Welcome 😄 to Friday’s Roundup of Good News!
Two months minus one day remain, dear Gnusies, and it is time to up our game. Yes, this is a marathon and not a sprint, except sometimes we have to sprint, and that time would be now.
Are you surprised by the fierceness of the fight? By the lies and the hatred? I am not. They are fighting to stay out of prison, a fairly powerful incentive. But we are fighting for our lives and our country.
Nevertheless, the lies and the hatred can be demoralizing. I had a pit in my stomach during the prior week, and that made even writing the GNR difficult. And if I — someone who is usually upbeat felt that way — how must others have felt? This week has been much better. And last week is also a reminder that fomenting depression is a way to suppress the vote and the energy. If you’re feeling it, fight it. This is the time to walk it off! Make a list of things you can do to work on getting the evil cabal out of office, and work on them, whether you’re happy or not (if we lose, then you can sink into depression).
Because the polls still say we will win. We have to get out the vote and make sure our votes are counted. We also have to fight the hurricane of threats and lies we can expect to hit us and our fellow Americans.
Something easy to do: are you following Joe Biden and Kamala Harris on twitter? If you are not, go do so at once. This action costs no money. And things like this make a difference.
You know you will vote, right (unless you’re a minor or not a US citizen)? You probably have a plan and one or two back-up plans. You need to make sure your friends, especially D-leaning friends, have plans and back-up plans. Reach out to the busy, to the young, and to the elderly. Help them navigate the hurdles.
Do you have money to give? You can donate to candidates, of course. You can also give to organizations such as the ACLU or to the Lincoln Project.
Do you know anyone who might be on the fence? Conversations can make a difference. Don’t expect the instant gratification of someone saying “yes, I will vote for Biden,” — of course, enjoy it if it happens! — but plant the seeds. You never know; maybe they will change their minds as they stare at their ballots.
Regular Scheduled Programming
No one here is naïve; we are aware of the very bad stuff that is happening. Some of us expected it: the cheating, the lying, the chaos, and yes, even the attempts to cling to power despite the clear will of the people. But we are here to read the efforts and the positive results of those (including us and our fellow gnus) who are working so hard to save our country from those very bad people. We are furious with them for what they are doing and we are letting them know. Remember:
💚 There are more of us than there are of them.
💛 They are terrified when we organize. THERE IS LOTS OF EVIDENCE THAT THEY ARE TERRIFIED!
💔 They want us to be demoralized. We have to keep demoralizing them. Name, blame and shame! IT IS WORKING! WE HAVE EVIDENCE THAT THEY ARE DEMORALIZED!
💙 The best way to keep up your spirits is to fight. So, take the time to recharge your batteries, but find ways to contribute to the well-being of our country and our world.
💙 Toxic 🍄 Trump Matters 👎
Gnusville is not the only place where people hate tRump. Surprising allies are coming out of the network, many lobbing powerful charges at tRump. For example, we have just learned why tRump skipped the visit to the cemetery of the fallen soldiers in Europe, because he thought the cemetery was full of losers. Daily Kos, based on article from The Atlantic
In 2018, Donald Trump canceled his visit to the Aisne-Marne American Cemetery near Paris. At the time, his excuse was it was too wet outside to see the final resting place of nearly 2,300 Americans who made the ultimate sacrifice in the first world war. The Atlantic has just published an unbelievable account of what happened during that trip to France, as well as allegations concerning Trump statements about fallen soldiers that, if true, are abhorrent.
While it was widely accepted that Trump’s excuse that the rain scared his Secret Service detail from bringing him to the cemetery that day was bogus, the details The Atlantic has, from a handful of sources, paint the Donald in the sad, pale, monstrous light we have come to expect from the president. One example is that Trump allegedly called the 1,800 American soldiers who died at the battle in Belleau Wood during World War I “suckers.” That is not a typo. He reportedly also asked who the “good guys” were in the war and “didn’t understand why the United States would intervene on the side of the Allies.”
Just wow. Wow. And you know how Biden is the first D to be polling better than an R in many decades with respect to the military? I have to think this isn’t going to help tRump at all. And vets are going to be really ticked off too.
Some Ds are connecting the dots.
You want to see how others are reacting? Check out this Dkos diary.
And tRump’s key message of how he’ll do better at law and order isn’t working so well:
Manhattan DA hints investigation goes beyond hush money Talking Points Memo
A Manhattan federal appeals court heard arguments Tuesday morning over President Trump’s year-long bid to delay enforcement of a criminal subpoena for his financial records, the latest episode in the President’s move to delay any and all probes into his business history.
