There is huge news today: in the case of Loper Bright Enterprises v. Raimondo, the Supreme Court overturned the Chevron defense doctrine that underpins the administrative state. I am putting that down as a marker because I’ve had a very busy week of travel and writing (the paperback edition of
I'm going to talk about what we are all still bellyaching over. Anyone who did not watch our President in Raleigh today, do so immediately. He was absolutely forceful and determined and energetic. Watch it. Right now. He has what it takes. Period.
The President had an off night at an inopportune moment. I was disappointed on Wednesday, but today I was angry. Not discouraged, not worried, not frightened, ANGRY. Angry at the hysterical responses here and elsewhere treating a landmark leader like perished food because he dared to tell truth while sounding hoarse. Angry at unrealistic insinuations and garment-rending. Purely angry, and even angrier and more fired up after I saw him in perfect voice and with an open heart in his rally today, not giving up and speaking MY plain values in MY plain language. I almost cried I was so touched. Angry tears. I will be volunteering whenever I am not looking for work or a new house. I will see to it that we win if I have to do it all myself.
Shame on most of the commenters online, including - frankly - many on these pages. Shame on you for thinking a poor TV appearance means Americans will abandon our country to a dictator (who also had a poor TV appearance btw). Shame on you for that lack of faith. Shame. There is no actual evidence that we can't or won't win this thing other than your own insecurities and anxieties. Shame on you for airing that out to such a degree. Shame on you for letting drama-hungry pundits push you around. Enough. Our party leaders - everyone from Obama to Pelosi to Jeffries to Harris to Newsom - people who actually know how to win at politics, have spoken with one voice today: regroup and continue. The voters who will decide this election did not watch CNN, don't know what Substack even is, and could care less about all of this. There is one person they will listen to:
A fellow American. Speak about our candidate and platform with confidence. No one is perfect, but together we will keep winning.
President Biden was prepared for a DEBATE, and he forgot that the individual he faced is a "street fighter." Trump hurls accusations, falsehoods, wants you to think HE is the answer to his fake lies. We cannot desert Biden, we must work even more diligently. Come on people! A convicted felon, rapist, fake leader, attempted to denigrate one of the best leaders we have had in years. IS IT NOVEMBER YET?
The 𝐆𝐢𝐬𝐡 𝐆𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐨𝐩 is a rhetorical technique in which a person in a debate attempts to overwhelm their opponent by providing an excessive number of arguments with no regard for the accuracy or strength of those arguments. (Wikipedia)
During a Gish Gallop, a debater confronts an opponent with a rapid series of specious arguments, half-truths, misrepresentations, and outright lies in a short space of time, which makes it impossible for the opponent to refute all of them within the format of a formal debate.
Each point raised by the Gish Galloper takes considerably more time to refute or fact-check than it did to state in the first place, which is known as 𝐁𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐨𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐢'𝐬 𝐥𝐚𝐰. The technique wastes an opponent's time and even casts doubt on the opponent's debating ability for an audience unfamiliar with the technique.
𝐁𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐨𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐢'𝐬 𝐥𝐚𝐰, also known as the "bullshit asymmetry principle," is an adage coined in 2013 by Alberto Brandolini that emphasizes the effort of debunking misinformation, in comparison to the relative ease of creating it in the first place. The law states:
Yeah, that’s funny, but HCR pointed out in yesterday’s letter thst there are coutntermeasres to the Gish gallop tactic and that those countermeasures are known to debate experts. Since Gish galloping is Trump’s default mode of “communication,” I find it astonishing that Biden’s aides failed to prepare him to use effective countermeasures.
Maybe if our side didn’t exile Medhi Hassan from even one hour on Saturday we may have learned something. Medhi use to school virtually anyone that challenged him. He always scored debate points in his discussions with Israeli government official Mark Regev.
I give Regev credit for his willingness to engage Medhi but it was almost always a TKO.
The Republicans never throw allies under the bus but the Dems and progressive media do and, in this cycle, we not only lost voters, we lost talent.
Lynell and Ron - your points are well taken and the Atlantic article was a masterpiece. Thank you for sharing it with us.I can only hope that this will be a central prep strategy going forward. I am a student of leadership and one quality of a good leader is hiring superb talent. Biden's age (both candidates actually) concerns me and the debate seriously concerned me but I wrote that we need to "make haste slowly", take time to assess the why and evaluate options/next steps. Too often we demand immediate responses and that is dangerous. The fact he "nailed it" the next day gave me that needed time and that hope. It also reiterates for me this central point - he hires great people - none are in jail or convicted of crimes, just like Obama's team. Trump hires poorly and like him, many are felons, liars, and "me too" opportunists who care less about the greater good for all the people. How many got pardons? It is not just Joe we are voting for, it is his team - Deb, Pete, Janet, Anthony...etc. I love riding my Harley and I am riding with Biden.
Not just a debating tactic, a domination tactic, at once keeping the herd where the boss-man wants them and reducing to silence any upstart challenger.
How well known was it (outside of debate circles) before HCR mentioned it? Just noticed that the Wikipedia entry was updated yesterday. Wonder when it was created.
That, to me, is in the narcissists' playbook, this Gish Galloper tactic. Anyone who has had to live with a narcissist as a child or in a relationship probably has seen this tactic personally.
I am SO reminded of my ex-husband. It's been over a half century, but I can still remember feeling like a deer in the headlights trying to respond to his accusations. I get the same feeling listening to trump and trying to talk to his cult followers.
Why wasn’t Biden prepared for something like this? I don’t understand. I love the man, and I was heartened by your piece on Friday, Heather, but my experience with campaigns tells me this is scary. It was only one night, but an important one when so many people were watching. People saw him as an old man who couldn’t keep up, and the Trump ads will be showing those moments over and over. We have to hope that this doesn’t become their image of him, but I’m concerned.
Possibly the only solution is for aggressive moderators to slow things down, based on detailed real-time fact checking. It is not good enough for one of the debaters to simply dismiss his opponent's stream as "malarkey" because of the asymmetry mentioned above. Perhaps it would be enough for a panel of fact checkers to "score" the debate quietly as it goes along, flagging LIES and Half-truths in an inset, and summarizing it all at the end.
Mr. Spence, with respect, it is not what Trump did and said that perturbs. He lied like a rug, as he always does. True to form. No surprise. The heartbreak lies in a Joe Biden who often lost his train of thought, could not complete sentences, appeared frail and 30 years older than the despicable Donald. Newsome and Harris showed how easily Trump can be taken down. Joe and his wife Jill must give great thought to the precipice our Republic faces.
I rather agree with you Mr Davis about the way forward; however, it is perturbing to me that so many will unthinkingly accept tRump's lies. They are not surprise to some of us and we discount them automatically; many people do not. I agree with you about JB. It was heartbreaking to watch, especially in a couple of places where I couldn't help but wonder if somebody had laced his coffee. Part of the tRump strategy, of course, is to convince folks of exactly the impression that many got. I was thoroughly devastated until two things happened: 1) I listened to the debate again without video, and making some allowance for a person who struggles with stuttering, the out come was much more clearly favourable to JB. The camera did him considerable damage.; 2) I saw clips of him doing his thing yesterday and the day after the debate. It was hard to believe it was the same man. Clearly, JB has had a most successful presidency, delivering much more for the American people than tRump did has his predecessor. However, your main point about whether so much damage has been done that JB cannot sway the c. 10% of undecided voters in 6 swing states, is sound and sobering. I found the newsletter piece in The Atlantic by Ron Brownstein to be quite helpful ... https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2024/06/great-democratic-conundrum-biden/678830/?utm_campaign=atlantic-daily-newsletter&utm_content=20240628&utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_term=The+Atlantic+Daily. Davey Crockett wisdom seems to be what we need here: "Be sure you're right, and then go ahead". Thanks for your comment.
I didn't know what they were called but I recognized it happening and the look on Biden's face is what mine would have looked like, inner thought going "WTF?"
Here's how you counter Gish- Galloping: jot down a few words about each lie as your opponent is talking. Next, when the moderator asks you a question, you say, "I'll answer that in a minute, but first I want to address just a few of the many lies my opponent tried to insult our audience with. Mr. Trump, you know it's a lie when you try to take credit for the "veterans' choice" plan, because it was actually President Obama who gave us that plan. The Jan.6th committee did not withhold evidence- that's a lie and you know it." After continuing in this manner for most of your allotted time, you turn to the moderator and say, "Now to address your question...." Trump used this strategy every time. He very seldom answered the moderator's question. Gish-Galloping by your opponent is no excuse for losing a debate, unless you just don't have the mental faculties to respond.
Exactamente! Lies must be convincingly refuted at source. Dismissing them simply as baloney or malarkey and going on is tRump's style. It works for the already-converted but is not convincing for others.
He probably got coached on the Gish Gallop technique by Jim Jordan, who is an absolute master at it. He talks gibberish so speedily, nobody has a clue what he's actually saying. Just that none of it is true. And now, we have the "master baiter," TFG, daring anyone to try to slow him down.
That is fasciating, and confirms what I keep telling people — It’s so much easier to spout a pile of crap than to explain reality. And people don’t WANT a lecture — they want to hear what they want to hear … Trump is a MASTER of the Gish Gallup … Spew sewage all over the landscape, and your opponent gets sh*t all over him trying to clear it up.
A skilled debater quick on his or her feet can defeat the Gish Gallop by simply stating the obvious, that the opponent is lying, without having to take the time to prove it. After the tenth time saying "that's a lie that doesn't deserve a response", everyone but the opponent's most devoted fanbois would be asking questions. This would be even more true if the moderators did their job and called out the lies as they happened.
Joe Biden on Thursday seemed incapable of the kind of quick response needed to disarm Trump's firehouse of lies. As for the moderators, they were guilty of gross malpractice for letting Trump get away with the falsehoods he spewed. In doing so, they validated the candidate his toxic and false ideas, and will allow him to present those lies as validated truth at his rallies from now till the end of the campaign.
For some reason, CNN didn't learn from the 2020 debates that a real-time fact checker should have been sitting next to the moderator with a buzzer. Shame on them if they do not have one at the next debate, if Trump even deigns to participate.
I over reacted too. I yelled and pouted and shook my metaphorical fists at Biden. But this non-debate was a good wake-up call. It’s good that it happened now. Now it’s Biden’s to lose. I think this ignited his fires.
My sage (not so) advise to Biden for his next debate; no matter what the question is, and btw, most questions can be anticipated in study groups, Biden should have 4 or 5 word response then immediately insult his opponent because that is the window to do it. He has 2 precious minutes; insult the fuck out of Trump. It’s not bad to do.
I recommend that all of you reading this, call or email the White House communications people and recommend that Biden begin a Fireside like Chat with the American people. He has the bully pulpit and he should use it. I called my Senator Blumenthal yesterday asking them to forward this idea. I told the person that it probably won’t get anywhere but it should. I will call the White House everyday going forward asking them to initiate a Fireside Chat.
Bill, our minds go in the same direction. Here’s my suggestion:
Biden should pick four talking points and show the energy that he showed in the Atlanta afterparty.
1)”You’re lying. Women don’t do full term abortions—that a lie to excuse states forcing women to carry their rapists’ babies and almost bleed out in the emergency rooms. 67% of Americans want Roe back.”
2) “You lie. Your tariffs will cost American families an extra $1500 for their clothes and cars. Your deportation plans will cost them an extra $1200 for food—while crops rot in the field”
3)”You lie. People’s 401Ks are worth more now than ever before because the stock market is higher than it’s ever been.”
4) “You lie. You’re the one who’s responsible for not having enough border agents to police the border—you told Congress to vote against the bipartisan immigration bill that would have fixed things “
If Trump goes to different stuff, ignore it and repeat one of the talking points—make Trump defend himself.
Tim, good idea! I’d like to see him give two-liners that could be recycled over and over again. If Trump brings up something crazy, say “That sounds crazy!” and then pivot to one of the four two-sentence points to drill them into the public’s long term memory.
Not sure because just saying that has no impact on the 70 million or more who think he is God. I think you target certain phrases and drill down on them. Liar, felon, insurrectionist, etc
On a right wing site I commented that I'd placed a $1000 bet in Atlantic City that Trump would only tell lies and never the truth. I mentioned that thanks to Trump's inability to tell the truth I earned an easy $1000.
I didn't hang around for the thumb's down or the "you're lying." I just walked away.
Actually not. If Biden hounds convicted felon Trump when he is speaking it will probably fluster him or interrupt his train of thought so he will look befuddled. Worst case no one will hear him other the CFDT.
Yes whatever salient points are chosen... he must drill down in every response: Trump liar, Trump felon, Trump misogynist, Trump insurrectionist, Trump destroyer of alliances, Trump the woman hater, Trump and Putin,
I say not the economy, because prices have not come down (except for eggs and a few things.) People believe prices should be what they remember of the Beforetime. If you still feel poor, the stock market doesn’t cheer you up.
No one at the debate brought up Project 2025, the plan to give Trump or any Republican president new powers.
I love the “You lie” tactic. There are several others similar ones: You, sir, are a liar for instance. Perhaps You wouldn’t know the truth if it were staring you in the face. Maybe “You should be ashamed if that lie but then you’re basically shameless”. There probably won’t be another debate, but next time Biden will be prepared.
And don’t forget to tie him to Outin every chance possible. As a lapdog, not in a flattering light. A drooling obsequious little, whining groveling mongrel.
Excellent, Mary! You should send this to the WH people prepping Biden. This is exactly what I thought should be Biden's response Thurs. night bc you can't address all the lies T spews out. Your 'talking points" need to also include "the economy," another buzzword, explaining "inflation" and the high cost of everyday expenses --groceries, gas, housing, etc. But also how it's gradually improving.
I like this approach. But maybe not #3, with its mention of the stock market. Most people don’t own stocks. Lots of people don’t have 401K’s.
When I heard President Biden use the word equity, I cringed. Not because I don’t support it. Republicans and likely Independents, too, see it as a threat to themselves.
Add to #4, “If the border situation is as bad as you say, why is it OK to wait til after the election to deal with it?
Yes! When the bell rings, you go into the corner, splash of cold water, ammonia whiff, listen to the trainer, shake of the punches and go back in ready for round 2! Thank you Mr Katz. He needs to demand that Trump provide facts, numbers, not talking points. The Whitehouse should have a website available with all the numbers that prove Trumps lies! Then Joe can simply tell the viewers to reference the website during the debate, during campaign rallies, etc.
Someone in another group I belong to suggested just that. We have a pretty good idea of what lies he is going to spew, so have answers prepared and post in real time on website
Actually, it's ours to lose. Biden got back up on the horse at Raleigh. Everyone (well mostly everyone) was still hand wringing and jumping the Biden ship.
I really appreciate your activism and wisdom. Have a good weekend.
We will one day look back upon that debate and realize that it joined the other failed debates of other candidates who ultimately went on to win elections. And I recommend that Biden send federal troops to the border just because he can. ‘Nough said.
My advice is to not stand anywhere near the orange cocksplat. He doesn't deserve to be that close to a president when he's a convicted felon. After all, he tried to give him covid.
I’ve also heard DJT referred to as a “cockwomble.” All of these critics had some fairly appropriate and derisive appellations for Trump. The Scots have some fairly unflattering labels for Trump. He’s quite detested in Scotland despite the fact his mother Mary Anne was Scottish and raised on the Isle of Lewis. Mary Anne came to the United States from Scotland to work as a maid, and eventually met and married Fred Trump, Sr.
trump says I did not sleep with the porn star. "Why did you pay her $130,000?"
"America, this guy thinks you are stupid because he just keeps lying to you."
Things were so bad under Biden and great under me. "Then how did I kick your ass by 7M votes?" The election was rigged. "What actual proof do you have?"
Now I am a dang HS teacher and if I can come up with these, what in the fuzzy hail were the "professionals" doing with President Biden?
Bill (and others): at this point, in this election, debates are useless. We all know the candidates and who they are, and what they stand for. NO MORE DEBATES.
True, CF45 will want another go, as it gives him yet another opportunity to spout his lies to a national audience. But Biden's team should reject it, citing the felon's inability to tell the truth, and instead go on a Truth Tour around the country.
Barbara, I don't think it would look bad, if played right. CF45 doesn't play by any rulebook, and 'Brandolini's Law' (see above) states that in a debate, refuting a deliberate mistruth takes 10x as long as the original lie. There would be little room for dialog, as I see it. CF45 is a unique character known for lying regularly with impunity. It would be a Herculean task to clean out the manure from the stable (stable genius? He's far from it.)
And have moderators who actually moderate, rather than just ask questions. When the 🍊💩 started off, "let me go back..." Tapper should have said "no, we covered that topic, we're moving on, please answer the question I just asked" (Thanks to Ally House for info on how to use laptop emojis--I can't bear to even type his name)
I was worried from the very beginning when the moderators were announced. Tapper never pushed back on his show when people were spouting lies and Bash is a weak figure at best. Plus CNN is FOX light.
Bill, your comments after the debate pissed me off so I'm very happy to read your thoughts today. I,too, was angry with the debate. So much that I swore I wasn't going to read any more future thoughts and letters other than Cox Richardson, Vance, Kuo and Rather. I did see Biden's Raleigh speech and was blown away! Why wasn't he like that at the debate? Do you think that the White House will really begin to listen to what we ask and suggest?
Forgot? I will continue to vote for and donate to Joe but shit his staff should have prepped stay on point stay on point and I’m a retired elementary administrator and I needed to learn that - damn
Exactly. There was NO moderation. None.Shame on CNN and others for their shoddy, shallow commentary of this event. Someone wrote on Facebook yesterday-"He wasn't feeling well and he was arguing with the actual devil. Don't you dare abandon him."
Well? Why would that be a surprise. Someone said before the debate - "LET JOE BIDEN BE HIMSELF? They did not do that - seemingly they forgot what we have ALL seen right along - the orange boob does NOT "debate" - he opens mouth & spouts garbage - thats what he does at rallies and thats what he did Thursday night. And frankly, we've all listened & watched enough of the "news commenters" (because thats what they are - NOT actual journalists) for the last three and a half years at least. Did anyone actually believe that would change for a debate? They want clicks - they want to sell their news. PERIOD>
I am so freaking fed up with all of the hand wringing & the serious expressions on these news jerks faces as they tear Biden down & never a bad word OR a check on the lies the boob spouted.
We do not "need" someone else - we need to support Biden who is OUR candidate.
Lets just stop paying attention to these "commenters" - they clearly are no better than social media influencers!
Would it have been possible for the Joe Biden, the President of the United States, to say, "this isn't what I signed up for and I don't have time for it." And walked off the stage. It was not a debate and the moderators did NOTHING to stop the garbage that flowed from one of the debaters. Besides that, golf swings? It's all bait and switch. (The walking off the stage part is probably not a good idea :) but it would sure make me feel good! lol)
I love the idea -- but I have zero trouble understanding how that would have been spun: "Biden, the loser, walks offstage in a huff." Because no way would CNN or the rest of the media take responsibility for their own failures.
Actually, Susanna, I was kinda hoping Joe would walk across the stage and punch him in the face….and I say that as someone who eschews violence as a solution. Yeah, I was that pissed.
We already know by now that they have never moderated. They didn’t with Hillary while drumpf stomped around behind her as she talked, and they often enabled drumpf to bulldoze his opponent because they cannot manage his off script bullying behaviors.
Susanna, don't blame the moderators -- his prep team should have known (through inquiry, if nothing else) about the format, or anticipated it. I blame his prep team.
But no matter -- what's done is done. There's plenty of time to correct course; full court press now, in 🏀 terms. CF45 didn't win any new voters on Thursday.
Then why have moderators at all?? IIRC, Biden and/or his team chose the format or at least knew about it well in advance. I hope "what's done is done," but I'm not dismissing the possibility that the lily-livered white male apparatchiks running the national Democratic Party can still blow things up in their panic.
Trump was right on when President Biden made a remark in the debate and he replied- I don’t know what he said, I don’t think he even knows what he said
Seems many of those Quizlings that can't get paid are desperate enough for more pardons that they feel are their only hope for getting out of, or staying out of jail.
That's precisely the kind of comment Biden should have made throughout the evening. No facts, no figures, no defense of policies and achievements. Just pure ridicule. That would have kept Biden on an even keel and in a humorous, chatty frame of mind. You don't talk to a liar. You discard him.
We could all see he was struggling to say what he wanted to say. He has had a stammer all his life. Do you call that an excuse? I think it was likely an explanation. He had a cold or sore throat. Excuse or explanation? Biden likes to have facts at his command. Trump doesn’t deal in facts. What he says is what is real to him. Firehose of lies, flood the zone with shit, Gish Gallop—these are tactics have been impossible to deal with in two minutes, even by younger people who do not stutter, like Jeb Bush, Marco Rubio, and Ted Cruz.
Yeah, Jen, a bonafide fakester….he’s so chicken that, except as scripted on The Apprentice (the pinnacle of his existence), he can’t ACTUALLY fire anyone in person. I’d like Joe to dare him to go bicycle riding with him, or as Joe offered in the debate, to play golf w/ him IF he carries his own bag (oh, and watchers to make sure he doesn’t cheat at golf as he’s wont to).
Trump is no street fighter. He is a lazy thug who throws out garbage and leaves others to do the clean up. He’s that kid who was good at the game of “ let’s you and him fight” who provoked a fight then sits back while you and the other idiot beat each other to a pulp
Next time, I recommend that President Biden keep repeating a simple speech, with 6 or 7 punchy bullet points. Abortion, economy / job creation, putin / nato, trump caused afghanistan (which he did), environment / climate, insurrection, convicted felon. Say this speech 5 times throughout the ‘debate.’ The debate questions are irrelevant; ignore them. Fact-checking and nuance are irrelevant. Do not talk about the border, and do not defend anything. Biden can hammer the psychotic fuck on every one of these points. Just keep going back to the same short speech. Like the chorus in a song.
Here's my thoughts about that elephant in the room. It struck me as odd that in light of his debate performance, several hours later, Biden was in North Carolina back to his "old" self, looking and acting vibrant. I kept asking myself why is that?
Then it struck me; if indeed he was suffering from a viral infection that hit its peak in the throes of the debate, it makes perfect sense that his performance would be greatly affected. I noticed that in North Carolina while waiting to take the podium, he kept dabbing his eyes and nose with a tissue, something he wasn't doing during the debate. Why? Because that's what happens when a virus is traveling through your body. At least, that's what I've experienced when I've been afflicted. Usually, for me, first my chest tightens and then several hours later, the eyes become weepy and the nose starts dripping.
This is a plausible argument to me for his poor performance. His body was busy trying to fight off the virus while he was trying to fight off a fascist liar. Yet, as others have pointed out, if you read the transcript of his remarks, he made compelling arguments that were actually lucid. In other words, he was stuck in a body that failed to cooperate at the worst possible time.
I think it was more than that, Biden was psychologically unprepared for Trump's tsunami of lies and hooks, but there is tried and true strategy for taking this kind of thing on. It is something which can be learned. I don't think the 2nd debate will be a repeat of what we saw the other night.
Frank, I don't think there IS much point to a second "debate"! Why give tRump the space, time & attention to spew his fantasies and wishes? He may be a great actor but a great leader he ain't so don't give him the space.
Fight fire with fire, John, just Biden doesn't need lies. He needs to keep the passion lit that we saw in State of the Union and yesterday's NC rally etc.
There are techniques for handling fire hydrant rhetoric. an upbeat message with main points, don't get drawn into obvious falsehoods and barbs. There are risks either way. Biden will be perceived as backing down, a real negative. Biden with help can learn an effective approach. It's kinda like imagining your team rooting for you, Trump did exactly that, as if he were preaching to his base. Biden needs to learn more emotional management against Trump. I think he can do it.
What I don’t understand is why Biden wasn’t more prepared for this after days of mock debates with a Trump impersonator. The real thing is just too overwhelming apparently.
Great actor?? Carnival Barker! IF there is a second debate, Biden should NOT NOT NOT let CNN "host" it. They have been a bane on the USA for over a decade.
