Thursday, October 17, 2024

Accountability

 Accountability is something we could see a lot more of.  A lot more.  That certainly applies to the people who helped Trump try to overthrow our government.   Aaron Blake (WASHINGTON POST) notes:



Washington Post/University of Maryland poll this year showed just 12 percent of Americans said the rioters “defended democracy,” while a clear majority — 58 percent — said they “threatened democracy.”

There are also limits to an embrace of the rioters even in the GOP. Fewer than half of Republicans in that poll agreed with Trump that the Jan. 6 defendants’ punishments were “too harsh.” Another poll last year showed just 24 percent of Republican primary voters preferred a candidate who supported those who entered the Capitol.

It’s possible that has changed somewhat as Trump has increasingly bear-hugged the rioters as the 2024 election has worn on; we don’t have a lot of good, more recent data.

But those numbers would seem to confirm that Trump is truly testing Americans’ willingness to write off that day and his supporters’ willingness to lump themselves in with that “we.” And it’s not just a 2024 election issue; it’s also a more lasting test for the strength of our democracy.



 

It is about our democracy.  And those who participated in the insurrection attempt should be behind bars and, yes, that includes Donald Trump himself.  

This is C.I.'s "Iraq snapshot:"


Thursday, October 17, 2024.  Donald Trump continues to threaten American citizens just as he continues lying, Kamala Harris faces off with FOX "NEWS" and Jill Stein gets an endorsement that she's earned.


In the US, we have until November 5th to vote and Donald Trump intends to use the 18 remaining days going as nuts and deranged as anyone can.   Oliver O'Connell and Joe Sommerlad (INDEPENDENT) report:


Donald Trump has stoked outrage by claiming to be “the father of IVF” at a women’s town hall event hosted by Fox News, inviting cries of protest given his track-record on rolling back women’s rights, notably his instrumental role in overturning Roe vs Wade in 2022 and flirtation with a nationwide abortion ban.


“We really are the party for IVF,” the Republican presidential nominee insisted.

“We want fertilization, and it’s all the way, and the Democrats tried to attack us on it.”



The father of IVF?  I can remember when Ivana would joke -- at least I think she was joking -- that Donald wasn't even the father of Eric. 


Like most informed Americans, Kamala Harris found his claim bizarre. 




As audience members confronted him over these impacts—which became clear in Alabama earlier this year—Trump reiterated his usual spiel of reproductive rights-related falsehoods, which included claiming that “every legal scholar” wanted Roe overruled (easily debunked) and that Republicans are “the party of IVF”—despite the fact that Republicans have twice blocked a vote on a bill that would protect IVF access nationwide, as I have covered. (The GOP said that it supports IVF and that the bill was unnecessary.)

But Trump also debuted a new lie at the town hall: He claimed he’s the “father of IVF.”

“I want to talk about IVF,” Trump said in the lead-up to a question about how abortion bans could impact fertility treatments. “I’m the father of IVF, so I want to hear this question.” (He then proceeded to call Sen. Katie Britt (R-Ala.)—who he said taught him what IVF is—”fantastically attractive.") 

If you are wondering what on Earth he could have possibly meant, you are not alone. Trump is certainly not the creator of the reproductive technology (that was a British doctor, named Robert Edwards, in 1978). And Trump has never suggested any of his five children were born through IVF. In a statement provided to Mother Jones, Karoline Leavitt, national press secretary for the Trump campaign, dismissed the comment as “a joke President Trump made in jest when he was enthusiastically answering a question about IVF as he strongly supports widespread access to fertility treatments for women and families.” She did not respond to questions about whether Trump supported the Democratic-led bill on IVF that Republicans twice blocked, or how his proposal to force the government or private insurance companies to fund IVF would actually work (estimates say it could cost around $8 billion).

Harris promptly clapped back, telling reporters Trump’s comments were “quite bizarre,” adding, “if what he meant is taking responsibility, then yeah, he should take responsibility for the fact that one in three women in America lives in a Trump abortion ban state.” 


It was an outrageous lie from a man who steals credit for everything.  The only humor in the alleged 'jest' came from those responding to the lie like Jimmy Kimmel. 




On that townhall 'for women,' Daniel Dale (CNN) counts nineteen outright lies Donald told during that hour long event.  He wasn't the only one lying.  FOX "NEWS" Harris Faulkner hosted the event and got off this lie, "And instead of him banning abortion, which is not he wants to do. He's wanting it to be for the states and let the states decide."




The liar is anti-choice so let's not that first so we can factor in her whorish nature.  Second, letting one state ban it -- even just one -- is being for banning abortion.  Quit lying.  One bad weave and the liar thinks she's tricked us all.

 
On reproductive rights, Amanda Becker (TEEN VOGUE) explains:

The Supreme Court’s rejection this week of the Biden administration’s appeal to weigh in on a dispute over emergency abortion care in Texas foreshadows how the next president could protect or restrict abortion access without signing — or vetoing — federal legislation. 

The court’s decision came Monday as early voting was already underway in some states in the first presidential election since the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, ending federal abortion protections and sending the issue back to the states.

Texas is one of 13 states that currently have total abortion bans in place and another four states cap the procedure after six weeks, before many people know they are pregnant.




Restoring Roe’s protections nationwide are central to the case that Democratic nominee Kamala Harris is making against Republican nominee Donald Trump. Headed into the final weeks of the race, polls show abortion gaining on the economy as the top-of-mind issue for voters, particularly in battleground states and for women under 45 years old.

Trump, who as president cemented the conservative bloc on the court that overturned Roe in the case Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, has provided few details about how his administration would approach abortion, saying only that he feels it is an issue best left up to the states and that “everyone knows” he would not sign a federal abortion ban. 

Trump has yet to comment on the myriad of other ways a president’s administration can impact abortion access via the federal agency rulemaking process or by prosecuting state bans when they conflict with federal laws, such as in the Texas dispute.




In the Texas case, the Biden administration is arguing that a 1986 law known as EMTALA, which requires most hospitals to provide emergency care, applies to abortion even in states with bans — Texas disagrees. The state’s abortion ban has limited exceptions for patients who have a life-threatening condition or who are at risk of “substantial impairment of a major bodily function” but what constitutes substantial impairment is left undefined.

The Supreme Court’s decision to not hear an appeal at this juncture means that as the case continues, a lower court order will remain in place that says hospitals cannot be required to provide emergency abortions in cases when they might violate Texas’ ban. Legal experts told The 19th that the order could also affect cases in Louisiana and Mississippi, which are also under the jurisdiction of the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals.

“Let me be clear: Donald Trump is the architect of this health care crisis,” Vice President Harris wrote on the social media site X shortly after the Supreme Court’s decision not to take the case. “I will never stop fighting for a woman’s right to emergency medical care — and to restore the protections of Roe v. Wade so that women in every state have access to the care they need.”


