Powerfully said, Lucian, and very, very well said as well. Thank you! I’ve been aghast at some of the post debate commentary in the MSM being as shallow and vapid as it’s been. Last night was truly about people’s lives and freedoms, not who sounded more polished or was able to blatantly ignore the truth.
The country fell for Reagan because he was a smooth polished speaker and he said one thing and did another. Trump isn't nearly as polished but Vance is. Surprising how many thought Vance won because he was exhibiting that smooth polish. I could be smooth and polished too if I could lie without consequences. Just listening to a debate isn't enough, it requires thought about the answers too.
Reagan screwed America so much. We are feeling the repercussions to this day. He started the culture wars and enlisted the Christian right to politicize their animosity towards diversity. He shifted tax burdens away from his affluent friends and supporters and onto the backs of the middle and lower classes. He surreptitiously employed dog whistle racist tropes like the (implied) Black "welfare queen" stereotype. He twiddled his thumbs while AIDS emerged since it mostly afflicted the gay population. He tripled the national debt with his firehose funding of the aerospace industry for a boondoggle technology that was not feasible then and is still not achievable forty years later. Fiscal responsibility, my ass. The reason we pay federal income tax on Social Security benefits? Guess who. Fucking asshole.
The Reagan administration deserves plenty of credit, but the "culture wars" got seriously underway during the Nixon administration. Remember the "southern strategy" that flipped the white South Republican? Remember the white evangelical and Catholic backlash to Roe v. Wade? They helped power the Reagan administration. And don't forget the union-busting fervor of the '80s. Unfortunately much of the U.S. labor movement was so deluded by the "communist menace" that they didn't see that the big threat was coming from the right. Oh yeah, and I almost forgot how surplus military weapons wound up in the hands of police departments across the country . . .
I hadn't realized that it was Reagan's administration started taxing Social Security, probably because I was in my thirties and spent the first three years of that miserable administration drunk.
this canonization of Reagan has always struck me as, well...WEIRD.
The right has canonized him, rightly to them but unjustifiably if you look at what he did objectively. He got credit for helping accelerate the dissolution of the USSR, but he did it by wasting hundreds of billions of dollars, at least, on bullshit death ray crap that is still not possible 40 years later. His military-industrial spending spree tripled the national debt, and yet the conservatives laud him as a "fiscal conservative." Such blatant horseshit.
That was the problem with the Trump-Biden debate too. Being a polished liar does not a good president make, and let us be clear, JD Vance is preparing to replace Trump, not in 4 years, but as soon as they get into office he will be using Article 25 to claim that Trump is incompetent. However, JD Vance has no experience in government, he lies, he is also making this country less safe for his wife and children and in-laws with his racist anti-immigrant rhetoric. So, we are headed for one of two sociopathic men being our president, or a balanced stable, experienced, capable woman or man.
We live in a red county in Southern Appalachia. The people are not wealthy and suffer from GOP policies. Trump signs are everywhere.
Reason: The preachers teach that “fetuses have souls”, so even unwanted babies should be born.
Liberals and Democrats wear masks, Republicans don’t, even though Covid is back. People whisper to the head of our Democratic party that they are “closet Democrats”,
because Liberals are seen in a very negative light. “Christian” preachers are spreaders of dangerous dogmas. (And their congregations pay them)!
Even the non-churchgoers are suspicious of educated people.
There’s a deep dislike of affluent people though they support the contractors, fund the charities which feed people and fight domestic violence.
It’s an old story. Trump is anti-immigrant, popular stance, though the crops here would not be harvested if we had no Hispanic people. Has anyone noticed that ethnic foods are very popular, but not the folks who create and serve them? Negativity plays better than optimism and inclusion.
There are lots of artists here: an Artists’ Residency Center, craftspeople , and a local Democratic Party full
optimism (I am pretty pessimistic now, so I love optimists) I have never “fit in” in my adult life.So you “find your people”, enjoy Mother Nature’s generous gifts, and savor being alive, even in scary times.
I am 77 and in my youth I naively thought good will and love would prevail. Plants and Animals are now my “salvation.”
It’s The Hambidge Center for Creative Arts and Sciences and residents come from all over the world. Sitting and thinking is fine, no product is required.
Sometimes the city folks are not used to night noises, the DARK, and the solitude and the QUIET Some are totally freaked if a big bug gets inside their cabin. Most are so happy to be left alone to follow their dreams. Hikes in the woods open doors!
I remember when many hated JFK and the Liberal intellectuals.
States have vouchers for those wishing to send children to private schools, and public education is not well funded, though the brave souls who teach are usually not well paid. In Europe a professor would be offered a great seat in a restaurant as a sign of respect.
Cynical selling of “news” for profit and the monetizing of the networks contributes to news slanted toward the dire and the negative.
Here we honor athletes and stupid and vapid celebrities.
If you can’t think, you believe negative fake statistics.
Throughout Asia is where educators on every level are afforded great respect. It's a cultural thing that relates to the closeness of their families. They trust educators to be an extension of the students' parents. It is how educators became known as a profession second only to motherhood.
Yes, some educators ar3 revered in other parts of the world but those are exceptions. On the whole Euros, North and South Americans do not respect educators. Study after study have affirmed that. The only 2 nations outside of Asia that shows respect for educators are:
Your last sentence speaks volumes. Obviously, Kamala Harris speaks and embodies joy, hopefulness, optimism, and concern for all. And yet trump's doom and gloom lies play so well.
