Politico writes this morning that there is no “Republican” national convention, no focus on the party. All eyes on Trump. He will break tradition by speaking all four nights.
Traditionally, the party’s presidential nominee only speaks one night. But this GOP convention will be more like Trump placing the crown on his own head than it being bestowed by the party.
Diane Ravitch's blog 
Good Sunday morning. The president is at Trump National Golf Course in Sterling, Va., this morning.
Trump is planning to speak each of four nights and spends the weekend golfing? My guess is that he is planning to have his ‘magnificent gut’ do all of the talking. No facts, no plans to be uplifting or compassionate…just more rambling about all the great things he has done.
I hope that one night Trump will speak about his brilliant mind and promise to leave his brain to science. Oh wait, I forgot. He has no brain and there’s no such thing as science.
Inspiring! RNC to celebrate Americans who got rich during Trump’s presidency
?ref_src=twsrctfw|twcamptweetembed|twterm1297324147706560513|twgr&ref_url=https://dailysoundandfury.com/gop-believes-that-trump-is-a-vaccine-and-three-good-debates-away-from-victory/
Excellent analogy . . . placing the crown on his own head. Wasn’t it Napoleon . . . ?
Too bad Trump didn’t think similarly . . . to take his own tests for college admission. CBK
From the way back machine, huffington post, 11/11/2016: Documentary filmmaker Michael Moore, who in July correctly predicted Donald Trump would win the White House, now says the president-elect’s first term will end in either his resignation or impeachment.
“Here’s what’s going to happen, this is why we’re not going to have to suffer through four years of Donald J. Trump, because he has no ideology except the ideology of Donald J. Trump,” Moore said Friday on MSNBC’s “Morning Joe.” “And when you have a narcissist like that, who’s so narcissistic where it’s all about him, he will, maybe unintentionally, break laws. He will break laws because he’s only thinking about what’s best for him.”
When host Mika Brzezinski asked Moore if he were now wishing ill on Trump, Moore replied, “He is ill.”
“He is racist,” Moore said. “He is a misogynist. He is an authoritarian.”
Like Moore, political historian Allan Lichtman predicted Trump would be president. But he also forecast that the next president would be impeached. end quote
Moore (and Lichtman) got the impeachment part right but, unfortunately, not the resignation part. Trump is hanging on to the presidency for dear life and is campaigning full bore. He is always in campaign mode with his over-the-top enriched uranium brand of BS. Will I force myself to watch snippets of the GOP convention…….hmmmm, just a few seconds here and there, that will be all I can tolerate.
What concerns me is the fact that many of his followers are stark raving “children of the corn” lunatics. They will stop at nothing to win.
retired teacher: Here is what I got from an Evangelical Trump supporter when she was given the prayers by two Catholic leaders who delivered prayers to open and close the DNC proceedings:
Trump supporter: On my! Are they really Christians? Oh divine spirit????? Christians would say Almighty God, and maybe even add Creator of heaven and earth.
No Christian I know would ever begin a prayer with O divine spirit! That’s what I’m saying. They are either kowtowing to the Dems or they are only fake Christians.
ME: No nun or Father is a fake Christian. They say what they believe and you believe differently. Do not judge.
Trump supporter: Not judging!😐 Just wondering.
On the last evening of the Democratic National Convention, two Catholic leaders delivered prayers to open and close the proceedings: Sister Simone Campbell, the executive director of NETWORK, and James Martin, S.J., editor at large at America Media. Here are the texts of their prayers.
https://www.americamagazine.org/politics-society/2020/08/20/read-prayers-dnc-sister-simone-campbell-father-james-martin-democratic-convention
retired I think most of us here, and many of my friends in other places, should remember that not everyone is a news junkie like me.
I fear that too many are smart in many things, but STILL POLITICALLY NAIVE and severely OPTIMISTIC.
This is not yet “deplorable” as we know some ARE; but rather still not critical enough to recognize a predator blow-hard carnival barker when they see one–and they are too busy to have been paying attention (believe it or not, but I know many who fall into this framework).
I know and love many who are, I’m sorry to say, useful idiots. And again, the present polls really bother me. CBK
Agreed, retired teacher. Most of his followers are armed lunatics.
CBK Please elaborate on your poll concern. I googled around, keep coming up w/Biden 10-pt lead. Biden’s post-convention approval increased from 40-45% approval incl Dem bump from 79 to 86%. Reports say he’s 10 pts ahead of where HRC was post-convention.