Which is how it should be.  Healthcare is not a 'state's rights!' issue.  That's a lunatic fantasy.  A woman has every right to expect the same type of healthcare in any state in the union.  Don't be tricked by the Harris Faulkners of the world. 

This is beyond stupid.  We've said it here many times but I think Tim Walz has been much more passionate about it: Mind your own damn business!

You don't want an abortion?  Don't have one.  Otherwise, mind your own damn business.

My healthcare is not your business.  My choices are not your business.  Informed consent means that my doctor and I make the best decisions about my healthcare.  It is no one else business.

ROE V WADE was popular with the majority of Americans and with the majority of American women.  It was established law -- something the Republicans on the Crooked Supreme Court forgot they stated in their Senate confirmation hearings.  By conspiring, a group of liars were able to coach the justices on how to pass a confirmation hearing -- and Donald ordered the FBI to stand down on investigating sexual predator Brett Kavanaugh -- and, first chance it had, the Crooked Court then ignored established law, ignored the principle of stare decisis, ignored the whole point of precedent and overturned ROE V WADE as step one in destroying the right to privacy for US citizens.  Crooked Clarence, high on the vast amount of bribes he's taken in over the years or just as flat out stupid today as he was in 1992, showed the Court's hand with his opinion where he noted the plan to next turn over all other right to privacy cases -- including birth control and marriage equality -- save for LOVING V VIRGINIA.  Many pointed out the reasoning there -- though Samuel L. Jackson was one of the first -- Clarence left his first wife and became a chubby chaser which led him to the grotesque Virginia 'Ginni' Thomas.  LOVING V VIRGINIA, a right to privacy case, mandated that all states in the union recognize interracial marriage.  So, in case you missed it, Crooked Clarence took a dump on the right to privacy judgments except for the one that impacted his own life.

Still on that townhall, Matthew Chapman (RAW STORY) notes:


Fox News allowed former President Donald Trump's all-women town hall to be filled with MAGA supporters — and failed to disclose as such, according to a report. 

"The Georgia town hall, where Trump took questions on reproductive laws, transgender rights and other issues, aired Wednesday morning," according to the CNN report. "But Fox News did not disclose that the female audience it selected for the event was packed with local Republican supporters."

Moreover, Fox News edited out moments where participants in the town hall said things that made this too obvious, " reported Hadas Gold and Liam Reilly.

For example, one woman named Alicia said, “I want to thank you for coming to a room full of women the current administration would consider domestic terrorists,” and added, “I proudly cast my vote for you today. I hope they count it.”

Fox News edited out the last part where she said she was already a Trump voter, but a CNN reporter in the audience captured the full exchange. 


Deranged Donald continues to make threats against the American people.  David Badash reports:


The Trump campaign lashed out at Minnesota Governor Tim Walz on Monday after the Democratic vice presidential nominee quoted the Republican presidential candidate who repeatedly over the weekend has been saying he would like to use the U.S. military against American citizens.

As NCRM reported, the Republican presidential nominee said he thinks the U.S. Armed Forces should be used against Americans who oppose him, called his critics “the enemy from within,” and declared they are more dangerous than America’s greatest foreign adversaries, including Russia, China, and North Korea.


“I always say we have the outside enemy, so you can say China, you can say Russia, you can say, Kim Jung-Un,” Trump told supporters at an Aurora, Colorado rally on Friday. But, he added: “It’s the enemy from within, all the scum that we have to deal with that hate our country. That’s a bigger enemy than China and Russia,” he said as the audience cheered.
Then, on Sunday, Trump told Fox Business host Maria Bartiromo of his desire to use armed forces against Americans on Election Day.

[. . . ]

“Donald Trump over the weekend was talking about using the U.S. Army against people who disagree with him,” Walz had said. “Just so you’re clear about that, that’s you. That’s what he’s talking about. This is not some mythical thing out there. He called it the ‘enemy within.'”

The Trump War Room social media account wrote: “Tim Walz peddles a disgusting lie that President Trump will use the U.S. Army against his political opponents: ‘That’s you, that’s what he’s talking about.’ This is reckless, dangerous rhetoric,” the campaign stated. “Tim should be ASHAMED of himself.”

These are threats against the American people.  Philip Bump (WASHINGTON POST) reports:

No fascist. You’re the fascist.

Host Harris Faulkner played the snippet of Trump’s Bartiromo interview in which he explained that the “enemy from within” included “lunatics” such as Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.), one of the loudest voices during Trump’s first impeachment. Faulkner noted that Harris had suggested Trump is “unhinged.” (The crowd, heavily constituted of Republicans and Trump supporters, tittered at the very idea.)

Trump, predictably, denied that he is, calling Democrats “the party of sound bites.”

“Somebody asked me, ‘Can they be brought together?’” he said, apparently meaning that he was asked whether Democrats could work with Republicans. He suggested that he said he doesn’t think they could “because they are — they’re very different. And it is the enemy from within and they’re very dangerous. They are Marxists and communists and fascists.”

He returned to his criticism of Schiff, suggesting that Schiff is among those who “made up the Russia hoax” — that is, the investigation into whether Trump’s 2016 campaign had knowingly worked with the Russian effort to swing the results to his advantage. (A lengthy probe into the matter identified several members of Trump’s campaign who had been in contact with Russian agents and determined that the campaign had at least welcomed the Russian effort.)

And again Trump shrugged at the threat posed by foreign countries (including Russia) as easy to handle — more so than the threat from his political opponents.

“The more difficult are, you know, the Pelosis,” he said, referring to former speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and, apparently, her husband, Paul.

Shortly before the 2022 election, a deranged man broke into the Pelosis’ San Francisco house in an apparent effort to force Nancy Pelosi to admit that the Russia probe was contrived. Paul Pelosi, who doesn’t work in politics, was struck with a hammer in the attack.

“These people, they’re so sick, and they’re so evil,” Trump continued. “If they would spend their time trying to make America great again, we would have — it would be so easy to make this country great.”

All of this, all of Trump’s response to the criticism of his initial comments Sunday, serves to bolster that criticism. Saying that Democrats are evil and sick and incapable of working with Republicans is commentary aimed at suggesting that no political agreement can be practically or morally achieved. Comparing the opposition of Democrats to that of foreign adversaries — casting it as worse than that of those adversaries, in fact — elevates the idea that internal enemies should be dealt with in the way we might deal with an invasion force from a foreign power.


It's very alarming and people should be concerned.  Kathleen Culliton (RAW STORY) notes:


Former President Donald Trump's decision to double down Wednesday on his threats of the "enemy within" — and his campaign's hasty efforts to spread the word — stunned onlookers who said they fear a looming authoritarian regime.

