Presidential nominee Kamala Harris.
As the Trump/Harris debate wound down, I turned to my spouse and said, “I think Kamala Harris just talked herself into the White House.” I have liked her ever since Joe Biden selected her to be Vice President, so that’s fine by me, Boss.
She was definitely the more detailed of the two debaters. I thought that DJT came off as a loon but he always does. Anyone who brings Hannibal Lecter and windmills onto the stage of a political rally is, well, weird—(to quote the next Vice President of the United States.)
Not since Pizzagate have I seen a loonier set of statements than Donald J. Trump talking about pets in Springfield, Ohio being kidnapped and eaten by out-of-control immigrants.
IS LUCY SAFE?
We had a cat named Lucy. She was a stray kitten whose mother had either abandoned her or been killed. She came to us from the ravine behind our house because my daughter began to feed her. As winter came on, nothing would do but we had to rescue Lucy and bring her inside. We did, indeed, feed her and she became a very fat cat.
This new cat adoption caused a great deal of stress, as we already had a cat named Kitty Kelly. I ended up writing 6 children’s books entitled “The Christmas Cats in Silly Hats.” (Available on Amazon). When we began spending winters in Texas, I actually paid a woman who worked at my veterinarian’s office $3,000 (plus a complete box of cat food and an automatic cat box) to take my indoor/outdoor cat and give her a good home where she could go in and out, as she had at our house.
Taylor Swift and cats
Now I’m worried: HAVE HAITIAN IMMIGRANTS KIDNAPPED AND EATEN LUCY? “In Springfield, they’re eating the pets of the people that live there,” (a Trump quote). This ridiculous claim originated from a Facebook post. There are no credible reports of this happening. Even J.D. Vance admitted it might turn out to be viral nonsense.
SPECIFICS
Kamala Harris was very specific about her plans for bringing down the costs for middle class families. She talked about a $6,000 child tax credit and $25,000 credit for first-time home buyers, while DJT had the look of a puzzled puppy throughout. His worst answer was in regards to health care and a bill for same, which he claimed to be working on for 9 and ½ years (“we have some concepts”).
The Biden Harris camp was left with a 6.4% unemployment rate, but it was significantly down from 14% earlier in the pandemic. (Fact checker on CNN calling out the only falsehood that Kamala may have made during the debate, while DJT made at least 33 untruthful statements.)
TAYLOR SWIFT
The Christmas Cats Fear for the Deer
I hope that Taylor Swift is holding onto her cat, Benjamin Button, very tightly tonight, especially since she endorsed Kamala Harris tonight, after a fake A.I. endorsement appeared on Trump’s site, which caused her to come out and transparently endorse Kamala Harris.
It appears that the GOP will now be whining about how “unfair” the moderators were tonight, because their guy did such a poor job.
Works for me.
Below this short recap are my typed notes on the debate of September 10th, with some interesting lines that struck me. Enjoy. Or not.
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MY NOTES ON THE DEBATE:
DJT:
“The tariff will be substantial in some cases…” (Trump, re China). “When I had it I had tariffs and yet I had no inflation.” Probably the worst inflation in our nation’s history. This has been a disaster for people. On top of that we have millions of people pouring in from mental institutions and taking jobs of African American and Hispanics. (Springfield, Ohio)
2025.” “Everybody knows what I’m going to do. Cut taxes. “We did a phenomenal job with the pandemic.” “Nobody’s ever seen anything like it. “We built ventilators for the world. “They don’t give me enough credit for the great job we did with the pandemic.”
HARRIS RESPONSE:
“I am offering an opportunity economy.” The best economists have reviewed our plan. Goldman/Sachs. Wharton School –DJT’s plan would explode the deficit. 16 Nobel laureates say it would increase inflation and invite a recession. “You just have to look at where we are and what we have to offer.”
TRUMP RESPONSE – Many of those professors at Wharton think my plan is a brilliant plan. He has no plan for you…..”She doesn’t have a plan.”
Drill down on tariff: national sales tax
HARRIS RESPONSE:
Tariffs up to 20% on goods coming into this country would mean higher costs on gas, food, etc. $4,000 per family. All of the countries that have been ripping us off for years. Tariffs there 3 and ½ years now in place. “I had virtually no inflation.” “they’ve destroyed the economy.”
Keeping the tariffs in place: “The Trump policy = he ended up selling American ships to China to help them improve and modernize their military. We need to focus on American based technology, on what we need to do to support America’s work force, so that we don’t end up on the short end of the stick.”
