August 30, 2020

It seems as though Joe Biden is going to straightforwardly condemn the violence in Portland, but then he veers into pathetic blame-Trumpism.

Here's the entire text of his statement that went up on his campaign website. I'll boldface where he goes off message:
The deadly violence we saw overnight in Portland is unacceptable. Shooting in the streets of a great American city is unacceptable. I condemn this violence unequivocally. I condemn violence of every kind by any one, whether on the left or the right. And I challenge Donald Trump to do the same. It does not matter if you find the political views of your opponents abhorrent, any loss of life is a tragedy. Today there is another family grieving in America, and Jill and I offer our deepest condolences.

We must not become a country at war with ourselves. A country that accepts the killing of fellow Americans who do not agree with you. A country that vows vengeance toward one another. But that is the America that President Trump wants us to be, the America he believes we are.
In addition to being off message, that's just a lie. It seems to me that it's the Democratic Party — much more than Trump — that wants "a country at war with ourselves... that accepts the killing of fellow Americans who do not agree with you... that vows vengeance toward one another." That sounds like the Black Live Matters protests.
As a country, we must condemn the incitement of hate and resentment that led to this deadly clash. It is not a peaceful protest when you go out spoiling for a fight. What does President Trump think will happen when he continues to insist on fanning the flames of hate and division in our society and using the politics of fear to whip up his supporters?
We must "condemn the incitement" and Trump is the one doing the inciting! To say that is inciting. Now, I don't for one minute believe that Joe Biden wrote this statement, but I do believe that he lacks the leadership or the capacity to prevent this material from going out under his name. So, in that sense, he is responsible.
He is recklessly encouraging violence. He may believe tweeting about law and order makes him strong – but his failure to call on his supporters to stop seeking conflict shows just how weak he is.
I'd say this statement shows how weak Joe Biden is.
He may think that war in our streets is good for his reelection chances, but that is not presidential leadership–or even basic human compassion.
Why don't you call off the war in the streets? You're taking potshots at Trump instead, but where is your leadership? Where is your "basic human compassion"?
The job of a President is to lower the temperature. To bring people who disagree with one another together. To make life better for all Americans, not just those who agree with us, support us, or vote for us.

Donald Trump has been president for almost four years. The temperature in the country is higher, tensions run stronger, divisions run deeper. And all of us are less safe because Donald Trump can’t do the job of the American president.
But there's no sign that you can!

123 comments:

doctrev said...

Another Biden "statement." Nothing from the man himself. No speeches. No questions. It's almost like they're desperately preserving every ounce of his strength because it can never be spared.

Do you feel safe, Inga? Do you think he looks strong, Freder? Can a corpse hidden in a basement protect any of you from what you have coming?

DavidUW said...

More mush from the demented’s handlers.

Ampersand said...

The tone and content of the RNC were attempts to lower the temperature. Biden instinctively understands that he needs both widespread anger, and POC near-unanimity, to beat Trump. He can't afford to lower the temperature.

rehajm said...

Biden and Democrats wouldn't even recognize the violence- mostly peaceful and all. This is a huge shift in their narrative... Why now I wonder?

Democracy Institute Poll shows Trump up by +3 nationally +7 in multiple swing states

...of course this is just one poll, so how does it compare to all the post convention polls? Results:

[THIS SPACE INTENTIONALLY LEFT BLANK]

Yancey Ward said...

Biden and the Democrats have trapped themselves- Trump had nothing to do with it other than being free to condemn the rioting and the looting from the very start. At every single turn, it was the Democrat mayors and governors who implicitly condoned the violence against people and property. Trump offered aid to the local Democrat leaders repeatedly, only to be rebuffed repeatedly by those same leaders who proceeded to do nothing to stop it.

Doug said...

I get the feeling that somebody has his hands up the back of Biden's jacket

The Bergall said...

His staff wrote it. He was napping or watching reruns of Lassie

eddie willers said...

Whoa!

Hippogryph said...

Clumsy, tendentious stuff, written by... someone.

Will any swing voters buy that it's Trump who is causing these two armies of hard left activists to burn and break (and sometimes kill)?

Joanne Jacobs said...

Condemning "incitement" is like saying "she was wearing a short skirt."

If I were a campaign advisor for either candidate, I'd say: Start quoting Julia Jackson, Jacob Blake's mother, on compassion. Be the person for treating each other decently, seeing each other's humanity.

Rabel said...

Pumping up the hatred against the President to a dangerous level and beyond. The coordination of this by the Democrats is disgraceful.

Sebastian said...

"I'd say this statement shows how weak Joe Biden is.

Save yourself time and trouble: are there any Biden "statements" that do no show pathetic weakness?

"Why don't you call off the war in the streets?"

1. Because to call it off he'd have to recall it. 2. Because Dems don't want to call it off: it's their left wing, and the left leads.

rcocean said...

Pathetic indeed. The Biden statement displays the Democratic Party problem. As long as the violence in Portland and across the country wasn't hurting Biden's election chances, he and Pelosi/Schumer were either silent or encouraging of the violence. Now, that it looks like Biden is being hurt politically, he finally issues a written statement.

EVERYTHING with Biden and Schumer/Pelosi is politically driven. I don't believe they give a damn that someone died. They didn't care about all the people who died in riots over the last 80 days since Floyd's death.

And this shouldn't be political. Shouldn't Biden as a former VP, just put politics aside and come out for Law and Order? Why even mention Trump? Condemn the violence on his own. OR why not issue a joint statement with Trump? ALL our leaders should be UNITED in favor of peaceful protests and AGAINST violent ones. Yet, I don't see that with Biden.

minnesota farm guy said...