Trump's War Room was quick to post video on X of Fox News anchor Harris Faulkner's interview with Trump and his response to concerns that he would use his executive power to sic the military on political rivals.

"FAULKNER: 'Kamala Harris has said you sounded unhinged and unchecked power is in our future,'" the Trump campaign tweeted. "TRUMP: 'They are a party of soundbites... And it is the enemy from within. They are very dangerous.'"

Trump went on to list the people and political groups he argued should be considered enemies of the people, among them Marxists, Rep. Adam Schiff (D-CA), fascists, communists, and Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-CA).

"It is the enemy from within," Trump said. "They're very dangerous...and they're sick."


He is a threat to democracy, he is a threat to us all.  David Kurtz (TPM)  notes:


Harris wants to use Trump’s own words as “evidence” against in the closing days of the campaign, according to the WSJ report.

In the plodding, “check the box” campaign strategy that Democrats often default to, candidates are given the false choice of either addressing voters’ most pressing concerns or warning that Trump is a menace and threat to democratic values. Harris’ “all of the above” approach in recent days weaves together both attack lines into a seamless whole.

Most notably, Harris has connected Trump’s essential weakness of character with his authoritarian impulses, his fondness for dictators, and his disregard for the Constitution. You get these threats with Trump precisely because he is a such a hollowed-out shell of a human. It’s a powerful reminder that fascism is a refuge for the weak and insecure, an argument that defuses the fear that Trump seeks to instill.


Kamala went on FOX "NEWS" because she's not a chicken like Donald who cancelled on 60 MINUTES and CNBC.  













Let's turn to Donald's financials.  Philip Bump has a must read, "The myth of Businessman Trump has collapsed" (WASHINGTON POST), about some people slowly awakening to the reality. Or some of it.  Donald Trump is not as wealthy as people like to think.  And he has nothing to show for all his years if you really get into the weeds.  He is sitting on a mountain of debt.  If and when just one bank decides to call in a loan, his entire faux empire could come crashing down.  That's why he's selling $3 BIBLEs made in China for -- selling them for $60 bucks.  He's a con artist.  And he needs cash because he's got nothing.  That's why he is trying to farm our his campaign air travel onto the US taxpayer.  Travis Gettys (RAW STORY) notes:


Donald Trump's campaign has set up a fundraising page for hurricane relief, but it's not clear where the money is actually going.

The Republican nominee's campaign created the fundraising campaign billed “as an official response for MAGA supporters to offer their financial assistance to their fellow Americans impacted by Hurricane Helene,” reported The New Republic. The page lists charities it says would receive the MAGA funds.

Three of the four charities listed are Christian or Evangelical nongovernmental organizations — Samaritan’s Purse, Water Mission, and Mtn2Sea Ministries — while the fourth is listed as the “Clinch Foundation,” which appears to be the Clinch Memorial Hospital’s Foundation in Valdosta, Georgia.



Where is the money going?  Kevin T. Dugan (INTELLIGENCER) reports:


It has hardly been a month since presidential candidate Donald Trump started hawking digital tokens in something called World Liberty Financial, a loosely defined lending business that mimicked some of the more spectacular failures of the last crypto bubble. Basic questions about the business — What exactly is it? How does it work? What is newly matriculated NYU freshman Barron Trump doing as one of the company’s “Web3 Ambassadors”? — have gone unanswered. And if the point of World Liberty Financial is simply to raise a ton of money through unregistered securities offerings, historically a pretty lucrative business in cryptoland, even that has gone awry. In the opening hours of trading, a period of maximum hype, the company has raised a paltry $12 million or so, falling far short of its $300 million goal.

This shortfall has no clear explanation. Trump has been unabashedly courting crypto investors for most of this election season. At a bitcoin conference this summer, Trump laid out his crypto-centric vision of a second term: He would create a digital stockpile of the digital currency and make the U.S. the “bitcoin superpower of the world.” He vowed to rein in the Feds and ax Gary Gensler, who, as the chair of the Securities and Exchange Commission, has been a bogeyman for the industry. There has also been a surge in the value of one of his other nebulously defined companies, Trump Media & Technology Group, which has more than doubled its share price since late September and added more than $2 billion to Trump’s personal (but paper) fortune.

The World Liberty Financial token sale, meanwhile, has been plagued with problems. For a while, the site went down, making it nearly impossible to buy the tokens. But even if it worked fine, it wasn’t clear how many people would have actually been able to purchase them. The company’s Telegram group has made it clear that the tokens would be sold only to accredited U.S. investors — that is, people who are professionals or are just extremely rich — as well as investors overseas. In other words, not just any Trump fan could buy in. (Whether the company is actually holding to that is another matter. On October 11, I received an email pushing me to buy them, despite having no accreditation whatsoever. “We are pleased to inform you that, as a confirmed Whitelist entrant, you are now eligible to register for the upcoming $WLFI public sale,” the email said.) As of Wednesday morning, fewer than 3,000 people actually bought the tokens.


He builds nothing.  He's a business disaster.  Atlantic City?  He wouldn't even fix leaky roofs.  He'd have them put out big white buckets to catch the leaks when it rained. And those buildings, true of all of his buildings, only came about due to crooked deals.  Kamala has a strong housing plan but I'm always amazed that when housing gets covered in this race -- rarely, but some times -- that we're not talking about how Trump 'befriended' (bribed) politicians and city officials to get the land he wanted.  Eminent domain is not popular with voters.  They rightly see it as a threat to their own home ownership or own small business ownership. 

Eminent domain would allow Donald to grab real estate at bargain prices, he'd talk it up and try to get any fools to join him, he'd fall behind and then try to get refinancing, then he'd work to unload the properties. Despite perfecting this crooked model, he was lazy and slow and sometimes had to declare bankruptcy when he was too slow in getting out.

He's not in NYC because they hate him.  I've written about this at length for the community newsletters but no NYC family of standing respects him.  They consider him gauche and tasteless.  He tried to buy his way into society and it never took.  His life is as a social outcaste looked down upon by others, a comic Edith Wharton novel centering around a vial outsider who is known as a grifter who preys upon the less informed.


Again, he's sitting on a mountain of debt and the whole thing collapses at any moment if even one bank starts calling in the loans.  He has no real income other than his con jobs and his pension as a US president.  That's why he's always doing one money grubbing con after another.  And it's why 'old money' doesn't get in bed with him, they know he's a con artist.  

These are not hidden details or obscure secrets.  

THE APPRENTICE money is long gone and that's really the closest Donald ever came to actually working in his life -- hosting a game show.  Donald lives outside of his means and always has.  His multiple bankruptcies didn't bestow respectability on him nor do his current efforts at grift.  I get it.  He's trying to claw his way back into the White House because he thinks it could save him.  It can't.  And if he manages to die before all the debts get called in, that just means Junior and Eric get stuck with the bills.  (Ivanka was always smart to listen to her mother and she should be left holding less debt as a result.)