President Chi thank you on Twitter mentioned by Harris.
DJT ATTACK:
“She’s a Marxist. Her father is a Marxist professor and he taught her well. Look at the millions of people pouring into our country daily. I believe it is 21 million.”
They’re criminals. I believe that many of these people are criminals.
HARRIS ATTACK:
Calling him out on his reversals on abortion (6 week ban in Florida). Why should they trust you?
“They have abortion in the 9th month. The previous governor of WV: “The baby will be born and we’ll decide what to do with the baby.” DJT said (of Tim Walz) “He is REALLY out of it.”
Execution after birth. That’s not okay with me. Hence the vote (in Florida).
“Through the genius and heart and strength of 6 Supreme Court Justices we were able to get it.” (Roe v. Wade).
A 12 or 13-year old survivor of incest. I promise you I will proudly sign it into law. If DJ were to be elected, he will sign a national abortion ban. There will be a national monitor who will report on abortions.
DJT RESPONSE:
Trump: “We’ve gotten what everybody wanted. For 52 years this issue has torn our country apart. What she says is an absolute law. This issue has now been taken over by the states.
Went on about student loans:“All these students got taunted by this whole idea.”
“She’ll never be able to get it. (student loans) They could never get this approved.
HARRIS ATTACK:
Reinstating the protections of Roe v. Wade. “It’s insulting to the women of America.” People are being denied IVF treatment.
[Trump’s face: that of a puzzled dog.]
“The majority of Americans believe in the rights of women to make decisions about their own bodies.”
DJT RESPONSE:
Trump: “I’ve been a leader on fertilization and IVF.
Why did the administration wait until 6 months before now to act (on border bill)?
HARRIS RESPONSE (citing the bill that Trump killed):
Bill would have put 1,500 more border agents on the border. More resources to crack down on fentanyl.
He’d prefer to run on a problem instead of fixing a problem. A leader who actually addresses the problems at hand. People start leabing his rallies early because he talks about Hannibal Lecter and windmills. You deserve a president who puts you first.
Why did you kill that bill?
He refused and wanted to go on about his rally. “We’re a failing nation. Our country is being lost.” WWIII Border. In Springfield, they’re eating the pets of the people. (Kamala laughed).She’s destroying our country. If she becomes President: Venezuela on steroids.
Springfield, Ohio: dogs. “We’ll find out.”
Kamala: “talk about extreme!”
Kamala mentions the endorsement of 200 Republicans, including the VP alive. His former Chief of Staff: Kelly: contempt for the Constitution. Sec of Defense: The nation would never survive another Trump term.”
“I think the choices are clear in this election.”
DJT RESPONSE:
Trump: “I’m a different kind of a person. I fired them not too graciously. When somebody does a bad job, I fire ‘em. Esper: fired. Wrote a book. They didn’t fire any of their people. I got more votes than any Republican in history by far.
Immigration – “the largest deportation move in history (11 million illegal immigrants). Question:
“They allowed terrorists, many many millions of terrorists.
They’re destroying the fabric of our country. (How would you get rid of them?)
Crime in this country: migrant crime. The FBI has said no….”fraud”—
HARRIS ATTACK:
She brings up Trump’s many legal cases. Respect for the rule of law.
It is important that we move forward…that we turn the page and address the problems of the American public. Address bringing down the price of groceries. The American public is exhausted by thi same old tired playbook.
Trump tries to defend his convictions in court. Every one of those cases was use of the justice department. Weapnization…fake cases.
“terminate” the Constitution of the U.S. Trump has openly expressed disdain for members of our military. Understand what it would be like if this man were back in the White House without any guard rails.
“I probably took a bullet to the head….
HARRIS RESPONSE:
Fracking….decriminalizing border crossings…”I will not ban fracking.” She was the tie-breaking vote on the inflation reduction act (IRA).
DJT:
Rambling on about solar and the desert.
Peaceful transfer of power: He tries to take the debate away from the Capitol riot to the border.
Anything you regret Jan. 6thh? Minneapolis. Seattle. (Repeated the question 2x) Trump claims that he offered 10,000 troops to Nancy Pelosi and the Mayor of Washington and they turned it down.
HARRIS ATTACK:
140 law enforcement officers were injured. Some died. (Charlottesville is brought up by Kamala – there were fine people on each side. Proud Boys: Stand back and stand by.)
Stand for rule of law. Donald Trump the candidate has said there will be a bloodbath if you don’t like the outcome of this election.
