The Conversation -- July 26, 2024
Election News: About That Severed Finger in a Chili Bowl. Jamie Frevele of Mediaite: "... The New York Times issued a retraction on Thursday of a quote it used in an article about new polling -- because ... one of [people they queried] was the woman who was convicted of fraud for planting a severed finger in a cup of chili. The article, about a new NYT/Siena poll that has Vice President Kamala Harris narrowing the gap on ... Donald Trump, quoted a few registered voters on their electoral choices. One of them caught the eye of The Atlantic senior editor Gilad Edelman..., [who tweeted that the voter cited, Anna Ayala, had been 'convicted of planting a severed finger in her Wendy's chili.']... Back in 2005, Ayala and her husband pleaded guilty to charges that she planted a severed finger in a serving of Wendy's chili as part of an extortion scheme.... The New York Times removed her quote and issued a retraction: '... The Times removed comments from one voter in an earlier version of this article after learning that the person had been convicted in an extortion scheme in which she made fraudulent claims.'"
Trolling Trump. Joe Sommerlad of the Independent: "Kamala Harris has trolled Donald Trump by using his words against him after the Republican presidential nominee backed out of a proposed television debate. 'What happened to "any time, any place"?' the vice president posted on X late on Thursday night. Trump had previously used those words back in March to lay down the gauntlet to President Joe Biden as the two rivals sparred about when and where they would face each other on the debate stage."
Gregorio Sorgi of Politico: "The European Commission transferred €1.5 billion of profits from investing frozen Russian assets to buy weapons for Ukraine. After months of grueling negotiations in Brussels, the EU executive finally sent the first batch of funding to the war-torn country. Ninety percent of the cash will be used for military purposes, while the remaining amount will go towards humanitarian aid."
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Marie: The Trump campaign plans to knock Vice President Harris as the failed "Border Czar" (a title they invented for her), and that's quasi-fair in a political sense. But factually, it's problematic. First of all, mass immigration, partially caused by climate change, is a world-wide problem. And of course, Trump opposes climate-change mitigation. More specifically, we all know that Trump strong-armed Republicans into voting against their own border security bill last year, a bill the Biden administration reluctantly supported. Now the Washington Post reports,
"The Trump White House was warned that harsh sanctions on Venezuela could accelerate that country's economic collapse and speed an exodus of millions of migrants to neighboring nations, according to three current and former U.S. government officials.... The Trump administration nevertheless imposed some of the harshest economic penalties in U.S. history on Venezuela in response to documented human rights abuses, extrajudicial killings and corruption by the regime of dictator Nicolás Maduro.... Today, however, Maduro remains in power, and a surge in Venezuelan immigrants has emerged as a flash point in the U.S. presidential election." ~~~
~~~ So the fact is that, however culpable the Biden administration may be, the Trump administration did as much but probably more to worsen the border crisis.
Wherein Michelle Goldberg of the New York Times takes a few moments to psychoanalyze J.D. Vance. Thanks to Ken W. for the link. MB: I think it's fine that we do this for a few weeks or so, but once we get sort of a handle on what's wrong with that smug punk, can't we mostly ignore him?
Presidential Race
Ebony Davis of CNN: "Former President Barack Obama and former first lady Michelle Obama endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris' presidential bid in a video released Friday. 'Michelle and I couldn't be prouder to endorse you and to do everything we can to get you through this election and into the Oval Office,' the former president told Harris on a phone call joined by his wife, according to the video." ~~~
How magnanimous of Trump to cut a campaign ad for Harris! ~~~
We approve this message pic.twitter.com/Kd1zKlqFmp
— Kamala HQ (@KamalaHQ) July 25, 2024
Ryan Reilly & Yamiche Alcindor of NBC News: "... fears of another Trump term are central to a new letter endorsing [Vice President Kamala] Harris, signed by more than 40 former Justice Department officials who served under presidents of both parties. They include former Attorney General Loretta Lynch, former deputy attorneys general Sally Yates, David Ogden and Jamie Gorelick, and John McKay, who was appointed as a top federal prosecutor in Washington state during the George W. Bush administration, among others. 'The fabric of the nation, the rule of law and the future of the Democracy are at stake in this election,' reads the letter, first obtained by NBC News. It warns: 'The stakes could not be higher. Former President Trump presents a grave risk to our country, our global alliances and the future of democracy.'"
