The Conversation -- July 27, 2024
Sarah Kaplan of the Washington Post: "By the end of the week -- which saw the four hottest days ever observed by scientists -- dozens had been killed in the raging floodwaters and massive mudslides triggered by Typhoon Gaemi [in the Pacific]. Half of Jasper[, Canada,] was reduced to ash. And some 3.6 billion people around the planet had endured temperatures that would have been exceedingly rare in a world without burning fossil fuels and other human activities, according to an analysis by scientists at the group Climate Central. These extraordinary global temperatures marked the culmination of an unprecedented global hot streak that has stunned even researchers who spent their whole careers studying climate change."
Tom Sullivan of Hullabaloo demonstrates how Kamala Harris' campaign has come out of the gate running. Against the Weirdos. Thanks to RAS for the link.
Christians, get out and vote. Just this time. You won't have to do it anymore, you know what? Four more years, it'll be fixed, it'll be fine, you won't have to vote anymore, my beautiful Christians. I love you, Christians. I'm a Christian. I love you, you got to get out and vote. In four years, you don't have to vote again. We'll have it fixed so good, you're not going to have to vote. -- Donald Trump, during a speech Friday
Brakkton Booker & Myah Ward of Politico: "When a group of Black women political organizers assembled for a regular Zoom call on Sunday, they suddenly had a new mission.... [To help] Vice President Kamala Harris [win the presidential nomination and election]... Interest in the call had skyrocketed, and some 40,000 attendees logged on.... The Win With Black Women call became a blueprint for other identity-based groups over the week -- Black men, Latinas, Black queer men, white women, white men and young voters. Calls like these were never really available to Biden because the base's enthusiasm for him had faded. Each group held their own call to boost Harris and raise mountains of cash for Harris' campaign.... Her nascent campaign is reactivating dormant parts of the Democratic base to act as surrogates, door-knockers and fundraisers in a way that President Joe Biden couldn't." ~~~
~~~ Jennifer Gerson of the 19th: "'Girl, we broke Zoom,' Erin Gallagher said over text at 8:10 a.m., less than nine hours after wrapping up 'White Women: Answer The Call! Show up for Kamala Harris,' a meeting held over Zoom Thursday night. So many more women than anticipated logged into the call that the platform crashed several times, forcing many participants to watch the livestream on YouTube until Zoom was back up. Over 164,000 women logged on to hear from women like the singer P!nk; the actor Connie Britton; the writer and podcaster Glennon Doyle; athletes Megan Rapinoe, Sue Bird and Abby Wambach; and a long list of elected officials.... By Friday afternoon, the group had raised over $8.5 million. The idea for the call came from Shannon Watts, founder of Moms Demand Action, the group that changed the face of the gun safety movement...."
Carole Cadwalladr of the Observer/Guardian: "This is a misogyny emergency.... It's misogyny -- networked misogyny across multiple global platforms that will earn their tech bro owners billions upon billions of dollars -- that is going to decide the 2024 election. And it's misogyny that's going to dictate the future of Nato, the outcome of the war in Ukraine, whether we have peace in Europe or more war. And because this is going to be a firehose that will be directed at a single woman -- Kamala Harris -- it will be misogyny multiplied: misogyny plus racism, the most toxic combination of all."
Maureen Dowd of the New York Times: "... somehow, Trump managed to choose a vice-presidential pick whose views on women are even more draconian and meanspirited than his own.... He went on Megyn Kelly's podcast Friday for cleanup on Aisle Feline....'Obviously, it was a sarcastic comment. I've got nothing against cats.'... He doubled down on the substance of his earlier argument, that only women who are in a traditional marriage, using their uteruses in a way JD Vance deems proper, can have 'a direct stake' in America.... Unless women are fulfilling their duties as breeders and helpmates, they're not fully Americans? It's an un-American stance that's beneath contempt.... Vance also said in a speech three years ago that parents should 'absolutely' get a bigger say in how a democracy functions and more voting power; in different remarks, he said that childless Americans should pay higher taxes."
Patrick Marley & Yvonne Sanchez of the Washington Post: "Patrick Byrne, who has funded efforts to undermine the results of the 2020 election, said in an online forum Thursday that law enforcement would face 'a piano wire and a blowtorch' if they did not drop a case against an ally. Byrne, a former CEO of online retailer Overstock, used the phrase half a dozen times Thursday as he participated in a nearly three-hour-long event on X Spaces.... He acknowledged during the event that his references to strangling or blowtorching officials were threatening and could be considered felonies. On Friday, he downplayed his comments, saying he had been speaking metaphorically and is committed to peace. The 'Cyber Crisis: Saving Tina Peters' event was aimed at rallying support for the former clerk of Mesa County, Colo., who faces charges accusing her of tampering with election equipment three years ago. Peters has pleaded not guilty, and her case goes to trial next week."
