171) David French is a political columnist with whom I disagree on many issues
That said, this column is a disturbing account of how the political right has shifted so dramatically. The pulpit and pews of many “churches” are now dominated by voices of hatred, bigotry and #ChristianNationalism
173) Trumpists wanted voters to believe that a criminal conviction would make #Trump more popular. That appears to have been a failure.
While #GOP voters polled some months back asserted a conviction would give them pause in voting for a convicted felon, the pause has passed, and the #DonaldTrump cult is lining up for their #DearLeader.
The same however cannot be said for independents - see article below 👇
#USPolitics #Politics #Election2024
https://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/4725329-trump-conviction-impact-independents
174) Does the rule of law apply to all Americans or is there a carve out for Presidents?
The #Biden campaign clearly has decided to make the #Trump conviction a key issue in #Election2024. It will not be the only issue, but for those that appreciate that American democracy is under threat, it will be by far, the most important issue
This ad does a good job in reminding people of what’s at stake
Follow Joe!Joe’s Twitter: https://twitter.com/joebidenJoe’s Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/joebidenJoe’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/joebidenJoe...
175) In an unsurprising development, some #billionaire types are lining up to support #Trump. These types care little for democracy and would likely opt for #authoritarianism should it yield a 1% tax cut
While #TimothyMellon is likely the largest donor/briber of #Election2024, I’m sure other types are lining up with their checkbooks to subvert America
176) There are painful lessons from history when certain business types choose their narrow interests before democracy
This article 👇 written back in 2016 before #Trump was elected, warns of the dire consequences of the #authoritarian tilt of some businessesmen.
Might the world have avoided Hitler and his Nazis if it wasn’t for Krups?
https://www.brennancenter.org/our-work/analysis-opinion/how-big-business-bailed-out-nazis
177) Tomorrow night #JoeBiden faces off against #DonaldTrump in the first presidential debate of #Election2024
Given that American #democracy is on the line, it’s the most consequential debate of my lifetimes me
This #NYTimes lays out what each candidate must do to be considered successful.
https://www.nytimes.com/2024/06/26/opinion/trump-biden-debate.html
178) That was most depressing debate performance I’ve seen. I wish that it was otherwise. #JoeBiden is a good and decent man, but if he doest’t withdraw, #DonaldTrump will be the next President of the United States.
#Trump lied at an unprecedented clip. He’s a nut job but he will win this election unless #Biden withdraws
179) I think the interest of #democracy and geopolitical stability would best be served if #JoeBiden withdrew from #Election2024.
We are fortunate that the #PresidentialDebate took place 4 months before Election Day and a change can certainly be made to insure that the country is saved from a reprise of the #Trump presidency.
Will #Biden drop out? I don’t know, but I think it would be wise
180) Was it a cold or jet lag which explained #JoeBiden’s disastrous performance at last week’s debate? The President was back from his travels for more than a week so jet lag does not seem plausible.
It might be that travel fatigue is more pronounced in an 80 year old but the inability to respond effectively or at all to #Trump raises questions about fitness for office and ability to win #Election2024
181) I agree with @anneapplebaum
here. When I tuned into the debate last week it was with some trepidation. I hoped to see a feisty #JoeBiden take the inanity spouting felon to the woodshed.
Sadly age has diminished #Biden as it will all of us. I know what I saw and believe we must course correct.
https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2024/07/replace-biden-strategic-plan/678884/
182) Like many, I've been more than disappointed at the #NYTimes coverage of #Election2024.
Far too little attention has been paid to the abject unsuitability of a #DonaldTrump return to the #whitehouse
In the editorial below ⬇️, the Times lays out the peril of another #Trump presidency.
It cannot happen without the most dire consequences to democratic, geopolitical, and ecological stability.
#USPolitics #Politics #NotTrump
https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2024/07/11/opinion/editorials/donald-trump-2024-unfit.html
183) The pressure on the #Biden campaign to withdraw from #Election2024 has cranked up further with reports that former president #Obama is now encouraging #POTUS to examine the viability of his candidacy.
