Posted on by Nina Davis

Oct. 19, 2024 ALL-POLITICS, covering the November 2024 Election, with election basics, Proposition A, the 3 Texas Supreme Court races, Allred vs. Cruz (debate with link to watch it, ads and more), other Texas races, and the PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION. That section includes the latest polling, POLICY COMPARISONS (on Ukraine, taxes, deficit, climate change), all about Harris/Walz (plan to expand Medicare, release of medical report, media appearances with links to watch, endorsements, ads), and all about Trump/Vance (explosive videos, fact-checking, exhaustion or mental deficit, Putin, The Apprentice—TV and film, the Musk factor, family separation tragedy, still Stormy, fascism charges).  Plus—several items of GOOD NEWS as we near the end of an endless election season.  A regular/non-political blog will be posted on Oct. 26.

WELCOME to my ALL-POLITICS blog covering the November 2024 Election.  (If you missed earlier editions, check below.)  Don’t worry, the regular non-politics blog will post next weekend, with the 2 blogs alternating into November.  Luckily, I have no life….
 

Election Basics  

BALLOT BY MAIL

Application deadline is Oct. 25 (but sooner is better, considering mailing time): https://elections.traviscountytx.gov/voter-information/ballot-by-mail/#AbsenteeBallotSearch

VOTING (in person)

Early Voting is Oct. 21-Nov. 1.   Election Day is Tuesday, Nov. 5.

If you requested a MAIL IN BALLOT but now prefer to vote in person, BRING THE MAIL IN BALLOT to the polling place.  Once it is cancelled, you can vote normally.  But, without it, the rules only allow you to vote provisionally. 

By state law, voters may NOT use cell phones or other electronic devices in the polling place.  Voters can bring written materials, but these materials CANNOT be shared with other voters (not even spouses.)  Also—GUNS are NOT allowed in polling places, by state law.

For obvious reasons, there is a shortage of poll workers nationwide, and that definitely includes Texas.  If you have to wait in line to vote, that is a big reason why.

SAMPLE BALLOT

There is MUCH more being decided than the Presidential race.  Be sure to vote in ALL races, top to bottom of the ballot (preferably for DEMOCRATS.)  Go here and enter your address to see the elections and candidates: https://ballotpedia.org/Texas_Sample_Ballot

League of Women Voters—GUIDE

Printed versions are usually available at Lake Travis Community Library.  For the online version, go here and scroll down to select English or Spanish: https://lwvaustin.org/content.aspx?page_id=22&club_id=334869&module_id=474680#gsc.tab=0

HELPFUL ARTICLES

What to know about the statewide races on your ballot this November Oct. 14 https://communityimpact.com/austin/south-central-austin/election/2024/10/11/what-to-know-about-the-statewide-races-on-your-ballot-this-november/

This has everything you need to know about voting in Texas: Here’s how to vote in the Texas 2024 election 8/21/24 https://www.texastribune.org/2024/08/21/texas-voter-guide-2024-election/

Texas Tribune also lets you pull your sample ballot, with details on all the races you will vote on: Here’s your ballot for the Nov. 5 Texas elections 8/30/24 https://apps.texastribune.org/features/2024/texas-ballot-2024-presidential-election-nov-5/

Things YOU Can Do

Volunteer for the Harris/Walz campaign. 
https://go.kamalaharris.com/?utm_source=hfp_w_kh_menu

Volunteer here in the Lakeway area.  LT Dems are working with Western Travis County Democrats (a group of local Dem Precinct Chairs) to organize activities including mailings, block walks/lit drops and more.  Go here (at the link, scroll down to GOTV and click on More Info) to sign up and help GET OUT THE VOTE this fall:  https://www.laketravisdemocrats.com/copy-of-club-activities

Donate here in the Lakeway area for local impact.  The activities listed above that local Dem groups are spearheading take MONEY.  Printing, postage, signs—it adds up.  Donations are needed.  ACT BLUE makes donating easy and secure.  https://secure.actblue.com/donate/western-travis-democrats-1

Connect with a National Postcarding Group: Markers for Democracy.  This is something you can do YEAR-ROUND.  https://markersfordemocracy.org/postcarding

TEXAS Elections 

TRAVIS COUNTY PROPOSITION A

There is one proposition on the ballot.  Travis County has Proposition A, asking voters to approve a $0.025 cent property tax rate increase.  Funds would generate $75 million to support expanded access to affordable child care, at an estimated cost of $125 per average home.  ‘Where is the village?’ | Parent, nonprofit leader advocates for Travis County proposition to make child care more affordable 10/15/24 https://www.kvue.com/article/news/politics/vote-texas/travis-county-proposition-a-child-care-affordability/269-3e95b3ef-bccb-4caa-ab46-0533c738ae42

TEXAS SUPREME COURT

Three seats on the Texas Supreme Court are on the ballot.  The abortion issue makes 2024 the year we can put Democrats on the high court, instead of the 100% Republican bench Texas has had for DECADES.  Republican incumbents Jimmy Blacklock, John Devine and Jane Bland ALL recently upheld the abortion ban and voted against Texas women needing medical care to deal with doomed pregnancies. 

PLUS–Vote for the Democratic candidates in the several Appeals Court races and the several Criminal Court races.  Texas needs more Democrats on the bench at every level.  Can ire over abortion ban finally put a Democrat on the Texas Supreme Court? 10/11/24 https://www.texastribune.org/2024/10/11/texas-supreme-court-races-abortion/?utm_source=Texas+Tribune+Newsletters&utm_campaign=d5f1f92478-trib-newsletters-thebrief&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_-d5f1f92478-%5BLIST_EMAIL_ID%5D&mc_cid=d5f1f92478&mc_eid=fc281ae7cc

US Senate 

VOTE FOR Democrat Colin Allred, to get rid of Cancun Cruz and make the world a better place.  (Image credits: USA Today, Forward Blue.) https://colinallred.com/

Allred has some new ads:   

Allred wiped the debate floor with Cruz, who was his usual repellent self. Allred: “Cruz is never there for us when we need him.  When the lights went out in the energy capital of the world, he went to Cancún. When a mob was storming the Capitol, he was hiding in a supply closet. And when the toughest border security bill in a generation came up in the United States Senate, he took it down.”  ALSO:  “I can’t image that the doctor comes in and says, ‘so there’s a problem with the baby…but there’s nothing I can do because Ted Cruz thinks he knows better. Cruz isn’t pro-life.  It’s not pro-life to deny women care so long that they can’t have children anymore. It’s not pro-life to force a victim of rape to carry their rapist’s baby. … Understand that when Ted Cruz says he’s pro-life, he doesn’t mean yours.”  (Image credits: WFAA and Texas Tribune.) 

The stars are all in alignment on this—a super DEM challenger in Allred, abortion and democracy concerns as the top issues for voters, and the world’s most hated Republican incumbent in Cancun Cruz.  2024 really could be the year Texas turns blue—on a Senate seat, anyway.  Ted Cruz really could lose 10/18/24 https://www.msnbc.com/opinion/msnbc-opinion/ted-cruz-colin-allred-debate-texas-election-rcna175703

Texas House District 19 

If you live in Lakeway’s part of Texas House District 19, your Texas House delegate is now Republican Ellen Troxclair, thanks to a ridiculous gerrymander in 2021 that pulled a small chunk of Travis County away from Austin and dumped us in with 4 rural western counties.  Democrat Dwain Handley is challenging Troxclair.  Check out Handley’s website: https://handley4texas.com/

VOTE for Handley in Texas House District 19, AND VOTE DEM ALL THE WAY DOWN THE BALLOT.

Texas Senate District 25 

The Texas Senate seat for the Lakeway area is District 25, and since 2013 it has been held by Republican Donna Campbell.  Now, Democrat Merrie Fox is challenging Campbell.  Check out her website: https://drmerriefox.org/

VOTE for Fox in Texas Senate District 25, AND VOTE DEM ALL THE WAY DOWN THE BALLOT.

US House District 10

Lakeway is the western afterthought added to the immense blob situated well east of Austin, next to Houston, that is the Texas 10th Congressional District.  (See map image above and look for the orange outline.)  The House seat in DC has been held since 2005 by far-right Republican Michael McCaul. Now, Democrat Theresa Boisseau is challenging McCaul.  Check out her website: https://www.theresa4texas.com/

VOTE for Boisseau in US House District 10, AND VOTE DEM ALL THE WAY DOWN THE BALLOT.

