I am all in favor of Harris (and Walz) continuing to barnstorm directly to the people, pack as many large venues as they can book, and let Trump and the media go apoplectic. She owes the media nothing. She owes her donors and volunteers the best path to reaching, registering and turning out voters. Being a willing player in the false equivalency game we know the media is playing is not good bang for the buck and blood and sweat we are putting into this. Plus the media can take a time out after their interference in the What Will Biden Decide? question. Traditional media has to reckon with the new influencer game in town and the reason all the influencers and content creators were at the convention, reaching people who do not turn on or pick up traditional news media. Let Harris Be Harris.
The NYT ran a guest opinion today titled, Trump can win on character." The Times is no longer a real newspaper. Why anyone would waste time talking to a NYT reporter is beyond me.
I'm curious. Can someone who has not cancelled their NYT subscription (not me) explain what exactly the person writing the NYT opinion thought was a sign of good character from that lying, thieving, crook, who wants to be a dictator on day one? Whoever wrote that Opinion has a very distorted view of "character.,"
I found the article and was able to read it without a subscription. The gist of it is that Trump doesn't have to claim he has good character. He just has to to what he is good at--repeat, repeat, repeat--and what he repeats should be that Harris is weak, weak, weak. Weak on the border. Weak on taxes. Weak on making up her mind and sticking to a position. yada yada. The article says things that are not true, of course. But the point is to hammer that she has weak character in the same vein that Bush campaigned that Kerry was a flip-flopper because of the line where he said “I actually did vote for the $87 billion, before I voted against it.” They built their whole campaign around that one line meaning Kerry was untrustworthy. So Trump can win by hammering Harris's character. It has nothing to do with claiming that Trump's character is superior. Somebody else pretending that this is an ordinary election.
Janet, I can float a hypothesis to answer your question about "what exactly the NYT thought was a sign of good character." The sign is corporate greed and cynicism. The sign is corporate MAGA-owned media telling their "reporters" (quotes for irony) what to write. A cynical, myth-based tactic: when Trump staffers feel Trump is suffering from having a lack of character, their cynical, fact-free solution is: "instruct the employee we own at the NYT to write an article stating that Trump will win on character."
Like FOX "News", Mr Lowry's outlet is the National Review, another propaganda venue for the MAGA GOP. To use Kamala very apt description for Trump, Mr. Lowry is not a serious man. To write the word "character" as a positive descriptor for Trump is like wishing he was in the changing room with Donald at Bergdorfs!
Fortunately, we've all moved past that and the NYTs
The Times opinion article was written by Rich Lowry, well-known as a right-of-center journalist. The Times has long had a policy of publishing opinion articles by writers from the entire political spectrum. Publishing Lowry occasionally doesn’t make the Times a right-wing outlet.
Great comments, Susan! Your "Being a willing player in the false equivalency game we know the media is playing is not good bang for the buck and blood and sweat we are putting into this" is spot on!
And yet, despite the Republican nominees' ample baggage, the Democrats' unbridled enthusiasm, the birth and growth of grassroots organizations, the massive defections of Republicans, and just common sense, this remains a close race. How is that possible? How do we break thru?
There are 200 polling organizations ranked on 538.com. They are profit making ventures. If they can't distinguish themselves, they fail. Supplying questionable results is good for business (for many of them).
That's certainly a major factor, so how can we neutralize it? Start some slanted polls on our own? Just criticizing the polls and calling out their purveyors hasn't worked, and time is growing short.
This may seem farfetched, but perhaps someone could create a narrative that might encourage the media to test it with polling. The narrative could rhetorically include the questions we'd want them to ask.
Yes, it gobsmacks me that the race is close. When I go on spaces like Mike Johnson's page, all they talk about is the current cost of groceries and the wars and how this stuff didn't happen when Trump was president. So that's how it's close. Voters who don't understand the root causes of things and the very successful gaslighting on the right. But my second point is that the only polls I want to pay attention to are "likely voters." I am not interested in general public opinions or even registered voters, because we all know LOTS of registered voters do not actually vote. What are "likely voters" saying? Who are the "newly registered" signing up to vote for? Those are of more interest to me but take more effort to find.
We keep going, Bob, and in fact, we do MORE! Remember that polls over the last several elections have been WRONG. By staying positive, committed and talking to everyone we know who will listen and donate, call, write and canvass for Harris. WE have 2 months left. That is a lifetime right now!
The polls were sure wrong about Hillary, and in a big way. The polls don't take into consideration Vladimir Putin's monkeywrenching our voting system with Facebook troll farms and hacking state electoral results. And please, please, let us not forget that could still happen this Nov. 5. Who in the government is in charge of fighting foreign interference in American elections?
I have to think that someone in the Biden Administration is working on this. Otherwise, we'd be sitting ducks. I'm sure the Dept of Homeland Security is looking into it. I think I've read that somewhere; sorry, I don't remember where. Or I've heard Nicolle Wallace interview the Director of Homeland Security about it. I pray about it regularly!
I like the concept of a "time out." Just like we need a healthy opposition party, we also need healthy mainstream media. Most of the newsletters we read depend on the work of mainstream media reporters. And, people who get their news solely from social media can get a truly distorted view of things. Harris/Walz can't shake every hand. We have to hope that MSM figures out that the landscape has changed and learns from their mistakes.
Heather is a historian, not a journalist- she makes this very clear. She does conversations, presentations, and discussions, not interviews. Terry is a good interviewer, but she has her own sort of silo where it comes to audience. Some of the best interviewers come from non-profit journalism related orgs such as Brennan Center, but there also are some very good people in the media, both MSM and the storefront press (which also includes quite a few substack authors). My guess is that the Harris/Walz staff has compiled a good list of good potential interviews should they decide to go that route.
In the meantime, it appears that DT is looking for a way out of the "debate" already. Last I heard, he didn't think he needed to go that route because he can count on his supporters. He sounds kind of uncertain though. I bet he'll come up with a better-sounding one. Or maybe he already did while I was eating breakfast and trying to make my budget behave this morning. <shrug>
On the other hand, I admit I'd love to see Heather moderate the erstwhile debate, just for fun (mine). She is a walking fact-checker and savvy enough to have fact-checkers on hand AND control of the mikes. Maybe a bouncer just in case.
Dozing off the other day, after enjoying the occasional goofiness during the convention, it occurred to me that we could have some fun with MAGA. Make America Goofy Again, in blue.
My view on him being a no-show is this: Kamala Harris shows up. Her “opponent” is a “small” cutout of Trump. She’s asked a question, gives a great, easy-to-understand response, and then the microphone is turned over to the cutout: What follows is dead air. Probably not too realistic, and if it happened he’d be bellyaching for lord-knows how long. But it would be funny and revealing at the same time: His speechifying is hot air and not worth the time of day.
