Some updated polling numbers show Trump leading Biden in key battleground states. "The polls were conducted by the New York Times and Siena College. Trump, leading the field for his party's 2024 nomination as he seeks to regain the presidency, leads in Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada and Pennsylvania, with Biden ahead in Wisconsin, the polls showed. Biden defeated Trump in all six states in the 2020 election. Trump now leads by an average of 48% to 44% in the six states, the polls showed." I should note that we are exactly 1 year out from election day, so these numbers could change by then, but I'd like to also point out how impressive this is for Trump. He has not yet seen the debate stage, yet he has remained at the forefront of media talks surrounding the election. The media's portrayal of Trump as this sort of Darth Vader-esque figure which has tremendous and dangerous power over the political landscape has accidentally helped him forge this cult-like foll...

 Pence is done as of this morning, says NBC. According to Pence, his campaign was out of money, and he knew that overcoming Trump was an uphill battle. While both of those things are true, I'd like to point out another huge flaw. When was the last time you all saw Mike Pence sat in front of a microphone on live television? Was it the debate stage? How did he do there? Was he youthful and insightful, or was he speaking to the 55 and over religious crowd which makes up maybe a quarter of the voter base? What about non-debate media appearances? Did he do opposing media shows? Was he active enough on Twitter? Or did Mike Pence spam your grandpa with emails begging for money to use to save Israel? My point here is that Pence, like essentially every other B-list candidate (including DeSantis) failed to use his campaign funds to secure meaningful media appearances. We are all enrolled in "mass media and politics" for a reason. Mass media is a vital point of success in American p...

 Until the last two or so weeks, the DeSantis campaign has been a total disaster-class. It lacked substance, flair, and moxy, all of which are needed in large quantities if he wishes to beat Donald Trump. Perhaps the biggest failure of the campaign for DeSantis was the poor use of media to rally voters. However, perhaps learning from Vivek Ramaswamy's campaign, DeSantis finally stepped up and made a move worth watching. Donald Trump's absence from the GOP debates was both egregious and strategic, because not showing up meant that the other candidates could not directly engage him. This was especially problematic for DeSantis, because the entirety of his campaign is based on the narrative that he is the only candidate who can beat Joe Biden, which places him in direct comparison with Trump. DeSantis saw the problem and took to the TV screen to call Donald Trump out for a 'mano e 'mano style debate, wherein Trump could determine the moderator. The move is great, because h...

       Despite polls suggesting that voters are...less than thrilled at the prospect of a rematch between Donald Trump and Joe Biden in 2024, one group is hopeful that there are some benefits to the contest. The group in question? Broadcasting companies. In an article published on msn.com, author Jill Goldsmith asserts that the desire for each candidate to reach the mid 50s voter demographic will lead to unprecedentedly high spending on television advertising. Goldsmith writes, ""This is going to be like the Super Bowl, but all the way to November," a top cable news executive enthused. "Who is the demographic that votes? The over-55s. That's our viewers, and everyone is going to pay to reach them." The incoming money is especially needed in light of the Screen Actors Guild holdout, which was all but starved the networks of new content. What do you all think? Will the ad spending be as beneficial to the cable companies as they predict? What are some of the r...

     This week I decided that it was time to spotlight a new, up-and-coming media outlet. Let me introduce you all to Tonto, a new app dedicated to preserving free speech in the realm of political discourse. In an article published in LA Weekly, Amir Bakian lays out the model for Tonto, and its intended place in the media landscape. " Tonto, a short-form audio platform, promises a space that does not compromise freedom of speech," says Bakian. Founded by CEO Manna Justin, Tonto is meant to take the place of the mainstream social media platforms like Facebook, X, and TikTok, by providing a space that circumvents laws concerning written statements. Justin states " “Platforms like Twitter are affected by a certain amount of control because of that written political messaging. Whereas Tonto is a platform for that freedom of speech—and speech, quite literally.”      I encourage you all to check out Tonto, and let me know what you think! Personally, I t...

Given the midterms this week, I decided to bring you all a more lighthearted post, albeit a post that is still relevant to the upcoming election. In a video report posted to CBS's website, Eugene Scott, senior politics reporter at Axios, weighs in on the potential for pop-megastar Taylor Swift to influence voter turnout. This comes after the popstar, who is in the Era of her highest stardom, urged new voters to be Fearless at the polls. Following this, 35,000 new voters registered on National Voter Registration Day. According to Scott, Taylor's use of Instagram to promote participation in electoral processes is still a new, but increasingly common phenomenon. This type of engagement with the youth is no surprise coming from Taylor Swift, however, as she talked extensively about voter turnout after the Red wave in the 2016 election. Scott emphasizes the future importance of social media as Gen Z moves into being the majority of the voter block. I will leave you all with this: ge...