The 2024 GOP Primary: We all Lose

It's only going to get uglier over the next 18 months.

[Above: A basket of deplorables.] Sree’s newsletter is produced with Zach Peterson (@zachprague), with the Digimentors Tech Tip from Robert S. Anthony (@newyorkbob). Many thanks to our sponsor, Armory Square Ventures.

🗞 @Sree’s #NYTReadalong: We had an extra-special show this week as Neil Parekh and I went to NYT HQ to interview, in-person, Jake Silverstein, the Editor-in-Chief of the NYT Magazine! He was joined by Gail Bichler, Creative Director. You don’t want to miss the recording. You’ll find three years’ worth of archives at this link (we’ve been reading the paper out loud on social for 7+ years now!). The Readalong is sponsored by Muck Rack. Interested in sponsorship opportunities? Email sree@digimentors.group and neil@digimentors.group.

🎯 Work with us! Our company, Digimentors, works to increase the digital footprint and impact of companies and nonprofits around the world. We do this via digital and social consulting, as well as virtual/hybrid events production and all kinds of training. See our updated brochure (would love your feedback). Get in touch (no project too big or too small): sree@digimentors.group and neil@digimentors.group. If you’d rather chat, here’s my Calendly.

⚒️ NEW: Digimentors Tools Kit: People are always asking me for recommendations for gadgets, gizmos, websites, etc. So my Digimentors team has created a tools kit we will keep updating. Take a look!

***

THERE’S VERY LITTLE CONSERVATISM in today’s self-described “convervative movement.”

That’s been the case since at least the George W. Bush administration, but it’s truly amazing what the Republican Party has become.

The 2024 presidential election will be here faster than we all think, and the field is not looking very inspiring.

Donald Trump is the favorite, Ron DeSantis is one of the least interpersonally charismatic politicians I’ve ever seen, and Mike Pence just entered the race and needs to woo a cohort of voters who supported a violent mob that meant to hang him from homemade gallows in front of the Capitol during the January 6 riots. Chris Christie and Tim Scott are in the mix, but it’s still the Trump show on the political right, despite the fact that some are hoping he’ll be watching the Iowa caucuses from jail or prison.

Father’s Day this past weekend really got me thinking about our politics more broadly and how it all revolves around the GOP’s unique blend of chaos, idiocy, and utter shamelessness. I was thinking about how many people have watched their fathers succumb to the poison that is right-wing media. Fox News is the easy target here, but it’s just a gateway drug and laundering mechanism for the Newsmax and Daily Caller crowd.

The old moniker “this isn’t your father’s such and such” really doesn’t apply to the GOP either. Reformed Republicans who diverged from the party during the Trump years talk about this a lot — how the GOP needs to “go back to its roots” of small government, lower taxes, and other things that we all associate with the party. This glosses over the fact that, since Reagan, the GOP has been the pale horse upon which death sits.

Reagan’s somehow-still-alive trope about the scariest words in the English language being “I’m from the government and I’m here to help,” set in motion a now-five-decade-long descent on the political right that has culminated in…[waves hands]…all of this.

The irony, of course, is that Republicans have been anything but conservative, and light years from anything resembling “small government.” Reagan nearly tripled the national debt during his presidency; George W. Bush doubled it; Trump engineered the third-biggest deficit rise of any president (of course, he did). As an aside, I would argue that Trump doesn’t even see himself as a conservative, but was happy to take the mantle if it meant his ascension to power. BTW, if you’ve never heard of the “Imperfect vessel/King Cyrus” theory of evangelical Christians, you should read about it.

Finally, a note on the two Indian-Americans in the race: Nikki Haley and Vivek Ramaswamy. Having first come to America at the age of nine, I could never have imagined one day that the first two people to declare they are running in opposition to their party’s previous president would be two Indian-Americans, including a guy from my parent's home state of Kerala. But then I’d not have imagined that the anti-science son of Robert F. Kennedy would be challenging his party’s sitting president, but that’s fodder for a future newsletter.

These are just two examples of now-wealthy children of immigrants who don’t know their history and imagine that their good fortune is all because of their own hard work and they owe nothing to the centuries of immigrants and slaves who made their success possible.

Too many takedowns of Haley to post here, but here’s a good one:

— Sree / Twitter | Instagram | LinkedIn | YouTube

🤖 I’m now offering workshops about AI, ChatGPT, etc. They’re 20 minutes to 3 hours long, remote or in-person. No audience is too big or too small. If you know of any opportunities to present these (customized for businesses, nonprofits, schools, etc), LMK: sree@digimentors.group. Here’s the brochure to my non-scary guide to AI: http://bit.ly/sreeai2023

---

DIGIMENTORS TECH TIP: Anker Recharges Power Lineup with New Prime Series

By Robert S. Anthony
Each week, veteran tech journalist Bob Anthony shares a tech tip you don’t want to miss. Follow him @newyorkbob.

While the post-pandemic migration of workers back to offices is far from complete, and may never be, mobile workers are definitely mobile again based on the recent surge in air travel. But with mobility comes the need for mobile power for mobile devices, and that’s an area where Anker Innovations has carved out a sizeable niche.

At a press event in New York last week, Anker took the wraps off its new Prime series chargers and power banks as well as new Soundcore wireless earbuds, eufy security and robotic floor-cleaning devices and other products.

At the core of many new Anker products is gallium nitride (GaN), a semiconductor proven to be more efficient than silicon. Since GaN transistors are smaller and can handle more power than silicon counterparts, Anker—and other companies—can build fast chargers that are smaller and more responsive to power conditions.

Mobile workers who tote multiple power-hungry devices may appreciate the new Anker Prime 250-watt power bank, which has two USB-C ports, a single USB-A port and comes with a useful 100-watt charging base. Its 27,000mAh battery delivers enough power to keep a laptop and other mobile devices alive deep into an extended workday and the charging base has two USB-C ports and a USB-A port of its own, which means users can charge three devices while the power bank gets recharged atop the base.

The Anker Prime 250-watt power bank, like many of the new Anker charging products, has a bright color display which allows users to track how much power is being delivered to each port.

For those who prefer a tent to an office, the Anker Reserve Power Bank provides enough power for a long evening and night of al fresco spreadsheet crunching and web surfing and doubles as a lantern with its top-mounted, extendable light. The 60,000mAh unit has dual, front-facing USB-C and USB-A ports as well as an XT60 connector, which means that it can be recharged with a compatible solar panel.

The Anker 6-in-1 Charging Station is quite slim, yet has two AC outlets, two USB-C ports and two USB-A ports. Its long AC cord comes in handy for situations—like in some old hotels—where the wall AC outlet is hidden behind furniture.

The $170 Anker Reserve Power Bank is available now while many new Anker Prime series products will be available in July, according to the company.

---

❓Did we miss anything? Make a mistake? Do you have an idea for anything we’re up to? Let’s collaborate! sree@sree.net and please connect w/ me: Twitter | Instagram | LinkedIn | YouTube / Cameo.

And don’t forget…
⚒️ NEW: Digimentors Tools Kit: People are always asking me for recommendations for gadgets, gizmos, websites, etc. So my Digimentors team has created a tools kit we will keep updating. Take a look!