The Conversation -- Election Day 2024

Patrick Marley & Robert Klemko of the Washington Post: “Before polls opened [today], some 80 million voters had cast early ballots, either in person or through the mail. That’s about half the overall number who voted in 2020. Tens of millions more will vote Tuesday. Early voting has gone mostly smoothly around the country, though voters have faced long lines in some places, including in the swing state of Pennsylvania.... Voting administrators ... will perform their duties amid stepped-up security after facing years of threats from some Trump supporters who believe his false claims that the 2020 election was stolen from him.”

Some GOP-run States Favor Election Fraud. Alanna Richer & Jim Salter of the AP: “Some Republican-led states say they will block the Justice Department’s election monitors from going inside polling places on Election Day, pushing back on federal authorities’ decades-long practice of watching for violations of federal voting laws. Officials in Florida and Texas have said they won’t allow federal election monitors into polling sites on Tuesday. And on Monday, Missouri filed a lawsuit seeking a court order to block federal officials from observing inside polling places. Texas followed with a similar lawsuit seeking to permanently bar federal monitoring of elections in the state. The Justice Department announced last week that it’s deploying election monitors in 86 jurisdictions across 27 states on Election Day. The Justice Department declined to comment on the moves by the Republican-led states, but filed court papers urging the judge to deny Missouri’s request.”

Presidential Race

Katie Rogers, et al., of the New York Times: “Donald J. Trump and Kamala Harris closed out their campaigns in the final hours before Election Day in starkly different moods: The former president, often appearing drained at arenas that were not filled, claimed that the country was on the brink of ruin, while the vice president promised a more united future as energized supporters chanted alongside her, 'We’re not going back.' In stop after stop, the presidential rivals essentially offered up two competing versions of reality on Monday and into early Tuesday.... Stopping in Scranton, Allentown and Pittsburgh before a nighttime rally in Philadelphia, Ms. Harris talked about bolstering the economy and restoring federal abortion rights. She asserted that Americans were 'exhausted' and ready to move on from the politics of the past decade.... Ms. Harris, still appearing fresh after a three-month sprint, appealed for unity and pressed the contrast to her rival without uttering his name.... But Mr. Trump, reaching the end of a grueling marathon of a campaign that began in 2022, looked visibly weary, battling fatigue in front of listless crowds, though he was relatively more upbeat and energized in Michigan.... Her running mate, Gov. Tim Walz of Minnesota, was campaigning in Wisconsin and Michigan. To cover more ground virtually, their campaign simulcast rallies from the battleground states featuring top surrogates and musical performers, with crowds looking to big screens to see what was happening in other cities.”

Jeff Stein of the Washington Post: “... Donald Trump on Monday threatened tariffs as high as 100 percent on Mexico, America’s largest trading partner last year, in yet another escalation of the drastic protectionist promises of his 2024 presidential campaign. Speaking in Raleigh, North Carolina, a day before Election Day, Trump said he would impose tariffs on Mexico of between 25 percent and 100 percent until it closed off its border with the United States. Trump has already suggested new import duties of as high as 20 percent on every country in the world, and economists have warned that if enacted, his sweeping new trade proposals are likely to send costs soaring for U.S. consumers.”

Michael Gold of the New York Times: “Donald J. Trump has spent parts of the last week of his campaign speaking in self-aggrandizing reverence about the arenas he has filled and the size of his enthusiastic audiences. Never again, he has said, will there be crowds like the ones he has attracted this year. But in the closing stretch of his third run for the White House, Mr. Trump — a 78-year-old whose voice lately has strained at times, whose speech has been slurred and whose energy appears to be flagging — is not quite the candidate he used to be. And neither are his crowds.... During the final week of his campaign, Mr. Trump has at times been delivering boasts about crowd size in arenas that are far from packed to the rafters. And when he insists that thousands more are waiting outside, they are often not. On Saturday, his campaign curtained off the upper bowl of an arena in Greensboro, N.C., that Vice President Kamala Harris had filled. Seating in the lower bowl wasn’t packed either.” Read on for a little schadenfreude fix. ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: It's almost as if Michael Gold is not enamored of the subject of his assignment. And perhaps Gold isn't all that pleased that Trump said it would be fine if Gold & the rest of the Trump press corps were shot by an aspiring Trump assassin.

Marie: Perhaps, like me, you thought naming RFK Jr. to oversee the federal government's management of women's health issues was just about the worst possible hire Trump could boast. BUT we should have factored in Trump's penchant for striving to top his most egregious pronouncements: ~~~

     ~~~ Kathleen Culliton of the Raw Story: “Trump raised eyebrows Sunday during his Georgia rally when he [said]..., 'We will build a missile defense shield.... We’ll put Herschel Walker in charge of that little sucker.' Walker, a Trump supporter whose 2022 senatorial bid failed as reports rolled in he paid for partners to have abortions despite claiming to oppose the procedure and lied about having a military career, had introduced the former president earlier that evening. 'It stops on Tuesday,' Walker said, 'when we vote for my friend and your friend Donald Trump Jr.'”