PRESIDENTIAL RACE   

UPCOMING DEBATES

NONE.  The Harris campaign accepted CNN’s invitation for a second debate, to be held Oct. 23.  But, Trump is too scared to face her again and instead cowers over on Fox News.   So, CNN will host a Town Hall for Harris on Oct. 23.  As Deadline for Another Debate Passes, Trump Again Rejects a Rematch 10/10/24 https://www.nytimes.com/2024/10/10/us/politics/debate-trump-harris-deadline.html

SHINY NEW POLLS   

Harris in the lead

Polling by CBS News Oct. 8-11 shows Harris leading Trump by 3 points nationally, as well as by 1 point in battleground states.  Additional subject matter polling showed marked splits by party on everything from state of the economy to hurricane relief. (Image credit: CBS News.) CBS News Trump-Harris poll shows one election, two worlds: How information, beliefs shape tight campaign 10/13/24 https://www.cbsnews.com/news/trump-harris-poll-how-information-beliefs-shape-tight-2024-campaign/

Guardian’s national Election Tracker shows Harris leading by 2 points.

The Guardian’s 10-day polling average tracker as of Oct. 10 showed Harris with 2% nationwide lead, down from 4%. (Image credit: The Guardian.)  Trump makes gains as poll figures trigger anxiety for Harris campaign 10/12/24 https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2024/oct/12/kamala-harris-donald-trump-polls

TIED

Polling by NBC News conducted Oct. 4-8 among 1,000 registered voters showed Harris and Trump TIED.  Abortion is the top motivating issue, and10% said they might change their mind before voting.  There is a HUGE gender gap; Harris wins with women 55%-41%, while Trump wins among men 56%-40%.  Harris’ other strengths are with non-white voters and younger voters.  Trump takes rural voters and white voters. (Image credit: NBC News.) ‘Dead heat’: Trump pulls even with Harris in NBC News poll 10/13/24 https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/2024-election/dead-heat-trump-pulls-even-harris-nbc-news-poll-rcna174201

Harris Leads in PA, Trump Leads in AZ.

A key poll taken Oct. 7-10 shows Harris leading Trump by 3 points in Pennsylvania, the third Times/Siena poll to show her controlling the swing state with the most Electoral College votes.  Harris’ strong abortion policy gives her a 20-point advantage over Trump.  He was up by 5 points in Arizona, due to preference for his economic policies. Trump Leads in Arizona as Harris Holds an Edge in Pennsylvania, New Polls Show 10/12/24 https://www.nytimes.com/2024/10/12/us/politics/times-siena-arizona-pennsylvania-polls.html

COMPARE POLICY 

UKRAINE–Where Harris and Trump stand.

Brookings did an excellent dive into how Trump would handle Ukraine in a 2nd term, vs. how Harris would.  (Image credit: REUTERS/Shannon Stapleton.) 

TRUMP: Not surprisingly, the bottom line is that Trump would cut all aid to Ukraine and force a disastrous settlement with Moscow. (The article points out that JD Vance is even more explicitly anti-Ukraine that Trump and openly pushes a pro-Putin stance.)

HARRIS, on the other hand, is on the record as valuing an independent Ukraine as necessary for the security of Europe and all democratic nations.  She has pledged to stand strong with Ukraine and our NATO allies. 

How would Trump and Harris handle the Russia-Ukraine war? 10/1/24  https://www.brookings.edu/articles/how-would-trump-and-harris-handle-the-russia-ukraine-war/

TAXES—Where Harris and Trump stand.

  • On tax policy, Trump would prioritize income tax cuts for wealthier Americans and corporations; Kamala Harris would raise taxes on those groups. 
  • Harris would expand the child tax credit for families with newborns; Trump says he would eliminate taxes on Social Security benefits and overtime. Both candidates would jettison taxes on tipped income.
  • Trump’s plan leans on a sharp increase in tariffs and the expectation of faster business growth. Harris, by offering a more modest tax cut package, would create less debt than Trump’s plan.  How Donald Trump and Kamala Harris want to change your taxes 10/9/24 https://www.politifact.com/article/2024/oct/09/how-donald-trump-kamala-harris-would-change-yo/

THE DEFICIT—Where Harris and Trump stand.

Per the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget, both candidates would increase deficits and debt, but Trump’s increase is double that of Harris.

The Harris campaign’s tax plan includes expanding the Child Tax Credit, Earned Income Tax Credit, Affordable Care Act premium subsidies, and providing down payment assistance for first-time home buyers. To help cover the costs, the campaign proposes raising the corporate tax rate from 21 percent to 28 percent.  Low and middle income households would benefit the most.

Trump’s tax plan includes extending the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, reducing the corporate tax rate to 15 percent, and (he says as a candidate) eliminating taxes on Social Security benefits. The wealthiest would benefit the most, but there would be substantial long-term economic challenges.  Future generations would inherit a significant debt burden. These tax cuts would contribute to a large increase in public debt and hinder long-term economic growth. Trump vs. Harris: Who Will Rack Up Most Debt for the US? 10/7/24 https://www.newsweek.com/harris-trump-tax-plan-fiscal-budget-national-debt-1964840

CLIMATE CHANGE—Where Harris and Trump stand.

Do you believe that climate change is largely driven by human activity, including the burning of fossil fuels? If not, is there a different cause you would cite?

HARRIS calls climate change an existential threat and says the United States needs to act urgently to address it. As a presidential candidate in 2019, she presented a $10 trillion climate plan calling for investing in renewable energy, holding polluters accountable, helping communities affected by climate change and protecting natural resources. As California Attorney General, she prosecuted oil companies for environmental violations. As Vice President, she was the tie-breaking vote in the Senate for the Inflation Reduction Act, which provided about $370 billion to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to 40 percent below their 2005 levels by the end of this decade.

TRUMP told The Washington Post’s editorial board in 2016 that he is “not a great believer in man-made climate change.” He has also long rejected climate science, sometimes calling global warming a “hoax.”

Do you believe climate change is making disasters such as hurricanes, wildfires and heat waves more intense?

HARRIS says the US must take action to fight climate change in the face of increasing drought, floods, hurricanes, wildfires and sea level rise. As Vice President, Harris announced more than $1 billion in grants in 2022 for states to address flooding and extreme heat exacerbated by climate change. “The frequency has accelerated in a relatively short period of time,” she said. “The science is clear. Extreme weather will only get worse, and the climate crisis will only accelerate.’’

TRUMP, at a rally in March 2022, mocked the threat posed by sea-level rise and the nation’s concern with combating climate change: “And yet you have people like John Kerry worrying about the climate! The climate!” In 2019, Trump exclusively blamed forest mismanagement for more destructive and deadly wildfires, rather than climate change; scientists say no amount of forest management can stop wildfires in a more flammable world.

Do you support clean-energy tax credits such as those for electric vehicles?

HARRIS, in 2022, cast the tie-breaking vote to pass the Inflation Reduction Act, which provides hundreds of billions of dollars in government subsidies for electric cars and other clean-energy technology, including tax credits for clean-energy and energy-efficiency home projects. She is a proponent of electric vehicles and as Senator supported a national zero-emissions vehicle standard. In May, she visited Detroit to announce federal grants for smaller companies making electric-vehicle parts.

TRUMP, in a 2023 campaign ad, promised to roll back President Biden’s electric vehicle policies and subsidies. (Image credit: Washington Post.)

Harris vs. Trump on climate change: Where they stand on the issue 9/10/24 https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/interactive/2024/trump-harris-climate-change/

HARRIS/WALZ Campaign  

NEW Endorsements

–The Atlantic on Oct. 10, endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris for president, only the 5th time since its founding in 1857 that The Atlantic has endorsed a presidential candidate. It endorsed Harris because: “She respects the law and the Constitution. She believes in the freedom, equality, and dignity of all Americans. She’s untainted by corruption, let alone a felony record or a history of sexual assault. She doesn’t embarrass her compatriots with her language and behavior, or pit them against one another. She doesn’t curry favor with dictators. She won’t abuse the power of the highest office in order to keep it. She believes in democracy. These, and not any specific policy positions, are the reasons The Atlantic is endorsing her.”  https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/1860/10/the-election-in-november/306549/

–Political commentator, talk show host, and former Fox News host Geraldo Rivera endorsed Harris.  “Former President Trump is a sore loser who cannot be trusted to honor the Constitution. That is why I am voting for Kamala Harris to be our 47th President.” https://www.newsweek.com/geraldo-rivera-rebukes-trump-endorses-harris-election-1968744

—Milwaukee’s conservative radio talk show host Charlie Sykes endorsed Kamala Harris. “This is not about whether I agree on tax policy or agree on student loan debt, which I don’t. It’s about whether we are going to have fidelity to democratic norms. It’s whether or not you are going to be a decent person or someone who is going to tear apart the fabric of this country.” (Image credit: Charlie Sykes.)  https://charliesykes.substack.com/p/why-im-voting-for-kamala-harris

Campaign Ads   

Harris/Walz campaign  

Lincoln Project 

Media Appearances

Harris: Special Report With Bret Baier on Fox News Oct. 16

Harris walked into hostile territory and stood her ground, despite an overbearing host who repeatedly interrupted her and got in the way of her message.  When Baier tried to pass off a sanitized clip of Trump skirting his “enemy inside” comments, Harris refused to let it slide and quoted exactly what Trump is really saying about sending the military after liberals who disagree with him; she explained why that is so dangerous. (Baier later said he made a mistake in the Trump clip he played.) Too bad Trump doesn’t have the nerve to appear on MSNBC’s Rachel Maddow Show.  (Image credit: Fox News Media.) 

