The photos of the "crowds" at the tank parade remind me of when Bill Hicks would come on stage in an almost-empty club, scan the room slowly, and announce "I've had more people in bed than this" ...
When the president sends a cabinet member on TV to announce "We are using the military to liberate an American city from its elected leaders," where do you go from there. What is left to say. The idea of that being anything short of a near-universal "Wait, what the fuck is going on" moment proves how far we've backslid.
This is from 2022 but it was absolutely right. The practiced buffoonery of Trump 1, all the "just kiddings" and "seriously but not literallys" absolutely succeeded in desensitizing people who are hardly paying any attention to the harder stuff they always intended to do next. ...
The basic fallacy in chasing votes by being "tough on immigration" is that the modal American's position on the issue is "Deport the Bad ones and keep the Good ones," and they alone know who is which, and that simply does not translate into workable policy. So this kind of gestapo stuff horrifies some of the same people who cheered when Trump promised to do it. There are true sociopaths who love this, but "No, I meant only the BAD immigrants! Not my coworker/friend/neighbor!" is as likely a reaction as enthusiasm. You cannot do immigration policy that satisfies these people because what they want is nonsensical.
So by the time center-left parties fully commit to chasing the far right by "getting tough" on immigration, the backlash has already begun to build and they walk right into it. "I thought you people wanted this!" No, they want something impossible and convinced themselves they'd could have it - the "eat whatever you want AND lose weight!" of immigration policies.
It is hard to grasp but large masses of Americans are both racist/xenophobic AND not racist/xenophobic enough to applaud what Trump is doing. It's goldilocks shit, they want a level of racism/xenophobia calibrated exactly to their personal preferences, and you just can't make that policy. Don't try. ...
AP: Trump extends olive branch, invites Musk to White House cellar to taste some brand new amontillado ...
Nick says:
That…that would be amazing. I vote for a recording device and a hilarious interview.
Batocchio says:
I say treat as absurdist improv comedy, but don't let them in on it. ;-)
Really, don't you think it'd be harder but more fun to see how many crazy things you can get them to agree with ya on?
Amelia says:
Aaaand… how, exactly, did you get this special opportunity? I hope it didn't involve an application packet.
JDryden says:
Oh, you must, you must. It will be hard to keep a straight face, I'm sure, but the anecdotal treasures you'll bring back will make it well worth the effort. Though there's always the horrible possibility that everyone there will turn out to be really nice and well-spoken and non-uber-horrific. Which would suck, perversely enough.
Chris says:
If you aren't serious about getting the job, then you have to fuck with them and record it! Other funny things you should do include:
1. Go into the interview with t-shirt with an upside down cross on it or Osama Bin Laden on it.
2. Pretend to be as flamboyantly gay as humanly possible
2a. Shake hands with your interviewer and squish a ketchup packet inside the handshake and tell him you have AIDS.
3. Use the Lord's name in vain as many times as possible
4. Ask if the university will cover a sex change operation
Kulkuri says:
Ask them if getting a law degree there would guarantee you a job in the Justice Dept. Or what other government jobs do they have a fast track on??
Nan says:
"at" or "with"? Is this going to be an on-campus experience or a sitting down with a recruiter at a conference?
Life being as absurd as it is, it's possible that if you're incredibly obnoxious and offensive during the interview they'll assume you're some genious hotshot scholar that they absolutely have to have on their faculty just to prove to the world they're not the asshats everyone thinks they are.
pmayo says:
Tell them you're trying to become Pat Robertson's World Leader Hitman.
Nate says:
Ed, this golden opportunity will not occur again. Go to that interview and be as obnoxious as possible… also wear a bug. Record that shit. Also, see if you can do anything on their dime.. free lunch, hotel stay whatever. :)