American Politics from 2019 on

[Tero]

Standup politician bores crowd. many leave before end.
https://www.threads.net/@kamalas_wins/p ... ZhGUjw0EhA

[Tero]

Mornin'!
https://www.threads.net/@patterson_proj ... CTJtWNs2uw

[Tero]

NYT
Why Tim Walz?
Author Headshot
By Reid J. Epstein
I’m a national politics reporter and a native Midwesterner.
Tim Walz is going to bring big Midwestern dad energy to the presidential campaign.

Minnesota’s governor won’t deliver a key state or bring key policy experience that Kamala Harris, the Democratic nominee, lacks. She picked him to run as her vice president for one reason above all others: His biography and his demeanor make him a familiar figure for voters who might not be attracted to a Black and South Asian woman from California.

The Walz vibes are very different from those of recent top-of-the-ticket Democrats. The party is used to national candidates who’ve spent decades, if not their entire lives, preparing for the big stage. Walz was teaching social studies and geography, not climbing the ladder, 20 years ago. In the last two weeks, as Harris shortlisted him to be her running mate, Walz referred to himself privately as “the dog that caught the car,” seemingly shocked by his own luck.

Walz is a former small-town high school football coach who spends his free time hunting and fishing. He wears a camouflage hat while campaigning and speaks with the nasal accent native to the Upper Midwest. I grew up in Central Illinois and spent years living and working in Wisconsin. Hearing Walz speak reminds me of what it sounds like to hear another English speaker while traveling abroad — a familiar, comforting sound.

[Brian Peacock]

Shouldn't this go in the Kamala or the Democrat thread?

[JimC]

Trying to herd cats, Brian?

[Brian Peacock]

[JimC]

[Tero]

Vance, combat journalist, attacks Walz
https://www.politico.com/news/2024/08/0 ... e-00173172

[L'Emmerdeur]

Don't believe the Enemies of the People--almost all Americans despise Harris and will vote for Trump. Anybody who says otherwise is a communist and a liar. In November, any election results that appear to show otherwise will be fraudulent, and there are loyal Trump supporters in position to make sure the fraud doesn't succeed.

'Get Ready Now: Republicans Will Refuse to Certify a Harris Win'

Trump is no longer on track to win the election—which he has been for more than six straight months. Instead, the momentum, money, voter registration, volunteering, grassroots organizing, polling, and online engagement all favor the Democrats and it looks now like Trump could easily lose.

But that won’t happen, because Trump doesn’t lose. He beat Joe Biden in 2020—remember? So if he’s not the rightful victor on November 5, an entire army of Republicans is ready to block certification of the election at the local level.

No need to worry about mayhem on January 6, 2025 when Congress meets in joint session; the election deniers plan to stop a result right away if it looks like Harris is winning. Their goal: Refuse to certify anywhere—even a county that Trump won—and prevent certification in that state, which prevents certification of the presidential election.

The article is a fairly comprehensive examination of the issue. One of the sources cited:

'These Swing State Election Officials Are Pro-Trump Election Deniers'

When election night comes in November, it will be up to thousands of local election officials to certify election results in their counties. Among those election officials are scores of Donald Trump supporters who believe his lies and conspiracies about stolen elections — and will be in prime position to act on those beliefs to try to aid his campaign in November.

In the swing states of Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada, North Carolina, and Pennsylvania, Rolling Stone and American Doom identified nearly 70 pro-Trump election conspiracists currently working as county election officials who have questioned the validity of elections or delayed or refused to certify results. At least 20 of these county election officials have refused or delayed certification in recent years.

Certification of election results is what legal experts consider a “ministerial task,” and one required by state and local law. But as Trump’s lies about the 2020 election have taken hold, Republicans nationwide have decided that certification provides them an opportunity to hear fraud allegations — and refuse to officially count their local votes. Republicans have refused to certify election results at least 25 times since Trump lost the 2020 election to President Joe Biden.

“I think we are going to see mass refusals to certify the election” in November, says Democratic election lawyer Marc Elias. “Everything we are seeing about this election is that the other side is more organized, more ruthless, and more prepared.”