But the lack of income goes to why he keeps avoiding paying E Jean Carroll.  He doesn't have the money.  He's also not paying his attorney fees and hasn't been for some time.  I mean, what do you want, his full financials?  

As I've noted many times before, bankers who okayed the questionable loans that keep Donald afloat currently are risking their jobs and their reputations. They never should have okayed the loans.  

 

I mention the above because people think his 'wealth' means he's good or god-like.  No, he just knows how to run a con.  He's never worked at anything in his life except being a game show host.  Brad Reed (RAW STORY) notes:



United Auto Workers member Dawnya Ferdinansen on Wednesday called out former President Donald Trump after he made belittling comments about her profession.
In a video posted by the United Auto Workers' Twitter account, Ferdinansen took issue with Trump claiming that American autoworkers who work for foreign car manufacturers don't really build cars but rather "take them out of a box and assemble them."
"We could have our child do it," Trump said of the work.

Ferdinansen, an Ohio-based autoworker, wasted no time tearing the former president to pieces.

"I'm making this video in response to Trump's statement that autoworkers just 'assemble parts,' out of a box," she said. "I challenge you, Trump, to one full 12-hour day in any auto assembly plant. I want to see you assemble parts out of a box for 12 hours! Until you accept and complete this challenge, until you actually work a manual labor job, you keep the name of the UAW out of your mouth!"


Dawnya is correct.  Donald knows nothing about doing actual work and, at his age, never will.  

Like Jill Stein, Donald just shows up when the cameras are around because he's too damn lazy to do any of the work required.  

Yes, Jill Stein.  The Green Party's presidential nominee for the third time.  She's finally getting the recognition she's so long deserved -- an endorsement from the KKK.



The Green Party could have looked to the future and nominated someone who wasn't over 70 years old and had not already run twice (and failed twice) for president before.  Instead, they went with racist Jill Stein.  The KKK knows one of their own when they see her.  There's a reason for that. 


The following sites updated:

 



Wednesday, October 16, 2024

Racist Jill Stein

Jill Stein is a racist and a liar.  She's a grifter and a con artist.  She's forever pretending to run for president.  This go round, the Green Party's nominee has bragged about how she will deny Kamala the votes to be president.  What is it about these White women like Jill and Tulsi Pockmarks Gabbard?  They just can't stand to see a Black woman get ahead.  She's also insane.  That's demonstrated in Jessie Balmart's report for The Cincinnati Enquirer


Green Party presidential candidate Jill Stein is on Ohio's ballot, but votes for her won't count.

Here's why: When Stein qualified for the Ohio ballot as an independent presidential candidate, she listed Anita Rios as her running mate. But Rios, a 2014 Green Party candidate for Ohio governor, was a placeholder name used until Stein picked her vice presidential candidate.

Ohio's deadline for substituting candidates was Aug. 12, but Stein didn't announce her running mate Butch Ware until Aug. 16.

Twelve days later, the Ohio Green Party asked the Ohio Secretary of State's Office to withdraw Rios' name and add Ware's. LaRose's office declined to substitute Ware's name because the deadline had passed but accepted the Green Party's request to withdraw Rios' name. The result: all votes for the Stein-Rios ticket would not count.

"You can’t run without a running mate," Ohio Secretary of State spokesman Dan Lusheck said.




Jill can't follow the rules.  That much we already knew.  But get this, Bimbo is suing Ohio claiming, "Voters are exceedingly unlikely to cast their votes for Stein and Rios if they know those votes will be void and not counted."  They can't vote for Stein and Rios to begin with because there is no Rios.  Anita Rios is not her running mate.

These are Jill problems, not Ohio problems.  This case should be kicked out immediately and Jill tasked with all court costs over this nuisance lawsuit.

If you missed it, racist Jill was endorsed today by the KKK -- see video below.


This is C.I.'s "Iraq snapshot:"


Wednesday, October 16, 2024.  This week, Kamala Harris went to Pennsylvania and acted like a president while Donald Trump went to the same state and acted the fool.


Forget it, Donald Trump, that's not Sister Sledge singing "He's The Greatest Dancer" you're hearing, it's gasps of shock and horror and gales of laughter.  Via MSNBC's MORNING JOE this morning, let's go to the footage.



Voting in the US presidential election ends November 5th -- 19 days from now.  Many areas have already started early voting.  The closer the election gets, the stranger Convicted Felon Donald Trump gets.  Marianne LeVine (WASHINGTON POST) describes his recent Pennsylvania rally:


The town hall, moderated by South Dakota Gov. Kristi L. Noem (R), began with questions from preselected attendees for the former president. Donald Trump offered meandering answers on how he would address housing affordability and help small businesses. But it took a sudden turn after two attendees required medical attention.

And so Trump, after jokingly asking the crowd whether “anybody else would like to faint,” took a different approach.

“Let’s not do any more questions. Let’s just listen to music. Let’s make it into a music. Who the hell wants to hear questions, right?” he said.

For 39 minutes, Trump swayed, bopped — sometimes stopping to speak — as he turned the event into almost a living-room listening session of his favorite songs from his self-curated rally playlist.

He played nine tracks. He danced. He shook hands with people onstage. He pointed to the crowd. Noem stood beside him, nodding with her hands clasped. Trump stayed in place onstage, slowly moving back and forth. He was done answering questions for the night.


I don't know that those were his favorite songs.  Most of his favorite songs are ones he can no  longer play having been served with cease and desist orders from the artists themselves or, in the case of   Isaac Hayes' "Hold On, I'm Coming,"  from the artist's family.  At the rally, he made the mistake of playing "Hallelujah" -- Rufus Wainwright's version of the Leonard Cohen song thereby managing to offend two groups and artist and an artist's surviving family..  Ben Beaumont-Thomas (GUARDIAN) reports:


The estate of Leonard Cohen has issued a cease and desist order to Donald Trump, after a recording of Rufus Wainwright singing Cohen’s song Hallelujah was played at a bizarre campaign event.

Wainwright has also condemned Trump’s use of the song at the town hall in Oaks, Pennsylvania. The singer characterised Hallelujah as “an anthem dedicated to peace, love and acceptance of the truth. I’ve been supremely honoured over the years to be connected with this ode to tolerance. Witnessing Trump and his supporters commune with this music last night was the height of blasphemy. Of course, I in no way condone this and was mortified, but the good in me hopes that perhaps in inhabiting and really listening to the lyrics of Cohen’s masterpiece, Donald Trump just might experience a hint of remorse over what he’s caused. I’m not holding my breath.”