Trump unchanged at 32 fav; unfav increased to 60%. Presumably he’ll get a post-convention bump too.
Not saying I know what to make of poll data, I don’t. Just wondering what your take is.
bethree5 About the polls: Nothing scientific . . . but polls change, and I am just feeling skiddish about anything except a massive gulf between the numbers . . .
. . . considering all of the fraud that’s going on, the fact that Trump will do and say anything to hold onto power; the brief and still-unfolding history of Russian intervention; the possible range of “October surprises” that we know are coming; but mostly the uncanny support of Trump by those Americans who, it seems, under other circumstances, would feel ashamed and laugh anyone else off the stage. Fascism, once it takes hold, is known for its methods of manipulation and holding onto power. CBK
bethree5
Thank you for posting your view about the right wing tilt of the Newman Society. I think the info. has value.
Many of us recall Newman as a kind, inclusive, liberal and pluralistic Catholic organization on college campuses. I doubt Sandmann would have been defended at Newman in decades past.
Much has changed on the campuses, Koch and Arnold money buying agenda-driven campus centers, the Federalist Society, the Frederick Hess- encouraged takeover of ed depts. (“Don’t Surrender the Academy” in Philanthropy Roundtable), etc.
Strictly my opinion- without awakening interest in the right wing direction of the Catholic church, the left’s task to regain democracy would be made more difficult. Rhetorically, would you have told readers about Newman’s change, if the broader topic hadn’t been discussed here?
Linda Soooooo . . . your zealotry and bias is a-okay since it helped initiate a further discussion. You’re a hoot. CBK
Bethree shared Information warning about places on campuses that may have become right wing when in the past they were liberal gathering places. The change was likely news to many and has value in combatting the GOP’s efforts to recruit young voters.
Bernie:
Over the next week during the Republican National Convention, we will be reminded of the devastating impact of the right-wing extremist agenda that Donald Trump and the Republican Party have forced upon the nation.
In many ways, this is the most important week of the most important election in modern American history. And our job this week is to expose Donald Trump for the fraud and pathological liar that we all know him to be.
This is a president, Donald Trump, who said he was going to provide health care to everyone, yet tried to throw 32 million people off of health care and continues, to this day, to try and accomplish that goal. Today, millions fewer Americans have health insurance than when Trump came into office.
This is a president, who in his last campaign said that he was a different type of Republican who would make no cuts to Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid, but introduced budgets that slash all three.
This is a president who said he was going to stand up for working families and who promised to pass tax reform legislation designed to help the middle class, yet 83 percent of his tax benefits go to the top 1 percent.
This is a president who promised to take on the pharmaceutical companies. He said they were “getting away with murder.” Yet, drug prices continue to soar and he appointed a drug company executive as the Secretary of Health and Human Services.
This is a president who promised to take on the greed of Wall Street, but then proceeded to appoint more Wall Street titans to high positions than any president in history.
This is a president who said the coronavirus would just “disappear” and that he had a “natural ability” to understand this deadly virus, yet almost 200,000 people have died from the virus, there are tens of thousands of new cases a day, and there is absolutely no end in sight — and yet he refuses to support extending what we accomplished in the CARES Act, getting a weekly $600 check to people who desperately need it.
This is a president who said he was going to “drain the swamp,” but has used his office for blatant personal and political gain, running the most corrupt administration in modern American history.
This is a president who said he would do “everything in my power to protect our LGBT citizens,” yet has gone out of his way to attempt to deny them from getting the health care they need and allow discrimination against them in the workplace.
This is a president who, after a number of different mass shootings, said that he would take action to keep weapons out of the hands of dangerous people, but has time and time again sided with the NRA and done absolutely NOTHING to solve the epidemic levels of gun violence in this country.
This is a president who said that if he won that America would be respected again around the world, yet as a result of his anti-democratic and incompetent policies has succeeded in significantly lowering the respect that people all over the planet have for the United States.
The truth is, Donald Trump has sold out the working families of this country and he cannot be elected again. He is a menace to democracy whose rejection of science has cost us almost 200,000 lives and whose rejection of climate science threatens the future of this planet. We have to appreciate how unbelievably severe the current moment is.
If Trump wins again, all of the anti-worker, anti-democratic policies he has pursued during his first term will only be magnified. We will have more racism, more xenophobia, more attempts to divided us up based on the color our skin and where we were born, more reactionary policies with regard to the economy, and we’ll continue our national march toward authoritarianism.