Carey Dunne, an attorney representing Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance, reiterated that the state probe goes beyond the Stormy Daniels hush money scandal from which it began.
“No facts in the complaint support that inference,” Dunne said, referring to statements from President Trump’s attorneys that the investigation is limited to the hush money scandal.
The widow of Mr. Rogers loathes tRump the Daily Beast
The Trump campaign did not likely pick Latrobe, Pennsylvania, for Thursday night’s rally because it is the hometown of Fred Rogers, beloved icon of children’s television.
Not that Rogers would have said anything publicly about Trump if he were still alive. His widow, Joanne Rogers, told The Daily Beast on Thursday that her husband always avoided talking about political candidates or parties for fear it would complicate the lives of kids at home. ✂️
She is under no such constraints herself. ✂️ She made clear her feelings about Trump: “I think he’s just a horrible person.”
Joanne Rogers continued to say that she loathes tRump because he is a liar. She is not alone.
🐊 Draining the Swamp 🐊
Disgraced R financier in hot water Mother Jones
On May 25, 2017, Elliott Broidy texted Rick Gates with a message for Attorney General Jeff Sessions. Broidy, a top fundraiser for Donald Trump and the Republican National Committee, said that China would be willing to increase its cooperation with US law enforcement if the Justice Department deported Guo Wengui, a wealthy Chinese dissident living in New York.
“Mine is legitimate back channel,” Broidy wrote to Gates, a former top Trump campaign aide who Broidy had hired as a consultant. Broidy did not mention that he was in the process of receiving millions of dollars from a shady Malaysian businessman who had sought his help convincing the US government to extradite Guo.
These details were included in an extraordinary August 17 court filing alleging that a cadre of Republican power brokers and fundraisers tried to persuade the Trump administration to hand over Guo to China. In the filing, federal prosecutors say that Broidy broke a law requiring people acting in the United States as agents for foreign principals to register with the Justice Department. Broidy has so far not been charged with any crime. Gates has not been accused of wrongdoing in this matter.
💙 Democrats Are Great 🌊
Republicans 🐘 Got Nothing 👎
Democrats have voter registration advantage in four key battleground states NBC News (and thanks to hpg for a tweet that led to this article)
Since Election Day 2016, Pennsylvania has added 922,000 new voters to the rolls, according to data from TargetSmart, a Democratic political data company. Democrats have an edge of 132,000 over Republicans in new registrations. In addition, there are about 197,000 registered unaffiliated, that is without a political party.
That 132,000-registration edge for the Democrats is not insignificant. In 2016, Trump won Pennsylvania by less than 45,000 votes. The Democrats' new registration edge isn't definitive, of course: People don't always vote for their parties, and they can switch parties. And registered voters, whatever their parties, don't always vote. ✂️
And other states show the same trend to varying degrees.
The same article discusses the unaffiliated voters. There are lots of unaffiliated voters, which is not surprising when you remember how both parties have such high unfavorables. This is a look at the new unafilliated voter registration:
from the same article
It makes sense that the new voters are young. All those people turning voting age! But the interesting thing about this, as the article points out, only 37% of those 40 and under supported tRump in 2016.
We just have to get them to the polls! And make sure their votes count!
But after the epic trolling by the kids causing the Tulsa debacle, I think the kids are all right.
And this Daily Kos diary reminds us that Michigan, North Carolina, Nevada and Wisconsin all now have Democratic governors, something that was not true back in 2016. Pennsylvania does as well (but it did in 2016, too). Oh, an Arizona, where I vote, has a D secretary of state. These people should help protect the vote. The blue tsunami of 2018 made a big difference, my friends.
Something else in Michigan:
Now, Snyder is a horrible man who allowed babies to be poisoned in Flint. I don’t understand why he doesn’t feel more in line with tRump, who is telling corporations to poison the nation and the planet. Nevertheless, we can use his vote in Michigan.
And some of the ratfuckery isn't working:
and
BEYOND THE BELTWAY
Susan Collins is bleeding support Daily Kos
It's a growing phenomenon: The never-Trumpers who are expanding their no-go list to include those Senate Republicans who are standing quietly by, watching Trump and Sen. Mitch McConnell destroy everything nice. Here's another one of them, and it's going to raise Maine Sen. Susan Collins' fret level significantly. "Sadly, I can no longer support Senator Susan Collins," writes Mainer Jane Calderwood. "She has proven unwilling to stand up to the President and too enamored of political power to speak up for the good people of Maine. I am tired of hearing about how 'concerned' she is. These times demand strength and action and she has shown neither."
