Tag: 2024 Elections

Harris/Trump Foreign Policy Comparison

Before I start into the comparisons…..a noted historian with an excellent track record is saying Harris will win the election….

Historian Allan Lichtman was one of the few big names to predict Donald Trump’s win in 2016, part of an impressive track record in which he has correctly called nine of the last 10 presidential contests. In a New York Times video, the American University professor makes his 2024 prediction: “Kamala Harris will be the next president of the United States,” he declares. Lichtman bases his predictions on 13 factors, including whether it’s a sitting president running for re-election, the short- and long-term strength of the economy, charisma, and foreign policy successes and failures, per USA Today.

Eight of his 13 keys currently favor Harris and three favor Trump, with the pair of foreign policy keys up for grabs. “Foreign policy is tricky,” he says. But even if both keys end up in Trump’s favor, that leaves him with only five, “which would not be enough for Donald Trump to regain the White House.” For the record, Lichtman thinks President Biden’s withdrawal from the race has hurt Democrats’ chances, but not enough to tilt the election to Trump. The only race Lichtman has gotten wrong was the 2000 contest between Al Gore and George W. Bush

He said the foreign policy was ‘tricky’ so I thought a comparison between the two might help out….

The 2024 election is important enough that every American should be aware of the stands the two candidates have on the issues of the day….and I try to give my reader a place to start learning about their policies…..I first gave their domestic policies….

This was the post I wrote recently on the domestic issues…..

Harris/Trump Comparisons

Now we move on to their foreign policy stands…..

This simple take on those policies was printed in US&World report I copied the bulk of the report because most are too lazy to click on the link and this is too important to be glazed over.

Trump vs. Harris on Israel

It was perhaps Trump’s highest-profile foreign policy move: In May of 2018, roughly halfway into his term, the former president made good on a longstanding promise to move the U.S. embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to the contested city of Jerusalem – a switch that pleased the Israeli government and many Republicans but also sparked global condemnation and fears of escalating regional tension.

“I love Israel,” Trump boasted last fall at the Republican Jewish Coalition’s annual Leadership Summit. “I’m proud to be the best friend that Israel has ever had.”

After a rift reportedly caused when Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu congratulated Biden on his 2020 victory, Trump and the right-wing Israeli leader seem to have mended fences during a July meeting. Trump has also emphasized his unflinching support for the country in its war in Gaza – in the June debate against Biden, Trump declared that the U.S. should allow Israel to “finish the job” – and, as president, he would be likely to remain in lockstep with a Netanyahu administration.

Harris, by contrast, also recently met with Netanyahu and emphasized her “unwavering commitment to Israel” – while simultaneously urging for a ceasefire agreement that would immediately end the conflict. She then made waves for her comments forcefully decrying Gazan suffering, signaling an emerging public stance that would be more sympathetic to the views of many younger Democrats, especially, who tend to see Israel as an oppressor. Still, the most likely Harris policy toward Israel may be one that largely resembles that of Biden, who has maintained strong support for the country even as he’s increasingly criticized Netanyahu and the Gaza campaign.

Trump vs. Harris on Russia

At first glance, the two candidates could hardly be further apart on policy toward Russia.

Since February of 2022, when Russia invaded Ukraine and instigated Europe’s worst conflict since World War II, Biden and his administration have forcefully denounced the Russian aggression while rallying European allies and pushing for vast economic and weapons support for Ukraine. That support had added up to $175 billion by this spring, easily making Ukraine the largest recipient of American aid.

If she wins in November, Harris – who has met on her own with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and declared in a speech last year that Russia had committed crimes against humanity – is expected to largely continue with the same approach. At a peace summit for Ukraine in June, the vice president also emphasized the importance of principles like national sovereignty and territorial integrity.

Trump, on the other hand, has long expressed warmth and admiration for Russian President Vladimir Putin. In early 2022, speaking on a radio show, he described Putin’s invasion of Ukraine as “genius” and “savvy”; earlier this year he ignited more controversy when he implied he’d give Putin a greenlight to invade any NATO members who weren’t meeting their spending obligations. Trump’s selection of JD Vance as his running mate, who has said he doesn’t care what happens to Ukraine and led a charge to stop Congressional funding for the country, seemed to only reinforce the former president’s pro-Russia leanings.

