We’ve all experienced the phenomenon of politicians saying things during campaigns that end up not happening. Sure, sometimes, they were just lying outright on the campaign trail, like Trump. But sometimes, I believe, they actually are describing things they would like to get done only to get into office and find out they can’t for some reason. Maybe there’s an existing, conflicting law. Maybe some group suffers if someone does that (hypothetical) thing. They didn’t lie, exactly. They were speaking “aspirationally.” It just doesn’t, perhaps can’t, happen.

Kamala is out there defending the fact that some of her positions have evolved over time. For clarity, I think that’s a sign of solid thinking and a strong mind. As it happens, I believe actually smart people are never afraid to admit mistakes or re-think a position. Actually smart people are actually NOT threatened by mistakes. (NOW is an excellent time to think about Trump. Have you ever, and I mean EVER, heard him admit an error? No, neither have I. That’s a sure sign of a small mind.)

So, Kamala once opposed fracking completely. Now she’s a less fierce opponent. Sure, that could be a campaign position. It could also be that, as VP, she learned more on the topic and updated her position.

Maybe it’s something as simple as this: She knows that we either get off of fossil fuels, ending the need for fracking and eliminating the process by attrition, or we keep dragging our feet in the name of the great god Profit – rendering the planet unfit to maintain human life, wipe ourselves out, and end fracking that way…

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

On Thursday, Trump tried telling people that he would force insurance companies to pay the full cost of IVF and that a six-week abortion ban was too short. He thought there should be more time. On Friday, he told Fox Not-News that he was going to support Floriduh’s pending six week abortion ban.

Quick question: aren’t the cons the group that think the government shouldn’t help anybody but rich people at any time? Aren’t they the group always trying to eliminate programs that help people? Why would he suddenly support instituting a huge, very expensive program he would almost certainly have to tax rich people more to pay for? Answer? He wouldn’t. He’s just talking, pandering for votes he’s not going to get.

He was oh-so-proud to have installed the “Justices” necessary to eliminate the protection of Roe v Wade. He bragged about it as often as he could. THEN, the GOP started losing election after election because, as it happens, the VAST majority of Americans prefer to have the choice available – even conservatives. So THEN, he backs off, now insisting that, no, he wasn’t trying to eliminate abortions. (Where would you ever get THAT idea?!?) He just wanted it to be a state’s rights issue. He even tried to pretend everybody wanted it to be a state’s rights issue. (Most people were not, are not, that stupid.)

These are not solid efforts on his part. One cannot go on television one day and say one thing and then go on television the next day and say the exact opposite without people noticing. I suppose it’s as close as we’re going to get from him as far as moving toward the middle, though. The best he ever does is to occasionally mumble out some things that might please still-rational conservatives (if such an animal still exists), but then he immediately retreats to “keep MAGA happy” mode and refutes whatever he said to the moderates…

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

And in the spirit of “keep MAGA happy,” the ‘Poor-Me ex-President’ keeps campaigning to people already in his camp. He doesn’t seem to be doing anything to pick up new voters. In fact, he’s blatantly disrespecting different groups he should be courting. He can’t help but explain, over and over, that he thinks military members are gullible fools for serving. He can’t hide the fact that he thinks women are good for nothing but sex and should probably be punished for engaging.

The thing is, MAGA loves this guy 100%. They’re so deranged in their faith in him (or should it be ‘Him?’) they would do anything, say anything, suffer anything, just to make him happy. Of all the people on the planet he does NOT need to court, MAGA is the group. Yet, that’s where he’s putting his efforts, shoring up his base.

It scares me. I suspect he knows he can’t pick up any more voters. MAGA is all in but everyone else, and I mean everyone, is not interested. He’s going to lose THIS election, too. (Do you realize that, even in 2016, he lost the popular vote? People just don’t like the guy. He’s too extreme, too weird.) But that leaves him only his January coup option. In order to make that work, he’s going to need mobs. MAGA needs to create (and pretend) confusion in order to make the coup work. In order to work, Trump needs MAGA loyalty more than he needs more votes. So that’s where he’s putting his energy…

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Meanwhile, RFK, Jr is trying to remove his name from ballots for which he qualified before stepping down from the race. He doesn’t want to be a spoiler for Trump like Haley was even after she stepped down. People voted for her anyway, because her name still appeared on ballots and they really, really did NOT want Trump.

North Carolina has refused to remove his name citing the fact that 1.7 million ballots have already been printed around the state. I think that’s a good reason. It’s expensive, printing ballots. Going back and reprinting 1.7 million ballots, just to help Trump? Why? I say, “just to help Trump” because Kennedy is only removing his name where the election is expected to be close. Removing his name is Kennedy’s way of helping Trump but that’s not the election board’s problem or mandate.

Still, the vote went 3 Democrats vote to leave the ballots as is, 2 Republicans voted to help Trump. The partisan split gives the cons something else to “poor me” the world with…