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 until November. Luckily, I have no life….
Election Basics
REGISTRATION
Have you moved or changed your name recently? Go here to change address or name on your voter registration: https://txapps.texas.gov/tolapp/sos/SOSACManager
Are you registered to vote in Travis County? Things can change, so go here to BE SURE you are eligible to vote: https://elections.traviscountytx.gov/voter-lookup/#VoterEligibilitySearch
This site checks voter registration within the entire state of Texas: https://teamrv-mvp.sos.texas.gov/MVP/mvp.do
Last day to register to vote in Travis County is Oct. 7. THERE IS NO ONLINE REGISTRATION IN TEXAS. Go here to fill out an application form, but it must be PRINTED and MAILED in order for registration to be completed: https://vrapp.sos.state.tx.us/index.asp
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.
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
HELPFUL ARTICLES
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
Get campaign signs for your yard locally. Sign up here to have yard signs delivered to you: https://forms.gle/Vr9ET6A8LMsXympD8
Volunteer here in 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, phone banks, campaign signs, and more for this fall. 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 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
Donate to Travis County Democratic Party. TCDP is working hard to reach Democrats across Travis County and make sure they know when, how, and where to vote. To get Harris/Walz and Colin Allred elected we need to turn out every Democrat in Travis County —and postcards are key in making that happen. $20 = 30 postcards. $50 = 76 postcards. Pitch in to mobilize Democrats across Travis County. https://secure.actblue.com/donate/fund-our-postcards?fbclid=IwY2xjawEh8LpleHRuA2FlbQIxMQABHby1WqRlAg3PPiBFqmxnSOXA8pyevSZAiZMFqqM0nRquYthuhh3oAyyB9A_aem_IIfdpz23omO4H9aIbCDxoA
TEXAS Elections
US Senate
As covered in my Sept. 7 blog, VOTE FOR Democrat Colin Allred, to get rid of Cancun Cruz and make the world a better place. (Image credits: USA Today, Forward Blue.)
On Sept. 9, Gov. Tim Walz made the perfect pitch when he addressed a Democratic fundraiser at the HALL Arts Hotel Dallas, saying: “You’ve got a senate race you can win in Texas.” My God, just do it for all of America. Replace Ted.” Walz tells Texas Democrats a U.S. Senate race win is within reach 9/9/24 https://www.texastribune.org/2024/09/09/walz-texas-senate-race/
As of Sept. 20, Cruz is LOSING to Allred in polling. Morning Consult’s survey, done Sept. 9-18, showed Allred one point ahead of Cruz, 45% to 44% among 2,716 likely voters. All year, Cancun Cruz has enjoyed a consistent but narrowing lead; the previous poll conducted by Morning Consult showed Cruz ahead by just 5 points. Per Allred: “For the first time in this race, a new poll has us leading Cruz by 1 point. I don’t know about y’all but I’m fired up and ready to WIN! We’ve got 47 days, let’s do this Texas.” Ted Cruz Losing to Colin Allred for First Time: Texas Poll 9/20/24 https://www.newsweek.com/ted-cruz-losing-colin-allred-first-time-texas-poll-us-senate-election-1956711
DEBATE SCHEDULED—Cruz agrees to debate Allred. Cruz is running scared, finally agreeing to a debate. On Sept. 20, Cruz confirmed he would face Allred in a debate— the first time the nominees will face off before the election. The debate is set for Oct. 15, hosted by WFAA, the Dallas ABC affiliate. Ted Cruz, Colin Allred agree to debate in U.S. Senate race 9/20/24 https://www.texastribune.org/2024/09/20/ted-cruz-colin-allred-texas-senate-debate/
Texas House District
As covered in my Sept. 7 blog, if you live in the part of Lakeway that is in Texas House District 19, VOTE FOR Democrat Dwain Handley.
NEW CONTENT—Check out this brand new video that explains school vouchers and what they would do to Texas schools; Dwain Handley gives his views. Vote to stop school vouchers: A complete guide to the voucher scam https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dzdPaWoF9yc
Texas State 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 ALL THE WAY DOWN THE BALLOT.
US House
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 ALL THE WAY DOWN THE BALLOT.
PRESIDENTIAL RACE
UPCOMING DEBATES
Another Presidential Debate?
On Sept. 21, the Harris campaign formally accepted CNN’s invitation for a second debate, to be held Oct. 23. Trump is still too scared to face her again. (Image credits: ABC News and NYTimes.) Harris accepts CNN debate invitation for October 23, again challenging Trump to another showdown 9/21/24 https://www.cnn.com/2024/09/21/politics/presidential-debate-harris-trump-cnn/index.html
Vice Presidential Debate.
COMING UP NEXT! The VP nominees will debate on Oct. 1. Their meeting will be hosted by CBS News in NYC, with moderators Margaret Brennan (Face the Nation) and Norah O’Donnell (CBS Evening News). (Image credits: Getty Images.) VP debate hosted by CBS News set for Oct. 1 between Vance and Walz 8/15/24 https://www.cbsnews.com/news/vp-debate-tim-walz-jd-vance/
SHINY NEW POLLS
Kamala Harris leads Donald Trump by 5 points among likely voters AFTER the Sept. 10 debate, per national polling by Morning Consult. Harris Extends Lead Over Trump After First Presidential Debate 9/12/24 https://pro.morningconsult.com/instant-intel/harris-trump-first-debate-poll
Simon Rosenberg’s Hopium Chronicles substack on Sep. 16 showed the above list of polling, all done AFTER the debate, with Harris leading Trump in every poll. https://www.hopiumchronicles.com/p/kamala-won-polling-is-good-trump?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email
A national poll of likely voters, done Sept. 11-16 (so, AFTER the debate) by NYTimes/Philadelphia Inquirer/Siena College, showed Harris and Trump tied nationally at 47% of voters each. BUT in the crucial battleground state of Pennsylvania, Harris has pulled ahead with a 4 point lead over Trump, which is beyond the margin of error and extremely good news for Democrats. (Image credit: NYTimes/ Philadelphia Inquirer/Siena College.) Harris Had Stronger Debate, Polls Find, but the Race Remains Deadlocked 9/19/24 https://www.nytimes.com/2024/09/19/us/politics/harris-trump-times-siena-poll-pennsylvania.html
COMPARE KEY POLICIES—Harris vs. Trump.
Economy/Inflation
Harris: Her Opportunity Economy retains Biden’s curb on drug pricing and Child Tax Credit but adds a $25,000 in down-payment support for first-time homeowners, construction of 3 million new housing units, raising the minimum wage, a federal ban on corporate price-gouging on food and groceries, a $50,000 tax benefit for new small businesses, and a long-term capital gains tax of 28%.
