#vot trump

[abdosh1999]

(via "Trump 2024 punch" Classic T-Shirt for Sale by Abdosh1999)

[qqueenofhades]

i registered to vote for the first time ( i feel old) now that im an adult but my state has closed primary elections which i was wondering if you have an opinion about. my initial thought was that its bad because i had to register democrat (rather than my states green party which represents my beliefs more) just so i could vote between democrat candidates, which feels like being pressured into supporting the weird pseudo two party system we have. but then i looked it up and apparently a reason for this is so that people from opposing parties wont purposefully mess up the votes just so that their preferred candidates have an easier time winning, and i think that makes sense too. but is that actually the reason theyve closed it or is it just to force us dem/republican?? cause it feels strange

Okay, look. I respect the fact that you're a young person, and I appreciate that you have not only registered to vote, but plan to vote in the primaries, so I don't want to lecture you too much. That said: I am taking you out for coffee, I am sitting you down, I am looking into your eyes, and I am urgently telling you the following:

The Green Party is a scam. It is a scam. It has existed for decades in American politics as an empty shell corporation weaponizing the good intentions of young people like yourself, because all it theoretically stands for "it's good to save the planet maybe." Which is not something that any non-insane person seriously disagrees with, but there is no world in which that cause is actually furthered by registering/voting Green (you mentioned that you did vote for Democrats, which -- good, but listen to me here, youngun, okay?) It ran Jill Stein in 2016 to siphon more votes from HRC, and this election it plans to run Cornel West, a pro-Russian tankie who positively equated Bernie and Trump, as another spoiler candidate. It does not stand for "protecting the planet" or America in any real way. It has never elected a single senator or congressman, let alone a president. It stands for empty performance/grievance political theater by those people who feel too morally superior to vote for/affiliate with Democrats, often because the internet has told them that it's not Cool or Hip or Progressive enough.

If your main priority is climate/the environment, you're doing the right thing by registering as a Democrat and voting for Democrats. (Also: the adjectival form is Democratic. It is the Democratic party and Democratic candidates, otherwise you sound like the Fox News host who wrote a book literally entitled "The Democrat Party Hates America.") They are the only major party who has in fact passed major climate legislation and have made environmental justice a central tenet of their platform. As opposed to the Republicans, whose Project 2025, along with the rest of its nightmare fascist prescriptions, openly pledges to completely wreck existing climate protections and forbid any new ones, just because we weren't all dying fast enough under their death-cult rule already. That's the main logical fallacy I don't get among both the Online Leftists and the American electorate in general: "the Democrats aren't doing quite enough as I'd like, so I'll enable the active wrecking ball insane lunatics to get in power and ruin even the progress we HAVE managed to make!" Like. How does that even make sense?

On a federal level, the Greens have contributed nothing whatsoever of tangible value to American or international climate policy/legislation, environmental justice, or anything else, because as noted, they don't have any elected candidates and mostly focus on drawing voters away from Democrats. There might be plenty of good candidates on the local or city level, which -- great! Vote away for Greens if they're available, or the only other option is a Republican! But on the federal/primary level, please understand: once again, they are a scam. There is no point in affiliating yourself with them. You're welcome to register Green and vote Democratic, if that makes you feel better or if you prefer having another label next to your name, but once again, I'm telling you in my position as a salty Tumblr elder that they have done nothing but harm to the causes they claim to care about, because "environment" is such a nebulous priority and has demonstrably been hijacked to stop the American government entity, i.e. the Democrats, that is actually working to improve on it.

As for your question: nobody is "forcing" or "pressuring" you to vote in primaries. By your own admission, you made a conscious choice to register as a Democrat in order to vote for Democratic candidates. If you were just a regular registered voter of whatever party affiliation, you would vote in the general election for whatever candidate the primary process produced. But if you are sufficiently vested and committed to that process that you would like to have a say in who is running under that party label, it is not unreasonable that you would register as a member of that party. Nobody has twisted your arm behind your back and made you do so; you are taking a considerable level of initiative on your own. Likewise, open primaries can be both a good and bad thing. This falls under the "the political system we have is flawed, but we can't magically pretend it doesn't exist and act according to our own fantasyland versions of reality" thing that I keep saying over and over. So yes, if you want a role in shaping the Democratic candidates who emerge from a Democratic primary process, you will usually register as a Democrat, and nobody has forced you to do that. It's that simple.

