I want to share a story about what this substack continues to create, Robert.
In about an hour, I will head to a naturalization voter registration event here in the Dallas area.. This is an all-day event requiring 50+ volunteers. One of our first-time volunteers today will be a new friend in this EDITION community, who subsequently recruited ANOTHER volunteer she met over the weekend. That first volunteer will also join me tomorrow at an area campus, where I registered 10ish students yesterday..
All this to say what you have created and continue to sustain is exponential encouragement and actual volunteerism.
Thank you! (And hi to my new friend—you know who you are.)
The Fourth Estate continues their work to become the Fifth Column.
Interestingly, Washington Post editor Jonathan Capehart brought a member of the WaPo Editorial Board onto his weekend MSNBC show, where she went after the price gouging proposals in Kamala Harris' economic plan. He does a lot of "normalizing" of WaPo political points on his show. Perhaps we should just consider him a Washington Post shill? I don't like that he's using the good will he has with MSNBC viewers to do this, which is done very often.
I am off WAPO, but someone sent me a WAPO article about Pennsylvania. IMHO Trump's rants are on target, Robert. That's his campaign. It's highly effective with a segment of the population, especially my home in Pennsyltucky.
No mention of that in the WAPO article and no mention of Biden's economic success. It highlighted a Nigerian emigrant, without noting that Trump hates immigrants.
VoPro Pros has a major campaign in Pennsylvania.Opportunities available for helping restore Inactive Voters to Active status, ballot curing and phone research. Comprehensive training and support provided.
Just mailed 200 postcards to Pennsylvania voters with instructions and links to help register for mail-in ballots, courtesy of https://shop.bluewavepostcards.org/
Their goal is 10 million postcards by end of October. And they have or are having campaigns in AZ, MT, MI, Ohio, FLA, WI and VA.
The AP coverage of the Trump rally quoted Robert A. Bridy, 64, a laborer from Shamokin, Pennsylvania... Bridy called Trump a “working class guy like us.” Trump is a billionaire who built his fortune in real estate. (Well, at least the AP added a fact-check at the end.) This is what we're up against.
I agree. I saw Capehart yesterday on his MSNBC morning show where his guest from the WaPo editorial board was disparaging Kamala's economic plan and I agree that he has become a WaPo shill. I have noticed this type of rhetoric from him creeping into his commentaries and it is NOT a good look. We must call out suspect journalists where we see them.
I tried hard to like Jonathan Capehart; I always tried to listen to him on NPR news on Fridays where he has a "discussion" with David Brooks (oh yeah). He used to be effective against Brooks but now doesn't seem to try... so disappointing... Capehart and NPR to allow this nothingness...
I still like Capehart, and think he's doing a pretty good job. Last Friday I missed a chunk of it, but even Brooks made some good points! I thought their coverage of the repub's "convention" was pretty good. But perhaps I'm being naive?
My, my. The Washington Post has fallen far since being the journalists behind the Woodward-Bernstein story that brought down Nixon, who was a saint compared to the MAGAmaniac. Bezos' conflict of interest, and his greed that fuels it, makes me sad for the loss of the best of America's news outlets. Glad I canceled the Washington Post and NYT months ago!
I wrote the following yesterday in response to Robert's original comments Saturday. Either I'm way off base, or the post was too far down in the chain, so I'll try again.
"I'm gonna take a somewhat contrary view. While I don't like the tone of the editorial, and certainly not the headline, there is some validity (ulp!) to some of the claims. But as you suggest, not comparing them against the Republican nominee's bribes, gimmicks, and outright lies is unfair to say the least.
"Perhaps the sad irony here is that I believe the Harris campaign was responding to criticism that in the mere month it had been in existence, it hadn't offered anything concrete on the economy. In so doing, it may have fallen into a trap.
"Many of the things VP Harris outlined are worthy of consideration, which should occur in Congress as legislation is prepared. As I've said many times before, instead of talking about the cost or $ size of programs, the focus should be on the BENEFITs.
"In one part of the editorial, it makes a fair point in a fair way. While encouraging new home construction to drive the cost of homes down (which it acknowledges as a good thing), the $25,000 first time buyer assistance idea (again, pitched as $$, not benefits), will increase demand and drive prices up. Maybe the follow-up to that would be an acknowledgment of the challenge, and a need to address it (e.g., implementing a first time buyer assistance program, paid for by xxxx, that doesn't increase the cost of the homes).
"This is not to suggest that Bezos's gluttony should be rewarded or WaPo should be given a pass, but the Harris campaign would do well to resist the urge to blow off the commentary (which, by the way, is now out there), and adjust its approach."
On the subsidy for first time buyers, market prices are set competitively and are affected by housing stock, interest rates, actions of foreign wealth funds to buy property in U.S. to convert it into rental stock, the desire of builders to build McMansions rather than starter homes etc. Pointing to a subsidy to a subset of entry level buyers and saying that will move prices is not realistic, in my view, because it disregards all of the other factors that influence prices , most importantly, the need for sellers to compete for buyers. Moreover, there are other subsidies for entry level buyers already in place, like military benefits and insurance guarantees.
Pointing to help for new buyers as a cause of projected housing spikes is, I think, a reaction against subsidies for less affluent people.
Where is the outrage that we allow hedge fund managers to treat their management fee income as carried interest rather than ordinary income! When the government subsidizes rich people it's called capitalism. When the government subsides poor people it's called socialism.
And if the WaPo editors were stupid enough to use "gimmicks" in their headline, then they have to live with that and explain why every piece of the proposal is or is not a gimmick.
I agree that the market price of housing is dependent on a number of variables, and WaPo's warning may be disingenuous, but my point is that the Harris/Walz campaign should be wary of complaints about their not presenting viable, detailed plans, and anticipate the pushback (as I failed to do here).
