Psy-Fi

The 'law and order’ campaign that won Richard Nixon the White House 50 years ago

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SGR

I've thought of this example as well. But the important difference between now and this example, as jwb pointed out, is that Trump is making this pitch while being in power.

Nixon was not president when he was campaigning on 'law and order' in 1968.

jwb

Could be wrong but I think the current protests have more public support than in 1968.

Either way, as of right now I don't think it's working that well. Things can definitely change before the election though.

I think if the coronavirus situation gets markedly better Trump could recover and possibly win. But right now his poll numbers are not good.

SGR

I think you're right. I think the longer they go on though, the more public support will dip.

If other countries that have been doing better than us in regards to coronavirus numbers start to have spikes in the fall (and our numbers remain relatively stable), it might change the average independent voter's perspective. If I was a betting man, I'd still put my money on Trump winning. But it will be litigated heavily and after the election, civil unrest will get worse. Keep an eye out for Trump's "October Surprise" where he announces that a "vaccine" has been found.

jwb

Right now you'd get decent odds on that bet so it might be time to act.

TheBig3

This is not right. He picked Biden because Biden was on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and Obama had little to no foreign relations experience, and it was to quell the fears that were emerging against McCain who had significantly more experience.

The Senate doesn't have a dearth of white guys. But let's not attack short memories while we're inventing rational.

Which actions, the 1996 Crime bill?

I was listening to an interview with ta nehisi coates (i'll link in a sec) where he was talking with his father, and his father was saying how in 1968 the number of white people at the protests was very minor, and now there's a substantial amount of white buy-in on the issues at hand. As LBJ once said "If you show the people what is happening, even the guy on the tractor will say 'That's not fair.'"

Podcast: Why Ta-Nehisi Coates is hopeful

Frownland

The 94 bill was pretty bad too.

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TheBig3

Biden should be questioned on both, and any number of his ugly decisions in the past. I think it was a fair critique that Kamala Harris levied against him on bussing. Asking him to answer those things is not only fine but good politics. Where I take a different path is on the answers. Biden answered them well before people voted for him (South Carolina really) and the voting publics' verdict is what it is. Saying it's wrong is undemocratic.

But I think it's also fair to say that 1994 was 26 years ago. To assume no evolution in 26 years time, to me, seems a bit absurd. Have you not changed your opinion from 26 years ago on anything? Are you not allowed to have upheld a bad opinion or position and change?

I assume most of you on this forum won't vote for Biden. And I'm not trying to change your mind. But the debate is only worthwhile if we're exploring arguments. And to that end I feel it's worth posing the question.

jwb

I mean you're right that there were other reasons and perhaps I over simplified, but I believe it's fairly well known that Obama wanted an older white moderate to downplay the racial tension.

Perhaps there were credentials that set Biden apart from the other older white moderate liberals but even the reasons you gave have nothing to do with issues that would necessarily endear him to the black community. That is basically something he just inherited by proxy of being associated with Obama.

jwb

Kamala's critique deflated pretty soon after that debate iirc. It basically became apparent upon further questioning that she couldn't even meaningfully distinguish her own views from Biden's on that issue.