So emblematic of the rural mentality many others have postulated about. If they could only see how they are and have been cruelly used by the Repubs/conservatives.
Wm. Randolph Hearst, the first major US news publisher coined the phrase...'if it bleeds, it leads. This was after he observed that horrific incidents were the ones that grabbed more attention, which meant more profit! And most big publishers make that biggest part of how they function. “[The assignment desk] said to the cameraman ‘You shoot the scene, you shoot the blood, you shoot the victims, whatever they got, and you can do it in 20 seconds.” Layla Jones, Philadelphia Inquirer reporter. Not that many Americans have traveled abroad. Understandable due to costs but that, along with the not so great public education system has created a broad gap in knowledge. News tends to be fear based because that equals greater profits. According to a report done by ColorOfChange, “local news stations are representing 3 out of every 4 criminals as Black (75%), when the NYPD’s actual Black arrest rate is only 2 out of 4 people (51%).” We have become our own worst enemies. In an annual crime poll done by Gallup, over 50% of people believe there has been more crime than in previous years since 2001. This statistic does not align with FBI statistics that show that crime rates have mostly dropped. American history shows pilgrims who came to America, fleeing from political oppression and lack of opportunities due to a deeply entrenched system of power over rather than power with. Unfortunately, as national and international challenges rise, and the American education system falters, US citizens continue to make choices that are based on misinformation. In an annual crime poll done by Gallup, over 50% of people believe there has been more crime than in previous years since 2001. This statistic does not align with FBI statistics that show that crime rates have mostly dropped. These incorrect statistics most likely stem from the fact that increased amounts of crime reporting has led people to believe that there are increased amounts of crime. More specifically, the amount of crime reporting done over news broadcasts does not accurately represent the amount of crime occuring.
Literally lived through and directly observed the right-wing coup d'etat in Greece, listen to her! There are other reasons, but that's one very powerful one.
Fuck yes it matters! It MATTERS that corporations like FOX “news” have the so-called right to spread lies to the American people but obviously not to spread lies about another corporation selling voter machines. I’m so sick of this SHIT!
And do you truly believe that MSNBC, CNN, and the other MSM always tell the truth and never slant their presentations?
You are correct, the debate matters and candidly, Governor Walz and Senator Vance were far superior to both Mr. Trump and VP Harris. I would greatly enjoy seeing them go at again.
No, we aren’t stupid however, and it’s a BIG FUCKING HOWEVER, whatever your definition is of “slant,” it DEFINITELY differs from mine if yours includes outright lies. We need to expand the rights of our people to somehow, some way, protect US against the ill gotten gains of greedy LIARS.
Their stupidity is a rather minor problem. To me, the real problem is that millions of people in this country are just plain EVIL. They are willfully ignorant, bigoted, cruel, vicious monsters. They take pleasure is seeing others suffering, hurt, humiliated, dying. They dream of how t-Rump will restore white Christian supremacy, which will instantly solve all their problems and crush all the people they hate. Really, trumpsters are SO much worse than merely stupid!
Ha! Ms. Howard, try to imagine living in an area where Trump got 70% of the vote in 2020, after watching the lecherous old lunatic for four years, which was more than 2016...
You would never trust this country to ever do anything right.
I don't know. I'm afraid of asking my relatives back east. Some of them are religious. I don't speak to my brother, who lives here. I live in a very mixed community, where the right wing is defined as property developers and the politicians they support. But said politicians are solidly blue, just not the ones for which you would dream of voting. Bigoted, no, but greedy, oh my. And greed leads to cruelty and viciousness. So I don't know.
I love your reporting - right on, as always. Thank you!
Below is the letter to the Editor WaPO I just wrote. We have to hold the media/press to account. They play a big role in what is endangering our democracy.
"You take a tiny tiny sample of “undecided” voters and morph that into a large headline about who “won” the debate, making it clear that Vance did.
An accurate report would have been to explain clearly (headline included since that’s all that many people read) how many undecideds were deluded and fell for the trap Vance set: coming across with a persona — moderate, genial, willing to compromise — that bears no relation to how he conducts himself outside of the debate. He spoke about policies and positions that bear no relation to the positions he and Trump hold and espouse (for example, "I’ve never said I favor a national ban on abortion"). Most of his attacks on Harris/Walz bear no relation to fact (for example Harris immigration policy for migrants all the guns to our country).
You know that he continually lied and misled the public throughout the debate. How can you possibly report that as winning? The people who said he “won” the debate couldn’t have an accurate opinion when not only did the moderators not fact check (leaving that entire, impossible task to Walz) but by your phrasing of the question, you implied that its an all or nothing deal — someone can win no matter how much they lie and deceive. Among other things, this is lousy journalism.
You are helping to create the darkness in which our democracy could perish. You can and must do better - way better."
Nice letter to WAPO. I about came unglued when Vance made the statement that migrants were bringing in the guns killing kids/people. I was screaming at the television that no it's the MFing gun lobby and manufactures that are killing all of us along with republican congress not supporting gun legislation and reform. BTW, I dropped my subscription to WAPO and NYT's a while back.
Then you missed this piece in wapo yesterday: 'Trump mixes up words, swerves among subjects in off-topic speech'
'He did not mention Tuesday’s vice-presidential debate or his running mate, Sen. JD Vance (R-Ohio), […] until an hour and 20 minutes into the news conference when he was directly asked what advice he had given Vance.