Lulu Garcia-Navarro of the New York Times interviews Pete Buttigieg about politics.
... I saw this disease, the culture of silence, the disease of silence, I saw it first amongst my Republican colleagues during Trump's presidency. Many of them would excoriate him privately, and then get in front of the cameras and just count the blessings and tell people how much they loved him and supported him. And then I saw the same thing on my side, where people would express concern about [President Biden's] abilities and his decline privately, and then get in front of the cameras and say everything is fine. But that's part of the rewards system in Congress. We are rewarded for being cowards and punished for being courageous.... -- Rep. Dean Phillips (D-Minn.), to right-wing media host Greta Van Susteren
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These guys are just weird. They're running for, like, "He-Man Women Hater's Club' or something. -- Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz [D] ~~~
~~~ Eli Stokols & Elena Schneider of Politico: "In the days since Vice President Kamala Harris has taken over the campaign against ... Donald Trump and his running mate JD Vance, Democrats are leaning into a new attack line against the Republican ticket: that they're just really weird.... On Friday, the Harris campaign used the term in multiple press releases.... 'It perfectly describes the uneasiness people feel. It's how people who don't live and breathe politics every day react to hearing the Republican vice presidential candidate denigrate people without children,' said Tim Hogan, a Democratic strategist...."
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." (Also linked yesterday.)
Hannah Knowles, et al., of the Washington Post: "Donald Trump honed his attacks on Vice President Harris ... in a speech at the Turning Point USA Believers' Summit in West Palm Beach Friday night, calling her 'the most incompetent, unpopular and far-left vice president in American history,' blaming her for high numbers of migrant apprehensions at the southern border and calling her a 'bum.'... The former president urged attendees at the faith-themed event to vote ... and promised that in four years, 'we'll have it fixed so good you&'re not going to hav to vote.'" ~~~
~~~ Marie: It may have been delivered in ungrammatical form, but a promise not to "have to vote" is as good as a promise to end democracy.
Michael Gold & Matthew Bigg of the New York Times: "... Donald J. Trump, who for months has urged Israel to end the war in the Gaza Strip as quickly as possible, said that he and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel remained on good terms after the two met [at Mar-a-Lago] on Friday, and that he would be a stronger ally of Israel than Vice President Kamala Harris.... Unlike Ms. Harris, who put her concern about Gaza in moral terms..., Mr. Trump has cast his as a matter of shaping Israel's global image, warning that it was losing support.... 'Israel has to handle their public relations,' he said. 'Their public relations are not good.' He added, 'The world is not taking lightly to it.'" ~~~
~~~ Marie: That's right. The main concern is that it's a bad look to kill tens of thousands of innocent civilians, displace millions of people and destroy their homes.
TMZ: "Donald Trump's healing well after the attempt on his life, 'cause he's not wearing the bandage on his ear anymore -- and, frankly ... it's still a bit of a mystery if he got hit at all. The ex-Prez sat down for an audience with ... Benjamin Netanyahu Friday ... and, pics are now circulating of his uncovered right ear -- and, ya gotta see them 'cause there's seemingly no lasting damage. That, or he's healed up in record time." MB: It is not my intention to diminish the carnage at the Trump rally; the attempt on Trump's life was horrible. But since Ronny Jackson claimed the shot blew off part of Trump's ear, it's a little odd that his ear appears to be intact.
Dana Milbank of the Washington Post reflects on Republicans' bad week: "There are just over 100 days until the election, and Donald Trump is in a bad place. The former president is getting mad at his television and firing off random, late-night rage posts from his social media account." And Milbank found millions more voters J.D. Vance insulted: "He tried suggesting that she's been on the dole: 'I don't know, Kamala. I served in the United States Marine Corps and I built a business. What the hell have you done other than to collect a government check for the past 20 years?' Thus did Vance insult not just Harris but all public school teachers, cops and members of the military, who also 'collect a government check.'"