We The People: An Audio Town Hall With Kamala Harris & Charlamagne Tha God Oct. 15

This wide-ranging interview, taking place in Detroit, aimed to cement support among Black voters; the show reaches over 8 million people, many of whom are racial minorities.  Topics ranged from Harris’ career as a prosecutor to her plan to make first-time home-buying more affordable.  (Image credit: Breakfast Club Power.) 

Harris/Walz on 60 Minutes Oct. 7

Both Kamala Harris and Tim Walz were interviewed on the CBS show’s Election Special.  (Image credits: CBS.)

Kamala Harris quotes: 

  • “Israel has the right to defend itself, and how it does that matters.”
  • [On whether the US has sway over Netanyahu] “The US has an important alliance with the Israeli people.”
  • “We have cut the flow of illegal immigration by half. We have cut the flow of fentanyl by half. But we need Congress to be able to act to actually fix the problem.”
  • “The economy is thriving.  But, prices are still too high, including groceries.”
  • [On how she will pay for her economic proposals to help working Americans, especially young families] “Well, one of the things is I’m gonna make sure that the richest among us, who can afford it, pay their fair share in taxes. It is not right that teachers and nurses and firefighters are paying a higher tax rate than billionaires and the biggest corporations.”
  • “Ukraine must have a say in its future, and there will be no success in ending the war without Ukrainian participation.  If Trump were president, Putin would be sitting in Kiev right now.”
  • “What the American people want is a leader who can build consensus and figure out compromise with common sense solutions.”
  • “I believe in my soul and heart that the American people are ready to turn the page.”

Tim Walz quotes: 

  • “Trump spends his time tearing down states rather than lifting up the things we do best.”
  • “Here in Minnesota, we are so optimistic we walk on water half the year.”
  • “Let’s debate policy in a real way, and let’s try and find an objective truth again.”

Trump quotes:

Trump was a no-show.  He accepted the network’s invitation to participate in the election special with an interview.  But, he cancelled at the last minute, breaking a 50-year CBS tradition of all presidential candidates appearing on the show.  As Scott Pelley noted in the show’s intro: “We fact-check every story.”  Yet again, Trump runs and hides from the truth, facts, and disclosure to the public.

Harris on Call Her Daddy podcast Oct. 6

Kamala Harris guested on the hugely popular podcast geared toward younger women, Call Her Daddy. Her staff estimates this reached over 5 million people, many of whom don’t access traditional media.  (Image credit: AP.) Quotes and more:

  • “Family comes in many forms. I think that increasingly, you know, all of us understand that this is not the 1950s anymore.”
  • “There are a whole lot of women out here who are not aspiring to be humble.  A whole lot of women out here who have a lot of love in their life, family in their life and children in their life.  And I think it’s really important for women to lift each other up.”
  • “When a woman — and, in particular, if she has children — if she is economically reliant on her abuser, she’s less likely to leave. Because most women will endure whatever personal, physical pain they must in order to make sure their kids have a roof over their head, or food. So one of the ways that we know that women are able to walk away from abuse — and there are many layers to her being able to do that — but one of them is: Does she have the economic freedom to be able to do that? Right? So one of the ways that we know we can uplift the ability of women to have choices is uplift the ability of women to have economic health and well-being. — and that the Harris campaign supports them leading more self-determined lives.”
  • “You can look at my career to know what I care about.  I care about making sure that people are entitled to and receive the freedoms that they are due.”
  • Harris states her abortion stance, as well as what Trump has done and would do next on abortion, in an 8-minute video clip, here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_KCRsjPCiCI
  • Harris attacked MAGA misogyny head-on in ‘Call Her Daddy’ interview 10/7/24 https://www.msnbc.com/the-reidout/reidout-blog/kamala-harris-call-her-daddy-interview-alex-cooper-rcna174337

Harris on The View Oct. 8

Harris was a guest on The View, talking to its female hosts.  Unlike at her other recent appearances, she unveiled a new substantive policy.  As President, she will expand Medicare to cover in home health care, so seniors can age in place.  Her goal is to lower costs, and specifically to ease the emotional and economic burden on the sandwich generation—Americans who are caring for their elderly parents as well as their own children.  Her plan will be paid for with funds saved by expanding Medicare’s power to negotiate drug prices.  In addition, Harris said she plans to have a Republican in her Cabinet.  Her staff estimates this reached over 2.5 million people, many of whom don’t access traditional media.  (Image credits: ABC and NYTimes.)

Harris on Howard Stern’s satellite radio Oct. 8

Harris was interviewed for over an hour by long-time acquaintance Howard Stern.  Her staff estimates this reached over 10 million people, many of whom don’t access traditional media. (Image credit: SiriusXM.)

Harris on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert 10/8

Harris appeared on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert.  At the end, they cracked open cans of Miller High Life.  Her staff estimates this reached over 3 million people, many of whom don’t access traditional media.  (Image credit: CBS.) Quotes and more:

Harris on Univision town-hall event in Las Vegas Oct. 10

Harris appeared at a Univision Town Hall in Las Vegas on Oct. 10.  Harris said: “Real leadership is about solving the problems on behalf of the people.  …  It’s literally about do we support our democracy and the Constitution of the United States, or are we going to go on the path of somebody who is a sore loser and lost the election in 2020 and tried to have a violent mob undo it.”  (Image credit: Univision/Getty.)

Walz on Fox News Sunday Oct. 6

Tim Walz had a strong outing on Fox News Sunday, firmly making the Democratic case for abortion: ​​“The restoration of Roe versus Wade is what we’re asking. This puts the decision with the woman and her health care providers. … The real issue here is women being forced into miscarriages, women being forced to go back home, get sepsis, potentially die.  Maternal mortality rates in Texas have skyrocketed off the charts because of this. This is bad policy. … They see it as an election issue.  We see it as a right of women to make their own bodily decisions.”  He also insisted Trump would sign an “outright nationwide ban.” (Image credit: Fox News.)

Walz on Jimmy Kimmel Live Oct. 7

Walz was introduced by Kimmel as “America’s sweetheart.”  Walz said: “You can pass common sense gun laws without infringing on the second amendment.  Our first responsibility is to protect our kids. … Countries with as much gun ownership as the US but also common sense laws in place—their children don’t get shot in schools.”  (Image credit: Randy Holmes.)

More on Harris/Walz

Harris will expand Medicare to cover in-home senior care, plus add vision and hearing coverage.

Harris announced a new policy on Oct. 8.  As President, she will expand Medicare to cover in home health care, so seniors can age in place.  That will lower costs; in particular, it will ease the burden on America’s sandwich generation, caring for their elderly parents as well as their own children.  This benefit will be paid for with funds saved by expanding Medicare’s power to negotiate drug prices.  Per the Harris campaign: “These plans are common sense. They can help family caregivers work, and save both families and the federal government money by allowing seniors to stay in their homes instead of being sent to nursing homes.  Medicare at Home will also reduce hospitalizations.”

Previously, Harris announced plans to enlarge Medicare’s negotiation power to cover ALL drugs.  Harris will also expand Medicare to include hearing and vision coverage.  Finally, she will end the existing practice of states seizing a deceased patient’s home to recover Medicaid costs; currently, rural and minority families, in particular, are harmed.

Note: Trump has NO PLAN for in-home care for seniors.  Trump has NO PLAN to expand Medicare negotiation for drugs.  Republican politicians are generally supported by large donations from pharmaceutical companies and thus OPPOSE this.

Harris proposes expanding Medicare to cover in-home senior care 10/8/24 https://apnews.com/article/harris-home-health-care-sandwhich-generation-098a7ed48dfd94d11fb0efcd5d63b42b

Harris releases medical report.

