I live in North Carolina, so the expose' on the MAGA extremist Mark Robinson was delicious.
CNN broke the scandal, but all the outlets had plenty to run with on this UNFIT candidate. T
he hubris of the NC GOP will help us turn NC BLUE, and deliver our 16 Electoral Votes to the FORWARD looking Harris-Walz ticket in this historic election year.
My gripe for the MSM - stop the disrespect for the Vice President. 45 and his cult purposely mispronounce her name. (Looking at YOU, Sarah Huckabee Sanders!) KEEP HER NAME OUT OF YOUR MOUTH. Children taught everyone how easy it is at the DNC with Kerry Washington. "Comma - La." Women should be given R-E-S-P-E-C-T. Or do we need to resurrect the Queen of Soul, Aretha Franklin, to make the point? From now on, all coverage should use HER TITLE and her SURNAME - VICE PRESIDENT HARRIS. On January 20, they can say PRESIDENT HARRIS.
Great comment in your gripe, Beverly! I make it a point to refer to VP Harris and Governor Walz by their titles, as I did (and do) President Biden. In contrast, I refuse to bestow honorifics on the dishonorable Republican candidates, and rarely use their names. Respect is something that must be earned, not demanded.
Great points Bob Morgan and Beverly Falls. I would add one more complaint regarding titles granted: stop referring to Trump as 'President'! His is NOT, and if we all have anything to do with it, nor will he ever be again. Far too many of his sycophants use this title liberally on his behalf.
Eliz, while I hear you and your complaint about calling the former guy President, that is protocol. And most journalists still follow such protocol. Does it stick in my craw when I hear it? Absolutely. Yet if involved in writing or editing anything gor a newspaper or even a letter to the editor, I would use it myself. Hate it, yet the office of President of the United States deserves respect even if the former occupant neither earned nor deserves such. Rock meet hard place. Ugh.
No, it's not protocol, and I don't remember any other former president being called that. Per Emily Post "When addressing a former President of the United States in a formal setting, the correct form is “Mr. LastName.” (“President LastName” or “Mr. President” are terms reserved for the current head of state.) This is true for other ex-officials, as well." https://emilypost.com/advice/addressing-a-former-president-of-the-united-states
I refuse to refer to him as "ex-," "former-," or even "failed-." It's like fingernails on a chalkboard when I hear news commentators refer to him with any one of the variants. I will say, though, tradition and norms (which he routinely shreds) dictate addressing him as "Mr. President." As distasteful as it is, I'll forgive that, if used sparingly.
Tradition doesn't. Per Emily Post "When addressing a former President of the United States in a formal setting, the correct form is “Mr. LastName.” (“President LastName” or “Mr. President” are terms reserved for the current head of state.) This is true for other ex-officials, as well. When talking about the person to a third party, on the other hand, it’s appropriate to say, “former President LastName.” This holds for introductions, as well: A current state governor is introduced as “Governor Tom Smith,” while you’d introduce an ex-governor as “former Governor Jim Bell.” https://emilypost.com/advice/addressing-a-former-president-of-the-united-states
I want to scream whenever they call Trump "President Trump". He is NOT the president!
“So my kids keep me humble. Unfortunately, Kamala Harris doesn't have anything keeping her humble," she said.”
When I read Sarah Huckabee-Sanders(a Christian Nationalist) recent words it struck me about what I’ve learned from Andra Watkins about Project 2025 and Christian Nationalism.Harris can’t be “saved” because she doesn’t have biological children.She is a sinner who prevents Jesus’ return.I know some Christian Nationalists have been referring to her as Jezebel…no words.
I saw Cornell Belcher on Dateline Whitehouse with Nicole Wallace. He made a point that really resonated with me. He said the line that VP Harris wasn't "humble" revealed the old racist trope that Black people had to "stay in their place" and not speak up.
Sarah Huckabee-Sanders has never had an original thought in her life, she parrots what others say and think. She's mean spirited and would take this country back to 1824 if she could IMO
They are misdividing her name and placing the emphasis on the last syllable instead of the first. Instead of "COMMA la," they pronounce it as "ko MALA." They do it deliberately as their subtle way of demonstrating their disrespect and in an effort to cause more division than exists already.
More than disrespect, it's their way of "orhering" her, "as if she doesn't belong."
As for the other "seen and not heard" treatment, it's just below the "angry Black woman" trope and next to calling her "an uppity n-word." And I will not tolerate their assertions and disrespect. She WAYYYYY more qualified and emotionally sane than any of those malevolent self-absorbed misogynists trying to destroy our government.
