The female factor is enormously overlooked. My late mom, who would often go long with my ranting GOP bully dad just to shut him up, was absolutely radical about being pro-choice, saying "no god-damned government is going to tell me what to do with my body." She would have told my dad, "sure, hon, I'm voting for Trump," then when she went into that booth would have said, "shit to you motherfuckers!" and pulled the lever for Harris.
I'm telling you, this mindset is being grossly overlooked. I dare say it will cause a Harris landslide.
If the press would cover Trump's last rally the way they should, he would lose any sane voters left supporting him. He turned what was billed as a political rally into a dance partyy, during which his own attempt at dancing made him look like the fool he is. Why did he do this? It is because he KNOWS the PUBLIC is TIRED of HIS SAME OLD SHIT!!!!!
You're right. The more people get tired of his obnoxious ego arrogance, the more he pours it on. It's because it is the only thing he has. He cannot escape his only real talent of selling himself, so he dig's deeper. Even higher-up MSGAs have recognized his empty tank and have moved Vance into place.
I caught a glimpse of it. It was insane. I would have to be so impaired - drunk, high, tripping - to not think he was a lunatic and someone who should have the nuclear codes. My husband is one of those “my vote doesn’t matter” citizens. I explained to him that I understand why he feels that way, but not casting your vote is staying silent. It’s not acceptable when this is the choice between democracy and fascism. It’s unforgivable that he will not vote to secure the future of this nation for his children.
Short of putting a gun to head, I don’t know what else I can do. He at least listened to me. I told him, the government has morphed a capitalistic nightmare for the majority, while the extremely lucky few abuse the system to their benefit. Nothing changes if you don’t speak up by casting your vote. I for one, am not willing to throw in the towel on democracy, certainly not to the likes of Orange Hitler and his band of miscreants and bad actors. I cannot give up on freedom for my children. They deserve the same rights that we had growining up….
I feel for you. It's hard to accept that someone you care for is so disengaged that they cannot vote against a monster. One of my children says he is voting for Trump. He got brainwashed by Rush Limbaugh way back. It's a heartbreaker for me but it doesn't diminish my love for him. I hope he doesn't have to see me carted off to be reprogrammed.
Rush Limbaugh started on radio right after Reagan vetoed the Fairness Doctrine, which was set to become law for the second time in 1980. Since Limbaugh was using the public airwaves, which belong to all of us, he would have been forced to present equal time to the opposing views of his radical ideas every day. Limbaugh was so profoundly influential in spreading the right wing propaganda that my father became addicted to it and became radicalized in a way that I no longer recognize him anymore.
Believe it or not, the Fairness Doctrine was actually law at one time and was simply being renewed by this new passage. While it was initially limited to just broadcast on the airwaves, and not to cable, there's no reason that a new fairness Doctrine couldn't be written to include media of all kinds. Because not only do the airwaves belong to the American public, but so does cable television. Yes some cable companies have helped pay for the lines that they put into the ground, but the American taxpayers have financed over $200 billion for cable to be delivered throughout the land.
There are also satellites that taxpayers have paid for and now another 83 billion has been enacted in order to ensure high speed internet will reach the more remote places in the United states. In other words all media belongs to the taxpayers and we have a right to see that both sides of every issue are presented on every station about every topic.
My brother too. And he will most likely lose his SS disability and Medicare if Trump wins. He won’t budge from Trump. I’m like, you wanna shoot yourself in the foot, here’s a gun. Have at it.😔
My daughter and I voted Tuesday 10/8, opening day. My son is voting for the first time this election. We have talked about the candidates and why a straight blue ticket is the only way to remain a free country as opposed to evolving into a o banana republic.
My nephew who was about 48 yrs old in 2020 & had never even registered to vote- ever!!! Fortunately I had the ability to tell him I would remove his name as a beneficiary on my stock market accounts & as an inheritor of my home in the mountains of NM if he didn’t get his ass registered & vote for Biden!! I wasn’t kidding.
His younger brother has voted for Trump twice, mainly because of the promise to appoint those F’ing anti abortion justices 🤬🤬 & he has 2 daughters!! I am so angry with him I can barely see straight. I’ve sent him some articles about how horrible Trump truly is & what a danger to democracy & begged him not to vote for him again. If he persists in doing the selfish thing, then his share of my estate will be given to an abortion access fund.
