Friday Talking Points -- The Mail Is In Check
The check is not in the mail; the mail is being placed in check. That's an amusing way to put a very serious and rather existential threat to American democracy which is now playing out before our very eyes. President Donald Trump is so scared that he's going to lose the upcoming election that he is exploring any possible way he can cheat, right out in front of the public where everyone can see it. Rarely has Republican voter suppression been this blatant and this shameless, in fact, and that's saying quite a lot.
Here's how Trump explained why he was going to veto any coronavirus relief bill which had any money for voting or for the Post Office this week:
[Democrats] want three-and-a-half billion dollars for something that will turn out to be fraudulent. That's election money, basically. They want three-and-a-half billion dollars for the mail-in votes, OK? Universal mail-in ballots. They want 25 billion dollars -- billion -- for the Post Office. Now, they need that money in order to have the Post Office work, so it can take all of these millions and millions of ballots. By the way, those are just two items. But if they don't get those two items, that means you can't have universal mail-in voting.
This, of course, is ridiculous. The states aren't going to suddenly say: "The president vetoed extra Postal Service money, therefore we're just going to scrap the whole idea of mail-in ballots and force everyone to vote in person." That's not the way it works, obviously. What will happen instead is Trump will attempt to sabotage the efforts of the Postal Service to handle the ballot influx. Which his new postmaster general -- who happens to hold tens of millions of dollars in stocks of companies who directly compete with the post office -- is already actively doing.
Since arriving a few weeks ago, the postmaster general has been as subtle as a wrecking ball about sabotaging the department he's supposed to be leading. He cancelled all overtime, he forced trucks to leave post offices on a rigid schedule (rather than "after all the mail has been loaded"), he is reportedly removing sorting machines across the country, and it was just revealed that he's also removing those blue streetcorner mailboxes, in order to make mailing a letter even harder for more people. Last week, he also fired or "reassigned" roughly two dozen of the people at the U.S.P.S. who were running the whole place -- the highest executives, with decades of experience in getting the mail delivered in a timely basis. Those are all just the things we've heard about -- who knows what else he's been up to behind the scenes?
This is about as blatant an attempt to sabotage an election as can be imagined. Here's what Philip R. Rubio -- a history professor and expert on the U.S.P.S. who himself worked for the Post Office for two decades -- had to say about what's going on (note: this whole article is worth reading in full because he also explains the history of the Post Office being used for political purposes as well): "Things are already going wrong... widespread mail slowdowns of all kinds of mail -- first-class, marketing mail, parcels. Even the Veterans' Administration has complained that veterans are not getting their medications on time." He also called these actions "stunning" and "political sabotage," both of which are accurate.
And that's not even the worst of it. Earlier -- before the mail-delaying stories really broke in the media, the following was reported:
And around the time Trump started musing about delaying the election last week, aides and outside advisers began scrambling to ponder possible executive actions he could take to curb mail-in voting -- everything from directing the postal service to not deliver certain ballots to stopping local officials from counting them after Election Day.
Got that? Executive actions to stop ballots from being counted. This is truly an existential threat to American democracy, in other words. Which Trump isn't even bothering to hide.
The media pushback has been impressive already, but this should really be a key subject for Democrats to hammer on next week. In the first place, the Post Office is quite possibly the most-beloved government agency in existence. The public loves their mail carriers and they overwhelmingly love the service the U.S.P.S. provides. So getting public opinion on the Democrats' side in this argument is going to be pathetically easy to do.
In the second place, the concept of basic fairness is one of those things that crosses party lines in a big way. Championing unfairness (if not outright cheating) is not the way to win votes, especially when the subject of the unfairness is the election itself. This week, top Trump advisor Larry Kudlow called money for voting rights a "really liberal left" issue, but of course it isn't. The sanctity of the vote is one of the few remaining issues that all Americans care about in one way or another. Which (hopefully) Team Trump is about to find out.
To help this effort along, Democrats need to beat this drum for all it is worth next week during their (virtual) nominating convention: "Donald Trump cheats when he thinks he's losing. He is slowing down your mail for his own political purposes. He is sabotaging a revered public institution in order to get ahead. And that's the same Post Office that delivers life-saving medicine to veterans." That last point is, obviously, the best political argument to make -- especially in places like Florida where the senior population is a key demographic.
Overall, we're about to see two competing and starkly different visions for America over the next two weeks, as both parties hold their conventions. The Democrats are striking all the positive notes, while Republicans are warning of doom and disaster if they don't win. Call it "morning in America" versus "night is about to fall." We're about to see through the two parties' political lenses how they see the past four years, how they see the present challenges our country faces, and how they present their vision for the future for the next four years.
As far as we can tell, the Republicans have nothing but fear and outright racism to run on. Those are the themes that Trump has been hitting hard, and the rest of the GOP is now in such thrall to him that they'll be powerless to change this narrative much (if at all).
Trump kicked this effort off by immediately joining in the new "birther" movement against Kamala Harris. By some strange and twisted logic, some on the right are now suggesting that Harris is somehow not eligible to be president (and therefore not eligible to be vice president) because of her birth circumstances -- even though she was born in Oakland, California. Their reasoning? Because neither of her parents were naturalized American citizens at the time of her birth, somehow Kamala's not a "natural born" citizen.
This is utter hogwash. The Fourteenth Amendment is clear. So is a Supreme Court decision from over a century ago. But that didn't stop Trump from openly flirting with the idea at a press conference, when asked.
You'll notice these birther questions about presidential candidates only arise in very special circumstances. Let's see... the issue didn't arise for Barry Goldwater, who was actually born in Arizona before it became a state. It didn't arise for George Romney (Mitt's dad), who was born in Mexico to American parents. It didn't arise for John McCain, who was born on an American naval installation in the Panama Canal Zone. It was briefly brought up (and then quickly dismissed) when Canadian-born Ted Cruz ran for president, but not when the others did so. In fact, it has only been brought up in any meaningful way for Barack Obama and Kamala Harris. Now let's see... hmmm... is there something about Obama and Harris that somehow isn't like all the others in that list? We wonder what that could possibly be!
This is a naked attempt to paint Harris as somehow "not an American." She's not one of us, she's The Scary Other. But that's not the only racism the Trump campaign is dabbling in. Trump has learned somehow that he's not doing particularly well in suburbia. Republicans got trounced in the 'burbs in the 2018 midterms, and according to the polls this situation has only gotten worse for Trump, and it is most pronounced among women suburban voters.
So what's Trump's answer? A time machine journey back to 1956! Here's just one example of many similar tweets Trump has been blasting out: "The 'suburban housewife' will be voting for me. They want safety & are thrilled that I ended the long running program where low income housing would invade their neighborhood."
