While not exactly on point, a big happy 100 birthday to one of our greatest environmental and humanitarian presidents, Jimmy Carter. May he live long enough to not only vote for Kamala Harris, but see her installed as president. And cast the vote that gives her Georgia's electoral votes.
Jimmy Carter was my first Presidential vote, and now I'm in his birthday mosaic. <3. Thank you, Just Raven, for the link. (I'm writing from Venice, Italy!)
“She may not be the perfect candidate for every voter, especially those who are frustrated and angry about our government’s failures to fix what’s broken — from our immigration system to public schools to housing costs to gun violence.” I’m glad that the NYTs endorsed Kamala Harris, but they still took a dig at her and Biden. Whose fault is it really that this is occurring? Not Joe Biden or Kamala Harris’s. When they tried to fix these things, MAGA Rs shut them down bc of the filibuster and trump told the them not to vote for the Border deal. No mention that KH wants to fix these things as well. Another reason to vote for her and more Dems for the Senate and House.
That statement is one of the reasons I said I didn't agree with everything on the article. Kamala is trying to fix those issues with reasonable policies. Trump is blocking progress. And the editors blame Kamala? Cowardly both siderism.
Yes Abby! Direct your damn anger about gun violence to the politician perpetrators REPUBLICAN LAWBREAKERS, who fight tooth and nail for their blood money. They consistently hide behind the Constitution when they betray our children for a deadly spray of bullets. Picture yourself in one of those killing field classrooms, you monsters. Picture yourself little again, innocent, and now completely expendable to those who've used you up. The same people your grown-ups put in control of your destiny, your life. Oh, and here's our thoughts and our prayers. Good bye all. Good bye.
It never reaches the mainstream but I believe the U.S. is still the world's #1 weapons dealer and we're not too choosy, as it seems, about who we sell to. 'We're #1!' in this context takes on a very ghoulish tone and it's no surprise of course that this lack of morals and ethics is reflected in our gun culture.
It appears that the NYT editorial is a little more direct than the one they did in July when President Biden was still running. Unfortunately, the editorial staff doesn't hold sway over the news staff, or more importantly, the headline writers. I think I'm seeing a little better reporting these days, but the Republican's choice is making it hard for them to turn away. I would have preferred this endorsement to be more full-throated, and acknowledge that VP Harris has only been at this for a couple of months, while the other guy has been running nonstop since 2015. It bugs me when they make a fuss about her not having much detail. They should look at her website. Her opponent's plans have plenty of substance - bull$#!+ is a substance.
Abbi, Well stated!! The NYT editorial dig suggesting that Harris and Biden are responsible for our broken immigration system, public schools, and gun violence provided yet another reason for canceling my NYT subscription.
Thanks Robert for always being a calm voice in the storm. We’re not going back. I’ve been writing postcards, helping with Chinese Americans for Harris. Still scared and hoping enough people turn out despite the efforts to disenfranchise voters. Jimmy Carter turns 100 today. Looking back on history, we can now see how the GOP plotted against a brilliant, good hearted man. Please stick around Jimmy for Kamala’s inauguration.
Taking a second bite at the apple here. NC Rep Jeff Jackson published this substack yesterday, 9/30. His is a more "boots on the ground" summary of what has been happening.
"As for Congress, one of our primary roles is to make sure the FEMA Disaster Relief Fund can cover the costs of the emergency response. However, the latest effort to replenish the fund failed due to opposition from the right-flank. So fixing that is going to be the first order of business when we return."
To help this along, Jessica Craven has urged that we call our reps and say something like: "I know everyone in the House has left on recess, but I’m asking the Senator (Congressmember) to call on them to return to Washington and pass a supplemental funding bill now so that states impacted by Helene have the resources they need."
'Just a week ago, Donald Trump was telling Republicans in Congress to shut down the federal government. You have representatives who voted to shut down the federal government in the midst of hurricane season. Now, let's just take a deep breath and imagine, what would have happened if Donald Trump had gotten his way and we would have shut down the federal government when this horrific biblical disaster occurred that affects so many Americans.'”
Important messages, Ellie. Reminding us that government can work and that faced with disasters or the individual decisions of peoples lives, government can play a role in protecting and saving lives, families, and communities.
