Media Blitz, Day Two.

October 8, 2024

Kamala Harris and Tim Walz both sat for an interview with CBS 60 Minutes, which aired on Monday evening. Both acquitted themselves well and succeeded in communicating campaign message points with discipline and earnestness. Still, I found the interviewer’s style annoying and off-putting. My annoyance arises from the media’s ongoing inability to acknowledge the unique depravity and menace posed by Trump while pretending as though the traditional etiquette of media coverage of campaigns applies to Harris and Walz but not to Trump.

It is fair to ask pointed questions of candidates who appear on 60 Minutes—as interviewer Bill Whitaker did on many occasions. What is unfair is to conduct an interview as if the appearance by Harris and Walz is inherently equivalent to the no-show interview by Trump. The distinction that needed to be drawn by 60 Minutes was not that Harris and Walz showed up while Trump and Vance did not. 60 Minutes should have communicated that Trump / Vance are not traditional candidates running on policy positions but are instead running to end democracy and overturn constitutional order.

Once that framework is established—rational policies vs. end of democracy—then go ahead and grill the candidates about their rational policies. But don’t pretend that the insufferable attempts at “gotcha” questions directed to the rational candidates have any relevance in a race where the opposing side seeks to end democracy. How hard is that?

And yet, the media simply cannot tear itself away from imposing the “normal world of politics” framework on Harris and Walz while proving itself incapable of presenting Trump and Vance as antidemocratic agents who seek to dismantle the very system they are exploiting in their attempt to gain power. See, e.g., NPR, Harris is pressed for more specifics in a wide-ranging interview with '60 Minutes'.

NPR and the rest of the media are pummeling Kamala Harris to offer more specifics about economic policies while Trump is angling to become dictator for life and turn the DOJ into a paramilitary political hit squad. Those two things are not alike and do not deserve to be treated with equal dignity.

But here we are. Kamala Harris and Tim Walz sat for interviews and gave good answers. I have summarized the interview below. You can click on the blue hyperlinked text to view the portion of the interview relating to the topical summary. I have included summaries of notable answers. The entire interview is here: Kamala Harris: The 2024 60 Minutes Interview.

• Middle East war / October 7 In response to question about whether we have a reliable ally in Prime Minister Netanyahu, Kamala Harris said, “The better question is whether we have an important alliance between the American and the Israeli people. And the answer to that is, ‘Yes.’” [The quotations are my real-time notes and should not be relied up as word-for-word quotes. See the video and transcript if you intend to quote Harris or Walz.]

• The economy, price of groceries, home ownership, and how to pay for assistance to the middle class. Notable answer: How are you going to pay for your proposals? “I am going to make sure that the richest among us pay their fair share of taxes. It is not right that teachers, firefighters, and nurses pay a higher share of their earnings in taxes than do billionaires.”

• Voters say that don’t know you. Notable answer: “It’s an election. I take seriously that I have to earn everyone’s votes.”

• Critics say you change your positions so frequently they don’t know what you stand for. Notable answer: “For the last four years, I have traveled the US and listened to the American people. I am seeking common ground. I am looking for consensus to find what we can do together without compromising our values.”

• Immigration.  Why didn’t the administration take steps in 2021 to stem illegal immigration? Notable answer: “The first bill we proposed was to fix our broken immigration system and we needed Congress to act. It did not. Fast forward to 2024; we had a bipartisan bill that was going to pass and Donald Trump told his party to kill it because he would rather run on a problem than have a solution.”

• What do you say to millions of people who support Donald Trump after you have called him a racist? “Most reasonable people have said that the things he says are just wrong. People want a leader who is not trying to divide us.”

• On the road segment with Liz Cheney supporting Kamala Harris.

• War in Ukraine. Notable answer: “I would not meet with Putin without Ukraine being at the table. If Donald Trump were president, Putin would be sitting in Kyiv today. Trump's “resolution” is surrender.”

• Gun ownership. Notable answer: “I own a Glock and have for some time. Why? I have a background in law enforcement.”

• In a short segment on Tim Walz, Whitaker mouthed right-wing attacks on Walz’s credibility as though minor inconsistencies in personal recollections from thirty years ago are on the same scale as “The election was stolen from me.”

• From the Walz segment:

• Tim Walz / Misrepresentations about record. Notable answer: “People know who I am and know the difference between someone getting carried away with the emotion of a story and being a pathological liar.”

• Tim Walz / Trump claims you are a radical. Notable answer: “Trump may be referring to the fact that our children get breakfast and lunch in school so that they can learn. He may be talking about the fact that we have a paid family leave policy that was promoted by the business community. Trump spends his time tearing down states rather than lifting up the best of what they do. I am waiting for Trump's solutions . . .”

