I am a regular reader of Today's Edition Newsletter and am appreciative of what Robert Hubbell has to say. Today's Today's Edition demonstrates why, no matter how large a readership this newsletter has, the readership should be larger. From Joe Biden's presidential success and clarity of purpose in withdrawing from the presidential race to Donald Trump's mendacity to the transformation of American Politics that has been wrought by Kamala Harris's candidacy, Robert Hubbell has brought us a vision of what could and should be a triumph of American democracy in November if we. persist. I do a newsletter of my own (Len's Political Notes}. I will urge my subscribers to read this piece. Others should do the same.
For anyone who may not be familiar with Len's Notes, Len Lubinsky dives into candidate profiles to compile in his amazing newsletters, for example his latest on North Carolina:
Agreed. His letters are compelling and thorough. I don't know how Len does it. But his profiles of the candidates, their histories and the lay of the political landscape where they hail from are terrific. Excellent research.
He makes me wish I was rich enough to shower most of these fine patriots with big campaign donations. But alas...
Excellent column. She should not “debate” him without factchecking by the moderators. She should not do a press conference and get dragged into Gacha questions. She is doing great as it is and should resist these traps from the press.
The press has really failed the country..: not yet Fox which isn’t news anyway. But the NYT and others have played into Trump’s BS in so many ways it’s amazingly disappointing and discouraging. Will the press reform itself? Can it?
And, this group deserves a self-acknowledgement and congratulations…. Robert for sure but everyone for hanging in there, staying strong and more. We still have a lot of work to do, but it’s easier now. And thank you President Biden for sure. The press failed him but we haven’t.
Clearly, we are witnessing elder abuse of a man who is maligned by a lifetime of chaos cloaked as rich, respectable, reliable , and worthy of our adoration. Much of his substance emanates from our worship of all things television. The press seems to want, and need, one more season of reruns from this tired old horror show. The human brain is not wired to easily admit errors. The party’s over for the deal maker. Millions of Americans know it. We are all empowered in having survived this movement toward the light in collective movement of democracy, of civilization, of humankind. See you at the voting booth.
Jim, good point about the human brain not being wired to easily admit errors.I’m a former Republican, started my political “career” as a Nixonette (yes, they were a thing!) at age 13. We greeted Nixon at the airport in RI ,wearing the required sparkly sash.Some years later I saw the light…it was a journey.
I have some long-term friends who voted for Is he ok?/Trump.I don’t know if they’ll ever admit he was a poor choice and it doesn’t help if I mention their vote.In my opinion, we talk too much about Is He Ok?/ Trump and not enough about Project 2025.When talking with friends and voters, I emphasize how P 2025 affects me and my/their family. People relate when you make it personal. It’s easy because I l live in Florida…sigh. Draconian abortion ban, defunding contraception,book bans, no mention of climate change,defunding public Ed +++. P 2025 is happening NOW ! It’s democracy vs. white “Christian” nationalism on the ballot.
Sorry, but trump purposely put himself exactly where he is. He was always a dirty and cheating businessman and corporate media looked the other way during his 2015 campaign. Once in the WH, he couldn't resist gaining as much profit as possible, in any way possible, even if it involved treasonous activity.
I've read accounts of his early years; he's always been a pathological liar who learned early on he could wear people down if he kept repeating his lies and alternate realities.
If anyone approached him to step out of the race (if they haven't already), he'd refuse and no MD is going to certify him.
Obviously, I have no pity for him, none. I hope he reaps what he's sown and becomes an example of a life lived in decadence, avarice, and his delusions of omnipotence. It's a pity it took this a large portion of this country 10 years to figure it out and take it seriously.
DL Johnson, great point about Trump learning that "he could wear people down if he kept repeating his lies and alternate realities." Obviously that's what he does, and as you point out, it's taken ten years for America to notice. This phenomenon has been greatly helped by one of Trump's Team of Felons, Steve Bannon, whose media strategy is: "Flood the zone with s**t, then no one will be able to sort out fact from fiction." That's literally Bannon's tactic for the Trump campaign.
Will the press reform itself? The odds are against that since most are owned by nepo baby, oligarchs who are arrogant enough to believe they know more than everyone else on earth. Elder abuse? Let’s not forget that for decades Trump lived on hurting other people. And he craved and sought the media attention. Birds of a feather? Let them both reap what they sow. It will be well deserved.
I have a different, less conspiratorial – but no less damning – view of the national press:
Sometime around the fall of Richard Nixon and the end of the Vietnam War, many in the national press developed an inflated view of their role; many members developed correspondlingly inflated head sizes.
Now they tell us that their role (mission?) is to hold powerful people “accountable” – a significant departure from “merely” reporting the news, a departure which (they think) sets themselves up as judges as well as reporters – as people who presume to tell us what to think.
This is media many of whose members have vastly inflated egos, a vastly inflated views of themselves – therefore a vastly less self-critical and therefore less responsible media.
I think you may be onto something, Michael. Woodward & Bernstein became much of the Nixon story, which they still trade in today, and many in the media seem to strive for similar notoriety.
There are no debates, haven’t been in years. What happens now are two minute media marketing sound bites that change no one’s mind. They’re a complete waste of time.