The people in his admin who have joined the Harris side have said that whenever he got bored, irritated, or angry, either he or they would call for the “music man,” an employee who job was to play a list of Trump’s favorite songs to chill the beast.
How do you account for voters that switch parties such as my Republican husband voting straight blue, how do you account for voters who say they vote yet do not
how do you get figures on undecided ( which I find insane) yet don’t know till they get there
then I do know people who talk a lot have Trump billboards on their front lawn yet they have never voted and they will admit to it In our own community in Bucks County Pennsylvania I have Republican women whispering in my ear voting blue but don’t want anyone in their families to know. To top that only poll any of us have ever seen is always attached to a donation.Im listening to what your guest are saying it still looks like it’s a 50/50 game NO ONE KNOWS till after November 5 th
The boundaries protecting an individuals vote have been seiged and lain flat. Threats of violence are everywhere. Your point of people keeping secret their intensions are hopefully a good thing . . . keeps the vote away from discovery until the cast is made. It foils, neutralizes all the MAGA bullying.
If the folks in my neighborhood, who have grandkids playing on their MAGA-signed lawns, want the United States Nuclear Arsenal in the hands of the MAGA Crew, there is nothing further I can say to them. Whoever coined the phrase Ugly American was ahead of their time.
The following information might make some Jewish-Americans for Trump reconsider their decision. Denise Aguilar Mendez is the Republican/Maga backed candidate for a seat in the state senate of California. She has claimed, "that the power grid was turned off in parts of California in 2019 not to prevent fires but to stop the Rothschilds, a prominent Jewish family, from trafficking children." She has also stated, “there’s certain families in the United States all over the world who are in charge of us. It’s the central banking system. They’re in charge of our money.” Gee, I wonder you she means.
Other statements from the crazy lady running for Californis state senator:
“The revolution is here, guys. We stormed the Capitol, and patriots broke open the doors.”
The vast majority of Jews , close to 70%, vote Democratic. Only the Orthodox and Hasidic vote Republican. Bear in mind we represent about 2% of the U.S. population.
I am aware of this. However, this is likely to be a very close race. If some Orthodox, Hasidic, or other Jews can be convinced it is not in their interests to vote for Trump, that is important. It is also interesting that, once again, just as is the case with Christian fundamentalists, it is the fundamentalists among Jews who are most susceptible to the lies told by the cult of Trump.
You have imply that 30% of Jews vote Republican. That would mean the Jewish Republican vote would represent roughly .6% of all votes cast. Isn't that a potential factor in this election?
Perhaps if more people were aware of Trump's real reason for wanting the presidency and his willingness to lie to attain that goal, they would reconsider voting for him:
Trump, July 1 31, 2015, "I don't need anybody's money," he said as he announced his candidacy in June. "I'm using my own money. I'm not using the lobbyists. I'm not using donors. I don't care. I'm really rich."
Since then we have had, golden sneakers and watches, digital trading cards, and Trump bibles.
May 28, 2024: "When Donald Trump met some of the country’s top donors at a luxurious New York hotel earlier this month, he told the group that a businessman had recently offered $1 million to his presidential effort and wanted to have lunch.
“I’m not having lunch,” Trump said he responded, according to donors who attended. “You’ve got to make it $25 million.”
Another businessman, he said, had traditionally given $2 million to $3 million to Republicans. Instead, he said he told the donor that he wanted a $25 million or $50 million contribution or he would not be “very happy.”
As he closed his pitch at the Pierre Hotel, Trump explained to the group why it was in their interest to cut large checks. If he was not put back in office, taxes would go up for them under President Biden, who vows to let Trump-era tax cuts on the wealthy and corporations expire at the end of 2025."
Thanks Steve .. I found it all quite interesting .. In some ways it felt like running last nights game to see what the players should do differently next time. Yes I know 3 weeks to go.. One factor that is not mentioned and I do believe it's a factor .. Is VP Harris is a woman and a black woman at that. President Obama is an incredible orator ..Had he not been he might not have won. Lots of men and woman will go into the booth and vote for the shithead because they won't vote for a woman. It's as simple as that .. Hillary it was her emails and she was just not likable. I'm sick to death of this .. She will make a wonderful President .. If Gavin Newsome or Josh Shapiro were the nominees they would be running away with the race ..Trump would already be put out to pasture..