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 & Shane Goldmacher of the New York Times: "Advisers to ... Donald J. Trump said they would not commit to another debate, one they had already agreed to participate in [on Sept. 10], now that the Democrats have changed candidates from President Biden to Vice President Kamala Harris.... Mr. Trump's communications director, Steven Cheung..., [said] 'general election debate details cannot be finalized until Democrats formally decide on their nominee.'" MB: I don't understand why Trump would be reluctant to debate an opponent who he says is as "dumb as a rock." ~~~
~~~ Josh Boak & Chris Megerian of the AP: "Vice President Kamala Harris told reporters on Thursday that she's 'ready to debate Donald Trump.' She accused him of 'backpedaling' away from a previous agreement for a debate hosted by ABC News on Sept. 10. 'I think the voters deserve to see the split screen that exists in this race on the debate stage,' she said after landing at Joint Base Andrews following a trip to Indiana and Texas."
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.... And, unlike [President] Biden, she is receiving blanket news media coverage that is, so far, overwhelmingly positive." (Also linked yesterday.)
Nicholas Liu of Salon: "According to a CNN survey taken after the Republican National Convention, J.D. Vance has an approval rating of -6 points.... The average rating for a running mate after a party convention has been +19 points.... With Trump struggling to appeal to moderate women, the former president may rue choosing a man who ran for Senate on a hardline anti-abortion stance, criticized childcare subsidies as 'class war against normal people' and suggested that married women would be selfish for divorcing their abusive husbands.... When running for Senate in 2022 with Trump's endorsement, and before the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, Vance declared that he would back a nationwide ban on abortion, even in cases of rape and incest."
Paul Krugman of the New York Times: "In 2021..., [J.D.] Vance explained what he saw as one of the biggest problems facing America: It's being run 'by a bunch of childless cat ladies who are miserable at their own lives and the choices that they've made and so they want to make the rest of the country miserable, too.' He name-checked, among others, Vice President Kamala Harris.... Even for a red-meat, red-state Senate candidate, this was a remarkably harsh -- and conspiracy-minded -- insult to a large number of people: Around one in six American women 40 to 44 have never had children. It's the kind of comment that makes you wonder if Vance thinks that he has been nominated by the Republican Party to serve as the vice president of the Republic of Gilead.... There's a real 'Handmaid's Tale' vibe to a lot of what we're hearing from the right.... Vance ... is trying to turn the clock back half a century or more." ~~~
~~~ Niha Masih of the Washington Post: "'I truly can't believe this is coming from a potential VP of The United States,' actress Jennifer Aniston wrote Wednesday, slamming Vance in an Instagram story.... "The View' host Whoopi Goldberg also weighed in on the show Wednesday: 'Sir, there are people who have chosen not to have children for whatever reason,' she said. 'There are people who want to have children who cannot. How dare you. You never had a baby; your wife had a baby ... you know nothing about this.'... 'It's bold, for someone seeking votes, to hone in on "childless cat ladies" when the leader of Childless Cat Ladies is TAYLOR SWIFT,' author Caitlin Moran posted. Swift, 34, has three cats and has described them as some of her biggest influences." ~~~
~~~ Alexandra Marquez & Peter Alexander of NBC News: "In a statement to NBC News, Kerstin Emhoff [-- Doug Emhoff's ex-wife --] called Vance's attacks 'baseless,' adding: 'For over 10 years, since Cole and Ella were teenagers, Kamala has been a co-parent with Doug and I. She is loving, nurturing, fiercely protective, and always present. I love our blended family and am grateful to have her in it.' Ella Emhoff [-- Doug & Kerstin's daughter & Kamala's stepdaughter --], 25, posted a screenshot on her Instagram story in support of her mother's statement, adding, 'How can you be "childless" when you have cutie pie kids like Cole and I?'... At the bottom of the image, Ella Emhoff wrote, 'I love my three parents.'" ~~~
(Marie: Kerstin and Ella's responses raise an issue more fundamental than family dynamics: "Should we simply dispense with object pronouns?") ~~~
~~~ Unpossible! How Could the "Father of Our Country" Be Childless??? Even George Washington -- also a stepparent -- vehemently disagreed with J.D., arguing that his own lack of natural progeny was good for the country because it precluded any dynastic ambitions he might have. (WashPo link.)
Marie: I've heard a number of pundits ask, perhaps rhetorically, if the Trump campaign bothered to vet Vance. They did, they found problems, and Trump picked him anyway, over vehement objections from some campaign insiders.
