Joe Biden: "When you and I get elected, God willing, we're going to push hard to make voting Election Day a national holiday."
Sen. Kamala Harris: "Absolutely."
Biden: "There should be same-day registration." pic.twitter.com/iS2CYjoGZT
— The Hill (@thehill) September 2, 2020
Hanging on to hope, and decency, by our fingernails…
"It was like I was speaking to my uncle and one of my sisters — literally, literally."
— Jacob Blake's father, on talking to Joe Biden and Kamala Harrishttps://t.co/BJg3OyyToS
— Charlotte Clymer ?????? (@cmclymer) September 3, 2020
The President has a duty to set an example. https://t.co/9bkSknbOds pic.twitter.com/OwiCo345Ph
— Joe Biden (@JoeBiden) September 4, 2020
Here’s my promise to you: If I have the honor of serving as the next commander in chief, I will ensure that our American heroes know that I will have their back and honor their sacrifice. Always. https://t.co/wMFHHscD51
— Joe Biden (@JoeBiden) September 4, 2020
I wanted to share this video of Joe Biden hosting the Invictus Games Team USA at his home in 2014.
Both Joe and Dr. Jill Biden are heavily involved with the Invictus Games which is an adaptive multi-sport event for sick, wounded, or injured veterans and service personnel. pic.twitter.com/RVBkDO1Jj6
— Ted Corcoran (Red T Raccoon) (@RedTRaccoon) September 4, 2020
The October Surprise is that Donald Trump really is Donald Trump.
— Patrick Chovanec (@prchovanec) September 4, 2020
Baud
I like Michelle Goldberg but this seems NYT-y.
I did not click, so maybe the article is better than the headline.
debbie
On FB, vets are posting photos of themselves as a protest against Trump’s attitude about them. I hope this gets some traction.
Spanky
I can’t wait for the Bidens to host the Convict’em Games on the White House lawn.
Baud
@debbie:
Every little bit helps.
rikyrah
Good Morning, Everyone ???
Baud
@rikyrah: Good morning.
danielx
@rikyrah:
Good morning to you!
Immanentize
@rikyrah: Good morning! Another week almost in the can. But Fridays are my long days.
SiubhanDuinne
Under a second Trump term, we could have:
The Tomb of the Unknown Loser at Arlington.
The Chicago football stadium, Sucker Field.
Moore and Galloway’s book We Were Losers Once … and Suckers.
The November 11 holiday, Suckers and Losers Day.
V O T E V O T E V O T E
O. Felix Culpa
Good morning! ?
Immanentize
Just watched that Invictus video. I really must get an air filter for my room here. So much eye irritation….
Baud
Biden really is a perfect foil for Trump, since race, sex, and age are taken out of the picture.
OzarkHillbilly
Sad to say but he is, Joe. He is.
rikyrah
rikyrah
Immanentize
@SiubhanDuinne: I just heard the new Bowie Remake:
“We Could be Losers,
just for one day….”
It actually does sound better in German — Helden
Immanentize
@O. Felix Culpa: hang in there!
danielx
@debbie:
Going way out on a limb, I’d guess it’s getting traction like a tracked vehicle. Usually when Trump gets caught in a lie, he issues a perfunctory denial and goes on to the next outrage without a pause. With this article, he’s in a full sweaty panic because there appear to be people whose word is taken to be better than his (I know, not a high bar) who are willing to say it publicly.
It’s not any great surprise nor yet news that the whole idea of service to others – or, for that matter, doing anything for reasons other than personal gain – is completely foreign to him, but seldom has this been so publicly exposed.
Immanentize
@danielx: It may be the article or it may be the Military Times poll that has him in a sweat. Or at least his campaign….
MJS
The Trump campaign, even as stupid as they are, knows the Atlantic article is really damaging, so expect their Russian helpers to go into overdrive to make something up on Biden. Barr, too. Fingers crossed that our crappy media don’t get distracted by whatever nonsense is spewed.
Jake Gibson
If there is one thing Trump’s presidency should dispell is the idea that voters are concerned with having a president that they would “have a beer with.”
Is our pundits learning? I truly would be shocked if they are.
Kay
@danielx:
Part of what Republicans and the Trump campaign tried to push at the convention was “what you see is what you get”- Trump says a lot of nasty, mean spirited things publicly but his supporters already swallowed those and still voted for him.