Rick Scott calling for the Senate to reconvene is interesting, maybe self-serving in an election year, since Florida's governor has declared that Florida's s
82-year old Southern (Texas) white woman testimonial. I asked the Latino lady at the dry cleaners service counter for whom she was voting. Her eyes darted about. Confirming she could speak privately, she said, “Not Trump.” I was immediately and clearly delighted, but also curious as to her position. Well, she asked me had I read the 2025 document. When I admitted I had not, she delivered an impassioned bullet point list of plans to interfere with a woman’s right to her own body and every parent’s peril regarding the education of their child. I was chagrined and impressed. How about the cost of groceries, I wondered? She told me sternly that the government doesn’t and can’t control those costs. I implored her not to vote for Cruz. She sneered at the notion. She should lecture at Harvard.
Well, I am amazed and gratified that my Latino yard man (issue is poor border control is adding an avoidable premium to the cost of groceries in the Metroplex), Latino house lady (issue is risk of summary deportation of whole families), and Latino dry cleaner clerk (issue is woman’s rights and public education) are so diverse in sensitivities and yet so united in who to trust. I just hope to heaven they each and all are qualified to (and will) vote.
Your Latino friends remind me of my grandparents in the first half of the previous century, new immigrants from Poland who were clear-sighted critical thinkers who knew to vote for FDR and the New Deal because it would help them a great deal in their daily lives with their everyday issues. They knew it was the right thing to do for everyone. Today's spoiled tweeters have no idea what's real and are thinking in memes and voting along 21st century tropes: "Oh I saw him on TV and TV says she's no good so I better vote for him!" Thank heaven for clear thinking new immigrants. They are putting spoiled lazy-thinking long-time citizens to shame again and again.
I looked at the most popular comments to the NYT editorial, and almost all of them took the paper to task for the prominence given to Trump, the normalization of him or The Times’ reluctance to say that Kamala Harris is an excellent candidate for president in her own right. (Old habits die hard,). So the message is getting through.
Robert, you warned us things were going to get "ugly" the closer we got to election day.
I recommend Heather Cox Richardson's newsletter from yesterday where she enumerates the many ways the Federal Government has immediately responded to the hurricane that has affected so many states: "The White House today said that more than 3,300 federal personnel are deployed in the states impacted by Hurricane Helene and that at least 50,000 people from 31 states, the District of Columbia, and Canada are working to restore power. FEMA has moved in food and is working to restore cell coverage; federal search and rescue teams are on the ground; the U.S. Coast Guard is working to reopen damaged ports; the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is assessing damage and moving debris; the Environmental Protection Agency is working on water systems; the Small Business Administration has 50 people on the ground to support small businesses; the U.S. Department of Energy is monitoring power, fuel, and supply chains; the Department of Agriculture is extending credit to farmers who lost crops and livestock." https://heathercoxrichardson.substack.com/p/september-29-2024
As to abortion: I am reminded of Alito's comment from the Dobbs decision: "Women are not without electoral or political power," he said. He's about to find out how right he was.
Today is President Jimmy Carter's birthday. He turns 100 years old. What he's most excited about? Voting for Kamala Harris for President!
It sounds to me like Fulton County Superior Court Judge Robert McBurney deserves the Presidential Medal of freedom for his ruling and what he has so eloquently written. Bravo. It proves once more that even in the deep South, there are still points of bright light. Not everyone is devoted to the proposition that unenlightened white men should once again set the table rules for the whole state.
I cannot even imagine this mentally imbalanced, incompetent former president back in the White House. I can't see it happening. So it's literally unimaginable. I have a hard time thinking that he was in the office at all with all the obvious character flaws he continues to openly expose. It all just doesn't compute in my brain...like a meal that won't digest and continues to create nausea and gas.
I feel like I'm in an alternate political universe that's like a cartoon where there's a fat, bleach blonde, makeup wearing candidate who constantly bloviates lies and ridiculous, nonsensical statements. So yes, there's only one choice for president that I can see...Kamala Harris. She would be a worthy choice even if her opponent was a good one. Since her opponent is not a good one, it's even more apparent that there's only one patriotic choice for president, Kamala Harris!
What is so frightening is that there are so many American voters who think voting for Trump is a good idea. There is a deep well of hate and mental illness in this country. It needs to be addressed.
I agree. It is totally frightening that this many Americans can stand behind the most unfit man to ever occupy the White House. It is mind blowing to move about in my extremely red town which is located in probably the reddest county in all of Ohio and see all of the Trumps yard signs, flags and other pro-Trump paraphernalia being displayed.The most churched up people in this area invariably are for Trump. smfh.
It's comforting to know that there are millions of people out there, both rich and poor, who see this con artist for who he is. I believe that people who support him are naive, refusing to do any research. I'm originally from Idaho and it sounds like where you are in Ohio. I don't go back there to visit. What a time we live in!
