Saturday, September 28, 2024

Editorial: The Big Lie is GOP’s Brand

 There is no bottom to Donald Trump’s Republican Party. And his running mate is digging further. . 

Sen. J.D. Vance picked up a baseless rumor, which had been batted around social media for about a month, that Haitian immigrants in Springfield, Ohio, were abducting their neighbors’ pets and eating them. Vance wrote on X (formerly Twitter) Sept. 9, “Reports now show that people have had their pets abducted and eaten by people who shouldn’t be in this country. Where is our border czar?”

Less than 30 minutes after Vance’s post, NPR noted, the Springfield News-Sun reported that local police said incidents of pets being stolen or eaten were “not something that’s on our radar right now” The newspaper said the unsubstantiated claim seems to have started with a post in a Springfield Facebook group that was widely shared across social media.

After Vance posted it on X, an advocate for the Haitian community in Springfield reported receiving a wave of harassment.

Then Trump supercharged the claim during his nationally televised debate on ABC with Vice President Kamala Harris the evening of Sept. 10, when he brought up the pet-eating hoax in an attack on the Biden-Harris administration’s immigration policy.

“In Springfield, they’re eating the dogs. The people that came in. They’re eating the cats. They’re eating—the pets of the people that live there and this is what’s happening in our country,” Trump said.

Debate moderator David Muir debunked Trump’s claim, noting that local officials said the story was untrue. Trump refused to accept the correction and insisted he had seen “people on television” verifying the story.

Immediately following the debate, Vance told CNN that he had “heard from a number of constituents” on the issue and had “both first-hand and second-hand reports saying this stuff is happening.”

After the story became national and international news, the city received bomb threats to Springfield schools, hospitals, city hall and threats were made against city officials.

But Trump refused to denounce the bomb threats at Springfield. “I don’t know what happened with the bomb threats,” he told reporters in Las Vegas, Nevada, on Sept. 14. When a reporter asked him if he denounced the bomb threats, Trump replied, “I know that it’s been taken over by illegal migrants and that’s a terrible thing that happened.”

Sept. 15 on CNN, Vance rejected claims that he was to blame for bomb threats, school cancellations and harassment of Haitians. He justified his statements about the rumors, saying he was just trying to bring attention to the problems in Springfield and other places impacted by immigrants. “If I have to create stories so that the American media actually pays attention to the sufferings of the American people, then that’s what I’m going to do,” he said.

It should be a no-brainer for Trump and Vance to denounce bomb threats, but here we are. Instead, Vance on Sept. 16 complained after a gunman was found set up on Trump’s golf course in Florida, “no one has tried to kill Kamala Harris in the last couple of months, and two people now have tried to kill Donald Trump in the last couple of months.”

This is merely one more episode demonstrating why neither Trump nor Vance belong anywhere near the White House. And a vote in a swing state for anybody but Kamala Harris empowers Trump.

Electing Kamala Harris and Tim Walz at the top of the ballot is merely the first step in keeping our democracy. Vote blue down the ballot. Democrats have a good chance of regaining the House majority, but they face a challenge in keeping a Senate majority, which will be crucial in restoring balance to federal courts. 

Democrats have a narrow 51-49 majority in the Senate, but that includes four independent senators who usually vote with the Democrats. Joe Manchin (W.Va), one of the indies, is not seeking re-election and is expected to be succeeded by Republican Gov. Jim Justice. 

Democrats need to win open seats in Arizona, Michigan and Maryland and protect targeted incumbent Democrats in Montana, Nevada, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin. They can’t lose another seat.

Among targeted Democrats, Sen. Jon Tester is seeking his fourth term in Montana, but the state has gotten a lot redder in the past 20 years, as Trump won it by 16 points in 2020. Tester faces a tough challenge from newcomer Tim Sheehy (R), a former Navy SEAL and businessman with the wealth to finance his campaign, as well as Trump’s backing. The Cook Political Report rates it leaning Republican.