Adam Goldman & Glenn Thrush of the New York Times: "The F.B.I. is examining numerous metal fragments found near the stage at a campaign rally in Butler, Pa., to determine whether an assassin's bullet -- or potential debris -- grazed ... Donald J. Trump's head, bloodying his ear, according to the F.B.I. and a federal law enforcement official.... Unanswered questions about the object that struck the Republican nominee for president have lingered since the shooting on July 13, with Mr. Trump claiming that he was struck by a bullet -- and casting his survival as an act of divine intervention. F.B.I. officials have been more circumspect, citing the need to analyze the evidence before determining what struck Mr. Trump -- a bullet, metal shard or something else.... With respect to former President Trump, there's some question about whether or not it's a bullet or shrapnel that hit his ear,' Christopher A. Wray, the F.B.I. director, told Representative Jim Jordan, Republican of Ohio and the chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, on Wednesday. That statement prompted a fierce backlash and continued Republican attacks on Mr. Wray.... In a social media post Thursday night, Mr. Trump lashed out at Mr. Wray, saying: 'No wonder the once storied F.B.I. has lost the confidence of America!' Mr. Trump said there was no glass and no shrapnel. 'No, it was, unfortunately, a bullet that hit my ear, and hit it hard.'" ~~~
~~~ Marie: One thing likely is hindering the FBI's investigation: As far as we know, Trump still won't release the doctors who treated his wound to speak to authorities. Maybe they gave him a cursory cognitive test -- as they well might to someone with a head injury -- and he flunked it. ~~~
~~~ Update. Ryan Nobles & Dareh Gregorian of NBC News: "Trump campaign spokesman Steven Cheung also blasted Wray, saying, 'Anyone who believes this conspiracy bulls--- is either mentally deficient or willfully peddling falsehoods for political reasons.'... The former president has not released any medical records from his treatment at the hospital after the shooting, and the doctors who treated him were not made available to answer questions. The Trump campaign did release a letter from Rep. Ronny Jackson, R-Texas, a former White House physician. Jackson ripped Wray in a statement on X. 'What little credibility he may have left is gone after recklessly suggesting Trump might not have been hit from a bullet. It was a bullet -- I've seen the wound. Pathetic!!!' he wrote in the post, with the last two sentences in all-capital letters." MB: What's "pathetic" is these macho-men who think that being hit by shrapnel is somehow less "heroic" than being hit by a bullet.
Aiding & Abetting. Glenn Thrush of the New York Times: "In September 2020, the Justice Department announced it was investigating the dumping of pro-Trump absentee ballots in Pennsylvania. But prosecutors quickly determined it was an innocent error. A mentally impaired seasonal elections employee had mistakenly believed that nine ballots were invalid, and tossed them in a dumpster -- yet the fact that no charges would be brought was not made public until well after Joseph R. Biden Jr. defeated Mr. Trump. On Thursday, nearly four years later, the Justice Department's in-house watchdog issued a scathing report criticizing the attorney general at the time, William P. Barr, and David Freed, then a Trump-appointed U.S. attorney..., for publicly disclosing a continuing criminal investigation and allowing a mistaken perception of the incident to linger during an election. The inspector general, Michael E. Horowitz, said he was particularly 'troubled' by Mr. Barr's decision to brief Mr. Trump on the inquiry, which, in turn, might have encouraged him to make false and exaggerated claims about election security.... But neither [Barr nor Freed] could be charged with misconduct, he added, because of ambiguity in federal law...."
Ann Marimow of the Washington Post: "Justice Elena Kagan said Thursday that she would support the creation of a committee of judges to examine potential violations of the Supreme Court's new ethics code, speaking out on a contentious subject as President Biden and others are increasingly calling for reform at the high court.... Last fall, in response to criticism from Democratic lawmakers and outside experts about perceived ethics violations, Roberts announced that the court for the first time had agreed to abide by an ethics code specific to the justices. But the policy did not include a way to examine alleged misconduct, or to clear or sanction justices who might violate the rules." CNN's report is here.
"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.'" (Also linked yesterday.)
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Oklahoma. Isabelle Taft of the New York Times: "The Oklahoma state superintendent vowed on Wednesday to force public schools to comply with his mandate that they teach the Bible and issued striking guidance for teachers, amid pushback from critics who say the move infringes on students' religious freedom. According to the guidance from Ryan Walters, the Republican state superintendent, every teacher must be given 'a physical copy of the Bible, the United States Constitution, the Declaration of Independence and the Ten Commandments.' It breaks down how instructors should teach the Bible by subject -- including its historical context, literary significance and influences on arts and music.... The guidance comes about a month after Mr. Walters, a conservative Christian and former high school history teacher, directed all state K-12 schools to teach the Bible."
~~~ Marie: We are at a place in U.S. history where those who favor following First Amendment principles are labeled "woke radicals" in a "radical leftist mob."