Energy? Now he’s bringing up the border again.
DJT RESPONSE:
“She’s so bad. It’s been so ridiculous.” Get him out of bed at 4 o’clock in the afternoon. They have the right to do it (i.e., shut the border).
Truth in these times: you won in a landslide. Are you now acknowledging that you lost the presidential race of 2020? We need good elections and walls/borders. (Anti immigrant blather)
DJT:
60 cases. No judge looked at it. They said we didn’t have standing.
That’s old news. “We have a nation in decline and we have put it into decline.”
HARRIS ATTACK:
Donald Trump was fired by 81 million people and clearly he’s having a difficult time processing that.
World leaders are laughing at DJT. “They say you’re a disgrace.” We do not have the right temperament of the man to my right. (Victor Orban of Hungary)
Nordstream pipeline. Excel pipeline.
Israel/Hamas issue:
The NATO allies are so thankful that you are no longer President.
DJT RESPONSE:
“We have a President who doesn’t even know if he’s alive.”
HARRIS RESPONSE:
A dictator (Putin) who would eat you for lunch…
DJT:
Putin would be sitting in Moscow …he’s got nuclear weapons. (“Nobody ever thinks about that”). “Everything they said was weak and stupid. The war stated 3 days later. She’s worse than Biden.”
Trump accused Kamala of causing the Ukraine war because of her poor negotiating. “The American people have a right to rely on a President who understands that we have stability and not sell them for the benefit of personal flattery.
Afghanistan – (Trump goes on about how “he got them to pay up.” Re NATO.
HARRIS:
He does not understand the role of the American president and the work that we must do to uphold the respect of the role of the U.S. around the world. (Invited the Taliban to Camp David). Abdul, the leader of the Taliban.
Negotiated an agreement. (She says the Taliban got 5,000 prisoners released.) The agreement was terminated by us because they didn’t do what they were supposed to do. “The most embarrassing moment in American history,” said DJT.
MODERATOR:
RACE – “Why do you think it is appropriate to weigh in on the racial identity of your opponent?”
Harris: I think it’s a tragedy that we have someone who uses race to divide the American people. We don’t want this kind of approach that is constantly trying to divide us. (Brings up the failure to rent to Blacks and the full page ad about the Central Park Five and the birther thing against Obama.) We see in each other a friend, a neighbor, we don’t want a leader who is constantly having Americans point their fingers at each other. (Confused dog lead)
DJT RESPONSE:
“There’s never been anything like it. Going back many, many years. Mayor Blomberg agreed with me. This is a person who has to stretch back 40 or 50 years because there’s nothing now.”
HARRIS RESPONSE:
Harris: Clearly I am not Joe Biden. What I do offer is a new generation of leadership for our country,. One no brings a sense of optimism. I believe in what we can do to strengthen small businesses. Let’s talk about our plans. I have a plan. I have a plan that is about allowing people to pursue the American dream.
Belittling, name-calling is all he has.
DJT:
She has a plan to confiscate everybody’s gun.
Repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act. (Obamacare)
CNN: 63% say Harris won the debate. 37% say DJT won the debate.
I was intent on hearing the band, as I had seen video of the lead on the bass throwing that thing around like it was a child’s toy. Will (Bill) needs a fairly high ceiling to do it justice and said he had developed a bit of a bad knee from going down on one knee to hoist the rather large fiddle into the air.
First, Barack paid tribute to Joe Biden, mentioning their “common Irish blood.” To wit:”His empathy and his decency and his hard-earned belief that everyone in this country deserves a fair shot impressed me. And over the past 4 years those are the values that America has needed the most. At the time when Americans were dying, we needed a leader with empathy and a leader who led the strongest economic recovery in the world. At a time when the other party had turned into a cult of personality we needed a leader who did the rarest thing in politics: putting his own ambition aside for the good of the country. History will remember Joe Biden as a man who, in a moment of peril for this country, did the right thing.”
Kamala Harris Accepts Democratic Presidential Nomination; DJT Phones In on Fox
By Connie Wilson
On August 23, 2024
In Books, Editorial, Essays on Politics: Best Political Essays & Ideology, News, Of Local (Quad Cities') Interest, Politics, Television
I had planned to write a piece commenting on Kamala Harris’ acceptance speech on the final night of the DNC in Chicago, Then, (following the dry cycle of my laundry), I moved to the bedroom to change the now clean sheets and put them back on the king-sized bed. In the bedroom, Fox News was carrying the DNC.
