Are we really not going to talk about this?
August 29, 2024
Apologies to all for the subject of this newsletter. It relates to Trump's posting a sexually crude attack on Kamala Harris. If you would rather not hear or read about it, please stop here and skip ahead to the article entitled “Trump-Vance campaign doubles down on cemetery desecration.”
On Wednesday, Donald Trump used his vanity social media platform to distribute a photo of Kamala Harris and Hillary Clinton, which contained the caption: “Funny how blowjobs impacted both their careers differently . . . .”
The link is here if you don’t believe that Trump posted this disgusting sexist attack on Kamala Harris and Hillary Clinton. I urge you NOT to click on this link. But if you must see for yourself, it is here: Truth Details | Truth Social
The post was part of a string of lunatic posts on Wednesday in which Trump promoted QAnon memes, suggested that Barack Obama should be tried before a military tribunal as a traitor, showed a half-dozen Democratic leaders in orange prison jumpsuits, and featured AI images of Trump riding a lion.
None of the above managed to pierce through the media’s criticism that Kamala Harris’s first interview after the convention will be with her running mate, which the media suggests is a sign of Kamala Harris’s weakness. Such joint interviews are traditional—including Trump/Vance, Trump/Pence, Obama/Biden, Biden/Harris, Romney Ryan, and Clinton/Kaine.
But when Kamala Harris follows that tradition, the media loses its collective mind—while ignoring Trump's use of a misogynistic trope asserting that the only way a female politician can get ahead is by performing sexual acts.
Where is the outrage? Where are the demands to apologize? Where are the editorials in stentorian tones proclaiming that Trump is unfit for the presidency?
We are witnessing the near universal moral collapse of the media. They have created the monster that is Donald Trump. They are allowing him to “slut shame” the first Black South Asian female presidential candidate with impunity. Until the press finds its backbone and moral compass, Trump will continue to slander women, minorities, veterans, LGBTQ people without consequence. That is the lesson Trump takes from our collective silence.
The first question in every press conference with Donald Trump henceforth must be “Will you apologize for and renounce your statement that Kamala Harris used sexual acts to succeed as a female politician?” If Trump refuses to answer that question, the media should walk out of the press conference. Cut off his oxygen—media exposure.
As a husband, father of three daughters, and grandfather of three granddaughters, I urge all women and the men who love them to stand against this outrage. We must not be silent or accept grotesque misogyny as the norm. We harm all women everywhere if we do so. We cannot be silent.
[Update: Late Wednesday evening, the NYTimes ran a front-page, above the fold story on this topic: Trump Reposts Crude Sexual Remark About Harris on Truth Social. This article is accessible to all. It was written by Michael Gold. I have emailed Michael at michael.gold@nytimes.com thanking him for writing a factual article on this topic.]
Trump-Vance campaign doubles down on cemetery desecration and insulting women without children
A campaign led by normal people would apologize for the Trump's campaign altercation with a military worker at Arlington National Cemetery. Not the Trump-Vance campaign. Instead of apologizing for violating federal rules against using the national cemetery for political purposes, the Trump-Vance campaign released a Tik-Tok video of Trump's visit, claiming that the family of one of the deceased soldiers gave permission to photograph them at the cemetery.
The problem is that family members do not have the authority to waive federal regulations prohibiting photography. Why? Because as the Trump “thumbs-up” photo shows, it is impossible to take a photo that does not capture other grave markers or mourners (as Trump's photo did). Worse still, the family could not give permission to Trump to use Arlington as a site for political campaigning—which he did by converting the photo and video into a campaign ad. See CNN Politics, Arlington National Cemetery: Fresh controversy brews over Trump’s visit.
The increasingly creepy and angry JD Vance responded to the controversy by claiming that the media had exaggerated the significance of “the altercation”—his word, not mine. Worse, he criticized Kamala Harris for not investigating the Abbey Gate bombing on the last day of US troop withdrawal by saying that Kamala Harris could “go to hell.” See CNN Politics, JD Vance defends Trump after cemetery incident, says Harris ‘can go to hell’.
Ah, yes! JD Vance’s precious family values are on full display as he defends the indefensible by swearing at a person who dares to criticize Donald Trump. Of course, Vance is wrong in asserting that there was no investigation of the Abbey Gate bombing. There were multiple investigations by the Department of Defense. Kabul Airport Attack Review Reaffirms Initial Findings.
Perhaps JD Vance intended to be provocative and outlandish in his defense of Trump's desecration of Arlington because yet another “childless cat lady” video of JD Vance has surfaced. This time, Vance asserts that any woman without children is unfit to teach in school because they will “brainwash” the minds of their students. See The Guardian, JD Vance attacks childless teachers in newly resurfaced remarks.