Wow. Just... wow. "Suburban housewives"? This is not the only use of this term by Trump, who seems to think all those moms in the 'burbs somehow find it endearing. Spoiler alert: they don't. As mentioned, this is not the 1950s anymore.
Getting beyond that, though, Trump has dispensed with racial dog whistles and is now relying on 120-decibel train whistles instead. Trump thinks he's going to win all those suburban women who voted Democratic in 2018 back by promising not to let minorities "invade" the suburbs. Which might have worked in, say, the 1956 presidential election.
Speaking of time travel, President Trump apparently just returned from an alternate-timeline past, where the Spanish Flu pandemic was a lot worse than our history books say it was. Please remember when reading this that one of Team Trump's main arguments in their campaign is that Joe Biden somehow "isn't all there" and has a few screws loose. Here's Trump on what happened (in his alternate history):
The closest thing is in 1917, they say, the great pandemic. It certainly was a terrible thing where they lost anywhere from 50 to 100 million people, probably ended the Second World War. All the soldiers were sick. That was a terrible situation.
First, as many have pointed out to Trump repeatedly (to no avail), the Spanish Flu struck in 1918, not 1917. Trump learned this fact wrong six months ago, and none of his advisors is gutsy enough to tell him he's just flat-out wrong about it (they'd prefer instead to continue maintaining all the Potemkin villages they have to constantly rebuild to fit Trump's fantasies).
Second, Trump thinks the 1918 Spanish Flu pandemic ended the Second World War?!? This, mind you, came mere days after the 75th anniversaries of dropping the atomic bomb on Hiroshima and Nagasaki -- which actually did end World War II.
And Trump wants us all to believe that Biden isn't "all there"? Wow.
We're going to end today's wrap-up with a teaser and some amusing satire, just because. The teaser is for Michael Cohen's upcoming tell-all book about Trump. Cohen just released the forward he's written for the book, which promises the juiciest details yet on how Donald Trump has lived his life so far. As Cohen points out, he knows where all the bodies are buried because he's the one who helped bury them, so there should be all sorts of explosive revelations contained within. The book will be released before the election, for maximum impact.
And finally, for anyone who needs a laugh, check out one of the funnier pieces of Trump satire we've seen in a while. Trump floated the idea of giving his convention acceptance speech from the battlefield at Gettysburg, so David Von Drehle at the Washington Post decided to rewrite the Gettysburg Address, as Trump would deliver it today. It starts off:
Four score and seven years ago. Not everyone knows a score. People ask me, they say, "What's a score?" Fauci the other day: "What's a score?" Not everyone knows. The score is the best it's ever been. Under Trump, 87. Under Obama, not so much.
Eighty-seven tremendous, tremendous years ago -- and some years that were not so great, frankly -- our fathers brought forth; also the mothers, the great suburban mothers. Biden wants to take away their dream. Our fathers and our mothers brought forth a new nation. How they did it: not so good. Not so perfect. A lot of people got hurt. Some were bad people, but a lot of them were good. The king of England, not everyone agrees he was so bad, but now they have a queen. Very few people know this.
It just gets funnier and funnier from that point on. So anyone who needs a midsummer laugh should definitely check it out.
We actually dedicated a column yesterday to praising a most-unexpected Republican for her impressive reaction to Kamala Harris being named veep. Are you sitting down? It's called "In Praise Of Sarah Palin."
But she's not eligible for a Democratic award, so we merely mention her in passing. We also should congratulate Representative Ilhan Omar for decisively winning her primary this week, over a well-funded challenger from the Democratic establishment. This means that all four members of The Squad have now secured their nomination (and their eventual re-election, since they're all deep blue districts).
But the Most Impressive Democrat Of The Week this week was none other than Senator Kamala Harris, who is now Joe Biden's running mate. Biden also deserves at least a Honorable Mention for the choice, and for his introductory speech (more on both of their speeches in a bit...).
Kamala Harris is now not only the first African-American woman to ever be nominated for vice-president, but also the first Indian-American ever to appear on any national presidential ticket. But then, she's used to these "firsts."
Politico had the best introductory article for those unaware of Kamala's background, complete with 55 (!) facts about her you should know. It sounds long, but each item is short, so it's an easy read. And an impressive history, to boot.
What was most astonishing about this announcement (at least to us) was that even though Harris had been touted as the media favorite in the veepstakes for weeks and weeks on end, Team Trump seemed to be caught absolutely flatfooted by Biden's decision. They had no cohesive idea about how to attack her, and their efforts were all over the map (from "she's a liberal radical" to "she's too tough on crime"). Zero thought had gone into these disjointed attacks, which is likely why by the end of the week, Republicans went back to the comfort (for them) of purely racist fearmongering. Which, of course, is second nature to the president.
One thing everyone can agree upon -- even those who were rooting for some other Democrat to share Biden's ticket -- is that Harris is fully capable of fighting back against such attacks. She is going to fulfill the traditional "attack dog" role of vice-presidential candidates to a remarkable degree. Not only did she begin her career as a prosecutor, but in the Senate she has proven to be one of the most scathing and effective questioners of Trump officials and appointees.
To put this a slightly different way: we are definitely looking forward to the single televised debate between Kamala Harris and Mike Pence. It's going to be like Muhammad Ali fighting Nelson Muntz, most likely. A good time is guaranteed for all!
Biden had a number of excellent candidates to choose from, and Harris was definitely in everyone's top tier all along. She was likely selected because Biden already trusts her and knows who she is from her closeness with his son Beau. Which means they could be an excellent team in the White House, which is really the best measurement of any vice-presidential candidate. So picking a winner of the Most Impressive Democrat Of The Week was pretty easy, this week, as we just followed Joe Biden's lead.
[Congratulate Senator Kamala Harris on her Senate contact page, to let her know you appreciate her efforts.]
We're going to give the Most Disappointing Democrat Of The Week award this week to the schedulers at the Democratic National Committee whose job it is to allot time to all the speakers at the convention. Or possibly on Joe Biden's team, as we have to admit we're not entirely sure who was responsible for this.
When the first lists of speakers were released to the press, there was one notable absence: Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. But it was just a preliminary list. They've now announced the full lineup (well, except for surprise guests), and A.O.C. was indeed given a speaking slot.
For sixty seconds. That's right -- we'll only hear from A.O.C. for one single solitary minute.
One can only wonder what they're thinking. One of the weakest parts of the Biden/Harris coalition is young people, who would much rather have seen Bernie Sanders or Elizabeth Warren somewhere on the Democratic ticket. And nobody can fire up this demographic like A.O.C. But she's only got sixty seconds to do it in?