Harris publicly released her current medical report in full on Oct. 12, as all modern-day presidential candidates have done with the notable exception of Trump.  The report states that Harris, age 59, has “the physical and mental resiliency required to successfully execute the duties of the presidency.”  She last had a full exam in April of 2024 (with all normal findings including blood work), and she is up to date on preventive care.  Details include seasonal allergies, wears contacts for nearsightedness, takes a vitamin D supplement, is at low risk for atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease, works out daily, eats healthy, does not smoke, and drinks alcohol occasionally/in moderation. Read the medical report in full here: https://www.whitehouse.gov/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/VP-Harris-Health-Summary.pdf

Trump did not release a medical report in 2016 or 2020, and he has not done so during the current campaign, despite being 78 years old and showing myriad signs of physical and mental decay in recent months.  Harris releases medical report, drawing another contrast with Trump 10/11/24 https://www.npr.org/2024/10/12/g-s1-28012/harris-releases-medical-report-drawing-another-contrast-with-trump

Harris had this to say: “[Trump] is not being transparent…. He refuses to release his medical records. I’ve done it. Every other presidential candidate in the modern era has done it. He is unwilling to do a 60 Minutes interview like every other major party candidate has done for more than half a century. He is unwilling to meet for a second debate…. It makes you wonder, why does his staff want him to hide away?… Are they afraid that people will see that he is too weak and unstable to lead America? Is that what’s going on?  For these reasons and so many more, it is time to turn the page.”

Speaking of items ALWAYS disclosed to the public by presidential candidates: Harris ALSO released her latest tax return, back in April.  Trump STILL has not done so. Trump disarmed a political landmine in refusing to release his tax returns 10/13/24 https://www.politico.com/news/2024/10/13/trump-hasnt-released-his-tax-returns-the-response-meh-00182874

Harris gets her second Vogue cover: The candidate for our times.

Renown fashion photographer Annie Leibovitz did the recent photo shoot and caught the candidate perfectly—professional and ready for the job, but clearly a warm and decent human being.  (Image credit: Annie Leibovitz/Vogue.)  Kamala Harris stars in her second Vogue cover — and the two couldn’t be more different 10/11/24 https://www.cnn.com/2024/10/11/style/kamala-harris-second-vogue-cover/index.html

Harris hits the right note with hecklers.

It can be useful–and fun–knowing your opponent is also appearing in the same area, in super-busy swing states.  At a recent rally in La crosse WI, MAGA hecklers tried to interrupt Harris when she gutted Trump on his 3 far-right SCOTUS appointments who killed Roe.  With a wide smile and a friendly wave, Harris told them: “Oh, you guys are at the wrong rally.  I think you meant to go to the smaller one down the street.”Harris shuts down rally hecklers with two-sentence Trump jab 10/18/24 https://www.the-independent.com/news/world/americas/us-politics/harris-trump-heckler-wisconsin-rally-b2631781.html

Harris lets Trump speak for himself.

At rallies lately, Harris has made the bold move of showing clips of Trump at his own events, complete with his spouting the most outrageous things.  At one rally, she played a montage of his most fascist remarks, including his “enemy within” rant.  Effective!  But, at an Oct. 18 rally at the United Auto Workers Local 652 in Lansing, MI, Harris got very specific.  She played a perfectly on point a video clip with Trump’s remarks from earlier in the week where he belittled auto workers—just like the folks attending her rally.  Trump said: “Auto factories don’t build cars.  Just take them out of a box, and they assemble them.  A child could do it.”  Devastating!  Harris plays Trump’s remarks on auto workers … to auto workers 10/18/24  https://www.politico.com/live-updates/2024/10/18/2024-elections-live-coverage-updates-analysis/harris-in-michigan-00184456

Republican women choose Harris, to protect reproductive rights.

Abortion is the TOP single issue in the upcoming election, inspiring women to register and vote for Kamala Harris and driving conservative women to dump Trump. That dynamic is obvious in Arizona, where the abortion ban is on the ballot in November.  One-third of AZ Republicans support a constitutional amendment establishing abortion as a fundamental right.  The New York Times recently interviewed Republican women in Phoenix who are splitting from the GOP over abortion. Watch the 4-minute video here: They Were Loyal Republicans — Until Trump and Abortion Bans 10/11/24 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6OCINcjv584

Walz strikes gold again for DEMS—Mining the State College Demo.

Tim Walz coined the priceless “weird” designation for Trump and Vance. He just has a knack for cutting to the chase and stating things simply.  Now, he has noticed that Trump and Vance, as well as most of the political elite, were educated at certain institutions.  So were most past presidents and vice-presidents.  But, Walz and Harris both went to state colleges—fine institutions but not snooty places like Harvard and Yale.  Yet, both Trump and Vance claim to represent common Americans and try to cast their DEM opponents as out of touch elitists.  Walz isn’t letting them get away with that.  As he said in his DNC acceptance speech: “Now, I grew up in Butte, Nebraska, a town of 400 people.  I had 24 kids in my high school class, and none of them went to Yale.”  At a PA rally, Walz targeted Vance even more sharply: “You go off to Yale, you get a philosophy major, write a best-selling book, trash the very people you grew up with, just don’t come back to Erie and tell us how to run our lives.”  This strategy could well mobilize state college voters who didn’t grow up with money; they went to schools near home, worked hard, and likely had an outside job to cover tuition. They may consider people who went to posh institutions as snobs who are acting superior.  Harris went to Howard and Univ. of CA, while Walz went to Chadron State College and Minnesota State University.  These are all good schools but definitely in the “state college” category.  In contrast, Vance and Trump (University of Pennsylvania) and Vance (Yale) are the only all-Ivy League GOP ticket in U.S. history.  (Illustration by Bill Kuchman/POLITICO; source images via Getty Images and iStock.)  The Overlooked Demographic That Is a Huge Opportunity for Democrats 10/8/24 https://www.politico.com/news/magazine/2024/10/08/state-college-voters-democrats-demographic-00182520

TRUMP/VANCE Campaign

The perfect shot of these clowns…. (Image credit: NY Times.)

Old 45   

Still VERY old and increasingly addled.  Still lying.  Still a racist and a misogynist. (Image credits: AP and Trump campaign email.)

Why would ANYONE vote for this loser?

This sums up DJT perfectly: “Donald Trump is a rapist, fraudster, traitor and 34 times felon. He is a bigot, racist, misogynist and xenophobe. He is unfit and unwell, a Russian-backed extremist who wants to end the global economic system that has made us prosperous, end the Western alliance that has keep us safe, and end our democracy that has kept us free.” Simon Rosenberg’s Hopium Chronicles 10/11/124 https://www.hopiumchronicles.com/p/vp-harris-brings-the-joy-to-arizona

Dave Bautista Shreds Trump’s Masculinity.

Jimmy Kimmel Live on Oct. 18 premiered a video where WWE star and actor Dave Bautista takes on Trump, calling him “a weak, tubby toddler.”  And, that may have been the nicest thing he said about flabby old 45. Watch the 2-minute video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GGxwn_N9DtE

How Trump Killed Every Business He Touched.

Richard Reich’s 3-minute video will remind you of Trump’s many business failures—steaks, vodka, football team, board game, mortgage company, travel agency, 2 magazines, bike rally, airline company, university, charity, ice cubes, a network, casinos, several hotels, on and on and on….  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zbh9SW5Cgqg

Trump’s Tax Scam: Why Nothing Trickled Down.

Here, Reich’s 4-minute video shows that Trump’s tax scam was trickle-down economics on steroids: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jEINHwQkobk&t=86s

Trump: PANTS ON FIRE.

Want to read some lies of the take-your-breath-away variety?  Politifact is busy reviewing all kinds of statements in this political season.  Its page for Trump’s PANTS ON FIRE comments includes what he said recently about Harris, immigrants, FEMA, and more: https://www.politifact.com/factchecks/list/?category=&ruling=pants-fire&speaker=donald-trump

Be sure to check Politifact’s VERY LONG page rating Trump’s claims as FALSE: https://www.politifact.com/factchecks/list/?category=&ruling=false&speaker=donald-trump

The marketing guy who created The Apprentice tells all about the REAL Donald Trump.

John D. Miller of NBC marketed the TV show and now apologizes for creating the monster America elected as President in 2016.  The article is linked and worth a read, but here are some highlights:

I want to apologize to America. I helped create a monster. To sell the show, we created the narrative that Trump was a super-successful businessman who lived like royalty. In fact, Trump declared bankruptcy four times before the show went into production, and at least twice more during his 14 seasons hosting. The imposing board room where he famously fired contestants was a set, because his real boardroom was too old and shabby for TV. Thousands of 30-second promo spots that spread the fantasy of Trump’s supposed business acumen were beamed over the airwaves to nearly every household in the country. The image of Trump that we promoted was highly exaggerated. In its own way, it was “fake news” that we spread over America like a heavy snowstorm. I never imagined that the picture we painted of Trump as a successful businessman would help catapult him to the White House.