Trump: Aside from attacking everything Biden has done and ignoring the fact that pandemic-sparked inflation has cooled in the last year (dropping to 2.9% as of July), he promises to drill even more oil (though the US is now at an all-time high for oil production), reduce gas prices (now at a 3-year low), as well as reduce the national debt (somehow), eliminate unspecified regulations, cut corporate taxes, and slap tariffs on imports. Specifics are never provided (not even “concepts”).
Reproductive Rights
Harris: Since 2022, Harris has been the Biden administration’s emissary on this topic, traveling the country to speak on it. Now, she demands Congress pass a law restoring protections we had under Roe (the right to abortion until fetal viability, with exceptions later for rape, incest and maternal health). She rejects state-level control as dangerously piecemeal, noting that Republican lawmakers don’t trust women to make decisions about their own bodies, health and families.
Trump: For the last 2 years, he has claimed credit for overturning Roe by appointing 3 ultra-conservative Supreme Court Justices who voted to throw out Roe v. Wade’s 50-year-old protections. He also supported a nationwide abortion ban. But, in 2024, he switched to saying abortion should be up to the states. Recently, Trump said government or possibly insurance companies should have to pay for IVF, but that remains sketchy.
Immigration
Harris: She emphasizes the need to reduce the root causes of migration from certain countries, and points out the current positive situation at the border thanks to the Biden administration. She also notes that Trump orchestrated defeat of bipartisan Congressional action earlier this year that would have tightened rules and provided more enforcement personnel and judges to facilitate processing. She pledges to pursue that and similar legislation while also creating legal immigration pathways including an earned pathway to citizenship.
Trump: His anti-immigrant rhetoric is even more extreme and inflammatory than during his first 2 campaigns, with immigrant horror stories—never documented—always front and center at rallies. He says he will (yet again) build a U.S.-Mexico border wall, revive “Remain in Mexico” and asylum restrictions and “carry out the largest domestic deportation operation in American History” of immigrants living in the US (which he promises “will be bloody”). Trump also promises to sign an executive order ending birthright citizenship (which is a right granted in the US Constitution).
Crime/Gun Violence
Harris: She condemned the recent Georgia school shooting as “senseless tragedy” and argued “it doesn’t have to be this way.” Harris supports nationwide red flag laws, universal background checks and an assault weapons ban. On crime, she points to her record as a career prosecutor with a record for taking on drug cartels and corporation to protect everyday Americans.
Trump: He berated a “sick and deranged monster” for the Georgia shooting (despite the shooter being a 14 year old child). Trump argues that mental health problems and not guns are to blame for mass shootings. He calls himself the “most pro-gun” president in history and gives no indication he would enact any gun control measures if re-elected. On crime, he claims it is out of control and escalating despite clear statistics showing violent crime is in fact down across the country.
Democracy
Harris: She will press Congress to pass the John Lewis Voting Rights Act and the Freedom to Vote Act to bolster voting rights. Harris pledges to “hold sacred America’s fundamental principles, from the rule of law, to free and fair elections, to the peaceful transfer of power.” She is critical of those casting doubt on election results, saying Trump tried to “throw away” people’s votes and blaming him for what happened at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6.
Trump: He continues his false claims that the 2020 election was rigged or stolen, still providing no evidence of this. He faces state and federal charges stemming from efforts to overturn his election loss, to which he pleaded not guilty. Now, Trump says that if he wins this time, those who “cheated” would “be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the Law, which will include long term prison sentences.” He says this includes “Lawyers, Political Operatives, Donors, Illegal Voters, & Corrupt Election Officials.” He sends mixed messages as to voting methods, sometimes calling for Election Day voting only because mail-in voting is corrupt, but other times encouraging supporters to cast their ballot any way at all.
Foreign Policy
Harris: She pledges to continue standing with Ukraine and NATO, as well as protecting the US from Iran-backed terrorist groups. Harris supports Israel’s security while saying that the suffering of civilians in Gaza must end; she continues to work with Biden for an enduring cease-fire. As for Afghanistan, she mourns the American soldiers lost during the withdrawal while applauding the fact that the Biden administration ended America’s longest war.
Trump: He claims that neither the Israel-Hamas war nor the Russia-Ukraine war would have started on his watch. He says he would end both wars immediately. He offers no specifics as far as his Israel/Gaza result. He remains belligerent towards NATO and says he would end US aid to Ukraine (letting Putin have free rein there). Trump ignores the fact that the deadline he negotiated with the Taliban set the rushed timeline for America’s withdrawal from Afghanistan and resulted in the tragic Abbey Gate suicide bombing. Where Kamala Harris, Donald Trump stand on key issues heading into ABC News debate 9/9/24 https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/kamala-harris-donald-trump-stand-key-issues-heading/story?id=113433411
HARRIS/WALZ
Republicans for Harris
Over 100 Republican former lawmakers and officials endorsed Kamala Harris in a letter, while warning that their own party’s candidate, former President Trump, is “unfit to serve again.” According to the letter: Mr. Trump demonstrates “dangerous qualities.” Those include “unusual affinity” for dictators like President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia and “contempt for the norms of decent, ethical and lawful behavior.” Plus: “As president, he promoted daily chaos in government, praised our enemies and undermined our allies, politicized the military and disparaged our veterans, prioritized his personal interest above American interests and betrayed our values, democracy and this country’s founding documents.” 111 Republican former officials endorse Harris, say Trump is ‘unfit to serve’ 9/18/24 https://www.cnbc.com/2024/09/18/republicans-endorse-harris-over-trump.html
Endorsements
Signed, “Taylor Swift, Childless Cat Lady.”
Soon after the Sep. 10 debate ended, Pop superstar Taylor Swift endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris for President. “I will be casting my vote for Kamala Harris and Tim Walz in the 2024 Presidential Election. I’m voting for @kamalaharris because she fights for the rights and causes I believe need a warrior to champion them. I think she is a steady-handed, gifted leader and I believe we can accomplish so much more in this country if we are led by calm and not chaos.” Swift referenced Trump recently using AI to fake her endorsement of HIS campaign: “Recently I was made aware that AI of ‘me’ falsely endorsing Donald Trump’s presidential run was posted to his site. It really conjured up my fears around AI, and the dangers of spreading misinformation. It brought me to the conclusion that I need to be very transparent about my actual plans for this election as a voter. The simplest way to combat misinformation is with the truth.” She urged her followers to do their own research and included a custom link sending people to a site assisting in voter registration. Her “Taylor Swift, Childless Cat Lady” signature was a pawsome dig at JD Vance. Taylor Swift endorses Kamala Harris 9/10/24 https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/2024-election/taylor-swift-endorses-kamala-harris-rcna170547
Trump first tried to shrug off this mega-endorsement as unimportant. But, on Sept 15 he posted on his generic X platform: “I HATE TAYLOR SWIFT!” JD Vance was even more of a clown than his boss, saying this: “I don’t think most Americans — whether they like her music, are fans of hers or not — are going to be influenced by a billionaire celebrity, who I think is fundamentally disconnected from the interests and problems of most Americans.” Ummm—a billionaire celebrity disconnected to reality… kinda like Donald Trump?
