It’s early yet—2024 has barely begun to bestow its indignities upon us—but so far, the Attention-Whore Index has mirrored the race for the Republican nomination for president: the only real question is who, at any given moment, is in second place. Last week that slot—in the A.W.I.—went to Lauren Boebert (11.7 percent), on the strength of having “put her hand on” her ex-husband’s face in a restaurant. Attention-shy defense secretary Lloyd Austin (9.5 percent) was, counter-intuitively, next, followed by Bob Menendez—defiant, aggrieved, still in office—at 8.4 percent. The winner? Donald Trump again (46.8. percent), running hard as ever to avoid having to accessorize his orange mug with a matching jumpsuit.
The nominees in this week’s edition of the Attention-Whore Index Poll are …