Three weeks have passed since the Trump/Biden debate, and its becoming increasingly clear that #Democratic Party leaders and wealthy donors would prefer a withdrawal.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2024/07/18/obama-says-biden-must-consider-viability
184) Nancy Pelosi has been much discussed and speculated about lately. Now, she seems to be taking a more forceful position on the #Biden Withdraw movement.
#USPolitics #Politics #Election2024 #JoeBiden
https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2024/07/18/nancy-pelosi-biden-close-to-dropping-out/
Following Biden’s halting debate performance, and the panic it unleashed among Democrats in and outside of Washington, Pelosi is taking a strong, behind-the-scenes role in trying to resolve the political crisis by playing intermediary for upset rank-and-file Democrats and relaying those messages to the White House.
185) As astonishing a moment as one is likely to see in #USPolitics during a lifetime. A nightmare for #Trump who is now the crazy old man left standing
US President Joe Biden said he will not seek reelection, a historic reversal less than a few months before voters go to the polls that upends the campaign and his party’s efforts to prevent Donald Trump from returning to the White House.
186) There has been a palpable shift in political energy since #JoeBiden announced that he would no longer seek a 2nd term.
#Trump is still busy attacking #Biden; one has to wonder who is truly deranged, but no, #DonaldTrump has always been a deeply troubled man - just older and meaner now, as unlikely as that might seem.
@anneapplebaum gives her view on the transition ⬇️
#USPolitics #Politics #Election2024
https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2024/07/trump-looks-older-and-more-deranged/679186/
187) I'm reminded that 24 or, in this case, 48 hours is a long time in #politics.
After the #GOP convention, there was talk of a resounding victory over a diminished, some said enfeebled, #JoeBiden.
To bad for the boosters of the #authoritarian viewpoint, who can't conceive of a leader surrendering power
The game has shifted, and the energy has changed, as detailed in the latest from @heathercoxrichardson.substack.com
https://open.substack.com/pub/heathercoxrichardson/p/july-22-2024
Vice President Kamala Harris has continued to rack up endorsements and delegates since President Biden’s surprise announcement yesterday that he would not accept the 2024 Democratic presidential nomination. As of tonight, Harris has the support of at least 2,471 delegates, more than the 1,976 she will need to secure the nomination.
188) The attacks on #KamalaHarris will come hard and fast until the #GOP congeals and coalesces around a smear that satisfies them.
Rather than attempting to swat these attacks, the job is to define the #Trump campaign with the truth: #Narcissism, #Nastiness, #Negativity, Nativism.
They have no plan for our commonwealth, just a desire to loot and enrich cronies who find democracy inconvenient.
https://talkingpointsmemo.com/morning-memo/racist-and-misogynistic-attacks-on-kamala-harris
189) #KamalaHarris with a sharp pointed piece which defines her campaign and the dangers of #Trump
I’m impressed
190) Just leaving this here
191) #Trump appearance at #NABJ in Chicago produces a dumpster fire of #racism and disdain with a white man judging who is black
https://open.substack.com/pub/lizadonnelly/p/trump-questions-kamala-harris-heritage
192) Just leaving this here
193) @rbreich on the increased frequency of #Trump mental lapses.
Yesterday’s press conference at #maralago has added to the litany of misstatements resulting in increased scrutiny of #DonaldTrump’s mental health
https://open.substack.com/pub/robertreich/p/why-isnt-the-media-reporting-on-trumps
194) #Trump has lost control of #Election2024 tempo. He’s being dominated by #kamalaharris and his various debate maneuvers have come to naught.
#JoshMarshall of #TPM has a good take on #DonaldTrump’s debate capitulation
https://talkingpointsmemo.com/edblog/kamala-dog-walked-trump-right-back-into-the-debate
195) Making a #DonaldTrump return to the #WhiteHouse unfathomable is a big part of the #KamalaHarris campaign.