I discovered in my interactions with him over the years that he is manipulative, yet extraordinarily easy to manipulate. He has an unfillable compliment hole. No amount is too much. Flatter him and he is compliant. I also found Trump remarkably thin-skinned. He aggressively goes after those who critique him and seeks retribution. I learned early on in my dealings with Trump that he thought he could simply say something over and over, and eventually people would believe it. While we were successful in marketing “The Apprentice,” we also did irreparable harm by creating the false image of Trump as a successful leader. Now America is facing a critical choice. Should this elderly, would-be emperor with no clothes, who is well known for stretching and abandoning the truth, be president again?  We Created a Monster: Trump was a TV Fantasy Invented for The Apprentice 10/16/24 https://www.usnews.com/opinion/articles/2024-10-16/we-created-a-tv-illusion-for-the-apprentice-but-the-real-trump-threatens-america

Fan Boy Trump

Bob Woodward’s new book, War, contains several nasty bomblets about Trump. (Image credit: Getty.)  One is that in 2020 Trump “secretly sent Putin a bunch of Abbott Point of Care Covid test machines and ventilators for his personal use.”  Recall that, at that time, Americans were dying in droves; both ventilators and Covid testing were scarce.  So, of course, Trump sent test machines and ventilators to his pal Putin, for his personal use in Russia. The book also reveals that Trump has had SEVEN phone calls with Putin since leaving office.  Several passages in the book disparage Trump, and Woodward states he is unfit to lead.  Bob Woodward’s War: the explosive Trump revelations 10/10/24 https://theweek.com/politics/bob-woodwards-war-the-explosive-trump-revelations

As always, Trump denied everything.  Awkward, really, since the Kremlin soon acknowledged Trump’s giant Covid care package to Putin. Kremlin confirms Trump sent Russia Covid-19 tests, after former president denied Bob Woodward claim 10/11/24  https://www.cnn.com/2024/10/11/europe/kremlin-confirms-trump-covid-tests-intl/index.html

Trump has major cognitive lapse near start of PA town hall, standing on stage swaying to music for 39 minutes, as baffled crowd departs early.

The event didn’t even start well at his Oct. 14 Town Hall at the Greater Philly Expo Center.  Trump answered an early question from the audience on grocery prices with his standard rally riff on Hannibal Lecter.  Trump also missed Election Day by 2 whole months, when he randomly urged people to vote on January 5.  But, THEN things turned STRANGE.  A couple participants got light-headed in the over-heated room and required medical assistance; that happens all the time at large rallies, and the speaker—including Trump–just keeps going.  But, this time (just 30 minutes and 5 questions into the Town Hall), Trump suddenly announced there would be no more questions and instead had his team play his favorite songs (from Hallelujah to YMCA).  Trump: “Let’s not do any more questions. Let’s just listen to music. Let’s make it into a music fest. Who the hell wants to hear questions right? Isn’t that beautiful?”  Trump stood on stage, mostly alone, doing that odd thing he calls dancing but really just swaying and flapping his tiny hands—for 39 MINUTES.  Crowd members were confused, looking for the joke or a surprise guest.  Soon, they gave up and started filing out.  Eventually, a staff member came out and guided Trump off the stage.  At her own rally that night, Kamala Harris said this: “Trump appears lost, confused, and frozen on stage as multiple songs play for 30+ minutes and the crowd pours out of the venue early.  Hope he’s okay.”  (Image credit: Spencer Platt/Getty.) ‘Let’s Just Listen To Music’: Trump Turns Town Hall Into Concert 10/14/24 https://www.forbes.com/sites/siladityaray/2024/10/15/lets-just-listen-to-music-trump-turns-town-hall-into-concert-prompting-mockery-from-harris/

Trump is still gaga and has a bonkers meltdown Oct. 15 in Bloomberg News interview with Economic Club of Chicago.

Trump refused to confirm he has spoken repeatedly to Putin since 2020: “But I will tell you that, if I did it, it’s a smart thing.”  He also refused to commit to a peaceful transfer of power.  When repeatedly asked about taxes, tariffs and economics (it WAS an economic event), Trump waffled, meandered and quarreled with moderator John Micklethwait, editor-in-chief of Bloomberg News.  As Heather Cox Richardson noted, Trump showed up an hour late, and things soon got ugly. When Micklethwait corrected Trump’s misunderstanding of the way tariffs work, Trump replied in front of a room full economic experts: “It must be hard for you to, you know, spend 25 years talking about tariffs as being negative and then have somebody explain to you that you’re totally wrong. … You’ve been wrong about everything…. You’ve been wrong all your life on this stuff.”  Trump’s aimless stories went further off topic and became more outlandish, attacking the press, Fed Chair Jerome Powell, and U.S. autoworkers in South Carolina (whose work he called “childish”).  When Trump commented that federal judges must be young when nominated, Micklethwait dared to reply: “You’re a 78-year-old man running for president.”  Not surprisingly, Trump later complained he was somehow “hoodwinked” into doing the event.  Journalist David Rothkopf of Deep State Radio wrote: “The past 24 hours seem to have been a dividing line in the Trump campaign…and in Trump. He went from being periodically adrift and sporadically demented to being 24/7 unfit and in need of permanent medical attention. He’s one cloudless night away from baying at the moon.” (Image credits: NY Times and Kamil Krzaczynski/AFP/Getty Images.)  HRC’s Letters from an American Oct. 15 https://heathercoxrichardson.substack.com/p/october-15-2024

Trump lies about saving John Deere jobs.

One of Trump’s wild stories during the Oct. 15 in Bloomberg News interview with Economic Club of Chicago (see above) was how he saved hundreds of American jobs with John Deere.  Per Trump, the company recently cancelled plans to open a manufacturing plant in Mexico after Trump threatened it with tariffs.  Problem: John Deere denies it all, and there is no evidence the company ever planned on expanding to Mexico, much less cancelled anything die to Trump.  And, this isn’t the first time Trump has spun lies at events to make himself look good; recently, he has faked endorsements, lied about various Harris policies and defamed her personally, and thrown out patently absurd numbers to bolster whatever wild claim he is currently making—from immigrant crime stats to FEMA policy. (Image credits: John Deere.)  Fact check: John Deere says Trump’s story about how he saved US jobs with a tariff threat is fictional 10/16/24 https://www.cnn.com/2024/10/16/politics/trump-fact-check-john-deere-economy/index.html

EXHAUSTED Trump cancels events again and again, clearly off his game.

60 Minutes Election Special, CNN Town Hall, CNBC’s Squawk Box, keynote speaker at a huge National Rifle Association event, on and on—Trump cancels big events at the last minute.  Other appearances, he declines, even in swing states where he should be eagerly campaigning.  Clearly, he’s exhausted; he zoned out for a 39-minute music siesta at a recent Town Hall.  At other recent events, Trump was “low energy” at best; during more than 1 interview, his eyes drooped shut and he seemed to nod off briefly.  He is noticeably out of sorts, as well, not even trying to answer town hall questions from voters and sparring testily with moderators; at a Detroit rally on Oct. 18, he grimaced and paced in fury when his mike lost power.  Typically, he falls back into the arms of Fox News and does some silly curvy couch lovefest with hosts who just let him ramble. Trump can’t handle a decent campaign schedule, so how could he handle the rigors of leading the free world as President of USA?  Not well, obviously. (Image credit: Anna Watts/NYTimes.)   

Trump has regressed to speaking at a 4th grade level.

In an interview on the Oct. 7 anniversary, Trump was asked about Gaza’s future and said: “It could be better than Monaco. It has the best location in the Middle East, the best water, the best everything. It’s got, it is the best, I’ve said it for years. You know, I’ve been there, and it’s rough. It’s a rough place, before the, you know, before all of the attacks and before the back and forth what’s happened over the last couple of years.”  https://hughhewitt.com/former-president-trump-on-the-anniversary-of-the-10-7-massacre-in-israel

PROBLEM: Trump has never been to Gaza.

QUESTION: Is this Trump lying yet again, or is it another result of Trump’s dementia?  I think it is the latter, the latest gaffe in the increasingly more frequent torrent of screw ups he is making on the campaign trail, as detailed in the item just above. Image credit: Getty.)  Fact check: No evidence for Trump’s claim he has been to Gaza 10/8/24 https://www.cnn.com/2024/10/08/politics/trump-gaza-fact-check/index.html

Trump trashes Detroit … while at an event IN Detroit.

During remarks while campaigning IN DETROIT, at the Detroit Economic Club on Oct. 10, Trump said: “Our whole country will end up being like Detroit if she’s the president.  You’re gonna have a mess on your hands.”  Some things never change, and one is that Trump is a racist.  (Image credit: AP.)  Michigan’s leaders were not amused. 

