I think this strategy framing the GOP as "weird" & "creepy" is trying to change the emotional valence of anti-Trump sentiment from anger to disgust. Anger feeds into Trump's veneer of strength; disgust is both off-putting & disempowering. It's much harder for these guys to counter "Ewww" or "Yuck"!
Highlighting the midwesternness of the “weird” attack line is so helpful to me in clarifying my ambivalence. Because let me be clear: Midwestern “weird” does NOT have a good weird/bad weird distinction. Weird is definitionally bad weird. www.politico.com/news/2024/07...
I think this strategy framing the GOP as "weird" & "creepy" is trying to change the emotional valence of anti-Trump sentiment from anger to disgust. Anger feeds into Trump's veneer of strength; disgust is both off-putting & disempowering. It's much harder for these guys to counter "Ewww" or "Yuck"!