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brooklynite

brooklynite's Journal
brooklynite's Journal
July 29, 2024

A Weird Night on Fox News: Vance Triples Down on Attacks On Women


Tonight, Trey Gowdy devoted the opening segment of his show to detail his disapproval of JD Vance’s statements disparaging couples struggling with infertility and “childless” women.

WATCH: Trey Gowdy highlighted how even conservative women are put off by Vance’s anti-woman beliefs - essentially begging him to apologize.

Vance then joined Gowdy’s show as a guest.

Spoiler alert: Vance didn’t apologize.

Key quotes from Gowdy:

“The American people are forgiving, if we ask. Let’s welcome GOP vice presidential candidate, Senator JD Vance.”

“I’ve heard from many women, most of whom are conservative, and they would very much like to vote for President Trump and you, but Senator, they are disappointed.”

“I’m not asking you because it’s making news. I’m asking you more because people are calling me, who very much would like to support you and President Trump… George Washington did not have biological children and neither did James Madison.”

Despite Gowdy’s overtures for forgiveness, Vance dismissed the concerns of conservative women, claiming “it’s very clear the Democrats have tried to take this thing out of context and blow it out of proportion,” and deflecting, saying “that’s not what I said, Trey. If you look at what the left has done, they have radically taken this out of context.”

Harris for President Spokesperson Ammar Moussa released the following statement on JD Vance’s tough Fox News interview:

“Every time JD opens his mouth is a reminder that a Trump-Vance administration would be focused on inserting themselves into every American’s living room, bedroom, and doctor’s office. They want to ban abortion, rip away IVF treatments, and restrict contraceptives. Because in Trump’s Project 2025, the government knows better than you. It would just be weird if it wasn’t so dangerous – and it’s why the stakes this November are so incredibly high.”
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Paid for by Harris for President
July 29, 2024

Vance's rocky debut, Republicans ask if Trump's VP bet will pay off

Vance’s rocky debut, Republicans ask if Trump’s VP bet will pay off

Aboard Trump’s plane en route to Milwaukee for the Republican National Convention, Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) argued that Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) would be better than the untested Vance because the Cuban American senator might attract more votes in battleground states. He tried to recruit others on Trump’s plane to support his position, according to people with knowledge of the discussions.

Another adviser argued in a phone call a couple of days earlier that Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin (R) or Rubio would be a better choice because of Vance’s previous comments opposing abortion, asking Trump how he would defend some of the senator’s positions that seemed further to the right than his.

An array of senators, donors, conservative media personalities and other supporters called Trump in the final 48 hours before the announcement, lobbying for Rubio or someone other than Vance because they said other candidates could attract additional voters to Trump’s coalition, according to five people familiar with the talks who, like others interviewed for this story, spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive matters.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/elections/2024/07/28/vance-debut-rocky/

July 29, 2024

How Kamala Harris took control of the Democratic Party

As long as Joe Biden still believed, there could be no Plan B.


The boss had earned that much. Vice President Harris approved no discussions. Campaign advisers did not break ranks in public.


But some key preparations were still put in place for the most spectacular transformation in recent American political history — a flash-bang midsummer swap at the top of a presidential ticket, an outpouring of volunteer energy, a rebound in the polls and a flood of campaign cash best described in fractions of $1 billion.


The national party bosses quietly consulted their rule books. State party chairs met in secret. Others operated without orders to prepare the ground.


Donna Brazile, the former Democratic Party chair, and Bakari Sellers, the former South Carolina state lawmaker, started running their own delegate whip operation weeks before Biden bowed out. There was no public list of the 4,000 or so first-ballot convention voters — the risk of it leaking, causing harassment and death threats, hung in the air. But Brazile and Sellers knew the local politicians, the union leaders and the state party chairs who ran most delegations.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2024/07/28/kamala-harris-control-democratic-party/

July 28, 2024

'We all realize it's unlikely.' But Pete Buttigieg's VP stock is rising.

Suddenly, Pete Buttigieg is everywhere.

The Transportation secretary is blitzing the airwaves with his Midwest-nice takedowns of Donald Trump and JD Vance. Members of Congress are talking him up. Buttigieg’s digital alumni network is circulating clips of appearances and touting his complementary skills to Kamala Harris. He did a canvassing kickoff for Harris in Traverse City, Michigan, on Saturday morning. And an ally in his home state of Indiana — saying they were acting independently of Buttigieg— has compiled a dossier evaluating Harris’ options and concluding: “Simply put, the vibes are high right now.”

The Pete for Veep trial balloon is approaching mid-flight. His allies view it as a clear signal that Buttigieg wants the job.
“He’s open to it,” a person familiar with his thinking said.

But Harris confidants and allies remain skeptical about his chances, according to interviews with a half-dozen of them, all granted anonymity to speak freely. They anticipate she’ll be ruthlessly pragmatic about her selection, viewing other contenders from outside the Beltway as better positioned to deliver key states and constituencies.

https://www.politico.com/news/2024/07/28/pete-buttigieg-longshot-vp-harris-00171515

July 28, 2024

Here are the negatives I see for each of the VP options...