Irie Sentner & Jared Mitovich of Politico: "Despite momentum after ... Donald Trump named him as his running mate, [J.D. Vance] started receiving unwanted attention after old clips resurfaced of him calling some Democrats 'childless cat ladies' and suggesting parents should have more political power than non-parents.... 'Of the people that were mentioned as finalists, he had the most risk, because he had never been vetted nationally,' said Bill McCoshen, a Republican strategist in Wisconsin.... Critics also highlighted Vance's authoring of the foreword to an upcoming book by Kevin Roberts, the president of the Heritage Foundation who has advocated for a 'second American revolution' he hopes will remain 'bloodless.' Roberts is the head of Project 2025 -- a far-right policy blueprint from which Trump has fought to distance himself." ~~~
~~~ Marie: Many of the Boy Philosopher's ruminations on proper family life relate back to the premise that women have one primary function: serving as child-bearing vessels. If they fail to produce, their value is radically diminished. They are "miserable cat ladies" who not only have no stake in the future, they also have failed in their duty to provide men with the progeny that give the family agency. The idea is both patriarchal and monarchical: Princess Diana was required to be a virgin before she married (reportedly the palace had her tested), and then to produce, as she put it, "an heir and a spare." Once she'd done so, Charles disposed of her. Not a lot more progressive than, say, Henry VIII & Anne Boleyn. Or Donald & Ivana Trump. Ironically, J.D. opposes measures that make it easier for families to have children: he voted against the Right to IVF Act, and he opposes universal daycare as "class war against normal people." That is, a woman is not "normal" if she cannot get pregnant the old-fashioned way or she sets herself up in a family situation in which she cannot afford daycare.
Adam Goldman of the New York Times: "The F.B.I. said on Friday that Donald J. Trump had been struck by a 'bullet, whether whole or fragmented into smaller pieces,' providing the most definitive explanation to date about what injured the former president's ear during an assassination attempt this month. Ambiguity about Mr. Trump's injury turned into a political firestorm as the former president and his political allies attacked the F.B.I. director, Christopher A. Wray, for comments he made on Wednesday before Congress. 'With respect to former President Trump, there's some question about whether or not it's a bullet or shrapnel that hit his ear,' Mr. Wray told the House Judiciary Committee. Mr. Wray's comments incensed Mr. Trump.... Mr. Trump has maintained that he narrowly escaped death or serious injury after a bullet bloodied his ear, and that divine intervention spared his life. Mr. Wray's suggestion that it might have been shrapnel angered him." ~~~
~~~ Marie: The Lord moves in mysterious ways. Apparently s/he is not that interested in shrapnel, much less in the death and serious injuries of ordinary people out for an afternoon of Trumpy entertainment.
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.... [They got the finger from a friend who lost it in an industrial accident. The Times correction read:] '... 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.'" (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~
~~~ Akhilleus suspects Ayala learned the trick in her Trump University course "Restaurant Scams."
Adam Goldman of the New York Times: "The Justice Department settled a lawsuit on Friday with two former F.B.I. officials who had accused the Trump administration of violating their privacy by sharing their texts disparaging ... Donald J. Trump with the news media, according to court documents.... The government agreed to pay the former officials, Peter Strzok and Lisa Page, concluding at least some of the litigation. The amount was not disclosed in court filings, but Mr. Strzok's law firm said he received $1.2 million.... [At the time, Strzok and Page were working on the investigation into the Trump campaign's ties to Russia.] The agreement is likely to anger Mr. Trump, who has railed against the pair for years and leveled baseless accusations that the investigation was a 'witch hunt' intended to damage his campaign.... As president, Mr. Trump often singled out the pair by name, lobbing insults at rallies and on social media." An ABC News story is here.
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Ukraine, et al. 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." (Also linked yesterday.)
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Reader Comments (11)
So I see that Hillbilly Scatology man, JayDeeVee, “hopes” (fingers crossed?) that the upcoming revolution sponsored by his Nazi Heritage pals is “bloodless”? Bursting with confidence, I am, at that tepid expression of faint hope.
Instead, I’m hoping that after the upcoming election, the country is left Vance-less.
“Hope we don’t have to shoot you people in the face.” Will that be the tagline for the next Trump-Vance (stolen) election video?
How ‘bout “Vote for us and no one gets hurt.”
“We’ll kill your cat too” would be succinct.
“Tulsa, 1921 redux.”
“Harris voters shot on sight.”
Which brings up the question of what happens if they lose? Hillbilly Armageddon?
Hope springs a leak.
More on theweird and creepy.
I gotta say, when I first read that Harris was going with “weird” as a primary descriptor of both Fatty and Vancey, I thought it was a bit too anodyne for these guys, who are extreme examples of far-right assholism, treason, hatred, and misogyny.
Weirdos are people who think the world is flat, or only 5,000 years old. Weirdos wear their clothes inside out because they think clothing manufacturers put special stuff on the outside to hurt them. Weirdos watch TV wearing sunglasses because the volume is too loud. They don’t like red vegetables. They believed Ted Koppel was an alien. They think Mozart hid secret messages to Asians in his piano pieces.