In high school (1950s), when they taught civics and US History, we learned about the Australian ballot. That secrecy in voting started in Australia in 1856 and spread from there. Women who fear their vote for Kamala Harris would invite censure from their Trump-loving husbands, should respond to queries about whom they voted for should answer, "I always vote an Australian ballot."
This is the speech that Kamala Harris has to give—and/or the ad she has to run—which, even if it gets only a small percentage of "undecided" voters to lean Harris/Walz, might be all it takes to put the two of them over the top in "swing states.":
The fact is: nothing is more important, in trying to defeat an opponent, than "taking the wind out of his sails": usurping all his strengths and making them your own.
One of the best examples of this is Mark Antony's speech at Caesar's funeral:
"Friends, Romans, countrymen, lend me your ears. I come to bury Caesar, not to praise him", after which, Antony spends the next two minutes praising Caesar! Which completely "takes the wind out of the sails" of the cabal that murdered Caesar, and turns the mob against THEM, rather than against Caesar.
Which is what Kamala Harris has to do with Trump.
How?
This how:
"Donald Trump has said he wants to be a dictator, but just for one day—which sounds a lot like a woman saying she wants to be pregnant, but just for one day—which, apparently, is perfectly OK with his diehard supporters, and perhaps with a few people still on the fence about who they'll be voting for.
"OK, you want a dictator? No problem: I can be a dictator.
"You want someone who throws his opponents off of helicopters, like Pinochet in Chile? I can do that. You don't have to vote for a 34-time convicted felon.
"You want someone who puts people in concentration camps and gas chambers, like Hitler in Germany? I can do that. You don't have to vote for someone who had to pay out $25,000,000 for defrauding hardworking people with Trump University.
"You want someone who blows his opponents into a thousand pieces with anti-aircraft guns, like Kim Jong-Un in North Korea? I can do that. You don't have to vote for someone who brags about grabbing women by the you-know-what.
"You want someone who kills 20 million of his own people because they won't collectivize their farms, like Stalin did in Russia? I can do that. You don't have to vote for someone who was sleeping with a porn star while his wife was nursing their newborn son.
"Look, I know you think it might be 'fun', 'exciting', 'different', having a dictator run this country—as long, of course, as you never wind up in his 'cross-hairs'. And, if that's what you want, then that's what I can give you.
"But, for God's sake, please take a minute to home in on all the dictator examples I just gave you, which are merely the tip of a much larger 'iceberg'. If that's what you want, that's what I can give you. You don't have to vote for someone who doesn't know what planet he's on half the time; and God forbid he's got his finger on the nuclear button during the 'wrong' half!
"Look, all I can promise is that I will, at all times, have your back; do everything in my power to make your life less stressful, more productive; will put together an administration that will be the envy of the world, not a bunch of guys and gals desperately trying to stay out of prison.
"I realize that such an agenda is not 'fun', 'exciting', 'different'; is not as 'entertaining' as a guy who lies through his teeth 24/7, and feeds all his supporters' grievances with those lies.
"Just one question: with about 5,000 TV channels, and over a million social media outlets, do you think you might be able tp find your 'fun', 'excitement', 'entertainment' on one of THOSE for the next four years, rather than from the Oval Office?
"Hmm?"
If anybody can get this post to Kamala/her staff, would really help.
I thought the comment that Walz was the wrong choice was interesting. I think he is too much a coach and not enough of a governor, but his persona is probably an asset, as Harris ultimately decided. I think if he ever had to take the reins he could be like a Harry Truman and do a stand-up job.
Dewey was heavily favored to beat Truman in 1948 polls. The Democratic Party fractured, spawning the southern "Dixiecrat". Strom Thurmond took 4 southern states. Alas, another New Yorker bit the dust........."Dewey defeats Truman"
I listened to an NPR segment today on voting. One of my take-aways was a woman who said some women have to lie about voting for Kamala. The one that was the most upsetting was the woman who can’t tell her husband she is voting for Kamala. Violence or the threat of violence seemed to be what scared them.