ROY COOPER (NC-GOV) Has Mark Robinson as LtG, who could cause chaos every time Cooper left the State to campaign.

JOSH SHAPIRO (PA-GOV) Jewish (prospectively scares off the pro-Gaza voters in Michigan) and supports school vouchers

TIM WALZ (MN-GOV) Most left-leaning of all the known prospects; doesn’t help with an at-risk State.

ANDY BESHEAR (KY-GOV) Doesn’t;t expand the map (Kentucky isn’t remotely competitive)

MARK KELLY (AZ-SEN) Looks great on paper but reportedly not a compelling speaker on the stump.

PETE BUTTIGIEG (DOT SEC) Gay (not so much a religious bias; more a risk that he suggests playing identity politics); strong linkage to the Biden Administration (vs allowing Harris to frame her own message.)

Personally, I think Pete presents the best risk/reward option.

July 28, 2024

Pete Buttigieg on FOX NEWS SUNDAY...

https://twitter.com/atrupar/status/1817556992837173726

Buttigieg is seen by some as a “risk”/“reward” option; I personally think it’s worth the risk at this point. He comes across as a “happy warrior” who can stick the knife in with elegance.
July 28, 2024

Statement on Donald Trump's Unhinged Speech in Minnesota


Harris for President Spokesperson Sarafina Chitika released the following statement after Donald Trump’s speech in Minnesota:

“Tonight in Minnesota, a bitter, unhinged, 78-year-old convicted felon kept clinging to his lies about the 2020 election he lost being ‘rigged,’ rambled about his former opponent and golfing, and made excuses for why he’s afraid to debate Vice President Harris. Donald Trump said that if loses, our country is ‘finished.’ Yesterday, he promised the end of our democracy if he wins.

“Trump has made his goals clear: he’s determined to drag us backward, undermine our democracy, and enact his Project 2025 agenda to rip away our freedoms. But as he said tonight, ‘a criminal is a criminal, they generally stay a criminal’ – voters will unite to reject the politics of hatred and division, grow the middle class, and make sure convicted criminal Donald Trump doesn’t get anywhere near the White House.”

In case you were lucky enough to miss it, tonight Donald Trump:
Talked a lot about crime for a 34-time convicted felon who oversaw an historic spike in violent crime as president
Repeated his election lies: “They rigged the election, but we won’t walk about that” (he did, indeed, talk about it)
Lied about funding law enforcement after trying to cut police funding as president
Bragged about the Supreme Court Justices he appointed overturning Roe v. Wade
Bragged about making extreme state abortion bans possible – including those without exceptions for rape or incest
Attacked the media: “That’s a lot of fake news!” after his VP said “they deserve it”
Claimed that falling inflation numbers are fake (they are not)
Rambled about Joe Biden (does he remember who his opponent is?)
Threatened that “this country is finished” if he loses
Rambled about Hannibal Lector (speaking in the the third person, like a very stable genius)
Lied about his plans to raise taxes on the middle class by $2,600
Rambled about “too many stairs”
Rambled about golf
Attacked the Inflation Reduction Act, which is creating union jobs in Minnesota
Lied about Social Security after trying to cut it every year he was president
Promised to cut federal funding for every public school in the country
Lied about the 2024 election: “If they don’t cheat, we win this state…They cheated in the last election, and they're going to cheat in this election…If we don’t win this election, our country is finished”
Promised to bring back his Muslim ban
Said, “A criminal is a criminal, they generally stay a criminal.” (He would know)

But, you know what they say about broken clocks. Donald Trump got one thing right when he said, “Donald Trump wants to defund the police” (he was going for sarcasm, but it’s true – Trump tried to defund the police).
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Paid for by Harris for President
July 28, 2024

How Do You Solve a Problem Like Elon?

Time and again, Ms. Yaccarino has faced similar situations, as Mr. Musk is always one whim away from undoing her work. Ms. Yaccarino’s task of repairing and remaking X’s business over the past year has been complicated by Mr. Musk’s seeming disregard for the advertising industry and his constant unraveling of her efforts, according to interviews with more than a dozen advertising executives, X employees, former colleagues and friends.

After the Oct. 7 attack on Israel, for instance, Ms. Yaccarino told several major advertisers that she and X would work to fight antisemitism. The next month, Mr. Musk approvingly replied to an antisemitic theory on the site.

On Nov. 18, Ms. Yaccarino called on advertisers to come back to X to show their solidarity with the social media platform’s commitment to free speech. Shortly afterward, in a fit of petulance, and with Ms. Yaccarino sitting a few feet away, Mr. Musk went onstage at The New York Times’s DealBook Summit and used an expletive — three times — to tell advertisers in the audience that they could take their business elsewhere.

It’s almost like a game of corporate Whac-a-Mole, which Ms. Yaccarino is doing her best to master.

https://www.nytimes.com/2024/07/27/technology/linda-yaccarino-x-ceo-elon-musk.html

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Name: Chris Bastian
Gender: Male
Hometown: Brooklyn, NY
Home country: USA
Member since: 2002
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