Trump vs. Harris on China

In 2018, as part of an effort to bolster American businesses that were suffering from restrictive Chinese economic policies, then-President Trump began imposing a series of heavy tariffs on Chinese goods. The import taxes did help boost certain niches of American manufacturing, like computer equipment, but Trump’s trade war also took a broad economic toll: Within a few years economists estimated that it was costing the United States 300,000 jobs and over $300 billion. Now candidate Trump is doubling down, lately promising to impose a 60% tariff on all Chinese imports – the biggest part of a sweeping new tariff plan that economists say would cause prices to spike and “could easily cause a recession.”

Yet Trump’s earlier China tariffs did prove politically popular: After once condemning the taxes, Biden ended up keeping and even increasing some of the duties, and it’s unclear if Harris would break from a trade policy that’s become generally accepted among both Democrats and Republicans.

The Democratic candidate has previously blasted China for human rights violations and stealing American products and intellectual property, and she’s also pushed for collaboration on issues like climate change. It’s a Biden-style approach toward America’s greatest economic rival – combining competition and cooperation – that Harris would likely continue.

Trump vs. Harris on NATO and Western Allies

“I think there’s nothing more important for Europe coming up this year,” Liana Fix, a fellow for Europe at the Council on Foreign Relations, said in June, “than the U.S. elections.”

That’s because the Republican and Democratic candidates offer wildly different visions of NATO and U.S.-Western alliances. For years now, Trump has repeatedly sowed doubt about America’s commitment to NATO, both by suggesting that he might pull the U.S. out of the alliance and by threatening to abandon support for allies if they fail to meet spending requirements.

He has claimed the threats are a negotiating tactic, but they’ve caused real anxiety on both sides of the Atlantic about the future of the alliance and global peace as Europe continues to face a threat from Putin’s Russia.

Harris, like Biden, is a staunch NATO defender who would be expected to reiterate America’s international commitments. She said as much herself in last week’s speech, revealing that she met with Zelenskyy shortly before Putin attacked Ukraine and claiming that she “helped mobilize a global response” to help Ukraine defend itself.

“And as president, I will stand strong with Ukraine and our NATO allies,” she added.

https://www.usnews.com/news/elections/articles/2024-08-26/decision-guide-foreign-policy-under-trump-vs-harris

These are just the so-called important points as the world looks today….that could change overnight.

Look that their past stuff….both candidates are yo-yos….up and down….up and down….they change their minds with the winds of the day (and the special interests and their buckets full of cash).

From the two comparisons I do not see any confidence that things will change.

I know, I know….she is better than a Trump president…..I still do not like that excuse.

Be Smart!

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I Read, I Write, You Know

“lego ergo scribo”

The President Will Change Inflation

The 2024 election has become so flippin’ boring!  We know Trump will be incoherent and Harris will echo Biden and that is about it.

This election season the candidates are giving inflation a lot of lip service….one says if elected he will end inflation on day one….the other is not so precise.

But can a president really do, do they have the power to end inflation?

Now that is a question that anyone worried about inflation should be asking of their candidate and ask for specifics after all words are cheap.

The Kiplinger Report takes a look at what is involved with inflation and what a president can do….if anything.

Inflation. 

It killed the presidencies of Jimmy Carter and Gerald Ford, relegating both to the status of a one-term president. And broad dissatisfaction with post-pandemic inflation weighed heavily on President Joe Biden’s popularity … and may have been one of the factors in his decision not to seek a second term. 

But is inflation really a president’s fault? And what, if anything, can a commander-in-chief do to fix it?

The relationship between inflation and the man or woman in the White House is complex because inflation itself is complex. And while the president cannot control inflation, per se, they can certainly influence it. 

So, let’s break it down, starting with what drives inflation.

Inflation is the rate at which prices rise over time. Or, put differently, it measures how much your money is worth relative to the goods and services you can buy with it. 

The reasons for inflation are varied, but ultimately, they all come down to basic supply and demand. That’s how all markets work. When demand is higher than supply, prices rise to compensate. Likewise, when supply outpaces demand, prices fall.

Both aggregate supply and aggregate demand can be influenced by government policy, though not necessarily by the president. 

https://www.kiplinger.com/personal-finance/inflation/can-a-president-fix-inflation

As you can see the Federal Reserves is where inflation has it’s start….government policies can have an effect one way or the other but a president cannot end inflation on his/her own.

