The Bishop and the Butterfly: Murder, Politics, and the End of the Jazz Age

    Junkie Times - RNC not responsible for Trump?

    By PeraclesPlease on Sat, 11/05/2016 - 3:35am |

    Okay, as a sign of a true Political Junkie looking for that last minute relief, a sense that no more shakeups are going to drop, or if they do, in the right direction (Hillary says "stop clicking on 538" - easier said than done).

    Does last minute news really change voter choices? Not really, but something blockbuster could, while turnout trends are much more important. Even early voting isn't as critical as who shows up on Tuesday, but with up to 40 million votes early this year, its significance is ever greater.

    So first, Wall Street Journal as a surprising ally - breaks news on the National Enquirer paying & dropping a Playboy's story about her abuse by Trump - nice weekend grist for the business community to digest. (Huffpost also has the story, but that's preaching to the choir).

    NY Times has some of Ramona's feel-good magic about Beyoncé and Jay-Z in Cleveland and young girls' impressions of the campaign, plus a nice graphic of dropping Unemployment ("rigged", eh Donald?) and Chris Christie's underlings' conviction in Bridgegate. Presumably WSJ has more on unemployment as well.

    WaPo - Hillary holds fragile 4 point lead, Fox apologizes, Bridgegate, polls.

    CNN has the spike in Hispanic vote, Obama respecting a Trump voter at a rally, and Giuliani trying to switch his FBI leaks story.

    HuffPost: FBI agents gone rogue, Playboy story, Beyoncé/Jay Z, Hillary in Detroit, Gary Johnson fading, McCain still threatening to block Supreme Court

    Raleigh NC has a big video of Obama silencing angry supporters about a Trump protester, plus the courts telling North Carolina to restore names purged from voting rolls, while Charlotte NC has the court case, but for Obama it's "get out and vote" and a poll saying most voters think Hillary did something illegal.

    Arizona Republic: long lines, spike in Hispanic vote, Hillary pens letter to 102-year-old local figure...

    Cleveland Plain Dealer - Beyoncé and Jay Z of course, but also how Trump tried to start a fight with Jay Z, how Melania held paid modeling jobs before she got a visa, judge orders Trump & crew not to harass at the polls. Cincinnati Enquirer? only "Clinton remains best choice".

    Detroit Free Press - Trump, Pence & son in Detroit, Trump's wife Melania worked illegally, Traverse City tells public housing residents they can't display political signs & pulls them up.

    Milwaukee Journal Sentinel - GOP wants to limit early voting, 2 barometers for 2 campaigns, editorial "say no to Donald Trump", Clinton-Dix looking for splash plays - oh wait, that's a Packers safety.

    USA Today - Beyoncé, Melania, Bridgegate, 40% millennials worried election rigged, Lebron campaigns for Hillary, Fox apologizes for false Clinton statement.

    Las Vegas Review Journal (pro-Trump): long lines last day of early voting, voters troubled by poor choice on ticket, challenge to faulty drug tests.  Las Vegas Sun - Hillary campaigning with alternating sunny and stern messaging in final days, BeyHive, Fox apologizes, ABC investigates doctored shot with fake police tape in South Carolina story.

    Miami and Orlando papers supprting Clinton, Tampa paper fighting back against heavy rumors it's "rigged".

    McClatchy - majority of voters think HIllary acted illegally, Hillary goes for celeb backing while Trump says he doesn't need it, judge orders NC counties to restore purged rolls.

    LA Times - moderate Democrats growing (*only* mention of local contests I see), RNC tells courts on voter intimidation they're not responsible for Trump, can't control him!!!, and then a breaking article on a former Playmate convicted of body shaming an elderly gym goer (which probably helps Hillary on awareness of gender issues and discrimination against looks - hitting the Arizona market as well).

    Nothing more on the Megyn Kelley/Roger Ailes sexually assaulted me story, little national pick up of the Giuliani leaks from FBI, but no more breathtaking accusations against Hillary either.

    Also 2016 is year of magazine endorsements and greater political activity, such as with women's mags, so there's quite a bit of news happening there both online and off. A big question of how many people are staying tapped into the news over the weekend, through what sources.

    But still, Republicans can't control Trump, they just brought him to the dance, he's the one making a mess. Nice fof them to admit that in sworn testimony - how they went from the "Grownup Party" to the "Party of Shirked Responsibility". If only the rest of the country gets this message in enough numbers, we'll be fine. Inch'allah.