This means not even that is true-that he’s much worse privately.
The Washington Post account is even worse than the first story. In this one, Trump wonders why we “place such value” on finding soldiers missing in action because they got caught so deserve what they get. Which shouldn’t surprise anyone- it’s how he treats everyone.
sanjeevs
Interesting article in the Guardian about how Russia’s Internet Research Agency recruited left wing writers.
https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2020/sep/04/russia-media-disinformation-fake-news-peacedata
rikyrah
Dorothy A. Winsor
That Atlantic article sheds new light on Trump’s failure to react to Russia putting bounties on the heads of American soldiers
Kay
@sanjeevs:
Just breathtaking to me that the lies the attorney general is telling about US election systems and processes perfectly track the propaganda pumped into the US by Putin.
They don’t need to hire unwitting US journalists- they have the attorney general of the United States.
Baud
@sanjeevs:
Thanks. Very interesting and disturbing.
danielx
@SiubhanDuinne:
::::sidebar::::: eagerly awaiting Chapter Five.
Baud
@rikyrah: But then that black congresswoman who wears the hats would get away scot free!
Kay
@Dorothy A. Winsor:
I wonder if the release of this is due to pent up anger about that. It should have gotten more attention than it did.
O. Felix Culpa
@Immanentize: Thanks! You too! I hope there are some bright spots in today’s long day to help you get through. And then maybe some respite over the weekend?
danielx
@Kay:
Truly love the one sentence letter Ted Lieu sent to Barr:
Dear Attorney General Barr:
Federal law prohibits voting twice in the same election.
japa21
@rikyrah: The fact that Kelly refused to deny it is itself a confirmation. He was given the opportunity.
Gin & Tonic
My daughter is in the process of purchasing an absolutely gorgeous, cherry-red Vespa scooter. A timeless classic if ever there was one. It’s too far from her home to drive it back, so I’m heading there with her and a trailer after lunch.
Gin & Tonic
@rikyrah: Kelly has already demonstrated his character.
sanjeevs
@Baud: I’ve always wondered about all those left podcasters with patreon accounts.
No need to coordinate on anything. Say something the Russians like and next day there’s money in your account. Say something they don’t care for and there isn’t. They soon learn.
Immanentize
@Kay: You can only poke a bear so many times before it strikes back.
Immanentize
@O. Felix Culpa: Teaching is always a bright spot — but exhausting.
Baud
@sanjeevs: Right. Everyone thinks in terms of the conspirators meeting in some smoke filled room to hatch out their scheme. Reality is much more complex and subtle than that. I’m sure there are plenty of people who are unwitting assets of the propagandists, as well as others at the other end who are doing it with eyes wide open.
sanjeevs
@japa21: Miles Taylor is saying Trump is lying about McCain
https://mobile.twitter.com/MilesTaylorUSA/status/1301838420466114560
Dorothy A. Winsor
@Gin & Tonic: As someone who’s always lived in the upper Midwest, my automatic reaction is, “Yeah, but how many months a year can you ride if?” That goes right along with, “Wow, that driveway is steep. Must be a bitch in the winter.”
Princess
Glad to see Biden is pressing the story by appearing in a press call today with veterans Duckworth, Lamb, and also Khizr Khan. That will keep the story in the loop a little longer.
debbie
@rikyrah:
This needs to be a bumper sticker.
Immanentize
@Baud: *cough* Greenwald *cough*.
Kay
@danielx:
Putin plants misinformation about the integrity of US elections and so does the Attorney General of the United States, same theme:
A Ghost to Most
@Kay:
Judging by my USAF retired step-brother and BIL, I won’t hold my breath.
Dorothy A. Winsor
@Princess: They were so fast setting that up! I’m encouraged by how on-the-ball the Biden campaign is.
Betty Cracker
@Kay: Investigating and exposing Barr’s corruption of the DoJ has to be a top priority in the next admin, or we’re just not going to survive as a democracy. I know that sounds overly dramatic, but I believe it in my bones.
In a historically corrupt administration that has done untold damage to our republic, it seems to me Barr’s actions have been the most dangerous in undermining the rule of law. I’m not optimistic enough to believe Trump will ever be held to account other than getting bounced after one term. But Barr can be independently investigated and exposed, and he must be.
debbie
@Kay:
Odd he didn’t mention the same thing happening in NC that resulted in having to hold a second election. //
Leto
@A Ghost to Most: I’d say remind them of their Core Values (Integrity first; service before self; excellence in all you do) but it sounds like they gave up on them a long time ago.