As we get closer to the election — with the first votes cast within a few weeks — we must mount a two-pronged offensive:
First, we must vigorously take on the lies and bigotry we are going to see on the stage at this week’s Republican National Convention. I, like you, am frankly outraged by what Trump and Washington Republicans are doing to our country and our people.
But being outraged, however, is not enough. We are the ones who have to defeat them. We are the ones who have to make it happen.
That is what I intend to do today, and every day, between now and November 3. But I cannot do it alone:
Over the next few weeks, we are going to mobilize our people to make calls, send text messages, attend virtual rallies, safely distribute literature, and more. We’ll do the decentralized organizing work that distinguished our campaign and is critical during the time of COVID. And we need your help to fund that work.
Bernie nails it exactly, he should be president but thank goodness he’s still in the Senate to advocate for sanity and commonsense.
Thanks, carolmalaysia for taking the time to put Bernie’s words here.
Bernie sure does “nail it.”
Agree with Joe: “Thank goodness Bernie is still in the Senate to advocate for sanity and commonsense.”
Also in the Senate, Sen. McSally who said, “My faith is part of everything I am and everything I do. She says she became a Christian during an evangelical weekend while at the Air Force Academy. She’s in the news today for asking people to fast a meal and send her the money- send it to her campaign (not to the poor). Bear in mind the request comes after she voted to cut the taxes on billionaires. She’s being compared to Marie Antoinette (Catholic).
Bernie is always very logical, but Trump voters are the opposite. They are fanatics, and fanatics are dangerous. This convention will be red meat for Trump’s base.
Unfortunately, logic and truth never win elections.
To win, you have to tell people what they want to hear.
That what you tell them violates logic matters not.
Truth That!!!
retired teacher: This is a repeat of some old news. I haven’t taken down my “Bernie for President” sticker that is taped to the inside of the back window of my car.
I went shopping yesterday and when I went down to get into my car, there was spit all over the place where my Bernie sicker was taped.
This is the level of some individuals. [It’s the third time my car has been spit upon.] I doubt that this fellow, who lives in my building, is a Biden fan.
I found out yesterday that this fellow has spit on three other cars. Looney supporters do things like this.
I’m hoping to file a police report. NOBODY in the age of COVID-19 should be spitting on cars.
I would disagree somewhat with the claim that Sanders is always logical.
If he were always logical, logic would force him to conclude that he can’t win by telling people the truth.
So, if he actually wants to win, one must conclude that he is not being logical in telling people the truth.
SomeDAM Truth telling is one thing that we SHOULD keep repeating, because it’s SANE, even if it doesn’t work on those do-dos who spit on license places, lick windows, and cough in baby’s faces. CBK
Of course, he could still ALWAYS be logical if he doesn’t really want to win.
Then again, how logical is it to run if you don’t really want to win?
I think one can’t escape the conclusion that Sanders is NOT always logical.
Words to live by (from Grace Slick)
When the men on the chessboard get up and tell you where to go
And you’ve just had some kind of mushroom, and your mind is moving low
Go ask Alice, I think she’ll know
When logic and proportion have fallen sloppy dead
And the White Knight is talking backwards
And the Red Queen’s off with her head
Remember what the Dormouse said
Feed your head, feed your head
Trump is an attention addict. He has always been that way. I suspect he was that way when he was a toddler during the years most of us call the terrible twos. Except for Trump, his entire life he’s been stuck in the terrible twos.
Trump has gone out of his way his entire life to have a spotlight on him as often as possible. That is why he loves chaos because shocking people gives him the most attention and he craves that audience all the time 24/7.
During those four days, how many hours will Trump brag about himself vs how much time he will spend supporting conspiracy theories with outrages lies while bashing anything and everyone that has ever criticized him for anything?
Do you think he will brag about himself more or complain more?
“Trump is an attention addict.”
Yes, he is. Fortunately, he has the liberal media and the centrists to supply endless amounts of his drug of choice.
Dienne,
So you suggest we just ignore Trump’s actions—like opening up the Arctic National Refuge for oil and gas drilling, encouraging fracking, cutting taxes on the 1%, separating children from their parents and putting them in cages—and pretend he doesn’t exist? What problem does that solve?
I like what everyone says, but I still don’t like the poll numbers. We should print up BLUE bumper stickers that say: LANDSLIDE. CBK
What you said, Catherine.
Tim Scott. Nikki Haley. I am surprised that the third member of the trio — Susan Collins — is not joining her fellow collaborators.