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Only One President at a Time. But. Tyler Pager & John Hudson of the Washington Post: "Vice President Harris implored Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday to accept a cease-fire deal that would pause the fighting in Gaza and release hostages, as U.S. leaders say they are closer than ever to an agreement.... Harris's decision to give her full backing for the deal and explain its genera outline appeared designed to add pressure on Israel and Hamas to close the remaining gaps in reaching an agreement to at least temporarily end more than nine months of conflict. That it was the vice president, not President Biden, giving public remarks after they each held bilateral meetings with the Israeli leader reflected how much has changed in Washington in recent days." ~~~
What has happened in Gaza over the past nine months is devastating. The images of dead children and desperate, hungry people fleeing for safety, sometimes displaced for the second, third or fourth time -- we cannot look away in the face of these tragedies, we cannot allow ourselves to become numb to the suffering, and I will not be silent. -- Kamala Harris, after meeting with Benjamin Netanyahu Thursday ~~~
~~~ Peter Baker of the New York Times: "Vice President Kamala Harris offered Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu strong support for Israel's right to defend itself from terrorism on Thursday but declared that 'far too many innocent civilians' had died in Gaza.... In what amounted to her debut on the world stage since her rapid ascension as the presumptive Democratic nominee for president, Ms. Harris sought to strike a balance and capture what she called 'the complexity' of the strife in the Middle East. But while she did not stray from President Biden on policy, she struck a stronger tone on the plight of Palestinians."
News Ledes
Washington Post: "Northern California's massive Park Fire continued to grow overnight, fueled by wind and dry, hot weather. The wildfire, which authorities believe was an act of arson, reached more than 145,000 acres by late Thursday and was only 3 percent contained. It is California's largest this year.... District Attorney Michael L. Ramsey said Chico resident Ronnie Stout, 42, would be arraigned Monday on to-be-determined charges related to arson. Investigators allege a witness saw him pushing a flaming car off an embankment in upper Bidwell Park, starting the blaze."
CNN: "An alleged Mexican drug kingpin suspected of flooding the United States with deadly fentanyl and who evaded authorities for decades is in US custody after he was apparently lured across the border by federal agents. Ismael 'El Mayo' Zambada, 76, the alleged co-founder and leader of the powerful Sinaloa cartel, was arrested in El Paso, Texas on Thursday, Attorney General Merrick Garland said in a statement. Another alleged cartel leader, Joaquin Guzman Lopez, 38, was also arrested, he said. Guzman is a son of the cartel's infamous co-founder and former boss Joaquin 'El Chapo' Guzman, 69, who is serving a life sentence in a US prison after he was convicted five years ago on multiple charges."
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Reader Comments (16)
Just can't wait to see a debate between Kamala Harris and Donald
Trump.
Of course, Republicans are going to claim she has an unfair
advantage:
A functioning brain√
A full knowledge of the English language√
A personality√
An adoring family√
Hasn't been tried for any criminal acts√
No wonder he wants out of those debates. He always was and always
will be: A sore loser√
Donald finally makes the cover of Time Magazine:
https://www.instagram.com/p/C92-2C1yXM7/
Michelle Goldberg on Vance:
https://www.nytimes.com/2024/07/26/opinion/jd-vance-changeability.html
My comment:
Chameleons masquerading as people are of two, maybe three types. Scammers, true believers and scammers who scam themselves.
Eric Hoffer described true believer types very well back in the 1960s. Earlier was "The God that Failed" that documented the lives of a number of Communist intellectuals who recanted in the 1940's and fifties. One not in the book, as I remember, co-founded "The National Review." What true believers share is an overwhelming desire to have "the" answer. They lack the essential ingredient of skepticism.
Scammers are just out for the main chance and for themselves...Vide: Trump, who is so ignorant I've concluded he sometimes believes his own nonsense. Chlorine bleach? Raking the forests? Maybe.
Vance is smarter. Unlike Trump, he can actually talk. So....very much the opportunist. His transformation has certainly treated him well. But also a heavy strain of the urge to believe, which is often what we do to rationalize our behavior, stirred into the mix.
Which comes out as policy founded on the principle: "If everyone were just like me, the world would be perfect."
And, Marie, your comment above took me back once again to Eric Sevareid whose commentaries I always loved. One of my favorites (mentioned here before) was on what he called the "Between you and I generation..." and that must have been at least sixty years ago. Another lost battle that breaks old English teachers' hearts.
@Ken Winkes: Thanks for the link. I'll buy Goldberg's analysis, and if anybody else wants to try to figure out what's wrong with that kid, great. But the upshot of all our studying the weirdness of Trump and J.D. is that the GOP ticket is 100% psychopathic. We're talking Big Old Crazy and his sidekick Little Crazy.