[Tero]

We have ways to certify elections even if there is no VP. If Trump has Kamala wiped out for example. It was last done in 1965.
https://www.threads.net/@esa55jarvi/pos ... UuNi10u5rw

[Tero]

This naming and approval of VP that resigned or was not there allowed the party in power to keep the presidency.
WIKI: Feerick writes that the Twenty-fifth Amendment helped pave the way for Nixon's resignation during the Watergate scandal. Nixon and Agnew were Republicans, and in the months immediately following Agnew's resignation, with the vice presidency empty, removal or resignation of Nixon would have transferred the presidential powers to House Speaker Carl Albert, a Democrat. But once Ford (a Republican) became vice president under Section 2, removal of Nixon became more palatable because it would, now, not result in a change in the party holding the presidency, and therefore "the momentum for exposing the truth about Nixon's involvement in Watergate increased." 

[Tero]

Home Depot and now Newsweek are announcing scary economic news. With no facts. Newsweek is now a mini Fox.

https://www.newsweek.com/us-economy-ala ... ge-1938939

it will then be a short step to "Biden and Harris are causing this."

[Tero]

Trump: Democrats have open borders. They are letting in millions. They use up our social security. Democrats register them to vote.

Reality (from post on https://www.internationalskeptics.com) with no link
1 01/20/21 Issues memo requiring surging resources to the border to prioritize security.
2 01/20/21 Continues Title 42 expulsions to Mexico.
3 01/21/21 Continues Title 19 bar to nonessential travel/asylum at U.S.-Mexico ports.
4 02/09/21 Opens new temporary border detention facility in Donna, Texas.
5 02/17/21 Legally justifies continued use of Title 42 for adults and families in the Federal Register.
6 03/01/21 Expands family Title 42 expulsions, using “lateral flights”.
7 03/15/21 Defends ICE detention contracts with private prisons in California in court.
03/17/21 Biden: “They should all be going back.”
8 03/18/21 Convinces Mexico to nearly double the acceptance of Title 42 expulsions.
9 04/01/21 Deploys first-ever processing coordinators to free up border agents for field work.
10 04/02/21 Opens huge border tent detention facility in Eagle Pass, Texas.
11 04/03/21 Launches massive anti-migration messaging campaign in Central America.
12 04/21/21 Opens huge border tent detention facility in Yuma, Arizona.
13 04/27/21 Launches Operation Sentinel to target smugglers.
14 04/29/21 Opens huge new border tent detention facility in Tucson, Arizona.
15 05/07/21 Ratifies end to 30-day processing for asylum work documents.
16 05/08/21 Hires 17 Trump-selected deportation judges.
17 05/13/21 Expands ICE detention from Trump Jan. 20, 2021 levels.
18 05/24/21 Extends order blocking asylum seekers at land ports of entry.
19 05/26/21 Requests an increase in CBP funding to $13.4 billion for FY 2022.
20 05/27/21 Requests an increase in ICE funding to $7.9 billion for FY 2022.
21 05/28/21 Creates “rocket docket” to deport families.
06/07/21 Kamala Harris: "Do not come. Do not come."
22 06/07/21 Launches Joint Task Force Alpha to arrest smugglers abroad.
23 06/08/21 Blocks companies helping migrants travel from getting commercial insurance.
24 06/18/21 Reinstates lateral expulsion flights for families along southwest border.
25 07/06/21 Fully reopens deportation courts.
26 07/26/21 Reinstates expedited removal for families.
27 08/01/21 Signs contract for electronic surveillance of up to 400,000 released immigrants.
28 08/04/21 Ends NGO-referrals for exceptions to Title 42 at ports of entry.
29 08/05/21 Extends Title 42 for duration of the health emergency for adults and families.
30 08/06/21 Defends Title 42 in court.
31 08/08/21 Initiates expulsion flights of non-Mexicans to southern Mexico.
32 08/20/21 Adds many new AI-spy towers as a “virtual border wall”.
33 08/20/21 Gets Mexico to suspend visas for Ecuadorians.
34 09/17/21 Appeals ruling finding Title 42 expulsions illegal.
35 09/17/21 Temporarily closes Del Rio port to surge officers to interdict illegal crossers.
36 09/18/21 Launches mass expulsion campaign of Haitians.
37 09/27/21 Lets Texas unconstitutionally detain migrants without charges or attorneys.
38 10/14/21 Gets Mexico to ban visa-free travel for Brazilians.
39 10/19/21 Spends $14.1 million on tent courts for Remain in Mexico cases at the border.
40 11/29/21 Rescinds restrictive enforcement priorities to give ICE agents power to arrests.
41 12/02/21 Negotiates a new Remain in Mexico agreement.
42 12/02/21 Expands Remain in Mexico to include Haitians and other non-Spanish speakers.
43 01/06/22 Gets Mexico to ban visa-free travel for Venezuelans.
44 01/27/22 Gets Belize to ban visa-free travel for Venezuelans, Ecuadorians, Dominicans
45 01/31/22 Gets Colombia to accept deported Venezuelans.
46 01/31/22 Starts deporting Venezuelans to Venezuela through third countries.
47 02/27/22 Gets Costa Rica to ban visa-free travel for Venezuelans.
48 03/01/22 Opens permanent HSI investigate office in Haiti to disrupt smugglers.
49 03/14/22 Reopens expanded CBP RGV detention facility.
50 03/16/22 Gets Costa Rica to sign a migration agreement to increase enforcement.
51 03/30/22 Increases immigration criminal prosecutions by 33 percent.
52 04/01/22 Sends 700 ICE HSI agents to the border to disrupt smuggling networks.