A video of JD Vance’s remarks is here: An Evening with the Ohio Candidates for US Senate.
Vance said,
So many of the leaders of the left, and I hate to be so personal about this, but they’re people without kids trying to brainwash the minds of our children, that really disorients me and disturbs me.
Randi Weingarten, who’s the head of the most powerful teachers’ union in the country, she doesn’t have a single child. If she wants to brainwash and destroy the minds of children, she should have some of her own and leave ours the hell alone.
As usual, Vance is wrong on the facts, politics, and morals. Randi Weingarten is a stepmother to her wife’s child. Factual errors aside, JD Vance believes that anyone without children is out to “brainwash” his kids. In most of America, people without children are known as teachers, coaches, principals, clergy, mayors, business leaders, politicians, and just plain “people.” JD Vance has a creepy worldview in which parents have a privileged status that entitles them to a greater voice in governance than people without children.
Meanwhile, Team Normal continues to act like normal people campaigning for the presidency and vice-presidency
After the disgusting and creepy display by the Trump-Vance campaign, the appearances by Kamala Harris and Tim Walz in Georgia felt like a breath of normalcy and decency. They started their bus tour through Georgia with a high-profile rally of 10,000 in Atlanta. See Slate, I Was at the Kamala Harris Rally in Atlanta. What You’re Seeing Is Very Real.
Kamala and Tim visited a school in Hinesville, Georgia, where they dropped in on a band practice. The video is here: Harris and Walz speak to students. The tour is part of an effort to decrease GOP margins in red counties of Georgia—essential to winning the race on a statewide level in November 2024.
Harris and Walz will conduct a similar tour in Michigan and Wisconsin over the Labor Day weekend. Trump, Harris heat up campaign trail in mad dash toward Election Day (usatoday.com). And President Joe Biden will appear with Kamala Harris this week!
As I said yesterday, they are acting like candidates who really want to win in November by taking their campaign directly to the people.
The lawsuit in Georgia challenging efforts by Georgia Election Commission to delay certification
There is a lot of reporting in the media about efforts by the Georgia State Election Board to issue new rules that allow local officials to conduct “reasonable inquiries” before certifying local election results. For a detailed explanation of the rules, the applicable state law, and the lawsuit challenging the law, read Professor Laurence Tribe and Dennnis Aftergut in The Guardian, The path to destroy American democracy runs through Georgia | Laurence H Tribe and Dennis Aftergut.
Despite the title, Tribe and Aftergut conclude:
This suit looks like a slam-dunk winner, at least so long as the Georgia courts remain worthy of their robes.
The good news is that Democrats may not be completely alone. On Monday, Brian Kemp, the Republican governor, formally asked Georgia’s attorney general if he can remove the three board members who lawlessly approved the new rules. In 2020, Kemp rebuffed Trump’s efforts to hijack Biden’s electoral victory in Georgia. Under the Electoral Count Reform Act of 2022, he is the one who “ascertains” the state’s electoral college winner and sends it to Congress.
In addition, Raffensperger has called out the three Maga members for trying to insert an “11th hour” change of the rules. He remains under Georgia law the one who certifies the vote for the governor’s “ascertainment”.
It seems complicated, but the “explainer” by Tribe and Aftergut provides a straightforward discussion of the facts. If this story is keeping you up at night, read the article; knowing the facts will help ease your mind.
Opportunities for Reader engagement
One Dem Minute Film Festival
The One Dem Minute Film Festival's Finalist Screening & Awards Ceremony is this Sunday, September 1, 5:00PM PST / 8:00PM EST -- and you're invited to watch live on YouTube! 30 films that will inspire Americans to vote for Democrats, all 3 minutes or less, will be shown. Our guest speaker will be Laura Friedman, Democratic candidate for Adam Schiff's House seat, and Nashville country-rock artist Gwen Levey (known for the viral hit "Barefoot & Pregnant") will perform!
Visit onedemminute.com/events on Sunday for the livestream link.
And from Labor Day until Election Day, the festival invites everyone to be "Digital Warriors," distributing your favorite One Dem Minute films far and wide via email and social media! All content will be available starting September 2 at onedemminute.com/thefilms.
Join the Hopium Community to postcard and phonebank
The Hopium Community is coming together with the DCCC, Markers For Democracy, Postcards4VA, and grassroots activists around the country over Zoom to phonebank and write postcards to Democratic voters in swing congressional districts. Join us for "Winning the House" on Thursday evenings from 7:30 - 9:00 pm ET (4:30 - 6:00 pm PT) to reach out to strong Democratic voters to encourage them to VOTE ON DAY 1. Each Thursday will focus on a different swing district. This Thursday, August 29 we are focusing on Josh Riley (NY CD19).