“Vote like your life depends on it — because it does.
Billie Eilish and her brother/collaborator Finneas O’Connell officially endorsed Kamala Harris for president on Sept. 17. “Vote like your life depends on it — because it does. We are voting for Kamala Harris and Tim Walz because they are fighting to protect our reproductive freedom, our planet and our democracy. We can’t let extremists control our lives, our freedoms and our future. The only way to stop them and the dangerous Project 2025 agenda is to vote and elect Kamala Harris.” Billie Eilish endorses Harris: ‘Vote like your life depends on it’ 9/17/24 https://thehill.com/blogs/in-the-know/4884332-billie-eilish-kamala-harris-tim-walz-finneas-oconnell-trump/
The Teamsters will not endorse either candidate.
The leadership of the 1.3-million-member International Brotherhood of Teamsters said in a statement Wednesday it would not back a presidential candidate. The Board’s vote was 14 for not endorsing and three for Harris. No board member backed Trump. Trump has courted Union president Sean O’Brien for months, giving him Mar-a-Lago stays and a prime-time speaking slot at the Republican National Convention. The Teamsters’ National Black Caucus, more than a half-dozen Teamsters locals, and members of the union’s national leadership have endorsed Ms. Harris over Mr. O’Brien’s objections. Harris already has the endorsement of the country’s other top labor unions. (Image credit: NYTimes.) Teamsters union declines to endorse in presidential election, breaking decades of precedent 9/18/24 https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/2024-election/teamsters-union-declines-endorse-presidential-election-breaking-decade-rcna171711
Campaign Ads
The Harris campaign put some fun ads on billboards in Philadelphia (see above), just to make things feel more homey while Trump was there for the debate.
The Lincoln Project’s sharp new ads maintain the pressure on Trump.
–Last Week in the Republican Party: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DoYlN2bbx0M
–Bad Blood: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=60CX99pCUzo
–Both Wrong: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qFKkKJi7698
–Prey: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oeQjGQbj5so
–Danger: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VlG8XHnNUqg
–In Memoriam: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DeD-xLWA4ro
–A girl: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i5o8DBPbIzo
–Weird: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NenV_0whyuw
–That Morning: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=76fxxtAszQY –Arlington: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pyIIN7LZT8Q
Harris/Walz’s The Best People features Trump’s own allies and appointees during his administration who now say he is unfit for office: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m6oQXN2WNtU&t=4s
The Harris campaign made some very effective ads from debate footage.
–Leadership: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yR4ZzLZcW8E
–All Americans: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mf9jGS_zjhI
–Wanted: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jgX5RDcKcao
Harris/Walz honored Taylor Swift, soon after her endorsement, with billboards on Times Square.
Oprah’s Unite for America Rally.
Supporter Oprah Winfrey hosted a unique and star-studded campaign event on Sept. 19. Kamala Harris sat in a cozy Michigan studio with Winfrey and an audience of about 400 people, with thousands more attending virtually and hundreds of thousands of viewers accessing across social media. (Image credit: NYTimes.) The “Unite for America” event was co-hosted by the activist group Win with Black Women, and it aimed to encourage people to register and vote for Harris in key states including Pennsylvania, Georgia and Michigan. Celebrities including Julia Roberts, Meryl Streep, Bryan Cranston, Chris Rock and Ben Stiller attended and gave their reasons for backing Harris or peppered her with questions. There was no script, no teleprompter, but a lot of emotion; tears were shed. Harris answered a variety of questions off the cuff; she also interacted with the mother of a woman who died in Georgia after denial of care under that state’s abortion ban, as well as a student injured during the recent Georgia school shooting. The casual and homey vibe was reminiscent of Winfrey’s long-running daytime TV talk show, where viewers got to know famous people and understand current issues, making this event an important way for voters to feel informed about and comfortable with Harris, as well as underscore the importance of voting this election. Kamala Harris joins Oprah Winfrey in emotional campaign event 9/19/24 https://www.reuters.com/world/us/kamala-harris-oprah-winfrey-hold-virtual-event-aimed-battleground-states-2024-09-19/
Walz on school shootings.
Speaking on Sept. 7 at the Human Rights Campaign annual dinner, Walz refuted Vance’s recent downplaying of school shootings. Walz said: “You know what’s not a fact of life? That our children need to be shot dead in schools. That’s not a fact of life. Folks are banning books, but they’re okay with weapons of war being in our schools.” A campaign spokesperson continued later: “Vice President Harris and Governor Walz know we can take action to keep our children safe and keep guns out of the hands of criminals,” Harris spokesperson Ammar Moussa said in response to Vance’s Thursday comments. “Donald Trump and JD Vance will always choose the NRA and gun lobby over our children. That is the choice in this election.” It’s ‘not a fact of life’: Walz responds to Vance’s school shooting comments 9/8/24 https://www.politico.com/news/2024/09/07/walz-vance-school-shooting-00177872
Walz encourages Texas Democrats.
On Sept. 9, Gov. Tim Walz addressed a Democratic event at the HALL Arts Hotel Dallas, fundraiser organized by Vice President Kamala Harris’ victory fund. (Image credit: REUTERS.) Walz called the abortion situation in Texas “a nightmare, and a dangerous situation.” He also characterized ballot access laws in Texas as intentionally designed to keep Democratic voters away from the polls, saying: “For them, it’s much easier to do voter suppression than voter outreach.” He encouraged Texas voters to vote for Colin Allred and oust Cancun Cruz from the US Senate : “You’ve got a senate race you can win in Texas,” Walz said. “My God, just do it for all of America. Replace Ted.” Walz tells Texas Democrats a U.S. Senate race win is within reach 9/9/24 https://www.texastribune.org/2024/09/09/walz-texas-senate-race/
In debate prep for Walz, Pete Buttigieg plays the part of Vance.
Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg is standing in for Vance in debate rehearsals with Walz. Back in 2020, Buttigieg played the part of Mike Pence, in debate prep for Kamala Harris. The 2024 VP debate will be held on Oct. 1. Pete Buttigieg is playing JD Vance in Tim Walz’s VP debate prep 9/19/24 https://www.businessinsider.com/pete-buttigieg-jd-vance-tim-walz-vp-debate-prep-2024-9
TRUMP/VANCE
The perfect shot of these clowns…. (Image credit: NY Times.)
Old 45
Still old and addled. Still lying. Still a racist and a misogynist. (Image credits: AP and Trump campaign email.)
Need a reminder of how things REALLY were during Trump’s administration?
Robert Reich’s 18-minute video The Ten Worst Things About the Trump Presidency brings it all back…. Now a professor of public policy, Reich worked in the Ford and Carter administrations and served as Clinton’s Secretary of Labor. It is AMAZING what we make ourselves forget, to stay sane, I guess. But, we can’t indulge in amnesia now, or this toxic history will repeat itself. As Reich concludes: We cannot afford to forget. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gdstZDCCgAc
Declining mentally, Trump hopelessly confuses Alaska and Afghanistan.
During a town hall in Flint, Michigan, Trump mixed up the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) in Alaska (which he controversially opened up to oil and gas development during his presidency), with Bagram Air Base in Afghanistan (which he often invokes when criticizing Biden for ending the war and withdrawing US troops in 2022). Trump said: “We have Bagram in Alaska. They say it might be as big, might be bigger than all of Saudi Arabia. I got it approved.” Later, Trump made it worse: “Check that one out, Bagram. Check that one out. It’s, it’s — no, think about this: Between Bagram, between — you go to ANWR, you take a look at the kind of things that we’ve given up. We should be — we should have that air base, we should have that oil.” His dithering and confusion launched renewed comment that the 78-year-old is too old to run for the presidency and lacks the cognitive ability for office now, much less 4 years out. Social Media noticed: “He is CLUELESS folks.” AND “This is elder abuse. Sleepy Don doesn’t even know where he is anymore. He doesn’t even know if he is alive.”(Image credit: Jeff Kowalsky/AFP/Getty Images.) Donald Trump’s Alaska Gaffe Sparks Mockery: ‘Clueless’ 9/18/24 https://www.newsweek.com/donald-trump-anwr-alaska-bagram-afghanistan-1955496
Trump flipflops on SALT.
Last week, Trump posted on his knock-off social media platform, saying he would reverse something he did during his first administration that raised taxes for many homeowners. In 2017, Trump’s tax plan put a $10,000 LIMIT on the deduction for state and local taxes (SALT). People living in states with high property tax (like Texas) or high income tax (mostly blue states offering more government services) pay MORE federal tax because of the $10,000 deduction limit on other taxes. Back in 2017, the SALT limit helped pay for Trump’s big tax cuts for the rich. Now, Trump is desperate for votes so says he would kill the limit and “get SALT back, lower your taxes, and so much more.” TOTAL FLIP FLOP. (Of course, his 2017 tax plan including the SALT limit, will expire in 2025, unless Congress renews it, so there’s that.) This is just 1 idea Trump is tossing around to reduce taxes on specific groups, including making tips and overtime pay tax-free. Basically, he’s tossing out tax breaks like candy, but it is all vague and lacking any plan for offsetting their cost, which is required for taxation changes. Very likely, it is all just vote-bait that Trump would forget about in the event he wins. As for SALT, few lawmakers would argue to keep the limit, as their constituents are reminded every tax season how much they hate it. But, experts are skeptical, noting that repealing the SALT limit would cost well over $1Trillion over the next decade, blowing up the deficit. Trump created the controversial $10,000 SALT deduction cap. Now he wants to end it. 9/18/24 https://www.cbsnews.com/news/trump-salt-deduction-cap-10000-tax-cuts-jobs-act-reversal/
Trump continues to lie about inflation. FED RESERVE CHAIR: “The US economy is in good shape.”
It really IS a soft landing—inflation evaporating, low unemployment, no recession, the stock market reaching new highs. So, Trump needs to get a new riff. Per the report released Sept. 10 by Bureau of Labor Statistics, inflation hit a 3-year low in August. (And, the price of gas fell 12% in the last year.) Inflation falls to 3-year low as Fed prepares to cut interest rates next week 9/11/24 https://www.cbsnews.com/news/inflation-cpi-fed-readies-to-cut-rates-next-week/
And, YES–the Federal Reserve on Sept. 18 pronounced inflation is tamed and lowered its benchmark interest rate by a whopping half a point (with more cuts coming soon). The Fed Chair, Jerome Powell, was appointed by Trump in 2017, and the Federal Reserve itself is independent from politics. Per Powell: “The US economy is in good shape. It’s growing at a solid pace, inflation is coming down. The labor market is strong. We want to keep it there. That’s what we’re doing. We do our work to serve all Americans. We’re not serving any politician, any political figure, any cause, any issue, nothing. It’s just maximum employment and price stability on behalf of all Americans.” The first interest rate cut since 2020 is a triumphant economic landmark for America, which has already recovered from the pandemic’s turmoil far faster and more robustly than other countries. The result will be a positive effect on the finances of Americans in many ways, from lower credit card payments to cheaper car and home loan payments. The Federal Reserve is finally lowering rates. Here’s what consumers should know 9/18/24 https://apnews.com/article/federal-reserve-interest-rates-loans-consumers-borrowing-6127436dd3e6d8af48825aca6d3a7715
Trump demands Congress shut down the government instead of passing a routine spending bill.
Congress is trying to pass a continuing resolution to finance the federal government for another 6 months. Trump had House Speaker Johnson add a rider (the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility Act, called the SAVE Act) to the spending bill that required people show proof of citizenship when registering to vote. Trump demanded that Republican lawmakers shut down the government, unless Democrats agree to the new voting process. Trump: “If Republicans don’t get the SAVE Act, and every ounce of it, they should not agree to a Continuing Resolution in any way, shape, or form.” Of course, it is already illegal for non-citizens to vote. There is no indication non-citizens are registering or voting; even the far-right Heritage Foundation has found only 12 cases of such illegal voting in the past 40 years. But, Trump and his sycophants continue to conjure up masses of immigrants voting for Democrats. States have various ways people can register to vote, tied to residency, which is verified. As a practical matter, proving citizenship would require that all voters obtain a passport; that is expensive and time-consuming, adding yet another barrier to the election process. Democrats object to the SAVE Act for that reason and also resent the GOP holding the government hostage, to get their way. On Sept. 18, the bill failed; the vote was 220-202, with 14 Republicans and all but three Democrats opposing the bill. Speaker Johnson vowed to keep trying. If the spending bill isn’t passed by both the House and Senate by Sept. 31, the federal government will shut down on Oct 1. Won’t THAT impress Republican voters heading to the polls…. (Image credit: Getty.) Panicking Trump Makes Shocking Demand as His Campaign Struggles 9/10/24 https://newrepublic.com/post/185796/donald-trump-demand-government-shutdown-campaign
Sanewashing: “attempting to downplay a person or idea’s radicality to make it more palatable to the general public.”
