2020 Presidential Election 4: How Much Longer?

[front hugs > duggs]

Watching the first two nights, I've cried more than I care to admit. I'm in a really tough place in my life- I've been furloughed since April after relocating for my job. I'm the primary "breadwinner" in our family, so my husband is currently supporting us. It's been enough with unemployment, but since that ran out federally, FL is literally giving me $125/week (minus the tax exclusions) to survive right now. All of my energy has kind of been consumed by politics and current events since I don't really have anything else to focus on right now. 

There is SOOOO much on the line (Covid related healthcare and economy and non-Covid related, the balance of the Supreme Court, the fact that the only thing stopping daily school shootings in the US was a global pandemic to name a few...) I think I keep crying because of how significant the moment in time is. I pray as a nation we can rise up to the occasion and protect our democracy.

[fraurosena]

1 hour ago, Becky said:

 Who am I kidding? he will start up the Trump News Network and spend the rest of his life ranting incomprehensibly at his acolytes

Nope. No. No way is this happening. 

Biden has already stated he will prosecute Trump to the fullest extent of the law for all the crimes he committed while in office. 

At the earliest possible moment after it has become abundantly clear that he won't be able to remain in office, (not even by hook or by crook) Trump will flee the country to somewhere without extradition to the US, and live out the rest of his life in poverty, shame and ignominy.

[Alisamer]

9 minutes ago, fraurosena said:

At the earliest possible moment after it has become abundantly clear that he won't be able to remain in office, (not even by hook or by crook) Trump will flee the country to somewhere without extradition to the US, and live out the rest of his life in poverty, shame and ignominy.

I don't know about the poverty part. I suspect he'll find a way to still be rich (or at least live like he is, like now) and infamous. If Putin won't take him in he can probably get in good with a sheik somewhere - with the added bonus of possibly being allowed to add a new younger wife without having to divorce Melania first. 

Also. I had a long discussion about politics with my boss yesterday afternoon. I don't know where he gets his news, but he honestly believes that Trump is mentally sharper than Biden. He kept saying Biden was a liar and plagiarizer. I asked him if he'd ever actually read a transcript of a Trump speech and he said "no". He's an intelligent person, a small business owner, is Jewish, has a son who is a lawyer... I don't get it. He will admit Trump is a "scummy guy" and he doesn't like him, but somehow he got the exact opposite message from Michelle Obama's speech that I got. He thinks Biden is mentally impaired. He thinks Trump is smarter. He thinks Trump has done plenty of good things. He thinks mail-in voting is bad, people should just "get off their butts and go vote" (does that mean we get voting day off work? Of course not.). He's OK with people requesting absentee ballots, though. I don't THINK he's going to vote for Trump, but he might. 

We agree on some things - voting day should be a holiday for everyone, bills in congress should be about what they're about without random unrelated crap being tossed in, since that's so often what delays them being passed. We both think it might be better with more than two political parties, because we end up with so many stalemates. But he also thinks the electoral college is great, believes that Obama built the cages and separated kids from their families at the border and it only got publicized and politicized under Trump, things like that. 

I think it's easy to listen to Trump, read about Trump, and discuss online and wonder how on earth anyone could ever think Trump has more than 3 brain cells bouncing around his head. But there are intelligent, reasonable, good people that somehow just cannot see what we see. They see the exact opposite. 

That's why I'm scared about this election. I hope beyond hope that Trump is defeated roundly and soundly by a landslide. But there are lots of people like my boss. And they vote.

[fraurosena]

58 minutes ago, Alisamer said:

If Putin won't take him in he can probably get in good with a sheik somewhere

Meh. Why would they take him in? He won't have anything to offer them. It's not like they're his friends. As to his income... his name is tarnished and contaminated beyond repair, and his brand will be completely worthless. The money laundering for oligarchs will evaporate when his brand tanks. He has no other source of income. He will be impoverished.

As to your boss: thanks for the info! It's always insightful to hear (well, read) about how others think.

