Tim Ryan Muddles Through
Tim Ryan Muddles Through
Plus, The Herschel Walker Abortion Exceptions Policy
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New from me: Tim Ryan Muddles Through.
Tim Ryan has been playing a dangerous game. Ohio went for Donald Trump by 8 points in 2020 and by an even wider margin in 2016, so Ryan, the Democratic congressman running to succeed Rob Portman in the U.S. Senate, has to convince a significant share of Republican voters to cross the aisle for him.
Monday night’s debate between Ryan and the Republican candidate, J.D. Vance, was one of the few remaining opportunities Ryan would have to appeal directly to Republican voters. Going into the debate, the general consensus among political commentators was that the Peter Thiel–backed Vance has been a horrific candidate while Ryan has been running an atypically good campaign. And Ryan has been trying to reach Republican voters: He even made a point of advertising how Fox News personalities have said nice things about him. But Monday night’s debate, the first of two, was an important opportunity for Ryan to score points against Vance in person.
Putin’s left-wing supporters may be voluble on social media, but his supporters on the right are a political force. Plus, America’s crushing labor shortage, asylum laws, and the border problem. David Frum joins Charlie Sykes today.
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AMANDA CARPENTER: The Herschel Walker Abortion Exceptions Policy.
GOP Georgia Senate nominee Herschel Walker makes a solemn promise to his audience as part of his stump speech: “All of you here are my family, and my father told me you take care of your family. You are my family, and I’m going to take care of you guys.” From another politician, such a line would come across as a slightly odd bit of campaign-trail pandering. But from Walker, this vow to perfect strangers rings especially hollow; after all, he certainly hasn’t shown that kind of devotion to his real family.
Publicly, Walker campaigns for a total ban on abortion with no exceptions, criticizes absentee dads, and portrays himself as a faithful father. In his personal life, there’s a long trail of evidence showing he has encouraged and paid for an abortion, committed spousal abuse, and is a deadbeat dad. Maybe the disparity could be attributed to his multiple personality disorder. But, Walker says he has been treated for mental illness and “by the grace of God, I’ve overcome it.” No one is supposed to notice that some of those actions took place post-treatment, a fact that reveals Walker’s words of recovery and redemption to be more a matter of message discipline than a feel-good story worth admiring. Walker habitually invokes God and love-bombs inquisitors—“Bless you, love you”—as means of shutting down questions rather than answering them.
🚨OVERTIME 🚨
Happy Tuesday! I am glad to be back home in Virginia, so I can bite my fingernails watching tonight’s Guardians/Yankees game as opposed to going
What Tucker didn’t put on air. As a Swift, I am obligated to treat Kanye West as an enemy, but the right’s fascination with him is curious. Here’s what Kanye said in an interview that Tucker didn’t air.
Area Senator adds to his… Podcast operation?
Who could have predicted… That the NFT scene would eventually be subject to the watchful eyes of the SEC.
Tulsi Gabbard is not a Democrat… Meanwhile, water is wet.
Meanwhile, Madison Cawthorn has totally checked out. It’s embarrassing. (Even for him.)
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