• Tim Walz / Calling Republicans weird. Notable answer: “They are making up stories about immigrants eating cats and dogs. That is beyond weird. It is dehumanizing. Let’s debate policy.”

• Kamala Harris / What do you make about the fact that Trump did not appear for a 60 Minutes interview. Notable answer: “If you want to know who Donald Trump is, go to one of his rallies. He talks only about himself and his grievances. He does not talk about the people attending the rally. The American people are ready to turn the page.”

All in, it was a successful appearance by Harris and Walz. Expect critics to complain that Kamala Harris has failed to addressed specifics of her economic policies or that voters don’t “know” Kamala Harris. Those are excuses by lazy journalists who can’t be bothered to write about the stakes of the election and “undecided” voters who are ashamed to say that they are voting for Trump.

Kamala and Tim cannot be detained by such disingenuous criticisms. The fact that the major media is miffed that Harris is doing an end run around their self-appointed DC beltway gatekeeping function is of little concern. Harris and Walz must concentrate on turning out voters who support them or oppose Trump—which is exactly what they are doing!

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As once-in-century hurricane heads for Florida, major media is silent about Trump's disaster relief lies

Hurricane Milton threatens to hit Florida on Wednesday as a once-in-century storm. FEMA and the National Guard are already stretched thin in their response to Hurricane Helene. And Trump continues to spew his disinformation about their response in North Carolina—creating an aura of distrust and the potential for vigilante violence by misguided storm victims who believe Trump's lies about the disaster relief.

The good news is that many responsible Republican elected officials have criticized or condemned Trump's lies. The bad news is that the criticism hasn’t stopped Trump. He as at it again on Monday. See The Guardian, Fema chief warns ‘dangerous’ Trump falsehoods hampering Helene response.

While the major media outlets are rightfully focused on the potential damage from Hurricane Milton, they have already lost interest in Trump's disinformation campaign. It has disappeared from their platforms—even though Trump has not relented. His lies continue unabated.

Never before and never again in the history of our Republic will we witness a presidential candidate leverage the lives and safety of victims of natural disasters into pawns in a campaign. Kamala Harris condemned Trump's statements on Monday—and the major media yawned (except for The Guardian). Harris said, in part,

People are in desperate need of support right now and playing political games at this moment, in these crisis situations – these are the height of emergency situations – it is utterly irresponsible and it is selfish and it is about political gamesmanship instead of doing the job that you took an oath to do, which is to put the people first.”

And I cannot stress enough to all the folks in Florida in the Tampa area, please listen to evacuation orders. Please listen to your local officials because I know a lot of folks out there have survived these hurricanes before; this one is going to be very, very serious and I urge you to grab whatever you need.

The other point I’d make is there’s a lot of misinformation being pushed out there by the former president about what is available, particularly for the survivors of Helene. First of all, it’s extraordinarily irresponsible. It’s about him, it’s not about you. The reality is Fema has so many resources that are available to those who desperately need them.”

\Trump is subordinating the lives and safety of hundreds of thousands of Americans to his partisan political interest. That is a scandal unmatched in American history—and it is missing from the front pages and websites of nearly every major news source. Shameful!

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Florida threatens local news stations with jail time for running political ads supporting ballot initiative

If you want a view into what a second Trump presidency would look like, check out Florida. Governor Ron DeSantis has threatened to prosecute local news stations for running political ads in support of the ballot initiative to protect reproductive rights in Florida. The threats are plainly unconstitutional, but the fact that the state is threatening jail time for political speech is beyond the pale. Let’s hope that all Floridians are outraged by this abuse of power and government overreach—and motivated to turn out in massive numbers on November 5. See Talking Points Memo, DeSantis Threatening Jail Time for Running Abortion Rights Ads in Florida.

Again, the fact that the major media has not come down on DeSantis like a ton of bricks bespeaks an inexplicable quiescence in the face of an onrushing fascist threat.  

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Opportunities for Reader engagement

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Join me in DC for an in-person Reader meeting this Friday!

Join me and my wife on Friday, October 11 mid-day for a reader meeting in D.C. Sign up here: DC Reader Meeting sign-up sheet.

I am still looking for someone to provide a venue for the meeting! If you can volunteer, please indicate that fact on the sign up sheet!

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Join me in a fundraiser for Dan Osborne on Thursday—candidate for US Senate from Nebraska

Please join me, 31st Street Swing Left and Co-Sponsor Senate Circle at our fundraiser supporting Dan Osborn, October 10 at 6 p.m. ET to hear Dan, and learn what an amazing candidate he is.  