NPR has become a HUGE part of the problem as well. The last bastion of truth telling right now is the AP & Reuters and even they go after click bait from time to time. We need someone untethered from legacy media and who appeals to GenZ as well. Five or six people online reaches more people than legacy media ever has or ever will.
Love your words, Susan. What you said! "[Harris] owes the media nothing." Nothing! I think perhaps she should actually say that. I see the headline: "Harris Accuses Media of Not Doing Their Job." Take the fight to the opposition. (I am so grateful Democrats are finally going on the offensive. Like the little girl described at the convention who, when asked about playing sports, said, "I know defense is important, but I really really really love playing offense!")
You seem to have forgotten about 4 years of Joe Biden’s leadership and historic legislative and diplomatic success. The past 4 years have not been all dark.
Those 4 years led to where we are now. Without Biden’s leadership, Harris/Walz would not be where they are today. There is a solid, wide-ranging list of accomplishments by the Biden/Harris administration which stands as a backdrop for the future.
I think the last four years of the Biden administration have helped to preserve democracy and set the stage for the current campaign. The Biden administration worked to make life better for ordinary people, not billionaires. That’s a good record to run on. The Biden administration helped bring the country out of Covid and worked to help the economy recover.
CFDT’s handling of Covid brought about so many unnecessary deaths. Viruses don’t care about politics. My jaw dropped when I heard DonOLD talk about injecting bleach to cure Covid. How does any SANE person do that?
The Republican Party has been the party of death for a long time. The Great Depression, fighting against New Deal policies, prolonging the Vietnam war by committing treason, going into Iraq based on lies, the Great Recession, mishandling Covid, overturning Roe. All for political reasons, chasing money and power.
JennSH from NC: I'm adding to Michael Alexander's comments (several further below) suggesting that people are greatly overusing acronyms:
Acronyms do to the flow of prose what a dead cow does to the flow of a stream.
AVOID ACRONYMS unless they are in common parlance, like DNA, HIV, MPG, and MPH.
I also had no idea of what CFDT stands for, and I didn't bother to look it up, because I'd already reached my fill of acronyms for the day. However, it just came to me, hours later. Convicted Felon Donald Trump. That's probably worth spelling out.
I misplaced my cellphone the other day, so I called it from the landline and when it rang it showed as ICE. My 36-year-old son, who didn't know what I was doing at the moment, saw my phone and asked why Immigration was calling us. He saw ICE on my cell screen. I clarified that on cellphones that actually means In Case of Emergency, the number first responders will look for. In my contacts "Home" shows up as ICE.
Wow, what a list! It's chilling. Amazing our country survived all the wrong-headed Republican attempts to tank it. Don't forget to add Bill Clinton's statistic: Since 1989 America has created 51 million new jobs--50 million under Democratic presidents, 1 million under Republican presidents.
miracle workers. Joe’s savvy understanding of Congress and his true sense of empathy literally kept “darkness” from seeping in thru every crack in Democracy. Yet, the hulking, toxic Trump did linger. It certainly drove me to remain vigilant …to be come a “grassroots activist”.
Thank you Jennifer. I can still remember exactly where I was when I finally learned that Biden had won the 2020 election. This was a vital turning point from the previous 4 years. I also remember where I was when I watched the Jan 6 domestic terrorists attack the Capitol, but I was able to maintain a steady sense of well being for our country as I knew Joe Biden would soon be in the White House.
Apparently, it is the House's job to conduct frivolous, long, expensive, time-wasting investigations into people they don't like who haven't done anything wrong (silly me, I thought the House's job was to craft and pass legislation that helped American citizens). I wonder how much the American people pay in Congressional salaries every year to people who do no legislation but conduct endless frivolous investigations by using their titles and positions and the power that gives them?
I think these last four years have been "dark" was because Trump continued to dominate MSM media, despite the impressive things Biden/Harris we're doing. Many people are still largely unaware of the impact of legislation that was passed to enable infrastructure projects, etc., let alone the building and rebuilding of international alliances. It's that quiet, competent work that people ignore, or fall asleep reading about.
Good point, Joanne. I began ranting about the failures of the industrial media (esp those who center on WaDC) during the Trump admin and doubled down on it when they consistently failed to cover what Biden was doing while covering every absurdity that came out of Trump's camp. Day after day. I considered that failure by the media to be as much a travesty as the failure of DT to call down the MAGA insurrection. That in itself should have been a wake-up call to the media, and for some it was. But short-sighted bottom line opportunism prevailed for far too long, and aspirational right wing extremists (both in and out of Congress) exploited the opportunity to garner attention.
WE out here on the grassroots held the line, along with non-profit media and some very brave people who stood up publicly to call out the truth and kept it from getting lost. Good for us all. I am proud to be part of you.
Thank you, Jennifer. President Biden’s 3 1/2 years have only been tinged because of the horrors he inherited from the Orange Clown’s prior four years and the horrific list of global ills. From he himself and his team, the accomplishments have been mind-blowing, in spite of ridiculous blow-back from the OC’s toadies.
Definitely. And every single day, Every. Single. Day. I am reminding people on the right of this. I think the "darkness" has been Trump's lingering presence, the lingering persistent lies, the lingering threat that everything we've fought to reclaim after booting him out of office is in peril. Until he is defeated and successfully prosecuted and held accountable--somehow, even with the ridiculous immunity rulings--and removed from the national stage permanently, his shadow remains.
Let's impeach Clarence and Alito and rescind their mindless legislation! AOC has filed impeachment papers against them. Please postcard or voicemail her and encourage her to fiercely prosecute that. And call or write YOUR rep and YOUR senator today to tell them to get behind the impeachment. It's only a bandaid, I know, but we have to do what we can in both the short and long terms to reversed the rogue SCOTUS. Otherwise Pres. Harris will be hamstrung.
I see your point, Jennifer, about the past four years not being all dark. But Joe Biden was like a first responder laboring in the dark, blood-drenched ruins--the aftermath of a Trump disaster that lasted four years and included Covid, among other catastrophes. Biden did his work quietly, with relentless efficiency, to put the American structure back together. And he succeeded. Without him, specifically, personally, him, we would still be trapped in the collapsed basement of Trump's disaster. But first responders, and Biden, are not part of the light and joy that comes afterward. As disaster clean-up personnel, however positive, they are still part of the catastrophe. Only now can we emerge, freed and full of renewed life and vigor, into the sunlight and fight to prevent more disasters with joy and hope. Joe Biden was a turning point. But he labored in the four-year pall that Trump's evil craziness cast over our country. So I think it's fair to call it 8 years of darkness, while holding Biden up as the hero who dug us out of the pit.
And let's not spend time fretting over Kamala granting an interview or not. She will do it and flip it to her advantage when it fits her campaign strategy best.