Here's a good example of why this is the biggest boneheaded decision yet in this campaign. This week, Trump for some reason decided to attack A.O.C.'s college record. Now, she graduated -- with honors -- from Boston University, but Trump certainly couldn't be counted on to remember such details. Here's Trump, belittling A.O.C.:
I won't say where [Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez] went to school -- it doesn't matter. This is not even a smart person other than she's got a good line of stuff. I mean, she goes out and she yaps. These guys, they're all afraid of her. If you notice, all of these progressives are beating regular Democrats.
Here's how A.O.C. responded, on Twitter:
Let's make a deal, Mr. President:
You release your college transcript, I'll release mine, and we'll see who was the better student.
Loser has to fund the Post Office.
This is the woman the Democratic National Committee and Joe Biden's campaign want to limit to only one minute during their convention? Seriously?
For everyone involved in this stingy decision, we hereby award this week's Most Disappointing Democrat Of The Week. Maybe a little last-minute schedule adjustment is in order, guys?
[We have no contact information for these decision-makers, but we would encourage everyone who finds this as disappointing as we did to contact the Biden campaign and complain about the chintzy speaking slot for A.O.C.]
Volume 586 (8/14/20)
Before we begin, a program note is necessary. This will be the last Friday Talking Points column for at least two weeks, and possibly three.
For the past two presidential election cycles, we have been fortunate enough to be provided press passes for the Democratic National Convention. Since there isn't going to be a physical convention this year, this time around we'll be watching from home just like everybody else. The convention runs from Monday night through Thursday night, and we'll be devoting each day's column (starting Tuesday) with a wrapup of what went on the night before. This will pre-empt our normal Friday column, obviously.
The following week we'll also be watching the Republican National Convention, but we're not entirely sure we'll devote every day's column to it, so there's an outside chance that we'll have a Friday Talking Points column at the end of the week. But we haven't decided yet, and the last day is always the biggest day, so we may run our review of the big GOP speeches instead. This would mean the next of these columns might not appear until the fourth of September.
With that bit of column mechanics out of the way, our Talking Points section this week is nothing more than a preview of next week, really. If anyone hasn't seen the vice-presidential announcement and introductory speeches from Joe Biden and Kamala Harris, we would strongly recommend that you do so. The whole video is only a little more than a half-hour long, and both speeches were excellent. Or, if you prefer, you can read the transcripts of both speeches instead.
Because these speeches impressed us so much (and because we're getting into a convention mood), we decided that we could not improve upon them with mere talking points. So here are a few key excerpts from these speeches. Both spend time reviewing the reasons why Joe Biden is running for president (the speeches were delivered on the third anniversary of the Charlottesville white supremacist march), as well as introducing Kamala Harris to those who may not have noticed her before.
Importantly, though, both speeches actively took the political fight to Trump in heartening fashion. This is the type of thing we'll be watching for next week, but these were an excellent introductory course for the main event.
Joe Biden spoke first, and he began with a quick rundown of Harris, why he chose her, and what her strengths are:
Kamala, as you all know is smart, she's tough, she's experienced, she's a proven fighter for the backbone of this country, the middle class, for all those who are struggling to get into the middle class. Kamala knows how to govern. She knows how to make the hard calls. She's ready to do this job on Day One and we're both ready to get to work, rebuilding this nation and building it better. As attorney general of the largest state in the country, Kamala took on the big banks over mortgage fraud and won. Took on big oil that wanted to pollute without consequences. She was a pioneer in marriage equality and tackled the gun lobby. You know, we've all watched her in the United States Senate go toe to toe with Trump officials trying to hide the truth, asking the tough questions that needed to be asked and not stopping until she got an answer and when none was forthcoming it was obvious what the answer was.
In other words, she is going to eat Mike Pence alive during their debate. She is going to slice and dice him and leave tiny Pence shreds all over the floor. Anyone who has actually seen Harris in action during one of those committee hearings already knows this to be true.
Biden then took on Trump's misogyny, in rather spectacular fashion:
Working families need someone on their side in this nation because they certainly don't have anyone in the president now on their side. That's going to change in a Biden-Harris administration. It's going to be gratifying to see the strong, enthusiastic reaction to Senator Harris as our next vice president. It comes from people all over the country, it's already occurring. All over the country, all ideological views, all backgrounds.... It comes from all over except of course from Donald Trump's White House and his allies. You all knew it was coming. You could have set your watches to it. Donald Trump has already started his attacks, calling Kamala "nasty", whining about how she is "mean" to his appointees. It's no surprise because whining is what Donald Trump does best, better than any president in American history. Is anyone surprised Donald Trump has a problem with a strong woman or strong women across the board?
We find ourselves wondering whether the Biden campaign will be marketing "Whining Is What Donald Trump Does Best" Trump caricature T-shirts on their website. That's a killer line, and it needs to be repeated often next week.
Biden then proceeds to make the contrast as stark as can be between what we've got now and what we could have next year:
On January 20, 2021, we're all going to watch Senator Harris raise her right hand and swear the oath of office as the first woman ever to serve in the second highest office in America in this land, and then we're going to get to work, fixing the mess that President Trump and Vice President Pence have created, both at home and abroad through four years of mismanagement and coddling of terrorists and thugs around the world. Not only will America dig itself out of this hole they put us in, we're going to build. We're going to build back and we're going to build back better.
We have a public health crisis. While he's in court trying to do away with health care, with more than five million reported infections, 165,000 people dead and climbing as a consequence of COVID-19 and still, months later, no real leadership or plan from the President of the United States how to get this pandemic under control. No real help for the states and local governments trying to fill the vacuum of leadership from the White House. No real help for children and educators, for small businesses and frontline workers, they're the ones that are holding our country together. Instead, he's issuing executive orders and making promises that in the end will defund the Social Security system while insisting that this virus will disappear.
The Joe Biden and Kamala Harris administration will have a comprehensive plan to meet the challenge of COVID-19 and turn the corner on this pandemic. Masking, clear science-based guidance, dramatically scaling up testing, getting states and local governments the resources they need to open the schools and businesses safely. We can do this. We just need a president and vice president willing to lead and take responsibility. Not as this president says, "It's not my fault. The governor should thank me more." As that old saying goes, give me a break.
We have an economic crisis and more than 16 million Americans, 16 million, still out of work. Donald Trump is on track to break another record. On track to leave office with the worst jobs records of any American president in modern history, but instead of doing the hard work, of meeting face-to-face with congressional leaders, Democrats and Republicans in the White House, like every other president has done in a crisis to get Americans the relief they need and deserve, Donald Trump is on the golf course. If I told you this three years ago you'd look at me like I was being crazy. He hasn't even met with the leadership. He doesn't have time it appears.