I don't disagree, Erica, but I think they're valuable for one reason: they give lazy Americans a window to--perhaps for the first time--get a look at, a feel for, a smell of, the candidates. So many Americans don't pay attention to the candidates until the debate. And even if they don't base their decision on who to vote for on the issues, there's still a chance they'll decide based on, e.g., Harris's obvious vigor, joy, and brilliance vs. Trump's feeble, incoherent, hate-filled madness.
Part of what viewers will take away will depend on the upcoming debate’s rules. We can only hope that they will be entirely different from the rules of first debate.
I just had a chance to see the CBS interview. It was refreshing to see Robert Costa having a real conversation with President Biden, with no gotcha questions or headline grabbers. That's what we need more of, IMHO, but in this era of reality TV, of which the Republican nominee personifies, it probably won't happen very often. Lauren, this is the kind of interview I think VP Harris and Gov. Walz should do. Wouldn't that be somethin'?
President Biden answered a lot of questions for me in this brief interview, and demonstrated how fortunate we are that he came out of retirement, and can now return to it. We owe him an incredible debt of gratitude.
It was a brilliant and touching interview by a great statesman. I felt keenly connected to Pres. Biden's saying he didn't even want to run for president in 2020--that he did so because he was terrified by the Charlottesville Nazi rally and Trump's saying they were fine people. He knew he was the only one who could combat this deadly danger to our country. He did run, and his decision to do so was reinforced by a promise he made to his son Beau who was on his deathbed: "Promise me, Dad, that you will stay engaged after I die and not give up." Biden is a great man. He will stand up there with Lincoln and Roosevelt, in my opinion. He has changed the course of this country, as they both did, and rescued it from falling into the abyss. A big part of this was setting up Harris to take over. He did indeed pass the torch, as Robert said. Or maybe the baton, because it sure is still a race that is not guaranteed to be won. Let's "not get complacent!"
I was only willing to watch part of this interview with Robert Costa. At the point where President Biden is discussing Charlottesville and says, “You can’t love your country only when you win,” they cut away to a picture of tfg with the American flag and appeared to fact-check Biden by saying “Trump has said his remarks on Charlottesville were not intended to praise white nationalists and that he was warning of economic carnage when he said “bloodbath”.”
Hi Julie. I recommend that you go back and see the whole thing. Perhaps your perceptions were tempered by your expectations. I thought the whole interview was great.
I’m sorry that Kamala Harris was so quick to agree to “debate” Trump. As Lauren (see above) indicated, Harris should have made acceptance of a “debate” with DJT conditional, dependent not only upon fact-checking, but upon rapid and open fact *correcting*, and upon squelching of disruptive methods when DJT employs them.
If Harris does hold a press conference, she should identify “gotcha” questions when and as they occur, and immediately move on to the next questioner. A press conference is not supposed to be a gladiatorial event.
Michael, or she can remain above the fray and just let NPR do her fact checking for her! They today reported two lies a minute in his press "event." Even the MAGA-leaning WaPo counted Trump lying 30,573 times: https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2021/01/24/trumps-false-or-misleading-claims-total-30573-over-four-years/. I think Harris should stay above the fray and have a Democratic attack dog--Walz? Warren? Whitmer?--attack Donald after the fact with the NPR study, the WaPo study...and encourage other media to publish blockbuster fact-checking stories. In marketing, it's always better to go indirect. More effective than a head-on confrontation.
I agree with having one or more Democratic attack dogs.
However, with regard to debates, which will be viewed by millions of people, “Time is of the essence”: Most Americans will not read after-the-fact stories that fact-check statements made while they watch debates. If there is not immediate fact-checking, lies and misstatements Trump makes during “debates” will remain effectively unchallenged.
As I understand it, she agreed to the debate that President Biden set up. Let's see if there has been any renegotiation.
I found it striking (and absent from discussions) that the Republican nominee made a big deal of saying he agreed to a debate on ABC on Sept 25, and NBC on Sept 10. The Harris/Walz campaign seemed to clap back with something like, "No, we'll do the scheduled one with ABC on the 10th and talk about any other possibilities after that."
I think the debates between Kamala and Donald should not be live. They should be something the audience reads. How else can we pin down this tossed salad of chaotic wordsmithery who doesn’t play by anyone’s rules.
Agree…this is not a honeymoon, nor will it be over soon. I’m also sick of the press insisting that Dems be principled, controlled, and above reproach when the GOP and Trump lie their asses off constantly, put people down, are rude, racist, sexist, and all the other “ists”. Such a double standard. Clutching their pearls because Walz made a couch joke for cripe’s sake, while you’ve got the lying village idiot spewing trash on the regular. Ugh!
Walz is a great fighter. He made a funny jab about "people obsessed with crowd sizes" at the Phoenix rally. Let them clutch their pearls while Walz goes viral on social! Harris can be the stateswoman while Walz goes on the attack. What a killer dynamic duo.
Robert. The heart nebula is beautiful. The color exquisite.
Thank you for a joyous post except for don and his cronies. I had heard excerpts of President Biden’s interview and plan to watch it now. Thanks for the link. Kamala and Tim are like a rocket ship. don knows he will never catch them. It has been a whirlwind, but I feel so much pride for our country and really think that with everyone doing their part and everyone voting BLUE up and down the ballot, we will be successful in saving our DEMOCRACY.
I appreciate the sentiment. But I am relying on you, dear readers, to let me know if I have gone over the edge with the photos. I think they help bring perspective during a difficult period for many people (including me). But if they become too much, let me know. Thanks!