Danke schön! I’ve never seen the two side by side and appreciate the comparison. It really is disturbing the amount of intentional disrespect they’ve been outright displaying in all the ways, as opposed to simply saying what their values are and yeah, putting their mouths like that.
The intentional misprounciation of a name to show disrespect is nothing new to the Republicans. Almost EVERY Republican politician (as well as their cheerleaders like Fox Network etc.) have been calling their opposition "the Democrat Party," instead of the Democratic Party, for many decades.
Most Democrats don't call them out on it, so it's become "correct" in the minds of many Americans. If Republicans were told regularly to use the correct pronounciation, they would just laugh and continue mispronouncing it to "own the libs." The instinct to behave like a grade school bully no matter what your age has become a feature of most Republicans.
Rebecca, sometimes people say her name as Ka-MAH-la or CAM-a-la. 45 has used ka-MAH-bla a few times but mostly he doesn’t refer to her by name. He often just says “they “ or “them”.
Doesn't matter what they call her. She's way smarter than they are, and she's one of the most decent and empathetic H.sapiens on the planet. If things keep going well through the election, she will be remembered as a heroine of our times by people who will be alive 500 years from now.
So some are pronouncing her name Kah-mah-la. Trump disrespects her and calls her Kahm (Like kawm) bah-lah. The Kah may sound like “caw”. I hope that helps, Rebecca.
The Oprah broadcast was incredibly moving, and showed once again what a stellar candidate we have in Kamala Harris. Thank you again for plugging One Dem Minute, Robert -- we and the filmmakers appreciate it!
I’d like to highlight fellow community member Chaplain Terry Nicholetti’s One Dem Minute Film Festival video.”Propaganda! Who Is Lying To You?” She rocks !!💙
Thank you for reminding me. I meant to do this and forgot. What a fabulous collection of films. Chaplain Terry’s film was selected among the “most favorite of the evening,” too!
The GOP is really scraping the bottom of the barrel. Trump calling Mark Robinson, MLK on steroids has to be one of the dumbest statements I've read in my entire life.
When you think about it, calling Mark Robinson “MLK on steroids” is not only stupid: it is racist. Robinson and King have only one thing in common – the color of their skin.
Speaking of the celestial and accomplishments in the face of racism and misogyny, it was nice to see the “Hidden Figures” women receive the Congressional Gold Medal: Christine Darden and posthumously, Katherine Johnson, Mary Jackson, and Dorothy Vaughan.
More generally, our federal government has been full of “hidden figures”. WaPo has recently taken it upon itself to publish articles about some of the living “hidden figures”.
There have been so many more – e.g.:
• Several govvies who won Nobel Prizes.
• Every time someone uses a scanner, they’re using an invention of a government employee.
• Same for the basis of the computer disk drive (its inventor, Jacob Rabinow, held more than 250 patents).
Thanks, Robert, for sharing your experience with the mock jury 15 years ago. My wife, when reading today's newsletter, laughed out loudly and remarked "See, that's what I have been telling you for years." She had been telling me that if Oprah would ever decide to run for the Presidency, she would win.
On YouTube the broadcast already has close to 2 million views and it certainly will have an impact on undecided voters. Many won't take the time to watch the whole event though. Thanks for breaking it down and providing links to selected parts. Another reason all readers should share your newsletter widely. Please do!
I agree with your wife's statement. Whether you like Oprah, or whether you like her book club selections, she would win the presidency by a landslide never before experienced in this country. Perhaps VP Harris will invite her to be in some position in the White House after winning the election?
While I was asleep when Oprah interviewed Kamala, I got up this morning and watched it. It was so inspiring. Just seeing all of those groups for Kamala Harris that were on call and the star power that was invoked, was wonderful. Brian Tyler Cohen had a live watch along on his show. He has 3.23 million subscribers. Tyler Cohen then said that doing this would help people to get to know Kamala and see her humanity, which is what Robert just said too. I agree with them. As a gathering it was powerful and I am glad Oprah is using her influence. We need everyone with influence to use it for good. It is a movement.
The difference between Biden/Harris and TFG can be summed up in Trumps response to the Butler Pa attempt on his life. There has not been one media reference to Trump reaching out to the attendee who was killed or to the other two wounded. Instead Trump was playing golf the next day. I can only assume Harris or Biden would have reached out to the familes, if not in person.
Corey Comperatore took his wife and daughter(s) to 45's hate-fest rally in Butler, PA.
