US Politics Election Extra: Polls, Vance, Lies, Bibles, & Tariffs
Table of Contents 📖
"This dude will even outsource to God."
Hello Team
🎦 00:00-00:28⏩
Jonathan introduces the topic - a US Election special - an update on the polls and a look at JD Vance (running for Vice President) and Tim Walz (running for President).
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US Election Polls
🎦 00:28-18:31⏩
Jonathan discusses recent polling data, noting that many on the Democrat side are concerned by what appears to be a tightening race, particularly in key swing states. He expresses scepticism about the reliability of certain polls, highlighting a potential over-representation of Republican-leaning polls. He cites analysis from FiveThirtyEight, which suggests that Kamala Harris is attracting a significant portion of voters who initially supported Nikki Haley in the Republican primaries. Additionally, he argues that Harris benefits from a stronger ground game and superior fundraising compared to Trump, factors that could be decisive in securing an electoral college victory.
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JD Vance’s Interview: Evasion and Whataboutism
🎦 18:31-22:39⏩
Jonathan analyses a painful interview with JD Vance where he evades directly answering a simple question about whether Trump lost the 2020 election, resorting to whataboutism by bringing up unrelated issues like Hunter Biden’s laptop and big tech censorship. Jonathan criticises this behaviour, saying it is an example of how the normalisation of lying is dangerous for democracy.
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JD Vance and Tim Walz: The Breakdown of Civility
🎦 22:39-24:10⏩
Jonathan notes that although the vice-presidential debate between JD Vance and Tim Walz was initially perceived as civil, it quickly devolved into mudslinging. He provides an example of Vance making a serious, unfounded allegation against Walz and then expressing sympathy for him.
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JD Vance and the Perpetuation of Lies
🎦 24:10-38:07⏩
Jonathan expresses concern over the trend of blatant lying in US politics and provides several examples of such behaviour.
- Fact-Checking Failures: He analyses fact checks from the Vance-Walz debate, revealing significant discrepancies between Vance's claims and reality, such as his statements about US solar panel production. Additionally, he calls out the official GOP Twitter account for spreading false information about crime rates under a potential Harris-Walz administration.
- Misrepresenting Support: Jonathan highlights instances where Trump rallies have featured individuals deceptively presented as belonging to certain professions in an effort to project an image of widespread support. He cites examples of people falsely claiming to be auto workers and firefighters at Trump and Vance rallies. He points out the ethical implications of this tactic.
- The Haitian Issue: Jonathan revisits the topic of JD Vance's rhetoric surrounding Haitian immigrants. He reports on the escalation of threats and hostility towards Haitians following Vance's statements. He shares a story of an Ohio businessman who received death threats for defending his Haitian workers and expresses sadness at the climate of fear and misinformation.
Jonathan argues that these tactics are part of a dangerous trend of manipulating public perception for political gain.
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Tim Walz Calls Out Trump’s Hypocrisy
🎦 38:07-47:41⏩
Jonathan pivots to Tim Walz, highlighting Walz’s criticism of Trump for having his branded Bibles printed in China. Jonathan sees this as an example of Trump’s hypocrisy given his stance on Chinese imports. Jonathan explains how tariffs work, arguing that Trump's proposed across-the-board tariffs would be economically damaging and would increase inflation. He uses an example of a clip from The David Pakman Show where a caller expresses confusion about tariffs and challenges his understanding of how they work. Jonathan concludes that Trump's rhetoric on tariffs is misleading and exploits public misunderstanding for political gain. Jonathan notes the irony of Trump criticising Chinese imports whilst simultaneously profiting from them.
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Tim Walz on Trump’s Broken Promises
🎦 47:41-48:01⏩
Jonathan shares a clip where Tim Walz criticises Trump’s record on manufacturing jobs, specifically addressing the loss of jobs in Michigan during Trump’s presidency. Walz highlights the discrepancy between Trump’s promises to protect American jobs and the reality of job losses in key industries under his administration. He further argues that Trump's policies have benefited corporations that engage in offshoring while neglecting the needs of American workers.
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Wrap up
🎦 48:01-48:14⏩
Jonathan provides closing remarks, summarising the key points of the video and encouraging viewer engagement in the comments.
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