On the subject of "gimmicks," I'm probably going to step on another landmine here, and say that I think VP Harris's embrace of her opponent's "No tax on tips" gimmick was a mistake. First of all, anything promised by him should immediately be seen as a self-serving gimmick. Secondly, there are unintended consequences and alternatives that should be explored. The latter really applies to any policy promises.
By the way, I love your observation, "When the government subsidizes rich people it's called capitalism. When the government subsidizes poor people it's called socialism." That's a message I'd like to hear more. You're right, of course, about the lack of outrage over carried interest, but that's largely due to the fact that it's been baked in for some time, and I assume it was done quietly.
I'll repeat my final original comment, for whatever it's worth:
"This is not to suggest that Bezos's gluttony should be rewarded or WaPo should be given a pass, but the Harris campaign would do well to resist the urge to blow off the commentary (which, by the way, is now out there), and adjust its approach."
Kamala Harris shouldn’t have taken the media’s bait, especially when DJT hasn’t, won’t –and will not be hounded by media. And especially when, during a campaign, she couldn’t develop the proposal as thoroughly as she will be able to (God willing!) as President.
What voters should want from candidates – and what media *ought to* accept during a campaign – are the *principles* that govern a candidate’s policy choices, perhaps (but not necessarily) adorned with examples – no more. And the candidate should fire back at critics if/when they pretend that a Presidential budget can be developed on the fly and by campaign staffers/advisers. Anything more during a campaign is not likely to be fully worked out, and thus are easy targets for know-it-all pundits.
Campaigns ought to be based primarily on the candidates’ characters, abilities, and accomplishments. Democrats should leave matters there: certainly the character and abilities of the GOP Presidential and Vice-Presidential candidates can and should be portrayed as disqualifying.
So, she's being faulted for not having her economy plan in place from day one after the shock of the century? The orange dummy has every answer on his lips. I prefer someone thoughtful, who is listening to her advisors. A novel concept to Bezos?
Absolutely! It's ridiculous to expect her to have all the answers a month into a nascent campaign. But that's what makes it an easy target for the media.
As I noted at the end, her campaign would do well to realize this and adapt accordingly. Preface policy statements with, "This is my vision, but I can't do it alone, and there are many details to work out. These are the results I want to see, and I'm committed to making it happen." Such a statement would take a lot of wind out of the naysayers' sails.
p.s. The Abominable Showman's every answer is intended to stoke division and divert attention from his incessant lies and misdeeds.
It gets attention with a clickbait headline, starts out negatively portraying the story, then somewhat begrudgingly acknowledges that the campaign's cautious approach on policy may actually be apropos.
I’m soooo excited!! I love knowing that tonight, while my husband and I are watching the Convention, we won’t be alone. So many of you will be out there clapping and whooping along as we finally feel more free to celebrate who we are. Feeling grateful!
And we here in Ulster County NY, a double swing congressional district county, are working around the clock with canvassing, calling, fundraising, house parties, button-making, registering, repurposing lawn signs, newsletters, postcard parties and rallies. We hope to help deliver CD 18 and 19 to Kamala and to all of us. We have, to the best of our ability, your backs! I always tell voters who are scared that through reading this and other Substack newsletters, I am confident that all across the country there are hardworking, smart, unsung hero’s doing everything they can to prevail.
In case you don’t already do this I have one fun, volunteer engagement idea that helped us win our first Latino sheriff a few years back. We had poster(8 1/2 x11 size) painting parties. We made about 25 unique posters supporting electing our new Sheriff and on the same planned days before the election, we each posted to our social media platforms and then shared and liked each others poster posts over and over. It flooded our local pages with happy, personal support for our candidate. There was no need for artistic prowess either. One pic was simply a little sticky memo stuck on a coffee cup on a homey kitchen table that said,” reminder: vote for Figueroa” so anyone can participate. And it costs nothing but paper, crayons and markers and maybe some chips and drinks for volunteers. And we won our Sheriff and won big!!! Our grassroots, home-style, enthusiasm way over-powered their HUGE semi-truck covered, dark, stern signs for their candidate who had urged gun owners to carry and keep watch after San Bernardino to “protect us” from shooters. Oy. But we prevailed with sweet, low, low cost, kitchen table, communal intention.
Great example of creative thinking! Need to think about how I could put something similar into action. And also underlines how much influence we can have when we put our attention to downballot races. These elections can really affect peoples day-to-day lives and it’s a case where the “every vote matters“ statement is true over and over again.
Realistically speaking, between now and the election, I imagine no one but Harris and Walz, by taking full advantage of the bully pulpit, have a shot at influencing media coverage. I suggest they start by reminding Americans that, contrary to the 3 branches of government, the media is a particularly critical factor as it specifically is intended to provide the necessary information and nurture the fundamental discourse essential to maintaining our democratic republic.
Moreover, I would relish their proposing 1) that questions have to be tougher, 2) that candidates have to be able to square their campaign rhetoric with facts, 3) that candidates have to be stopped when they’re not answering the question, and 4) that candidates have to be called out when their answers contradict the facts.
Yup. I love how she is getting in front of and talking to real people. She's taking a lesson from Obama and remembering that politics is won on the ground with voters. Not in front of teleprompters in DC, and she is investing a lot and campaigning hard. The campaign is giving a master class right now in winning elections. Let's hope they keep it up
His fake swifties for Trump image, as well as comrade Kamala fake images are insane. I can't believe that these people are legit creating fake images to fuel their own nightmares. If Swift actually endorses Kamala I'm sure they will lose their mind... Finally, Trump also told Elon Musk last week that he thought Kamala was beautiful, now he is saying that he is better looking? What a weird flex. I swear she must give all these nut jobs weird, hate filled boners for them to be so obsessed with her laugh, looks or sexual history. It's frankly not normal.