While I changed the sheets, I listened to Donald J. Trump phone in and rebut Kamala Harris’ speech. I will insert the complete 37-minute content of Kamala’s acceptance speech (in case you missed it), but I have to assume that most of you were watching it, so suit yourself. Unlike Trump, who rambled his way through a basically unlistenable litany of untruths at the RNC, Harris hit most of the issues and delivered her speech with sincerity and enthusiasm. She looked and sounded presidential (because she IS presidential.)
Then I watched 8 voters in Allentown, Pennsylvania say that her speech had sold her to them (auto workers all) and they would be voting for her (they had been unsure in a previous meeting). One woman retained the right to decide later. One Black male (in real estate) said he’d vote for Trump. Listen to Trump’s remarks about how the auto workers are all supporting him in the phone call above. [*Apparently not the 8 that just spoke to a reporter in Allentown, PA.]
Trump’s illusion that he is “strong” (Macho Macho Man) was consistent with why Black males were supporting DJT over Biden before July 21st. It also explains why Black males find it difficult to get behind the idea of a female president, even if she is half Black (and half Asian).
CHANGE
People want change for the better. This was emphasized by John King, Chief National Correspondent for CNN, who has been traveling the country gauging the temperature of the nation. Coming into the convention, Trump had 55% of voters selecting him on the economy versus 43% for Harris and 53% on the immigration issue versus 44% for Harris. Harris led only on the abortion issue (55% to 40%.) [This was from the New York Times Siena Poll. ] In the next 75 days Harris and Walz must change these perceptions.
CONVENTION BUMP
There are 75 days during which Kamala has to convince voters that she, the current vice president, represents change for the better. That will not be simple, since Harris has been in office as Vice President for 4 years and the GOP will attack her on that basis. (as DJT already did in the phone call above).
The Siena poll showed that 56% of voters disapproved of Biden. Only 41% approved of Biden in Arizona, Georgia, Nevada and the other swing states. Now, the Republicans are going to try to give Kamala “Biden Baggage.” It started tonight with DJT phoning in to Fox & Friends. (*Did Fox & Friends, who claim to be so “fair and balanced” offer Kamala Harris the opportunity to phone in and rebut DJT’s RNC acceptance speech? No.)
John King, who has been doing political reporting for 40 years, says that Kamala did well. I agree. He pointed out, however, that in 1988: Bush won over Dukakis, but Dukakis had left the convention enjoying a convention bump that put him 17 points ahead in the polls. Despite the post-convention bump, Dukakis lost “bigly” to George Herbert Bush. This was partially because people wanted change and partially because of the Willie Horton dirty tricks that depicted Horton as practically Dukakis’ running mate. (*For those of you who don’t remember Willie Horton, he was a convicted murderer and rapist, who was released on a weekend furlough from a Massachusetts prison in a trial program and committed a rape and murder while temporarily free. Dukakis was the Governor of Massachusetts. The Bush campaign used Horton’s case to tar and feather Dukakis in a textbook example of what is known as “dog whistle politics,” which is what Harris and Walz are about to encounter, if I were to take an un-wild guess.)
John King was born in 1963, which means he is 61. I haven’t followed politics for as long as John King, but I am close to 20 years older. I go back to every President since Truman. I’ve also written 3 books on politics (the campaign of 2008) and was named the Content Producer of the Year for Politics by Yahoo in the wake of my coverage of the 2008 election of Barack Obama. (See my books on that topic, “Obama’s Odyssey: The 2008 Race for the White House.”)
Taken during a McCain rally at the Cedar Rapids Municipal Airport during the 2008 presidential campaign. Cover of Volume II of “Obama’s Odyssey: The 2008 Race for the White House.” (Available on Amazon in paperback and e-book).
LIKEABILITY
I agree with the white-haired CNN commentator with the 40 years following campaigns, and I agreed with Geraldo (whom I watched on News Nation) who stressed that “likeability” was key to electing anyone. It was likeability that doomed Hillary Clinton and, to a certain extent, John Kerry, who always seemed a little bit too patrician. We’ve all heard the remarks about how “W” seemed like a guy you would enjoy sitting down and having a beer with (*I don’t drink beer, so that’s a no for me.)