Big Tubby lumbering around the stage looked like a fool -- or a lurching beached whale -- thankfully Robert Kennedy Junior wasn't present or he might have mistaken him for a beached whale and cut his head off.  Hot and sweaty, lurching around like a bulky robot -- " bopping his head, swaying and meandering onstage to music," is how Herb Scribner (WASHINGTON POST) described it , it's no wonder Kamala Harris commented, "Hope he's okay."






Credit where credit’s due: The Washington Post got one very right.

Marianne LeVine’s recent article didn’t just report on Donald Trump’s latest campaign event—it unflinchingly showcased the sheer oddity of it. In a media environment in which Trump’s bizarre behavior often gets sanitized by political journalists, the Post delivered a straightforward account of an event that raises serious questions about Trump’s mental state.

[. . .]

LeVine’s article stands out because it doesn’t try to normalize this behavior. By providing context, direct quotes, and vivid descriptions, she allows readers to fully grasp the event’s peculiarity without resorting to sensationalism.

For instance, she notes:

“As Trump stood onstage in his oversize suit and bright red tie, swaying back and forth, it was almost as if he were taking a trip back to decades past.”

The article also highlights how this behavior feeds into existing concerns about Trump’s fitness for office. Vice President Kamala Harris has openly questioned his mental stability, and events like this only add fuel to that fire.

In times when honest reporting is essential, the Post stepped up. 


The trainwreck is so hard to watch and yet so difficult to turn away from.  Matt Dixon, Emma Barnett, Dasha Burns, Vaughn Hillyard, Jake Traylor and Monica Alba (NBC) note:

Not only did the unorthodox event come just weeks ahead of Election Day in the key swing state of Pennsylvania, but it also came at a time when Democrats have tried to increasingly turn the attention to Trump’s mental acuity and the 78-year-old's fitness to serve as president. 

"Voters are just starting to tune in, and objectively they are seeing a diminished Trump, one who rambles for hours at end, makes no sense, freezes for 30 minutes and forces people to listen to his Spotify playlist. It’s bizarre and raises more and more concerns for voters," said a Harris campaign staffer who also previously worked for President Joe Biden.

Over the weekend, Harris released a summary of her medical history, using the moment to imply that Trump was not up to the task because he has so far refused to release his own.

“One must question … are they afraid that people will see that he is too weak and unstable to lead America,” she said. “Is that what’s going on?”

Harris appeared to double down on that sentiment after Trump’s town hall, writing on social media, "Hope he's okay," with a post from her campaign that noted that Trump looked “lost, confused and frozen on stage.”

There he was, on stage, big belly bouncing around ad he awkwardly danced by himself.  Isaiah's THE WORLD TODAY JUST NUTS "Dancing With Himself" worked Billy Idol into a comic about the whole thing.

dancing with himself


It's a joke, the whole thing, that makes you giggle out of being nervous because that's not the behavior of a sane person.  You can't stop laughing because you grasp that and you grasp how much he is hated by the people around him because none of them have the love to step in and say, "You're making a fool of yourself, maybe you need a nap or to take your meds?"




In other news out of Crazy Town, Jonathan Chait (INTELLIGENCER) details Donald's revenge tactics:

If Donald Trump believes any person stands between himself and power, he will brand them a criminal and threaten them with prison. He has said this about a wide array of Democrats, including all three presidential opponents he’s faced, numerous journalists, election officials, and a wide array of other targets.

Trump has recently added Google to his list of targets, insisting fantastically, ““It has been determined that Google has illegally used a system of only revealing and displaying bad stories about Donald J. Trump, some made up for this purpose while, at the same time, only revealing good stories about Comrade Kamala Harris” and that “This is an ILLEGAL ACTIVITY, and hopefully the Justice Department will criminally prosecute them for this blatant Interference of Elections. If not, and subject to the Laws of our Country, I will request their prosecution, at the maximum levels, when I win the Election, and become President of the United States!”

Trump has recently added Google to his list of targets, insisting fantastically, ““It has been determined that Google has illegally used a system of only revealing and displaying bad stories about Donald J. Trump, some made up for this purpose while, at the same time, only revealing good stories about Comrade Kamala Harris” and that “This is an ILLEGAL ACTIVITY, and hopefully the Justice Department will criminally prosecute them for this blatant Interference of Elections. If not, and subject to the Laws of our Country, I will request their prosecution, at the maximum levels, when I win the Election, and become President of the United States!”
,

Trump’s most devoted fans agree with this goal. His more embarrassed supporters wave it off as harmless rhetoric he’ll never be able to carry out. And whether Trump would be successful in his goal of corrupting the Justice Department to the point where it is used as his personal weapon is, to be sure, unknowable. The mere chance of success ought to be enough to disqualify him, but it is true that that chance is less than 100 percent.

 
Donald Trump's interviews aren't going much better than his rallies.  Ellie Quinlan Houghtaling (THE NEW REPUBLIC) writes of his BLOOMBERG NEWS interview yesterday:

Donald Trump’s sit-down interview Tuesday with the Economic Club of Chicago went completely off the rails as the Republican presidential nominee struggled to offer concrete answers to a business-minded crowd, and miraculously performed even worse as he was fact-checked live on stage.

The Bloomberg News-sponsored event was intended to cover massive ground. Bloomberg’s top editor John Micklethwait pressed Trump on issues ranging from immigration, proposed tariffs, the dissolution of some of America’s biggest corporations, foreign policy with regards to Taiwan, and ultimately to the country’s fate post-Election Day. But Trump, seemingly, wasn’t prepared with answers.

The former president elicited groans from the crowd while dodging questions about his proposed foreign tariff plan, which includes a 200 percent tariff (which Trump insinuated could even be as high as 2000 percent) on foreign cars.

Micklethwait then pointed out how a financial analysis of Trump’s economic policies estimated that they would add $7.5 trillion to the federal deficit—“more than twice the total for Vice President [Kamala] Harris.” But Trump failed to offer rational details in his defense.


Bloomberg Editor-In-Chief John Micklethwait did not take it easy on Trump, and it quickly became clear that the former president has no conception of the mechanics of or the potential ramifications of the economic platform he’s running on. Bluntly, the former president was incoherent when pressed with real questions about his policies.

Micklethwait spent most of the interview attempting to break Trump out of what the former president repeatedly referred to as “the weave,” his term for his rambling digressions — with ever-decreasing intelligibility — and general inability to focus on a given topic for more than a few seconds during his rallies and interviews.

Micklethwait didn’t weave along with Trump, however, repeatedly working to bring him back on topic and answer the actual questions. The grilling exposed Trump’s total cluelessness with regard to his own economic policy, and led Trump to attack Micklethwait as biased.