Terry, I'm frightened that I have to agree with you. I'm meeting so many voters who still think they can--or have to--vote for Trump. Not to say they will prevail, but there are an awful lot of under-thinking people out there with the right to vote.
A letter I wrote this weekend -- feel free to adapt/share with the young voters in your lives, letters to the editor etc. (My hotlinks didn't transfer here, email me at cslevin59 at gmail if you want these)
Dearest nieces and nephews,
This upcoming election is tremendously important for you and your generation and your very lives depend on the outcome.
The rollback of the right to have an abortion has put your lives and those of the partners you love in danger, and not just hypothetically. Data is starting to come in that shows that maternal deaths in Texas since the enacting of the strict abortion law have gone up 56%. And that is not just from those who were prevented from getting an abortion in the first place but from those people who wanted children but who had complications in pregnancy which went untreated until too late because doctors were afraid of going to jail. A miscarriage or a pregnancy that goes wrong might kill one of you or your friends.
Or you might get killed by a bullet in a classroom or at the grocery store or at a concert or theater because the Republican Party, which in its abortion prohibitions says it is the party of life, has killed any regulations on firearms including on weapons of mass destruction like semi-automatic weapons. 172 House Republicans (nearly 80%!) even tried to kill the reauthorization of the Violence Against Women Act - an act that was passed by bipartisan support when it was first created in the '90s. https://www.cnn.com/2021/03/21/opinions/republicans-vote-against-vawa-women-obeidallah/index.html
Or you might get killed by a hurricane or a tornado or a fire or an incredible heatwave triggered by climate change which the Republican Party calls a hoax and, fueled by massive contributions by the oil and gas and AI industry, the latter of which is a huge power hog, vows to roll back any and all climate regulations.
The Republican Party says that it is the party of responsible inflation and economic policy, but their proposals to increase tariffs and deport immigrants will actually make inflation skyrocket because the tariffs and the lack of workers in our fields, in construction, in landscaping, in service industries and elsewhere will cause prices to rise and create shortages of the very things that you need - including housing.
You are all smart and caring people with bright futures ahead of you. Your generation has grown up in an environment where you could read what you wanted, identify as LGBTQ If that is how you felt inside, and had teachers who could teach you real unvarnished history - but people who are afraid of what you might think are trying to take that away too. People affiliated with the misleadingly-named "Moms for Liberty" are running for school boards and state legislative positions and governors to ban books, to prevent teachers from teaching real history, and to demonize kids who identify differently, leading to a massive increase in teen and young adult suicides.
Critical elections are about to happen. I urge you to vote for the candidates up and down the ballot who will work for, not against, your rights to bodily autonomy, gun safety, a livable world, to live and think and read and learn what you believe.
As you probably know, the Heritage Foundation, which is funded and staffed by members of the Republican Party, has issued a very scary planning document called Project 2025 which lays out in over 900 pages what it would like to do in the United States should Trump and the Republicans win the election. They are not fooling around. They want to ban abortion and many forms of birth control nationwide, eliminate gun control and environmental regulation, arrest journalists and shut down news organizations that they disagree with, detain and deport 10-20 million immigrants (both those with papers and those without - including the Dreamers), authorize violence on protestors, regulate what can be taught in classrooms, eliminate same-sex marriages, and replace civil servants at all levels of government with party loyalists who will implement these policies.
I very much fear the outcome of this coming election and realize that in many ways it is in the hands and the votes of your generation. If you learn who the candidates are and what they represent and vote (make sure you are registered - go to vote411.org to check), you can make a real difference. I hope you will share these ideas and the importance of this election with your friends and urge them to register, to vote and to encourage their friends to do so as well.
With all my ❤️, your Aunt Carol
If you have any questions or want to talk about this, please feel free to call, text, or email me.
💙 this, Carol. I hope you submit as a Letter To Ed !
Sent a text to family members on Sunday about their plans to vote early and reminding them of Amend 4(Repro Rights) on the ballot in Florida.I said every family member who voted early would receive a free sticker of Claire(our vintage VW bus) named in memory of their pro-choice mom,mom-in-law,grandmom,great grandmom,and great great grandmom.Good responses and discussion followed!
Aunt Carol, what a persuasive, loving, motivating letter, so tuned in to the select issues that are most likely to have an effect on Gen Z. Thank you for sharing. Your kids are lucky to have you. I hope they hear and act on what you say.