53 03/26/22 Requests an increase in ICE’s budget to $8 billion for FY 2023.
54 03/27/22 Requests an increase in CBP’s budget to $14.5 billion for FY 2023.
55 04/01/22 Sets up a Migration Intelligence Cell with the Director of National Intelligence.
56 04/01/22 Launches “Counter Human Smuggler” campaign, arresting 5,000 smugglers.
57 04/06/22 Lets Texas shut down trade from Mexico to Texas.
58 04/13/22 Builds border wall through historic cemeteries.
59 04/15/22 Lets Texas-Mexico agreement to crack down on immigrants proceed.
60 04/25/22 Reimposes Title 42 for Ukrainians.
61 05/02/22 Signs $7.2 million contract to electronically surveil released immigrants.
62 06/13/22 Relaxes Trump-era capacity limits on ICE detention.
63 06/21/22 Goes to court to defend ICE detention contracts with private prisons.
64 07/01/22 Exceeds capacity and time limits on border detention in Arizona.
65 07/01/22 Fills 68 gaps in border wall with plans to finish 129.
66 07/13/22 Opens new tent detention facility in Eagle Pass, Texas.
67 08/01/22 Offers $10,000 signing bonuses to new Border Patrol agents.
68 09/01/22 Finishes patching 6,610 holes cut in the border wall in FY 2021 and 2022.
69 09/30/22 Completes hiring a record 104 deportation judges in the fiscal year.
70 09/30/22 Completes the most removals/returns/expulsions since 2001.
71 10/12/22 Gets Mexico to accept expulsions of Venezuelans for the first time.
72 11/11/22 Gets Cuba to accept deportations of Cubans for first time in 2 years.
73 11/17/22 Sends 1,400 DHS employees including Air Marshals to the border.
74 12/07/22 Appeals ruling finding Title 42 expulsions illegal.
75 12/15/22 Asks Mexico to let it restart Remain in Mexico.
76 12/22/22 Requests and secures 1st increase in Border Patrol agents in over a decade.
77 01/06/23 Gets Mexico to accept expulsions of Cubans, Haitians, and Nicaraguans.
78 01/11/23 Opens a new tent border detention facility in El Paso, Texas.
79 01/30/23 Hires 1,000+ new processing coordinators freeing up Border Patrol agents.
80 01/31/23 Opens a new tent border detention facility in Otay Mesa, California.
81 03/07/23 Installs new non-intrusive inspection systems at ports of entry to detect drugs.
82 03/13/23 Launches Operation Blue Lotus to stop fentanyl trafficking.
83 03/13/23 Requests $15.4 billion for CBP funding for FY 2024.
84 03/13/23 Requests $8 billion for ICE funding for FY 2024.
85 03/16/23 Conducts first-ever extradition of a smuggling resulting in death case from Guatemala.
86 03/24/23 Signs safe-third country agreement expansion with Canada.
87 04/14/23 Temporarily closes port to commercial traffic to interdict illegal crossers.
88 04/20/23 Gets Panama and Colombia to crack down on Darien Gap crossings.
89 04/27/23 Gets Mexico to take Cuban, Haitian, Nicaraguan, Venezuelan removals.
90 05/02/23 Sends 1,500 National Guard troops to border.
91 05/11/23 Imposes a presumption against asylum for those crossing illegally.
92 05/11/23 Creates FERM fast-track deportations for families.
93 05/11/23 Conducts first-ever permanent deportations of non-Mexicans to Mexico.
94 05/11/23 Increases use of expedited removal to double the prior record.
95 05/23/23 Increases CBP detention capacity from 11,200 to 21,000.
96 06/16/23 Defends presumption against asylum rule in court.
97 07/03/23 Signs emergency ICE air deportation flights contract.
98 07/13/23 Eliminates all Trump-era pandemic restrictions on ICE detention.
99 07/17/23 Replaces decaying border barrier in Friendship Park.
100 07/19/23 Fights in court to stop NJ law banning ICE detention contracts.
101 08/21/23 Extends contract for Elizabeth Contract ICE Detention Facility in New Jersey.
102 09/07/23 Appeals a finding that the presumption against asylum rule is illegal.
103 09/07/23 Contracts for nearly $70 million in border surveillance technology.
104 09/10/23 Reprograms ICE funds to increase detention above congressionally funded levels.
105 09/20/23 Extends Plymouth County, MA sheriff’s office ICE detention contract.
106 09/23/23 Gets Mexico to deport non-Mexican immigrants in northern Mexico.
107 09/30/23 Completes hiring a new record 133 deportation judges in the fiscal year.
108 09/30/23 Issues a record number of removal orders for a fiscal year.
109 09/30/23 Issues the first-ever digital A-files, speeding border arrests.
110 10/05/23 Gets Venezuela to accept deportations for the 1st time since 2019.
111 10/05/23 Waives 26 federal laws to build 20 miles of border wall.
112 10/20/23 Requests $14 billion in supplemental funding mainly for removals.
113 10/30/23 Gets Haiti to ban charter flights to Nicaragua.
114 11/21/23 Bans visas for flight operators to Nicaragua, shutting down most flights.
115 12/04/23 Temporarily closes AZ port to use officers to interdict illegal crossers.
116 12/09/23 Temporarily closes CA port to use officers to interdict illegal crossers.
117 12/17/23 Temporarily suspends railroad entries to prevent riding on trains.
118 12/20/23 Gets Mexico to increase enforcement against non-Mexicans.
119 12/22/23 Signs H.R. 2670 which gives Border Patrol an overtime pay increase.
120 01/19/24 Increases Border Patrol recruitment bonuses to $30,000.
01/26/24 I would use . . . a new emergency authority to shut down the border.
121 01/30/24 Reinstates Mexican deportation flights deep into Mexico.
122 02/04/24 Helps to write a bill to reimpose expulsions, restrict asylum at the border.