Please continue sharing your photos. They are a reminder of our humble place in this universe and that we and all our concerns, though important to us, are merely a speck of dust in comparison.
Robert, love your huge-scale astronomy scope which brings perspective to our engrossing but relatively miniscule political dramas. Loved your apt citing of John Donne. It was so subtle and telling, it made me appreciate how very beautiful your mind and soul are, even more than your amazing political analysis.
Regarding Trump's AI gibberish: I would assume that what this indicates is that he and his campaign are busily working on how to use AI to discredit Harris/Walz. Whenever he says inexplicable things, think projection.
Regarding the WaPo: Bear in mind that not only were they happy to publish from Hunter's diaries and Hillary's email, but Will Lewis was directly involved in the Murdoch phone-hacking scandals in the UK. That was not just publishing hacked materials, but the journalists themselves doing the hacking. He sees no ethical barrier to publishing hacked materials. I, however, do, and hope that they are busy figuring out if this is really a foreign government or it was a back-biting Trump staffer, and if the latter, publish away.
And I know I should be knocking wood, not saying this out loud, etc, but I think this is a movement, not only in the form of a campaign, but that we are going to see a shift away from the politics ushered in by Reagan in 1980 which have been the touchstone from which all politics have proceeded for the last 44 years. Democrats have been forced to position themselves within the neoliberal/supply side beliefs that came to be understood as basic facts and common sense. Just as Reagan turned the underpinnings of American policies based on FDR and the New Deal on its head, I think that the Harris/Walz ticket is the one that is going to show us that we are better off when we provide for everyone in our society, that the excessive accumulation of almost all capital in the hands of the very few is bad for us all, and that we are in this together.
Another great Minnesota politician, Paul Wellstone, was wont to say, "We all do better when we all do better." We haven't acted that way as a country since 1980, but I hope and believe that we have a future ahead of us where we do.
Heather Cox Richardson did a great analysis today highlighting our current choice to turn away from neoliberalism and supply-side thinking, which never worked. I think you're right, and we are seeing Americans rally behind Harris who promises to turn supply-side economics on its head. She wants to build up the American middle class from the inside out and the bottom up, and invite anyone who wants to be part of the middle class to join it. I think so many of the MAGA people are angry about being excluded from having a comfortable middle-class life. If Harris can make it really clear in a real-world, everyday way that the Harris administration will make this a reality, it will cool the anger and the hate. Not quite sure how she'll do that, but the promise is there.
Loved this newsletter, including the title. Thank you so much for putting in the link to the CBS interview with President Biden. I challenge anyone to watch it with dry eyes. And let me take this opportunity to thank you again for your steadfast support of this president, including his momentous and fortunate and courageous decision to step down. I will definitely write to NPR to thank them for their exhaustive report on Trump's press conference lies, although I don't have the fortitude yet to read it. (I did read the Nichols article in the Atlantic which is excellent.) And finally, I totally agree with you on how excellent Lawrence O'Donnell was in his comments about the mainstream media last week. And I want to let readers know that that program also contained an interview with the director of the documentary "Shirley" about Shirley Chisholm's run for president in 1972, which is now on Netflix. I have watched only part of it so far, but it is excellent and, in addition to reminding me of how courageous and great a person Chisholm was, it further enhanced the gratitude, relief and enthusiasm I feel about the phenomenon that is taking place now. I recommend it.
Two things I think the NPR piece missed: his response to a question about his apparent bullet wound, and the real fallacy of his claim that electric trucks will require bridges to be rebuilt.
Here's a transcript of the wound comment (I don't understand why this hasn't been brought up):
"REPORTER: [Question Inaudible]
DONALD TRUMP: Yeah, pretty much recovered, yeah. I’m a fast healer. It’s a hell of a shot, but I’m a fast healer. Yeah, pretty much — pretty much recovered. No, it didn’t hit that. I got very lucky. It just hit the lobe, as they call it.
REPORTER: [Question Inaudible]
DONALD TRUMP: Yeah, a little bit. Not much. On top. A little bit."
He gestured to the TOP of his ear, where his bandage had been! Reread, "It just hit the lobe, as they call it."
On the truck comment, the bulk of a truck's weight is its PAYLOAD, not its cab (which may be heavier because of batteries, but it's unclear if it's in comparison with a full diesel tank). Trucks are limited to 80,000 lbs (electric and natural gas are allowed another 2,000 lbs), so load capacities of bridges should not be a factor (unless it changes load diversification as part of design).
Thanks for that homework, Bob, especially on the truck weight limits. America's bridges were in trouble before any electric truck rolled across them and, as you point out, the weight of the truck is in the payload. Also many of the 36% of American bridges that need repair( https://www.constructionext.com/construction-management/36-of-us-bridges-need-repair-or-replacement) are being addressed by the federal Infrastructure and Investment in Jobs Act of 2021, which many Republican lawmakers, like Senator J.D. Vance voted against but are happy to appear at the bridge construction sites to endorse, and often take credit for, the construction and the jobs. According to the American Road and Transportation Builder's Associjation, red states were particularly quick in committing the federal funds allocated to bridges: Idaho (100%), Georgia (100%), Alabama (97%), Arizona (88%), Indiana (81.5%), Florida (80%), Texas (78%) and Arkansas (68%). Think about it. Republican voters will drive to the polls in November safely and quickly over roads and bridges supported by federal funds that the representative for whom they will cast their votes refused to support. We need to boldly proclaim Democrats Make Life Better and Democrats have already made YOUR life better.