Kay
@Immanentize:
It’ll be interesting to watch, if we see revelations like this periodically for the remainder of the campaign period.
I think they send out SHS to shore up the fundy Christian base. I don’t think she’s intended to sway the general public- she’s one of theirs. They’re insanely pro-military, they’ve basically incorporated it into the religion. They would need tending on this.
Geminid
I see political analyst Rachel Bitecofer is in Austin today, and will be talking with Texans about how to turn the Lone Star State blue. Have Data, Will Travel.
mrmoshpotato
@Dorothy A. Winsor: LOL Yup.
“Must be really cold in February along the lake.”
mrmoshpotato
@Princess:
What time?
SiubhanDuinne
@danielx:
Thank you. It’s scheduled for 8:00 pm tonight, I believe.
Leto
@Betty Cracker: A friend and I were talking about that yesterday, holding people accountable. I acknowledged that at the Federal level, Trumpov will probably be able to walk. But the rest of his shit hires need to be investigated and prosecuted as applicable. Part of the problem we face now is our inability to truthfully deal with the past. We have to do this.
jonas
@debbie: Well, Obama once saluted his Marine honor guard with a coffee cup in his hand, so there are atrocities on both sides…
Kathleen
@SiubhanDuinne: Lazy Private Ryan
sherparick
@SiubhanDuinne: I am going to steal this for twitter.
Kay
@Betty Cracker:
I agree and I know I harangue on this but I think it’s important- Barr is a member of the conservative elite. This is not Michael Cohen or the other petty criminals Trump brought in. Barr was at the top of the food chain on the Right. He has a fancy fucking resume- decades of working for them. The problem is much, much bigger than Donald Trump.
Here’s what we need, at minimum. We need to know which government lawyers were aware of illegality in this administration and did nothing, because they can’t stay working for us if they did that. Because if the excuse is “I didn’t report because I wanted to keep my job” – reporting IS the job. It’s part of the job. If they didn’t do it then they can’t keep the job. There’s no exception for “keeping your job”. Obviously. Because if there is then the duty doesn’t mean anything.
I don’t know about the rest of them, but the lawyers have to go. Because they had and have a duty to report illegality. We can have and should have higher ethical standards than have been exhibited here- those are desirable jobs. We’ll fill them fast.
Immanentize
@Kay: I’m not sure Sarah would do it. Let’s see.
Wonder what Joni Ernst has to say about all this? And McSally. They like to wear their military service like rouge on a truck stop hooker.
mrmoshpotato
@jonas: As I said yesterday, W was awesome saluting while holding a fucking dog! Litbard! SAD!
Immanentize
@jonas: in a tan suit??!!
JPL
@Gin & Tonic: That is what I mentioned to a friend earlier. I assume that the trump campaign fixer is on the phone with Kelly, asking him how much money he wants to deny the story.
Kathleen
@sanjeevs: I’ve wondered about that myself but my suspicions include political “reporters ” at so called mainstream print and broadcast outlets as well. It certainly would explain what we’re seeing.
A Ghost to Most
@Leto: Yes, indeed. BIL has gone full-on QAnon, step-brother is just crazy-ass christian fascist.
Sometimes I’m almost embarrassed to be a USAF vet.
p.a.
Hope this Atlantic article deservedly buries him, but after pussy-grabbing, kids in cages, concentration camps for immigrants and asylum seekers, covid incompetence (more than a soupçon of genocide IMHO), decades of Central Park Five-ist racism, virtual industries exposing his continual lying, documented corruption, being an obvious puppet to Putin, etc etc, it speaks to the reich-wing influence and militarization of American society over the last few generations that it takes insults to the troops living and dead to really just THREATEN to move the needle on this subhuman shitstain for many people.
Leto
@Immanentize: Pig f*cker Ernst is off spouting QAnon bullshit about covid deaths, and McSally long ago abandoned her AF Core Values, with the latest embarrassment being “skip a meal to help me out!” MJ Hegar was on Maddow last night. If you get a chance to catch that, it’s def worth a watch. Plus her bookshelf gets an A+ :)
SiubhanDuinne
@sherparick:
Be my guest.