During the Zoom you will meet the candidate, get to know a bit about the campaign and have your choice of breakout rooms - phonebank to friendly Dems or write them up to 10 postcards. Postcard addresses will be emailed in advance to those who choose the postcard breakout room. The email will come from "Winning the House". Training will be provided Thursday night for those new to phone banking or writing postcards. In addition to group activism, we have the added bonus of Simon Rosenberg visiting each room, answering questions, and providing commentary in real time. What a treat- Being in Community, "Doing Something" and Learning Something. Please Join Us for what has already proven to be a fun and productive evening.
Here are the registration links for the next two weeks. Each week there is a new registration link.
Concluding Thoughts
To “fact check” one of the stories in today’s newsletter, I visited the Trump-Vance website. Under the tab for “news,” the headline story was “Fox Polling Has An Awful Record.” A candidate promotes such stories only when they disagree with the polling. Worried, Donald?
During this evening’s event promoting Jessica Morse, congressional candidate for CA-3, she gave an impassioned closing argument for supporting her bid. One of her statements resonated with me. She said that “Authoritarian movements don’t take hold in one election and cannot be vanquished in one election.”
Good point. If we can beat Trump in November, that will be two consecutive election cycles in which we stopped Trump's authoritarian plans. The battle won’t be over in November even if we win a trifecta. But it will position us for 2028 and 2032. Given the talent on display at the Democratic National Convention, we have every reason to believe that our bench of rising stars will be able to defeat the feckless Republicans who surrendered to Trump in 2016, 2020, and 2024.
The next generation of Republicans will not be credible candidates, having morphed from “Never Trumpers” to Trump acolytes to “Let’s pretend Trump never happened” Republicans in the span of eight years.
While it may feel premature to be talking about 2028 and 2032, I continue to believe that Democrats are experiencing a rebirth as a party—not merely a momentary post-convention “honeymoon” boost. Everywhere we look, we see signs of new engagement, new voter registrations, new passion, and new commitment.
We can see the path forward. It will not be easy or straightforward, but the fog has lifted, and we can see the landmarks guiding us to ultimate success. That is a good place to be as we head into Labor Day Weekend.
Stay strong, everyone! I will talk to you tomorrow!
Today’s Daily Dose of Perspective
The unassuming galaxy below played an essential role in astronomer Edwin Hubble’s conclusion that the universe extends beyond the Milky Way. By observing stars within Barnard’s Galaxy (NGC 6822), Hubble calculated that the galaxy was located 689,000 light years outside the Milky Way—far beyond the then-assumed size of the universe (300,000 light-years).
Hubble published a paper in 1925 about Barnard’s Galaxy (NGC 6822) that settled the raging debate among astronomers over whether the Milky Way was the universe—or merely one galaxy of many contained within a much larger universe. See Edwin P. Hubble, "NGC 6822, a remote stellar system", Astrophysical Journal, vol. 62, pp. 409–433 (1925).
[Click on photo to expand.]
Barnard’s Galaxy is part of the Local Group of Galaxies—a collection of 80 gravitationally bound galaxies, including the Milky Way and Andromeda galaxies. Barnard’s Galaxy is approximately 1.6 million light-years from Earth. (Hubble’s calculation was incorrect by a factor of 2.)
It is a “barred irregular galaxy” 7,000 light years in diameter. (Think of it as a small satellite galaxy to the Milky Way.)
This was a challenging image to obtain. The galaxy was low on the horizon, appearing above a local office building that was topped by a garish electric blue sign that gave the sky a blue pall. At about 10:00 p.m., the galaxy slipped through an opening in a 20-foot hedge and a telephone pole. I had only 30 minutes to capture the image. I was surprised I was able to do so under such challenging conditions.
As a result of those challenges, the image is low-resolution—but beautiful nonetheless!
Vance doesn't know that the only people that are brainwashed, are people like him by men and women, who hold on to the mantra 'boys will be boys'. It is disgusting. You are totally right, Robert, we must hold them and the media accountable.
For what it is worth, last night, I sent a letter to the editor of The NY Times, noting the headline to the Rich Lowry Opinion column claiming that Trump can win the election on character and the Michael Gold article describing Trump's vulgar repost. I concluded by asking, based on the Gold article, who wins by character -- Trump or Harris? Let's see if my Letter gets published.