I can attest to red-state Arizona's jumping on those highway funds: we have one major interstate, I-17, running the length of the state, and it is covered with construction equipment, flooded with construction workers, and shut down half the time, which can be frustrating but which I know is indicative of Biden's success in nourishing the economy and fixing our sadly broken-down national infrastructure after a half-century of neglect.
Apologies: I left out a detail: the red states percentages were for the amount of the funds allocated for bridge building that had been claimed by those states by September of 2023.
Thanks Robert! Heart Nebula is a “deep heart” and that describes Joe Biden and his torch barer Kamala, Tim. and the Democratic Party. There is much work to do, not only to November 5th but well beyond this date. I have heard from some who have contacts in Europe that Europe is the future. I hope for a stronger and stronger Europe but America has the opportunity to be the future with the policies of Biden Harris and now Harris Walz. Thanks again Robert for such clear and meaningful prose and for your pictures of “possibilities ”!
Oh wow! THIS happening in Sarasota? A pulsing-RED city? I’m surprised the newspaper gave the story even a column inch of coverage. I’ve read elsewhere about the increasing Swifite support and I am beyond ecstatic to learn it has a presence in the wobbly state of FL.
Sorry, looks like I misspelled the name - her fans call themselves Swifties. They have become quite the new voter registration group. And now throwing their support behind Kamala is a really big deal.
Manny, I'll buy one! What a fabu idea--millions of Americans across the nation wearing Kamala friendship bracelets! So much better than tee shirts. Seriously, can I buy one anywhere?
In 2016 I was sure the American electorate would reject Trump and his policies. I was stunned when he was elected. That nightmarish outcome still haunts me today. Who on earth believes and follows this demented charlatan? It was a wake up call to those Americans who do not vote or who do not make the effort to know whom and what they are voting for. Even though I still feel concerned (fearful) I am donating, volunteering, writing letters and doing everything in my power to see that the Harris/ Walz team prevails. We cannot let Trump come close to winning again.
Maybe it’s me but it feels like Trump and team is throwing as much s**g against the wall hoping it would stick. The reality is Trump has never run against an opponent who is considerably younger, well liked with no baggage per se and has a running made who is a walking example of many average Americans. His nickname calling bit and rambling rants are not doing it and to many it’s the same old song and rhetoric. His campaign is Trump and it’s not joyful or fun and doom and gloom is not the mood voters want to hear. The Harris Walz ticket has hit a nerve in this country and people are responding and Trump doesn’t have a clue.
"Over the last eight years, Trump rode a wave of reactionary anger and resentment that emerged in response to the election of our first Black president."
And now...Harris and Walz are riding a wave of reactionary joy and hope. So much more enjoyable, eh? It's the Independents and independent thinkers who swing elections. It's about getting enough non-ideological, ordinary and normal people to vote. I think we have the motivators!
Biden sold his successes at events for new projects but the media mostly ignored them. The obsessed over inflation but downplayed strong growth and job market. They did give a lot of coverage to the new Ohio River bridge—because Mitch and DeWine were there.
Agree. I cried when Joe described his conversation with his late son, Beau. Plus all the rest. PLEASE follow Robert’s excellent advice and watch the entire interview. Masterful.
The post to Truth Social supposedly from trump was clearly written by someone else. The meaning was understandable even though the content was absurd. Multi-syllabic words were used. There was punctuation. So, I guess some poor trump flunky had to listen to trump rant and rave and then rewrite/edit it into something comprehensible.
"Every media outlet that runs a story about the “honeymoon” period coming to an end is exposing its own ignorance to the seismic shift that has rocked American politics over the last three weeks." It's as likely that they're engaging in some wishful thinking and maybe setting up a self-fulfilling prophecy because life will be tedious for them, and much less profitable, if all they have to report is good news about the Harris-Walz ticket and shop worn jibes from their former income driving hero.
How about we each take the NPR quote and reference that Robert posted and copy, paste and send them to every major print and broadcast media — an easy rebuke and shaming from many of us that might get some attention at the managerial level.
I am a regular reader of Today's Edition Newsletter and am appreciative of what Robert Hubbell has to say. Today's Today's Edition demonstrates why, no matter how large a readership this newsletter has, the readership should be larger. From Joe Biden's presidential success and clarity of purpose in withdrawing from the presidential race to Donald Trump's mendacity to the transformation of American Politics that has been wrought by Kamala Harris's candidacy, Robert Hubbell has brought us a vision of what could and should be a triumph of American democracy in November if we. persist. I do a newsletter of my own (Len's Political Notes}. I will urge my subscribers to read this piece. Others should do the same.
For anyone who may not be familiar with Len's Notes, Len Lubinsky dives into candidate profiles to compile in his amazing newsletters, for example his latest on North Carolina:
https://lenspoliticalnotes.com/lens-political-note-662-north-carolinas-state-legislature/
Agreed. His letters are compelling and thorough. I don't know how Len does it. But his profiles of the candidates, their histories and the lay of the political landscape where they hail from are terrific. Excellent research.
He makes me wish I was rich enough to shower most of these fine patriots with big campaign donations. But alas...
Ellie- thank you for this resource, wasn't aware of it!