I understand the concern his attitude brings about. But he is only a sample of one. Although I'm sure he's not the only one with those opinions, you can't base a prediction on how the elections will go upon his reactions alone. Just to balance things out, I urge yo to remember what happened in the 2018 elections. The chances of that happening again, and maybe even exceedingly so, are great. And in my (ever optimistic) opinion, greater than people like your boss throwing spanners in the works by (potentially!) voting for Trump. 

[GreyhoundFan]

This made me laugh...

It's basically true, though they'll haul out Diamond and Silk to have token people of color.

[GreyhoundFan]

In case you missed it: "Barack Obama’s full Democratic convention speech, annotated" I can't copy the notes here.

Spoiler

ormer president Barack Obama gave his most forceful critique yet of President Trump’s leadership during Wednesday’s virtual Democratic National Convention, fully breaking with the tradition of former presidents not critiquing a sitting one. Trump responded in real time via Twitter as Obama excoriated him as having “no interest in treating the presidency as anything but one more reality show that he can use to get the attention he craves.”

Below is a transcript of Obama’s remarks as prepared for delivery. Click on the yellow highlights to see annotations with analysis from The Fix.

Good evening, everybody. As you've seen by now, this isn't a normal convention. It's not a normal time. So tonight, I want to talk as plainly as I can about the stakes in this election. Because what we do these next 76 days will echo through generations to come.

I’m in Philadelphia, where our Constitution was drafted and signed. It wasn’t a perfect document. It allowed for the inhumanity of slavery and failed to guarantee women — and even men who didn’t own property — the right to participate in the political process. But embedded in this document was a North Star that would guide future generations; a system of representative government — a democracy — through which we could better realize our highest ideals. Through civil war and bitter struggles, we improved this Constitution to include the voices of those who’d once been left out. And gradually, we made this country more just, more equal and more free.

The one constitutional office elected by all of the people is the presidency. So at minimum, we should expect a president to feel a sense of responsibility for the safety and welfare of all 330 million of us — regardless of what we look like, how we worship, who we love, how much money we have — or who we voted for.

But we should also expect a president to be the custodian of this democracy. We should expect that regardless of ego, ambition or political beliefs, the president will preserve, protect and defend the freedoms and ideals that so many Americans marched for and went to jail for; fought for and died for.

I have sat in the Oval Office with both of the men who are running for president. I never expected that my successor would embrace my vision or continue my policies. I did hope, for the sake of our country, that Donald Trump might show some interest in taking the job seriously; that he might come to feel the weight of the office and discover some reverence for the democracy that had been placed in his care.

But he never did. For close to four years now, he's shown no interest in putting in the work; no interest in finding common ground; no interest in using the awesome power of his office to help anyone but himself and his friends; no interest in treating the presidency as anything but one more reality show that he can use to get the attention he craves.

Donald Trump hasn't grown into the job because he can't. And the consequences of that failure are severe. 170,000 Americans dead. Millions of jobs gone while those at the top take in more than ever. Our worst impulses unleashed, our proud reputation around the world badly diminished, and our democratic institutions threatened like never before.

Now, I know that in times as polarized as these, most of you have already made up your mind. But maybe you're still not sure which candidate you'll vote for — or whether you'll vote at all. Maybe you're tired of the direction we're headed, but you can't see a better path yet, or you just don't know enough about the person who wants to lead us there.

So let me tell you about my friend Joe Biden.

Twelve years ago, when I began my search for a vice president, I didn't know I'd end up finding a brother. Joe and I came from different places and different generations. But what I quickly came to admire about him is his resilience, born of too much struggle; his empathy, born of too much grief. Joe's a man who learned — early on — to treat every person he meets with respect and dignity, living by the words his parents taught him: “No one's better than you, Joe, but you're better than nobody."

That empathy, that decency, the belief that everybody counts — that's who Joe is.

When he talks with someone who's lost her job, Joe remembers the night his father sat him down to say that he'd lost his.

When Joe listens to a parent who's trying to hold it all together right now, he does it as the single dad who took the train back to Wilmington each and every night so he could tuck his kids into bed.