Fine, another letter to the editor about Collins. What's the big deal? The big deal is that Calderwood is a former longtime staffer, and eventual chief of staff, to Maine's other long-serving senator, Olympia Snowe. "Like my former boss," she writes, "I have always formed my views and opinions based on the individual issue and the facts, not the person or party pushing the issue." Unlike, she doesn't say even though her piece screams it, Susan Collins.
Calderwood continues mostly bashing Trump, writing that she has joined the Lincoln Project’s Lincoln Women Coalition, "a group of current and former Republican women who are fed up with the civil unrest, blatant misogyny and failed leadership of Donald Trump over the last four years." As opposed to Collins, the current Republican woman who is enabling all of the above, Calderwood totally implies. "His unwillingness—or inability—I’m not sure which—to address the COVID-19 pandemic is unbelievable and unforgivable, and only one of many examples, though the most damaging to date, of his unwillingness to protect the American public.
"I’m tired of waiting for the current president to live up to his oath of office, and that is why I am a Lincoln Woman," Calderwood concludes.
Positive news from Arizona. I vote in Arizona, and this is one of the emails the AZ Dems sent me this week:
CC, we can’t believe it.
We just ran the numbers, and we didn’t just meet our August fundraising goal...we smashed it!
This is a huge win in the battle to turn Arizona Blue.
Hitting our goal means:
- We can hire more organizers who will work day in and day out, contacting voters across the state.
- Scale-up our voter registration program to make sure everyone has a voice in November.
- Expand our digital ad’s reach to reach crucial swing voters.
We did this all with an average online contribution of just $35!
We are facing the most important election of our lifetime, and Arizona will likely play a crucial role in deciding the White House and the Senate. We are so grateful that so many of you decided to step up and help turn Arizona BLUE!
OK, I changed the name, because they used my real name, but the rest is verbatim. And how often do you get an email like this from a political organization? Like, never…. People on our side are engaged, my friends.
Here’s a tweet reaped by hpg
If you don’t want to click on everything, here’s the summary: 10 races out of 14 move in our direction. Yes, 4 moved in the wrong direction.
Some states will refuse to distribute a tRumpian vaccine. Talking Points Memo
Officials from at least three states have suggested that they would refuse to distribute a COVID-19 vaccine if they believe it has not received adequate vetting by the federal government, or that it had been approved for political reasons.
The statements come as the Trump administration’s behavior has stoked fears that it will greenlight a vaccine before the November election in a bid to juice the President’s re-election chances.
California would “need evidence that the vaccine candidates are safe and effective before distributing them,” a spokesperson for the state Department of Public health told TPM.
New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) suggested at a Thursday briefing that the state may make any federally approved vaccine subject to additional approval from the New York state Department of Health.
Washington State is the third. I expect others will follow suit. I used to squirm at some of the rights of states, which seemed contrary when they were going the wrong way and redundant when they were not — but now I am grateful for the fact that states have their own authority.
🐍 Schadenfreude 🍎
Border wall built by scam artists on verge of collapse Daily Kos
The multimillion-dollar privately funded border fencing near Mission, Texas isn’t just a legal disaster for the likes of newly indicted white nationalist creep and former Trump official Steve Bannon, it’s an actual physical disaster. ProPublica and The Texas Tribune write that new engineering reports say that if necessary repairs aren’t made, extensive erosion will cause the fencing to fail the next time the Rio Grande floods.
“Company president Tommy Fisher, a frequent guest on Fox News, had called the Rio Grande fence the ‘Lamborghini’ of border walls,” Jeremy Schwartz and Perla Trevizo report. “Instead, one engineer who reviewed the two reports on behalf of ProPublica and The Texas Tribune likened Fisher’s fence to a used Toyota Yaris.” Ouch.
The engineering reports, which are getting filed in federal court as part of ongoing litigation against contractor Fisher Sand and Gravel, confirm prior reporting from ProPublica and The Texas Tribune on the fencing’s status as a hot mess, finding “that segments of the structure were in danger of overturning due to extensive erosion if not fixed and properly maintained. Fisher dismissed the concerns as normal post-construction issues.”