Uh, in the context of this piece, "winning" the debate means winning the most votes among the panelists. The panelists chose vance 14-8. The article was only about the panelists' reactions. It is the latest in an instructive series on these folks' reactions to big events. Did you write to wapo about the other five pieces covering the debate now listed as news on the website?—that's not counting any listed as opinion.
Perfect example. When Ted Koppel did his election special from the Wisconsin State Fair, he asked one lady why she was voting for Mr. Trump. The lady basically told him that Mr. Trump was a horrible human being and she wouldn't let him into her home. That said, she felt that Mr. Trump would improve her life over the next 4 years and VP Harris would not. She felt that VP Harris was all about social give-a-way programs as opposed to programs that help people become more educated and more capable of growing their lives. It's not so much about "likeability," it's about voting for the person who will do the best job, whether it's for President, Senator, Congressman, or local Board of Supervisors. I know people who totally vote with their wallets and pick the candidate who will make their life economically better. I've voted split tickets since the early 70's because candidate quality means something. The person at the top of the ticket might be pretty solid but if the downstream Senatorial candidate is a walking, talking disaster, I am not voting for them.
Absolutely, split your ticket and vote for the best candidate. That lady Koppel interviewed, however, has succumbed to the conservative trope of "giveaway." If she had paid closer attention to what Harris actually has said, the VP has articulated plans to help people start small businesses, get an education, help improve the chance of owning a home. How in the world would Project 2025 and living in a dictatorship improve her life? Ludicrous. I would bet that lady opposed President Biden's student loan forgiveness program. Education is about the best way to "grow their lives."
I have heard this sentiment from others, even liberals: “I busted my ass to pay my tuition/student loans, so why do these kids now get a freebie?” For me, I got my degrees almost 40 years ago. Tuitions have gone up disproportionately. I know people in their mid forties who still owe after 20 years. It’s a direct way to help someone to advance. Notice also how the conservatives have vilified helping people advance themselves as “giveaways” while hiding tax cuts and loopholes for centimillionaires and billionaires
Who wouldn’t want an educated populace? Many if not most advanced countries have low cost or free college for their people.
Not here. Nope. Calling education for our people as a “giveaway” is mostly spewed by wealthy white men (or the willfully ignorant) who have little concept of how much privilege they have just by being born a white man as if they “earned” that by being born and many use that privilege as a weapon to oppress others. It’s disgusting.
Almost ashamed to admit it, but I got a degree from a well respected state university where my expenses for textbooks was almost the same as my tuition expenses. The feeling was back then at "land grant universities" like mine was that higher education costs should be as reasonable as possible in order to produce a better educated populace.
Candidly, I don't think this Project 2025 business would ever go anywhere even if Mr. Trump happened to squeak out a win. As long as the Democrats control one of the Houses of Congress, it won't get very far because there are moderates on both sides of the aisle who will keep nonsense from being passed.
Don’t be so sure. The new party of Trump has no room for moderates. And those who oppose Trump, not even moderates, have either quit or been primary-ed. The fact that the Heritage Foundation is so open with their oppressive plan is because they know it can work.
My concern is the way VP Harris is articulating these plans in whatever is her accent de jour (I have no idea why she does that, it sounds insulting to others), it comes across as "I am giving your money away to people who didn't earn their way." Obviously she doesn't mean to sound that way but that's how it comes across. As for student loan forgiveness, that's a tough nut. I worked three part time jobs all through college (way back in the day) so when I graduated, I did not have any student debt. The problem is not the kid who went to a public school and owes $25K or less. It's the kid who went to some private liberal arts college, majored in East Asian Art Appreciation, racked up $200K in student debt and can't find a job paying more than $35K a year and now that kid wants their student loans forgiven. You can see why people are more willing to forgive the debt of a kid with Ph.D. in physics, chemistry, or nanotechnology who is really contributing as opposed to someone who went to a party school so they could get an easy "A". Tough nut to crack for sure.
We have allowed MSM to grow into 24/7 behemoths with no accountability other than to their shareholders. When they were responsible for the truthfulness of their broadcasts they paid far more attention to delivering the truth. The Supreme Court let them off that hook. Any of the MSM operations on TV are very expensive to operate, take MSNBC for example, I watch a lot of it, the hosts of their shows are very well paid as they should be, everything that gets on air is polished, for every person we see on TV there are probably 50 that we don’t see, maybe a lot more. All of those people need to be paid, so they sell advertising spots to people with a lot of money, “just ask your Dr.” all of that means that they are always chasing the money, all of them are, right now the polling we are made aware of is mostly about politics, but normally its about the success of ad campaigns. Profit drives everything from the drug companies, with hundreds of PhD’s that all need to be paid well, to the executive suites at the networks, they are all looking over their shoulders at their stockholders who want to see a return on their gamble. Politicians from both sides use this to promote their ideas, some we like some we hate. With one party lying every time they open their mouths we can’t expect any support for the truth to come from their side, it’s not going to happen. If Kamala wins and we decisively take back the house, along with increase our majority in the senate, maybe we can pass some legislation to address this problem, the nation would be better off if we can. What we saw last night was an audition for 2028, a slick liar who fits nicely with the repugnantkin play book. We saw Rupert pay $787.5 million so that he wouldn’t have to testify under oath to the lies his network promoted, while he no doubt hated paying it, if he hasn’t made it back already, he will soon enough. Most people have no idea how much money is sloshing around in the media sphere, which has its own self perpetuating agenda with a lot of people feeding at the trough. We all want our “fuck you” money, I’d be willing to bet that none of the maggots standing behind the insipid orange turd at his rallies have got theirs, but if you turn on your TV that is not the case for the people you see.
