I find I can't take the latest shooting seriously. First it was "shots fired in Trump's vicinity," then it was a gunfight between two people near Trump, now it's a second assassination attempt. Bullpuckey. Isn't it just peachy that we apparently have a bunch of people who couldn't hit a barn from three feet away toting lethal weapons around? Swell.
Naturally the Trump campaign jumped on it to make that coward seem like a big, brave man, but it's backfiring rather spectacularly. I think they are either trying to use it to prop up his dying campaign, they planned it themselves, or it has nothing to do with Trump at all.
Above all, I think Americans are giving a collective shrug and a gigantic "Who cares about this second-rate theater?", which is not the effect they were hoping for. These people are exhausting, and this latest spin is pathetic.
And yet once again, Trump is taking up all the oxygen in the room - or media I should say. Online, both the NYT and the WaPo are leading with stories about the “assassination attempt” and nothing about Harris or anything substantive about campaign or policy. I’m disgusted.
Agree. I refuse to be a conspiracy theorist, but I have to wonder if the LaCivita mentalities at work behind the scenes didn't cook up the attack just for that reason--to keep Trump in 100% of the headlines. That's all they care about--flooding the zone. They think--perhaps rightly--that if they can keep Harris out of the news, people will forget about her and vote for the felon. That's why we have to keep giving giving giving to the Dems--so they can flood the TV airwaves with fabulous Harris ads, since she can't get any un-paid-for media.
Both shooters were apparently disaffected Trump supporters.
Routh remains listed an active unaffiliated voter in North Carolina, according The News & Observer, a McClatchy publication in North Carolina...... Routh, according to the New York Post and archives of his X account, said he voted for Trump in 2016.
It's almost like a guy who is hateful and constantly engages in stochastic terrorism attracts like minded people who support casual violence and want to watch the world burn. Rhetoric matters and the GOP has created a monster they can't control.
Yes! What I read yesterday was that he was a dem, contributed to dem fund raising via ActBlue, but that he was convicted (I think) of owning a "weapon of mass destruction." This is very wearing.
The fact that both shooters were Trump supporters makes me wonder, against my better nature, if they were hired by LaCivita (what would be the price tag, a million dollars? ten million?) to shoot at Trump and miss, and take the fall. The media headlines are worth at least fifteen million, right? Cheap at the price. (Ok, I'm going to stop thinking this way now.)
In Florida,it is legal to hunt or fish while openly carrying a firearm, including an AR—15. The Florida Legislature’s proposed Amendment 2 would preserve the right to hunt and fish by “traditional methods”.Local legislators have supported a bill to lower the age to own a long gun/assault rifle to 18. Perhaps the Legislature is concerned about preserving this “traditional” method of hunting and fishing for the younger generation.
Their not brain damaged, power and greed are their drug. Brain damaged or brainwashed are the people who vote for these despicable people. Let’s not forget the corporate owned media, they helped brainwash people with lies and omissions and continue to do so.
The only reaction I received from a friend was "What, missed again?" I don't advocate violence AT ALL, but I think you are correct about the "collective shrug" and the "second-rate theater" response to this latest "attempt" if that's what it truly was.
That's the point. Near misses, dinner delivered by Petco, "I won the debate 86-3," all of it is distraction, to keep people from 1) looking closely at his past record and 2) looking at what he plans to do to us if he gets a chance to implement Gilead/Fourth Reich. Our job is to NOT get distracted and turn out the vote. I think we can do it, because Harris is gaining, not losing, momentum, and people see through his stunts. We outnumber the MAGAs if we can just be bothered to get the F off the couch and vote.
Agree. The point here is gun violence, not who it's aimed at. It is never ok to aim a gun at a human going about their daily business, much less fire at one. The suspect, Routh, has had multiple run-ins with the law and yet is allowed to keep and continue to tote around in public a serious gun. Even though he filed the identification numbers off it. Shouldn't that tell you something? Anybody can have a gun in today's America, and it seems like the most unstable and most criminal of our people are the ones that take the most advantage of our almost non-existent gun laws. (I was surprised that the feds arrested Routh for "violating federal gun laws." I didn't think we had any. Now that the Republicans have found out about it, I'm sure they'll take swift and effective steps to wipe them off the books. They're very effective at that kind of thing, although not effective at all in keeping our government open for business. The irony here is exquisite.)
Michael Moore (someone for whom I had a lot more respect for in the past than I do now, to be honest) said that 67% of Americans do NOT own guns. I don't know where he got that percentage, but I think he's reasonably honest, so I don't doubt him. We are, yet again, being held hostage by a violent, noisy, minority. We need to get to the ballot box and give her such a landslide that these bullies slink away to their rocks.
MSNBC's reaction is surprising to me. They've been fantastic since the DNC getting at Trump, highlighting what he and Vance are doing. Since yesterday, it's been nonstop "assassination" talk, more than even Fox! They're repeating themselves on a constant loop. Enough already!
Great summary of the disgusting behavior of the GOP! It will just get worse and the wisdom in the next 50 days is how to address without changing course. I agree with HCR this is part of a larger play for the senate. Your message and pictures are on target as always Robert. Thanks!
Christopher, interesting. The eating cats and dogs lies, a ploy to gin up the hate & fear factor in Ohio so Brown loses. The assassination attempt in Florida--an attempt to make Mucarsel-Powell lose? The cynicism is disgusting.