O. Felix Culpa
@Immanentize: I hear you. I stopped teaching this year to work on the political stuff. Most of my classes were in the evening. I’d drag myself into town grumbling about why the heck did I sign up to do this, and then come to life while teaching. It was surprisingly energizing.
SiubhanDuinne
@Kathleen:
Haha!
germy
PST
@Baud: Goldberg’s column is fine. She says that Markey’s election shows that if candidates strongly backs progressive policies, the progressive wing (or at least part of it) will support them with real effort, even if they are old, established, and have some history that doesn’t conform to current progressive opinion. Markey is only one data point, but this is helpful if true.
Kay
@Betty Cracker:
The low quality of their work just kills me. Barr sounds like any random Trump supporter just making shit up. When he tells the lie about the Texas investigation he thinks no one will look? How fucking lazy are these people? It’s shoddy and low quality even as criminality. Saying “we indicted” (which is what he said) means something- they have to have indicted. They didn’t.
Baud
@p.a.:
Who knows? As they say, slowly…then suddenly.
The nice thing is that Biden doesn’t even have to rely on these anonymous stories. There’s plenty of video of Trump insulting people like McCain and Khan and other military people that Biden can talk about.
Kay
@p.a.:
I knew pussy grabbing wouldn’t hurt him. It probably helped him with some part of his base. As far as status in this country women are below soldiers. I don’t think the two things are comparable.
Fox News has an employee policy of “pussy grabbing”. It could be in the new hire welcome packet.
Baud
@PST:
Thanks. I’m not sure what Biden can do with that information at this point, but I’ll hope for the best.
Leto
Trump’s IRS Chief has Made Hundreds of Thousands from Trump Properties While in Office
They all need to be investigated. They’re all corrupt grifters.
Kay
@Baud:
Biden, IMO, has really perfectly straddled the line of listing Trump’s transgressions while also allowing people to make their own connections, which is a really difficult thing to do. He trusts.
I can’t watch Rachel Maddow because she doesn’t trust her audience to figure out ANYTHING. It would actually be more effective if she did less leading. She has to let them do some thinking. She cannot control the conclusion they reach to that extent. Elizabeth Warren, who I love, also suffers from this to a lesser extent. Let them get SOME there by themselves! They will!
Sab
@Kay: WTF with Washington press corps telling us all these years that this guy was competent? He buys them drinks and they say whatever? I just don’t understand. But I never joined a frat.
germy
They couldn’t take him alive, of course:
Le Comte de Monte Cristo, fka Edmund Dantes
@MJS:
“As Attorney General Barr made his announcement of the arrest of former Vice President Biden, he assured the assembled media that while such an action was unprecedented in occurring within three weeks of the election, the allegations of wrongdoing within Ukraine and in the Russian Federation itself were so egregious that he had no choice but to do so, and that he issued the orders “with a heavy heart”. While Democrats have vowed to file suit, it is unclear whether they can replace the candidate, as all filing deadlines have passed.
Vice President Biden has been taken to the federal holding facility at MDC Brooklyn – an unusual decision – and the BOP has announced that he’ll be in general population, to be treated like any other inmate. COVID exposure is a major concern in the facility, as there has been a spike in infections and deaths among both inmates and staff…”
evodevo
@A Ghost to Most: Yep…same with my career army retired BIL – will never admit Trump is what he is…AND he has hated Nancy Smash for years…
p.a.
@Sab: Keep the bar and buffet table well stocked.
Le Comte de Monte Cristo, fka Edmund Dantes
@rikyrah:
But John Kelly is a coward, so that will never occur.
rp
@Kay: Very interesting point. I can’t watch Maddow either because she’s so long winded — get to the point! But reading your comment makes me realize that it’s not just that it takes her a long time to get from A to B, it’s also that she treats the audience like we’re simpletons.
Baud
@Kay: I haven’t watched Rachel in a while (just busy with other things, like sleeping). I agree generally that it’s more effective when people are able to figure things out for themselves, rather than have words thrown at them. It’s also harder to do.
Biden does seem to do a good job of communicating without over-communicating.
Baud
@Le Comte de Monte Cristo, fka Edmund Dantes:
Why would Biden need to be replaced? Nothing in the Constitution says an arrest disqualifies him from being president. In fact, it’ll probably guarantee his landslide win.
