Robert Hubbell - I cannot thank you enough for your daily newsletter.
I would NEVER have known any of these various state races and their significance in control of Congress and the qualifications of the candidates were it not for your insightful coverage. The feeling of despair or what leads people to voter apathy is cured by knowing where our attention and action can result in consequential change and progress. I LOVE your daily dose of perspective - we NEED inspiration and a break from the "news cycle." And best of all, I can listen to your calm voice as I prepare for the day, and not miss the information and direction because I didn't have time to sit and read the entire article.
YOU ARE A TREASURE, I cannot thank you enough!
Now, let's win this and save democracy.
Sincerely, from North Carolina.
(Never expected we would be a highlight this late in the campaign,
and despite the devastation, glad we are being recognized for the good people who call this beautiful state home,
rather than the sleaze of the MAGA Extremists promoted by Donald J Trump
who is about to meet KARMA under the hand of Jack Smith!)
Robert is indispensable and a NATIONAL treasure. Wish we could format text rather than resort to all-caps for emphasis! He keeps us informed and encouraged, and I read him daily along with Joyce Vance and Jess Craven, and almost daily, Heather Cox Richardson and Dan Rather. Not enough hours in a day!
I second EVERYTHING you have said, especially about being able to more appropriately format the text in our comments! But, of course, that's certainly not Robert's fault, and we hope he understands.
Amen! Robert’s regularly posts plus his opportunities for engagement have been a blessing ever since he started to write for his daughters. Moreover, his participation and outreach with leaders like senators Jon Tester and Sherrod Brown have given readers a constructive means to hear from and support leaders who are working for all citizens. Get Out The Vote!! We can do this on November 5 and beyond.
I am struck once again by the NYT use of every word but the 4 letter one to describe the bulk of Trump’s statements. False statements, untrue assertions, mischaracterizations. These words in place of the four letter word LIES are reminiscent of the early days and months of the Trump presidency when the press gave him the benefit of the doubt, perhaps too polite or gobsmacked to think an American president would lie on a daily basis. Thank you Robert for using the four letter word LIES. We will know the NYT has shifted when they use that word too instead of it’s definition according to Webster.
I was getting ready to write the same sentiment! ARGHH! We have an epidemic of “mushy mouth.” Why not use the fewest possible, more accurate word(s)? Good grief!
There are some Republicans, hopefully many, who will heed Liz Cheney's call to "stand in the truth". But there are too many others who believe they already stand in truth, the "truth" spouted by the former Lier in Chief, Fox "News", Newsmax, and the like. Indeed, some were enthusiastic when I suggested an updated version of the Fairness Doctrine because they were certain that finally I would hear and understand the truth in all its glory. But I don't remember CNN, MSNBC, ABC, or CBS or any others being sued for defamation about voting machines.
One of those people will go to his grave convinced that the 2020 election was stolen from Trump.
What can we do about the firehose of misinformation blasted at our citizens? I am convinced that we need to pass a new version of the Fairness Doctrine. You can't stand in the truth unless you hear the truth.
Thanks for your words, "You can't stand in the truth unless you hear the truth." Another great slogan.
You also can't stand in the truth unless you have the moral and intellectual capacity to tell the difference between the truth and lies. The Oakland University students who were on MSNBC as a reaction group following the VP debate knew their high school civics and the difference between a truth and a lie. The man running for President of the United States does not know the difference. J. D. Vance may know the difference but he does not have the moral and intellectual integrity to own that truth. As the story goes on, Mike Pence is a reluctant hero. For all of his smarmy sucking up to Trump for four years, when it most mattered, he did what was right. He tried every way around it, and a whisper of praise to Dan Quayle, one of Pence's mentors in Indiana Republican politics who told Pence in no uncertain terms that he had only one choice: he must not fail to certify the vote of the people and the electoral count of the states. Quayle is much vilified, but like Cheney, though with much less personal and public risk, he stood up for the oath of the office he once held to defend the Constitution. Sad when mere honesty and integrity become so rare.
I absolutely loved hearing from Marcus, the young man in the focus group who so clearly explained, in detail, how the vice-president acts at the direction of the president, and has no power to enact any of the actions JDV was criticizing her for not doing. He started out by stating that JDV needed to take a course in civics and that JDV demonstrated how important it is to teach civics in high school
Good for Liz Cheney, good for the NC election folks, good at last for the NYT. I just read that CNN stopped broadcasting that speech so it could fact check instead.