When he was killed, President Biden called his widow to express condolences. She refused his call, saying something to the effect her husband was totally for tRump. The convicted felon, who (imo) was shot AT, not shot, spent Sunday golfing, then showed up at the RNC on Monday with a "maxi-pad" bandage on his ear and Ronny Jackson's faked medical excuse still to come once questions began to arise. 45 finally did call the widow on that Monday, but I never heard him mention the names of the daughters, and doubt he knows their names - or cares. He used Comperatore's first responder gear as a prop during his 90-plus minute nomination acceptance "ramble" that went past midnight. As Vice President Harris said, "exhaustion and boredom."
If 45 had listened to our calls for sensible gun laws, neither assassination attempt would have happened.
If 45 had been in prison for his many crimes, neither assassination attempt would have happened.
If the hateful rhetoric inciting violence by 45 and the NRA-funded GOP had been rebuked over the years, candidates and audiences would be safer.
If 45 and Vance would quit telling lies, Springfield, Ohio wouldn't be experiencing dozens of bomb threats and afraid of some lunatic targeting their community based on those lies.
I think he did eventually talk to the deceased victim's wife when he said (during a clip from a rallython) he presented "a $1MM check and she said she would rather have her husband than the money ... can you believe it?" (My recollection paraphrase) My question then and now: At least $6MM apparently was raised by a Go-Fund-Me, as reported immediately after the event. What happened to the rest of the purported money? Never saw any reporting on the obvious discrepancy ... off into the ether of the ongoing GOP grift?
Robert. What a wonderful tribute to Oprah! And thanks for posting the whole interview. My dad is dying so I'm not able to do much these days except!!! Listen to this: The county clerk of Durango Colorado is coming to his bedside on Saturday with a Republican and a Democratic election judge to help him vote!!!! FOR KAMALA!!!! This is what community is all about! BTW everyone, watch Simon Rosenberg's great video from Sept 18 where he gives a deep analytic summary of where we are in the election. Watch the first 25 mins. It's so great.
I'm in North Carolina too. This news about Robinson is not surprising but certainly shocking. The details in the report are so vile that the broadcasters on TV cannot even describe them on the air. The Republicans in NC chose the most awful person they could. Now, in a twist of fate because it is too late to take him off the ballot, they must now "carry him to term".
NC grassroots activist and voter here. We can't let up, even with the Robinson news. NC has split the ticket the last two elections, electing a Democrat for Governor and then voting for 45 at the top of the ticket. We have essential races up and down the ballot with crazies and extremists at every level. My point is--NC still needs all of our help! If you can canvass, please do. If you can phone bank, there are lots of phone banks into NC. A great place to start is https://www.mobilize.us/countytocountync/ Also, https://votefwd.org/district/NC_2024_C3_STATE is writing letters to NC voters. We need your help, up and down the ballot! We are trying to shatter the MAGA supermajority which overrode our Governor's veto of the abortion ban. We just need to regain ONE seat in the NC Legislature. Also, down ballot drop-off for Dems is a real thing. I.E. Cheri Beasley ran for NC Supreme Court and lost by 401 votes; down ballot drop-off in Durham County alone lost 2500 votes. That's how we got our extremist MAGA supreme court. If you are in Durham, volunteer to greet voters at early voting to tell them to vote the whole ballot.
I’m sitting at the shore N.Topsail as we speak. I keep a close eye on NC because my son and fam live in Winston-Salem. My oldest grandson just started college here. They’re registered independent but support Harris and Walz.
My sisters and I spoke with a family here vacationing from a Philadelphia suburb. Their adult son has autism and was enjoying the pool. We’re retired educators except for the young man’s mother, she retired from nursing. Her husband taught physical education in Camden NJ. We struck up quite a conversation! We talked about how pleased we are with our Governor, Josh Shapiro, excited that Harris and Walz are on the ground talking about the things we care about. Although we are all from PA, we’ve seen one Trump flag our entire vacation. I expected to see more.
I feel NC will vote strong for Harris and Walz. Trump has run his course here and it’s percolating down to the registered voters that women’s healthcare is still on the ballot and women deserve protection from invasive laws that take away their rights. No more 2nd class citizenship. We’ve always been denied participation in our country’s governance. We still are not equal under the law. We can change that on November 5th. We’re not going back to patriarchal servitude.
If you can at all volunteer to greet early voters in Durham, that would help more than you know. Please read. And tell all your friends! Here's the blurb I am sending out to folks:
Early Vote Poll Greeting Could Win This Election: PLEASE SIGN UP!!!
TL: DR “Down ballot drop-off” is a thing. Dems vote top of ticket but not the rest, so we lose down ballot races. Poll greeters remind Dem voters that it is crucial to vote the whole ticket.
WE NEED TO WIN ALL THE DOWN BALLOT RACES IN NC THIS YEAR.