One of the best techniques is to needle #Trump, provoking outlandish claims which cause voters to question his mental balance
Trump is particularly touchy about crowd sizes. Remember the madness of his inaugural crowd claims or the more recent bigger than #MLK claim at #maralago
https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2024/08/10/harris-crowd-size-trump-rallies/
196) A vote for the #harriswalz2024 is a vote for those that place community at the center of American life
@heathercoxrichardson.substack.com details the ugly history of #NeoLiberalism and those who have fought against #WealthConcentration and #ToxicIndividualism
https://open.substack.com/pub/heathercoxrichardson/p/august-11-2024
197) #DonaldTrump got together with #ElonMusk on #TwitterX last night. Things did not go well as technical issues on the troubled #SocialMedia platform caused a 42 minute delay.
The rambling exchange between #Musk and #Trump persisted for 2 hours and many listeners remarked on Trump’s persistent slurring of words during the event
198) I'm looking forward to joining the #IrishAmericans for #HarrisWalz this evening at 8 PM EST. Please see the link below ⬇️
Take part in an evening of celebration of the achievements and contributions of Irish Americans to our nation, as we look ahead to how our community will shape the upcoming election. Join us at 8pm ET on Tuesday, August 13 for the first Irish Americans for Harris-Walz Organizing Call to hear directly from celebrity special guests and campaign leadership about our vision, next steps, and how you can get involved and take part in this historic moment! Once you sign up, you will receive a confirmation email with a link to join the session
199) How should the #Musk - #Trump love-in last night on #TwitterX
#KamalaHarris campaign calls it out precisely for what it was: "self-obsessed rich guys who will sell out the middle class."
File this one under #ToxicNarcissism
200) Why is the #KamalaHarris campaign working? Because it's sending clear directional signals about where she plans to take the country. Read the #JoshMarshall article below ⬇️
Meanwhile, the #GOP and #NewsMedia are grumbling about the lack of a detailed sitdown interview and policy specifics.
Marshall reminds us what campaigns are about - ensuring voters know where a candidate is taking a country.
201) I can't imagine two rich boys more deserving of the #Borowitz treatment than #Trump and #Musk
Sometimes, a quick timeout to chuckle is appropriate.
#Election2024 #USPol #USPolitics #Politics
https://www.borowitzreport.com/p/trump-and-musk-share-tips-on-running
202) #Trump is in #Ashville #NC today. His campaign had to prepay for the rented auditorium. Might have something to do with the fact that #BigOrange has a habit of stiffing city’s when campaigning
Not surprising that, folks from #NYC know that #DonaldTrump is not to be trusted, that’s why he can’t borrow money in this town. Too many people stiffed over the years.
Why would a man like this be trusted to be #POTUS?
203) I feel sorry for #DanielDale of CNN he frequently writes and reports on l #Trump’s tormented grasp on reality.
Given the velocity of #BigOrange’s lies and falsehood, Mr Dale’s task is ultimately impossible. Here’s his take on yesterday’s #Ashville speech
https://www.cnn.com/2024/08/14/politics/fact-check-insulin-trump-biden-harris/index.html
204) Speaking of lie velocity ⬆️, #NPR gives some sense of just how challenging it is to keep up with #Trump fact free zone
Here’s their take on 162 lies and distortions floating out of. #BigOrange’s mouth at #MarALago last week. Can anybody say #GishGallop?
Each assertion presents an opportunity for the #NewsMedia to call BS on #DonaldTrump, but how often do you see that?
https://www.npr.org/2024/08/11/nx-s1-5070566/trump-news-conference
205) Sometimes the best laid plans have unpredictable outcomes 😜
https://open.substack.com/pub/borowitzreport/p/study-people-exposed-to-jd-vance
#Borowitz #JDVance #Election2024 #USPol #USPolitics #Politics
206) Some believe #pharmaceutical companies have the right to gouge vulnerable Americans - #GOP anyone?
Other’s believe that government should negotiate a better deal using the heft of #Medicare and #Medicaid networks.
That’s what good government does and why #KamalaHarris will make a great #POTUS.
The United States has negotiated down the prices of 10 top-selling prescription drugs used by Medicare by as much as 79%, hoping to save $6 billion in the first year as part of a plan hailed on Thursday by President Joe Biden with the aim to ease anger about high prices ahead of November elections.
207) #PeteButtigieg explains how this election is about putting our fellow citizens first.
