That was one of your best-ever podcasts including the critical moment I never knew about Hillary poo-poo'ing the media network idea and Romney buying up Clear Channel. I have a few thoughts I'd like to share and will do so in a few comments versus one big one. My foremost concern is will be no 2026 midterms (if they take the House) and then certainly no 2028. It's in Project 2025 and Trump's been saying the same for months, "get me in and you'll never have to vote again". Now how they DO this is beyond me, pretty sure they will do voter suppression and redistricting and census manipulation to "appear" to have elections but with 100% guaranteed outcomes like Russia and China. I can also see them arresting opposition candidates, jailing/killing protesters to make a point, and overhauling all opposing media (expunging the talent and changing the programming). Will NBC/Universal cancel SNL in a "cost cutting move"? Seems likely. Bezos has shown how he's willing to get in line with WaPo, so what becomes of Maddow, Kimmel, Colbert, Richardson, etc.? And will AOC, Newsom, Shapiro. etc. all meet untimely demises? I have a feeling we'll know answers to all of these questions and more before summer of 2025.
You made many good points about what a horrible speaker and storyteller Biden is, but nobody seems to talk about how awful Kamala was in the areas we needed her most. She absolutely slayed in the debate, and if you've ever seen her lead a Senate panel, she's an absolute master. Then why does she sit in media interviews like a scared and defensive dog in a corner. Low energy. Standoffish body language. Terse. Giving the interviewer ALL the power and walking into their traps. Like a shift worker getting a performance review where they're convinced they're about to get fired. And for whatever reason, in all those sold out stadiums she spoke to, she delivered the exact same speech 90% of the time. I knew it by heart. Start with "I was a prosecutor, prepared for someone like Trump", bridge to "we are not going back" chants and "turn the page", and end with "hard work is good work, we like hard work." I can see doing this in the pre-TV or radio era, but not in the era where every speech was livestreamed. She needed to focus each speech on the needs of the people who where in each particular room. Play the greatest hits messages on the screen during the warm-up. Almost everyone who gave speeches before her sold the message better than she did. And speaking of old-timey political tactics, can we never again talk about "ground game". Yes, organizing big rallies, greasing voter registration and turnout, and distributing lawn signs are essential... but knocking on doors? We live in an era where a knock on the door (let alone an unsolicited phone call) is considered rude and an assault.
One final point -- the very fact that the Electoral College creates "swing states" means 85% of the US population felt their vote didn't count. They never got a campaign stop. And thanks to the primary system that lets Iowa and New Hampshire pick the front runners, the rest of us feel completely irrelevant. The GOP bridged that gap with the media network you spoke of today. Without our own bold, flashy, powerful, and marketed FOX, OAN, Newsmax, Brietbart, Univision and Clear Channel alternatives, we're doomed. And if they win the House, we'll never likely get licenses for such operations.
You had the Honor of having Thom Hartmann as your guest yesterday, Ben. Please book another gig soon?! Also, visit the Thom Hartmann program yourself and take questions from you his audience?!! We'll all get Smarter moving Forward. Thank You, for your piece this morning ☕ and will reStack ASAP 💯👍
3% is not a mandate. Trump win 51%. Harris won 48% … so a 3% difference …. How is that a landslide … how is that a mandate … that is a razor close election … 1/2 of America does not agree with Trump/MAGA
1. In September 2023, Hartmann believed that Trump was going to lose the election “in a big way”.
2. He cited Northwestern University data scientist Thomas Miller’s prediction system, which forecasted a potential “blowout” victory for Kamala Harris, with her possibly getting around 55% of the popular vote.
3. Hartmann predicted that if such a blowout occurred, Republican officials would swiftly abandon Trump.
That was one of your best-ever podcasts including the critical moment I never knew about Hillary poo-poo'ing the media network idea and Romney buying up Clear Channel. I have a few thoughts I'd like to share and will do so in a few comments versus one big one. My foremost concern is will be no 2026 midterms (if they take the House) and then certainly no 2028. It's in Project 2025 and Trump's been saying the same for months, "get me in and you'll never have to vote again". Now how they DO this is beyond me, pretty sure they will do voter suppression and redistricting and census manipulation to "appear" to have elections but with 100% guaranteed outcomes like Russia and China. I can also see them arresting opposition candidates, jailing/killing protesters to make a point, and overhauling all opposing media (expunging the talent and changing the programming). Will NBC/Universal cancel SNL in a "cost cutting move"? Seems likely. Bezos has shown how he's willing to get in line with WaPo, so what becomes of Maddow, Kimmel, Colbert, Richardson, etc.? And will AOC, Newsom, Shapiro. etc. all meet untimely demises? I have a feeling we'll know answers to all of these questions and more before summer of 2025.
You made many good points about what a horrible speaker and storyteller Biden is, but nobody seems to talk about how awful Kamala was in the areas we needed her most. She absolutely slayed in the debate, and if you've ever seen her lead a Senate panel, she's an absolute master. Then why does she sit in media interviews like a scared and defensive dog in a corner. Low energy. Standoffish body language. Terse. Giving the interviewer ALL the power and walking into their traps. Like a shift worker getting a performance review where they're convinced they're about to get fired. And for whatever reason, in all those sold out stadiums she spoke to, she delivered the exact same speech 90% of the time. I knew it by heart. Start with "I was a prosecutor, prepared for someone like Trump", bridge to "we are not going back" chants and "turn the page", and end with "hard work is good work, we like hard work." I can see doing this in the pre-TV or radio era, but not in the era where every speech was livestreamed. She needed to focus each speech on the needs of the people who where in each particular room. Play the greatest hits messages on the screen during the warm-up. Almost everyone who gave speeches before her sold the message better than she did. And speaking of old-timey political tactics, can we never again talk about "ground game". Yes, organizing big rallies, greasing voter registration and turnout, and distributing lawn signs are essential... but knocking on doors? We live in an era where a knock on the door (let alone an unsolicited phone call) is considered rude and an assault.
One final point -- the very fact that the Electoral College creates "swing states" means 85% of the US population felt their vote didn't count. They never got a campaign stop. And thanks to the primary system that lets Iowa and New Hampshire pick the front runners, the rest of us feel completely irrelevant. The GOP bridged that gap with the media network you spoke of today. Without our own bold, flashy, powerful, and marketed FOX, OAN, Newsmax, Brietbart, Univision and Clear Channel alternatives, we're doomed. And if they win the House, we'll never likely get licenses for such operations.
You had the Honor of having Thom Hartmann as your guest yesterday, Ben. Please book another gig soon?! Also, visit the Thom Hartmann program yourself and take questions from you his audience?!! We'll all get Smarter moving Forward. Thank You, for your piece this morning ☕ and will reStack ASAP 💯👍
3% is not a mandate. Trump win 51%. Harris won 48% … so a 3% difference …. How is that a landslide … how is that a mandate … that is a razor close election … 1/2 of America does not agree with Trump/MAGA
USPS De Joy tanked the Democrats, IDKH? Mail in ballots didn't make it to get counted 😕
1. In September 2023, Hartmann believed that Trump was going to lose the election “in a big way”.
2. He cited Northwestern University data scientist Thomas Miller’s prediction system, which forecasted a potential “blowout” victory for Kamala Harris, with her possibly getting around 55% of the popular vote.
3. Hartmann predicted that if such a blowout occurred, Republican officials would swiftly abandon Trump.