Thank you so much for having this awesome conversation. Steve, if there is any way for you to get this information to the campaign please do so. I think the suggestions made are very timely for the Harris campaign. I also think people may not look at Kamala as not strong because she is happy and joyful, maybe they see it as not serious enough. I think she has to strap on her steel balls, get serious and distinguish herself from Trump from a character perspective. She need to prosecute Trump publicly something she knows how to do. I loved that you mentioned the Nazi Trump boat , those are the things that might scare people enough to think about what is possible if he wins. I hope you have access to the Harris campaign
No offense to the pollsters, but I live in a swing state and get at least one text a day from a polling company. It seems like a bad joke asking me serious questions in a text from some unknown firm or organization or public interest group. I’d rather stick with Professor Lichtman’s metrics and see what happens.
No shade to you or your guests, but i think you underestimate the impact of reproductive rights in this election. The women are pissed….
Yes they are and they will vote!
The female factor is enormously overlooked. My late mom, who would often go long with my ranting GOP bully dad just to shut him up, was absolutely radical about being pro-choice, saying "no god-damned government is going to tell me what to do with my body." She would have told my dad, "sure, hon, I'm voting for Trump," then when she went into that booth would have said, "shit to you motherfuckers!" and pulled the lever for Harris.
I'm telling you, this mindset is being grossly overlooked. I dare say it will cause a Harris landslide.
It would be lovely if you are right !
My parents were Democrats… I want to believe that if they were still here, they would vote for Harris, for democracy.
Right On, Mary Ann!
If the press would cover Trump's last rally the way they should, he would lose any sane voters left supporting him. He turned what was billed as a political rally into a dance partyy, during which his own attempt at dancing made him look like the fool he is. Why did he do this? It is because he KNOWS the PUBLIC is TIRED of HIS SAME OLD SHIT!!!!!
You're right. The more people get tired of his obnoxious ego arrogance, the more he pours it on. It's because it is the only thing he has. He cannot escape his only real talent of selling himself, so he dig's deeper. Even higher-up MSGAs have recognized his empty tank and have moved Vance into place.
The whole plan is Vance as President so that the oligarchs and Putin have the man they really trust.
The press only stands ready to pounce on Harris/Walz ready to comment negatively while they ignore
the former guy and say that it is just trump being trump. Getting a little tiresome don’t you think?
I caught a glimpse of it. It was insane. I would have to be so impaired - drunk, high, tripping - to not think he was a lunatic and someone who should have the nuclear codes. My husband is one of those “my vote doesn’t matter” citizens. I explained to him that I understand why he feels that way, but not casting your vote is staying silent. It’s not acceptable when this is the choice between democracy and fascism. It’s unforgivable that he will not vote to secure the future of this nation for his children.
You mus have some way to make him vote!
Short of putting a gun to head, I don’t know what else I can do. He at least listened to me. I told him, the government has morphed a capitalistic nightmare for the majority, while the extremely lucky few abuse the system to their benefit. Nothing changes if you don’t speak up by casting your vote. I for one, am not willing to throw in the towel on democracy, certainly not to the likes of Orange Hitler and his band of miscreants and bad actors. I cannot give up on freedom for my children. They deserve the same rights that we had growining up….
I feel for you. It's hard to accept that someone you care for is so disengaged that they cannot vote against a monster. One of my children says he is voting for Trump. He got brainwashed by Rush Limbaugh way back. It's a heartbreaker for me but it doesn't diminish my love for him. I hope he doesn't have to see me carted off to be reprogrammed.
Rush Limbaugh started on radio right after Reagan vetoed the Fairness Doctrine, which was set to become law for the second time in 1980. Since Limbaugh was using the public airwaves, which belong to all of us, he would have been forced to present equal time to the opposing views of his radical ideas every day. Limbaugh was so profoundly influential in spreading the right wing propaganda that my father became addicted to it and became radicalized in a way that I no longer recognize him anymore.
Believe it or not, the Fairness Doctrine was actually law at one time and was simply being renewed by this new passage. While it was initially limited to just broadcast on the airwaves, and not to cable, there's no reason that a new fairness Doctrine couldn't be written to include media of all kinds. Because not only do the airwaves belong to the American public, but so does cable television. Yes some cable companies have helped pay for the lines that they put into the ground, but the American taxpayers have financed over $200 billion for cable to be delivered throughout the land.