David Frum of the Atlantic on the horrors Donald Trump has promised us. MB: I have not been a fan of Frum's, formerly a speechwriter for Bush the Younger. But this essay, to which laura h. pointed us and gave us the gift of a link, is a fine piece of writing, IMO. If my link here doesn't work, laura's link in Monday's Comments does. (Also linked yesterday.)

Chris Cameron & Simon Levien of the New York Times: “Senator JD Vance of Ohio said in a campaign rally on Monday afternoon that 'in two days, we’re going to take out the trash, and the trash’s name is Kamala Harris,' moments after asserting that Ms. Harris had 'disrespect' and 'even hatred' for some Americans.... He ... referr[ed] to President Biden’s remarks that denounced the racist language at ... Donald J. Trump’s recent rally at Madison Square Garden but appeared to insult Trump supporters as 'garbage.' Mr. Vance told the crowd that 'here in our movement, we love every citizen of this country.' Thirty-five seconds later, Mr. Vance described the vice president as trash. The crowd roared its approval, with many giving Mr. Vance a standing ovation. Mr. Vance smiled as the audience began chanting his name.... Mr. Vance at first dismissed the backlash against the racist remarks at Madison Square Garden, saying 'we have to stop getting so offended at every little thing in the United States of America.' Mr. Vance quickly seized on Mr. Biden’s 'garbage' remarks, however, and mentioning it became a staple of his campaign rallies.” ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: It doesn't matter, but it's hard to know if JayDee is the stupid, rude naif he appears to be or if he is aware of his own hypocrisy and his smug bro remarks are merely poor performance art. Either way, he's the kind of obnoxious punk who makes pacifists cheer when somebody breaks & punches him in his fat little face.

Bro Horror Story No. 1. Paul Mozur, et al., of the New York Times: “Right-wing groups, which use Telegram to organize real-world actions, are urging followers to watch the polls and stand up for their rights, in a harbinger of potential chaos. Groups backing ... Donald J. Trump recently sent messages to organize poll watchers to be ready to dispute votes in Democratic areas. Some posted images of armed men standing up for their rights to recruit for their cause. Others spread conspiracy theories that anything less than a Trump victory on Tuesday would be a miscarriage of justice worthy of revolt.... Telegram is a prime organizing tool for extremists, who have a tendency to turn digital coordination into real-world action.' Read on. (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~

~~~ Bro Horror Story No. 2. Drew Harwell, et al., of the Washington Post: An “organized network of conservative activists and conspiracy theorists ... have spent years building online followings by promoting their belief in corrupt elections. On platforms controlled by [Elon] Musk — and Trump, the majority owner of the online platform Truth Social — they have worked to stand up a preemptive infrastructure stronger than the 'Stop the Steal' movement that grew after Trump’s 2020 loss. The online movement ... four years ago was driven by a small, disordered and slapdash group of right-wing fringe accounts echoing Trump’s claims of election fraud. Today, it is an army — organized, widely promoted and shored up by an ideology that has permeated the Republican base.... [Besides using Xitter and Trump's failing social media platform,] election deniers also have gathered in Discord servers, Facebook pages, Telegram channels and video conference calls to share strategies to combat what they say is a secret 'deep state' vote-stealing scheme.” (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~

~~~ Bro Horror Story No. 3: Ryan Reilly of NBC News: “As Donald Trump yet again tells his supporters he can lose Tuesday only if there's massive voter fraud and as he ramps up violent rhetoric about Democrats and other 'enemies,' members of the far-right group [Proud Boys] that put more 'boots on the ground' than any other at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, say they're mobilizing.... Several Proud Boys leaders were ultimately convicted of seditious conspiracy and are still in prison, including former chairman Enrique Tarrio, who is serving 22 years, the longest sentence given to any Jan. 6 defendant. But the decentralized all-male far-right group remains active around the country, and some of its members are openly making plans to get involved in Tuesday’s elections, as Trump closes his campaign by talking about shooting through the media; calls his political opponents 'evil,' 'dangerous' and 'the enemy within'; and spreads more baseless predictions of election fraud.”

Amanda Moore in Politico Magazine: “A white nationalist worked on the Trump campaign in an important position in Pennsylvania for five months — until Friday, when the Pennsylvania GOP fired him after learning about his views from my reporting. Last week, I confirmed that Luke Meyer, the Trump campaign’s 24-year-old regional field director for Western Pennsylvania, goes by the online name Alberto Barbarossa. As Barbarossa, he co-hosts the Alexandria podcast with Richard Spencer, organizer of the 2017 white nationalist Unite the Right rally in Charlottesville, Virginia. On his podcast and others, and in posts online, Barbarossa regularly shares white nationalist views.”