That notion breaks #Trump’s brain. He is sadly a man so consumed by his own selfishness that he cannot conceive of bringing happiness, joy, kindnesss or support to others
#KamalaHarris is bringing back joy, compassion and the strength of shared purpose back to #USPolitics
208) When Americans vote on Nov 5, they get to decide if the want to vote for #KamalaHarris who wants corporations to pay a tax rate of 28%, a 7% increase, or for #Trump who wants to reduce the rate so his billionaire buddies have more money to corrupt democracy
#USPol #USPolitics #Politics #VoteBlue #Election2024 #WealthConcentration
209) Hmmmm changing the name of #PA???
Yup, that’s high on the list of priorities for the #DemocraticParty 🙄
Really!! How freaking #Weird
File this one under stoking division and anger. That’s all #Trump has to offer to #Pennsylvania voters
#USPol #USPolitics #Politics #VoteBlue #Election2024 #WealthConcentration
210) Take 20 minutes to listen to an extraordinary speech from the wonderful #MichelleObama
#Election2024 affords the opportunity to #GoBig with #KamalaHarris or descend into the chaos and #GoSmall with #DonaldTrump
211) Pretty interesting comparison between
Team Sane vs. Team Delusional
Team Empath vs. Team Narcissist
Team Reality vs Team Delusion
212) #Trump folks are excited about endorsement from #RFKJr and his shrinking campaign. #DonaldTrump has had little to cheer about since #KamalaHarris replaced #JoeBiden
While Trump folks might be excited about this development, adding an #AntiVax conspiracy theorist imprimatur is hardly going to improve a plummeting campaign
Team #Weird just got weirder
https://www.npr.org/2024/08/23/nx-s1-5086838/robert-kennedy-future-plans-trump
213) Interesting to see what #RFKJr had to say about #Trump in times past
#Forbes with the story ⬇️
Will the #DeadBear guy move the needle for #TeamWeird?
Maybe #JDVance’s tagging #DonaldTrump as #AmericasHitler is looking a little bit better now?
LOL what a mess
214) #AbortionRights are on the ballot in 10 states in this election cycle. I expect many voters will turnout specifically to affirm the #BodilyAutonomy of women
Like many, I expect that the presence of these measures should be helpful to the #KamalaHarris campaign since this important right can transcend red/blue state divides
Here’s a good breakdown of the ballot measures in each state ⬇️
https://19thnews.org/2023/12/abortion-states-election-2024-ballot-measures/
#Election2024 #USPolitics #USPol #ReproductiveRights #Abortion
215) I expect some mirrors will soon be classed as fake reflectors by the #Trump campaign
https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2024/8/24/2264520/-Cartoon-Fairest-of-them-all
216) I’ve not been shy about calling #DonaldTrump a #fascist. I think that is a fair description but is labeling the man as such helpful in defeating him in #Election2024?
Mike Tomasky at the @newrepublic
Makes the case that #Trump likes being labeled a fascist. It reinforces his self image as an #authoritarian. Ridiculing him however, is far more effective in persuading swing voters
A good read ⬇️
https://newrepublic.com/article/185270/democrats-harris-trump-achilles-heel-ridicule
217) This cartoon grasps the essential truth of many #NewsMedia outlets and their willingness to give #Trump a freebie.
Many news businesses in our click-addled media sphere love the clickbaityness of #DonaldTrump. He is a gift that has given much to the bottom line of news corporations, and they would rather not give him up
#Election2024 #USPol #USPolitics
https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2024/8/26/2265249/-Cartoon-The-fact-checkers
218) Excellent piece from @rbreich on the #oligarchs who are opting to support #Trump despite past protestations of his #autocracy
A reminder that for many of these types money and NOT #democracy is paramount .
Fortunately, the unbejeweled have a lot more votes, the job is to ignore #billionaire financed ads and get normies to the polls.
219) #Georgia is in play and every vote will count whether it comes from traditional #democraticparty urban strongholds or more rural parts of #GA
Great to see #HarrisWalz2024 campaigning outside big cities - see #WashingtonPost article ⬇️
#Election2024 #USPol #USPolitics
https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2024/08/28/harris-bus-tour-georgia-rally-savannah
220) I'm enjoying a little #LincolnProject satire this morning
221) For over a week, stories on #DonaldTrump's visit to #Arlington have flooded the #NewsMedia.