David, your first two sentences say as much as many books and articles on the puzzle of Trump's success. "Trump gained his chops making promises to the masses, and then delivering to the few. A scam from a known grifter." Laying aside for a moment the moral judgment that many of his promises were evil in themselves (Make America Great, i.e. White, Again), Trump, like the conman he is, never intended to deliver on his promises, certainly not his promises to poor white folks from Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, and Florida. He was in it for himself, his family (Jared Kushner and Ivanka's billions), including those powerful sycophants, people "who like me," who are often the recipients of his praise, until they run out their use. He attacked his enemies and ignored the deaths of his supporters and friends....how many Republican rich people died of COVID in part because of his inaction and cowardly misdirection: Look at the flag in my right hand while my left hand picks your pocket?
Thank you for pointing out that connection between the coverage of Harris' economic coverage and the WaPo and NYT reporting on it. Yesterday Jeff Tiedrich also excouriated The Guardian for their headline as being inflammatory, which it was even though it was less so than the US MSM. This morning I read Matt Stoller's Substack Big. He is an anti-trust writer. He says the economists do not know what they are talking about and neither does MSM. He thinks the lack of clarity in some details is important. He also discusses her plans in detail, and points out that she is just furthering the work of Biden, which most people just don't know about. Not sure if this link will work because he said for paying subscribers only. https://www.thebignewsletter.com/p/monopoly-round-up-price-gouging-vs
However, I am also reading Project 2025 in a Democrats Abroad book club. This week we are reading and discussing Chapter 14, Health and Human Services. After reading it I call the chapter Unhealthy Inhumane Services. While many chapters talk about undoing the Biden initiatives, and sometimes the Obama ones too, this chapter goes all the way back to FDR to undo programs he has set in place. In fact, if Kamala just ran on a campaign to not undo what Project 2025 says it will undo, then Americans would 1) have a better idea of all that Biden accomplished and built on from Obama and yes, Roosevelt too, and 2) they would have a better idea of what Trump wants to undo.
Price gouging really became a bipartisan issue as far as I was aware when people from both parties could not get tickets for themselves and/or their children for the Taylor Swift concert. Denegrating Swifties, and probably Threatening Taylor Swift herself, who it is rumored will be endorsing the Harris-Walz ticket, is not smart. Suddenly the base, which was always Billionaires and also Christian Nationalists, is shifting. Among these latter are The New Apostolic Reformers, which Andra Watkins is doing such an excellent job of explaining to those of us not in the know, with their very different end of days beliefs, both of which are driving the Trump policies, and we see this base of White Evangelicals shrinking as even Evangelicals are forming groups for Harris.
I am excited that the Democratic Convention is in my home town, even if I am not there. I am with everyone there in spirit. Those who go, I hope you make it to the city center on the lakefront, which is east of the Convention. I hope a good time is had by all.
Matt also notes that the writer of another WaPo article dismissive of Harris' price-gouging plan, Katherine Rampell, is married to Chris Conlon, an economist hostile to Lina Khan and her work at the FTC.
I was able to read quite a lot of the “big” newsletter but eventually hit a place where I had to sign up to continue reading and did not. What I read was very good and gave me a lot of insight into the various forms of activities by both corporations and governments to affect prices.
Linda, you write: "if Kamala just ran on a campaign to not undo what Project 2025 says it will undo, then Americans would 1) have a better idea of all that Biden accomplished and built on from Obama and yes, Roosevelt too, and 2) they would have a better idea of what Trump wants to undo."
Linda, I was able to read the section you reference above. Thanks so much for posting it. I went on to read another column by Matt Stollar (linked in the first column) from May 2024 called "Why Does the Biden Administration Hate Its Own Agenda?" that I thought gave an excellent analysis of why there is such a disconnect between the public's perception of what the Biden administration has done to bring down prices and break up monopolies - which is that the administration has done nothing - and the reality of the most active FTC in decades and lots of executive actions that promote lower prices. Messaging, messaging, messaging.
Lucinda, I too am frustrated with how people have no idea what he has done. Again, our MSM is nothing more than rags. If they were other, then people would know. I also get the What did Joe Biden Do Today? Substack. As you can see perhaps, it only has 4000 followers. https://whatdidbidendotoday.substack.com/
I am exhausted by the Republican contentions that Orange Man is his own person and will say and do what he thinks is right and is not in any way associated or affiliated with or influenced by the Project 2025 tenets. His disavowal is not merely untrue, it is an obvious deception deflecting from a reality that is not mentioned or even alluded to. Trump is failing and flailing, emotionally, psychically and by appearance physically. He has little stamina, no mental coherence, zero executive function, and is incapable of asserting anything like an in-depth, meaningful policy proposal.
So, who are his supporters and why are they supporting him? To me, the answer is clear. Trump is a foil. Or, put plainly, Trump is not running for President. Rather, the army of right-wing, Christian Nationalist, Fascist, self-interested Conservatives and Moguls have allied to construct a body of bolstering billionaires, political hacks and "hang-onners" who are seizing the opportunity to vastly enrich themselves financially, but also politically, to take behind the scenes control of a functionally illiterate, idiot savant figurehead.
A Harris victory will not only rid ourselves of the "ism" associated with Trump due to the fact that there are none on the horizon that possess his sycophantic flair and psychopathic appeal, but will be a historic setback for the Republican Party. It will mean the further integration of women, non-white individuals, greater numbers of immigrant citizens and a younger generation into a changing legislative body far more representative of our shifting society. This embedment into the fabric of our branches of government will better ensure greater stability, increasingly progressive ideas and more social awareness on the way to a model of a new American future.
oooh I like the second attempt aka blue version of your Bubble Nebula image! It looks so much friendlier as an "eye" in the universe observing the specks of intelligent life on this planet!
