This post will be a hodgepodge of happenings around the country (and locally) as Election Day goes forward. I won’t be monitoring the results in real time as I have things going on this evening, but I may update late tonight. We’ll see. Early voting is high, surpassing the last midterm election in 2014 in most states. Indications this morning … Read More
Everyone Is Pulling Trump’s Racist Ad
CNN: Facebook has stopped the Trump campaign from running its racist anti-immigration commercial as an ad on the site. “This ad violates Facebook’s advertising policy against sensational content so we are rejecting it. While the video is allowed to be posted on Facebook, it cannot receive paid distribution,” Facebook said in a statement Monday afternoon. The move came shortly after NBC … Read More
Races To Watch
GOVERNOR Governor Rating Prediction FL Open (Scott, R) Toss-up Democratic win Kim Reynolds (R, IA) Toss-up Democratic win KS Open (Colyer, R) Toss-up Democratic win ME Open (LePage, R) Toss-up Democratic win NV Open (Sandoval, R) Toss-up Democratic win OH Open (Kasich, R) Toss-up Democratic win Kate Brown (D-OR) Toss-up Democratic win SD Open (Daugaard, R) Toss-up GOP win Scott … Read More
Leaving Out The “White”, Trump Admits He Is A “Nationalist”
President Trump: "I'm a nationalist." pic.twitter.com/3lxCrtSkrN — MSNBC (@MSNBC) October 23, 2018 Some reactions from history: Greg Sargent: “You know what I am? I’m a nationalist, okay? I’m a nationalist,” President Trump shouted at a rally in Texas on Monday night. Just before saying this, Trump claimed that “we’re not supposed to use that word,” suggesting that it required great courage to make this declaration. … Read More
Polarization Isn’t The Problem; It’s Conservatism, Stupid
Food for thought, from Eric Levitz at NY Magazine: While Democratic and Republican voters earnestly (and vehemently) disagree on plenty of issues, surveys suggest these disputes are hardly more numerous or severe than they were three decades ago (when bipartisan comity was still alive and well on Capitol Hill). When asked to opine on discrete questions of public policy, the … Read More
Got One
From the Department of Justice, just now: Russian National Charged with Interfering in U.S. Political System ALEXANDRIA, Va. – A criminal complaint was unsealed here today charging a Russian national for her alleged role in a Russian conspiracy to interfere in the U.S. political system, including the 2018 midterm election. “The strategic goal of this alleged conspiracy, which continues to … Read More
I Voted Early Today, So Let’s Take A Snapshot Of Election 2018
Courtesy of 538:
Georgia Blocking Voters From, Uh, Voting
With early voting starting Monday, a range of efforts to restrict voting in the Peach State could cause big problems at the polls. Reports that Georgia is keeping 53,000 voter registrations on hold because of minor discrepancies have received widespread attention since Monday. But in fact, the state has recently adopted a range of controversial voting practices. The combined effect … Read More
A Scary Time For Men
Trump apologized “on behalf of America” to Brett Kavanaugh last night at his induction ceremony. It marked the end of one of the ugliest chapters in Supreme Court history — ugly in the sense that this asshole got on the court despite his obvious lying and political manipulation, made worse by Trump’s victory lap. Trump framed this as a victory … Read More
Epistemic Closure Can Kill A Party
An internal poll conducted by the Republican National Committee revealed that “57 percent of people who describe themselves as strong Trump supporters don’t believe Democrats have a chance” of winning back the House. That has Republican operatives worried because it signals complacency, which is a problem for the upcoming midterm elections where turnout is key. It’s not hard to imagine … Read More
Oh, Look. Obama!
In rare public speech ending moments ago, Obama said Trump poses such a threat to America that it forced him to speak out. “I’m here today because this is one of those pivotal moments when every one of us as citizens of the United States need to determine just who we are, what it is that we stand for,” Obama … Read More
Trump Is Upset The DOJ Isn’t Partisan
This tweet from Trump reveals much: Obama-era investigations? Not so much. Details: Rep. Duncan Hunter, R-California, and Rep. Chris Collins, R-New York, were indicted within two weeks of each other last month on unrelated charges. Collins was charged with 13 counts of securities fraud, wire fraud and making false statements related to an alleged insider trading scheme.Hunter was indicted for … Read More
Will The Shoe Drop Today?
Mediate: MSNBC’s Chuck Todd issued a warning to the press on Thursday evening regarding the Russia investigation: Don’t miss work tomorrow.Todd’s MTP Daily panel was discussing Special Counsel Robert Mueller‘s probe, and speculating as to when the investigation will wrap up. “Here’s what I’ve learned about Bob Mueller,” Todd said. “Not a single person that has known him, been with him, worked with him, wouldn’t … Read More
Once Again, The GOP-Led NC Legislature Gets Foiled By The Courts In Their Attempt To Gerrymander
Yesterday, a federal district court once again struck down North Carolina’s Republican-drawn congressional map as a partisan gerrymander in violation of the Constitution. This ruling reaffirmed the court’s January decision, which the Supreme Court vacated and told them to reconsider in June under a different legal theory of who has standing to sue. Indeed, while the Supreme Court said each district would have to be challenged individually … Read More
From Here To November: Buckle Up
Paul Waldman wrote yesterday that the next eleven weeks are going to be decisive for the Trump presidency. He notes first that Michael Cohen appears to either be on the cusp of indictment or cooperation and that could spell all kinds of new headaches for Trump both politically and legally. He’s already been proved right about that…. BREAKING: @MichaelCohen212 has reached a … Read More