Finally, we have news that Herschel Walker's supporters can easily grasp and conclude that they shouldn't vote for him despite their love for his football skills decades ago. Never have I seen a critical race so close between a candidate with so many admirable attributes and one who is clearly mentally ill.
Finally, we have news that Herschel Walker's supporters can easily grasp and conclude that they shouldn't vote for him despite their love for his football skills decades ago. Never have I seen a critical race so close between a candidate with so many admirable attributes and one who is clearly mentally ill.
GOP power brokers who have conspired to get Walker elected are morally bereft. They are manipulating a person who badly needs a range of medical care and has not a single skill to hold the office. Shameful beyond words.
Last week I was reading quotes from Hershel Walker and was suddenly overcome by how disabled and in need of care he truly is. Then I became angrier (even I was surprised) at the Republicans running a person so far and removed from his ability to communicate a lucid thought into words. I was struck by the wicked cruelty displaying his disabilities knowing he’s incapable of performing the duties required by a U.S. Senator. I actually despise the Republican Party even more. Using a person with diminishing mental abilities as a place card for republicans shows how despicable and desperate they are now. Not surprised, and that’s the sad part.
Yes, absolutely despicable and proof positive that the party of death will do anything and use anyone to make our country into an autocratic theocratic regime run by them. If Walker wins, they will probably try to sideline him and keep him out of the public eye, all the while helping him push the button to vote for R travesty.
Exactly. That’s the plan. Are there decent folk in GA? I believe there are. Will they hold the line against this sort of abuse of persons with mental disabilities?
Seeing as GA went for Biden & 2 Dem senators in 2020, we can safely assume that yes, there are decent Georgians. If they’re able to “hold the line” against the craziness that is the gop of today remains to be seen.
Anyone who has had even ONE traumatic brain injury knows how incredibly CRUEL this is to Walker. Yes he was a football star and won the Heisman trophy. If only he had stopped there. But NO, the NFL in all their reprehensible continued injuring his brain. How many times???
I had ONE traumatic brain injury and not a huge concussion. When I bumped my head on the floor at home it didn’t even hurt much. But I’ve had 3 brain surgeries and hopefully no more. But I have cognitive deficits - not huge but enough that it bothers ME. And big hospital bills of course. I can’t even imagine Walker’s level of deficits after a long career with the NFL. The ReThuglicans should be ashamed. But they aren’t. I donate small amounts to Rev. Warnock
Hi, I just wanted to interject here to mention that Herschel Walker played for a Trump owned team, not in the NFL, but the USFL. The owners of the NFL teams voted to exclude Trump from ownership in the NFL. He was too slimy even back then for their reputation! The only way Trump could fulfill his need for glory in the sports world, was to buy a team in the failed USFL. That and his phony wrestling WWA, I think it is called. Actually, I only watched the wrestling once when I was about 10years old. It seemed so phony and ridiculous even at that age, I never watched it again.
I'm of a mind that the Republicans have long thought to place an incapable personality at the forefront, while their henchmen manage from behind. Ronald Reagan, "I Can't Remember," "W," who was just plain ignorant about Afghanistan, Trump, who's been bizarre forever. There is a definite lack of awareness plus divergence from reality among them. Also, far too many Republicans win by electoral votes rather than popular votes.
It's in the R playbook now to get empty heads elected who will vote and blather as they are told, in exchange for fame and fortune. (MTG, Bobert, Gohmert, Bachman, Tubberville, et al).
He reached the white margins of those that have little education, are fearful and suspicious of city dwellers, immigrants, differences and the like. He "bestowed" upon them a position they could understand. I wouldn't be surprised if he hired people to instigate this in small towns and rural areas. The time I spent growing up in these communities, where the members are insecure and angry, helps me to understand how ripe so many are to take up the cause.
I have been seeking to find my true thoughts and feelings about Mr. Walker's running for office. Your words express my feelings admirably (sad to say).
Agreed. It is another form of enslavement. Not unlike using him for his football skills and running him -- at any cost-- as we have seen happen with the brain injuries of an NFL quarterback in the last week. It would have been no different to have put Walker in the Senate and to have Republican leaders calling the play on his every move. Enslavement and ridicule, the rest of the world and the consequences be damned.