As Trump tries to run away from his alliance with P2025/Heritage, this excellent investigative reporting directly ties Florida GOP,(Bok Globules?) and indirectly other GOP-controlled state legislatures.
“From bathrooms to banking, records show the architects of Project 2025 worked closely with Ron DeSantis and Florida Republican leaders to turn some far-right ideas into new state laws.”
Oh dear please let's not be complacent, Dave! I don't think he sealed his fate. I think lots of voters think Trump is working class just like them, that he had a fantastic economy that helped them, and that he showed the world how strong he was internationally. These confused and unthinking voters also think Harris will be dangerous for them, with equally twisted and factually incorrect beliefs. Trump's fate is not sealed until or unless we get out there, convince never-voters and new voters to vote, and vote Democratic, and continue to persuade real Republicans and independents to vote for Harris.
They really do believe these things. That the economy was great, that we were energy independent, and that the world was at peace because of Donald Trump. Those are the things I hear over and over. (And falsely accused of all those court cases.)
As we all know, we need to get young voters involved, excited and involved for voting blue up and down the ballot. So, I was looking at the internet yesterday and something caught my eye about Emma Emhoff's dress on Thursday night when she spoke with two other young women to tell everyone what a wonderful stepmom Kamala is. The article was about the person who designed her dress. It turns out that Emma Emhoff, the daughter of the first gentleman-to-be, is a fashion influencer, and the young man who designed her dress has 2.7 million followers on TikTok! Emma is one of his favorite customers. I find it so amusing that one of the most important sources of new voters will come from the daughter of Kamala's husband. Plus so many people who influence GenZers, like (cross your fingers) fans of Taylor Swift and Pink and Stevie Wonder and on and on. 😀
People over 40 don't know the world of social media like these 15 to 25 year-olds do. And they have influence. And it's not Trump and Vance they're excited about! The social media was alive over Emma Emhoff's midi-length, white, fancy dress, with a hand-knitted rose on one shoulder (knitted by Emma, an expert knitter), with her white socks and shiny black Mary Jane's.
I had to smile at the thought of all those young first-time voters doing their thing!!!
You make a very good point, Janet. I am so encouraged by the young voters support of Kamala and Tim. In my own family, the younger generation is absolutely on fire with enthusiasm. They are volunteering, donating, talking to friends and are committed to working hard to see a Harris Walz victory in November. It gives me great hope in our future.
Such a great lesson for us analytical, fact-based old Democrats. Neither Trump voters nor new Harris voters give a flying fig for facts! These wonderful younger people will vote for Harris because they approve of the designer of her stepdaughter's dress, or that Taylor Swift is leaning Harris' way, or maybe because all the balloons at Harris' DNC were biodegradable. I'll take it!
I remember Election Day in 1964. I had just turned 20 and I seriously regretted not being able to cast my vote. A short time later that lowered the voting age to 18. I haven’t missed an election since then. I relish the opportunity to vote and highly recommend it. We don’t always win, but we do win in a sense that we’re able to participate in the noble democratic experiment of our incredible country.
Ella is a fashion designer and model herself and has even been on the cover of Vogue. People just gotta pick on kids of people they have decided to hate.
"Kamala Harris is under no obligation to follow the 'old model' of presidential campaigns."
Nothing about this campaign should follow the "old model." Trump threw out most of the rules in 2016, and the rest of the rules in 2020 (and made up a few of his own.)
This campaign is not your father's, your grandfather's, (your great-great, etc.) campaign. It's time to play by the NEW rules, which are being written as we speak.
Love it, Richard. Let's put Trump in a galaxy far, far away. I hope the residents there are the most compassionate, loving, other-centered, altruistic beings that exist, and that they teach him how to be.
All, I have written here before that my husband and I voted R until 10ish or so years ago, and we still consider ourselves more moderate in some areas, although we’re not comfortable with labels anymore, frankly—not even sure what they mean.
BUT, we have friends who are sometimes surprised by our high level in involvement in politics now, and we occasionally see some progress in their thinking. All this to say we see yard signs as an opportunity. My husband just ordered his “Veterans for Harris/Walz” sign—we think there is bonus messaging in that.
Bless you and your husband, Cathy. You give new meaning to the big tent idea of the Democrats. I see no reason why the Democratic party can't welcome, include and integrate people who are right of center as well as left of center. I think it's the word center that matters. And what really matters over all is a commitment to America, to the Constitution, to the Bill of Rights, and to working together to improve the imperfection of our wonderful democracy. Let's make it just a bit better than it already is right now. America is already great, but it can be greater if we all pull together.
Thank you for sharing your WAVE reflections with us this morning, Robert, and for your words of praise for the grassroots movement. Your hope-filled newsletters have sustained us during these eight long years, and prepared us for this extraordinary moment of promise for American democracy. We will keep on working and we will not go back!
In addition to "grassroots groups" that emerged after Trump's election, newsletters did as well. "Today's Edition" was among them. So was my "Len's Political Notes." https://lenspoliticalnotes.com
We were fortunate that Joe Biden proved to be a far stronger leader than we had expected. The nation has made genuine progress under his leadership.
He has not as effective in his opposition to Trump. That Trump cannot find a "counter-attack" to Kamala Harris reflects her ability (at least so far) too her effectiveness in opposition to Trump. Part of her success and the success of her vice presidential candidate, is helping us grasp how weird Trump and his entourage is.
We know he is dangerous. Trump and his supporters revel in being described as dangerous, even being described as dangerous to democracy. Dangerous implies strength. Weird implies that Trump and Vance and RFK Jr. are ridiculous, that they are "unserious" men. They cannot escape or respond to that characterization without looking weirder, without looking even more ridiculous.
Len has a great newsletter today with “The (162 !) Lies Trump Tells Us”.
This is the intro:⬇️
I begin with a tribute. Robert Hubbell’s “Today’s Edition” is a great way to start the day. If you do not subscribe to “Today’s Edition” begin now. If you want to participate in the conversation, you have to pay. Otherwise, you can subscribe and read what Robert Hubbell has to say. On August 12, he wrote a remarkable column called “This ain’t no honeymoon. It’s a movement.” Read it.
You're right. In addition to grassroots activity, there is a major shift away from traditional media. I saw a statistic noting that a typical CNN broadcast now has about 700,000 viewers, which puts it on a par with some podcasts and YouTube channels. I'd love to know what's happened with the subscriptions at the NY Times and the Washington Post over the last few months.
I read that Heather Cox Richardson has 11 million subscribers. The New York Times has 10 million subscribers. Unsubscribe to the NYT today and subscribe to Robert and Heather.