Perhaps a PRATT (Points Refuted A Thousand Times) collection should be made into a master "Lie List" with the best refutations cited for each lie. and organized into initial dates told, number of times told in total, in each speech, and how often disconnected from the question asked.
My dream would be to see a collection of video clips organized into most often repeated lies, and a separate collection of time he told the verifiable truth (if any, and if it was actually in response to the question asked).
Is there a video editor out there who can make such a collection of even just what Trump said in the "debate" and actually relevant to the question asked?
A lot of time could be saved by just showing the moderators asking questions and only showing the portions of Trump's responses that had anything at all to do with the question asked.
Then show the questions asked, and Trump's answers that haven't been refuted a thousand times (if there are any).
Jim, TFFFG reminds me of a Chatty Cathy doll, you know the kind you pull a string on its back and recorded “talk” is heard. He’s like that….all his talk is just repeated (ad nauseam) lies, exaggerations and flights of fancy self aggrandizement.
Yes! And if there is a second debate, Biden should refer the audience to the White House website for a post-debate fact check of Trump's lies and then just talk to the American people directly, just like a fireside chat.
Frank, it wasn't a debate, and the next one won't be either. NO MORE DEBATES. We know these two men and who/what they stand for. I doubt many minds were changed Thursday, given the performance of the president and the convicted felon.
There were a lot of valued suggestions in this thread. All I'm saying, if Trump can do it, there are effective debate counters. Of course it isn't a real debate. NONE of them are. Better not to walk away from this, esp considering the Biden team initiated this one.
Remember the Gish Gallop debate technique Heather mentioned in her news summary on the 27th Plus his medical condition of stuttering...Combining these two things is a Very Good explanation of what happened at the debate..plus physically perhaps he had a cold with his voice being hoarse...
Ill stick to there are learnable counterpoints for the GG Trump style. Biden's increased stutter and losing his train of thought indicates he wasn't psychologically or properly prepared for this.
Or, Frank, based on what’s been reported about prep, maybe OVER prepared….coming to do a PhD dissertation opposite a toddler who has had too much sugar.
lol Barbara. I think his prep missed how to handle firehose bite and bait incessant lying. There are techniques I'm sure, trick is Biden temperamentally able to learn not how to be emotionally hijacked, then lose it with endless defences, pointless striking back. I'm hardly trained, but i know seasoned debaters can dish back what was given, without lies!
He could have taken an OTC cold pill prior. They can be nasty in and of themselves. It is of utmost importance that from here on out we do and say nothing but about the good we know he has done. That debate is irrelevant except for the underground info Tramp was seeping out like Heather was pointing out. Our focus needs to be on saving our country!
I think Trump's grandstanding is full of excellent material to either just present, or rebuff with real information, real video. Eg "everyone loves Roe v Wade" ... just imagine. In fact, Biden did just some of that in North Carolina the following day in grand style.
I am confused and confounded at those who claim Trump won the debate. He didn't answer a single question--and the independent voters he desperately needs didn't get a single policy answer.
I am a 40+ yr registered Democrat, but never voted straight ticket until 2022. I will--from now on--until the GOP eradicates MAGA. I have encouraged other voters who lean right but hate Trump/MAGA to hold their noses and vote Blue until the GOP rights themselves. If they can.
I also ask those who say they won't vote/both are too old/Joe is on a decline: do you believe in our system of government? Vote to protect it. Also, have faith that IF Joe truly cannot perform the job, his cabinet and our Constitution will step in. Can anyone TRULY believe a Trump cabinet would do so? We've had POTUS perish in office before, we need
I read this to her. She said "How kind" and took the "hand". She was encouraged by the clips we saw of his rally last night. She is better and thank you for asking.
Hey, Miselle. I like your suggestion of saying to someone who doesn't want to vote, that if they believe in our system of government they should vote to protect it. To me, it's much better than trying to convince them who to vote for.
"...saying to someone who doesn't want to vote, that if they believe in our system of government they should vote to protect it. To me, it's much better than trying to convince them who to vote for..."
Seems very much in the spirit of Willie Velasquez after he had founded the Southwest Voter Registration and Education Project (nonpartisan and far less confrontational than the earlier MAYO he also helped found and Raza Unida). The early years grew out of dissatisfaction with the then (early 1970's) conservative Democratic power structure in Texas (as the conservative Democrats were remaining the same type of "conservatives" but under the opposite party label).
They are credited with getting 2.6 million voter registered (to me, since they became the oldest and largest NON-PARTISAN Latino voter participation organization. We believe in registering informed voters in the greatest numbers possible.
"...Velásquez wanted Latinos to vote, but he also wanted them to be part of the informed electorate. In 1984, he started the Southwest Voter Research Institute, to conduct polls among Latino voters on policy issues. In 1981, he formed the Southwest Council of La Raza, a forerunner of the National Council of La Raza. He taught politics at Harvard University. His nonpartisan Southwest Voter group was advising major candidates including George H.W. Bush and Ted Kennedy..."
Yeah. The Beaux of the world are helpful to my humility. In my freshman year at a small liberal arts college in the South I got into a debate in Poli.-Sci. class with a 'Beau'. I had come in from a fine high school and felt I should show restraint so I would not crush his spirit.
🫣
Imagine my surprise when that 'Beau' ran circles around me in that square-off. One of the many rather embarrassing, though comical in recollection, come-uppances in life. That 'Beau' had a fine mind and character. I did not realize how fortunate I had been for many years.
I stayed with my old party until I was 50, becoming Independent in 1996 when I saw they were not refuting the disgusting Newt Gingrich/Frank Luntz GoPac memo, "Language: A Key Mechanism of Control" and the shunning of any who dared socialize with or hire nonpartisan lobbyists. It was very near the same time Elizabeth Warren left the party for what seems the same reasons.
I considered supporting some like Christine Todd Whitman, who at least tried to get more reasonable EPA actions than the rest of the Bush 43 administration (even resigning in 2007 since she could not defend the administration's attempt to allow major modifications to power plants without new pollution controls. (To me, she had better sense of benefit/cost ratios to provide the needed benefits to the environment at a necessary cost that could be a well defended priority.)
Though I, too, will not vote (and have not voted for), any Republican or anti-Democratic Independent candidate since I wrote in Sheila Bair in the 2004, I do appreciate some of what Todd Whitman has tried since she resigned from the EPA.
"...Christine Todd Whitman, a onetime Republican and former governor of New Jersey who served as the administrator of the E.P.A. during the George W. Bush administration, said that environmental regulations sometimes could go too far and needed to be tempered by courts. But she said she saw the Supreme Court’s recent decisions as an alarming new precedent..."
(Hyperlinks within the portion presented here have been removed, see the article for the detail hyperlinks.)
“…In 2011, Whitman was named to the board of Americans Elect.
In February 2013, Whitman supported legal recognition of same-sex marriage in an amicus brief to the U.S. Supreme Court.
As of 2015, Whitman is a member of the ReFormers Caucus of Issue One. The group, which included 100 other former elected officials advocated for campaign finance reform.
In 2016, Whitman was named the co-chair of the Joint Ocean Commission Initiative.
On February 26, 2016, she endorsed John Kasich in his bid seeking the GOP nomination for presidential candidate. She said that Donald Trump was using "fascist" tactics in his campaign and after Chris Christie's endorsement of Trump said that, in the case of a Trump nomination by the GOP, she would vote for Hillary Clinton. In 2018, Whitman wrote an op-ed calling Trump unfit for office and urging other Republicans to pressure him to step down.
In February 2020, Whitman endorsed former Massachusetts Governor Bill Weld for president in the Republican primaries, in which he was challenging incumbent president Donald Trump. Whitman spoke at the 2020 Democratic National Convention, endorsing Democratic nominee Joe Biden over Republican nominee Donald Trump in the general election.
Whitman co-founded the States United Democracy Center in 2021. and, as of 2022, serves as its co-chair. In her States United capacity, she was among the former state officials who submitted testimony to the U.S. House of Representatives Select Committee to Investigate the January 6 Attack on the United States Capitol, arguing that the attack was part of "a sustained and coordinated effort by the former president and his anti-democracy allies to suppress voting rights, delegitimize free and fair elections, and subvert the will of the voters by overturning election results deemed undesirable to their movement." In July 2022, Whitman was among three former Republican governors who submitted a friend-of-the-court brief to the U.S. Supreme Court, urging the court to uphold provisions of the federal Voting Rights Acts of 1965 that protect minority voters from having their voting power diluted.
In 2022, Whitman joined former Democratic presidential candidate Andrew Yang to create the Forward Party, a centrist third party…”
I would rather have seen her helping start an Opposition Coalition similar to the one that won the majority in the 34th Congress (elected in 1854) when the anti-Nebraska Act candidates started campaigning before any actually ran as the too newly named Republicans.
In reviewing what she has been doing before and after 2007, I came across her husband’s Yale of 66 45th Reunion Essay (perhaps a case of behind a great woman, a great man).
I believe that the members of the Class of 1966 will, in aggregate, see more change in their personal, professional and global lives in the next five years than they have experienced in the past four decades.
I have been married to a beautiful, smart, loving and successful wife for 37 years. We have two attractive children who have exceptional spouses of their own and three grandchildren. Ours is a classic 20th Century American family, but it is going to change. Since it is impossible to know what those changes might be, it probably isn’t worth worrying about them much.
However, I believe we better do something about our country and our World. There are many issues to discuss but for this brief essay I would like to mention two.
The Americans, who rescued Europe and the World twice in 30 years, came home with the American Dream which simply stated said: If you work hard, you can succeed at just about anything you want to do. This dream lasted until the 1990s when a number of politicians discovered that they could get and stay elected if they promised to provide an unsustainable standard of living even if they never delivered it. An important corollary to this was that all Americans “deserved” this standard of living whether they worked for it or not. Unless we reestablish the original American Dream in the hearts and minds of our people, our children will see a continuing erosion in their prospects for success.
America’s dependence on foreign oil erodes its moral standing in the world and pours billions of dollars into the coffers of terrorists. Until we become energy self-sufficient, we will be forced to follow an inconsistent foreign policy that not only makes a mockery of our fundamental ethical strength but emboldens our enemies and enriches our competitors.
*
I also remember John for his generosity of spirit, his invitations to Drumthwacket for several Yale football games against Princeton, his being (with Christie) the breeder who gave our country its famous First Scottie, Barney of the Bush White House, a Commandeur de Bordeaux, a Pilgrim, and just being a loyal friend.
John Whitman was, through and through, a patriot and a devoted American. From 1967 to 1972, he served his country with honor as a First Lieutenant in the United States Army stationed in Vietnam and then in the reserves. John always identified his birthday as “D-Day plus two” and, as a lasting memorial, Christie and the family have established the John R. Whitman Normandy Scholars Fund at the World War II Museum in New Orleans. This perpetual endowment, supported by many of John’s classmates and friends, will educate deserving students, with a preference to New Jersey residents, about World War II and send them to Normandy to study and return to their communities to share the lessons of the Normandy campaign…”
I saw Speaker Mike ("Moses") Johnson on tv yesterday suggesting that the House members are considering bringing up the 25th amendment for Biden. (Never mind it's the President's Cabinet that actually has that power.)
My thinking exactly - he looked and acted sick! I have said before - with all the travel & public appearances PLUS PLUS doing his job as President! Lynell, I am SO pissed at the attitudes not only the idiots on the news but people in his own party! I have to stop - this is making me so darn mad. Have to quit & tune out for a bit. Actually, I never did read Anna's latest post - better place to be!!! Right?
Hey, Maggie. I, too, have yet to read Anna's post. I have been consumed with this entire debate aftermath. I promised myself I would read it later today. I hope it's one of her "fun" ones!
I still havent - went to a high school graduation last night - great granddaughter and my "step" granddaughter both graduated in the same class - large class - sitting outside on bleachers for (felt like) many hours & the walk up from the parking lot and back down when thank god all the kids had their diplomas about finished me, my daughter,& her two daughters off!!! I am beat plus feel like my chest might be congested. Lucky I felt fine last night. Arent you glad you replied to my comment???
And does this explain my somewhat testy comments this morning?
I do feel for Biden if he felt anywhere near as lousy as I do AND had to deal with the boob!
Ok Lynell. That makes sense to me but here’s another thought. I have been watching the detective show MONK on Netflix Here’s what could have happened. My thought right after the show was that some MAGat drugged Biden before the show. But now after reading HCR’s brilliant reveal of something most of us didn’t focus on, isn’t it possible that Biden’s performance was a clever ruse to get blowhard45 to do some bragging, and he did. The CIA is right now analyzing the post-debate phone conversation between donnie and puton, who can actually speak English very well. Or, possibly donthecon speaks Russian. Or possibly they have a special secret language only the two of them know. Whew! It’s great to see Biden back to normal. Let’s get tfffg braggioguy locked up and put away.
You're not gonna believe this, Gigi, but I watch Monk, too! Perfect thought about "Here's what happened"! Your theory passes muster with me, I'm here to say. Thanks!
Do you remember the Saturday Night live skit when Reagan went to a secret room and had a conversation in Chinese on the phone? That’s how repubs trick us and the SNL people were trying to warn us! ;-)
I agree with you. And he could not back out of the debate because he "had a cold." so he was trapped on stage with a felon, liar, treasonous carnival barker. He couldn't fight back because he was sick (and likely also in the looney space taking cold medications cause). Watching him in Raleigh made it clear his head had cleared up. He's a fighter, and a winner as President.
Biden was also coughing up a lot of gunk at the Raleigh rally. The first minute I saw him at the debate I thought he was sick.
This is not excuse making here. At the end of the day a combination of illness, the lack of fact checking and a narcissist tsunami all combined to make a disaster.
Lynelle(VA ....) What happened to the President during the debate was eluded to by HCR in yesterday's Letter. It's called the Gish Gallop. Explained or amplified by near the top of today's comments by Ron Boyd (Denver): "The 𝐆𝐢𝐬𝐡 𝐆𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐨𝐩 is a rhetorical technique in which a person in a debate attempts to overwhelm their opponent by providing an excessive number of arguments with no regard for the accuracy or strength of those arguments. (Wikipedia)
"During a Gish Gallop, a debater confronts an opponent with a rapid series of specious arguments, half-truths, misrepresentations, and outright lies in a short space of time, which makes it impossible for the opponent to refute all of them within the format of a formal debate."
This has been very helpful to me for understanding what happened, and the effect Trump has on people.
Thanks, Judith. I did read about the Gish Gallop first from HCR and then several other sources like Ron Boyd. It sure helped me as well for how the President was ambushed. My comment about his being ill with a possible virus was meant to be sort of an explanation for what his body was possibly going through at the time. I think all of us know what it's like to try to "carry on" in the face of a flu-like virus. It's just my lay opinion that had he been 100%, he could have been more effective whether or not he knew about Gish Gallop,
And Bob Woodward (of the Nixon tapes and all the books regarding trump) said journalists should be looking into why Biden was struggling, and pundits were instead overreacting.
Convicted felon Donald Trump, Paul Manafort, Roger Stone, Stephen Miller, Steve Bannon, and General Flynn are CFDT's co-conspirators. In a more perfect world they would all be behind bars.
Does anyone recall that CFDT pardoned 143 convicted criminals including 4 people convicted of defrauding Medicare/Medicaid out of a total of $1.4 billion? And Rick Scott was convicted of the same thing and he is running again for the Senate.
Way back there, I used to post on FB and Twit, the convictions of Dem and Repub politicians. It was a rogues gallery versus an occasional greedy, corrupt Dem. But the MSM won’t tell. Thank you. Rick Scott even looks like a shyster. Poster boy for used car salesman.
Thanks to the brilliant show of leadership from Gavin Newsom citing the folly of screamed ‘bad political maneuvering ‘ that was undoubtably continued Republican underhanded tactics , pure opportunistic slandering -trading out Biden over one night’s mishap.
Thank you Gavin 👏
The fact remains Biden is OUR only choice .
The only elephants in that room was Trump , nonstop LIES, and his baggage.
Biden has given us four years of leadership unequalled , backed by years of service FOR THE PEOPLE …there’s not one better to compare.
It’s clear to the bottom of this MAGA swamp , as clear as can be , the lists of rich powerful people /companies/foreign subterfuge long planning this ..they are cut from the same cloth as the emperor’s clothes and cloaks of deception. They seed doubt ,weaken trust, then double down with the tactics of well known dictators.
Truth , especially admitting those rare downtimes , is the character of notable worth. Self disclosure is a confidence builder that great mentors use wisely.
..there is no better choice , team…
I’ve said this before ..bears repeating evidentially …that the percentages of people voting ( given the 2020 numbers slight applause [66%] ) is the second biggest threat to our Democracy…Trump is only the middle finger up in the Heritage & sordid company/backers HUGE PLAN -serious,persistent,doubled trouble.
The lesson afforded us culminates 11/5/24 did enough listened? Catch on? Wake up? Your vote counts period.
Yes, my Governor was excellent in his appearance on the tube after the so-called "debate." He is Pres Biden's most effective surrogate, I think. He has said time and time again how he totaslly supports Biden and he goes into the den of idiots that is Fox Propaganda to trample on their idiocy.
He is paving the way for 2028, when I look forward to a spirited contest for the Presidential nomination between him and Gov Gretchen Whitmer. (What a dream team they would be!)
Thank you , Sharon . Yes, 2028 and a team of equal competence . I fully will endorse and support. Impressive. Hakeem , Frost , there’s an experienced team to pick and lead onward.
Fewer than 30% of the people who voted in 2020 tuned in to the CNN Clickbait Show masquerading as a 'debate" and of those who did, less than 5% said it affected their decision to vote for Biden. These debates are the single most useless political scam the media came up with. The Professional Bedwetters panicked over Clinton's "loss" to Pert in 1992, and Obama's 2012 "loss" to Rmoney. It's what they do. It's why they're the Dimocrats.
The benefit of the debates is that CFDT is on record lying over and over again and never answering a question asked of him.
You will see footage of CFDT in many political ads between now and November.
I am as upset as anyone that it didn't go better for Biden, but damage control is in process and I think the 24 hour news cycle will swallow this up with other BS very quickly.
It will reinforce the MAGAt insanity, not change one Dem mind, and may give ammo to that crazier than chump idiot RFKJ and his devoted soft brains. Joe could use their votes. What they are doing works for chump. No excuse for their splitting the Dem vote, none…
Yes, I shudder to think of how vicious the Trump adverts will be. Hopefully, they will be so nasty that they will turn off more undecided voters than they entice. President Biden's response can be something like, "So Trump has nothing better to do than to celebrate my mistakes while I am busy correcting his. Let us keep it that way."
And we should also be seeing tv ads of tffg talking about windmill farms off S. Carolina causing dead whales to be turning up on the beaches and the rant about a boat with a tremendously large battery that causes the boat to sink and then there is a shark next to the boat and blah blah blah....those ads of tffg rambling on at rallies and making no sense should be playing nonstop!
Quit focusing on "lies" fer crissakes. The guy (#45) is full of crap as far as we (us here) are concerned. His fan-base looks at "us/we/you & me.., as a bunch of hopeless liberal-ass libtards/pedophile-supporters/queers/faggots/druggers/devil-worshippers/and un-American fools. However, not every citizen feels either way. And a lot of those "citizens" think that voting is a "waste of time", or "my vote won't make a difference", or "nothing will change"..etc, and they're just pissed because of the price of gas and groceries and taxes are thru-the roof. Etc. So, here's my answer... I knew you would ask :)).., Here it is: THAT'S BULLSHIT.., AND YOU KNOW IT! Then, silence. As you go on with your day.., you've done well. And believe me, you have!
"Journalism is printing what someone else does not want printed. Everything else is public relations." - George Orwell
Translation: The purpose of a journalism organization is to inform people profitably, and not profit from misinforming.
It's too bad Heather is so busy. She could otherwise start a school of journalism and start with CNN employees including the two debate moderators. Meanwhile, we'll have to accept the reality that CNN has become a public relations organization and is no longer a journalism organization.
The more I think about it the angrier I get. There were four people on the set of the debate. One of them was serving the country at his expense. The other three were serving themselves at the country's expense. I'll give Trump one credit. At least he doesn't care if we know.
Media needs to shift the conversation. Every night for 8 years plus, It’s all appalling, the fatigue is relentless as reflected in the debate turnout.
Couldn’t we be giving more oxygen to the issues of freedom, the environment and justice without boundaries? I would also be happy without polls which to me are another fear tactic.
I'm not a professional bedwetter, but I am concerned about some of Joes incoherent remarks. The we killed Medicare.. where the hell did thst come from? Was he that shook up by the format and lies?
I would like an explanation of what happened from the campaign. He did not look well. He'd had a taxing few weeks with the anniversary of Beaus death, conviction of Hunter, multiple international trips and then the enormity of the possibility of a loss to the orange f#cktwit.
I wasn't discouraged by the debate. Same old, same old trumpian tactics..Lie, lie, lie. Attack, attack, attack! Evade answering direct questions!
I'm still " ridin' with Biden." He is the more honorable, honest, caring candidate who had an off night. As for trump, I suspect he takes drugs before these events & then peters out half way through,
from their effects. It's been said by those who should know, trumps a fan of Ritalin..big time; which could induce an amphetamine like response in people taking it. As my sister has said as well, I'd take President Biden if he had any number of what might be considered
"issues," over a trump any day. The impediment trump has is one of lack of a moral compass; lack of the kind of character you can count on in a crisis, or well, anything. We've already had a sampling of that over his 4 year term. Why would anyone not morally challenged or insane, vote for him another term, after January 6th & all the goings on, the rest of his prior term. A major $#!+show over those 4 years & the ilk that would riddle his administration, like Stephen Miller. Another human tragedy, lacking a moral compass. Only having sat in those seats before, they'd have previous knowledge of how to " milk" it better this time. And don't forget, if we got trump, maga republicans would push Project 2025.
Ritalin or adderall. Both are meth-like compounds differing from methamphetamine by a carbon or two hanging off the benzene ring. For people with ADHD they're calming and helpful.
For everyone else they're powerful stimulants. Given that everything CFDT says is projection, and his insistence Biden is "on something", it's a pretty safe bet he's was on one or both.
Thank you Ned. I just watched the rally on C-SPAN. I would not have seen it if it hadn't been for the link you posted. It is time to Energize, Organize and VOTE BLUE all the way through!
My R-leaning better half had his pre-existing opinion of Biden's infirmity confirmed, but was appalled by Trump's "performance". I suspect (hope) he is not the only one who was convinced NOT to vote for Trump by his lies and complete inability to answer policy questions. (I don't think he is convinced to vote for Biden, but it's a start). You won't hear about that in the media.
Nope. A big nope. A third party vote guarantees a trump win. See Simon Rosenberg on where the race stands today. Biden is gaining ground and is ahead in some areas, but his advantage is tenuous at this point. To add in a third party vote would be a disaster. I refer you to Gore/Bush/Nader and Clinton/trump/Stein/Sanders.
Third party candidates are outliers who do not have the best interests of the Country at heart. If they did, they would read the tea leaves and throw their support to the best candidate for Democracy. Third party candidates terrify me.
No, I was referring to Louise's better-half. A Republican who dislikes Trump might have voted for him in the past while pinching his or her nose. So, going third party in this particular demographic would help President Biden.
I know that. I was thereby prompted to write about third party candidates. I don't get all personal and personality in debates or politics Ned. It is about the issues and having friendly debates. Politics is the great American past time isn't it?
We are playing a zero-sum game here. It's either Biden or trump. Third party votes pull votes from the 2 party candidates. At the end of the day, they are vanity votes and accomplish nothing. In our ever-increasing close elections, every single vote is crucial.
This race is turning on a dime. It's terrifyingly close. I refer you to Simon Rosenberg for his astute, better than mine, analysis of where we stand today.
Like President Biden, they were likely appalled at the bald-faced lying and too stunned to say anything. Trump had rehearsed these lines and just kept spouting them off and charging ahead like a pile-driver.
Though inelegant, next to a tongue tied gentleman, these slurs can almost pass for eloquent. What does one do?
Invent counter lines and put in ear-plugs every time Trump spouts off so the President can stay on message afterward instead of responding and getting bogged down in the mess.