The Nation's Finest Fishwrap can go to hell. Too little and way too damn late. The otherwise-unemployable "opinion writers" who wrote their recommendation should get with the otherwise-unemployable typists on the political beat who have been working 24/7 to reinstall Trump and get their damn stories straight.
To paraphrase Cato the Elder, New York Times Delenda Est.
I spent eleven hours canvassing over the weekend, and maybe I changed one or two votes. Seems like a lot of work.
BUT, then I remembered yesterday that I am NOT ALONE. There are hundreds of thousands of others out there doing the work. If each of us change just a few votes, WE WIN. So, phone-banking or canvassing or letter-writing, keep in mind that it is worth the effort, even if the results appear tiny. Lots of tiny gets to be BIG after a while. Keep at it.
Please do not underestimate the power of your canvassing! Your visits were probably a surprise to those you spoke with. Now they have a chance to think about the effort you made to introduce them to a real life Harris/Walz supporter. Bravo for your courage🤗!
Reposting comment I made yesterday to a Steven Beschloss post re NYT editorial...
Yes, I would say it is “excellent and accurate”, but only if the NYT editorial board had stopped after saying, “… Kamala Harris is the only patriotic choice for president.” They couldn't help themselves though, and proceeded to give more column inches to the former president. Along the way, they penned a lengthy, self-serving, whiney paragraph about VP Harris not taking questions from the press. I, personally, have had enough of the media trying to characterize their need for self-serving attention as a “disservice to the American people.” And, BTW, who are these “many voters” saying they want more details about VP Harris? Sounds like a lazy journalistic trope similar to the former president's favorite line: “many people say….”
"She may not be the perfect candidate for every voter, especially those who are frustrated and angry about our government’s failures to fix what’s broken — from our immigration system to public schools to housing costs to gun violence. Yet we urge Americans to contrast Ms. Harris’s record with her opponent’s."
I suppose we ( I am addressing my sisters here) should be "grateful" for the NYT Editorial Board's backhanded compliment. Something we are all too familiar with. Any woman who dares to move into the sphere of political power has to be a 100 times better, more accomplished. But even so, to acknowledge it, is done reluctantly and grudgingly, as the NYT illustrates. Thanks?
While not exactly on point, a big happy 100 birthday to one of our greatest environmental and humanitarian presidents, Jimmy Carter. May he live long enough to not only vote for Kamala Harris, but see her installed as president. And cast the vote that gives her Georgia's electoral votes.
A historic moment coming up today, Tuesday, Oct. 1, former US President Jimmy Carter turns 100! If you want to send him birthday wishes, you can visit
https://www.cartercenter.org/donate/jimmy-carter-100.html
and also upload an image with your message to add to the mosaic being created with all the photos sent in by well-wishers in honor of his birthday.
Jimmy Carter was my first Presidential vote, and now I'm in his birthday mosaic. <3. Thank you, Just Raven, for the link. (I'm writing from Venice, Italy!)
Thank you for sharing this information. I had to honor President Carter on his birthday.
I'm already in that wonderful mosaic, but thanks for the link.
“She may not be the perfect candidate for every voter, especially those who are frustrated and angry about our government’s failures to fix what’s broken — from our immigration system to public schools to housing costs to gun violence.” I’m glad that the NYTs endorsed Kamala Harris, but they still took a dig at her and Biden. Whose fault is it really that this is occurring? Not Joe Biden or Kamala Harris’s. When they tried to fix these things, MAGA Rs shut them down bc of the filibuster and trump told the them not to vote for the Border deal. No mention that KH wants to fix these things as well. Another reason to vote for her and more Dems for the Senate and House.
That statement is one of the reasons I said I didn't agree with everything on the article. Kamala is trying to fix those issues with reasonable policies. Trump is blocking progress. And the editors blame Kamala? Cowardly both siderism.
100%. Thank you for quoting the statement in the article. NYTs are cowards just like the rest of corporate media.
Yes we noticed that. Thank you!!
Yes Abby! Direct your damn anger about gun violence to the politician perpetrators REPUBLICAN LAWBREAKERS, who fight tooth and nail for their blood money. They consistently hide behind the Constitution when they betray our children for a deadly spray of bullets. Picture yourself in one of those killing field classrooms, you monsters. Picture yourself little again, innocent, and now completely expendable to those who've used you up. The same people your grown-ups put in control of your destiny, your life. Oh, and here's our thoughts and our prayers. Good bye all. Good bye.