If you can at all volunteer to greet early voters in Durham, that would help more than you know. Please read. And tell all your friends! Here's the blurb I am sending out to folks:
Early Vote Poll Greeting Could Win This Election: PLEASE SIGN UP!!!
TL: DR “Down ballot drop-off” is a thing. Dems vote top of ticket but not the rest, so we lose down ballot races. Poll greeters remind Dem voters that it is crucial to vote the whole ticket.
WE NEED TO WIN ALL THE DOWN BALLOT RACES IN NC THIS YEAR.
I totally will do this and have been poll greeting since 2016. Will hunker down this weekend with your helpful links and make a plan. Thank you. I love all the NC connections on here… and the Durham/Chapel Hill ones, of course!
Our Tending to Democracy Giving Circle through The States Project has raised $19,000 for North Carolina Democratic state legislature candidates. The States Project currently has a match deal doubling the value of your precious donation:
I agree with your comments about Nebraska and the electoral votes there. If the proposal does not even have sufficient votes in the legislature to be enacted, it appears to be a moot point. I am trying hard to be joy filled and I’m not looking for angst especially if it far removed.
I saw that CNN had actually found the email address that Mark Robinson used and also the handle was used for various sites leading back to him. I guess he didn’t learn from don-old or jd that ‘oh what a tangled web you weave, when first you practice to deceive.’
Oprah and Kamala were great tonight. It was like a town hall meeting without a felonious liar. The depth of feelings shared even brought tears to my eyes. There was no grandstanding. We just must keep our heads down and continue working towards reaching our goal. I finally received my postcards from
MomsRising.org. There was a pleasant surprise. Initially they said they would be addressed and after writing the notes, we were to send them back for postage. They came pre-stamped and pre -addressed.
The Sharpless 2-129 is massive and stunning especially when I enlarged it for a better look. Great job.
The part of Amber Thurman's story that I have not seen called out, but was also deeply disturbing was that her family did not learn the details about her death until ProPublica contacted them. They only got a basic explanation - septic shock - on the death certificate. It's as if the hospital was a part of the injustice and coverup. It shows how deeply destructive these anti-abortion laws are - not just to individuals, but for the influence they have on institutions.
I watched the MSNBC special with Oprah, Kamala, and thousands on the zoom call. It was riveting and at times, tearful. How can anyone be undecided? Meryl Strep expressed my concerns best. We have to be ready.
Robert. Thank you for your daily photos. I look forward to seeing and reading about them even though I don’t understand virtually anything you describe. They serve to remind me on a daily basis of the vastness of our universe while we are consumed with our own crises.
Again, ran to the nebula photo first!
I live in North Carolina, so the expose' on the MAGA extremist Mark Robinson was delicious.
CNN broke the scandal, but all the outlets had plenty to run with on this UNFIT candidate. T
he hubris of the NC GOP will help us turn NC BLUE, and deliver our 16 Electoral Votes to the FORWARD looking Harris-Walz ticket in this historic election year.
My gripe for the MSM - stop the disrespect for the Vice President. 45 and his cult purposely mispronounce her name. (Looking at YOU, Sarah Huckabee Sanders!) KEEP HER NAME OUT OF YOUR MOUTH. Children taught everyone how easy it is at the DNC with Kerry Washington. "Comma - La." Women should be given R-E-S-P-E-C-T. Or do we need to resurrect the Queen of Soul, Aretha Franklin, to make the point? From now on, all coverage should use HER TITLE and her SURNAME - VICE PRESIDENT HARRIS. On January 20, they can say PRESIDENT HARRIS.
Great comment in your gripe, Beverly! I make it a point to refer to VP Harris and Governor Walz by their titles, as I did (and do) President Biden. In contrast, I refuse to bestow honorifics on the dishonorable Republican candidates, and rarely use their names. Respect is something that must be earned, not demanded.
p.s. Here's a piece written while President Biden was in the race. I respect him even more now, and the Republican even less. https://bobmorgan.substack.com/p/presidential-honor
Great points Bob Morgan and Beverly Falls. I would add one more complaint regarding titles granted: stop referring to Trump as 'President'! His is NOT, and if we all have anything to do with it, nor will he ever be again. Far too many of his sycophants use this title liberally on his behalf.
Eliz, while I hear you and your complaint about calling the former guy President, that is protocol. And most journalists still follow such protocol. Does it stick in my craw when I hear it? Absolutely. Yet if involved in writing or editing anything gor a newspaper or even a letter to the editor, I would use it myself. Hate it, yet the office of President of the United States deserves respect even if the former occupant neither earned nor deserves such. Rock meet hard place. Ugh.