The halt in the longshoreman’s strike is huge. Yesterday, when I was at Kroger, I checked their supply of paper products. There was no rationing, and the shelves were full despite a scare campaign that has been going around the area (we’re outside Jackson, MS). My wife had seen locals posting that the shelves were empty at all the stores in the area. That was horsehockey. Content in the fact that there was no panic at this particular store, I left with my groceries and went to my car. Next to me was an SUV filled with toilet paper and paper towels. I exclaimed, “Wow,” not noticing the owner standing by the driver’s door. She told me I better get back
In there and buy as much as I could before the government shut everything down. “Look what they've done to North Carolina!” she cried. I wished her a good day and removed myself from the crazy. Despite understanding that the alleged shortages were all misinformation, I began to worry about the strike and its effects on the election.
To make a long story short, this was a perfect example of part of what we’re fighting—endless streams of lies that are harmful to our individual and collective well-being. Nine years of perpetual anxiety has simply been too much. We’re fighting to save our democracy and return to some sort of normality every bit as much as we’re fighting for the bigger issues of personal rights and the rule of law. It’s why we send postcards, phone bank, text bank and donate to campaigns. It’s why we fight and why we have to win. MAGA must end.
Biden not implementing the Taft Hartley Act which forced the companies to negotiate with the workers is an example of both leadership and experience and most American voters are clueless.
He apparently sent a team of cabinet secretaries in to persuade the owners to see the light of day. I can just hear the dialog: "Isn't an 800% profit margin over four years enough for you? Do you have to also paralyze the country while you try to stifle workers' requests to share in the profits?"
I so agree and it is important to for all of us to hear stories like this one. It made me wonder how and if there are ways to engage folks like the toilet paper lady… Not sure that’s possible, but maybe?
I am hoping against hope that some sliver of MAGA election deniers will 1) open up to the possibility that Liz Cheney actually knows what she's talking about, and 2) will think once more about the bullying that is mother's milk to Trump and realize that it could easily turn on them. Trump only cares about Trump. This is as true as the sun rises in the East. And really it's terrible: he doesn't read; he'll get all his positions and opinions and calls to action from "advisers" like Steve Bannon, Mike Lindell, Stephen Miller, Ginni Thomas, and Elon Musk. You'd have to be a special kind of stupid to think Trump and these advisers care for more than the welfare of the 1%.
There is a sliver of Republicans who are true conservatives like Cheney who kept quiet and hoped that the party would come to its senses. Now they are stepping up.and speaking out because they know Trump can be beaten.
She deserves company. She got out front of the attempted insurrection early, thank, at least in part to her work on the J/6 Committee, which made glaringly obvious that Trump was in it for himself and is not a true patriot. We need more in the senior ranks of the GOP to join her in support of our country, not party. But.... unfortunately, I think Citizens United distorted our democratic process out of all normalcy.
Then history will remember him as a coward and be eternally grateful he wasn't a president. Anyone who can't stand up to Trump can't stand up to a Putin.
Not exactly heroic to speak up only after he can be beaten. (Not talking about Liz Cheney, to be clear.) I guess we’ll take what we can get, but I hope it’s not too late for their speaking up now to make a difference.
Has Tillis the snake stepped up? No, snakes don’t stand, do they?
Not mad at you, Fellow NCian. I’m just so tired of it.
I’m afraid there are a lot of MAGA folks who see Liz Cheney as the enemy for many reasons. They have felt unheard and overlooked by the Republican elites. This is a problem, especially since Fox News has spent decades demonizing democrats all the time making mega bucks off disinformation , dissatisfaction, and especially, anger. The base may see her actions as yet another sign of betrayal. But I’m hopeful that there are more reasonable people out there who will be inspired by her courage to speak the truth to bullies and con men.
W, like Romney, is a coward. He will just nurse his billions in peaceful oblivion. I do think the Bushes had an early hand in undermining our democracy. They are just seeing the fruit they planted ripen now.
Robert, I'm impressed your tech was able to operate that well without you having to be present in the wee hours. I look forward to your final shot with the full set of the Sisters!
I also was pleasantly surprised by the Times story. The only thing I could find to gripe about it was its positioning on the homepage. If they keep accurately reporting what Trump is saying, stopping with the sane-washing...well, we can hope, right?
