Author | Lightnews

Mark Brandriss @markbrandriss.bsky.social · 6h

What the heck does he do all day?

Mark Brandriss @markbrandriss.bsky.social · 7h

No, don't tell him! We want to know every time he takes a cognitive test! If he's doing it monthly, maybe reporters will start asking questions.

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Mark Brandriss @markbrandriss.bsky.social · 10h

Trump has demonstrated that a criminal president can and will use the pardon power to protect the people who commit crimes on his orders or on his behalf, and will use the promise of pardons to recruit minions to commit crimes for him. It's a medieval relic of monarchy. It has to end.

Mark Brandriss @markbrandriss.bsky.social · 10h

Great, but it would be even better if the two of you declared that we should pass a constitutional amendment to end the presidential pardon power, and then spent the next three years pushing for it every time Trump pardons a corrupt crony, and used it as a campaign issue.

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Mark Brandriss @markbrandriss.bsky.social · 10h

Translation: I'm going to order you to commit war crimes, and I expect you to do it.

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Mark Brandriss @markbrandriss.bsky.social · 10h

He's a disgrace to the United States of America. A despotic imbecile.

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Reposted by Mark Brandriss

MeidasTouch @meidastouch.com · 14h

Mike Johnson describes Trump’s mental decline and unhinged behavior.

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Reposted by Mark Brandriss

Fred in BFE @traplife.bsky.social · 15h

Before the election, my MAGA focus group said their top priorities were releasing the Epstein files and getting the US out of foreign entanglements. Today, they say their priorities are stabilizing Argentina’s economy and funding the White House State Ballroom construction project.

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Reposted by Mark Brandriss

Bonnie Johnson @bonjohnson.bsky.social · 20h

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Reposted by Mark Brandriss

Christopher Webb @cwebbonline.com · 15h

The decline isn’t subtle anymore.

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Mark Brandriss @markbrandriss.bsky.social · 17h

The possibility of potentially considering a pathway toward discussing a plan to open talks on examining options for negotiating a soybean deal.

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Mark Brandriss @markbrandriss.bsky.social · 17h

The bottom line: based on every election since Carter vs. Ford in 1976, the winner of the next presidential election will be whichever candidate connects emotionally with voters, not whichever candidate has the best plan to address the cost of living, health insurance, etc.

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Mark Brandriss @markbrandriss.bsky.social · 17h

She loaded her speeches with detailed policy proposals to reduce inflation, give tax breaks to families, help small businesses, etc. — stuff that the polls said SHOULD be wildly popular. But it was boring; the media barely covered it because Trump's emotionally-charged campaign drowned it all out.

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Mark Brandriss @markbrandriss.bsky.social · 17h

Then a bunch of campaign consultants decided that "we're not going back" was too much about the past, and convinced her to switch her theme to "A New Way Forward". Her message became trite and bland; the fervent emotional energy was squandered.

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Mark Brandriss @markbrandriss.bsky.social · 17h

When Harris suddenly became the nominee, the emotional response was huge and spontaneous. The optimism and energy among Democratic voters took off like a rocket. Tens of thousands of people were spontaneously chanting "WE'RE NOT GOING BACK!!!" at rallies.

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Mark Brandriss @markbrandriss.bsky.social · 17h

I think political appeal is based on emotions much more than policies. Democrats think they need to craft the perfect policy platform, tweaking it here and cropping it there based on a bunch of polling questions. Instead, they need to find a message that hits a big emotional chord, then go with it.

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Mark Brandriss @markbrandriss.bsky.social · 1d

They seem to give him that test pretty often. They should probably be doing it daily.

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Reposted by Mark Brandriss

Stephen Morrison @stephen-morrison.bsky.social · 1d

Again, so much criticism of the left is not about what Democrats actually do, but about what right-wing media accuse them of doing.

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Mark Brandriss @markbrandriss.bsky.social · 1d

The dynamic is simple: Democrats want to talk about their popular policies that improve people's lives, but the media wants to talk about whatever sensational lies the Republicans are telling about Democrats. The Democrats' policy priorities are fine; they need to change the media dynamic.

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Mark Brandriss @markbrandriss.bsky.social · 1d

Yes! Democrats ALWAYS run on health care, support for labor, fair taxes, working class jobs, etc. But the media finds those things boring, so they ignore all that stuff and focus instead on transgender athletes, "defunding the police", and (non-existent) benefits for undocumented immigrants.

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Mark Brandriss @markbrandriss.bsky.social · 1d

Just looked again, it seems to have been taken down since I watched it yesterday.

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Mark Brandriss @markbrandriss.bsky.social · 1d

It looks like a skit quickly thrown together by a drunken party-goer at an ill-advised wedding reception roast of the groom.

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Mark Brandriss @markbrandriss.bsky.social · 1d

Democrats should really lean in hard on this. "Republicans control the House, the Senate, and the presidency, and here's their leader loudly declaring that they're not capable of doing anything. Throw those bums out! Elect Democrats everywhere, and here's what we'll do when we're in charge...."

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Mark Brandriss @markbrandriss.bsky.social · 1d

I agree! But others out there are still committed to the idea that we can sit tight and let Trump flame out on his own (i.e. just get through the next three years and then our nightmare will be over). Demonstrably a failed strategy.

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Mark Brandriss @markbrandriss.bsky.social · 1d

Prior to Trump, that didn't seem problematic, since no president would have considered openly and flagrantly violating the law and the Constitution on a daily basis. Now we see what happens when a criminal degenerate is elected president. The unwritten rules of basic human decency aren't enough.

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