scholar compared to either Biden or Trump.  It isn't about charisma - on his worst day he's still a strong debater and I'm sure both Biden and Trump are aware they'd get crushed by him if they're put into that situation.  That's why we are seeing Trump say stuff like "why should I even show up at a debate with other Republicans" right now - he knows if he gets up there he's gonna get wrecked.

That being said, I know Trump wants to get up there with Biden again because, for whatever reason, he doesn't feel as threatened by him on a stage.  He's been nursing his grudge for a few years now, so I'm sure he's looking forward to a rematch.  It is both hilarious and sad that we have to watch two guys older than my own grandparents fight it out like some kind of clown show at Luby's, but I guess that's what America wants now.

[Lexi Darling]

I like Taylor Swift's music because it reminds me of being a teenager. I'm not a "swiftie" and her fan cult is as frightening to me as anyone.

And yeah, Desantis is terrifying because he's an iron-fisted wannabe dictator. He's not there to be a likable guy. I can only hope that turns off a lot of moderates but I ain't holding my breath.

[Toy Revolver]

remember when trump stalked hillary around the stage and stood behind her


she would probably been president if she just said it exactly like this "go sit the fuck down you weird ass fucking fat cunt"

in fact i know half of trump's base would've shifted

if i debated trump i'd out trump his ass so bad

they'd be like "mr toy revolver what are you going to do about gun control" and i'd be like we're gonna on dig up trump's mother and fuck her corpse

[Toy Revolver]

I like Taylor Swift's music because it reminds me of being a teenager. I'm not a "swiftie" and her fan cult is as frightening to me as anyone.

And yeah, Desantis is terrifying because he's an iron-fisted wannabe dictator. He's not there to be a likable guy. I can only hope that turns off a lot of moderates but I ain't holding my breath.

i think his anti-trans stuff could be neutralized if the message wasn't so much like "trans women ARE women" but more like "yeah we're a little different but so fucking what?"

the complexity of gender and all that is a loser just like race isn't real

i mean if you're smart and can dig deep those positions will resonate as deep truths but if you're just whatever it feels like you're being gaslighted "so black people aren't really black people and women can have ding dongs, puhleeze!"

and with terfs i think it should just be like if you want your own afab only club fine but you're gonna miss all the best parties

[Lexi Darling]

i think his anti-trans stuff could be neutralized if the message wasn't so much like "trans women ARE women" but more like "yeah we're a little different but so fucking what?"

the complexity of gender and all that is a loser just like race isn't real

i mean if you're smart and can dig deep those positions will resonate as deep truths but if you're just whatever it feels like you're being gaslighted "so black people aren't really black people and women can have ding dongs, puhleeze!"

and with terfs i think it should just be like if you want your own afab only club fine but you're gonna miss all the best parties

I suppose I agree to some extent in terms of explaining transness to the general public. But honestly I don't think it matters how palatable we try to make ourselves to cis America, the right wing propaganda machine wants us all gone, and I don't think there's much we can say in our defense that will make them lay off us.

Most people have never known or even spoken to a trans person, they only see us through the lens of what the media says about us and decide to curate to the masses. A lot of the time the hate and misinformation is ingrained before we can even say anything at all.

I think anti-trans hate is just one symptom of a wider anti-feminist movement by the Christian right. The obsession with fertility and babymaking, the total conformity to antiquated ideas of rigid masculinity and femininity, the anti-abortion and anti-birth control stance, it's all connected and it's all starting to feel very Handmaid's Tale-esque.

[jimmy jazz]

if i debated trump i'd out trump his ass so bad

they'd be like "mr toy revolver what are you going to do about gun control" and i'd be like we're gonna on dig up trump's mother and fuck her corpse

 

You'd be like Rob Ford x 50.

(RIP Fordy 💐)

[SGR]

DeSantis is basically a Rhodes Scholar compared to either Biden or Trump.  It isn't about charisma - on his worst day he's still a strong debater and I'm sure both Biden and Trump are aware they'd get crushed by him if they're put into that situation.  That's why we are seeing Trump say stuff like "why should I even show up at a debate with other Republicans" right now - he knows if he gets up there he's gonna get wrecked.

I disagree that it's not about charisma. Charisma is only part of the equation though. Just look at how well Kamala or Bloomberg did in the Dem primaries compared to the other candidates.

I'm not sure if Trump's trial balloon suggestion of not doing the debates is serious or not. But I doubt it's because he fears he's 'going to get wrecked'. I just think he knows that with his sizable lead right now, assuming it remained that way up until the first debate, he'd have little to gain, and a fair bit to lose. This assumes the debate even happens. If the only people polling high enough to qualify are Chris Christie, Vivek Ramaswamy, and Nikki Haley (assuming DeSantis doesn't run), all in the single digits, would the RNC even hold the debate? Would it be worth it for Trump to show up and put himself in a position where he'll be the complete focal point for the other candidates to try and attack and criticize? Of course, if they hold the debate and he decides to skip it, he'll face accusations that he's a coward who's afraid of the other candidates - but if he's dominating polls, would that even matter?

