Election updates

Maddow on MSNBC

Deep corruption: Last night, Rachael Maddow show made three disturbing but important points on her show. First, she reviewed the evidence that DJT does policy flips after meeting with billionaires who what a policy change from him. She pointed out that happened with Bitcoin, electric cars, TikTok and Anheuser-Bush regarding its evil "woke" Bud Light beer. In each situation, DJT did a complete reversal after a meeting with super wealthy people or lobbyists involved in those businesses. Basically DJT is for sale, as he has indicated in the past.

4-minute flip-flop video

Plutocracy: Second, Maddow asserted that billionaire Peter Thiel said that democracy is incompatible with freedom and he chooses freedom. Presumably freedom to people like Thiel means plutocracy with super-rich people like him above the law and completely unburdened by taxes, regulations, social conscience and any accountability for his bad actions and inactions. That is true plutocracy. For context, Thiel was responsible for getting JD Vance elected to the US senate via a $15 million donation to his campaign..

Election subversion: Third, Maddow played three video clips of DJT at three different campaign events telling people in the crowd that they do not need to vote for him in the 2024 election because he already "has plenty of votes." Maddow questioned why a candidate in a close race would ever say such a thing multiple times. Her interpretation of that strikes me as probably (~90% chance?) correct. She argues that DJT has no intention of winning the election by votes, but instead he plans to subvert the election itself. 

For evidence, Maddow pointed out that hard core 2020 election deniers have been put in key election subversion positions in several counties in some battleground states. Those election officials can prevent a state from certifying the state's votes by refusing to certify the votes in the counties where they can block certification. Maddow's hypothesis seems highly plausible because, (1) DJT tried to subvert the 2020 election via a violent coup attempt, and (2) those election officials have already been recalcitrant about certifying vote counts in their counties. Those officials need to be removed from office and jailed for treason.

"Free speech absolutist" and shameless hypocrite Musk

Multiple sources are reporting that Musk has suspended a pro-Harris X account after it raised money for her campaign. yahoo News reported:

‘White Dudes for Harris’ X Account Suspended After Raising 

$4 Million for Kamala Harris

The X account for the White Dudes for Harris campaign group was suspended on Monday, apparently just minutes after its debut fundraising event raised $4 million for Vice President Kamala Harris’ 2024 presidential bid.

Asked on his personal X account why the organization, which boasted over 13,000 X followers, was blocked, organizer Ross Morales Rocketto responded, simply, “Got Elon Musk scared.”

“The ‘free speech absolutist’ has now suspended White Dudes for Harris. Presumably for raising $4 million in a few hours. The fascists are terrified. Good,” wrote one verified supporter.

This is more evidence of the intent and tactics that America's radical right authoritarian wealth and power movement plans if it gains control of the federal government. Free speech is only for the elites, not political opposition or independent thinkers in dissent.

Peanut gallery commentary:

Musk is a frothing hypocrite who only supports free speech for racists.

We severely fucked up as a society if someone with a petulant 6th grader mentality has that much money and influence over folks.

It's precisely because he came into that much money that he hasn't had to develop any sense of maturity, civic responsibility, or basic manners.

Where are the right wingers that cry about censorship?

They lied about the left doing it so now they can pretend to be justified in actually doing it themselves. A lot of right wing projection is this way. That is literally the fascist playbook.

Fiddly bits: Petition to sign; Trump says he is not Christian; New use for Wi-Fi jammers

MoveOn.org has is collecting signatures on a petition to have Clarence Thomas impeached. The petition is at this link and it takes a few seconds to sign it, just be sure to uncheck the box at the bottom of the petition if you do not want emails from the group. There are close to 1.39 million signatures so far.

Get out there and support Clarence by

getting him impeached! He deserves it!

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In this 26 second video clip at 17-18 sec. into the clip, DJT says "I'm not Christian." 

I've listened to that part of the video repeatedly and it really does sound like he said what the captioning says. A Daily KOS article comments on this exact point:

Did Trump Confess: "I'm Not Christian?" 

2nd Update: Guardian Drops Quote

Update: I’ve read the comments that he was actually saying, “I’m a Christian.” Listening to the clip some more, I’m not sure either way. The Guardian story linked by B sides in the comments is still up, so for now my title is in the form of a question. I have also added an “unproven” tag.

“You won’t have to vote any more, my beautiful Christians. 

I love you, Christians. I’m not Christian.”

