October 17, 2024
"Obama is the last Democrat who won Wisconsin with more than 50 percent of the vote...."
Writes John Nichols, in "Recipe for a Harris Win: More Obama, Less Cheney/Embracing right-wing Republicans won’t excite undecided voters. Associating with a popular Democrat who understands battleground states like Wisconsin will" (The Nation).
ADDED: I have never understood the argument that Trump "only cares about himself." Democrats say it over and over, but I don't see it at all..@KamalaHarris has spent her life fighting on behalf of people who need a voice and a chance – and she's going to keep fighting for you. That's the kind of person I'm proud to vote for and that's the kind of president that we need. pic.twitter.com/IGbZfR5TJA
— Barack Obama (@BarackObama) October 17, 2024
Somehow we don't have the definitive lip-reading on this yet.
ADDED: The NY Post got the lip-reader analysis I wanted. From "Biden tells Obama ‘she’s not as strong as me’ — and ex-prez agrees ‘that’s true’ at Ethel Kennedy service":🔥🚨DEVELOPING: President Obama was seen scolding Joe Biden at Ethel Kennedy Memorial Service according to viewers. Biden is seen looking confused or worried as Obama looks him directly in the eye while speaking. pic.twitter.com/aDiA2KlxGX
— Dom Lucre | Breaker of Narratives (@dom_lucre) October 16, 2024
“She’s not as strong as me,” said Biden, 81, according to the translation....
“I know … that’s true,” [Obama] agreed, adding, “We have time.”
“Yeah, we’ll get it in time,” said Biden....
"I've answered this question directly a million times: NO. I think there were serious problems in 2020. So did Donald Trump lose the election? Not by the words that I would use. Okay?"
"Researchers argue that home solar panels are raising the price of electricity and reducing the need for cheaper large solar farms — making the entire transition to clean energy more expensive...."
From "Everyone loves rooftop solar panels. But there’s a problem. One of the most popular methods to cut your household’s carbon footprint may be a mixed bag" (WaPo).
Elon Musk presents a montage of himself in pro-Trump mode to the tune of "YMCA."
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) October 17, 2024I note that "YMCA" is an appeal to young men — the words "young man" are repeated over and over.
Getting testy.
“Testy” is this week’s “sharp as a tack” https://t.co/DoQgTOxKRN
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) October 17, 2024
Why "testy"? Of course, I don't believe these writers independently arrived at the same word. I presume they got the same message. But still, the message-writer chose that word, so the word is important, albeit not as important as it would have been if these characters had all determined on their own that "testy" was the mot juste.
October 16, 2024
"Kamala Harris repeatedly pivots to Trump when grilled on immigration record in Fox News interview."
Kamala Harris asserts that Donald Trump has said he will "Terminate the Constitution United States."
“A Massive Fraud of this type and magnitude allows for the termination of all rules, regulations, and articles, even those found in the Constitution,” he wrote [on Truth Social]. “Our great ‘Founders’ did not want, and would not condone, False & Fraudulent Elections!”
"Ms. Marshack’s self-written obituary disclosed some previously unreported details about her association with [Nelson] Rockefeller but did not mention a romance..."
From "Megan Marshack Dies at 70; Was With Nelson Rockefeller at His Death/She was at the center of rumors about the former vice president’s last moments, but she remained silent about their association until she wrote her own obituary" (NYT)(noting that Marshack's brother said she'd signed a nondisclosure agreement).
October 15, 2024
"Vice President Kamala Harris has gone 86 days as the presumptive, and now, official Democratic nominee for president without holding an official press conference."
Says Fox News, just Fox News, but isn't it true?
It seems impossible. I'm reading about this and that podcast, and an occasional interview with a mainstream newsperson, such as Fox's Bret Baier coming up, but never a news conference. How is it possible to rise to the presidency without one attempt at handling a press conference?
"Nothing has come to fruition. Look at the schools, the playgrounds, the parks. Downtown is struggling. In our community, typically, we vote for Democrats."
Said Ahmad Taylor, 47, of Pontiac, Michigan, quoted in "In a Michigan city, Harris has failed to catch fire with Black men/In December, Black men in Pontiac told The Post they were unenthused about Biden. Now, some feel the same about Harris" (WaPo)(free-access link).