That’s kind of a Russell’s paradox there, isn’t it?
I’m just glad the media and political pundits are treating Fetterman and Walker exactly the same as far as their impairments and fitness for government are concerned/s
The fundamental problem with democracy is that success in politics doesn’t always translate into success in government.
Actually running the country involves different skill sets and attitudes from those of getting elected. Trump got elected, but look at the shit show that was his government.
This has long been known by SF fandom. When a group decides to go after a bidded con like WorldCon or WesterCon, there’s the chair of the bidding committee who, if the bid was successful, hands the reins over to the chair of the con committee.
But, that is the whole point. The Republicans, since Saint Ronnie, have been about making the government not work well. That is their entire ethos: government bad! It is just so much easier to promote reckless assholes and idiots if you goal is to make things fail. How much agenda and policy do you need when all you really want to do is break shit and your supporters know it?
“It’s plain to me that if the Democrats want to ever get back in power, they gotta nominate some jocks and start kickin’ some butt.”
- Frank Deford
“He wonders why so many of them are Republicans”
I would guess it’s because many athletes are not all that focussed on intellectual achievements. And this lack of awareness of the actual world around them fits in well with the Republican party.
They got theirs.
I think @Son_of_a_Rich is more correct than @Euphonious_Polemic. Most professional athletes have substantial wealth, that they feel they rightly earned at risk of life (rarely) and limb (certainly) but are taxed at a high rate due to graduated income taxes.
A strong additional correlation with ‘traditional’ conservative values for masculinity is probably also a large factor. And even for minority athletes (broad brush I acknowledge) their fame, popularity and wealth insulate them from the poor treatment that may otherwise influence their perspective of modern ‘Republican’ anti-white bias.
And that brings us back to SoaR’s point, even if they didn’t come from wealth and good support structures, they can claim proudly that they overcame it, and no one gave them a handout, so why should such things be needed? Overlooking that their athletic powers and circumstances are such outliers that they provide zero perspective on the actual norms.
W.T.F. There’s been a big shift since Oct 26th. I don’t follow these things that closely, but what? how? why? what?
God, I need a nap. Wake me up when the universe returns to normal.
A big part of the shift happened in Wisconsin, and that happened mainly due to a barrage of Johnson attack ads against Barnes, many “accusing” Barnes of wanting (I think admirably) to make the bail system more fair to the poor.
Also important was the shift away from Fetterman after the debate where the effects of his stroke were visible.
And, some of it (sadly) is simply the “universe returning to normal,” I.e. regression to the midterm mean against the president’s party, especially in a time of economic mixed messages.
Wait – I see now you were referring just to the Warnock-Walker race (the FiveThirtyEight thumbnail image was deceptive).
Okay, for THAT I have no explanation. 51% of Georgians are freaking morons.
But, the most recent polls are hopeful (even if not reflected in the model runs, yet). I am pretty confident Warnock will win this.
I think the discrepancy is in part due to the increasing likelihood of a runoff, because the Libertarian candidate may siphon enough votes that neither Walker nor Warnock reaches 50%…and if there is a runoff, Walker is truly favored*, but Warnock still has a fighting chance.
*It’s just hard to get all those Democrats to vote yet again, while just enough Republicans are likely to do so.
I really hope you’re right. Walker as a senator. It boggles the mind.
Sitting around the fire, and hearing that this guy is narrowly leading, I began to wonder: If he wins, is he even going to actually show up on the floor for votes and such? He might just get distracted by “Squirrel!” and wonder off to the next shiny object. What if he doesn’t play ball, so to speak? Could the Pubs running him potentially backfire?
He will do exactly what Tommy Tuberville does. Vote in lockstep with his party, or perhaps occasionally to the right of it when Mitch lets him. No thinking required. And if you can make a few bucks by violating laws against stock trading while in Congress, all the better right?
As I post this he’s behind. Still too close to call but Warnock is about .5% ahead at this moment.
He has to get at least 50% and a Libertarian is siphoning off about 2.3%, so a plurality won’t do it.
It’s 98% counted now so it looks like this will go to a runoff. How crazy that such a clearly awful candidate could be so close.
Well, that’s what happens when a political party morphs into a full-blown cult.
And this is why he is an acceptable candidate to the GOP voters. None of that other stuff REALLY matters, yah?