US Politics XXV: At Least We're Not Australia

[womanfish]

The best moments of every convention are never the big speakers, or long time politicians, it’s always been from the unknowns or real people with real stories.
The woman whose father died from Covid has been the highlight so far .

I posted the list of who was going to speak at the convention, not that those people are most important or the ones that people remember, but to show that Trump doesn’t have people with any standing whatsoever to actually be seen speaking at the RNC.

I think the production value was actually very good. Once it got past the first couple interviews and hit The Rising video, it never really let up.
Remember that the Dems have been working on a remote convention production for months. Trump’s team has had maybe a month to throw this together.

I think the most striking thing was if you just sit back and look at who and what was highlighted tonight. Black, Latino, Asian, Native American, gay, trans, along side farmers, dissolutiond Republicans, the list goes on.
From reports, Trump is going to have the two billionaire nimrods that drew weapons on peaceful protestors in St. Louis as speakers at the RNC.
This could be an absolute disaster for Trump when swayable voters see these conversations back to back.
And imagine seeing Trump speak 4 nights in a row. Just brutal.

Hats off tonight to Bernie and Michelle.
Sanders has been a uniter this time. And he brought his signature straight talk with passion tonight. Also, just found out that Harris was Sanders first choice for the VP pick.

Michelle as always shows why she is at an other worldly status.

 

[womanfish]

I have to agree

https://mobile.twitter.com/JRubinBlogger/status/1295560545194606593

And look, she’s right. Me thinks the GOpee’rs didn’t see this coming.

https://mobile.twitter.com/parscale/status/1295541439942844418

 

[cobl04]

at least we're not australia.

that looks like a huntsman. harmless

 

[Headache in a Suitcase]

If you asked me if I thought the person who greenlighted this Billy Porter Steven Stills performance to close out day one of the DNC should be fired or promoted, my answer would be yes.

https://twitter.com/DemConvention/status/1295558907293769728?s=09

But hey, at least we're not Australia.

 

[Hewson]

We don’t have 50,000 new cases and 1,000 new deaths every day, nor do we have any gun violence, nor do we have a sociopathic leader, and we also have largely free healthcare, but sure, at least you’re not Australia.

 

[MrsSpringsteen]

It’s getting better. Rough start. Hit its stride channeling COVID anger.

Memorable line of the night from a woman who lost her dad to COVID: “his only preexisting condition was voting for Donald Trump.”

She was so good, talk about channeling your pain into power. I liked the other people who voted for Trump who said it was such a mistake.

I tried to stay awake for Michelle Obama. Woke up and she was on, but I had to go back to sleep. Hopefully it's on You Tube.

Even Fox was impressed. Of course there was the pathetic apology and signaling to Trump by Bret Baier at the end.



Fox News Sunday host Chris Wallace, who has been the target of Trump’s ire in the past, agreed.

“You know, it’s interesting. You know, Michelle Obama, as she said, doesn’t like politics and she said that this speech was her main contribution to the Biden campaign. It was a heck of a contribution,” Wallace said. “She really flayed, sliced and diced Donald Trump, talking about the chaos and confusion, and lack of empathy, especially coming from this president and this White House. And again, very practical. Not just, ‘This is what your feelings should be.’ But you gotta get out, you gotta vote, you gotta convince your neighbors to vote. This was a very effective speech.”

Fox News political analyst Brit Hume, who recently accused Biden of peddling “black grievance politics,” questioned the accuracy of some of Obama’s statements, saying it was “laced with exaggerations and distortions,” but even he had to agree on the effectiveness of the speech.

“But that’s what we expect in political rhetoric, that’s the way you do it,” Hume said. “So the question becomes, you know, not the actual truthfulness of the case that’s made, but how effectively it’s delivered and whether the attacks are likely to have the effect on the electorate that she hopes for. I suspect, in this case, probably, it did.”

This came just one day after President Trump once again attacked the network and told Fox News viewers to look elsewhere. Following the praise for Michelle Obama, and just before ending convention coverage, anchor Bret Baier assured viewers that nothing has changed at the network.

“Listen, I just want to say, Fox News has not changed,” Baier said. “We have covered both parties’ conventions from the beginning of this network, fully and fairly from all sides, and we will continue to.”

 

[Hewson]

From reports, Trump is going to have the two billionaire nimrods that drew weapons on peaceful protestors in St. Louis as speakers at the RNC.

Heard this on the radio driving in this morning.
Man how the GOP has fallen.