The headline for the past few hours on the Post homepage was a surprise to me, also: "Trump’s Jan. 6 role back in focus as he readies new stolen election claims". The casual statement of what I'm sure all readers of this newsletter expect surprised me, as well.
I'm in NC and I am aways very impressed with the professionalism of the NC State Board of Elections and my county board. (I'm in Mecklenburg County). The GOP-controlled legislature is always trying to make it more difficult, but the NCSBE always tries to make voting MORE accessible within the constraints imposed by the legislature!
During Covid, they set up rules to ensure that there were sufficient early voting sites based on the population of the county so that people could feel safer about voting in person. Boy did the GOP ever howl about how unfair it was that populous counties (which trend blue) had more convenient early voting sites than rural counties and how that advantaged Democrats. Yes, they said out loud that the GOP *plan* was to make it harder for citizens to vote.
And of course the "people will have to drive 30 miles to vote in rural counties" argument ignores the fact that they still had the ability to vote at their regular polling place on Election Day! Plus, people living in rural counties already had to drive 30 miles to find a full-service grocery store, pharmacy or big-box store and their early voting site was almost always in the same town where they regularly shopped.
Buncombe County (where Asheville is located) is the most populous (and bluest) county in Western NC. The only other county impacted by Helene that voted Democratic in 2020 was Watauga County where Appalachian State University is located in Boone. The remaining western counties were all purplish (Trump winning by 53%) to ruby red (some with over 75% of the 2020 vote going to Trump).
Besides the need to denigrate Biden's competence in a crisis, IMO Trump is setting up his excuse in advance for losing NC (which I hope and pray he does). "The Democrats withheld aid to red areas so that they would be unable to vote for me!!
I also live in NC and the governor, national guard, FEMA and caring citizens are working hard to restore power and water and make it possible for the residents to return home. President Biden sent the National Guard to the area to search for the 200 missing persons and based on what I have heard from people living there they feel like they have the support they need to start recovering.
I so agree, Marj. And at the same time, FEMA is providing trailers/housing so at a minimum, those whose home were destroyed have shelter, and are not sleeping outside.
I do have a question that I haven't seen answered: Were the people in those isolated areas told to leave before the Hurricane? How many stayed because they didn't think it would affect them? I admit to surprise at how far inland the Hurricane went. I can see the coastal areas hit, but TN and western NC is mindbogglingly.
There was a warning and some people left. A big part of the damage was caused by the heavy flow of water down the hills and the heavy rains flooding the streets. Another issue was poor building codes so many structures were not built to withstand the storm
I did some research last year about the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, and the areas in TN and NC around it. A lot of those areas are decades old (like 19th century old) with buildings even older. As are the roads. I can easily see how they could be destroyed by hundred-year floods and rains. I can also see how those areas would ignore what those elite scientists are saying about buildings and roads and storms and everything else.
I voted in the 2018 election after Hurricane Florence ruined my house on the southeastern NC coast. In western N.C. so much infrastructure, like roads and bridges, have been destroyed. If the small bridge in your driveway was destroyed, what do you do? That driveway bridge crossed a small creek in normal times. Now the driveway bridge is washed out, plus the road the driveway connected to has been washed out also. In 2018, I don’t think eastern NC lost as much public infrastructure as western NC has. I could still drive up to my storm damaged house.
The link above to CSPAN was only a short clip, not the entire speech.
Lawrence O'Donnell has a much better segment speaking to Republicans who have never voted for a Democrat in their lifetimes. It includes extended video of her speech.
Thanks for encouraging us to hear her out for ourselves!
One doesn’t need to be as old as I am to remember a time when the NYT published entire transcripts (*in print*!) of major speeches. Why do they not at least publish electronic transcripts?
President Biden:” You can’t only help those in need if they voted for you. It’s the most basic part of being president, and this guy knows nothing about it.”
The temporary suspension of the dockworkers strike is a big deal ! We have 16 public seaports in Florida.DeSantis (who of course didn’t meet with Prez Biden yesterday)had announced he was deploying the National Guard and his fledgling State Guard to “maintain order and resume operations” at the ports. No need , FPC (Failed Presidential Candidate) Go Pete B and Prez Biden !!💙
So, his National Guard and State Guard members would become longshoremen in order for operations to resume? Idiotic! President Biden once again demonstrated what an effective negotiator he is.