When he meets with military families who've lost their hero, he does it as a kindred spirit; the parent of an American soldier; somebody whose faith has endured the hardest loss there is.

For eight years, Joe was the last one in the room whenever I faced a big decision. He made me a better president — and he's got the character and the experience to make us a better country.

And in my friend Kamala Harris, he's chosen an ideal partner who's more than prepared for the job; someone who knows what it's like to overcome barriers and who's made a career fighting to help others live out their own American Dream.

Along with the experience needed to get things done, Joe and Kamala have concrete policies that will turn their vision of a better, fairer, stronger country into reality.

They'll get this pandemic under control, like Joe did when he helped me manage H1N1 and prevent an Ebola outbreak from reaching our shores.

They’ll expand health care to more Americans, like Joe and I did 10 years ago when he helped craft the Affordable Care Act and nail down the votes to make it the law.

They'll rescue the economy, like Joe helped me do after the Great Recession. I asked him to manage the Recovery Act, which jump-started the longest stretch of job growth in history. And he sees this moment now not as a chance to get back to where we were, but to make long-overdue changes so that our economy actually makes life a little easier for everybody — whether it's the waitress trying to raise a kid on her own, or the shift worker always on the edge of getting laid off, or the student figuring out how to pay for next semester's classes.

Joe and Kamala will restore our standing in the world — and as we’ve learned from this pandemic, that matters. Joe knows the world, and the world knows him. He knows that our true strength comes from setting an example the world wants to follow. A nation that stands with democracy, not dictators. A nation that can inspire and mobilize others to overcome threats like climate change, terrorism, poverty and disease.

But more than anything, what I know about Joe and Kamala is that they actually care about every American. And they care deeply about this democracy.

They believe that in a democracy, the right to vote is sacred, and we should be making it easier for people to cast their ballot, not harder.

They believe that no one — including the president — is above the law, and that no public official — including the president — should use their office to enrich themselves or their supporters.

They understand that in this democracy, the commander in chief doesn't use the men and women of our military, who are willing to risk everything to protect our nation, as political props to deploy against peaceful protesters on our own soil. They understand that political opponents aren't “un-American” just because they disagree with you; that a free press isn't the “enemy” but the way we hold officials accountable; that our ability to work together to solve big problems like a pandemic depends on a fidelity to facts and science and logic and not just making stuff up.

None of this should be controversial. These shouldn’t be Republican principles or Democratic principles. They’re American principles. But at this moment, this president and those who enable him have shown they don’t believe in these things.

Tonight, I am asking you to believe in Joe and Kamala’s ability to lead this country out of these dark times and build it back better. But here’s the thing: No single American can fix this country alone. Not even a president. Democracy was never meant to be transactional — you give me your vote; I make everything better. It requires an active and informed citizenry. So I am also asking you to believe in your own ability — to embrace your own responsibility as citizens — to make sure that the basic tenets of our democracy endure.

Because that's what at stake right now. Our democracy.

Look, I understand why many Americans are down on government. The way the rules have been set up and abused in Congress make it easy for special interests to stop progress. Believe me, I know. I understand why a White factory worker who’s seen his wages cut or his job shipped overseas might feel like the government no longer looks out for him, and why a Black mother might feel like it never looked out for her at all. I understand why a new immigrant might look around this country and wonder whether there’s still a place for him here; why a young person might look at politics right now, the circus of it all, the meanness and the lies and crazy conspiracy theories and think, what’s the point?

Well, here’s the point: This president and those in power — those who benefit from keeping things the way they are — they are counting on your cynicism. They know they can’t win you over with their policies. So they’re hoping to make it as hard as possible for you to vote, and to convince you that your vote doesn’t matter. That’s how they win. That’s how they get to keep making decisions that affect your life, and the lives of the people you love. That’s how the economy will keep getting skewed to the wealthy and well-connected, how our health systems will let more people fall through the cracks. That’s how a democracy withers, until it’s no democracy at all.