Something about our populace, or at least a fair slice of it, has enabled Fox to be the behemoth it is. Fox stopped broadcasting in UK some years ago due to low interest. Haha, less enraged racist whackadoodles there than here, apparently.
Read the foreign press and stop reading/watching Fox, CNN, MSNBC and the rest of the American MSM. The closest American publication that's worth something is Politico. While note the greatest, they are far superior to any of the talking heads and pretty faces on TV. The foreign press is great because they are what I call equal opportunity floggers. If an elected official screws up, they don't care what their Party is, they criticize the crap out of them.
check in with some of the reliablen non profit think tanks, which the most informed journalists consult... Pew Research, the Brennan Center for Justice... The Guardian is a source respected by some of the non sensational journalists.
Lucian, thanks for your spot-on assessment of the candidates and of the non-debate. It was performance art, with earnest good intentions by Walz and Oscar-winning acting by Vance, a slick operator and convincing liar.
Let's do everything we can to support Democrats up and down the ballot! Volunteer, donate, use social media, talk w/ unmotivated, uncertain potential voters, etc. If we want a decent and democratic country to live in, we must get out the Democratic vote. Being a Democrat is good, but it doesn't count unless you're a Democrat who votes.
Everything you point out are the things that matter. The sad and frightening thing, I'm afraid, is too many Americans won't get it. They saw two actors on a stage, one more polished than the other. That the polished one is a liar, shape shifter and apologist for a would-be dictator may slip right by them.
I don't want to be a pessimist. Hopefully enough viewers saw through the smoke of Vance's smooth deceptions, this debate will have little effect on the outcome, and Harris will win. But I had trouble sleeping, wishing it had been more of a slam dunk. He's a smart bastard, Vance, I'll give him that. Scarier than Trump in a way. And if Trump wins and dies, that'll be what we get. President Vance. Think about that and shudder.
I, too, am concerned. I couldn't stomach the entire debate. Sadly, too many folks do not pay attention to the message. Vance's presentation may have been slicker and smoother in certain parts, but the fact that Vance lied and mislead in his responses certainly matters. The Maga crowd doesn't care if trump and Vance lie. They just want to tear down, blow up the government, and mistreat or do harm to immigrants. As long as they think their side wins, they don't hear the lies. If trump wins, the 25th Amendment will be on the table before he even knows what's happening. He is a useful idiot for the time being. Trump is difficult to manage. He vomits nonsense. It' has been reported that he passes gas, smells bad, and is an embarrassment. Vance is damaged. He's greedy and vile. That makes him very dangerous. President Vance - that does make me shudder!
Wonder how much of an impact it will have…I wish people and media would step back and understand it’s not about performance - it’s about substance…and that Mr V didn’t answer questions and tried to soft sell the MAGA line…well, anyway… Coach did fine…he spoke from his heart and that mattered a whole lot to me.
No, none of these things matter to Vance or Trump. Another great piece Lucian , and great comments as well. Nothing I can add to it except noting the remarkable lack of compassion and empathy in the Republican heart.
Does it matter that Democrats, , EVEN A FOOTBALL COACH, seem incapable of nailing Republican liars. I saw Walls making notes while Vance spoke. When it was his turn to rebut Vance why didn't he say something like. " PTBB, PTBB, PTBB, PTBB, PTBB. You mentioned the negative effects of migrants 5 time in your last 2 minutes. So every time you try to spread migrant related disinformation I'm going to respond with PTBB, Pass the Border Bill. You Republicans are bigger on talking than doing. The bi-partisan border bill is sitting in the House because the Republicans are too afraid to cross a mentally challenged old man in Florida. The oldest candidate for president in the nation's history. Want to do something about the migrants, pass the border bill. And get used to it because you probably will hear that a lot tonight. The speaker needs to call the House back in session so that they can authorize emergency relief funds for those hit by the hurricane. Oh, there's no problem with climate change. When the Republican House members come back they can Pass The Border Bill.
There should be categories for how we determine a debate “winner.” Who was the slickest salesman? Vance, of course, and congrats to those who now own a nice bottle of snake oil. Who is the best liar? Vance, hands down. Most dangerous deceiver? Again, Vance. Who spoke authentically and from the heart, and had the best interest of the voters in mind? Well, that was Tim Walz. The truth matters.
Powerfully said, Lucian, and very, very well said as well. Thank you! I’ve been aghast at some of the post debate commentary in the MSM being as shallow and vapid as it’s been. Last night was truly about people’s lives and freedoms, not who sounded more polished or was able to blatantly ignore the truth.
The country fell for Reagan because he was a smooth polished speaker and he said one thing and did another. Trump isn't nearly as polished but Vance is. Surprising how many thought Vance won because he was exhibiting that smooth polish. I could be smooth and polished too if I could lie without consequences. Just listening to a debate isn't enough, it requires thought about the answers too.
Reagan screwed America so much. We are feeling the repercussions to this day. He started the culture wars and enlisted the Christian right to politicize their animosity towards diversity. He shifted tax burdens away from his affluent friends and supporters and onto the backs of the middle and lower classes. He surreptitiously employed dog whistle racist tropes like the (implied) Black "welfare queen" stereotype. He twiddled his thumbs while AIDS emerged since it mostly afflicted the gay population. He tripled the national debt with his firehose funding of the aerospace industry for a boondoggle technology that was not feasible then and is still not achievable forty years later. Fiscal responsibility, my ass. The reason we pay federal income tax on Social Security benefits? Guess who. Fucking asshole.