I am waiting for Musk, Trump and Vance to be subject of DOJ and FBI investigation. Musk is acting like a foreign agent as far as I am concerned, and should lose all of his government contracts. Of course, with his Rocket planned to bring back the 2 astronauts floating in outer space with the malfunction of their vehicle after the election, that may be hard to do. Which shows why it is such a bad idea to use him in the first place. Secondly, Trump and Vance are inciting violence, they should be charged, and tried and locked up if found guilty. In the meantime, Ohioans need to get the abortion message out and drown out their Haitian Immigrants. This Lincoln Project Video called That Morning should be played in Ohio. https://youtu.be/76fxxtAszQY?si=yFooGSgQZ2hYHC0g
Yesterday, I laid out Ohio law. Re Springfield. Trump and Vance, operating on the JP Barnum school of PR, continually repeat hate speech based on lies. The federal statutes defer to state law.
Need to identify who have been spreading the BS and establish that there have been damages. "Armed neo-Nazi members of Blood Tribe – a hardcore white supremacist group, according to the Anti-Defamation League – flew flags bearing swastikas and marched through a prominent downtown street while a jazz and blues festival was taking place nearby in August.
One witness to the march, who declined to be interviewed by the Guardian due to fearing for their family’s safety after being doxed by rightwing extremists online, reported that members of the group pointed guns at cars and told people to “go the fuck back to Africa”.
A Springfield police representative, however, appeared to downplay the scene, telling local media that the hate group’s march was “just a little peaceful protest”.
Several days later, a leading member of Blood Tribe who identified himself as Nathaniel Higgers, but whose real name is Drake Berentz, spoke at a Springfield city commission meeting.
(A) No person shall violate section 2903.21, 2903.22, 2909.06, or 2909.07, or division (A)(3), (4), or (5) of section 2917.21 of the Revised Code by reason of the race, color, religion, or national origin of another person or group of persons.
(B) Whoever violates this section is guilty of ethnic intimidation. Ethnic intimidation is an offense of the next higher degree than the offense the commission of which is a necessary element of ethnic intimidation.
If Trump or Vance directed their BS against an individual, they'd be accountable for defamation, but defamation is not a crime in Ohio.
However as to intimidation, it's not a stretch for Ohio to ask Trump and Vance to cease and desist or suffer criminal consequences under Ohio Code section-2927.12.
Also not a stretch to warn Trump and Vance that they will be labelled as terrorists just like Al Qaeda.
If Merrick Garland were to “grow a spine and [d]o something”, as you say, it would lead to a front-page controversy, drowning out all the issues Democrats are trying to push.
After years of his outrageous lies and bold, unrelenting schemes to steal the 2020 election, it's interesting to see that the latest attempted assassination of Trump was so neatly foiled and almost immediately became another fund-raising vehicle for the Trump campaign.
Convenient too, that Speaker Johnson went to visit his boss, relaying to the media that Trump is "strong and resilient" at a time when Trump is throwing verbal spaghetti at the media wall in a desperate attempt to bury his weak debate perfornance against Kamala Harris.
Keep up the great work, Harris/Walz team! Your opponent is spinning his wheels and so far seems to be going nowhere fast. Perhaps next week he'll report an alien sighting in the Mar-a-Lago buffet line.
Thank you CC. A bogus threat spurred by narcissistic desperation. I'll start believing there were real assassination attempts on trump when he stops fundraising 5 minutes after they "occurred".
Rebecca Traister, author of "The People for Kamala Harris How a women-led movement, born in the devastation of 2016, put Democrats on the brink of making history" is a splendid read of how we got to this moment where Kamala Harris is the Democratic candidate for President. As I read along, I felt as though I was in the room(s) where it all happened.
Peter Thiel's got some answering to do when all is said and done. Born in Frankfurt Germany and educated at the finest schools in the US including Stanford, you could imagine a scenario in which he'd be grateful for his life and success in our country as constructed over the many years since he was born in the 1960s. Turning it into Germany of the 1930s strikes me as counter to his own best interests. Though he certainly has found a community of fellow travelers including Trump, Musk, and Trump's acolytes like Stephen Miller.
But, he is bright. In fact, he's a lot smarter than Trump, day in and day out. So why the desire for an authoritarian take-over of our country? The country that provided him the opportunity to make riches far beyond the dreams of avarice.
I think about it this way: Donald Trump is so panicked that he thinks he gains more by inciting violence against Taylor Swift among his followers than he loses by inciting innumerable Swifties to vote against him. That's very bad math, which is very good for us, if one can overlook the horrific, frightening part of that statement.
I used to tell my kids that "successful" is not a synonym for "smart." Elon Musk is the proof. Besides being a reprehensible human being, he's an idiot, which I would think would be considered a negative in Silicon Valley, but what do I know?
As usual, Robert, I agree with you and appreciate your righteous anger on our behalf. But I do wish you would emphasize more frequently that this election is about only one thing: voter turnout.
I assume that the people who pay to read your thoughts are a self-selected group that instinctively apply a framework of rationality and analysis to important events in order to understand and explain them. But this election is not about issues or policies or causes, effects and solutions. The only group that might remotely claim to be "persuadable" voters are life long Republicans who finally realize what a threat Donald Trump is to this country, the things they care about and ultimately themselves. That's a small group that is not going to decide this election.
Turnout by people who already hate Trump or recognize the danger of Trump or who already lean Democratic on the issue(s) important to them is the only thing that matters. The rest is just the stuff we all (including politicians and the political class) think we have to do because we've always done them but if it doesn't increase turnout it doesn't matter.
Jeff, it definitely is about voter turnout, and Robert has been very clear about that, as have others. I'm more concerned about combatting voter suppression efforts, which exacerbate the turnout need. In addition to encouraging turnout, we must encourage voter registration and status confirmation. Here's an important USA.GOV link: https://www.usa.gov/confirm-voter-registration
Robert H. has met with many grassroots volunteer groups for weeks, plus used this newsletter to highlight others. ALL are working to turn out voters. Here is where I learned for Field Team 6, Sister District, Postcards to Swing States (I just finishes 25), and so many others.