[Brian Peacock]

Trumpsters prefer alternative facts.

[Tero]

NYT morning letter:

More on the convention
“America, I gave my best to you,” Biden said in a speech that also criticized Donald Trump.
Biden called picking Harris as his running mate the best decision of his career. He joked that “like many of our best presidents, she was also vice president.”
Introduced by his daughter Ashley, Biden dabbed tears as convention delegates held signs reading “We Joe.”
Speaking earlier, Hillary Clinton said, “On the other side of that glass ceiling is Kamala Harris raising her hand and taking the oath of office.”
Several speakers contrasted Harris’s background with Trump’s felony convictions. Clinton smiled and nodded as the audience chanted “lock him up.”
Shawn Fain of the United Auto Workers union wore a T-shirt that read “Trump is a scab.”
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, the House progressive, praised Harris for supporting populist economic policies and seeking a cease-fire in Gaza.
Biden and other speakers at times exaggerated or left out context. Read a fact check.
Senate Democrats in tough races, including Jon Tester of Montana and Sherrod Brown of Ohio, are skipping the convention.
A pro-Palestinian protest outside the hall was smaller than organizers had expected. The police detained a few people who lobbed signs and cans.
More on the campaign

Trump, campaigning in Pennsylvania, referred to Harris as “Comrade Kamala” and “an economy wrecker and a country destroyer.”