“But it’s also not within the president’s power alone to control inflation and it’s not realistic to expect it. “

Think about this….the Fed is lowering interest rates will that drive inflation to rise….after all we are sitting at 2.9% or so the reports go.

Know what you are voting for in the upcoming election….do not vote for idle words.

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I Read, I Write, You Know

“lego ergo scribo”

The Harris Interview

I apologize this post is a bit late…..life caught up with me and I had a bunch of personal stuff to get out of the way.

I know this event took place last week and I am late to the game….

With Republicans criticizing Vice President Kamala Harris first for not granting interviews, then for appearing with running mate Tim Walz at her first major interview since becoming the Democratic nominee, the bar for success wasn’t especially high in her CNN interview. Analysts say Harris—who did most of the talking—delivered a capable but unexceptional performance in discussing issues including her changes in policy positions with Dana Bash. Some takeaways:

  • “Comfortable and in command.” “From a strictly performance standpoint, Harris was clear, calm and didn’t get rattled when pushed about changes to her positions on certain issues,” Domenico Montanaro writes at NPR. He says Harris has seemed “defensive” in previous interviews, “but that wasn’t the case here. She seemed comfortable and in command, which is important for a presidential candidate who people are still getting to know.”
  • She makes it through to the next round. “Harris parried questions from Dana Bash … without causing herself political harm or providing herself a significant boost,” writes Reid J. Epstein at the New York Times. He says she was “methodical and risk-averse in the 27-minute interview, performing like a top seed in the early rounds of the US Open tennis tournament trying to hold serve, survive, and advance to the next round”—which for Harris, is the Sept. 10 debate with Donald Trump.
  • She defended policy changes. Pressed on her shifts on some major issues since she embraced progressive positions in 2019, Harris said the “most important and most significant aspect of my policy perspective and decisions is my values have not changed,” NBC News reports. She didn’t provide the “most edifying or enlightening explanations” for why she moved away from policies like the Green New Deal, Aaron Blake writes at the Washington Post, but she “suggested she’s still working with the same set of values in mind, but employing different tools in changing times.”
  • Boring is a bonus. Donald Trump described the interview as “BORING!!!” in a one-word Truth Social post, but Niall Stanage at the Hill says he was missing the point that “boring” is “probably just fine for Harris.” “The CNN interview won’t be going in any hall of fame for the art of political persuasion—but it won’t get close to the hall of shame either,” he writes. “For Harris and Walz, they ticked the box of having conducted a major interview. They didn’t do anything that seems likely to choke off their momentum.”
  • She defended Bidenomics. Instead of trying to put some distance between herself and President Biden’s economic policies, as some had expected, Harris defended the administration’s achievements and blamed Trump’s “mismanagement” during the pandemic for problems the administration had inherited, Montanaro writes at NPR. He says this “shows what a lot of Democrats have been crying out for—someone to make the case on the economy well, instead of how Biden often responded, which came off as him taking the attacks personally and acting defensively.”
  • A “serene” Walz. The interview showed that Walz is “good at sitting and smiling,” Epstein writes at the Times. Compared to his “excited cheerleader” role at joint rallies, his role here “was more serene,” Epstein writes. “He mostly sat there, silent, waiting for Ms. Bash to ask him to say something. At one point during the interview’s first segment, he went a full eight minutes without speaking.

This interview showed me that if elected very little will change in the White House from Biden.

Her ‘new way forward’ is nothing more than a minor change on the path forged by Biden.

I know, I know….whatever…..she is better than trump…..that whole thinking is getting a bit tiring….this election should be more about some sort of change and not a ‘hold your nose’ and vote.

I am not happy with this election at all.

I Read, I Write, You Know

“lego ergo scribo”

Harris/Trump Comparisons

+++I regret that this may be my only post today for I have a round of doctor’s visits starting rather early….I will check back whenever I have a free moment….hopefully I will be back tomorrow.+++

This is an IST FYI post…..

The election looms large and now would be a good time to look at a comparison of the two camps on policies that are shaping this vote.

Time to learn the issues and stop leaning on a worthless social media site for your decision.

Keep in mind this is a very simplistic analysis and if further info is needed go to their websites for that info….

We will begin with the Harris camp….

Student loan debt and medical debt

  • Harris is adamant that medical debt should not count toward consumer’s credit reports. She has also said she is “committed to continuing to relieve the burden of medical debt,” and praised North Carolina’s move to abolish the debt of 2 million residents.