President Biden did stumble, badly. One thing I noticed, however, is that he did refute points Trump made, only for Trump to go right on repeating them.
If the so-called moderators were appalled, they have been living on another planet. Trump says nothing these days except untruths...and word salads. They should have been on high alert for that.
If they opened that door, how far would it open before mayhem broke out. And maybe that’s what should have happened. Make Trump go ballistic it’s not hard to do. If Bash or Tapper had lambasted Trump, it would have made good television and after all, this is what it’s about. Ratings and income.
The challenge is that, with people like Trump, one has no one time to think through a response because the sh*ts just keep on coming. Were I an advisor to President Biden, I would counsel: "Let go and let Joe. Relax. You have got this. Take earplugs to the next debate, if it occurs, so you can tune out the inevitable scheiße-blitzes and stick to your good-news message."
Ann W. makes a point that the moderators should have been ready. Yet it is easy for me to say something at the television as an onlooker already well acquainted with Trump's scheiße versus confronting it in my face in real time.
What school do reporters go to where they learn to be neutered?
Is wonk a language -- you know, like an officially registered UN tongue, but one learned in post-Powell-memo "higher" ed where all humanities have given way to neutered silo after neutered silo?
And the bankers lick their chops at all that meat needing student loans to cripple them forever?
Most infuriating was that T didn’t answer the questions! If I remember in the beginning one of the moderators said he could use his 2minutes however he liked. So apparently he had memorized two minutes soundbites and repeated variations of those over and over.
Their defense is that they said up front they weren't going to. New format, not enough attention given to issues. Cutting the orange felons mic wasn't enough.
If you want criticism of the moderators and of CNN listen to Keith Olbermann. Not to defend any of them, bear in mind that the ground rules prevented fact checking. The moderators could only ask the pre-printed questions. The clock and mics were rigorously controlled. It was a farce for sure. But the Biden campaign agreed to it. Under those circumstances, Biden should have ignored Trump and referred the audience to his website for the facts and then told endearing, even funny, stories. He should have dispatched Trump with five or six words and talked from the heart to the American people.
We are living through a “Dunkirk moment”. We could even call it a Fort Sumter moment.
Regardless of whether the majority that decided this fully understood what they were doing, the Supreme Court of the United States has fired the first shots. Now, the wildfire can only be quenched by the American people, by re-electing the current President, ABOVE ALL BY ELECTING IN NOVEMBER A CONGRESSIONAL MAJORITY OF PATRIOTIC FIREFIGHTERS.
Despite the Justices’ Fort Sumter action, it is Churchill’s example that I shall now be calling up. Unfashionable as he may be—and was, justifiably, on successive occasions during his lifetime—we would not be here, free to enjoy our opinions, free to spread them, if it had not been for the dogged determination of this man and the British people in 1940 and the years that followed. Forebears of whom we are all unworthy.
In his “We shall fight on the beaches” speech, there is one passage that has special resonance at the present time: that in which he speaks of the Fifth Column. In America, in conservative circles in Britain, “this malignancy in our midst”, this Fifth Column—both the cowards and the calculating, unprincipled profiteers—has never been more active, more omnipresent. Or more dangerous.
The world will not be safe until it has—to use Churchill’s words—been effectively stamped out.
*
I shall soon be returning, at great length, for a more panoramic view of the current situation. I hope this will be helpful. Please bear with me if you find it overlong.
Churchill knew a thing or two about tough situations. “Success consists of going from failure to failure without loss of enthusiasm.” We need his voice if we don’t have a “bulldog of our own.” BTW. Maddogpac.com does billboards. Would love to see more of them everywhere. Claude Taylor is back in business and will get what little money I have.
Chump thinking that his mug shot looks like Churchill is the biggest joke ever. Churchill would never have signed England over to Hitler, although their once king likely would have. Ain’t history fun…
Churchill was a ‘clutterer’ also—had a speech impediment where the brain races and the speech can’t keep up. In that day and age it was easier to disguise.
Having worked with a speech therapist and a stutterer in eighth grade years ago, I am acutely aware of the life long struggle they have with every utterance. Joe worked and dealt with his challenge, while chump skated through his whole life greased up with money and excuses made for him by family and those afraid of the power of money. The campaign is between a tough survivor and the primo bully with nary a trace of humanity. BTW, Winston’s brain was quick on the trigger, he could come back with some zingers. Of course, that was before the day of instant reporting of every thought.
Yup, I'm tired of compelling narrative taking the place of compelling reporting and analysis. My analysis: Biden hit a pot-hole - a big one, but the axle did not break, the car is still moving. I do not believe the debate ('debate' here is used loosely, debating DT is akin to trying to land a spacecraft on the surface of a gas giant) changed the minds of a single person who watched it with any attentiveness.
Biden lost an opportunity to allay doubts about age and infirmity (doubts fanned by narrative hungry pundits). Trump lost, well, because he is Trump. Any parsing of what he said will reveal mostly lies and non-sense. The American electoral system lost yet more credibility. Rather than staking an unbiased course with good reporting, CNN tried to pander to both sides - is this the best we can do? (please don't answer - the question is rhetorical)
The real losers on 6/27 were the American voters, who need real information/analysis. Instead, we are fed a diet of half-truths, lies, and innuendo by a pundit class too stupid to realize the damage they are doing by turning our lives and issues into a soap opera. Christ-on-a-cracker, I'm sick of it.
I agree Steve, CNN betrayed Biden and our country. If Biden could could do it over, I believe he would have simply walked off the stage early on, perhaps with a comment that CFDT should be wearing an orange jumpsuit.
We are living through a “Dunkirk moment”. We could even call it a Fort Sumter moment.
Regardless of whether the majority that decided this fully understood what they were doing, the Supreme Court of the United States has fired the first shots. Now, the wildfire can only be quenched by the American people, by re-electing the current President, ABOVE ALL BY ELECTING IN NOVEMBER A CONGRESSIONAL MAJORITY OF PATRIOTIC FIREFIGHTERS.
Despite the Justices’ Fort Sumter action, it is Churchill’s example that I shall now be calling up. Unfashionable as he may be—and was, justifiably, on successive occasions during his lifetime—we would not be here, free to enjoy our opinions, free to spread them, if it had not been for the dogged determination of this man and the British people in 1940 and the years that followed. Forebears of whom we are all unworthy.
In his “We shall fight on the beaches” speech, there is one passage that has special resonance at the present time: that in which he speaks of the Fifth Column. In America, in conservative circles in Britain, “this malignancy in our midst”, this Fifth Column—both the cowards and the calculating, unprincipled profiteers—has never been more active, more omnipresent. Or more dangerous.
The world will not be safe until it has—to use Churchill’s words—been effectively stamped out.
*
I shall soon be returning, at great length, for a more panoramic view of the current situation. I hope this will be helpful. Please bear with me if you find it overlong.
*
A necessary afterthought: while there can be no question but that the Supreme Court of the United States includes Justices who have clearly taken sides in the party political fray, the fact that, in the case of Loper Bright Enterprises v. Raimondo, the Supreme Court has just overturned the Chevron defense doctrine that underpins the administrative state means that the Justices are now placing that decision, and far more, squarely in the hands of America’s voters.
IT IS NOW FOR THE AMERICAN PEOPLE TO DETERMINE WHETHER THEY PREFER THE RULE OF MONEY—A TYRANNICAL OLIGARCHY—OR GOVERNMENT OF THE PEOPLE, BY THE PEOPLE, FOR THE PEOPLE—D E M O C R A C Y .
Peter, reading about these rulings, the feeling of dread that the Project 2025’s Mandate for Leadership is already creeping into and morphing the “law of the land” to their vision. Seems key players are already in place on the board hoping to checkmate us before we realize it. Damn, double damn….
No one elected the Heritage Foundation to destroy our government and professional civil service, and no one elected the justices allowing legalized bribery. Hamilton, Madison, and Jefferson would be appalled. They would also be appalled at the unserious morons elected to public office and behaving like middle schoolers.
Awhile back Lawrence O'Donnell had an excellent segment on his show that stressed the importance of elections….not just for POTUS/Congress, but for those elected officials who will APPOINT judges to lifetime positions on the courts, the impact of which reverberates and impacts current and future generations. The conundrum to me is how those thinking Project 2025’s Mandate for Leadership will somehow get rid of the “deep state” boogeyman when, in actuality, it creates one on steroids. Oh the irony.
Loper accomplishes 90% of Project 2025. The Heritage Foundation has executed a coup. They no longer need a party or a dictator when they have the 6 fascists on the high bench.
Yeah, James, they’ve been playing a very long game, starting at least w/ the Powell memo back in the early 70’s if I recall the decade correctly (pre-Reagan & he took it to heart). Ginormous money behind it.
Thank you Will. Exactly right. Biden has brought me to tears before with his heart and love of our country. I will find his speech in Raleigh. We should all quit our yipping and get to work! Amen brother.
Will, from Cal, we all want to win. Respectfully, there are two main questions as I see it.
1. How will swing voters be affected by the optics and performance of Pres. Biden at the debate? And will this drag downward down ballot races? These questions arise out of my fear of losing.
2. Can Pres. Biden do the presidential 24/7 job well in a second term? This is facing the reality of having a concern (not a five alarm fire, but a concern) that what I saw at the debate was perhaps not a cold or a one-off. Is there perhaps a pattern developing? I don't know but it is a question, a legitimate one, albeit a sad and untimely one yes.
My questions are legitimate, in good faith, and come with respect and admiration for Pres. Biden. Should I be shamed for expressing my thoughts and rational fears? Is it just, that your fears or anger should silence me? Am I not granted equality in expressing my in good faith thoughts?
Hey, M. I don't know if this will help you, but this link is a written transcript of the debate. You will note that the written word is devoid of any human nuance which, to my mind, has both good and bad attributes to it. I was pretty fearful myself while watching the debate. Reading what he said made sense, even though how he spoke that night seemed disjointed.
Lynell (VA by way of MD & DC), thanks so much! That is a great idea. I will do that. And thanks for being open to understanding that I think it's important to allow people space to express their honest thoughts/concerns without being shut-down or squashed by shaming. I believe we do ourselves a disservice if we don't allow space for facing our fears and concerns. It helps us find the right path forward and be more creative, conscious, and strategic.
You're very welcome, M. I don't wish to overdo, but! Here is another article written by Mehdi Hasan in the Atlantic. If the written transcript doesn't do it, Mehdi absolutely nails it when it comes to that concept known as the Gish Gallop, that which Biden was absolutely subjected to. Note that this article was written back in February 2023, so not an article about the debate we all saw the other night. This article is gifted:
Morning, Ally! I was in the middle of thanking you for this wonderful stone kettle article, when my hand wiped it out while at the same time knocking me off where your posted comment was. So frustrating! Anyway, this guy does a great job of explaining what happened and, very importantly, what hasn't changed. I really like his writing style. Thanks, again, for informing me about his website.
Lynell (VA by way of MD&DC), may I also ask, if you are aware if there is a local geneological group of descendents of familial land of Shenandoah National Park? I found interviews from the 1970's the university did with my relatives who lived there prior to relocation, so I would like to try to find out if any relatives are still in the area.
Lynell (VA by way of MD&DC), thank you. It's not an overdo. It's a kindness, your offer of help. I appreciate it and the gifted link. I'll read Mehdi's article too. And may I ask how do you like VA? I learned in the past year or so that some of my ancestors lived in Colonial VA, fought in the Revolution, and later gave up their land via imminent domain for Shenandoah National Park. Their burial grounds and remnants of their homestead are still accessible via trail. One day I want to make it to VA to be closr to them. So I wondered how you like VA. And what is the area around SNP like?
Thank you, Lynell, for this link! I commented on a SubStack yesterday that we should look at a transcript—at the actual words spoken—to see the substance (or in TFFFG’s case, the lack of) the narrative. By word and deed Biden/Harris is the winning team!
Can Trump do a presidential job 24/7? He couldn't last time. He's certainly not able to this time and, unlike President Biden, Trump does not surround himself with competent cabinet members or administrators.
Ann W., of course, that's true. But you're deflecting from my ability to express a fear/concern about one candidate. I wasn't comparing and contrasting.candidates. I did that years ago and completely agree with you.
I agree with you completely. I am furious about the disrespect being displayed about Biden. It plays right into the GOP narrative about him being incompetent. I loved seeing Biden’s passionate speech on Friday. I was not surprised, though, because I have watched many of his speeches. Biden had a cold on Thursday, and the debate format was not conducive to giving thoughtful responses. The stutter that Biden has dealt with since childhood started occurring, which can happen under stress. I can’t imagine what it must have been like to stand near Trump as he spewed a constant barrage of bizarre lies.
Bravissimo! Many Substack commenters are amazingly knowledgeable and astute, and I learn a lot from us, here and elsewhere. But herd instinct is a thing, and armchair politicos *love* Substack. I think, I hope, the tide is turning. Now if only the apparatchiks of the national Democratic organizations, esp. the DNC, can just get the hell out of the way . . .
A great comment. Pres debates are nor debates they are performances. Biden failed his audition. That “debate” terrified his base because he looked like what his ageist opponents have been claiming. The candidates will not lose any of their base. The fret is about the vast number of ignorant voters who, sad as that maybe vote not on issues, policies, or accomplishments they vote who they feel they can relate to. The tRump people rightly assess that the contest is about strength vs weakness. Those of us who follow politics can’t believe the polls are as close as they are because this election should not be competitive!
My 34 yr old daughter who is by no means a trump supporter, but isn’t consumed with politics like we are, watched the debate and her only remarks were how much trump lied and contradicted himself and his deeply insulting remark about Black jobs. Black twitter didn’t let trump off the hook for that one. While we were freaking out, they were hilariously mocking him on twitter. I shared the thread but it was ignored. A shame too, because it was a much needed different perspective.
I absolutely, wholeheartedly agree. Biden had ONE bad night. One. Give the man a break. People are so fickle. If people are looking for perfection, they'll never find it. But, President Biden definitely has what it takes to beat trump. Don't give up on him!!
Optics across the board of Biden's debate performance have been universally negative. I personally cringed at a lot of it. The glaring contrast between this adject performance and eg the State of the Union speech, and his very upbeat performance at his North Carolina rally the day after the debate with Trump almost demands an explanation. Bob Woodward, who thought his performance was catastrophic, said journalists should spend more time trying to understand this anomalous under-performance. I agree. One reflection I have for now is that, for whatever reason, Biden lost his usual psychological equanimity in how he handled things when confronted with Trump's torrent of deceits and lies, all of which had effective counters if presented in a straightforward but upbeat manner, and not get tangled defensively with one lie after another - that was too obvious in watching his on screen reactions while Trump lumbered on. Biden was emotionally overwhelmed, and it showed big time. Does this make him an incapable president? I don't think so. But his relationship to Trump may be too toxic for him to be able to debate with him live. I don't know. In his rally, with a supportive wife and crowd, he was effective in his rebuttals, and in his assertions. Whether he had teleprompter help, after all it was a campaign speech, her performance was second to none. Can he learn how to recover from his disastrous debate? I'm not sure. But I'm more than willing to give him chance to re-bate Trump. It isn't that hard to break down Trump's performance, his ad hominem, his attack hooks, and take up a forceful approach on Dem issues, and his own record as president. My morning rant. Biden has to up his extemporaneous dynamic with Trump in particular.
What dark money wants, the Clarence court’s bribed and perjured will give to dark money.
We learned from the “debate” how Dems need to rally each other (appear together in public; often quote, cite each other) – not only to fend off Trump’s sewer of lies, but also to make up for how even the U.S.’s best, established media "moderators" haven't the slightest clue as to moderating such a sewer.
Now, too, the Clarence court has killed the Chevron precedent, gutting federal health, safety, finance, and environmental protections. Dark money has been corrupting that court. Now it can expand U.S. predations.
A singular evil entwines Dred Scott, Plessy v. Ferguson, Citizens United, and the ruling two years ago aborting the rights of American women.
Such massive, organized, far-right assault the American public is facing – continuous since, as Heather wrote “ . . . the South Won the Civil War.”
We are also learning how wedded capitalism is to using dark money tactics to survive. Unfortunately treating all citizens fairly is anathema to wealth protection.
I think it's natural for people to want more money; but at some point it becomes a sociopathic obsession, at least for some, and they will attempt to destroy anything and everything that limits their quest. The "love" of money.
Yet, not one of the greedy bastards can take it with them. However Rupert may have found a way to stave off the Grim Reaper. Dorian Gray??? Nah, Dorian stayed young and handsome while his portrait aged. Rupert looks like the devil he is. No amount of money can change that…
Jeri, yeah I guess it’s “he who dies with the most toys wins”—wins what? Bragging rights? Like you say, can’t take with you…unless, like Pharos, you get buried in a big storage container with all your stuff! Perhaps a gift to future archeologists…..
JL, it’s like these folks with the greed virus have never understood the concept of “enough”. Sigh, guess there will always be those who want, but do not need, “more”.
Jen…lol…I’m in the middle of a stalled renovation on my house & I lamented to a friend that my place looked like an episode of “Hoarder’s”….no, he said, your not a hoarder, you’re a “collector”. Yeah, I do have some great sh*t!!!! Like when the electricians came to correct a problem (they couldn’t fix it, and it resulted in my having to take the interior walls off two rooms..ugh, hate such surprises!) & one of them commented “oh, cool, you have a tool room!”. Hanging my head, I replied “no, that’s my bedroom”. Sigh.
Sorry. I keep way too much stuff because I think "I might use that someday" and often I do, bit not most of it is really surplus. But I don't think its the stuff the problem one percenters are after so much as dominance. They want to be master of all they survey; the whole world if possible, Galactic Emperor in their dreams. They are malignant narcissists; they want everyone and every thing to be toys in their toy box. Look at Trump.
Weird how historically, those completely lacking ethics and shame are seen by many as charismatic. Look at filmed crowds viewing Hitler and Mussolini. It's our own species' tragic flaw, it could kill us all in the end, if we don't get smarter about it fast.
St. Peter will have no trouble kicking arses to the curb if the scripture reads true. Especially that part about the rich man, the camel, and the eye of the needle. Relax rich man, your progeny will strew your riches to the wind.
To their credit, the framers realized their work was release candidate 1.0, so they made it updateable, and Lincoln took a major step towards remediation of our social conception of liberty and dedication to the proposition the all men are created equal, and the rocky road toward racial and gender equality continued to this day, though lately facing renewed and fierce plutocratic resistance. Follow the money.
Still, in retrospect, the Constitutions is admirable but imperfect, at least in my estimation. The absolutely key and unalienable right to vote should have been it's holiest of holies, and the remedy for malfeasance of officials not left to partisan whim. And extended appointments for certain judges, sure, but life? I don't think the framers wanted to think about how any tool can be a weapon when used with malicious intent.
A singular evil; the maliciously narcissistic urge to dominate and control, or even exterminate other people. It threads though history, leaving a wake of horrors and tragedy.
Since Herodotus told the story of Solon and the Persian king, it's been one of our key stories, yes, J L?
Always so many lies built into this narcissism, as abstracting others always distances one further and further from one's own humanity as well as from that of others as others, as individuals.
Yep, never acknowledging others, or their pain keeps the monied from feeling anything. How very Stepford-like. Maybe AI is the answer for us to escape the burdens of empathetic humans.
". . . to escape the burdens of empathetic humans."
Jeri, you know how they answered that in Don Siegel's 1956 "Invasion of the Body Snatchers."
Just fall asleep. The pod people version of you will take over -- and you never again need face complication, complexity, nuance, or anything else invoking the personal, love, or any other human emotion.
AI is seen as a Final Solution by the sociopathic tech bros and CEOs to pesky humans who possess imagination and whose intelligence is empathic rather than abstract. Preceded by the present day softening up mass mediated reprogramming. Creating a social narrative that frames sensitivity to other living beings sufferings and compassion as a unique mental state that calls for specific cognitive treatment.
As an uncle of mine used to say, "we need to fight the good fight." And the fight against evil, ill intentioned people, is as old as time. Let's " keep on keeping on" respect to truth telling and telling the good things that the Biden administration's accomplished!! And let's keep shouting to the rooftops, the dangerous felon that trump is & the similar type folks that will be riding with him;
all wearing black hats & money satchels hanging from their shoulders, to carry their ill gotten gains. That's how I see anyone attached to trump. " What can I get for me?" Not asking the question, what can I do for my
Or what can I do for anyone, for humanity, for polar bears? the problem with letting profit alone run the show is that it breeds sociopathy. Looking at history as a developmental process, like "Evolution" or cosmology the connection should be blatant. E Plurbus Unum. We extend and protect our own liberty in extending it and protecting it for one another. There is no other way.
We've gone a long way off track. Consider that even Republicans were prepared to convict Nixon and the press was instrumental in bringing him down.
Republicans of today, aren't " those" Republicans of the Nixon era; who would often be amenable, to reach across the aisle to their Democrat counterparts, to find common ground to agree upon. It would appear, the IQ levels & common sense has dipped considerably since then in many elected legislators; in particular the Republican party. What does that suggest about the intelligence & common sense of those who elected them today? And of the older republican legislators who dipped out early; there obviously was a recognition of a new "breed" of elected republican legislators (self labeled maga officials in particular) that made them not wish to deal with the madness.
Easy to over-do the preparation and build anxiety by winding someone up too tightly. Knowing the numbers is not what is important but a manner of breezy confidence. I would advise President Biden to take ear-plugs to the next debate so he can ignore the inevitable trumper-tantrums and scheiße storms to stay on-message. That way, if there is another debate, fortune will not favour the impaired mind.
Phil-Thanks for highlighting the fact that we’re still fighting the “Civil War”. In his book entitled A Short History of the Confederate States of America (1890) Jefferson Davis defended the Lost Cause claiming that the war was not about slavery. He wrote, it was “simply political struggles between sections with diverse institutions and conflicting interests”. Of course the institution of slavery was the south’s interest so his claim is specious.
The powers of the presidency, Congress and Supreme Court (Dred Scott) have been invaluable tools for shaping our society. The struggle for control continues. The Rs have chosen to use strategies and tactics to divide us even further.
Lincoln said “a house divided against itself cannot stand”. I think he’s right. Why are we so divided? Red states are mostly in the south, Midwest, and “heartland”.
We all need to wake up to the enduring issues underlying our “conflicting interests”. Could it be that greed, racism and misogyny are undermining our ability to be the “United” States?
Equality, truth and fairness are on the ballot. This election will let us know where (if) we stand. American has an opportunity to show the world that money won’t rule us, greed won’t be rewarded with power and deranged personalities won’t win. I’m counting on “we the people” because one day we will overcome. Yes we can.
Follow the money. The long ago "Party of Lincoln" gleefully traded it's soul for power and rekindled the embers of the Civil War to obtain dominance, the very issue that they once fought to rectify.
Given this out-of-control SCOTUS, it is more important than ever to sweep all three branches of government and clean out that viper's nest of purchased "judges." If I were a betting person, I would bet that the ridiculous delay in the decision about immunity and the deliberate scheduling of the announcement (July 1st) means that six crooks have decided that the convicted felon is above the law and that he has total immunity. They'll then skip town and raise whatever flags indicate to whom they belong (or maybe not - maybe they'll cower down at some undisclosed billion-dollar donor's retreat and hope no intrepid reporter finds out where they are and who is paying them THIS time.)
The christo fascists are achieving their goal, taking over lawmaking via the one un-democratic body allowed to do so. How could we have missed it for so long?
This is all chilling information and you have put it out so clearly that no one should be sitting on their hands in this next election. When I hear people say ". . . I'm sitting this one out. . ." I want to scream.
Didn’t tfg’s comment about the journalist remind you of the Reagan Iranian hostage release? Talk about “Russia, Russia, Russia”! Corruption at the deepest levels.
Don't "want to scream." Correct them bluntly and tell them that is unacceptable to you as a fellow American, and why. You don't have to be rude, but silence or politesse is not an option.
After yesterday, my already very limited patience for this abject nonsense has run out. People appreciate confidence and we need to be projecting that constantly for the next 4.5 months. Absolute smiling lockstep, no exceptions!