Excellent column. She should not “debate” him without factchecking by the moderators. She should not do a press conference and get dragged into Gacha questions. She is doing great as it is and should resist these traps from the press.
The press has really failed the country..: not yet Fox which isn’t news anyway. But the NYT and others have played into Trump’s BS in so many ways it’s amazingly disappointing and discouraging. Will the press reform itself? Can it?
And, this group deserves a self-acknowledgement and congratulations…. Robert for sure but everyone for hanging in there, staying strong and more. We still have a lot of work to do, but it’s easier now. And thank you President Biden for sure. The press failed him but we haven’t.
How can they support someone who is visibly unfit to stand trial, let alone serve as president?
Clearly, we are witnessing elder abuse of a man who is maligned by a lifetime of chaos cloaked as rich, respectable, reliable , and worthy of our adoration. Much of his substance emanates from our worship of all things television. The press seems to want, and need, one more season of reruns from this tired old horror show. The human brain is not wired to easily admit errors. The party’s over for the deal maker. Millions of Americans know it. We are all empowered in having survived this movement toward the light in collective movement of democracy, of civilization, of humankind. See you at the voting booth.
Jim, good point about the human brain not being wired to easily admit errors.I’m a former Republican, started my political “career” as a Nixonette (yes, they were a thing!) at age 13. We greeted Nixon at the airport in RI ,wearing the required sparkly sash.Some years later I saw the light…it was a journey.
I have some long-term friends who voted for Is he ok?/Trump.I don’t know if they’ll ever admit he was a poor choice and it doesn’t help if I mention their vote.In my opinion, we talk too much about Is He Ok?/ Trump and not enough about Project 2025.When talking with friends and voters, I emphasize how P 2025 affects me and my/their family. People relate when you make it personal. It’s easy because I l live in Florida…sigh. Draconian abortion ban, defunding contraception,book bans, no mention of climate change,defunding public Ed +++. P 2025 is happening NOW ! It’s democracy vs. white “Christian” nationalism on the ballot.
Sorry, but trump purposely put himself exactly where he is. He was always a dirty and cheating businessman and corporate media looked the other way during his 2015 campaign. Once in the WH, he couldn't resist gaining as much profit as possible, in any way possible, even if it involved treasonous activity.
I've read accounts of his early years; he's always been a pathological liar who learned early on he could wear people down if he kept repeating his lies and alternate realities.
If anyone approached him to step out of the race (if they haven't already), he'd refuse and no MD is going to certify him.
Obviously, I have no pity for him, none. I hope he reaps what he's sown and becomes an example of a life lived in decadence, avarice, and his delusions of omnipotence. It's a pity it took this a large portion of this country 10 years to figure it out and take it seriously.
DL Johnson, great point about Trump learning that "he could wear people down if he kept repeating his lies and alternate realities." Obviously that's what he does, and as you point out, it's taken ten years for America to notice. This phenomenon has been greatly helped by one of Trump's Team of Felons, Steve Bannon, whose media strategy is: "Flood the zone with s**t, then no one will be able to sort out fact from fiction." That's literally Bannon's tactic for the Trump campaign.
Will the press reform itself? The odds are against that since most are owned by nepo baby, oligarchs who are arrogant enough to believe they know more than everyone else on earth. Elder abuse? Let’s not forget that for decades Trump lived on hurting other people. And he craved and sought the media attention. Birds of a feather? Let them both reap what they sow. It will be well deserved.
I have a different, less conspiratorial – but no less damning – view of the national press:
Sometime around the fall of Richard Nixon and the end of the Vietnam War, many in the national press developed an inflated view of their role; many members developed correspondlingly inflated head sizes.
Now they tell us that their role (mission?) is to hold powerful people “accountable” – a significant departure from “merely” reporting the news, a departure which (they think) sets themselves up as judges as well as reporters – as people who presume to tell us what to think.
This is media many of whose members have vastly inflated egos, a vastly inflated views of themselves – therefore a vastly less self-critical and therefore less responsible media.
I think you may be onto something, Michael. Woodward & Bernstein became much of the Nixon story, which they still trade in today, and many in the media seem to strive for similar notoriety.
Yes!
There are no debates, haven’t been in years. What happens now are two minute media marketing sound bites that change no one’s mind. They’re a complete waste of time.
I don't disagree, Erica, but I think they're valuable for one reason: they give lazy Americans a window to--perhaps for the first time--get a look at, a feel for, a smell of, the candidates. So many Americans don't pay attention to the candidates until the debate. And even if they don't base their decision on who to vote for on the issues, there's still a chance they'll decide based on, e.g., Harris's obvious vigor, joy, and brilliance vs. Trump's feeble, incoherent, hate-filled madness.
Part of what viewers will take away will depend on the upcoming debate’s rules. We can only hope that they will be entirely different from the rules of first debate.
It changed the minds of even Democrat leadership on Joe, which I hated.
I agree.
I just had a chance to see the CBS interview. It was refreshing to see Robert Costa having a real conversation with President Biden, with no gotcha questions or headline grabbers. That's what we need more of, IMHO, but in this era of reality TV, of which the Republican nominee personifies, it probably won't happen very often. Lauren, this is the kind of interview I think VP Harris and Gov. Walz should do. Wouldn't that be somethin'?