Climate goals

  • Harris was staunchly anti-fracking and called for a federal ban on the oil and gas extraction process during her 2020 presidential bid, but in the years since she has become more lenient. She claims that she no longer wants to ban the process, but has yet to elaborate on her energy plans for the future.

Health Care

Price gouging in medicine is so prevalent that dozens of television shows have used the open secret for material. The Biden-Harris administration started capping drug prices for life-saving medicine like insulin in 2023, and made vaccines available at no cost with the Inflation Reduction Act. The plan has saved senior citizens an estimated $1.5 billion in its first year, by allowing Medicare to negotiate drug prices.  

Border and Immigration

  • Harris has been working to increase funding along the Mexico border for several years now, and has overseen diplomatic efforts with Central America. Under her watch, a crackdown on asylum claims was implemented and is expected to continue. Her border plans include increased funding for ICE, tighter policy to limit migrant surges, more border security in the form of increased border patrols, and more detention beds in facilities to house more asylum seekers.

Abortion access

  • America has the highest maternal death rate of any developed country, and Harris has endeavored to bring attention to the elevated death rate of women of color for decades. She was the first vice president to give a speech at a Planned Parenthood Clinic, and went on a “fight for reproductive freedoms tour in 2024 to oppose the “extreme attacks throughout America.”

Foreign Policy

  • While Harris has expressed “serious concerns” over the civilian deaths in Gaza, she has declared “unwavering commitment” to supporting Israel. She has emphasized the need to free the Israeli hostages from Hamas custody and has emphasized the need for Israel to vacate Gaza once a ceasefire and a “permanent end to the hostilities” is struck.
  • Harris is fully behind the Ukrainian efforts to oust Russia’s invasion. She has met with President Zelenskyy to discuss energy assistance, humanitarian needs, and securing weapons and other resources. She believes not helping Ukraine bolsters Russia’s assets and has sworn to stay in NATO saying, “NATO is the greatest military alliance the world has ever known.”

Police funding

Economy

  • Harris aims to remove the tax on tips, pledges not to raise taxes on those making less than 400k a year, and is expected to release her proposed tax cut plan for the middle class soon. She has opened investigations into big grocery chains like Kroger to assess price gouging, and has a 3-section plan to address the lack of affordable housing across the country.

Now we move on to Donald Trump’s policies (or so they are stated at this point in the cycle)….

Economy

  • Trump wants to eliminate taxes on tips as well as social security. He has called for 10-20% tariffs on imports from all countries aside from China, for which he proposes a 60% tariff.
  • He wishes to expand on the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act and has promised tax cuts for people of all income levels and businesses. Trump is also focused on grocery prices and has promised an executive order to “defeat inflation.”

Climate goals

  • Trump aims to open federal land, like state parks, for housing construction and oil and gas exploration. He intends to “unleash American energy” by dismantling the Green New Deal and investing in more oil, gas, diesel, and electricity by tapping into America’s “God-given abundance of Oil, natural gas, and clean coal.”

Trump claims that climate change is a hoax, and is staunchly pro-deregulation when it comes to the environment. He intends to withdraw from the “unfair” Paris Climate Agreement and is anti-clean energy, often complaining about wind turbines.

Crime

  • Trump promises to increase police funding, hire new officers, and retrain existing police forces. He intends to dispatch the National Guard into “high crime communities,” and imprison violent offenders and career criminals behind bars indefinitely.
  • Trump will “defend Law and Liberty” by defending the Second Amendment and upholding religious freedoms including the right to pray in public schools. He intends to appoint as many “constitutionalist” judges as he can.

Foreign policy

  • Trump wants to expand military spending, rehire “every patriot who was unjustly fired,” and install a state-of-the-art missile defense shield. He has broadly promised to “restore our standing in the world and American leadership abroad,” and calls for an “end to globalism and an embrace of patriotism.”

Military

  • In addition to the National Guard changes mentioned above, Trump intends to continue with the work his administration started in 2016. He claims to have enhanced veterans’ healthcare choices and expanded mental health access, but Millitary.com paints another picture. He has no concrete ideas for how he will continue to help veterans.