Janis, the very few times I’ve heard this, I engage by asking why and have a conversation. I have a homemade sign I carried a several years back at a rally/march in my rural county & I now post it pre-election on my fence…it says “Choosing not to vote is not resistance, it’s surrender”. It is a companion to a larger sign (too big to carry) that I painted that says “Democracy or Autocracy—Our Choice—Vote!”. Passersby usually give me a thumbs-up if I’m out working in the yard…tho’ not a lot of traffic in my wee town of 1200 folk!
Those are great ideas and wonderful signs you've put up. thank you. It is always best to engage in person, sometimes that isn't possible but it is the best way when you can make it happen.
Thank you, Dr. Heather, for talking about Evan Gershkovich, and giving (some of) us something else to think about regarding last night's debacle of a "debate."
"Trump’s focus on 32-year-old Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich, who was arrested by Russian officers in March 2023 and is currently on trial for the trumped-up charge of espionage. The State Department considers him “wrongfully detained,” a rare designation indicating that the person is being held by a hostile government as a bargaining chip. That designation means the U.S. government will do all it can to secure his release."
I'm impressed that you noted these details from tffg's firehose of lies and rambling last night, and tied in some of that content to the Mueller Report. I hope that President Biden's administration hasn't forgotten about Evan.
"So when Trump last night said about the 2022 invasion, “Putin saw that, he said, you know what, I think we’re going to go in and maybe take my—this was his dream. I talked to him about it, his dream,” it sounded as if he had been in on the Mariupol Plan. And when he talked about how the war needed to end, especially in light of Putin’s recent “peace” plan, it sounded as if perhaps he still is.
And he promised, yet again, that he and he alone could get Gershkovich released."
"I talked to him about it, his dream". Helsinki, July 2018. 2 hours, only the interpreters present. His allegiance is to Russia. He's got to go, and the Supreme Court, which is already putting Project 2425 in place.
Damn Manchin and Sinema. The Voting Rights Act would have held these dark funders and underworld voter suppressors up to the light and the fight to keep the Senate and regain the House would not be waged with a handicap!
No back channels to Putin are necessary; this is a wink and a nod process. Release Gershkovich to Trump, which makes him look like a master diplomat, and Putin can do "whatever the hell he wants" in Ukraine. All Trump needs to do is do nothing. Is this possibly a violation of the Logan Act, a felony to interfere with a government foreign policy negotiation
Thank you JustRaven for bringing this back to the conversation. Heather’s clarity in picking up on the throughline of trump’s word-salad comments connecting the Marioupol Plan, and Gershkovich’s possible release reveals shocking questions: how closely was/is trump actually to Putin? Trump is the gift-that-keeps-on-giving for Putin. No wonder Bill Barr needed to take the Meuller Report out at the knees. It reveals toooo much about who runs the gop agenda.
I've been living in Budapest for several months; knowing what he is willing to give Putin, Hungarians are terrified of another Trump presidency. There's a magazine cover of Don Jr. plastered all over Budapest--his arms folded across his chest, his smug grin--the quote next to his image reads, "We would stop the war in Ukraine in 5 minutes." This piece perfectly illustrates how they plan to do that. We must not allow Trump to be re-elected, must not cede the hard-earned world order to these murderous men.
There are irretrievable losses already such as needless COVID deaths, future deaths to climate instability, and children separated and lost to immigrant families. It can be and would be much worse.
Compost improves soil. Garbage degrades and can pollute soil. It takes work to create compost. You have to choose carefully what you allow, cut it into small pieces, put it in your composter and turn it over periodically. Eventually it decomposes into rich earth, full of nutrients. Return the composted soil back to the earth and use it to grow more organic food to power your life. Compost takes months and years but it renews the earth that is the source of all life. Trump is garbage. Biden is compost. The difference between them is stark and obvious. One destroys life. One renews life. Each voter gets to choose what they want for themselves and future generations.
...and people still seem scared of this guy. We shouldnt be. He's a loser. Lost the election, lost in court, lost in business, lost in life. Lost trying to put a sentence together.
He's the devil, yes. But who knew the devil was so utterly pathetic?
Anybody remember Helsinki? I do. All the signs were there, not the least of which was the photo of Putin’s victorious smirk and chump looking like the dog on a leash. We may never have a transcript, but somebody was in the room. Can they be made to speak?
BTW, I subscribe to six substacks. They (plus others) are doing a great job of documenting the fall of the democracy. It’s now a fight between the truth tellers and entertainment/fiction (Rupert, Alex Jones and that ilk) “news” that we have allowed to permeate our lives. Putin has had a better 40-year plan than Reagan ever had. Sort of ironic, don’t you think?
Yep, saddest day of my life was when I realized that our MSM was lured to the Fox “entertainment” model instead of Walter’s example. That was a while back, but I cancelled NYT recently. Had more than enough. I try to support print newspapers, but they don’t make it easy. Then our area has The Epoch Times, check that out. Mind boggling. And we need to add Sinclair. Really too many to list…
And WaPo has hired a cretin who worked for Rupert during the horror that he pulled in England. Bad omen. It may go next. Bezos has become a cretin with his penis-shaped space rocket. Our situation has become untenable
Boy, does this hit me where it hurts today. Thank you. I’ve been telling myself something that a students great grandma told me many years ago. THIS TOO SHALL PASS. What she didn’t say was that something else will come right behind and slap you silly. Yet, there have been blessings that, as the saying goes, sneak in a door you didn’t know you left open. Love the song. Thanks again
Some of your letters, I keep. This is one. Everyone needs to read this. Even I need to read this again. This Trump, Putin, Mannafort, Kilimnick thing is some dark stuff that I'm sure the average Joe doesn't know or care about. We're being eaten away from the inside out.
At least two countries so far, Jeri, his own and Ukraine. And it is hard to know which destruction will have the direr long-term effects, only that the Chinese regime will profit by inheriting the wreckage of both.
It really is complicated -- actually MORE complicated than "as written".
Yet there is something simple to it. A people longing for, fighting for the simple freedom to be themselves. As individuals. As a nation.
In Russia today, in America tomorrow, if Drumpf prevails, one man only is free to be himself. All others must submit, or suffer the direst consequences.
It’s not just his ego. The money men will destroy life as we know it. How many seniors will be homeless or die without social security or Medicare? Or they will live with their overburdened kids in a crowded apartment because there is no housing and will also be poor trying to feed family from the 2 companies left gouging prices? It will be the haves versus the have nots. All about money and greed.
No doubt. Trump is a foreign agent. Aiding & abetting war & territorial expansion for Russia & Israel.
Both of these nations are ethnic & religious nationalists with expansion plans based on claims of ancient & fantasy notions of self righteous supremacy. These head trips align with Trump’s self image.
This is like a cancer that grows within us undetected until it starves all healthy tissue of life. Even if Trump is stopped in November, the tentacles reach deep into our country--Republican fools in the House, more in the Senate, and oligarchs-in-all-but-name in the courts.
I had hoped to sleep tonight enheartened by Biden's rousing rally in Raleigh and the emergence throughout the day of more substantive perspectives and analysis about the "debate." But this letter confirms the continuing damage to our national honor. If we cannot rouse opposition to the obvious malevolence of Trump, how will we ever raise warnings to these unseen threats?
[Trump] “Putin saw that, he said, you know what, I think we’re going to go in and maybe take my—this was his dream. I talked to him about it, his dream.”
With the way he kept talking about WWIII we better hope the October surprise is not an attack on the US or a NATO country. Hell … Putin attacked his own country to get elected… will his mentee do the same?
I don't understand why the Democrats are calling for Biden to step down and yet NOBODY is suggesting that Trump step down, even though in last night's debate, Trump let slip collusion with Putin's invasion via the Mauripol Plan as reported by Heather Cox Richardson in her latest Substack newsletter. How can we as a free democracy NOT hold this overt criminal Trump to just the SAME standard we are demanding of Biden? Trump has noted memory problems, can't even recite policy on demand, and has compromised himself on the world stage but we are cringing because an 81 year old man had a bad 90 minutes probably because of a cold virus?
We must be either blind, or stupid. Please don't do the work for Trump by getting him elected. 1968 should warn us replacing a candidate this late will spell doom for the free world.
It makes me ask aloud, WHY are we so scared of this Trump? What is he going to do if we all stand together against him? Call someone a name on social media? Or send out his shock troops? If he is really capable of scaring politicians by terrorizing them, then speak up! If there is something we should know... unfair pressure against voting positions, like during certain impeachments, then America needs to know. The only way to stop behind the scenes pressure of politicians by a Bully is to bring it out into the light!!! Or if there is nothing there, then stop running from shadows!
When Trump was nominated as a candidate for the Presidency of the USA, I changed political parties.
I was baffled that such an empty, vulgar human being who has never had an interest in anything or anyone but himself and in having such an attitude .... is a complete failure.
He is even a weak "mob boss" as he worships Putin as the model of the man he would like to become.
How anyone can say they love this country or claim to be a Christ-follower and vote for such an empty, Godless man is beyond me. The fact that he is the "chosen one" by so many so called "Christians" only speaks to their willingness to be led straight to hell without even realizing what they are doing! "Frogs in a Kettle!"
I thought we had an amendment that would effectively preclude the POS from running for office? Oh, I forgot…he’s running away from jail not for the presidency. We have so many corrupt politicians and the Supreme Court undermining democracy it is hard to hang onto hope to right the ship. The court has already started implementing Project 2025. Giving the power to states and removing civil liberties and protections at the state level has effectively negated the term “the United States of America.”
Thank you, Heather, for this detail about Ukraine. Is there any room for doubt that Putin and the convicted felon are still collaborating to get him reinstalled in the White House?
I have never understood why people stopped talking about the Russian interference, though I know plenty of other topics have arisen. But, Mueller Bo ever said it wasn’t there, just that it was hard to track. OF COURSE Putin’s remains central to Trump’s efforts. I never saw a reason that changed and Gershkocvich is caught in it.
Another thing that resonates with the idea of sending signals and the special relationship the Trump campaign enjoyed with Putin. The day he called on Russia to get Hillary Clinton’s emails.
I'm going to talk about what we are all still bellyaching over. Anyone who did not watch our President in Raleigh today, do so immediately. He was absolutely forceful and determined and energetic. Watch it. Right now. He has what it takes. Period.
The President had an off night at an inopportune moment. I was disappointed on Wednesday, but today I was angry. Not discouraged, not worried, not frightened, ANGRY. Angry at the hysterical responses here and elsewhere treating a landmark leader like perished food because he dared to tell truth while sounding hoarse. Angry at unrealistic insinuations and garment-rending. Purely angry, and even angrier and more fired up after I saw him in perfect voice and with an open heart in his rally today, not giving up and speaking MY plain values in MY plain language. I almost cried I was so touched. Angry tears. I will be volunteering whenever I am not looking for work or a new house. I will see to it that we win if I have to do it all myself.
Shame on most of the commenters online, including - frankly - many on these pages. Shame on you for thinking a poor TV appearance means Americans will abandon our country to a dictator (who also had a poor TV appearance btw). Shame on you for that lack of faith. Shame. There is no actual evidence that we can't or won't win this thing other than your own insecurities and anxieties. Shame on you for airing that out to such a degree. Shame on you for letting drama-hungry pundits push you around. Enough. Our party leaders - everyone from Obama to Pelosi to Jeffries to Harris to Newsom - people who actually know how to win at politics, have spoken with one voice today: regroup and continue. The voters who will decide this election did not watch CNN, don't know what Substack even is, and could care less about all of this. There is one person they will listen to:
A fellow American. Speak about our candidate and platform with confidence. No one is perfect, but together we will keep winning.
President Biden was prepared for a DEBATE, and he forgot that the individual he faced is a "street fighter." Trump hurls accusations, falsehoods, wants you to think HE is the answer to his fake lies. We cannot desert Biden, we must work even more diligently. Come on people! A convicted felon, rapist, fake leader, attempted to denigrate one of the best leaders we have had in years. IS IT NOVEMBER YET?
True, Trump gave us a Gish gallop.
Kathy Hughes "Trump gave us a Gish gallop."
For those who don't know:
The 𝐆𝐢𝐬𝐡 𝐆𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐨𝐩 is a rhetorical technique in which a person in a debate attempts to overwhelm their opponent by providing an excessive number of arguments with no regard for the accuracy or strength of those arguments. (Wikipedia)
During a Gish Gallop, a debater confronts an opponent with a rapid series of specious arguments, half-truths, misrepresentations, and outright lies in a short space of time, which makes it impossible for the opponent to refute all of them within the format of a formal debate.
Each point raised by the Gish Galloper takes considerably more time to refute or fact-check than it did to state in the first place, which is known as 𝐁𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐨𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐢'𝐬 𝐥𝐚𝐰. The technique wastes an opponent's time and even casts doubt on the opponent's debating ability for an audience unfamiliar with the technique.
𝐁𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐨𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐢'𝐬 𝐥𝐚𝐰, also known as the "bullshit asymmetry principle," is an adage coined in 2013 by Alberto Brandolini that emphasizes the effort of debunking misinformation, in comparison to the relative ease of creating it in the first place. The law states:
"𝑇ℎ𝑒 𝑎𝑚𝑜𝑢𝑛𝑡 𝑜𝑓 𝑒𝑛𝑒𝑟𝑔𝑦 𝑛𝑒𝑒𝑑𝑒𝑑 𝑡𝑜 𝑟𝑒𝑓𝑢𝑡𝑒 𝑏𝑢𝑙𝑙𝑠ℎ𝑖𝑡 𝑖𝑠 𝑎𝑛 𝑜𝑟𝑑𝑒𝑟 𝑜𝑓 𝑚𝑎𝑔𝑛𝑖𝑡𝑢𝑑𝑒 𝑏𝑖𝑔𝑔𝑒𝑟 𝑡ℎ𝑎𝑛 𝑡ℎ𝑎𝑡 𝑛𝑒𝑒𝑑𝑒𝑑 𝑡𝑜 𝑝𝑟𝑜𝑑𝑢𝑐𝑒 𝑖𝑡."
I didn't realize it's a well known debate tactic.
I wonder if the counter argument traditionally is to run over and kick the perpetrator in the nuts so they can't speak..
Glad I had just set my coffee mug down and swallowed. Saved my laptop from another spewing forth of "guffawcoffee".
Morning, Ally! Here's a gifted article from the Atlantic by Mehdi Hasan written back in 2023 about the Gish Gallop...and how to counter it!
https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2023/02/donald-trump-debate-strategy-gish-gallop/673061/?gift=aFbN6PR_6hTlYUVlokJksBVyuxsjBMXPhrltrGBN3LY&utm_source=copy-link&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=share
Yeah, that’s funny, but HCR pointed out in yesterday’s letter thst there are coutntermeasres to the Gish gallop tactic and that those countermeasures are known to debate experts. Since Gish galloping is Trump’s default mode of “communication,” I find it astonishing that Biden’s aides failed to prepare him to use effective countermeasures.
Thanks Ally, I thought the same thing as I read Jens response. Boy did I need that belly laugh.
Me too, but I do vote for this!
you and me both
Maybe if our side didn’t exile Medhi Hassan from even one hour on Saturday we may have learned something. Medhi use to school virtually anyone that challenged him. He always scored debate points in his discussions with Israeli government official Mark Regev.
I give Regev credit for his willingness to engage Medhi but it was almost always a TKO.
The Republicans never throw allies under the bus but the Dems and progressive media do and, in this cycle, we not only lost voters, we lost talent.
Lynell and Ron - your points are well taken and the Atlantic article was a masterpiece. Thank you for sharing it with us.I can only hope that this will be a central prep strategy going forward. I am a student of leadership and one quality of a good leader is hiring superb talent. Biden's age (both candidates actually) concerns me and the debate seriously concerned me but I wrote that we need to "make haste slowly", take time to assess the why and evaluate options/next steps. Too often we demand immediate responses and that is dangerous. The fact he "nailed it" the next day gave me that needed time and that hope. It also reiterates for me this central point - he hires great people - none are in jail or convicted of crimes, just like Obama's team. Trump hires poorly and like him, many are felons, liars, and "me too" opportunists who care less about the greater good for all the people. How many got pardons? It is not just Joe we are voting for, it is his team - Deb, Pete, Janet, Anthony...etc. I love riding my Harley and I am riding with Biden.
lol. I almost choked on my tea!
Sorry. I have these kinda violent urges.
LOL, Jen. If that counter argument isn't utilized traditionally, you'd think maybe it oughta be!
Not just a debating tactic, a domination tactic, at once keeping the herd where the boss-man wants them and reducing to silence any upstart challenger.
Peter Burnett "Not just a debating tactic"
“𝐻𝑖𝑠 𝑝𝑟𝑖𝑚𝑎𝑟𝑦 𝑟𝑢𝑙𝑒𝑠 𝑤𝑒𝑟𝑒: 𝑛𝑒𝑣𝑒𝑟 𝑎𝑙𝑙𝑜𝑤 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑝𝑢𝑏𝑙𝑖𝑐 𝑡𝑜 𝑐𝑜𝑜𝑙 𝑜𝑓𝑓; 𝑛𝑒𝑣𝑒𝑟 𝑎𝑑𝑚𝑖𝑡 𝑎 𝑓𝑎𝑢𝑙𝑡 𝑜𝑟 𝑤𝑟𝑜𝑛𝑔; 𝑛𝑒𝑣𝑒𝑟 𝑐𝑜𝑛𝑐𝑒𝑑𝑒 𝑡ℎ𝑎𝑡 𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑟𝑒 𝑚𝑎𝑦 𝑏𝑒 𝑠𝑜𝑚𝑒 𝑔𝑜𝑜𝑑 𝑖𝑛 𝑦𝑜𝑢𝑟 𝑒𝑛𝑒𝑚𝑦; 𝑛𝑒𝑣𝑒𝑟 𝑙𝑒𝑎𝑣𝑒 𝑟𝑜𝑜𝑚 𝑓𝑜𝑟 𝑎𝑙𝑡𝑒𝑟𝑛𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑣𝑒𝑠; 𝑛𝑒𝑣𝑒𝑟 𝑎𝑐𝑐𝑒𝑝𝑡 𝑏𝑙𝑎𝑚𝑒; 𝑐𝑜𝑛𝑐𝑒𝑛𝑡𝑟𝑎𝑡𝑒 𝑜𝑛 𝑜𝑛𝑒 𝑒𝑛𝑒𝑚𝑦 𝑎𝑡 𝑎 𝑡𝑖𝑚𝑒 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑏𝑙𝑎𝑚𝑒 ℎ𝑖𝑚 𝑓𝑜𝑟 𝑒𝑣𝑒𝑟𝑦𝑡ℎ𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑡ℎ𝑎𝑡 𝑔𝑜𝑒𝑠 𝑤𝑟𝑜𝑛𝑔; 𝑝𝑒𝑜𝑝𝑙𝑒 𝑤𝑖𝑙𝑙 𝑏𝑒𝑙𝑖𝑒𝑣𝑒 𝑎 𝑏𝑖𝑔 𝑙𝑖𝑒 𝑠𝑜𝑜𝑛𝑒𝑟 𝑡ℎ𝑎𝑛 𝑎 𝑙𝑖𝑡𝑡𝑙𝑒 𝑜𝑛𝑒; 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑖𝑓 𝑦𝑜𝑢 𝑟𝑒𝑝𝑒𝑎𝑡 𝑖𝑡 𝑓𝑟𝑒𝑞𝑢𝑒𝑛𝑡𝑙𝑦 𝑒𝑛𝑜𝑢𝑔ℎ 𝑝𝑒𝑜𝑝𝑙𝑒 𝑤𝑖𝑙𝑙 𝑠𝑜𝑜𝑛𝑒𝑟 𝑜𝑟 𝑙𝑎𝑡𝑒𝑟 𝑏𝑒𝑙𝑖𝑒𝑣𝑒 𝑖𝑡.”
“𝐹𝑟𝑜𝑚 𝑎 𝑠𝑐𝑖𝑒𝑛𝑡𝑖𝑓𝑖𝑐 𝑝𝑜𝑖𝑛𝑡 𝑜𝑓 𝑣𝑖𝑒𝑤, 𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑟𝑒𝑓𝑜𝑟𝑒, 𝑤𝑒 𝑎𝑟𝑒 𝑓𝑜𝑟𝑐𝑒𝑑 𝑡𝑜 𝑐𝑜𝑛𝑠𝑖𝑑𝑒𝑟 𝐻𝑖𝑡𝑙𝑒𝑟, 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝐹𝑢𝑒ℎ𝑟𝑒𝑟, 𝑛𝑜𝑡 𝑎𝑠 𝑎 𝑝𝑒𝑟𝑠𝑜𝑛𝑎𝑙 𝑑𝑒𝑣𝑖𝑙, 𝑤𝑖𝑐𝑘𝑒𝑑 𝑎𝑠 ℎ𝑖𝑠 𝑎𝑐𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛𝑠 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑝ℎ𝑖𝑙𝑜𝑠𝑜𝑝ℎ𝑦 𝑚𝑎𝑦 𝑏𝑒, 𝑏𝑢𝑡 𝑎𝑠 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑒𝑥𝑝𝑟𝑒𝑠𝑠𝑖𝑜𝑛 𝑜𝑓 𝑎 𝑠𝑡𝑎𝑡𝑒 𝑜𝑓 𝑚𝑖𝑛𝑑 𝑒𝑥𝑖𝑠𝑡𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑖𝑛 𝑚𝑖𝑙𝑙𝑖𝑜𝑛𝑠 𝑜𝑓 𝑝𝑒𝑜𝑝𝑙𝑒, 𝑛𝑜𝑡 𝑜𝑛𝑙𝑦 𝑖𝑛 𝐺𝑒𝑟𝑚𝑎𝑛𝑦 𝑏𝑢𝑡, 𝑡𝑜 𝑎 𝑠𝑚𝑎𝑙𝑙𝑒𝑟 𝑑𝑒𝑔𝑟𝑒𝑒, 𝑖𝑛 𝑎𝑙𝑙 𝑐𝑖𝑣𝑖𝑙𝑖𝑧𝑒𝑑 𝑐𝑜𝑢𝑛𝑡𝑟𝑖𝑒𝑠. 𝑇𝑜 𝑟𝑒𝑚𝑜𝑣𝑒 𝐻𝑖𝑡𝑙𝑒𝑟 𝑚𝑎𝑦 𝑏𝑒 𝑎 𝑛𝑒𝑐𝑒𝑠𝑠𝑎𝑟𝑦 𝑓𝑖𝑟𝑠𝑡 𝑠𝑡𝑒𝑝, 𝑏𝑢𝑡 𝑖𝑡 𝑤𝑜𝑢𝑙𝑑 𝑛𝑜𝑡 𝑏𝑒 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑐𝑢𝑟𝑒. 𝐼𝑡 𝑤𝑜𝑢𝑙𝑑 𝑏𝑒 𝑎𝑛𝑎𝑙𝑜𝑔𝑜𝑢𝑠 𝑡𝑜 𝑐𝑢𝑟𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑎𝑛 𝑢𝑙𝑐𝑒𝑟 𝑤𝑖𝑡ℎ𝑜𝑢𝑡 𝑡𝑟𝑒𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑢𝑛𝑑𝑒𝑟𝑙𝑦𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑑𝑖𝑠𝑒𝑎𝑠𝑒. 𝐼𝑓 𝑠𝑖𝑚𝑖𝑙𝑎𝑟 𝑒𝑟𝑢𝑝𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛𝑠 𝑎𝑟𝑒 𝑡𝑜 𝑏𝑒 𝑝𝑟𝑒𝑣𝑒𝑛𝑡𝑒𝑑 𝑖𝑛 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑓𝑢𝑡𝑢𝑟𝑒, 𝑤𝑒 𝑐𝑎𝑛𝑛𝑜𝑡 𝑐𝑜𝑛𝑡𝑒𝑛𝑡 𝑜𝑢𝑟𝑠𝑒𝑙𝑣𝑒𝑠 𝑤𝑖𝑡ℎ 𝑠𝑖𝑚𝑝𝑙𝑦 𝑟𝑒𝑚𝑜𝑣𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑜𝑣𝑒𝑟𝑡 𝑚𝑎𝑛𝑖𝑓𝑒𝑠𝑡𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛𝑠 𝑜𝑓 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑑𝑖𝑠𝑒𝑎𝑠𝑒. 𝑂𝑛 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑐𝑜𝑛𝑡𝑟𝑎𝑟𝑦, 𝑤𝑒 𝑚𝑢𝑠𝑡 𝑓𝑒𝑟𝑟𝑒𝑡 𝑜𝑢𝑡 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑠𝑒𝑒𝑘 𝑡𝑜 𝑐𝑜𝑟𝑟𝑒𝑐𝑡 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑢𝑛𝑑𝑒𝑟𝑙𝑦𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑓𝑎𝑐𝑡𝑜𝑟𝑠 𝑤ℎ𝑖𝑐ℎ 𝑝𝑟𝑜𝑑𝑢𝑐𝑒𝑑 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑢𝑛𝑤𝑒𝑙𝑐𝑜𝑚𝑒 𝑝ℎ𝑒𝑛𝑜𝑚𝑒𝑛𝑜𝑛. 𝑊𝑒 𝑚𝑢𝑠𝑡 𝑑𝑖𝑠𝑐𝑜𝑣𝑒𝑟 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑝𝑠𝑦𝑐ℎ𝑜𝑙𝑜𝑔𝑖𝑐𝑎𝑙 𝑠𝑡𝑟𝑒𝑎𝑚𝑠 𝑤ℎ𝑖𝑐ℎ 𝑛𝑜𝑢𝑟𝑖𝑠ℎ 𝑡ℎ𝑖𝑠 𝑑𝑒𝑠𝑡𝑟𝑢𝑐𝑡𝑖𝑣𝑒 𝑠𝑡𝑎𝑡𝑒 𝑜𝑓 𝑚𝑖𝑛𝑑 𝑖𝑛 𝑜𝑟𝑑𝑒𝑟 𝑡ℎ𝑎𝑡 𝑤𝑒 𝑚𝑎𝑦 𝑑𝑖𝑣𝑒𝑟𝑡 𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑚 𝑖𝑛𝑡𝑜 𝑐ℎ𝑎𝑛𝑛𝑒𝑙𝑠 𝑤ℎ𝑖𝑐ℎ 𝑤𝑖𝑙𝑙 𝑝𝑒𝑟𝑚𝑖𝑡 𝑎 𝑓𝑢𝑟𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑟 𝑒𝑣𝑜𝑙𝑢𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛 𝑜𝑓 𝑜𝑢𝑟 𝑓𝑜𝑟𝑚 𝑜𝑓 𝑐𝑖𝑣𝑖𝑙𝑖𝑧𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛.”
https://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/psychological-analysis-of-hitler-s-life-and-legend-2?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email&fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAAR1y6_jvk9v1gXX07iDAWqJa22Kw0BaiXV4duLcAo-NvRvgV2lEyTGfBhw4_aem_-CA0yx_vQceuaVrDtUJIzg
How well known was it (outside of debate circles) before HCR mentioned it? Just noticed that the Wikipedia entry was updated yesterday. Wonder when it was created.