Julian Barnes & Steven Myers of the New York Times: “Russian groups and other foreign adversaries have unleashed an extensive disinformation campaign to undermine confidence in the election, and senior U.S. officials are worried that Moscow’s efforts could continue to stoke political discord until the election is certified in January. On Monday night..., the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency and the F.B.I. said in a joint statement that foreign adversaries led by Russia were 'conducting additional influence operations intended to undermine public confidence in the integrity of U.S. elections and stoke divisions among Americans.'” MB: I don't doubt it, but Russia's “extensive disinformation campaign” isn't nearly as great as the “extensive disinformation campaign” the Trump/Musk ticket is running.

Isabel Rosales & Paul Murphy of CNN: “An American social media influencer said he was paid $100 by a pro-Kremlin propagandist to post a fake video of Haitian immigrants claiming to vote in the US presidential election. The payment was one of several the man said he received from the propagandist- a registered Russian agent - to post on social media in the run-up to the election. The pro-Trump influencer, who uses the @AlphaFox78 handle on X, is an American man living in Massachusetts, CNN has learned.... The account, which has a history of posting right-wing memes in support of ... Donald Trump, was the first to post the now-debunked video that purportedly showed a Haitian immigrant claiming he would vote at least twice in Georgia for Vice President Kamala Harris.”

Andrew Sorkin, et al., of the New York Times: “Investors on Monday appear to be unwinding bets on the so-called Trump trade. In a major reversal, bonds have rallied and the dollar and crypto currencies have dipped in the race’s final hours. One explanation is a surprising new poll that showed Vice President Kamala Harris, powered in part by support from women and older voters, edging ahead in deep-red Iowa — a finding that’s also led to a tightening of Donald Trump’s lead in political prediction markets.” (Also linked yesterday.)

Theodore Schleifer of the New York Times: “A Pennsylvania judge handed Elon Musk a legal victory on Monday, refusing to halt Mr. Musk’s election sweepstakes, in which registered voters who signed a petition to support the Constitution were entered into a drawing to win $1 million. Judge Angelo Foglietta of the Philadelphia County Court of Common Pleas denied a request from Philadelphia’s district attorney, Larry Krasner, to issue an emergency injunction against Mr. Musk and put an immediate end to the giveaways. Mr. Musk’s win is primarily symbolic.... The Musk team had already cut $1 million checks for 17 registered voters across the country and had no plans to give away more money to any voters in Pennsylvania.... Mr. Musk’s petition was meant to build media publicity for his organization, America PAC, and also allow it to build a list of loyal supporters of ... Donald J. Trump, but full details on precisely how it worked had not been made public before Monday.” Read on to learn how the scheme worked, or at least how Musk's lawyers described it to the court. ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: If Musk's lawyer got him out of one kettle of fish with his convoluted defense, the lawyer may have plunged Musk into another, more costly one. ~~~

     ~~~ Maryclaire Dale of the AP: “Judge Angelo Foglietta — ruling after Musk’s lawyers said the winners are paid spokespeople and not chosen by chance — did not immediately explain his reasoning.... [Philadelphia District Attorney Larry] Krasner has said he could still consider criminal charges, as he’s tasked with protecting both lotteries and the integrity of elections.... Krasner — who noted that he has long driven a Tesla — said he could also seek civil damages for the Pennsylvania registrants.” ~~~