There is no Democrat running for the US Senate seat currently held by unpopular Republican Deb Fischer. Enter Dan Osborn. While the race is clearly a challenge, Dan is perfect for Nebraska, with a voice that resonates with Nebraskans.  Most exciting, the most recent poll shows Dan ahead by 1 point! See HuffPo, Republicans Are Scrambling To Stop Dan Osborn, The Independent Running For Senate In Nebraska | HuffPost Latest News

Here is the LINK TO REGISTER for this free event. 

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Join me in a fundraiser for Debbie Mucarsel-Powell and Colin Allred on Thursday—candidates for US Senate for Florida and Texas

On October 11, 6:00 p.m. Eastern / 3:00 p.m. Pacific, I will be moderating an event sponsored by Senate Circle for Debbie Mucarsel-Powell (FL) and Colin Allred (TX). Both started as underdog challengers whose campaigns have greatly benefited from the burst of enthusiasm surrounding the nominations of Harris & Walz.

Their victories would solidify a Democratic majority in the US Senate. Mucarsel-Powell and Allred have their sights set on defeating the two most endangered Republican Senators, Rick Scott (FL) and Ted Cruz (TX). The Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee is now investing in these states, and a groundswell of donor support can help reach the many voters who are still undecided or unfamiliar with the Democratic nominees. 

The Zoom fundraiser will take place on Friday, October 11, at 6:00 p.m. Eastern / 3:00 p.m. Pacific, and I will sign on 20 minutes early to chat with readers who join the call. Please RSVP or donate now on the ActBlue page. The minimum donation to participate in the Zoom is $100.

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Swing the Vote! Help college students register and vote!

Swing the Vote with its portal StudentVote.Info, assists college students in seven swing states and crucial swing districts register and vote. They help them meet the challenges from voter suppression, bureaucratic hurdles, and misinformation with a one-stop, full-service, mobile-friendly registration & voting plan resource for students and their parents. 

Swing the Vote offers campus-specific registration, voter ID requirements, proof of residency, and voting plans by text or email, access to paper registration forms and pre-addressed stamped envelopes, voter ID and proof of residency information, sample voter registration forms, and personal support from volunteer voting experts. 

Please help maximize votes in swing states today by using  swingthevote.us when canvassing on college campuses in AZ, GA, MI, NY, NC, PA, or WI and Text our video to college students (or anyone age 16 – 24).

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Concluding Thoughts

One of the benefits of writing this newsletter is that I regularly correspond with readers from across the country. I received two emails over the last week that inspired me with confidence.

The first is from Patricia H., who lives in Asheville, North Carolina, the epicenter of the floods that ravaged the state. Amid the destruction, she reached out to me with a question about attaching “early vote stickers” to the postcards she is sending into Michigan! Patricia writes,

I live in Asheville and am among the luckier folks who have power (but no running water). But I have time and I’m working on another 100 postcards for the Field Team 6 effort in Michigan. 

Talk about dedication to the cause! Kudos to Patricia H. for not giving up, even in the face of a one-hundred-year flood.

I also received this note from Michael H:

Am just back home in San Pedro, CA from a week of knocking on doors for Tester in Butte and a few surrounding towns. Butte is a liberal area, but still… here are the results:

Out of 108 actual conversations:

• 4 “Get off my lawn.”

• 5 “Don’t wanna talk about it.”

• 5 “Support the GOP.”

• 23 “Lean Tester and Dem ticket.”

• 71 “Strong Tester and Dem ticket support.”

Many long conversations. 30-40 minutes. These people will vote. Most by mail. (Ballots will be arriving in a week or two.)

Anecdotally, I saw 125-130 Tester yard signs. 

2 (literally-not a typo) Sheehy signs. 

1 (!) Trump sign (again, literally). 

So not to indicate anything related to the final result in November but encouraging. 

I assume Michael was canvassing Democrats, so the door knocking results are encouraging but expected. But the yard signs are a signal in the noise!

To be sure, “data” is not the plural of “anecdote,” and there was nothing scientific about Michael’s observations while canvassing. But the facts could have been otherwise—he could have witnessed scores of Trump signs. Michael’s observations are consistent with the “on the ground” reports about Democratic enthusiasm and organization.

We have lots of hard work to do, and there is no rest for the weary! As always, we have every reason to be hopeful but no reason to be complacent!

Daily Dose of Perspective

The image below is of the elusive Horsehead Nebula. For years, I tried to observe the Horsehead Nebula while peering through my telescopes with my eye. I did see it once—but only through a friend’s 18” Dobsonian telescope—and it was tiny!

I was pleasantly surprised by the pleasing image I was able to capture with a one-hour exposure.

The Horsehead Nebula is located 1,375 light-years from Earth. It is a dark nebula that occludes a bright nebula in the background.