From: jimruttshow8596
The 2024 United States presidential election is viewed as a critical juncture, with discussions centering on the unique political landscape, the nature of the major parties, and the implications of voting choices [00:01:41].
General Outlook on the 2024 Election
The 2024 election is described as “quite the setup” [00:01:49]. Historically, Brett Weinstein has voted against both major party candidates in almost every election of his adult life, with the exception of Barack Obama’s first election [00:02:00]. His usual principle is to vote in a future election if the desired candidate is not running, which often means an “off-label” vote like writing in Tulsi Gabbard in the last election [00:02:29]. However, for the 2024 election, he believes this principle does not apply, arguing that “if we do not regain control of the ship of State in this election it’s not clear to me that we will have another meaningful election” [00:02:55]. Jim Rut acknowledges that both sides make similar claims about the other, considering them “a little overheated” but with “some truth to both sides” [00:03:08].
Dynamics of the 2024 Election
Concerns Over Election Integrity and Fairness
Brett Weinstein points to “rampant cheating across the board by one side” and “election interference,” noting that the “degree of illegitimate stagecraft around Kamala Harris is through the roof” [00:03:41]. This suggests a willingness of the “blue team” (Democratic Party) to “break the values and rules surrounding consent of the Govern in order to retain power” [00:03:59].
The Biden-Harris Transition
The sudden withdrawal of Joe Biden from the presidential election discussion race and the ascension of Kamala Harris are central points of discussion [00:04:19].
NOTE
According to Seymour Hersh, Kamala Harris allegedly used the 25th Amendment as a threat to remove Joe Biden from the presidential race, but not from the office of president [00:04:29]. This has led to a situation where the nation is taking global risks “without a commander-in-chief who is someone we can call onto the carpet and hold responsible” [00:05:00]. Harris is seen as complicit for not exercising the 25th Amendment on behalf of the American people after threatening to use it [00:05:22].
Jim Rut suggests a “Rudan hypothesis” where Biden intentionally scheduled an early debate to prove his competency, but then failed, and, being “hard-headed,” refused to leave until forced by Democratic party powers like Nancy Pelosi and Barack Obama [00:07:43]. Brett Weinstein suggests it was a “setup” orchestrated by those managing Biden, who knew he couldn’t handle a contentious debate [00:08:27]. The unprecedented timing of the June debate is cited as a key anomaly [00:09:42]. It’s speculated that the “blue cabal” had a plan to switch candidates, which Biden resisted, leading to his setup in the debate [00:10:39]. Biden may have forced the decision to pick Harris as payback [00:11:34].
NOTE
Kamala Harris is considered “unqualified” and to have “disqualified herself” by her actions regarding the 25th Amendment [00:05:31]. Jim Rut describes her as a “lightweight” [00:14:49]. Internal polling suggesting a significant popular vote deficit for Harris indicates “genuine desperation” from the “blue side” [00:14:02].
Criticism of Political Parties
The Democratic Party (“Blue Team”)
The Democratic Party is accused of being a “racket” that doesn’t allow its rank and file to choose their nominee [00:15:23]. It’s argued that they have “driven all the likable decent people out of the party” [00:15:49].
CAUTION
Jim Rut identifies several reasons for disliking Democrats:
- Oikophobia: A “hatred of your culture,” evidenced by college campuses and polling data showing disdain for American society and Enlightenment values [00:24:48].
- Rising Antisemitism: Citing Harvard polling showing 65% of 18-25 year olds believing “Jews are oppressors” [00:25:07].
- Wokeness and Neotribalism [00:25:20].
- Unrealistic Climate Policies: Referencing Bernie Sanders’ 2020 plan for all transportation and electricity to be renewable by 2030, described as “nuts” and “impossible” without extreme societal costs [00:26:09].
- Excessive Government Spending [00:26:22].
- Anti-Second Amendment Stance [00:26:26].
- Weak on Free Speech [00:26:29].
- Support for “Hamas lovers” [00:26:43].
Brett Weinstein asserts that “men who are voting for The Blue Team at this point… are falling down on their obligation as men” to protect and tell the truth [00:21:29]. He believes many men are realizing they are “not behaving in an honorable masculine way by subordinating themselves to a bunch of ideas that are just flat out wrong” [00:22:07], leading to “defections” [00:22:12].