Notice that Joe and Ted from Portland are singing from the same hymnal. Clearly today's DNC talking points. The problem is that people have figured out that AntiFa is a Democratic supported organization; they also have figured out that no matter what is said about Trump it is the mayors and governors who were elected to maintain order and protect the property of the people of their cities and states. Unless you are a true believer ( and there are a lot of them) much of what the Dems says is just so much dissonance and certainly deserving of the bullshit tag!

rcocean said...

Biden in his statement, and the D's in General, are using a well-known propaganda technique. You accuse the other side of doing what you are doing. If you've been inciting violence, you accuse the other side of doing it. If you are full of hate, you say Trump is inciting hatred. If the D Governors and Mayors are responsible for the violence and rioting, you say Trump is responsible.

Biden is constantly lying about Trump and accusing him of inciting hate. I don't think he's "Good ol'Joe" or the "Nice Guy" that his manner and image suggests.

Ingachuck'stoothlessARM said...

a statement from debasement

rcocean said...

Biden in his statement, and the D's in General, are using a well-known propaganda technique. You accuse the other side of doing what you are doing. If you've been inciting violence, you accuse the other side of doing it. If you are full of hate, you say Trump is inciting hatred. If the D Governors and Mayors are responsible for the violence and rioting, you say Trump is responsible.

Biden is constantly lying about Trump and accusing him of inciting hate. I don't think he's "Good ol'Joe" or the "Nice Guy" that his manner and image suggests.

Drago said...

The lies from the democraticals/LLR-lefties are becoming more and more unhinged as their prospects for election victory fade.

These democratical/LLR-lefty morons really do believe they can wave their hands in front of our faces and make us believe the exact opposite of reality and what we witness.

The Charlottesville white supremacist "good people" transparent lie is now joined with the Trump is responsible for the riots lie, Trump said to drink bleach lie, the russia collusion lies, (too many other astonishing democratical lies to list here).

And just today, you have LLR-lefty C**** beloved Adam Schiff-ty Schiff explicitly saying its the russians causing the violence from the marxist BLM/antifa/lefties!

You are probably thinking to yourself, after gasping a bit, how is it even possible these idiot democraticals actually believe they can simply conjure up a new hoax "reality" every 24 hours or so and still come out on top?

Well, all you have to do is read the comments of Althouse's lefties/LLR-lefties and you understand completely why the democraticals believe they can get away with these incredible lies.

Oh, and the Biden "Weekend at Bernie's" crew has announced Dementia Joe will be making an appearance in Western PA tomorrow....but are unable to provide a location, a time, a duration, the venue, attendance instructions, info on whether or not questions will be allowed (spoiler: they won't be), etc.

LOL

minnesota farm guy said...

Continuing on,: as Ann asks, where is the personal commitment of these Dem politicians to "peace". The only one I am aware of who tried to face the mobs was the boy mayor of MPLS and he was laughed off the street.

It is interesting to me that Mayor Ted is fine with the fiery protests by AntiFa, but condemns a peaceful protest by Trump supporters in which one was killed. If I am typical- and I don't think I am atypical - there is a fine head of steam building up among the traditionalists in this country.

Qwinn said...

The thing about projection is, it's a virtually unbeatable tactic. It always, always, always, always works. If anyone correctly points out that it's the Democrats, not Trump, that have been inciting violence, the response is mocked as whataboutism or dismissed as hypocrisy. The best that the victim can hope to come out of the projection accusation with is "both sides are just as bad".

Another unbeatable tactic that the Democrats regularly employ with no downside to them whatsoever is "McCarthyism". The hiring and firing based on political allegiance. They railed against Joe McCarthy for it, baselessly convinced the Right that it was immoral and to never do it, and have done nothing BUT ever since. You don't think that Hollywood, the education establishment, big tech, etc., got to be 99% liberal organically, do you?

tim maguire said...

It will play well with Biden's base.

His speechwriters put in all that anti-Trump stuff to try to mollify the Democratic Party's base (the people rioting and looting), but it won't work because they won't accept the trade-off that this statement is presenting to them. And what's more, it will not fool the moderate middle that Biden should be reaching out to. They know Trump is not behind these riots and many of them will take this clumsy bit of misdirection as the insult that it is.

MikeR said...

"Condemning the violence" is ridiculous anyhow. You need to condemn the individuals who are doing the violence. That means you need to call out people on your side and say that they are terrible people. Not "fine people" who - well, some violence happened.
Mr. Trump did that about Charlottesville. Mr. Biden and Ms. Harris haven't done it.

rhhardin said...

The inability to read Trump is astounding. The one guy who's standing up for the same rules for everybody. American rules.

There's your unity. It's in the rules, not in the content, that agreement happens.

Patrick said...

Ann, just when I think you've gone back to your lib-loving ways, you come back with a basooka shot like this! It's why I keep reading. Another work of analytic poetry.

Rory said...

"At every single turn, it was the Democrat mayors and governors who implicitly condoned the violence against people and property."

It was inevitable. Four years ago, millions of Americans set out to destabilize the country and render it ungovernable. The methods didn't really matter. They were successful, and this is what an ungovernable country looks like.

Ignorance is Bliss said...

The temperature in the country is higher

Maybe the temperature is higher because of all the things your supporters are setting on fire.

Joe Smith said...

@Althouse

Agree with your analysis...

So this means you're voting either Trump or write-in.

It sounds like you can't possibly support Biden if he believes what he said is true.

Not a lot of wiggle room here...