Towards the end, Biden took this theme and pivoted to why he decided to jump into the race in the first place:
We have a racial justice crisis. Donald Trump seeks only to inflame it with his politics of racist rhetoric and appeals to division. Today's not only the day I'm proud to introduce Senator Kamala Harris as the vice presidential nominee of the Democratic Party. It's also the third anniversary of that terrible day in Charlottesville. Remember? Remember what it felt like to see those neo-Nazis -- close your eyes -- and those Klansmen, white supremacists, coming out of fields, carrying lighted torches, faces contorted, bulging veins, pouring into the streets of a historic American city, spewing the same anti-Semitic bile we heard in Hitler's Germany in the '30s? Remember how it felt to see a violent clash ensue between those celebrating hate and those standing against it?
It was a wake up call for all of us as a country. For me, it was a call to action. My father used to say, silence is complicity -- not original to him, but he believed it. At that moment, I knew I couldn't stand by and let Donald Trump, a man who went on to say when asked about what he thought he said, there were very fine people on both sides, "Very fine people on both sides." No president of the United States of America has ever said anything like that, see him continuing to attack everything that makes America America. I knew we were in the battle for the soul of the nation. That's when I decided to run. I'm proud now to have Senator Harris at my side in that battle because she shares with the same intensity I do, for she's someone who knows what's at stake.
The question is for all Americans to answer, who are we as a nation? What do we stand for? And most importantly, what do we want to be? Someone who knows that the future of this country is limited only by the barriers we place on our own imaginations because there's nothing Americans cannot achieve what we put our minds to it and we do it together.
After Biden was done, Harris took the podium to give her acceptance (and introductory) speech. She started off making the same basic case Biden just had:
Joe, I'm so proud to stand with you. I do so mindful of all the heroic and ambitious women before me whose sacrifice, determination and resilience makes my presence here today even possible. This is a moment of real consequence for America. Everything we care about, our economy, our health, our children, the kind of country we live in, it's all on the line.
We're reeling from the worst public health crisis in a century. The president's mismanagement of the pandemic has plunged us into the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression and we're experiencing a moral reckoning with racism and systemic injustice that has brought a new coalition of conscience to the streets of our country, demanding change. America is crying out for leadership, yet we have a president who cares more about himself than the people who elected him. A president who is making every challenge we face even more difficult to solve.
But here's the good news, we don't have to accept the failed government of Donald Trump and Mike Pence in just 83 days. We have a chance to choose a better future for our country.
That would have been a big applause line, but of course there was no actual physical audience to do so. This is going to be a big change for all the speakers at the convention next week, so we'll see how they each handle it.
Harris then gave a shortened answer for why she ran for president herself, complete with her campaign's basic slogan:
My mother and father, they came from opposite sides of the world to arrive in America, one from India and the other from Jamaica, in search of a world-class education. But what brought them together was the civil rights movement of the 1960s. That's how they met, as students in the streets of Oakland, marching and shouting for this thing called justice in a struggle that continues today, and I was part of it. My parents would bring me to protests, strapped tightly in my stroller. My mother, Shyamala, raised my sister, Maya, and me to believe that it was up to us and every generation of Americans to keep on marching. She'd tell us, "Don't sit around and complain about things, do something." So I did something, I devoted my life to making real the words carved in the United States Supreme Court, equal justice under law.
30 years ago, I stood before a judge for the first time, breathed deep and uttered the phrase that would truly guide my career and the rest of my career: "Kamala Harris for the people." The people, that's who I represented as district attorney, fighting on behalf of victims who needed help.
Harris ended strong as well, laying out the case against Trump in great detail, and contrasting it with what any normal president would have done differently (if they had a shred of competence, that is):
Let me tell you, as somebody who has presented my fair share of arguments in court, the case against Donald Trump and Mike Pence is open and shut. Just look where they've gotten us, more than 16 million out of work, millions of kids who cannot go back to school, a crisis of poverty, of homelessness afflicting black, brown, and indigenous people the most, a crisis of hunger afflicting one in five mothers who have children that are hungry and tragically, more than 165,000 lives that have been cut short, many with loved ones who never got the chance to say goodbye.
It didn't have to be this way. Six years ago, in fact, we had a different health crisis, it was called Ebola. We all remember that pandemic, but you know what happened then? Barack Obama and Joe Biden did their job. Only two people in the United States died. Two. That is what's called leadership.
But compare that to the moment we find ourselves in now. When other countries are following the science, Trump pushed miracle cures he saw on Fox News. While other countries were flattening the curve, he said the virus would just poof, go away, quote, like a miracle. So when other countries opened back up for business, what did we do? We had to shut down again. This virus has impacted almost every country, but there's a reason it has hit America worse than any other advanced nation. It's because of Trump's failure to take it seriously from the start, his refusal to get testing up and running, his flip-flopping on social distancing and wearing masks, his delusional belief that he knows better than the experts.
All of that is reason. And the reason that an American dies of COVID-19 every 80 seconds. It's why countless businesses have had to shut their doors for good. It's why there is complete chaos over when and how to reopen our schools. Mothers and fathers are confused and uncertain and angry about childcare and the safety of their kids at school. Whether they will be in danger if they go, or fall behind if they don't.
Trump is also the reason millions of Americans are now unemployed. He inherited the longest economic expansion in history from Barack Obama and Joe Biden. And then, like everything else he inherited, he ran it straight into the ground. Because of Trump's failures of leadership, our economy has taken one of the biggest hits out of all the major industrialized nations with an unemployment rate that has tripled as of today.
This is what happens when we elect a guy who just isn't up for the job. Our country ends up in tatters, and so does our reputation around the world.
As she said, the case is indeed open-and-shut. And we look forward to her prosecuting this case against Trump and Pence on the campaign trail. As we also look forward to others doing the same all next week.
-- Chris Weigant
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Follow Chris on Twitter: @ChrisWeigant
Cross-posted at: Democratic Underground
Oh, very nice title!
I presume that if AOC gets with the program, then she'll have ample time to speak.
Did anybody notice Jared's Middle East Peace deal that isn't a peace deal that's gonna get the Orange One a Nobel Peace Prize?
Here in KY, our Democratic governor and Republican secretary of state have come to an agreement regarding voting rules. We'll have absentee voting with little restriction and ballots can be mailed or dropped off at the county clerk's office. We'll have early in-person voting for 3 weeks and we'll have a super center voting location on election day in each county in addition to any other voting locations.
I noticed what Netanyahu said about non-peace peace deal, out loud, for everyone and their brother to hear.
[4] JFC,
Well, that sounds good but, is it really?
Did anybody notice Jared's Middle East Peace deal that isn't a peace deal that's gonna get the Orange One a Nobel Peace Prize?
Well, he won't be a winner unless he gets what Obama has already.