The Republican Party (“Red Team”)
The Republican Party is criticized for its own set of issues.
CAUTION
Jim Rut identifies several reasons for disliking Republicans:
- Imposition of Religion on the Public: Including attempts to place the Ten Commandments in schools and the growth of Christian nationalism, seen as a “repudiation of the Enlightenment about separation of church and state” [00:27:21].
- Cultural Control of Individual Behavior: Stances on abortion, right to die, and drug wars are viewed as “religiously motivated, mostly cultural imperialism” [00:27:54].
- Anti-Free Speech Tendencies: Banning books and mandating speech for medical practitioners [00:28:02].
- Climate Change Denial: Many in the party are “flat-out deniers of climate change” [00:28:13].
- Naive Foreign Policy: Especially regarding Ukraine and Taiwan [00:28:34].
- Irresponsible Spending: Described as “even worse” than Democrats because they cut taxes while increasing spending, contributing significantly to national deficits [00:28:54].
Political Ideologies and Shifts and Political Polarization in the United States
The current political landscape involves a “massive political realignment” [00:05:07]. Brett Weinstein argues that the movement “gathering under the red banner is not the Republican party” as it once was, and it’s “worse” [00:29:33]. Jim Rut, however, describes it as the “party of morons,” asserting that Trump’s strategy targeted “IQ 90 voters” [00:29:51].
NOTE
Donald Trump is credited with accomplishing the “impossible” by defeating the “duopoly” [00:30:19]. He has “decapitated the Republican party and taken it over” with a new constituency, largely the “labor movement which was cut loose by the Democrats” [00:32:54]. This has led to a demographic shift where the Republican share of college-educated voters has fallen, while that of high school graduates has risen [00:33:38].
Jim Rut views Trump as a “despicable human being,” a “pathological liar” whose every utterance is driven by narcissism [00:57:45]. This narcissism is seen as a “horrendously bad operating system for making decisions that weight the future at anything higher than zero” [01:00:46].
Brett Weinstein counters that narcissism isn’t necessarily a disqualifier for the presidency, especially if a leader seeks “adulation by serving the interests of the American people” [00:59:26] and wants to be remembered as a great president [01:01:04]. He points to Trump’s willingness to share the stage with Bobby Kennedy as evidence against a purely self-aggrandizing narcissism, suggesting Trump might be “grown in ways that you and I might not expect” [01:04:33].
Key Policy Debates and Threats
Ukraine Conflict
The ongoing conflict in Ukraine is a point of contention [00:42:04]. Jim Rut views the situation as a disaster if Ukraine falls to Putin, and believes the “Democratic internationalist cabal is more likely to be sound on Ukraine than Trump is” [00:43:02]. He argues that all three recent presidents share some blame for the situation [00:42:58]. Brett Weinstein argues that the “nuclear belligerence towards Russia and the debacle in Ukraine both land squarely on the blue team’s doorstep” [00:44:42]. He also suggests the “regime is using Ukraine as some mechanism to loot the treasury” [00:43:55].
Climate Change
While both acknowledge the reality of climate change, their views on solutions and political party approaches differ [00:25:26]. Jim Rut criticizes the Democrats for “unrealistic climate policies” and “spending way too much way too fast” [00:46:48]. He also notes a lack of “quality thinking” from Republicans on a careful trajectory to carbon neutrality [00:48:39]. Brett Weinstein believes concerns about global warming are “overblown in one regard” because the academic discipline is biased towards severe conclusions, making it difficult to know the true severity [00:49:28]. He introduces the often-ignored factor of “solar forcing,” which he argues “dwarfs the capacity of humans to influence climate dynamics” [00:49:53].
The Carrington Event
Both express concern about the Carrington Effect – a massive solar flare event – and the lack of attention from both parties [00:50:50]. The risk is increasing due to the Earth’s rapidly weakening magnetic field and active sunspot cycle [00:52:04]. The cost to protect the world’s grids is estimated at $100 billion, yet neither party takes it on [00:51:38].
WARNING
A critical point of concern is that the US’s stockpile of spare transformers, vital for recovering from a Carrington event, has been sent to Ukraine [00:54:09]. This is seen as “the blue team acting in the most insane way possible relative to a risk that very few people know about” [00:54:41].
