Election 2024 Final Review
Part 2 of 2
The closing argument, on the Right
“These Latinos, they love making babies, too. Just know that they do,” Tony Hinchcliffe said, setting up his joke: “There’s no pulling out. They don’t do that. They come inside, just like they did to our country.”
https://x.com/atrupar/status/1850613109402013792
A few moments later, the comedian took a second swing at a key voting bloc within several swing states: Puerto Ricans.
“There’s a lot going on. I don’t know if you guys know this, but there’s literally a floating island of garbage in the middle of the ocean right now. I think it’s called Puerto Rico,” he said to a scattering of claps and jeers."
He also mentioned a black guy carving watermelons for Halloween. And a bit about Jewish people too.
The comedian, known for his roasting of celebrities, failed to recognize his audience. Telling racist jokes to a crowd of racists isn’t edgy. Or funny.
Another mook browned his nose for the Fraudfather too. Radio host and comedian Sid Rosenberg; “"She is some sick bastard, that Hillary Clinton. What a sick son of a bitch. The whole fucking party. A bunch of degenerates. Lowlives, Jew-haters, and lowlives. Every one of 'em. Every one of 'em."
This is the new Moral Minority, honoring Jesus Trump.
https://x.com/atrupar/status/1850618361400463682
Then there’s the guy who lost every effort to steal the 2020 election. And lost his law license. The guy ‘just tucking in his shirt’ surprised in a Borat movie. The guy who made life a living hell for two Georgia pollworkers, repeatedly threatened with violence from lesser mooks. The guy recently ordered by a judge to surrender his penthouse to the pair of women who did absolutely nothing wrong. Here he attacks another woman, who is married to a Jewish guy.
https://x.com/atrupar/status/1850629795370910153
And here, his daughter has a plea to us all.
President Biden, with less than 3 months till he retires, responded to the racist comment about Puerto Ricans, by calling Trump supporters ‘human garbage.’
Kamala quickly made it clear she’d serve all American citizens, even those she disagrees with.
Biden pulled back due to public criticism. But Trump went on the offensive, climbing into a MAGA decorated garbage truck. He also criticized Tony Hinchcliffe’s comments about Puerto Ricans, but not his comments about Latinos or Blacks..
Many in the mainscheme media covered the blow-by-blow insults while Republicans forgot that the first garbage comment originated with the comedian hired to perform by Team Trump. And it took The Lincoln Project to criticize the Republican pearl clutching pretense with a reminder that Trump’s comments about garbage Democrats has been going on for months. And that after the devastation of Puerto Rico by 1917’s Hurricane Maria, killing 2,975 people and causing $91.6 billion in damage with the worst electrical blackout in US history that lasted for several months, plus 300,000+ homes destroyed, Trump showed up to toss a couple dozen paper towels at them. He later stalled $20 billion in rebuilding funds authorized by Congress.
https://x.com/projectlincoln/status/1852062988460536258
From Wikipedia, Trump’s own people:
Recently Trump offered to pay the funeral costs to the family of an American soldier who lost his life in combat. They sent him the bill and he raged instead: “It Doesn’t Cost $60,000 To Bury A F*cking Mexican” He ordered his staff not to pay it.
There’s 580,000 Puerto Rican voters in Pennsylvania. Will they enjoy the humor?
His tariff plan has been throughly discredited by most economists as a certain drag on the economy including higher inflation. And his off-topic rambling is explained by Trump as a ‘strategy’ he calls The Weave. Step right up folks and win a tiny stuffed monkey for your kids.
Here’s a perfect example of his ‘strategy’ in action.
But even with the financial support of more than 60 billionaires, that’s the best closing statement DJ Trump can do.
The Closing Argument from Kamala Harris
Crowd size experts say she spoke to 60,000 to 75,000 Americans on Tuesday, a week before the election. Two days earlier, at the Madison Square Garden rally, up to 20,000 were in attendance if the police, security, Garden staff and Trump Team members are counted.
Claims that an equal sized crowd waited outside that could not enter due to the crowd capacity rules, couldn’t be verified due to the lack of aerial photos. But even if true, that’d only be 40,000.