Oooooohhhh, Jen, I like that even better than my comment below to punch him in the face!!!
Your counter argument sounds like a wise rebuttal indeed.
I'm laughing as I type this! 😂😂 If that isn't the counter argument, it really should be! That is such a visual in my mind! bahahaha!
We should all learn about propaganda and debate techniques and logical fallacies and advertising psychology starting in middle school.
My grand daughter did.
Short term but effective solution
That would have been GREAT to see but CFDT has such small ones, it might be hard to find them!
If indeed you could find them (if they even exist) in all that blubber.
That would be appropriate.
🤣🤣🤣🤣
I’ve been sayinng Biden should just have pointed out that nothing Trump said made sense — it was all lies and ludicrous deflection.
“Did you ever hears such a load of bull?”
And maybe some truth … but NO defense … only stay on the offense and defang the Orange One.
Well, hindsight …
NOW, we have to show the world that Biden is up to it, and we are behind him.
That, to me, is in the narcissists' playbook, this Gish Galloper tactic. Anyone who has had to live with a narcissist as a child or in a relationship probably has seen this tactic personally.
I am SO reminded of my ex-husband. It's been over a half century, but I can still remember feeling like a deer in the headlights trying to respond to his accusations. I get the same feeling listening to trump and trying to talk to his cult followers.
Yep and Trump is the king of solipsism.
It’s a rhetorical tactic that Dinesh D’Souza was infamous for using.
Thank you so much for your clear definitions and details.
Why wasn’t Biden prepared for something like this? I don’t understand. I love the man, and I was heartened by your piece on Friday, Heather, but my experience with campaigns tells me this is scary. It was only one night, but an important one when so many people were watching. People saw him as an old man who couldn’t keep up, and the Trump ads will be showing those moments over and over. We have to hope that this doesn’t become their image of him, but I’m concerned.
According to Lawrence O'Donnell, very few undecided voters in swing states watched even one moment of this non debate. Keep calm and carry on.
Possibly the only solution is for aggressive moderators to slow things down, based on detailed real-time fact checking. It is not good enough for one of the debaters to simply dismiss his opponent's stream as "malarkey" because of the asymmetry mentioned above. Perhaps it would be enough for a panel of fact checkers to "score" the debate quietly as it goes along, flagging LIES and Half-truths in an inset, and summarizing it all at the end.
In this case there were no moderators and no moderation.
Mr. Spence, with respect, it is not what Trump did and said that perturbs. He lied like a rug, as he always does. True to form. No surprise. The heartbreak lies in a Joe Biden who often lost his train of thought, could not complete sentences, appeared frail and 30 years older than the despicable Donald. Newsome and Harris showed how easily Trump can be taken down. Joe and his wife Jill must give great thought to the precipice our Republic faces.
I rather agree with you Mr Davis about the way forward; however, it is perturbing to me that so many will unthinkingly accept tRump's lies. They are not surprise to some of us and we discount them automatically; many people do not. I agree with you about JB. It was heartbreaking to watch, especially in a couple of places where I couldn't help but wonder if somebody had laced his coffee. Part of the tRump strategy, of course, is to convince folks of exactly the impression that many got. I was thoroughly devastated until two things happened: 1) I listened to the debate again without video, and making some allowance for a person who struggles with stuttering, the out come was much more clearly favourable to JB. The camera did him considerable damage.; 2) I saw clips of him doing his thing yesterday and the day after the debate. It was hard to believe it was the same man. Clearly, JB has had a most successful presidency, delivering much more for the American people than tRump did has his predecessor. However, your main point about whether so much damage has been done that JB cannot sway the c. 10% of undecided voters in 6 swing states, is sound and sobering. I found the newsletter piece in The Atlantic by Ron Brownstein to be quite helpful ... https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2024/06/great-democratic-conundrum-biden/678830/?utm_campaign=atlantic-daily-newsletter&utm_content=20240628&utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_term=The+Atlantic+Daily. Davey Crockett wisdom seems to be what we need here: "Be sure you're right, and then go ahead". Thanks for your comment.
Love this idea, John!
It’s like confronting a cheating spouse
I didn't know what they were called but I recognized it happening and the look on Biden's face is what mine would have looked like, inner thought going "WTF?"
attributed to Mark Twain, among others;
A lie can travel half way around the World, while the Truth is still pulling in its boots.
Here's how you counter Gish- Galloping: jot down a few words about each lie as your opponent is talking. Next, when the moderator asks you a question, you say, "I'll answer that in a minute, but first I want to address just a few of the many lies my opponent tried to insult our audience with. Mr. Trump, you know it's a lie when you try to take credit for the "veterans' choice" plan, because it was actually President Obama who gave us that plan. The Jan.6th committee did not withhold evidence- that's a lie and you know it." After continuing in this manner for most of your allotted time, you turn to the moderator and say, "Now to address your question...." Trump used this strategy every time. He very seldom answered the moderator's question. Gish-Galloping by your opponent is no excuse for losing a debate, unless you just don't have the mental faculties to respond.
Exactamente! Lies must be convincingly refuted at source. Dismissing them simply as baloney or malarkey and going on is tRump's style. It works for the already-converted but is not convincing for others.
He probably got coached on the Gish Gallop technique by Jim Jordan, who is an absolute master at it. He talks gibberish so speedily, nobody has a clue what he's actually saying. Just that none of it is true. And now, we have the "master baiter," TFG, daring anyone to try to slow him down.
Repulsive.
The Gish Gallop was named after biblical literalist/young-earth creationist/evolution denier Duane T. Gish.
He was one sick f*ck.
Anyone who uses the Gallop in a debate setting is admitting that their factual position is a losing one.
Adroitly ignore, focus on main item, take off independently.
That is fasciating, and confirms what I keep telling people — It’s so much easier to spout a pile of crap than to explain reality. And people don’t WANT a lecture — they want to hear what they want to hear … Trump is a MASTER of the Gish Gallup … Spew sewage all over the landscape, and your opponent gets sh*t all over him trying to clear it up.
Gad.
Brilliant - thank you!
I hope the Biden team, and all democrats, read this post and incorporate it's essence into their campaign speeches.
Ron, excellent! Love Brandolini!
A skilled debater quick on his or her feet can defeat the Gish Gallop by simply stating the obvious, that the opponent is lying, without having to take the time to prove it. After the tenth time saying "that's a lie that doesn't deserve a response", everyone but the opponent's most devoted fanbois would be asking questions. This would be even more true if the moderators did their job and called out the lies as they happened.
Joe Biden on Thursday seemed incapable of the kind of quick response needed to disarm Trump's firehouse of lies. As for the moderators, they were guilty of gross malpractice for letting Trump get away with the falsehoods he spewed. In doing so, they validated the candidate his toxic and false ideas, and will allow him to present those lies as validated truth at his rallies from now till the end of the campaign.
For some reason, CNN didn't learn from the 2020 debates that a real-time fact checker should have been sitting next to the moderator with a buzzer. Shame on them if they do not have one at the next debate, if Trump even deigns to participate.
I over reacted too. I yelled and pouted and shook my metaphorical fists at Biden. But this non-debate was a good wake-up call. It’s good that it happened now. Now it’s Biden’s to lose. I think this ignited his fires.
My sage (not so) advise to Biden for his next debate; no matter what the question is, and btw, most questions can be anticipated in study groups, Biden should have 4 or 5 word response then immediately insult his opponent because that is the window to do it. He has 2 precious minutes; insult the fuck out of Trump. It’s not bad to do.
I recommend that all of you reading this, call or email the White House communications people and recommend that Biden begin a Fireside like Chat with the American people. He has the bully pulpit and he should use it. I called my Senator Blumenthal yesterday asking them to forward this idea. I told the person that it probably won’t get anywhere but it should. I will call the White House everyday going forward asking them to initiate a Fireside Chat.
Bill, our minds go in the same direction. Here’s my suggestion:
Biden should pick four talking points and show the energy that he showed in the Atlanta afterparty.
1)”You’re lying. Women don’t do full term abortions—that a lie to excuse states forcing women to carry their rapists’ babies and almost bleed out in the emergency rooms. 67% of Americans want Roe back.”
2) “You lie. Your tariffs will cost American families an extra $1500 for their clothes and cars. Your deportation plans will cost them an extra $1200 for food—while crops rot in the field”
3)”You lie. People’s 401Ks are worth more now than ever before because the stock market is higher than it’s ever been.”
4) “You lie. You’re the one who’s responsible for not having enough border agents to police the border—you told Congress to vote against the bipartisan immigration bill that would have fixed things “
If Trump goes to different stuff, ignore it and repeat one of the talking points—make Trump defend himself.
Or maybe a good Joe approach would be, "I gotta say you're consistent, man. You lie about everything. Name one thing you haven't lied about tonight."
Tim, good idea! I’d like to see him give two-liners that could be recycled over and over again. If Trump brings up something crazy, say “That sounds crazy!” and then pivot to one of the four two-sentence points to drill them into the public’s long term memory.
Yes. You can’t create a logical conversation with a serial liar. So just talk over them.
Another suggestion, "Your nose is growing longer. "
Not sure because just saying that has no impact on the 70 million or more who think he is God. I think you target certain phrases and drill down on them. Liar, felon, insurrectionist, etc
Tim Slager -- Perfect suggestion!!
Oh, wait that one thing named WILL ALSO BE A LIE.
On a right wing site I commented that I'd placed a $1000 bet in Atlantic City that Trump would only tell lies and never the truth. I mentioned that thanks to Trump's inability to tell the truth I earned an easy $1000.
I didn't hang around for the thumb's down or the "you're lying." I just walked away.
It won't work because dumpty will ignore it.
But I like starting every answer with "you lie" and then moving on to whatever Joe had planned to say.
Repeat it often enough.
Absolutely 1000%. Biden needs to talk over Trump and it’s not hard to do.
Hard to do with a closed mic.
Actually not. If Biden hounds convicted felon Trump when he is speaking it will probably fluster him or interrupt his train of thought so he will look befuddled. Worst case no one will hear him other the CFDT.
Yes whatever salient points are chosen... he must drill down in every response: Trump liar, Trump felon, Trump misogynist, Trump insurrectionist, Trump destroyer of alliances, Trump the woman hater, Trump and Putin,
chose a few and blast them all night long
Pick three things to respond to -- Abortion, Immigration, the great economy/stock market.
I say not the economy, because prices have not come down (except for eggs and a few things.) People believe prices should be what they remember of the Beforetime. If you still feel poor, the stock market doesn’t cheer you up.
No one at the debate brought up Project 2025, the plan to give Trump or any Republican president new powers.
I love the “You lie” tactic. There are several others similar ones: You, sir, are a liar for instance. Perhaps You wouldn’t know the truth if it were staring you in the face. Maybe “You should be ashamed if that lie but then you’re basically shameless”. There probably won’t be another debate, but next time Biden will be prepared.
And don’t forget to tie him to Outin every chance possible. As a lapdog, not in a flattering light. A drooling obsequious little, whining groveling mongrel.
Excellent, Mary! You should send this to the WH people prepping Biden. This is exactly what I thought should be Biden's response Thurs. night bc you can't address all the lies T spews out. Your 'talking points" need to also include "the economy," another buzzword, explaining "inflation" and the high cost of everyday expenses --groceries, gas, housing, etc. But also how it's gradually improving.
I like this approach. But maybe not #3, with its mention of the stock market. Most people don’t own stocks. Lots of people don’t have 401K’s.
When I heard President Biden use the word equity, I cringed. Not because I don’t support it. Republicans and likely Independents, too, see it as a threat to themselves.
Add to #4, “If the border situation is as bad as you say, why is it OK to wait til after the election to deal with it?
Great!
Yes! When the bell rings, you go into the corner, splash of cold water, ammonia whiff, listen to the trainer, shake of the punches and go back in ready for round 2! Thank you Mr Katz. He needs to demand that Trump provide facts, numbers, not talking points. The Whitehouse should have a website available with all the numbers that prove Trumps lies! Then Joe can simply tell the viewers to reference the website during the debate, during campaign rallies, etc.
Someone in another group I belong to suggested just that. We have a pretty good idea of what lies he is going to spew, so have answers prepared and post in real time on website
"Now it’s Biden’s to lose. "
Actually, it's ours to lose. Biden got back up on the horse at Raleigh. Everyone (well mostly everyone) was still hand wringing and jumping the Biden ship.
I really appreciate your activism and wisdom. Have a good weekend.
We will one day look back upon that debate and realize that it joined the other failed debates of other candidates who ultimately went on to win elections. And I recommend that Biden send federal troops to the border just because he can. ‘Nough said.
My advice is to not stand anywhere near the orange cocksplat. He doesn't deserve to be that close to a president when he's a convicted felon. After all, he tried to give him covid.
Ooooh, I'm gonna use that!
ORANGE COCKSPLAT 😁
Me too 😊
Sorry, gotta use it Jen. Orange cocksplat is exactly what he is.
Or "cockwobble" (thank you, Jodi Taylor, for introducing the term in the novel Saving Time).
I’ve also heard DJT referred to as a “cockwomble.” All of these critics had some fairly appropriate and derisive appellations for Trump. The Scots have some fairly unflattering labels for Trump. He’s quite detested in Scotland despite the fact his mother Mary Anne was Scottish and raised on the Isle of Lewis. Mary Anne came to the United States from Scotland to work as a maid, and eventually met and married Fred Trump, Sr.
So Jen, I understand “cock” but not “splat”! Is it vomit that comes out of the prancing orange animal?
I was waiting for:
trump says I did not sleep with the porn star. "Why did you pay her $130,000?"
"America, this guy thinks you are stupid because he just keeps lying to you."
Things were so bad under Biden and great under me. "Then how did I kick your ass by 7M votes?" The election was rigged. "What actual proof do you have?"
Now I am a dang HS teacher and if I can come up with these, what in the fuzzy hail were the "professionals" doing with President Biden?
Bill (and others): at this point, in this election, debates are useless. We all know the candidates and who they are, and what they stand for. NO MORE DEBATES.
True, CF45 will want another go, as it gives him yet another opportunity to spout his lies to a national audience. But Biden's team should reject it, citing the felon's inability to tell the truth, and instead go on a Truth Tour around the country.
NO MORE DEBATES.
That would look bad on the Biden camp. The rules must change. Allow for fact checking.
Barbara, I don't think it would look bad, if played right. CF45 doesn't play by any rulebook, and 'Brandolini's Law' (see above) states that in a debate, refuting a deliberate mistruth takes 10x as long as the original lie. There would be little room for dialog, as I see it. CF45 is a unique character known for lying regularly with impunity. It would be a Herculean task to clean out the manure from the stable (stable genius? He's far from it.)
Excellent points Doug. then what to do if cancelling the debate is not an option?
And have moderators who actually moderate, rather than just ask questions. When the 🍊💩 started off, "let me go back..." Tapper should have said "no, we covered that topic, we're moving on, please answer the question I just asked" (Thanks to Ally House for info on how to use laptop emojis--I can't bear to even type his name)
I was worried from the very beginning when the moderators were announced. Tapper never pushed back on his show when people were spouting lies and Bash is a weak figure at best. Plus CNN is FOX light.
Even better!
I like this idea too.. Call the liar out
Yeay! A truth tour!
Bill, your comments after the debate pissed me off so I'm very happy to read your thoughts today. I,too, was angry with the debate. So much that I swore I wasn't going to read any more future thoughts and letters other than Cox Richardson, Vance, Kuo and Rather. I did see Biden's Raleigh speech and was blown away! Why wasn't he like that at the debate? Do you think that the White House will really begin to listen to what we ask and suggest?
I hope by now that they will.
It’s for us to make constructive suggestions it’s for them to consider them.
The fireside chat is a great idea! I will also forward that suggestion to the White House!
I suggested this a year ago. Either a fireside chat or regular town hall meetings or interviews.
Thanks for seeing the light, Bill. Yes, a fireside chat who's be a good start.
Forgot? I will continue to vote for and donate to Joe but shit his staff should have prepped stay on point stay on point and I’m a retired elementary administrator and I needed to learn that - damn
How could his staff have prepped him for the possibility that the moderators wouldn't moderate?
Exactly. There was NO moderation. None.Shame on CNN and others for their shoddy, shallow commentary of this event. Someone wrote on Facebook yesterday-"He wasn't feeling well and he was arguing with the actual devil. Don't you dare abandon him."
Well? Why would that be a surprise. Someone said before the debate - "LET JOE BIDEN BE HIMSELF? They did not do that - seemingly they forgot what we have ALL seen right along - the orange boob does NOT "debate" - he opens mouth & spouts garbage - thats what he does at rallies and thats what he did Thursday night. And frankly, we've all listened & watched enough of the "news commenters" (because thats what they are - NOT actual journalists) for the last three and a half years at least. Did anyone actually believe that would change for a debate? They want clicks - they want to sell their news. PERIOD>
I am so freaking fed up with all of the hand wringing & the serious expressions on these news jerks faces as they tear Biden down & never a bad word OR a check on the lies the boob spouted.
We do not "need" someone else - we need to support Biden who is OUR candidate.
Lets just stop paying attention to these "commenters" - they clearly are no better than social media influencers!
1000%, Maggie.
Would it have been possible for the Joe Biden, the President of the United States, to say, "this isn't what I signed up for and I don't have time for it." And walked off the stage. It was not a debate and the moderators did NOTHING to stop the garbage that flowed from one of the debaters. Besides that, golf swings? It's all bait and switch. (The walking off the stage part is probably not a good idea :) but it would sure make me feel good! lol)
I love the idea -- but I have zero trouble understanding how that would have been spun: "Biden, the loser, walks offstage in a huff." Because no way would CNN or the rest of the media take responsibility for their own failures.
Actually, Susanna, I was kinda hoping Joe would walk across the stage and punch him in the face….and I say that as someone who eschews violence as a solution. Yeah, I was that pissed.
It would have been a slow walk in a huff, adding to the criticism of that action. Plus, he did get stronger as the session went on.
No. See below.
We already know by now that they have never moderated. They didn’t with Hillary while drumpf stomped around behind her as she talked, and they often enabled drumpf to bulldoze his opponent because they cannot manage his off script bullying behaviors.
Susanna, don't blame the moderators -- his prep team should have known (through inquiry, if nothing else) about the format, or anticipated it. I blame his prep team.
But no matter -- what's done is done. There's plenty of time to correct course; full court press now, in 🏀 terms. CF45 didn't win any new voters on Thursday.
Then why have moderators at all?? IIRC, Biden and/or his team chose the format or at least knew about it well in advance. I hope "what's done is done," but I'm not dismissing the possibility that the lily-livered white male apparatchiks running the national Democratic Party can still blow things up in their panic.
Never forget what chump is, he has NEVER been anything else. The Dem genuses helping him prepare know that
Trump was right on when President Biden made a remark in the debate and he replied- I don’t know what he said, I don’t think he even knows what he said
Go get on chump’s payroll. Ha, he never pays, he just pardons
Seems many of those Quizlings that can't get paid are desperate enough for more pardons that they feel are their only hope for getting out of, or staying out of jail.
In regards to the donvict.
He may speak his mind but his mind ain't right.
You should read the transcripts of some of the donvicts rally speeches.
Word salad is putting it mildly.
And how many times has his enablers gone out and try to explain what he meant?
GTFOHWTSMS!
That's precisely the kind of comment Biden should have made throughout the evening. No facts, no figures, no defense of policies and achievements. Just pure ridicule. That would have kept Biden on an even keel and in a humorous, chatty frame of mind. You don't talk to a liar. You discard him.
And your point is. . .
We could all see he was struggling to say what he wanted to say. He has had a stammer all his life. Do you call that an excuse? I think it was likely an explanation. He had a cold or sore throat. Excuse or explanation? Biden likes to have facts at his command. Trump doesn’t deal in facts. What he says is what is real to him. Firehose of lies, flood the zone with shit, Gish Gallop—these are tactics have been impossible to deal with in two minutes, even by younger people who do not stutter, like Jeb Bush, Marco Rubio, and Ted Cruz.
Street fighter is too kind. He's a fraud, a WWE wrestler which is all performance and bullshit.
Honed his skills over a lifetime so claiming he dropped the price of insulin to $35 didn't faze him in the least.
Yeah, Jen, a bonafide fakester….he’s so chicken that, except as scripted on The Apprentice (the pinnacle of his existence), he can’t ACTUALLY fire anyone in person. I’d like Joe to dare him to go bicycle riding with him, or as Joe offered in the debate, to play golf w/ him IF he carries his own bag (oh, and watchers to make sure he doesn’t cheat at golf as he’s wont to).
Trump is no street fighter. He is a lazy thug who throws out garbage and leaves others to do the clean up. He’s that kid who was good at the game of “ let’s you and him fight” who provoked a fight then sits back while you and the other idiot beat each other to a pulp
We have to stay motivated and united.