Pertinent to the topic of your newsletter, I am so glad I had the news off for most of this weekend, thus missing out (NOT) on the 52 unhinged sm posts from tffg and his "rally speech" on Saturday. On Sunday evening I did see the amusing convenience store video of Walz tossing a bag of Doritos to Kamala with the caption, "Every road trip needs a snack break. Doritos acquired. I got you, @kamalaharris."
Great write up Robert. This is exactly why it’s so important for politicians to ‘mingle among the masses’ and for all of us to vote and remain involved.
Forget WaPo and NYT editorializing. Their motivations are impure. They sell tons more papers and on-line subscriptions under Trump than under Biden. I think that they think that this will be so in the future. But, regardless, it strikes me that Trump's obvious misogyny and racism are deeply off-putting to many, many American voters. And you can't avoid it. I'm hoping that those sentiments add a little secret sauce to the election and enable the Harris-Walz ticket to smash the GOP ticket, not just eek by the great charlatan.
It's true. 2016 was a GREAT year ($$) for MSM -- not only because they could write about Trump chaos and doom which earned them huge revenues -- but also bc so many of us signed up/subscribed in the hopes of supporting a free press because we're trained to believe it was good for democracy. Now, MSM hope for the return of Trump chaos so they can benefit from those windfalls again. However, our eyes are open to them -- and we know they have a willing hand to democracy's downfall to earn short termed revenue.
Do not get distracted by the latest Donald post, interview or other outrageous statement. They are all attempts to change the topic from his long record of disqualification. Just because it isn’t “breaking news” doesn’t make it irrelevant that he caused the insurrection, stole classified documents for probably treasonous reasons, is a rapist, business fraud, caused a huge deficit, hundreds of thousands of Covid deaths, project 2025. Dictator on day one, wants retribution, round up millions of people, a racist, Putin lackey, had committed 34 felonies and paid $130,000 to hide that he had sex with Stormy when his wife had a baby, Jeffrey Epstein pal, denigrates those who serve in the military, etc
don’t change the topic.
Shame on you if knowing everything we know about Donald you still want him as the President of our great country. How will you explain that to your kids?
The press, as far as I can tell, has been spending precious little time on what struck me, during Trump's presidency, as a deep commitment to kleptocracy. Remember the diplomats and military personnel who had to stay over in Turnberry? Remember the foreign delegations - - certainly including sultans from the Middle-East, who felt the Trump Hotel in Washington DC was where you had to stay? Remember Kushner's $2.5bn gift/investment from the Saudi's one nano-second after Trump oh-so-reluctantly vacated the White House? And it goes on down into the cess pool.
“I resolve to not allow the media’s desire to deflate Democratic enthusiasm to interfere with my enjoyment and appreciation of a historic moment”, per Robert! In this context, two weeks ago, Howard Dean was on MSNBC. He interrupted to a question that began, “Republicans think…”, by sternly interjecting, “I don’t give a gdamn what Republicans think”! Until this election is over, that’s my new mantra, and you can add the media to it. We’re gonna win this election, and no one is going to dampen my belief and enthusiasm!!!
I’m fortunate to attend our weekly “Summit” every Friday afternoon of 7 70 year olds in deep red Mississippi. We all feel the same way and are postcarding and sending contributions. We are over-the-top 100% behind VP Harris and Coach Walz!
The lead article in today’s NY Times reads, “Harris’sEarly Campaign: Heavy on Buzz, Light on Policy. Vice President Kamala Harris is cherry-picking the most popular parts of President Biden’s agenda and betting that a younger messenger can sell them.” DISGUSTING!
Light on policy if you ignore the fact that she is the sitting vice president in an administration that was more focused on real policy than any other in the last 50 years.
Oh, and when the "buzz" and "vibes" were that consumers felt bad despite the good economic news , the NYT was happy to say that vibes are real. They called it "vibenomics."
I want to share a story about what this substack continues to create, Robert.
In about an hour, I will head to a naturalization voter registration event here in the Dallas area.. This is an all-day event requiring 50+ volunteers. One of our first-time volunteers today will be a new friend in this EDITION community, who subsequently recruited ANOTHER volunteer she met over the weekend. That first volunteer will also join me tomorrow at an area campus, where I registered 10ish students yesterday..
All this to say what you have created and continue to sustain is exponential encouragement and actual volunteerism.
Thank you! (And hi to my new friend—you know who you are.)
Campusvoterreg@lwvrichardson.org
Newcitizen@llwvrichardson.org
Bles all of you for doing the hard work of sustaining democracy. You are heroes!
I appreciate you Cathy. Many thanks!
Thank you, Cathy, and other volunteers at the registration event.
And a special welcome to the new naturalized voters.
❤️💙🤍
The Fourth Estate continues their work to become the Fifth Column.
Interestingly, Washington Post editor Jonathan Capehart brought a member of the WaPo Editorial Board onto his weekend MSNBC show, where she went after the price gouging proposals in Kamala Harris' economic plan. He does a lot of "normalizing" of WaPo political points on his show. Perhaps we should just consider him a Washington Post shill? I don't like that he's using the good will he has with MSNBC viewers to do this, which is done very often.
I am off WAPO, but someone sent me a WAPO article about Pennsylvania. IMHO Trump's rants are on target, Robert. That's his campaign. It's highly effective with a segment of the population, especially my home in Pennsyltucky.
No mention of that in the WAPO article and no mention of Biden's economic success. It highlighted a Nigerian emigrant, without noting that Trump hates immigrants.