There comes a time when working as hard as you can for the sole purpose of making sure a man totally unsuitable to be President — a man whose “the virus will disappear” leadership has caused needless deaths — can have another 4 years, marks you as having absolutely no integrity.
How much did Tim Scott and Nikki Haley sell their integrity for, and was Susan Collins holding out for a bigger payday that Trump wouldn’t give her because Susan Collins has totally served out her usefulness to Trump and now he’s happy to throw her under the bus?
If Tim Scott and Nikki Haley’s extraordinary to re-elect Trump works, their usefulness to Trump would be done. Trump will have gotten the service he needed from them and they will be treated in exactly the manner that all Trump employees and subcontractors are treated once Trump has no use for them anymore. They get screwed, thrown under the bus, or are made the scapegoat for the harm caused by Trump’s failures.
Tim Scott and Nikki Haley have proven that Trump was telling the truth when Trump said: “…when you’re a star, they let you do it. You can do anything…”
Trump has grabbed ’em (Scott and Haley) by the you know what and Trump will let go when they have served out their usefulness to Trump. Scott and Haley believe Trump is a star, and they are happily letting Trump do it.
PARENT: Interesting that George Bush is not attending. . . . probably had to wash his hair. CBK
What will we see over the next few days? Comedy (sick, unintentional comedy, yes, but comedy nonetheless).
A virtual tour of American kitsch from the King of Kitsch, the owner of the penthouse apartment in Trump Tower recently voted Tackiest Residence in the Galaxy by the Galactic Graphic Design League.
Self-parodying caricatures of stereotypical sycophantic sidekicks of comic book supervillains (the speakers’ list).
The talent portion—competition among candidates for the position of Trump Mini-Me. Will there be a swimsuit portion featuring Kellyanne and Pence the Dense?
A reading of the entire encyclopedia of American “patriotic” jingoism.
A catalogue of lies from the Liar in Chief—his greatest hits and a few new originals (e.g., descriptions of fantasized accomplishments—he saved us from invasion by hordes of murderers and rapists and from terrorists like the yellow-shirted Moms and the two white boys playing dress-up who make up the entire group known as Antifa).
Various childishly conceived, barely concealed cons, much like the one that Bannon and his buddy pulled with their wall and Trump’s “university.”
Loads of racist dogwhistles, of course.
Robotalks from Trump’s semi-conscious spawn—because what’s a Trump event without a little nepotism, right?
Capped off by a speech written by Propaganda Minister Stephen “Goebbels” Miller obviously not written by Trump because it will not be in Trump’s signature Toddler English. (What do you expect from the guy who paid someone to take his SAT?)
Let’s hope that some more advanced, intelligent extraterrestrial race isn’t listening in because this is going to be spectacularly embarrassing.
I wouldn’t miss it for the world.
cx: speakers list
And the theme: Biden is a Socialist. ROFLMAO!!!
What is Socialism, you might ask? (Republicans never will.) Well, it is worker ownership of the means of production. So, an employee stock ownership plan, or ESOP, is Socialist.
So scary.
Biden is worse than a Socialist.
Much worse.
Biden is a Postalist
Kamala Harris too
Mail and femail socialists
Postal through and through
Trying to think of a riposte to this
Modernism
Thought I would impress everyone with my post, modernism
I need an assistant to monitor my posts, but I can’t think of the right person for this post office.
A few ultra right-wingers annoyed Diane. Then they were post toasties.
I often find errors in my posts after hitting the Send button. I regret this post haste.
Trump will get the NRA vote. The NRA and its leader, Wayne LaPierre, are in the news related to a Russian oligarch (Daily Beast and WSJ). LaPierre may or may not have rejected his religious upbringing and time spent at two Catholic colleges, receiving degrees. (Info about his current faith has been difficult to find.)
. . . proving how deep your anti-Catholic bias runs. CBK
A tell-all book about the NRA is scheduled for release on Sept. 8. The author identifies the organization’s primary tactic, “Sell the fear”.
“Sell the fear” is Trump’s campaign theme.
He said yesterday that if Biden wins, every city is America will be plunged into chaos and mayhem. He’s starting to sound like Jonathan Edwards without knowing who he was.
“Sell the fear” is Trump’s campaign theme.
Nailed it, Diane.
Diane has this ability to say in a few choice words what takes me paragraphs. Perfect.
Diane is the asset to the nation that she is for a lot of reasons. One is that her communication (oral and in writing) is vastly superior. For the sacrifices so many have made for the country, it deserves the best- Diane Ravitch and, it deserves deliverance from the worst- Trump.