Picture the lifelong trauma a six year old will suffer from having watched with her very own eyes her best friend losing her life from an AR-15.
It never reaches the mainstream but I believe the U.S. is still the world's #1 weapons dealer and we're not too choosy, as it seems, about who we sell to. 'We're #1!' in this context takes on a very ghoulish tone and it's no surprise of course that this lack of morals and ethics is reflected in our gun culture.
All true but Republicans don’t want gun control period
It appears that the NYT editorial is a little more direct than the one they did in July when President Biden was still running. Unfortunately, the editorial staff doesn't hold sway over the news staff, or more importantly, the headline writers. I think I'm seeing a little better reporting these days, but the Republican's choice is making it hard for them to turn away. I would have preferred this endorsement to be more full-throated, and acknowledge that VP Harris has only been at this for a couple of months, while the other guy has been running nonstop since 2015. It bugs me when they make a fuss about her not having much detail. They should look at her website. Her opponent's plans have plenty of substance - bull$#!+ is a substance.
Abbi, Well stated!! The NYT editorial dig suggesting that Harris and Biden are responsible for our broken immigration system, public schools, and gun violence provided yet another reason for canceling my NYT subscription.
Thanks Robert for always being a calm voice in the storm. We’re not going back. I’ve been writing postcards, helping with Chinese Americans for Harris. Still scared and hoping enough people turn out despite the efforts to disenfranchise voters. Jimmy Carter turns 100 today. Looking back on history, we can now see how the GOP plotted against a brilliant, good hearted man. Please stick around Jimmy for Kamala’s inauguration.
Taking a second bite at the apple here. NC Rep Jeff Jackson published this substack yesterday, 9/30. His is a more "boots on the ground" summary of what has been happening.
https://jeffjacksonnc.substack.com/p/helene-relief-update
"As for Congress, one of our primary roles is to make sure the FEMA Disaster Relief Fund can cover the costs of the emergency response. However, the latest effort to replenish the fund failed due to opposition from the right-flank. So fixing that is going to be the first order of business when we return."
To help this along, Jessica Craven has urged that we call our reps and say something like: "I know everyone in the House has left on recess, but I’m asking the Senator (Congressmember) to call on them to return to Washington and pass a supplemental funding bill now so that states impacted by Helene have the resources they need."
Find your senator or rep here: https://www.congress.gov/members/find-your-member
4 "also" items:
NC Democratic Party Chair Anderson Clayton also posted great resources for helpful donations and for people affected by Helene:
https://www.instagram.com/reel/DAkQhDBJmCN/?igsh=MTc4MmM1YmI2Ng==
In addition to his Substack, NC Rep. Jeff Jackson did a video of reporting on Helene's impact on western NC along with resources:
https://www.threads.net/@jeffjacksonnc/post/DAizPuTpzOJ?xmt=AQGzafR6mZFJ1uyho0fMTMx4TJx1L5cjgk-me3UsV_PXfQ
NC voters can still vote even if they lost their photo ID due to the hurricane:
https://www.threads.net/@annieroosie/post/DAkhDwxx8Zh?xmt=AQGzafR6mZFJ1uyho0fMTMx4TJx1L5cjgk-me3UsV_PXfQ
"An essential reminder from Charlie Sykes ~
'Just a week ago, Donald Trump was telling Republicans in Congress to shut down the federal government. You have representatives who voted to shut down the federal government in the midst of hurricane season. Now, let's just take a deep breath and imagine, what would have happened if Donald Trump had gotten his way and we would have shut down the federal government when this horrific biblical disaster occurred that affects so many Americans.'”
https://www.threads.net/@ginter.cathy/post/DAkM3q4MMYf?xmt=AQGzafR6mZFJ1uyho0fMTMx4TJx1L5cjgk-me3UsV_PXfQ
Still can register more Democrats. https://www.fieldteam6.org/all-volunteer-ops/volunteer
Voter registration guidelines. https://www.vote.org/voter-registration-deadlines/
Important messages, Ellie. Reminding us that government can work and that faced with disasters or the individual decisions of peoples lives, government can play a role in protecting and saving lives, families, and communities.
Thanks, Ellie!
✔️ Called my Florida GOP Congresscritters. It only takes minutes, and if you’re phone shy call after hours ! 📲
Rick Scott skipped the CR vote but is now calling for Senate to reconvene.
https://thehill.com/homenews/senate/4907828-rick-scott-calls-for-senate-to-reconvene-to-consider-helene-disaster-aid/
Scott is such a despicable man!
