NATIONAL DOORBELL DAY UPDATES
And We Know What Those Doorbells Will Be Used For Tonight!
-If there is such a thing as momentum as the final weekend of the 2024 election arrives, it seems relatively safe to say that as of Thursday afternoon, Kamala Harris has it. Fresh off an extremely well-received speech on The Ellipse that drew an estimated 75,000 people, Harris delivered her "closing argument" that balanced economic proposals for the middle class with a request for voters to "turn the page" on Republican nominee REALLY Old REALLY Weird Convicted Felon Ex-President Trump (R-apist). Harris and her waves of allies continue to speak throughout the country, focusing on the so-called "Battleground States" amid newer polling (yeah, I know) and demographics about early voters (record-breaking in several states and reportedly 56% female) that theoretically bodes well for her.
-One can figure out where a campaign thinks they need shoring up and where they think they can press an advantage by where they campaign. Thus far, Harris' plans for the final days of the campaign have not been announced aside from a Milwaukee, WI rally tomorrow which will feature acts ranging from The Isley Brothers to MC Lyte to Cardi B - although THIS JUST IN: in a tantalizing and undoubtedly taunting move that could also tip off one of those "advantages," the Harris campaign will be hosting a Saturday rally in Tampa, FL featuring none other than Hillary Rodham Clinton. Harris will be in AZ and NV today.
-And what of Trump? WELL, his closing argument could be summarized with "I'm NOT A Nazi!" which he has been harping on ever since his now-infamous Madison Square Garden rally which echoed a similar rally held there in 1939 by, well, Nazis - and it is probably not a jump to say if the closing argument is "I'm NOT A Nazi!," you may be having problems with your campaign.
-To that end, there has also been a somewhat ridiculous kerfuffle Trump and the cable news ecosystem have been hawking for the last 24 hours or so involving ... garbage. It started, of course, with Sunday's "joke" told at the Trump rally that Puerto Rico was "a garbage pile" (paraphrased). The ramifications of that crack continue to reverberate, and Team Trump was desperate to try to change the conversation, as they like to say.
-That opportunity seemed to come to them courtesy of the winner of the 2020 Presidential election, President Joe Biden. Biden, who beat Trump in 2020, was asked about the Puerto Rico garbage comment, and as Biden is wont to do, he got a bit garbled in his message. While wanting to say the only garbage people were Trump and the people who delivered the line, Biden sort of misfired, saying "The only garbage I see floating out there is [Trump's] supporter’s… his demonization of Latinos is unconscionable, and it's un-American." Fox News sensed an opening, and released a video of Biden's quote - but cutting it off before the clarification about "demonization of Latinos" to make it appear Biden was calling Trump supporters "garbage" and to then scream BOTHSIDESBOTHSIDESBOTHSIDESARBLEBARBLE - MAGA! to try to keep their precious polling close.
-With nothing else to really run on, the Trump campaign team sprang into action. At a rally in Green Bay, WI (where Trump was preceded by former Green Bay quarterback and current welfare swindling indictee Brett Favre), the Trump plane landed in Green Bay's airport and was met by a sparkling white garbage truck (because they're "garbage" people, get it? GET IT?!?) festooned with Trump logos and flags. Trump then appeared to speak in front of the pristine garbage truck. This is an actual photo of what Trump looked like ...
-After that, Trump proceeded to the truck, and this is the footage of how well that went ... (click the link for the video!)
-Once in the truck, Trump prattled on about the kind of stuff he always prattles on about before heading to the speech, where he delivered it looking like THIS:
-Naturally, after all of this, Sean Hannity breathlessly described all of the above as "iconic!" which it could be, but not for the reasons he thinks they could be ...
-Anyhoo, with some Trump pollsters boasting to some outlets that "Kamala's circling the drain!" (uh ... no), other reports from multiple outlets are reporting internal polling is "giving (the professionals running the campaign) pause" because of an enthusiasm gap and evidence the one demographic Trump is working to increase - young white men - aren't turning out or appear to be ready to turn out in enough numbers to counter what is believed to be Harris' dominant women's vote and early vote. So one would anticipate a final blitz by Trump into the same states Harris is.
-You would anticipate ... wrongly. As this update is being completed, Trump is speaking to a gathering in the not-a-battleground-state of New Mexico (wearing the gold-and-black color scheme from last week in MI - the Proud Boys colors). On Saturday, Trump cancelled an appearance at an Ohio State/Penn State game in Happy Valley, PA, to instead appear in the also-not-a-battleground state of Virginia. There are also reports the you-guessed-it-not-a-battleground state of New Hampshire could be seeing from Trump whether they or his campaign want him to be there or not. The belief is that these are states where Trump wants to appear, and as campaign official told The Bulwark, "We're the Trump campaign: we're gonna go where the fuck we wanna go, and too bad if you don't get it!"