Role of Race and Gender in Political Campaigns
A “very long trajectory involving feminism” is seen as impacting the Democratic Party [00:18:45]. While first and second-wave feminism (equal opportunity for women in positions of power) are deemed “noble and sensible,” the radical feminist idea of 50/50 representation regardless of capability, and the “overthrow of masculinity,” are criticized [00:20:03]. “Toxic masculinity” is called “hate speech” [00:20:40]. The Democratic Party is accused of pushing an “incoherently feminine quadrant of the electorate” [00:20:26]. Kamala Harris, despite being seen as a “lightweight,” is believed to be chosen partly because “she’s phenotypically attracted female and some version of not white” [00:16:34]. The idea of electing someone “purely based on those identitarian characteristics is frightening” [00:16:47]. Recent polling showing 25% of black men potentially voting for the “red team” is seen as “unprecedented” and a “red pill moment” for those told they must behave a certain way to be a member of their racial group [00:23:42].
The “Double Hater” Conundrum
Jim Rut identifies as a “double hater,” disliking both Team Red and Team Blue for their respective faults [00:24:19]. He finds it a non-trivial decision to choose which to vote for based on hating them “slightly less” [00:26:40]. He maintains his “Bayesian prior is weighted towards team blue with nose held with channel locks” [01:08:40], but remains open to changing his vote until just before the election [01:07:25].
Brett Weinstein argues that the “blue team is a threat to the fairest, safest, most productive system the world has ever known,” a system that needs constant upgrading but is being undermined [00:39:36]. He views the “regime” or “blue church” as “fundamentally anti-American both in terms of culture and in terms of its antipathy for the structure of checks and balances” [00:32:00]. He believes “every patriotic American is obligated to vote against The Blue Team” [00:32:07].# 2024 US Presidential Election and Third-Party Candidates
The 2024 United States presidential election is viewed as a critical juncture, with discussions centering on the unique political landscape, the nature of the major parties, and the implications of voting choices [00:01:41].
General Outlook on the 2024 Election
The 2024 election is described as “quite the setup” [00:01:49]. Historically, Brett Weinstein has voted against both major party candidates in almost every election of his adult life, with the exception of Barack Obama’s first election [00:02:00]. His usual principle is to vote in a future election if the desired candidate is not running, which often means an “off-label” vote like writing in Tulsi Gabbard in the last election [00:02:29]. However, for the 2024 election, he believes this principle does not apply, arguing that “if we do not regain control of the ship of State in this election it’s not clear to me that we will have another meaningful election” [00:02:55]. Jim Rut acknowledges that both sides make similar claims about the other, considering them “a little overheated” but with “some truth to both sides” [00:03:08].
Dynamics of the 2024 Presidential Election Discussion
Concerns Over Election Integrity and Fairness
Brett Weinstein points to “rampant cheating across the board by one side” and “election interference,” noting that the “degree of illegitimate stagecraft around Kamala Harris is through the roof” [00:03:41]. This suggests a willingness of the “blue team” (Democratic Party) to “break the values and rules surrounding consent of the Govern in order to retain power” [00:03:59].
The Biden-Harris Transition
The sudden withdrawal of Joe Biden from the presidential race and the ascension of Kamala Harris are central points of discussion [00:04:19].
NOTE
According to Seymour Hersh, Kamala Harris allegedly used the 25th Amendment as a threat to remove Joe Biden from the presidential race, but not from the office of president [00:04:29]. This has led to a situation where the nation is taking global risks “without a commander-in-chief who is someone we can call onto the carpet and hold responsible” [00:05:00]. Harris is seen as complicit for not exercising the 25th Amendment on behalf of the American people after threatening to use it [00:05:22].
Jim Rut suggests a “Rudan hypothesis” where Biden intentionally scheduled an early debate to prove his competency, but then failed, and, being “hard-headed,” refused to leave until forced by Democratic party powers like Nancy Pelosi and Barack Obama [00:07:43]. Brett Weinstein suggests it was a “setup” orchestrated by those managing Biden, who knew he couldn’t handle a contentious debate [00:08:27]. The unprecedented timing of the June debate is cited as a key anomaly [00:09:42]. It’s speculated that the “blue cabal” had a plan to switch candidates, which Biden resisted, leading to his setup in the debate [00:10:39]. Biden may have forced the decision to pick Harris as payback [00:11:34].