No, it's not protocol, and I don't remember any other former president being called that. Per Emily Post "When addressing a former President of the United States in a formal setting, the correct form is “Mr. LastName.” (“President LastName” or “Mr. President” are terms reserved for the current head of state.) This is true for other ex-officials, as well." https://emilypost.com/advice/addressing-a-former-president-of-the-united-states
I refuse to refer to him as "ex-," "former-," or even "failed-." It's like fingernails on a chalkboard when I hear news commentators refer to him with any one of the variants. I will say, though, tradition and norms (which he routinely shreds) dictate addressing him as "Mr. President." As distasteful as it is, I'll forgive that, if used sparingly.
Tradition doesn't. Per Emily Post "When addressing a former President of the United States in a formal setting, the correct form is “Mr. LastName.” (“President LastName” or “Mr. President” are terms reserved for the current head of state.) This is true for other ex-officials, as well. When talking about the person to a third party, on the other hand, it’s appropriate to say, “former President LastName.” This holds for introductions, as well: A current state governor is introduced as “Governor Tom Smith,” while you’d introduce an ex-governor as “former Governor Jim Bell.” https://emilypost.com/advice/addressing-a-former-president-of-the-united-states
I want to scream whenever they call Trump "President Trump". He is NOT the president!
Interesting!
Just say "the felon" - they'll know who you mean !
ESPECIALLY after he tried to stop the transfer of power!!!
Exactly! I share your complaint. Thank you for stating it!!
YYYESSSSS!
It's the same reason that my friends and I address Trump in writing as tRump. No respect!
“So my kids keep me humble. Unfortunately, Kamala Harris doesn't have anything keeping her humble," she said.”
When I read Sarah Huckabee-Sanders(a Christian Nationalist) recent words it struck me about what I’ve learned from Andra Watkins about Project 2025 and Christian Nationalism.Harris can’t be “saved” because she doesn’t have biological children.She is a sinner who prevents Jesus’ return.I know some Christian Nationalists have been referring to her as Jezebel…no words.
I saw Cornell Belcher on Dateline Whitehouse with Nicole Wallace. He made a point that really resonated with me. He said the line that VP Harris wasn't "humble" revealed the old racist trope that Black people had to "stay in their place" and not speak up.
So true
Sarah Huckabee-Sanders has never had an original thought in her life, she parrots what others say and think. She's mean spirited and would take this country back to 1824 if she could IMO
.And she is by no stretch of the imagination, a Christian. (Ellen here)
Thanks Kathy. This was new information for me.
Sarah is a nightmare. Jeff Tiedrich, also on Substack, calls her “Schmuckabee” which is so befitting.
I am Deaf, but I do understand pronouncing. Comma-la is Kamala Harris. Good good. WHAT are they saying it as, then? Thanks.
They are misdividing her name and placing the emphasis on the last syllable instead of the first. Instead of "COMMA la," they pronounce it as "ko MALA." They do it deliberately as their subtle way of demonstrating their disrespect and in an effort to cause more division than exists already.
More than disrespect, it's their way of "orhering" her, "as if she doesn't belong."
As for the other "seen and not heard" treatment, it's just below the "angry Black woman" trope and next to calling her "an uppity n-word." And I will not tolerate their assertions and disrespect. She WAYYYYY more qualified and emotionally sane than any of those malevolent self-absorbed misogynists trying to destroy our government.
Yes – it’s a snide attempt to imply that Kamala Harris is not a “real” American.
What it really demonstrates is the intentional ignorance and narrow-mindedness of the mispronouncer.
Danke schön! I’ve never seen the two side by side and appreciate the comparison. It really is disturbing the amount of intentional disrespect they’ve been outright displaying in all the ways, as opposed to simply saying what their values are and yeah, putting their mouths like that.
The intentional misprounciation of a name to show disrespect is nothing new to the Republicans. Almost EVERY Republican politician (as well as their cheerleaders like Fox Network etc.) have been calling their opposition "the Democrat Party," instead of the Democratic Party, for many decades.
Most Democrats don't call them out on it, so it's become "correct" in the minds of many Americans. If Republicans were told regularly to use the correct pronounciation, they would just laugh and continue mispronouncing it to "own the libs." The instinct to behave like a grade school bully no matter what your age has become a feature of most Republicans.
Rebecca, sometimes people say her name as Ka-MAH-la or CAM-a-la. 45 has used ka-MAH-bla a few times but mostly he doesn’t refer to her by name. He often just says “they “ or “them”.
Or SHE!!
