The Conversation -- July 25, 2024
Harris' first campaign ad:
Marie: To those of you who haven't been following politics for 50 years as I have, more or less, I'll admit there has been some mudslinging between presidential candidates. But as far as I can recall, not one of the major parties' nominees has ever stooped so low as to call his opponent "real garbage." Until this morning. The nicest thing I can say about this is to remind you of Trump's propensity for projection.
Maggie Haberman & Jonathan Swan of the New York Times: "For the first time since Donald J. Trump was indicted in the spring of 2023, he has lost his grip on the news cycle and -- temporarily at least -- his message. Instead of commanding morning-to-night media attention, the former president and his allies suddenly find themselves reacting to their opponents.... [Kamala Harris] has brought in more than $120 million in new donations. She has already drawn bigger crowds than he ever did this election season. She has electrified TikTok and put a jolt into Democrats; volunteer efforts, especially among Black voters and women. And, unlike [President] Biden, she is receiving blanket news media coverage that is, so far, overwhelmingly positive.:
"This Porridge Is Just Right!" Abha Bhattarai of the Washington Post: "The U.S. economy grew at a surprisingly robust 2.8 percent annualized rate in the second quarter, capping two years of solid expansion, despite some signs of softening. Gross domestic product for the quarter ending in June was double the 1.4 percent reading in the previous quarter, but it reflects a general cool-down from last year's brisk pace, according to Commerce Department data released Thursday morning. 'Economic growth is solid, not too hot and not too cold,' said Chris Rupkey, chief economist at Fwdbonds, a financial research firm. 'The soft patch we had at the beginning of the year has gone away, and with it, the risks of a recession are dying on the vine.'"
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Michael Williams, et al., of CNN: "President Joe Biden, speaking to the nation from the Oval Office Wednesday evening, framed his decision to step aside from the 2024 presidential race as a matter of saving democracy. 'I revere this office. But I love my country more,' Biden said in a rare speech that marked the beginning of the closing chapter of his presidency and half-century in public service. 'It's been the honor of my life to serve as your president. But in defense of democracy, which is at stake -- and is more important than any title. I draw strength and I find joy in working for the American people,' he said." ~~~
~~~ Toluse Olorunnipa of the Washington Post: "President Biden delivered a somber, reflective address from the Oval Office on Wednesday evening, extolling democracy and decrying dictators during his first remarks to the nation since his monumental decision to end both his reelection campaign and political career.... With less than six months left in his presidency, Biden used the prime time address to defend his record, define his legacy and describe his vision for the rest of his term. He repeatedly called on Americans to take up the mantle of safeguarding the nation's principles, asserting that as he prepares to exit public life he was passing the baton to the public."
Sarah Ellison & Mariana Alfaro of the Washington Post: "When President Biden announced he was suspending his campaign for president, Donald Trump and some of his supporters stitched together a series of conspiracy theories about Biden's health, his motives for dropping out, and even whether he was still alive. Those false assertions built on years of reality-bending messages from Trump and others on the right that have helped polarize the electorate and shaken Americans' belief in a shared set of facts.... Hours after Biden said on Sunday that he was dropping out of the race, which came days after he received his covid diagnosis, Trump ... [wrote]. 'Does anybody really believe that Crooked Joe had Covid? No,'..., challenging the announcement from Biden's own physician describing his symptoms. In the same post, Trump claimed, without evidence, that Biden 'had wanted to get out' of the presidential race since the night of the debate...." Several prominent wingers, including Laura Loomer, Naomi Wolf & Bill Ackman claimed Biden did not write the letter announcing he was leaving the race. Charlie Kirk of Turning Point USA wrote that he had heard from police sources Biden had been airlifted to Johns Hopkins where he was dying or already dead; Tucker Carlson read Kirk's posts online. Sean Davis, CEO of the Federalist site, said Biden dropped out after his attempts to jail and assassinate Trump had failed. ~~~
~~~ Marie: I read elsewhere that Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-Colo.) was demanding that Biden provide "proof of life." As for me, I'm still waiting to see Trump's bone spurs.