NOTE
Kamala Harris is considered “unqualified” and to have “disqualified herself” by her actions regarding the 25th Amendment [00:05:31]. Jim Rut describes her as a “lightweight” [00:14:49]. Internal polling suggesting a significant popular vote deficit for Harris indicates “genuine desperation” from the “blue side” [00:14:02].
Criticism of Political Parties
The Democratic Party (“Blue Team”)
The Democratic Party has “become a racket” that doesn’t allow its rank and file to choose their nominee [00:15:23]. It’s argued that they have “driven all the likable decent people out of the party” [00:15:49].
CAUTION
Jim Rut identifies several reasons for disliking Democrats:
- Oikophobia: A “hatred of your culture,” evidenced by college campuses and polling data showing disdain for American society and Enlightenment values [00:24:48].
- Rising Antisemitism: Citing Harvard polling showing 65% of 18-25 year olds believing “Jews are oppressors” [00:25:07].
- Wokeness and Neotribalism [00:25:20].
- Unrealistic Climate Policies: Referencing Bernie Sanders’ 2020 plan for all transportation and electricity to be renewable by 2030, described as “nuts” and “impossible” without extreme societal costs [00:26:09].
- Excessive Government Spending [00:26:22].
- Anti-Second Amendment Stance [00:26:26].
- Weak on Free Speech [00:26:29].
- Support for “Hamas lovers” [00:26:43].
Brett Weinstein asserts that “men who are voting for The Blue Team at this point… are falling down on their obligation as men” to protect and tell the truth [00:21:29]. He believes many men are realizing they are “not behaving in an honorable masculine way by subordinating themselves to a bunch of ideas that are just flat out wrong” [00:22:07], leading to “defections” [00:22:12].
The Republican Party (“Red Team”)
The Republican Party is criticized for its own set of issues.
CAUTION
Jim Rut identifies several reasons for disliking Republicans:
- Imposition of Religion on the Public: Including attempts to place the Ten Commandments in schools and the growth of Christian nationalism, seen as a “repudiation of the Enlightenment about separation of church and state” [00:27:21]. He references the Virginia Statute of Religious Freedom as a principled argument for separation of church and state [00:27:34].
- Cultural Control of Individual Behavior: Stances on abortion, right to die, and drug wars are viewed as “religiously motivated, mostly cultural imperialism” [00:27:54].
- Anti-Free Speech Tendencies: Banning books and mandating speech for medical practitioners [00:28:02].
- Climate Change Denial: Many in the party are “flat-out deniers of climate change” [00:28:13].
- Naive Foreign Policy: Especially regarding Ukraine and Taiwan [00:28:34].
- Irresponsible Spending: Described as “even worse” than Democrats because they cut taxes while increasing spending, contributing significantly to national deficits [00:28:54].
Political Ideologies and Shifts and Political Polarization in the United States
The current political landscape involves a “massive political realignment” [00:05:07]. Brett Weinstein argues that the movement “gathering under the red banner is not the Republican party” as it once was, and it’s “worse” [00:29:33]. Jim Rut, however, describes it as the “party of morons,” asserting that Trump’s strategy targeted “IQ 90 voters” [00:29:51].
NOTE
Donald Trump is credited with accomplishing the “impossible” by defeating the “duopoly” [00:30:19]. He has “decapitated the Republican party and taken it over” with a new constituency, largely the “labor movement which was cut loose by the Democrats” [00:32:54]. This has led to a demographic shift where the Republican share of college-educated voters has fallen, while that of high school graduates has risen [00:33:38].
Jim Rut views Trump as a “despicable human being,” a “pathological liar” whose every utterance is driven by narcissism [00:57:45]. This narcissism is seen as a “horrendously bad operating system for making decisions that weight the future at anything higher than zero” [01:00:46].
Brett Weinstein counters that narcissism isn’t necessarily a disqualifier for the presidency, especially if a leader seeks “adulation by serving the interests of the American people” [00:59:26] and wants to be remembered as a great president [01:01:04]. He points to Trump’s willingness to share the stage with Bobby Kennedy as evidence against a purely self-aggrandizing narcissism, suggesting Trump might be “grown in ways that you and I might not expect” [01:04:33].