It also highlighted Erie Pa, without mentioning local races, where the incumbent Republican house candidate, Mike Kelly, is ethically challenged and his Democratic opponent is a Moslem. https://www.wfmj.com/story/51228385/opponent-calls-on-congressman-mike-kelly-to-resign-over-fake-elector-scheme
FT 6 is texting into Pa. August 22. https://secure.actblue.com/donate/ft6arcade24
VoPro Pros has a major campaign in Pennsylvania.Opportunities available for helping restore Inactive Voters to Active status, ballot curing and phone research. Comprehensive training and support provided.
https://www.vopropros.com/
Just mailed 200 postcards to Pennsylvania voters with instructions and links to help register for mail-in ballots, courtesy of https://shop.bluewavepostcards.org/
Their goal is 10 million postcards by end of October. And they have or are having campaigns in AZ, MT, MI, Ohio, FLA, WI and VA.
I contribute to several groups that concentrate on Pa. https://swingleft.org/group/31st-st-swing-left
I will be calling my home town for GOTV. https://www.mobilize.us/events/pennsylvania-volunteer-opportunities/
I'm sending postcards to Florida Vote By Mail. It's been a good way to get rid of decades of photos that no one in my family wants.
The AP coverage of the Trump rally quoted Robert A. Bridy, 64, a laborer from Shamokin, Pennsylvania... Bridy called Trump a “working class guy like us.” Trump is a billionaire who built his fortune in real estate. (Well, at least the AP added a fact-check at the end.) This is what we're up against.
I agree. I saw Capehart yesterday on his MSNBC morning show where his guest from the WaPo editorial board was disparaging Kamala's economic plan and I agree that he has become a WaPo shill. I have noticed this type of rhetoric from him creeping into his commentaries and it is NOT a good look. We must call out suspect journalists where we see them.
I tried hard to like Jonathan Capehart; I always tried to listen to him on NPR news on Fridays where he has a "discussion" with David Brooks (oh yeah). He used to be effective against Brooks but now doesn't seem to try... so disappointing... Capehart and NPR to allow this nothingness...
I still like Capehart, and think he's doing a pretty good job. Last Friday I missed a chunk of it, but even Brooks made some good points! I thought their coverage of the repub's "convention" was pretty good. But perhaps I'm being naive?
Thank you TC.
It's a shame that Capehart has become a WaPo shill.
The only two legacy media outlets I'm paying attention to anymore are the AP & Reuters, the rest can f*ck off.
How about The Guardian?
Sometimes.
Rarely - but mostly no
Nope
Yes indeed.
Yikes. I've never understood his schtik, honestly!
My, my. The Washington Post has fallen far since being the journalists behind the Woodward-Bernstein story that brought down Nixon, who was a saint compared to the MAGAmaniac. Bezos' conflict of interest, and his greed that fuels it, makes me sad for the loss of the best of America's news outlets. Glad I canceled the Washington Post and NYT months ago!
I wrote the following yesterday in response to Robert's original comments Saturday. Either I'm way off base, or the post was too far down in the chain, so I'll try again.
"I'm gonna take a somewhat contrary view. While I don't like the tone of the editorial, and certainly not the headline, there is some validity (ulp!) to some of the claims. But as you suggest, not comparing them against the Republican nominee's bribes, gimmicks, and outright lies is unfair to say the least.
"Perhaps the sad irony here is that I believe the Harris campaign was responding to criticism that in the mere month it had been in existence, it hadn't offered anything concrete on the economy. In so doing, it may have fallen into a trap.
"Many of the things VP Harris outlined are worthy of consideration, which should occur in Congress as legislation is prepared. As I've said many times before, instead of talking about the cost or $ size of programs, the focus should be on the BENEFITs.
"In one part of the editorial, it makes a fair point in a fair way. While encouraging new home construction to drive the cost of homes down (which it acknowledges as a good thing), the $25,000 first time buyer assistance idea (again, pitched as $$, not benefits), will increase demand and drive prices up. Maybe the follow-up to that would be an acknowledgment of the challenge, and a need to address it (e.g., implementing a first time buyer assistance program, paid for by xxxx, that doesn't increase the cost of the homes).
"This is not to suggest that Bezos's gluttony should be rewarded or WaPo should be given a pass, but the Harris campaign would do well to resist the urge to blow off the commentary (which, by the way, is now out there), and adjust its approach."
On the subsidy for first time buyers, market prices are set competitively and are affected by housing stock, interest rates, actions of foreign wealth funds to buy property in U.S. to convert it into rental stock, the desire of builders to build McMansions rather than starter homes etc. Pointing to a subsidy to a subset of entry level buyers and saying that will move prices is not realistic, in my view, because it disregards all of the other factors that influence prices , most importantly, the need for sellers to compete for buyers. Moreover, there are other subsidies for entry level buyers already in place, like military benefits and insurance guarantees.
Pointing to help for new buyers as a cause of projected housing spikes is, I think, a reaction against subsidies for less affluent people.
Where is the outrage that we allow hedge fund managers to treat their management fee income as carried interest rather than ordinary income! When the government subsidizes rich people it's called capitalism. When the government subsides poor people it's called socialism.
And if the WaPo editors were stupid enough to use "gimmicks" in their headline, then they have to live with that and explain why every piece of the proposal is or is not a gimmick.
They're not stupid, it's intentional. They don't care that we know it.
I agree that the market price of housing is dependent on a number of variables, and WaPo's warning may be disingenuous, but my point is that the Harris/Walz campaign should be wary of complaints about their not presenting viable, detailed plans, and anticipate the pushback (as I failed to do here).
On the subject of "gimmicks," I'm probably going to step on another landmine here, and say that I think VP Harris's embrace of her opponent's "No tax on tips" gimmick was a mistake. First of all, anything promised by him should immediately be seen as a self-serving gimmick. Secondly, there are unintended consequences and alternatives that should be explored. The latter really applies to any policy promises.