The Reagan administration deserves plenty of credit, but the "culture wars" got seriously underway during the Nixon administration. Remember the "southern strategy" that flipped the white South Republican? Remember the white evangelical and Catholic backlash to Roe v. Wade? They helped power the Reagan administration. And don't forget the union-busting fervor of the '80s. Unfortunately much of the U.S. labor movement was so deluded by the "communist menace" that they didn't see that the big threat was coming from the right. Oh yeah, and I almost forgot how surplus military weapons wound up in the hands of police departments across the country . . .
I hadn't realized that it was Reagan's administration started taxing Social Security, probably because I was in my thirties and spent the first three years of that miserable administration drunk.
this canonization of Reagan has always struck me as, well...WEIRD.
The right has canonized him, rightly to them but unjustifiably if you look at what he did objectively. He got credit for helping accelerate the dissolution of the USSR, but he did it by wasting hundreds of billions of dollars, at least, on bullshit death ray crap that is still not possible 40 years later. His military-industrial spending spree tripled the national debt, and yet the conservatives laud him as a "fiscal conservative." Such blatant horseshit.
Actually it started before that but I know what you mean.
You might find this article about Reagan interesting: What if Ronald Reagan’s Presidency Never Really Ended?https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2024/09/16/reagan-his-life-and-legend-max-boot-book-review.
So quick with his lies as if he believed them in that moment. Where Trump is messy, Vance is calculated.
And that makes Vance that much more dangerous, controlled and funded as he is by his hi-tech "bros."
Chilling.
That was the problem with the Trump-Biden debate too. Being a polished liar does not a good president make, and let us be clear, JD Vance is preparing to replace Trump, not in 4 years, but as soon as they get into office he will be using Article 25 to claim that Trump is incompetent. However, JD Vance has no experience in government, he lies, he is also making this country less safe for his wife and children and in-laws with his racist anti-immigrant rhetoric. So, we are headed for one of two sociopathic men being our president, or a balanced stable, experienced, capable woman or man.
We live in a red county in Southern Appalachia. The people are not wealthy and suffer from GOP policies. Trump signs are everywhere.
Reason: The preachers teach that “fetuses have souls”, so even unwanted babies should be born.
Liberals and Democrats wear masks, Republicans don’t, even though Covid is back. People whisper to the head of our Democratic party that they are “closet Democrats”,
because Liberals are seen in a very negative light. “Christian” preachers are spreaders of dangerous dogmas. (And their congregations pay them)!
Even the non-churchgoers are suspicious of educated people.
There’s a deep dislike of affluent people though they support the contractors, fund the charities which feed people and fight domestic violence.
It’s an old story. Trump is anti-immigrant, popular stance, though the crops here would not be harvested if we had no Hispanic people. Has anyone noticed that ethnic foods are very popular, but not the folks who create and serve them? Negativity plays better than optimism and inclusion.
There are lots of artists here: an Artists’ Residency Center, craftspeople , and a local Democratic Party full
optimism (I am pretty pessimistic now, so I love optimists) I have never “fit in” in my adult life.So you “find your people”, enjoy Mother Nature’s generous gifts, and savor being alive, even in scary times.
I am 77 and in my youth I naively thought good will and love would prevail. Plants and Animals are now my “salvation.”
I hope musicians too among the artists. ;-)
Musicians, Mathematicians, Scientists, potters, weavers….
It’s The Hambidge Center for Creative Arts and Sciences and residents come from all over the world. Sitting and thinking is fine, no product is required.
Sometimes the city folks are not used to night noises, the DARK, and the solitude and the QUIET Some are totally freaked if a big bug gets inside their cabin. Most are so happy to be left alone to follow their dreams. Hikes in the woods open doors!
Hambridge—what a terrific resource. Yes, that would go a long way toward making what you first described bearable.
Yes! Music has charms to soothe the savage breast.
I remember when many hated JFK and the Liberal intellectuals.
States have vouchers for those wishing to send children to private schools, and public education is not well funded, though the brave souls who teach are usually not well paid. In Europe a professor would be offered a great seat in a restaurant as a sign of respect.
Cynical selling of “news” for profit and the monetizing of the networks contributes to news slanted toward the dire and the negative.
Here we honor athletes and stupid and vapid celebrities.
If you can’t think, you believe negative fake statistics.
Throughout Asia is where educators on every level are afforded great respect. It's a cultural thing that relates to the closeness of their families. They trust educators to be an extension of the students' parents. It is how educators became known as a profession second only to motherhood.
Yes, some educators ar3 revered in other parts of the world but those are exceptions. On the whole Euros, North and South Americans do not respect educators. Study after study have affirmed that. The only 2 nations outside of Asia that shows respect for educators are:
-NZ and wait for it
-Ru
Your last sentence speaks volumes. Obviously, Kamala Harris speaks and embodies joy, hopefulness, optimism, and concern for all. And yet trump's doom and gloom lies play so well.
So emblematic of the rural mentality many others have postulated about. If they could only see how they are and have been cruelly used by the Repubs/conservatives.