There are also satellites that taxpayers have paid for and now another 83 billion has been enacted in order to ensure high speed internet will reach the more remote places in the United states. In other words all media belongs to the taxpayers and we have a right to see that both sides of every issue are presented on every station about every topic.
I hope you will repost this on a future Schmidt Substack. It's very worthwhile.
My brother too. And he will most likely lose his SS disability and Medicare if Trump wins. He won’t budge from Trump. I’m like, you wanna shoot yourself in the foot, here’s a gun. Have at it.😔
Well then, you have done your best.
Can you get him to vote down ballot?
Took late. The deadline to register in OH was Oct 7th. I expressed my sadness and disappointment…
My daughter and I voted Tuesday 10/8, opening day. My son is voting for the first time this election. We have talked about the candidates and why a straight blue ticket is the only way to remain a free country as opposed to evolving into a o banana republic.
My nephew who was about 48 yrs old in 2020 & had never even registered to vote- ever!!! Fortunately I had the ability to tell him I would remove his name as a beneficiary on my stock market accounts & as an inheritor of my home in the mountains of NM if he didn’t get his ass registered & vote for Biden!! I wasn’t kidding.
His younger brother has voted for Trump twice, mainly because of the promise to appoint those F’ing anti abortion justices 🤬🤬 & he has 2 daughters!! I am so angry with him I can barely see straight. I’ve sent him some articles about how horrible Trump truly is & what a danger to democracy & begged him not to vote for him again. If he persists in doing the selfish thing, then his share of my estate will be given to an abortion access fund.
Guilt, guilt, guilt... unrelenting guilt. Get him a mail in ballot, fill it in, then just have him sign.
😉
I’m definitely in favor of using that tactic on any man ignorant enough to not support the women in their lives!
Actually I’m in favor of mandatory vasectomies for every male in the nation beginning at puberty!!
I think tRUMP was advised by his "handlers" to pivot to the music whenever he felt his train of thought was going south.
The people in his admin who have joined the Harris side have said that whenever he got bored, irritated, or angry, either he or they would call for the “music man,” an employee who job was to play a list of Trump’s favorite songs to chill the beast.
He wasn't pleased with being shut up and he cannot dance. No policies, no plans = dance!
How do you account for voters that switch parties such as my Republican husband voting straight blue, how do you account for voters who say they vote yet do not
how do you get figures on undecided ( which I find insane) yet don’t know till they get there
then I do know people who talk a lot have Trump billboards on their front lawn yet they have never voted and they will admit to it In our own community in Bucks County Pennsylvania I have Republican women whispering in my ear voting blue but don’t want anyone in their families to know. To top that only poll any of us have ever seen is always attached to a donation.Im listening to what your guest are saying it still looks like it’s a 50/50 game NO ONE KNOWS till after November 5 th
The boundaries protecting an individuals vote have been seiged and lain flat. Threats of violence are everywhere. Your point of people keeping secret their intensions are hopefully a good thing . . . keeps the vote away from discovery until the cast is made. It foils, neutralizes all the MAGA bullying.
It appears Harris has gotten the message: get down to the Republican style politics. Burn con-old Trump.
If the folks in my neighborhood, who have grandkids playing on their MAGA-signed lawns, want the United States Nuclear Arsenal in the hands of the MAGA Crew, there is nothing further I can say to them. Whoever coined the phrase Ugly American was ahead of their time.
The following information might make some Jewish-Americans for Trump reconsider their decision. Denise Aguilar Mendez is the Republican/Maga backed candidate for a seat in the state senate of California. She has claimed, "that the power grid was turned off in parts of California in 2019 not to prevent fires but to stop the Rothschilds, a prominent Jewish family, from trafficking children." She has also stated, “there’s certain families in the United States all over the world who are in charge of us. It’s the central banking system. They’re in charge of our money.” Gee, I wonder you she means.
Other statements from the crazy lady running for Californis state senator:
“The revolution is here, guys. We stormed the Capitol, and patriots broke open the doors.”
Finally, "she led the California anti-vax group, Militia Of Moms." https://www.joemygod.com/2024/10/republican-candidate-ties-ca-power-outage-to-jews/
Insane.