    Comments

    Jonathan Chait warns the GOP's Age of Authoritarianism is just beginning:

    ...Approaching the 2016 election from this historical perspective, in which Trump’s every boast, tweet, and threat disappears into the ether, may at first blush sound like a relief. It is the opposite. Trump is an extreme event, but Trumpism is no fluke. Its weaknesses are fleeting, and its strengths likely to endure. Far from an organization that is “probably headed toward a civil war” — as the Washington Post recently put it, summing up a rapidly congealing consensus — the Republican Party is instead more unified than one might imagine, as well as more dangerous.......Trump has revealed the convergence of two movements more extreme than anything in the free world that may yet threaten the democratic character most Americans take as their birthright....

    The vast majority of the Republican base finds Trump’s fascistic language normal because it has been conditioned over a generation to think about politics in similar terms. Trump’s hysterical warnings that fraudulent voting by black people will steal the election have likewise gone beyond the Republican norm. But only a bit beyond.....All the nice-­sounding legislative programs Clinton offered up to soothe her restless base on the left — affordable child care and college, improvements to Obamacare, ­infrastructure — will be dead on arrival, making Clinton appear ineffectual. Or worse than ineffectual: Republicans will crank up the investigative machinery and produce endless media coverage of ­scandals.....Trumpism is the long historical denouement of a party that has come to see American democracy as rigged.

    And what one does to a rigged system is destroy it.


    by NCD on Sat, 11/05/2016 - 12:30pm

    Peracles, I cannot blog here? DO YOU KNOW WHY?

    by Richard Day on Sat, 11/05/2016 - 1:23pm

    Okay, it works now.

    Thanks Peracles.

    hahahaha


    by Richard Day on Sat, 11/05/2016 - 3:29pm

    A bit of pixie dust here, a bit of moon rock there...


    by PeraclesPlease on Sat, 11/05/2016 - 6:19pm

    Seeing the effectiveness of the Trump lies about Hillary, I can't help but imagine what would happen if Hillary and others spoke to their listeners in this way:

    "The IRS has confirmed that Donald Trump has paid no taxes in the past 20 years, and that it is because his terrible business management caused his corporations to ACTUALLY LOSE ALMOST ONE BILLION DOLLARS IN ONE YEAR!  First of all, is this someone you consider a good businessman?  Secondly, it is obvious that THIS is the reason, rather than the fake "I am under audit" excuse is true, and so is completely bogus.  And thirdly, doesn't it make you feel like a chump that Donald gets to avoid taxes for 20 years because of his stupidity, but you don't get to?   Let's say you put a bunch of money into a house and the mortgage went under water.  You lost the house -- and YOU STILL HAVE TO PAT TAXES?!?!?!"

    "it has been reported that Donald Trump -- yes, the same person who makes a big deal out of Hillary Clinton's husband's affairs -- had a long-term affair with a Playboy Bunny during his marriage to Melania.  Of course this was kept secret by The National Inquirer, which paid Ms McDougal $150,000 to insure than her story was owned by them. Then, in order to protect Trump, they didn't publish it.  Remember, Donald Trump cheated on every wife he ever had (so far three), but Hillary and Bill worked through their issues and are committed to each other and their extended family.  Isn't that what true family values is about?"

    "The number of Russian lobbyists on Trump's payroll has been diminished only because of the disinfectant aspect of daylight, so that Manafort and others are now back on the Russian payroll.  There is no doubt that the Russians want Trump in office.  They own him, and even if he loses, their interference will foment the doubt in our democracy which is their secondary goal."

    I could go on, but I want to know why a version of any of this isn't the Democratic'ss Party way.  I honestly think what I said is all true; at least as true as what Trump is saying at every damn rally, and he gets away with it totally!!!!


    by CVille Dem on Sat, 11/05/2016 - 6:04pm

    I wondered the same thing for a while.  But after talking to several Trumpistas in various parts of the country I've come to the conclusion that focusing on Trump's non-existant business skills is not as effective as what her campaign was doing.  Trumpistas don't give a damn about his actual business record and they sure don't believe anything not coming out of Fox on his wealth and his business acumen.  Further, they could care less about the lies, misogyny and affairs.  Their only wish was that they could do the same thing. 

     

    The NYTimes article of 3/1/2016 titled "Inside the Clinton Team's Plan" says it more effectively than I.  I've also read a few other articles that essentially say the same thing about specific states such as PA and OH.


    by R Farmer (not verified) on Sun, 11/06/2016 - 9:23am

    Thanks!  I think you're probably right.  I also think that they have handled the Comey bombshell in a very professional and productive way.  It could have really sunk a lesser warrior than HIlary!


    by CVille Dem on Sun, 11/06/2016 - 2:17pm

    Yeah, it's kinda like telling Beavis & Butthead fans the show is stupid. Like duh. Still, I added a link to his golf prowess - seems like he's more than a little adept at pissing people off and being a "nasty guy" (tm).


    by PeraclesPlease on Sun, 11/06/2016 - 3:23pm