Yes, Robert has been all over the voter turnout issue, especially promoting grassroots groups, but also explaining how important turnout is in this election. I said "more frequently" to suggest that I think it should be an every day reminder, both for itself and to combat that sinking feeling we get when we read Robert's coverage on the issue/scandal/kerfuffle of the day. Obviously I was not clear enough about that. My apologies to Robert and everyone else. The danger of posting in the middle of the night.
The ISK of the day is intended to distract so that we don't see what's going on behind the curtain, or as the GOP VP candidate put it, to "create a story" to focus attention on an issue.
It most definitely is a turnout election. Jeff, in fairness to Robert he did open a newsletter with that message at least once in the past week. That said, it really can't be stressed enough. Of the seven swing states, only GA had a turnout rate under 70%, and Pennsylvania topped 76%. Those are daunting numbers to someone like me who grew up politically in an era where 60%was good turnout. So, given all that, what will it take to win PA, 80%? I honestly don't know the answer, but I know that getting voters to the polls is crucial. I know that you are deeply involved in the efforts in NC. Do voter registrations indicate that they could top the 72% turnout in 2020? Regardless, we all know the assignment is getting out the vote.
If I were the DNC, I'd have surrogates speaking through the media in every small town in crucial states. Letters to editors. Besides reminding the public that Trump hates dogs and sole from kids with cancer, the public needs to decide whether it would have been OK to hang Mike Pence, beat up 145 cops, shit on Nancy Pelosi's desk, on Jan 6, etc. In Pa, 7 House members are BIG LIARS. Need to call out every one of them.
E..G. The public does not know that Mike Kelly, who represents a Gerrymandered district in WPa is ethically challenged. "
Preston Nouri, the Democratic candidate for PA's 16th District, issued a statement Friday calling on Kelly to step down. The call is based on allegations that Kelly was involved in a fake elector scandal meant to keep former President Donald Trump in power following the 2020 election.
In June 2022, Kelly was implicated by Senator Ron Johnson from Wisconsin in a scheme to give Vice President Mike Pence fake electors in an effort to overturn the 2020 election results. At the time, Johnson told BusinessInsider.com that he received a slate of fake electors from Kelly's office.
"I have not talked to Ron Johnson since 2011, never talked to him during this whole election cycle and I think there is a continuing difference in what he says took place," Kelly told 21 News in June of 2022. "I have no knowledge of anything taking place and quite frankly when you ask people so, what is it he's saying we did and I said really, why would somebody think a congressman from Pennsylvania would have anything to do with the election procedure in Wisconsin? I don't know, I haven't talked to him about it, I haven't talked to any of his staff. I really have no understanding of what it is we're trying to get to there."
Nouri's statement called on Kelly to "reveal if he has been contacted by law enforcement and if he is cooperating with investigations at the state and federal level."
"Mike Kelly is the most corrupt member of Congress. Every time we blink, Mike Kelly is caught doing something immoral, if not outright criminal. The facts are clear: Mike Kelly lied about his involvement in this attempt to overturn Democracy, and he's spent years using his office to enrich himself. It's time for him to finally do the honorable thing and resign," Nouri said.
Rep. Kelly has previously denied any involvement in the fake elector scheme."
The Lagoon nebula is so lovely!! thank you for this! a nice way to conclude today's edition.
As for what you wrote, "We should be inspired to work with even greater dedication and confidence—and to ignore the noise that is the sound of Trump's campaign desperately trying to distract attention from its failures while appealing to the ugliest instincts of his base," you are 100% correct. We the People just need to keep our eyes on the goal and disregard the polls as well as not get distracted by the hate speech and lies spewed by tffg and his minions. We must trust in the process and that there are others who will call them out on the bigotry and misinformation with which they are attempting to disguise the issue of their inhumane and cruel policies.
Thank you for being here with us, Robert; you keep us inspired and keep us moving forward.
What about the senatorial opponent of Sherrod Brown in Ohio? With all the hoopla about Haitians eating the pets of Springfield, we are probably being remiss in focusing in on the opponent’s shortcomings, which maybe the reason for the outrageous, over-the-top “pet” distraction. Anybody heard anything?
Bernie Moreno is a good example of a carpet bagger. An immigrant himself, he's jumped on the MAGA train purely for greed and ambition. After all, Gym Jordan's 4th District covers a good chunk of Central Ohio where Moreno (and Brown) needs to win. My deep analysis is that he'll say anything to win, and has the moral flexibility to fit right in. More on Moreno:
Yes, provoking non-stop coverage of outrageously dangerous lies is the strategy of distraction famously favored by The Donald. It remains to be determined what kind of “bounce” he will enjoy as a result of the event initially billed as a “second assassination attempt.”
Observing Trump and listening to his lies, fabrications, and hate mongering have made me feel like he can't live without the oxygen of media coverage. Too bad he seems to have chosen Joseph Goebbels for his inspiration. Lead by hate and fear of "the other", don't inspire love or admiration through good ideas and decency.
I want to comment on the Nazi playbook references. Exactly right. Before the Nazis began killing the Jews they had to convince the public that Jews were vermin spreading disease etc. I am not saying Trump/Vance want to kill Haitians but they do want to drum up hatred in support of their immigration policies. Simply unbelievably reprehensible.
Yes, that is exactly how the Nazis manipulated the Germans. Trump learned from his dad, the art of being a real SOB, a racist, and a fascist. He has carried his legacy against the Haitians now by way of JD’s remarks. He has always been someone to jump on that train. Too bad that he hasn’t been pushed off the caboose.
Great points in the post today Mr. Hubbell! Pete Buttigieg always cuts right to the point and I really hope we can see him as President one day.
