Show The World Who We Are

Vote, and don't do it for money

At the time, I drew Obama’s famous words years ago

So much is going on within these last few weeks before election day.

Elon Musk announced he will be awarding $1 million dollars a day randomly to “people who signed the petition.” The petition, which is connected to his Super Pac, reads:

"The First and Second Amendments guarantee freedom of speech and the right to bear arms. By signing below, I am pledging my support for the First and Second Amendments."

Governor Josh Shapiro of Pennsylvania is calling for law enforcement to look into the legality of this. Money for votes? It’s outrageous that Musk and Trump want to make our Democracy into a tv game show. It’s demeaning.

Interesting twist today: Liz Cheney is campaigning with Harris in Republican districts of the “blue-wall” battleground states. Cheney, who was opposed to abortion rights when she was a member of Congress, is telling GOP women that they can vote for Harris with a clean conscience.

“I think there are many of us around the country who have been pro-life but who have watched what’s going on in our states since the Dobbs decision and have watched state legislatures put in place laws that are resulting in women not getting the care they need,” Ms. Cheney said. “In places like Texas, for example, the attorney general is talking about suing, is suing, to get access to women’s medical records. That’s not sustainable for us as a country, and it has to change.”

She goes on to say what’s on all of our minds, “We have a chance to show the world who we are, to remind people that we are a good good country, we are good and honorable people. I know that Harris will always do what she believes is good for our country, she has a sincere heart.”

It’s high time to reject the vitriol, the fowl language and hate. In recent rallies and gatherings, Trump spoke of how VP Harris was a “s**i Vice President,” he talked about a famous golfer’s genitals, and he told his audience that women need to get their “fat husbands off the couch and vote for him, slap their husbands around, get the fat slob off the couch.” He thinks this is funny, it’s not. Is this how the leader of the free world should talk? I like to think Amerians are better people. It’s not that I’m such a prude that I’m “against” slapstick or crude humor— as long as it doesn’t insult anyone, and as long as it doesn’t destroy our Democracy and our standing in the world. Both of which would happen if we elect Trump.

This is not a tv show. John D Miller, the former NBC executive who helped create The Apprentice, apologized for “creating a monster.”

“To sell the show, we created the narrative that Trump was a super-successful businessman who lived like royalty. That was the conceit of the show,” Miller wrote in an op-ed for U.S. News. “At the very least, it was a substantial exaggeration; at worst, it created a false narrative by making him seem more successful than he was.”

I was in Indiana recently and saw an ad for Trump on tv. It was three middle aged women talking over coffee. They discussed how bad anti-semitism had gotten, then one said Kamala was not doing much about it, she was “busy defending the squad.” Squad refers to a small group of members of Congress who are laeleled as far left liberals, two are of Muslim faith. Many of the squad are people of color. This is veiled racism and otherism. The women in the ad go on to talk about how they don’t feel safe, that they don’t particulalry like Trump, but “he makes me feel safe.” Maybe this ad works on some people, they just need that one “reason” not to vote for Harris, even if its a falsehood.

Trump repeatedly insists that it has happened that parents drop their kid off at school as a girl and return home a boy. When I see clips like that, I wonder, do the people listening really believe this? When he tells this kind of story to audiences, they either laugh, or it makes them feel stupid, like wow, I didn’t know that. His followers accept his outrageousness as humorous theater; they don’t realize how serious the lie is.

Here is the video: https://x.com/DGComedy/status/1848389872165306824

A viral attack on social media is a false claim by a fake former student of Tim Walz. Inuendo and confusion right before the election is what they are doing. While “working” at a McDonald’s drive through window yesterday, Trump answered a question and said he would accept the election results if they were fair. Immediately he proceeded to say, we are winning in the polls, we are way ahead, yada yada, yada. He is setting the stage for when he loses and can claim it was rigged and not fair. And not accept the results.

I just learned a new word: “bro-whispering.” Apparently, Trump is doing this to try to get the young white male vote. It seems that this demographic is struggling, and he is tapping into it. Some examples of "bro-whistling” are:

championing crypto, securing the endorsement of Dave Portnoy — the unapologetically offensive founder of Barstool Sports — and giving U.F.C. President Dana White, who embodies the alpha-male archetype that appeals to many young men, a prime spot at the Republican National Convention…. cultivated relationships with simpatico comedians, pranksters, influencers and Silicon Valley billionaires like Elon Musk….

Maybe these men are angry, feel lost and insignificant perhaps, because women are becoming more successful. They were perhaps raised in patriarchal environments, grew up on misogynistic values put forth by advertising, movies, football culture, tech culture and video games. An editorial in the NY Times today by John Volpe of the Harvard Kennedy School provides this answer:

“Donald Trump has gained ground with Gen Z by systematically exploiting the fears and insecurities of young men, making them feel that their masculinity and future are under siege. Kamala Harris can counter that narrative by listening and recognizing their fears but also by offering something more profound: a vision of hope, strength and shared purpose.”

Yes. Hope, strength, shared purpose.

Thanks for being here, see you tomorrow.