I’ve listened to the clip, over and over, not really able to believe what I heard, but there it is.

Donald Trump has finally come forward to clarify his position on Christians. He loves them, for their votes, but he is not one of them. 

Personally, I think that line is more politically dangerous than admitting he doesn’t intend to let people vote again if he gets back in office. Heck, we knew that.

But coming right out and admitting he’s no believer, just a huckster hustling the Christians for their votes? That’s new.

And, imo, it should be news.

According to Wikipedia, rational people of good will should practice the Principle of Charity, which requires interpreting a speaker's statements in the most rational way possible and, in the case of any argument, considering its best, strongest possible interpretation.

In a case like this, what is the best, strongest possible interpretation? If one adopts DJT's mindset and intent, he would say he said "I'm a Christian", not "I'm not a Christian." If one adopts the mindset of a rational pro-democracy person of good will, knowing that DJT is a chronic liar, a bullshitter** and a grifter, one can easily say that he accidentally said "I'm not a Christian" and is lying when he denies it.

Q: Did he say it or not?

** Bullshit: Rhetoric without concern for truth or falsity, but instead focused on telling good story and/or persuasion by any means, rational, truthful or not.

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tom's Hardware reports about a new use for Wi-Fi jammers:

LAPD warns residents after spike in burglaries using 

Wi-Fi jammers that disable security cameras, smart doorbells

Wilshire-area neighborhoods were told to be particularly vigilant

About DJT & American authoritarianism -- another warning

Notice: For people who don't want to hear more criticism of DJT or warnings about the threat of American radical right authoritarianism, ignore this post.

CONTEXT

On Jan. 6, 2021 I posted this in intense anger and moral outrage:

Trump's Attempted Coup Is In Progress Right Now

2:25 PM EST

News sources are reporting now on the attack on the US Capitol by enraged Trump supporters. Capitol police have been overwhelmed and pushed back. Congress has been told to shelter in place until more police can be brought in. Meanwhile, the seditionist Trump does nothing because he is a tyrant who wants to topple democracy.

All blood that will be shed, if any, is on Trump's filthy, treasonous tyrant hands. Radical right GOP Republicans in congress are also fully culpable for all violence and deaths, even the ones who feebly pretended to be distressed by this possibility.

At the time, people who called it a coup attempt were criticized as alarmist, liars, hyperbolic, brainwashed, communists, Democrats, traitors, stupid, etc. Some Americans today, e.g., most Republicans (~95% ?), still do not see it as a violent coup attempt or as fomented by a morally rotted, kleptocratic dictator and America's lying fraud and Fornicator-in-Chief. I still see it that way.

American authoritarianism

The American Autocracy Threat Tracker analyzes commitments by autocratic actors to implement in our country in 2025. History teaches us that threats to assault core democratic principles should not be taken lightly. On the contrary, contemporary lessons from backsliding democracies like Hungary, Turkey, and Poland, not to mention from more ominous historical parallels, are that autocratic plans must be taken seriously. Conversely, social science data and lived experience teach us that big tent pro-rule of law coalitions that are multi-ideological and multi-partisan are an antidote to autocratic advance and have a proven record of success.

The Autocracy in America conference will sound the alarm on this rising threat in the United States— and advance both short- and long-term responses.

A WaPo opinion (not paywalled) by Jennifer  Rubin opines:

Last week, I participated in the Anti-Autocracy Conference. I was joined by a bipartisan assortment of academics, activists, whistleblowers from the Trump administration, lawyers, journalists, civil society leaders, and current and former elected officials, plus a lively audience, all to discuss the looming threat to pluralistic democracy.

Many participants noted that the authoritarian threat is well underway. The MAGA GOP rationalizes a violent coup and refuses to commit to respecting the election results; its nominee dabbles in Hitlerian language; a radical, right-wing Supreme Court damages our constitutional system by granting the president broad criminal immunity; and, an array of state laws aim to suppress voters.

Kicking off the proceedings, Ruth Ben-Ghiat, a leading scholar on totalitarianism, explained:

This is an anti-autocracy conference because autocracy is what we are looking at if Donald Trump is reelected.

I know many Americans feel this is hyperbole, even after MAGA attempted to overthrow the government to keep Trump in office illegally. In my line of work, we call this a coup attempt. Even now, Trump is continuing to use his rallies to market strongman rule to Americans. Just a few days ago he praised Xi Jinping, a Communist dictator, as “brilliant” because he rules with an “iron fist.”