Sen. Sherrod Brown, a progressive supporter of working-class voters, is seeking a fourth term in Ohio against Bernie Moreno, a former car dealer and immigrant from Colombia who grew up in Florida and has amassed a fortune that can self-fund his campaign. He was not the Ohio GOP establishment’s choice but had Trump’s support (and agrees with Trump’s anti-immigrant rhetoric). CPR rates the race a tossup.

In Nevada, Sen. Jacky Rosen (D) faces a challenge from Sam Brown (R), a West Point graduate who was burned and left scarred by a roadside bomb in Afghanistan in 2008. Brown lost a Republican primary for the Texas House in 1914. He lost a Republican primary for the Senate in 2022. CPR rates the race as leaning Democratic. 

In Pennsylvania, David McCormick, former hedge fund CEO, is challenging Sen. Bob Casey. McCormick ran for the Senate in 2022 but lost the Republican primary to Dr. Ehmet Oz. McCormick is stressing that he grew up in Pennsylvania and has a house in Pittsburgh, and is trying to tie Casey to the Biden-Harris administration on the border and inflation, but Sen. Casey is an institution and will be hard to beat. Cook Political Report rates the race as leaning Democratic.

In Arizona, where Sen. Kyrsten Sinema is departing, Rep. Ruben Gallego, a progressive Democrat with Marine combat experience and a Harvard degree, faces Kari Lake, a former TV news anchor who now mocks the “fake news media” and is a favorite of Trump’s MAGA movement, who lost her race for governor in 2022 and claims the Democrat, now Gov. Katie Hobbs, stole the election. The race is rated leaning Democratic.

In Wisconsin, Sen. Tammy Baldwin (D) faces a challenge from Eric Hovde, the chairman and chief executive of Sunwest Bank, a $2.8 billion commercial lender based in Utah. Hovde has a $7 million home in Laguna Beach, Calif. The race is rated leaning Democratic.

Maryland normally is reliably blue but Larry Hogan, a moderate Republican former governor, is running against Angela Alsobrooks, the Prince George’s County executive, in the race to succeed retiring Sen. Ben Cardin (D). The race is rated likely Democratic.

In Michigan, with retirement of Debbie Stabenow (D), Rep. Elissa Slotkin (D), faces former Rep. Mike Rogers (R). The race is rated a tossup.

Democrats also hope to upset incumbents in Florida, where former Rep. Debbie Mucarsel-Powell (D) is taking on Sen. Rick Scott, and Texas, where Rep. Colin Allred (D) is challenging Ted Cruz. Polls show both races tightening. Keep hope alive. — JMC

From The Progressive Populist, October 15, 2024


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Friday, September 27, 2024

Selections from the October 15, 2024 issue

 COVER/Sarah Melotte 

Healing amidst division: How a small town fights for its library

EDITORIAL 
The Big Lie is GOP’s brand

JIM HIGHTOWER
The battle of Baraboo — privatizer greed vs. seniors’ health care | How ‘wonderful’ is Pom, Fiji water and the wonderful company? | Why are we letting corporate profiteers write America’s farm and food policy? Why is it that big shot leaders never look around to see if anyone’s following?

FRANK LINGO
Trump’s voters deserve demeaning

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR 

DON ROLLINS 
Of violence and betrayal in Ohio

RURAL ROUTES/Margot McMillen
Getting rid of Trump is one thing. But don’t forget the downballot races

DISPATCHES 
Study: Debunking Trump lies makes his base believe him more.
Congressional leaders announce short-term spending deal, after Speaker Johnson drops key MAGA demand.
Under Republican state laws, US book bans nearly tripled last school year.
Egg on his face: Vance bungles attempt to bash Harris over grocery prices. ...


