Chris Hayes might be right: "I think we increasingly live in a postgaffe, even a postscandal society." Or he might be wrong.
But I say this much is true: "electability" ain't what it used to be. John Kerry was more "electable" than Howard Dean. Hillary Clinton was more "electable" than Barack Obama. Then she was more "electable" than Bernie Sanders. Was "electability" what got He, Trump nominated in 2016? Not by the pundits' definition of "electability", I think.
It encourages me that Democratic office holders have started to use (some of) George Carlin's seven words. Some Americans may still be priggish enough to hold it against them, but a lot more Americans use all seven of those words in everyday conversation.
Alas, everyday conversation is seldom about politics. Maybe it's different in "swing" states, but here in MA we libruls seldom "talk politics" with friends and neighbors who might be MAGAts. So they (and we, I suppose) only get information and hear opinions from "the media" -- mass or social, but mainly personally selected. Sticking to conversation about the weather or the local sportsball team is The American Way, I guess.
Chris Hayes might be right: "I think we increasingly live in a postgaffe, even a postscandal society." Or he might be wrong.
But I say this much is true: "electability" ain't what it used to be. John Kerry was more "electable" than Howard Dean. Hillary Clinton was more "electable" than Barack Obama. Then she was more "electable" than Bernie Sanders. Was "electability" what got He, Trump nominated in 2016? Not by the pundits' definition of "electability", I think.
It encourages me that Democratic office holders have started to use (some of) George Carlin's seven words. Some Americans may still be priggish enough to hold it against them, but a lot more Americans use all seven of those words in everyday conversation.
Alas, everyday conversation is seldom about politics. Maybe it's different in "swing" states, but here in MA we libruls seldom "talk politics" with friends and neighbors who might be MAGAts. So they (and we, I suppose) only get information and hear opinions from "the media" -- mass or social, but mainly personally selected. Sticking to conversation about the weather or the local sportsball team is The American Way, I guess.
--TP