Likewise as a general programming note: I'm trying to cut back on politics a bit right now, because I don't have the spoons/bandwidth/mental health to deal with it. I apologize. So if you've sent me a politics-related ask recently and haven't received a response, I'm not deliberately or maliciously ignoring you; I just am not able to handle it as much as usual and will have to put it on pause. However, I feel as if this is important enough to be worth saying, so, yeah.

[phoenixyfriend]

Donald Trump is facing widespread criticism over comments he made about Jewish Democratic voters.

Donald Trump: “Any Jewish person that votes for Democrats hates their religion, they hate everything about Israel, and they should be ashamed of themselves.”

On Tuesday, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer blasted Trump’s remark as “unadulterated antisemitism.”

The radio broadcast, in a later segment, discusses this with a sitting US Senator, Chris van Hollen. You can find the video and transcript here.

This is an insane thing to say, obviously, but at this point my concern and curiosity is the potential influence this has on the Dems at large and on Schumer in particular, in light of last week's shift in rhetoric.

[intothewildsstuff]

Johnson under pressure after House fails to pass GOP funding plan and Trump pushes shutdown | CNN Politics

tRump isn't part of the legislature so pussy whip Johnson shouldn't be listening to him. If the govt does end shutting down, I hope it costs them dearly at the ballot box

[the-eternal-quest-for-balance]

Maine Democrat Says Trump Votes MAY NOT COUNT, Will Disqualify Trump Vot...

[dreaminginthedeepsouth]

[Thanks Amy Siskind]

* * * *

"Bread and circuses" vs. "a debate"

September 10, 2024

Robert B. Hubbell

On Tuesday night, ABC will run an entertainment program billed as a “debate.” The notion that the event will be a “debate” in any meaningful sense is fatuous. A debate involves two parties discussing opposing views of the facts. On Tuesday, one party will be unbounded by the truth. If the past is prologue, 100% of the words spoken by Trump will be lies, and that includes the words “a,” “the,” and “and.”

There is no meaningful way for Kamala Harris to engage with a compulsive, shameless liar on the merits of contested policies. Trump doesn’t know what the contested policies are, much less the arguments supporting and against the policies. He is immune to logic. He will engage in personal attacks when Kamala Harris addresses substance in a way that “sounds” to Trump as if he is losing.

And yet, the media will judge the “bread and circuses” spectacle as if it were a debate. Since the rules of logic and persuasion cannot be applied to a pathological liar, the media will apply them to Kamala Harris alone—making any judgment about who “won” or “lost” the debate a nonsensical exercise, like asking how many oranges it takes to land on Mars.

Worse, because there will be no way to compare the substance of the answers from Harris and the lies from Trump, commentators will focus on the shiny objects that are the lifeblood of television: Appearances. How did the candidates “appear?” Did they appear “presidential?” Did they appear “aggressive?” Or angry?—A judgment commentators will reserve only for the Black female candidate. Or shrill?--A judgment commentators will reserve only for the female candidate.

You get the point. It makes little sense to watch the event on ABC as “a debate.” From Kamala Harris’s perspective, it is an opportunity to speak directly to millions of Americans who do not feel as though they know her well enough to vote for her. It will be a worthwhile effort if she can give viewers a sense of who she is as a person.

Whether the debate moderators or the media will hold Trump accountable for his lies is beyond our control, so don’t invest time or energy worrying about whether they will act as journalists or gossip columnists.

Lawrence O’Donnell’s “must watch” critique of the NYTimes

On Monday evening, Lawrence O’Donnell critiqued the NYTimes’ effort to correct its “sane-washing” of Trump's lies. As noted by O’Donnell, the Times described Trump's claim that a tariff is a “tax on foreign nations” as a “dubious proposition.”

Trump's assertion is universally rejected by economists. A tariff is not a tax on foreign nations but a sales tax paid by US consumers designed to drive up the cost of foreign goods and make them less competitive in the US market.