ART CULLEN 
No sir, we slaughter lots of hogs but no cats

ALAN GUEBERT 
‘Come now, let us reason together’


KAREN DOLAN 
Project 2025 is a blueprint to end the American Dream

JOHN YOUNG 
In debate mismatch, Trump couldn’t elude ‘F’ word

DREAMA CALDWELL
Commentary: What freedom means in rural North Carolina

DICK POLMAN 
Racist domestic terrorist J.D. Vance: “If I have to create stories ... then that’s what I’m going to do.” 

JOE CONASON 
‘Russia, Russia, Russia’ is not a hoax

KEARA SOSA 
Young people will save the world because we’re the last generation that can

DAVID McCALL 
Owning our security

LES LEOPOLD 
Why is Trump still clobbering Harris on the economy? 

PAUL ARMENTANO 
Both presidential candidates agree: We need to stop arresting people for marijuana


ROBERT KUTTNER 
It’s the guns, stupid

SONALI KOLHATKAR  
Harris can’t embrace billionaires if she wants to win

SABRINA HAAKE 
A post-debate con job in real time

THOM HARTMANN  
Big Pharma’s GOP cash grab: How Republicans are selling out America for drug money

THE BIG PICTURE/Glynn Wilson
Harris dispatches Trump in debate; now to retake the House

HEALTH CARE/Joan Retsinas
There is money in misery

PAUL SONN 
To secure worker rights, we must fix our democracy

PETER CERTO 
Why the far right lies about immigrants

WAYNE O’LEARY 
On not going back (or forward either)

SAM PIZZIGATI 
Here’s a good topic for candidates to debate: Taxing the filthy rich

JUAN COLE 
Trump-Vance are doing to Haitians what the Israeli right has done to Palestinians — demonize a whole people

MARK ANDERSON 
Neo-cons see ‘Pax Americana’ ending, as Americans look inward

ELWOOD WATSON 
Republicans are still making excuses for Trump’s disastrous debate

JAMIE STIEHM 
The fall of Donald Trump

BARRY FRIEDMAN 
The enemy of my enemy is at the door


RALPH NADER 
Let’s start the revolution — get this election time book and here’s why? 

DAVE MARSTON 
Volunteers power the Colorado trail

ROB PATTERSON 
Muslim women punk rockers show ‘Lady Parts’ 

SETH SANDRONSKY
David, Goliath and press freedom

ED RAMPELL 
Defending the indefensible


AMY GOODMAN
Climate activists in the crosshairs while the planet burns

GENE NICHOL 
Another political court delivers for Trump

From The Progressive Populist, October 15, 2024


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Copyright © 2024 The Progressive Populist

Tuesday, September 17, 2024

Trump the Organ Grinder

 

Trump the Organ Grinder:

The tenets of Project 2025 pose a clear and present danger to our constitutional form of government.  Much of the Trump - Vance platform comes directly from Project 2025. Since Project 2025 would turn this nation into a police state, it's especially difficult for Republicans to run on the issues.

Art by Kevin Kreneck. For more Graphics and Greeting Cards, go to https://kkreneck.wixsite.com/mysite


The Little Rat

The Little Rat:

The Harris-Trump debate was a disaster. No wonder Trump doesn't want a second. Harris owned Trump the moment she walked on stage. She baited him and he obliged by repeating conspiracy theories laced with false accusations, racism and hatred. This is what Trump's campaign has been reduced to.

Art by Kevin Kreneck. For more Graphics and Greeting Cards, go to https://kkreneck.wixsite.com/mysite



 

Caught in a Trap

Caught in a Trap:

When Biden dropped out, the trap — apparently quite a while in the making — dropped on the Republicans. Now, the Republicans have an old, addle brained presidential candidate as well as an immensely unpopular Vice Presidential running mate. They're still in chaos. As was seen in the recent debate, they've yet to figure out how to deal with Harris.

Art by Kevin Kreneck. For more Graphics and Greeting Cards, go to https://kkreneck.wixsite.com/mysite