No funds have been taken from FEMA's disaster response fund and given to undocumented workers who were not among the displaced. This story is being spread by a disgruntled woman in North Carolina who said she is "only getting $750 in disaster relief." Trump, and some of his supporters in Texas, and elsewhere are running with this nonsense-at the same time as Henry McMaster and Glenn Youngkin are publicly thanking President Biden for a "perfect" disaster response.
The initial $750 is to pay for immediate costs - food, clothing, hotel/housing - in addition to any supplies handed out by FEMA and others. A side effect of our "instant" society. We want it NOW! And yeah, Trump and his PETS are lying.
This, unfortunately , has been spread on Fox (I refuse to call it Fox News). One of my Facebook “friends “ posted a picture of it on FB showing one of the Fox hosts spouting the bulls$hit. That’s why so many people believe it.
P.S. I did reply to her refuting it and telling her to check Project 2025 for the real Republican threat to FEMA.
As always, Robert, thank you for all of the information you managed to get into this newsletter. I’m feeling more encouraged this morning than I did going to bed last night.
One thing, though, please don’t downplay your efforts at capturing the skies. There is no such thing as a botched picture. The fact that you capture everything you capture even if it’s not what you were planning or hoping for is as a success. And I applaud and appreciate your efforts.
Liz Cheney, the NYT, and Judge Matthew Barrett all gave me a jolt of hope and faith in the people and institutions of our beautiful country just when I was feeling weighted down by the torrent of JD Vance’s lies presented with Ivy League polish and disdain.
Liz Chaney sounds extreme urging us to "reject the depraved cruelty of Donald Trump" until read alongside today's paper announcing both the Memphis conviction of a handful of the policemen who killed Tyre Nichols and, "in other news," Trump recomending a day (or perhaps only one hour) of police license to beat down anyone they think deserves their attention.
Cheney is not overstating the danger of tolerating Trump or overlooking his wild campaign statements.
The Guardian today obtained a 12 minute recording from a Trump hatred filled rant against immigrants he made at a bag-full-of-money donor party in Colorado. Attendees were made to contribute between $25,000 to $500,000 per couple. He said the usual lies and dehumanizing things, maybe with some new riffs like:
"They’re coming in from all parts of Asia, the bad parts, the parts where they’re rough, and the only thing good is they make our criminals look extremely nice. They make our Hell’s Angels look like the nicest people on earth.”
The most eye-opening reveal in the piece was that he flew to Aspen on a Gulfstream G-550 jet once owned by Jeffrey Epstein. Trump is still connected to this guy, who, like him, a failed businessman and sex offender. Read the full account here https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2024/oct/04/trump-fundraiser-recording
Robert Hubbell - I cannot thank you enough for your daily newsletter.
I would NEVER have known any of these various state races and their significance in control of Congress and the qualifications of the candidates were it not for your insightful coverage. The feeling of despair or what leads people to voter apathy is cured by knowing where our attention and action can result in consequential change and progress. I LOVE your daily dose of perspective - we NEED inspiration and a break from the "news cycle." And best of all, I can listen to your calm voice as I prepare for the day, and not miss the information and direction because I didn't have time to sit and read the entire article.
YOU ARE A TREASURE, I cannot thank you enough!
Now, let's win this and save democracy.
Sincerely, from North Carolina.
(Never expected we would be a highlight this late in the campaign,
and despite the devastation, glad we are being recognized for the good people who call this beautiful state home,
rather than the sleaze of the MAGA Extremists promoted by Donald J Trump
who is about to meet KARMA under the hand of Jack Smith!)
Robert is indispensable and a NATIONAL treasure. Wish we could format text rather than resort to all-caps for emphasis! He keeps us informed and encouraged, and I read him daily along with Joyce Vance and Jess Craven, and almost daily, Heather Cox Richardson and Dan Rather. Not enough hours in a day!
I second EVERYTHING you have said, especially about being able to more appropriately format the text in our comments! But, of course, that's certainly not Robert's fault, and we hope he understands.
Oh I hope Trump meets KARMA at the hands of Jack Smith!
Lookin' good for that!