The question we need to ask is whether rules and laws apply only to some or all?
222) #TrumpMedia is a dreadful business with an astonishingly high stock price for a company that is barely a business. #WarrenBuffet would shudder at the absence of investable fundamentals
What is interesting though are the gyrations of the price. The stock is a proxy for the probability of #Trump electoral success. It has not been performing well of late
#DonaldTrump #StockMarket #USPolitics #Politics #Election2024
223) So after four years of destabilizing democracy, election denialism and stoking the #Jan6 coup, #Trump has decided that to acknowledge he lost the 2020 election.
No apology will be given, no explanation for his shift is forthcoming, and no doubt he will say the opposite tomorrow if it fits his purpose.
Vote #KamalaHarris, #VoteBlue for a truth based presidency
224) Listen to the question posed to #DonaldTrump and then listen to the babbling answer and tell me we shouldn't be worried about #Trump's cognitive decline.
#NewsMedia organizations are failing to report on the ever increasing level of inchorence from the #GOP candidate.
225) Not much remains of #Donald'Trump's cognitive function. Buried in his decaying mind, a marketing impulse still beats and is honed to turn every problematic aspect of his candidacy into a virtue
The latest is "the weave", a supposed explanation of why #Trump rambles off on different verbal tangents. The #BigOrange think he brings all the threads back together masterfully but if you've had the misfortune of listening, you know otherwise
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/article/2024/sep/07/election-trump-speeches
226) Where does #JDVance line up on the political spectrum?
Looks like #AnnTelnaes has captured it perfectly
#USPol #USPolitics #Election2024
#Misogyny #reproductiverights #cartoon
227) Does warmth count in a political candidate?
Watch this and tell me your opinion
228) Time for the #NewsMedia to report on #DonaldTrump's mental decline
#USPol #USPolitics #Election2024
https://www.nytimes.com/2024/09/09/us/politics/debate-trump-age-capacity.html
With President Biden no longer in the race, former President Donald J. Trump would be the oldest person ever to serve in the Oval Office. But his rambling, sometimes incoherent public statements have stirred concern among voters.
229) Will the #SaneWashing moniker get traction?
#USPol #USPolitics #Election2024
https://www.cjr.org/the_media_today/trump_incoherent_media_sanewashing.php
There’s a hot new term doing the rounds among media critics: “sanewashing.” The term itself actually isn’t new, and it wasn’t born in media-criticism circles, per se; according to Urban Dictionary, it was coined in 2020 on a Reddit page for neoliberals (which Linda Kinstler wrote about recently for CJR), and meant “attempting to downplay […]
230) #KamlaHarris delivered a spanking of #DonaldTrump at last night’s #debate provoking her opponent to go down bizzare rabbit holes of weirdness and serving up a remainder of the chaos and undisciplined nature of his presidency
Now #Harris needs to consolidate her gains with wavering voters while encouraging the turnout of her base thoroughly heartened by her performance
231) All one needs to know about #Trump is contained in this short #debate segment
Was there a more bizzare moment than #EatingCatsAndDogs?
232) Excellent take from #DavidFrum detailing how #KamalaHarris crushed #Trump at last night’s #debate
https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2024/09/how-harris-roped-a-dope/679779/
I’m a pretty skeptical guy, buf the kind of warmth #KamalaHarris projects is a whole different thing than photo ops many politicians deploy.
When compared to her opponent, well, he’s psychologically incapable of any form of empathy
hmmm might have a timestamp alright
The answer is yes and no. LOL
It does matter anyway because the answer tomorrow will be neither.
Four years of #Trump was daily cringeworthy chaos. A reprisal would yield diminished outcomes for all but the #oligarchs who support him.
…then there are minor geopolitical considerations and…
No argument that #childcare is an enormously important issue. The question was well crafted - there was no answer just #Trump weaving a #WordSalad. Can’t say I can tell if he had any idea what was saying or was it some random firings of what is left of his cerebral cortex
Down 6% yesterday. The stock swings wildly on any given day, but the downward drift of #DJT is unmistakable.
