As we move into the Spring and Summer of the 2024 election season, it is fun to point out that So-and-so “had a really bad week.”
Problem is, “So-and-So” is … everyone.
Fox had a really bad week even if it wasn’t as bad as many people had been hoping for.
Those (and I’m talking to you) who were disappointed that the Dominion defamation suit was settled just as the popcorn vendors were getting into place.
People who were hoping to see Tucker Carlson and Rupert Murdock sweat and strain under questioning from Dominion’s lawyers are the same people who got to the town square early so as to have a good view of the day’s hanging.
Three quarters of a billion dollars is a lot of money. Is it enough to put Fox out of business? No. Is it enough to get Rupert’s attention? Yes.
Fox had a bad week.
Ron DeSantis had a bad week.
He didn’t have to go to court to defend himself, but he did go to Our Nation’s Capital to demonstrate the depth and breadth of support he has from Republicans in the Florida Congressional delegation.
Trump got more endorsements than DeSantis. Nine Members for Trump. One for Ron.
DeSantis is so focused on being the Favorite Fascist of the GOP – Disney, schoolbooks, abortion, and just this week a plan to ban land ownership by, among others, Chinese nationals – that his campaign is disintegrating even before it has officially begun.
Ron DeSantis had a bad week.
Mike Lindell had this theory that he had proof that the 2020 election was rigged (see, also, Fox News bullet points above). He was so sure he had the goods that he offered a $5 million prize to anyone who could show he was wrong.
A guy did. In about two-and-a-half hours a data expert named Robert Zeidman proved it was crap. This week an arbitrational panel ruled that Zeidman is owed the money and Lindell has to pay up.
A quick search on Amazon shows Lindell’s pillows selling for $32.50 per, meaning he might just ship off 15,385 pillows to Zeidman and call it even.
Mike Lindell had a bad week.
Kevin McCarthy, who is Speaker of the House at the whim of the most crazed members of his caucus is faced with a House Divided – not so much between Rs and Ds (although that is certainly true) – but between Rs and Rs.
He has a massively complex plan to go with a bill to raise the nation’s debt ceiling. Not all Republicans are in favor of all the clauses and Now Therefores and because of his thin majority, McCarthy can only afford to lose four of them.
In addition, one of the nutcases upon whom McCarthy’s support rests is the fun Republican Member from Georgia, Marjory Taylor Greene who was so obnoxious during a meeting of the Homeland Security Committee she had to be gaveled down by the Republican Chairman and her words stricken from the record.
McCarthy has to support MTG because he needed fifteen ballots to become Speaker in the first place. And she was one of his supporters.
Kevin McCarthy had a bad week. Again.
Finally, President Joe Biden had a bad week.
He didn’t do anything wrong. Didn’t lose a court case. Didn’t lose an important vote.
That’s the point. He didn’t do much of anything.
The U.S. Army cites Napoleon Bonaparte as saying “Never interrupt your enemy when he is making a mistake,” and as we’ve note above there are mistakes a-plenty being made by Biden’s opponents, it’s still a good idea to have some offense teed up.
His trip to Ireland caused barely a ripple on the political pond. His people had to run out late this week to tip that Biden will announced his campaign for re-election maybe as soon as next week.
Biden’s team needs to have him be a bit more in-our-face rather than disappearing into the background.
We don’t need Trump-like social media screeds, but we need to know Biden is engaged and fighting for his programs.
It’s time to point out the differences between a Biden Administration and anything the Republicans have to offer.
See you next week.