Charisma might not be a big deal when you're running for governor, but as a national candidate for President, you'll have a difficult time getting people to go out and vote for you without it. And if DeSantis can't sharpen his image and presentation, people are going to view him as the uncharismatic tribute band for Donald Trump. And not many are going to want to go out and vote for the tribute band when they could instead see the original act.

Even if DeSantis is a better debater in an academic sense, when he's in front of a national audience with Trump throwing jabs and personal attacks and jokes at him, do you think he's going to come out of that looking better? Or will he fumble and crumble, and look weak and ineffective compared to Trump?

Ron DeSanctimonious is probably only the warm-up nickname. If he gets in the race and on that debate stage, there will be more - especially if he answers questions like this:

Meatball Ron? Bobblehead Ron? There's many options. Trump is shameless, so these kinds of tactics don't really work well against him. But he has an impressive ability to hone in on the weakness and vulnerabilities of others and drink from that well until it's dry, e.g. John Kasich's table manners:

[jimmy jazz]

hahahaha what a post

[SGR]

hahahaha what a post

I have issues with brevity lol

To make up for my novel, he's another dashing picture of Bebe Rexha:

[jadis]

I don't get the obsession with Taylor Swift. Her music is mid. And yeah, no charisma or unique draw. Physical attraction goes a long ways I guess. Even still, I prefer curves in women. Bebe Rexha over Swift any day of the week.

Physical attraction to what though? To her elbows? That's Taylor's most prominent physical feature afaic. She's uniquely sexless. Probably all smooth down there like a Barbie doll

That Bebe Rexha though https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p0E9urVs-2o

[Toy Revolver]

I suppose I agree to some extent in terms of explaining transness to the general public. But honestly I don't think it matters how palatable we try to make ourselves to cis America, the right wing propaganda machine wants us all gone, and I don't think there's much we can say in our defense that will make them lay off us.

it matters i think because it's good to make the fringe right seem fringe - right now they use confusion to attract joe sixpack -

also i don't want to talk to you like you're part of a monolith

in fact, trans people take every approach imaginable and many a variety and many are non-political

i mean just like any group every individual has their own brain

I think anti-trans hate is just one symptom of a wider anti-feminist movement by the Christian right. The obsession with fertility and babymaking, the total conformity to antiquated ideas of rigid masculinity and femininity, the anti-abortion and anti-birth control stance, it's all connected and it's all starting to feel very Handmaid's Tale-esque.

some of those people are non-negotiable but some are flexible- people believe things one day then claim they never believed it the next

if there's a messaging problem maybe it can be improved upon and maybe there's too much orthodoxy

it used to be like everyone thought all gays were super flamboyant- then it was like dink (double income no kids) and suddenly a lot of (not all) corporate america loved them some gay

the image changed, now i think the typical whoever don't see gays as a monolith but as individuals

i know you express a lot of concern about the political climate and i hear you there's huge cause for alarm but i still think you're actually proof of the progress and whether you wanted it or not i think that's why we love you on here - we should or i should love you the same trans or not but i can't help but love you more because you're a living representive of the inclusive world i want to live in but i also know i have to respect it's not your duty to be an avatar for something for me

it feels related to me the way many poor whites in the rural wherever are presented as hating blacks and voting against their financial interests as long as their whiteness is acknowledged

but i have been in the boonies a pretty lot - granted i'm white but i also think the ultra bigoted redneck is largely a social media fiction but the fiction is so widespread that they feel under attack

that's part of the reason why i'm so into the southern white trash thing

those cunts cannot define my culture i define my own fucking culture not twitter or cnbc or anyone that isn't me

and yes i'm going here again

it starts with loving the poor and economic justice

randon as fuck i know

[SGR]

Physical attraction to what though? To her elbows? That's Taylor's most prominent physical feature afaic. She's uniquely sexless. Probably all smooth down there like a Barbie doll

That Bebe Rexha though https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p0E9urVs-2o

Yeah, I dunno. I mean, I'm just speaking for what I think others believe. I don't deny that Swift is 'pretty' in a traditional sense. But beyond that she seems completely manufactured and plastic - and not in a Kim Kardashian sort of way - more of in a "is this actually a human?" sort of way.

Glad to see you're on the Bebe train though. 

[jimmy jazz]

I have issues with brevity lol

To make up for my novel, he's another dashing picture of Bebe Rexha:

She's OK. She no Dua Lipa though.