You seem to forget the opposition that Biden, *while President*, contended with *from within “his” party – egocentric “progressives” on one side carping that his proposals were insufferably insufficient, Manchin et al. on the other side carping that his proposals were too aggressive. It took a long time for Biden to get horses to pull the Democratic buckboard in the same, the correct, direction.
Getting Democrats to behave like a Party was one of Biden’s achievements.
Congratulations on your success with the Lagoon Nebula photo, Mr. Hubbell! Gorgeous.
I loved your intro "Op/Ed", and especially how you so well (in my view, at least) framed "the story of the eight years between 2016 and 2024 when democracy hung in the balance."
I’d like to amplify what Robert said about what grassroots people have done. As a co-moderator of Heather’s Herd, along with Ellie Kona, I have seen firsthand the power of this small but mighty group. Our members have faced some personal challenges including health issues, loss, relocation -yet they show up week in and week out and the beauty of the group is that we help each other out when the going gets tough until they are ready to jump back in. So whether you are a member of one of the “big dogs” groups, or a small but mighty group, or just working on your own, take a bow and a breath and get ready for the 4th quarter.
My third read in the mornings after Robert and Heather is Andy Borowitz. Never to disappoint, Andy's headline was priceless," Entire Kennedy Family Changes Last Name." "[Harland Fitzgerald Kennedy] said that the ex-Kennedys had not yet selected a new last name, but added, “At this point, even Lecter would be better.” How Andy can do this every day is beyond me--but one has to say he has good material to work with!
In sports there is a message many teams give their players when in a combative game or contest. That message is “ we got to play our game and do what got us here” That us what the Harris Walz team needs to continue to due. A perfect example is today Kamala and Tim are taking a bus tour through Georgia meeting voters on their own turf while the other guy stands in an event behind bullet proof glass and drones on and on. I think a smile and a handshake and a few comments with voters is a winning approach which is what has gotten them this far.
Robert shares that: "... on September 5, Trump will host an “awards gala” for January 6 insurrectionists." And I ask: how is it possible that in America today, our former president can honor members of the crowd that were responsible for the death of police officers and directly threatened the proceedings of the House of Representatives?
Was he really "our" president? Yah, he finagled his way into the office and took the title. But at no time did he act as president on behalf of either the nation or us, the people. He spoke for himself, not us. The world laughed at and scorned him, pitied us, and worried about how his decisions might impact them. This will just be another of his grandiose performances, if he even actually does it. Those "awards" will mean nothing, and everyone will know it.
Just as I was closing down for the night, I thought of something else: would any of these people actually show up for such an event, given that by doing so, they were admitting their complicity? Some still have charges pending.
No further proof is required that he thinks he is above the law. And our partisan Supreme Court will probably back him down the line. Proving to my satisfaction that the infection of corruption is scarily wide-spread.
I am a bit fiery this morning. On today's docket is this email I just sent to Alayna Treene of CNN:
Hi Ms. Treene,
I read your 'Trump team prepares for sprint to November with ‘all hands on deck’ approach'.
I am aghast because the only story you should be covering is Trump's blessing and honoring of the January 6th rioters on September 5th at his NJ golf resort.
The expectations of Harris/Halz and how they covered versus the softball approach taken with Trump by the likes of CNN is disgusting.
I could not agree with you more, Robert. In the very consequential 2020 Presidential election only 68% of those eligible to vote cast ballots. More than 90% of the remaining 32% who didn’t vote had not registered. There are likely many reasons why this was so. Some include: dissatisfaction with both choices, 18 to 21 year-olds who had never before been eligible to vote for a President and didn’t understand that in our democracy they had a responsibility to do so, and those who felt that the decision would be made by the rich, the superPACs, the media, etc. and their vote counted for nothing. A lot has changed since 2020. We know how many things have happened starting on January 6, 2021 that will encourage some eligible voters to register. However, not all have understood the relevance of these changes to their own lives. Not all have watched the Democratic and/or Republican National Conventions. And the media, like Trump, has put itself first. In our democracy, why isn’t it encouraging potential voters to register in public service announcements? Or have I missed something? It’s on us—on us to canvass, on us to participate in phone banks, on us to write postcards. We don’t need to say much. My Field Team 6 postcards say "Wake Up! Register" on the front. On the back I’ve written “Dear_______, Please register and vote for freedom. You can make a difference. Your friend, Richard”
OMG! I saw who wrote this and had to do a double take! Our only difference, besides an “a” versus and “o” is that I write letters for Vote Forward which ask the same question at the bottom of each letter. I felt after the 2020 cycle that my letters and giving helped, so I’ve tried to do more as we’re moving forward. Thanks for your comments today, Richard. See mine at the bottom of the page and see how we’re joined together in this fight!
And we can encourage more donations to Field Team 6, too. I work with them every day and am impressed by their efficacy: bang for bucks in registering those eligible not-yet voters. Thanks for writing postcards!
I am all in favor of Harris (and Walz) continuing to barnstorm directly to the people, pack as many large venues as they can book, and let Trump and the media go apoplectic. She owes the media nothing. She owes her donors and volunteers the best path to reaching, registering and turning out voters. Being a willing player in the false equivalency game we know the media is playing is not good bang for the buck and blood and sweat we are putting into this. Plus the media can take a time out after their interference in the What Will Biden Decide? question. Traditional media has to reckon with the new influencer game in town and the reason all the influencers and content creators were at the convention, reaching people who do not turn on or pick up traditional news media. Let Harris Be Harris.
The NYT ran a guest opinion today titled, Trump can win on character." The Times is no longer a real newspaper. Why anyone would waste time talking to a NYT reporter is beyond me.
"Trump can win on character". Seriously? That sounds like something from The Onion.
He has no character and it’s not something to be changed on a whim, so it’s a moot point. No more NYT.
Are they trying to be the new Borowitz Report or something?
I'm curious. Can someone who has not cancelled their NYT subscription (not me) explain what exactly the person writing the NYT opinion thought was a sign of good character from that lying, thieving, crook, who wants to be a dictator on day one? Whoever wrote that Opinion has a very distorted view of "character.,"
I found the article and was able to read it without a subscription. The gist of it is that Trump doesn't have to claim he has good character. He just has to to what he is good at--repeat, repeat, repeat--and what he repeats should be that Harris is weak, weak, weak. Weak on the border. Weak on taxes. Weak on making up her mind and sticking to a position. yada yada. The article says things that are not true, of course. But the point is to hammer that she has weak character in the same vein that Bush campaigned that Kerry was a flip-flopper because of the line where he said “I actually did vote for the $87 billion, before I voted against it.” They built their whole campaign around that one line meaning Kerry was untrustworthy. So Trump can win by hammering Harris's character. It has nothing to do with claiming that Trump's character is superior. Somebody else pretending that this is an ordinary election.