Doesn't matter what they call her. She's way smarter than they are, and she's one of the most decent and empathetic H.sapiens on the planet. If things keep going well through the election, she will be remembered as a heroine of our times by people who will be alive 500 years from now.
Rebecca, they are saying it as “kaMAHLa”.
So some are pronouncing her name Kah-mah-la. Trump disrespects her and calls her Kahm (Like kawm) bah-lah. The Kah may sound like “caw”. I hope that helps, Rebecca.
👍
Completely agree.
Fabulous! Thank you, Beverly!
The Oprah broadcast was incredibly moving, and showed once again what a stellar candidate we have in Kamala Harris. Thank you again for plugging One Dem Minute, Robert -- we and the filmmakers appreciate it!
I’d like to highlight fellow community member Chaplain Terry Nicholetti’s One Dem Minute Film Festival video.”Propaganda! Who Is Lying To You?” She rocks !!💙
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PRszqAWWZMw
I agree Kathy! I "attended" the film festival because she was in it.
Thank you for reminding me. I meant to do this and forgot. What a fabulous collection of films. Chaplain Terry’s film was selected among the “most favorite of the evening,” too!
🏆
Great videos and very expansive!
The GOP is really scraping the bottom of the barrel. Trump calling Mark Robinson, MLK on steroids has to be one of the dumbest statements I've read in my entire life.
It turned my stomach reading that. Two rotten peas in a corrupt pod.
When you think about it, calling Mark Robinson “MLK on steroids” is not only stupid: it is racist. Robinson and King have only one thing in common – the color of their skin.
Facts
Speaking of the celestial and accomplishments in the face of racism and misogyny, it was nice to see the “Hidden Figures” women receive the Congressional Gold Medal: Christine Darden and posthumously, Katherine Johnson, Mary Jackson, and Dorothy Vaughan.
http://www.collectspace.com/news/news-091824a-hidden-figures-congressional-gold-medal-ceremony.html
It is more than past time that they were honored.
I loved that movie. Besides being a math nerd, it really hit home for how much those women had to overcome to get to where they did.
More generally, our federal government has been full of “hidden figures”. WaPo has recently taken it upon itself to publish articles about some of the living “hidden figures”.
There have been so many more – e.g.:
• Several govvies who won Nobel Prizes.
• Every time someone uses a scanner, they’re using an invention of a government employee.
• Same for the basis of the computer disk drive (its inventor, Jacob Rabinow, held more than 250 patents).
Thanks, Robert, for sharing your experience with the mock jury 15 years ago. My wife, when reading today's newsletter, laughed out loudly and remarked "See, that's what I have been telling you for years." She had been telling me that if Oprah would ever decide to run for the Presidency, she would win.
On YouTube the broadcast already has close to 2 million views and it certainly will have an impact on undecided voters. Many won't take the time to watch the whole event though. Thanks for breaking it down and providing links to selected parts. Another reason all readers should share your newsletter widely. Please do!
I agree with your wife's statement. Whether you like Oprah, or whether you like her book club selections, she would win the presidency by a landslide never before experienced in this country. Perhaps VP Harris will invite her to be in some position in the White House after winning the election?
I had that same exact thought! There must be a position for her in Kamala's new government!
While I was asleep when Oprah interviewed Kamala, I got up this morning and watched it. It was so inspiring. Just seeing all of those groups for Kamala Harris that were on call and the star power that was invoked, was wonderful. Brian Tyler Cohen had a live watch along on his show. He has 3.23 million subscribers. Tyler Cohen then said that doing this would help people to get to know Kamala and see her humanity, which is what Robert just said too. I agree with them. As a gathering it was powerful and I am glad Oprah is using her influence. We need everyone with influence to use it for good. It is a movement.
Yes, Donald, Jews will have a lot to do with your loss, along with millions of others who believe in a principled and kind America.
Yep, and I am one of them!!
The difference between Biden/Harris and TFG can be summed up in Trumps response to the Butler Pa attempt on his life. There has not been one media reference to Trump reaching out to the attendee who was killed or to the other two wounded. Instead Trump was playing golf the next day. I can only assume Harris or Biden would have reached out to the familes, if not in person.
Corey Comperatore took his wife and daughter(s) to 45's hate-fest rally in Butler, PA.
When he was killed, President Biden called his widow to express condolences. She refused his call, saying something to the effect her husband was totally for tRump. The convicted felon, who (imo) was shot AT, not shot, spent Sunday golfing, then showed up at the RNC on Monday with a "maxi-pad" bandage on his ear and Ronny Jackson's faked medical excuse still to come once questions began to arise. 45 finally did call the widow on that Monday, but I never heard him mention the names of the daughters, and doubt he knows their names - or cares. He used Comperatore's first responder gear as a prop during his 90-plus minute nomination acceptance "ramble" that went past midnight. As Vice President Harris said, "exhaustion and boredom."