Amen! Robert’s regularly posts plus his opportunities for engagement have been a blessing ever since he started to write for his daughters. Moreover, his participation and outreach with leaders like senators Jon Tester and Sherrod Brown have given readers a constructive means to hear from and support leaders who are working for all citizens. Get Out The Vote!! We can do this on November 5 and beyond.
I am struck once again by the NYT use of every word but the 4 letter one to describe the bulk of Trump’s statements. False statements, untrue assertions, mischaracterizations. These words in place of the four letter word LIES are reminiscent of the early days and months of the Trump presidency when the press gave him the benefit of the doubt, perhaps too polite or gobsmacked to think an American president would lie on a daily basis. Thank you Robert for using the four letter word LIES. We will know the NYT has shifted when they use that word too instead of it’s definition according to Webster.
I was getting ready to write the same sentiment! ARGHH! We have an epidemic of “mushy mouth.” Why not use the fewest possible, more accurate word(s)? Good grief!
There are some Republicans, hopefully many, who will heed Liz Cheney's call to "stand in the truth". But there are too many others who believe they already stand in truth, the "truth" spouted by the former Lier in Chief, Fox "News", Newsmax, and the like. Indeed, some were enthusiastic when I suggested an updated version of the Fairness Doctrine because they were certain that finally I would hear and understand the truth in all its glory. But I don't remember CNN, MSNBC, ABC, or CBS or any others being sued for defamation about voting machines.
One of those people will go to his grave convinced that the 2020 election was stolen from Trump.
What can we do about the firehose of misinformation blasted at our citizens? I am convinced that we need to pass a new version of the Fairness Doctrine. You can't stand in the truth unless you hear the truth.
With a Democratic Congress and President we have the opportunity to fix a lot of things.
And don't forget "Truth Social," the platform created by and for the person most averse to both terms.
Well said.
Thanks for your words, "You can't stand in the truth unless you hear the truth." Another great slogan.
You also can't stand in the truth unless you have the moral and intellectual capacity to tell the difference between the truth and lies. The Oakland University students who were on MSNBC as a reaction group following the VP debate knew their high school civics and the difference between a truth and a lie. The man running for President of the United States does not know the difference. J. D. Vance may know the difference but he does not have the moral and intellectual integrity to own that truth. As the story goes on, Mike Pence is a reluctant hero. For all of his smarmy sucking up to Trump for four years, when it most mattered, he did what was right. He tried every way around it, and a whisper of praise to Dan Quayle, one of Pence's mentors in Indiana Republican politics who told Pence in no uncertain terms that he had only one choice: he must not fail to certify the vote of the people and the electoral count of the states. Quayle is much vilified, but like Cheney, though with much less personal and public risk, he stood up for the oath of the office he once held to defend the Constitution. Sad when mere honesty and integrity become so rare.
I absolutely loved hearing from Marcus, the young man in the focus group who so clearly explained, in detail, how the vice-president acts at the direction of the president, and has no power to enact any of the actions JDV was criticizing her for not doing. He started out by stating that JDV needed to take a course in civics and that JDV demonstrated how important it is to teach civics in high school
Good for Liz Cheney, good for the NC election folks, good at last for the NYT. I just read that CNN stopped broadcasting that speech so it could fact check instead.
The halt in the longshoreman’s strike is huge. Yesterday, when I was at Kroger, I checked their supply of paper products. There was no rationing, and the shelves were full despite a scare campaign that has been going around the area (we’re outside Jackson, MS). My wife had seen locals posting that the shelves were empty at all the stores in the area. That was horsehockey. Content in the fact that there was no panic at this particular store, I left with my groceries and went to my car. Next to me was an SUV filled with toilet paper and paper towels. I exclaimed, “Wow,” not noticing the owner standing by the driver’s door. She told me I better get back
In there and buy as much as I could before the government shut everything down. “Look what they've done to North Carolina!” she cried. I wished her a good day and removed myself from the crazy. Despite understanding that the alleged shortages were all misinformation, I began to worry about the strike and its effects on the election.
To make a long story short, this was a perfect example of part of what we’re fighting—endless streams of lies that are harmful to our individual and collective well-being. Nine years of perpetual anxiety has simply been too much. We’re fighting to save our democracy and return to some sort of normality every bit as much as we’re fighting for the bigger issues of personal rights and the rule of law. It’s why we send postcards, phone bank, text bank and donate to campaigns. It’s why we fight and why we have to win. MAGA must end.