Janet, I can float a hypothesis to answer your question about "what exactly the NYT thought was a sign of good character." The sign is corporate greed and cynicism. The sign is corporate MAGA-owned media telling their "reporters" (quotes for irony) what to write. A cynical, myth-based tactic: when Trump staffers feel Trump is suffering from having a lack of character, their cynical, fact-free solution is: "instruct the employee we own at the NYT to write an article stating that Trump will win on character."
Write a letter to the NYT saying just that. Enough letters and they may get second thoughts about their inanity.
They have not done this yet, Richard! And many, many of us have written multiple letters to them. It appears they do not care!
What? That's just embarrassing for the Times. They should be ashamed.
I don’t subscribe any longer. But this doesn’t surprise me. Perhaps they should change their slogan to “All the News that’s Unfit to Print”?
Like FOX "News", Mr Lowry's outlet is the National Review, another propaganda venue for the MAGA GOP. To use Kamala very apt description for Trump, Mr. Lowry is not a serious man. To write the word "character" as a positive descriptor for Trump is like wishing he was in the changing room with Donald at Bergdorfs!
Fortunately, we've all moved past that and the NYTs
The Times opinion article was written by Rich Lowry, well-known as a right-of-center journalist. The Times has long had a policy of publishing opinion articles by writers from the entire political spectrum. Publishing Lowry occasionally doesn’t make the Times a right-wing outlet.
Unbelievable!
The Times also ran an opinion piece a few days ago titled "Joy is Not a Strategy."
Despite the evidence that Joy is actually working.
Great comments, Susan! Your "Being a willing player in the false equivalency game we know the media is playing is not good bang for the buck and blood and sweat we are putting into this" is spot on!
And yet, despite the Republican nominees' ample baggage, the Democrats' unbridled enthusiasm, the birth and growth of grassroots organizations, the massive defections of Republicans, and just common sense, this remains a close race. How is that possible? How do we break thru?
Bob, how is it possible? Who sponsors the polls. Who writes about the polls? Who gains from reporting that the polls are close in this horse race?
There are 200 polling organizations ranked on 538.com. They are profit making ventures. If they can't distinguish themselves, they fail. Supplying questionable results is good for business (for many of them).
An apparent sad reality.
That's certainly a major factor, so how can we neutralize it? Start some slanted polls on our own? Just criticizing the polls and calling out their purveyors hasn't worked, and time is growing short.
This may seem farfetched, but perhaps someone could create a narrative that might encourage the media to test it with polling. The narrative could rhetorically include the questions we'd want them to ask.
I think the best way to neutralize the press is to completely ignore them; as the Harris campaign is currently doing
“You are dishonest and ingenuous. We smitten you in our disregard. Be gone with you. Come back when you are ready to do better”
Or
“Intercourse off”
Dave, pls change "smitten" to "smite". When you've done so, like this comment, and then I'll delete it.
David. Good catch. Smiting should never be confused with smittining
No need to delete your comment. You had my back. Thank you Sir
We ignore the polls.
Yes, it gobsmacks me that the race is close. When I go on spaces like Mike Johnson's page, all they talk about is the current cost of groceries and the wars and how this stuff didn't happen when Trump was president. So that's how it's close. Voters who don't understand the root causes of things and the very successful gaslighting on the right. But my second point is that the only polls I want to pay attention to are "likely voters." I am not interested in general public opinions or even registered voters, because we all know LOTS of registered voters do not actually vote. What are "likely voters" saying? Who are the "newly registered" signing up to vote for? Those are of more interest to me but take more effort to find.
We keep going, Bob, and in fact, we do MORE! Remember that polls over the last several elections have been WRONG. By staying positive, committed and talking to everyone we know who will listen and donate, call, write and canvass for Harris. WE have 2 months left. That is a lifetime right now!
The polls were sure wrong about Hillary, and in a big way. The polls don't take into consideration Vladimir Putin's monkeywrenching our voting system with Facebook troll farms and hacking state electoral results. And please, please, let us not forget that could still happen this Nov. 5. Who in the government is in charge of fighting foreign interference in American elections?
I have to think that someone in the Biden Administration is working on this. Otherwise, we'd be sitting ducks. I'm sure the Dept of Homeland Security is looking into it. I think I've read that somewhere; sorry, I don't remember where. Or I've heard Nicolle Wallace interview the Director of Homeland Security about it. I pray about it regularly!
I like the concept of a "time out." Just like we need a healthy opposition party, we also need healthy mainstream media. Most of the newsletters we read depend on the work of mainstream media reporters. And, people who get their news solely from social media can get a truly distorted view of things. Harris/Walz can't shake every hand. We have to hope that MSM figures out that the landscape has changed and learns from their mistakes.
HELL WILL FREEZE OVER!!!!!!
Harris should be interviewed by Terry Gross and/or Heather Cox Richardson - both journalists of the highest caliber.
Heather is a historian, not a journalist- she makes this very clear. She does conversations, presentations, and discussions, not interviews. Terry is a good interviewer, but she has her own sort of silo where it comes to audience. Some of the best interviewers come from non-profit journalism related orgs such as Brennan Center, but there also are some very good people in the media, both MSM and the storefront press (which also includes quite a few substack authors). My guess is that the Harris/Walz staff has compiled a good list of good potential interviews should they decide to go that route.
In the meantime, it appears that DT is looking for a way out of the "debate" already. Last I heard, he didn't think he needed to go that route because he can count on his supporters. He sounds kind of uncertain though. I bet he'll come up with a better-sounding one. Or maybe he already did while I was eating breakfast and trying to make my budget behave this morning. <shrug>
On the other hand, I admit I'd love to see Heather moderate the erstwhile debate, just for fun (mine). She is a walking fact-checker and savvy enough to have fact-checkers on hand AND control of the mikes. Maybe a bouncer just in case.
Dozing off the other day, after enjoying the occasional goofiness during the convention, it occurred to me that we could have some fun with MAGA. Make America Goofy Again, in blue.
My view on him being a no-show is this: Kamala Harris shows up. Her “opponent” is a “small” cutout of Trump. She’s asked a question, gives a great, easy-to-understand response, and then the microphone is turned over to the cutout: What follows is dead air. Probably not too realistic, and if it happened he’d be bellyaching for lord-knows how long. But it would be funny and revealing at the same time: His speechifying is hot air and not worth the time of day.
NPR has become a HUGE part of the problem as well. The last bastion of truth telling right now is the AP & Reuters and even they go after click bait from time to time. We need someone untethered from legacy media and who appeals to GenZ as well. Five or six people online reaches more people than legacy media ever has or ever will.
Love your words, Susan. What you said! "[Harris] owes the media nothing." Nothing! I think perhaps she should actually say that. I see the headline: "Harris Accuses Media of Not Doing Their Job." Take the fight to the opposition. (I am so grateful Democrats are finally going on the offensive. Like the little girl described at the convention who, when asked about playing sports, said, "I know defense is important, but I really really really love playing offense!")
