Bill Krystal, you have never said anything that I agree with you more on: "The one thing I do know is that Harris shouldn’t be left alone to defend herself."
This is a 100-day dash to the finish and we want the finish to be democratic small-d which this year means big D whatever our politic leanings.
I read somewhere -- WaPost I think -- that the 30 minute delay was not caused by microphones. Trump said it was, but actually it was caused by Trump arriving late. Not sure how to check . . . Can anyone confirm?
The next few months are going to be pretty vile, politically speaking. Regardless of what the D's do or say, the vile is going to be there. Because that is who Trump is.
The problem that the D's have is that they always seem to be playing defense--responding to what Trump does or says. You can paint CFT as the absolute PoS that he is and still stay on the high road... simply by pointing out the things that he has said and done over the years and being absolutely up front and truthful about it. It does not need embroidering or hyperbole.
And it would be better if you got out in front with it, forcing them to play defense rather than letting them have the initiative.
Meanwhile Kamala needs to ignore him and all the Republican vile bile and stay upbeat and forward looking and joyous! JOY may well WIN this campaign! We are all sooooo tired of chaos and cruelty and crap.
I think Kellyanne’s instincts are right—as a political matter Vance is a drag on the ticket. Trump doesn’t like his decisions questioned, so to save face he may say he plans to keep the man. Then he might still fire him blaming someone or something other than his bad judgment. Perhaps he will tell JD to stay at home with his kids because they are more important than job aspirations.
She was willing to sacrifice her home life for Trump, and finally resigned when her daughter was having real difficulties. Can she really like the man and his policies? Perhaps she thinks his ideas are easily influenced.
This is the moment for ... Republicans who care about civility and decency in our politics ... to step up to defend her and set the record straight.
The only such Repugnicans -- the Kinzingers, Cheneys, Romneys -- have been effectively defenestrated or worse. Can you imagine the Grahams, Cottons grabbing this mantle? Neither can I.
I can't even imagine Susan Collins or Lisa Murkowksi grabbing the mantle you speak of. Because deep down they long for the power that Trump's resurrection will bring. It's that simple.
I wish we could resurrect (create?) decency. Seems to me our society lost the manners they were taught as children. I am fully behind the idea of go high, and hit hard. Michelle Obama espoused the go high notion, but she is no shrinking violet. She is polite, but accurate and hard-hitting. She calls it out in a way that makes you stand up and take notice. A real role model.
I will be interested to see if Trump’s descent into the swamp draws ire from Wiles and LaCivita. It is unlikely, I hope, to appeal to independents. Sadly, his tropes stick just enough to smear people. I never have understood why we don’t tell him to get on with substance (on which he is short) and leave the rest of his comments in the garbage.
I highly recommend Joe Perticone’s article on Vance’s vote proposals in the senate. About as bad as you might expect.
Trump cannot get on with the substance because he has exactly zero substance. His substance is whatever his gut tells him will go over well with his cult, or whatever he thinks will garner attention (that he desperately craves), or some defence of his own actions/words. That's it. He's got nothin. That is why Heritage thought they were good to go with 2025... only he figured out it wasn't playing well so he Mission Impossibled them (the secretary will disavow..... ).
I’ve never heard him describe anything with any detail. He just uses adjectives like horrible or beautiful. That is the extent of the analysis and his followers think he is smart. Talk about low IQ.
Sadly true—all of it. I keep hoping (not that I want him elected,I’m just tired of garbage), that he will tell us what he will do. His supporters might be very surprised. They respond enthusiastically to his catch phrases, but tell them his tariffs will function as a regressive tax, or that he will pull soldiers from overseas to roust illegal immigrants at home (so we have no one to protect us from an attack), perhaps they would start to take stock. They get no facts at all. All great strongmen lie and obfuscate.
I’ve long since come to the conclusion that Trump genuinely does not care about actual policy at all. I think he could care less about the border, or inflation, or “parents rights”, or anything else he campaigns on. All he cares about is using these issues to motivate people to vote for him and send him money.
You are probably right. He may view policies as ways to get sponsors and donors on board. And sometimes I think he just goes with the way the wind is blowing—just because people will be receptive on that day. It is a really interesting sociological phenomenon.
To expect any Republican to step up and have a Joseph Welch moment is so laughable that it is sad. That is never going to happen in today's Republican Party - someone calling Trump to the carpet for some more racist shit coming from his mouth. Ain't going to happen!!
Wonders never cease-- turns out the Orange God King is coming to my hometown of Bozeman MT next Friday to hold a rally in support of Tim Sheehy for Senate.
A friend of mine is looking for creative ideas for a protest poster. Also, he's thinking of wearing gauze patches on his ears with "Deaf to MAGA" printed on them and see how many Trumpers lose their shit when they think it says "Death to MAGA". That being said, Montana is a "Constitutional Carry" state so he has to be mindful that most of the MAGA crowd could be packing. If he's outside the security perimeter do you think they'd let him protest with an AR hanging from his shoulder-- again asking for a friend?
