Trump, Harris Get into the 2024 race on podcasts

Choose your poison: On the weekend, depending on your political preferences, you can choose between listening to: the comedian throws insults on stage at Madison Square Garden as part of a campaign rally; watching a sitting US representative and vice presidential candidate play video games and talk about throwing out the filibuster via Twitch; listening to the opinion of the presidential candidate whale psychology; or listening to a vulnerability researcher (?) and presidential candidate talk about birth order.

Our brightest political minds are not like that.

It’s almost as if everyone is avoiding talking about the real problems – how to reduce inflation, how to rein in government spending, how to keep Social Security solvent, how to create an orderly and fair immigration process, or how to improve the quality of our schools. From the last election cycle to the present, the podcast industry has brought a glorious wrecking ball to cable news, producing a slew of sprightly, independent newcomers that presidential candidates (and their political consultants) have finally come to understand as an important way for voters to receive news and commentary. Unfortunately, the candidates themselves seem to have their heads filled with nothing but fluff.

First, the predictable scandal: Tony Hinchcliffe, born insult a comedian known for his inappropriate jokes, appeared on stage for Donald Trump at Madison Square Garden yesterday. He made jokes about it The ClintonsDiddy and Latinos ‘Making Babies’ and How They Love It ‘come inside“-“just like they did to our country!”

He also said, “I don’t know if you know this, but right now there is literally a floating island of garbage in the middle of the ocean. I think it’s called Puerto Rico.” It became a political scandal, possibly threatening Trump’s ability to win Puerto Rico’s electoral college votes. (Oh wait…)

“When some asshole calls Puerto Rico ‘floating garbage,’ know that that’s what they think of you… That’s what they think of anyone who makes less than them.” he said New York Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez in a live broadcast with Democratic vice presidential candidate, Minnesota Governor Tim Walz. (Apparently they are quite friendly now, or at least that’s what voters want them to believe).

“I can’t get past this guy telling someone else to change their tampons while he’s the one shitting bricks in his addiction after realizing he’s opening up to a Trump rally and stoking red meat racism with a crowd of other bigots in a frothing crowd, which is unironic: it will make you one of them” – Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez he wrote on X. “You don’t ‘love Puerto Rico.’ You like drinking piña coladas. There is a difference.

I can’t get past this guy telling someone else to change their tampons while he’s the one shitting bricks in his addiction after he opened up before a Trump rally and fueled the frothing racism with red meat racism along with a crowd of other bigots , which ironically makes you one of them.

— Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@AOC) October 28, 2024

Were Puerto Ricans at the rally offended by this? Not reallyOr so it seems. But this whole story is actually symbolic of how the entire election unfolded: we almost completely neglected to talk about the real issues. The Trump campaign is constantly controversial, while the Harris/Walz campaign often describes itself as anti-Trumpist, reactive and apoplectic, but rarely proactive about what they would actually do.

Trump did Rogan: The most unhinged, twisted and sometimes funny presidential candidate met his rival in the most unhinged, twisted and sometimes funny podcaster and it was crazy. Donald Trump and Joe Rogan talked about the psychology of whales. They talked about how Trump staffed his administration. They talked about the CHIPS and Science Act – which aimed to reduce dependence on chips made in Asia and give companies subsidies to produce semiconductor parts domestically – which Trump called “gave billions of dollars to wealthy companies,” stating that he instead favors imposing large tariffs on companies to try to spur growth in American manufacturing capacity. He explained his comments regardingenemy from within” and how he means it by saying that there are “people who I really think want this country to succeed.” View.

Meanwhile, J.D. Vance – allegedly a Trump campaign politician –talking about globalization on comedian Tim Dillon’s show podcast. Vance said, “London is no longer fully English,” while “New York is, of course, a classic American city. “I think over time New York will start to feel less American.” (Is he saying that large, cosmopolitan cities take on a certain sameness over time? What exactly is he predicting or talking about?)

Between Trump’s protectionism, Hinchcliffe’s absurdist jokes, and Vance’s vague questions about globalization, it all paints a picture of a campaign with very different values ​​and priorities than, say, mine.

Then Kamala: The Democratic presidential candidate turned to Brené Brown, a researcher of sensitivity, empathy and shame podcast and it was… sort of full of nothing. Brown asked Harris a lot of questions about her origins – birth order! Harris’ sorority nickname! – but nothing serious ever happened. They talked about the core values ​​of “courageous leaders.” If you played a drinking game where you shot every time someone said “lived experience” or “Venn diagrams,” you’d be face down on the rug.

Maybe we don’t deserve better from our leaders. Maybe our politics was always doomed to be limited to this. But boy, is it depressing to see it all laid out in front of you, through hours of long-form content on various podcasts, consumed by polar opposite parts of America that increasingly seem to believe they have very little in common.

Scenes from Miami: I’m in Miami for a Founders Fund event, and yesterday I went to the Catholic Church, which is coming out in full force against Florida’s Amendment 4, which would add protections against abortion to the state constitution, including the text: “No law shall prohibit, punish, delay, or restrict abortion before its feasibility or as necessary to protect the patient’s health, as determined by the patient’s health care provider.” (More on Amendment 4 Here.)

Florida currently bans abortion after six weeks of pregnancy, and doctors and activists have engaged in a campaign to draw attention to extreme cases in which women have been murdered. forced into medically difficult situations because the law allegedly does not clearly state that doctors can perform abortions in circumstances that threaten life and health. Supporters say Amendment 4 will clear this up. In turn, the bishops of Florida to write: “We call on all Floridians to oppose the legalization of late-term abortion and the amendment to the abortion law. By doing so, we will protect not only the weakest, most innocent and defenseless people among us, but also countless women across the state from the harms of abortion.”

QUICK HITS

• On Saturday, Israeli fighter jets struck multiple “air defense systems, missile production facilities and launchers” in Iran, reports Bloombergin response to Iran’s attack on Israel earlier this month. The attack was not particularly damaging in terms of fatalities – four Iranian soldiers were reported to have been killed – but it exposed critical gaps in Iran’s weapons infrastructure and nuclear development. A US military official “speaking to reporters on the condition of anonymity, said President Joe Biden’s administration was working with Israel to develop a ‘proportionate’ response and urged Iran not to retaliate again,” per Bloomberg.
• During a campaign stop in West Philadelphia, Kamala Harris again “announced plan to revitalize Puerto Rico’s economy and energy grid.” for Bloomberg.
• “Egypt has proposed an initial two-day ceasefire in Gaza to exchange four Israeli Hamas hostages for several Palestinian prisoners, Egypt’s president announced on Sunday, as Israeli military strikes killed 45 Palestinians across the enclave.” reports Reuters.
• Interesting article about younger women avoidance they wear engagement rings and wedding rings every day; As a surfer, I don’t get to wear mine most of the summer, but I didn’t realize everyone else was copying me.
• This “head coach” New York Times article this is the most terrifying thing i have ever read in long one sec. Consume carefully.