It was so bad that, as Ellie notes in another report for THE NEW REPUBLIC, Donald's cancelled his scheduled interview with CNBC:

Donald Trump abruptly backed out of yet another prearranged interview, notifying CNBC that the network’s anticipated sit-down interview with the Republican presidential nominee, scheduled for later this week, would not be happening.
The schedule change was revealed by Squawk Box’s conservative-leaning host Joe Kernan, who specified on air Tuesday that “Trump canceled.”
[. . .]

But the sudden cancellation echoes Trump’s refusal to appear on 60 Minutes last week, defying a long-held preelection tradition, stretching back to 1968, in which both U.S. presidential nominees participate in sit-down interviews to discuss the finer details of their policy stances.

During its Monday night broadcast last week, CBS News’s Scott Pelley said that Trump backed out of his scheduled interview with 60 Minutes at the last minute on the basis that they “would fact-check the interview.”

“We fact-check every story,” Pelley said.

Donald Trump's an abuser and, as Ava and I noted in "Diaper Duty" abusers see facts and fact checks as confrontations on their behavior.


Meanwhile, Kamala Harris continues her media appearances, rallies, interviews and more to get the message out.





At ESSENCE, Melissa Noel reports:

The Kamala Harris' campaign is making its most direct appeal yet to Black men, rolling out new policies, boosting programming and a targeted media blitz to win over a crucial part of the electorate. With Republicans eyeing Black male voters in a big way this election, the vice president's team is on the move and not leaving anything to chance.

On Monday, Harris introduced her "Opportunity Agenda for Black Men." The plan centers on providing up to 1 million fully forgivable loans of up to $20,000 for Black entrepreneurs and investing in training, mentorship, and apprenticeships for Black men in high-demand industries. Harris is also pushing for the legalization of recreational marijuana—paired with a focus on ensuring Black men access wealth and jobs in that market.

"This agenda is a further realization of Vice President Harris' Opportunity Economy. An economy where people don't just get by, but get ahead. Where Black men are equipped with the tools to thrive: to buy a home, provide for our families, start a business and build wealth," said Congressman and Harris-Walz Campaign Co-Chair Cedric Richmond in astatement shared with ESSENCE. 

"Donald Trump could care less about equipping hardworking Americans with the tools needed to get ahead. From being investigated by the Department of Justice for refusing to rent to Black tenants to falsely accusing the Central Park 5 and calling for their execution to spreading the racist birther conspiracy theory against President Obama, at every step of his life, Donald Trump put Black men down for his own personal brand. If he wins in November, he is telling us exactly what he'll do to Black men, Richmond added. 


I'm glad ESSENCE exists.  I'm a longterm subscriber to the print edition.  But it's an amazing, less than a month away from an election, ESSENCE can report on this very important proposal but COMMON DREAMS can't and won't.  Nor IN THESE TIMES.  Nor THE PROGRESSIVE -- an outlet with a token or two but the tokens know what they're allowed to cover, they know who's running the plantation.  That's a very important proposal and it's one that deserves serious exploration.  But so-called news outlets in 'independent' media can't be bothered.


We really need THE BLACK COMMENTATOR right now.  I know they had their planned hiatus and then they came back but the hurricanes have delayed them.   In the '00s, THE BLACK COMMENTATOR regularly led on the issues and could influence coverage that 'general' news sites (translation: We don't do Black issues) to cover a story.  

While Donald disgraced himself at a Pennsylvania campaign event, Kamala delivered a powerful speech on the same day.


THE VICE PRESIDENT:  Good evening, Pennsylvania!  (Applause.)  Can we hear for Karen?  (Applause.)  Wow. 

Hey, everybody.  Hi.  All right.  Oh, it is good to be back in Pennsylvania.  (Applause.) 

Hey, everybody.  All right.  All right.  All right.  Come on.  We got work to do.  We got work to do.  Okay. 

AUDIENCE:  Kamala!  Kamala!  Kamala!

THE VICE PRESIDENT:  Hi, sweetheart.  Hi.

Okay, okay, thank you.  Thank you everybody.  Thank you everybody.  (Applause.)

And I want to thank all of the leaders who are here.  Thank you all for taking time out of your busy lives to be here this evening and for all of us to be together. 

Can we hear for Senator Fetterman — (applause); your next state attorney general Eugene DePasquale — (applause); Mayor Schember — (applause); Bob Casey, who could not be here tonight because he’s out doing what he needs to do to get reelected to the United States Senate.  (Applause.)

All right.  Okay, let’s get to work.  Let’s get to work. 

AUDIENCE MEMBER:  We love you!  (Applause.) 

THE VICE PRESIDENT:  Okay.  Okay, so here’s the thing, Pennsylvania, we got just 22 days until Election Day — 22 days — (applause) — and we are nearing the home stretch. 

But here’s the thing, this is going to be a tight race until the very end.  Okay?  We are the underdog.  We are running like the underdog.  We have some hard work ahead of us.  But here’s the thing also: we like hard work.  (Applause.)  Hard work is good work.  And with your help, in 22 days, we will win.  (Applause.)  We will win. 

AUDIENCE:  We will win!  We will win!  We will win!

THE VICE PRESIDENT:  We will win.  We will win.

And here’s why — and here’s why, because this election is about two very different visions for our nation.  One, his, focused on the past.

AUDIENCE:  Booo —

THE VICE PRESIDENT:  And ours, focused on the future.  (Applause.)

We are focused on issues that matter most to families across America, like bringing down the cost of living, investing in small businesses and entrepreneurs, protecting reproductive freedom — (applause) — and keeping our nation secure. 

But that is not what we hear from Donald Trump.  Instead, it is just the same old, tired playbook.  He has no plan for how he would address the needs of the American people and American families.  He is only focused on himself. 

Well, folks, it’s time to turn the page.  (Applause.)  It’s time to turn the page.  Turn the page, because America is ready to chart a new way forward.  (Applause.) 

And America is ready for a new and optimistic generation of leadership — (applause) — which is why Democrats, Republicans, independents are supporting our campaign — (applause) — because we need a president who works for all the American people.  (Applause.)  We are all in this together. 

And as you all know, this has been the story of my entire career.  My entire career, I’ve only had one client: the people.  (Applause.)

As a young courtroom prosecutor, I stood up for women and children against predators.  As attorney general of California, I took on the big banks, fought to deliver $20 billion for middle-class families who faced foreclosure.  (Applause.) 

I stood up for veterans and students who were being scammed by for-profit colleges — (applause); for workers who were being cheated out of the wages they were due — (applause); for seniors facing elder abuse. 