Well it sure as hell isn’t DJT— although there’s a private prison that never opened near Hardin MT that could serve as a retirement home after he is successfully prosecuted. 😜
After nine years of this, can we please just stop with all of the efforts to make Trump and his "supporters" something they are not. I understand that there are plenty of people who will vote for Trump for various reasons, some of them understandable and some not. But when the going gets tough - and, make no mistake, the going has gotten very tough for Donald Trump in less than two weeks - rather than reach for a message that would elevate the process of running for President and broaden his appeal, Trump has chosen to deepen his appeal to the core that he can't win without, which is the group with an explicitly racist and misogynist world view. It's the subset of voters he can't afford to lose and he can't afford to have them lose interest in the face of all of the positive attention Harris is getting. That's the essence of Trump. It's not fighting for the little guy or empowering those working class white - and, if you could believe the rhetoric the mainstream media have been lapping up for the better part of a year, black and Hispanic - folks who have been so badly mistreated by the coastal elites. He himself is a virulent racist and misogynist and in his hour of need those are the people he wants to rally to him. This election is now clearly about proving him wrong, showing that there are not enough of those voters to sweep him to victory. The hope has to be that there are, rather, a sufficiently large number of people who view this approach as so totally repugnant, dated, and - yes - weird and creepy that it won't really be close enough that whatever election stealing plans he and his cronies are cooking up will work.
Relentlessly hammer the Orange Chump with the truth.
Bill Krystal, you have never said anything that I agree with you more on: "The one thing I do know is that Harris shouldn’t be left alone to defend herself."
This is a 100-day dash to the finish and we want the finish to be democratic small-d which this year means big D whatever our politic leanings.
Go high and go hard, perfect.
Loved Stacey Abrams response to Trump's 'Black jobs' rant:
"If he keeps it up the 'Black job' will be president of the United States!"
Doug Emhoff suggested Mr. Trump, who has trouble pronouncing Kamala, can simply call her Madame President. I agree!
Donald can’t address this problem with a black magic marker. Can he use whiteout on old pictures of Kamala to prove he was right?
Not just steal an election, but avoid liability AND reestablish that monetary flow back into Trump Unlimited.
Absolutely right! Living in San Francisco, one tends to forget there’s a whole (darker) world out there.
I read somewhere -- WaPost I think -- that the 30 minute delay was not caused by microphones. Trump said it was, but actually it was caused by Trump arriving late. Not sure how to check . . . Can anyone confirm?
He did not want to be fact checked.
Absent that, assume that the pathological liar was lying.
Always a safe assumption! If he said the sky is blue, I would go outside to check.
The next few months are going to be pretty vile, politically speaking. Regardless of what the D's do or say, the vile is going to be there. Because that is who Trump is.
The problem that the D's have is that they always seem to be playing defense--responding to what Trump does or says. You can paint CFT as the absolute PoS that he is and still stay on the high road... simply by pointing out the things that he has said and done over the years and being absolutely up front and truthful about it. It does not need embroidering or hyperbole.
And it would be better if you got out in front with it, forcing them to play defense rather than letting them have the initiative.
Meanwhile Kamala needs to ignore him and all the Republican vile bile and stay upbeat and forward looking and joyous! JOY may well WIN this campaign! We are all sooooo tired of chaos and cruelty and crap.
I think Kellyanne’s instincts are right—as a political matter Vance is a drag on the ticket. Trump doesn’t like his decisions questioned, so to save face he may say he plans to keep the man. Then he might still fire him blaming someone or something other than his bad judgment. Perhaps he will tell JD to stay at home with his kids because they are more important than job aspirations.
Kellyanne's instincts may be right but her character is deeply deeply flawed.
She was willing to sacrifice her home life for Trump, and finally resigned when her daughter was having real difficulties. Can she really like the man and his policies? Perhaps she thinks his ideas are easily influenced.
Power corrupts??
And absolute power corrupts absolutely!
This is the moment for ... Republicans who care about civility and decency in our politics ... to step up to defend her and set the record straight.
The only such Repugnicans -- the Kinzingers, Cheneys, Romneys -- have been effectively defenestrated or worse. Can you imagine the Grahams, Cottons grabbing this mantle? Neither can I.
There are no decent republicans in office.
I can't even imagine Susan Collins or Lisa Murkowksi grabbing the mantle you speak of. Because deep down they long for the power that Trump's resurrection will bring. It's that simple.
I wish we could resurrect (create?) decency. Seems to me our society lost the manners they were taught as children. I am fully behind the idea of go high, and hit hard. Michelle Obama espoused the go high notion, but she is no shrinking violet. She is polite, but accurate and hard-hitting. She calls it out in a way that makes you stand up and take notice. A real role model.
I will be interested to see if Trump’s descent into the swamp draws ire from Wiles and LaCivita. It is unlikely, I hope, to appeal to independents. Sadly, his tropes stick just enough to smear people. I never have understood why we don’t tell him to get on with substance (on which he is short) and leave the rest of his comments in the garbage.