Wm. Randolph Hearst, the first major US news publisher coined the phrase...'if it bleeds, it leads. This was after he observed that horrific incidents were the ones that grabbed more attention, which meant more profit! And most big publishers make that biggest part of how they function. “[The assignment desk] said to the cameraman ‘You shoot the scene, you shoot the blood, you shoot the victims, whatever they got, and you can do it in 20 seconds.” Layla Jones, Philadelphia Inquirer reporter. Not that many Americans have traveled abroad. Understandable due to costs but that, along with the not so great public education system has created a broad gap in knowledge. News tends to be fear based because that equals greater profits. According to a report done by ColorOfChange, “local news stations are representing 3 out of every 4 criminals as Black (75%), when the NYPD’s actual Black arrest rate is only 2 out of 4 people (51%).” We have become our own worst enemies. In an annual crime poll done by Gallup, over 50% of people believe there has been more crime than in previous years since 2001. This statistic does not align with FBI statistics that show that crime rates have mostly dropped. American history shows pilgrims who came to America, fleeing from political oppression and lack of opportunities due to a deeply entrenched system of power over rather than power with. Unfortunately, as national and international challenges rise, and the American education system falters, US citizens continue to make choices that are based on misinformation. In an annual crime poll done by Gallup, over 50% of people believe there has been more crime than in previous years since 2001. This statistic does not align with FBI statistics that show that crime rates have mostly dropped. These incorrect statistics most likely stem from the fact that increased amounts of crime reporting has led people to believe that there are increased amounts of crime. More specifically, the amount of crime reporting done over news broadcasts does not accurately represent the amount of crime occuring.
I don't believe it's only 'rural'... to me, the term that 'fits'..is uneducated...
What do you do for relief?
Churches really need to be taxed as they are truly powerful PACs.
Should be stapled on the doors of every evangelical and Catholic Church door.
^^^^^
Literally lived through and directly observed the right-wing coup d'etat in Greece, listen to her! There are other reasons, but that's one very powerful one.
Sadly, like the Biden & Harris debates, last night's debate was more about HOW they debated, not necessarily WHAT they said.
Fuck yes it matters! It MATTERS that corporations like FOX “news” have the so-called right to spread lies to the American people but obviously not to spread lies about another corporation selling voter machines. I’m so sick of this SHIT!
And do you truly believe that MSNBC, CNN, and the other MSM always tell the truth and never slant their presentations?
You are correct, the debate matters and candidly, Governor Walz and Senator Vance were far superior to both Mr. Trump and VP Harris. I would greatly enjoy seeing them go at again.
Hey S Malone,
No, we aren’t stupid however, and it’s a BIG FUCKING HOWEVER, whatever your definition is of “slant,” it DEFINITELY differs from mine if yours includes outright lies. We need to expand the rights of our people to somehow, some way, protect US against the ill gotten gains of greedy LIARS.
The answer to all your "Does it matter?" questions is No -- not to the fools who can't think, read, evaluate.
We live amongst morons.
Their stupidity is a rather minor problem. To me, the real problem is that millions of people in this country are just plain EVIL. They are willfully ignorant, bigoted, cruel, vicious monsters. They take pleasure is seeing others suffering, hurt, humiliated, dying. They dream of how t-Rump will restore white Christian supremacy, which will instantly solve all their problems and crush all the people they hate. Really, trumpsters are SO much worse than merely stupid!
Recreational cruelty.
And, sadly, religious cruelty.
Absolutely. Those you reference almost exclusively vote Republican/conservative., the philosophy of cruelty and evil.
Ha! Ms. Howard, try to imagine living in an area where Trump got 70% of the vote in 2020, after watching the lecherous old lunatic for four years, which was more than 2016...
You would never trust this country to ever do anything right.
Does any other supposedly civilized country have so many cruel, vicious, bigoted people?
I don't know. I'm afraid of asking my relatives back east. Some of them are religious. I don't speak to my brother, who lives here. I live in a very mixed community, where the right wing is defined as property developers and the politicians they support. But said politicians are solidly blue, just not the ones for which you would dream of voting. Bigoted, no, but greedy, oh my. And greed leads to cruelty and viciousness. So I don't know.
The Germans ca. 1930 almost certainly would have said "'Cruel, vicious, bigoted'? Not us, not ever."
I love your reporting - right on, as always. Thank you!
Below is the letter to the Editor WaPO I just wrote. We have to hold the media/press to account. They play a big role in what is endangering our democracy.
"You take a tiny tiny sample of “undecided” voters and morph that into a large headline about who “won” the debate, making it clear that Vance did.
An accurate report would have been to explain clearly (headline included since that’s all that many people read) how many undecideds were deluded and fell for the trap Vance set: coming across with a persona — moderate, genial, willing to compromise — that bears no relation to how he conducts himself outside of the debate. He spoke about policies and positions that bear no relation to the positions he and Trump hold and espouse (for example, "I’ve never said I favor a national ban on abortion"). Most of his attacks on Harris/Walz bear no relation to fact (for example Harris immigration policy for migrants all the guns to our country).
You know that he continually lied and misled the public throughout the debate. How can you possibly report that as winning? The people who said he “won” the debate couldn’t have an accurate opinion when not only did the moderators not fact check (leaving that entire, impossible task to Walz) but by your phrasing of the question, you implied that its an all or nothing deal — someone can win no matter how much they lie and deceive. Among other things, this is lousy journalism.
You are helping to create the darkness in which our democracy could perish. You can and must do better - way better."
Nice letter to WAPO. I about came unglued when Vance made the statement that migrants were bringing in the guns killing kids/people. I was screaming at the television that no it's the MFing gun lobby and manufactures that are killing all of us along with republican congress not supporting gun legislation and reform. BTW, I dropped my subscription to WAPO and NYT's a while back.