Presidential Race
Yes She Did. Shane Goldmacher of the New York Times on how Kamala Harris took hold of the Democratic party in 48 hours. "She worked the phones. Her team worked the delegates. When it was over, she had quickly locked down the nomination in a 'well-orchestrated cascade,' as one party leader put it.... The blitz demonstrated exactly the kind of vigor and energy that [President] Biden had lacked in recent weeks. Mr. Biden had reportedly made 20 calls to congressional Democrats in the first 10 or so days after the debate, while his candidacy hung in the balance. Ms. Harris made 100 calls in 10 hours." (Also linked yesterday.)
Veepstakes. Nancy Cordes, et al., of CBS News: "Approximately a dozen individuals are being vetted as possible running mates for& Vice President Kamala Harris, according to a source familiar with the process. That number is larger than previously reported, and is an indication that the campaign is casting a wide net at the start of this process and isn't winnowing the list yet. Multiple sources tell CBS News that the list of candidates includes several governors: Josh Shapiro of Pennsylvania, Roy Cooper of North Carolina, Andy Beshear of Kentucky, Tim Walz of Minnesota, J.B. Pritzker of Illinois and Gretchen Whitmer of Michigan.... Members of the Biden administration, including Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo and Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg are also being considered, along with Arizona Sen. Mark Kelly, among others. The Harris campaign is also looking at individuals who do not currently hold elective office." ~~~
~~~ Lisa Lerer & Katie Glueck of the New York Times: "Although Vice President Kamala Harris has officially been a presidential candidate for less than four days, the parlor game over her running mate is well underway.... After Americans slogged through nearly two years of an expected presidential matchup with little mystery, the drama and intrigue around Ms. Harris's running-mate selection have reached new heights.... Already, some of the possible candidates have become frequent guests on cable news programs, with appearances that serve as real-time tests of their media skills and that fuel the veepstakes rumor mill.... Traditionally, campaigns look for politicians who could 'balance the ticket' by offering geographic, gender and racial diversity, expertise and experience that differ from the presidential nominee, or another kind of political appeal."
Nancy Did It. Jessica Bennett of the New York Times: "As concerns mounted among Democrats about President Biden's mental fitness and his disastrous debate performance, and as Mr. Biden responded by digging in his heels, it was the 84-year-old [Nancy] Pelosi -- a fellow octogenarian, no longer in charge, yet as shrewd and formidable an operator as ever -- who took those concerns and helped organize them into a sustained pressure campaign.: Thanks to laura h. for the link. MB: So let's presume that the reporting and the assumptions here are all true, and that the first female Speaker of the House also is responsible for clearing the way for the first female POTUS. Nancy Pelosi is already the most powerful woman in U.S. history; this would make her one of the most powerful people in U.S. history. And she did it dancing backwards in high heels. (Also linked yesterday.)
Speaker Johnson Says Overt Racism Is Not a Good Look. Mariana Alfaro & Marianna Sotomayor of the Washington Post: "House Republican leaders, including Speaker Mike Johnson, have asked their members not to make comments about Vice President Harris's race after a number of GOP lawmakers referenced her identity in attacks on the likely Democratic presidential nominee. Almost immediately after President Biden announced Sunday that he was endorsing Harris to replace him on the ticket, Republicans began their offensive, with some veering into attacks over the race and gender of the first Black and South Asian woman to serve as vice president."
Caitlan Gibson of the Washington Post: "In a video drawn from a 2021 interview..., J.D. Vance ... said that [Vice President] Harris and other prominent Democrats (including Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez) 'don't really have a direct stake' in the country's future because they are 'people without children.'... Others on the right have echoed Vance's argument[.]... Harris's relationships with the son and daughter whom she helped raise with her husband, second gentleman Doug Emhoff, absolutely deserve respect and recognition, says Jann Blackstone, a co-parenting mediator, author and founder of the nonprofit Bonus Families, which supports divorced or separated parents and their combined families.... Matthew Brake..., the stepfather of three, says he's noticed anti-stepparent sentiments growing in recent years, primarily in certain right-leaning corners of the internet." ~~~
~~~ Marie: When researchers get through combing through his remarks, we will find that J.D. of the Glib Pronouncements has offended almost everyone: he's already dissed all gay couples who are married or who might want to marry, all women who might ever get pregnant or who find themselves in abusive relationships (or any relationships at all), stepparents of any sex, childless people, cat lovers, Taylor Swift fans... and Donald Trump.