Key Policy Debates and Threats
Ukraine Conflict
The ongoing conflict in Ukraine is a point of contention [00:42:04]. Jim Rut views the situation as a disaster if Ukraine falls to Putin, and believes the “Democratic internationalist cabal is more likely to be sound on Ukraine than Trump is” [00:43:02]. He argues that all three recent presidents share some blame for the situation [00:42:58]. Brett Weinstein argues that the “nuclear belligerence towards Russia and the debacle in Ukraine both land squarely on the blue team’s doorstep” [00:44:42]. He also suggests the “regime is using Ukraine as some mechanism to loot the treasury” [00:43:55].
Climate Change
While both acknowledge the reality of climate change, their views on solutions and political party approaches differ [00:25:26]. Jim Rut criticizes the Democrats for “unrealistic climate policies” and “spending way too much way too fast” [00:46:48]. He also notes a lack of “quality thinking” from Republicans on a careful trajectory to carbon neutrality [00:48:39]. Brett Weinstein believes concerns about global warming are “overblown in one regard” because the academic discipline is biased towards severe conclusions, making it difficult to know the true severity [00:49:28]. He introduces the often-ignored factor of “solar forcing,” which he argues “dwarfs the capacity of humans to influence climate dynamics” [00:49:53].
The Carrington Event
Both express concern about the Carrington Effect – a massive solar flare event – and the lack of attention from both parties [00:50:50]. The risk is increasing due to the Earth’s rapidly weakening magnetic field and active sunspot cycle [00:52:04]. The cost to protect the world’s grids is estimated at $100 billion, yet neither party takes it on [00:51:38].
WARNING
A critical point of concern is that the US’s stockpile of spare transformers, vital for recovering from a Carrington event, has been sent to Ukraine [00:54:09]. This is seen as “the blue team acting in the most insane way possible relative to a risk that very few people know about” [00:54:41].
Role of Race and Gender in Political Campaigns
A “very long trajectory involving feminism” is seen as impacting the Democratic Party [00:18:45]. While first and second-wave feminism (equal opportunity for women in positions of power) are deemed “noble and sensible,” the radical feminist idea of 50/50 representation regardless of capability, and the “overthrow of masculinity,” are criticized [00:20:03]. “Toxic masculinity” is called “hate speech” [00:20:40]. The Democratic Party is accused of pushing an “incoherently feminine quadrant of the electorate” [00:20:26]. Kamala Harris, despite being seen as a “lightweight,” is believed to be chosen partly because “she’s phenotypically attracted female and some version of not white” [00:16:34]. The idea of electing someone “purely based on those identitarian characteristics is frightening” [00:16:47]. Recent polling showing 25% of black men potentially voting for the “red team” is seen as “unprecedented” and a “red pill moment” for those told they must behave a certain way to be a member of their racial group [00:23:42].
The “Double Hater” Conundrum
Jim Rut identifies as a “double hater,” disliking both Team Red and Team Blue for their respective faults [00:24:19]. He finds it a non-trivial decision to choose which to vote for based on hating them “slightly less” [00:26:40]. He maintains his “Bayesian prior is weighted towards team blue with nose held with channel locks” [01:08:40], but remains open to changing his vote until just before the election [01:07:25].
Brett Weinstein argues that the “blue team is a threat to the fairest, safest, most productive system the world has ever known,” a system that needs constant upgrading but is being undermined [00:39:36]. He views the “regime” or “blue church” as “fundamentally anti-American both in terms of culture and in terms of its antipathy for the structure of checks and balances” [00:32:00], which were meant to be guarded by the Constitution [00:06:08]. He believes “every patriotic American is obligated to vote against The Blue Team” [00:32:07]. He concludes that “if we are to believe Seymour Hirsch, Kamala Harris used the 25th Amendment as a threat to shove Joe Biden out of the presidential race but not out of the office of president” [00:04:23], and that “we are already in exotic territory with respect to the state of the democracy and the consent of the Govern” [00:04:50]. This situation, along with the “continued nuclear brinksmanship with Russia,” signals a potential political disintegration [00:04:37].