GIVE SOMEONE A DOLLAR DAY UPDATES
(Quietly but Confidently Raises Hand, Points Thumb At Self)
-Even with an NBC late-relasing poll blaring OMGTIEDOMG! this morning, the real news that roiled the Presidential election was the flash poll out of Iowa that has Kamala Harris with a 47%-44% lead over Republican nominee REALLY Old REALLY Weird Convicted Felon Ex-President Trump (R-apist). The record of lead pollster J. Ann Selzer in the state, along with the familiar demographics of women voters and late-deciding voters breaking big for Harris and an abortion rights referendum on the ballot after passage by Republican legislators and Governor Kim Reyonlds of a six-week abortion ban, seems to be what is driving the line.
-Naturally, Trump has responded to the poll with typical trash talk and lies, claiming Selzer’s results are wrong “BY A LAHT!” and pushing an Emerson College poll that has him up by 10% while also crowing that “No President has done more for FARMERS, and the Great State of Iowa, than Donald J. Trump, In fact, it’s not even close!” This may be in reference to a GREEN ACRES parody sketch Trump performed with Megan Mullaly in which Trump reportedly open-mouth kissed Mullaly, but it does not refer to any actual policies or proposals Trump has made that, if enacted, most economists who have seen it agree would drive thousands of farmers into bankruptcy thanks to crippling tariffs and his desire to throw migrants who harvest crops into camps and out of the country.
-Meanwhile, in a call made Friday afternoon, the Harris campaign reported its internal polling is confirming the Iowa data that late-breaking voters are moving towards Harris in significant numbers. Voters making their decisions this week pointed towards what could be remembered as the catastrophic-for-Trump Madison Square Garden rally most known for the insult against Puerto Rico – but also contained plenty of other insults for most other Harris voters everywhere. That the MSG rally has been compounded by a number of other Trump moments, as well as momentum from Harris’ well-received speech on The Ellipse and last night’s surprise SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE appearance and continued positive reports about voter contacts, turnout demographics, and waves of appearances by surrogates across most of the battleground states – all of which seem to be making the race tip Harris’ way.
-One other note about the late-breaking voters: those voters went Trump’s way in 2016 and, combined with the infamous Comey letter the weekend before Election Day, gave Trump just enough votes in the “Blue Wall” states to eke out a win. The late-breaking voters also went Trump’s way in 2020, which allowed him to close what was an 8-point Joe Biden lead enough to allow Republicans to minimize Congressional losses and allow Trump to attempt to steal the election. In both years the margin – 60% - is similar to what the Harris campaign is reporting.
-Trump’s schedule and appearances, as well as continued whispers from his campaign and other Republican Party experts, make it appear that there may be validity to the reports. There were earlier reports that Trump would spend every day until Election Day in North Carolina – an apparent reflection of massive concerns over voting in that state (important because they are one of the earliest, if not the earliest, battleground state that will complete its counting – and a Harris win makes their apparent plans to declare victory on Election Day no matter what the count will be undercut even for Trump voters). But newer reports today claim Trump will be bouncing back in PA, which all admit is must-win for Trump to have a chance.
-Indeed, reports indicate that tomorrow afternoon, Trump and Harris will be holding rallies at the same time within blocks if not yards away from each other in Pittsburgh, with open worries about whether the two crowds will interact – or whether the fear that a large Harris crowd will dwarf a smaller Trump crowd might occur.
-In an appearance last night in Greenville, NC – a venue Harris packed – Trump, still massively butt-hurt over Harris’ comments about his dwindling crowd sizes in their lone debate - made one of his usual boasts about massive crowds and lines and “you can’t find an empty seat” in one of his rallies. As Trump continued, the cameraman decided to zoom out from Trump and pan above Trump’s stage – and in so doing, revealed rows and rows and rows of empty seats and sections, which have become common for 2024 gatherings of Trumpers and MAGAts.
-And that, in turn, may have prompted yet another WTF moment from Trump on Friday night in Milwaukee. Complaining as he has throughout the campaign over bad microphones and sound systems (likely because of Trump refusing to allow union workers at the venues to set up the sound system – because unions and because they cost money), Trump grabbed a microphone, complained about how heavy the microphone is (perhaps more an allusion to his decaying physical state), played with the goose neck mike stand on the dais, and then thought it would be funny to simulate oral sex on the mike stand. The MAGAts in the crowd loved it, of course, but you may not have seen the story thanks to the dual news stories yesterday involving Iowa and SNL.
-The latest figures indicate over 72 million people have voted so far – 47% of the number that voted in 2020. The party split is now even at 40% Democratic and 40% MAGAt, with women dominating the early vote and a belief that independents are breaking 60% for Harris. The weather map for the nest two days shows a cold front will be bringing rain and storms through the Midwest, some possible snow in the upper Midwest, and warmer than average temperature up and down the East Coast.