Travis Gettys of the Raw Story: "New voter registration spiked to record levels in the first 48 hours after president Joe Biden ended his presidential campaign. The nonpartisan Vote.org website saw its highest level of new voter registrations of the 2024 election cycle in the first two days after Biden dropped out and endorsed vice president Kamala Harris, with 38,500 people signing up -- a 700 percent spike, reported Politico Playbook. That's even higher than when Taylor Swift made an Instagram post urging her fans to register, Playbook noted, and most of the new registrations came from voters who are 34 years old or younger." (Also linked yesterday.)
Felonious Trump Slams Harris. Michael Gold of the New York Times: "... Donald J. Trump on Wednesday blasted Vice President Kamala Harris as radically liberal and blamed her for what he called the Biden administration's 'disastrous' policies, repurposing attacks he had long leveled at President Biden.... But in a signal of how his campaign strategy may shift after Mr. Biden dropped out of the race and Ms. Harris cleared the field of potential Democratic rivals, Mr. Trump at a rally in Charlotte, N.C., denigrated her time as a prosecutor and attacked Ms. Harris as 'radical' on abortion, an effort to undercut what may be two of her strongest arguments to voters.... He stumbled to pronounce the word 'abortion'..., then falsely claimed that [Ms. Harris] supported abortion 'even after birth, the execution of a baby,' something no state law supports.... By attacking her views on abortion, an issue he had largely minimized in his stump speech, he will most likely draw attention to his role in overturning Roe. And even as he attacked Ms. Harris's campaign strategy, he twice used the phrase 'convicted felon,' an inadvertent reminder of his criminal cases."
Natalie Allison of Politico: "Even Donald Trump's supporters sense he suddenly has a tougher race on his hands. As the former president unloaded on Kamala Harris in the swing state of North Carolina on Wednesday -- calling her a 'radical, left lunatic' at one point -- faithful fans conceded that what had been a sleepy contest had abruptly become something quite different.... Harris, after being endorsed by Biden to run at the top of the Democratic ticket, in recent days has seen a bump in polling compared to Biden's lagging performance, including among independents, people of color and women, among other critical voting blocs.... [The crowd at Trump's North Carolina rally] cheered when he conceded he was 'not going to be nice' about Harris, despite saying he 'became nice' after the attempted assassination on July 13.... Criticizing Harris for failing to attend Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's joint address to Congress earlier Wednesday, Trump falsely claimed that Harris, whose husband is Jewish, is 'totally against the Jewish people.'"
Yes, Trump Is Worse Than He Was. Linda Qiu of the New York Times: "A comparison of [Donald Trump's] addresses before the Republican National Convention in 2016 and 2024 demonstrates how his relationship to the truth has changed.... In 2016, when he accepted the nomination after a bitter primary campaign, with doubts and skepticism lingering over his candidacy, Mr. Trump hewed closely to his prepared remarks and paid some heed to the facts. Last Thursday..., the address Mr. Trump gave in 2024 was ... almost twice as long as his speech in 2016.... The number of inaccurate claims also doubled.... Many of his claims during his acceptance speech last week were flat-out false." (Also linked yesterday.)
And He Can't Remember What He Said Weeks Ago. Brett Samuels of the Hill: "Former President Trump said Tuesday he has not discussed Jamie Dimon as a potential Treasury secretary if he is reelected, despite saying himself he would consider the JPMorgan Chase CEO for the position. 'I don't know who said it, or where it came from, perhaps the Radical Left, but I never discussed, or thought of, Jamie Dimon or Larry Fink for Secretary of the Treasury,' Trump said, also ruling out the BlackRock CEO. But it was the former president who said Dimon was someone he would consider for a Cabinet post during an interview earlier this month with Bloomberg. 'I have a lot of respect for Jamie Dimon,' Trump told the outlet. Asked if he might consider Dimon as a future Treasury secretary, Trump said, 'He is somebody that I would consider, sure.'" (Also linked yesterday.)