Biden not implementing the Taft Hartley Act which forced the companies to negotiate with the workers is an example of both leadership and experience and most American voters are clueless.
I thought he’d have to invoke Taft-Hartley. It proves once again that you should never underestimate Joe Biden.
He apparently sent a team of cabinet secretaries in to persuade the owners to see the light of day. I can just hear the dialog: "Isn't an 800% profit margin over four years enough for you? Do you have to also paralyze the country while you try to stifle workers' requests to share in the profits?"
🥇
Nobody ever went broke underestimating the intelligence of the American public. H. L. Mencken (?)
Let Trump be the exception.
MAGA must end, and Fox must end! Where on earth did she hear that "they" had "done things" to North Carolina? Fox.
Good heavens, is Fox now saying that Harris brought a hurricane to North Carolina?
Yes!!
I so agree and it is important to for all of us to hear stories like this one. It made me wonder how and if there are ways to engage folks like the toilet paper lady… Not sure that’s possible, but maybe?
I am hoping against hope that some sliver of MAGA election deniers will 1) open up to the possibility that Liz Cheney actually knows what she's talking about, and 2) will think once more about the bullying that is mother's milk to Trump and realize that it could easily turn on them. Trump only cares about Trump. This is as true as the sun rises in the East. And really it's terrible: he doesn't read; he'll get all his positions and opinions and calls to action from "advisers" like Steve Bannon, Mike Lindell, Stephen Miller, Ginni Thomas, and Elon Musk. You'd have to be a special kind of stupid to think Trump and these advisers care for more than the welfare of the 1%.
There is a sliver of Republicans who are true conservatives like Cheney who kept quiet and hoped that the party would come to its senses. Now they are stepping up.and speaking out because they know Trump can be beaten.
She deserves company. She got out front of the attempted insurrection early, thank, at least in part to her work on the J/6 Committee, which made glaringly obvious that Trump was in it for himself and is not a true patriot. We need more in the senior ranks of the GOP to join her in support of our country, not party. But.... unfortunately, I think Citizens United distorted our democratic process out of all normalcy.
Change takes time and a person who you want to lead that change. Harris is proving that.
Except Romney. He needs to stand up and speak the truth too.
Unfortunately it will not happen
Then history will remember him as a coward and be eternally grateful he wasn't a president. Anyone who can't stand up to Trump can't stand up to a Putin.
He's too weak. At bottom, a coward. Romney knows what's what, but is being mealy-mouthed.
Not exactly heroic to speak up only after he can be beaten. (Not talking about Liz Cheney, to be clear.) I guess we’ll take what we can get, but I hope it’s not too late for their speaking up now to make a difference.
Has Tillis the snake stepped up? No, snakes don’t stand, do they?
Not mad at you, Fellow NCian. I’m just so tired of it.
If they are dumbstruck and support tfg they are likely believing his negative opinion of Liz Cheney.
Really dumbstruck
I’m afraid there are a lot of MAGA folks who see Liz Cheney as the enemy for many reasons. They have felt unheard and overlooked by the Republican elites. This is a problem, especially since Fox News has spent decades demonizing democrats all the time making mega bucks off disinformation , dissatisfaction, and especially, anger. The base may see her actions as yet another sign of betrayal. But I’m hopeful that there are more reasonable people out there who will be inspired by her courage to speak the truth to bullies and con men.
Agreed. Would love her to have more company besides her Dad and Adam Kinzinger. Where's W in all this?
W, like Romney, is a coward. He will just nurse his billions in peaceful oblivion. I do think the Bushes had an early hand in undermining our democracy. They are just seeing the fruit they planted ripen now.
Robert, I'm impressed your tech was able to operate that well without you having to be present in the wee hours. I look forward to your final shot with the full set of the Sisters!
I also was pleasantly surprised by the Times story. The only thing I could find to gripe about it was its positioning on the homepage. If they keep accurately reporting what Trump is saying, stopping with the sane-washing...well, we can hope, right?
The headline for the past few hours on the Post homepage was a surprise to me, also: "Trump’s Jan. 6 role back in focus as he readies new stolen election claims". The casual statement of what I'm sure all readers of this newsletter expect surprised me, as well.
How about "Melania Trump, in rare break with husband, voices support for abortion rights!"