-VOTE WHEN YOU CAN, and remember, voters are gonna do what they are gonna do. Trends are looking solid but we won’t know until they are counted, so be confident but count on nothing, keep making calls and knocking doors and talking to family and friends you can talk to, and remember – bandwagons are fun to ride on!
-There HAS been other news, so let’s do some non-political updates …
-Over 200 have died in flash floods in Spain with fears many more who are missing may add to the toll, and furious Spaniards who believe more should have been done to prevent the tragedies hurled verbal insults, eggs, and mud at the King of Spain as he toured the hardest-hit region of Valencia today.
-In justice news, a jury in Kentucky found one of the police officers who shot and killed Breonna Taylor guilty of violating Taylor’s civil rights. It was the second such trial, and former officer Brett Hankison now faces life in prison as a result of the conviction.
-One of the biggest symbols of suburban blandness and mediocre food of the past 40 years has met its end, as TGIFridays filed for bankruptcy protection on Friday. The chain is just the latest in a series of shutterings of similar restaurants nationally. Red Lobster announced its bankruptcy earlier this year, Denny’s announced it will be closing 150 sites, and parent companies who own Cracker Barrel and IHOP restaurants have announced large losses this year.
-CBS has announced two of its most traditional annual broadcasts will be leaving the network. RUDOPH THE RED-NOSED REINDEER, which first premiered on the network in 1964 (and formed a formidable double-feature with A CHARLIE BROWN CHRISTMAS), will move to NBC this year (and broadcast in its original 75-minute version). And, the Grammy Awards, which broadcast live on the network since 1968, will move to ABC/Hulu in 2027, in yet another sign of changing patterns of consuming television and profit drivers in mega-corporations that run media outlets.
-There will be an update tomorrow which will include (for those who might be curious) how I will be following the returns and how I’ll use this little platform and others to find info and vent or celebrate as necessary. Stay tuned, breathe, work.
-BUT FIRST …
-On this date in 1957, the Soviet Union flew the first living earth being – a dog named Laika – into space and Earth orbit. On this date in 1969, Richard Nixon first used the phrase “the silent majority” to describe his (and conservative) supporters. On this date in 1972, Carly Simon and James Taylor were married. On this date in 1992, Carol Moseley Braun became the first African American woman to be elected to the Senate. And on this date in 2016, the Chicago Cubs broke the longest streak between world titles in American sports history (108 years) by edging Cleveland to win the World Series.
-Debuts on this date: BARRY LYNDON (1844), the SOS distress signal (dot dot dot dash dash dash dot dot dot, 1906), Godzilla (1954), THE WIZARD OF OZ on television (1956), “Great Balls of Fire” (1957), Washington DC residents voting for President (1964), GOOD MORNING AMERICA (1975), DIFFERENT STROKES (1978), a rap record topping the Billboard charts (although it was Vanilla Ice’s “Ice Ice Baby,” so …), “I Will Always Love You” (1992), THE NANNY (1993), One World Trade Center (2014).
-Happy Birthday to Stephen F. Austin, Bronko Nagurski, Bob Feller, Charles Bronson, Osamu Tezuka, Lois Smith, Monica Vitti, Michael Dukakis, Jim Houston, Terrence McNally, Gerd Muller, Ken Holtzman, Maizie Hirono, Lulu, Tom Shales, Anna Wintour, Larry Holmes, Mike Evans, Dwight Evans, Kate Capshaw, Kathy Kinney, Adam Ant, Phil Simms, Kevin Murphy, Dolph Lundgren, Hal Hartley, Karch Kiraly, Unai Emery, Jake Shimabukuro, Colin Kaepernick, Courtney Barnett, Elizabeth Smart, and Kendall Jenner.
-Rest in Peace/Rest in Power to Annie Oakley, Henri Matisse, Eddie “Lockjaw” Davis, Dorothy Fuldheim, Mary Martin, Leon Theremin, Bob Kane, Johnathan Harris, Paul Mauriat, Matty Alou, Sondra Locke, and Ray Guy.
-Feed the Worms: Nasty ex-comedienne turned mega-obnoxious Trumpette and conspiracy theorist kook Roseanne Barr and fellow ex-comic turned right-wing whiner Dennis Miller entered Earth on this date.
-The Number One Song in the United States on this date … in 2024, “Love Somebody” by Morgan Wallen … in 2014, “All About That Bass” by Meghan Trainor … in 2004, “My Boo” by Usher and Alicia Keys … in 1994, “I’ll Make Love To You” by Boyz II Men … in 1984, “Caribbean Queen (No More Love on the Run)” by Billy Ocean … and in 1974, “You Haven’t Done Nothin’” by Stevie Wonder.