Domestic policy

  • Trump is a hard-core advocate of free speech and promises to punish any federal agency that tries to infringe upon the right. He promises landmark legislation to limit social media platforms from restricting free speech.
  • He intends to reform election laws by limiting state and local officials from making changes, banning “unsecured drop boxes and ballot harvesting,” and by banning private money in local elections.

Trump will “drain the swamp” by imposing congressional term limits, banning taxpayer-funded campaigns, and banning members of Congress from becoming lobbyists or trading stocks.

  • Trump will “drain the swamp” by imposing congressional term limits, banning taxpayer-funded campaigns, and banning members of Congress from becoming lobbyists or trading stocks.

Healthcare

  • Trump’s healthcare plans involve stopping all COVID mandates and “restoring medical freedom,” an end to surprise billing by implementing transparent pricing and reducing the price of prescription drugs and health insurance premiums. He claims that he “will always protect Medicare, Social Security, and patients with pre-existing conditions.”
  • Trump has remained mostly ambiguous when it comes to abortion, but he has promised to limit access to the abortion pill mifepristone. He outsources much of his abortion stances to his advisers, who have spearheaded the campaign against a woman’s right to choose.

(wegotitcovered.com)

Like I stated earlier….very simplistic but a good primer if you are still scratching your head on who to cast a vote for in November.

Be Smart!

Learn Stuff!

I Read, I Write, You Know

“lego ergo scribo”

Oh Tulsi, Seriously?

I admit it back in 2020 primary season I was a supporter of Tulsi Gabbard basically because of her antiwar positions…..and apparently I was hoodwinked, which does not happen often, in supporting her run for the nomination.

Since her exit from politics after she dropped out of the 2020 race she has become this person that bears no relation to the candidate of the 2020 election…..she has now started showing her true colors….

Former Democratic Rep. Tulsi Gabbard has endorsed Donald Trump, furthering her shift away from the party she sought to represent in the 2020 presidential election and linking herself to critiques of Vice President Kamala Harris and the chaotic Afghanistan War withdrawal. Gabbard, a National Guard veteran who served two tours of duty in the Middle East before representing Hawaii in the House, said Trump “understands the grave responsibility that a president and commander in chief bears for every single one of our lives,” per the AP.

Gabbard appeared with Trump in Detroit on Monday at the National Guard Association of the United States on the third anniversary of the 2021 suicide bombing at Hamid Karzai International Airport, which killed 13 US service members and more than 100 Afghans. Gabbard, now an independent, praised Trump for “having the courage to meet with adversaries, dictators, allies, and partners alike in the pursuit of peace, seeing war as a last resort.” She condemned the Democratic White House for the US now “facing multiple wars on multiple fronts in regions around the world and closer to the brink of nuclear war than we ever have been before.”

Gabbard was known during her four House terms for taking positions at odds with her own party’s establishment. She was an early and vocal supporter of Sen. Bernie Sanders’ 2016 presidential primary run, which made her popular with progressives. Not seeking reelection in 2020, Gabbard ran for president herself instead, saying that US wars in the Middle East destabilized the region, made the US less safe, and cost thousands of American lives, and that Democrats and Republicans shared the blame. She tore into Harris’ record during a primary debate and ultimately outlasted her in that race. Also Monday, Trump’s team said Gabbard would moderate a town hall with Trump on Thursday in La Crosse, Wisconsin.

Seriously?

How does a person go from supporting a progressive like Bernie to endorsing a far Right candidate like Trump?

I can no longer take her and her words seriously.

I Read, I Write, You Know

“lego ergo scribo”

2024 DNC Wrap Up

It’s over!

Last night was the closing night for the Dems and their convention (mercifully)…..and it is now official we have our Dem candidate and now the campaigns can begin in earnest…..

The bummer of the night for those in attendance was the rumor of an appearance by Beyonce was just that…. all smoke and manure…..

Harris made her acceptance speech and made promises that will be idle words come next January…..but do not let me pee on the parade…..you decide….

As Kamala Harris took the stage Thursday during the final night of the Democratic National Convention, the cheering went on for so long that Harris had to gently move things along, saying, “OK, we gotta get to some business.” The vice president started out by wishing her husband, Doug Emhoff, a happy 10th wedding anniversary, then moved on—as expected—to laying out her personal story and accomplishments. Then came the moment many had been waiting for:

  • “On behalf of the people. On behalf of every American regardless of party, race, gender, or the language your grandmother speaks. On behalf of my mother and everyone who has ever set off on their own unlikely journey. On behalf of Americans like the people I grew up with: people who work hard, chase their dreams, and look out for one another. On behalf of everyone whose story could only be written in the greatest nation on earth, I accept your nomination to be president of the United States of America.”