She explained: “Project 2025 is a recipe for mass chaos, abuses of power, and dysfunction in government. It aligns not only with the agendas of present foreign autocracies, especially the Hungary of Viktor Orban … but also with the policies of past dictatorships.”

Norm Eisen, co-founder of State Democracy Defenders Action✓ .... told me, “There is much more that unites us as Americans than divides us.” He laid out 10 principles at the conference that “define what a long-term right, left and center coalition would look like to unify the vast majority of Americans against Trump’s authoritarianism and ensure that the American democratic tradition continues — and that Trump led autocracy is permanently banished from the American political scene.” These principles boil down to:

1. Democracies rest on rule of law; someone who denies the sanctity of the Constitution and serially violates our laws cannot be president.

2. Democracy cannot survive without truth, facts, science and evidence.

3. Free and fair elections are the essence of democracy, where power resides in the people.

4. Civil discourse must be the means to resolve differences; compromise is essential to governance.

5. A democratic government cannot operate without an independent, nonpartisan civil service, and subject matter expertise is essential to good government.

6. An ethical government free from corruption and self-interest is essential to our democracy.

7. The United States is the indispensable nation for international stability, economic prosperity and democracy. Our military takes an oath to the Constitution, not to a single leader.

8. Democracies require and ensure widespread prosperity. Democracies that deliver economically for citizens require a domestic calm, commitment to the rule of law and opposition to cronyism.

9. A vibrant, independent press is vital to democracy.

10. Equality and civil rights (“All men [and women] are created equal”) are foundational to our American creed.

The good news: These ideas might provide the glue to hold together the anti-autocracy coalition if they can gather support across the ideological spectrum.

One can quibble with some of those principles or how they are worded, but in them and the other parts of the opinion I quoted, the key moral values and warnings I have been arguing for years are all there. Democracy over authoritarianism, rejection of DJT and MAGA, respect for the rule of law, civil liberties (we are all equal), and truth, facts, science and evidence, transparency in government (anti-corruption), free and fair elections, etc.

Fact checking DJT; A quick character update

An opinion the NYT published (not paywalled) was a fact check of DJT's 90-minute acceptance speech. Here are some of the lies the NYT fact checked:

Jobs

Lie: “The only jobs [President Biden] created are for illegal immigrants and bounce-back jobs — they’re bounced back from the Covid.”

Inflation

Lie: “It’s killing people. They can’t buy groceries anymore. They can’t — you look at the cost of food where it’s doubled, and tripled and quadrupled. They can’t live. They’re not living anymore.”

Tax cuts

Lie: “What we did was incredible …. We got the largest tax cut in history.”

Tariffs

Lie: “[Tariffs are] not going to drive [prices] higher. It’s just going to cause countries that have been ripping us off for years, like China — and many others, in all fairness to China — it’s going to just force them to pay us a lot of money.”

Immigration

Lie: “Americans are being squeezed out of the labor force and their jobs are taken. By the way, you know who’s taking the jobs, the jobs that are created? One hundred and seven percent of those jobs are taken by illegal aliens.”

Presidential ranking

Lie: “[President Biden is] without question the worst president, the worst presidency in the history of our country.”

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Leopards don't change spots. DJT does not change his character. The NYT writes:

Early in his speech in Minnesota on Saturday night, former President Donald J. Trump made clear just how quickly he has jettisoned the appeal for national unity that he made after he survived an assassination attempt in Pennsylvania two weeks ago.

“I want to be nice,” Mr. Trump said. “They all say, ‘I think he’s changed. I think he’s changed since two weeks ago. Something affected him.’”

But to a cheering crowd of thousands, Mr. Trump quickly conceded the point. “No, I haven’t changed,” he said. “Maybe I’ve gotten worse. Because I get angry at the incompetence that I witness every single day.”  

During a speech lasting roughly 90 minutes, Mr. Trump called Ms. Harris “evil,” “unhinged” and “sick.” He lied about her views on abortion in an effort to paint her as extreme, and he mocked her laugh and her demeanor. 

“We have a brand-new victim,” Mr. Trump told thousands of people inside the Herb Brooks National Hockey Center in St. Cloud, Minn. “And, honestly, she’s a radical left lunatic.”

Kilotons of hypocrisy? . . . . . Sounds about right.