NATIONAL TIGHT END DAY UPDATES

Hey, EYES IN FRONT! We’re Talking About FOOTBALL Tight Ends. The Position. On the Team. On Offense. Oh, Never Mind …

-As of this morning, over 40 million voters have cast their ballots nationwide. On the surface, if one analyzes by party affiliation, Republicans may be blunting what was thought to be a huge Democratic advantage, as Democrats only hold a 42%-40% edge of those who have voted. But Democrats believe they will get an additional boost in the 18% independent vote, as evidenced by further data that indicates 55% of early voters are women, which again is believed to be good news for Kamala Harris. We will not know, but GOTV efforts continue.

-Those GOTV efforts are breaking records. In Michigan, the previous early voting record of 11,000 was beaten yesterday as over 100,000 voted – with Democrats holding a large 52%-38% edge (and 57%-43% women). Georgia continues to set new early voting records as a number of lawsuits meant to rein in officials who continue to think Joe Biden lost the 2020 election (he did not – he won) are struck down, calming some fears of vote-counting shenanigans in that state (though a MAGA House member in North Carolina openly spoke of wanting his state to simply declare Republican nominee REALLY Old REALLY Weird Convicted Felon Ex-President Trump the winner no matter what the actual vote count turns out to be).

-The campaigns continue to work to get out the vote with rallies nationally. Kamala Harris’ Texas rally featuring Beyonce, Willie Nelson (who was only singer who sang) and Senate candidate Colin Allred was seen by over 5 million people thanks to streaming and PBS coverage, and another rally yesterday in Michigan featured Michelle Obama with an impassioned plea to men to vote to protect women’s rights. Surrogates for Harris blanketed the country – Barack Obama in North Carolina, Tim Walz in Arizona, Doug Emhoff in Nevada (where the lagging Democratic early vote has started to arrive), and plans to hit every swing state every day with the exception of Tuesday, when Harris will speak at the Ellipse for “the closing argument.”

-Trump is doing the same, of course, and his appearances continue to be … well … Trumpy. The weekend started with a three-hour yap-fest with Joe Rogan that Rogan’s producers decided to simply release on Friday evening rather than hype it or even edit it. That appearance featured Trump again claiming victory in 2020 and getting laughed at by Rogan, as well as an odd discursion in which Trump again complained about wind turbines and how it might be helpful to become … a whale psychiatrist … to help them with their trauma.

-The interview went so long that Trump was then several hours late for an appearance at a rally in Traverse City, Michigan. When he finally arrived there – long after the Harris rally ended – he came with different music (the theme from WWE wrestler The Undertaker, a variation of the traditional funeral march) and a different look – a black cap with gold MAGA lettering, and a gold tie with a black overcoat. Commentators noted that black and gold is the color scheme of the Proud Boys, the MAGA gang who helped create the 2021 insurrection.

-Trump is also preparing what aides call one of his dreams: a rally in Madison Square Garden this afternoon. Polling and early voting is showing Trump will be routed in his birth state, and the fact that no elected Republican official will be appearing backs that up. Instead, the event will be a carnival of Trump/MAGA clowns, and is apparently being done as much for Trump’s ego than it is tactical reasons.

-The speaker list for this extravaganza includes Mini-Me Veep JD Vance, new MAGAGOP member Tulsi Gabbard, bear-eating freak Robert F. Kennedy Jr., disgraced bankrupted ex-attorney Rudy Giuliani, spanking fetishist Tucker Carlson, UFC musclehead Dana White, right-hand ghoul Stephen Miller, and failsons Donald Trump Jr. and Eric “Eric” Trump and their wimmins.

-That event makes one comment from Trump yesterday all the more intriguing. At a rally in Pennsylvania that was curtained off to try to make the venue look fuller only to have it half-filled at best – and as has become customary seeing a significant number of rallygoers leave in mid-spew, Trump took a moment out and observed, “This was the greatest movement … It’s now coming to an end. It’s sad.”

-Over 160,000 people are believed to have cancelled their Washington Post subscriptions, including Liz Cheney (R-Still A Cheney) after owner Jeff Bezos vetoed the editorial board’s recommendation to endorse Kamala Harris over fears that Bezos may imperil government contracts should the Post endorse and Trump regain power. Bezos has been rightfully criticized over this lack of cowardice, with many ominously noting that the signal to bend the waist to Trump is a tell-tale message to other mega-billionaires to acquiesce to Trump and what in all likelihood would be autocratic rule if it came to that – WHICH IT HAS NOT BY A LONG SHOT.

