Oz and Walker

[CJD]

(10-04-2022, 10:33 PM)samhain Wrote: It's strange to see the Republican Party, ie the party that bashed dems for being the party of Hollywood and celebrities, go back to the well hard for celebrity candidates.  Not to mention, almost every famous person they run other than perhaps St. Ronnie was deeply flawed in obvious ways.  

When your party has no policies or goals beyond obstruction, you often have to rely on name recognition to get votes.

Quote:Trump was a gold mine for the right wing shift that we saw on the court and in working class America.  Unfortunately for the party, he sucks in an almost unexplainable way in choosing candidates.  His endorsement has meant less than almost any reasonably popular political leader I've ever seen.  Yet, somehow, his overt criticism of members of his party can be a death sentence.  The guy cares for only himself, and he's a shit liar.  He can't even muster the discipline to look like he give a single shit about his party's candidates that aren't Donald Trump.  He even takes opportunities to humiliate them at times when they need to look strong.  His endorsement of Bevin here in Kentucky was a master class in half-assed public speaking and motivation of the base in a very right-wing state.  

One Youtuber I follow, Beau of the Fifth Column, often says "You can't win a Republican primary without Trump's endorsement, you can't win a general election with Trump's endorsement."

Obviously, that statement is hyperbolic and reductive, as I imagine there are people who have won in both scenarios, especially in deep red areas where the Republican was going to win regardless of his endorsement, but the general trend is that Trump's endorsement helps in primaries, hurts in general elections.

Quote:I think Fetterman wins pretty handily and would bet Warnock as well (although not as decisively) if I had to put money on it.  The domestic violence/abortion/mental illness rumors around Walker will be tough to overcome.  I also think that Warnock, if he wins, will start to become a popular potential candidate for higher office.  His reputation as a worker is well noted, and a Democratic Senator from a southern state will always be a prime option for the party nationally.

The polls I'm seeing have Fetterman and Warnock winning, but I don't trust polls anymore haha. I think both states would be absolutely insane to elect either republican candidate, but then I feel that way about a lot of elections that end up going to the Republicans (like Tommy Tuberville winning somehow).