Not to hope on the polls, but I've done some digging into Nate Silvers model and he thinks that Harris isn't gaining enough steam in PA and it is essentially tied there which means it leans towards Trump. His model is very dependent on Trump winning PA. Do you have any details on the new voter registrations being driven from that state or any updated on the ground details?
Also, not to go off on a tangent about Elon Musk, but there was an attempted assassination on Biden last year... (https://apnews.com/article/utah-biden-fbi -assassination-threat -ba3cc1d3b2f6cca8bd429febdcf04219). Obama had like 11 assassination attempts that were made public. Like I know that Elon has a bunch of dumb takes, but at this point I think it is way overdue for the sake of national interest to revoke all of his security interests and to stop subsidizing his companies which wouldn't have existed if it wasn't for democratic policy positions.
It's almost like these people start creating their own reality before looking up to see what is currently going on in the reality they live in. There undoubtedly are attempts on Biden and Harris but because they aren't insane, and they don't engage in rhetoric that toes the line of stochastic terrorism, their supporters aren't nearly as crazed. Seems to be ironic that both Trump assassinations seem to come from formerly dissatisfied supporters who are clearly mentally ill. I was hoping that this election cycle the MAGA movement, Trump / Vance and others in general would stop engaging in the stochastic terrorism but no dice.
Thanks for mentioning that the cats and dogs stories are MAGAs way of winning the Senate with migrant stories in Ohio where Sherrod Brown is running for reelection. He and Montana’s John Tester are the key to Dems holding the Senate without which there will be no government. Both have to win and both are in extremely red states. We need to concentrate our efforts in Montana and Ohio to keep the senate Democrats.
Can we please stop referring to these incidents as assassination attempts? Correct me if I missed it, but the first shooter at the rally in July did not leave any notes about his intentions and now he’s dead, so how do we know it was an assassination attempt? And what I’ve heard about second shooting also doesn’t sound like an assassination attempt. Is this language only being used because he’s a former president? Why don’t we use this language for other shootings?
Our county party had our Democracy Tent (a mobile HQ for our party) at the Mexican/ South American festival this weekend. We had Republican white male visitors who are voting for Kamala. I was canvassing and found another Repub man voting for Kamala. I bumped into our deputy Board of Elections commissioner and she said registrations are off the charts. 100, sometimes 200 per day and 80% Democrat. We bring our Democracy Tent to all the main festivals in our county and we have tripled our visitors this year. Young, old, African American, Hispanic. Usually it’s just the regular white “base”. Kamala buttons are being gobbled up and women are all winking at each other. I started the fall with 30 Vols for my Neighbor to Neighbor canvass program in town and now have 45. We’ve moved about 6000 postcards just in my town. More coming!!
I know in my heart that we are multiplied by the hundreds all over this country. We just have to keep inspiring and empowering our communities and show them that Democracy is theirs to own.
Robert. You and all your readers inspire me every day. My heart is full.
JD Vance is truly odious, but he is more dangerous than he might appear. If, through some tragedy, Trump were to prevail, Vance would be the proverbial heartbeat away. Worse, given Trump’s ever-more-obvious mental decay, there would be a very good chance of him becoming the acting-president soon, either behind the scenes or through the 25th Amendment. Now, is that enough to inspire you to work even harder?
I find I can't take the latest shooting seriously. First it was "shots fired in Trump's vicinity," then it was a gunfight between two people near Trump, now it's a second assassination attempt. Bullpuckey. Isn't it just peachy that we apparently have a bunch of people who couldn't hit a barn from three feet away toting lethal weapons around? Swell.
Naturally the Trump campaign jumped on it to make that coward seem like a big, brave man, but it's backfiring rather spectacularly. I think they are either trying to use it to prop up his dying campaign, they planned it themselves, or it has nothing to do with Trump at all.
Above all, I think Americans are giving a collective shrug and a gigantic "Who cares about this second-rate theater?", which is not the effect they were hoping for. These people are exhausting, and this latest spin is pathetic.
And yet once again, Trump is taking up all the oxygen in the room - or media I should say. Online, both the NYT and the WaPo are leading with stories about the “assassination attempt” and nothing about Harris or anything substantive about campaign or policy. I’m disgusted.
Agree. I refuse to be a conspiracy theorist, but I have to wonder if the LaCivita mentalities at work behind the scenes didn't cook up the attack just for that reason--to keep Trump in 100% of the headlines. That's all they care about--flooding the zone. They think--perhaps rightly--that if they can keep Harris out of the news, people will forget about her and vote for the felon. That's why we have to keep giving giving giving to the Dems--so they can flood the TV airwaves with fabulous Harris ads, since she can't get any un-paid-for media.
Can we say "Bread & Circuses"?
More or less as the saying goes: “If it (almost) bleeds, it leads.” – standard media operating procedure.
Move on.
Agree. MSNBC literally spent hours regurgitating the same few facts most of today. Oddly, even Fox stopped doing it when Routh was caught and gave up.
Both shooters were apparently disaffected Trump supporters.
Routh remains listed an active unaffiliated voter in North Carolina, according The News & Observer, a McClatchy publication in North Carolina...... Routh, according to the New York Post and archives of his X account, said he voted for Trump in 2016.
....
Read more at: https://www.miamiherald.com/news/local/crime/article292534604.html#storylink=cpy
Democrats want to see him in jail, not martyred by assassination.
It's almost like a guy who is hateful and constantly engages in stochastic terrorism attracts like minded people who support casual violence and want to watch the world burn. Rhetoric matters and the GOP has created a monster they can't control.
Seems like he's becoming the victim of his own stochasticism
I sure wish the media would amplify that he was a Trump voter. Thank you for letting us know
If wishes were horses, beggars would ride. The media is corrupted. Greedy like Trump. Your wish will not be granted. Sorry.