Okay, okay, AOC had an excellent retort on twitter. I could grow to really like her!
Indeed.
Don,
You are as out of control as the novel coronavirus. Better get a grip!
Thanks for the extended transcripts of the candidates' speeches. I prefer reading to watching video, when looking for substance rather than entertainment.
The rhetoric was only moderately effective, I thought, but even moderately effective rhetoric against the president, repeated on a national platform for the next three months, is refreshing compared to the dishwater the media feels constrained to deliver and compared to the pure vitriol found on left-wing sites.
I hear you on the minimized scheduling of Ocasio-Cortez's speaking at the Democratic virtual convention. But look at it this way. Each evening's schedule is designed to build to the keynote speaker's address. Unless they made her one of the keynoters, she would inevitably suck the air out of that night's keynote speech. She's not a national figure (except in the left's estimation) and the convention planners clearly figured that she has time to build her brand in coming years without making Jill Biden or Michelle Obama look like patsies this year.
Chris Weigant
They had no cohesive idea about how to attack her, and their efforts were all over the map (from "she's a liberal radical" to "she's too tough on crime").
The Tonight Show had a pretty good take on it:
https://twitter.com/notcapnamerica/status/1294363940487680007
"Kamala loves unicorns, but she hates horses with horns growing out of their head. She thinks kittens are cute, but she thinks baby cats are overrated."
John From Censornati
3
Did anybody notice Jared's Middle East Peace deal that isn't a peace deal that's gonna get the Orange One a Nobel Peace Prize?
I heard it was a Nobel Piss Prize. :)
Don Harris
11
Why do you continue to shill for these traitors?
It takes a special kind of stupid to think he'd shill for his haters.
Grow a pair.
Grow your own pair... and quit whining for another man to plug you.
LizM [6],
I would say that it's nothing but good. I have no complaints.
[18],
More likely: "Let us know when you've got some water."
You've got a ditch.
Why doesn't Jimmy Dore let people know about it?
[22],
Hilarious. Who decided that your ditch wouldn't irrigate plants that accept $201?
In any case it certainly is irrigating.
Let's all troll the board with advertisements and flood the zone with wall-to-wall whining and begging the author for personal favors.
It's called One Damn Man (props to Russ).
One Damn Man is prepared to beg, whine, and troll until a column is devoted to the wonderfulness of its product:
That product was:
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That product still is:
One Damn Man
Wants to know where my damn article is. Time's a waisting. Crank it out. The product is:
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Where's the article?
Oh, wait. I see the problem. I need a stupid thing I can say over and over. That'll get me some attention:
Light up. Bake up. Eat up.
GET WEED.
Don Harris
26
Yes, One Demand is irrigating and irrigating is what our democracy needs.
Did someone say irrigating? Guess what else needs irrigating:
Light up. Bake up. Eat up.
GET WEED.
*****************************
Weed, weed
It grows from a seed
Weed, weed
Give me what I need.
Don Harris
26
... our democracy needs.
Lots and lots of these:
*
Water you waiting for CW?
Water? Guess what else needs water?
guess what else gets baked.
[27]
One thing that is not a maybe is that none of them will let people know about One Demand if I do not keep after them until they do.
You remain delusional in thinking you'll make anyone whatsoever publicize or otherwise plug OD unless they already want to. Duh.
[Um...I'm sorry for throwing that overwhelming rocket science stuff at you]
Why are you so hung up on getting CW's blessing? And...what's it like to whine as a, you know, lifestyle choice?
Signed--
Cain't Believe that Don Acts so Clueless -- He must be Taking that
...He must be FAKING that.
[34] and countless others
Kick I just realized that
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*
...is like the TV Show 'Batman" from back in my short pants days. You see, when Gotham City wanted to get Batman's attention they shined are big light into the nighttime sky with a certain, er, pattern.
This is the 21st Century equivalent.
Signed --
Feeling In the Know in Country-Cali
Be that as it may, I am seriously looking forward to the 80-ish days of Kamala excoriating Trump and all things Repug.
So...nuke up some popcorn and sit down and enjoy the show!
(Seriously, Kamala plays well on the television machine and should be considered "counterprogramming" against the increasingly boring same old same old New York douchebag fake President Trump. Just one of the attributes she brings to the table, a-yup!)
@caddy [38],
i think somebody else might have already had this insight, and possibly made a few films about it...
https://www.costumet.com/images/movies/view-askewniverse/bluntman-and-chronic/cover.jpg
Kick,
It's called One Damn Man (props to Russ).
Thank you! (Takes a bow) Thank you! I like this newest slogan for OneDemand even more:
OneDemand is OneDumbPlan from OneDamnMan!!!
How is OneDemand the lifesaving plan that our democracy needs to survive? Don has not found a single candidate willing to sign onto his program...because it would only hurt their campaign and would do nothing to assist them. Because Don claims the ONLY requirement to being associated with OneDemand is to run a small-donation only campaign, it means a candidate could be seen as partnering with hate group campaigns that also see the wisdom in Don’s vision.
Of course, Don made it clear that he isn’t really wanting to bring an end to our politicians being bought by BigMoney when I asked him if he’d support Congress passing legislation that caps campaign donations at $200 — and he refused to directly state that he would support what he claims is the only way to save our democracy from becoming law! If it would get BigMoney out of our campaigns, what on Earth could cause Don to NOT support it becoming the law???
Don wants to lead a movement that takes on the establishment...he wants to be seen as the brains behind a progressive political movement; and “fixing” the problem would prevent any chance at Don having groupies fawning over him.
@russ,
i don't think it's been thought through that thoroughly.
JL
Don Harris
Maybe Jimmy Dore will let people know about One Demand.
Maybe Ralph Nader will let people know about One Demand.
Maybe CW will let people know about One Demand.
Only if they run articles on the stupidest ideas they’ve ever heard of will any of these folks write about OneDumbPlan!
It’s becoming more and more clear that you do not really want OneDemand to ever become a reality, you are whining so that we will give you some attention. It has gotten pretty pathetic.
. . . and now for something completely different.
LizM [8],
C'mon. AOC has proven to be especially sharp on numerous occasions. The Democratic gerontocracy really should take her more seriously. I think the ten foot pole treatment makes her stronger and, in my opinion, that's ultimately a good thing. I don't know, maybe they can't assimilate her into the Borg, but you'd think they'd try a little harder.
I think it will all work out in the end.
I really liked her speech on the floor of the House recently where she ripped that congressman a new one after he called her a you-know-what sorta but not really under his breath. I almost stood up and applauded, so ...
Hey, Don, we missed ya last Sunday night. Are you planning to be part of the festivities tomorrow night?
You could play the theme song for One Demand! Just remember, no political commentary but the tunes may be as political as you wish. :)
Anything that goes along with Leonard Cohen would be fine.