In Case You Think Trump Cares About You. Shawn McCreesh of the New York Times: "Fred Trump, 61, describes himself as fairly close to his uncle [Donald Trump]. He attended the 2017 inauguration ... and visited the White House several times.... Fred Trump's son was born with a rare medical condition that led to developmental and intellectual disabilities. His care had been paid for in part with help from the family.... [Fred] was able to convene a group of advocates for a meeting with his uncle. The president 'seemed engaged, especially when several people in our group spoke about the heart-wrenching and expensive efforts they'd made to care for their profoundly disabled family members,' he writes. After the meeting, Fred Trump claims, his uncle pulled him aside and said, 'maybe those kinds of people should just die,' given 'the shape they're in, all the expenses.'... A couple of years later, when he called his uncle for help because the medical fund that paid for his son's care was running out of money, Fred Trump claims his uncle said: 'I don't know. He doesn't recognize you. Maybe you should just let him die and move down to Florida.'" ~~~
~~~ A Mother Jones report is here. An excerpt of the book, in Time magazine, which includes Fred Trump's allegations about Donald Trump's contempt for disabled people, is here.
Aaron Blake of the Washington Post: "At least five quality polls out this week have gauged [J.D.] Vance's image, and each shows that more people dislike him than like him. They show he is between two and nine points underwater. As CNN' Harry Enten noted Tuesday, that appears to be without recent precedent. Vice-presidential picks usually get a honeymoon period, and none has been in such negative territory so soon after their debut on the biggest stage.... Generally speaking, VP picks are ... more popular than the people who pick them.... And, notably, Vance's numbers are also worse than those for most of the big names being floated as potential running mates for Harris."
Adam Goldman of the New York Times: "Christopher A. Wray, the F.B.I. director, disclosed on Wednesday that a gunman who tried to assassinate ... Donald J. Trump searched on Google a week before the shooting for 'How far away was Oswald from Kennedy?' Mr. Wray added that the revelation appeared to be a possible first indication that the shooter began to contemplate an assassination. That same day, he registered to attend the rally in Butler, Pa., where Mr. Trump was set to speak. 'That's a search that obviously is significant in terms of his state of mind,' Mr. Wray said. In addition, Mr. Wray said the gunman had visited the area a week before the rally, spending about 20 minutes at the scene. He returned twice on the day of the shooting, for about 70 minutes in the morning and then later that afternoon, when he appeared to fly a drone in the vicinity for about 11 minutes." (Also linked yesterday.)
Yeah, Right. Glenn Thrush of the New York Times: "The Justice Department's in-house watchdog found no evidence of political interference in the reduction of a prison sentence proposed for the longtime Trump ally Roger Stone in 2020, attributing the stunning reversal to 'ineffectual' leadership, according to a report released on Wednesday. The report concluded a four-year investigation into the decision by Attorney General William P. Barr in February 2020 to reduce Mr. Stone's proposed sentence to about three years, after initially recommending seven to nine.... [Mr. Barr told his staff that the longer sentence recommendation needed to be 'fixed.'...] The decision to seek a lighter sentence was announced after ... Donald J. Trump sharply criticized the harsher sentence initially proposed.... The central player in the saga was Timothy Shea, who had been appointed as the top prosecutor in the department's Washington, D.C., office on an interim basis just two weeks before, and seemed 'unsure' of what to do after being thrust into the politically charged case, [Inspector General Michael] Horowitz wrote.... Mr. Stone never served any time; Mr. Trump commuted his sentence before leaving office." ~~~
~~~ Marie: Wait a minute. The political appointee who runs the department tells his underling to "fix" the senctencing recommendation for the friend of the guy who appointed him, and that's not political interference? Okay then, can we just call it "corruption" at the top?
Jim Rutenberg & Jonathan Mahler of the New York Times: "Rupert Murdoch is locked in a secret legal battle against three of his children over the future of the family's media empire, as he moves to preserve it as a conservative political force after his death, according to a sealed court document obtained by The New York Times. Mr. Murdoch, 93, set the drama in motion late last year, when he made a surprise move to change the terms of the Murdochs' irrevocable family trust to ensure that his eldest son and chosen successor, Lachlan, would remain in charge of his vast collection of television networks and newspapers.... [Rupert Murdoch] is arguing in court that only by empowering Lachlan to run the company without interference from his more politically moderate siblings can he preserve its conservative editorial bent.... Those three siblings -- James, Elisabeth and Prudence -- were caught completely off-guard by their father's effort to rewrite what was supposed to be an inviolable trust and have united to stop him."
Gail Collins remembers her husband reporter Dan Collins, who died this month.