Yes! What I read yesterday was that he was a dem, contributed to dem fund raising via ActBlue, but that he was convicted (I think) of owning a "weapon of mass destruction." This is very wearing.
The fact that both shooters were Trump supporters makes me wonder, against my better nature, if they were hired by LaCivita (what would be the price tag, a million dollars? ten million?) to shoot at Trump and miss, and take the fall. The media headlines are worth at least fifteen million, right? Cheap at the price. (Ok, I'm going to stop thinking this way now.)
Of course the shooter used an AR-15.
In Florida,it is legal to hunt or fish while openly carrying a firearm, including an AR—15. The Florida Legislature’s proposed Amendment 2 would preserve the right to hunt and fish by “traditional methods”.Local legislators have supported a bill to lower the age to own a long gun/assault rifle to 18. Perhaps the Legislature is concerned about preserving this “traditional” method of hunting and fishing for the younger generation.
Floridians, vote NO on Amendment 2.🗳️
https://www.clickorlando.com/news/local/2021/05/13/case-dropped-against-gun-toting-fisherman-youtuber-arrested-in-brevard-county/
https://ballotpedia.org/Florida_Amendment_2,_Right_to_Hunt_and_Fish_Amendment_(2024)
Didn’t the R VP candidate recently remark after another school shooting that “Unfortunately, we have to get used to it”?
Yes he did. He said it's a fact of life. Gun violence and dead schoolchildren--a fact of life.
OMG. He is below despicable.
Well, there you go! Thanks for confirming. I swear, they must have suffered some awful brain damage to continue to say the things they do.
Their not brain damaged, power and greed are their drug. Brain damaged or brainwashed are the people who vote for these despicable people. Let’s not forget the corporate owned media, they helped brainwash people with lies and omissions and continue to do so.
only for the younger generation. The older generation can go out and slaughter fish with machine guns.
Well said. Like the kid on the playground who feigns injury to get out of a losing position.
The only reaction I received from a friend was "What, missed again?" I don't advocate violence AT ALL, but I think you are correct about the "collective shrug" and the "second-rate theater" response to this latest "attempt" if that's what it truly was.
Ellen, I had to restrain myself from saying, when I heard about the attempt, "Ask me if I care!"
I get that, but my reaction has largely been, dammit, he's going to suck up all the oxygen AGAIN.
That's the point. Near misses, dinner delivered by Petco, "I won the debate 86-3," all of it is distraction, to keep people from 1) looking closely at his past record and 2) looking at what he plans to do to us if he gets a chance to implement Gilead/Fourth Reich. Our job is to NOT get distracted and turn out the vote. I think we can do it, because Harris is gaining, not losing, momentum, and people see through his stunts. We outnumber the MAGAs if we can just be bothered to get the F off the couch and vote.
It’s tiresome.
Agree. The point here is gun violence, not who it's aimed at. It is never ok to aim a gun at a human going about their daily business, much less fire at one. The suspect, Routh, has had multiple run-ins with the law and yet is allowed to keep and continue to tote around in public a serious gun. Even though he filed the identification numbers off it. Shouldn't that tell you something? Anybody can have a gun in today's America, and it seems like the most unstable and most criminal of our people are the ones that take the most advantage of our almost non-existent gun laws. (I was surprised that the feds arrested Routh for "violating federal gun laws." I didn't think we had any. Now that the Republicans have found out about it, I'm sure they'll take swift and effective steps to wipe them off the books. They're very effective at that kind of thing, although not effective at all in keeping our government open for business. The irony here is exquisite.)
Michael Moore (someone for whom I had a lot more respect for in the past than I do now, to be honest) said that 67% of Americans do NOT own guns. I don't know where he got that percentage, but I think he's reasonably honest, so I don't doubt him. We are, yet again, being held hostage by a violent, noisy, minority. We need to get to the ballot box and give her such a landslide that these bullies slink away to their rocks.
It’s interesting to note that the golf course is next door to something called Gun Club Estates and, of course, it’s in Florida.
MSNBC's reaction is surprising to me. They've been fantastic since the DNC getting at Trump, highlighting what he and Vance are doing. Since yesterday, it's been nonstop "assassination" talk, more than even Fox! They're repeating themselves on a constant loop. Enough already!
Great summary of the disgusting behavior of the GOP! It will just get worse and the wisdom in the next 50 days is how to address without changing course. I agree with HCR this is part of a larger play for the senate. Your message and pictures are on target as always Robert. Thanks!
Still time for a blue tsunami.
https://www.fieldteam6.org/all-volunteer-ops/volunteer
Christopher, interesting. The eating cats and dogs lies, a ploy to gin up the hate & fear factor in Ohio so Brown loses. The assassination attempt in Florida--an attempt to make Mucarsel-Powell lose? The cynicism is disgusting.
I am waiting for Musk, Trump and Vance to be subject of DOJ and FBI investigation. Musk is acting like a foreign agent as far as I am concerned, and should lose all of his government contracts. Of course, with his Rocket planned to bring back the 2 astronauts floating in outer space with the malfunction of their vehicle after the election, that may be hard to do. Which shows why it is such a bad idea to use him in the first place. Secondly, Trump and Vance are inciting violence, they should be charged, and tried and locked up if found guilty. In the meantime, Ohioans need to get the abortion message out and drown out their Haitian Immigrants. This Lincoln Project Video called That Morning should be played in Ohio. https://youtu.be/76fxxtAszQY?si=yFooGSgQZ2hYHC0g
Yesterday, I laid out Ohio law. Re Springfield. Trump and Vance, operating on the JP Barnum school of PR, continually repeat hate speech based on lies. The federal statutes defer to state law.
