butterbumps!

Does a prop in a big election year like the Florida abortion one end up helping or hurting dems? I’d think the prop will be a win for anyone opposed to forced birth, but doesn’t it give license to then go and vote for a republican, since the bad policy is being decided separately from the candidate? Doesn’t this remove a major reason to vote dem? (obviously not objectively but for the typical rep-leaning voter)

Yes. The magats are coming out for Trump regardless of who his running mate is. The fact Haley is a woman will convince a bunch suburban women to come back to the gop and worry less about things like women losing rights to their body, and give “generic republicans” that veneer of acceptability. Bonus for the donor class if Trump shuffles off the mortal coil leaving her in place.

is the inevitable outcome of this recent push for Haley that she becomes Trump’s running mate? I’m struggling to come up with ways that wouldn’t be fairly catastrophic for dems.

There’s a good long read in wapo about the concrete effects Republican policy has on health and life expectancy that’s pretty tightly focused and damning — here’s the gifted link. Not that I expect it to convince rabid Magas, and probably already clear to a lot of us, but a good read anyway.

Rag's collection of Tywin essays could be added to the "analysis" section