-But if you also think where Trump goes is moot because their real strategy is to circumvent those pesky voters and get installed through the courts ... well, you've noticed all the attacks Trump has already begun making in the battleground state of PA. There, Trump has accused several counties of electoral malfeasance despite the lack of ... oh, what's the word ... EVIDENCE ... of any kind of Democratic shenanigans anywhere in the state. Legal observers still worry that a hyperactive Supreme Court could find a way to throw out electors and votes like a similar SCOTUS did in 2000 depending on how close some states wind up being, but the social media meltdowns sure seem to tip off some of the fears being described by some in Team Trump's camp.
-Now, if you still need fresh reasons and terrors that would befall America with a new Trump regime, a few of those have emerged as part of Trump's "closing argument." There's the promise/threat of Trump BFF Elon Musk that, despite what by and large is a historically strong economy, there is a need to immediately cut $2 trillion from the federal budget (keep in mind the entire yearly cost of all the social service programs from Social Security to food stamps is $1.7 billion) and that it will cause "short-term suffering" before an even better Musk-engineered nirvana all will benefit from. There's the promise/threat that anti-vaxx doofus Robert F. Kennedy Jr. will be given control of virtually every Federal program that affects you and your body (CDC, FDA, USDA, and more).
-WE'RE NOT DONE YET!
-There's the threat/promise from would-be Speaker Mike Johnson (R-Jay-EE-Zuz!, LA) to destroy the Affordable Care Act once and for all and to be replaced by prayer and hymns or something. There's even the threat/promise that the one Judge Trump loves, Aileen "ofTrump" Cannon, is on the short list of names to become Attorney General in a new Trump regime.
-Have you been scared enough to write a few more postcards or place a few more phone calls yet? These last few days are still likely to be whiplashed, but the early numbers and energy on the ground absolutely lean Kamala's way. Do they guarantee a Harris win? Not at all - you make the case you can and then count the votes. Folks will vote the way they will vote. But it helps to keep your anxiety level.
-And, when endorsements keep flowing in for Kamala - including Arnold Schwarzenegger, The London Economist, the Las Vegas Sun, and within the last hour, Madonna and LeBron James - while Trump is working by filing a $10 billion lawsuit against CBS News claiming 60 MINUTES committed "deceptive doctoring" in their interview with Kamala Harris to make her look and sound smart just keep working, and have a little swagger while you sort out the trick or treat candy. And trust that this campaign is firing on all cylinders.
-Now to the fun trivia of the day ...
-On this date in 1517, Martin Luther posted his Ninety-five Theses, which became the foundation of the Protestant Reformation. On this date in 1922, Benito Mussolini became Prime Minister of Italy. On this date in 1941, work on Mount Rushmore was completed. On tihs date in 1963, Ed Sullivan traveled to London to watch The Beatles, paving the way for their American debut. On this date in 1968, Lyndon Johnson ordered an end to bombing of North Vietnam. And on this date in 2011, the Earth's population hit 7 billion people.
-Debuts on this date: The first black NBA player (Earl Lloyd, 1950), WHATEVER HAPPENED TO BABY JANE? (1962), Iggy Pop and The Stooges (1967), "Bohemian Rhapsody" (1975), MTV UNPLUGGED (1989), a woman officiating an NBA game (1997), STANKONIA (2000), Bitcoin (2008).
-Happy Birthday to John Keats, Juliette Gordon Low, Chiang Kai-Shek, Ethel Waters, Cal Hubbard, Dale Evans, Ken Keltner, Illinois Jacquet, Barbara Bel Geddes, Lee Grant, Astronaut Michael Collins, Dan Rather, Donald Pritzker, Eric Nesterenko, Hobie Alter, Michael Landon, Ron Rifkin, Dave McNally, David Ogden Stiers, Sally Kirkland, Brian Doyle-Murray, Stephen Rea, Deidre Hall, Frank Shorter, Jane Pauley, John Candy, Nick Saban, Ken Wahl, Brian Stokes Mitchell, Larry Mullen Jr., Peter Jackson, Dermot Mulroney, Fred McGriff, Johnny Marr, Adam "Ad-Rock" Horovitz, Annabella Lwin, Adam Schlesinger, Antonio Davis, Steve Trachsel, Piper Perabo, Marcus Rashford, and Willow Smith.
-Rest in Peace/Rest in Power to Harry Houdini, George Halas, Indira Gandhi, Joseph Campbell, Federico Fellini, River Phoenix, Ring Lardner Jr., Studs Terkel, Tammy Grimes, Willie McCovey, MF Doom, Sean Connery, and John McVay.
-Feed the Worms: mega-sexual predator Jimmy Savile and never-funny Trumper "comic" Rob Schneider entered Earth on this date.
-Vanilla Ice was born on this date. You decide if he gets a Happy Birthday or if he Feeds the Worms.