Rick Scott calling for the Senate to reconvene is interesting, maybe self-serving in an election year, since Florida's governor has declared that Florida's s
storm victims do not need federal funds. https://www.orlandosentinel.com/2024/09/30/desantis-florida-handled-send-helene-aid-to-north-carolina/
“See Rick Scott. See Rick run. See Rick run scared.”
https://www.orlandosentinel.com/2024/10/01/rick-scott-is-running-scared-steve-bousquet/?share=eprtnggunrb0q1esrtuo
Yes,DeSantis is more subtle than 😡 in trying to blame the federal govt of not doing their job.
Yes. "Congress left disaster aid out of the short-term continuing resolution to fund the government it passed before leaving town. "
Love Jeff Jackson and I wish he would be more aggressive in his ads.
Done! I just called my rep, although it will do no good since it is Bob Good who is the most despicable human.
ugh!
And of course a moving song from Rhiannon Giddens to help raise funds for stricken Appalachia:
https://www.instagram.com/reel/DAklHZFRI9W/?igsh=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==
Done! I just called my rep, although it will do no good since it is Bob Good who is the most despicable human.
82-year old Southern (Texas) white woman testimonial. I asked the Latino lady at the dry cleaners service counter for whom she was voting. Her eyes darted about. Confirming she could speak privately, she said, “Not Trump.” I was immediately and clearly delighted, but also curious as to her position. Well, she asked me had I read the 2025 document. When I admitted I had not, she delivered an impassioned bullet point list of plans to interfere with a woman’s right to her own body and every parent’s peril regarding the education of their child. I was chagrined and impressed. How about the cost of groceries, I wondered? She told me sternly that the government doesn’t and can’t control those costs. I implored her not to vote for Cruz. She sneered at the notion. She should lecture at Harvard.
Well, I am amazed and gratified that my Latino yard man (issue is poor border control is adding an avoidable premium to the cost of groceries in the Metroplex), Latino house lady (issue is risk of summary deportation of whole families), and Latino dry cleaner clerk (issue is woman’s rights and public education) are so diverse in sensitivities and yet so united in who to trust. I just hope to heaven they each and all are qualified to (and will) vote.
Your Latino friends remind me of my grandparents in the first half of the previous century, new immigrants from Poland who were clear-sighted critical thinkers who knew to vote for FDR and the New Deal because it would help them a great deal in their daily lives with their everyday issues. They knew it was the right thing to do for everyone. Today's spoiled tweeters have no idea what's real and are thinking in memes and voting along 21st century tropes: "Oh I saw him on TV and TV says she's no good so I better vote for him!" Thank heaven for clear thinking new immigrants. They are putting spoiled lazy-thinking long-time citizens to shame again and again.
Amazing. Hope there are lots of others like her.
Wow!
I looked at the most popular comments to the NYT editorial, and almost all of them took the paper to task for the prominence given to Trump, the normalization of him or The Times’ reluctance to say that Kamala Harris is an excellent candidate for president in her own right. (Old habits die hard,). So the message is getting through.
I recently responded to a NYT survey and slammed them for their Trump coverage.
Robert, you warned us things were going to get "ugly" the closer we got to election day.
I recommend Heather Cox Richardson's newsletter from yesterday where she enumerates the many ways the Federal Government has immediately responded to the hurricane that has affected so many states: "The White House today said that more than 3,300 federal personnel are deployed in the states impacted by Hurricane Helene and that at least 50,000 people from 31 states, the District of Columbia, and Canada are working to restore power. FEMA has moved in food and is working to restore cell coverage; federal search and rescue teams are on the ground; the U.S. Coast Guard is working to reopen damaged ports; the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is assessing damage and moving debris; the Environmental Protection Agency is working on water systems; the Small Business Administration has 50 people on the ground to support small businesses; the U.S. Department of Energy is monitoring power, fuel, and supply chains; the Department of Agriculture is extending credit to farmers who lost crops and livestock." https://heathercoxrichardson.substack.com/p/september-29-2024
As to abortion: I am reminded of Alito's comment from the Dobbs decision: "Women are not without electoral or political power," he said. He's about to find out how right he was.
Today is President Jimmy Carter's birthday. He turns 100 years old. What he's most excited about? Voting for Kamala Harris for President!