[4]
Don Harris wrote:
CW-
It is nonsense that the word nonsense has to be used instead of bullshit.
The childish trolling is the real problem here and it and other nonsense should be able to be referred to as bullshit as that is what it is. Nonsense just doesn't measure up in effectiveness.
Haha and tell us all about how effective your OD campaign has been. I'll wait patiently.
Elizabeth I am preparing myself to be introduced to some Leonard Cohen tunes. Some/ALL of the best that he wrote.
Please select your tunes appropriately and, verily, h-h-h-hit me with your best shot -- woot!
Now that I've established myself as the Commander of a small cadre of multiple link posting subversives, tally ho(!) mañana on the tunes. Do whatcha gotta do, Ladies and Germs.
Once again, hats off to my Weigantian Family! Y'all connect me, yessiree.
[53] Elizabeth please include at least some of his edgier stuff.
It sounds like you have some favourites?
And, they're all pretty edgy, no?
T'would appear that Trump/Shackled to Trump Repugs are playing the "Birtherism" card "against" Oakland born Kamala.
This sort of thing tends to make one think that the Repugs are "throw whatever against the wall as see if it sticks" DESPARATE. I mean, how does a 2020 Republican run on their record?
Yo, Stucky!
Just how do your Repugs run on their record?
Yo Elizabeth I've never heard a Leonard Cohen song (that I know of) in my pushing 62 years of visitation on this here Gaia.
So...hook me up, Gurl!
(I am like, putty in her capable hands)
Hmmm.
If you are looking for the best of Cohen’s best, I suggest the late Jeff Buckley singing Hallelujah . His haunting performance still brings me to tears!
(And I therefore sleep not only in peace but also with s low-ket joyful expectation that I'm about to get educated about Leonard Cohen.)
It speaks volumes to me, Elizabeth,that you mentioned Paul Simon among your list of American Pop-music Giants. I like Tupac/Eminem/Immortal Technique at times and other times Jazz and always and forever Paul Simon.
It's ALL good, ya see)
It just depends on the humanoid in question.
Resistance is futile.
G'Nite Ladies and Germs,
See y'all on the morrow
And...
C'mon Elizabeth! I'ma waiting on Vous!
Like Paul Simon on The Late Great
Johnny Ace
On a cold December evening
I was walking through the Christmastime
When a Stranger came up and asked me,
Had I heard John Lennon died?...
ListenWhenYouHear [63]
And I would recommend the entirety of Jennifer Warnes Famous Blue Raincoat: The Songs of Leonard Cohen album.
I happen to have both the original and the 20th anniversary discs. Tomorrow, if I'm around, I'll try listening to both all the way through and see what I want to recommend. Turns out the anniversary edition includes four tracks not on the original.
And the two of us went to this bar,
And stayed to close the place.
And every drink we drank was to the Late great Johnny Ace (yeah, yeah yeah)
The Late Great Johnny Ace
Right on, gang!
Hook me up!
Russ,
Do you have a link for that performance?
Bring it tonight.
I think I have the quintessential performance of Hallelujah ... we can put them up against each other tonight!
But, so much Leonard Cohen, so little time.
Liz
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y8AWFf7EAc4
Jeff Buckley (from Wiki)
In 2004, Buckley's version was ranked number 259 on Rolling Stone's "The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time". The same year Time called Buckley's version "exquisitely sung," observing "Cohen murmured the original like a dirge, but ... Buckley treated the ... song like a tiny capsule of humanity, using his voice to careen between glory and sadness, beauty and pain ... It's one of the great songs."
In September 2007, a poll of fifty songwriters conducted by the magazine Q listed "Hallelujah" among the all-time "Top 10 Greatest Tracks" with John Legend calling Buckley's version "as near perfect as you can get. The lyrics to 'Hallelujah' are just incredible and the melody's gorgeous and then there's Jeff's interpretation of it. It's one of the most beautiful pieces of recorded music I've ever heard." In July 2009, the Buckley track was ranked number three on the 2009 Triple J Hottest 100 of All Time, a listener poll held every decade by the Australian radio station Triple J. In 2017, The International Observer named Buckley's version of "Hallelujah" the greatest song of all time.
On 2 April 2014, it was announced that Buckley's version of the song will be inducted into the Library of Congress's National Recording Registry.
My Voice:
Warnes did the Dirty Dancing song with Bill Medley, correct? If I am thinking of the right singer, she has an incredible voice. I’ll have to check out Raincoat...always love finding new sources of good music.
ListenWhenYouHear [77]
Yup, she and Medley did (I've Had) The Time Of My Life for Dirty Dancing and yup, she has a clean, pure, beautiful voice. Her other big film duet was Up Where We Belong with Joe Cocker for An Officer and a Gentleman.
The Buckley Hallelujah is haunting. Raw emotion.
Alright!
Looks like the CW Sunday Night Music Festival and Dance Party is well underway!
I just have to grab a bite to eat after a long day at work and, be right back ... :)
Russ,
Before dinner, I'll just post my favourite cover of Leonard Cohen's Hallelujah and after I eat I'll listen to yours ... this is from the tribute to Leonard in Montreal, Tower of Song, a year after his death.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P_NpxTWbovE
OK, from Jennifer Warnes, I nominate Leonard Cohen's
First We Take Manhattan
and Famous Blue Raincoat.
Elizabeth Miller [80]
Another wonderful Canadian artist.
Yes, I really love her voice.
Russ,
Just listened to Jeff Buckley singing Hallelujah ... very, very nice. I had fun trying to harmonize with him. :)
I wonder if those reviewers of Buckley's Hallelujah have ever listened to KD's cover ... I think they both belong at the top of anyone's list.
Hallelujah has been chosen as the greatest Canadian song of all time.
In any event, a wonderful tribute to Leonard.
Come to think of it, I'd bet that a Buckley-Lang Hallelujah duet would be just too much!
JFC,
Hoping you have time to hang around tonight!
What are your thoughts about the Stones' Brown Sugar ... can't imagine that song being written today, much less sung out loud. Heh.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fmfi3UbDPnQ
"I"m tired of dancing here all by myself. Tonight I wanna dance with somebody else!"
Madonna's Into the Groove ...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=52iW3lcpK5M
Oooooo ... can't stop now ...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aa0eBa6wifo
Whoever's tending bar tonight you can go ahead and make mine a double ... of whatever you got ... I'm thirsty ...
Time for a little prince ...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DHRyPjXeKZ4
Back to Leonard for a while ... and in honour of the announcement by Senator Biden that Senator Kamala Harris will be his running mate in the 2020 US presidential election ...