Goodie—we have a new word: sanewashing. For years, the media has—arguably–explained, filtered sanitized, cherry-picked quotes from, and otherwise cleaned up Trump’s rants to make his message look better than it really is. To make the story presentable, Trump’s incoherence is often masked (unless, of course, his incoherence IS the story). This article agrees it happens and offer several possible reasons (the journalistic goal of balance, a human bias toward coherence, professional condescension, boredom with Trump’s limitations, and more). Beyond argument is the quandary the media has faced for years—cover Trump in detail as he obviously craves and thereby spread his lies and inflammatory messages, or ignore him. The author says this: “The biggest problem, I concluded, was not journalists’ failure to resolve an unresolvable debate about exposure, but their failure to accurately describe Trump’s rhetoric—without resorting to euphemism, for example—and to do so with due prominence. … If sanewashing the incoherent things Trump says is a problem, then so is failing to proportionally cover his all-too-coherent threats. To whatever extent journalists show people Trump’s unadulterated speech, it will always be part of our job to describe it.” Is the press ‘sanewashing’ Trump? 9/9/24 https://www.cjr.org/the_media_today/trump_incoherent_media_sanewashing.php
Trump can no longer be sanewashed.
It is time for the media to stop glossing over Trump’s slurred words and calling people and places by the wrong names, and to stop fixing and explaining his bloody allusions and insane rants. We all saw what happened on Jan. 6, when Trump called up his MAGA zealots, and it sounds like he is amping up his calls to war. (Image credit: NYTimes.) Delusion or desperation? Heather Cox Richardson captured just 1 day of invective from Trump. QUOTES from Trump on Sept. 7:
—“If I don’t win Colorado, it will be taken over by migrants and the governor will be sent fleeing. Migrants and crime are here in our country at levels never thought possible before…. You’re not safe even sitting here, to be honest with you. I’m the only one that’s going to get it done. Everybody is saying that. … If you think you have a nice house, have a migrant enjoy your house, because a migrant will take it over. A migrant will take it over. It will be Venezuela on steroids. … And you know, getting them out will be a bloody story.”
–“Every citizen who’s sick and tired of the parasitic political class in Washington that sucks our country of its blood and treasure, November fifth will be your liberation day. November fifth, this year, will be the most important day in the history of our country because we’re not going to have a country anymore if we don’t win.”
–“I will prevent World War III, and I am the only one that can do it. I will prevent World War III. And if I don’t win this election,… Israel is doomed…. Israel will be gone…. I’d better win.”
–“I better win or you’re gonna have problems like we’ve never had. We may have no country left. This may be our last election. You want to know the truth? People have said that. This may be our last election…. It’ll all be over, and you gotta remember…. Trump is always right. I hate to be right. I’m always right.” –“WHEN I WIN, those people that CHEATED will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the Law, which will include long term prison sentences so that this Depravity of Justice does not happen again. We cannot let our Country further devolve into a Third World Nation, AND WE WON’T! Please beware that this legal exposure extends to Lawyers, Political Operatives, Donors, Illegal Voters, & Corrupt Election Officials. Those involved in unscrupulous behavior will be sought out, caught, and prosecuted at levels, unfortunately, never seen before in our Country.” Letters from an American 9-7-24 https://heathercoxrichardson.substack.com/p/september-7-2024
Trump is following his Project 2025 playbook.
On his Fox News Sept. 5 Town Hall, Trump followed Project 2025’s key tenet, that personnel is policy and the way to take over is to replace all the nonpartisan civil servants with your own people. (Image credit: Fox News.) Trump: “Get the right people. You put the right person and the right group of people at the heads of these massive agencies, you’re going to have tremendous success, and I know now the people, and I know them better than anybody would know them.” As previously announced, Trump has tapped Elon Musk (whose checkbook Trump certainly knows) as Project 2025 Czar, heading up an “efficiency” commission to audit the U.S. government. Letters from an American 9/6/24 https://heathercoxrichardson.substack.com/p/september-6-2024
Also, at his Sept. 7 Wisconsin rally, where Trump ranted from behind a bullet-proof glass wall, he stated he would eliminate the Dept. of Education. (Image credit: NY Times.) This is exactly what Project 2025 outlines starting on page 285. Further, Trump said he would put RFK, JR (who has zero medical training but is a fervent wacko whose mantra is: “No vaccine is safe.”) in charge of childhood health; Project 2025 weakens or dismantles most federal agencies and policies as to health care (Health and Human Services, FDA, CDC, NIH, and more, throughout the 900 page plan), so that makes sense. Trump Lays Out Vision for Bending the Federal Government to His Will 9/7/24 https://www.nytimes.com/2024/09/07/us/politics/trump-rally-wisconsin.html
A colloquy on the SECOND Trump assassination attempt.
2 people tried to shoot Trump in 2 months, so obviously Republicans now see the need for gun safety legislation, right?
Nope.
Oh, come on! They’d have to be crazy NOT to see that America making assault rifles as readily available as pizza and beer is a BAD IDEA.
Two Trump shooting incidents have made zero change in the GOP’s unswerving allegiance to the NRA and guns before everything and everyone. Then again, maybe the GOP just isn’t that into Trump these days.
Best comment on mixing guns and golf. “Yes, this weekend, a crazy person tried to hunt Donald Trump in his natural habitat, his golf course. Will you people stop trying to assassinate Donald Trump? Not only is it morally wrong, but you’re also just giving him more things to brag about.” That was just the start of Ronny Chieng’s Trump routine on The Daily Show. https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=1221787795625331
Trump has long refused to follow Secret Service guidelines for his own protection. Trump insists on playing golf at public courses, which are notoriously difficult to safeguard. Plus, Trump insists on keeping his schedule fluid, including golfing last Sunday with no notice to his Secret Service detail, which reduced the ways and degree to which they could protect him there. Trump’s golf habit has raised alarms about security for years 9/16/24 https://www.politico.com/news/2024/09/16/trump-golf-assassination-secret-service-00179422
Trump blames Democrats’ rhetoric for TWO assassination attempts.
