The results from yesterday‘s midterm remind me of scenes from two movies:
Killing Zoe: when the bank robbers finally reach all of the gold, after the bank robbery has gone totally awry, the French bank robber lead actor/villain says “we are rich” as he strokes the gold.
Eric Stoltz - the good guy sucked into the bank robbery gone south - says “whoa, we’re not out of here yet”.
To which the villain says in his French accent “yes, but we are rich”.
The other line was from Rushmore: “they can buy anything, but they can’t buy backbone”.
I briefly chatted with two guys at the bowling alley yesterday. Mid 50s/early 60s. Said I Was very much distracted by the Kentucky primaries (before results started coming in). they weren’t even aware that Kentucky primaries were going on, and when I told them who was running, they said “oh that guy… isn’t he the anti-Trump guy?”
And you realize the power of propaganda. Two people who barely even knew the core detail that the primary was even happening, knew the ancillary propaganda that the guy they didn’t even know was in the primary that they didn’t even know it was happening that night was “anti-Trump”.
It’s not cheating. It’s within the Rules. But you see how repetition creates truth. Money can buy endless repetition. And money does buy elections.
The other line… The tragedy of the bank robbers having reached the gold. Reached the treasure. Reached infinite wealth. And even though the Frenchman knew he was doomed, for that moment, he could pretend it was victory.
This feels like pyrrhic victory. And I think it is.
Looking at the demographics of yesterday‘s results…
Looking at who is taking victory laps today, and who feels disillusioned and disenfranchised.
People saying this had nothing to do with Israel/Israel lobby.
Then AIPAC literally comes out and posts back to back to back posts that literally leave no doubt.
If I didn’t know better, I would say they were trolling / rubbing it in the face of Americans.
I didn’t like Massie making the Tel Aviv joke.
But these tweets from AIPAC almost felt deliberate.
You can be the most pro-Israel Zionist out there, and still understand how this messaging is going to turn away a generation of Americans - the same ones who voted for Massie. Being called antisemites. Anti-Israel.
Blamed for complaining about AIPAC money buying that race.
Now having AIPAC tell them that if you want to win in Kentucky or anywhere else in America, you had better play ball…
Very depressing. But alas, we don’t know what chapter of the book we are on, we just know that there are more chapters. So still more time for the hero arc. Still more time for vindication. Still more time for a happy ending.
And for those thinking they won, taking the most “in your face” victory lap, i’m not sure they appreciate what chapter of the book they are on.
I don’t know if Kentucky can possibly go democrat in 2026 as a result of this. Nobody seems to like Ed, even among “”.
Not sure what will happen in South Carolina if Lady Lindsay wins. Their victory today might be their political defeat in 6 months.
But alas, it is what happens when tribalism meets the need for instant gratification.
Godspeed.