Big Mike said...

The temperature in the country is higher, tensions run stronger, divisions run deeper. And all of us are less safe ...

For my entire lifetime, when a party loses a presidential election they caucus, they try to analyze where they went wrong with their candidates, their strategy, with their messaging, with their campaign nuts and bolts (signage, GOTV, etc.), and they try to fix it for the next election. But in November 2016 the Democrats unilaterally decided to change everything and just throw a screaming shit-fit and try to make life as miserable as possible for the American public. This has to be punished on November 3rd, and punished so severely that neither party ever tries it again. Not only does Joe Biden have to lose bigly, but the Republicans need to increase their margin in the Senate and take back the House. These are do-able goals, and for the sake of sanity in the future they need to be done.

DEEBEE said...

I think you are on the proverbial horns of ... with either voting reluctantly for Biden or staying home.

Ingachuck'stoothlessARM said...

Blogger Doug said...
I get the feeling that somebody has his hands up the back of Biden's jacket


"It's Winchell-Malarkey time!"

bagoh20 said...

To be fair, Biden can't stop it either, even if he was President, unless he goes full Trump, which means full racist Hitler.

These assholes would burn down their own chuck wagon if it made white rice instead of brown.

The way this is going, it's likely to end up being between us citizens with the government watching from a safe distance. I suspect that when rioting gets dangerous enough, it will end. That could happen very easy when the time comes. It's going to be a sad time for a lot of parents who failed at the job.

Not Sure said...

Well, it kind of is Trump's fault. None of this would've happened if he hadn't beat Hillary. That fucking woman-beater.

If she were president, she'd have already ordered drone strikes.

Sprezzatura said...

Does Althouse know that there are DJT backers and administration folks on TV that are saying that riots and such are great re DJT’s political success?

All sides seem to agree that that’s true. I.e., it helps DJT if he jabbers about D cities being shit now and shit in the future unless he is reelected so he can solve the problem in an “hour,” as he promises. So, assuming that the American population and the electoral counting system are such that this sorta anti-logic (i.e. saying that the shit now has nothing to do w/ DJT, but reelect him and the shit will instantly go away (which was what he promised in the 2016 R acceptance speech (which was idiotic then, but way less so idiotic than it is now that he’s POTUS))) is effective, shouldn’t the DJT folks stop openly saying that the chaos helps DJT? IOW, wouldn’t it be better for DJT if the DJT folks could STFU, that way they could deny that they know that chaos is what helps them (which is the film flam point that Althouse is trying to make here). But, because they won’t do that, i.e. they are openly saying that their electoral success is helped because of jabber re scaring US re chaos, obviously their telling us that chaos is a good thing for them politically. That’s how words work. Nobody needs to lie about what they’re saying. The only lying is re the denial POV, like Althouse does here.

IMHO.

NCMoss said...

Now this is how Joe unites the country; well, that and reparations.

MikeD said...

From Insta's response to a Roger Kimball column:
UPDATE: Okay, let me just spell this out a bit more: The typical thing to do — and what critics would have expected Trump to do — is return hate for hate. All the white-people bashing at the DNC, with the platform mentioning white people 15 times, all negative, returned in kind, more or less. Throw the divisiveness back at them. That’s the natural reflex.

Instead he brought up all these positive, successful pro-Trump minority people and told his followers “look, these are our kind of people and we’re glad to have them.” And he reached out to others. Instead of meeting hate with hate, he met hate with . . . love. You might almost say ‘love trumps hate.’ Or maybe ‘Trump trumps hate, with love.’ And he did it without being smarmy or rolling over with some kind of sad ‘Republicans can be woke too’ carnival. He crushed the Democrats on this, and he did it with positivity and inclusion. I don’t think there’s another political figure today who could have done that, and only a few who might have tried. And it’s the only response that could have pulled the rug out from under the race war the Democrats seem unaccountably to want.

Sprezzatura said...

BTW, I’m worried about Althouse. She quotes Biden jabbering re condemning war in the streets, then she gets all fussy re why he won’t call for condemning the warring. She does all of this in the same post.

Is there anyone clearheaded around her?

daskol said...

It seems impossibly simplistic, but it seems never to fail: if you want to know what the Dems are up to, what they're worried about, it's what they accuse their opponents of doing.

JaimeRoberto said...

People eating at a restaurant weren't looking for a conflict. Conflict came to them. People stuck in their cars on a blocked street aren't out looking for a conflict. Conflict came for them.

I don't hear Trump saying that unrest must continue. That's the Dems. I don't hear Trump saying people are going to do what people are going to do. That's Pelosi.

Bill, Republic of Texas said...

The Democrats have gone into full gaslighting mode. It is obviously a planned theme from the Democrats. I've seen lots of "This is Trump's America" recently.

It's just bizarre.

exiledonmainstreet, green-eyed devil said...

The Dems and media are simply flat-out lying to our faces now.

Truth and reality are cancelled.

Kathryn51 said...

when I read this "statement" earlier today, my first thought was "OMG, I going to have to vote for Trump this year".

My vote doesn't matter in my state (Washington), but evil must be resisted. And this was evil.

Michael K said...

adss is looney again.

minnesota farm guy said...
Notice that Joe and Ted from Portland are singing from the same hymnal.


Maybe someone should read Mayor Ted's letter to Joe so he sees a wink of reality.

Pookie Number 2 said...

Does Althouse know that there are DJT backers and administration folks on TV that are saying that riots and such are great re DJT’s political success?

It’s always a delight when you show up to remind us how very much Democrats need to lie to themselves. And you used the word jabber again, you witty scribe, you! So clever! So original!