  • Mayor Mike Duggan: “Lots of cities should be like Detroit, and we did it all without Trump’s help.”
  • Attorney General Dana Nessel: “This guy is calling us ugly and then asking us out on a date.”
  • Gov. Gretchen Whitmer: “Detroit is the epitome of ‘grit,’ defined by winners willing to get their hands dirty to build up their city and create their communities — something Donald Trump could never understand. So keep Detroit out of your mouth. And you better believe Detroiters won’t forget this in November.”
  • Michigan Democratic Party Chair Lavora Barnes: “Trump always has something nasty to say about places where you find a lot of hard-working Black folks.
  • ”Trump insults Detroit while campaigning in the city 10/10/24 https://apnews.com/article/trump-detroit-2382e6f01ea6d236e8a2b755ff150580

Trump didn’t appear on 60 Minutes but STILL embarrassed himself over it.

Trump cancelled his appearance on 60 Minutes’ Election Special, but he then had to watch Harris participating as planned and doing a fabulous job.  Not surprisingly, he went batshit crazy, immediately posting on his failing social media site: “60 Minutes replaced Harris’ answers to make her look better, in a giant Fake News Scam that must be investigated, starting today!”  Then, Trump amped up the drama with this post:  “UNPRECEDENTED SCANDAL!!! The Democratic ticket must concede the Election.”Soon, his hysteria climaxed with this post: “The Greatest Fraud in Broadcast History.  CBS should lose its license, and it should be bid out to the Highest Bidder, as should all other Broadcast Licenses, because they are just as corrupt as CBS — and maybe even WORSE!”  FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel issued this statement in response: While repeated attacks against broadcast stations by the former President may now be familiar, these threats against free speech are serious and should not be ignored. As I’ve said before, the First Amendment is a cornerstone of our democracy. The FCC does not and will not revoke licenses for broadcast stations simply because a political candidate disagrees with or dislikes content or coverage.  FCC chair denounces Trump’s calls for CBS to ‘lose its license’ over Harris’ ‘60 Minutes’ interview 10/10/24 https://www.cnn.com/2024/10/10/media/fcc-rosenworcel-trump-cbs-license-60-minutes/index.html

Apprentice Film Opens in US

The Apprentice is playing at local theaters. The new bio-pic covering Trump’s NYC heyday stars Sebastian Stan as young Trump and Succession’s Jeremy Strong as his fixer, Roy Cohn.  Trump fought the film’s release due to the very unflattering details of his younger days, but he lost.  It depicts Trump raping his first wife, as she alleged in divorce filings.  It also shows that it was mob lawyer Cohn who taught Trump the 3 rules he lives by: “1. Attack, attack, attack. 2. Admit nothing, deny everything. 3. No matter what happens, you claim victory, and never admit defeat.”  Cohn also introduced young Trump to Roger Stone and Rupert Murdock.

Hands off my porn…. 

The porn industry is organizing against Trump.  Hey, the more the merrier….  Seventeen pornographic film actors recently announced a $100,000 ad campaign, Hands Off My Porn, warning that Trump’s Project 2025 would END PORN (as well as a lot more of what we now consider “free speech”).  The online ads will run on porn sites in the states that will decide the presidency: Pennsylvania, Michigan, Wisconsin, North Carolina, Georgia, Arizona and Nevada.  Since Young and middle age men are the biggest consumers on these sites, this very direct appeal could cost Trump some of his base.  Porn stars launch campaign against Project 2025 targeting swing states 10/8/24 https://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/4922640-hands-off-my-porn-project-2025/

Trump: BAD GENES.

Trump continues attacking immigrants.  This time, it isn’t just falsely accusing them of eating pets or taking over apartment complexes.  He has moved on from calling dark-skinned immigrants “filth” and “vermin” and saying they are “poisoning the blood” of America.  Trump’s latest is this: “How about allowing people to come to an open border, 13,000 of which were murderers, many of them murdered far more than one person, and they’re now happily living in the United States. You know now a murder, I believe this, it’s in their genes. And we got a lot of bad genes in our country right now.”  He was talking to conservative radio host Hugh Hewitt.  What ALL of Trump’s racist comments on immigrants have in common is how they echo Hitler and the Nazis and their Eugenics War against Jews.  (By the way, the 13,000 number Trump uses is false on at least 2 levels.  1st, any immigrants who committed murder are in prison—not at all the same as “happily living in the US.”  2nd, that report doesn’t show current figures; it goes back SEVERAL DECADES, including the 4 years Trump was in charge.) Trump on immigrants: ‘We got a lot of bad genes in our country right now’ 10/7/24 https://www.politico.com/news/2024/10/07/trump-immigrants-crime-00182702

But, remember—Trump’s mother was an immigrant.  Two of Trump’s 3 wives were immigrants, producing 4 of his 5 children.  So, at the very least Trump’s kids inherited a lot of bad genes, right?  (Image credit: Michelle Gustafson/NYTimes.)

Trump’s partisan lies harm North Carolina hurricane victims.

In North Carolina, Trump’s false claims deriding federal aid caused mayhem as well as delay of services to hurricane survivors in desperate need.  FEMA had to suspend relief efforts due to reports that armed militia were hunting federal workers.  A man was arrested and charged with threatening FEMA workers with an assault rifle.  Currently, FEMA has resumed outreach while taking precautions to protect workers.  Arrest made after threat to FEMA in North Carolina as hurricane relief operations continue 10/15/24 https://www.cbsnews.com/news/fema-crews-relocate-reported-threats-armed-militia-hurricane-helene-relief/

Trump rants about Aurora, CO during rally there.

At an Oct. 11 rally, Trump visited Aurora, CO, the city he has claimed for months is a warzone controlled by blood-thirsty immigrant gangs; he says they are the most violent creatures on the planet and have taken over entire neighborhoods.  Local officials insist that is wild hyperbole, with local crime actually on the downturn and no serious immigrant issues.  They deny that gangs control any building or part of the city, which is the basis of Trump’s attacks on Aurora. That did not stop Trump from ranting for over an hour about immigrants pouring across the border straight out of insane asylums.  He proposed “Operation Aurora,” a nationwide effort targeting undocumented gang members for arrest and deportation. He also vowed to enact the death penalty “for any migrant that kills an American citizen or a law-enforcement officer.”  Aurora’s Republican Mayor, Mike Coffman, invited Trump to tour the city: “I’m excited for you to come here so I could show you that the narrative that is being presented nationally about this city isn’t true, that there are no apartment complexes under gang control, that the city’s not under gang control, Venezuelan gang control.”  Trump rallies in Aurora — a city he has demonized as overrun by migrant crime 10/11/24  https://www.npr.org/2024/10/11/nx-s1-5147400/donald-trump-aurora-colorado-rally

Trump’s tragic legacy: Family Separation that orphaned 1,300 children.

During his first administration, Trump directed his border patrols to separate immigrant children from their parents as families crossed the southern border.  They called it “zero tolerance.”  Adults were detained, and the children with them were sent somewhere else.  Over 5,000 kids as young as newborns were kept in cages, transferred around to various facilities, moved across state lines–all with NO RECORDS KEPT as to their parents or other family members; in many cases, even the children’s names were lost in the shuffle.  Despite continuing efforts by the Biden Administration for nearly 4 years now, about 1,300 children remain ALONE in the US, with no identification and no way to trace adult family members.  Trump’s extreme and inhumane immigration policy made them orphans.  Oscar-winning filmmaker Errol Morris’s new documentary, Separated, is based on NBC correspondent Jacob Soboroff’s book.  It details the horrors of Trump’s “zero tolerance” immigration policy that started in 2017.  The film ran the first half of October at the IFC Center in New York and is now in theatrical distribution.  It will be aired on MSNBC in December. 

Trump’s tacky merch is MADE IN CHINA, Vietnam and Bangladesh.

So much for his MADE IN AMERICA mantra.  Trump, who frequently rails against foreign-made goods sold in America, sells merch mostly made elsewhere.  That makes HIM one of those he says are “ripping off America.”   For instance, Trump’s God Bless America Bibles are MADE IN CHINA. (Image credit: The Guardian.)  Tons of Trump-branded merchandise is labeled as made outside the United States. These include drinking flasks, jackets, baseball caps and woolly hats made in China, shirts and jackets made in Vietnam, and towels made in Bangladesh.  So, if he gets re-elected, this threatened sky-high tariffs on all imported products would hit his own goods, jacking up prices to compensate.  Donald Trump’s Tariffs Would Hit His Own Businesses 10/18/24 https://www.newsweek.com/donald-trumps-tariffs-would-hurt-his-own-businesses-1969817

Things are still STORMY for Trump…

In May, Trump was convicted of covering up a hush-money deal with Stormy Daniels shortly before the 2016 election.  Now, right before the 2024 election, he tried to do the same thing.  AGAIN.  (Image credit: Getty.)  The latest fiasco stems from negotiations Trump had with Daniels as to the amount she owed him for legal fees in a defamation case that she lost.  Trump’s team offered to take a lower amount IF SHE AGREED TO STOP TALKING about Trump; they offered her a $30,000 hush-money discount.  The way the deal was structured would look like legal fee reimbursement, with the hush-money hidden—a lot like Trump’s 2016 scheme. Daniels refused, paid the full amount owed, and turned all the documentation over to MSNBC.  Rachel Maddow broke the story on Oct. 16; watch a 13-minute clip here: https://www.msnbc.com/all-in/watch/maddow-s-bombshell-reporting-trump-trying-to-pay-stormy-daniels-to-be-quiet-again-221947973843   

Trump’s legal team tried to keep Stormy Daniels quiet (yes, again) 10/17/24  https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/2024-election/trumps-legal-team-tried-keep-stormy-daniels-quiet-ahead-2024-election-rcna175828https://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow-show/maddowblog/trumps-legal-team-tried-keep-stormy-daniels-quiet-yes-rcna175887

Musk is PAYING for Trump voters.