And none of this will happen because they’ll never get an indictment.
They will probably issue some manufactured report that the NYT will report as casting clouds and shadows over Biden’s integrity.
Le Comte de Monte Cristo, fka Edmund Dantes
@Kay:
“Are you now or have you ever been a member of the Federalist Society” should be a bar to any public service position, elected office, or admission to a state bar.
Its a little tongue in cheek, but also the truth.
Jeffro
@Spanky: win win win
Jeffro
This…eight million times THIS.
SiubhanDuinne
@Kay:
Yup. Last year’s movie Bombshell made that explicit.
Jim, Foolish Literalist
@Baud: there was a twitter thread mocking Maddow’s long wind-ups getting a lot of replay last night. Just to use the two examples most people used: Her build up of and to her interview with Stephanie Windsor Wolkoff was too much– the way Maddow built it up, I thought she was promoting her interview with Michael Cohen– and too long. But her build up to the Atlantic story, giving the background from Mary Trump’s book (which I suspect more people bought than read) and Gabriel Sherman’s article about Marla’s pre-nup, giving the context to trump’s disdain for the military, was just right. YMMV.
as to reading too much: A substantial part of MSNBC’s audience at this point is, I gather, podcast and sat radio based. I know I listen probably more than I watch at this point.
WereBear
@Dorothy A. Winsor: In our mountain region with four DISTINCT seasons, there’s the tradition of the “summer vehicle.” Motorcycles are popular, and in the winter, people switch to snowmobiles.
Jeffro
@A Ghost to Most: wow, and I thought I had it bad. Wait, I do have it bad, you just have it worse. Hang in there, Ghost!
Keith P.
@rp: YES YES YES!
@Kay: She forever lost any cachet she had with me with that buffoonish “expose” on a page of of one of Trump’s tax returns…and she spent 10 minutes just getting to it, like Pulitzers are awarded for preface.
cmorenc
@Betty Cracker:
If Trump loses the election, at least if he has any thoughts of returning even temporarily to New York, the answer to the question “is it safe” is no. My bet is NY state authorities may be ready to go after Trump for any of his criminal activities that aren’t yet barred by the Statute of Limitations … though so long as he stays in Florida, AG Pam Bondi will do all she can to help him fight of extradition on any NY state indictments.
Kay
@SiubhanDuinne:
I love how people were like “The President said pussy grabbing!” You remember the year that happened. It was the same year that basically all of the senior leadership and talent at Fox were accused of pussy grabbing, along with Matt Lauer. The 2016 election coverage was provided by pussy grabbers. One of them moderated a debate- memorably, in that debate, the pussy grabber wouldn’t allow the female candidate to finish a sentence. His polling might have ticked up with that part of his base.
Omnes Omnibus
@Dorothy A. Winsor: As someone from the upper Midwest, I would say mid-March through November. Longer if you are okay with ice.
Jim, Foolish Literalist
@Keith P.: that was probably her nadir, as far as I can recall
@cmorenc: he tweeted something about Cuomo’s corrupt investigators yesterday– I don’t have the energy to dig through a couple of hundred tweets from Ben Domenech and Diamond and Silk to find it at this point– that made me think his lawyers got some bad news
Jim, Foolish Literalist
@Kay:
Mark Halperin, cable-news staple based on his sourced-by-score-settlers books; Charlie Rose, PBS, CBS and I gather some of the finer gin mills of the upper reaches of Manhattan; Glenn Thrush, sweaty striver and fedora-affecter recently promoted from Politico to the NYT
Kay
@Keith P.:
I think people have the capacity to take the information and order it and choose which parts they think are important and even make connections to the next piece of information- we know they’re connected or she wouldn’t be including them. Just let us do something without supervision. “Im good! I’ll take it from here, Rachel!” :)
Leto
@Kay: Just as a query, which TV host lets their audience draw their own conclusion? Who do you like watching?
Jeffro
@Leto: I missed it – what looked good on the bookshelf?
Another Scott
@Kay: I haven’t watched her in years, but I think Rachel tried very very hard to get people to figure out what she’s talking about before she gets there. That’s part of what I found so annoying about her approach. I figure it out by the 2nd or 3rd ‘clue’, but she goes on for another 15 minutes giving out more ‘clues’ until just before the commercial (roughly) – “when we come back, an interview with today’s newsmaker about the shocking news…”
When the story/interview/etc. is less than half the time of her windup.