And it is my pledge to you, as president, I will always fight for all the American people — (applause) — always.  And together — together, we all will build a brighter future for our nation.  (Applause.)  Together, we will build a future where we have what I call an “opportunity economy,” where everyone can compete and have a real chance to succeed — not just to get by, but to get ahead.  (Applause.)

Under my economic plan — and, by the way, you know, so, dude wants to talk about his plans, which really are about cutting taxes for the richest people.  Please do check out the Wall Street Journal or Goldman Sachs or the 16 Nobel laureates or Moody’s, who have all analyzed the plans and said mine will strengthen the economy, his will make it weaker.  (Applause.)  Okay?

So, under my economic plan, we will bring down the cost of housing — (applause) — and help first-time homebuyers — giving them $25,000 for down payment assistance, so you can just — (applause) — so you can just get your foot in the door.  You’ll do the rest.  You’ll save up.  You’ll work hard.  But just to help people get their foot in the door.  (Applause.)

We will help entrepreneurs start and grow small businesses.  How many small-business owners do we have here?  (Applause.)  Right?  I love our small businesses.  I love — you guys know — it’s a part of my story — you know, my mother worked hard.  We grew up — we lived in an apartment above a daycare center, and it was owned —

AUDIENCE MEMBER:  Woo!

THE VICE PRESIDENT:  — by our — yes, daycare centers.  Bless you.  (Laughter.)

And it was owned by Ms. Shelton, who we think of and thought of as — as our second mother.  And she was a small-business owner.  And Ms. Shelton, she was like all of you who do this work.  You are business leaders, but you are community leaders.  You are civic leaders.  You mentor.  You hire locally.  I love our small businesses.  Small businesses are part of the backbone of America’s economy.  (Applause.)

So, you all know what I’m talking about.  And as we move forward, what we are going to do in terms of knowing that small businesses must get the support you need to start up and to grow. 

We will expand, under my economic policy, Medicare to cover home health care for seniors — (applause) — so more seniors can live at home with dignity.  And like so many of my priorities, it is born out of a personal experience. 

Look, when my mother got diagnosed with cancer, I took care of her.  And for any of you who have taken care of someone — a senior, in particular — you know what that’s like, and it’s about trying to cook something for them that they might enjoy eating.  It’s about trying to make sure that they have something that they can wear that won’t irritate their skin, right?  It’s about trying to, from time to time, find a way to just bring a smile to their face or make them laugh.  It’s about dignity.  It’s about dignity.  It’s about dignity.  (Applause.)

But far too many people who want and need to take care of family members, either you have to leave your job or spend down everything you have to be able to qualify for Medicaid.  That’s not right. 

I look at the sandwich generation.  So, we — we refer to folks who are raising young children and taking care of your parents, “the sandwich generation.”  You’re right in between balancing all of that.  It’s a lot of pressure, and you need and deserve to have the support to be able to handle all of that in a way that we know you are adding so much to our community, societies, and our economies. 

So, I have a plan, and my plan is to make sure Medicare — not so you have to pay down everything and get on Medicaid — so that Medicare helps pay for home health care — (applause) — so you can do the work you need to get done in terms of the seniors in your life. 

Under our plan, we will lower the cost on everything from health care to groceries. 

Look, I’m going to take on corporate price gouging, just like I’ve done before.  I’m going to do it again.  (Applause.)

And give a middle-class tax cut to 100 million Americans, including $6,000 during the first year of your child’s life — (applause) — knowing, again, the vast majority of parents want to parent their children well, but don’t always have the resources to do it.  And so, by expanding the Child Tax Credit that helps a young family buy a car seat, buy a crib, do the things in that so fundamental stage of their child’s development just to get them on the road to what they desire and want to do.  And we all benefit from it.  We all benefit from it.  (Applause.)

So, all of this is to say I will always put the middle class and working families first.  I come from the middle class, and I will never forget where I come from.  (Applause.)  Never forget where I come from.  Never. 

AUDIENCE:  USA!  USA!  USA!

THE VICE PRESIDENT:  So — so I just outlined for you a little bit — a little bit about my plan.  Now let’s talk about Donald Trump.  Well —

AUDIENCE:  Booo —

THE VICE PRESIDENT:  He — he had — he has a very different plan.  Take, for example, Project 2025.  Just google it. 

AUDIENCE:  Booo —

THE VICE PRESIDENT:  It is a detailed and dangerous plan for what he will do if he is elected president. 

You know, you all probably heard me say Donald Trump — I think in our collective opinion, certainly mine — is — is an unserious man.  (Laughter.)  But the consequences of him ever being president again are brutally serious — brutally serious. 

So, on Project 2025 and his plan, Donald Trump will give billionaires and corporations massive tax cuts, like he’s done before, cut —

AUDIENCE:  Booo —

THE VICE PRESIDENT:  — cut Social Security and Medicare.

AUDIENCE:  Booo —

THE VICE PRESIDENT:  The plan on that end is to get rid of the $35 cap on insulin for seniors —

AUDIENCE:  Booo —

THE VICE PRESIDENT:  — to make it easier for companies to deny overtime pay for workers. 

AUDIENCE:  Booo —

THE VICE PRESIDENT:  You g- — you got to read the plan. 

I mean, the fact they put it in writing is a whole other thing to be discussed.  (Laughter.) 

And he plans to impose what I call a “Trump sales tax,” a 20 percent tax on everyday necessities, which economists have measured will cost the average American family more than $4,000 a year. 

AUDIENCE:  Booo —

THE VICE PRESIDENT:  And on top of all of this, Donald Trump intends to get rid of the Affordable Care Act —

AUDIENCE:  Booo —

THE VICE PRESIDENT:  — and he has no plan to replace it.

AUDIENCE MEMBER:  Concepts!

THE VICE PRESIDENT:  (Laughs.)  You guys watched the debate.  (Laughs.)  Right.  He has, quote, “concepts of a plan.”  “Concepts.”

But seriously, think about it — in all seriousness, he’s going to then threaten health insurance coverage for 45 million people based on a concept?  (Laughter.)  The seriousness of this cannot be overlooked.  Think about that — taking us back to a time we all remember when insurance companies could deny people with preexisting conditions.  You remember what that was?

AUDIENCE:  We’re not going back!  We’re not going back!  We’re not going back!

THE VICE PRESIDENT:  Well, we are not going back.  We are not going back.

AUDIENCE:  We’re not going back!  We’re not going back!  We’re not going back!

THE VICE PRESIDENT:  We are not going back.  No.  We —

And why are we not going back?  Because we will move forward — (applause) — because ours is a fight for the future.

And it is a fight for freedom, like the fundamental freedom of a woman to make decisions about her own body and not have her government telling her what to do.  (Applause.)

And we all remember how we got here.  Donald Trump hand-selected three members of the United States Supreme Court to overturn Roe v. Wade, and they did. 