From the 1 minute mark to the 30:25 mark in this video, I recommend you listen for just under a half an hour. You may be sick of hearing about this race, tired of middle school taunts and nicknames or the constant sale of fear. But while much of the mainscheme media reports about garbage trucks and eating pets, the speech VP Harris gave Tuesday at the Ellipse in DC should be heard.
It’s family friendly so kids of any age can listen in. There’s no cussing, There’s key words and phrases that resonate: the choices we have to make voting decisions unhindered and without threats, unity vs division, easily understood policies she promises to pursue. Respect, dignity, upholding all Americans of any generation, race or faith. Equal rights for people, all people. Nothing extreme in any of that.
She promised to work across the aisle to finally get a border security bill done that presidents in both parties have tried to achieve for 25 years, but have been continually blocked by Congressional Republicans. That finally succeeded last Spring under President Biden, but died when candidate Trump told Congressional Republicans to kill it so the Democratic ticket wouldn’t get a boost in the election campaign.
Yes, she gave an honest critique of Trump’s actions and plans. Without any lies or vitriol. And without pushing fear. Her speech was a master stroke, the best she’s ever given. I aimed for maximum objectivity in this review despite my stated preference for the Harris/Walz ticket. But however you plan to or have voted for, you should assess the closing message yourself.
To give a fair appraisal, you first should listen.
Weighing the closing arguments of both major party candidates isn’t enough to consider, though.
There’s no one in the country that can state with any confidence who will win. Best guessing this time has the same chance of being right as flipping a coin would.
There’s much more that has to be considered about the outcome and how you should prepare.
While much blather and newsprint has been spent describing how many court cases Trump lost in his 4 year effort to steal the 2020 election, not enough media attention has been given to the state by state planning of Republican officials. Governors, legislatures, secretaries of state, attorney generals plus state and local election officials have been quite busy preparing to take the 2024 election quickly via court challenge, chaos and delay. Especially in 8 potential swing states and a few more with close Senate races.
The means of clearing off the voter rolls sometimes has merit. It’s the responsibility of each voter to update address changes, for example. But too often, eligible voters are wrongly removed and court challenges result. And it’s pretty rare to find elected Democrats utilizing voter reduction schemes that can be challenged. Do you know of any?
The truth is that US election processes have been continually improving. National and international election watchers report that US national elections are among the safest and most secure on the planet. While an occasional ballot box stuffing may be discovered, and a few vote twice or more, the numbers are way too small to sway the outcome of a major national election. In the past few years there’s been a handful of election officials using corrupt tactics. I still wait for evidence of any of that by anyone except Republicans. (Feel free to provide evidence that contradicts my reporting, in comments).
As well, both in-person polling locations and mail-in dropboxes have been removed, especially in neighborhoods where people of color or poor people live. The result is much longer waits for in-person voters. Some can’t spare 2 hour or more in waiting lines on Election Day. And again, there’s been no cases where Democratic officials have done that. They prefer to increase the numbers who can legally vote.
Adjusting closing times at live polling places, fresh ways to challenge outcomes quickly, recruiting hundreds or thousands to be election watchers who are trained to disrupt and delay outcomes and other anti-voting games are in place that weren’t there 4 years ago.
Without determining if any party officials are involved, there’s been at least 3 ballot drop boxes or USPS dropboxes containing mail ballots that have been torched in AZ, OR and WA. The voters who cast the three ballots that burned in Portland, OR have been provided replacement ballots. The fire suppression mechanism failed across the river in Vancouver, WA so several hundred were lost. WA authorities have encouraged all citizens who used that box within 24 hours of that attack to check online to see if their ballot has been tabulated, so they can be provided replacement ballots too. Photo evidence suggests both attacks were done by the same person. Will it affect any elections? There’s a very tight race for a US House seat in Washington, so yeah, that could make a difference in one federal race.
There’s also been multiple attacks on A Democratic Party building in Tempe Arizona with a 60 year old apprehended after 2 months of attacks and the details make it clear he was fully prepared to conduct a mass casualty attack.