When idiotic Democratic mayors abdicate their responsibility to protect their people, then Trump’s political support goes up, because people understand that he will use the full extent of his legal authority to protect them, while the impotent Democratic nominee will allow people to riot because he lacks the moral vision and personal strength to oppose violence. There’s nothing remotely nefarious in that. It just makes you sad, because - as is inherently true for all Democrat voters - you cannot imagine the consequences of your decisions.

Perhaps you should prepare to be sad for a few more years, then. IMHO.

daskol said...

So acknowledging that this violence, fomented by Dem leaders and perpetrated by Trump haters, may help convince people to vote for Trump is the same thing as organizing the violence?

That's very revealing. Of course the Dems with their by any means necessary would stoop to any tactic that proved effective and justify it on the basis of its effectiveness. That's how they roll, and it's a very effective form of ruthlessness. We here on the side of Trump, I can't speak for all of course, think that race war sucks even if it improves Trump's chances. I'd rather no race war and a more exciting election than race war and a sure thing for Trump, but well, I guess I'm just so 20th century.

Drago said...

anti-de Sitter space: "Does Althouse know that there are DJT backers and administration folks on TV that are saying that riots and such are great re DJT’s political success?"

The Kellyanne Conway purposeful misquote (lie) joins all your other lies that the republicans and independents simply aren't buying anymore.

You went to the Big Lie Well about 38 times too many.

The idea that you really think you can get away with saying its Trump and the russians causing the marxist lefty/BLM/antifa riots after months and months of praising and supporting and marching with them tells us quite alot about.....you.

Of course, nothing we didn't already know.

So tell us adSs, tell us all about how Steve Bannon and Donald Trump and the russians are controlling the marxist mobs.

LOL

Too funny.

What we are seeing is one of the fastest moron reversals by the American left since 1940 when the lefties went from "No War in Europe" to "Second Front Now!" literally overnight, literally, because the US lefties supported the Soviet Union, not the United States and the Nazi's turned on their supposed Soviet allies.

Ingachuck'stoothlessARM said...

**Biden's** own VP, Karamel Harrass, said this wasnt going to stop

...so who's **he** kidding??

Ingachuck'stoothlessARM said...

Schiff says that Russia "exploited" BLM in 2016 & may now be "aggravating these tensions in our cities."

https://twitter.com/i/status/1300156357652475912

is this progress or is he getting more insanerer?

OldManRick said...

Look for action not words.

Maybe it would help if Joe fired his staffers who are contributing to the bail funds for the rioters.

Maybe it would help if Joe told the democrat mayors to accept Trump's offer of federal assistance.

Maybe it would help if Joe and his crew were not always referring to Trump as a Nazi to give Antifa cover for "fighting the Nazis".

Maybe it would help if Joe was saying behave yourself and follow commands in your interactions with the police and condemning the actions of criminals resisting/fighting/fleeing the police when being arrested.

But do you know what would help the most? If Joe just admitted that he is not mentally capable of the presidency and conceded the election tomorrow.

Bay Area Guy said...

AA sez: "In addition to being off message, that's just a lie. It seems to me that it's the Democratic Party — much more than Trump — that wants "a country at war with ourselves..."

True.

Biden is a liar. He lies about toxic racial issues to stir up more violence. For 3 months, the Left has looted, burned, assaulted, intimidated and killed several people. Chicago, Portland, Seattle, NYC, Minneapolis, Kenosha.

Biden & Harris stood silent the entire time - until Slow Joe's poll numbers went South.

We haven't forgotten, and won't forget.

rhhardin said...

@Althouse

Agree with your analysis...

So this means you're voting either Trump or write-in.

It sounds like you can't possibly support Biden if he believes what he said is true.


I read Althouse as ready to jump to any democrat that appears to mean well. She's just not happy with these particular ones, thinking that democrats mean well at heart, if you could only find the right ones. She's hoping to steer these particular ones into doing something women will like.

But it's a dem party trait. They make mistakes that they know are mistakes that women will fall for. They just forgot that male mobs like to fight so they're not exactly controlling it now. The media are controlling it, and the media like it. Clicks are money.

You can't fool all of the people all of the time, but you can fool all of the women.

0_0 said...

The left suddenly wants the riots to stop because they see it's hurting their election chances.
The right has always wanted the riots to stop even though they are helping their reelection chances.

rhhardin said...

Trump is misogynous towards women, is the best line.

bagoh20 said...

" IOW, wouldn’t it be better for DJT if the DJT folks could STFU, that way they could deny that they know that chaos is what helps them (which is the film flam point that Althouse is trying to make here). But, because they won’t do that, i.e. they are openly saying that their electoral success is helped because of jabber re scaring US re chaos, obviously their telling us that chaos is a good thing for them politically. ".

If all we cared about was Trump winning, yea, we might stop pointing out how it helps his reelection, but just try and imagine this about people you disagree with politically. They may just care about their country and the innocent people be damaged by these riots. They may feel the violence is just wrong regardless of political calculations.

I'm now a strong Trump supporter, and I believe the riots are guaranteeing a Trump victory, and that they will hurt Democrats and the Left for a long time, which is a great outcome for me, but I still wish with all my heart they never happened, that all those people were never burned out, beaten, put in fear or bankruptcy, and that we could still trust each other to at least be civil. I wish it never happened, and we were still enjoying the amazing Trump economy, with record minority employment and wage gains, and growing companies and bright futures. The Democrats bet on the Left, and the Left is betting on chaos to get what they want. That was not a decision by anyone on the right, even if it would have been an incredibly successful but cynical strategy. It's just not in the playbook of American conservatives. It's a left thing. Choose your friends carefully, they might piss in the punch bowl.

