Why I Think There's a Post-Election Burnout
Also this week: Learn about flower pressing and how to make your own hot chocolate mix.
In this week’s newsletter: Why I think Americans are starting to burn out on the 2020 election, an interview with a woman who turns flowers into artwork, and a recipe to make your own hot chocolate for these much cooler winter nights. Be sure to share this newsletter and the daily columns, and sign up to receive them via email if you haven’t yet.
The Post-Election Burnout
I am starting to suspect that the constant barrage of reports from all sides about the “stolen election” have begun to turn most of the American audience off.
The press conferences are drying up, the avenues for contesting the election are closing, and it’s been a month. The loud voices of the Very Online community are still talking about every little topic that crops up. I haven’t been able to avoid them all, but I’ve tried.
But, I have noticed something lately at several conservative sites. The pieces that trend or are talked about most? They aren’t about the election itself, and many of them aren’t even tangentially about it. There are other things that conservative readers are starting to focus on instead. They aren’t drawn to the election stories like they were.
We’re moving to the true post-election part of the news cycle, where it’s less about the election itself and more about what comes next. Stories about Biden’s cabinet picks are drawing all the discussion right now. People are pointing out the sycophancy of the media now that Trump is heading out and Biden is heading in. There are numerous pieces on the makeup of the House and Senate.
But very little on the “stolen election” outside of Sidney Powell, Rudy Giuliani, and Trump’s rantings on the subject.
It seems a lot of those pieces are now being relegated to further outside the mainstream and not picking up the traffic they once did, and I think most writers are recognizing this because they are writing fewer and fewer of these pieces. Ultimately, I think that ends up being good in the long run.
I still don’t see the path to overturning the election results, and I don’t see that the Trump team can overturn that many states in the time remaining. But Republicans and conservatives can start building up their own resistance to the Biden era 1) by supporting their candidates in Georgia and 2) preparing to find and endorse good local candidates to build a deep bench come the next election cycle.
The 2020 election cycle has gone on too long, and most people seem to be ready for a break from it. And the sooner they take that break, the sooner they’ll transition over to the next fight… and it’s one they’ll desperately need to be ready for.
Must-Reads of the Week
The Rebekah Jones Raid by PoliticalMath
Details of Los Angeles DA's New Policies Are Even More Terrifying by Jen Van Laar
Bad News on the COVID Front by Jim Geraghty
Are Downsides of Big Tech Regulations Dawning on Republicans? by Robert Bork, Jr.
Homestyle: Turning Flowers into Artwork
On this week’s episode of Homestyle, my co-host Leigh Guidry and I speak with Lynn Jenkins, owner of Magnolia Studios of Louisiana, who presses flowers into wonderful pieces of art.
Pressed flowers have been picking up steam as a craft and business, but Jenkins has turned her flowers into amazing pieces of artwork for the home. She is definitely a business you’ll want to check out if these unique pieces are something you’d love to see in your own home.
If you want to hear more, you can always go back and listen to previous episodes, and we’d love to hear your feedback. Subscribe, rate, and review the podcast here, and if you have cooking, crafting, or family activity ideas, you can find us on Facebook and on Instagram (@Homestylepod).
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The Homestyle Podcast is a joint venture between myself and one of my best friends, education reporter Leigh Guidry. Throughout each episode, we discuss cooking, crafting, and other hobbies as well as how we make sure to spend time with our families despite how insanely busy life can be. The goal of the podcast has always been to take a moment to focus on what’s really important because, at the end of the day, family and life is more important than whatever distractions are going on in the world around us.
Recipe of the Week: Hot Chocolate (Not Out of a Pouch)
It’s that time of year. We like to have a nice warm drink in the cold weather, and since a hot toddy isn’t exactly the most family-friendly drink, we either turn to cider or hot chocolate.
Well, friends, I have returned to you with an experiment in the latter.
This is largely the recipe from the cookbook Food Lab, but as I didn’t have baking chocolate at the time, I used what I had available - milk chocolate. It turned out great, so here’s the recipe.
8 oz. milk chocolate chips
1 cup Dutch-process cocoa powder
1 cup sugar
2 tbsp. cornstarch
1/2 tsp. kosher salt
Put the chocolate chips in the freezer until completely frozen through.
Stick the chips in a food processor and process until completely pulverized. Then add sugar, cornstarch, and cocoa powder and process until thoroughly mixed.
Store in airtight container for up to three months.
When you’re ready to make your hot chocolate, bring a cup of milk to a boil (or heat in the microwave for a little over a minute), and then mix in 1-2 tbps. of the mix. Stir until completely incorporated.
Enjoy.
Final Thoughts
I’d like to thank everyone who has been coming this past week to read this newsletter. The daily columns have been drawing more and more traffic. I can’t tell you how much I appreciate y’all coming here to read my thoughts on whatever the hell is going on. Or, maybe you’re just here for the recipes and food commentary. I dunno. But I’m going to keep doing it as long as I can.
Thanks again, y’all.