If 45 had listened to our calls for sensible gun laws, neither assassination attempt would have happened.
If 45 had been in prison for his many crimes, neither assassination attempt would have happened.
If the hateful rhetoric inciting violence by 45 and the NRA-funded GOP had been rebuked over the years, candidates and audiences would be safer.
If 45 and Vance would quit telling lies, Springfield, Ohio wouldn't be experiencing dozens of bomb threats and afraid of some lunatic targeting their community based on those lies.
ijs
The felon's stunt on the stage with Comparator's first responder gear was truly creepy.
How sad she was so full of hate she couldn't accept a call from the President of the United States.
I think he did eventually talk to the deceased victim's wife when he said (during a clip from a rallython) he presented "a $1MM check and she said she would rather have her husband than the money ... can you believe it?" (My recollection paraphrase) My question then and now: At least $6MM apparently was raised by a Go-Fund-Me, as reported immediately after the event. What happened to the rest of the purported money? Never saw any reporting on the obvious discrepancy ... off into the ether of the ongoing GOP grift?
Robert. What a wonderful tribute to Oprah! And thanks for posting the whole interview. My dad is dying so I'm not able to do much these days except!!! Listen to this: The county clerk of Durango Colorado is coming to his bedside on Saturday with a Republican and a Democratic election judge to help him vote!!!! FOR KAMALA!!!! This is what community is all about! BTW everyone, watch Simon Rosenberg's great video from Sept 18 where he gives a deep analytic summary of where we are in the election. Watch the first 25 mins. It's so great.
Thank you for sharing the story about your father. Inspiring! Bless you and your family at this difficult time.
How wonderful that your father gets to have to the last word, Kate! My very best to you.
I'm in North Carolina too. This news about Robinson is not surprising but certainly shocking. The details in the report are so vile that the broadcasters on TV cannot even describe them on the air. The Republicans in NC chose the most awful person they could. Now, in a twist of fate because it is too late to take him off the ballot, they must now "carry him to term".
NC grassroots activist and voter here. We can't let up, even with the Robinson news. NC has split the ticket the last two elections, electing a Democrat for Governor and then voting for 45 at the top of the ticket. We have essential races up and down the ballot with crazies and extremists at every level. My point is--NC still needs all of our help! If you can canvass, please do. If you can phone bank, there are lots of phone banks into NC. A great place to start is https://www.mobilize.us/countytocountync/ Also, https://votefwd.org/district/NC_2024_C3_STATE is writing letters to NC voters. We need your help, up and down the ballot! We are trying to shatter the MAGA supermajority which overrode our Governor's veto of the abortion ban. We just need to regain ONE seat in the NC Legislature. Also, down ballot drop-off for Dems is a real thing. I.E. Cheri Beasley ran for NC Supreme Court and lost by 401 votes; down ballot drop-off in Durham County alone lost 2500 votes. That's how we got our extremist MAGA supreme court. If you are in Durham, volunteer to greet voters at early voting to tell them to vote the whole ballot.
So, thanks for reading, and please, help! Call, write, canvass...and donate, if you can: https://secure.actblue.com/donate/durham-ncdp-split
If we win NC, we win!
Awesome, Sandy. I live in Durham. Thanks for the links. I’ll share them. I’ve been writing postcards.
I’m sitting at the shore N.Topsail as we speak. I keep a close eye on NC because my son and fam live in Winston-Salem. My oldest grandson just started college here. They’re registered independent but support Harris and Walz.
My sisters and I spoke with a family here vacationing from a Philadelphia suburb. Their adult son has autism and was enjoying the pool. We’re retired educators except for the young man’s mother, she retired from nursing. Her husband taught physical education in Camden NJ. We struck up quite a conversation! We talked about how pleased we are with our Governor, Josh Shapiro, excited that Harris and Walz are on the ground talking about the things we care about. Although we are all from PA, we’ve seen one Trump flag our entire vacation. I expected to see more.
I feel NC will vote strong for Harris and Walz. Trump has run his course here and it’s percolating down to the registered voters that women’s healthcare is still on the ballot and women deserve protection from invasive laws that take away their rights. No more 2nd class citizenship. We’ve always been denied participation in our country’s governance. We still are not equal under the law. We can change that on November 5th. We’re not going back to patriarchal servitude.
If you can at all volunteer to greet early voters in Durham, that would help more than you know. Please read. And tell all your friends! Here's the blurb I am sending out to folks:
Early Vote Poll Greeting Could Win This Election: PLEASE SIGN UP!!!