Good lord, what a whack job. She sounds like she’s been cut from the same cookie cutter as Empty G
The vast majority of Jews , close to 70%, vote Democratic. Only the Orthodox and Hasidic vote Republican. Bear in mind we represent about 2% of the U.S. population.
I am aware of this. However, this is likely to be a very close race. If some Orthodox, Hasidic, or other Jews can be convinced it is not in their interests to vote for Trump, that is important. It is also interesting that, once again, just as is the case with Christian fundamentalists, it is the fundamentalists among Jews who are most susceptible to the lies told by the cult of Trump.
The Republican Jewish vote has never been a factor in an election. It will not be this time either.
You have imply that 30% of Jews vote Republican. That would mean the Jewish Republican vote would represent roughly .6% of all votes cast. Isn't that a potential factor in this election?
Dems stop crying and get to work. Polls are open in big states. Now is the time not November 1
Perhaps if more people were aware of Trump's real reason for wanting the presidency and his willingness to lie to attain that goal, they would reconsider voting for him:
Trump, July 1 31, 2015, "I don't need anybody's money," he said as he announced his candidacy in June. "I'm using my own money. I'm not using the lobbyists. I'm not using donors. I don't care. I'm really rich."
https://www.npr.org/2015/07/31/427857932/are-donald-trumps-pockets-deep-enough-to-fund-his-campaign
Since then we have had, golden sneakers and watches, digital trading cards, and Trump bibles.
May 28, 2024: "When Donald Trump met some of the country’s top donors at a luxurious New York hotel earlier this month, he told the group that a businessman had recently offered $1 million to his presidential effort and wanted to have lunch.
“I’m not having lunch,” Trump said he responded, according to donors who attended. “You’ve got to make it $25 million.”
Another businessman, he said, had traditionally given $2 million to $3 million to Republicans. Instead, he said he told the donor that he wanted a $25 million or $50 million contribution or he would not be “very happy.”
As he closed his pitch at the Pierre Hotel, Trump explained to the group why it was in their interest to cut large checks. If he was not put back in office, taxes would go up for them under President Biden, who vows to let Trump-era tax cuts on the wealthy and corporations expire at the end of 2025."
https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2024/05/28/trump-wealthy-donors-fundraising/
Since then we have had golden sneakers and watches, digital trading cards, and Trump bibles.
Thanks Steve .. I found it all quite interesting .. In some ways it felt like running last nights game to see what the players should do differently next time. Yes I know 3 weeks to go.. One factor that is not mentioned and I do believe it's a factor .. Is VP Harris is a woman and a black woman at that. President Obama is an incredible orator ..Had he not been he might not have won. Lots of men and woman will go into the booth and vote for the shithead because they won't vote for a woman. It's as simple as that .. Hillary it was her emails and she was just not likable. I'm sick to death of this .. She will make a wonderful President .. If Gavin Newsome or Josh Shapiro were the nominees they would be running away with the race ..Trump would already be put out to pasture..
Haven't yet watched your podcast, but:
I was crazy worried about the race y'day and am still concerned because it's been tight most of the way.
But FWIW, according to Simon Rosenberg, right-wing/Republican polls have swamped recent poll-tracking.
Such polls represented 12 of 15 recent polls.
Re Simon, this was MAGA's playbook in the 2022 mid-terms raising concerns of a 'red wave' that never existed.
Mr. Rosenberg maintains that Kamala is still holding "...narrow leads nationally and in the battleground states...".
Let's hope this is accurate.
In high school (1950s), when they taught civics and US History, we learned about the Australian ballot. That secrecy in voting started in Australia in 1856 and spread from there. Women who fear their vote for Kamala Harris would invite censure from their Trump-loving husbands, should respond to queries about whom they voted for should answer, "I always vote an Australian ballot."
Once upon a time when I was younger back in the 1970s, it was considered really rude to ask someone who they voted for.
This is the speech that Kamala Harris has to give—and/or the ad she has to run—which, even if it gets only a small percentage of "undecided" voters to lean Harris/Walz, might be all it takes to put the two of them over the top in "swing states.":
The fact is: nothing is more important, in trying to defeat an opponent, than "taking the wind out of his sails": usurping all his strengths and making them your own.