We can't let that happen. Do not let them take away your power. Don't let them take away your democracy. Make a plan right now for how you're going to get involved and vote. Do it as early as you can and tell your family and friends how they can vote too. Do what Americans have done for over two centuries when faced with even tougher times than this — all those quiet heroes who found the courage to keep marching, keep pushing in the face of hardship and injustice.

Last month, we lost a giant of American democracy in John Lewis. Some years ago, I sat down with John and the few remaining leaders of the early civil rights movement. One of them told me he never imagined he'd walk into the White House and see a president who looked like his grandson. Then he told me that he'd looked it up, and it turned out that on the very day that I was born, he was marching into a jail cell, trying to end Jim Crow segregation in the South.

What we do echoes through the generations.

Whatever our backgrounds, we're all the children of Americans who fought the good fight. Great grandparents working in firetraps and sweatshops without rights or representation. Farmers losing their dreams to dust. Irish and Italians and Asians and Latinos told to go back where they came from. Jews and Catholics, Muslims and Sikhs, made to feel suspect for the way they worshiped. Black Americans chained and whipped and hanged. Spit on for trying to sit at lunch counters. Beaten for trying to vote.

If anyone had a right to believe that this democracy did not work, and could not work, it was those Americans. Our ancestors. They were on the receiving end of a democracy that had fallen short all their lives. They knew how far the daily reality of America strayed from the myth. And yet, instead of giving up, they joined together and said somehow, some way, we are going to make this work. We are going to bring those words, in our founding documents, to life.

I've seen that same spirit rising these past few years. Folks of every age and background who packed city centers and airports and rural roads so that families wouldn't be separated. So that another classroom wouldn't get shot up. So that our kids won't grow up on an uninhabitable planet. Americans of all races joining together to declare, in the face of injustice and brutality at the hands of the state, that Black Lives Matter, no more, but no less, so that no child in this country feels the continuing sting of racism.

To the young people who led us this summer, telling us we need to be better — in so many ways, you are this country's dreams fulfilled. Earlier generations had to be persuaded that everyone has equal worth. For you, it's a given — a conviction. And what I want you to know is that for all its messiness and frustrations, your system of self-government can be harnessed to help you realize those convictions.

You can give our democracy new meaning. You can take it to a better place. You're the missing ingredient — the ones who will decide whether or not America becomes the country that fully lives up to its creed.

That work will continue long after this election. But any chance of success depends entirely on the outcome of this election. This administration has shown it will tear our democracy down if that’s what it takes to win. So we have to get busy building it up — by pouring all our effort into these 76 days, and by voting like never before — for Joe and Kamala, and candidates up and down the ticket, so that we leave no doubt about what this country we love stands for — today and for all our days to come.

Stay safe. God bless.

 

[fraurosena]

Whoo boy!

 

[fraurosena]

 

[AuntK]

WHY ARE THERE SO MANY UGLY TRUMP ADS SHOWING UP ON FJ? Is it just me or does everyone see them? 

[Audrey2]

2 hours ago, AuntK said:

WHY ARE THERE SO MANY UGLY TRUMP ADS SHOWING UP ON FJ? Is it just me or does everyone see them? 

I've been seeing them for quite a while now. I just figured it's because I am in Quiver Full of politics most often. sorry, ads for the orange menace are not going to change my mind. They will just make me more determined.

[fraurosena]

This is scary.

 

[Becky]

8 hours ago, AuntK said:

WHY ARE THERE SO MANY UGLY TRUMP ADS SHOWING UP ON FJ? Is it just me or does everyone see them? 

When I see them, I smile, knowing that purchasing an ad on FJ is wasting his money. 

[clueliss]

70 (!) - How bad are you that SEVENTY leaders in your own party publicly say they won't vote for you.

 

https://www.yahoo.com/gma/more-70-republican-former-national-232142014.html

Quote

 

More than 70 Republican former national security officials come out in support of Biden

LUKE BARR

August 20, 2020, 6:21 PM CDT

More than 70 Republican former national security officials come out in support of Biden

More than 70 former Republican national security officials, including some former members of the Trump administration, came out in support of Joe Biden's bid for president Thursday, according to an open letter that also offered a scathing rebuke of President Donald Trump's first term in office.