Francisco D said...

Of course it is Trump's fault.

Putin ordered the riots.

Craig said...

I'm with you, Althouse. So sick of the Democrats blaming Trump for everything that happens in their cities. Total abdication of leadership.

Rick said...

Biden:

We must not become a country at war with ourselves. A country that accepts the killing of fellow Americans who do not agree with you. A country that vows vengeance toward one another. But that is the America that President Trump wants us to be, the America he believes we are.

A BLM supporter recorded in Portland:

"I am not sad a fucking fascist died tonight".

BLM Crowd: cheering.

Jamie said...

The thing about projection is, it's a virtually unbeatable tactic. It always, always, always, always works. If anyone correctly points out that it's the Democrats, not Trump, that have been inciting violence, the response is mocked as whataboutism or dismissed as hypocrisy. The best that the victim can hope to come out of the projection accusation with is "both sides are just as bad".

Exactly. This is my fear. Electing Biden, flipping the Senate, continuing to allow the reprehensible "Squad" to gain ground - these actions would convert the tactics we've been watching for months from what we're told are "desperate measures taken by the dispossessed" to SOP. Our Republic is truly at stake and I don't say that lightly.

And we're fighting with one foot in a bucket - we cannot answer their violence and destruction with more violence and destruction, because if we do, we lose, and riots and looting become the norm whenever the perpetual victims on the Left decide they want something - they want it, dammit, and who are you to deny them what they want?

Original Mike said...

"As a country, we must condemn the incitement of hate and resentment that led to this deadly clash."

What led to this deadly clash is Little Red Hen, Maxine Waters "get in their face", Mitch McConnell, Rand Paul, Steve Scalise. Your people have been stoking these flames since 2016 and now you think you can blame it on Trump? Fuck. You.

Sydney said...

Biden’s campaign was giving out BLM posters in my area. Tell me again who’s inciting violence?

The Godfather said...

To the Left, problems are caused by White People. To the Right, problems are caused by Democrat Governors and Mayors -- who are mostly White. Who's the racist?

Leora said...

"To be fair, Biden can't stop it either, even if he was President, unless he goes full Trump, which means full racist Hitler."

This would be easy to stop. There aren't that many of them which is why folks needed to drive from Seattle to Kenosha to keep it going. Trump's statement that Portland could be calmed in about 45 minutes is probably true. Hell if the Portland DA would actually charge the looters and arsonists and they ran the risk of actually spending time in jail and losing their mostly government jobs, it would stop pretty fast.

SDaly said...

What is your Althouse’s friend Ben Winkler saying about the riots? Do you still think he is a good young man?

MartyH said...

David Brooks got his gesture.

Unknown said...

THE ROAD TO SOCIALISM

What they did is make BLM a religion

original sin, you have to repent, make amends, change everything for the religion

the sanctified and the infidels

can you talk a zealot of of his religion?

no, the only thing you can do is kill him or give him a new religion, like the old days

why does Soros fund all this insurrection?

cronus titan said...

THe central problem is Biden and Ds have not figured out what to do and they may not figure it out at all. There was supposed to be prolonged legitimate protests with occasional flare ups through election day. Instead, it degenerated into pointless riots relatively quickly -- arson, looting, physical assaults, cruel harassment, etc. The claim that Trump is responsible is preposterous after months of Ds egging riots on -- heck, Harris herself laughed heartily in June and issued schoolgirl taunts to "beware." Biden himself said "yes, absolutely" to redirecting police funding. Now what? They can't condemn the riots because that is now their base. THey may be better served embracing the riots and just saying they wil stop but only if we elect Ds. Not very persuasive but better than half assed crap.

Jamie said...

Ah yes. Trump's team recognizes - correctly - that Americans prefer law and order to violence and destruction, and they point out - correctly - that Trump has uniformly condemned the violence and destruction while Biden's spokespeople and political allies have until just now either defended the violence and destruction as an understandable reaction of righteously angry people or claimed, speciously, that the violence and destruction are entirely unrelated to the protests. And therefore Trump is the candidate whom Americans are more likely to associate with law and order.

And because these observations are true, adSs and friends claim Trump's team is happy about the violence and destruction.

This is probably the third thread today where I've said something like this: I see it as vital that Trump win reelection, and that Republicans hold the Senate (and, I sincerely hope, take back the House), because if these things don't happen we are looking at violence and destruction as the standard protocols for Left-sanctioned groups to get what they want. Electoral politics will be far secondary if it even is allowed to matter at all; elections will no doubt continue, but everything of importance will be decided by violence and destruction. Furthermore, if Trump isn't reelected, if the Senate flips, if the Squad's influence in the House is not blunted, then this election will be seen as a mandate for the Squad. It's a nightmare scenario.

At first I was to be a crawl-over-broken-glass Trump voter in 2020 simply because I wanted to poke a finger in the eye of the media and the celebrity-sniffers who think they're elite. Now I'm a crawl-over-broken-glass Trump voter because I fear for my country and see Trump's opponents as opening the door to the vampires. But like bagoh, I deplore the rioters' and arsonists' and looters' acts of destruction and wish that we could be deciding the 2020 election on the basis of which candidate would do a better job supporting and growing the economy, defending our personal freedoms, and keeping America a strong and positive force in the world. It still would have been Trump, of course, but at least we wouldn't be spending our energy and treasure on stupid f'ing broken windows, you miserable shrieking children.

walter said...

