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- 30 Sep 2024 - Your Veep debate prep
30 Sep 2024 - Your Veep debate prep
The place to go for conversations about the news...
G’day… Claire Kimball here.
On the top of my news mind right now is what on earth is going on in the Middle East. And with the death of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah in an Israel airstrike on Friday and Iran vowing retribution, it’s going to be another important week.
If you’re thinking “umm that’s not what I was expecting according to your newsletter subject line”, you’re absolutely right. I’m not doing that today because next Monday is the one-year anniversary of the Hamas attacks on Israel, and what’s happened since then will be the topic of next week’s newsletter.
That will include our Club Picks of the things to watch, listen to and read from across the year that have helped our understanding of that complex situation. And I’ll tap some of our well-placed friends to see what they recommend in pulling that together. So that’s something to look forward to.
So for today, let’s get jiggy with the US vice presidential debate…
Why? We’re soon to head into the final month of the campaign, and with no new presidential debate to look forward to, Wednesday morning’s confrontation between Republican Senator JD Vance and Democratic Governor Tim Walz could be the last live encounter of the race.
So for this week’s Club Picks:
Vance was only elected to the US Senate in 2022, so those involved in that race remember clearly what it was like to prep their candidates to face him. As for what to expect this time around, one guy who ‘played’ Vance in debate prep told Politico: “He’s disciplined; he’s going to do exactly what he’s told. This is the guy who’s gotten where he is by kind of having a career of obedience.”
Walz is the salt-of-the-earth Minnesotan who pundits say is working hard to make sure it doesn’t look like he wants this too much... Underlying his everyman pitch is his humble finances - he’s the least wealthy candidate on the presidential ticket in a long time. As Time pulls together, his family’s net worth is somewhere between $180,000-500,000 - rising to a bit more than $1 million when you include the superannuation equivalent.
Mark McKinnon is the co-creator of the political documentary series The Circus and former press secretary to former Republican leaders George W Bush and John McCain. He’s written about this debate for Vanity Fair, and he reckons this debate is an important one, and both men’s main priority is to “do no harm”...
As for the content that will come out of the debate, Squizers were divided when it comes to the use of memes… I reckon there will be a few floating around, given both these guys know how to deliver a line - just a warning if you’re one who isn’t a fan.
Your friend in news
Claire Kimball
Your Shortcut to the US election
Coming up… From next week, we’ll be staging a Squiz Shortcuts takeover to bring you a weekly dose of the US election. In no time, you’ll have your talking points and fact base to riff with the best on what’s going on in the race for the White House.
Note: we’ll bring this to you in podcast and newsletter form - hosted and curated by me. And I reckon it’s a good one to recommend to your people who are interested in the back story to this very big news story.
So stay tuned… And in the interim, make sure you’re signed up to the Squiz Shortcuts newsletter - and shoot it to your US politics lovin’ mates.
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ICYMI: In this week’s Weekly Wrap episode, Kate and I discuss the escalating tensions between Israel and Hezbollah, why negative gearing is back in the headlines, and the downfall of P Diddy. Listen time: 32 minutes. |  |
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Hit reply with anything you want to know. You can also DM us on Insta @thesquiz - we’re all ears.