President Biden answered a lot of questions for me in this brief interview, and demonstrated how fortunate we are that he came out of retirement, and can now return to it. We owe him an incredible debt of gratitude.
It was a brilliant and touching interview by a great statesman. I felt keenly connected to Pres. Biden's saying he didn't even want to run for president in 2020--that he did so because he was terrified by the Charlottesville Nazi rally and Trump's saying they were fine people. He knew he was the only one who could combat this deadly danger to our country. He did run, and his decision to do so was reinforced by a promise he made to his son Beau who was on his deathbed: "Promise me, Dad, that you will stay engaged after I die and not give up." Biden is a great man. He will stand up there with Lincoln and Roosevelt, in my opinion. He has changed the course of this country, as they both did, and rescued it from falling into the abyss. A big part of this was setting up Harris to take over. He did indeed pass the torch, as Robert said. Or maybe the baton, because it sure is still a race that is not guaranteed to be won. Let's "not get complacent!"
I was only willing to watch part of this interview with Robert Costa. At the point where President Biden is discussing Charlottesville and says, “You can’t love your country only when you win,” they cut away to a picture of tfg with the American flag and appeared to fact-check Biden by saying “Trump has said his remarks on Charlottesville were not intended to praise white nationalists and that he was warning of economic carnage when he said “bloodbath”.”
Hi Julie. I recommend that you go back and see the whole thing. Perhaps your perceptions were tempered by your expectations. I thought the whole interview was great.
I’m sorry that Kamala Harris was so quick to agree to “debate” Trump. As Lauren (see above) indicated, Harris should have made acceptance of a “debate” with DJT conditional, dependent not only upon fact-checking, but upon rapid and open fact *correcting*, and upon squelching of disruptive methods when DJT employs them.
If Harris does hold a press conference, she should identify “gotcha” questions when and as they occur, and immediately move on to the next questioner. A press conference is not supposed to be a gladiatorial event.
Michael, or she can remain above the fray and just let NPR do her fact checking for her! They today reported two lies a minute in his press "event." Even the MAGA-leaning WaPo counted Trump lying 30,573 times: https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2021/01/24/trumps-false-or-misleading-claims-total-30573-over-four-years/. I think Harris should stay above the fray and have a Democratic attack dog--Walz? Warren? Whitmer?--attack Donald after the fact with the NPR study, the WaPo study...and encourage other media to publish blockbuster fact-checking stories. In marketing, it's always better to go indirect. More effective than a head-on confrontation.
I agree with having one or more Democratic attack dogs.
However, with regard to debates, which will be viewed by millions of people, “Time is of the essence”: Most Americans will not read after-the-fact stories that fact-check statements made while they watch debates. If there is not immediate fact-checking, lies and misstatements Trump makes during “debates” will remain effectively unchallenged.
As I understand it, she agreed to the debate that President Biden set up. Let's see if there has been any renegotiation.
I found it striking (and absent from discussions) that the Republican nominee made a big deal of saying he agreed to a debate on ABC on Sept 25, and NBC on Sept 10. The Harris/Walz campaign seemed to clap back with something like, "No, we'll do the scheduled one with ABC on the 10th and talk about any other possibilities after that."
I think the debates between Kamala and Donald should not be live. They should be something the audience reads. How else can we pin down this tossed salad of chaotic wordsmithery who doesn’t play by anyone’s rules.
Agree…this is not a honeymoon, nor will it be over soon. I’m also sick of the press insisting that Dems be principled, controlled, and above reproach when the GOP and Trump lie their asses off constantly, put people down, are rude, racist, sexist, and all the other “ists”. Such a double standard. Clutching their pearls because Walz made a couch joke for cripe’s sake, while you’ve got the lying village idiot spewing trash on the regular. Ugh!
This is just the beginning. Turn the blue wave into the blue tsunami.
https://www.fieldteam6.org/
Walz is a great fighter. He made a funny jab about "people obsessed with crowd sizes" at the Phoenix rally. Let them clutch their pearls while Walz goes viral on social! Harris can be the stateswoman while Walz goes on the attack. What a killer dynamic duo.
“Read as much as you can, and then meet me on the other side” :) great line!
I actually got two-thirds of the way through the Trumpism before I had to quit.
i just went to the other side.
Robert. The heart nebula is beautiful. The color exquisite.
Thank you for a joyous post except for don and his cronies. I had heard excerpts of President Biden’s interview and plan to watch it now. Thanks for the link. Kamala and Tim are like a rocket ship. don knows he will never catch them. It has been a whirlwind, but I feel so much pride for our country and really think that with everyone doing their part and everyone voting BLUE up and down the ballot, we will be successful in saving our DEMOCRACY.
I used to think Robert's Concluding Thoughts were the best part of his amazing newsletter. Now I think it's his celestial photos and explanations.
I appreciate the sentiment. But I am relying on you, dear readers, to let me know if I have gone over the edge with the photos. I think they help bring perspective during a difficult period for many people (including me). But if they become too much, let me know. Thanks!
Until you run out of galaxies to feature, I think you're good!
Well said, Bob.
But there are other astronomical features Robert can turn his/our
attention to.
Please continue sharing your photos. They are a reminder of our humble place in this universe and that we and all our concerns, though important to us, are merely a speck of dust in comparison.
Robert, love your huge-scale astronomy scope which brings perspective to our engrossing but relatively miniscule political dramas. Loved your apt citing of John Donne. It was so subtle and telling, it made me appreciate how very beautiful your mind and soul are, even more than your amazing political analysis.