We have to just change the culture, period, and keep punching at it and punching at it.

mccullough said...

Biden’s campaign aides bailed out rioters.

They are scum

Michael K said...

Biden can't condemn the rioting and violence because, if he did, he would lose the Bernie Bros. They are allies of BLM/Antifa.

Original Mike said...

"Donald Trump has been president for almost four years."

Four long years of your side claiming he's illegitimate, Putin's cockholster, a racist, a rapist, a tax cheat, blah, blah, blah. There isn't one damn thing he could have done that would have changed your attitude one iota. And you damn well know it, so spare us your demagoguery.

DeepRunner said...

Muttering Joe (or his minion, more's the pity) muttered:
"I condemn this violence unequivocally. I condemn violence of every kind by any one, whether on the left or the right."

Yep, right from the comfort of your basement. Nonetheless, your soldiers in the MSM will applaud your...hmmmm...STRONG WORDS. The person who wrote these STRONG WORDS has set the stage for Attack Dog Kamala to bark them at every opportunity. Her and Anderson Cooper and anyone else who might actually feign believing them.

So, David Brooks, you satisfied?

Gk1 said...

"This would be easy to stop. There aren't that many of them which is why folks needed to drive from Seattle to Kenosha to keep it going."

This is what I have been thinking for a while. Other than progressive shitholes like Portland, Seattle & D.C the nightly gallery of unrest is really concentrated where liberals live and kept afire by an BLM/Antifa infrastructure aided by blue mayors.

It amazing to me the democrat's and Biden's campaign in particular, just can't put out a standard, non partisan, call for the violence to end without taking a gratuitous swipe at Trump. It makes them look tiny and only motivated by their sinking in the polls, not by any real concern of what this violence is doing to the fabric of the country.

wildswan said...

On August 28 Kamala Harris said to Stephen Colbert approximately this: "The riots are not going to stop, they're not going to stop, this is a movement and they won't stop after the election and they shouldn't stop"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zKLyQld--RQ

On August 30 Joe Biden condemned the riots. So, Hidin' Joe, who's right? You or your VP?

Dude1394 said...

Democrats can promote riots for well over a month. Destroy thousands of businesses and assault people.

All they have to do is NOW say they are bad and the democrat media will sing hallelujah and then state that the Republican Party has been promoting the violence.

Clues? said...

I’ve been searching news reports for ANY video of the alleged “clashes” in Portland, and all I can find are:
4 seconds of video in which a shirtless dude on the street halfheartedly swings a board at a flag and hits a truck tailgate.
2 seconds of video with a guy in a truck firing a paintball gun, but without showing the target or any context.

Is this the extent of the frightening “clashes”? That’s it?? Of course, if they had video of anything serious against the Trumpers, it’d be rolling on a continuous loop.

bagoh20 said...

"Trump is misogynous towards women, is the best line."

He was a Democrat once, so he didn't have a choice.

DanTheMan said...

>>his failure to call on his supporters to stop seeking conflict

The rioters, looters, arsonists, and murderers are not "seeking conflict"???

But if you want to drive through downtown or eat in a restaurant without getting mobbed, YOU are the troublemaker.

Who's writing his press releases, Orwell or Kafka?

Static Ping said...

They blame Trump for everything. It's basically a truism at some point. I got a splinter today and it is all Trump's fault. My dog farted and it is all Trump's fault. I blame Trump for everything and it is all Trump's fault.

I do find it hilarious that they want Trump to denounce the violence. I thought that was more than obvious at this point, both by word and action. It's like whoever wrote this had no idea what was going on in the world for the past 3 months. Perhaps Biden wrote it after all....

Clues? said...

If Trump is re-elected, as expected, he’ll have a clear mandate to invoke the Sedition Act. That’ll solve this little problem quick-like.

Stephen said...

Simple fact: the rioters and looters are not Biden voters; they are not voters at all. The vigilantes with guns are wearing Trump gear. Trump can and should call them off, they are provocateurs, as is he.

Crazy World said...

Joey and Kammie will save us all from the bad orange man.
What a day!!

gadfly said...

Last week, Donny conducted his "law and order" themed convention on the South Lawn of the White House, comically shattering conventional norms and raising legitimate questions about his ethical violation of the Hatch Act. He absolutely relished the fact that no one could do anything to stop him.

Surprisingly, not even the almost-dead New York Times detected the real Trump message; it treated the RNC as a organized event with a logical theme, rather than as a raw display of power. Trump’s mask-less convention was all designed to show his utter contempt for democracy itself and he succeeded wildly.

And yet we are told that Biden cannot honestly blame Trumpism for the protests despite Trump aides (KellyAnne for one) bluntly telling the media that Trump will benefit politically from violence erupting at protests?

Stephen St. Onge said...

        The complete lack of logic shown by anti-de Sitter space, Stephen, and gadfly is remarkable.  Their posts boil down to 'Arson, looting, battery and murder are bad for Biden's election chances, so they must be Trump's fault.'

        If this is the best Biden supporters can do, Trump wins easily.

PhilD said...

So basically the democrats are burning down their own house in order to blame Trump while counting on the press to make it stick.

PhilD said...

"Of course, if they had video of anything serious against the Trumpers, it’d be rolling on a continuous loop."


Think but of what they did to the Covington kids and that was a case of 'smiling while standing still'.

Rory said...

"All they have to do is NOW say they are bad and the democrat media will sing hallelujah and then state that the Republican Party has been promoting the violence."

It does seem we're approachimg full Reichstag.

Unknown said...