One of the best examples of this is Mark Antony's speech at Caesar's funeral:
"Friends, Romans, countrymen, lend me your ears. I come to bury Caesar, not to praise him", after which, Antony spends the next two minutes praising Caesar! Which completely "takes the wind out of the sails" of the cabal that murdered Caesar, and turns the mob against THEM, rather than against Caesar.
Which is what Kamala Harris has to do with Trump.
How?
This how:
"Donald Trump has said he wants to be a dictator, but just for one day—which sounds a lot like a woman saying she wants to be pregnant, but just for one day—which, apparently, is perfectly OK with his diehard supporters, and perhaps with a few people still on the fence about who they'll be voting for.
"OK, you want a dictator? No problem: I can be a dictator.
"You want someone who throws his opponents off of helicopters, like Pinochet in Chile? I can do that. You don't have to vote for a 34-time convicted felon.
"You want someone who puts people in concentration camps and gas chambers, like Hitler in Germany? I can do that. You don't have to vote for someone who had to pay out $25,000,000 for defrauding hardworking people with Trump University.
"You want someone who blows his opponents into a thousand pieces with anti-aircraft guns, like Kim Jong-Un in North Korea? I can do that. You don't have to vote for someone who brags about grabbing women by the you-know-what.
"You want someone who kills 20 million of his own people because they won't collectivize their farms, like Stalin did in Russia? I can do that. You don't have to vote for someone who was sleeping with a porn star while his wife was nursing their newborn son.
"Look, I know you think it might be 'fun', 'exciting', 'different', having a dictator run this country—as long, of course, as you never wind up in his 'cross-hairs'. And, if that's what you want, then that's what I can give you.
"But, for God's sake, please take a minute to home in on all the dictator examples I just gave you, which are merely the tip of a much larger 'iceberg'. If that's what you want, that's what I can give you. You don't have to vote for someone who doesn't know what planet he's on half the time; and God forbid he's got his finger on the nuclear button during the 'wrong' half!
"Look, all I can promise is that I will, at all times, have your back; do everything in my power to make your life less stressful, more productive; will put together an administration that will be the envy of the world, not a bunch of guys and gals desperately trying to stay out of prison.
"I realize that such an agenda is not 'fun', 'exciting', 'different'; is not as 'entertaining' as a guy who lies through his teeth 24/7, and feeds all his supporters' grievances with those lies.
"Just one question: with about 5,000 TV channels, and over a million social media outlets, do you think you might be able tp find your 'fun', 'excitement', 'entertainment' on one of THOSE for the next four years, rather than from the Oval Office?
"Hmm?"
If anybody can get this post to Kamala/her staff, would really help.
I thought the comment that Walz was the wrong choice was interesting. I think he is too much a coach and not enough of a governor, but his persona is probably an asset, as Harris ultimately decided. I think if he ever had to take the reins he could be like a Harry Truman and do a stand-up job.
Dewey was heavily favored to beat Truman in 1948 polls. The Democratic Party fractured, spawning the southern "Dixiecrat". Strom Thurmond took 4 southern states. Alas, another New Yorker bit the dust........."Dewey defeats Truman"
I listened to an NPR segment today on voting. One of my take-aways was a woman who said some women have to lie about voting for Kamala. The one that was the most upsetting was the woman who can’t tell her husband she is voting for Kamala. Violence or the threat of violence seemed to be what scared them.
That situation you just described is WAY more than just a few women, there are 1000s just like that.
Thank you so much for having this awesome conversation. Steve, if there is any way for you to get this information to the campaign please do so. I think the suggestions made are very timely for the Harris campaign. I also think people may not look at Kamala as not strong because she is happy and joyful, maybe they see it as not serious enough. I think she has to strap on her steel balls, get serious and distinguish herself from Trump from a character perspective. She need to prosecute Trump publicly something she knows how to do. I loved that you mentioned the Nazi Trump boat , those are the things that might scare people enough to think about what is possible if he wins. I hope you have access to the Harris campaign
No offense to the pollsters, but I live in a swing state and get at least one text a day from a polling company. It seems like a bad joke asking me serious questions in a text from some unknown firm or organization or public interest group. I’d rather stick with Professor Lichtman’s metrics and see what happens.