I see Robert as a whole package. I usually look at the nebula photo first and then start reading. It’s a “twofer”.
Both are incredible!
Regarding Trump's AI gibberish: I would assume that what this indicates is that he and his campaign are busily working on how to use AI to discredit Harris/Walz. Whenever he says inexplicable things, think projection.
Regarding the WaPo: Bear in mind that not only were they happy to publish from Hunter's diaries and Hillary's email, but Will Lewis was directly involved in the Murdoch phone-hacking scandals in the UK. That was not just publishing hacked materials, but the journalists themselves doing the hacking. He sees no ethical barrier to publishing hacked materials. I, however, do, and hope that they are busy figuring out if this is really a foreign government or it was a back-biting Trump staffer, and if the latter, publish away.
And I know I should be knocking wood, not saying this out loud, etc, but I think this is a movement, not only in the form of a campaign, but that we are going to see a shift away from the politics ushered in by Reagan in 1980 which have been the touchstone from which all politics have proceeded for the last 44 years. Democrats have been forced to position themselves within the neoliberal/supply side beliefs that came to be understood as basic facts and common sense. Just as Reagan turned the underpinnings of American policies based on FDR and the New Deal on its head, I think that the Harris/Walz ticket is the one that is going to show us that we are better off when we provide for everyone in our society, that the excessive accumulation of almost all capital in the hands of the very few is bad for us all, and that we are in this together.
Another great Minnesota politician, Paul Wellstone, was wont to say, "We all do better when we all do better." We haven't acted that way as a country since 1980, but I hope and believe that we have a future ahead of us where we do.
Worth repeating: We all do better when we all do better.
Paul Wellstone. 💙 He’s come to my mind frequently these recent days. His memory IS a blessing.
Heather Cox Richardson did a great analysis today highlighting our current choice to turn away from neoliberalism and supply-side thinking, which never worked. I think you're right, and we are seeing Americans rally behind Harris who promises to turn supply-side economics on its head. She wants to build up the American middle class from the inside out and the bottom up, and invite anyone who wants to be part of the middle class to join it. I think so many of the MAGA people are angry about being excluded from having a comfortable middle-class life. If Harris can make it really clear in a real-world, everyday way that the Harris administration will make this a reality, it will cool the anger and the hate. Not quite sure how she'll do that, but the promise is there.
Loved this newsletter, including the title. Thank you so much for putting in the link to the CBS interview with President Biden. I challenge anyone to watch it with dry eyes. And let me take this opportunity to thank you again for your steadfast support of this president, including his momentous and fortunate and courageous decision to step down. I will definitely write to NPR to thank them for their exhaustive report on Trump's press conference lies, although I don't have the fortitude yet to read it. (I did read the Nichols article in the Atlantic which is excellent.) And finally, I totally agree with you on how excellent Lawrence O'Donnell was in his comments about the mainstream media last week. And I want to let readers know that that program also contained an interview with the director of the documentary "Shirley" about Shirley Chisholm's run for president in 1972, which is now on Netflix. I have watched only part of it so far, but it is excellent and, in addition to reminding me of how courageous and great a person Chisholm was, it further enhanced the gratitude, relief and enthusiasm I feel about the phenomenon that is taking place now. I recommend it.
Two things I think the NPR piece missed: his response to a question about his apparent bullet wound, and the real fallacy of his claim that electric trucks will require bridges to be rebuilt.
Here's a transcript of the wound comment (I don't understand why this hasn't been brought up):
"REPORTER: [Question Inaudible]
DONALD TRUMP: Yeah, pretty much recovered, yeah. I’m a fast healer. It’s a hell of a shot, but I’m a fast healer. Yeah, pretty much — pretty much recovered. No, it didn’t hit that. I got very lucky. It just hit the lobe, as they call it.
REPORTER: [Question Inaudible]
DONALD TRUMP: Yeah, a little bit. Not much. On top. A little bit."
He gestured to the TOP of his ear, where his bandage had been! Reread, "It just hit the lobe, as they call it."
On the truck comment, the bulk of a truck's weight is its PAYLOAD, not its cab (which may be heavier because of batteries, but it's unclear if it's in comparison with a full diesel tank). Trucks are limited to 80,000 lbs (electric and natural gas are allowed another 2,000 lbs), so load capacities of bridges should not be a factor (unless it changes load diversification as part of design).
Bob, the only quibble I have with your good comment is when you say "his bullet wound." Please, can you rephrase: "his alleged bullet wound."
I actually struggled with that. "Alleged" sounds a bit dismissive. I revised it to "Apparent."
Thanks for that homework, Bob, especially on the truck weight limits. America's bridges were in trouble before any electric truck rolled across them and, as you point out, the weight of the truck is in the payload. Also many of the 36% of American bridges that need repair( https://www.constructionext.com/construction-management/36-of-us-bridges-need-repair-or-replacement) are being addressed by the federal Infrastructure and Investment in Jobs Act of 2021, which many Republican lawmakers, like Senator J.D. Vance voted against but are happy to appear at the bridge construction sites to endorse, and often take credit for, the construction and the jobs. According to the American Road and Transportation Builder's Associjation, red states were particularly quick in committing the federal funds allocated to bridges: Idaho (100%), Georgia (100%), Alabama (97%), Arizona (88%), Indiana (81.5%), Florida (80%), Texas (78%) and Arkansas (68%). Think about it. Republican voters will drive to the polls in November safely and quickly over roads and bridges supported by federal funds that the representative for whom they will cast their votes refused to support. We need to boldly proclaim Democrats Make Life Better and Democrats have already made YOUR life better.