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Utah. Jeré Longman, et al., of the New York Times: "The International Olympic Committee awarded the 2034 Winter Games to Salt Lake City on Wednesday only after a last-minute demand that the agreement shield global sports authorities from U.S. investigations into doping by Chinese athletes. Organizers of Salt Lake City's bid and Gov. Spencer J. Cox of Utah agreed to the changes sought by the I.O.C. The unexpected twist came amid an escalating dispute between the global antidoping agency and its American counterpart, and at a time when the Justice Department and Congress are looking into why Chinese swimmers who tested positive for performance-enhancing drugs three years ago were not subject to penalties from the World Anti-Doping Agency. Mr. Cox told I.O.C. members before Wednesday's vote awarding the 2034 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games to Salt Lake City that he would 'work with the levers of power,' including in Congress, to 'alleviate your concerns.'"
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Ellen Knickmeyer, et al., of the AP: "Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed 'total victory' against Hamas and condemned American opponents of the war in Gaza on Wednesday in a scathing speech to Congress boycotted by dozens of Democratic lawmakers and protested by thousands seeking an end to the war and the humanitarian crisis created by it. Netanyahu's combative speech offered no sign that his visit to the United States -- his first trip abroad since the war started -- could bring some progress in months of U.S.-led mediation for a cease-fire and hostage-release, as the Biden administration has hoped. Speaking for nearly an hour to frequent applause from U.S. lawmakers, as well as stony silence from many leading Democrats in the chamber, Netanyahu said the U.S. has a shared interest in his country's fight against Hamas and other Iran-backed armed groups." (Also linked yesterday.)
News Lede
Washington Post: "Lewis H. Lapham, the innovative editor who revived Harper's magazine and penned books and essays that skewered the American upper class from which he sprang, died July 23 in Rome. He was 89."
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Reader Comments (16)
(Brought forward from the end of yesterday's Conversation.)
Wow! Just…
Wow.
It’s too expensive to keep your disabled kid alive.
Just let him die. Move to Florida. Enjoy yourself. Have a margarita!
No wonder he thinks Hannibal Lecter (not a real person) is a great guy.
But here’s the thing. How many people will read this story? Not many, right? And of those who do read it, how many will believe it? Even fewer. And of the few who believe it, how many will really give a shit?
Had this been a story about Joe Biden telling a relative to just let a physically or mentally disabled son or daughter die so they can save some money, go to Florida and have fun, it would be headline material for six months straight. Five Netflix movies and documentaries would be made about it before it left the front page of NY Times.
But it’s Trump, so…
Seriously, how long before “Oh, it’s just Donald” doesn’t work anymore? Ever? How many more examples do people need before they acknowledge that this disgrace of a human being should not be given the eternal benefit of the doubt he’s always graced with?
Did “Oh, it’s just Jeffrey Dahmer” ever work? You think it’s unfair to compare Trump with Jeffrey Dahmer? How many people did Dahmer kill? Seventeen? Trump killed hundreds of thousands.
You think he thought any more of strangers dying of Covid than he thought of someone he knew personally?
But “Oh, it’s just Donald” still works.
And millions of equally sociopathic assholes will vote for him.
Bible Mike sez “Hey guys, no overt racism!” So I guess reg’lar ol’ racism is perfectly okay. And why wouldn’t it be? Racial animus, bigotry, fear and hatred of non-whites are baked into the party. It’s like telling an owl “No more hunting at night!”
Their Chosen One, began his rise to political power with the most overtly racist screed in modern American politics after waddling off that escalator. It was, and is his overt racism and misogyny that endear him to the PoT masses, the white supremacists, the militia nuts, the Christian Nationalists, the BLM haters, and outright bigoted media types like pretty much everyone on Fox.
Without racism, they’re not Republicans.
@Akhilleus: Maybe this is why Trump is so fixated on the BS "abortion after birth" lie he keeps telling. He may have given that more contemplation than we know.
Don't know what anyone else here might have thought of him, but for our family Lapham and his Harpers were long a family favorite.
Lapham did snot far better than most, and I and my boys loved him for it.
https://www.nytimes.com/2024/07/24/business/media/lewis-h-lapham-dead.html?smid=nytcore-ios-share&referringSource=articleShare&sgrp=c-cb
And, Akhilleus, to repeat something I thought I'd sent earlier:
You're right without racisms, the Republican Party might disappear. It's the glue that holds its disparate guns, god and gays enthusiasms and resentments together.