Musk is going 100% Founder Mode for Trump. It isn’t just that Elan Musk went over to the Dark Side in 2024, when he turned Trump. Musk IS the Dark Side, or at least Dark MAGA—he even had a hat custom made.  Musk is, of course, using his X platform to push Trump’s most vile lies about immigrants, hurricane aid, and more.  (Musk himself is an immigrant; born in 1971 and raised in South Africa, he moved to Canada in 1988.  He became a US citizen in 2002.)  Must created an Elect Trump PAC and is funding it with untold millions. Musk even crashed Trump’s Oct. 5 Pennsylvania rally, jumping around oddly and freaking people out in his “Dark MAGA” persona.  (Seth Meyers nailed that: “Dude’s jumping like he’s trying to reach the rope ladder on a rescue helicopter: ‘This rally sucks, get me out of here!’”)  Watch The Musking of Trump, Robert Reich’s 25-minute video from 10/12/24:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eVL5rsCHrYw

Since endorsing trump over the summer, Musk has donated $75MIL to his super PAC.    His pro-Trump posts on X are likely even more valuable to the campaign, amplifying Trump’s darkest rhetoric on immigration and various conspiracy theories.  Elon Musk gave $75M to his pro-Trump super PAC 10/15/24 https://www.politico.com/live-updates/2024/10/15/2024-elections-live-coverage-updates-analysis/elon-musk-75m-america-pac-00183856

In addition, Musk will pay up to $47 million for names of 1,000 voters in swing states (Pennsylvania, Georgia, North Carolina, Arizona, Michigan, Wisconsin, and Michigan) who are likely Trump voters.  (Imagine the good that $47MIL could do in Gaza, or in hurricane ravaged North Carolina, or if applied to countless worthy causes.)  Musk’s PAC has created a petition supporting aspects of the Constitution.  Each person who recruits a signatory gets $47 (the amount comes from the election winner being our 47th president). The supposedly energized Conservatives who sign will be targeted to turn out and vote for Trump. (Image credits: NY Times and AP.)   Elon Musk’s PAC offers $47 payouts to refer swing state voters to sign petition 10/7/24 https://www.nbcnews.com/tech/tech-news/musk-pac-signature-47-pay-refer-swing-state-voters-sign-petition-rcna174310

Trump says he would use the military to “handle’ his opponents on the left.

During an Oct 13 Fox News interview, Trump said: “I think the bigger problem are the people from within. We have some very bad people. We have some sick people  Radical left lunatics.” [Trump went on to mention Congressman Adam Schiff as one of the people he was talking about.]  “I think it should be very easily handled by, if necessary, by National Guard, or if really necessary, by the military, because they can’t let that happen.”  The Harris campaign responded: “Trump is suggesting that his fellow Americans are worse ‘enemies’ than foreign adversaries, and he is saying he would use the military against them.  Taken with his vow to be a dictator on ‘day one,’ calls for the ‘termination’ of the Constitution, and plans to surround himself with sycophants who will give him unchecked, unprecedented power if he returns to office, this should alarm every American who cares about their freedom and security.” (Image credit: NYTimes.)  Trump suggests using military against ‘enemy from within’ on Election Day 10/13/24 https://www.cnn.com/2024/10/13/politics/trump-military-enemy-from-within-election-day/index.html

Trump’s Chair of Joint Chiefs of Staff calls him “a fascist to the core.”

Retired U.S. Army Gen. Mark Milley calls Trump “a fascist to the core.”  This was just one bombshell reported in veteran journalist Bob Woodward’s new book, War.  Milley served as Trump’s Chair of the Joint Chiefs of Staff—Trump’s top general—during the entire administration.  Per Milley: “Trump is the most dangerous person ever. I had suspicions when I talked to you about his mental decline and so forth, but now I realize he’s a total fascist. He is now the most dangerous person to this country.  A fascist to the core.” Trump’s top general calls ex-president ‘fascist to the core’ and ‘most dangerous person to this country,’ new book says  10/11/24 https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/trump-fascist-general-woodward-book-b2627972.html

Robert Reich: Trump’s closing argument: full-throated fascism.

Reich’s Oct. 16 Substack uses Trump’s own recent statements to prove he meets the 5-pronged definition of fascism, concluding:

Trump’s closing argument of the 2024 election is full-throated fascism.  Trump has always had fascist tendencies. But fascist thuggery has now become the core of his presidential campaign.

Fascism is organized around the hierarchy of male dominance. The fascist heroic warrior is male. Women are relegated to subservient roles. In fascism, anything that challenges the traditional heroic male roles of protector, provider, and controller of the family is considered a threat to the social order. Fascism seeks to eliminate homosexual, transgender, and queer people because they are thought to challenge or weaken the heroic male warrior.

The rejection of democracy in favor of a strongman depends on galvanizing popular rage against perceived enemies, outside the nation and within. This popular rage draws on bigotry directed against supposedly inferior, subhuman groups, who are assumed to threaten the “purity” of the dominant group. That bigotry is supposedly justified by social Darwinist survival of the fittest, which is thought to strengthen the race or dominant group as a whole.

The dominant group maintains itself through tests of its strength, as exemplified by heroic warriors. Strength, violence, and the heroic warrior are centered on male dominance and the subjugation of women. All of these five core elements find expression in Trumpian fascism. All can also be found in the current Trump Republican Party.  (Image credit: Robert Reich.) https://robertreich.substack.com/p/trumps-fascism-is-now-in-the-open

Creepy JD … really NOT growing on people, not even MAGA people.  (Image credit: Getty.)

With Trump both uninterested in governing and mentally unfit for the challenge, if the GOP ticket is elected, it will be Vance (age 39) in charge.  Quite possibly, the team’s arrangement is that Trump promptly resigns and Vance ponies up a broad pardon insulating him from all federal charges.  Or, Trump keeps his title but returns to Florida to decay in peace, and Vance just takes over.  Either way, America is stuck being run by a political novice whose 2 philosophical mentors (anti-social billionaire Peter Thiel and dystopian blogger Curtis Yarvin) are both nihilists who insist our country is evil and must be destroyed and then rebuilt as a dictatorship with the flavor of a corporate start-up and a Christian nationalist twist.  The chaos, loss of rights and personal freedoms, and economic ruin of THAT cannot be imagined by people used to living in a democracy.  Would the GOP allow Vance to go that far?  Well, the GOP hasn’t stopped Trump from doing ANYTHING in the last decade, so it appears that all Vance has to do is package his plan with enough power grabs and monetary incentive to appease conservative politicians, and they would be good to go.  Since joining the GOP ticket, Vance has shown that he is Trump on a very good day—smarter, slicker, and more sinister; Vance is far better at being Trump than Trump himself.  If Vance gets in the White House, he will never leave. 

As Heather Cox Richardson noted: Vance wants to dismantle the secular state. He wants to replace that state with a Christian nationalism that enforces what he considers traditional values: an end to immigration—hence the lies about the legal Haitian migrants in Springfield, Ohio—and an end to LGBTQ+ rights. He supports abortion bans and the establishment of a patriarchy in which women function as wives and mothers even if it means staying in abusive marriages. Vance insists this social structure will be more fulfilling for women than becoming “childless cat ladies who are miserable at their own lives and the choices that they’ve made.“ In 2021, Vance called American universities “the enemy” and said on a podcast that people like him needed to “seize the institutions of the left, and turn them against the left.” In a different interview, he clarified: “American “conservatives…have lost every major powerful institution in the country, except for maybe churches and religious institutions, which of course are weaker now than they’ve ever been. We’ve lost big business. We’ve lost finance. We’ve lost the culture. We’ve lost the academy. And if we’re going to actually really effect real change in the country, it will require us completely replacing the existing ruling class with another ruling class…. I don’t think there’s sort of a compromise that we’re going to come with the people who currently actually control the country. Unless we overthrow them in some way, we’re going to keep losing. We really need to be really ruthless when it comes to the exercise of power.” Heather Cox Richardson 10/15/24 https://heathercoxrichardson.substack.com/p/october-15-2024

Politifact checks Vance. (Spoiler–he lies even better than Trump.)

