Vice presidents (my PhD topic), tech, politics, and whimsy. My opinion ONLY!! Check out my Substack on vice presidents downthehall.substack.com

Joined January 2011
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Replying to @awmannes
If you read the post, you'll see, I am (inspired by @dandrezner - but not as funny) going to keep a thread open and going about what roles Kamala plays in the Biden administration and what they tell us about administration priorities.
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This is the best stuff!
Marching to Fenway with a few thousand fellow Scotland fans has been one of many incredible highlights from this weekend
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Trump started a war that Vance opposed. Trump lost the war, but is assigning negotiations to Vance—so that Vance can be tagged with losing the war. Lots of VPs have been put in lousy positions by the president—but this is next level! open.substack.com/pub/aaronm…
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I do not hate saying: I told you so.
The level of anger (at Trump), denialism, and spin this morning by the Israeli right is truly off the charts.
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Great thread from @JewishWonk on the war and deal with Iran. Battles were won. War was lost, Israel’s support in the U.S. is tattered—and not coming back. I have one important note to add. There will be global impacts. 1/x
This is a sober and diplomatic Israeli perspective on the deal. The trouble is the politics that arose during this war and will persist after. Quick thread.
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The massive disruption to global energy markets (which are critical to so many sectors—especially agriculture) will not simply go away with the straits opened. There are ripple effects. The developed world will face inflation, unpleasant but manageable. 2x
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What about the rest of the world? What will global fertilizer shortages do to food security in Africa and Asia? What if severe weather (which appears likely) makes this even worse? This will not be good for anyone—very much including Israel. 3/fini
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MIsspelled? I'm not sure it's a word.
Byron Donalds speaks about the importance of education in front of a misspelled sign. You can’t make this shit up.
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Dude, if she were a man, I'd be pretty careful about taunting her. Just saying. She works out intensely and his reach.
“Michelle Obama is a man” shouted on the White House lawn in a ring sponsored by Bud Light only available on Larry Ellison’s Paramount Plus. What a way to celebrate America 250 and the twilight of liberal democracy.
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Make Scotland Great Again? No need, I think. They always were.

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This ROCKS!
The Tartan Army are a credit to Scotland. Here they are in full voice singing ‘Loch Lomond’ in Boston Stadium last night for the World Cup match between Scotland and Haiti. Absolutely glorious.
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Some thoughtful reading for your weekend. Trump re-posted a clip from The West Wing to explain(?) the latest round of strikes on Iran. Looking over his career, he really does seem to mistake TV for real life. Unfortunately, TV is NOT real life. aaronmannes.substack.com/p/t…
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For a TV drama, The West Wing has some valuable lessons to teach. Although Trump used a clip from the show to explain his Iran strikes, he didn’t actually watch the episode or really learn anything. Too bad. open.substack.com/pub/aaronm…
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Trump is citing The West Wing in explaining his latest strikes with Iran. (He gets it wrong of course). We analyze the shows depictions of presidents and how it doesn’t match reality. But first, a confession. aaronmannes.substack.com/p/t…
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In The West Wing, President Bartlett gives dramatic speeches. This really impressed Trump. But as we discuss in Down the Hall, TV isn’t real life. Trump cites TV show to explain Iran strikes open.substack.com/pub/aaronm…
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There is a real chance Trump won’t finish his term in office. If so, the 25th amendment requries Vance to choose a VP. In the latest installment of “Down the Hall” we examine what Vance should look for who might be likely picks open.substack.com/pub/aaronm…
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PrayingMannes retweeted
The thing about Donald Trump—the most consistent thing—is that he is the whiniest bitch on the planet.
U.S. President Donald J. Trump got angry and stormed out of an interview last week with NBC News’ Meet the Press, as Kristen Welker pressed him on baseless claims that he and other administration officials have made in the past regarding the integrity of the 2020 Presidential Election, which Trump lost to Joe Biden. President Trump closed out the interview by stating: “Your elections are crooked and you’re crooked and Meet the Press is crooked and so is ABC and CBS and CNN. You’re one-sided crooked networks. So let's call it quits because I've had enough. Thank you, darling. Have a good time.”
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If JD Vance suddenly becomes President (which given Trump’s age and health is a distinct possibility) one of his first major decisions will be picking a VP. He should choose wisely. open.substack.com/pub/aaronm…
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Oh no! Wokism means brilliant kids at an elite private school can’t get into Ivvies. They may have to go to Northwestern. This truly emphasizes the decline of western civilization.
My son's elite private high school school held graduation last week. There were roughly 100 kids in the graduating class. Lots of extremely bright kids. Probably 20 IB diplomas. And maybe a dozen of those kids were Cum Laude Society too, including my son. These kids are incredibly smart and hard working. They had straight A's throughout high school, at an elite school, in the most challenging curriculum and earned the highest SAT scores. Out of the entire class, there was only one student who was accepted into an Ivy League school. One. But he didn't earn an IB diploma. He wasn't Cum Laude Society. Or on the Head Master's List. He is a great kid. And I'm happy for him. This isn't, in any way, a criticism of him. But, you already know -- he had something none of the highest achieving kids had. Something has gone terribly wrong with our society when the very brightest kids are systematically barred from the most elite academic colleges in the country. And especially when the board of the school and its staff see absolutely nothing wrong with this outcome. In fact they will, undoutably, call me a bigot -- again. But when will they fight for our sons? They won't. Our sons are the wrong color. P.S. In the middle of the ceremony, the American flag left of the stage fell over and hit the ground. The school's headmaster picked it up. But he didn't know how to fix the mount. So, he just stood it back up and let it fall over again. Twice. Finally a man who was obviously a former member of the armed services came over and, standing at attention, held the flag upright. Tells you 100% everything you need to know about the headmaster and the culture of that school.
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Putting politics aside, there is a real chance Donald Trump will not be able to finish his term. In a moment of national unease, this would be gasoline on flames. In choosing a VP, would JD Vance fan the fire or dampen it with a prudent pick. open.substack.com/pub/aaronm…
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As your weekend winds down, consider this moment in U.S. history. JD Vance may be too online, but this reflects a bigger phenomenon. Politics and the communications revolution has created a new kind of presidency—tailor made for the likes of Donald Trump. aaronmannes.substack.com/p/i…
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