"We are profoundly concerned about the course of our nation under the leadership of Donald Trump," the officials wrote. "Through his actions and his rhetoric, Trump has demonstrated that he lacks the character and competence to lead this nation and has engaged in corrupt behavior that renders him unfit to serve as President."

Some signers include former FBI Director William Webster, former Defense Secretary under President Obama Chuck Hagel and former CIA Director Michael Hayden.

 

Why a former top Trump official has joined Joe Biden

ABC News Videos

Scroll back up to restore default view.

MORE: Trump administration has taken a 'belligerent, aggressive tone' with Oregon officials: Former DHS Secretary Michael Chertoff

The letter outlines 10 reasons the signers believe Trump isn't fit for the Oval Office.

"Donald Trump has gravely damaged America's role as a world leader," the first point in the letter says. Other items include declarations that Trump is "unfit to lead during a national crisis," "solicited foreign influence," "aligned himself with dictators," "disparaged our armed forces, intelligence agencies, and diplomats," "undermined the rule of law," "dishonored the office of the presidency," "divided our nation," "attacked and vilified immigrants" and "imperiled America's security."

"While we – like all Americans – had hoped that Donald Trump would govern wisely, he has disappointed millions of voters who put their faith in him and has demonstrated that he is dangerously unfit to serve another term. In contrast, we believe Joe Biden has the character, experience, and temperament to lead this nation," the letter reads.

PHOTO: President Donald Trump arrives to speak to a crowd of supporters during a campaign stop at Mariotti Building Product, Aug. 20, 2020, in Old Forge, Pa. (Evan Vucci/AP)

One of the former officials who signed the letter told ABC News that she hoped Trump would rise to the occasion of being president, but in her view, he did not.

"Many of us hoped that Trump, like those before him, would rise to the honor of the office. That the mantel of leadership would weigh heavy on him and lead to a change of behavior. That perhaps the tweeting, the bullying, the coarse language would be set aside behind closed doors and that he would treat the office with the dignity and gravity it deserves. That did not happen," Elizabeth Neumann, former assistant secretary of Homeland Security told ABC News.

"[Trump's] leadership style is chaos; and if you study him -- this is a style that he has used for decades in business," she added. "But chaos at the top of our federal government leads to chaos throughout the government. Some see this as a way to weaken the so-called 'deep state' -- but what it actually does is weaken our security agencies' ability to secure and protect our nation. The botched COVID response is merely the latest example -- but also one of the gravest with the cost being American lives."

The Trump campaign did not immediately comment on the letter.

MORE: Former DHS official now backing Biden warns Trump others will speak out

"Donald Trump's four years in the White House have left America isolated abroad, our alliances in tatters, and autocrats like Xi and Putin emboldened," Biden campaign spokesperson Michael Gwin said in a statement. "This endorsement is a clear sign of both how weak Donald Trump has left the United States globally, and of Vice President Biden's unique ability to pick up the pieces next January by rebuilding critical relationships and standing up for American values and interests against the adversaries that Trump has coddled."

Earlier this week, the former Department of Homeland Security chief of staff under former Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen, Miles Taylor, came out in support of Biden.

"Given what I've experienced in the administration, I have to support Joe Biden for president," Taylor said in a video posted and produced by the group Republican Voters Against Trump. "And even though I'm not a Democrat, even though I disagree on key issues, I'm confident that Joe Biden will protect the country, and I'm confident he won't make the same mistakes as this president."

Acting Secretary Chad Wolf blasted Taylor in a statement, accusing him of reversing course for "five minutes of fame."

More than 70 Republican former national security officials come out in support of Biden originally appeared on abcnews.go.com

 

 

[Audrey2]

1 hour ago, clueliss said:

70 (!) - How bad are you that SEVENTY leaders in your own party publicly say they won't vote for you.

 

https://www.yahoo.com/gma/more-70-republican-former-national-232142014.html

 

Oh, but those who have had their brains sucked out by red hats, FOX news, and Rush Limbaugh will vote for him.