... could this be the theme song for the Biden/Harris presidential campaign? I'm sure getting permission won't be a problem. :)
Democracy is comin' ... to the U-S-A!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vHI9BTpGkp8#:~:text=Leonard%20Cohen%20performs%20%22Democracy%22%20in%20the%20new%20PBS,career%20spans%20four%20decades%2C%20embarked%20on%20his%20
Now, I have to sit for a while ...
Okay, well, my all time favourite Leonard Cohen tune is none other than, Suzanne ...
And, Don, this one is for you, my friend, listen carefully to the intro. :)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6o6zMPLcXZ8
Sorry but, guess I'm deep into Leonard Cohen tonight ...
https://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=Leonard+Cohen+Suzanne&ru=%2fsearch%3fq%3dleonard%2bcohen%2bsuzanne%2blyrics%26cvid%3dde46ecb0689743a8b1832f3bcd86c554%26pglt%3d43%26FORM%3dANNTA1%26PC%3dU531&view=detail&mid=F8072A13BF8CE6D60936F8072A13BF8CE6D60936&rvsmid=A76C81379601C74174FDA76C81379601C74174FD&FORM=VDQVAP
Don [75],
That was sweet. :)
"Is there anybody alive out there!"
MtnCaddy [68],
Well, I don't remember posting anything about Paul Simon but, I am sure glad you posted 'The Late Great Johnny Ace'
That's a new one for me and a very good one, indeed!
ListenWhenYouHear
76
Oh, Russ... that is definitely the best version. Love that one. :)
And, this must be one of the best (and longest) covers of a Leonard Cohen song, A Thousand Kisses Deep with Jackson Browne and friends ...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W7yXLnHCmrU
Elizabeth Miller
80
Another great one.
I love that song. Makes me think about Shrek, though.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2kl1QXNpz30
Best cartoon version. ;)
MntCaddy,
This one is for you! One of my favourite Leonard Cohen tunes ... uncovered, if you will. :)
Dance Me To the End Of Love ...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NGorjBVag0I
Kick,
I think I may have to put a little focus on KD next Sunday night ...
MtcCaddy,
Here is Leonard on the far edge.
Tower of Song,
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nceRfJJZcP4&list=RDzSUHkWd44vU&index=2
I tried to leave you, really I did ...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sGErfToOamY&list=RDzSUHkWd44vU&index=3
i'm surprised don didn't choose this one:
https://youtu.be/D97OxHZzBeQ
nonetheless, it's a damn fine song.
You don't know me from the wind
You never will, you never did
I'm the little Jew
Who wrote the Bible
I've seen the nations rise and fall
I've heard their stories, heard them all
But love's the only engine of survival
The Beatles - Hey Jude
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A_MjCqQoLLA
Joshua,
The Future is a little prophetic, eh?
here's the first LC song i learned on guitar. check the intro.
https://youtu.be/guIS8GQuATI
"En Viena hay cuatro espejos
donde juegan tu boca y los ecos.
Hay una muerte para piano
que pinta de azul a los muchachos.
Hay mendigos por los tejados,
hay frescas guirnaldas de llanto.
¡Ay, ay, ay, ay!
Toma este vals que se muere en mis brazos.
~F.Lorca
@liz,
a little?
Heh.
and i think this one may be my favorite:
https://youtu.be/8M5Q5q71T24
And, one more cover of Hallelujah ... it's Bon Jovi! Yeah, Bon Jovi!!!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uOxHPsz_2o8
When thinking about favourite LC songs, 10 or 11 may tie for first! :)
I was behind in listening. They were all good.
Now, I have one too. Liz played it already, but this version of it was played at an inauguration ball:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=USlHqwTQVrU&list=PLaUInJleewPqPncrA3m0gcVqh-OyCwTeM&index=10
"Democracy" sung by Don Henley
78 DAYS * 00 HOURS * 20 MINUTES
Well, alright, Don Henley!
That wasn't a political comment there, Kick, was it?
Hey, I need a refill ... anyone?
Was Don Felder there? Heh.
I guess ...
Elizabeth Miller
116
That wasn't a political comment there, Kick, was it?
Nah. Just a bunch of numbers. :)
Can hardly wait!
You see, it's like this: Those digits I posted up there that had absolutely nothing to do with a political event are simply bartender numbers.
I was being the bartender and taking one down... that's all. You know what happens when the bartender takes one down, don't you?
77 DAYS * 00 HOURS * 00 MINUTES
^^^^^ That right there! ^^^^^
I keep loving those numbers, more and more each passing day, you know!
Are there any discernable connections between Biden/Harris and CSN&Y ... asking for a friend. :)
Well, it has been another fun Sunday night in Weigantia so, until next time, take good care everyone and stay safe!
And, before I go, here's Leonard singing Hallelujah, himself, live in London ...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YrLk4vdY28Q
Thanks for all the music, LC, it lives on and on in our hearts ...
LizM [86],
Stones' Brown Sugar ... can't imagine that song being written today, much less sung out loud.
You must be joking. They always play it. It's a big stadium audience participation number. To say the least, they have some problematic lyrics. Have you heard Some Girls? That's why I joked about them getting cancelled. It might be too late.
Wow! I didn't know LC wrote, "Suzanne!" I fell in love with that song when Roberta Flack covered it back in the days of my youth. Based on a poem he wrote when he was trying to make it as a writer.
Does anybody know a prominent GOP ex congressman we could get to endorse Joe Biden? :)
JFC,
Problematic lyrics? Yeah, I'll probably run into a few of them over the next year and a half. Hehehehehehehe.
And, if they actually come, then they better play the worst of them and I'm not talking about some virtual concert in a museum, either!
What about a prominent GOP ex-Governor?
No, not him ... where's Arnold when you really need him!
Can we please refrain from mentioning the Clintons?
And, where the heck were YOU last night? I posted a LC song, just for you ...
Don Harris
131
Obama, The Clintons, Pelosi, Schumer....just to name a few.
Obviously, everyone you listed belongs to the Democratic Party, and this crap right here is why no one need ever take your drivel and spew seriously.
Russ is absolutely correct in his assessment of you at [42]. Thank you for revealing yourself.
Elizabeth Miller
132
Can we please refrain from mentioning the Clintons?
Ridiculous. That attitude lost Al Gore the election, and your icon is wise enough to know how to strategically use his resources. :)
[128],
The Original Orange One (R-OH)?
Don Harris
135
Saying there is a difference between Deathocrats and RepubliCon Lite is the same as saying there is a difference between six and half a dozen.