By the way, I love your observation, "When the government subsidizes rich people it's called capitalism. When the government subsidizes poor people it's called socialism." That's a message I'd like to hear more. You're right, of course, about the lack of outrage over carried interest, but that's largely due to the fact that it's been baked in for some time, and I assume it was done quietly.
I'll repeat my final original comment, for whatever it's worth:
"This is not to suggest that Bezos's gluttony should be rewarded or WaPo should be given a pass, but the Harris campaign would do well to resist the urge to blow off the commentary (which, by the way, is now out there), and adjust its approach."
Kamala Harris shouldn’t have taken the media’s bait, especially when DJT hasn’t, won’t –and will not be hounded by media. And especially when, during a campaign, she couldn’t develop the proposal as thoroughly as she will be able to (God willing!) as President.
What voters should want from candidates – and what media *ought to* accept during a campaign – are the *principles* that govern a candidate’s policy choices, perhaps (but not necessarily) adorned with examples – no more. And the candidate should fire back at critics if/when they pretend that a Presidential budget can be developed on the fly and by campaign staffers/advisers. Anything more during a campaign is not likely to be fully worked out, and thus are easy targets for know-it-all pundits.
Campaigns ought to be based primarily on the candidates’ characters, abilities, and accomplishments. Democrats should leave matters there: certainly the character and abilities of the GOP Presidential and Vice-Presidential candidates can and should be portrayed as disqualifying.
Yeah, that's what I meant!
Thank you, Robert. We all appreciate your wisdom.
So, she's being faulted for not having her economy plan in place from day one after the shock of the century? The orange dummy has every answer on his lips. I prefer someone thoughtful, who is listening to her advisors. A novel concept to Bezos?
Absolutely! It's ridiculous to expect her to have all the answers a month into a nascent campaign. But that's what makes it an easy target for the media.
As I noted at the end, her campaign would do well to realize this and adapt accordingly. Preface policy statements with, "This is my vision, but I can't do it alone, and there are many details to work out. These are the results I want to see, and I'm committed to making it happen." Such a statement would take a lot of wind out of the naysayers' sails.
p.s. The Abominable Showman's every answer is intended to stoke division and divert attention from his incessant lies and misdeeds.
Here's NYT's take in a similar vein: https://www.nytimes.com/2024/08/19/us/politics/harris-campaign-policy.html?unlocked_article_code=1.EE4.PMsS.uU2qrS9Kfz1z&smid=url-share
It gets attention with a clickbait headline, starts out negatively portraying the story, then somewhat begrudgingly acknowledges that the campaign's cautious approach on policy may actually be apropos.
Hi Everyone,
I’m soooo excited!! I love knowing that tonight, while my husband and I are watching the Convention, we won’t be alone. So many of you will be out there clapping and whooping along as we finally feel more free to celebrate who we are. Feeling grateful!
And we here in Ulster County NY, a double swing congressional district county, are working around the clock with canvassing, calling, fundraising, house parties, button-making, registering, repurposing lawn signs, newsletters, postcard parties and rallies. We hope to help deliver CD 18 and 19 to Kamala and to all of us. We have, to the best of our ability, your backs! I always tell voters who are scared that through reading this and other Substack newsletters, I am confident that all across the country there are hardworking, smart, unsung hero’s doing everything they can to prevail.
In case you don’t already do this I have one fun, volunteer engagement idea that helped us win our first Latino sheriff a few years back. We had poster(8 1/2 x11 size) painting parties. We made about 25 unique posters supporting electing our new Sheriff and on the same planned days before the election, we each posted to our social media platforms and then shared and liked each others poster posts over and over. It flooded our local pages with happy, personal support for our candidate. There was no need for artistic prowess either. One pic was simply a little sticky memo stuck on a coffee cup on a homey kitchen table that said,” reminder: vote for Figueroa” so anyone can participate. And it costs nothing but paper, crayons and markers and maybe some chips and drinks for volunteers. And we won our Sheriff and won big!!! Our grassroots, home-style, enthusiasm way over-powered their HUGE semi-truck covered, dark, stern signs for their candidate who had urged gun owners to carry and keep watch after San Bernardino to “protect us” from shooters. Oy. But we prevailed with sweet, low, low cost, kitchen table, communal intention.
You won’t find this in the media- we are “invisible” but mighty!
“I am confident that all across the country there are hardworking, smart, unsung hero’s doing everything they can to prevail.”
For me Amy, you knocked it out of the park this morning with the ball of energy you present here in this post. You've found the hero within you, yay!
Great example of creative thinking! Need to think about how I could put something similar into action. And also underlines how much influence we can have when we put our attention to downballot races. These elections can really affect peoples day-to-day lives and it’s a case where the “every vote matters“ statement is true over and over again.
Realistically speaking, between now and the election, I imagine no one but Harris and Walz, by taking full advantage of the bully pulpit, have a shot at influencing media coverage. I suggest they start by reminding Americans that, contrary to the 3 branches of government, the media is a particularly critical factor as it specifically is intended to provide the necessary information and nurture the fundamental discourse essential to maintaining our democratic republic.
Moreover, I would relish their proposing 1) that questions have to be tougher, 2) that candidates have to be able to square their campaign rhetoric with facts, 3) that candidates have to be stopped when they’re not answering the question, and 4) that candidates have to be called out when their answers contradict the facts.
Agreed, Barbara Jo.
Thanks, Mim, for writing.
Trump gained his chops making promises to the masses, and then delivering to the few. A scam from a known grifter.
Today, Kamala/Tim also seem to be appealing to the everyday American, but this time it feels legitimate.
At the whistle stop in Rochester Pa, the reference to the Steelers was more effective than politics.