Weirdos don’t overthrow the government. Fascist criminal fucks do shit like that.
But then I thought “You know what? This is a pretty cool idea.”
People have heard for years that Trump is a crook, a con man, a liar. That stuff doesn’t really land anymore, especially not with the (chimerical) undecideds. In fact, those terms have pretty much lost their punch, if not their meaning.
But everyone knows what a weirdo is. And a creepy weirdo is even worse. Do you really want a guy who puts his underwear on outside his pants and walks up to strangers saying “Would you kiss me in the dark?” to be President?
You want creepy and weird? Vote Republican.
Timing is, if not everything, pretty important.
With around 100 days to the election (known previously to the Traitors as Coronation Day), the momentum has shifted decidedly to Democrats. Fatty, who thought he had it in the bag, is now rage tweeting against another possible humiliating loss. And not just any loss, but a possible loss to a woman. A woman of color. A woman of color he can’t bully, who calls him a weirdo and laughs at him. A women he is desperately trying to squirm out of debating.
The timing may be crucial in this situation. 100 days might seem like a lot, but in presidential politics, it’s a flashpoint. It means the Traitors have to regroup quickly from polishing the Donald’s crown, planning for concentration camps, building their theocracy, and putting Democrats they hate on trial to just trying to stay afloat, to find just the right mix of racism, misogyny, bullshit distractions, lies, and voter suppression.
But 100 days may not be enough time for that scheme to succeed. Harris has no scandals to focus on, no felony trials awaiting her, like Trump, and she has mad support from everyone not ordering their Nazi armbands.
All they have so far is she’s black, she’s a woman, and she giggles.
On the other side we have:
Years of fraudulent business practices, for which he’s been found guilty, a sexual assault (rape) conviction (civil), government overthrow, babies in cages, support for killing of all reproductive rights, Christian nationalism, hatred on steroids, zero achievements of note as president, except a million dead Americans, recommendations to drink bleach, sucking up to murderous dictators, incipient dementia, attempts to deny millions of voters their choice, porn star payoffs, media payoffs, bankruptcies, bullshit, and spray tans.
100 days. And counting.
Broken Clock
Trump: “You're not going to teach a criminal not to be a criminal…”
Simon Rosenberg of the Hopium Chronicles says that we should vote on day one of early voting, and if we can, do it in person. Press reports of enthusiastic crowds eager to vote for Kamala will help make the argument that she is electable and will encourage others to vote for her too for fear of missing out.
Been wondeering: where did the lady in yesterday's column trying to scam Wendy's get the finger? Did she cut off her own digit? Did she work in some lab with spare fingers available? Was the finger real or a Halloween prop? Inquiring minds do want to know the most important aspects of the story. We know what's important. Now back to your regularly scheduled Mango Monster soundbite...
Been wondeering: where did the lady in yesterday's column trying to scam Wendy's get the finger? Did she cut off her own digit? Did she work in some lab with spare fingers available? Was the finger real or a Halloween prop? Inquiring minds do want to know the most important aspects of the story. We know what's important. Now back to your regularly scheduled Mango Monster soundbite...
Yes to the highlight at the top of the page. One candidate for President, who the Supreme Court has put above the law, has said no one will have to vote after this election, meaning nobody’s vote will count after this election if he wins. How is this not at the top of every real newspaper page?
The video of Lin Manuel Miranda slapping dt’s picture backstage at SNL and singing “Never gonna be President Now” just after the “grab ‘em by the pussy” tape came out didn’t age well. “You’re not going to have to vote” better bring the fucker down.
NiskyGuy,
It won’t. As far as the corporate media is concerned, such an incredible statement is put down to “Oh, it’s just Donald. No need to go any further with it.”
Had Biden, or Harris, or any Democrat promised that voting would be ended were they to be elected, it would be front page news in The NY Times for six weeks straight, with opinion pages overflowing with calls for alarm.
“It’s just Donald” is the evergreen excuse for allowing this prick to get away with all manner of horrible promises to do things like short circuit the Constitution (the Trump Court has already done that), put his enemies on trial, punish women who have abortions, and kill democracy.
IOKIYAR is always the operating principle.
Jeanne,
Apparently, the finger was formerly owned by a relative. Not sure how the transfer was negotiated…
“Hey Boo, you, um, you gonna hang on to that finger?”
“Hadn’t thought about it. Why? You want it?”
“Ummm…sure. We’re on the way to Wendy’s. Thought it might help.”
😳