Sure, because blaming others is easier than looking at his own words and actions. (Image credit: NYTimes.) Actually, both Trump gunmen were remarkably uninterested in politics. Gunman #1 was a young man who seemed intent on Suicide by Secret Service; he Googled the appearance schedules of both candidates and opted to shoot up the closest venue. Gunman #2 bounced back and forth ideologically but ended up Republican and an avid supporter of Ukraine; Trump’s recent statements making it clear he would end US aid and hand Ukraine on a platter to his pal Putin is what put a target on Trump there—not anything Harris said.
Trump on a daily basis incites violence with his own extreme, divisive and inflammatory language just as he has done FOR YEARS. He describes America as a hellscape with rampant crime, vicious immigrant invasions, bacon banned from everyone’s diet, babies executed after birth, sky-high prices, and imminent nuclear holocaust—and he blames Democrats for it all. Recently (online, at rallies, during interviews, even at the debate), he has called his political opposition Communists and Marxists, said they will destroy the country (and take it away from his devotees), talked about the end of the world, enemies of the state, threats, punishment, retribution, executions, bloody endings—all in the craziest and most volatile fashion, clearly aiming to incite something. Yet, in the next breath, he blames Democrats for the 2 recent attacks on him, saying THEY are inciting violence by urging voters to keep someone as extreme, immoral and out of control as him out of office. Trump: “They talk about democracy, saying that I’m a threat to democracy. They’re the threat to democracy.” Sadly, that is how poorly raised and not very bright children behave on playgrounds—and they never grow out of it. Finally, it isn’t just his political opponents or even liberals who call Trump what he is and use the terms necessary for clarity. Countless prominent Conservatives have condemned Trump as some version of a clear and present danger to American democracy. The problem(s) with Trump blaming Dems for apparent assassination attempt 9/16/24 https://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow-show/maddowblog/problems-trump-blaming-dems-apparent-assassination-attempt-rcna171310
“Their rhetoric is causing me to be shot at, when I am the one who is going to save the country, and they are the ones that are destroying the country — both from the inside and out.” Even as he complained about the Democrats’ provocative language, he ramped up his own words to the next level. Trump dispenses with unity and blames Democrats after apparent second assassination attempt 9/16/24 https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/donald-trump/trump-dispenses-unity-blames-democrats-apparent-second-assassination-rcna171218
Ohio dad begs Trump and Vance to stop using son’s death to gin up votes.
Last year, a little boy named Aiden Clark died in Springfield, Ohio, when a vehicle driven by a Haitian immigrant hit a bus. The driver is serving 9-13 years in prison. His grieving parents now have to contend with Trump and Vance repeatedly posting online and ranting at rallies that immigrant violence is ravaging the country, using the death of their son as an example. (Yes—Springfield, Ohio, DOES sound familiar; this DEAD BOY story was Round 1 in the Trump/Vance assault on this town with the DEAD PETS story being Round 2—see item below.) Nathan Clark says this: “My son Aiden Clark was not murdered. He was accidentally killed by an immigrant from Haiti. This tragedy is felt all over this community, the state and even the nation, but don’t spend this towards hate. In order to live like Aiden, you need to accept everyone.” Regarding Trump and Vance, he said: “This needs to stop now. They can vomit all the hate they want about illegal immigrants, the border crisis and even untrue claims about fluffy pets being ravaged and eaten by community members. However, they are not allowed, nor have they ever been allowed, to mention Aiden Clark from Springfield, Ohio.” Trump faces a fact check from Ohio city thrust into spotlight 9/11/24 https://www.politico.com/news/2024/09/11/trump-fact-check-springfield-ohio-00178752 ALSO: Father of 11-year-old killed in Ohio crash says Trump and Vance are using his son ‘as a political tool’ and asks for apologies 9/10/24 https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/father-11-year-old-killed-ohio-crash-says-trump-vance-are-using-son-po-rcna170525
Haitians are NOT eating pets in Springfield, OH.
I’m sick of this. Literally, it makes me queasy. Before the debate, Trump started ranting about Haitian immigrants in Springfield, Ohio, who he insisted were eating cats. Then, it was dogs. Then, he added geese. JD Vance, a sitting Senator for Ohio, actually BEGAN the attack on Springfield with this and other manufactured crises, and he still chimes in regularly with fake concern. (See more on Vance’s deplorable motives below.) It is ALL A LIE, as clearly stated by Springfield officials. Yes, there are immigrants there; many are Haitian. They are in Springfield legally and are as law abiding as the rest of us. No pets are missing/presumed eaten. THIS DID NOT HAPPEN. The Springfield City Manager says it did not happen. The Mayor says it didn’t happen. The Governor of Ohio says it didn’t happen. (Image credits: Politico and PolitiFact.) Fact Check: No evidence of Haitian immigrants stealing and eating pets in Ohio 9/11/24 https://www.reuters.com/fact-check/no-evidence-haitian-immigrants-stealing-eating-pets-ohio-2024-09-10/ ALSO: Trump, JD Vance repeat baseless claim Haitian immigrants are eating pets as Ohio officials say there is no evidence 9/11/24 https://www.cbsnews.com/news/baseless-claim-haiti-immigrants-cats-springfield-ohio/
It was a lie, calculated to be shocking, nasty and incendiary, endangering vulnerable people. Why bother? Because it was conjured up in a panic attack over Trump’s upcoming debate with an accomplished woman experienced in prosecuting degenerates. During the debate, Trump railed about this twice, despite the moderator firmly noting this was a completely false story. Trump wanted pets stolen and eaten by “horrible people” to be the story, instead of his poor showing. Notably, most Haitian immigrants are Black; somehow, Trump has nothing bad to say about light-skinned immigrants, who he never finds “horrible” or “nasty” and never slams as “poisoning the blood of our country.” Previously, Trump attacked Haitian immigrants by saying they all have AIDS (which is blatantly false), and Haiti has long been on Trump’s list of “shithole countries.” Over and over, he has promised to get rid of them via mass deportations, cackling that the process “will be bloody.” Trump’s reptile brain knew he was going to need something shocking as a distraction when he bombed so he picked Haitians to smear yet again; he did, and he does, but this is just disgusting. And dangerous; multiple bomb threats have shut down schools and city offices, acid has been thrown on cars in a neighborhood where Haitians live, Neo-Nazis showed up to strut through town with their hate-filled message, and people living in Springfield are afraid—and they should be. The Haitian Bridge Alliance condemned the “baseless and inflammatory” claims about Haitian migrants, arguing they “not only perpetuate harmful stereotypes but also contribute to the dangerous stigmatization of immigrant communities, particularly Black immigrants from the Republic of Haiti.” Ohio leaders dismiss claims of migrants eating pets 9/12/24 https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cj35kk42k5vo ALSO Bomb threats reported at City Hall, multiple other buildings in Springfield, Ohio 9/12/24 https://abcnews.go.com/US/bomb-threat-reported-multiple-buildings-springfield-ohio/story?id=113619803 ALSO Trump’s Derision of Haitians Goes Back Years 9/18/24 https://www.nytimes.com/2024/09/18/us/politics/trump-haitians.html