     ~~~ David Ingram of NBC News: “A lawyer for Elon Musk said in a Philadelphia courtroom Monday that the winners of Musk’s $1 million daily prize giveaway in election swing states are not chosen at random, contradicting what Musk said when he announced the contest last month. Legal experts told NBC News that the disclosure could have legal fallout for Musk across multiple jurisdictions under laws designed to protect consumers from deceptive practices. 'This is absolutely, unambiguously illegal,' Christopher Peterson, a University of Utah law professor who specializes in consumer protection, said in an email. 'You cannot lawfully lie to the public about conducting a random sweepstakes, lottery, or contest and then rig the results to hand-select the winners,' he said. 'It really is not complicated. This is just fraud; a simple, ugly fraud on the public.' He said Musk and his super PAC’s behavior could be 'both a civil wrong and a crime.'... 'They falsely advertised that people who never had a chance to win should participate, and participation meant providing the PAC with valuable information about voters to target,' ... said [Harvard Law professor Rebecca Tushnet] in an email.” ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: A subpoena of Musk's mailing list would make it right easy to find some disgruntled losers willing to play another fun game: “Sue a Billionaire.” The prize: $1 million. And every player wins. I'm thinking class action here. ~~~

~~~ Farah Stockman of the New York Times: “Of all the things that Elon Musk has done to get Donald Trump elected — magnifying misinformation on his social media platform, X; jumping up and down onstage at rallies; and pouring eye-popping sums into pro-Trump propaganda — nothing has generated more excitement than his strange and dubious [$1 million] contest.... It’s very on brand for allies of Trump ... to turn our elections into a game show.... An oligarch is playing games with our democracy.”

Robert Reich explains why Elon Musk & his ilk will be f***ed if Trump loses the election. Interesting that Musk himself acknowledges he'll be f***ed if Trump loses. And wouldn't that be a shame? Thanks to RAS for the links. (Also linked yesterday.) 

Chris Cameron of the New York Times: “Tucker Carlson, a top surrogate for ... Donald J. Trump who spoke at the Republican National Convention this summer and made racist claims at a Trump rally last week at Madison Square Garden, said on Monday that the increased occurrence of hurricanes in the United States was a consequence of abortion — which he characterized as 'human sacrifice.' Appearing on a podcast hosted by Stephen K. Bannon, a right-wing political strategist and Trump ally who was just released from prison, Mr. Carlson repeatedly portrayed abortion — a medical procedure — as a kind of religious human sacrifice. He dismissed scientific research that links global warming to the increased potency and frequency of hurricanes, saying instead that 'it’s probably abortion, actually.' 'I’m sure I’ll be attacked for saying this, but I really believe it,' Mr. Carlson said, adding, 'You can’t participate in human sacrifice without consequences.'...

“Mr. Carlson also described nuclear weapons as 'demonic,' adding that they were created by 'not-human forces,' and asserted that the U.S. military had 'consistently' targeted and killed Christian populations since the end of World War II.” MB: It seems to me that the demons who “physically mauled” Tucker also could have instilled in him these novel beliefs. Not that Tucker's hypotheses don't seem like perfectly sensible theories flowing from empirical observations. P.S. Tucker needs a job. What Cabinet position should Trump offer him?

Lori Aratani & Rachel Lerman of the Washington Post: “Striking Boeing machinists have ended their nearly two-month walkout, voting Monday to accept a four-year deal that locks in historic gains in wages and benefits that are substantially higher than the company offered before the strike began.”

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Ohio. Isabelle Taft of the New York Times: “A former Columbus, Ohio, police officer was found guilty of murder on Monday in the 2020 shooting of Andre Hill, a Black man whose death spurred protests against police brutality and led to police reforms in the city. A Franklin County jury also found the officer, Adam Coy, who is white, guilty of two other charges, felonious assault and reckless homicide. Mr. Coy was taken into custody after the verdict was read. He will be sentenced on Nov. 25.... Mr. Coy was responding with another officer to a call about a suspicious S.U.V. parked in a residential area. His body camera footage showed that he approached a garage and shined a light inside. As Mr. Hill walked slowly toward the officers, the video shows, Mr. Coy pulled his gun and shot Mr. Hill four times.... No weapon was recovered at the scene, the city announced shortly after the shooting.”

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Russia. Arden Farhi, et al., of CBS News: "U.S. and European law enforcement agencies are working together to investigate whether incendiary devices detonated in July at DHL logistics hubs in Germany and the U.K. were part of a larger operation directed by Russian Intelligence services (in particular, the GRU — Russian military intelligence), the highest level of the Russian government or by outside individuals acting in the interests of Russia, a source familiar with the matter said. Officials are working to determine whether the larger operation was to place similar devices on aircraft servicing the U.S. and U.S. allies. The Wall Street Journal first reported the alleged plot targeting U.S. aircraft."

Comments

[Akhilleus]

I’m sure we’re all so, so very thrilled that the New York fucking Times has deigned, just days before the election, to finally, at long last, report somewhat honestly about what a nasty, disgusting, dangerous piece of shit is running for president under the Party of Traitors’ swastika festooned banner, after running his every horrific statement and degenerated cognitive eruptions through AG’s Normalize Machine for the past decade or so.

For the last two years, especially, as the Orange Monster has declined precipitously, both mentally and morally, they’ve acted like Michael Caine’s character who treated his frighteningly disturbed brother, Ruprecht as just a tad different as he bounced off walls and crapped his pants at the dinner table.

I’m feeling a bit like Samuel Johnson who, in his letter to Lord Chesterfield, who finally agreed to help with expenses incurred during the long, laborious process of writing his dictionary only after it was nearly completed, said “Thank you kindly, but fuck off.” Okay, the writer of a dictionary would probably employ a different word, but…it was Samuel Johnson, so, no. Fuck off was perfectly fine.

And there we are.

[Marie Burns]

@Akhilleus: You piqued my curiosity about Johnson's letter to Lord Chesterfield. It is surely the most elegant fuck-off letter I have ever read, but it does not in fact include the clause "fuck off" or any similar turn of phrase.

The letter is, rather, a magnificent example of how obviously facetious sycophancy can be far more cutting than an offhand obscenity.