100 Comments

At the Gillespie County Election Office the election administrator and her entire staff resigned today in Fredericksburg, Texas, following threats and stalking by election deniers, conspiracy theorists and “people who are pretty fanatical and radical,” according to a report by the Fredericksburg Standard’s Brent Burgess. This is in a county that voted 79% for DT. Texas Republicans have had control of elections now for decades and the Election Administrator in Texas have done a very good job. It is so ridiculous that these radical cult followers of DT are making life miserable for people just trying to do their job and know what they are doing. This has got to stop!

Expand full comment
founding
Aug 16, 2022Liked by Robert B. Hubbell

This is so scary, because that is what they want. They hope to take it over with crazies.

Happy evening Robert and Jill. Congrats!

Expand full comment

I am reminded of the Taliban: Lots of rhetoric and bullying, with little governance or management.

Expand full comment
Aug 16, 2022·edited Aug 16, 2022

We are on that path in Florida…Our much respected(Republican) Supervisor of Elections is under attack from Brevard Republican Executive Committee and “ Defend” Florida as they reject 2020 results, cite “ fraud” and inundate the office with onerous public record requests. Apparently the BREC “resolution” adopted the same language as a resolution approved by the Texas GOP at its state convention .And Flynn has moved to Florida and trying to oust the head of GOP in Sarasota.

Expand full comment

Wow! I can’t imagine the threats they must have received . Theirs seems to me to be an amazingly unified response. 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻 What kind of publicity is it getting in Texas? ❤️🤍💙

Expand full comment

Beto as a stop on his Drive through Texas campaign will be in Fredericksburg Wednesday evening . So, I'm a little worried about what will happen but then Beto may make national news ib the way he handles this.

Expand full comment

Beto will handle it well. (Authentically. He’s one of the good guys.) Would love to see him be Governor Beto. ❤️🤍💙

Expand full comment

Smart Texans want him to be Governor Beto. We'll have to see how many of us vote.

Expand full comment

Hopefully the same way he handled the gun heckler last week.

Expand full comment

Tell us more. I missed that.

Expand full comment

There's video, https://youtu.be/gyxSw7-BsQE

Some of the language is NSFW but it definitely gets the point across.

Expand full comment

Thank you, Dave. Go, Beto!

Expand full comment

Enabled evil thinks they can intimidate all of us; they are aggressive, shameless and a cult of Fox insanity for the most part. Of course, social media and Fox clones reinforce this political firestorm that is greased to the max by seemingly unlimited dough. Will Rupert say one syllable about the Dems successes lately, only lies.

Expand full comment

That is horrible.

Expand full comment
Aug 16, 2022Liked by Robert B. Hubbell

Thank you for mentioning some things tonight that I had not seen elsewhere, such as the little facts about Microsoft and Ireland (being a Seattle-area reader, my antennae are always out for news on those barely significant Washington companies like Microsoft, Boeing, Amazon and Starbucks, and the tricks they are up to).

Expand full comment
author

Under the IRA, the US will capture at least 15% of that $350 billion that Microsoft moved offshore. About 15 years ago, Ireland decided to reinvigorate its economy by becoming a tax haven. It worked for about a decade--an influx of new capital, international headquarters, etc. And then Trump cut US taxes and companies abandoned Ireland for the US and other tax havens, creating an economic shock. Trying to attact companies by manipulating taxes is a bad idea and why it is significant that the US has joined 136 other countries in imposing a 15% minimum corporate tax.

Expand full comment

It's known as "Transfer Pricing" - legally moving product from one related party, i.e., affiliates/subsidiaries, to another - adding some value at each link - until its final destination - where it is sold to a non-related third party, and the profit can be recognized at that point - in a low-tax rate country. You can Google the very recent action of the OECD in getting its member nations to agree to a 15% marginal tax. And the U.S. did sign on to that agreement. Hence, imho, this change under the IRA.

Expand full comment

Thanks for articulating the specific details and benefits of the Inflation Reduction Act and we and the Democrats have to start talking about it everyday. I have started today sending emails and posting comments like “Did you know the Inflation Reduction Act creates an average Medicare enrollee an average cost reduction per enrollee of $800 per year.? I did not know that either. “. If everyone reading Today.’s Edition sent and posted just one detail of the plan a day to ten friends to spread the word we can combat the Republican misinformation campaign . Take the points in Today’s Edition as a guideline. and spend the next week being a Information Ambassador and getting the word out. We have momentum and we need to keep pushing. Please take the time and let’s get the word out.

Expand full comment

Excellent suggestion! I love the format: "Did you know that.....I didn't either!" This can also be posted on FB and Twitter. And thanks Robert for spelling it out so clearly!

Expand full comment

Stephen I'm passing your suggestion on to Susan Levy who commented below on a flyer she's creating with the points from Robert's essay. I suggested that she consider formatting it as “Did you know the Inflation Reduction Act creates an average Medicare enrollee an average cost reduction per enrollee of $800 per year.? I did not know that either. “. Thanks again!

Expand full comment
Aug 16, 2022Liked by Robert B. Hubbell

The irony is palpable: the supporters of Blue Lives Matter attack our FBI. Just as they attacked and harmed the capitol hill police. Lets ask Gym Jordan and the Freedom Caucus to clarify just which police it is that they support? Wouldn't other police and crime fighters like to know who's got their back?