How about: "Why Rudy Giuliani's daughter says she's voting for Kamala Harris." https://www.cnn.com/2024/10/02/politics/video/caroline-giuliani-kamala-harris-endorsement-sot-ebof-digvid
Great they have seen the truth but unfortunately coming from them who cares.
Still, it’s good to hear. There are so many levels to all of this. So many levels.
IMHO this is part of the Trump campaign.......
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AM-b8P1yj9w
Love Tammy and the song.
I'm in NC and I am aways very impressed with the professionalism of the NC State Board of Elections and my county board. (I'm in Mecklenburg County). The GOP-controlled legislature is always trying to make it more difficult, but the NCSBE always tries to make voting MORE accessible within the constraints imposed by the legislature!
During Covid, they set up rules to ensure that there were sufficient early voting sites based on the population of the county so that people could feel safer about voting in person. Boy did the GOP ever howl about how unfair it was that populous counties (which trend blue) had more convenient early voting sites than rural counties and how that advantaged Democrats. Yes, they said out loud that the GOP *plan* was to make it harder for citizens to vote.
And of course the "people will have to drive 30 miles to vote in rural counties" argument ignores the fact that they still had the ability to vote at their regular polling place on Election Day! Plus, people living in rural counties already had to drive 30 miles to find a full-service grocery store, pharmacy or big-box store and their early voting site was almost always in the same town where they regularly shopped.
Buncombe County (where Asheville is located) is the most populous (and bluest) county in Western NC. The only other county impacted by Helene that voted Democratic in 2020 was Watauga County where Appalachian State University is located in Boone. The remaining western counties were all purplish (Trump winning by 53%) to ruby red (some with over 75% of the 2020 vote going to Trump).
Besides the need to denigrate Biden's competence in a crisis, IMO Trump is setting up his excuse in advance for losing NC (which I hope and pray he does). "The Democrats withheld aid to red areas so that they would be unable to vote for me!!
I also live in NC and the governor, national guard, FEMA and caring citizens are working hard to restore power and water and make it possible for the residents to return home. President Biden sent the National Guard to the area to search for the 200 missing persons and based on what I have heard from people living there they feel like they have the support they need to start recovering.
Many no longer have homes. This makes me sad, no matter what their political affiliation is.
I so agree, Marj. And at the same time, FEMA is providing trailers/housing so at a minimum, those whose home were destroyed have shelter, and are not sleeping outside.
I do have a question that I haven't seen answered: Were the people in those isolated areas told to leave before the Hurricane? How many stayed because they didn't think it would affect them? I admit to surprise at how far inland the Hurricane went. I can see the coastal areas hit, but TN and western NC is mindbogglingly.
There was a warning and some people left. A big part of the damage was caused by the heavy flow of water down the hills and the heavy rains flooding the streets. Another issue was poor building codes so many structures were not built to withstand the storm
I did some research last year about the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, and the areas in TN and NC around it. A lot of those areas are decades old (like 19th century old) with buildings even older. As are the roads. I can easily see how they could be destroyed by hundred-year floods and rains. I can also see how those areas would ignore what those elite scientists are saying about buildings and roads and storms and everything else.
I voted in the 2018 election after Hurricane Florence ruined my house on the southeastern NC coast. In western N.C. so much infrastructure, like roads and bridges, have been destroyed. If the small bridge in your driveway was destroyed, what do you do? That driveway bridge crossed a small creek in normal times. Now the driveway bridge is washed out, plus the road the driveway connected to has been washed out also. In 2018, I don’t think eastern NC lost as much public infrastructure as western NC has. I could still drive up to my storm damaged house.
isn't it *funny* how towns with a college seem to vote blue? Even in rural NC. No wonder the MAGA people want to disband education in America!
The link above to CSPAN was only a short clip, not the entire speech.
Lawrence O'Donnell has a much better segment speaking to Republicans who have never voted for a Democrat in their lifetimes. It includes extended video of her speech.
Thanks for encouraging us to hear her out for ourselves!
https://youtu.be/f8CK40YTbKk?si=UD1bvTKfkSDF6gwZ
"We must defeat Donald Trump on November 5th." - Liz Cheney
The link above to CSPAN was only a short clip, not the entire speech.
⬆️
VP Harris is posting the full video for every campaign appearance on her YouTube channel
https://www.youtube.com/@kamalaharris
There are 2 versions of the video, with one listed as VERTICAL, so I assume that one is suitable for viewing on a phone.