TL: DR “Down ballot drop-off” is a thing. Dems vote top of ticket but not the rest, so we lose down ballot races. Poll greeters remind Dem voters that it is crucial to vote the whole ticket.
WE NEED TO WIN ALL THE DOWN BALLOT RACES IN NC THIS YEAR.
Sign up here: https://www.signupgenius.com/tabs/33773DC04A0C9EAC53-durham#/
Consider the November, 2020 election in Durham County:
Biden--144,688 votes
Cheri Beasley --142,161 votes, a reduction of 2,527 votes.
She lost the state by 401 votes. If there hadn’t been the drop-off, we’d have another Dem on the NC Supreme Court.
For more info and an interesting deeper dive see: https://sisterdistrict.com/downballot-toolkit and/or
https://grassrootsconnector.substack.com/p/hey-dems-start-voting-down-ballot?utm_source=substack&utm_campaign=post_embed&utm_medium=email
Hi Betsy! I’m in Precinct 3, Durham! 💙
If you can at all volunteer to greet early voters in Durham, that would help more than you know. Please read. And tell all your friends! Here's the blurb I am sending out to folks:
Early Vote Poll Greeting Could Win This Election: PLEASE SIGN UP!!!
TL: DR “Down ballot drop-off” is a thing. Dems vote top of ticket but not the rest, so we lose down ballot races. Poll greeters remind Dem voters that it is crucial to vote the whole ticket.
WE NEED TO WIN ALL THE DOWN BALLOT RACES IN NC THIS YEAR.
Sign up here: https://www.signupgenius.com/tabs/33773DC04A0C9EAC53-durham#/
Consider the November, 2020 election in Durham County:
Biden--144,688 votes
Cheri Beasley --142,161 votes, a reduction of 2,527 votes.
She lost the state by 401 votes. If there hadn’t been the drop-off, we’d have another Dem on the NC Supreme Court.
For more info and an interesting deeper dive see: https://sisterdistrict.com/downballot-toolkit and/or
https://grassrootsconnector.substack.com/p/hey-dems-start-voting-down-ballot?utm_source=substack&utm_campaign=post_embed&utm_medium=email
I totally will do this and have been poll greeting since 2016. Will hunker down this weekend with your helpful links and make a plan. Thank you. I love all the NC connections on here… and the Durham/Chapel Hill ones, of course!
Thank you.. 💙
Yay!! One vote at a time...
Our Tending to Democracy Giving Circle through The States Project has raised $19,000 for North Carolina Democratic state legislature candidates. The States Project currently has a match deal doubling the value of your precious donation:
https://www.grapevine.org/giving-circle/1XQhnyD/Tending-to-Democracy
I agree with your comments about Nebraska and the electoral votes there. If the proposal does not even have sufficient votes in the legislature to be enacted, it appears to be a moot point. I am trying hard to be joy filled and I’m not looking for angst especially if it far removed.
I saw that CNN had actually found the email address that Mark Robinson used and also the handle was used for various sites leading back to him. I guess he didn’t learn from don-old or jd that ‘oh what a tangled web you weave, when first you practice to deceive.’
Oprah and Kamala were great tonight. It was like a town hall meeting without a felonious liar. The depth of feelings shared even brought tears to my eyes. There was no grandstanding. We just must keep our heads down and continue working towards reaching our goal. I finally received my postcards from
MomsRising.org. There was a pleasant surprise. Initially they said they would be addressed and after writing the notes, we were to send them back for postage. They came pre-stamped and pre -addressed.
The Sharpless 2-129 is massive and stunning especially when I enlarged it for a better look. Great job.
Thanks for keeping us informed.
Does that mean that Jewish voters get the credit if he looses?!? (Sign me up!)
Gawwwd, I hope so! :)
The part of Amber Thurman's story that I have not seen called out, but was also deeply disturbing was that her family did not learn the details about her death until ProPublica contacted them. They only got a basic explanation - septic shock - on the death certificate. It's as if the hospital was a part of the injustice and coverup. It shows how deeply destructive these anti-abortion laws are - not just to individuals, but for the influence they have on institutions.
I watched the MSNBC special with Oprah, Kamala, and thousands on the zoom call. It was riveting and at times, tearful. How can anyone be undecided? Meryl Strep expressed my concerns best. We have to be ready.
Robert. Thank you for your daily photos. I look forward to seeing and reading about them even though I don’t understand virtually anything you describe. They serve to remind me on a daily basis of the vastness of our universe while we are consumed with our own crises.