TAX INCREASES
Bogus. Tax increases on the rich, yes. On the middle class, not so much. Trump’s point on companies taking their business to another country (increasingly Mexico, not China) is fair, but THAT HAS BEEN HAPPENING FOR DECADES. Companies moving to cheaper countries is not a Kamala Harris thing; to say it is is unfair. It is far likelier that DJT will raise taxes on the middle class to give tax breaks to people like himself.
BORDER
Trump said, of the bi-partisan border bill, “It was a horrible bill. It was a joke.” It was a bi-partisan bill that was said by those who worked on it long and hard to be quite good. Trump told his allies not to vote for the bill, because it was to be his border issue. If you really don’t know what was in the bill, click on the link above and it will tell you. Don’t just trumpet things that either candidate says; research it. (Anthony Fatone: that is for you, Dear Heart. And thanks for saying I’m “smart as a whip” because that should tell you that, if I’m saying you need to do more “reading up” on these things, maybe I’m right.)
MARXIST ACCUSATIONS
First of all, as our old friend Wikipedia tells us, “There is no single, definitive Marxist theory.[1]
It is likely that the “Marxist” accusations are a legacy from Kamala’s economics professor father, who taught at both Stanford and the University of Wisconsin in Madison. He has advised his country (Jamaica) on economic issues and some aspects were derived from Marxist writings of various sorts, but her father has remained completely out of Kamala’s career, refusing to be involved in her 2020 campaign and making a rather brusque rebuttal to a lighthearted comment that Kamala herself made (about smoking pot) on a radio show. She said something about smoking pot to the effect of, “Are you kidding? Half of my relatives are Jamaican.” Dad did not like it much, issued a rather public reprimand (Kamala did not respond) and has not had much involvement in his daughter’s career (or her life before that) since the couple split when she was in elementary school.
Jamal Simmons, political commentator on CNN, compared DJT to Midnight Elvis, calling in to talk shows, rambling around in Mar-A-Lago. Jamal mentioned Trump’s recent appearance in Howell, Michigan. White supremacists held a march there recently and voiced support for Trump, Hitler, Nazis and the Ku Klux Klan. So, Trump’s strategy is to cater to THAT demographic. Roger Stone, a big Trump supporter, has a yearslong relationship with Proud Boys leaders, Enrique Tarrio in particular, and would regularly use members of the group as his personal security detail at political events.
Roger Stone.
I seriously doubt that DJT has much of an idea what Marxism is (and, quite frankly, it is difficult to pin it down as there are many offshoots.) There is actually a book on Amazon entitled “Marxism in Plain and Simple English.” It’s 62 pages. If Donald J. Trump really thinks that Kamala Harris is a Marxist simply because of her estranged father (a professor of economics), that is really reaching. I think The Donald needs a copy of that book. (*After all, Steve Bannon, his brain trust, is currently in jail until 2 days before the election, so the Wizard of Odd is having to rely on people like The Mad Hatter, Roger Stone, for intellectual guidance.) Another thing that his insult brings to mind are recent put-downs that DJT has made about Kamala Harris’ intelligence; she is quite obviously the child of two very bright people (while Trump’s own intelligence is often questioned, despite the supposed expertise and education that led to multiple bankruptcies.)
Here’s a snippet from “How to Compare Marxism to Capitalism.” It is quite clear that Kamala Harris is no Marxist. To wit: “Marxism, oftentimes interchangeable with communism, emerged from the writings of Karl Marx and Fredrick Engels in the 19th century, and is based on the theory that class conflict will eventually result in the establishment of a society where the public owns the means of production. The two theories are historic enemies, and their differences are most acute when examining their attitudes toward individualism, private property and profits.”
At no time has Kamala Harris sounded like she is not supportive of capitalism simply because she has argued for everyone in our society having a fair shake and an equal chance at making a life where they each of us has the freedom to make choices for themselves (as, for instance, in reproductive rights.) Trying to paint Harris as a Marxist or Communist is a page right out of the “dirty tricks” playbook of the GOP going back to 1988.
REPRODUCTIVE RIGHTS
Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham (D. New Mexico), commenting after Harris’ speech, said she “showed us tonight what leadership looks like.” It is up to every woman of voting age in America to ask themselves whether they want the freedom to decide about their own health care and to decide if they do (or do not) want to have a child. Women need to mobilize like our grandmothers to gain us the right to vote. Only, this time, it is the right to live free (and not die) under an autocratic ruler who simply wants power for himself and his cronies.
IN CONCLUSION
As D.L. Hughley said at the convention, “The only way that Trump can keep Kamala out of the White House is if he buys it and refuses to rent to Black people.”