Need to identify who have been spreading the BS and establish that there have been damages. "Armed neo-Nazi members of Blood Tribe – a hardcore white supremacist group, according to the Anti-Defamation League – flew flags bearing swastikas and marched through a prominent downtown street while a jazz and blues festival was taking place nearby in August.
One witness to the march, who declined to be interviewed by the Guardian due to fearing for their family’s safety after being doxed by rightwing extremists online, reported that members of the group pointed guns at cars and told people to “go the fuck back to Africa”.
A Springfield police representative, however, appeared to downplay the scene, telling local media that the hate group’s march was “just a little peaceful protest”.
Several days later, a leading member of Blood Tribe who identified himself as Nathaniel Higgers, but whose real name is Drake Berentz, spoke at a Springfield city commission meeting.
“I’ve come to bring a word of warning. Stop what you’re doing before it’s too late,” Berentz told Springfield’s mayor, Rob Rue. “Crime and savagery will only increase with every Haitian you bring in.”https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2024/sep/14/neo-nazis-springfield-ohio-haitian-immigrants
Ohio has a law against ethnic intimidation.
(A) No person shall violate section 2903.21, 2903.22, 2909.06, or 2909.07, or division (A)(3), (4), or (5) of section 2917.21 of the Revised Code by reason of the race, color, religion, or national origin of another person or group of persons.
(B) Whoever violates this section is guilty of ethnic intimidation. Ethnic intimidation is an offense of the next higher degree than the offense the commission of which is a necessary element of ethnic intimidation.
https://codes.ohio.gov/ohio-revised-code/section-2927.12
The use of terror is less effective when there are consequences. DOJ and Homeland Security have terrorist watchlists. The FBI has a Terrorist Screening Center. https://www.fbi.gov/about-us/ten-years-after-the-fbi-since-9-11/just-the-facts-1/terrorist-screening-center-1
If Trump or Vance directed their BS against an individual, they'd be accountable for defamation, but defamation is not a crime in Ohio.
However as to intimidation, it's not a stretch for Ohio to ask Trump and Vance to cease and desist or suffer criminal consequences under Ohio Code section-2927.12.
Also not a stretch to warn Trump and Vance that they will be labelled as terrorists just like Al Qaeda.
Ohio Republicans who control state government will do nothing
The way the law is supposed to work, that gives the federal government jurisdiction.
https://www.justice.gov/hatecrimes/laws-and-policies
Operative word is “ supposed”. There needs to be a victim and someone who was injured or harmed.
Ohio has a duty to follow its own law and failing to do so they are the perp.
If you think Merrick Garland will grow a spine and so something, I have a bridge to sell you.
If Merrick Garland were to “grow a spine and [d]o something”, as you say, it would lead to a front-page controversy, drowning out all the issues Democrats are trying to push.
Strategic silence is the wisest policy.
Agree. Action can still be taken after Kamala is elected.
Was this guy arrested then?
Apparently not.
Daniel, what you report is so horrifying I can't even muster up a cogent reaction.
Thank you, Linda. Great Lincoln Project ad.
It’s politics and freedom of speech.
Freedom of speech is limited. No yelling "fire!" in a theater and no inciting violence.
https://www.findlaw.com/criminal/criminal-charges/rioting-and-inciting-riots.html#:~:text=Under%20federal%20law%2C%20inciting%20a,beliefs%20in%20speech%20or%20writing.
No court will stop this behavior only voting.
After years of his outrageous lies and bold, unrelenting schemes to steal the 2020 election, it's interesting to see that the latest attempted assassination of Trump was so neatly foiled and almost immediately became another fund-raising vehicle for the Trump campaign.
Convenient too, that Speaker Johnson went to visit his boss, relaying to the media that Trump is "strong and resilient" at a time when Trump is throwing verbal spaghetti at the media wall in a desperate attempt to bury his weak debate perfornance against Kamala Harris.
Keep up the great work, Harris/Walz team! Your opponent is spinning his wheels and so far seems to be going nowhere fast. Perhaps next week he'll report an alien sighting in the Mar-a-Lago buffet line.
Thank you CC. A bogus threat spurred by narcissistic desperation. I'll start believing there were real assassination attempts on trump when he stops fundraising 5 minutes after they "occurred".
Just another opportunity to grab headlines, grift his donors.
According to msn, Nate Silver's 538 is funded by Peter Thiel. That should explain why Harris' numbers are so low!
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/political-consultant-points-out-nate-silver-is-paid-by-peter-thiel-after-538-projects-trump-victory/ar-AA1qk3rC
Rebecca Traister, author of "The People for Kamala Harris How a women-led movement, born in the devastation of 2016, put Democrats on the brink of making history" is a splendid read of how we got to this moment where Kamala Harris is the Democratic candidate for President. As I read along, I felt as though I was in the room(s) where it all happened.
https://www.thecut.com/article/kamala-harris-women-movement-voters-organizers-grassroots-fundraising.html
And here's a summary presentation by Brian Tyler Cohen...a masterpiece!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gu8PIisd33I
Peter Thiel's got some answering to do when all is said and done. Born in Frankfurt Germany and educated at the finest schools in the US including Stanford, you could imagine a scenario in which he'd be grateful for his life and success in our country as constructed over the many years since he was born in the 1960s. Turning it into Germany of the 1930s strikes me as counter to his own best interests. Though he certainly has found a community of fellow travelers including Trump, Musk, and Trump's acolytes like Stephen Miller.
In the end Thiel is a pathetic, arrogant sub human who lives for his money and the influence it allows him. Sad for him and for the rest of the world.
But, he is bright. In fact, he's a lot smarter than Trump, day in and day out. So why the desire for an authoritarian take-over of our country? The country that provided him the opportunity to make riches far beyond the dreams of avarice.
Thiel is bright *in a certain way*. More to the point, he is *shallow*.