:-/
Maybe it’s different now. Dunno.
My $0.02.
Cheers,
Scott.
Kay
@Jim, Foolish Literalist:
Exactly. I had forgotten Charlie Rose, but the political reporting and punditry sector was stuffed to the gills with pussy grabbers. In this instance Donald Trump really was saying what was true but what no one else would say.
Kathleen
Leto
@Jeffro: Next to her helmet she had a mini Millennium Falcon, and right above that she had a Boba Fett mug. I know, totally dorky thing but it made me smile.
Immanentize
@Leto: I will check it out!
Kathleen
@Le Comte de Monte Cristo, fka Edmund Dantes: Barr would love to do this. My biggest fear after 2016 “election” Trump would arrest Hillary and Obama. Wouldn’t be surprised if this is buried in some staffer’s notes which Maga The Hack discovers while “researching” her 5th best selling tome about Trump.
Kathleen
@SiubhanDuinne: Did you also see The Loudest Voice?
Immanentize
@PST: I’m sticking to my belief that Markey beat Kennedy not because of progressive values, but because Markey was far more authentic.
As have been other “progressives” who beat crusty and tired incumbents
Ken
IIRC there was a recommendation by the federal judiciary* that the Federalist Society be put on a list of political organizations, so judges could not be members. It was quashed.
* That is, one of the ethics panels, staffed by emeritus judges.
Another Scott
@Kathleen: Barr’s and (Donnie’s) power mainly comes from people reacting to the veiled threat. “We’re looking into it very strongly. We’ll see what happens.” They want others to do their bidding without having to get their hands dirty or actually having to break the law themselves.
Barr knows that he had little legal room to maneuver when it comes to interfering with the election or arresting HRC or BHO. But he knows that the implied threat keeps others looking over their shoulders, and keeps their supporters riled up…
It’s Mobster 101.
Grr…
Cheers,
Scott.
Jeffro
OT but before I forget to mention: if y’all aren’t following Blaire Erskine on Twitter, she’s a gem. Her latest is about how her husband is ‘Q’ from QAnon…
My all-time favorite was her pretending to be Jerry Falwell Jr and Becki Falwell’s daughter. =)
Kay
@Leto:
I like Dave Weigel for both reporting and commentary. Here’s an example:
He’s not telling me mills or millworkers are important, I know that because the VP went there but they may or may not be important to me, and he’s not telling me the motive behind the lie- I can guess that.
If it was Rachel Maddow she’d say “they do this because they think Minnesota is in play, it’s not, here’s 5000 polls, and because they want you to believe they care about millworkers!. No shit, Rachel.
Immanentize
@Omnes Omnibus: Motorcycle ice races! A favorite upstate death adventure.
Kathleen
@Another Scott: Yes it is. Like everything about this criminal cabal.
Jim, Foolish Literalist
@Another Scott: I’m guessing John Brennan, Andrew McCabe and a few others have already had to spend tens of thousands in legal fees, and I wouldn’t be surprised if Barr gets an indictment against one of them or a similar name that news junkies will recognize.
The CW about Comey– a bit that I find convincing– is that Comey was afraid that if he didn’t say something publicly, Jason Chaffetz would make his like a living and expensive hell in his investigations of President Clinton. I also believe the overgrown sanctimonious boy scout wanted to put That Woman in her place, even if she was, precisely because she was, going to be President.
Leto
@Kay: Well Dave Weigel isn’t on tv, so my question still stands: which TV host lets their audience draw their own conclusions? Who do you like to watch?
debbie
@Immanentize:
The same sort of situation went on in the last election here. An up-and-coming progressive named Morgan Harper went up against an established U.S. Rep, Joyce Beatty. Beatty has been a great rep (most recent accomplishment being to get a neighborhood P.O. office reopened after having been closed for three months due to no air conditioning; it would have stayed closed forever if she hadn’t raised hell about it). Harper had just moved back here and had worked with Rich Cordray at the CPFB. All her money came from out of state. I had nothing against her, but why run against a good, also progressive Democrat? Why not try and reduce the GOP ranks here? Happily, disloyalty was not rewarded.
Jeffro
@Leto: that’s great!
Immanentize
@debbie: And the sad thing about Kennedy’s move is that in his open seat primary which had about 6 viable good candidates, the former Republican Charlie Baker aide turned “Democrat” looks like he prevailed in the Democratic Primary.