Only a #Trump victory in #Election2024 will provide a respite from the implosion which absent the sudden appearance of real fundamentals will happen anyway.
This is not the first time that #DonaldTrumo has used the #StockMarket to grift and dazzle his fan base. One wonders where the #SEC is while this debacle is being perpetrated
@mnutty Wilhoit’s Law comprehensively explains all conservatism anywhere ever:
“The law must bind but not protect *them*, and must protect but not bind *us*.”
I don’t think we’re really talking about conservatism here, but autocracy, as manifested by one man in the throes of toxic narcissism
Someone said
"The essence of modern conservatism is that there must be an in group that the law protects, but does not bind. As well as an out group, that the law binds, but does not protect."
Which to me, if not a complete definition, it sure accounts for a big part of it.
I think there are as many definitions of #conservatism as stars in the sky.tge soectrum of people who claim that moniker range from #FarRight fascist types to those who are simply wary of the new new thing.
While #Trump may choose to label himself as a conservative, I know many others who would call themselves the same feel he is anything but a conservative.
Frankly I don’t care, he’s an #autocrat and must be defeated.
oh absolutely, trump must be defeated
you're hewing to the original point and i am engaging in a tangential topic
but i think it's a valid tangent
because how millions went from "i want small govt" to "i commit my entire identity to slobbering before the golden calf while i paradoxically scream about impure idolatry, in abject braindead cult worship" is crucial
@mnutty the problem is that those in government who identify as "conservative" are all caucusing with the now-autocratic GOP and are virtually all in thrall to the toxic narcissist. "Conservatism" seems to have little meaning anymore other than as a tribal label. I've asked quite a few "conservatives" what the word means, and have never gotten an answer that reflects Republican policy of the last 50 years.
I don’t think all American Conservatives are in the #Trumpist camp. If they were, we wouldn’t have a #LincolnProject tearing strips of #Trump
I will say that most who claimed to be conservative have quickly bent the knee to #DonaldTrump. That forelock tugging fealty points to just how vacuous most were with their supposed principles
@mnutty well, the Lincoln Project is a bit late to the game. It only started in 2019, and the literal fascism in the GOP has been rising for decades, and their Congressional caucuses were quite unified in support of it that whole time, based on their legislative votes. The GOP firmly supported Trump during his first term. So I welcome the Lincoln Project, Liz Cheney, etc. as temporary allies, but I would never trust them to be in power again. I think all well-meaning "conservatives" need to do some real soul-searching to reflect on how they and their values led our nation to this point.
And I still haven't heard any definition or description of "conservatism" that reflects Republican policy of the last 50 years. In that time, they haven't been about personal freedom, fiscal responsibility, small government, or lowering taxes on anyone but the wealthy.
LOL, I’m not lining up to define any “ism”. Conservatism or Socialism. Life is too short. The definitions are as numerous as the stars
I’m more interested in folks that are thoughtful, passionate and committed to public service. Sadly not many of those on #GOP
#JoshMarshall of @tpm_rss_bot provides a good background on the #Arlington story.
Clearly #Trump wanted to use the tragic deaths of USMilitary personnel during the #Afghanistan withdrawal for political purposes
It’s typical #DonaldTrump and emblematic of his disregard for those who lost their lives in the service of our country. These deaths and the lives they represented are simply pawns to be used, driven by his bottomless narcissism
I agree with that but bear in mind that while #Trump's labeling antics are getting old and stale, he is highly reactive to labels being attached to him. Triggering him so he appears increasingly erratic serves the purpose of undermining his supposed strength and credibility
@mnutty @newrepublic I remember when President Obama roasted him at the correspondents dinner. That seemed to motivate him to seek out revenge on the Democratic Party. Of course he deserved it having harassed President Obama with the birtherism conspiracy.
Yeah, that might have been the tipping point that brought him into politics. He has sped the #GOP much faster along the curve it has pursued for decades. In some ways, he has done us a favor by revealing the GOP for what it is: a corrupt front for billionaire types bent on passing # oligarch-friendly legislation.
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