“Not proposals for peace; instead, proposals for surrender.”

September 27, 2024

My wife and I again express our concern for the people of Florida as Hurricane Helene makes landfall. Please exercise caution and stay safe! The comments section is open to all, so readers from Florida (or readers with family and friends in Florida) can post comments.

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President Biden and VP Harris meet with Ukrainian President Zelensky

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky met separately with President Biden and Vice President Harris on Thursday. The meetings were remarkable on many levels.

First, the Biden-Harris administration continues to present a unified front in supporting Ukraine while placing limitations on the offensive use of American weapons. The Biden-Harris administration’s steadfast support for Ukraine stands in stark contrast to the nearly universal GOP embrace of Putin’s war of aggression against Ukraine. See US Department of Defense, Biden Administration Announces New Security Assistance Package for Ukraine.

Second, Vice President Harris’s meeting and joint press conference with President Zelensky gave VP Harris a more prominent public-facing role in discussing US foreign policy toward Ukraine and Russia. Joe Biden deserves great credit and admiration for his generosity of spirit in allowing VP Harris to take a leading role on an important foreign policy matter. Biden’s action allowed VP Harris to showcase experience on the international stage. Joe Biden’s lack of ego is remarkable for a man who has risen to the nation’s highest office.

In her remarks in a joint press conference with President Zelensky, VP Harris said,

My support for the people of Ukraine is unwavering.

[T]there are some in my country who would instead force Ukraine to give up large parts of its sovereign territory, who would demand that Ukraine accept neutrality, and would require Ukraine to forego security relationships with other nations.

These proposals are the same as those of Putin, and let us be clear, they are not proposals for peace. Instead, they are proposals for surrender, which is dangerous and unacceptable.

See The Guardian, Harris decries Trump’s ‘proposals of surrender’ as Zelenskyy visits White House | Volodymyr Zelenskyy

Finally, as Biden and Harris were strongly supporting Ukraine, Trump was strongly suggesting that he would sell out Ukraine by demanding surrender. At a press conference on Thursday, the following exchange occurred:

Trump: I believe I will be able to make a deal between President Putin and President Zelensky quite quickly.

Reporter: What does that look like?

Trump: I don’t want to tell you what that looks like.

Trump's evasion is outrageous on many levels. The press would never accept such evasion from Kamala Harris. Remember when the White House pool reporters literally screamed at Karine Jean-Pierre when she told the press that an army specialist in Parkinson’s Disease did visit President Biden during several dozen visits to the White House. (The next day it was reported that the physician was visiting with veterans of the Iran and Iraq war working in the White House.)

Moreover, it is clear that Trump's secret plan involves telling Zelensky that the US will cut off aid to Ukraine unless it surrenders immediately to Putin. There is no other reasonable inference to be drawn from Trump's refusal to specify his “peace plan.”

Kamala Harris is right. Trump's “proposals for peace” are really “proposals for surrender.” Yet another reason the choice is clear and important in November.

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The NYTimes is finally writing about Trump's unhinged press conferences

The press conference at which Trump evaded the reporter’s question about Ukraine was billed as a press conference about immigration. But Trump grew bored of his prepared remarks on immigration and began a free-style jazz improvisation without the jazz. As described by the NYTimes (Gold and Haberman),

Mr. Trump quickly appeared to grow bored with the remarks he read from, and drifted repeatedly toward other topics. He talked about inflation, accused Ms. Harris of lying about working at McDonald’s years ago and nursed his fury over how the ABC News debate moderators handled his face-off with Ms. Harris nearly three weeks ago.

At the beginning of the news conference, Mr. Trump struggled at times to articulate his thoughts or make a point clearly. He stumbled over some words as he read from remarks he had plainly not written. He bootstrapped one thought onto another based on whether the words associated with something else, as opposed to having a clear through line. [¶¶]

The group of Trump employees and supporters gathered in the lobby along one of the barricades that penned in where Mr. Trump spoke appeared to grow restless, with some looking around, as Mr. Trump talked and talked.

See NYTimes, McDonald’s, Pelosi, Debate Moderators: Trump Speech on Border Veers Off Course.

In the past, the NYTimes reported such remarks as “meandering.” Now, the Times is accurately reporting that Trump is “struggl[ing] to articulate his thoughts.” When Joe Biden spoke with a lifelong stutter, the Times demanded that he withdraw from the presidential race. Now that the Times is acknowledging that Trump cannot think or speak in a logical or linear fashion, the Times is content to describe the sorry spectacle and shrug its shoulders.

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President Biden signs executive order on gun violence

On Thursday, the President signed an executive order designed to reduce the proliferation of machine guns and “ghost guns,” and improving active-shooter drills in schools. See WhiteHouse.gov, Executive Order on Combating Emerging Firearms Threats and Improving School-Based Active-Shooter Drills | The White House

VP Harris leads the newly established White House Office of Gun Violence Prevention. After President Biden signed the executive order, he handed the pen to VP Harris and urged her to “keep it going.” Kamala Harris then said,

It is a false choice to suggest you are either in favor of the Second Amendment, or you want to take everyone’s guns away. I am in favor of the Second Amendment and I believe we need to reinstate the assault weapons ban. [The American people have a right to] live, work, worship and learn without fear of violence -- including gun violence.

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Trump stands by Mark Robinson, pretends he doesn’t know what controversy is about

During Trump's presidency, a standard tactic by Republicans trying to avoid commenting on Trump's latest outrageous statement was to say, “I haven’t seen the tweet.” On Thursday, Trump resorted to that tactic with Mark Robinson, the GOP candidate for governor of North Carolina. When a reporter asked Trump if he will drop his endorsement of Mark Robinson, Trump said,

I don’t know the situation.