FYI, This is where I go first for anything related to VP Harris or her campaign.
MSNBC carried the full speech. And the campaign. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1JPBKKfc3Ok
One doesn’t need to be as old as I am to remember a time when the NYT published entire transcripts (*in print*!) of major speeches. Why do they not at least publish electronic transcripts?
President Biden:” You can’t only help those in need if they voted for you. It’s the most basic part of being president, and this guy knows nothing about it.”
Trump:I’ll send help if they voted for me.
https://x.com/JoeBiden/status/1841906202155839607
The temporary suspension of the dockworkers strike is a big deal ! We have 16 public seaports in Florida.DeSantis (who of course didn’t meet with Prez Biden yesterday)had announced he was deploying the National Guard and his fledgling State Guard to “maintain order and resume operations” at the ports. No need , FPC (Failed Presidential Candidate) Go Pete B and Prez Biden !!💙
So, his National Guard and State Guard members would become longshoremen in order for operations to resume? Idiotic! President Biden once again demonstrated what an effective negotiator he is.
No funds have been taken from FEMA's disaster response fund and given to undocumented workers who were not among the displaced. This story is being spread by a disgruntled woman in North Carolina who said she is "only getting $750 in disaster relief." Trump, and some of his supporters in Texas, and elsewhere are running with this nonsense-at the same time as Henry McMaster and Glenn Youngkin are publicly thanking President Biden for a "perfect" disaster response.
I doubt that upset woman has worked her way through the entire disaster relief process. The storm happened only a week ago.
You got it nailed. She's a fake victim, and is likely from Texas, not North Carolina.
FT6 sent hundreds of thousands of texts to NC last night....
I got some bizarre responses, parroting that $750 BS.
Maybe she "only" got $750 in disaster relief because nothing she owned was damaged or destroyed? Some people just like to complain.
The initial $750 is to pay for immediate costs - food, clothing, hotel/housing - in addition to any supplies handed out by FEMA and others. A side effect of our "instant" society. We want it NOW! And yeah, Trump and his PETS are lying.
This, unfortunately , has been spread on Fox (I refuse to call it Fox News). One of my Facebook “friends “ posted a picture of it on FB showing one of the Fox hosts spouting the bulls$hit. That’s why so many people believe it.
P.S. I did reply to her refuting it and telling her to check Project 2025 for the real Republican threat to FEMA.
As always, Robert, thank you for all of the information you managed to get into this newsletter. I’m feeling more encouraged this morning than I did going to bed last night.
One thing, though, please don’t downplay your efforts at capturing the skies. There is no such thing as a botched picture. The fact that you capture everything you capture even if it’s not what you were planning or hoping for is as a success. And I applaud and appreciate your efforts.
Liz Cheney, the NYT, and Judge Matthew Barrett all gave me a jolt of hope and faith in the people and institutions of our beautiful country just when I was feeling weighted down by the torrent of JD Vance’s lies presented with Ivy League polish and disdain.
love that "...lies presented with Ivy League polish and disdain."
Liz Chaney sounds extreme urging us to "reject the depraved cruelty of Donald Trump" until read alongside today's paper announcing both the Memphis conviction of a handful of the policemen who killed Tyre Nichols and, "in other news," Trump recomending a day (or perhaps only one hour) of police license to beat down anyone they think deserves their attention.
Cheney is not overstating the danger of tolerating Trump or overlooking his wild campaign statements.
Thanks Robert, thanks Robert, thanks Robert!
The Guardian today obtained a 12 minute recording from a Trump hatred filled rant against immigrants he made at a bag-full-of-money donor party in Colorado. Attendees were made to contribute between $25,000 to $500,000 per couple. He said the usual lies and dehumanizing things, maybe with some new riffs like:
"They’re coming in from all parts of Asia, the bad parts, the parts where they’re rough, and the only thing good is they make our criminals look extremely nice. They make our Hell’s Angels look like the nicest people on earth.”
The most eye-opening reveal in the piece was that he flew to Aspen on a Gulfstream G-550 jet once owned by Jeffrey Epstein. Trump is still connected to this guy, who, like him, a failed businessman and sex offender. Read the full account here https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2024/oct/04/trump-fundraiser-recording
Thank you for the link! R