CBS video: https://www.cbs.com/shows/video/j1lO6abJXk0bEakVBtyJqfO3du_2yq_y/
ABC news story: https://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/jimmy-carter-power-playing-loner-farm-white-house-114065146
It sounds to me like Fulton County Superior Court Judge Robert McBurney deserves the Presidential Medal of freedom for his ruling and what he has so eloquently written. Bravo. It proves once more that even in the deep South, there are still points of bright light. Not everyone is devoted to the proposition that unenlightened white men should once again set the table rules for the whole state.
I cannot even imagine this mentally imbalanced, incompetent former president back in the White House. I can't see it happening. So it's literally unimaginable. I have a hard time thinking that he was in the office at all with all the obvious character flaws he continues to openly expose. It all just doesn't compute in my brain...like a meal that won't digest and continues to create nausea and gas.
I feel like I'm in an alternate political universe that's like a cartoon where there's a fat, bleach blonde, makeup wearing candidate who constantly bloviates lies and ridiculous, nonsensical statements. So yes, there's only one choice for president that I can see...Kamala Harris. She would be a worthy choice even if her opponent was a good one. Since her opponent is not a good one, it's even more apparent that there's only one patriotic choice for president, Kamala Harris!
What is so frightening is that there are so many American voters who think voting for Trump is a good idea. There is a deep well of hate and mental illness in this country. It needs to be addressed.
I agree. It is totally frightening that this many Americans can stand behind the most unfit man to ever occupy the White House. It is mind blowing to move about in my extremely red town which is located in probably the reddest county in all of Ohio and see all of the Trumps yard signs, flags and other pro-Trump paraphernalia being displayed.The most churched up people in this area invariably are for Trump. smfh.
It's comforting to know that there are millions of people out there, both rich and poor, who see this con artist for who he is. I believe that people who support him are naive, refusing to do any research. I'm originally from Idaho and it sounds like where you are in Ohio. I don't go back there to visit. What a time we live in!
Terry, I'm frightened that I have to agree with you. I'm meeting so many voters who still think they can--or have to--vote for Trump. Not to say they will prevail, but there are an awful lot of under-thinking people out there with the right to vote.
A letter I wrote this weekend -- feel free to adapt/share with the young voters in your lives, letters to the editor etc. (My hotlinks didn't transfer here, email me at cslevin59 at gmail if you want these)
Dearest nieces and nephews,
This upcoming election is tremendously important for you and your generation and your very lives depend on the outcome.
The rollback of the right to have an abortion has put your lives and those of the partners you love in danger, and not just hypothetically. Data is starting to come in that shows that maternal deaths in Texas since the enacting of the strict abortion law have gone up 56%. And that is not just from those who were prevented from getting an abortion in the first place but from those people who wanted children but who had complications in pregnancy which went untreated until too late because doctors were afraid of going to jail. A miscarriage or a pregnancy that goes wrong might kill one of you or your friends.
Or you might get killed by a bullet in a classroom or at the grocery store or at a concert or theater because the Republican Party, which in its abortion prohibitions says it is the party of life, has killed any regulations on firearms including on weapons of mass destruction like semi-automatic weapons. 172 House Republicans (nearly 80%!) even tried to kill the reauthorization of the Violence Against Women Act - an act that was passed by bipartisan support when it was first created in the '90s. https://www.cnn.com/2021/03/21/opinions/republicans-vote-against-vawa-women-obeidallah/index.html
Or you might get killed by a hurricane or a tornado or a fire or an incredible heatwave triggered by climate change which the Republican Party calls a hoax and, fueled by massive contributions by the oil and gas and AI industry, the latter of which is a huge power hog, vows to roll back any and all climate regulations.
The Republican Party says that it is the party of responsible inflation and economic policy, but their proposals to increase tariffs and deport immigrants will actually make inflation skyrocket because the tariffs and the lack of workers in our fields, in construction, in landscaping, in service industries and elsewhere will cause prices to rise and create shortages of the very things that you need - including housing.
You are all smart and caring people with bright futures ahead of you. Your generation has grown up in an environment where you could read what you wanted, identify as LGBTQ If that is how you felt inside, and had teachers who could teach you real unvarnished history - but people who are afraid of what you might think are trying to take that away too. People affiliated with the misleadingly-named "Moms for Liberty" are running for school boards and state legislative positions and governors to ban books, to prevent teachers from teaching real history, and to demonize kids who identify differently, leading to a massive increase in teen and young adult suicides.
Critical elections are about to happen. I urge you to vote for the candidates up and down the ballot who will work for, not against, your rights to bodily autonomy, gun safety, a livable world, to live and think and read and learn what you believe.