  • She went on to discuss what she sees as the “extremely serious” danger of putting Donald Trump, whom she called an “unserious man,” back in the White House. “Donald Trump tried to throw away your votes. When he failed, he sent an armed mob to the United States Capitol.” More quotes, per CNN and the AP:

  • Appeal to the other side of the aisle: “I know there are people of various political views watching tonight. And I want you to know: I promise to be a president for all Americans. You can always trust me to put country above party and self.”
  • Campaign promises: Harris talked about strengthening the middle class and said her administration would create an “opportunity economy where everyone has a chance to compete and a chance to succeed.” She said she’d end America’s housing shortage and protect social security and Medicare.
  • On the erosion of reproductive rights: Speaking of Trump’s role in the end of Roe v. Wade and the further restrictions Republicans want to see placed on abortion, she said, “Simply put: They are out of their minds.”
  • On Israel and Gaza: She said she’d “always stand up for Israel’s right to defend itself, and I will always ensure Israel has the ability to defend itself, because the people of Israel must never again face the horror that a terrorist organization called Hamas caused on October 7.” But she also said the devastation and suffering in Gaza must end.
  • On border security: She said as president she’d get the bipartisan border bill, which she accused Trump of killing for political reasons, passed and signed into law. “I refuse to play politics with our security.”

And at the end the big finale….a huge balloon drop all 100,000 of them….yes I counted.

I wish something more interesting had occurred on the last night but it was pretty much the same as all conventions…..

We now have our two candidates and it is official…..let the dueling begin….all the jibes, accusations, insults and whining….

On to November!

I Read, I Write, You Know

“lego ergo scribo”

 

DNC–Day 2

I know I said I would not write about the convention until the last day wrap-up…..but the Dems keep doing something not done before and it needs to be reported.

As a political junkie it is my duty to report and analyze.

Day 2 was full of stuff….the dance party and Obama coming to the mike yet again.

The Dems trying to make the convention pulled out a couple of things out of their butts….like a dance party roll call….

Convention roll call votes can be staid and cheesy, but Democrats turned theirs into the ultimate dance party on Tuesday, the AP reports. DJ Cassidy stood onstage in what appeared to be a double-breasted satin suit of royal blue, spinning a special song for each state and territory awarding their delegates to Vice President Kamala Harris at the Democratic National Convention. What America got was a mashup of an elite karaoke night: Detroit native Eminem’s “Lose Yourself” for Michigan, Dropkick Murphys’ “I’m Shipping Up to Boston” for Massachusetts, and Tupac Shakur’s “California Love” for California. Georgia brought out one of its natives in person: Atlanta’s Lil Jon striding through Chicago’s United Center to the beats of “Turn Down for What,” his song with DJ Snake.

  • Florida’s delegation played Tom Petty’s anthem to hard-headedness, “I Won’t Back Down,” in casting its delegates for Harris—a not-too-subtle jab at the state’s Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis. Petty was born in the Florida city of Gainesville. DeSantis used the song as the theme of his failed Republican presidential primary this cycle, and it was part of the name of a super PAC that spent lavishly on his losing cause.
  • Alabama, obviously, got “Sweet Home Alabama” by Lynyrd Skynyrd. Alaska announced their backing of Vice President Kamala Harris to “Feel It Still” by Portugal. The Man, a band from Wasilla, where Republican Sarah Palin was once mayor.
  • Minnesota went with “1999” by Paisley Park’s own Prince. Indiana, with actor Sean Astin by the microphone, went with Gary native Michael Jackson’s “Don’t Stop ’til You Get Enough.” Nevada played “Mr. Brightside” by The Killers, the synth pop band from Las Vegas. Kansas went with “Carry On My Wayward Son” by the rock band Kansas.
  • New Jersey went with Bruce Springsteen’s “Born in the USA.” “Under one groove nothing can stop us now,” DJ Cassidy said over Springsteen’s anthem.

Unconventional…..did it generate more enthusiasm?  Did not see it….

Then came the night’s keynote speaker….Barack Obama….