So influencing the number of years for sidekick Stone by the Great Mango Gorilla (not that I don't like actual gorillas--)is NOT political obstruction or whatever? Yes, Marie. Total corruption from the head of the Dumpie government to the littlest broken plastic spoon, Racist Miller, none of them are worth thinking about. Hoping they ALL move to Florida to live with their idol. I'm sorry for heaping Florida with that trash, but I kinda think it has brought it on itself, from 2000 up to the election of an idiot, now a "senator" and then another idiot for governor. I guess the idiocy will continue, as there is zero possibility of anyone getting a decent education there...
Ken,
Very sorry to hear about Lewis Lapham. Harper’s has been one my favorite publications since he took over. His opening essays were always my first choice, no matter the other articles. His writing was erudite without being pointy-headed, elegant without being precious, and always thoughtful with a strong sense of history and nuance. He was a liberal in the true (as opposed to the Fox) sense of the word.
As I sit here, I can see about twenty of his “Lapham’s Quarterly” issues in my living room bookcases. The ultimate in historical readings collected under a single rubric each quarter.
I’ve been hearing a lot about how JD Vance is considered an intellectual in right-wing circles. Perhaps the somewhat oxymoronic label “right-wing intellectual” might apply, but if you want to strip that down to just “intellectual”, comparing a snide hypocrite like Vance to a true intellectual like Lapham is like comparing a Pop Warner quarterback to Tom Brady.
He is already missed.
I get a kick out of all the piggly-wiggly waggling going on among the Traitors as they flail about looking for any way possible to delegitimize Kamala Harris. My favorite is this bullshit about how Democrats going from Biden to Harris is “undemocratic”. Say what? What the actual fuck do these people know about democracy? It’s like some monolingual guy in Texas (who can barely speak English) complaining that an article in Le Monde has grammatical errors.
If there is a single group of jabbering jamokes who know next to nothing about democracy, it’s these guys. I don’t refer to them as the Party of Traitors fer nuthin’.
So…to employ one of the Nazi Supine Court’s favorite tactics, these guys got no standing. No standing at all to complain about how the Democratic Party does its business, so please to be shutting the pie holes. And saying that Democrats have thrown out their legal nominee is bullshit too. Biden is not the nominee. No one is “the nominee” until the convention, bozos. But rules, like democracy, are not their strong suit.
And now Trump wants to be…reimbursed?!?!?…because Biden isn’t running anymore? What? I guess grifters always be grifting.
I’m sure there will be much more of this sort of jiggery-pokery. Any day I suspect we’ll hear that the $100 million raised by Harris in 48 hours is actually from Liberal Aliens from the 10th dimension.
Or was that the 7th dimension?
The Harris spot is a great start. You go, girl! More of that, please.
Hammer these bastards on rights, rule of law, and freedom not to be ruled by authoritarian fascist pigs.
I gotta say, kids, I haven’t felt this good in a long time. I think we have better than an even chance to win this thing. The Traitors are clearly scared, the Orange Monster, in particular. “Real garbage”? That’s all you got, Fatty, you grunting loser?
The differences are huge, the choice now crystal clear. The whiners are complaining that Harris smiles too much. “She giggles!” Oh. You’d prefer she scowl, fart uncontrollably, and fall asleep in court while on trial for dozens of felony counts?
But just that alone is a perfect distillation of the choice we have now. An image of hope, belief in the future for all Americans, smiles, joy, happy faces.
Or grimacing, grunting, red faces filled with hatred and a need for vengeance.
I’ll take smiling confidence and promises of a fair country over faux tough guy scowls and delusional babbling about a fictional serial killer with promises to kill those you don’t like.
Are there still undecideds out there?
Grapes of Rats
Just another quick one…
Rupert Murdoch is trying hard to tear up a supposedly irrevocable trust in order to ensure that Fox continues its mission of hatred, racism, disinformation, and far-right hegemony. Guess who’s helping him?
Bill (dis)Barr!
Ha. Up above you’ll see a link Marie provides to another example of Barr’s ubiquitous presence wherever there’s some sneaky right-wing skullduggery.
He’s like the PoT Tom Joad:
Wherever there are rich people trying to step on the poor, I’ll be there to help them.