Here is Politifact’s Pants on Fire page for Vance: https://www.politifact.com/factchecks/list/?category=&ruling=pants-fire&speaker=jd-vance

And, here is Politifact’s FALSE page for Vance: https://www.politifact.com/factchecks/list/?category=&ruling=false&speaker=jd-vance

Vance says Trump will end Planned Parenthood.

Vance confirmed to reporters earlier this month that a second Trump administration would end Planned Parenthood: “On the question of defunding Planned Parenthood, look, I mean our view is we don’t think that taxpayers should fund late-term abortions.”  As for late-term abortions, in reality that is not a valid concern.  In 2021 and per the CDC, 93.5% of abortions were done at or before 13 weeks’ gestation, 5.7% of abortions were done between 14 and 20 weeks, and 0.9% were performed at or beyond 21 weeks.  Late-term abortions happen very rarely–when the fetus has a fatal condition or the mother’s life is at dire risk.  Vance in particular objected to federal funds being used for abortions, which means he lied or is woefully ignorant of federal law.  As Jenny Lawson, executive director of Planned Parenthood noted: “By law, federal funds cannot be used to provide abortion care at any point in pregnancy — but Planned Parenthood health centers do use federal funds to provide cancer screenings, birth control, STI testing and treatment, and many other essential reproductive health care services. ‘Defunding’ Planned Parenthood would only deepen and expand the public health crisis we’re already in thanks to Donald Trump, causing more people to suffer and die for lack of basic reproductive care.”  Unfortunately, that seems to be the goal of both Trump and Vance. (Image credit: AP.)  Vance says a future Trump administration would defund Planned Parenthood 10/5/24 https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/2024-election/vance-says-future-trump-administration-defund-planned-parenthood-rcna174211

Vance on mass deportation.

Vance says 10% of the people living in America are (as he terms them in the most dehumanizing way) “illegal aliens” and need to go.  Vance also says that another 15% of the people living in America have what he calls “an irregular situation” (whatever THAT means) with the law and need to go.  So, Vance proposes mass deportation of 25% of the current American population.  That is 1 out of 4 of us.  That is 83 million people.  Exactly, HOW would he get that job done?  Planes?  Busses?  Logistically, it is impossible.  Morally, it is horrific. (Image credit: REUTERS.)  Watch Rachel Maddow’s 5-minute segment on Trump’s “bad genes” riff and on Vance’s vow to deport tens of millions sends dark message 10/7/24 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B41H3aY5UsE

5 TIMES, Vance REFUSES to say Trump lost in 2020.

Vance guested on Lulu Garcia-Navarro podcast, The Interview, and it was released on 10/12.  The host posed a lot of tough questions, including on Vance’s many policy flip flops in recent years.  But, the most striking thing that happened was Vance’s flat out refusal to answer her simple question on who won the 2020 election.  Vance ducked and ran FIVE times, and each time he was more derisive and dismissive toward the host.  Vance REALLY has a nasty problem with women.  (Image credit: Philip Montgomery for NY Times.)   

Vance finally has an answer to the big question, just not the right answer.

At an Oct. 15 rally in Williamsport, PA, Vance finally found a way to answer whether Trump lost the 2020 election: “So, did Donald Trump lose the election? Not by the words that I would use, OK?”  Vance says ‘no’ Trump did not lose the 2020 election 10/16/24 https://www.cnn.com/2024/10/16/politics/vance-trump-2020-election-results/index.html

Ending on a positive note–several positive notes, actually.

There IS good news out there.  TONS of it.  Truly—I stumble across it all the time.  America is NOT the hellscape that Trump, Vance and all of MAGA endlessly shriek about.  For one thing, a dockworkers’ strike that could have majorly damaged the economy was settled in JUST 3 DAYS.  One the other hand, the situation in the Middle East is certainly worrisome, but blaming America or its leaders for it is a huge stretch and smells strongly of a far-right agenda.  I am still hoping for a meaningful ceasefire between Israel and Hamas and that the situation among Israel and Lebanon and Hezbollah calms down.  But, in the meantime, below are some very positive trends in our country.

The number of migrants crossing the southern border has fallen sharply.

After reaching a record high in late 2023 due to the pandemic ending, the monthly number of U.S. Border Patrol encounters with migrants crossing into the United States from Mexico has plummeted so far in 2024. Migrant encounters at U.S.-Mexico border have fallen sharply in 2024 10/1/24 https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2024/10/01/migrant-encounters-at-u-s-mexico-border-have-fallen-sharply-in-2024/

Fentanyl deaths have dropped meaningfully. Fentanyl is less available.

Nationally, fatal overdoses from all street drugs dropped 12.7% in October, even better than September’s 10.6% drop, according to the CDC. For years now, fentanyl has caused most of these deaths. October was the 6th consecutive month showing a decrease, as well as providing the largest improvement.  Assuming the trend holds, 2024 will be the first year since 2020 with less than 100,000 overdose deaths.  Nonfatal overdoses have also decreased significantly.  Fentanyl deaths in the U.S. have dropped faster than expected, CDC says 10/17/24  https://www.npr.org/2024/10/17/nx-s1-5155960/fentanyl-overdose-deaths-dropping-cdc-says

Vance and Trump both claim that immigrants are responsible for smuggling fentanyl into the US. Actually, almost 90% of fentanyl enters the U.S. through legal ports of entry, transported by people who are here legally. Almost half of them are Americans. Indicators show a fentanyl supply shortage in the US, which means Biden’s efforts to counter the drug flow from Mexico and put pressure on China to stem the manufacture of precursor components may be working. How the DOJ’s major takedown of a neo-Nazi group contradicts MAGA’s worldview 10/6/24 https://www.msnbc.com/opinion/msnbc-opinion/peckerwoods-gang-indictments-fentanyl-rcna173853

Crime rates in America are way down.

In 2023 (last year stats are available), violent crime overall dropped 3%.  Murders and non-negligent manslaughter dropped nearly 12%; rapes decreased more than 9%.  2024 shows every sign of continuing the trend of reversing the pandemic crime spike. Law enforcement agencies in the biggest municipalities in the U.S. — communities with at least 1,000,000 people — showed the biggest drop in violent crime last year — nearly 7%.  FBI finds violent crime declined in 2023. Here’s what to know about the report 9/23/24 https://apnews.com/article/fbi-crime-statistics-trump-harris-election-5bff94ec67f509740bbb53fb99576d5a

The economy is blazing.

As the latest cover of The Economist proclaims: The American economy is the envy of the world.  We are NOT just doing OK; we are surging, improving, rising and setting records in every segment.  Unlike many of our allies, America avoided a post-pandemic recession.  We not only beat inflation—we executed the toughest of landings, a soft one.  Interest rates are coming down.  Jobs are strong, with a record number of new jobs added and the unemployment rate extremely low.  Industry is humming along, and GDP is up. The stock market sets record highs on a regular basis; last week, the S&P 500 and the Dow Jones Industrial Average both hit record highs.  Gas prices are down, and even supermarket prices are stabilizing. Salaries are up.  And, Americans are not dying in droves from Covid-19 and terrified of what the pandemic would do to our families and our communities.  So, YES, we are better off than 4 years ago, and the future looks bright.  The American economy: The envy of the world  10/19/24 https://www.economist.com/special-report/2024-10-19

Pandas are back.

Giant pandas returned to the National Zoo in DC last week.  3-year-old male Bao Li and female Qing Bao landed at Dulles International Airport on a custom-painted FedEx cargo plane, known as the “Panda Express.”  After a brief quarantine, they will settle in on a 10-year loan from China.  Maybe “panda diplomacy” will ease tensions between China and the US. (Image credits: Roshan Patel/National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute.)  Pandas from China return to Washington, D.C., after beloved animals left National Zoo last year 10/15/24 https://www.cbsnews.com/news/pandas-from-china-returning-national-zoo/

Jimmy Carter got to vote.

President Jimmy Carter, age 100, voted in Georgia last week, having reached his stated goal of living long enough to VOTE FOR KAMALA HARRIS.  His phenomenal life of service continued for many decades after his presidency, and what a satisfying thing it must be to attain that particular goal.  (Image credit: David Goldman/AP.) Jimmy Carter votes in Georgia, fulfilling wish to live long enough to cast ballot for Kamala Harris 10/16/24 https://www.cbsnews.com/news/jimmy-carter-vote-kamala-harris/

REMEMBER–GO VOTE!

error: Content is protected !!