It has recently been reported that the Springfield lies were created by Laura Loomer, a far-right wacko and the latest broken toy to attach herself to Trump. He even took his new bestie along to a Sept. 11 memorial service in NYC, despite the fact she claims 9/11 was “an inside job.” Since then, she has been busy trashing Kamala Harris with online comments so racist that MAGA zealot and Trump Fan #1 Marjorie Taylor Greene called Loomer “mentally unstable” and “poisonous, complaining she had gone too far. (Who knew that MTG even HAD a line of decency that could be crossed?) Trump, like always, knows nothing and takes no responsibility. Trump ally Laura Loomer swatted down after posting bigoted attack on Harris 9/11/24 https://www.politico.com/news/2024/09/11/laura-loomer-trump-mtg-00178815 AND Trump says he doesn’t control far-right agitator Laura Loomer, calls her a ‘free spirit’ 9/13/24 https://www.cnn.com/2024/09/13/politics/donald-trump-laura-loomer/index.html
Listen to the 30-minute podcast on NYT’s The Daily: The Story Behind ‘They’re Eating the Pets’ 9/13/24 https://www.nytimes.com/2024/09/13/podcasts/the-daily/ohio-immigrants-pets.html
PolitiFact rated this PANTS ON FIRE. https://www.politifact.com/factchecks/list/?speaker=donald-trump
Dog and Cat owners are not fooled
And, you know, I’ve heard that pet-owners VOTE. Image credits: Joyce Vance’s Civil Discourse substack.
Vance fails to attend Senate vote on IVF.
Don’t believe Trump or any other Republican who claims they support IVF. Republican politicians have proven twice now that is a lie. (Instead, the GOP promotes “fetal personhood,” giving a fertilized egg all the rights of a human being as established by the Fourteenth Amendment; fetal personhood is in the 2024 Republican Party platform.) On Sept. 17, the US Senate voted on a bill to protect access to in vitro fertilization and require public and private insurance coverage of IVF and other fertility treatments. Republicans voted it down. Only 2 Republicans voted for the IVF bill, Sens. Lisa Murkowski (Alaska) and Susan Collins (Maine). This was the second time the GOP killed the IVF bill; they also voted it down in June. Then, JD Vance voted AGAINST IT. This time, Vance didn’t even bother to show up to vote, being so busy on the campaign trail, “creating stories” (his term for spreading dangerous, racist lies). The bill was proposed by Democratic Senator Tammy Duckworth (Illinois), who used IVF to have her 2 daughters after being seriously injured in Iraq. JD Vance Skips IVF Vote as Republicans Block Bill 9/17/24 https://www.newsweek.com/jd-vance-skips-ivf-vote-bill-gets-blocked-1955409
Vance wants to end health insurance coverage for pre-existing conditions.
On Meet the Press Sept, 15 (and other places), Vance over-shared his and Trump’s plans for health care. Vance: “Trump’s plan would promote some more choice by putting people in high-risk pools.” That is NOT a refreshing pool like you’d want to jump into on a Texas summer day. Nope, a high-risk pool in the insurance context is BAD, meaning people with pre-existing conditions (like high blood pressure, diabetes, cancer, obesity, etc.) are lumped together and get charged outlandishly high premiums for minimal coverage. It is the opposite of what happens now with ACA/Obamacare coverage, where people can’t be charged more or denied coverage due to previous conditions. (Image credit: Getty.) Trump and Vance would gut ACA protections for pre-existing conditions 9/17/24 https://www.protectourcare.org/headlines-trump-and-vance-expose-their-plan-to-gut-aca-protections-for-pre-existing-conditions/
Dan Rather does a deep dive on JD Vance, and it isn’t pretty.
Per Dan Rather: JD Vance could be a heartbeat away from the presidency. It’s a thought you may want to seriously consider, because at the top of the Republican ticket is a 78-year-old obese man showing signs of mental decline.
The most startling takeaway from a deep dive into Vance’s legion of interviews is that he is a wildly ambitious and opportunistic chameleon. He has transformed from a fairly moderate conservative, a self-described “never Trumper” who called the former president “cultural heroin,” “reprehensible,” and “America’s Hitler,” to a lapdog loyalist who has seemingly been absolved by Trump — perhaps because he has proven to be the anti-Mike Pence, willing to do anything to “win” an election.
Vance said that in 2020, he “would have asked the states to submit alternative slates of electors and let the country have the debate about what actually matters and what kind of an election that we had,” thus throwing the presidential election results into complete chaos. He would have done this with no evidence of any election fraud, much less widespread fraud. Vance is an authoritarian in the making.
Vance’s total and complete transformation into the MAGA heir-apparent happened as he sycophantically sought Trump’s endorsement of his 2022 Senate candidacy.
Vance converted to Catholicism from atheism five years ago. He now identifies as Christian nationalist. His reactionary views on gun control and same-sex marriage are not surprising. What is much less mainstream, even for MAGA, is when he veers into strident misogyny. Vance opposes abortion, including in cases of rape and incest. He believes a pregnancy resulting from rape should not be considered “inconvenient.” He has said that professional women “choose a path to misery” by picking careers over having children. He has called child care subsidies “class war against normal people” and opposes no-fault divorces, suggesting women should stay in abusive marriages.
It was Vance who gave legs to the now infamous lie about Haitian immigrants in Springfield, Ohio, eating residents’ pets. He told Trump about it. One might think that after the political fallout from Trump regurgitating the story several times during the debate, and the real fallout in Springfield, where hospitals, schools, and even city hall have been threatened, he would let it go. He did not. On Sunday, Vance made the rounds of the political talk shows doubling down on his false narrative.