📣 Let’s Honor Truth ☀️ ️
This week I want to honor Stephanie Winston Wolkoff, Melania tRump’s exfriend, who has been spending her time cooperating with prosecutors looking into the first big money grab of the tRump presidency — the inauguration. Wolkoff was set up to take the fall, while creeps like Broidy and the tRumps siphoned off the cash. At first I didn’t want to award Wolkoff — anyone who could be a friend of Melania — this virtual medal, then I listened to Maddow interview her and I heard about the utter hell she has gone through. Also, Wolkoff has a lot more to tell us — and, lordy, lordy, she has tapes. From Newsweek
Then, on September 1, Stephanie Winston Wolkoff told MSNBC that she had in fact made audiotapes and that the Melania Tapes exist: "Melania and the White House had accused me of criminal activity, had publicly shamed and fired me, and made me their scapegoat.
"At that moment in time, that's when I pressed record. She was no longer my friend and she was willing to let them take me down and she told me herself that is the way it has to be." ✂️
When local and federal investigators questioned the possible financial crimes committed in connection to Trump's, $104 million inauguration in 2017, headlines suggested that Winston Wolkoff had personally pocketed all or most of the $26 million paid to her firm.
I look forward to NNNE’s book report. Thanks, NNNE, for reading these things so we don’t have to!
🌹 Let’s Celebrate Love ❤️ ️
❤️ From Ecuador: the world’s oldest married couple Good News Network
This sweet Ecuadorian pair had their wedding nearly eight decades ago. Now, 79 years after tying the knot, they’ve been officially named the world’s oldest married couple.
110 year-old Julio Cesar Mora Tapia and 104-year-old Waldramina Maclovia Quinteros have an aggregate age of 214 years and 358 days. ✂️
Their advice for a long-lasting marriage? “The secret formula = love + maturity + mutual respect,” the couple told Guinness World Records.
“It is true that at this time it is difficult because we are overwhelmed by the pandemic that affects the world and we still do not have a solution. However, the first step for us to follow the rules with respect and love the life.”
📎📎Odds & Ends 📎📎
Harris wears sneakers. Normally I wouldn’t comment on the attire of a female candidate, but this actually matters. High heels — although they do make us ladies look taller and slimmer, and both can be advantageous — high heels are not very good for you. They can also hurt. They can be dangerous, leading to twisted ankles. And Harris is wearing sneakers. The Guardian
Harris’s preference for non-traditional footwear was first seen last year when she was a Democratic presidential hopeful, and appeared in Converse Chuck Taylor All Stars. As she told The Cut: “I run through airports in my Converse sneakers. I have a whole collection of Chuck Taylors: a black leather pair, a white pair, I have the kind that don’t lace, the kind that do lace, the kind I wear in the hot weather, the kind I wear in the cold weather, and the platform kind for when I’m wearing a pantsuit.”
Isn’t this great?
Honeybee venom kills aggressive breast cancer cells EcoWatch
A new study out of Australia found that honeybee venom rapidly killed the cells for triple-negative breast cancer, a type of breast cancer that currently has few treatment options.
I do a lot of other writing. Most recent offering: Hunters of the Feather, a story about a thinker-linker crow who wants to save birdkind from extinction. (It’s really good! It’s really cheap! Buy it!) My less recent stories, based on Jane Austen novels and others on Greek mythology, can be found here.
💙 What You Can Do to Rescue Democracy 💙
It turns out that participation in democracy is not just an every-four-years event but requires active participation, like, whenever you can find time. However, given that we have taken back the House, the tactics moving forward need to be different. Indivisible has ideas to share.
I don’t think any of the readers here are cats, so that excuse for inaction is no good.
Indivisible 2.0
This Guide is for what comes next. The 2016 Indivisible Guide was about using constituent power to defend our values, our neighbors, and our democracy. This Guide is about using our constituent power to go on offense.
Offense is exciting, but it’s more complex than defense. We have the opportunity to use congressional oversight to hold Trump and his cronies accountable. We can set the legislative agenda with a bold progressive vision rooted in inclusion, fairness, and justice. But none of this is automatic — we have to demand it of Congress.
And some other ideas:
You can relax and recharge.
You can join protests and freeway blog.
You can help register new voters.
You can smile.
You can get out the vote for special elections.
You can reach out to upset Republicans. Remember, a lot of them crossed over in the midterms! Get them to feel good about being blue.
You can share your ideas below.
🌻
🍀 “My experience has been that work is almost
always the best way to pull oneself out of the depths.” 🍀
Eleanor Roosevelt
🔥 If you’re going through hell, keep going! 🔥
Winston Churchill
🌹 🌹 🌹
TRUTH MATTERS. LOVE MATTERS.