Jack Welch said Obama staffers were zealots

Fits the new BLM religion, eh?

Perhaps Biden inherited them...

Will he use the Clintoon duds like Blummy and Carville

Or the deep state / zealots like Rhodes or Valerie?

Who is the wizard of Joe?

BUMBLE BEE said...

This violence started BEFORE Trump was declared the winner. "Need some muscle over here", Lock to the head By a Professor of Lock to the head. Now the DNC can't turn it off. "Silence is consent"? No sense of Irony whatsoever. Now the political party of you don't need a gun, juat call the police is the party of defund the police. DNC brownshirts running the streets.

BUMBLE BEE said...

America awaits the DNC's Kristallnacht.

RMc said...

It will play well with Biden's base.

In a country where folks would rather slash their wrists than vote for "the other side", shoring up one's base is the only option left.

Jamie said...

his failure to call on his supporters to stop seeking conflict

I say again, the position appears to be, "Look what you made me do, you stupid bitch!"

gilbar said...

gadfly pointed asked about ...
his (Trump's) ethical violation of the Hatch Act.


gadfly? you're obviously much smarter than me.
Tell me (the brain damaged one), does the Hatch Act apply to the President?

Bob Boyd said...

Meth and Metamucil, the Biden speedball.

gilbar said...

Leora said...
Trump's statement that Portland could be calmed in about 45 minutes is probably true. Hell if the Portland DA would actually charge the looters and arsonists and they ran the risk of actually spending time in jail


"It's the summer of love!" Isn't THAT what the Seattle mayor said?
democrat mayors have Ordered their police to "stand down"
democrat mayors have Ordered their DA's to NOT charge anyone
democrat governors have emptied their prisons, "because" of Covid

Has this ever happened before? In the USA, i mean.
Saddam Hussein emptied HIS prisons to mess up His country. But in the USA, have we Ever had leaders trying to CAUSE violence like this before?


We don't have to start Shooting rioters; if we just
arrest them
hold them
keep them

it will stop nearly instantly.
These soi bois are too big of cowards (and far to cute!) to risk prison

Jeff Brokaw said...

Democrats go three months without saying a single negative word about these riots across the country — and in fact were actively supporting them in many instances — and then right after the conventions suddenly they decide violence is bad?!

GTFOOH with that shit. This is epic stupidity turned up to 11.

Bob Boyd said...

All this is a response to blacks leaving the Dem plantation.

Mike (MJB Wolf) said...

Biden can't condemn the rioting and violence because, if he did, he would lose the Bernie Bros.

In fact Bernie’s organizer for WI primary specifically was recorded by Project Veritas saying if Bernie didn’t win the nomination his supporters would “burn cities to the ground.” So has any DNC-Media looked this badger state “organizer” up to get a follow-up quote now that his prediction panned out?

Rick said...

Michael Forest Reinoehl is believed to be the killer. He was arrested July 5th for bringing a gun to a protest. He had previously been arrested for possessing an unlicensed gun during a 100+ mph car race with his teenage son. If the Portland DA had not been releasing antifa lawbreakers this guy wouldn't have been around to kill someone.

Danno said...

Unknown said..."Biden instinctively understands that he needs both widespread anger, and POC near-unanimity, to beat Trump."

Joe Biden doesn't know if he is on foot or horseback. Blame or praise his minions for any drivel that comes out attributed to him.

tcrosse said...

There will be no shortage of broken glass for us to crawl over to cast our votes for Trump.

Left Bank of the Charles said...

The Althouse definition of lying would be a lie if it also applied to Althouse. She’s just one of who don’t understand how the President fanned the flames while not really doing anything and blaming the inaction on the Not President. There may be enough reactionaries to get Trump re-elected, but do you really think that will bring the civil unrest to an end? That’s not the point thought, the point is getting Trump re-elected.

I Callahan said...

Does Althouse know that there are DJT backers and administration folks on TV that are saying that riots and such are great re DJT’s political success?

This proves exactly what? Answer: that Democrats are so painfully stupid, they ALLOW these riots to happen, knowing they help Trump, or NOT knowing. In both cases, Democrats are painfully stupid.

Kevin said...

Biden’s “sorry, not sorry” allows everyone to take the part that serves their needs.

I Callahan said...

Last week, Donny conducted his "law and order" themed convention on the South Lawn of the White House, comically shattering conventional norms and raising legitimate questions about his ethical violation of the Hatch Act. He absolutely relished the fact that no one could do anything to stop him.


Give it up, Gadfly. You sound like a deranged lunatic whose hatred is so deep you can't see 5 feet in front of you. Seriously, dude - get help.

John Althouse Cohen said...

Why don't you call off the war in the streets?

He did. He’s repeatedly condemned it. Maybe he still hasn’t done that enough or in a well-written enough statement, but he has condemned it.

daskol said...

I think it's a mistake to blame Bernie for this, even if the people perpetrating the violence tend to his support. If Bernie had won the nomination, his supporters, many of them anyway, might be engaged in more constructive action: they'd be trying to get him elected. They've been shut out of the Democratic and democratic process now for a long time. Their frustration is with Democrats. They hate Trump, and the Dems are trying mightily to redirect as much hatred Trump's way as possible, but it's Dem leaders in Dem majority cities and Dem leaders of the Dem party who fucked the Bernie supporters for two elections now. This is what happens when you fuck Americans in the ass, especially violently inclined idiot Americans.

LakeLevel said...

Kathryne51 said " My vote doesn't matter in my state (Washington),"

I heard many people say that in 2016 in Minnesota. Minnesota hasn't sent electoral votes to Republicans in 48 years, the longest of any state. Trump lost by 10,000 votes in Minnesota. Don't assume that your vote doesn't count. It's time to crush the left. They deserve it.

