GAME OVER: Kamala Harris Pulls The Plug | ArtiFact 63: Alex Sheremet, Keith Jackewicz

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As soon as Joe Biden dropped out, Kamala Harris cinched the Democratic Party nomination. We assess Kamala Harris's uphill battle, and the extent to which Joe Biden condemned her to it. For example, why did Democrats hide Joe Biden's condition, even from themselves? What role will Biden's support for Israel's war crimes in Gaza play in 2024? We also assess Donald Trump's unique disadvantages, such as his horrible pick of the doughy and goofy JD Vance as Vice President.
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B Side topics: the role of Polymarket & other prediction websites; Kamala Harris's VP picks; why Josh Shapiro is a bad choice; the role of the Trump assassination attempt; Trumpian 'genius' does not generalize in any way; erosion of democracy; Hillary Clinton's "basket of deplorables"; Russia vs. China in racial stereotyping; the oddly dispassionate reporting on China; ethnic cleansing in Gaza; don't assume Donald Trump's psychology is your psychology; how quietness and false peace breed violence; the Lancet editorial on Gaza deaths; 'genocide' as a political football; is there a Democrat you would currently vote for; energy prices and climate change; assessing the Kamala Harris poll numbers; why Joe Biden's polling numbers never improved; Kamala Harris's silence on Joe Biden's senility; the Mercer cash injection in 2016 was just as important as the Comey letter; politics are so silly; Trump's strange popularity on Tik Tok; Alex talks about wrapping up his upcoming film

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Timestamps:

0:00 - the "Joe Biden Dementia" conspiracies turned out to be correct; how Democrats lied to themselves and others over Joe Biden's electoral risks; Joe Biden's slow and sudden decline; Joe Biden and Israel's genocide in Gaza

6:20 - the "secret competence" of Joe Biden vs. entrenched trajectories; why the 2020 debate was even more depressing; how Ezra Klein & Pod Save America created this whole mess; the prospects of a 2nd Trump presidency; Donald Trump's "dark vision" of America vs. Joe Biden's "no vision" for America; Project 2025

16:45 - lobbyists & the Judicial Branch are in control of America; the trajectory of privatization; Kamala Harris's extremely high staff turnover; Kamala Harris as "goofy girl-boss"; Donald Trump now sounds like a LOSER; is Kamala Harris sufficiently self-confident;

24:35 - Donald Trump's hubris forced him to select JD Vance; Elon Musk backs out of his $50 million a month promise to Trump; how public cryptocurrency bribes reveal the true role of money in politics; there is no "crypto vote"

30:10 - the tech class is the new freak class; Curtis Yarvin / Mencius Moldbug is an idiot & poor writer; Silicon Valley, Elon Musk, & pro-natalism; why Trump was booed at the Libertarian convention; why IQ does not transfer into actual competence & ability; JD Vance can't even win the Rust Belt; the tension between short & long-term thinking destroyed Roe v. Wade

42:00 - everything is getting much more competitive; Vice President picks used to matter a lot less; why are elections getting crazier & crazier; social media makes background "noise" much more meaningful; America's transition from hegemon to regional power; healthcare costs under Joe Biden & the erosion of Medicaid

53:33 - dissecting assumptions behind "Kamala Harris, DEI candidate"; political correctness on the Right, political correctness on the Left; "DEI thinking" is inherent to ALL political thinking; steelmanning DEI as an insult; why Joe Biden treated Kamala Harris as a token; did Joe Biden try to sabotage Kamala Harris; the leaks from Harris over the last few years are revealing

Tags: #politics #kamalaharris #2024elections