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Culture War Roundup for the week of August 14, 2023

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Perhaps this is a sign of really good public speaking that he can be aggressive in one venue and come off compassionate in a different venue.

Or perhaps it's the sign of a grifter who views the circus of the Republican primary as a nice platform to set up himself up for a cushy consulting and lobbying gig, and he flip-flopped because it's good marketing to the base.

“Grifter looking for cushy consulting and lobbying gigs” is pretty ridiculous accusation, considering that his career before running for president has been much superior than what you suggest he’s after. You might as well accuse Trump of only running because he wanted to make a bit of money by selling his memoir afterwards.

Agreed. He’s looking for power and to enact his agenda. I think he knows he’s not beating trump, though, and so I think he’s running for President to get his name out their- perhaps as a potential veep who’s actually the power behind the throne, perhaps as a potential minister without portfolio, something like that.

For what it's worth, he said he won't be anyones VIP. He says that he's doing this to be in charge and that he doesn't want to answer to anyone.

He’s also laying out the possibility of my scenerio. Where he’s a uniter who pardons trump because it’s good for America to be United. It is a path to the Presidency and one I think would better advance conservative agenda. Trump is never going to appeal to the PMC but I think Vivek could and that’s a big deal for these culture war fights. If he can’t win the PMC he could get it to 30-70 etc.

Your not going to get anything done if you don’t get the 4th branch of government neutral.

If he just wanted money he’s done enough in the private sector that he could just open a hedge fund. Which generally pays a lot more than grifter.

Which isn’t to be confused with someone grifting because they like power. But all politicians do a bit of that. And as they age they generally shift from true believer to complex world. Witness AOC neolib transformation. She probably ends up being the Dem speaker of the house for decades.