Next time, I recommend that President Biden keep repeating a simple speech, with 6 or 7 punchy bullet points. Abortion, economy / job creation, putin / nato, trump caused afghanistan (which he did), environment / climate, insurrection, convicted felon. Say this speech 5 times throughout the ‘debate.’ The debate questions are irrelevant; ignore them. Fact-checking and nuance are irrelevant. Do not talk about the border, and do not defend anything. Biden can hammer the psychotic fuck on every one of these points. Just keep going back to the same short speech. Like the chorus in a song.
Hear the effing Hear, Will!
Here's my thoughts about that elephant in the room. It struck me as odd that in light of his debate performance, several hours later, Biden was in North Carolina back to his "old" self, looking and acting vibrant. I kept asking myself why is that?
Then it struck me; if indeed he was suffering from a viral infection that hit its peak in the throes of the debate, it makes perfect sense that his performance would be greatly affected. I noticed that in North Carolina while waiting to take the podium, he kept dabbing his eyes and nose with a tissue, something he wasn't doing during the debate. Why? Because that's what happens when a virus is traveling through your body. At least, that's what I've experienced when I've been afflicted. Usually, for me, first my chest tightens and then several hours later, the eyes become weepy and the nose starts dripping.
This is a plausible argument to me for his poor performance. His body was busy trying to fight off the virus while he was trying to fight off a fascist liar. Yet, as others have pointed out, if you read the transcript of his remarks, he made compelling arguments that were actually lucid. In other words, he was stuck in a body that failed to cooperate at the worst possible time.
I think it was more than that, Biden was psychologically unprepared for Trump's tsunami of lies and hooks, but there is tried and true strategy for taking this kind of thing on. It is something which can be learned. I don't think the 2nd debate will be a repeat of what we saw the other night.
Frank, I don't think there IS much point to a second "debate"! Why give tRump the space, time & attention to spew his fantasies and wishes? He may be a great actor but a great leader he ain't so don't give him the space.
How can one "debate" things with someone who makes things up as he goes along?
Fight fire with fire, John, just Biden doesn't need lies. He needs to keep the passion lit that we saw in State of the Union and yesterday's NC rally etc.
Biden should shun debates and announce he's going on a Truth Tour instead (and send out the rest of his troops as well.)
There are techniques for handling fire hydrant rhetoric. an upbeat message with main points, don't get drawn into obvious falsehoods and barbs. There are risks either way. Biden will be perceived as backing down, a real negative. Biden with help can learn an effective approach. It's kinda like imagining your team rooting for you, Trump did exactly that, as if he were preaching to his base. Biden needs to learn more emotional management against Trump. I think he can do it.
I think he can as well. But don't give CF45 more oxygen, as the blimp is overinflated as it is.
What I don’t understand is why Biden wasn’t more prepared for this after days of mock debates with a Trump impersonator. The real thing is just too overwhelming apparently.
I saw his preparator on a tv interview, before the debate. I think he missed a vital part of the boat. The firehose part.
Great actor?? Carnival Barker! IF there is a second debate, Biden should NOT NOT NOT let CNN "host" it. They have been a bane on the USA for over a decade.
There is a second debate scheduled for Sep 10, with David Muir as moderator, on ABC.
Biden should not do another debate with T… fireside chats is what he should do based on questions from the electorate!
Perhaps a PRATT (Points Refuted A Thousand Times) collection should be made into a master "Lie List" with the best refutations cited for each lie. and organized into initial dates told, number of times told in total, in each speech, and how often disconnected from the question asked.
My dream would be to see a collection of video clips organized into most often repeated lies, and a separate collection of time he told the verifiable truth (if any, and if it was actually in response to the question asked).
Is there a video editor out there who can make such a collection of even just what Trump said in the "debate" and actually relevant to the question asked?
A lot of time could be saved by just showing the moderators asking questions and only showing the portions of Trump's responses that had anything at all to do with the question asked.
Then show the questions asked, and Trump's answers that haven't been refuted a thousand times (if there are any).
Jim, TFFFG reminds me of a Chatty Cathy doll, you know the kind you pull a string on its back and recorded “talk” is heard. He’s like that….all his talk is just repeated (ad nauseam) lies, exaggerations and flights of fancy self aggrandizement.
Yes! And if there is a second debate, Biden should refer the audience to the White House website for a post-debate fact check of Trump's lies and then just talk to the American people directly, just like a fireside chat.
John, don’t know about the “great actor” moniker, a one-hit-wonder-huckster maybe. And he’s not acting it’s —>just who he is<—.
JohnM: yes, exactly. I've been saying the same thing.
Frank, it wasn't a debate, and the next one won't be either. NO MORE DEBATES. We know these two men and who/what they stand for. I doubt many minds were changed Thursday, given the performance of the president and the convicted felon.
There were a lot of valued suggestions in this thread. All I'm saying, if Trump can do it, there are effective debate counters. Of course it isn't a real debate. NONE of them are. Better not to walk away from this, esp considering the Biden team initiated this one.
Remember the Gish Gallop debate technique Heather mentioned in her news summary on the 27th Plus his medical condition of stuttering...Combining these two things is a Very Good explanation of what happened at the debate..plus physically perhaps he had a cold with his voice being hoarse...
Ill stick to there are learnable counterpoints for the GG Trump style. Biden's increased stutter and losing his train of thought indicates he wasn't psychologically or properly prepared for this.
Or, Frank, based on what’s been reported about prep, maybe OVER prepared….coming to do a PhD dissertation opposite a toddler who has had too much sugar.
lol Barbara. I think his prep missed how to handle firehose bite and bait incessant lying. There are techniques I'm sure, trick is Biden temperamentally able to learn not how to be emotionally hijacked, then lose it with endless defences, pointless striking back. I'm hardly trained, but i know seasoned debaters can dish back what was given, without lies!
Barbara, brilliant!
He could have taken an OTC cold pill prior. They can be nasty in and of themselves. It is of utmost importance that from here on out we do and say nothing but about the good we know he has done. That debate is irrelevant except for the underground info Tramp was seeping out like Heather was pointing out. Our focus needs to be on saving our country!
I think Trump's grandstanding is full of excellent material to either just present, or rebuff with real information, real video. Eg "everyone loves Roe v Wade" ... just imagine. In fact, Biden did just some of that in North Carolina the following day in grand style.
If Trump is smart, he'll avoid a 2nd debate
I am confused and confounded at those who claim Trump won the debate. He didn't answer a single question--and the independent voters he desperately needs didn't get a single policy answer.
I am a 40+ yr registered Democrat, but never voted straight ticket until 2022. I will--from now on--until the GOP eradicates MAGA. I have encouraged other voters who lean right but hate Trump/MAGA to hold their noses and vote Blue until the GOP rights themselves. If they can.
I also ask those who say they won't vote/both are too old/Joe is on a decline: do you believe in our system of government? Vote to protect it. Also, have faith that IF Joe truly cannot perform the job, his cabinet and our Constitution will step in. Can anyone TRULY believe a Trump cabinet would do so? We've had POTUS perish in office before, we need
to vote on policies.
Exactly so!
Good morning, Ally. Hope your wife is doing better. If my arm could
extend halfway across the country, I'd hold her hand and
give it a supportive squeeze.
I read this to her. She said "How kind" and took the "hand". She was encouraged by the clips we saw of his rally last night. She is better and thank you for asking.
Charitable exchange, ladies. Thank you for showing me the way.
Ally, I too am glad your wife is feeling better.
Glad to hear that she is better.
Hey, Miselle. I like your suggestion of saying to someone who doesn't want to vote, that if they believe in our system of government they should vote to protect it. To me, it's much better than trying to convince them who to vote for.
"...saying to someone who doesn't want to vote, that if they believe in our system of government they should vote to protect it. To me, it's much better than trying to convince them who to vote for..."
Seems very much in the spirit of Willie Velasquez after he had founded the Southwest Voter Registration and Education Project (nonpartisan and far less confrontational than the earlier MAYO he also helped found and Raza Unida). The early years grew out of dissatisfaction with the then (early 1970's) conservative Democratic power structure in Texas (as the conservative Democrats were remaining the same type of "conservatives" but under the opposite party label).
They are credited with getting 2.6 million voter registered (to me, since they became the oldest and largest NON-PARTISAN Latino voter participation organization. We believe in registering informed voters in the greatest numbers possible.
See https://www.nbcnews.com/storyline/hispanic-heritage-month-2016/pbs-showcases-willie-vel-squez-latino-voting-rights-hero-n657556
"...Velásquez wanted Latinos to vote, but he also wanted them to be part of the informed electorate. In 1984, he started the Southwest Voter Research Institute, to conduct polls among Latino voters on policy issues. In 1981, he formed the Southwest Council of La Raza, a forerunner of the National Council of La Raza. He taught politics at Harvard University. His nonpartisan Southwest Voter group was advising major candidates including George H.W. Bush and Ted Kennedy..."
An interesting take of the debate.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lDPI_xqcyrk
Thanks, Ned. Beau's a keeper!
I watch Beau daily. He is phenomenal!
Yeah. The Beaux of the world are helpful to my humility. In my freshman year at a small liberal arts college in the South I got into a debate in Poli.-Sci. class with a 'Beau'. I had come in from a fine high school and felt I should show restraint so I would not crush his spirit.
🫣
Imagine my surprise when that 'Beau' ran circles around me in that square-off. One of the many rather embarrassing, though comical in recollection, come-uppances in life. That 'Beau' had a fine mind and character. I did not realize how fortunate I had been for many years.
😉
EDIT: Ralph Kramden is my patron saint.
I stayed with my old party until I was 50, becoming Independent in 1996 when I saw they were not refuting the disgusting Newt Gingrich/Frank Luntz GoPac memo, "Language: A Key Mechanism of Control" and the shunning of any who dared socialize with or hire nonpartisan lobbyists. It was very near the same time Elizabeth Warren left the party for what seems the same reasons.
I considered supporting some like Christine Todd Whitman, who at least tried to get more reasonable EPA actions than the rest of the Bush 43 administration (even resigning in 2007 since she could not defend the administration's attempt to allow major modifications to power plants without new pollution controls. (To me, she had better sense of benefit/cost ratios to provide the needed benefits to the environment at a necessary cost that could be a well defended priority.)
Though I, too, will not vote (and have not voted for), any Republican or anti-Democratic Independent candidate since I wrote in Sheila Bair in the 2004, I do appreciate some of what Todd Whitman has tried since she resigned from the EPA.
Some examples:
Most recent - see https://www.nytimes.com/2024/06/29/climate/supreme-court-epa.html
"...Christine Todd Whitman, a onetime Republican and former governor of New Jersey who served as the administrator of the E.P.A. during the George W. Bush administration, said that environmental regulations sometimes could go too far and needed to be tempered by courts. But she said she saw the Supreme Court’s recent decisions as an alarming new precedent..."
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christine_Todd_Whitman
(Hyperlinks within the portion presented here have been removed, see the article for the detail hyperlinks.)
“…In 2011, Whitman was named to the board of Americans Elect.
In February 2013, Whitman supported legal recognition of same-sex marriage in an amicus brief to the U.S. Supreme Court.
As of 2015, Whitman is a member of the ReFormers Caucus of Issue One. The group, which included 100 other former elected officials advocated for campaign finance reform.
In 2016, Whitman was named the co-chair of the Joint Ocean Commission Initiative.
On February 26, 2016, she endorsed John Kasich in his bid seeking the GOP nomination for presidential candidate. She said that Donald Trump was using "fascist" tactics in his campaign and after Chris Christie's endorsement of Trump said that, in the case of a Trump nomination by the GOP, she would vote for Hillary Clinton. In 2018, Whitman wrote an op-ed calling Trump unfit for office and urging other Republicans to pressure him to step down.
In February 2020, Whitman endorsed former Massachusetts Governor Bill Weld for president in the Republican primaries, in which he was challenging incumbent president Donald Trump. Whitman spoke at the 2020 Democratic National Convention, endorsing Democratic nominee Joe Biden over Republican nominee Donald Trump in the general election.
Whitman co-founded the States United Democracy Center in 2021. and, as of 2022, serves as its co-chair. In her States United capacity, she was among the former state officials who submitted testimony to the U.S. House of Representatives Select Committee to Investigate the January 6 Attack on the United States Capitol, arguing that the attack was part of "a sustained and coordinated effort by the former president and his anti-democracy allies to suppress voting rights, delegitimize free and fair elections, and subvert the will of the voters by overturning election results deemed undesirable to their movement." In July 2022, Whitman was among three former Republican governors who submitted a friend-of-the-court brief to the U.S. Supreme Court, urging the court to uphold provisions of the federal Voting Rights Acts of 1965 that protect minority voters from having their voting power diluted.
In 2022, Whitman joined former Democratic presidential candidate Andrew Yang to create the Forward Party, a centrist third party…”
I would rather have seen her helping start an Opposition Coalition similar to the one that won the majority in the 34th Congress (elected in 1854) when the anti-Nebraska Act candidates started campaigning before any actually ran as the too newly named Republicans.
In reviewing what she has been doing before and after 2007, I came across her husband’s Yale of 66 45th Reunion Essay (perhaps a case of behind a great woman, a great man).
See https://yale66.org/john-r-whitman/
“…*
John R. Whitman’s 45th Reunion Essay
I believe that the members of the Class of 1966 will, in aggregate, see more change in their personal, professional and global lives in the next five years than they have experienced in the past four decades.
I have been married to a beautiful, smart, loving and successful wife for 37 years. We have two attractive children who have exceptional spouses of their own and three grandchildren. Ours is a classic 20th Century American family, but it is going to change. Since it is impossible to know what those changes might be, it probably isn’t worth worrying about them much.
However, I believe we better do something about our country and our World. There are many issues to discuss but for this brief essay I would like to mention two.
The Americans, who rescued Europe and the World twice in 30 years, came home with the American Dream which simply stated said: If you work hard, you can succeed at just about anything you want to do. This dream lasted until the 1990s when a number of politicians discovered that they could get and stay elected if they promised to provide an unsustainable standard of living even if they never delivered it. An important corollary to this was that all Americans “deserved” this standard of living whether they worked for it or not. Unless we reestablish the original American Dream in the hearts and minds of our people, our children will see a continuing erosion in their prospects for success.
America’s dependence on foreign oil erodes its moral standing in the world and pours billions of dollars into the coffers of terrorists. Until we become energy self-sufficient, we will be forced to follow an inconsistent foreign policy that not only makes a mockery of our fundamental ethical strength but emboldens our enemies and enriches our competitors.
*
I also remember John for his generosity of spirit, his invitations to Drumthwacket for several Yale football games against Princeton, his being (with Christie) the breeder who gave our country its famous First Scottie, Barney of the Bush White House, a Commandeur de Bordeaux, a Pilgrim, and just being a loyal friend.
John Whitman was, through and through, a patriot and a devoted American. From 1967 to 1972, he served his country with honor as a First Lieutenant in the United States Army stationed in Vietnam and then in the reserves. John always identified his birthday as “D-Day plus two” and, as a lasting memorial, Christie and the family have established the John R. Whitman Normandy Scholars Fund at the World War II Museum in New Orleans. This perpetual endowment, supported by many of John’s classmates and friends, will educate deserving students, with a preference to New Jersey residents, about World War II and send them to Normandy to study and return to their communities to share the lessons of the Normandy campaign…”
I saw Speaker Mike ("Moses") Johnson on tv yesterday suggesting that the House members are considering bringing up the 25th amendment for Biden. (Never mind it's the President's Cabinet that actually has that power.)
My thinking exactly - he looked and acted sick! I have said before - with all the travel & public appearances PLUS PLUS doing his job as President! Lynell, I am SO pissed at the attitudes not only the idiots on the news but people in his own party! I have to stop - this is making me so darn mad. Have to quit & tune out for a bit. Actually, I never did read Anna's latest post - better place to be!!! Right?
Hey, Maggie. I, too, have yet to read Anna's post. I have been consumed with this entire debate aftermath. I promised myself I would read it later today. I hope it's one of her "fun" ones!
I still havent - went to a high school graduation last night - great granddaughter and my "step" granddaughter both graduated in the same class - large class - sitting outside on bleachers for (felt like) many hours & the walk up from the parking lot and back down when thank god all the kids had their diplomas about finished me, my daughter,& her two daughters off!!! I am beat plus feel like my chest might be congested. Lucky I felt fine last night. Arent you glad you replied to my comment???
And does this explain my somewhat testy comments this morning?
I do feel for Biden if he felt anywhere near as lousy as I do AND had to deal with the boob!
I won't say more than I hope you feel better soon!
Thanks - me too
Great observation Lynelle.
Thanks, Joy!
Ok Lynell. That makes sense to me but here’s another thought. I have been watching the detective show MONK on Netflix Here’s what could have happened. My thought right after the show was that some MAGat drugged Biden before the show. But now after reading HCR’s brilliant reveal of something most of us didn’t focus on, isn’t it possible that Biden’s performance was a clever ruse to get blowhard45 to do some bragging, and he did. The CIA is right now analyzing the post-debate phone conversation between donnie and puton, who can actually speak English very well. Or, possibly donthecon speaks Russian. Or possibly they have a special secret language only the two of them know. Whew! It’s great to see Biden back to normal. Let’s get tfffg braggioguy locked up and put away.
You're not gonna believe this, Gigi, but I watch Monk, too! Perfect thought about "Here's what happened"! Your theory passes muster with me, I'm here to say. Thanks!
LOL, Gigi, he can barely speak English!
Do you remember the Saturday Night live skit when Reagan went to a secret room and had a conversation in Chinese on the phone? That’s how repubs trick us and the SNL people were trying to warn us! ;-)
I agree with you. And he could not back out of the debate because he "had a cold." so he was trapped on stage with a felon, liar, treasonous carnival barker. He couldn't fight back because he was sick (and likely also in the looney space taking cold medications cause). Watching him in Raleigh made it clear his head had cleared up. He's a fighter, and a winner as President.
Biden was also coughing up a lot of gunk at the Raleigh rally. The first minute I saw him at the debate I thought he was sick.
This is not excuse making here. At the end of the day a combination of illness, the lack of fact checking and a narcissist tsunami all combined to make a disaster.
Lynelle(VA ....) What happened to the President during the debate was eluded to by HCR in yesterday's Letter. It's called the Gish Gallop. Explained or amplified by near the top of today's comments by Ron Boyd (Denver): "The 𝐆𝐢𝐬𝐡 𝐆𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐨𝐩 is a rhetorical technique in which a person in a debate attempts to overwhelm their opponent by providing an excessive number of arguments with no regard for the accuracy or strength of those arguments. (Wikipedia)
"During a Gish Gallop, a debater confronts an opponent with a rapid series of specious arguments, half-truths, misrepresentations, and outright lies in a short space of time, which makes it impossible for the opponent to refute all of them within the format of a formal debate."
This has been very helpful to me for understanding what happened, and the effect Trump has on people.
Thanks, Judith. I did read about the Gish Gallop first from HCR and then several other sources like Ron Boyd. It sure helped me as well for how the President was ambushed. My comment about his being ill with a possible virus was meant to be sort of an explanation for what his body was possibly going through at the time. I think all of us know what it's like to try to "carry on" in the face of a flu-like virus. It's just my lay opinion that had he been 100%, he could have been more effective whether or not he knew about Gish Gallop,
He probably also had to take some sort of cold medication to stop the sneezing etc. That always makes me feel very weird.
My thought was, when I heard he had a cold, that they gave him the wrong Sudafed….the regular kind, not the non-drowsy one!
And Bob Woodward (of the Nixon tapes and all the books regarding trump) said journalists should be looking into why Biden was struggling, and pundits were instead overreacting.
My thoughts exactly!
Good observation, Lynell. Good morning....again!
Well put.
For those of us like me who are discouraged after Thursday night's debate, here are two timely links, one a quote from 2,500 years ago and one a three minute clip from yesterday. https://thehistorianshut.com/2018/05/20/thucydides-9/ These links remind me of what is really important. https://www.c-span.org/video/?c5122334/user-clip-timely-morale-booster-shot-mrs-biden Shame on me for giving way to emotional reactions. Worth watching the President's rally today in N.C. https://www.c-span.org/video/?536586-1/president-biden-campaigns-raleigh-nc
Panic plays into the engineered chaos Trump wants to inspire so he can save the day.
Convicted felon Donald Trump, Paul Manafort, Roger Stone, Stephen Miller, Steve Bannon, and General Flynn are CFDT's co-conspirators. In a more perfect world they would all be behind bars.
Does anyone recall that CFDT pardoned 143 convicted criminals including 4 people convicted of defrauding Medicare/Medicaid out of a total of $1.4 billion? And Rick Scott was convicted of the same thing and he is running again for the Senate.
Way back there, I used to post on FB and Twit, the convictions of Dem and Repub politicians. It was a rogues gallery versus an occasional greedy, corrupt Dem. But the MSM won’t tell. Thank you. Rick Scott even looks like a shyster. Poster boy for used car salesman.
Thanks to the brilliant show of leadership from Gavin Newsom citing the folly of screamed ‘bad political maneuvering ‘ that was undoubtably continued Republican underhanded tactics , pure opportunistic slandering -trading out Biden over one night’s mishap.
Thank you Gavin 👏
The fact remains Biden is OUR only choice .
The only elephants in that room was Trump , nonstop LIES, and his baggage.
Biden has given us four years of leadership unequalled , backed by years of service FOR THE PEOPLE …there’s not one better to compare.
It’s clear to the bottom of this MAGA swamp , as clear as can be , the lists of rich powerful people /companies/foreign subterfuge long planning this ..they are cut from the same cloth as the emperor’s clothes and cloaks of deception. They seed doubt ,weaken trust, then double down with the tactics of well known dictators.
Truth , especially admitting those rare downtimes , is the character of notable worth. Self disclosure is a confidence builder that great mentors use wisely.
..there is no better choice , team…
I’ve said this before ..bears repeating evidentially …that the percentages of people voting ( given the 2020 numbers slight applause [66%] ) is the second biggest threat to our Democracy…Trump is only the middle finger up in the Heritage & sordid company/backers HUGE PLAN -serious,persistent,doubled trouble.
The lesson afforded us culminates 11/5/24 did enough listened? Catch on? Wake up? Your vote counts period.
Last call!
💙💙VOTE ALL THE COMPLICIT OUT💙💙
Yes, my Governor was excellent in his appearance on the tube after the so-called "debate." He is Pres Biden's most effective surrogate, I think. He has said time and time again how he totaslly supports Biden and he goes into the den of idiots that is Fox Propaganda to trample on their idiocy.
He is paving the way for 2028, when I look forward to a spirited contest for the Presidential nomination between him and Gov Gretchen Whitmer. (What a dream team they would be!)
Thank you , Sharon . Yes, 2028 and a team of equal competence . I fully will endorse and support. Impressive. Hakeem , Frost , there’s an experienced team to pick and lead onward.
In a more perfect world, they would all be indicted, be tried, be found guilty and be sentenced to hang.
Fewer than 30% of the people who voted in 2020 tuned in to the CNN Clickbait Show masquerading as a 'debate" and of those who did, less than 5% said it affected their decision to vote for Biden. These debates are the single most useless political scam the media came up with. The Professional Bedwetters panicked over Clinton's "loss" to Pert in 1992, and Obama's 2012 "loss" to Rmoney. It's what they do. It's why they're the Dimocrats.
The benefit of the debates is that CFDT is on record lying over and over again and never answering a question asked of him.
You will see footage of CFDT in many political ads between now and November.
I am as upset as anyone that it didn't go better for Biden, but damage control is in process and I think the 24 hour news cycle will swallow this up with other BS very quickly.
It will reinforce the MAGAt insanity, not change one Dem mind, and may give ammo to that crazier than chump idiot RFKJ and his devoted soft brains. Joe could use their votes. What they are doing works for chump. No excuse for their splitting the Dem vote, none…
Excuse my stupidity but what is "CFDT"? I am not familiar with that acronym.
I believe it’s convicted felon dt. Brilliant!💙💙
Thank you!!!! And, yes, that is brilliant!
Convicted Felon Donald Trump. He is a convicted felon, and he can’t pardon himself of a state conviction.
I like it too, but my taste goes to the more profane--"tffg."