There needs to be billboards everywhere that say something like that. People would see it whenever they are driving on those roads :)
I can attest to red-state Arizona's jumping on those highway funds: we have one major interstate, I-17, running the length of the state, and it is covered with construction equipment, flooded with construction workers, and shut down half the time, which can be frustrating but which I know is indicative of Biden's success in nourishing the economy and fixing our sadly broken-down national infrastructure after a half-century of neglect.
Apologies: I left out a detail: the red states percentages were for the amount of the funds allocated for bridge building that had been claimed by those states by September of 2023.
Claimed and using them for that purpose might be two different things...
Thanks Robert! Heart Nebula is a “deep heart” and that describes Joe Biden and his torch barer Kamala, Tim. and the Democratic Party. There is much work to do, not only to November 5th but well beyond this date. I have heard from some who have contacts in Europe that Europe is the future. I hope for a stronger and stronger Europe but America has the opportunity to be the future with the policies of Biden Harris and now Harris Walz. Thanks again Robert for such clear and meaningful prose and for your pictures of “possibilities ”!
Robert, check this out:
Kids making bracelets for Kamala.
https://sarasotaheraldtribune-fl.newsmemory.com/?publink=0c9852fdd_134d3d0
Thanks for the link! What a wonderful idea!!
Oh wow! THIS happening in Sarasota? A pulsing-RED city? I’m surprised the newspaper gave the story even a column inch of coverage. I’ve read elsewhere about the increasing Swifite support and I am beyond ecstatic to learn it has a presence in the wobbly state of FL.
Jan, what is Swifite support?
You should be able to open the linked article in Manny’s post to learn a bit more about her fans.
Sorry, looks like I misspelled the name - her fans call themselves Swifties. They have become quite the new voter registration group. And now throwing their support behind Kamala is a really big deal.
Taylor Swift fans.
Manny, I'll buy one! What a fabu idea--millions of Americans across the nation wearing Kamala friendship bracelets! So much better than tee shirts. Seriously, can I buy one anywhere?
In 2016 I was sure the American electorate would reject Trump and his policies. I was stunned when he was elected. That nightmarish outcome still haunts me today. Who on earth believes and follows this demented charlatan? It was a wake up call to those Americans who do not vote or who do not make the effort to know whom and what they are voting for. Even though I still feel concerned (fearful) I am donating, volunteering, writing letters and doing everything in my power to see that the Harris/ Walz team prevails. We cannot let Trump come close to winning again.
Maybe it’s me but it feels like Trump and team is throwing as much s**g against the wall hoping it would stick. The reality is Trump has never run against an opponent who is considerably younger, well liked with no baggage per se and has a running made who is a walking example of many average Americans. His nickname calling bit and rambling rants are not doing it and to many it’s the same old song and rhetoric. His campaign is Trump and it’s not joyful or fun and doom and gloom is not the mood voters want to hear. The Harris Walz ticket has hit a nerve in this country and people are responding and Trump doesn’t have a clue.
"Over the last eight years, Trump rode a wave of reactionary anger and resentment that emerged in response to the election of our first Black president."
And now...Harris and Walz are riding a wave of reactionary joy and hope. So much more enjoyable, eh? It's the Independents and independent thinkers who swing elections. It's about getting enough non-ideological, ordinary and normal people to vote. I think we have the motivators!
I agree. Hate and bullying is exhausting. That’s no way to run an airline or anything else.
I'm here, Robert, on the other side - still intact!
😹
Just watched the Biden interview. It is really worth everyone’s time to see it.
Biden sold his successes at events for new projects but the media mostly ignored them. The obsessed over inflation but downplayed strong growth and job market. They did give a lot of coverage to the new Ohio River bridge—because Mitch and DeWine were there.
Agree. I cried when Joe described his conversation with his late son, Beau. Plus all the rest. PLEASE follow Robert’s excellent advice and watch the entire interview. Masterful.
The post to Truth Social supposedly from trump was clearly written by someone else. The meaning was understandable even though the content was absurd. Multi-syllabic words were used. There was punctuation. So, I guess some poor trump flunky had to listen to trump rant and rave and then rewrite/edit it into something comprehensible.
"Every media outlet that runs a story about the “honeymoon” period coming to an end is exposing its own ignorance to the seismic shift that has rocked American politics over the last three weeks." It's as likely that they're engaging in some wishful thinking and maybe setting up a self-fulfilling prophecy because life will be tedious for them, and much less profitable, if all they have to report is good news about the Harris-Walz ticket and shop worn jibes from their former income driving hero.
Maybe they’re admitting that they plan to continue their role in trying to destroy us.
I think that in some cases they're afraid to find out that they have a choice.
That they HAVE a choice or have to MAKE a choice? Is that kinda what you’re thinking?
Both. The idea of having to make a decision is probably the more frightening.
How about we each take the NPR quote and reference that Robert posted and copy, paste and send them to every major print and broadcast media — an easy rebuke and shaming from many of us that might get some attention at the managerial level.