There is no sense in which tariffs are a tax on foreign nations—and the Times knows (or should know) that there is nothing “dubious” about that fact. It is a bald-faced lie.

It is worth ten minutes of your time to understand just how deeply the NYTimes has gone down the Trumpian rabbit hole of illogic. I promise you will not regret this investment of your time: The Last Word With Lawrence O'Donnell 9/9/24 (Start the video at 0:00; somehow, I can’t force the link to start at that point.)

The GOP is a voter suppression machine

Republicans currently control the House—by a few votes. One of the major functions of the House is to originate spending bills that fund government operations. Rather than performing their basic function as stewards of the fiscal operation of the government, Republicans are attempting to use the most recent “must pass” government funding bill to imposes a national voter suppression rider.

The rider, known as Safeguard American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) Act, imposes national “proof of citizenship” requirements. National voting eligibility has worked for 240 years without a “proof of citizenship” requirement at registration and there has been no uptick in voter fraud based on fraudulent claims of US citizenship. The SAVE Act is based on the same old Republican scaremongering designed to make it more difficult for the elderly, Black citizens, young voters, and disabled citizens to register.

Research by The Brennan Center for Justice, VoteRiders, and other organizations demonstrated that “more than 9 percent of American citizens of voting age, or 21.3 million people, don’t have proof of citizenship readily available.” See Brennan Center for Justice, Millions of Americans Don’t Have Documents Proving Their Citizenship Readily Available.

The good(?) news is that, as usual, Speaker Mike Johnson’s plan to pass a six-month continuing resolution with the SAVE Act rider isn’t going to pass. Speaker Mike Johnson’s government funding plan already crumbling with at least 6 GOP no votes | CNN Politics. The bad news is that the House will likely jam the federal government into a spending crisis before averting a shutdown at the last moment.

The point is that the House GOP caucus is taking advantage of its core function of passing budgets to shoehorn in a voter suppression bill that addresses a non-existent problem while imposing significant obstacles to the voting rights of Black Americans, the elderly, young voters, and disabled voters. The GOP can best be described as a voter suppression machine whose only purpose is to perpetuate its death grip on power. We can break that grip in November by electing Kamala Harris.

JD Vance spreads racist internet rumors

In a dark corner of the internet, a basement dwelling troll started a false rumor that Haitian immigrants in Ohio were stealing and eating the pet cats of Ohio residents and waterfowl from local parks. Local authorities in the cities where the alleged acts occurred stated that no one had reported any instance of a pet being eaten by anyone, much less than by Haitian immigrants.

The falsity of the rumor and denial by local authorities did not stop JD Vance from posting the false and racist rumor on Twitter. See Vox, JD Vance’s racist, cat-eating conspiracy theory about Haitian immigrants | Vox

At root, the claim is a racist slur against Haitian immigrants. A video posted by Keith Boykin, co-founder of the National Black Justice Coalition, explains the proud history of Haiti and the racist roots of the rumor. Keith Boykin on X: "This new lie about Haitian immigrants eating other people’s cats marks a new low for Republicans!

Of course, the racist slur has been promoted by JD Vance, Elon Musk, and Charlie Kirk, among others.

[Robert B. Hubbell Newsletter]

[eaudrey35]

Plies Reacts To Trump's Election Promise To Christians Not Having to Vot...

@glendathegoodone @iamaffscandallover Trump said it out his own mouth he isn't Christian. Yet done swindle these dumb asses out they money selling a Bible. Furthermore he telling ppl out his own mouth he will take their right to vote away. He will fix it. They won't have to vote anymore. Really. Ppl this dumb stinky HOG continues to show u exactly who he is wake up and listen

[insert-witty-user-name-here]

10+ Good Things Biden has Done: Climate & Labor Edition

Just a list of 10+ good things Biden has done in the last 4 years because I’ve been hearing too much rhetoric that it doesn’t matter who you vote for. It does make a difference. 

Find more 10+ good things here, here and here.

Rejoined the Paris Climate Accords.  