Two decades after making his national debut on a Democratic National Convention stage, Barack Obama closed out the second night of the DNC Tuesday in Chicago, a city particularly meaningful to the former president.

  • Saying Americans want to know who is thinking about their future and their children’s futures, Obama noted Donald Trump isn’t losing sleep over those concerns. “Here’s a 78-year-old billionaire who has not stopped whining about his problems since he rode down his golden escalator nine years ago,” he said. “It has been a constant stream of gripes and grievances that is getting worse now that he’s afraid of losing to Kamala. There’s the childish nicknames. The crazy conspiracy theories. This weird obsession with crowd sizes. It just goes on and on and on.”
  • He said someone recently told him Trump is like a neighbor who constantly runs his leaf blower. “From a neighbor, that’s exhausting. From a president, it’s just dangerous,” Obama said. “The truth is, Donald Trump sees power as nothing more than a means to his ends.”
  • He went on to tout Harris’ accomplishments and what she will achieve should she become president, promising she would not worry only about her own interests, as Obama accused Trump of doing, but about what’s best for all Americans.
  • As the crowd booed while Obama talked about Trump, Obama said sternly, “Do not boo. Vote.”
  • Of Harris’ running mate Tim Walz, Obama said, “Let me tell you something, I love this guy. Tim is the kind of person who should be in politics. Born in a small town, served his country, taught kids, coached football. … You can tell those flannel shirts that he wears don’t come from some political consultant. They come from his closet—and they have been through some stuff.”
  • “I noticed, by the way, that since it’s become popular, they don’t call it ObamaCare no more,” Obama said after a mention of the Affordable Care Act received enthusiastic applause.
  • “Yes, she can,” Obama said of Harris at one point, prompting a round of “Yes she can!” chants from the crowd.
  • “If a parent or grandparent occasionally says something that makes us cringe, we don’t automatically assume that they’re bad people,” he said, noting that “the world is moving fast” and some people need time to “catch up.” He urged Democrats to extend the same grace to those on the other side of the political aisle as they would want extended to them.
  • “If we each do our part over the next 77 days … if we work like we’ve never worked before, if we hold firm to our convictions, we will elect Kamala Harris as the next president of the United States,” he said as his speech came to a close. “So let’s get to work.”

A typical Obama speech….lots of cheers, applause….but did he change any minds that were on the fence?  Can’t see it.

To be honest there was not much different from the last convention or the one before that or……

So ends day 2 of the DNC…..what fresh Hell will be unleashed on the peasants?

I Read, I Write, You Know

“lego ergo scribo”

Yet Another Sarah Palin?

Today the DNC opens its convention and all the promises, attacks, insults and out right BS will continue until Thursday night….I will not waste my time or yours reporting on the day’s festivities…..I will do a wrap up on Friday.

Let’s talk about the elephant in the race.

How many remember the election of 2008 and the intro to one Sarah Palin?

She was the governor of Alaska.

John McCain made a horrendous mistake by asking her to be his VP and it was bore out in the news almost daily.

And now we have a ‘new’ Sarah Palin and its name is JD Vance.

Americans aren’t vibing with the Republican vice-presidential nominee. On average, only 33 percent have a favorable opinion of Sen. JD Vance, while 42 percent have an unfavorable one.

Americans were cool toward Vance from the start: Three days* after he was announced as former President Donald Trump’s running mate, his net favorability rating was -3 percentage points (26 percent favorable, 29 percent unfavorable). But since then, he has faced a rash of bad headlines about his past comments calling Harris a “childless cat lady,” his past support for a national abortion ban and even a baseless internet rumor about having sex with a couch. The poor rollout pushed his net favorability rating down even further, to -9 points.

https://abcnews.go.com/538/tim-walz-popular-jd-vance/story

Vance is similar to Palin….he fires off his mouth before his brain is loaded.

Vance is discussing becoming a new father and the help he gets from his mother-in-law.

“The whole purpose of the postmenopausal female in theory,” he says in the clip talking about becoming a father and getting help. “She lived with us for a year.”

The comments immediately drew attention online, adding to questions about Vance’s view on women after he said that Democrats are mostly miserable “childless cat ladies.”

Don’t believe it?  Then watch the video….

https://www.ibtimes.com/jd-vance-postmenopausal-female-economy-3739794

Vance never stops spouting crap and yet there are some Americans that will vote for him simply because he is tied to Donald the Orange……a sad way to pick a candidate.