Expand full comment
author

The old, venerable Newsweek (now a tabloid) just published an op-ed titled, "Abolish the FBI."

Expand full comment

Why does he have 3 passports? What countries?

Expand full comment

Good Q. Inquiring minds want to know! ❤️🤍💙

Expand full comment

Maybe he is really an international asasin!

Expand full comment

Exactly. One is all you need. My son has two, but that is because he has citizenship in two countries. Or maybe it is one for DJT, one for Melania and one for their son. BTW, where are the latter two these days?

Expand full comment

See my response

Expand full comment

Exactly - I'd like to know if he had his, Melania's, and Barron's. Are they trapped?

Expand full comment
Aug 16, 2022·edited Aug 16, 2022Liked by Robert B. Hubbell

Have a lovely dinner...or three!

What a relief to have a through line of the FBI search. It is through pinpointing we can see the change. Thanks for that!

Also, H. Arendt points out that those losing power use violence, remembering who you are is a plus.

I liked what you wrote yesterday about climate activists coming from everywhere. When my kids were young I blogged the Waimea Ocean Film Festival -- it was great, about climate, sports, and I met leaders of island nations whose land was being enveloped in sea water, but also those who were cleaning and finding business by keeping their nations clean, raising fish habitat, that kind of thing. This was real movement. The leader of this film festival gave a speech she wouldn't let anyone film but these words rang clear, "If we are not part of the first wave we will be part of the second" She was talking about climate change. The festival began with five people and a five star chef in her house...and grew with luminaries coming from all over the world. Her vision (and she is a single parent) inspired me and Sundance invited Tania Howard's festival to London.

Expand full comment
Aug 16, 2022Liked by Robert B. Hubbell

I read the comment from another reader, about Fredericksburg, TX. The same thing happened, last month, here in Prescott, AZ. The conservative Republican Recorder of Yavapai County and the Director of Elections both resigned, saying there had been a uptick in harassment from election deniers-even around their homes.

Expand full comment

Yet the radical high court justices complain about peaceful protestors. Protesting is not the same as threatening. These MAGA cult people are threatening with death threats and the like.

Expand full comment
author

All protests in Arizona by MAGA followers are now armed because most everyone in Arizona is armed.

Expand full comment
Aug 16, 2022Liked by Robert B. Hubbell

It was my understanding that the agents took his two government passports (one being a diplomatic one) because as a former President he was no longer eligible to use them. I am certainly not defending him but it might shed some light on whether he’s a flight risk or not.

Expand full comment
Aug 16, 2022Liked by Robert B. Hubbell

I just heard that the FBI returned his passports. It truly doesn't look as though he's a flight risk although wouldn't it be lovely if he went permanently to Brazil?

Expand full comment
author

Perhaps the FBI and DOJ had second thoughts and believed it would be better for all concerned if Trump fled the country?

Expand full comment

Oh, if only! But at least our Attorney General is now proving his worth. You were right all along. I was one of those calling for his head due to apparent inaction.

Expand full comment

You two make me so pleased to be in your orbit. Happy anniversary again to both of you!

Expand full comment
Aug 16, 2022Liked by Robert B. Hubbell

Happy Anniversary! Fred and I just celebrated 42 with all our kids- let’s highlight the love in our lives!

Expand full comment
author

congrats!

Expand full comment
Aug 16, 2022Liked by Robert B. Hubbell

I was so excited about the ability of the government to negotiate drug prices, how ever I’m pretty sure that my somewhat obscure medication will not be among the 100 medication’s that they negotiate so I will continue buying this medication from Canada, because as a retiree, the Medicare pharmacy plans want me to pay $1750 every three months for this medication

Expand full comment
author

Sorry to hear Norma, but I believe your out-of-pocket for drug costs will be capped at $2,000 annually, even if your drugs are not among the 100 listed.

Expand full comment

Hopeful, but I wonder how that would actually work. Would that mean that once Norma had bought six months of that drug, she would get the rest at no cost?

Expand full comment

Yes, there will be that. I think it’s not going to take effect until 2024.

Expand full comment

Oh wow, I had no idea it could be that bad! Maybe when we get a solid Dem congress that list can be expanded to ALL.

Expand full comment

I didn’t either, and was frankly shocked. I thought what I was paying for a co-pay through my insurance at work was bad enough.

Expand full comment

To steal a phrase from an NPR business program, you explain news "for the rest of us". Thanks.

Expand full comment

Happy 41st anniversary to you two awesome people… what a team! Enjoy that candy apple red truck! Happy happy anniversary!

Expand full comment
founding

Trump had three passports? How? Why? I’ve heard reports that one was a diplomatic passport that he should have returned on abandoning the White House. Such a passport should never have been issued to him, because he was never a diplomat, and never diplomatic. In any event, any passports should be held, because he is clearly a flight risk. He should be on an ankle monitor, too.

Expand full comment
founding

Congratulations and Bon Appetit <clink>

Expand full comment

Congratulations and thank you for doing this yeoman's job. It settles me down every night despite the oft shocking news

Expand full comment