-It should also be noted that the news staff and other members of the Washington Post have reported on the Bezos decision and, while the original editorial has not been printed, have expressed both their anger at their owner and their clear editorial opinion on the race. Venerable Post alumni Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein have expressed their anger, Post political cartoonist Ann Telades created a black-streaked abstract art work in reaction, and columnist Alexandra Petri wrote a pointed and entertaining column with the hard-to-misinterpret title “It Has Fallen To Me, The Humor Columnist, To Endorse Harris for President.”

-Meanwhile, in election news from the country of Georgia, it appears protests and unrest are going to erupt as the pro-democracy party there believes the pro-Putin ruling party has committed election fraud in order to stay in power. International observers are reporting the elections were marred by numerous “violations” as the incumbent Georgia Dream party (you can’t make this stuff up) assert a win with 54% of the national vote.

-Iran condemned Israel for three waves of aerial bombardments yesterday, mostly against military sites, which Israel said was retaliation for missile attacks against Israel earlier this month. Thus far, Iran has responded with anger and rhetoric but not a military counter-strike, as it and the rest of the world hold their breath awaiting the American election (and, as some cynically believe, the Israeli strikes was an in-kind donation to Trump by ally Benjamin Netanyahu).

-In Sportsball News, the Los Angeles Dodgers held home field and head to New York with a 2-0 World Series lead against the New York Yankees. Game One featured what could become an iconic moment when Freddie Freeman hit a two-out, two-run 10^th inning Grand Slam that brought the Dodgers from behind for a 6-3 win. Game Two was a 4-2 Dodgers win that has led to Dodger Nation holding their breath as ultra-superstar Shohei Ohtani injured his shoulder attempting to steal a base in the 8^th inning. It is believed his shoulder was briefly dislocated, and while he left the field in pain, initial reports appear that the injury will not prevent him from playing when Game Three begins on Monday.

-With a schedule change and Election Day down to single digits, look for extra posts as we head into and out of November 5. Breathe, work, laugh – this is looking decent, folks. All gas, no brakes, when we vote we win, and all the rest!

-BUT FIRST …

-On this date in 1954, “Disneyland” became the first Walt Disney produced television show to air. On this date in 1962, the  Soviet Union agreed to remove nuclear missiles from Cuba, ending the Cuban Missile Crisis. On this date in 1964, Sonny Bono married Cher. On this date in 1975, Bruce Springsteen appeared on the covers of TIME and NEWSWEEK. On this date in 2004, the Boston Red Sox ended “the Curse of the Bambino” and won a World Series for the first time in 86 years – and its fandom became just as arrogant and insufferable as Yankee fans. On this date in 2006, the last Ford Taurus rolled off the assembly line.

-Debuts on this date: barbed wire (1873), the New York City subway (1904), YOUYOU’RE YOUR LIFE (1947), REBEL WITHOUT A CAUSE (1955), the Saturn rocket (1961), TALKING BOOK (1972), 1999 (1982), St. Vincent and the Grenadine Islands (1989), BACK TO BLACK (2006), 1989 (2014).

-Happy Birthday to Isaac Singer, Theodore Roosevelt, Fred de Cordova, Dylan Thomas, Oliver Tambo, Teresa Wright, Nanette Fabray, Ralph Kiner, Ruby Dee, Roy Lichtenstein, Sylvia Plath, John Cleese, Maxine Hong Kingston, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, Ivan Reitman, Terry Anderson, Gary Tellent, Fran Lebowitz, Jayne Kennedy, K.K. Dowling, Ted Wass, Roberto Benigni, Peter Firth, Simon Le Bon, Rick Carlisle, Marla Maples, Scott Weiland, Brady Quinn, Kelly Osbourne, and Lonzo Ball.

-Rest in Peace/Rest in Power to Tony Hulman, Ugo Tognazzi, Xavier Cugat, Frank De Vol, Joe Niekro, Terry Callier, Lou Reed, Ntozake Shange, and Bob Ferry.

-Feed the Worms: H.R. Haldeman, John Gotti, Lee Greenwood, and Matt Drudge entered Earth on this date. Father Charles Coughlin bought in on this date.

-The Number One Nonfiction Book in America on this date … in 2024, WAR by Bob Woodward … in 2014, KILLING PATTON by Bill O’Reilly and Martin Dugard (likely misplaced from the fiction list) … in 2004, AMERICA: THE BOOK by Jon Stewart and The Writing Staff of THE DAILY SHOW … in 1994, BARBARA BUSH: A MEMOIR by Barbara Bush … in 1984, LOVING EACH OTHER by Leo Buscaglia … and in 1974, ALL THE PRESIDENT’S MEN by Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein (sigh).