Wherever there’s a cop they try to stop from beatin’ up an unarmed black guy, I’ll be there to make sure he doesn’t get in trouble.
Wherever there’s a crooked bastard in the White House who needs help framing his enemies, I’ll be there.
I’ll be there in the snickers of oligarchs getting ready to swallow up a business and put people out of work.
I’ll be there in the screams of white supremacists looking to stop liberals from voting.
Wherever democracy reads its ugly head, I’ll be there to smack it good.
The Grapes of Rats.
It wasn't until the horribleness of the George W Bush administration that I took an interest in politics. Lewis Lapham, writing in Harper's, was the best antidote for the despair I felt in those years. Thanks, Ken, for the link to his obit.
While I'm not very familiar with most of the VP candidates Akhilleus listed in yesterday's comment beyond their basic biographies, I too would love, love, love to see Mayor Pete selected VP as the best voice to counter the mudslinging, lies, and nastiness of the party of monsters.
I'm told this one will be in the local paper this weekend, but I won't know. Will be out of town and off the net all of next week, beginning tomorrow, which is my excuse for posting a Sunday sermon about God (god)--what else?--today.
SHIRTS AND SKINS
When I was a young boy, I was told that God is everywhere. In 2024, religion is certainly everywhere in our politics.
Thousands of Americans who identify as Christian support a presidential candidate who lies repeatedly, has blatantly used the office of the Presidency to enrich himself, and paid off a porn star to buy her silence about their encounter. It would seem difficult to countenance behavior so at odds with the Ten Commandments’ injunctions against lying, covetousness, and adultery, but for some it’s not. Many of Mr. Trump’s Christian supporters don't see him as a sinner and or felon, but as the man selected by God to save the country (nytimes.com).
Their Lord does indeed work in mysterious ways. At our nation’s Supreme Court, his work is equally mystifying.
Some Supreme Court justices, those black-robed emblems of reason and rectitude, have accepted thousands of dollars in gifts from wealthy donors, failed to report the gifts until caught (thereby telling lies of omission) and, if their new toothless ethics code says anything, see nothing wrong with their behavior. Justice Alito, one of the Court’s conservatives who has accepted unreported gifts from wealthy donors, said recently that the country needs to “return to a place of godliness" (nbcnews.com). The irony of his remark must have escaped him.
Meanwhile, the conservatives on the Court have continued to chip away at Thomas Jefferson’s recommended wall between church and state, granting religious beliefs increasing sway in the public sphere (salon.com). Louisiana, controlled by the party that supports the former president, now requires the Ten Commandments be posted in its public schools. Oklahoma has enjoined its schools to teach the Bible in its classrooms, and some states, also controlled by Republicans, deliberately funnel public money to private, religious schools. All this seems a bit peculiar in a country whose Constitution clearly states, “Congress shall make no law respecting establishment of religion.”
Adding to the perplexity of all this hypocrisy and contradiction is the startling decline in the numbers of those who attend church regularly. Over the last two decades the number who still honor the Lord’s Day shrank from 42 to 30 percent (gallup.com). What to make of it all?
When he dropped by the other day after working out at the YMCA, my oldest grandson might have given me the answer. Watching a pickup basketball game, he noted the teams had divided into shirts and skins. He said it was the first time he had seen shirts and skins at the “Y.” His tone suggested he thought it retro, even cute in a primitive sort of way.
Cute or not, it was that primitive element that struck me. Our urge to belong to a team is so strong we don’t need color-coded tees or clothing that shouts our allegiance to team, school, or country to declare we belong to something. Shirts and skins will do.
Since much of the religion in our politics has little to do with traditionally accepted notions of morality, what is its point? Often, religion seems to have become little more than a label that tells people which team they are on.
But which team is the Christian Right’s god on? The Republican Party’s list of grievances, resentments and fears tells us the evils their anointed savior will save them from. Trump will save them from brown immigrants. His party will save them from extending voting rights to everyone. At the federal level, Trump’s Court appointees have already saved them from women who want to control their own bodies. Their new Vice-Presidential candidate has stated he wants women at home, bearing children (slate.com), thus preserving male dominance in each family. His party will save them, too, from government regulations that guard the public from profiteers and polluters. And their savior’s dictatorial bent will save them from the messy disagreements inevitable in a democracy.