I highly recommend Joe Perticone’s article on Vance’s vote proposals in the senate. About as bad as you might expect.
Wiles and LaCavita are worse than Trump. They know what he is and they do it anyway.
Well, the campaign DID say JD wasn't THEIR choice... so way to through candidate under the bus? Nothing like infighting...
Trump cannot get on with the substance because he has exactly zero substance. His substance is whatever his gut tells him will go over well with his cult, or whatever he thinks will garner attention (that he desperately craves), or some defence of his own actions/words. That's it. He's got nothin. That is why Heritage thought they were good to go with 2025... only he figured out it wasn't playing well so he Mission Impossibled them (the secretary will disavow..... ).
I’ve never heard him describe anything with any detail. He just uses adjectives like horrible or beautiful. That is the extent of the analysis and his followers think he is smart. Talk about low IQ.
Problem is he says it loud, clear and on repeat. Similar to blaring megaphones in movies or books about mind control in dystopias.
I don't see it as a problem as much as an opportunity to show that he is an ignorant buffoon. We'll see.
Sadly true—all of it. I keep hoping (not that I want him elected,I’m just tired of garbage), that he will tell us what he will do. His supporters might be very surprised. They respond enthusiastically to his catch phrases, but tell them his tariffs will function as a regressive tax, or that he will pull soldiers from overseas to roust illegal immigrants at home (so we have no one to protect us from an attack), perhaps they would start to take stock. They get no facts at all. All great strongmen lie and obfuscate.
They would love tarrifs as long as they hate the same people.
I’ve long since come to the conclusion that Trump genuinely does not care about actual policy at all. I think he could care less about the border, or inflation, or “parents rights”, or anything else he campaigns on. All he cares about is using these issues to motivate people to vote for him and send him money.
You are probably right. He may view policies as ways to get sponsors and donors on board. And sometimes I think he just goes with the way the wind is blowing—just because people will be receptive on that day. It is a really interesting sociological phenomenon.
There is no probably about it. He has no idea what he is talking about and neither do his voters.
Exactly. These things are just slogans to him.
To expect any Republican to step up and have a Joseph Welch moment is so laughable that it is sad. That is never going to happen in today's Republican Party - someone calling Trump to the carpet for some more racist shit coming from his mouth. Ain't going to happen!!
Wonders never cease-- turns out the Orange God King is coming to my hometown of Bozeman MT next Friday to hold a rally in support of Tim Sheehy for Senate.
A friend of mine is looking for creative ideas for a protest poster. Also, he's thinking of wearing gauze patches on his ears with "Deaf to MAGA" printed on them and see how many Trumpers lose their shit when they think it says "Death to MAGA". That being said, Montana is a "Constitutional Carry" state so he has to be mindful that most of the MAGA crowd could be packing. If he's outside the security perimeter do you think they'd let him protest with an AR hanging from his shoulder-- again asking for a friend?
Only fat republicans wear long ties.
My second attempt is snarky but Bozeman relevant.
Does Anyone Know a Good Real Estate Developer who can Ease our Housing Shortage?
Well it sure as hell isn’t DJT— although there’s a private prison that never opened near Hardin MT that could serve as a retirement home after he is successfully prosecuted. 😜
This could be a fun exercise!
My first attempt is nerdy: 4 lines--1st Trump Cognitive Test. 2nd--Tariff Inflation. 3rd Trump = Hoover. 4th--Why Do This to us?
After nine years of this, can we please just stop with all of the efforts to make Trump and his "supporters" something they are not. I understand that there are plenty of people who will vote for Trump for various reasons, some of them understandable and some not. But when the going gets tough - and, make no mistake, the going has gotten very tough for Donald Trump in less than two weeks - rather than reach for a message that would elevate the process of running for President and broaden his appeal, Trump has chosen to deepen his appeal to the core that he can't win without, which is the group with an explicitly racist and misogynist world view. It's the subset of voters he can't afford to lose and he can't afford to have them lose interest in the face of all of the positive attention Harris is getting. That's the essence of Trump. It's not fighting for the little guy or empowering those working class white - and, if you could believe the rhetoric the mainstream media have been lapping up for the better part of a year, black and Hispanic - folks who have been so badly mistreated by the coastal elites. He himself is a virulent racist and misogynist and in his hour of need those are the people he wants to rally to him. This election is now clearly about proving him wrong, showing that there are not enough of those voters to sweep him to victory. The hope has to be that there are, rather, a sufficiently large number of people who view this approach as so totally repugnant, dated, and - yes - weird and creepy that it won't really be close enough that whatever election stealing plans he and his cronies are cooking up will work.
There is no understandable reason to vote for Trump.
I think Trump knew exactly what he was doing. Any press is better than no press. And look! Now he’s at the top of the news aggregators again.
I think he’s just an idiot and if he thinks it was smart he is wrong.