Listed more than 24 million acres of public lands across the country as environmentally protected and has channeled more than $18 billion dollars toward conservation projects. (And revoked the permit for the Keystone XL pipeline amongst others). (x)

Invested $369 billion to reduce greenhouse emissions and promote clean energy technologies through the Inflation Reduction Act. Through the tax incentives under the Inflation Reduction Act, renewable energy (such as wind, solar, and hydropower) has surpassed coal-fired generation in the electric power sector for the first time, making it the second-biggest source of energy behind natural gas. (x)

Strengthened protections against workplace assault through the Speak Out Act. (x) 

Increased protections for workers during the union bargaining process (x)

Is making it easier for passengers to obtain refunds when airlines cancel or significantly change their flights, significantly delay their bags, or fail to provide extra services when purchased. (x)  

Invested $1.2 trillion into roads, waterlines, broadband networks, airports and more allowing for more bridges, railroads, tunnels, roads, and more through the Inflation Reduction Act (which also added 670,000 jobs). (idk about you but I like driving on well maintained roads and having more rail options).  

Strengthened overtime protections for federal employees (x)

Raised the minimum wage for federal workers and contractors to $15. (x)

Strengthened protections for farmworkers by expanding the activities protected from retaliation by the National Labor Relations Act and more. (Previously anti-retaliation provisions under the National Labor Relations Act applies mostly to only U.S. citizens) (x)

Invested $80 billion for the Internal Revenue Service to hire new agents, audit the wealth, modernize its technology, and more. Additionally, created $300 billion in new revenue through corporate tax increases. (x) 

Lowered the unemployment rate to 3.5% — the lowest in 50 years.

Proposed investments in a lot of programs including universal pre-k, green energy, mental health programs across all sectors, a national medical leave program for all workers and more. (x) 

Last… let’s also not forget all the truly terrible things Trump did when he was in office. If you need a reminder, scroll this list, this one mostly for giggles + horror, for actual horror about what a Trump presidency has in store, learn about ‘Project 2025’ from the Heritage Foundation. I know this post is about reasons to vote FOR Biden but let’s not forget the many, many reasons to vote for him over Trump.

Looking for more?

10+ good things Biden has done in education and immigration and

10+ good things Biden has done in healthcare and housing

10+ good things Biden has done in the justice and courts system

A few other notes

Voting for Biden or Trump shouldn’t be the only reason you vote. You know what elections have more power over your life? LOCAL elections. If you’re not feeling jazzed about Biden… vote for someone really cool running for mayor, or your rep, or on your school board and then begrudgingly vote for Biden. 

A reminder that if someone online is trying to discourage you to vote there’s a good chance they are a paid actor to do so. Voter suppression was a well-documented tactic during the 2016 election and I’m sure the trolls are out in force again. 

Check your voter registration here, make a plan to vote, and encourage your friends to vote as well. 

All in all, yeah… there’s a lot of shitty things still happening. There’s always going to be shit but things aren’t going to change on their own. And that change starts (it certainly doesn’t end) with voting. 

Go vote in November.

[liberaleffects]

Trump: A Long history with dictators

[abdosh1999]

(via "Make america great again " Classic T-Shirt for Sale by Abdosh1999)

[buttercupkg66]

Kamala Harris falsely accuses Trump of wanting to cut Social Security at lie-filled North Carolina rally

[leontiucmarius]

Kamala Harris conduce pentru prima dată alegerile, cu un procent de 5% în fața lui Donald Trump

Sondaj IPSOS: Kamala Harris – 42%, Donald Trump – 37%. Donald Trump a propus trei dezbateri pentru Kamala Harris. Propuneri: 4 sept. – FOX, 10 sept. – NBC, 25 sept. – ABC. Lui Trump începe să-i dea serios cu minus. Pentru prima dată, Kamala Harris îl depășește cu 5%, arată un sondaj IPSOS. Kamala e creditată cu 42% din intențiile de vot, în timp ce Trump are 37%. Trump e decis să se confrunte cu…

[the-eternal-quest-for-balance]

Makes you wonder if they're planning a brokered convention, sentencing Trump to prison, then claiming there's no one to debate and just do little sound bites in ads till the election.