Alabama Sen. Tommy Tuberville, the second-dumbest US Senator, seems similarly brain damaged. Of course, Exhibit A for proposition that the guiding, and perhaps only principle of the GOP and conservatism in general is will to power, is our twice-impeached malignant Mango Mussolini
And just because he is “morally bereft” does not mean people will not vote for him nonetheless. That horse left the barn in 2015. And in another note, I wish tfg would stop talking. It’s clear he’s desperate, and he’s being enabled by Judge Loose Cannon, who’s partiality is stamped on her forehead.
They need to get the word out for sure. However the issue is that Fox News, OAN, and NewsMax will say it is a lie and the Facebook algorithm will them that it is fake news. It's very hard to get those people to understand a different take when Tucker Carlson is your main news job and they already believe anything bad about their candidates is just a democrat hit job.
Here’s my prediction. GOP voters don’t care about Walker’s behaviors. They know he is dumb as a rock. They control him. Its just an easy Senate vote to manipulate. They’ll double down on attack ads, ignoring these revelations
Walker's supporters are rabid evangelicals who believe every one of his sins have already been forgiven. They are in two cults. It will be next to impossible to reach them in any way whatsoever.
They immediately believe that politics is a team sport and that Republicans are the good guys and Democrats are the bad guys. They believe politics is a zero sum game and they rather win at all costs.
Yes, fourth quarter is wrapping up with Dems up by 3. No time outs for either team. That’s how they think this is “played”. It’s not about unity, or laws so we can live together, not apart. To what’s left of the GOP, it’s about teams and who “wins”. You don’t get a “coach’ s challenge”. And there’s definitely NO overtime!
And yet, if by some tragedy he is elected, he will probably not be the dumbest member of what once was called the world’s greatest deliberative body. Not as long as Tommy Tuberville is there.
When the gop first announced that they wanted Hershel to be their senate candidate here in GA, I thought that was a gift made in heaven, the man isn’t smart enough to hang off the back of the garbage truck that came by the house yesterday. It turns out that I may have underestimated the level of ignorance that pervades the people that still vote repugnanticn here. There is such a clear difference in suitability for public office between Senator Warnock and Walker, that it seemed like it would be a no brainer, and that there has been a cascade of revelations demonstrating that fact, should have been a guarantee that Walker posed no threat, from what I read the threat is is still very real and will be cause for concern until Election Day. For the sake of our nation I hope that I am wrong.
Oh yes Michael - and even worse, they are cynically using his race to try to get black voters to come over, figuring if there are two black candidates, their chances improve. It's a weird form of racism on display for all to see. Shame on Walker for letting himself be used that way. Just another reason to not vote for him. I disagree with one thing you said though - We saw Hillary Clinton go down to Trump in 2016 - that one should take the cake for bad guys winning over good guys.
OK, but I don't believe for a minute that Walker's football stardom is the only, or even the primary, appeal for white Georgia Republicans. Racist white people are seriously threatened by the intelligence, dignity, commitment, and all-around excellence of a Raphael Warnock, especially when it comes with a compelling personal story like his. Herschel Walker offers them the opportunity to show they're not racist by voting for a Black man while indulging their racist conviction that all Black people are mentally impaired buffoons. I hope at least some of them spare a thought for how incompetent representation in the U.S. Senate will shortchange Georgians and expose the state to well-justified ridicule.
I think we need to face something about Mr. Walker. When he speaks, he sounds like the people I've heard interviewed (like by Jordon Klepper) who still love Donald Trump. I listened to an interview with Mr. Walker, and when I didn't think about what skills and abilities are actually needed to be a US senator, and just listened to his stories, he touched my heart - and that frightened the heck out of me! https://youtu.be/defZl9i2q5M
When he says things like "I care about the people of Georgia and Senator Warnock doesn't - he voted with Biden 95% of the time. I care about mental illness and I'm going to be an advocate in Washington.....Inflation is so bad, people can't afford to buy milk..... Instead of complaining about ID laws to vote, why aren't you out helping people to get an ID. Without an ID you can't have a life.....etc." I can see people going right past his ridiculous comments about our good air going over to China and responding to phrases they recognize in a tone of voice and "accent" that is soothing to them.
So we either need to pray that there are more of "us" than "them." Or we need to get much better at helping these folks to understand how the actions behind that appealing rhetoric is actually bad for them and their families. It simply isn't enough to describe what an awful candidate he is, and how corrupt the GOP is for promoting him.
It seems to me that Democrats get caught in our own cleverness. I recently read a list of Biden/Harris accomplishments that left me in despair. They are formidable feats but Instead of simple descriptors they use phrases that I strongly suspect are meaningless to a casual voter:
I just thought of something! I'm going to do a comment asking for "simple descriptors" that sell the sizzle not the steak!! Ii'm going to credit you with the list and the idea! I admit I didn't know who Frank Luntz is so I looked him up and found "Words that Work: It's not what you say; it's what people hear." It's a start!
You know Frank Luntz by his work: "death taxes" and "climate change" instead of estate taxes and global warming, to name two. He hones the messaging by listening to focus groups. I get the feeling that those in charge of Dem messaging (are there such people?) try out their phrases on homogeneous staff instead of going to the expense of using focus groups.
The fact that Trump bypassed all of that and came up with a four-word phrase that captured the imagination of millions who turned it into a badge of honor and a movement is scarily awe-inspiring.
Everything I think of to replace the clunky phrases sounds trite. But here goes:
Thank you, MisTBlu - that's exactly what I'm talking about. I'm still trying to figure out where/how I can help with this besides reposting Heather and Robert and writing my own comments. I've sent emails to DCCC but I'm pretty sure nobody saw them. Maybe we can learn from John Fetterman? Blessings,
I like this. And I would add it still needs the "which means" part to really reach folks who aren't already committed to, for example, clean energy. What does that mean? Why does that matter? This is the level of language that I think is needed. I found this article from energync.org, explaining why NC needs clean energy. Clear language, powerful images. https://energync.org/why-clean-energy/
I think it's a matter of finding the right balance of information to have the desired impact in different settings: billboard vs. blog vs. flier at the grocery store. Clean energy, as you say, is vague; links to sources like energync can help clarify. Purging voter lists needs no elaboration. My goal with the list is to wake people up to the multiple crises our democracy faces. No need for a breakdown on Roe V. Wade's demise when you learn that your mother/sister/friend may no longer have access to a full spectrum of prenatal care. A work in progress, but I've had positive response to the headline format.
Mike I admire Mickey Mouse and his sterling character. Were he a candidate, I would certainly consider voting for him. In sharp contrast, I find Herschel Walker despicable with the integrity of an alley cat.
I live in GA and I can tell you that I don't think that many solid R voters care, they just will never ever find it in themselves to vote for a Democrat. Then there are the MAGA Republicans who just want the system to break and just want folks who support Donald Trump. It will hopefully sway the moderate Republican, Independents, and finally people who aren't registered or normally vote to change their minds.
Mary Pat I recall how Walker avoided National Football rules to become professional after his junior year. He hooked up with Donald Trump’s New Jersey Generals. Trump lost a bundle as his USFL failed to unseat the NFL. Walter jumped to the Dallas Cowboys.
Walker and Trump failed in the USFL—hopefully this duo at the nadir will fail in Walker’s bizarre Georgia senatorial race. Did Walker obtain his ability to tell outrageous lies from Donald? He takes FALSE FACTS to a higher plateau.
Finally, we have news that Herschel Walker's supporters can easily grasp and conclude that they shouldn't vote for him despite their love for his football skills decades ago. Never have I seen a critical race so close between a candidate with so many admirable attributes and one who is clearly mentally ill.
GOP power brokers who have conspired to get Walker elected are morally bereft. They are manipulating a person who badly needs a range of medical care and has not a single skill to hold the office. Shameful beyond words.
Last week I was reading quotes from Hershel Walker and was suddenly overcome by how disabled and in need of care he truly is. Then I became angrier (even I was surprised) at the Republicans running a person so far and removed from his ability to communicate a lucid thought into words. I was struck by the wicked cruelty displaying his disabilities knowing he’s incapable of performing the duties required by a U.S. Senator. I actually despise the Republican Party even more. Using a person with diminishing mental abilities as a place card for republicans shows how despicable and desperate they are now. Not surprised, and that’s the sad part.
Yes, absolutely despicable and proof positive that the party of death will do anything and use anyone to make our country into an autocratic theocratic regime run by them. If Walker wins, they will probably try to sideline him and keep him out of the public eye, all the while helping him push the button to vote for R travesty.
Exactly. That’s the plan. Are there decent folk in GA? I believe there are. Will they hold the line against this sort of abuse of persons with mental disabilities?
Seeing as GA went for Biden & 2 Dem senators in 2020, we can safely assume that yes, there are decent Georgians. If they’re able to “hold the line” against the craziness that is the gop of today remains to be seen.
Anyone who has had even ONE traumatic brain injury knows how incredibly CRUEL this is to Walker. Yes he was a football star and won the Heisman trophy. If only he had stopped there. But NO, the NFL in all their reprehensible continued injuring his brain. How many times???
I had ONE traumatic brain injury and not a huge concussion. When I bumped my head on the floor at home it didn’t even hurt much. But I’ve had 3 brain surgeries and hopefully no more. But I have cognitive deficits - not huge but enough that it bothers ME. And big hospital bills of course. I can’t even imagine Walker’s level of deficits after a long career with the NFL. The ReThuglicans should be ashamed. But they aren’t. I donate small amounts to Rev. Warnock
Hi, I just wanted to interject here to mention that Herschel Walker played for a Trump owned team, not in the NFL, but the USFL. The owners of the NFL teams voted to exclude Trump from ownership in the NFL. He was too slimy even back then for their reputation! The only way Trump could fulfill his need for glory in the sports world, was to buy a team in the failed USFL. That and his phony wrestling WWA, I think it is called. Actually, I only watched the wrestling once when I was about 10years old. It seemed so phony and ridiculous even at that age, I never watched it again.
I'm of a mind that the Republicans have long thought to place an incapable personality at the forefront, while their henchmen manage from behind. Ronald Reagan, "I Can't Remember," "W," who was just plain ignorant about Afghanistan, Trump, who's been bizarre forever. There is a definite lack of awareness plus divergence from reality among them. Also, far too many Republicans win by electoral votes rather than popular votes.
It's in the R playbook now to get empty heads elected who will vote and blather as they are told, in exchange for fame and fortune. (MTG, Bobert, Gohmert, Bachman, Tubberville, et al).
Totally this. Trump opened the floodgates to this kind of cynical manipulation.
He reached the white margins of those that have little education, are fearful and suspicious of city dwellers, immigrants, differences and the like. He "bestowed" upon them a position they could understand. I wouldn't be surprised if he hired people to instigate this in small towns and rural areas. The time I spent growing up in these communities, where the members are insecure and angry, helps me to understand how ripe so many are to take up the cause.
I have been seeking to find my true thoughts and feelings about Mr. Walker's running for office. Your words express my feelings admirably (sad to say).
Even fotos of Walker look like he is saying "Duh?" And, having read his actual quotes, he would have been better off just saying that.
Agreed. It is another form of enslavement. Not unlike using him for his football skills and running him -- at any cost-- as we have seen happen with the brain injuries of an NFL quarterback in the last week. It would have been no different to have put Walker in the Senate and to have Republican leaders calling the play on his every move. Enslavement and ridicule, the rest of the world and the consequences be damned.
Alabama Sen. Tommy Tuberville, the second-dumbest US Senator, seems similarly brain damaged. Of course, Exhibit A for proposition that the guiding, and perhaps only principle of the GOP and conservatism in general is will to power, is our twice-impeached malignant Mango Mussolini
"GOP power brokers who have conspired to get Walker elected are morally bereft. "
Correct. But, they might win. Period.
If they cared about moral underpinnings, we would be see far different outcomes in America at this moment.
And just because he is “morally bereft” does not mean people will not vote for him nonetheless. That horse left the barn in 2015. And in another note, I wish tfg would stop talking. It’s clear he’s desperate, and he’s being enabled by Judge Loose Cannon, who’s partiality is stamped on her forehead.
I did smile at your last sentence.....she should be wearing some kind of scarlet letter.
Nailed them, as always. Morally bereft, and with cult popularity. A dangerous combo.
If only this message will get through to those potential voters and that then, they will will get the idea to vote for the admirable Warnock…and VOTE.
If only, MSM not inclined to get the word out.