Yup. I love how she is getting in front of and talking to real people. She's taking a lesson from Obama and remembering that politics is won on the ground with voters. Not in front of teleprompters in DC, and she is investing a lot and campaigning hard. The campaign is giving a master class right now in winning elections. Let's hope they keep it up
His fake swifties for Trump image, as well as comrade Kamala fake images are insane. I can't believe that these people are legit creating fake images to fuel their own nightmares. If Swift actually endorses Kamala I'm sure they will lose their mind... Finally, Trump also told Elon Musk last week that he thought Kamala was beautiful, now he is saying that he is better looking? What a weird flex. I swear she must give all these nut jobs weird, hate filled boners for them to be so obsessed with her laugh, looks or sexual history. It's frankly not normal.
David, your first two sentences say as much as many books and articles on the puzzle of Trump's success. "Trump gained his chops making promises to the masses, and then delivering to the few. A scam from a known grifter." Laying aside for a moment the moral judgment that many of his promises were evil in themselves (Make America Great, i.e. White, Again), Trump, like the conman he is, never intended to deliver on his promises, certainly not his promises to poor white folks from Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, and Florida. He was in it for himself, his family (Jared Kushner and Ivanka's billions), including those powerful sycophants, people "who like me," who are often the recipients of his praise, until they run out their use. He attacked his enemies and ignored the deaths of his supporters and friends....how many Republican rich people died of COVID in part because of his inaction and cowardly misdirection: Look at the flag in my right hand while my left hand picks your pocket?
Thank you for pointing out that connection between the coverage of Harris' economic coverage and the WaPo and NYT reporting on it. Yesterday Jeff Tiedrich also excouriated The Guardian for their headline as being inflammatory, which it was even though it was less so than the US MSM. This morning I read Matt Stoller's Substack Big. He is an anti-trust writer. He says the economists do not know what they are talking about and neither does MSM. He thinks the lack of clarity in some details is important. He also discusses her plans in detail, and points out that she is just furthering the work of Biden, which most people just don't know about. Not sure if this link will work because he said for paying subscribers only. https://www.thebignewsletter.com/p/monopoly-round-up-price-gouging-vs
However, I am also reading Project 2025 in a Democrats Abroad book club. This week we are reading and discussing Chapter 14, Health and Human Services. After reading it I call the chapter Unhealthy Inhumane Services. While many chapters talk about undoing the Biden initiatives, and sometimes the Obama ones too, this chapter goes all the way back to FDR to undo programs he has set in place. In fact, if Kamala just ran on a campaign to not undo what Project 2025 says it will undo, then Americans would 1) have a better idea of all that Biden accomplished and built on from Obama and yes, Roosevelt too, and 2) they would have a better idea of what Trump wants to undo.
Price gouging really became a bipartisan issue as far as I was aware when people from both parties could not get tickets for themselves and/or their children for the Taylor Swift concert. Denegrating Swifties, and probably Threatening Taylor Swift herself, who it is rumored will be endorsing the Harris-Walz ticket, is not smart. Suddenly the base, which was always Billionaires and also Christian Nationalists, is shifting. Among these latter are The New Apostolic Reformers, which Andra Watkins is doing such an excellent job of explaining to those of us not in the know, with their very different end of days beliefs, both of which are driving the Trump policies, and we see this base of White Evangelicals shrinking as even Evangelicals are forming groups for Harris.
https://project2025istheocracy.substack.com/p/what-is-the-new-apostolic-reformation
I am excited that the Democratic Convention is in my home town, even if I am not there. I am with everyone there in spirit. Those who go, I hope you make it to the city center on the lakefront, which is east of the Convention. I hope a good time is had by all.
Matt also notes that the writer of another WaPo article dismissive of Harris' price-gouging plan, Katherine Rampell, is married to Chris Conlon, an economist hostile to Lina Khan and her work at the FTC.
I was able to read quite a lot of the “big” newsletter but eventually hit a place where I had to sign up to continue reading and did not. What I read was very good and gave me a lot of insight into the various forms of activities by both corporations and governments to affect prices.
Sorry Barbara. I do not know how to post a pdf to Substack, in fact, my Substack skills are woefully remiss.
Linda, you write: "if Kamala just ran on a campaign to not undo what Project 2025 says it will undo, then Americans would 1) have a better idea of all that Biden accomplished and built on from Obama and yes, Roosevelt too, and 2) they would have a better idea of what Trump wants to undo."
Sounds like a plan.
Linda, I was able to read the section you reference above. Thanks so much for posting it. I went on to read another column by Matt Stollar (linked in the first column) from May 2024 called "Why Does the Biden Administration Hate Its Own Agenda?" that I thought gave an excellent analysis of why there is such a disconnect between the public's perception of what the Biden administration has done to bring down prices and break up monopolies - which is that the administration has done nothing - and the reality of the most active FTC in decades and lots of executive actions that promote lower prices. Messaging, messaging, messaging.
Lucinda, I too am frustrated with how people have no idea what he has done. Again, our MSM is nothing more than rags. If they were other, then people would know. I also get the What did Joe Biden Do Today? Substack. As you can see perhaps, it only has 4000 followers. https://whatdidbidendotoday.substack.com/
I am exhausted by the Republican contentions that Orange Man is his own person and will say and do what he thinks is right and is not in any way associated or affiliated with or influenced by the Project 2025 tenets. His disavowal is not merely untrue, it is an obvious deception deflecting from a reality that is not mentioned or even alluded to. Trump is failing and flailing, emotionally, psychically and by appearance physically. He has little stamina, no mental coherence, zero executive function, and is incapable of asserting anything like an in-depth, meaningful policy proposal.