As you probably know, the Heritage Foundation, which is funded and staffed by members of the Republican Party, has issued a very scary planning document called Project 2025 which lays out in over 900 pages what it would like to do in the United States should Trump and the Republicans win the election. They are not fooling around. They want to ban abortion and many forms of birth control nationwide, eliminate gun control and environmental regulation, arrest journalists and shut down news organizations that they disagree with, detain and deport 10-20 million immigrants (both those with papers and those without - including the Dreamers), authorize violence on protestors, regulate what can be taught in classrooms, eliminate same-sex marriages, and replace civil servants at all levels of government with party loyalists who will implement these policies.
I very much fear the outcome of this coming election and realize that in many ways it is in the hands and the votes of your generation. If you learn who the candidates are and what they represent and vote (make sure you are registered - go to vote411.org to check), you can make a real difference. I hope you will share these ideas and the importance of this election with your friends and urge them to register, to vote and to encourage their friends to do so as well.
With all my ❤️, your Aunt Carol
If you have any questions or want to talk about this, please feel free to call, text, or email me.
💙 this, Carol. I hope you submit as a Letter To Ed !
Sent a text to family members on Sunday about their plans to vote early and reminding them of Amend 4(Repro Rights) on the ballot in Florida.I said every family member who voted early would receive a free sticker of Claire(our vintage VW bus) named in memory of their pro-choice mom,mom-in-law,grandmom,great grandmom,and great great grandmom.Good responses and discussion followed!
Aunt Carol, what a persuasive, loving, motivating letter, so tuned in to the select issues that are most likely to have an effect on Gen Z. Thank you for sharing. Your kids are lucky to have you. I hope they hear and act on what you say.
The Nation's Finest Fishwrap can go to hell. Too little and way too damn late. The otherwise-unemployable "opinion writers" who wrote their recommendation should get with the otherwise-unemployable typists on the political beat who have been working 24/7 to reinstall Trump and get their damn stories straight.
To paraphrase Cato the Elder, New York Times Delenda Est.
The choice for president is simple and can be explained in two words “ January 6th”
I spent eleven hours canvassing over the weekend, and maybe I changed one or two votes. Seems like a lot of work.
BUT, then I remembered yesterday that I am NOT ALONE. There are hundreds of thousands of others out there doing the work. If each of us change just a few votes, WE WIN. So, phone-banking or canvassing or letter-writing, keep in mind that it is worth the effort, even if the results appear tiny. Lots of tiny gets to be BIG after a while. Keep at it.
WE ARE NOT ALONE and WE ARE NOT GOING BACK!!
(I know it’s impolite to yell so early in the morning, but sometimes, ya just gotta yell.)
My 160 letters go into the mail today!
JIm, I'm doing it too. I think I changed one, maybe two, votes.
Please do not underestimate the power of your canvassing! Your visits were probably a surprise to those you spoke with. Now they have a chance to think about the effort you made to introduce them to a real life Harris/Walz supporter. Bravo for your courage🤗!
You made it Jimmy! You made it to 100! Congratulations!
Reposting comment I made yesterday to a Steven Beschloss post re NYT editorial...
Yes, I would say it is “excellent and accurate”, but only if the NYT editorial board had stopped after saying, “… Kamala Harris is the only patriotic choice for president.” They couldn't help themselves though, and proceeded to give more column inches to the former president. Along the way, they penned a lengthy, self-serving, whiney paragraph about VP Harris not taking questions from the press. I, personally, have had enough of the media trying to characterize their need for self-serving attention as a “disservice to the American people.” And, BTW, who are these “many voters” saying they want more details about VP Harris? Sounds like a lazy journalistic trope similar to the former president's favorite line: “many people say….”
Agree about the lengthy, self-serving, whiney paragraph and lazy journalistic trope!
Also, "an unnamed source reported..." some nonsense favorable to Trump.
"She may not be the perfect candidate for every voter, especially those who are frustrated and angry about our government’s failures to fix what’s broken — from our immigration system to public schools to housing costs to gun violence. Yet we urge Americans to contrast Ms. Harris’s record with her opponent’s."
I suppose we ( I am addressing my sisters here) should be "grateful" for the NYT Editorial Board's backhanded compliment. Something we are all too familiar with. Any woman who dares to move into the sphere of political power has to be a 100 times better, more accomplished. But even so, to acknowledge it, is done reluctantly and grudgingly, as the NYT illustrates. Thanks?
a pat on the head? “Good job, Honey.”
Exhausting. Thanks for your words. Really, thanks.