Sharon, I added an extra “F”—TFFFG—for Felonious…if you sound it out resembles a “hissssss” or a “spit”.
sadly, you will also see footage of Biden's major stumbles.
Yes, I shudder to think of how vicious the Trump adverts will be. Hopefully, they will be so nasty that they will turn off more undecided voters than they entice. President Biden's response can be something like, "So Trump has nothing better to do than to celebrate my mistakes while I am busy correcting his. Let us keep it that way."
They are already using deceptively edited videos of President Biden.
And we should also be seeing tv ads of tffg talking about windmill farms off S. Carolina causing dead whales to be turning up on the beaches and the rant about a boat with a tremendously large battery that causes the boat to sink and then there is a shark next to the boat and blah blah blah....those ads of tffg rambling on at rallies and making no sense should be playing nonstop!
But, the Lincoln Project will show CFDT's lies from now until the election.
Quit focusing on "lies" fer crissakes. The guy (#45) is full of crap as far as we (us here) are concerned. His fan-base looks at "us/we/you & me.., as a bunch of hopeless liberal-ass libtards/pedophile-supporters/queers/faggots/druggers/devil-worshippers/and un-American fools. However, not every citizen feels either way. And a lot of those "citizens" think that voting is a "waste of time", or "my vote won't make a difference", or "nothing will change"..etc, and they're just pissed because of the price of gas and groceries and taxes are thru-the roof. Etc. So, here's my answer... I knew you would ask :)).., Here it is: THAT'S BULLSHIT.., AND YOU KNOW IT! Then, silence. As you go on with your day.., you've done well. And believe me, you have!
"Journalism is printing what someone else does not want printed. Everything else is public relations." - George Orwell
Translation: The purpose of a journalism organization is to inform people profitably, and not profit from misinforming.
It's too bad Heather is so busy. She could otherwise start a school of journalism and start with CNN employees including the two debate moderators. Meanwhile, we'll have to accept the reality that CNN has become a public relations organization and is no longer a journalism organization.
The more I think about it the angrier I get. There were four people on the set of the debate. One of them was serving the country at his expense. The other three were serving themselves at the country's expense. I'll give Trump one credit. At least he doesn't care if we know.
Media needs to shift the conversation. Every night for 8 years plus, It’s all appalling, the fatigue is relentless as reflected in the debate turnout.
Couldn’t we be giving more oxygen to the issues of freedom, the environment and justice without boundaries? I would also be happy without polls which to me are another fear tactic.
I'm not a professional bedwetter, but I am concerned about some of Joes incoherent remarks. The we killed Medicare.. where the hell did thst come from? Was he that shook up by the format and lies?
I would like an explanation of what happened from the campaign. He did not look well. He'd had a taxing few weeks with the anniversary of Beaus death, conviction of Hunter, multiple international trips and then the enormity of the possibility of a loss to the orange f#cktwit.
Or what was it?
Decongestants?
Yes , this is a valid point.
Bravo, TC!!!
We need to be cramming the disgust down the throats of the media too! Where can we express this to them?
I wasn't discouraged by the debate. Same old, same old trumpian tactics..Lie, lie, lie. Attack, attack, attack! Evade answering direct questions!
I'm still " ridin' with Biden." He is the more honorable, honest, caring candidate who had an off night. As for trump, I suspect he takes drugs before these events & then peters out half way through,
from their effects. It's been said by those who should know, trumps a fan of Ritalin..big time; which could induce an amphetamine like response in people taking it. As my sister has said as well, I'd take President Biden if he had any number of what might be considered
"issues," over a trump any day. The impediment trump has is one of lack of a moral compass; lack of the kind of character you can count on in a crisis, or well, anything. We've already had a sampling of that over his 4 year term. Why would anyone not morally challenged or insane, vote for him another term, after January 6th & all the goings on, the rest of his prior term. A major $#!+show over those 4 years & the ilk that would riddle his administration, like Stephen Miller. Another human tragedy, lacking a moral compass. Only having sat in those seats before, they'd have previous knowledge of how to " milk" it better this time. And don't forget, if we got trump, maga republicans would push Project 2025.
Ritalin or adderall. Both are meth-like compounds differing from methamphetamine by a carbon or two hanging off the benzene ring. For people with ADHD they're calming and helpful.
For everyone else they're powerful stimulants. Given that everything CFDT says is projection, and his insistence Biden is "on something", it's a pretty safe bet he's was on one or both.
I am sure Dr Bandy X. Lee will have a lot to say in her sub-stack later today.
https://open.substack.com/pub/bandyxlee/p/from-gamble-to-car-wreck?r=3hlhv&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=email
Indeed she does
Thanks, Ally. You are clutch hitter, as always!
<curtsies>
Thank you Ned. I just watched the rally on C-SPAN. I would not have seen it if it hadn't been for the link you posted. It is time to Energize, Organize and VOTE BLUE all the way through!
Thank you for a gracious compliment, Colette.
My R-leaning better half had his pre-existing opinion of Biden's infirmity confirmed, but was appalled by Trump's "performance". I suspect (hope) he is not the only one who was convinced NOT to vote for Trump by his lies and complete inability to answer policy questions. (I don't think he is convinced to vote for Biden, but it's a start). You won't hear about that in the media.
At least a vote for a 3rd party guy deprives Trump of a vote.
Nope. A big nope. A third party vote guarantees a trump win. See Simon Rosenberg on where the race stands today. Biden is gaining ground and is ahead in some areas, but his advantage is tenuous at this point. To add in a third party vote would be a disaster. I refer you to Gore/Bush/Nader and Clinton/trump/Stein/Sanders.
Third party candidates are outliers who do not have the best interests of the Country at heart. If they did, they would read the tea leaves and throw their support to the best candidate for Democracy. Third party candidates terrify me.
No, I was referring to Louise's better-half. A Republican who dislikes Trump might have voted for him in the past while pinching his or her nose. So, going third party in this particular demographic would help President Biden.
I know that. I was thereby prompted to write about third party candidates. I don't get all personal and personality in debates or politics Ned. It is about the issues and having friendly debates. Politics is the great American past time isn't it?
A third party vote from a R is better than a Trump vote from a R
We are playing a zero-sum game here. It's either Biden or trump. Third party votes pull votes from the 2 party candidates. At the end of the day, they are vanity votes and accomplish nothing. In our ever-increasing close elections, every single vote is crucial.
This race is turning on a dime. It's terrifyingly close. I refer you to Simon Rosenberg for his astute, better than mine, analysis of where we stand today.
An interesting take of the debate.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lDPI_xqcyrk
I too was angry, especially at Tapper and Bash failing to point out Trump’s firehouse of lies.
Like President Biden, they were likely appalled at the bald-faced lying and too stunned to say anything. Trump had rehearsed these lines and just kept spouting them off and charging ahead like a pile-driver.
Though inelegant, next to a tongue tied gentleman, these slurs can almost pass for eloquent. What does one do?
Invent counter lines and put in ear-plugs every time Trump spouts off so the President can stay on message afterward instead of responding and getting bogged down in the mess.
President Biden did stumble, badly. One thing I noticed, however, is that he did refute points Trump made, only for Trump to go right on repeating them.
If the so-called moderators were appalled, they have been living on another planet. Trump says nothing these days except untruths...and word salads. They should have been on high alert for that.
If they opened that door, how far would it open before mayhem broke out. And maybe that’s what should have happened. Make Trump go ballistic it’s not hard to do. If Bash or Tapper had lambasted Trump, it would have made good television and after all, this is what it’s about. Ratings and income.
The challenge is that, with people like Trump, one has no one time to think through a response because the sh*ts just keep on coming. Were I an advisor to President Biden, I would counsel: "Let go and let Joe. Relax. You have got this. Take earplugs to the next debate, if it occurs, so you can tune out the inevitable scheiße-blitzes and stick to your good-news message."
I just muted the "debate" after a few minutes. Then all I could do was see CFDT miming and Joe looking tired and pale.
absolutely agree -- their silence probably made some people think Trump was telling the truth. as if
The silence of the lambs. Maybe Trump's reference to Hannibal Lecter was more salient than we thought!
Ann W. makes a point that the moderators should have been ready. Yet it is easy for me to say something at the television as an onlooker already well acquainted with Trump's scheiße versus confronting it in my face in real time.
What school do reporters go to where they learn to be neutered?
Is wonk a language -- you know, like an officially registered UN tongue, but one learned in post-Powell-memo "higher" ed where all humanities have given way to neutered silo after neutered silo?
And the bankers lick their chops at all that meat needing student loans to cripple them forever?
Yeah, impression management will be the death of us all.
Most infuriating was that T didn’t answer the questions! If I remember in the beginning one of the moderators said he could use his 2minutes however he liked. So apparently he had memorized two minutes soundbites and repeated variations of those over and over.
I just looked at the transcript . T was told he could do whatever he wanted with the one minute follow up time.
Did anybody else think Dash and Tapper looked angry, robotic, imprisoned by an oppressive force bearing down on them?
Did not notice it, but certainly a possibility.
Their defense is that they said up front they weren't going to. New format, not enough attention given to issues. Cutting the orange felons mic wasn't enough.
If you want criticism of the moderators and of CNN listen to Keith Olbermann. Not to defend any of them, bear in mind that the ground rules prevented fact checking. The moderators could only ask the pre-printed questions. The clock and mics were rigorously controlled. It was a farce for sure. But the Biden campaign agreed to it. Under those circumstances, Biden should have ignored Trump and referred the audience to his website for the facts and then told endearing, even funny, stories. He should have dispatched Trump with five or six words and talked from the heart to the American people.
A BATTLE LOST—A WAR STILL TO BE FOUGHT AND WON
We are living through a “Dunkirk moment”. We could even call it a Fort Sumter moment.
Regardless of whether the majority that decided this fully understood what they were doing, the Supreme Court of the United States has fired the first shots. Now, the wildfire can only be quenched by the American people, by re-electing the current President, ABOVE ALL BY ELECTING IN NOVEMBER A CONGRESSIONAL MAJORITY OF PATRIOTIC FIREFIGHTERS.
Despite the Justices’ Fort Sumter action, it is Churchill’s example that I shall now be calling up. Unfashionable as he may be—and was, justifiably, on successive occasions during his lifetime—we would not be here, free to enjoy our opinions, free to spread them, if it had not been for the dogged determination of this man and the British people in 1940 and the years that followed. Forebears of whom we are all unworthy.
In his “We shall fight on the beaches” speech, there is one passage that has special resonance at the present time: that in which he speaks of the Fifth Column. In America, in conservative circles in Britain, “this malignancy in our midst”, this Fifth Column—both the cowards and the calculating, unprincipled profiteers—has never been more active, more omnipresent. Or more dangerous.
The world will not be safe until it has—to use Churchill’s words—been effectively stamped out.
*
I shall soon be returning, at great length, for a more panoramic view of the current situation. I hope this will be helpful. Please bear with me if you find it overlong.
Churchill knew a thing or two about tough situations. “Success consists of going from failure to failure without loss of enthusiasm.” We need his voice if we don’t have a “bulldog of our own.” BTW. Maddogpac.com does billboards. Would love to see more of them everywhere. Claude Taylor is back in business and will get what little money I have.
Chump thinking that his mug shot looks like Churchill is the biggest joke ever. Churchill would never have signed England over to Hitler, although their once king likely would have. Ain’t history fun…
Churchill was a ‘clutterer’ also—had a speech impediment where the brain races and the speech can’t keep up. In that day and age it was easier to disguise.
Having worked with a speech therapist and a stutterer in eighth grade years ago, I am acutely aware of the life long struggle they have with every utterance. Joe worked and dealt with his challenge, while chump skated through his whole life greased up with money and excuses made for him by family and those afraid of the power of money. The campaign is between a tough survivor and the primo bully with nary a trace of humanity. BTW, Winston’s brain was quick on the trigger, he could come back with some zingers. Of course, that was before the day of instant reporting of every thought.
PATRIOTIC FIREFIGHTERS...I love it! Thanks, Peter.
Return, Peter. Return.
If worried about length, just write but then delete a few adjectives.
I have done it. But it is mainline, a needle well buried in the substack. And it repeats much previous material.
I hope I have provided a stone quarry, building materials for activists to use, no doubt more effectively than I can.
Look now at NEWEST... and scroll down fast!
Yup, I'm tired of compelling narrative taking the place of compelling reporting and analysis. My analysis: Biden hit a pot-hole - a big one, but the axle did not break, the car is still moving. I do not believe the debate ('debate' here is used loosely, debating DT is akin to trying to land a spacecraft on the surface of a gas giant) changed the minds of a single person who watched it with any attentiveness.
Biden lost an opportunity to allay doubts about age and infirmity (doubts fanned by narrative hungry pundits). Trump lost, well, because he is Trump. Any parsing of what he said will reveal mostly lies and non-sense. The American electoral system lost yet more credibility. Rather than staking an unbiased course with good reporting, CNN tried to pander to both sides - is this the best we can do? (please don't answer - the question is rhetorical)
The real losers on 6/27 were the American voters, who need real information/analysis. Instead, we are fed a diet of half-truths, lies, and innuendo by a pundit class too stupid to realize the damage they are doing by turning our lives and issues into a soap opera. Christ-on-a-cracker, I'm sick of it.
I agree Steve, CNN betrayed Biden and our country. If Biden could could do it over, I believe he would have simply walked off the stage early on, perhaps with a comment that CFDT should be wearing an orange jumpsuit.
"Biden in a pot-hole," good analysis, Steve.
A BATTLE LOST—A WAR STILL TO BE FOUGHT AND WON
We are living through a “Dunkirk moment”. We could even call it a Fort Sumter moment.
Regardless of whether the majority that decided this fully understood what they were doing, the Supreme Court of the United States has fired the first shots. Now, the wildfire can only be quenched by the American people, by re-electing the current President, ABOVE ALL BY ELECTING IN NOVEMBER A CONGRESSIONAL MAJORITY OF PATRIOTIC FIREFIGHTERS.
Despite the Justices’ Fort Sumter action, it is Churchill’s example that I shall now be calling up. Unfashionable as he may be—and was, justifiably, on successive occasions during his lifetime—we would not be here, free to enjoy our opinions, free to spread them, if it had not been for the dogged determination of this man and the British people in 1940 and the years that followed. Forebears of whom we are all unworthy.
In his “We shall fight on the beaches” speech, there is one passage that has special resonance at the present time: that in which he speaks of the Fifth Column. In America, in conservative circles in Britain, “this malignancy in our midst”, this Fifth Column—both the cowards and the calculating, unprincipled profiteers—has never been more active, more omnipresent. Or more dangerous.
The world will not be safe until it has—to use Churchill’s words—been effectively stamped out.
*
I shall soon be returning, at great length, for a more panoramic view of the current situation. I hope this will be helpful. Please bear with me if you find it overlong.
*
A necessary afterthought: while there can be no question but that the Supreme Court of the United States includes Justices who have clearly taken sides in the party political fray, the fact that, in the case of Loper Bright Enterprises v. Raimondo, the Supreme Court has just overturned the Chevron defense doctrine that underpins the administrative state means that the Justices are now placing that decision, and far more, squarely in the hands of America’s voters.
IT IS NOW FOR THE AMERICAN PEOPLE TO DETERMINE WHETHER THEY PREFER THE RULE OF MONEY—A TYRANNICAL OLIGARCHY—OR GOVERNMENT OF THE PEOPLE, BY THE PEOPLE, FOR THE PEOPLE—D E M O C R A C Y .
Peter, reading about these rulings, the feeling of dread that the Project 2025’s Mandate for Leadership is already creeping into and morphing the “law of the land” to their vision. Seems key players are already in place on the board hoping to checkmate us before we realize it. Damn, double damn….
No one elected the Heritage Foundation to destroy our government and professional civil service, and no one elected the justices allowing legalized bribery. Hamilton, Madison, and Jefferson would be appalled. They would also be appalled at the unserious morons elected to public office and behaving like middle schoolers.
Awhile back Lawrence O'Donnell had an excellent segment on his show that stressed the importance of elections….not just for POTUS/Congress, but for those elected officials who will APPOINT judges to lifetime positions on the courts, the impact of which reverberates and impacts current and future generations. The conundrum to me is how those thinking Project 2025’s Mandate for Leadership will somehow get rid of the “deep state” boogeyman when, in actuality, it creates one on steroids. Oh the irony.
Loper accomplishes 90% of Project 2025. The Heritage Foundation has executed a coup. They no longer need a party or a dictator when they have the 6 fascists on the high bench.
Yeah, James, they’ve been playing a very long game, starting at least w/ the Powell memo back in the early 70’s if I recall the decade correctly (pre-Reagan & he took it to heart). Ginormous money behind it.
Thank you Will. Exactly right. Biden has brought me to tears before with his heart and love of our country. I will find his speech in Raleigh. We should all quit our yipping and get to work! Amen brother.
♥️
Will, from Cal, we all want to win. Respectfully, there are two main questions as I see it.
1. How will swing voters be affected by the optics and performance of Pres. Biden at the debate? And will this drag downward down ballot races? These questions arise out of my fear of losing.
2. Can Pres. Biden do the presidential 24/7 job well in a second term? This is facing the reality of having a concern (not a five alarm fire, but a concern) that what I saw at the debate was perhaps not a cold or a one-off. Is there perhaps a pattern developing? I don't know but it is a question, a legitimate one, albeit a sad and untimely one yes.
My questions are legitimate, in good faith, and come with respect and admiration for Pres. Biden. Should I be shamed for expressing my thoughts and rational fears? Is it just, that your fears or anger should silence me? Am I not granted equality in expressing my in good faith thoughts?
Hey, M. I don't know if this will help you, but this link is a written transcript of the debate. You will note that the written word is devoid of any human nuance which, to my mind, has both good and bad attributes to it. I was pretty fearful myself while watching the debate. Reading what he said made sense, even though how he spoke that night seemed disjointed.
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/read-biden-trump-debate-transcript/ar-BB1p2fcX?ocid=BingNewsSerp
Lynell (VA by way of MD & DC), thanks so much! That is a great idea. I will do that. And thanks for being open to understanding that I think it's important to allow people space to express their honest thoughts/concerns without being shut-down or squashed by shaming. I believe we do ourselves a disservice if we don't allow space for facing our fears and concerns. It helps us find the right path forward and be more creative, conscious, and strategic.
You're very welcome, M. I don't wish to overdo, but! Here is another article written by Mehdi Hasan in the Atlantic. If the written transcript doesn't do it, Mehdi absolutely nails it when it comes to that concept known as the Gish Gallop, that which Biden was absolutely subjected to. Note that this article was written back in February 2023, so not an article about the debate we all saw the other night. This article is gifted:
https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2023/02/donald-trump-debate-strategy-gish-gallop/673061/?gift=aFbN6PR_6hTlYUVlokJksBVyuxsjBMXPhrltrGBN3LY&utm_source=copy-link&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=share
Lynell, Jim Wright wrote another piece which articulates the Gish Gallop. It's his June 28 essay: https://www.stonekettle.com/
Morning, Ally! I was in the middle of thanking you for this wonderful stone kettle article, when my hand wiped it out while at the same time knocking me off where your posted comment was. So frustrating! Anyway, this guy does a great job of explaining what happened and, very importantly, what hasn't changed. I really like his writing style. Thanks, again, for informing me about his website.
Lynell (VA by way of MD&DC), may I also ask, if you are aware if there is a local geneological group of descendents of familial land of Shenandoah National Park? I found interviews from the 1970's the university did with my relatives who lived there prior to relocation, so I would like to try to find out if any relatives are still in the area.
Sorry, but I am not familiar with what, if any, genealogical groups there are.
Also sorry for delay in responding!
Lynell (VA by way of MD&DC), thank you. It's not an overdo. It's a kindness, your offer of help. I appreciate it and the gifted link. I'll read Mehdi's article too. And may I ask how do you like VA? I learned in the past year or so that some of my ancestors lived in Colonial VA, fought in the Revolution, and later gave up their land via imminent domain for Shenandoah National Park. Their burial grounds and remnants of their homestead are still accessible via trail. One day I want to make it to VA to be closr to them. So I wondered how you like VA. And what is the area around SNP like?
Wow, that's impressive to know of your "revolutionary" ancestors, M.
Shenandoah National Park is absolutely beautiful. If you like trees and rolling hills, you won't be disappointed to be there.
Thank you, Lynell, for this link! I commented on a SubStack yesterday that we should look at a transcript—at the actual words spoken—to see the substance (or in TFFFG’s case, the lack of) the narrative. By word and deed Biden/Harris is the winning team!
Lynell, thanks for the script!
Can Trump do a presidential job 24/7? He couldn't last time. He's certainly not able to this time and, unlike President Biden, Trump does not surround himself with competent cabinet members or administrators.
Ann W., of course, that's true. But you're deflecting from my ability to express a fear/concern about one candidate. I wasn't comparing and contrasting.candidates. I did that years ago and completely agree with you.
Trump preferred to sit on his capacious rear end and watch Faux News all the time, while other people did the work.
I agree with you completely. I am furious about the disrespect being displayed about Biden. It plays right into the GOP narrative about him being incompetent. I loved seeing Biden’s passionate speech on Friday. I was not surprised, though, because I have watched many of his speeches. Biden had a cold on Thursday, and the debate format was not conducive to giving thoughtful responses. The stutter that Biden has dealt with since childhood started occurring, which can happen under stress. I can’t imagine what it must have been like to stand near Trump as he spewed a constant barrage of bizarre lies.
Bravissimo! Many Substack commenters are amazingly knowledgeable and astute, and I learn a lot from us, here and elsewhere. But herd instinct is a thing, and armchair politicos *love* Substack. I think, I hope, the tide is turning. Now if only the apparatchiks of the national Democratic organizations, esp. the DNC, can just get the hell out of the way . . .
A great comment. Pres debates are nor debates they are performances. Biden failed his audition. That “debate” terrified his base because he looked like what his ageist opponents have been claiming. The candidates will not lose any of their base. The fret is about the vast number of ignorant voters who, sad as that maybe vote not on issues, policies, or accomplishments they vote who they feel they can relate to. The tRump people rightly assess that the contest is about strength vs weakness. Those of us who follow politics can’t believe the polls are as close as they are because this election should not be competitive!
Seeming strength. Macho posturing covering up the yawning void within. Guaranteed disaster. Novichok to poison the entire planet.
My 34 yr old daughter who is by no means a trump supporter, but isn’t consumed with politics like we are, watched the debate and her only remarks were how much trump lied and contradicted himself and his deeply insulting remark about Black jobs. Black twitter didn’t let trump off the hook for that one. While we were freaking out, they were hilariously mocking him on twitter. I shared the thread but it was ignored. A shame too, because it was a much needed different perspective.
We take ourselves too seriously sometimes.
I absolutely, wholeheartedly agree. Biden had ONE bad night. One. Give the man a break. People are so fickle. If people are looking for perfection, they'll never find it. But, President Biden definitely has what it takes to beat trump. Don't give up on him!!
Optics across the board of Biden's debate performance have been universally negative. I personally cringed at a lot of it. The glaring contrast between this adject performance and eg the State of the Union speech, and his very upbeat performance at his North Carolina rally the day after the debate with Trump almost demands an explanation. Bob Woodward, who thought his performance was catastrophic, said journalists should spend more time trying to understand this anomalous under-performance. I agree. One reflection I have for now is that, for whatever reason, Biden lost his usual psychological equanimity in how he handled things when confronted with Trump's torrent of deceits and lies, all of which had effective counters if presented in a straightforward but upbeat manner, and not get tangled defensively with one lie after another - that was too obvious in watching his on screen reactions while Trump lumbered on. Biden was emotionally overwhelmed, and it showed big time. Does this make him an incapable president? I don't think so. But his relationship to Trump may be too toxic for him to be able to debate with him live. I don't know. In his rally, with a supportive wife and crowd, he was effective in his rebuttals, and in his assertions. Whether he had teleprompter help, after all it was a campaign speech, her performance was second to none. Can he learn how to recover from his disastrous debate? I'm not sure. But I'm more than willing to give him chance to re-bate Trump. It isn't that hard to break down Trump's performance, his ad hominem, his attack hooks, and take up a forceful approach on Dem issues, and his own record as president. My morning rant. Biden has to up his extemporaneous dynamic with Trump in particular.