So, who are his supporters and why are they supporting him? To me, the answer is clear. Trump is a foil. Or, put plainly, Trump is not running for President. Rather, the army of right-wing, Christian Nationalist, Fascist, self-interested Conservatives and Moguls have allied to construct a body of bolstering billionaires, political hacks and "hang-onners" who are seizing the opportunity to vastly enrich themselves financially, but also politically, to take behind the scenes control of a functionally illiterate, idiot savant figurehead.
A Harris victory will not only rid ourselves of the "ism" associated with Trump due to the fact that there are none on the horizon that possess his sycophantic flair and psychopathic appeal, but will be a historic setback for the Republican Party. It will mean the further integration of women, non-white individuals, greater numbers of immigrant citizens and a younger generation into a changing legislative body far more representative of our shifting society. This embedment into the fabric of our branches of government will better ensure greater stability, increasingly progressive ideas and more social awareness on the way to a model of a new American future.
David, we can both hope you are right and do everything within our power to make it so. Thank you!
"Trump is a foil." Manchurian/Russian candidate. Seriously. He's running to stay out of jail.
oooh I like the second attempt aka blue version of your Bubble Nebula image! It looks so much friendlier as an "eye" in the universe observing the specks of intelligent life on this planet!
Pertinent to the topic of your newsletter, I am so glad I had the news off for most of this weekend, thus missing out (NOT) on the 52 unhinged sm posts from tffg and his "rally speech" on Saturday. On Sunday evening I did see the amusing convenience store video of Walz tossing a bag of Doritos to Kamala with the caption, "Every road trip needs a snack break. Doritos acquired. I got you, @kamalaharris."
https://www.instagram.com/p/C-1UxowsLOo/
Looking forward to the week ahead!
Great write up Robert. This is exactly why it’s so important for politicians to ‘mingle among the masses’ and for all of us to vote and remain involved.
Forget WaPo and NYT editorializing. Their motivations are impure. They sell tons more papers and on-line subscriptions under Trump than under Biden. I think that they think that this will be so in the future. But, regardless, it strikes me that Trump's obvious misogyny and racism are deeply off-putting to many, many American voters. And you can't avoid it. I'm hoping that those sentiments add a little secret sauce to the election and enable the Harris-Walz ticket to smash the GOP ticket, not just eek by the great charlatan.
It's true. 2016 was a GREAT year ($$) for MSM -- not only because they could write about Trump chaos and doom which earned them huge revenues -- but also bc so many of us signed up/subscribed in the hopes of supporting a free press because we're trained to believe it was good for democracy. Now, MSM hope for the return of Trump chaos so they can benefit from those windfalls again. However, our eyes are open to them -- and we know they have a willing hand to democracy's downfall to earn short termed revenue.
It's a crying shame, isn't it, Dee?
"All the news that's fit to print" shouldn't be the motto of The New York Times anymore, since they print stuff that's not fit to print.
And WaPo should remove their motto "Democracy Dies in Darkness" because they are creating the darkness now.
I wrote in the comment section of a particularly offensive WaPo piece: "Democracy Dies around the Editorial Desks of the Washington Post."
Do not get distracted by the latest Donald post, interview or other outrageous statement. They are all attempts to change the topic from his long record of disqualification. Just because it isn’t “breaking news” doesn’t make it irrelevant that he caused the insurrection, stole classified documents for probably treasonous reasons, is a rapist, business fraud, caused a huge deficit, hundreds of thousands of Covid deaths, project 2025. Dictator on day one, wants retribution, round up millions of people, a racist, Putin lackey, had committed 34 felonies and paid $130,000 to hide that he had sex with Stormy when his wife had a baby, Jeffrey Epstein pal, denigrates those who serve in the military, etc
don’t change the topic.
Shame on you if knowing everything we know about Donald you still want him as the President of our great country. How will you explain that to your kids?
The press, as far as I can tell, has been spending precious little time on what struck me, during Trump's presidency, as a deep commitment to kleptocracy. Remember the diplomats and military personnel who had to stay over in Turnberry? Remember the foreign delegations - - certainly including sultans from the Middle-East, who felt the Trump Hotel in Washington DC was where you had to stay? Remember Kushner's $2.5bn gift/investment from the Saudi's one nano-second after Trump oh-so-reluctantly vacated the White House? And it goes on down into the cess pool.
“I resolve to not allow the media’s desire to deflate Democratic enthusiasm to interfere with my enjoyment and appreciation of a historic moment”, per Robert! In this context, two weeks ago, Howard Dean was on MSNBC. He interrupted to a question that began, “Republicans think…”, by sternly interjecting, “I don’t give a gdamn what Republicans think”! Until this election is over, that’s my new mantra, and you can add the media to it. We’re gonna win this election, and no one is going to dampen my belief and enthusiasm!!!
I’m fortunate to attend our weekly “Summit” every Friday afternoon of 7 70 year olds in deep red Mississippi. We all feel the same way and are postcarding and sending contributions. We are over-the-top 100% behind VP Harris and Coach Walz!
The lead article in today’s NY Times reads, “Harris’sEarly Campaign: Heavy on Buzz, Light on Policy. Vice President Kamala Harris is cherry-picking the most popular parts of President Biden’s agenda and betting that a younger messenger can sell them.” DISGUSTING!
Light on policy if you ignore the fact that she is the sitting vice president in an administration that was more focused on real policy than any other in the last 50 years.
Oh, and when the "buzz" and "vibes" were that consumers felt bad despite the good economic news , the NYT was happy to say that vibes are real. They called it "vibenomics."
We converted the Harris-Walz plan to lower living costs into a visual guide and 10 minute audio summaries in both English and Spanish.
"Inside Kamala Harris’ Plan to Lower Costs: Visual Guide & Bilingual Audio Summaries"
https://thedemlabs.org/2024/08/17/inside-kamala-harris-plan-to-lower-costs-visual-guide-bilingual-audio-summaries/