[fraurosena]

1 hour ago, clueliss said:

70 (!) - How bad are you that SEVENTY leaders in your own party publicly say they won't vote for you.

 

https://www.yahoo.com/gma/more-70-republican-former-national-232142014.html

 

It's all well and good that they're doing this now, and I'm glad of it. But where were they four years ago, or three, or two? Or heck, even last year, during his impeachment?

If they had made a stand then, if they had spoken out then, this whole dirty business with the USPS wouldn't have happened. The horrific beat down of BLM protests wouldn't have happened. The absolute bungling of the pandemic response would not have happened. And the chance of totalitarian rule and a total breakdown of democracy would not have been as great as it is now.

So, yes, it's great they're speaking out now. But they left it way too late in the day to make me cheer them for doing so.

[GreyhoundFan]

In case you missed it, a touching speech from last night:

 

[GreyhoundFan]

I'm not a huge JLD fan, but she was quite good last night:

 

[Audrey2]

2 hours ago, GreyhoundFan said:

In case you missed it, a touching speech from last night:

 

I would love to let this young man know that Annie Glenn, wife of Astronaut John Glenn also stuttered.

I'm putting some information from Wikipedia about this under the spoiler.

Spoiler

ike her father, Annie Glenn experienced a speech stutter throughout her life.[1] As a child, Glenn did not feel hindered by her stutter; she happily participated in activities such as softball, girl scouts, school dances, and choir.[4] It was not until sixth grade that she first realized her speech impairment.[4] It was determined that her stutter was present in eighty-five percent of her verbal utterances.[11] Despite her difficulty speaking, she was able to create and maintain close relationships.[4] After graduating college, Glenn wanted to get a job in a different town but because of her disability, her parents were worried about her living independently.[4] However, Glenn found ways to effectively communicate without speaking out loud. For example, before shopping, she would write down exactly what she was looking for and then show the note to the sales clerk when she needed help.[4]

At the age of 53, Glenn discovered and attended a three-week treatment course at Hollins Communications Research Institute in Roanoke, Virginia, to help with her dysfluency.[11] After attending the treatment course, her speech was greatly improved; however, she did not consider herself "cured" of stuttering.[1] Glenn was finally able to confidently vocally interact with others.[12] When her husband began campaigning for the Senate, she was able to support him by giving speeches at public events and at rallies.[1] Glenn used her newfound voice to bring attention to the disabled who she knew had been overlooked so often.[13]

Later, Glenn became an adjunct professor with Ohio State's Speech Pathology Department.[6]

In 1983, Glenn received the first national award of the American Speech and Hearing Association for her meritorious service to those with communicative disorders.[1] In 1987, the National Association for Hearing and Speech Action awarded the first annual Annie Glenn Award for achieving distinction despite a communication disorder.[1] Glenn presented the award to James Earl Jones as its first recipient.[1] She was inducted into the National Stuttering Association Hall of Fame in 2004.[14] In 2015, The Ohio State University renamed 17th Avenue (on its campus) to Annie and John Glenn Avenue.[15]

In 2009, the Ohio State University awarded her an honorary Doctorate of Public Service to recognize her work on behalf of children and others.[6] The department awards the "Annie Glenn Leadership Award" annually to a person that has displayed innovative and inspirational work in speech/language pathology

I find her story very inspiring.

[GreyhoundFan]

[GreyhoundFan]

Gee, listen to the scientists. What a concept.

 

[nausicaa]

So with Cindy McCain vocally endorsing Biden, some pundits were saying they might be able to flip Arizona. Does anyone from the Southwest have more understanding of the electorate there and how much pull the McCain family has? It would be awesome if they could but I wonder if this is just more pundit exaggeration. 

 

But you guys...how much of a shit show is the Republican Convention going to be? And I'm not even talking about Trump's verbal diarrhea and the lame celebrities they'll trot out.

I couldn't believe how inventive and well-executed the DNC was, but then remembered that they called off their in-person convention early and so had nearly half a year to come up with this, interview people, put together videos, and write scripts and speeches. (Seriously, a LOT of work went into that thing.) The Republicans called off the in person RNC what, a couple weeks ago? And apparently Trump was texting the organizers during the DNC asking for massive changes for next week. How will they even have time to edit things?