Then you missed this piece in wapo yesterday: 'Trump mixes up words, swerves among subjects in off-topic speech'
'He did not mention Tuesday’s vice-presidential debate or his running mate, Sen. JD Vance (R-Ohio), […] until an hour and 20 minutes into the news conference when he was directly asked what advice he had given Vance.
'“Have fun,” Trump answered.' https://wapo.st/3zwddvv
Thank you for your service, Alexandra.
Great letter to WaPo. Thank you!
Uh, in the context of this piece, "winning" the debate means winning the most votes among the panelists. The panelists chose vance 14-8. The article was only about the panelists' reactions. It is the latest in an instructive series on these folks' reactions to big events. Did you write to wapo about the other five pieces covering the debate now listed as news on the website?—that's not counting any listed as opinion.
Depends on your definition of matter. Mine is how is this election even within 40 points?
Perfect example. When Ted Koppel did his election special from the Wisconsin State Fair, he asked one lady why she was voting for Mr. Trump. The lady basically told him that Mr. Trump was a horrible human being and she wouldn't let him into her home. That said, she felt that Mr. Trump would improve her life over the next 4 years and VP Harris would not. She felt that VP Harris was all about social give-a-way programs as opposed to programs that help people become more educated and more capable of growing their lives. It's not so much about "likeability," it's about voting for the person who will do the best job, whether it's for President, Senator, Congressman, or local Board of Supervisors. I know people who totally vote with their wallets and pick the candidate who will make their life economically better. I've voted split tickets since the early 70's because candidate quality means something. The person at the top of the ticket might be pretty solid but if the downstream Senatorial candidate is a walking, talking disaster, I am not voting for them.
Absolutely, split your ticket and vote for the best candidate. That lady Koppel interviewed, however, has succumbed to the conservative trope of "giveaway." If she had paid closer attention to what Harris actually has said, the VP has articulated plans to help people start small businesses, get an education, help improve the chance of owning a home. How in the world would Project 2025 and living in a dictatorship improve her life? Ludicrous. I would bet that lady opposed President Biden's student loan forgiveness program. Education is about the best way to "grow their lives."
I have heard this sentiment from others, even liberals: “I busted my ass to pay my tuition/student loans, so why do these kids now get a freebie?” For me, I got my degrees almost 40 years ago. Tuitions have gone up disproportionately. I know people in their mid forties who still owe after 20 years. It’s a direct way to help someone to advance. Notice also how the conservatives have vilified helping people advance themselves as “giveaways” while hiding tax cuts and loopholes for centimillionaires and billionaires
Absolutely!
Who wouldn’t want an educated populace? Many if not most advanced countries have low cost or free college for their people.
Not here. Nope. Calling education for our people as a “giveaway” is mostly spewed by wealthy white men (or the willfully ignorant) who have little concept of how much privilege they have just by being born a white man as if they “earned” that by being born and many use that privilege as a weapon to oppress others. It’s disgusting.
Almost ashamed to admit it, but I got a degree from a well respected state university where my expenses for textbooks was almost the same as my tuition expenses. The feeling was back then at "land grant universities" like mine was that higher education costs should be as reasonable as possible in order to produce a better educated populace.
Candidly, I don't think this Project 2025 business would ever go anywhere even if Mr. Trump happened to squeak out a win. As long as the Democrats control one of the Houses of Congress, it won't get very far because there are moderates on both sides of the aisle who will keep nonsense from being passed.
Don’t be so sure. The new party of Trump has no room for moderates. And those who oppose Trump, not even moderates, have either quit or been primary-ed. The fact that the Heritage Foundation is so open with their oppressive plan is because they know it can work.
My concern is the way VP Harris is articulating these plans in whatever is her accent de jour (I have no idea why she does that, it sounds insulting to others), it comes across as "I am giving your money away to people who didn't earn their way." Obviously she doesn't mean to sound that way but that's how it comes across. As for student loan forgiveness, that's a tough nut. I worked three part time jobs all through college (way back in the day) so when I graduated, I did not have any student debt. The problem is not the kid who went to a public school and owes $25K or less. It's the kid who went to some private liberal arts college, majored in East Asian Art Appreciation, racked up $200K in student debt and can't find a job paying more than $35K a year and now that kid wants their student loans forgiven. You can see why people are more willing to forgive the debt of a kid with Ph.D. in physics, chemistry, or nanotechnology who is really contributing as opposed to someone who went to a party school so they could get an easy "A". Tough nut to crack for sure.
It’s easy to identify those who simply can’t see anyone else’s point-of-view like you.
You have chosen to believe in the wildest ideas of student loan forgiveness and projected them on to everyone has them.
Sad.
Racism, sexism, corporate $$$, corporate media consolidation, lack of civic education, etc., etc. Take your pick, mix & match, add your own.
Agreed. Why can’t we citizens find truthful reporting?