So, Kennedy runs his ego, loses and his seat is being filled by a sucky white guy.
Omnes Omnibus
Rachel’s intended audience isn’t Balloon Juice regulars. We already know most of what she is covering. We can get to the conclusions quickly. Her audience is the people whose political news consumption is tuning into MSNBC for a couple of hours a couple of nights a week. From the people I know who fit that description, she does a great job of laying things out so that they can understand it. Also, FWIW, basic legal writing courses tell law students to spell out the connections and not ask readers to make them themselves. They won’t always do it.
Leto
@Omnes Omnibus: You know who does an excellent job of letting their viewers draw their own conclusion? Fox News. We absolutely hate them for what they’re doing, but they follow Lee Atwater’s Southern Strategy to a T. And for roughly 40% of the population it works like Adderall, every time.
SiubhanDuinne
@Jim, Foolish Literalist:
Even folksy ol’ Garrison Keillor.
SiubhanDuinne
@Kathleen:
No, and I really want to. Wonder if it’s streaming on something I subscribe to.
moonbat
@rp: I always assumed that Maddow is not talking directly to me but to the great mass of people out there who literally do not know how things work or what the law is. There is so much dumbing down in news media in order to provoke a visceral reaction that having someone patiently explain what’s important could be useful to a lot of people. But as someone who feels pretty well clued in I admit it can and does get long winded and tedious. But it’s hard to make up for all the civics classes that are no longer being taught in schools in a 30 minute segment. So I cut her some slack.
Geminid
@Immanentize: Outcomes like that of the Mass. 4th congressional primary tend to support primary run-offs. Runoffs take time and cost money, but they advance the best candidate.
Martin
@Dorothy A. Winsor: When I told my wife I was going to swap out my car for an eBike, she asked me about bad weather (which we have an astonishingly small amount of here in SoCal). I sent her this.
Martin
@Omnes Omnibus: Exactly this. Ms Martin loves Rachel because she doesn’t think about this stuff all the time. She’s not connecting the dots in her free time. She doesn’t remember the thing that happened 3 months ago.
I love watching Rachel not because I need the wind-up, but because my wife and daughter benefit from it. It allows them to follow this stuff in a way that almost nobody else does – because nobody else is laying out the trail of breadcrumbs.
Uncle Cosmo
I, OTOH, conjecture that someone with known ties to Vlad Vladimirovich has been on the phone with Kelly speculating on which of his family will have an “unfortunate accident” if he doesn’t deny the story.
(It all depends on how far Pootie-Poot is willing to go to put his thumb on the US electoral scales. He might’ve already cut Needy Amin loose. Or he might already have the voting systems sufficiently hacked to ensure victory. [Paranoid? Me?? Anyone who isn’t paranoid at the moment isn’t paying attention!])
Emma from FL
@Omnes Omnibus: THANK YOU. I was about to tear off into a rant and you did it much better.And much more reasonably!
EthylEster
@Leto: CSPAN
Michael Cain
I have to wonder if Harris was biting her tongue a bit there. In 2018, in the 13-state American West, >70% of ballots were distributed by mail. This year, it will be greater than >90% — that’s already baked in. In my vote by mail state, I would bet that even if Election Day were made a holiday, there’s only a small minority of people who want to give up their mail ballots.
J R in WV
@Immanentize:
Leads me to the eternal question: “Why Not BOTH!?”
ETA: I am a veteran. I enlisted in the USN a couple of weeks before my “Selective Service” board was going to send me for my physical. I was not a volunteer, not really. No more than British guys caught by a Press Gang off one of His Majesty’s ships were volunteers.
But I kept my nose clean, kept my head down, did the work I was assigned to do. Got that Honorable Discharge, which in large part paid for my BSCS degree and provided my career.
Fuck Donald Trump for his sick attitude towards those who serve and esp. those who are wounded or killed.
J R in WV
@JPL:
Now THAT would be the phone call to record in High Def. Some things are NOT for sale!
Kayla Rudbek
@Le Comte de Monte Cristo, fka Edmund Dantes: co-signed!
Jay Noble
@Martin: Thank You! I was a Rotary Exchange Student to Finland way back when and got the wonderful experience of riding a bike to school (and everyplace else) in subzero weather.