Is this going to be worse than a fifth grader's improvised TikTok video? Should I watch for the entertainment value or will I just feel dirty?

Edited August 22, 2020 by nausicaa

[GreyhoundFan]

52 minutes ago, nausicaa said:

I couldn't believe how inventive and well-executed the DNC was, but then remembered that they called off their in-person convention early and so had nearly half a year to come up with this, interview people, put together videos, and write scripts and speeches. (Seriously, a LOT of work went into that thing.) The Republicans called off the RNC what, a couple weeks ago? And apparently Trump was texting the organizers during the DNC asking for massive changes for next week. How will they even have time to edit things?

Is this going to be worse than a fifth grader's improved TikTok video? Should I watch for the entertainment value or will I just feel dirty?

I don't think I have a strong enough stomach to watch next week's shitshow.

This is from a roundup:

Quote

What will the Republican convention be like?

The Biden granddaughters were lovely. Shorter speeches were effective. The travelogue roll call made for strangely good TV. And answering the Republicans’ “Where’s Hunter?” battle cry with a video testimonial from the once wayward Biden son was delicately handled.

Those were concessions that Trump advisers and former White House officials handed to the Democratic National Committee after it pulled off the first-ever virtual convention, even while they took issue with the overall message of the week.

The question is, how do they top that now? It may be difficult.

• Republican officials wasted time that could have been used to plan a highly produced semi-virtual convention by trying — for much longer than the Democrats — to pull off a normal one. Mr. Trump scrapped his plans for an in-person convention in Jacksonville, Fla., just a month before the event was scheduled to take place.
• Instead of handing over the reins to an experienced television producer, Mr. Trump is trying to weigh in on much of the programming himself, mostly with the help of people from his own White House. And he’s insistent on having it still look on television like a “real convention,” i.e., with an audience component, and on playing a major role himself every night.
• The D.N.C.’s four nights showcasing the diversity of the Democratic Party also heightens the pressure on the Republican National Committee and Mr. Trump to do more than appeal to aggrieved white voters. Republican officials are planning to highlight Mark and Patricia McCloskey, the white couple from St. Louis who brandished weapons at Black Lives Matter protesters in June. Will they have a message for people other than the president’s hard-core base?

 

[Dandruff]

49 minutes ago, nausicaa said:

So with Cindy McCain vocally endorsing Biden, some pundits were saying they might be able to flip Arizona. Does anyone from the Southwest have more understanding of the electorate there and how much pull the McCain family has? It would be awesome if they could but I wonder if this is just more pundit exaggeration.

It would be a beautiful thing to witness and I'm sure it would piss off Trump mightily.

I hope the Dems don't, between now and November, let anyone forget how Dumpy treated John McCain.  He can't crawl out from that one, so I'm pretty sure he'd ignore it, but perhaps a few Republican voters would think hard enough about it to reconsider their loyalties.

[nausicaa]

7 minutes ago, GreyhoundFan said:

I don't think I have a strong enough stomach to watch next week's shitshow.

This is from a roundup:

 

Yeah, I figured his capricious micromanagement is only careening this Oh Shit train into Clusterfuckville. But honestly, at this point they probably don't have an option other than having only live videos. Any prerecorded pieces would have been needed to be sent to professional editors weeks ago. And they won't be able to create any onsite pieces like Biden's Amtrak piece. 

They may have a few short videos they planned to play at the live convention already, but they're going to have HOURS to fill and I'm not sure the few people willing to speak have even had time to craft speeches, let alone hone a message for each night. 

Whelp, good thing Trump is so good on his feet. Rapier wit there. 

[Dandruff]

2 hours ago, nausicaa said:

They may have a few short videos they planned to play at the live convention already, but they're going to have HOURS to fill and I'm not sure the few people willing to speak have even had time to craft speeches, let alone hone a message for each night.

I expect the spawn to be featured heavily.