 

[Irvine511]

We don’t have 50,000 new cases and 1,000 new deaths every day, nor do we have any gun violence, nor do we have a sociopathic leader, and we also have largely free healthcare, but sure, at least you’re not Australia.

When you’re a US American, you’re always expected to take the joke.

Whenever the joke goes the other way, even for a second, other people get defensive and offended.

But it’s ok, you see, as I’m still not Australian.

 

[Irvine511]

Heard this on the radio driving in this morning.

Man how the GOP has fallen.

How are those dipshits billionaires?

 

[Hewson]

How are those dipshits billionaires?

We talking about the couple in St. Louis or the first family?

 

[MrsSpringsteen]

We talking about the couple in St. Louis or the first family?

Both being billionaires exemplify what's wrong with America.

 

[Headache in a Suitcase]

Live shot of cobbler after he read the title thread

https://youtu.be/4JQK4bH0J-o

 

[Irvine511]

We talking about the couple in St. Louis or the first family?

For me, the STLers packing heat and 25 extra pounds.

 

[MrsSpringsteen]

Biden and Harris are going to do a.joint interview with David Muir. I think it will be shown Sunday night.

No question off limits. I assume he will ask Sen Harris about believing Tara Reade. At one point she said Biden's accusers should be believed. I don't really know the details, but people keep bringing it up.

 

[Hewson]

For me, the STLers packing heat and 25 extra pounds.

I'm not certain they are billionaires as womanfish's post stated. Can't find that anywhere. But they are certainly very well off based on their home. Probably scrimped and saved money to get there by doing all their fine dining at Burger King, and not paying 10 bucks a month to Planet Fitness.

 

[Hewson]

Biden and Harris are going to do a.joint interview with David Muir. I think it will be shown Sunday night.

No question off limits. I assume he will ask Sen Harris about believing Tara Reade. At one point she said Biden's accusers should be believed. I don't really know the details, but people keep bringing it up.

Its an easy answer..."we need to take all accusations seriously and believe them until proven otherwise, in this case I have since heard all sides of the story and now believe Uncle Joe."

 

[Irvine511]

I'm not certain they are billionaires as womanfish's post stated. Can't find that anywhere. But they are certainly very well off based on their home. Probably scrimped and saved money to get there by doing all their fine dining at Burger King, and not paying 10 bucks a month to Planet Fitness.

But homes in St Louis — as in most red states — are basically free, no matter the square footage.

 

[womanfish]

Sorry guys, not sure why I thought they were billionaires. I guess they are worth about 50 million. All I know is he looked like Nathan Lane in kulat pants, and the inside of their house looks like it was decorated by Melania Trump.

A couple other takeaways.
I think we can all be glad Whitmer was not the VP pick
And
When Michelle speaks I cry. 20 damn seconds in and I had tears. Jeez.

And tonight’s speaking line up, at least the big names looks like the night to skip.

 

[Irvine511]

Its an easy answer..."we need to take all accusations seriously and believe them until proven otherwise, in this case I have since heard all sides of the story and now believe Uncle Joe."

Agreed. This is where “believe all women” can be as politically problematic a slogan as “defund the police.” Most people will agree with the actual intentions behind these slogans — take accusations and accusers seriously from the start, reallocate resources so that police are deployed appropriately and focus on preventing crime — but the slogans themselves are pretty easy to find fault with.

 

[womanfish]

The RNC keeps wracking up the big names

https://mobile.twitter.com/anniekarni/status/1295564683164950529

 

[MrsSpringsteen]

Trump just announced that he will pardon Susan B Anthony. Wtaf

Hey guys, I'm voting for Trump now. Deal sealed.

 

[MrsSpringsteen]

I wonder who thought up the Susan B Anthony thing, probably Ivanka. So damn insulting and pandering.

It's Trump's Sarah Palin

 

[anitram]

I wonder who thought up the Susan B Anthony thing, probably Ivanka. So damn insulting and pandering.

It's Trump's Sarah Palin

Thank God he's working on matters relevant to people today. Everyone who's without a job, can't pay their mortgage or is in hospital with COVID will love to hear about posthumous pardons.

 

[Jerry Dunk]

I'm sure the Obama and Sanders speeches were fine and went over well. But I really don't understand the need to load up the lineup with Republicans. I mean, I do, because the Democratic Party finds more kinship with centrist Republicans than they do with leftists. But it's still fucking offensive. Anti-choice, anti-union, climate change deniers, etc. I don't give a flying fuck about John Kasich's opinion. The guy is a misogynistic, classist piece of shit. Having him on was as embarrassing as Michael Bloomberg in 2016.