Psychopaths are often brilliant. But they are born lacking emotions and souls.
Thiel would be persecuted relentlessly in 1930-40s Germany for his sexual orientation. He’d better be careful who he roots for in 2024 America.
I think about it this way: Donald Trump is so panicked that he thinks he gains more by inciting violence against Taylor Swift among his followers than he loses by inciting innumerable Swifties to vote against him. That's very bad math, which is very good for us, if one can overlook the horrific, frightening part of that statement.
I used to tell my kids that "successful" is not a synonym for "smart." Elon Musk is the proof. Besides being a reprehensible human being, he's an idiot, which I would think would be considered a negative in Silicon Valley, but what do I know?
As usual, Robert, I agree with you and appreciate your righteous anger on our behalf. But I do wish you would emphasize more frequently that this election is about only one thing: voter turnout.
I assume that the people who pay to read your thoughts are a self-selected group that instinctively apply a framework of rationality and analysis to important events in order to understand and explain them. But this election is not about issues or policies or causes, effects and solutions. The only group that might remotely claim to be "persuadable" voters are life long Republicans who finally realize what a threat Donald Trump is to this country, the things they care about and ultimately themselves. That's a small group that is not going to decide this election.
Turnout by people who already hate Trump or recognize the danger of Trump or who already lean Democratic on the issue(s) important to them is the only thing that matters. The rest is just the stuff we all (including politicians and the political class) think we have to do because we've always done them but if it doesn't increase turnout it doesn't matter.
Jeff, it definitely is about voter turnout, and Robert has been very clear about that, as have others. I'm more concerned about combatting voter suppression efforts, which exacerbate the turnout need. In addition to encouraging turnout, we must encourage voter registration and status confirmation. Here's an important USA.GOV link: https://www.usa.gov/confirm-voter-registration
Robert H. has met with many grassroots volunteer groups for weeks, plus used this newsletter to highlight others. ALL are working to turn out voters. Here is where I learned for Field Team 6, Sister District, Postcards to Swing States (I just finishes 25), and so many others.
Yes, Robert has been all over the voter turnout issue, especially promoting grassroots groups, but also explaining how important turnout is in this election. I said "more frequently" to suggest that I think it should be an every day reminder, both for itself and to combat that sinking feeling we get when we read Robert's coverage on the issue/scandal/kerfuffle of the day. Obviously I was not clear enough about that. My apologies to Robert and everyone else. The danger of posting in the middle of the night.
The ISK of the day is intended to distract so that we don't see what's going on behind the curtain, or as the GOP VP candidate put it, to "create a story" to focus attention on an issue.
It most definitely is a turnout election. Jeff, in fairness to Robert he did open a newsletter with that message at least once in the past week. That said, it really can't be stressed enough. Of the seven swing states, only GA had a turnout rate under 70%, and Pennsylvania topped 76%. Those are daunting numbers to someone like me who grew up politically in an era where 60%was good turnout. So, given all that, what will it take to win PA, 80%? I honestly don't know the answer, but I know that getting voters to the polls is crucial. I know that you are deeply involved in the efforts in NC. Do voter registrations indicate that they could top the 72% turnout in 2020? Regardless, we all know the assignment is getting out the vote.
Still can get more Democrats registered. FT 6. https://www.fieldteam6.org/all-volunteer-ops/volunteer
If I were the DNC, I'd have surrogates speaking through the media in every small town in crucial states. Letters to editors. Besides reminding the public that Trump hates dogs and sole from kids with cancer, the public needs to decide whether it would have been OK to hang Mike Pence, beat up 145 cops, shit on Nancy Pelosi's desk, on Jan 6, etc. In Pa, 7 House members are BIG LIARS. Need to call out every one of them.
E..G. The public does not know that Mike Kelly, who represents a Gerrymandered district in WPa is ethically challenged. "
Preston Nouri, the Democratic candidate for PA's 16th District, issued a statement Friday calling on Kelly to step down. The call is based on allegations that Kelly was involved in a fake elector scandal meant to keep former President Donald Trump in power following the 2020 election.
In June 2022, Kelly was implicated by Senator Ron Johnson from Wisconsin in a scheme to give Vice President Mike Pence fake electors in an effort to overturn the 2020 election results. At the time, Johnson told BusinessInsider.com that he received a slate of fake electors from Kelly's office.
"I have not talked to Ron Johnson since 2011, never talked to him during this whole election cycle and I think there is a continuing difference in what he says took place," Kelly told 21 News in June of 2022. "I have no knowledge of anything taking place and quite frankly when you ask people so, what is it he's saying we did and I said really, why would somebody think a congressman from Pennsylvania would have anything to do with the election procedure in Wisconsin? I don't know, I haven't talked to him about it, I haven't talked to any of his staff. I really have no understanding of what it is we're trying to get to there."
Nouri's statement called on Kelly to "reveal if he has been contacted by law enforcement and if he is cooperating with investigations at the state and federal level."
"Mike Kelly is the most corrupt member of Congress. Every time we blink, Mike Kelly is caught doing something immoral, if not outright criminal. The facts are clear: Mike Kelly lied about his involvement in this attempt to overturn Democracy, and he's spent years using his office to enrich himself. It's time for him to finally do the honorable thing and resign," Nouri said.
Rep. Kelly has previously denied any involvement in the fake elector scheme."
Not published in the papers in his district!
"Trump understands that he is on the verge of being canceled and is going all out to retain viewership." - Yes: Trump Jumps The Shark!
The Lagoon nebula is so lovely!! thank you for this! a nice way to conclude today's edition.