They need to get the word out for sure. However the issue is that Fox News, OAN, and NewsMax will say it is a lie and the Facebook algorithm will them that it is fake news. It's very hard to get those people to understand a different take when Tucker Carlson is your main news job and they already believe anything bad about their candidates is just a democrat hit job.
What happened to the idea of putting Fox News out of business?
Here’s my prediction. GOP voters don’t care about Walker’s behaviors. They know he is dumb as a rock. They control him. Its just an easy Senate vote to manipulate. They’ll double down on attack ads, ignoring these revelations
👍🏼
That is the game they play.
Walker's candidacy is one of the most glaring signs of the rot of the republican party.
Daniel, the rot started with Nixon and just got worse....
Walker's supporters are rabid evangelicals who believe every one of his sins have already been forgiven. They are in two cults. It will be next to impossible to reach them in any way whatsoever.
They immediately believe that politics is a team sport and that Republicans are the good guys and Democrats are the bad guys. They believe politics is a zero sum game and they rather win at all costs.
Yes, fourth quarter is wrapping up with Dems up by 3. No time outs for either team. That’s how they think this is “played”. It’s not about unity, or laws so we can live together, not apart. To what’s left of the GOP, it’s about teams and who “wins”. You don’t get a “coach’ s challenge”. And there’s definitely NO overtime!
And yet, if by some tragedy he is elected, he will probably not be the dumbest member of what once was called the world’s greatest deliberative body. Not as long as Tommy Tuberville is there.
Sen. Ron Johnson says hold my beer.
He’d be more at home with certain members in the House.
Those two would be quite the pair. Maybe they can toss a football around on the Senate floor, diagram plays, and discuss current games.
Awful prospect.
And kneel and say prayers....omg.
Jon Wonked out Walker or Tubby Tuberville—dumb, dumber,dumbest. EXCEPT—Ivy grads like Cruz and Rubio may not be dumb—only truly venal.
When the gop first announced that they wanted Hershel to be their senate candidate here in GA, I thought that was a gift made in heaven, the man isn’t smart enough to hang off the back of the garbage truck that came by the house yesterday. It turns out that I may have underestimated the level of ignorance that pervades the people that still vote repugnanticn here. There is such a clear difference in suitability for public office between Senator Warnock and Walker, that it seemed like it would be a no brainer, and that there has been a cascade of revelations demonstrating that fact, should have been a guarantee that Walker posed no threat, from what I read the threat is is still very real and will be cause for concern until Election Day. For the sake of our nation I hope that I am wrong.
You got that right.
Oh yes Michael - and even worse, they are cynically using his race to try to get black voters to come over, figuring if there are two black candidates, their chances improve. It's a weird form of racism on display for all to see. Shame on Walker for letting himself be used that way. Just another reason to not vote for him. I disagree with one thing you said though - We saw Hillary Clinton go down to Trump in 2016 - that one should take the cake for bad guys winning over good guys.
OK, but I don't believe for a minute that Walker's football stardom is the only, or even the primary, appeal for white Georgia Republicans. Racist white people are seriously threatened by the intelligence, dignity, commitment, and all-around excellence of a Raphael Warnock, especially when it comes with a compelling personal story like his. Herschel Walker offers them the opportunity to show they're not racist by voting for a Black man while indulging their racist conviction that all Black people are mentally impaired buffoons. I hope at least some of them spare a thought for how incompetent representation in the U.S. Senate will shortchange Georgians and expose the state to well-justified ridicule.
Exactly! Win/win in a most manipulative, exploitative way. Sad. Sick. Insane. Depraved.
I think we need to face something about Mr. Walker. When he speaks, he sounds like the people I've heard interviewed (like by Jordon Klepper) who still love Donald Trump. I listened to an interview with Mr. Walker, and when I didn't think about what skills and abilities are actually needed to be a US senator, and just listened to his stories, he touched my heart - and that frightened the heck out of me! https://youtu.be/defZl9i2q5M
When he says things like "I care about the people of Georgia and Senator Warnock doesn't - he voted with Biden 95% of the time. I care about mental illness and I'm going to be an advocate in Washington.....Inflation is so bad, people can't afford to buy milk..... Instead of complaining about ID laws to vote, why aren't you out helping people to get an ID. Without an ID you can't have a life.....etc." I can see people going right past his ridiculous comments about our good air going over to China and responding to phrases they recognize in a tone of voice and "accent" that is soothing to them.