Rick said...

John Althouse Cohen said...
[Why don't you call off the war in the streets?]

He did. He’s repeatedly condemned it.


Sure. For 5 months he sat in silent approval as his allies winked at the rioters, but when he finally speaks up they're supposed to take it seriously instead of believing it's just cover.

Michael K said...

He did. He’s repeatedly condemned it. Maybe he still hasn’t done that enough or in a well-written enough statement, but he has condemned it.

No, he blamed them on Trump. Not the same.

Joe Biden, America's Putin said...

It's Trump's fault the left cannot control their rage.

They must be allowed to loot, arson, and destroy property. & now murder.

Sam L. said...

Joe is the WAFFLE-man. Ain't workin', Joe!

Joe Biden, America's Putin said...

8:22 Inga'sChuck...

Wow - that is some serious insanity.

When is all falls apart in liar liar prog-land - break out the Russian conspiracies.

***Trump had to be impeached for Biden family international graft.***

Joe Biden, America's Putin said...

Condemning the violence with a "but" is not good enough. FAIL.

More so - Layering on blame Progressives are so filled with RAGE at TRUMP they get to commit acts of arson and they are allowed to destroy property and threaten anyone with violence at any time, and assault anyone/anywhere in the streets or at cafes. you must confess or the anti-fascists will smother you with fascism. - because Trump fills them with uncontrollable rage. It's Trump's fault. But mostly peaceful.

Yeah - find that thread that allows you to vote for a crook who made his low-life son rich thru international graft. Sad.

Joe Biden, America's Putin said...

The problem in this nation boils down to the WHITE LEFT

Jupiter said...

"I condemn violence of every kind by any one, whether on the left or the right."

Well, he did say he wouldn't use the military as a campaign prop. It seems a little over the top to actively condemn them.

Original Mike said...

Blogger Left Bank of the Charles said..."the President fanned the flames while not really doing anything"

What should he have done?

Bruce Hayden said...

“Why don't you call off the war in the streets?

“He did. He’s repeatedly condemned it. Maybe he still hasn’t done that enough or in a well-written enough statement, but he has condemned it.”

He also needs to get his running mate to do it, and to fire his staffers who have been bailing out the violent rioters and arsonists. Right now, we have Demented Joe asking them to maybe quit, Harris telling the rioters not to listen to him, and his staff helping the rioters get back on the street more quickly, so that they can continue their rioting.

I Callahan said...

He did. He’s repeatedly condemned it. Maybe he still hasn’t done that enough or in a well-written enough statement, but he has condemned it.

Only a few days ago he condemned it. It wasn't "repeatedly". Because prior to the Dems finding out that rioting actually helps Trump, they WANTED this to go on. For what possible reason would Biden condemn it at the time?

TJM said...

John Althouse Cohen - LOL. Only your Mommy would believe that nonsense

gerry said...

Meth and Metamucil, the Biden speedball.

That'd be some high-speed shit.

Greg The Class Traitor said...

John Althouse Cohen said...
>>Why don't you call off the war in the streets?
>He did. He’s repeatedly condemned it. Maybe he still hasn’t done that enough or in a well-written enough statement, but he has condemned it.

Really?

He's explicitly condemned Antifa and BLM, by name, for the rioting and destruction they've inflicted?

He's demanded that Democrat Mayor deploy enough police to stop the riots?

He's demanded that Democrat Governors mobilize their State National Guard units, and deploy them to help the police stop the riots?

He's demanded that Democrat DAs stop "no charging" the rioters who are arrested?

He's fired his staffers who donated money to the "Minnesota Freedom Fund", while bails out criminal thugs, including murderers? https://www.fox9.com/news/minnesota-nonprofit-with-35m-bails-out-those-accused-of-violent-crimes

Or, no, Biden hasn't done any of those things. He's simply said "Hey, please stop this violence" while passing. wink and a nod on the the leftists being violent

Rosalyn C. said...

Another big lie, the Democrats are getting good at this. The D party and the media have coordinated and decided to ignore that Biden said nothing about the violence, the media said the protests were mostly peaceful and antifa doesn't exist.. The violent riots have nothing to do with BLM even though we can hear them chanting Black Lives Matter.

All this time Trump has been condemning the violence and the anarchists. Now that Biden has seen that his polls are dropping on this he comes out strongly opposing violence and blaming the divisiveness on Trump. Now the riots are anti-Trump protests, not about BLM or police brutality. How does BLM feel about being repurposed/cancelled/erased/used?

Trump is coming to Kenosha to promote understanding and peace and the Democrats are desperately telling him not to come. Not because they want peace but because they don't want peace. He's going anyway.

I can imagine the pressure being put on the Blake family not to cooperate with the President. The mother stated she wanted peace and healing, the father and the lawyer, Ben Crump, are wanting something else. Crump, appearing with Jacob's father and sister at msnbc, claims that Biden and Harris have contacted him directly about arranging a meeting, but not Trump. But Crump insists this is not a time for politics. Trump has reached out to the family pastor. Oddly the lawyer knows more about Jacob's medical condition than either his father or his sister. She was asked how Jacob is doing and her answer was how would anybody be who was shot seven times? Has she actually seen him and in shock or is she a female prop to take the place of a missing ex-wife/mom? The father seems totally clueless too. Neither seem to be on the mother's level.

Jim at said...

Joe Biden frantically trying to put the toothpaste back into the tube.

Too late.