You seem to have forgotten about 4 years of Joe Biden’s leadership and historic legislative and diplomatic success. The past 4 years have not been all dark.
Those 4 years led to where we are now. Without Biden’s leadership, Harris/Walz would not be where they are today. There is a solid, wide-ranging list of accomplishments by the Biden/Harris administration which stands as a backdrop for the future.
I think the last four years of the Biden administration have helped to preserve democracy and set the stage for the current campaign. The Biden administration worked to make life better for ordinary people, not billionaires. That’s a good record to run on. The Biden administration helped bring the country out of Covid and worked to help the economy recover.
CFDT’s handling of Covid brought about so many unnecessary deaths. Viruses don’t care about politics. My jaw dropped when I heard DonOLD talk about injecting bleach to cure Covid. How does any SANE person do that?
The Republican Party has been the party of death for a long time. The Great Depression, fighting against New Deal policies, prolonging the Vietnam war by committing treason, going into Iraq based on lies, the Great Recession, mishandling Covid, overturning Roe. All for political reasons, chasing money and power.
"The Republican Party has been the party of death for a long time." Followed by a list of pertinent examples.
And high taxes for the people, and reduced taxes on the wealthy.
JennSH from NC: I'm adding to Michael Alexander's comments (several further below) suggesting that people are greatly overusing acronyms:
Acronyms do to the flow of prose what a dead cow does to the flow of a stream.
AVOID ACRONYMS unless they are in common parlance, like DNA, HIV, MPG, and MPH.
I also had no idea of what CFDT stands for, and I didn't bother to look it up, because I'd already reached my fill of acronyms for the day. However, it just came to me, hours later. Convicted Felon Donald Trump. That's probably worth spelling out.
I misplaced my cellphone the other day, so I called it from the landline and when it rang it showed as ICE. My 36-year-old son, who didn't know what I was doing at the moment, saw my phone and asked why Immigration was calling us. He saw ICE on my cell screen. I clarified that on cellphones that actually means In Case of Emergency, the number first responders will look for. In my contacts "Home" shows up as ICE.
That is certainly funny!
My guess is he has a contact that says "Mom" and first responders would use that in an emergency. Obviously he has never set up his ICE feature.
I know a lot of abbreviations, but I had to look up CFDT. What “my” online dictionary returned:
“CFDT Confédération Française Démocratique du Travail (French: French Democratic Confederation of Labour)”
I doubt that’s what you meant.
Use of abbreviations and acronyms has become a verbal metastatic cancer.
I just figured it out. CFDT stands for Convicted Felon Donald Trump.
Wow, what a list! It's chilling. Amazing our country survived all the wrong-headed Republican attempts to tank it. Don't forget to add Bill Clinton's statistic: Since 1989 America has created 51 million new jobs--50 million under Democratic presidents, 1 million under Republican presidents.
Thank you, Jennifer. Biden/Harris were truly
miracle workers. Joe’s savvy understanding of Congress and his true sense of empathy literally kept “darkness” from seeping in thru every crack in Democracy. Yet, the hulking, toxic Trump did linger. It certainly drove me to remain vigilant …to be come a “grassroots activist”.
Moreover (!), the Biden Administration proposed and passed a big fistful of important legislation, legislation which is having enduring impact.
Don’t let (justified) enthusiasm for Harris-Walz obscure the important good that Biden-Harris has done. Give the old man his earned due.
I agree powerfully and enthusiastically with this message!!!
Thank you Jennifer. I can still remember exactly where I was when I finally learned that Biden had won the 2020 election. This was a vital turning point from the previous 4 years. I also remember where I was when I watched the Jan 6 domestic terrorists attack the Capitol, but I was able to maintain a steady sense of well being for our country as I knew Joe Biden would soon be in the White House.
True. . Two years, when we controlled the House. The rest of the time the House spent investigating Joe and Hunter Biden.
Apparently, it is the House's job to conduct frivolous, long, expensive, time-wasting investigations into people they don't like who haven't done anything wrong (silly me, I thought the House's job was to craft and pass legislation that helped American citizens). I wonder how much the American people pay in Congressional salaries every year to people who do no legislation but conduct endless frivolous investigations by using their titles and positions and the power that gives them?
I think these last four years have been "dark" was because Trump continued to dominate MSM media, despite the impressive things Biden/Harris we're doing. Many people are still largely unaware of the impact of legislation that was passed to enable infrastructure projects, etc., let alone the building and rebuilding of international alliances. It's that quiet, competent work that people ignore, or fall asleep reading about.
Good point, Joanne. I began ranting about the failures of the industrial media (esp those who center on WaDC) during the Trump admin and doubled down on it when they consistently failed to cover what Biden was doing while covering every absurdity that came out of Trump's camp. Day after day. I considered that failure by the media to be as much a travesty as the failure of DT to call down the MAGA insurrection. That in itself should have been a wake-up call to the media, and for some it was. But short-sighted bottom line opportunism prevailed for far too long, and aspirational right wing extremists (both in and out of Congress) exploited the opportunity to garner attention.
WE out here on the grassroots held the line, along with non-profit media and some very brave people who stood up publicly to call out the truth and kept it from getting lost. Good for us all. I am proud to be part of you.
Thank you, Jennifer. President Biden’s 3 1/2 years have only been tinged because of the horrors he inherited from the Orange Clown’s prior four years and the horrific list of global ills. From he himself and his team, the accomplishments have been mind-blowing, in spite of ridiculous blow-back from the OC’s toadies.
Definitely. And every single day, Every. Single. Day. I am reminding people on the right of this. I think the "darkness" has been Trump's lingering presence, the lingering persistent lies, the lingering threat that everything we've fought to reclaim after booting him out of office is in peril. Until he is defeated and successfully prosecuted and held accountable--somehow, even with the ridiculous immunity rulings--and removed from the national stage permanently, his shadow remains.
Let's impeach Clarence and Alito and rescind their mindless legislation! AOC has filed impeachment papers against them. Please postcard or voicemail her and encourage her to fiercely prosecute that. And call or write YOUR rep and YOUR senator today to tell them to get behind the impeachment. It's only a bandaid, I know, but we have to do what we can in both the short and long terms to reversed the rogue SCOTUS. Otherwise Pres. Harris will be hamstrung.