Making up fake labels and claiming things are exactly alike is your game, Don. It's disingenuous, lazy, and incredibly nonsensical. When confronted with this fact, you whine and complain that you never said they are alike. This is exactly why no one need ever take you seriously and why CW has told you he doesn't. Don't believe me? Let's review:
*
When confronted with this fact, you claim you don't do that. Follow the link, read down the page. You claimed:
It is a valid point because you do and always have. Same shit, different day... lather, rinse, repeat. You've made zero progress in your "fantasyland" drivel and spew. You still equate Democrats and Republicans as "six and half a dozen" -- your words -- despite all evidence to the contrary.
So I'll just save some time and refer you to that.
Comment 42 was pure nonsense and lies.
Your invented labels are pure nonsense, and your exercises in false equivalency are lies. Russ's opinion is dead on accurate.
You won't take what I seriously because if you did you would have to admit that your nonsensical drivel has nothing to do with reality.
Nice bit of projection you got there, Don; Chris is dead on accurate in his assessment of why he doesn't take you too seriously and he perfectly nails it down why no one else should either. :)
John From Censornati
136
The Original Orange One (R-OH)?
Oh, I like the way you think, JFC. I think you might be onto something there. We better not mention children or kids, though, wouldn't want to see him cry... again. I hear he is into weed these days. Speaking of:
*
Where is my damn article promoting "my idea"?
Don Harris
139
Just more nonsense and lies.
Thank you for not even attempting to refute your invented labels and repetitive false equivalency this time; CW absolutely did peg you dead on accurately and identified your problem with surgical precision.
You wouldn't know reality if it bit you in the face or the ass- which are exactly the same thing.
In your haste to insult, you are again proving CW's point about your false equivalency in which the author of the blog makes his dead on balls accurate assessment regarding your repetitive drivel and spew. Thank you ever so much for the assist; it wasn't necessary, though. Your modus operandi is quite well known to the author and the commenters of this blog and has been for years and years and exactly why no one need ever take your prattling seriously. Russ nails you quite perfectly too in his assessment at [42].
So to recap: The author pegged you perfectly. Thank you so much for the unnecessary assist; your standard little elementary school level shtick is in no way whatsoever complicated in the least and varies rarely. :) #SSDD
Don Harris
141
If you had made a rational argument instead of posting your usual nonsense and lies then I would refute it if it was wrong or admit that it was right.
Well, we all know that's a lie because you didn't and never have. CW pegged you dead on accurate years ago, and your drivel and spew equating Democrats and Republicans has never varied. If anyone questions anything regarding your repetitive droning and prattling, you just explain how it's their problem... lather, rinse, repeat.
You falsely equate two very different political Parties with your fake labels.
http://www.chrisweigant.com/2020/08/14/friday-talking-points-the-mail-is-in-check/#comment-167673
CW called you on this, I called you on it, and you can deny it all you wish and keep spewing this utter asinine drivel of yours, but you're fooling no one except yourself. This is why your shit has been ignored by CW and should remain thusly so for forever and ever and ever.
You got the response you deserved.
I feel your response from CW is exactly what you deserved too, and I would wager I'm not remotely alone in that assessment. Too bad you're wasting everyone's time. If your advertisements are allowed to go unabated, I'll be happy to flood the zone with mine too.
Light up. Bake up. Eat up.
GET WEED.
nypoet22
35
guess what else gets baked.
()()()()()()()()
|\. . . . . . . . . .|
|.\. . . . . . . . . |
\'.\. . . . . . . . .|
_\.:\. . . . . . . .|
__\'o\ . . . . . .|
___\.'\. . . . . .|
____\o\. . . . |
_____\o\. . . |
______\.'\. .|
_______\\ . |
________\\|
Trump is going after the USPS in an attempt to (1) steal the election and (2) make a stronger case for privatizing it’s services entirely. Reports from across the country tell of sorting machines being removed, all over-time being restricted, and post office mail boxes being removed from high traffic public areas.
Trump’s failure to consider if any of his attempts to help his campaign might have unintended consequences really shines through on this one! A good percentage of the population receive their medications via the Post Office, and their delays are not going to be seen as “acceptable” by even his most rabid supporters!
Two “outside the box” thoughts on how WE, THE PEOPLE could take action to assist the Post Office:
1. Volunteer to assist in anyway that we can. Why can’t citizens volunteer their time to assist the post office like they are able to at hospitals, museums, and other publicly funded organizations? If a sorting machine can allow two workers to sort the number of letters that would normally take 30 workers to sort, then we need to be sending 28 volunteers to Post Offices for every sorting machine removed!
2. Fed-Ex, UPS, and any other delivery company should offer free ballot pick ups to citizens in a show of support for the USPS. This would be a huge PR event that would more than cover the expenses they will incur! The Post Office handles deliveries for these private companies when they have packages outside of their delivery areas, so this would be a way to show their support and gratitude.
[Side story: When I lived on the Crow Reservation in Montana, you got your mail from a PO Box at the Post Office, but when it came to shipping their products, lots of companies required them to be sent to home/business addresses. Only problem was that on the Rez they did not have street numbers or street names for any of the addresses. So you had to be creative. Fed-Ex delivered my packages to:
Turn RT just before Post Office, go 1 mile to the White Church, it’s the 3rd house on LFT (green with front porch); if you pass the Red Church on RT, you went too far
The Rez Post Office building was probably 50+ years old and was so small that they could not add new boxes when all of their boxes had been assigned...you had to be put on a wait list and hoped someone died soon so you could take their PO Box number.]
Turn RT just before Post Office, go 1 mile to the White Church, it’s the 3rd house on LFT (green with front porch); if you pass the Red Church on RT, you went too far
Now, that is a very cool address! :)
Hey, that's a lot of churches for a Rez with one post office, no?
New pre-convention Electoral Math column is now up:
http://www.chrisweigant.com/2020/08/17/electoral-math-biden-maintains-lead/
Convention review columns start tomorrow...
-CW
Don Harris
145
That repetitive fantasyland false equivalency sanctimonious purity shtick with the invented spew that you keep trolling here isn't the tiniest bit complicated, your website is still multiple years out of date, and anyone who questions you is met with your standard predictable "no answer" denigrating response. Your BS is as relevant today as it was the first time you trolled it here begging to relevant. Nothing but the name of the fantasy has changed.
I think you've identified your problem. Good talk.
John From Censornati
136
The Original Orange One (R-OH)?
Followup on this subject, JFC. The spokesman of the aforementioned "OOO" says Boehner would rather set himself on fire than get involved in the 2020 election. So I guess it's somebody else. Stay tuned. :)
Liz,
We actually had 4 churches on the Rez.... American Baptist, Foursquare, Methodist, and Catholic. Each had maybe 20 -30 members show up on any given Sunday. They were missionary churches that did a lot to help with battling the effects that poverty had on the tribe members — food and clothing drives.
I wonder if those missionary church leaders and members understood what led to that poverty ...