The hot-mic moments just keep coming for Texas GOP Senate hopeful Ken Paxton.
asserted
moments → come → Paxton
Last week, it was leaked audio of Paxton admitting that Trump’s ballyhooed midterm convention had actually hurt his numbers.
asserted
convention → leak → numbers
This week, it’s audio of Paxton complaining about how little control he has over his own campaign strategy—since most of the money behind him is super PAC money from Trump.
asserted
most → ’ → Trump
“I’ve never been in a race where I felt less control over the campaign and, like, what issues are going to matter,” Paxton told a small fundraiser room, “because it’s all coming—you know—from D.C.”
asserted
you → feel → D.C.
The nineteenth-century American writer Henry David Thoreau famously claimed that “The mass of men lead lives of quiet desperation.”
asserted
mass → claim → desperation
I’ve always thought this assertion unfair, even untrue.
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assertion → think → ?
But it’s neither unfair nor untrue to observe that one man, Donald J. Trump, is today exhibiting clear signs of not-at-all-quiet desperation.
asserted
man → ’ → desperation
Yesterday afternoon, for example, Trump was engaged in a typical flurry of posts alternately attacking the media and promising $5,000 to Americans if they re-elect Republican majorities in Congress.
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they → engage → Congress
And then out of the blue came an attack on the Democratic senate nominee in South Carolina:
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attack → come → Carolina
Annie “Trannie” Andrews is running against our wonderful Darline Graham for the Senate in South Carolina. . . .
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Andrews → run → Carolina
Darline is a High Quality person, maybe the Highest, and Annie Trannie is not, in particular, as it pertains to representing the Values of the Great People of South Carolina
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it → pertain → Carolina
—She is in favor of Transgender for Everyone, Open Borders, Defunding the Police, High Taxes, a Weak Military, and will absolutely fight to take your guns away—In other words, she is against our Great Second Amendment!
asserted
she → defunde → Amendment
Trannie is not for South Carolina, and South Carolina must show, in the upcoming Election, that it is not for her.
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it → show → her
VOTE FOR DARLINE GRAHAM—SHE HAS MY COMPLETE AND TOTAL ENDORSEMENT, AND WILL NOT LET YOU DOWN!
asserted
SHE → vote → YOU
Before going on to explain Trump’s sudden interest in the South Carolina contest, I do want to note that his bigotry is of course revolting.
asserted
bigotry → go → course
In a civilized era, it would be shocking to see it coming from a president of the United States.
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it → see → States
But we do not live in a civilized era.
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we → live → era
In a non-cowardly era, the slur would be denounced by Republicans as well as Democrats.
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slur → denounce → Republicans
But we do not live in a non-cowardly era.
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we → live → era
In a better era, Andrews’s Republican opponent, Sen. Darline Graham, would step up to criticize a supporter for using the term.
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opponent → step → term
But we do not live in a better era.
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we → live → era
She’s running for a supposedly safe Republican seat.
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She → run → seat
And since she knows that she needs to win Trump voters over to have a path to victory, she’s actually been sparing in her own attacks on Trump.
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she → know → Trump
As a mom and a pediatrician, I’m in this race to fight for my patients, my three kids, and South Carolina.
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I → ’m → patients
And I’m going to work with anyone to put South Carolina first, because lowering costs and making life better for families across our state is going to take all of us working together.
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all → go → us
If you care more about your bills than the politics in Washington, this campaign is for you.
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campaign → care → you
He hasn’t been to South Carolina recently, and isn’t scheduled to go soon.
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He → schedule → Carolina
When Natalie Harp (presumably) sent the post on his behalf at 5:23 p.m. yesterday, she and her boss were on Air Force One, heading to Nebraska, where Trump was going to campaign for that state’s endangered Republican, Sen. Pete Ricketts.
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Trump → send → Republican
I’d like to think that it was because yesterday, on Tim Miller’s podcast, I went out on a limb and suggested that Andrews had a real chance to win.
uncertain
Andrews → like → chance
Could it be that Trump was watching the most recent Bulwark Daily podcast on Air Force One?
uncertain
Trump → watch → Force
Who knows?
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Who → know → ?
Only Natalie, I suppose.
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I → suppose → ?
I suspect the explanation is simple: In recent political updates from staff, Trump has been told that South Carolina looked surprisingly competitive.
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Carolina → suspect → staff
The two most recent public polls on the South Carolina race, one of them from a decidedly Republican-friendly firm, have Graham leading by only one point.
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Graham → have → point
A news story over the weekend noted that “Republicans, for their part, said they expected Ms. Graham to need a financial boost to secure a win in the end,” and that there were “conversations about getting more help for Darline.”
asserted
Graham → note → Darline
And then, just this morning, Axios reported that the main Republican Senate super PAC is shifting $5 million to South Carolina to help Graham.
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PAC → report → Graham
It seems President Trump and I are not the only ones who reached the conclusion that South Carolina is in play.
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Carolina → seem → play
And with a wave of the sort we’re seeing, why shouldn’t it be?
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it → see → sort
After all, Trump won Nebraska in 2024 by a wider margin than South Carolina, and he was in Nebraska last night trying to help save that Republican incumbent.
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he → win → incumbent
And last weekend’s New York Times/Siena polls had Democratic senate candidates up by seven and six points in Alaska and Texas, and South Carolina was only about five points more Republican in 2024 than those two states.
asserted
Carolina → have → states
…and 55 more, not listed.
The Aporia