 

[Jerry Dunk]

Also, what the hell is going on with Massachusetts? First, Joe Kennedy decides to primary Ed Markey for his senate seat with no clear reason for doing so, and gets a ton of support from key Democratic Party players in the process. Then, you have this attempted hit job on a young House challenger in Alex Morse, followed by the state party trying to cover up their involvement. Now, they're using a need for "impartiality" as an excuse to not bother investigating further until after the election.

 

[Hewson]

Kennedy attempting to climb the ladder is inevitable, I think he had decided against challenging Liz Warren years ago and didn't want to wait 6 more years, so ran now, even though its probably a little early. Markey probably would have retired after one more term and in essence ceded his seat to Kennedy, but patience has never been a hallmark of the Kennedy family.

 

[Irvine511]

this continues to be a very, very important issue that still isn't getting enough attention:

WASHINGTON — In a thousand-page bipartisan report released Tuesday, the Senate Intelligence Committee said the Trump administration obstructed its investigation with "novel claims" of executive privilege. It painted a portrait of a Trump campaign eager to accept help from a foreign power in 2016.

The Senate report, the most detailed account to date of the Trump campaign's embrace of Russian election interference, also asserted that the allegations that Ukraine interfered in the election — which President Donald Trump perpetuated — originated with Russian intelligence agencies.

The report highlighted some never-before-seen evidence about Trump and Russia, including three allegations of potentially compromising material relating to Trump's private trips to Russia that were unconnected to the dossier compiled by former British spy Christopher Steele.

"Separate from Steele's memos, which the Committee did not use for support, the Committee became aware of three general sets of allegations" involving women, the report said, two of which described a tape. No such allegations were confirmed, but the finding lent new credence to at least one claim in the widely discredited Steele dossier.

The committee endorsed the view of special counsel Robert Mueller and the Roger Stone prosecution team that the Trump campaign eagerly embraced Russian help in 2016, and considered the hacked emails its "October surprise" even though campaign officials knew the material was stolen by Russian intelligence.

"While the GRU and WikiLeaks were releasing hacked documents, the Trump Campaign sought to maximize the impact of those materials to aid Trump's electoral prospects," the report said. "To do so, the Trump campaign took actions to obtain advance notice about WikiLeaks releases of Clinton emails; took steps to obtain inside information about the content of releases once WikiLeaks began to publish stolen information; created messaging strategies to promote and share the materials in anticipation of and following their release; and encouraged further theft of information and continued leaks."

The committee said it also developed evidence that Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort may have been connected to the Russian operation to steal and leak Democratic emails. If that had been proven in court, it would have constituted "collusion," by any definition, but no such charge ever was brought.



https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/na...vkA_jOx01R8ZJlzDtz8WxjqPwqY7y-krvhFgyobb8SMdg

 

[womanfish]

this continues to be a very, very important issue that still isn't getting enough attention:

Absolutely. Again, this is coming from a majority Republican Senate committee. And again, this would be the end of any candidate but Trump. And we can thank droopy dog Barr for his pre-exoneration of Trump, and really Mueller for not stating more plainly that there was indeed collusion.

 

[Jerry Dunk]

Kennedy attempting to climb the ladder is inevitable, I think he had decided against challenging Liz Warren years ago and didn't want to wait 6 more years, so ran now, even though its probably a little early. Markey probably would have retired after one more term and in essence ceded his seat to Kennedy, but patience has never been a hallmark of the Kennedy family.

It seems reductive to say he's just another name in a political dynasty, but he really is. He stands for nothing and just wants to do what's next. There was actually quite a bit he could have legitimately criticized Markey for, but clearly he either agrees with him on those issues or does not care about them. Either way, he is an empty suit with a name, and doesn't even seem to have any of the charm that allowed previous Kennedy's to skate on through.

 

[Headache in a Suitcase]

I'm sure the Obama and Sanders speeches were fine and went over well. But I really don't understand the need to load up the lineup with Republicans. I mean, I do, because the Democratic Party finds more kinship with centrist Republicans than they do with leftists. But it's still fucking offensive. Anti-choice, anti-union, climate change deniers, etc. I don't give a flying fuck about John Kasich's opinion. The guy is a misogynistic, classist piece of shit. Having him on was as embarrassing as Michael Bloomberg in 2016.

Maybe, and hear me out here, but maybe it's because they want to chase independents and moderate Republicans who are sick of trump so that they can win the election in November.

I know - it's a crazy thought. But golly it might be worth a shot .