I see your point, Jennifer, about the past four years not being all dark. But Joe Biden was like a first responder laboring in the dark, blood-drenched ruins--the aftermath of a Trump disaster that lasted four years and included Covid, among other catastrophes. Biden did his work quietly, with relentless efficiency, to put the American structure back together. And he succeeded. Without him, specifically, personally, him, we would still be trapped in the collapsed basement of Trump's disaster. But first responders, and Biden, are not part of the light and joy that comes afterward. As disaster clean-up personnel, however positive, they are still part of the catastrophe. Only now can we emerge, freed and full of renewed life and vigor, into the sunlight and fight to prevent more disasters with joy and hope. Joe Biden was a turning point. But he labored in the four-year pall that Trump's evil craziness cast over our country. So I think it's fair to call it 8 years of darkness, while holding Biden up as the hero who dug us out of the pit.
And let's not spend time fretting over Kamala granting an interview or not. She will do it and flip it to her advantage when it fits her campaign strategy best.
One of the talk show hosts pressed Flimsy Graham pretty well on the insurrectionist fundraiser and got him to renounce it. That was good.
Does Donold know?
As Trump tries to run away from his alliance with P2025/Heritage, this excellent investigative reporting directly ties Florida GOP,(Bok Globules?) and indirectly other GOP-controlled state legislatures.
“From bathrooms to banking, records show the architects of Project 2025 worked closely with Ron DeSantis and Florida Republican leaders to turn some far-right ideas into new state laws.”
https://open.substack.com/pub/jasongarcia/p/the-think-tank-behind-project-2025?r=fqsxl&utm_medium=ios
_._,_._,_
He sealed his fate
Oh dear please let's not be complacent, Dave! I don't think he sealed his fate. I think lots of voters think Trump is working class just like them, that he had a fantastic economy that helped them, and that he showed the world how strong he was internationally. These confused and unthinking voters also think Harris will be dangerous for them, with equally twisted and factually incorrect beliefs. Trump's fate is not sealed until or unless we get out there, convince never-voters and new voters to vote, and vote Democratic, and continue to persuade real Republicans and independents to vote for Harris.
They really do believe these things. That the economy was great, that we were energy independent, and that the world was at peace because of Donald Trump. Those are the things I hear over and over. (And falsely accused of all those court cases.)
As we all know, we need to get young voters involved, excited and involved for voting blue up and down the ballot. So, I was looking at the internet yesterday and something caught my eye about Emma Emhoff's dress on Thursday night when she spoke with two other young women to tell everyone what a wonderful stepmom Kamala is. The article was about the person who designed her dress. It turns out that Emma Emhoff, the daughter of the first gentleman-to-be, is a fashion influencer, and the young man who designed her dress has 2.7 million followers on TikTok! Emma is one of his favorite customers. I find it so amusing that one of the most important sources of new voters will come from the daughter of Kamala's husband. Plus so many people who influence GenZers, like (cross your fingers) fans of Taylor Swift and Pink and Stevie Wonder and on and on. 😀
People over 40 don't know the world of social media like these 15 to 25 year-olds do. And they have influence. And it's not Trump and Vance they're excited about! The social media was alive over Emma Emhoff's midi-length, white, fancy dress, with a hand-knitted rose on one shoulder (knitted by Emma, an expert knitter), with her white socks and shiny black Mary Jane's.
I had to smile at the thought of all those young first-time voters doing their thing!!!
You make a very good point, Janet. I am so encouraged by the young voters support of Kamala and Tim. In my own family, the younger generation is absolutely on fire with enthusiasm. They are volunteering, donating, talking to friends and are committed to working hard to see a Harris Walz victory in November. It gives me great hope in our future.
https://actionnetwork.org/events/swifties-for-kamala-kickoff-call
https://voterizer.org/ Pass it on!
Such a great lesson for us analytical, fact-based old Democrats. Neither Trump voters nor new Harris voters give a flying fig for facts! These wonderful younger people will vote for Harris because they approve of the designer of her stepdaughter's dress, or that Taylor Swift is leaning Harris' way, or maybe because all the balloons at Harris' DNC were biodegradable. I'll take it!
I remember Election Day in 1964. I had just turned 20 and I seriously regretted not being able to cast my vote. A short time later that lowered the voting age to 18. I haven’t missed an election since then. I relish the opportunity to vote and highly recommend it. We don’t always win, but we do win in a sense that we’re able to participate in the noble democratic experiment of our incredible country.
Ella is a fashion designer and model herself and has even been on the cover of Vogue. People just gotta pick on kids of people they have decided to hate.
"Kamala Harris is under no obligation to follow the 'old model' of presidential campaigns."
Nothing about this campaign should follow the "old model." Trump threw out most of the rules in 2016, and the rest of the rules in 2020 (and made up a few of his own.)
This campaign is not your father's, your grandfather's, (your great-great, etc.) campaign. It's time to play by the NEW rules, which are being written as we speak.
There are no charts for this territory.
It’s “our” campaign and we’re going to kick Trump’s ass to oblivion (to that galaxy Robert showed us today?).
Love it, Richard. Let's put Trump in a galaxy far, far away. I hope the residents there are the most compassionate, loving, other-centered, altruistic beings that exist, and that they teach him how to be.
All, I have written here before that my husband and I voted R until 10ish or so years ago, and we still consider ourselves more moderate in some areas, although we’re not comfortable with labels anymore, frankly—not even sure what they mean.
BUT, we have friends who are sometimes surprised by our high level in involvement in politics now, and we occasionally see some progress in their thinking. All this to say we see yard signs as an opportunity. My husband just ordered his “Veterans for Harris/Walz” sign—we think there is bonus messaging in that.
As always, if you’re a North Texan wanting to register voters, contact your local LWV, in my case newcitizen@lwvrichardson.org or campusvoterreg@lwvrichardson.org.
Registrations are surging, and, as Robert says, we have to continue this regardless November election results.
https://voterizer.org/ Pass it on.
Bless you and your husband, Cathy. You give new meaning to the big tent idea of the Democrats. I see no reason why the Democratic party can't welcome, include and integrate people who are right of center as well as left of center. I think it's the word center that matters. And what really matters over all is a commitment to America, to the Constitution, to the Bill of Rights, and to working together to improve the imperfection of our wonderful democracy. Let's make it just a bit better than it already is right now. America is already great, but it can be greater if we all pull together.
Thank you for sharing your WAVE reflections with us this morning, Robert, and for your words of praise for the grassroots movement. Your hope-filled newsletters have sustained us during these eight long years, and prepared us for this extraordinary moment of promise for American democracy. We will keep on working and we will not go back!
In addition to "grassroots groups" that emerged after Trump's election, newsletters did as well. "Today's Edition" was among them. So was my "Len's Political Notes." https://lenspoliticalnotes.com
We were fortunate that Joe Biden proved to be a far stronger leader than we had expected. The nation has made genuine progress under his leadership.
He has not as effective in his opposition to Trump. That Trump cannot find a "counter-attack" to Kamala Harris reflects her ability (at least so far) too her effectiveness in opposition to Trump. Part of her success and the success of her vice presidential candidate, is helping us grasp how weird Trump and his entourage is.