He told CNN’s Dana Bash that “the American media totally ignored this stuff until Donald Trump and I started talking about cat memes. If I have to create stories so that the American media actually pays attention to the suffering of the American people, then that’s what I’m going to do.” So Trump gets his toadying pit bull, and we might get a dangerous politico who makes decisions based on what it will mean for his future, not for ours. In the meantime, the Trump-Vance lies continue to distract and dominate news coverage. The Vance Dance 9/16/24 https://substack.com/@steady/p-148984464
Vance falsely trashes his own state, in hopes the GOP will take control of the Senate.
As mentioned above, Vance has partnered avidly with Trump in pushing the false and incendiary claims about Springfield, Ohio, being overrun by “horrible” illegals who are destroying that town and threatening all good white folks. The excellent Heather Cox Richardson in her Sept. 13 Letter from an American clarified that Vance STARTED IT ALL, waging a multi-front crusade against Springfield. (She credits reporting by Hunter Walker and Josh Kovensky of Talking Points Memo.) Plus, Vance did it to help the GOP win the Senate, trying to scare Ohio voters into electing the Republican challenger now running against Sherrod Brown, the Democrat who has held the seat since 2007. The stakes are high; if Republicans eke out just a couple net wins in the Senate, they get control of that branch—and once again will be able to stack the federal courts, from the Supreme Court all the way down the line—with far-right appointees who will make sure the country goes down that path on every issue, regardless of who sits in the Oval Office. Here is HCR’s case on Vance: “More than two months ago, Ohio senator J.D. Vance, who is Trump’s vice presidential running mate, began to speak about Springfield at a Senate Banking Committee hearing, trying to tie rising housing prices to immigrants. The next day, at the National Conservatism conference, Vance accused “illegals” of overwhelming the city. On August 10, about a dozen neo-Nazis of the “Blood Tribe” organization showed up in Springfield, where one of their leaders said the city had been taken over by “degenerate third worlders” and blamed the Jews for the influx of migrants. The neo-Nazis stayed and, on August 27, showed up at a meeting of the city council, where their leader threatened council members. On September 1, another white supremacist group, Patriot Front, held its own “protest to the mass influx of unassimilable Haitian migrants” in the city. Right-wing social media posters pushed the story, usually with “witnesses” to events in the city coming from elsewhere. In late August, posting in a private Facebook group, a resident said they had heard that Haitian immigrants had butchered a neighbor’s cat for food. Vance reposted that rumor to attack Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris, on whom he is trying to hang undocumented immigration although it was Trump who convinced Republicans to kill a strong bipartisan border bill this spring. Springfield police and the city manager told news outlets there was no truth to the rumors. Nonetheless, on September 10, Vance told his people to “keep the cat memes flowing,” even though—or perhaps because—the rumors were putting people in his own state in danger. Trump repeated the lie at the presidential debate that night, claiming, “In Springfield, they’re eating the dogs, the people that came in, they’re eating the cats. They’re eating, they’re eating the pets of the people that live there.” Today, President Joe Biden demanded Trump stop his attacks on Haitian-Americans, but Trump doubled down, promising to deport the Haitian immigrants in Springfield if he is elected, although they are here legally.” (Image credit: Getty.) https://heathercoxrichardson.substack.com/p/september-13-2024-631
Vance admits he created stories about immigrants.
On the Sept. 15 Sunday shows, Vance admits he made it up, platforming unsubstantiated pet-eating rumors to force discussion of immigration policy. Vance:“The American media totally ignored this stuff until Donald Trump and I started talking about cat memes. If I have to create stories so that the American media actually pays attention to the suffering of the American people, then that’s what I’m going to do.” Vance defends spreading claims that Haitian migrants are eating pets 9/15/24 https://www.npr.org/2024/09/15/nx-s1-5113140/vance-false-claims-haitian-migrants-pets
Trump/Vance know that they lose when the topic is abortion or democracy, so they will say anything to push what they think is a strong issue for them—immigration. Truth, be damned.
Cleaning up Vance’s mess on aisle 9.
Stuff keeps oozing out about this putrid fake story.
First, Vance and Trump received definitive assurances from Springfield officials on September 9 that the rumor was false, but Trump ran with it in the presidential debate on September 10 anyway.
Second, the Springfield cat owner who seemingly started it all FOUND her kitty, healthy (and not at all repentant, I bet) in the basement of her home. Miss Sassy was never even missing, much less eaten by immigrants. The abashed cat owner had the decency to make this development public and apologize to her Haitian neighbors.
Third, when his pet-eating lies stopped getting traction, Vance started claiming the Haitians in Springfield were spreading disease, including HIV and tuberculosis. More lies; the state department of health tracks that kind of thing, and Springfield is as healthy now as it ever was. And yes—the Nazis said Jews spread nasty diseases, way back in the dark times. OK, the OTHER dark times…..
Fourth, Vance vows he will continue calling the Springfield immigrants from Haiti “illegal aliens.” This is despite the fact they are in America LEGALLY, due to a special provision for Haiti called Temporary Protected Status that was signed into law by Republican President George H. W. Bush in 1990.
Fifth, the Trump/Vance ticket is threatening to visit Springfield, just in case there is MORE damage they can inflict there. City and state officials of both parties have blurted out various versions of: ”Hell, no.”
Sixth, Vance proved one thing during this distasteful episode. He is far better at being Trump than Trump himself is these days. Vance can string sentences together in what sounds like a coherent narrative, stay on topic, and remember the name of the person/city he is castigating. Trump, at this point, is largely incoherent, slurs his words, lurches among unrelated topics, and relies on creepy hand-accordion gestures to make the point he has forgotten.
–JD Vance Will Still Call Legal Haitian Immigrants ‘Illegal’: Here’s Why 9/18/24 https://www.newsweek.com/jd-vance-donald-trump-haitian-migrants-eating-pets-1955969
–Why Trump’s lies about Haitians are different 9/18/24 https://www.vox.com/politics/372364/trumps-haitians-springfield-ohio-nazi
J.D. Vance’s “Proof” of Pet-Eating Is Dumbest Thing You’ll Ever Read 9/18/24 https://newrepublic.com/post/186097/jd-vance-proof-pet-eating-migrants-exposed-police-report
–Trump Supporter Who Blamed Haitians for Stealing Cat Finds Pet in Basement 9/19/24 https://www.newsweek.com/trump-supporter-blamed-haitians-stealing-cat-finds-pet-1956041 –I’m the Governor of Ohio. I Don’t Recognize the Springfield That Trump and Vance Describe. 9/20/24 https://www.nytimes.com/2024/09/20/opinion/springfield-haitian-migrants-ohio.html