What dark money wants, the Clarence court’s bribed and perjured will give to dark money.
We learned from the “debate” how Dems need to rally each other (appear together in public; often quote, cite each other) – not only to fend off Trump’s sewer of lies, but also to make up for how even the U.S.’s best, established media "moderators" haven't the slightest clue as to moderating such a sewer.
Now, too, the Clarence court has killed the Chevron precedent, gutting federal health, safety, finance, and environmental protections. Dark money has been corrupting that court. Now it can expand U.S. predations.
A singular evil entwines Dred Scott, Plessy v. Ferguson, Citizens United, and the ruling two years ago aborting the rights of American women.
Such massive, organized, far-right assault the American public is facing – continuous since, as Heather wrote “ . . . the South Won the Civil War.”
We are also learning how wedded capitalism is to using dark money tactics to survive. Unfortunately treating all citizens fairly is anathema to wealth protection.
I think it's natural for people to want more money; but at some point it becomes a sociopathic obsession, at least for some, and they will attempt to destroy anything and everything that limits their quest. The "love" of money.
Yet, not one of the greedy bastards can take it with them. However Rupert may have found a way to stave off the Grim Reaper. Dorian Gray??? Nah, Dorian stayed young and handsome while his portrait aged. Rupert looks like the devil he is. No amount of money can change that…
Jeri, yeah I guess it’s “he who dies with the most toys wins”—wins what? Bragging rights? Like you say, can’t take with you…unless, like Pharos, you get buried in a big storage container with all your stuff! Perhaps a gift to future archeologists…..
Looks like the stuff stayed behind.
Maybe that's why he married someone 30 years younger. Sucks the life out of her
Yep, although she’s older than the Chinese babe. Don’t know about Jerry Hall. She was old enough not to be so stupid. But maybe she got her reward…
It's sure not about a life partner...
Hamlet observes that the devil hath power to assume a pleasing shape, however, most of these creeps seem to wear their hardened hearts.
Sounds like the prosperity gospel preachers. Elmer Gantry’s all
JL, it’s like these folks with the greed virus have never understood the concept of “enough”. Sigh, guess there will always be those who want, but do not need, “more”.
They are the hungry ghosts of Buddhist tradition, or the wendigo of the Algonquian tradition: insatiable and never content.
Hoarder syndrome.
Jen…lol…I’m in the middle of a stalled renovation on my house & I lamented to a friend that my place looked like an episode of “Hoarder’s”….no, he said, your not a hoarder, you’re a “collector”. Yeah, I do have some great sh*t!!!! Like when the electricians came to correct a problem (they couldn’t fix it, and it resulted in my having to take the interior walls off two rooms..ugh, hate such surprises!) & one of them commented “oh, cool, you have a tool room!”. Hanging my head, I replied “no, that’s my bedroom”. Sigh.
Sorry. I keep way too much stuff because I think "I might use that someday" and often I do, bit not most of it is really surplus. But I don't think its the stuff the problem one percenters are after so much as dominance. They want to be master of all they survey; the whole world if possible, Galactic Emperor in their dreams. They are malignant narcissists; they want everyone and every thing to be toys in their toy box. Look at Trump.
Weird how historically, those completely lacking ethics and shame are seen by many as charismatic. Look at filmed crowds viewing Hitler and Mussolini. It's our own species' tragic flaw, it could kill us all in the end, if we don't get smarter about it fast.
St. Peter will have no trouble kicking arses to the curb if the scripture reads true. Especially that part about the rich man, the camel, and the eye of the needle. Relax rich man, your progeny will strew your riches to the wind.
Love of money?
There's an arsehiole who's sure, all that glitters is gold
And he's buying a stairway to heaven
When he gets there he knows
If the courts are all closed
With a word, he can get what he came for
Yep. Clever, but my heart breaks for our country.
And that is the fundamental flaw in the Constitution . It's why slavery was ignored.
To their credit, the framers realized their work was release candidate 1.0, so they made it updateable, and Lincoln took a major step towards remediation of our social conception of liberty and dedication to the proposition the all men are created equal, and the rocky road toward racial and gender equality continued to this day, though lately facing renewed and fierce plutocratic resistance. Follow the money.
Still, in retrospect, the Constitutions is admirable but imperfect, at least in my estimation. The absolutely key and unalienable right to vote should have been it's holiest of holies, and the remedy for malfeasance of officials not left to partisan whim. And extended appointments for certain judges, sure, but life? I don't think the framers wanted to think about how any tool can be a weapon when used with malicious intent.
A singular evil; the maliciously narcissistic urge to dominate and control, or even exterminate other people. It threads though history, leaving a wake of horrors and tragedy.
Since Herodotus told the story of Solon and the Persian king, it's been one of our key stories, yes, J L?
Always so many lies built into this narcissism, as abstracting others always distances one further and further from one's own humanity as well as from that of others as others, as individuals.
Yep, never acknowledging others, or their pain keeps the monied from feeling anything. How very Stepford-like. Maybe AI is the answer for us to escape the burdens of empathetic humans.
". . . to escape the burdens of empathetic humans."
Jeri, you know how they answered that in Don Siegel's 1956 "Invasion of the Body Snatchers."
Just fall asleep. The pod people version of you will take over -- and you never again need face complication, complexity, nuance, or anything else invoking the personal, love, or any other human emotion.
Or Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. Hyde was there all the time, hyding in human nature; the potion just pushed Jekyll's better angels aside.
Ain’t there yet.
AI is seen as a Final Solution by the sociopathic tech bros and CEOs to pesky humans who possess imagination and whose intelligence is empathic rather than abstract. Preceded by the present day softening up mass mediated reprogramming. Creating a social narrative that frames sensitivity to other living beings sufferings and compassion as a unique mental state that calls for specific cognitive treatment.
We have a lot of us pesky humans, I hope enough to resist another Final Solution
Certainly that remains a risk. That and accumulated folly forcing nature to trump us all.
We need to keep calm and keep open minds. All is not lost.
As an uncle of mine used to say, "we need to fight the good fight." And the fight against evil, ill intentioned people, is as old as time. Let's " keep on keeping on" respect to truth telling and telling the good things that the Biden administration's accomplished!! And let's keep shouting to the rooftops, the dangerous felon that trump is & the similar type folks that will be riding with him;
all wearing black hats & money satchels hanging from their shoulders, to carry their ill gotten gains. That's how I see anyone attached to trump. " What can I get for me?" Not asking the question, what can I do for my
country?
As someone here said yesterday, Keep calm and campaign on!
Morning, Lynell! “Keep calm and campaign on.” I like that.
Better stated than what I was trying say.
It seems to be unfashionable to try for context, to take in the "big picture". It's also dangerous. The mouse doesn't see the trap, just the cheese.
Some are now just desperate for pardons.
Or what can I do for anyone, for humanity, for polar bears? the problem with letting profit alone run the show is that it breeds sociopathy. Looking at history as a developmental process, like "Evolution" or cosmology the connection should be blatant. E Plurbus Unum. We extend and protect our own liberty in extending it and protecting it for one another. There is no other way.
We've gone a long way off track. Consider that even Republicans were prepared to convict Nixon and the press was instrumental in bringing him down.
Republicans of today, aren't " those" Republicans of the Nixon era; who would often be amenable, to reach across the aisle to their Democrat counterparts, to find common ground to agree upon. It would appear, the IQ levels & common sense has dipped considerably since then in many elected legislators; in particular the Republican party. What does that suggest about the intelligence & common sense of those who elected them today? And of the older republican legislators who dipped out early; there obviously was a recognition of a new "breed" of elected republican legislators (self labeled maga officials in particular) that made them not wish to deal with the madness.
Absolutely. Fortune favors the prepared mind.
Easy to over-do the preparation and build anxiety by winding someone up too tightly. Knowing the numbers is not what is important but a manner of breezy confidence. I would advise President Biden to take ear-plugs to the next debate so he can ignore the inevitable trumper-tantrums and scheiße storms to stay on-message. That way, if there is another debate, fortune will not favour the impaired mind.
Phil-Thanks for highlighting the fact that we’re still fighting the “Civil War”. In his book entitled A Short History of the Confederate States of America (1890) Jefferson Davis defended the Lost Cause claiming that the war was not about slavery. He wrote, it was “simply political struggles between sections with diverse institutions and conflicting interests”. Of course the institution of slavery was the south’s interest so his claim is specious.
The powers of the presidency, Congress and Supreme Court (Dred Scott) have been invaluable tools for shaping our society. The struggle for control continues. The Rs have chosen to use strategies and tactics to divide us even further.
Lincoln said “a house divided against itself cannot stand”. I think he’s right. Why are we so divided? Red states are mostly in the south, Midwest, and “heartland”.
We all need to wake up to the enduring issues underlying our “conflicting interests”. Could it be that greed, racism and misogyny are undermining our ability to be the “United” States?
Equality, truth and fairness are on the ballot. This election will let us know where (if) we stand. American has an opportunity to show the world that money won’t rule us, greed won’t be rewarded with power and deranged personalities won’t win. I’m counting on “we the people” because one day we will overcome. Yes we can.
Follow the money. The long ago "Party of Lincoln" gleefully traded it's soul for power and rekindled the embers of the Civil War to obtain dominance, the very issue that they once fought to rectify.
Given this out-of-control SCOTUS, it is more important than ever to sweep all three branches of government and clean out that viper's nest of purchased "judges." If I were a betting person, I would bet that the ridiculous delay in the decision about immunity and the deliberate scheduling of the announcement (July 1st) means that six crooks have decided that the convicted felon is above the law and that he has total immunity. They'll then skip town and raise whatever flags indicate to whom they belong (or maybe not - maybe they'll cower down at some undisclosed billion-dollar donor's retreat and hope no intrepid reporter finds out where they are and who is paying them THIS time.)
Out-of-control SCOTUS brought to us in part by those who argue one party just as bad ans another.
The christo fascists are achieving their goal, taking over lawmaking via the one un-democratic body allowed to do so. How could we have missed it for so long?
MADA!
Make the Ages Dark Again.
This is all chilling information and you have put it out so clearly that no one should be sitting on their hands in this next election. When I hear people say ". . . I'm sitting this one out. . ." I want to scream.
Trump appears to have done more than destroy the "debate", he's shot off his mouth.
Talked too much in more ways than one. Heather is surely not the only one to have picked this up.
Didn’t tfg’s comment about the journalist remind you of the Reagan Iranian hostage release? Talk about “Russia, Russia, Russia”! Corruption at the deepest levels.
Yes, and Trump ought to be indicted under the Logan Act.
Don't "want to scream." Correct them bluntly and tell them that is unacceptable to you as a fellow American, and why. You don't have to be rude, but silence or politesse is not an option.
After yesterday, my already very limited patience for this abject nonsense has run out. People appreciate confidence and we need to be projecting that constantly for the next 4.5 months. Absolute smiling lockstep, no exceptions!
Unity!
No pasaran!
No pasarán indeed!
We have a duty to all of society, especially it's most vulnerable members, to not allow evil to triumph by doing nothing.
Exactly, JL!!!!
Janis, the very few times I’ve heard this, I engage by asking why and have a conversation. I have a homemade sign I carried a several years back at a rally/march in my rural county & I now post it pre-election on my fence…it says “Choosing not to vote is not resistance, it’s surrender”. It is a companion to a larger sign (too big to carry) that I painted that says “Democracy or Autocracy—Our Choice—Vote!”. Passersby usually give me a thumbs-up if I’m out working in the yard…tho’ not a lot of traffic in my wee town of 1200 folk!
Those are great ideas and wonderful signs you've put up. thank you. It is always best to engage in person, sometimes that isn't possible but it is the best way when you can make it happen.
Thank you, Dr. Heather, for talking about Evan Gershkovich, and giving (some of) us something else to think about regarding last night's debacle of a "debate."
"Trump’s focus on 32-year-old Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich, who was arrested by Russian officers in March 2023 and is currently on trial for the trumped-up charge of espionage. The State Department considers him “wrongfully detained,” a rare designation indicating that the person is being held by a hostile government as a bargaining chip. That designation means the U.S. government will do all it can to secure his release."
I'm impressed that you noted these details from tffg's firehose of lies and rambling last night, and tied in some of that content to the Mueller Report. I hope that President Biden's administration hasn't forgotten about Evan.
"So when Trump last night said about the 2022 invasion, “Putin saw that, he said, you know what, I think we’re going to go in and maybe take my—this was his dream. I talked to him about it, his dream,” it sounded as if he had been in on the Mariupol Plan. And when he talked about how the war needed to end, especially in light of Putin’s recent “peace” plan, it sounded as if perhaps he still is.
And he promised, yet again, that he and he alone could get Gershkovich released."
"I talked to him about it, his dream". Helsinki, July 2018. 2 hours, only the interpreters present. His allegiance is to Russia. He's got to go, and the Supreme Court, which is already putting Project 2425 in place.
Interpreters should have been called to tell the tale. That’s exactly where the deal was done. Dream, my arse…
Defeating trump should be a blow to Project 2025. These republican thugs need to be kicked to the curb, along-side trump.
Project 2425 has a spreading root-system; it's going to need prompt and close attention, regardless.
Damn Manchin and Sinema. The Voting Rights Act would have held these dark funders and underworld voter suppressors up to the light and the fight to keep the Senate and regain the House would not be waged with a handicap!
Yes. It's hard to bear.
Agreed!
No back channels to Putin are necessary; this is a wink and a nod process. Release Gershkovich to Trump, which makes him look like a master diplomat, and Putin can do "whatever the hell he wants" in Ukraine. All Trump needs to do is do nothing. Is this possibly a violation of the Logan Act, a felony to interfere with a government foreign policy negotiation
Thank you JustRaven for bringing this back to the conversation. Heather’s clarity in picking up on the throughline of trump’s word-salad comments connecting the Marioupol Plan, and Gershkovich’s possible release reveals shocking questions: how closely was/is trump actually to Putin? Trump is the gift-that-keeps-on-giving for Putin. No wonder Bill Barr needed to take the Meuller Report out at the knees. It reveals toooo much about who runs the gop agenda.
I think this important point about CFDJ was lost in the agony of Biden's performance. Thank you for bringing it back up.
I've been living in Budapest for several months; knowing what he is willing to give Putin, Hungarians are terrified of another Trump presidency. There's a magazine cover of Don Jr. plastered all over Budapest--his arms folded across his chest, his smug grin--the quote next to his image reads, "We would stop the war in Ukraine in 5 minutes." This piece perfectly illustrates how they plan to do that. We must not allow Trump to be re-elected, must not cede the hard-earned world order to these murderous men.
TFG is just the nastiest piece of garbage.
"It was a perfect phone call!"
tffg is a subhuman piece of offal for which there are not enough expletives nor pejoratives to describe his miserable worthless existence.
If Trump wins, you lose.
We all lose.
There are irretrievable losses already such as needless COVID deaths, future deaths to climate instability, and children separated and lost to immigrant families. It can be and would be much worse.
JR…..um, awful offal?!!! Has a nice stink to it, doncha think??
An insult to garbage.
Properly applied garbage improves soil. I've done it for years and it works. Trump is a moral superfund site.
“A moral superfund site.”
That is the best new description I’ve seen in a long time.
Compost improves soil. Garbage degrades and can pollute soil. It takes work to create compost. You have to choose carefully what you allow, cut it into small pieces, put it in your composter and turn it over periodically. Eventually it decomposes into rich earth, full of nutrients. Return the composted soil back to the earth and use it to grow more organic food to power your life. Compost takes months and years but it renews the earth that is the source of all life. Trump is garbage. Biden is compost. The difference between them is stark and obvious. One destroys life. One renews life. Each voter gets to choose what they want for themselves and future generations.
NL, as a gardener I appreciate the analogy!
It takes one to know one.🌻
👍
...and people still seem scared of this guy. We shouldnt be. He's a loser. Lost the election, lost in court, lost in business, lost in life. Lost trying to put a sentence together.
He's the devil, yes. But who knew the devil was so utterly pathetic?
Scared of him, no. Angry as hell at the arrogance and the people who think they have a right to lord it over the rest of us, yes.
But it’s for our own good. Said the missionaries as they raped the natives.
Will, to paraphrase the Bard: Sound and fury signifying nothing.
A big fat comb-over bloviating nothing.
And oh, what a tangled web [he] weaves!!!
Such a cold (little) finger
Beckons you to enter his web of sin
But don't go in...
Anybody remember Helsinki? I do. All the signs were there, not the least of which was the photo of Putin’s victorious smirk and chump looking like the dog on a leash. We may never have a transcript, but somebody was in the room. Can they be made to speak?
BTW, I subscribe to six substacks. They (plus others) are doing a great job of documenting the fall of the democracy. It’s now a fight between the truth tellers and entertainment/fiction (Rupert, Alex Jones and that ilk) “news” that we have allowed to permeate our lives. Putin has had a better 40-year plan than Reagan ever had. Sort of ironic, don’t you think?
You might add the NYT to the list. Today's online version of the paper edition was all horserace reporting.
Yep, saddest day of my life was when I realized that our MSM was lured to the Fox “entertainment” model instead of Walter’s example. That was a while back, but I cancelled NYT recently. Had more than enough. I try to support print newspapers, but they don’t make it easy. Then our area has The Epoch Times, check that out. Mind boggling. And we need to add Sinclair. Really too many to list…
I'm about ready to can the NYT myself. Waiting for the introductory rate to run out.
Isn’t it interesting that The NY Times has called for Biden to step down but has never called for Trump to step down as a fellow, liar and cheat?
And WaPo has hired a cretin who worked for Rupert during the horror that he pulled in England. Bad omen. It may go next. Bezos has become a cretin with his penis-shaped space rocket. Our situation has become untenable
Very suspicious, indeed!
Old gipper might be flipping in his grave
Yep!
Jeri…made me think of this Alanis Morissette song “Ironic”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jne9t8sHpUc
Boy, does this hit me where it hurts today. Thank you. I’ve been telling myself something that a students great grandma told me many years ago. THIS TOO SHALL PASS. What she didn’t say was that something else will come right behind and slap you silly. Yet, there have been blessings that, as the saying goes, sneak in a door you didn’t know you left open. Love the song. Thanks again
Some of your letters, I keep. This is one. Everyone needs to read this. Even I need to read this again. This Trump, Putin, Mannafort, Kilimnick thing is some dark stuff that I'm sure the average Joe doesn't know or care about. We're being eaten away from the inside out.
This Ukraine story, as written, is too complicated. It needs to be simplified to be understood.
I’ll simplify. Putin has destroyed a beautiful, successful country for his own greedy power trip.
At least two countries so far, Jeri, his own and Ukraine. And it is hard to know which destruction will have the direr long-term effects, only that the Chinese regime will profit by inheriting the wreckage of both.
Don’t forget us, we’re next on his list. And chump will be happy to oblige if he gets the chance.
It really is complicated -- actually MORE complicated than "as written".
Yet there is something simple to it. A people longing for, fighting for the simple freedom to be themselves. As individuals. As a nation.
In Russia today, in America tomorrow, if Drumpf prevails, one man only is free to be himself. All others must submit, or suffer the direst consequences.
It’s not just his ego. The money men will destroy life as we know it. How many seniors will be homeless or die without social security or Medicare? Or they will live with their overburdened kids in a crowded apartment because there is no housing and will also be poor trying to feed family from the 2 companies left gouging prices? It will be the haves versus the have nots. All about money and greed.
Trojan Horses and snakes do that
There is also material about this in Andrew Weissmann’s book, along with a maddening account of how much more Mueller could have done.
No doubt. Trump is a foreign agent. Aiding & abetting war & territorial expansion for Russia & Israel.
Both of these nations are ethnic & religious nationalists with expansion plans based on claims of ancient & fantasy notions of self righteous supremacy. These head trips align with Trump’s self image.
This is like a cancer that grows within us undetected until it starves all healthy tissue of life. Even if Trump is stopped in November, the tentacles reach deep into our country--Republican fools in the House, more in the Senate, and oligarchs-in-all-but-name in the courts.
I had hoped to sleep tonight enheartened by Biden's rousing rally in Raleigh and the emergence throughout the day of more substantive perspectives and analysis about the "debate." But this letter confirms the continuing damage to our national honor. If we cannot rouse opposition to the obvious malevolence of Trump, how will we ever raise warnings to these unseen threats?
- Pulled Quote -
[Trump] “Putin saw that, he said, you know what, I think we’re going to go in and maybe take my—this was his dream. I talked to him about it, his dream.”
What is a Russian agent for $450 million Alex?
code name pmurt
It suits him. Matches his level of clever.
Like Reagan alone could get the Iranian hostages released.
Yes, made me think of the “October Surprise”
With the way he kept talking about WWIII we better hope the October surprise is not an attack on the US or a NATO country. Hell … Putin attacked his own country to get elected… will his mentee do the same?
Exactly
I don't understand why the Democrats are calling for Biden to step down and yet NOBODY is suggesting that Trump step down, even though in last night's debate, Trump let slip collusion with Putin's invasion via the Mauripol Plan as reported by Heather Cox Richardson in her latest Substack newsletter. How can we as a free democracy NOT hold this overt criminal Trump to just the SAME standard we are demanding of Biden? Trump has noted memory problems, can't even recite policy on demand, and has compromised himself on the world stage but we are cringing because an 81 year old man had a bad 90 minutes probably because of a cold virus?
We must be either blind, or stupid. Please don't do the work for Trump by getting him elected. 1968 should warn us replacing a candidate this late will spell doom for the free world.
It makes me ask aloud, WHY are we so scared of this Trump? What is he going to do if we all stand together against him? Call someone a name on social media? Or send out his shock troops? If he is really capable of scaring politicians by terrorizing them, then speak up! If there is something we should know... unfair pressure against voting positions, like during certain impeachments, then America needs to know. The only way to stop behind the scenes pressure of politicians by a Bully is to bring it out into the light!!! Or if there is nothing there, then stop running from shadows!
T.G. Burtis-Chaves,
When Trump was nominated as a candidate for the Presidency of the USA, I changed political parties.
I was baffled that such an empty, vulgar human being who has never had an interest in anything or anyone but himself and in having such an attitude .... is a complete failure.
He is even a weak "mob boss" as he worships Putin as the model of the man he would like to become.
How anyone can say they love this country or claim to be a Christ-follower and vote for such an empty, Godless man is beyond me. The fact that he is the "chosen one" by so many so called "Christians" only speaks to their willingness to be led straight to hell without even realizing what they are doing! "Frogs in a Kettle!"
I thought we had an amendment that would effectively preclude the POS from running for office? Oh, I forgot…he’s running away from jail not for the presidency. We have so many corrupt politicians and the Supreme Court undermining democracy it is hard to hang onto hope to right the ship. The court has already started implementing Project 2025. Giving the power to states and removing civil liberties and protections at the state level has effectively negated the term “the United States of America.”
Exactly. Trump should be asked at every turn to step down
KATE LAUDERBAUGH,
HE SHOULD BE TOLD TO STEP DOWN!!!
If there are any decent Republicans left in Congress...THEY ARE COWARDS!!!! for not standing up for our country....for NOT standing against trump!
Thank you, Heather, for this detail about Ukraine. Is there any room for doubt that Putin and the convicted felon are still collaborating to get him reinstalled in the White House?
I have never understood why people stopped talking about the Russian interference, though I know plenty of other topics have arisen. But, Mueller Bo ever said it wasn’t there, just that it was hard to track. OF COURSE Putin’s remains central to Trump’s efforts. I never saw a reason that changed and Gershkocvich is caught in it.
Another thing that resonates with the idea of sending signals and the special relationship the Trump campaign enjoyed with Putin. The day he called on Russia to get Hillary Clinton’s emails.
https://www.pbs.org/newshour/amp/politics/trump-asked-russia-to-find-clintons-emails-on-or-around-the-same-day-russians-targeted-her-accounts