The GOP Endgame

Plus: How to fight disinformation and denial

Jim Swift

Aug 22

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CHRISTIAN VANDERBROUK: What’s the Endgame for Trump and DeSantis?

(Photo by BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI/AFP via Getty Images)

LET’S BE UNREASONABLY CHARITABLE to the Ron DeSantis presidential campaign. He’s in it to win it. Remember “God Made A Fighter”?
So ignore, for example, the New York Times report that his super PAC is advising him to “defend Donald Trump in absentia in response to a Chris Christie attack” at this week’s debate. A clever feint!
Let’s instead imagine the very-best-case scenario for the Florida governor winning the GOP nomination.

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BILL LUEDERS: How to Fight Disinformation and Denial.

ONE FROSTY WINTER DAY in early 2021, during the height of the pandemic, I stopped to talk to a guy who was standing at a somewhat busy intersection near my home in Madison, Wisconsin, holding up a placard that said “Freedom!” I had just walked out of a Walgreens drugstore, still wearing the mask that at the time was required to be inside. I asked him what he meant by his sign, as pleasantly as I could. He was immediately defensive, saying something like “You know, freedom.”
Freedom to do what? Freedom from what? “Mandates,” he answered. He was white, middle-aged, a bit younger than me. It was just when the vaccines for COVID-19 were becoming available. I said I understood that mandates are a drag but that it really did seem, based on what the scientists were saying, like good ideas for people to wear masks and get vaccinated. He walked away a few feet, a triumph of social distancing. I said something about how he didn’t have to be afraid of me. This, it turned out, was the wrong thing to say, as it made him want to throw down and kick my ass, which he repeatedly offered to do.

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🎥 PODCASTS AND VIDEOS 🎧

Bulwark+ members can listen to an ad-free version of these podcasts on the player of their choice. Learn more at Bulwark+ Podcast FAQ.

ZANDY HARTIG: Ryan Gosling: A Professional.

MY MOM BELIEVED THE HIGHEST COMPLIMENT she could give when she saw me onstage or on film was to call me “professional.” Granted, she was British and not given to florid praise, but her definition of professional didn’t mean “competent.” It meant you were a worker. You knew your lines, you knew your marks, you showed up on time, you were respectful to your director, writer, cast, and crew, and you were tirelessly devoted to your craft. So when you performed in front of an audience, you made all that effort look effortless.

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JOE PERTICONE: Sampling the Delicacies at the Iowa State Fair.

LOOK, LET’S GET THIS OUT OF THE WAY right up front: I have a very good diet. It’s healthy, consistent, and extremely low in sugar, carbs, and processed foods. I will go for weeks, sometimes even months on end without a single cheat meal. I’m a psycho, I know.
This is why the Iowa State Fair—an event I last covered eight years ago as a 25-year-old cub reporter on the campaign trail—presented a daunting task: What should I eat?

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🚨OVERTIME🚨

Happy Tuesday! And thanks to all who sent their condolences. Here’s the stage lineup for tomorrow night’s GOP debate. Remember, we’ll be doing a live chat for members on Substack during the debate, a live post-debate reaction, and, the following day marks the return of Thursday Night Bulwark. Summer is truly over!

🎵On the Jukebox 🎵… John Lennon - Watching the Wheels.

“Oh, now that’s an idea!”… A new book provides a guide to Midwest conversation. Found it at the library and it is spot on. As legitimate present or a gag gift, it’s perfect for a recent Midwest mover or for a White Elephant party.

The huge mistake most of Trump’s rivals are making…. Our former colleague Amanda Carpenter explains at CNN.

What happened to Wirecutter? Was it something the Times did or was the evolving internet to blame? Charlie Warzel investigates.

Chris Christie… Is not going to apologize.

'Wanting to be famous'… How Vivek Ramaswamy sought podcast stardom prior to White House run.

GiveSendGo’s white nationalist problem… When you create a GoFundMe clone for the politically incorrect / cancelled, you’re gonna end up with some nazis.

DeSantis goes on hiring spree… Adding a cigar magnate as a surrogate and campaign advisor.

The founding President of Fox Broadcasting Company… Jamie Kellner has joined Bill Kristol and former FCC commissioner Ervin Duggan in objecting to FCC broadcast licenses for Murdoch’s FOX.

A key witness in the Mar-a-Lago case… Changed lawyers and retracted false testimony, Jack Smith says.

The D.C. Attorney General… Is probing Leonard Leo’s billion dollar GOP network.

A Virginia Sheriff’s Department Lets Armed Boogaloos… Waltz onto school grounds to protest the arrest of their lunatic buddies who brought guns to a school board meeting and were arrested. This was one of them.

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Editorial photos provided by Getty Images. For full credits, please consult the article.

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