"The Trump supporter wasn't smart enough to know they'd fallen for clickbait." - Reality

He gave a speech opposing the Iraq war when most Democrats supported it. He also spent years as a State Senator in Illinois before joining the Senate.

Platner showed there's a significant lane for people running on his issues, including against the D establishment and AIPAC. But he was clearly a deeply flawed man who never should've run for high office. I thought that was blindingly obvious in 10/25, but glad people got there.

The other major moment where it slipped through Warren's fingers was when AOC endorsed Sanders in Oct 2019 after his heart attack and his numbers rebounded after briefly cratering.

The establishment wing was giving clear advice to Democrats the best way to handle Trump was to "play dead" and let thermostatic opinion deliver the midterms. There's a logic to it, but it ignores the fact that's completely uninspiring for a base demanding action.

I always thought this was an LBJ quote, but it still applies.

I don't think any reasonable person objects to treating the people who fund Hamas as terrorist collaborators. Interesting sidenote: That includes Netanyahu's government. Source: timesofisrael.com/for-years-…

A book on Roman history I listened to specifically discussed the widespread cases of herpes in Rome leading to a kissing ban by the emperor. It was under Tiberius, though we can't say for sure it was herpes.