Although their team doesn’t sound much like the God who tossed the money lenders from the temple or the one who said “loving thy neighbor as thyself” defined the path to Heaven, I’m sure that many on the religious right sincerely believe that God is on their side.
Some might wonder, though, in this land of the free and the home of the brave, if God has decided if He’s a shirt or a skin.
Ken wrote:
“Since much of the religion in our politics has little to do with traditionally accepted notions of morality, what is its point?”
For many who consider themselves religious (as my parents did—and were), morality and living by a certain code of conduct (do unto others as you would have them do unto you, helping the sick, the homeless, the hopeless) plays an important part in their sense of who they are and how they should live.
Not so for the Trumpists. For them, religion is just a bulwark against criticism of their accession to hatred, lies, and bigotry. It’s all about power. Control. Vengeance.
The memes circulating about a fat, lying, crooked philanderer who sought to overthrow the government to maintain power, being the Chosen One by god seem to be the order of the day. Get in line and stay there. One way to deflect criticism for rank hypocrisy is to scream that “God wants Trump!!” If you don’t want Trump, then you hate god and they can go after you in any way they choose.
“The hand of god saved Trump from assassination because god loves Trump!!!”
I guess he didn’t give a shit about that firefighter who died saving his family or other people wounded in the attack.
See, these are the holes in that argument. Since I was a kid I was completely flummoxed that an all loving god would let certain assholes off the hook, reward their criminality, and thoroughly screw good, decent, god-fearing folk.
I don’t get that this same god will, at least according to the interpretations of certain so-called Christians, condemn gay people, Jews, Muslims, atheists, non-believers of all stripes, even other Christians who don’t buy into the evangelical worldview, to eternal perdition in hell. This is a guy we should worship?
Fuck that.
And if Trump is this god’s chosen one, double fuck that.
And leave us not forget that in Biblical history, those labeled “Chosen”, have not exactly lived it up in the lap of luxury. Ask any Jews if being a member of the Chosen People has been a trip to Hawaii, with margaritas for breakfast and lobster bisque for lunch.
So Trump is just like Jesus (according to noted Biblical scholar MTG)? How has he been afflicted? Oh…he’s had to sit in court while being prosecuted for ACTUAL CRIMES?? And now has been granted full immunity? Now he’s being handed millions of dollars and is worshipped by the drooling MAGA horde? If that’s affliction, Christ, sign me up.
No. It’s all about power. Power to step on those you hate, assert your right to rule over all, demand everyone bow down to your belief system.
Sorry. These ain’t the Chosen People. They’re the Frozen People. Frozen in fear, hatred, and ignorance. With that weird combination of unassailable superiority and eternal victimhood.
No wonder they love Trump.
Btw, shirts and skins was a regular thing in our city playground. Even in the winter (we were tough little bastards).
Akhilleus,
An addendum to your post that's in my mail but not on RC as yet:
The doctor father of that grandson pointed out that it's much rarer these days for kids to bare their bodies on the court. Shirts or some covering are de rigueur.
Nor do they regularly shower following PE. Even the boys. Wouldn't want anyone to see (and possibly make fun?)
Ironically, they have little problem baring it all on the internet.
Go figure.
Ken,
I’m guessing that has something to do with the internet. Shaming has become such a regular thing that I’m not surprised that kids shy away from in person public exposure.
I remember visiting my cousin when I was about 12 and going to his local Y where bathing suits were optional. In fact very few were used. At first I thought it was a bit unusual (the Boy’s Club I belonged to required suits as did all the city public pools we used to frequent), but after a few minutes, it was no big deal. It’s a different world now, and back then, if you wanted personal, um, exposure, as it were, to a specific individual, it had to be done in person. A tad more complicated, so not nearly as easy as it is today online.
Back in high school, we had no private showers in the locker room. After baseball or football practice, it was everyone into the showers, so to speak. No one cared. In fact, after weightlifting in the off season, we used to turn on all the showers in both shower rooms to full hot to steam the place up, then we’d play hockey with a bar of soap. Lots of slipping and sliding and landing on heads, and lots of laughs. Probably loads of legal exposure (so to speak) for that sort of stuff today. So no more soap bar hockey. Too bad. It was a blast.
A different world.
“Real garbage!”
Is this god’s Choice to rule America?