AUDIENCE:  Booo —

THE VICE PRESIDENT:  And now — now, in America, one in three women lives in a state with a Trump abortion ban.  Think about that.  Many of these bans have no exceptions, even for rape and incest, which is saying to a survivor of a crime of a violation to their body that you have no right to make a decision about what happens to your body next.  That’s immoral.  That’s immoral.

And let us agree: One does not have to abandon their faith or deeply held beliefs to agree the government should not be telling her what to do — not the government.  (Applause.)  No.  No. 

If she chooses, she will talk with her priest, her rabbi, her pastor, her imam, but not the government telling her what to do.  Not a bunch of folks up at a state capitol telling her what to do, as though she doesn’t know what’s in her own best interest and they know better.  Come on. 

And it is my pledge to you, when Congress passes a bill to restore the protections and reproductive freedom nationwide, as president of the United States, I will proudly sign it into law.  (Applause.)  Proudly sign it into law.  Yes, I will.  Yes, I will. 

So much is on the line in this election. 

AUDIENCE MEMBER:  Love you!

THE VICE PRESIDENT:  So much is on — I love you back.  (Applause.)  And listen, so much — so much is on the line in this election. 

And we have to remember, this is not 2016 or 2020; the stakes are even higher, because a few months ago, the United States Supreme Court just told the former president that he would be essentially immune —

AUDIENCE:  Booo —

THE VICE PRESIDENT:  — from anything he does while he’s in office. 

Now, just imagine Donald Trump with no guardrails, right?

AUDIENCE:  Booo —

THE VICE PRESIDENT:  He — he who has vowed, if reelected, that he will be a dictator on day one.

AUDIENCE:  Booo —

THE VICE PRESIDENT:  That he would weaponize the Department of Justice against his political enemies.  He who has called for the, quote, “termination” of the Constitution of the United States.

AUDIENCE:  Booo —

Lock him up!  Lock him up!  Lock him up!

THE VICE PRESIDENT:  Well — well — well —

AUDIENCE:  Lock him up!  Lock him up!  Lock him up!

THE VICE PRESIDENT:  So, hold on.  Hold on.  Hold on.  Hold on.  Hold on.  Hold on.  Hold on. 

Because see, here’s the thing, the courts will handle that.  Let’s handle November, shall we?  (Applause.)  We’ll handle November.  We’ll handle November. 

And we are clear.  Look, anybody who says they would terminate the Constitution of the United States should never again stand behind the seal of the president of the United States.  (Applause.)  Never again.  Never again.  Never again.

And so, after all these years, we know who Donald Trump is.  He is someone who will stop at nothing to claim power for himself.

And you don’t have to take my word for it.  I’ve said for a while now: Watch his rallies, listen to his words.  He tells us who he is, and he tells us what he would do if he is elected president.  So, here tonight, I will show you one example of Donald Trump’s worldview and intentions.

Please roll the clip.

(A video is played.)

AUDIENCE:  Booo — 

THE VICE PRESIDENT:  So — so, you heard him — so, you heard his words.  You heard his words coming from him.  He’s talking about the enemy within Pennsylvania.  He’s talking about the enemy within our country, Pennsylvania.  He’s talking about that he considers anyone who doesn’t support him or who will not bend to his will an enemy of our country. 

AUDIENCE:  Booo —

THE VICE PRESIDENT:  It’s a serious issue.  He’s saying — he is saying that he would use the military to go after them.  Think about this. 

And — and we know who he would target.  And we know he — who he would target because he has attacked them before: journalists whose stories he doesn’t like, election officials who refuse to cheat by filling extra votes and finding extra votes for him, judges who insist on following the law instead of bending to his will. 

This is among the reasons I believe so strongly that a second Trump term would be a huge risk for America and dangerous.  (Applause.) 

Donald Trump — Donald Trump is increasingly unstable and unhinged — (applause) — and he is out for unchecked power.  That’s what he’s looking for.  He wants to send the military after American citizens.  He — he has worked to prevent women from making their own health care decisions and threatened your fundamental freedoms and rights like the freedom to vote, the freedom to be safe from gun violence, the freedom to breathe clean air and drink clean water, the freedom to love who you love openly and with pride.  (Applause.)

So, here in Pennsylvania, I say to those who know best: When freedom is on the line, Americans always answer the call.  We always answer the call.  (Applause.)

And in this election —

AUDIENCE:  Vote!  Vote!  Vote!

THE VICE PRESIDENT:  Vote.  Vote. 

And so, to your point, in this election, we will answer the call again, because it all comes down to this.  We are all here together because we know what’s at stake, and we are here together because we love our country.  We love our country.  We love our country.  (Applause.)

AUDIENCE:  USA!  USA!  USA!

THE VICE PRESIDENT:  That’s right.  That’s right.  We love our country.  And — and I do believe one of the highest forms of patriotim — patriotism that there is — one of the highest forms of patriotism is to fight for the ideals of our country.  (Applause.)  That is borne out of love of country to fight to realize the promise of America. 

So, Election Day is in 22 days — 22 days.  And here in Pennsylvania, early voting has already started.  (Applause.)  Yep.  And, Erie County, you are a pivot county.  (Applause.)  How you all vote —

AUDIENCE MEMBER:  (Inaudible.) 

THE VICE PRESIDENT:  And — and thank you, because how you all vote in presidential elections often ends up predicting the national result.  (Applause.)  Yeah.  Yes. 

AUDIENCE:  Erie!  Erie!  Erie!

THE VICE PRESIDENT:  The chant is “Erie.”  “Erie.”  (Laughs.)  That’s right. 

And so, in Erie County, you can vote early in person at the Erie County Voter Registration Office — (applause) — from now until Tuesday, October 29th.  And so, now is the time to make your plan to vote. 

And if you have already received your ballot in the mail, please do not wait.  Fill it out and return it today or tomorrow, but please get it out. 

And remember the deadline to register to vote in Pennsylvania is Monday, October 21st.  So, if you or anyone you know has not yet registered, now is the time because, look, the election is here and we need to organize.  We need to mobilize.  We need to energize folks.  And we need to remind everybody that their vote is their voice, and your voice is your power.  (Applause.)

So, Erie, I ask you, then, are you ready to make your voices heard?  (Applause.)

Do we believe in freedom?  (Applause.)

Do we believe in opportunity?  (Applause.)

Do we believe in the promise of America?  (Applause.)

And are we ready to fight for it?  (Applause.)

And when we fight —

AUDIENCE:  We win!

THE VICE PRESIDENT:  — we win. 

God bless you.  And God bless the United States of America.  (Applause.) 


Isaiah's THE WORLD TODAY JUST NUTS "Dancing With Himself" went up last night and the night before his "Diaper Duty." went up.   The following sites updated: