;)
The Conversation -- October 30, 2024
Jimmy Kimmel wants you to send this along to any friends who might be contemplating voting for Trump. The URL is https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Oy0zq8YzY9w But watch the video yourself, too; it's pretty good: ~~~
Here's bad news for democracy & voting-rights advocates and anyone who fears the corrupt Supreme Court will find a way to hand over the presidency* to Donald Trump: ~~~
~~~ Mark Sherman of the AP: “The Supreme Court on Wednesday allowed Virginia to resume its purge of voter registrations that the state says is aimed at stopping people who are not U.S. citizens from voting. The justices, over the dissents of the three liberal justices, granted an emergency appeal from Virginia’s Republican administration led by Gov. Glenn Youngkin. The court provided no rationale for its action, which is typical in emergency appeals. The justices acted on Virginia’s appeal after a federal judge found that the state illegally purged more than 1,600 voter registrations in the past two months. A federal appeals court had previously allowed the judge’s order to remain in effect.... Trump had criticized the earlier ruling, calling it 'a totally unacceptable travesty' on social media.... The Justice Department and a coalition of private groups sued the state earlier in October, arguing that Virginia election officials, acting on an executive order issued in August by Youngkin were striking names from voter rolls in violation of federal election law.... Court records indicated that at least some of those whose registrations were removed are U.S. citizens.”
Tributes to Trump. Gabe Cohen of CNN: “Two political statues have mysteriously popped up in Washington, DC, drawing crowds of onlookers.... Last week, an unknown artist placed a bronze replica of former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s desk – topped with an emoji-like poop, the size of a basketball – along the National Mall near the US Capitol. 'This memorial honors the brave men and women who broke into the United States Capitol on January 6th, 2021 to loot, urinate and defecate throughout those hallowed halls in order to overturn an election,' a plaque below the statue reads. 'President Trump celebrates these heroes of January 6th as “unbelievable patriots” and “warriors.” This monument stands as a testament to their daring sacrifice and lasting legacy.'... On Monday, a bronze statue of a tiki torch appeared in Freedom Plaza, just a couple of blocks from the White House. The statue [is] called 'The Donald J. Trump Enduring Flame.'... 'This monument pays tribute to President Donald Trump and the “very fine people” he boldly stood to defend when they marched in Charlottesville, Virginia,' a plaque below it reads. 'While many have called them white supremacists and neo-Nazis, President Trump’s voice rang out above the rest to remind all that they were “treated absolutely unfairly.” This monument stands as an everlasting reminder of that bold proclamation.'” With photos.
~~~~~~~~~~~
Presidential Race
The Closer. Katie Rogers & Reid Epstein of the New York Times: “In a speech in front of what her campaign said was around 75,000 people assembled at the Ellipse, a park just south of the White House in Washington, [Vice President] Harris sharpened her case, gesturing to the nation’s seat of power and bringing up the specter of a riot that had unfolded less than two miles to the east.... Relaying her case in a way that was plain-spoken but forceful, Ms. Harris told the crowd that she would not be a perfect president but that she would govern with unity in mind, based on what she said was a 'lifelong instinct to protect' people who had been abused or victimized. But she also used the arc of history to make her case, saying that the country was born 'when we wrested freedom from a petty tyrant' and that, over centuries, Americans had fought threats both foreign and domestic to preserve the promise of democracy. 'They did not struggle, sacrifice and lay down their lives, only to see us cede our fundamental freedoms, only to see us submit to the will of another petty tyrant,' Ms. Harris said.” ~~~
~~~ Marie: Harris's speech was cogent, coherent, comprehensive and direct. She did not "weave," she did not garble her words, she did not forget what she was talking about, she did not sputter, she did not lie, she did not whine, she did not preen and boast, she did not mock and disparage the strangers, she did not invoke profanity or obscenity. What American -- except one determined to cause mischief and undermine the nation -- would choose an alternative? ~~~
~~~ Marie: Jonathan Lemire of NBC News said NBC had estimated Harris' crowd at about 60,000, still "thousands more" than attended Trump's infamous January 6, 2021, call to action there. In August, Trump claimed his January 6 crowd at the Ellipse was greater than the crowd attending the Martin Luther King Jr.'s "I Have a Dream" speech, estimated to be 250,000.
Maya King & Alan Blinder of the New York Times: “Michelle Obama, the former first lady and among the Democrats’ most popular surrogates, offered a bracing tutorial in the realities of political power on Tuesday night, beseeching thousands of people near Atlanta to vote and to 'stop the spiral of disillusionment and apathy.'... 'It’s our job to show folks that two things can be true at once: that it is possible to be outraged by the slow pace of progress and be committed to your own pursuit of that progress.'”
Theodore Schleifer of the New York Times: “Michael R. Bloomberg, the former mayor of New York City, under extraordinary pressure from friends and fellow billionaires to do more to help Vice President Kamala Harris, recently donated about $50 million to a nonprofit organization that is supporting her presidential run, according to four people with knowledge of the matter. The donation followed months of arm-twisting from associates such as Bill Gates, investor Ron Conway and Reid Hoffman, the co-founder of LinkedIn. Mr. Bloomberg recently spoke with Ms. Harris in a private phone call, according to two people briefed on the conversation. Mr. Bloomberg’s decision conforms to a strategy that has become his trademark: Confounding Democratic operatives by refusing to make early investments — only to come in hot and heavy in the homestretch. But unlike his previous big gifts, this one was intended to be kept under wraps, and that secrecy has made unaware Democrats more anxious than they have been most autumns. His contribution was made to Future Forward USA Action, the dark-money vehicle of Future Forward, Ms. Harris’s main super PAC.”
Another Biden Gaffe. Will Weissert of the AP: “In a call organized by the Hispanic advocacy group Voto Latino, [President] Biden ... [said,] 'Just the other day, a speaker at his rally called Puerto Rico a floating island of garbage. Well, let me tell you something, I don’t.... The Puerto Rico where I’m fr -- in my home state of Delaware. They’re good, decent honorable people,' he said. The president then added: 'The only garbage I see floating out there is his supporters. His demonization of Latinos is unconscionable, and it’s un-American....' White House spokesman Andrew Bates said Biden 'referred to the hateful rhetoric at the Madison Square Garden rally as garbage.’ Biden then took to social media to personally clarify what he said. 'Earlier today I referred to the hateful rhetoric about Puerto Rico spewed by Trump’s supporter at his Madison Square Garden rally as garbage — which is the only word I can think of to describe it,” he posted on X. 'His demonization of Latinos is unconscionable. That’s all I meant to say....'” ~~~
But Then This: “ As reactions to Biden’s reaction began to fly, meanwhile, Trump was asked in an interview Tuesday night with Fox News Channel’s Sean Hannity about the racist and vulgar joke at his New York rally. He responded: 'Somebody said there was a comedian that joked about Puerto Rico or something. And I have no idea who he is.' The former president added, 'I can’t imagine it’s a big deal.' At a rally Tuesday in Allentown, Pennsylvania, a city with a large Hispanic population, Trump repeated his claim that Biden’s immigration policies have allowed other countries to treat the U.S. like 'a giant garbage can.'”
ABC News 6 Philadelphia: "Former President Barack Obama, Bruce Springsteen, and John Legend were in North Philadelphia on Monday in support of Kamala Harris as part of the 'When We Vote We Win' concert series." ~~~ Here's Obama, near the end of his Philadelphia speech, with questions for people who would vote for Donald Trump because there's something about Democrats they don't like:
Gary Reed, in a letter to the editor of City Pulse, Lansing, Michigan: "I was the executive director of the Michigan Republican Party, back during a time when the GOP embraced values like fiscal discipline and a strong foreign policy. I voted for Nikki Haley in the Feb. 27 primary in part to move the Republican Party past Donald Trump. She received 296,200 votes — 27 percent of the primary votes — at a time when it was clear that Trump was likely going to be the party’s nominee. Many of those 296,200 voters will not vote for Trump on Tuesday; I am one of them. Donald Trump and JD Vance don’t advocate for the values of the Republican Party I once knew.... I’m voting for Kamala Harris."
Sarah Fortinsky of the Hill: “Barbara Pierce Bush, the daughter of former President George W. Bush, endorsed Vice President Harris’s presidential bid and spent part of the weekend campaigning for the Democratic ticket in Pennsylvania, 'People' magazine reported.... The magazine published a photo of Bush and her friends door-knocking in Pennsylvania this past weekend.” (Also linked yesterday.)
Twenty former CEOs of major U.S. companies, in a Fortune opinion piece, back Kamala Harris for president. The essay is firewalled, but you can read the names of the CEOs and the companies they lead.
Adriana Licon, et al., of the AP: “Urged by some allies to apologize for racist comments made by speakers at his weekend rally, Donald Trump took the opposite approach on Tuesday, saying it was an 'honor to be involved' in such an event and calling the scene a 'lovefest' — the same term he has used to describe the Jan. 6 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol.... Speaking at his Florida resort, he said that 'there’s never been an event so beautiful' as his Sunday rally.... 'The love in that room. It was breathtaking,' he said. 'It was like a lovefest, an absolute lovefest. And it was my honor to be involved.'” ~~~
~~~ Marie: We should assume Trump means it when he says a bloody insurrection was a "lovefest." Ditto when he says a string of crude remarks, some coming from his own mouth, constituted a "lovefest." This strange description helps explain why Trump thought it was okay to (allegedly!) sexually attack women. He has confused hate, violent language, threats and even extreme physical violence with love. We know he's a psychological wreck, and this is but one aspect of his pervasive mental illness. This isn't about Trump's "decline." It's about forever Trump.
Tim Balk of the New York Times: “With Mr. Trump set to hold a rally Tuesday night in Allentown, Pa., which has a significant Puerto Rican population, the Democratic Party said it had invested in two digital highway billboards in the city that highlight the slight of the American territory. The Democratic Party said the billboards shift back and forth between English and Spanish, displaying a Washington Post headline: 'Trump rally speakers lob racist insults, call Puerto Rico “island of garbage.”’ The billboards appeared to serve two purposes — trolling the former president and appealing to voters who may have been offended by the rally on Sunday in Manhattan....” ~~~
No president has done more for Puerto Rico than I have. -- Donald Trump, Tuesday ~~~
~~~ Jonathan Swan & Maggie Haberman of the New York Times: “Days after a comedian described Puerto Rico as a 'floating island of garbage' at Donald J. Trump’s Madison Square Garden rally, the former president’s team seemed to manufacture a moment for him on Tuesday to pledge allegiance to the territory. At a round-table discussion in the Philadelphia suburb of Drexel Hill, a retired occupational therapist seated at the table announced herself as Puerto Rican.... 'Puerto Rico stands behind you, and Puerto Rico loves you,' the woman, Maribel Valdez, told Mr. Trump.... 'I know it very well, and we helped you through a lot of bad storms,' Mr. Trump replied, adding, 'No president has done more for Puerto Rico than I have.'... As president in 2017, Mr. Trump publicly cast doubt on the death statistics from a hurricane, suggesting it was not as devastating as Puerto Rican officials claimed. He told aides back then that he did not want to give any more disaster relief money to the island because its leaders were corrupt.”
Ignorance Is Bliss His Go-to Excuse. Again. ABC News: Donald Trump "denied knowing the comedian who made a slew of racist, sexist and vulgar comments at his rally at Madison Square Garden, ABC News Senior Congressional Correspondent Rachel Scott reports.... 'I don't know him, someone put him up there. I don't know who he is,' Trump told ABC's Scott. Trump also insisted he didn't hear any of the comments, even as they've been played on television and written about extensively. When asked what he made of them, he did not take the opportunity to denounce them, repeating that he didn't hear the comments." (Also linked yesterday.)
Charlie Nash of Mediaite: “Former Republican presidential candidate Nikki Haley criticized the 'bromance' and 'masculinity stuff' on display at former President Donald Trump’s controversial Madison Square Garden rally this week, arguing it could alienate female voters.... '... This is not a time to have anyone criticize Puerto Rico or Latinos. This is not a time for them to get overly masculine with this bromance thing that they’ve got going. Fifty-three percent of the electorate are women. Women will vote.... They need to go and tell Puerto Ricans how much, you know, they do value them. They need to tell Latinos that....'” ~~~
~~~ Marie: Haley is not upset by the comments themselves but by the fact that the comments will cost votes, warning that "this is not the way to win votes." She's still so into Trump that she says she's "on standby" to speak for him even though she hasn't spoken with Trump since June. Nikki is not now nor has she ever been a serious person.
Edward Helmore of the Guardian: The Washington Post “has now shed 250,000 subscribers, or 10% of the 2.5 million customers it had before [publisher Jeff Bezos'] decision [to cancel the paper's endorsement of Kamala Harris] was made public on Friday, according to the NPR reporter David Folkenflik[, writing on Xitter].” ~~~
Judd Legum of Popular Information calls Elon Musk's "cunt" ad "the most misogynistic ad in the history of politics.... On Friday afternoon, America PAC posted a video ad attacking ... Vice President Kamala Harris. 'America really can't afford a "C-Word" in the White House right now,' America PAC posted, adding a laughing emoji. 'Kamala Harris is a "C word,"’ the narrator of the ad says. 'You heard that right. A big ole "C word."’ The 'joke' of the ad is that Harris is a 'communist.' Of course, Harris is not a communist. And the ad makes no effort to show she is a communist. The line is only included as a pretext to repeatedly use a crass, misogynistic slur against Harris." Legum notes that the Trump campaign "coordinates directly with America PAC.... On Monday, America PAC deleted the ad attacking Harris from X. Neither America PAC nor Musk explained — or even acknowledged — the ad's removal from the platform. As of Monday afternoon, the ad remains available on America PAC's Facebook account." (Also linked yesterday.)
Tony Romm of the Washington Post: “Elon Musk appeared to acknowledge Tuesday that his pledge to help ... Donald Trump slash federal spending could unleash severe, short-term economic turmoil, underscoring the fiscal stakes as voters weigh whether to send the Republican back to the White House. Musk first outlined his highly aggressive target at a raucous campaign rally in New York last weekend, promising to identify 'at least $2 trillion in cuts' as part of a formal review of federal agencies that he would conduct if Trump wins next week’s election. But the audacious pledge, which drew rapt applause, belied a harsh fiscal reality: Slashing the budget that steeply would require decimating an array of government services, including food, health care and housing aid — and it could erode funding for programs that lawmakers in both parties say they want to protect, from defense to Social Security. By Tuesday...., on X..., the tech mogul agreed with another user’s post that argued his federal review — and other Trump policies — risked a 'severe overreaction in the economy,' causing financial markets to 'tumble' before the country’s fiscal standing later improves. 'Sounds about right,' Musk wrote in response.”
Marie: I suppose it doesn't matter, but Elon Musk is extremely weird. Watch the brief clip from Jimmy Kimmel's Monday night show, beginning at about 3:15 minutes in, of Elon's speaking (shouting, grunting, gesturing, mugging) at Trump Madison Square Racist blow-out. He doesn't seem to know there's anything wrong with him.
Abbie VanSickle of the New York Times: “The Supreme Court on Tuesday declined to remove Robert F. Kennedy Jr. from the presidential ballots in two key battleground states, Wisconsin and Michigan. Mr. Kennedy, an independent, suspended his campaign in August and endorsed ... Donald J. Trump. In emergency petitions to the court, he had mounted a last-ditch argument, saying the states had violated his First Amendment rights by keeping him on. The decisions by the justices were unsigned and gave no reasoning, which is typical in such cases. There were no noted dissents in the Wisconsin challenge. But Justice Neil M. Gorsuch dissented in the Michigan case, echoing the reasoning of a dissent from an appeals court earlier in the litigation.”
Speaker Johnson Has Many Concepts of a Plan. Dan Diamond of the Washington Post: “House Speaker Mike Johnson pledged 'massive reform' to the Affordable Care Act if Donald Trump is elected president, reopening a politically sensitive policy issue for Republicans a week before Election Day. Johnson (R-Louisiana), who appeared at a campaign event Monday for a Republican House candidate in Pennsylvania, told attendees that GOP leaders are again weighing how to overhaul the 14-year-old law, which provides health coverage to tens of millions of Americans and has been a frequent target of Republican repeal efforts. 'Health-care reform’s going to be a big part of the agenda,' Johnson said, wearing a personalized jacket emblazoned with the Trump-Vance campaign logo. He added that a caucus of Republican physicians had shared proposals with him and that GOP leaders hope 'to take a blowtorch to the regulatory state' and 'fix things.'” The NBC News report is here. ~~~
~~~ Marie: So far the only "concept of a plan" a Republican "leader" has proposed is one JD Vance put forward during his debate with Tim Walz: he said the GOP plan would create "high-risk pools," thus eliminating perhaps the most important provision of Obamacare: guaranteed, affordable coverage for people with pre-existing conditions. BTW, if you currently don't have any pre-existing conditions, bear in mind (a) what "insurance" means and (b) that at any time you or a family member on your policy can contract what insurance companies will declare is a pre-existing condition, thus hiking your rates or limiting or even eliminating coverage for any illness that can be even tangentially related to the condition.
Edward Helmore of the Guardian: The Washington Post “has now shed 250,000 subscribers, or 10% of the 2.5 million customers it had before [publisher Jeff Bezos'] decision [to cancel the paper's endorsement of Kamala Harris] was made public on Friday, according to the NPR reporter David Folkenflik[, writing on Xitter].” ~~~
~~~ Also Afraid of Trumpolini. Kipp Jones of Mediaite: “USA Today will not endorse a candidate in the coming week before the election, explaining it will let its readers make 'informed decisions' on their own.... In October 2020, USA Today‘s editorial board cited then-President Donald Trump’s handling of the Covid pandemic, the economy, and his character as reasons for a rare endorsement of then-candidate Joe Biden.” (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~
⭐ Not Afraid. Maria Rangel, Editor, El Nuevo Dia, Puerto Rico's largest newspaper: “Trump has for years maintained a discourse of contempt and misinformation against the island that reveals an obsession and disdain for a people who do not have the power of the vote to defend themselves, since the three million American citizens who live in Puerto Rico cannot vote in the presidential elections. However, the other five million who live in the United States, whom they also labeled as trash, can vote. Let’s not forget the paper towels he threw at us while we suffered without electricity for months and let’s not forget that the funds did not arrive because Trump -through the federal Department of Housing and Urban Development- told them to stop because he considered Puerto Ricans 'bums who live begging.'... At Sunday’s event they ... also insulted Latinos, blacks and women. An angry mob shouted prostitute at the Democratic Party’s presidential candidate. They also spat in front of a group of her supporters.... To all Puerto Ricans who can vote in this upcoming United States election and represent those of us who cannot: Vote for Kamala Harris.”
Another Cannon Blast. Alan Feuer of the New York Times: “Aileen M. Cannon, the federal judge overseeing the prosecution of a man accused of trying to assassinate ... Donald J. Trump, rejected the man’s request that she remove herself from the case, saying on Tuesday that she has no relationship with Mr. Trump even though he appointed her to the bench and she has ruled in his favor in a separate criminal matter. Judge Cannon denied the request by the defendant, Ryan W. Routh, in a brief decision issued in Federal District Court in Fort Pierce, Fla. Mr. Routh was arrested last month in West Palm Beach after Secret Service agents spotted him carrying a rifle in the bushes along the fence line of one of Mr. Trump’s golf courses. Mr. Routh’s lawyers first asked Judge Cannon to remove herself from the case two weeks ago. In their initial request, they argued that Mr. Trump had 'repeatedly praised' her rulings in a separate case in which he stood accused of illegally holding onto classified documents after he left office. In an unexpected decision in that matter, Judge Cannon threw out all the charges against Mr. Trump in July, ruling against decades of legal precedent that Jack Smith, the special counsel who filed the indictment, had been illegally appointed to his job.” (Also linked yesterday.)
AP: “Longtime Donald Trump ally Steve Bannon was released from prison early Tuesday, after serving a four-month sentence for defying a subpoena in the congressional investigation into the U.S. Capitol attack on Jan. 6, 2021. Bannon left the Federal Correctional Institution in Danbury, Connecticut, according to Kristie Breshears, a spokesperson for the federal Bureau of Prisons. He planned to hold a news conference later in the day in Manhattan, his representatives said. He’s also expected to resume his podcast Tuesday.” (Also linked yesterday.)
Tim Arango of the New York Times: “David DePape, the intruder who broke into the home of Nancy Pelosi two years ago and bludgeoned her husband with a hammer, was sentenced [by a state court judge] on Tuesday to life in prison without the possibility of parole.... Mr. DePape had, in the years before the attack, become immersed in the darker corners of the internet and embraced conspiracy theories like Pizzagate and QAnon. Mr. DePape, 44, is already serving a 30-year sentence in prison after being convicted of two federal crimes last year: attempted kidnapping of a federal officer and assault on an immediate family member of a federal official. In June, Mr. DePape was convicted of several crimes in state court, including aggravated kidnapping; false imprisonment of an elder by violence or menace; and first-degree burglary. Mr. DePape’s state sentence will be served concurrently with his federal sentence, and he will be held in a state prison, according to the San Francisco district attorney’s office.”
~~~~~~~~~~
Indiana. Matthew Chapman of the Raw Story: “Larry Savage, who previously ran for the GOP nomination in Indiana's 5th Congressional District, was serving as a local precinct committeeman in Madison County, when a pair of sample ballots during a test of the voting equipment went missing, said [a Fox 59 report]. 'A review of security footage, which was subsequently being live-streamed online, showed Savage handling the two missing ballots. He can also be heard confirming with an election official that these are “absolutely, totally real ballots.” In the video Savage can be seen looking around the room before folding up two ballots and putting them in his sweatshirt pocket. After this, Savage muttered to another woman in attendance, 'f---ed up count,' and left with the ballots. He later joined in that woman's Facebook Live, where he posted comments appearing to disparage the validity of the process, saying things like '3 ballots short!!! lol.'... Savage [told police who found the missing ballots in his car that] he took the ballots thinking they were 'sample' ballots ... and thought it meant they were free samples for the public to take. 'If you go to Payless, or go wherever, it says sample and you usually can take a sample,' he said. 'So that is the way I took it. I thought they were fake f---ing ballots.'... The ballots weren't marked 'sample,' and bore clear warnings that it was a crime to steal or tamper with them.” ~~~
~~~ Marie: Yeah, I can see why a person would confuse a test ballot at a polling station with Cheddar-on-a-toothpick on a Piggly-Wiggly tray.
Michigan. Alexandra Berzon of the New York Times: “Two local election officials in Michigan have been removed from overseeing the vote, state officials said on Tuesday, in a forceful move to keep Trump-aligned officials from trying to subvert election rules. Tom Schierkolk, the clerk of Rock River Township in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, and his deputy, David LaMere, were removed after telling state officials that they intended to hand count ballots before sending their tally on for the county canvass, according to a letter that Jonathan Brater, Michigan’s elections director, sent to Mr. Schierkolk on Monday informing him of the decision. Mr. Schierkolk is tied to a network of activists who have pushed several baseless theories about corruption in elections and, at times, advocated the hand-counting of ballots, apparently believing that electronic voting machines are insecure. Donald J. Trump and his allies spread the idea widely after his defeat in 2020, claiming, falsely, that the machines had changed the votes to Joseph R. Biden Jr. In his letter, Mr. Brater noted that hand-counting is against the law and could undermine the accuracy and security of the count.... Mr. Brater wrote that the clerk had refused an order from the Michigan secretary of state’s office to follow proper procedures.”
Pennsylvania. Kate Christobek of the New York Times: “A federal judge on Tuesday dismissed a lawsuit filed by six Republican members of Pennsylvania’s congressional delegation that challenged the state’s handling of ballots for military and overseas voters. The judge tossed the suit on procedural grounds, including that the plaintiffs had waited too long to initiate legal action and could not rely on 'phantom fears of foreign malfeasance' to justify their late challenge. The decision, handed down by Judge Christopher C. Conner of U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Pennsylvania, noted that Pennsylvania authorities had already sent out more than 25,000 overseas ballots by the end of September.”
16 Comments
Reader Comments (16)
Fatty sez:
“No president has done more for Puerto Rico than I have.”
That’s right. He threw those people TWO-ply paper towels. Not that cheapo Dollar Store stuff.
“Hang on…What’s that? Oh. Okay, people in Research say it WAS the cheap stuff. Never mind.”
But okay, even if that were true (no president, blah, blah, blah), does that make calling the place a floating garbage pile okay? This is one of the Trump Tells, like the “Sir” fairy tales. Whenever this abominable putz says or does something terrible to a group or an individual, he pretty quickly adds the “No president” rejoinder, which carries with it the unspoken conclusion “So these people/this person should just shut about it already.”
It’s also a slimy, cowardly way of never apologizing for being a horrible anal cyst of a human being. Because there’s no apologizing in MAGAstan.
Interesting figures on the gender+education differences in voting in New York Times by Celinda Lake and Amanda Iovino:
the gender gap has never been wider
..."broken up by gender and education, we see that the gaps are driven particularly by men without a college degree and women with a college degree, with an overall difference of 43 points....
The big question for America going forward is, can these two groups be brought together after a campaign that has only driven them further apart?"
Loose Cannon sez “P’shaw! Donald Trump? Who is he again? I have no connection to him. Your motion to get me kicked off your case is DENIED!!” Hmph!”
Interesting, in’it? Her response to this motion took literally days, when she’s in yet another position to stand up for the Orange Monster. And yet, in the case of his theft and retention of stolen top secret documents, she delayed responding to numerous motions for over a year. And earlier attempts to help him out were so egregiously awful and obviously crooked that a circuit court had to step in.
Oh, but she barely knows Trump. She has no interest in being in his corner regardless of judicial ethics. Right?
Look for this incompetent Trumpy charlatan to hit the top of Fatty’s list of Supreme Court rubber stamps should he succeed in stealing this election. And look for the current Trumpy rubber stamps on the court to help him do it if they get the chance.
@laura hunter: I would ask the authors, "What campaign is that?" They do nothing to suggest -- so I don't think they mean -- that it is the Trump campaign that is driving "the two groups ... further apart." Rather, the writers seem to mean campaigns in general -- that is, including Harris's -- are driving voters apart.
I don't think that's true. I don't think Harris is anti-man. I don't think being pro-woman or pro-women's-health as anti-man or anti-men's-healthcare. Very few people who want equal treatment of women want it so women can "get the better of men" or whatever. Equal treatment of women is good for everybody, including the men with whom women complete for jobs. Why? Because a larger, more competent worker pool means a better worker pool.
I suppose on a granular level this is more true in a good economy and a good job market: that is, if you personally lose out on a job to a female competitor in a thriving economy, there's going to be another job waiting for you. But in other quality-of-life matters, the state of the economy is only a tangential factor. Good health for women is good for everybody. Adequate housing, good nutrition, etc., for women are good for everyone. It doesn't help anybody to have women unable to care for themselves. We don't need "protectors"; we need to have the wherewithal to fend for ourselves -- and that's true even when we're in relationships with men who are also providers. Things change.
Just like when Trump mixes up love for hate he also continuously substitutes more when in reality he is talking about less. For example, “No president has done more for Puerto Rico than I have.”
Test…
A great idea…
The en masse flight of subscribers from the Washington Post in the wake of Jeff Bezos’ cowardly genuflection to fascism is perfectly understandable. But hollowing out the Post will only help the fascist Party of Traitors, white supremacists, violent right-wing militias, and the larger extreme attacks by the right on the public weal.
I thought about this yesterday after listening to former Post editor Marty Barron, who maintained that the Post still had a lineup of excellent reporters who do good work despite having to labor under right-wing lackeys and authoritarian apologists like Will Lewis.
Fleeing subscribers don’t hurt Bezos. He made a conscious decision to marginalize his personal trinket, the paper, a purchase designed to burnish his oligarchical cred, in favor of his other companies which vie for much more lucrative government contracts. He’s one of the richest guys in the world. He doesn’t give a shit about the Post. He cares about Jeff.
But the indispensable Dan Froomkin has an idea. The onetime Post columnist (booted for daring to question the Decider’s interest in unAmerican activities) suggests that Bezos turn over control of the paper to a non-profit.
“Clearly, the once-widely-held view that billionaire ownership could be the salvation of great newspapers is no longer operative.
Bezos has to go and so do his hand-picked lickspittles.
Will Lewis, a Tory lord who has been credibly accused of helping the Murdochs cover up their hacking scandal, has been a disaster so far in every way. And David Shipley, Bezos’s hand-picked opinion editor, not only hasn’t resigned in protest (as any self-respecting person would do) but, at a recent staff meeting, was reportedly unable to come up with anything Bezos could do that would prompt him to do so. For shame.
The good news is that there is a way out of this mess – a way out that would restore the Post’s grand tradition of independence and speaking the unvarnished truth to power.
It would also reestablish Bezos’s reputation as a great philanthropist.
Bezos must relinquish ownership of the Post to a nonprofit organization, devoted to journalistic independence.”
An excellent idea. With the demise of local papers, citizens interested in solid reporting, as opposed to Murdoch style propaganda, have fewer and fewer places to go for trustworthy information. AG has largely neutered The NY Times, and losing the Post would be nothing less than a boon to the Trumps of the world.
And one other thing…as if we needed it, this self-castration (journalistically speaking) on the part of Jeff Bezos is one more piece of evidence that clearly gives the lie to the dangerous and insidious belief that Big Business People can do anything.
They cannot. Success, even phenomenal success in one area of business, is no guarantee those chops will automatically translate to success in another area. Need proof? Bezos and Musk. Both incredibly successful in certain areas but absolute disasters in others. Now take guys who were indisputable failures in business, but have that “Genius Businessman” phony patina, the CEO President, Dubya, and the made for TV charlatan, Trump. The two worst presidents in American history. (Although I suppose one could argue that their business experience—failure—DID translate to another pursuit.)
Bezos is not a journalist. He’s a dilettante at best. When things got tough, he knuckled under.
Read Froomkin. This is a great idea.
Knowing your constituencies
"The Comically Terrible Rollout of Latter-day Saints for Trump
But almost immediately, Latter-day Saints for Trump devolved into a Veep-like comedy of errors. The official website went live on October 7 with a photo of Russell M. Nelson, the president of the Church and a man considered by its members to be a prophet of God. When a reporter for the Church-owned Deseret News asked whether the campaign had gotten permission to feature the image, given the Church’s neutrality in partisan politics, the campaign quickly scrubbed the photo from its homepage.
A few days later, users on X discovered a page on the Trump-campaign website selling Mormon-branded merch—including Latter-day Saints for Trump coffee mugs ($25) and [beer] koozies (two for $15). When people pointed out that Mormons somewhat famously don’t drink coffee or alcohol, the campaign hastily rebranded the merch, and a social-media pile-on ensued."
@Akhilleus: And what makes Froomkin's suggestion a plausible solution is that, as he points out, "Putting the entire Washington Post operation on a nonprofit footing would gain Bezos a big tax write-off." Still, I suppose we'll have to wait till Bezos bribes Trump to give him a huge government contract that makes it worth Bezos' while to apply for a tax write-off.
Scary coincidences of Trump in power.
"What Will You Do?
Life-changing choices we may be forced to make if Donald Trump wins"
by Rick Perlstein
Marie -
At the time i posted the article on the gender gap, i was also listening to a version of this story on the radio:
Across battlegrounds, there is a 10-point gender gap in early voting so far, according to a POLITICO analysis. and feeling a hint of that optimism that a higher turn out in early voting for women (d's, r's, "women who don't normally show up") could help with a t**** defeat.
I didn't read the NYTimes story as insinuating that the Harris campaign is driving the gender gap or is in any way promoting an anti-men bias.
The authors note that the "two groups consume media in entirely different ways which affects what they see and hear....
With the contrasts in priorities and worldview between these two groups, it makes sense that they would have different voting patterns, and the presence of a woman on the Democratic ticket has only accentuated that."
Compelling, if a bit long, essay on why the focus by Dems on Trump may cost the election.
https://tinyurl.com/fyfzvdm7
Test…again.
And the Not Supreme Court, at least the pro-fascism wing, has signaled its complete abdication of responsibility to the rule of law and the impartial attendance to Justice. They have clearly indicated that, should they get the chance, they will ignore the express wishes of the voters and shove Trump’s fat ass on the throne they’ve created for him as King of the Traitors.
The horror isn’t coming. It’s already here.
The link RAS has provided to the Rick Pearlstein piece (Pearlstein is always worth your time) offers a truly frightening look at how our world will change if Trump, his Project 2025 Heritage whisperers, and the Bible Mike type theocrats take over.
This is by no means Sky is Falling stuff. And it’s not hypothetical. A lot of this is happening right now.
Here’s a story about a poor woman arrested by the Right-wing Reproduction Police and sentenced by an Alito-like Justice system. When a woman makes a Facebook post about losing a child, even through a miscarriage…be careful. These goons are watching your every move. This woman was sent to prison because some Alito style theocratic cop spotted her post and knocked on her door demanding an explanation.
Now just picture thousands of these theocratic Reproduction Cops prying into your personal life, combing through your posts, going through your rubbish looking for the flimsiest excuse to bring you before some Star Chamber Bible thumping judge looking to make a name for him or herself with the religious right, empowered and backed by the Office of the President of the United States.
I’m sure AG would Both Sides this story, but this stuff is already happening. The horror is real.