Here you can read some Vance’s more disgusting and pathetic quotes….

https://www.buzzfeed.com/natashajokic1/jd-vance-facts-quotes

He is the new Sarah Palin and he will go down as a buffoon in Congress as she did as a buffoon in state government.

Between Project 2025 and Vance it is not looking good for the GOP….but there is still a couple of months for everything to change….but will it?

I Read, I Write, You Know

“lego ergo scribo”

The Harris Economic Plan

Before the campaign starts in earnest the Harris people have released the economic plan that she will pursue….not that it will ever become the law of the land….her plans sounds a lot like the ideas from Biden and very little is sounded progressive…..

That said why not look at her proposals…..

Vice President Kamala Harris is set to make her most significant economic policy announcement yet, to include a proposed ban on price gouging in the food sector and a crackdown on corporations. Harris will unveil her economic plan Friday in Raleigh, North Carolina, and the proposals described or hinted at in advance of the announcement indicate “a sharp escalation in the economic populism” of President Biden, reports the Washington Post. Here’s what to expect, according to CNN, NPR, and Reuters:

  • “The first-ever federal ban on price gouging on food and groceries … to make clear that big corporations can’t unfairly exploit consumers to run up excessive corporate profits,” the campaign says, per the Post.
  • Tax breaks the campaign says will lead to 3 million new housing units over four years, moving beyond a Biden administration proposal to allow 2 million new and renovated homes.
  • Limit tax breaks for corporate investors that buy up large numbers of single-family rental homes.
  • A ban on rental price-fixing.
  • $25,000 for more than 1 million first-time home buyers to help with the down payment, up from a $10,000 tax credit proposed under Biden.
  • A $40 billion fund to help local governments finance innovative housing construction, up from a $20 billion proposal under Biden.
  • End federal income taxes on tips, also backed by former President Trump.
  • Expand the child tax credit to $6,000 for families with newborn children.
  • A push to lower healthcare costs and cancel medical debt.

A few are ambitious….my problem is words are cheap how will she accomplish all these promises?

Let’s look at the one that is on everyone’s mind…..the high cost of food….

Economic justice advocates on Thursday applauded the Harris campaign’s announcement the Vice President Kamala Harris is planning to unveil a historic ban on food and grocery price gouging amid widespread discontent about costs that have ballooned by 26% in the last five years.

The Democratic presidential candidate is expected to unveil the proposal for the first-ever federal price gouging ban at a rally in Raleigh, North Carolina on Friday, detailing plans to direct the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to impose “harsh penalties” on companies that hike food prices to pad their profits.

As president, the campaign said late Wednesday, Harris would set “clear rules of the road to make clear that big corporations can’t unfairly exploit consumers to run up excessive corporate profits on food and groceries,” building on actions President Joe Biden has taken, such as the creation of a Strike Force on Unfair and Illegal Pricing and his guidelines aimed at reining in corporate mergers.

The rules would be introduced in Harris’ first 100 days in office, should she win the presidential election in November.

https://www.commondreams.org/news/kamala-harris-north-carolina

I see Bernie is on-board with these ‘promises’….

U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders praised the economic agenda outlined Friday by Democratic nominee Kamala Harris as “an important step forward in making our country a fairer and more just society.”

While acknowledging that the vice president’s slate of proposals does not go as far as he “would like,” Sanders said it is “an economic agenda that begins to speak to the needs of working families and takes on the unprecedented corporate greed that is taking place throughout America.”

“At a time when the price of healthcare is soaring, Vice President Harris understands that we need to cancel medical debt in America,” said Sanders. “At a time when we have a major housing crisis, with 650,000 people experiencing homelessness, Vice President Harris understands that we have to build at least 3 million units of affordable housing, provide a $25,000 down payment for first-time homebuyers, and prevent corporate landlords from jacking up rent.”

https://www.commondreams.org/news/sanders-harris-economic-agenda

Is this truly a plan Bernie would propose?

Good question and we may never know the answer.

Sadly I will not hold my breath waiting for these ‘plans’ to be implemented….right now it is so much noise of a campaign….there is NO proof in the pudding so to speak.

Odd that after high prices plaguing the population and the Dems come up with a plan just before an election makes me doubt their sincerity.

We will see just how gung-ho they are after the election.

I Read, I Write, You Know

“lego ergo scribo”