We have allowed MSM to grow into 24/7 behemoths with no accountability other than to their shareholders. When they were responsible for the truthfulness of their broadcasts they paid far more attention to delivering the truth. The Supreme Court let them off that hook. Any of the MSM operations on TV are very expensive to operate, take MSNBC for example, I watch a lot of it, the hosts of their shows are very well paid as they should be, everything that gets on air is polished, for every person we see on TV there are probably 50 that we don’t see, maybe a lot more. All of those people need to be paid, so they sell advertising spots to people with a lot of money, “just ask your Dr.” all of that means that they are always chasing the money, all of them are, right now the polling we are made aware of is mostly about politics, but normally its about the success of ad campaigns. Profit drives everything from the drug companies, with hundreds of PhD’s that all need to be paid well, to the executive suites at the networks, they are all looking over their shoulders at their stockholders who want to see a return on their gamble. Politicians from both sides use this to promote their ideas, some we like some we hate. With one party lying every time they open their mouths we can’t expect any support for the truth to come from their side, it’s not going to happen. If Kamala wins and we decisively take back the house, along with increase our majority in the senate, maybe we can pass some legislation to address this problem, the nation would be better off if we can. What we saw last night was an audition for 2028, a slick liar who fits nicely with the repugnantkin play book. We saw Rupert pay $787.5 million so that he wouldn’t have to testify under oath to the lies his network promoted, while he no doubt hated paying it, if he hasn’t made it back already, he will soon enough. Most people have no idea how much money is sloshing around in the media sphere, which has its own self perpetuating agenda with a lot of people feeding at the trough. We all want our “fuck you” money, I’d be willing to bet that none of the maggots standing behind the insipid orange turd at his rallies have got theirs, but if you turn on your TV that is not the case for the people you see.
Something about our populace, or at least a fair slice of it, has enabled Fox to be the behemoth it is. Fox stopped broadcasting in UK some years ago due to low interest. Haha, less enraged racist whackadoodles there than here, apparently.
Or to put your comment in Lucien's format: Does it matter that citizens can't find truthful reporting?
Lawrence O'Donnell is my primary media source now.
Read the foreign press and stop reading/watching Fox, CNN, MSNBC and the rest of the American MSM. The closest American publication that's worth something is Politico. While note the greatest, they are far superior to any of the talking heads and pretty faces on TV. The foreign press is great because they are what I call equal opportunity floggers. If an elected official screws up, they don't care what their Party is, they criticize the crap out of them.
Politico is right-wing. Watch carefully and you'll see.
check in with some of the reliablen non profit think tanks, which the most informed journalists consult... Pew Research, the Brennan Center for Justice... The Guardian is a source respected by some of the non sensational journalists.
Lucian, thanks for your spot-on assessment of the candidates and of the non-debate. It was performance art, with earnest good intentions by Walz and Oscar-winning acting by Vance, a slick operator and convincing liar.
Let's do everything we can to support Democrats up and down the ballot! Volunteer, donate, use social media, talk w/ unmotivated, uncertain potential voters, etc. If we want a decent and democratic country to live in, we must get out the Democratic vote. Being a Democrat is good, but it doesn't count unless you're a Democrat who votes.
Everything you point out are the things that matter. The sad and frightening thing, I'm afraid, is too many Americans won't get it. They saw two actors on a stage, one more polished than the other. That the polished one is a liar, shape shifter and apologist for a would-be dictator may slip right by them.
I don't want to be a pessimist. Hopefully enough viewers saw through the smoke of Vance's smooth deceptions, this debate will have little effect on the outcome, and Harris will win. But I had trouble sleeping, wishing it had been more of a slam dunk. He's a smart bastard, Vance, I'll give him that. Scarier than Trump in a way. And if Trump wins and dies, that'll be what we get. President Vance. Think about that and shudder.
I, too, am concerned. I couldn't stomach the entire debate. Sadly, too many folks do not pay attention to the message. Vance's presentation may have been slicker and smoother in certain parts, but the fact that Vance lied and mislead in his responses certainly matters. The Maga crowd doesn't care if trump and Vance lie. They just want to tear down, blow up the government, and mistreat or do harm to immigrants. As long as they think their side wins, they don't hear the lies. If trump wins, the 25th Amendment will be on the table before he even knows what's happening. He is a useful idiot for the time being. Trump is difficult to manage. He vomits nonsense. It' has been reported that he passes gas, smells bad, and is an embarrassment. Vance is damaged. He's greedy and vile. That makes him very dangerous. President Vance - that does make me shudder!
Wonder how much of an impact it will have…I wish people and media would step back and understand it’s not about performance - it’s about substance…and that Mr V didn’t answer questions and tried to soft sell the MAGA line…well, anyway… Coach did fine…he spoke from his heart and that mattered a whole lot to me.
No, none of these things matter to Vance or Trump. Another great piece Lucian , and great comments as well. Nothing I can add to it except noting the remarkable lack of compassion and empathy in the Republican heart.
Does it matter that Democrats, , EVEN A FOOTBALL COACH, seem incapable of nailing Republican liars. I saw Walls making notes while Vance spoke. When it was his turn to rebut Vance why didn't he say something like. " PTBB, PTBB, PTBB, PTBB, PTBB. You mentioned the negative effects of migrants 5 time in your last 2 minutes. So every time you try to spread migrant related disinformation I'm going to respond with PTBB, Pass the Border Bill. You Republicans are bigger on talking than doing. The bi-partisan border bill is sitting in the House because the Republicans are too afraid to cross a mentally challenged old man in Florida. The oldest candidate for president in the nation's history. Want to do something about the migrants, pass the border bill. And get used to it because you probably will hear that a lot tonight. The speaker needs to call the House back in session so that they can authorize emergency relief funds for those hit by the hurricane. Oh, there's no problem with climate change. When the Republican House members come back they can Pass The Border Bill.
There should be categories for how we determine a debate “winner.” Who was the slickest salesman? Vance, of course, and congrats to those who now own a nice bottle of snake oil. Who is the best liar? Vance, hands down. Most dangerous deceiver? Again, Vance. Who spoke authentically and from the heart, and had the best interest of the voters in mind? Well, that was Tim Walz. The truth matters.