As for what you wrote, "We should be inspired to work with even greater dedication and confidence—and to ignore the noise that is the sound of Trump's campaign desperately trying to distract attention from its failures while appealing to the ugliest instincts of his base," you are 100% correct. We the People just need to keep our eyes on the goal and disregard the polls as well as not get distracted by the hate speech and lies spewed by tffg and his minions. We must trust in the process and that there are others who will call them out on the bigotry and misinformation with which they are attempting to disguise the issue of their inhumane and cruel policies.
Thank you for being here with us, Robert; you keep us inspired and keep us moving forward.
What about the senatorial opponent of Sherrod Brown in Ohio? With all the hoopla about Haitians eating the pets of Springfield, we are probably being remiss in focusing in on the opponent’s shortcomings, which maybe the reason for the outrageous, over-the-top “pet” distraction. Anybody heard anything?
Bernie Moreno is a good example of a carpet bagger. An immigrant himself, he's jumped on the MAGA train purely for greed and ambition. After all, Gym Jordan's 4th District covers a good chunk of Central Ohio where Moreno (and Brown) needs to win. My deep analysis is that he'll say anything to win, and has the moral flexibility to fit right in. More on Moreno:
https://www.statenews.org/government-politics/2024-09-14/republican-us-senate-candidate-moreno-backs-deporting-legal-haitian-immigrants-in-ohio
Yes, provoking non-stop coverage of outrageously dangerous lies is the strategy of distraction famously favored by The Donald. It remains to be determined what kind of “bounce” he will enjoy as a result of the event initially billed as a “second assassination attempt.”
Observing Trump and listening to his lies, fabrications, and hate mongering have made me feel like he can't live without the oxygen of media coverage. Too bad he seems to have chosen Joseph Goebbels for his inspiration. Lead by hate and fear of "the other", don't inspire love or admiration through good ideas and decency.
True
I want to comment on the Nazi playbook references. Exactly right. Before the Nazis began killing the Jews they had to convince the public that Jews were vermin spreading disease etc. I am not saying Trump/Vance want to kill Haitians but they do want to drum up hatred in support of their immigration policies. Simply unbelievably reprehensible.
Yes, that is exactly how the Nazis manipulated the Germans. Trump learned from his dad, the art of being a real SOB, a racist, and a fascist. He has carried his legacy against the Haitians now by way of JD’s remarks. He has always been someone to jump on that train. Too bad that he hasn’t been pushed off the caboose.
Great points in the post today Mr. Hubbell! Pete Buttigieg always cuts right to the point and I really hope we can see him as President one day.
Not to hope on the polls, but I've done some digging into Nate Silvers model and he thinks that Harris isn't gaining enough steam in PA and it is essentially tied there which means it leans towards Trump. His model is very dependent on Trump winning PA. Do you have any details on the new voter registrations being driven from that state or any updated on the ground details?
Also, not to go off on a tangent about Elon Musk, but there was an attempted assassination on Biden last year... (https://apnews.com/article/utah-biden-fbi -assassination-threat -ba3cc1d3b2f6cca8bd429febdcf04219). Obama had like 11 assassination attempts that were made public. Like I know that Elon has a bunch of dumb takes, but at this point I think it is way overdue for the sake of national interest to revoke all of his security interests and to stop subsidizing his companies which wouldn't have existed if it wasn't for democratic policy positions.
It's almost like these people start creating their own reality before looking up to see what is currently going on in the reality they live in. There undoubtedly are attempts on Biden and Harris but because they aren't insane, and they don't engage in rhetoric that toes the line of stochastic terrorism, their supporters aren't nearly as crazed. Seems to be ironic that both Trump assassinations seem to come from formerly dissatisfied supporters who are clearly mentally ill. I was hoping that this election cycle the MAGA movement, Trump / Vance and others in general would stop engaging in the stochastic terrorism but no dice.
Thanks for mentioning that the cats and dogs stories are MAGAs way of winning the Senate with migrant stories in Ohio where Sherrod Brown is running for reelection. He and Montana’s John Tester are the key to Dems holding the Senate without which there will be no government. Both have to win and both are in extremely red states. We need to concentrate our efforts in Montana and Ohio to keep the senate Democrats.
Used to be that cats and dogs stories were "soft news"
Can we please stop referring to these incidents as assassination attempts? Correct me if I missed it, but the first shooter at the rally in July did not leave any notes about his intentions and now he’s dead, so how do we know it was an assassination attempt? And what I’ve heard about second shooting also doesn’t sound like an assassination attempt. Is this language only being used because he’s a former president? Why don’t we use this language for other shootings?
Morning!
Our county party had our Democracy Tent (a mobile HQ for our party) at the Mexican/ South American festival this weekend. We had Republican white male visitors who are voting for Kamala. I was canvassing and found another Repub man voting for Kamala. I bumped into our deputy Board of Elections commissioner and she said registrations are off the charts. 100, sometimes 200 per day and 80% Democrat. We bring our Democracy Tent to all the main festivals in our county and we have tripled our visitors this year. Young, old, African American, Hispanic. Usually it’s just the regular white “base”. Kamala buttons are being gobbled up and women are all winking at each other. I started the fall with 30 Vols for my Neighbor to Neighbor canvass program in town and now have 45. We’ve moved about 6000 postcards just in my town. More coming!!
I know in my heart that we are multiplied by the hundreds all over this country. We just have to keep inspiring and empowering our communities and show them that Democracy is theirs to own.
Robert. You and all your readers inspire me every day. My heart is full.
Amy, what state? Thank you for sharing this hopeful message!
JD Vance is truly odious, but he is more dangerous than he might appear. If, through some tragedy, Trump were to prevail, Vance would be the proverbial heartbeat away. Worse, given Trump’s ever-more-obvious mental decay, there would be a very good chance of him becoming the acting-president soon, either behind the scenes or through the 25th Amendment. Now, is that enough to inspire you to work even harder?
Yep!