Eric Sevareid said "Between you and I"??? Oh, noes. My mother had a crush on Sevareid. I wonder if she knew.... Or was Sevareid dissing people who said "between you and I"?
Marie,
Just between you and I, Sevareid was dissing--before any of us knew how to "dis." Your mother had good taste. Sevareid was a civilized curmudgeon. And he wrote and spoke very well (was tempted to say "good.")
CNN
"The US economy is pulling off something historic"
@Ken Winkes. Oh, what a relief. For Mom's sake, anyway. And, yes, I realized even as I wrote it that "dissing," used in reference to Eric Sevareid, was anachronistic. So thanks for pointing that out (and don't say anything about my ending this sentence with a preposition, please, but "pointing out that" sounds ridiculous).
@ Marie
Have more packing to do but am happy to interrupt it by reassuring you about those end of sentence prepositions.
Since so many English idioms are verb-preposition combinations, splitting them does sound wrong for a good reason, despite what Winston Churchill said about it, I believe tongue in cheek, when he described splitting them as a situation up with which he would not put.
First person pronoun fix: write first person first.
Write it in final how you will, but when referring to you and me as objects, if you draft in your head (e.g.), "He told that to me and you" it will sound correct, whereas "He told that to I and you" will sound wrong.
So put the first person pronoun first, as a test. Then you can swap it around for the more natural "you and me". Why is that "more natural"? Maybe because we think it polite to put the other person first in a sentence. I don't know.
It also works for third person, "He gave the keys to me and him" sounds right, "... to I and him" sounds wrong.
Marvel at non-native speakers who master written English. She's hard!
Patrick,
Sorry. But no.
Good advice, but only if your ear has been trained to the "right" sound.
To some, often very well educated folks, the nominative "I" in the objective position sounds more proper both grammatically and stylishly For them, the wrong "I" is like lifting the little finger from the teacup handle. A mark of faux culture.
And they have no idea how much the sound grates on some old English teachers...
Ken,
Have to agree with Patrick on this.
The test is delete one of the pronouns and see of it still works.
(You’re a teacher so I know you know how this goes…but if I’m not exactly a grammar Nazi, I’ve always been close. I get that colloquial usage changes over time, but certain things still set me off.)
“ He gave the keys to him and I” might sound correct to hoity-toity types, but just drop the “him”. “He gave the keys to I”? That sounds demented.
I get what you’re saying, but certain grammatical offenses I take as the “height of fucking roguery” as an old friend from County Cork used to say.
Those little finger teacup mooks will just have to learn. (Full disclosure, I do that detached little finger thing…think I got it from my mum. She only had a high school education, and English was a second language in her house, but her English grammar was perfect. Oh, unless she got her Irish up, as they say. Then you’d better have a working knowledge of Irish as spoken on the Aran Isles.)
Lotus
Hang on…
Chili with severed finger is NOT on the Wendy’s menu? Crap! No wonder. I ask for that all the time but I’m always told “Sorry. We’re out of that tonight.”
Wondering if the severed finger was the little one detached from teacup handles by grammatically challenged mooks.
But hey! First amendment alert! Severed finger fraudsters are now disallowed from having their very, um, phalanges informed opinions omitted from The NY Times??
Impeach!! Give ‘em the finger!
Fat Donnie “Anytime, Anywhere” Trumpy now sez “Run away! Run away! No debate!!”
His flunkies say Democrats might pick someone other than Kamala Harris, so… ba-dee, ba-dee, ba-dee, something, something, no debate.
Clearly Mr. Malaprop All teh bess wirds is pooping his XXXL diapers at the thought of going up against a tough former prosecutor who has his fat ass in her bombsight. Fatty’s lackeys saw the fallout from a bad debate performance for Biden and they just know that Word Salad Boy could get his clock cleaned by Harris, who has been taunting him about his Anytime, Anywhere bullshit.
He’s a coward. Period.
Have to be with AK on this-- drop the silly, pseudo-educated person's "I" instead of "me" for the object-- it trips up people who want to be correct and think using "I" instead of "me' sounds "better." Just say the sentence using separately the two objects and you will hear how dumb that "I' sounds...
Or change the entire sentence leaving out both "I" and "me" and go get a margarita instead... being sure to get one for I, too...(Hahaha--)
Had a good laugh over that severed finger in the chili plan. What was that lady thinking? A chopped off digit? In a bowl of chili? What, did she think that Wendy’s ran an abattoir on the side? Okay, a fly maybe, or a bit of raw meat, but a finger? Geeez.
I’ll bet she learned that trick when she took a Trump University course in “Restaurant Scams”.