We know he is dangerous. Trump and his supporters revel in being described as dangerous, even being described as dangerous to democracy. Dangerous implies strength. Weird implies that Trump and Vance and RFK Jr. are ridiculous, that they are "unserious" men. They cannot escape or respond to that characterization without looking weirder, without looking even more ridiculous.
Len has a great newsletter today with “The (162 !) Lies Trump Tells Us”.
This is the intro:⬇️
I begin with a tribute. Robert Hubbell’s “Today’s Edition” is a great way to start the day. If you do not subscribe to “Today’s Edition” begin now. If you want to participate in the conversation, you have to pay. Otherwise, you can subscribe and read what Robert Hubbell has to say. On August 12, he wrote a remarkable column called “This ain’t no honeymoon. It’s a movement.” Read it.
You're right. In addition to grassroots activity, there is a major shift away from traditional media. I saw a statistic noting that a typical CNN broadcast now has about 700,000 viewers, which puts it on a par with some podcasts and YouTube channels. I'd love to know what's happened with the subscriptions at the NY Times and the Washington Post over the last few months.
I read that Heather Cox Richardson has 11 million subscribers. The New York Times has 10 million subscribers. Unsubscribe to the NYT today and subscribe to Robert and Heather.
Leonard,
You seem to forget the opposition that Biden, *while President*, contended with *from within “his” party – egocentric “progressives” on one side carping that his proposals were insufferably insufficient, Manchin et al. on the other side carping that his proposals were too aggressive. It took a long time for Biden to get horses to pull the Democratic buckboard in the same, the correct, direction.
Getting Democrats to behave like a Party was one of Biden’s achievements.
Congratulations on your success with the Lagoon Nebula photo, Mr. Hubbell! Gorgeous.
I loved your intro "Op/Ed", and especially how you so well (in my view, at least) framed "the story of the eight years between 2016 and 2024 when democracy hung in the balance."
Stargazers for Kamala?
🤩
I’d like to amplify what Robert said about what grassroots people have done. As a co-moderator of Heather’s Herd, along with Ellie Kona, I have seen firsthand the power of this small but mighty group. Our members have faced some personal challenges including health issues, loss, relocation -yet they show up week in and week out and the beauty of the group is that we help each other out when the going gets tough until they are ready to jump back in. So whether you are a member of one of the “big dogs” groups, or a small but mighty group, or just working on your own, take a bow and a breath and get ready for the 4th quarter.
My third read in the mornings after Robert and Heather is Andy Borowitz. Never to disappoint, Andy's headline was priceless," Entire Kennedy Family Changes Last Name." "[Harland Fitzgerald Kennedy] said that the ex-Kennedys had not yet selected a new last name, but added, “At this point, even Lecter would be better.” How Andy can do this every day is beyond me--but one has to say he has good material to work with!
In sports there is a message many teams give their players when in a combative game or contest. That message is “ we got to play our game and do what got us here” That us what the Harris Walz team needs to continue to due. A perfect example is today Kamala and Tim are taking a bus tour through Georgia meeting voters on their own turf while the other guy stands in an event behind bullet proof glass and drones on and on. I think a smile and a handshake and a few comments with voters is a winning approach which is what has gotten them this far.
Thanks for your insight today, Stephen. We see eye to eye on so many levels.
Maybe Trump could go out to buy himself some donuts. -;)
Robert shares that: "... on September 5, Trump will host an “awards gala” for January 6 insurrectionists." And I ask: how is it possible that in America today, our former president can honor members of the crowd that were responsible for the death of police officers and directly threatened the proceedings of the House of Representatives?
Was he really "our" president? Yah, he finagled his way into the office and took the title. But at no time did he act as president on behalf of either the nation or us, the people. He spoke for himself, not us. The world laughed at and scorned him, pitied us, and worried about how his decisions might impact them. This will just be another of his grandiose performances, if he even actually does it. Those "awards" will mean nothing, and everyone will know it.
Just as I was closing down for the night, I thought of something else: would any of these people actually show up for such an event, given that by doing so, they were admitting their complicity? Some still have charges pending.
You never know. Not all of them are Rhodes Scholars
Some of the folks currently serving time have graduate degrees in law.
Not enough of them
No further proof is required that he thinks he is above the law. And our partisan Supreme Court will probably back him down the line. Proving to my satisfaction that the infection of corruption is scarily wide-spread.
This is unconscionable. How do we think the MSM will “cover” this (if they’re even offered the opportunity to be there?
and US will call it "indigestion for insurrectionists"
I am a bit fiery this morning. On today's docket is this email I just sent to Alayna Treene of CNN:
Hi Ms. Treene,
I read your 'Trump team prepares for sprint to November with ‘all hands on deck’ approach'.
I am aghast because the only story you should be covering is Trump's blessing and honoring of the January 6th rioters on September 5th at his NJ golf resort.
The expectations of Harris/Halz and how they covered versus the softball approach taken with Trump by the likes of CNN is disgusting.
Thank you.
Joseph English
Durham, NC
I see I missed a word 'how they are covered'. :>
I could not agree with you more, Robert. In the very consequential 2020 Presidential election only 68% of those eligible to vote cast ballots. More than 90% of the remaining 32% who didn’t vote had not registered. There are likely many reasons why this was so. Some include: dissatisfaction with both choices, 18 to 21 year-olds who had never before been eligible to vote for a President and didn’t understand that in our democracy they had a responsibility to do so, and those who felt that the decision would be made by the rich, the superPACs, the media, etc. and their vote counted for nothing. A lot has changed since 2020. We know how many things have happened starting on January 6, 2021 that will encourage some eligible voters to register. However, not all have understood the relevance of these changes to their own lives. Not all have watched the Democratic and/or Republican National Conventions. And the media, like Trump, has put itself first. In our democracy, why isn’t it encouraging potential voters to register in public service announcements? Or have I missed something? It’s on us—on us to canvass, on us to participate in phone banks, on us to write postcards. We don’t need to say much. My Field Team 6 postcards say "Wake Up! Register" on the front. On the back I’ve written “Dear_______, Please register and vote for freedom. You can make a difference. Your friend, Richard”
OMG! I saw who wrote this and had to do a double take! Our only difference, besides an “a” versus and “o” is that I write letters for Vote Forward which ask the same question at the bottom of each letter. I felt after the 2020 cycle that my letters and giving helped, so I’ve tried to do more as we’re moving forward. Thanks for your comments today, Richard. See mine at the bottom of the page and see how we’re joined together in this fight!
And we can encourage more donations to Field Team 6, too. I work with them every day and am impressed by their efficacy: bang for bucks in registering those eligible not-yet voters. Thanks for writing postcards!