Of course, Trump knew enough about Mark Robinson to describe him as “Martin Luther King on steroids.” But now that Robinson has been caught making comments on a porn forum praising Nazis and slavery, Trump “never heard of the guy.” (My words, not his.)

Critically, Trump will not withdraw his endorsement of Mark Robinson no matter what—which should give Democratic candidate for governor, Josh Stein, a reason to keep hammering Robinson and Trump throughout the remainder of the campaign. If Trump can’t un-endorse a guy who says that Mein Kamp is a good read, his antisemitic credentials are incontestable.

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Opportunities for Reader engagement

Help turn Every State Blue!

Please join me to crowdfund for underfunded Democratic state legislative nominees in Missouri, Ohio, and Tennessee by Friday September 27’s deadline. 

Every State Blue's mission is to crowdfund for underfunded Democratic nominees for state legislature – typically campaigns in the reddest, roughest, toughest districts. Nominees use these funds for yard signs, postcards, and gas money to reach voters in their often sprawling, rural districts – spreading a Democratic message across the state. So far this cycle, Every State Blue’s state projects (Blue Missouri, Blue Tennessee, and Blue Ohio) have already raised and distributed over $525,000. 

ESB is sending one final disbursement based upon fundraising totals as of Friday, September 27, so there is still time to contribute and make a difference in these rural districts. Make a one-time contribution to Missouri’s Democratic nominees here. Make a one-time contribution to Ohio’s Democratic nominees here. Make a one-time contribution to Tennessee’s Democratic nominees here. If you would like to support Every State Blue’s efforts but not necessarily a specific state’s nominees, you can do that here.

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Force Multiplier

Force Multiplier invites you to zoom with  six challengers in competitive races who need funding who can help Flip the House in '24! We only need to net four seats to regain control of the House. 

Join us at one or both of these events and meet them! Register and donate just once for a link that will work for both events. 

Monday September 30th 8:00-9:00 pm ET:

Dr. Amish Shah (AZ 01), John Mannion (NY 22) and Kristen McDonald Rivet (MI 08)

Tuesday October 1st 7:00-8:00 pm ET:

Carl Marlinga (MI 10), Shomari Figures (AL 02) and Janelle Stelson (PA 10)

(Zoom links will be sent on the day of the event. Please note the differing starting times for these events and that the October 1 event will be finished before the VP debate starts)

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Postcards to Voters Needs Help!

The more help, the more postcards, and the more Democrats voting in important districts! PTV volunteers are now writing for John Mannion in NY CD-22, Curtis Hertel in MI CD-7, and Senator Sherrod Brown in OH. Help is wanted for all of those races, but John Mannion's list is going more slowly than the other two. Mannion flipping NY-22 could help flip the House and it’s slated to be a very close election.

PTV just launched a great new system for getting scripts & addresses!! It’s really easy to use! If you joined PTV anytime since it started back in 2017, go to abby.postcardstovoters.org and use the same email address you registered with, and Web Abby (a bot) will walk you through 3 quick steps to get addresses. The second time you use Web Abby, when the bot knows you, it’s really fast!  

If you have any trouble, or are new to PTV and you want to join, just email postcards@tonythedemocrat.org and tell them you want to join or what your issue is, and a member of the PTV volunteer Rapid Response Team (a human) will help you!  YAY FOR POSTCARDS TO VOTERS!! Invite a friend to write, too!

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Concluding Thoughts

One of the greatest blessings of writing this newsletter is that I get to meet and hang out with grassroots volunteers across the nation. They are truly inspiring! Today, I attended a Zoom house party for Movement Voter Project. It was an inspiring and humbling experience! Movement Voter Project helps fund local grassroots organizations engaged in relational organizing, a strategy that involves long-term, consistent efforts to build trust with the voters who will decide the election.

The most common question I receive from readers is, “I am unsure where I should direct my donations. What do you recommend?”  Groups like Movement Voter Project do the hard work of vetting local organizations to ensure that they are effective and yield results in states that matter. If you are intrigued, check out this two minute video: Want to Beat Trump in 2024? (youtube.com).

Having a trusted way to direct money to important races is great! But what impressed me most was the dedication and incredible professionalism of the grassroots volunteers who run MVP to ensure that Democrats are motivating turnout in key states among key demographics. I felt a new rush of confidence and hope after participating in the MVP event. You can get a sense of what I experienced by watching the video.

But here’s the most important point: Groups like MVP are holding events across the nation every day to maximize turnout. 2024 will be a close race up and down the ballot, but Democrats are doing exactly the type of “on-the-ground” relational organizing that will help ensure victory—even in unexpected races and states.

I don’t believe that Republicans are doing the same thing as hundreds of thousands of Democratic grassroots volunteers—but we shouldn’t care either way. We can’t count on their lack of coordination to help us win. We must earn our victories vote-by-vote—which means running all the way through (and past) the finish line. We have plenty of reason to be hopeful, but no reason to be complacent!

Talk to you tomorrow!

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Daily Dose of Perspective

Earlier this week, I posted a photo of the nebula cataloged as NGC 7822. The photo included two prominent tracks of Starlink satellites that dissected the photo. When I published the photo, I had not figured out how to remove the Starlink light trails. I have now learned how to remove satellite trails from my photos, so I republish below the same image of NGC 7822 posted earlier in the week—but now with the satellite light trails removed.

NGC 7822 is 2,900 light-years from Earth and has a diameter of 75 light-years. The image above captures only a small portion of a much larger complex of gas clouds and emission regions.