Then there’s this from the conservative Wall St Journal:
»»» When Donald Trump refused to concede the 2020 election, he and his allies led a chaotic effort to overturn the results, spreading conspiracy theories, filing dozens of unsuccessful lawsuits and encouraging “Stop the Steal” protests that culminated in the assault on the Capitol.
Next month will likely play out differently if Trump loses again. The former president and his allies have spent the last four years laying the groundwork for a more organized, better funded and far broader effort to contest the outcome—a Stop the Steal 2.0—if the vote doesn’t go his way.
A secretive network of GOP donors and conservative billionaires have fueled the effort, giving more than $140 million to nearly 50 loosely connected groups that work on what they call election integrity, according to a Wall Street Journal review of Federal Election Commission filings, tax filings and other records. Among the donors are organizations linked to Wisconsin billionaires Richard and Elizabeth Uihlein and Hobby Lobby founder David Green.
Those groups have been scrutinizing voter registrations on an industrial scale and working to slow down the vote count, bury local election officials in paperwork and lawsuits and elect like-minded politicians at the state and local levels who will support efforts to contest the vote.
Many election officials worry those moves could sow chaos at the polls and confusion about the results. «««
Examples? I have a few.
https://www.npr.org/2024/10/21/nx-s1-5159996/uocava-overseas-voters-military-lawsuit-republican
Then there’s this, via Rolling Stone on Oct 31st:
In the video, a guy claiming to be a Haitian immigrant claims he reached the US 6 months ago and voted for Kamala. Only a racist would believe this lie.
Another from The Daily Beast 10 days ago:
Historically, presidential race outcomes are known on Election Day or by Friday of Election week. The late calls in a swing state or two occur because Republican officials make rules to delay the start of counting mailed-in ballots. (I’m looking at you, Pennsylvania Republicans).
The bottom line is that in multiple states, elected Republicans are much better prepared to disrupt, delay and sow chaos via lies and trickery than they were in 2020. Creating more distrust in election processes and possibly preventing the December 11th electors vote to reduce the number of electors to compel the Republican majority House to decide the election; all Americans have to be prepared for this.
Seriously.
Fortunately there are impartial judges still denying some vote-denying efforts.
Per the former ltigator and longtime writer Elie Mystal, there’s a chance of a devious GOP plan to reduce the number of electors via disruptions, delays and court challenges that keep electors from participating in their Christmas deadline vote. So the Republican majority House gets to decide the election. Though it’s just a theory for now, due to Mystal’s expertise, we have to be prepared, just in case.
I mean, sure one can get a laugh or two from things like this heckler achieved at the Stephen Bannon press conference after the criminal’s release from prison Tuesday.
And when comic relief is necessary, there’s more than one late-night comedian to provide that.
It’s just not time to give attention to Trump’s make-up and hair, his constant lies and distractions designed to limit our exposure to real and important news. It’s time to buckle down and prepare for the weeks ahead. He owned the stage in The Apprentice but behind the scenes his producers had to overrule his decisions many times to maintain the illusion that he had business savvy. Instead, it’s time to move past Unreality TV where contestants use lies and underhanded choices to win something. Civil society would end if everyone started playing dirty like that.
And it’s also past the time to wonder what drives the supporters of Trump to approval of his lies, misogyny and racism. This country has a long history of powerful men duping people with fear and faith and dishonesty. Maybe video games or unreal cop shows or the PR people selling crap is partly responsible along with inherited family political leanings. For now, none of that matters. Persuading the cultists in that crowd to change is completely ineffective now. Persuading the wealth addicts to be less greedy is futile too. The former reality star has convinced his followers that he’s being attacked by Joe Biden’s Justice Department. In reality legal actions against him began during Reagan’s presidency. Most of those cases were begun by states or in civil courts or by agencies like the IRS. His followers are ripe for his deceptions unless they’re aware of this. Want to see how effective his anti-immigrant propaganda is?