So we either need to pray that there are more of "us" than "them." Or we need to get much better at helping these folks to understand how the actions behind that appealing rhetoric is actually bad for them and their families. It simply isn't enough to describe what an awful candidate he is, and how corrupt the GOP is for promoting him.
This is truly a profound observation. Thank you.
It seems to me that Democrats get caught in our own cleverness. I recently read a list of Biden/Harris accomplishments that left me in despair. They are formidable feats but Instead of simple descriptors they use phrases that I strongly suspect are meaningless to a casual voter:
- American Rescue Plan
- Bipartisan Infrastructure Law
- Bipartisan Safer Communities Act
- PACT Act
- Chips and Science Act
- Inflation Reduction Act
We need a Frank Luntz to fix our messaging.
I just thought of something! I'm going to do a comment asking for "simple descriptors" that sell the sizzle not the steak!! Ii'm going to credit you with the list and the idea! I admit I didn't know who Frank Luntz is so I looked him up and found "Words that Work: It's not what you say; it's what people hear." It's a start!
You know Frank Luntz by his work: "death taxes" and "climate change" instead of estate taxes and global warming, to name two. He hones the messaging by listening to focus groups. I get the feeling that those in charge of Dem messaging (are there such people?) try out their phrases on homogeneous staff instead of going to the expense of using focus groups.
The fact that Trump bypassed all of that and came up with a four-word phrase that captured the imagination of millions who turned it into a badge of honor and a movement is scarily awe-inspiring.
Everything I think of to replace the clunky phrases sounds trite. But here goes:
Democrats - We Work For You
Jobs for the Future, Now
Building America, Building Hope
Help!
Thank you, MisTBlu - that's exactly what I'm talking about. I'm still trying to figure out where/how I can help with this besides reposting Heather and Robert and writing my own comments. I've sent emails to DCCC but I'm pretty sure nobody saw them. Maybe we can learn from John Fetterman? Blessings,
Just create a compare and contrast list. I have 25 so far, like
Democrats champion clean energy/ Republicans cling to polluting fossil fuels
Democrats support fair and free elections / Republicans purge voter lists and restrict access
Add you own, make the case for voting blue
I like this. And I would add it still needs the "which means" part to really reach folks who aren't already committed to, for example, clean energy. What does that mean? Why does that matter? This is the level of language that I think is needed. I found this article from energync.org, explaining why NC needs clean energy. Clear language, powerful images. https://energync.org/why-clean-energy/
I think it's a matter of finding the right balance of information to have the desired impact in different settings: billboard vs. blog vs. flier at the grocery store. Clean energy, as you say, is vague; links to sources like energync can help clarify. Purging voter lists needs no elaboration. My goal with the list is to wake people up to the multiple crises our democracy faces. No need for a breakdown on Roe V. Wade's demise when you learn that your mother/sister/friend may no longer have access to a full spectrum of prenatal care. A work in progress, but I've had positive response to the headline format.
Mike I admire Mickey Mouse and his sterling character. Were he a candidate, I would certainly consider voting for him. In sharp contrast, I find Herschel Walker despicable with the integrity of an alley cat.
I live in GA and I can tell you that I don't think that many solid R voters care, they just will never ever find it in themselves to vote for a Democrat. Then there are the MAGA Republicans who just want the system to break and just want folks who support Donald Trump. It will hopefully sway the moderate Republican, Independents, and finally people who aren't registered or normally vote to change their minds.
It'll be OK with me if those Republicans leave a blank on the ballot next to the Senate race.
Suspect Walker's football skills came in a bottle of testosterone pills. Classic long term overdosing behaviors.
Mary Pat I recall how Walker avoided National Football rules to become professional after his junior year. He hooked up with Donald Trump’s New Jersey Generals. Trump lost a bundle as his USFL failed to unseat the NFL. Walter jumped to the Dallas Cowboys.
Walker and Trump failed in the USFL—hopefully this duo at the nadir will fail in Walker’s bizarre Georgia senatorial race. Did Walker obtain his ability to tell outrageous lies from Donald? He takes FALSE FACTS to a higher plateau.
The Failures MUST Fail!!!