And as the brilliant Kareem Abdul Jabbar explains, we also should be aware of the powerful manipulating religion to be a punishment threat instead of a a better world ahead via kindness. The get-out-of-hell-free card conservative Christians is just such a manipulation that claims you can break every law in existence but if you accept Jesus Christ as your savior on your deathbed, you’ll get angels and harps and float on clouds forever. The previous murders and rapes and war crimes will be forgiven. How conveeeeenient that is for every evil act of humans.
I’ve been saving news items for the past two months for this review but have to drop most of them to get to the larger, most important points for November and beyond.
WHATCHA GONNA DO WHEN THEY COME FOR YOU?
Be aware of how fear is effective in swaying public opinion. No evidence exists of foreign governments releasing criminals from prisons and mental institutions and transporting them to the border with Mexico. There is, however, evidence that 99.2% of the migrants who illegally enter this country are not criminals. Nearly all are fleeing dangerous governments or violent drug cartels. Or seeking an end to hunger and extreme poverty. If Trump is elected and fulfills his threats, more than 450 criminals will be released to our streets, far more than the numbers of violent immigrants on our streets. It is wise to consider now what your response will be if that comes to pass. Your mind remains the best defensive weapon we possess.
I agree that limits must exist and better border control funding is needed to accomplish that. But instead of developing fresh fears, remember that ‘Follow the Money’ has always achieved better results in devising counter-strategies. Divisive classism by the wealthiest is designed to divide the middle class and poor to protect themselves from retaliation.
Ignore the pollsters through next Tuesday. Polling average sites like RealClear Politics are now being flooded with polls from two sources: the Brazil based Atlas Intel and Rasmussen Reports. Both have leaned more pro-Trump in their polling this year, even moreso than polling by Fox News. This heavy flood is skewing the averages toward Trump which often influences independents and undecided voters.
Though I reject efforts to spin conspiracy theories, we also should consider, with hundreds of millions of dollars now impacting campaign outcomes and Supreme Court decisions, are any billionaires offering bribes to polling companies?
Learn about how much money was raised to support the 2021 insurrection. There’s plenty of reasons to remain watchful, with a cynical eye considering whether the same funders are spending even more money in 2024.
Consider that Trump’s violent rhetoric has been felt by more than pollworkers due to threats by his supporters. When a leading US general displays extensive and expensive defense methods like this, it’s important to consider your own self defense options for you and your family. Depending on November and December outcomes, they might be needed.
Still I’d advise you to clear out the fears in your head, as calm considerations lead to clearer thinking and better choices. Besides, there’s really no reason to fear what a deteriorating mind atop the neck of a coward is going to do to you. His track record suggests he was a longtime threat to women but now he lacks the physical power to attack them anymore.
But his funders, his violent hate group supporters and that Vance dude still remain causes for anxiety. And when it comes to mega wealthy people in pursuit of power, remember that actions always ALWAYS speak louder than words. Know thine enemies.
Here’s what Vance did when he saw the blood on Trump’s ear after a Republican shot him.
Elon’s election workers face impossible quotas and are being threatened with losses in compensation. It’s a good rule of thumb to understand that the biggest assholes almost never become tiny hineys.
And here’s another guy espousing an end to democracy that you’ve likely never heard of before.
FINAL SUMMARY
Historian Rick Perlstein provides all the right questions for you here. But don’t assume Trump will win. If he loses, he’ll contest it through December.
Just do recall how long women fought to gain equal rights. Remember MLK and all the Civil Rights workers fought for equal rights. Remember the Stonewall riots that first established rights for gays and the people who lost their lives in all these struggles. And remember how Cesar Chavez and Dolores Huerta led national strikes that gained better housing and pay and health protections for Latino farmworkers.
If we can stand with each of those human rights struggles, it’s definitely time for American men to stand with all the American women till they have equal rights with every other human. There’s already too many deaths, too many sexually abused and too many misogynists trying todeny them many many choices.
Get as many voters to the polls that you can through November 5th. We don’t need to fight them on their civil war terms. We just have to be ready to sit down in a national strike and shut down the businesses of the wealthy oligarchs trying to rob us all.
This will likely be my final newsletter as I retire from professional writing for the serious days ahead.
This Canadian is hoping enough people vote for Kamala and Tim. And why isn't Drump in jail yet?