R.I.P. Republican Integrity
We hardly knew ye.
It’s been dead a long time. “Resting in peace” linked in any way to a group that causes so much misery,,,,
You have a point there, Linda
Oh, we knew and know them well.
Lol, Greg. Yes.
It was just announced that each night of the Republican convention will have a sponsor–garnering lots of exposure. There will be tie-ins and visuals throughout the presentations. Ostensibly, all the ad money will go to fund Trump’s campaign.
Monday night belongs to Goya — featuring Chick Peas (sounds like his Russian escapade returning). No Black beans will be displayed in order not to offend the base.
Tuesday goes to Kentucky Fried Chicken. Let’s hope it’s a bad omen for McConnell.
Wednesday brings Wise Potato Chips. The big reveal comes when Trump tells his audience about a $25 million deal he has just struck to market a new product and expand this company’s line. It’s a skin cream extracted from Cheez Doodles. He says he has tested it for years and it’s done wonders for his complexion.
Thursday’s sponsor remains a mystery. Nothing has leaked. It must be a biggie coming on the last night of the convention. Any of our great bloggers want to venture a guess about who this might be?
KIPP?
The site of Ashleigh Kolfage, “social influencer” and wife of the newly arrested pal of Steve Bannon, My Pillow, Home Depot, the Villages in Florida, Menards, the Pizza kings, Rave theaters, Linda Bean of L.L. Bean, Bishops Dolan,Tobin Lori, and Hebda, state Catholic Conferences, the ubiquitous Catholic universities in D.C., the Knights of Columbus, Uihlein, Amway, the former Blackwater
The grand sponsor? That’s an easy one: Vladimir Putin and the GRU
Goya as it45 sponsor seems fitting. “The Sleep of Reason…” Google the image, I don’t know how to post it.
If reason was just sleeping, not being rejected…
Trump’s sister’s comments make the point, “the religious should want to help people”.
Yup. Your comment above re: the deeply religious McSally’s Marie-Antoinette-like campaign fundraising suggestion got me reviewing her policy positions/ actions. What an evil witch.
What a sickening lineup of speakers. Nickolas Sandmann is an intelligent representative of this country? Being rude to Native Americans fits in well with Trump’s racism. Melania? Maybe she can speak about how she dated Trump when he was married and why she sleeps on a different floor of the WH. OR, she can elaborate on how it feels to pose nude. Why is Tiffany joining this group? Trump’s personal assistant allegedly claimed that Trump said Tiffany should loose weight before being photographed with him. Will Melania once again be stealing things that Michelle wrote? She can explain why remodeling the rose garden during a time of COVID-19 is important. Does anyone really want to hear Giuliani?
Read Axios’ preview of the scheduled speakers for the Republican National Convention.
Highlights
Monday, Aug. 24
Sen. Tim Scott (S.C.)
House Minority Whip Steve Scalise (La.)
Rep. Matt Gaetz (Fla.)
Rep. Jim Jordan (Ohio)
Former UN Ambassador Nikki Haley
RNC Chair Ronna McDaniel
Mark and Patricia McCloskey (St. Louis couple who waved guns at protesters)
Donald Trump Jr.
Kimberly Guilfoyle
Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk
Tuesday, Aug. 25
First lady Melania Trump
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo
Sen. Rand Paul (Ky.)
Nicholas Sandmann (Covington Catholic HS student who sued media outlets)
Eric Trump
Tiffany Trump
Wednesday, Aug. 26
Vice President Mike Pence
Second lady Karen Pence
Sen. Marsha Blackburn (Tenn.)
Sen. Joni Ernst (Iowa)
Rep. Dan Crenshaw (Texas)
Rep. Elise Stefanik (N.Y.)
Former acting Director of National Intelligence Richard Grenell
White House counselor Kellyanne Conway
Thursday, Aug. 27
President Trump
Housing and Urban Development Secretary Ben Carson
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (Ky.)
Sen. Tom Cotton (Ark.)
House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (Calif.)
Ivanka Trump
Rudy Giuliani
Franklin Graham
Alice Johnson (granted clemency by Trump)
UFC President Dana White
I guess Jared will be keeping his finger on the nuclear trigger in case the U.S. is attacked by Mexicans.
More likely the attack would come from Canada & our (former?) European allies.
They are literally sick of it45’s America!
(Since when have U.S. citizens ever been banned from other countries?)
Sandmann was in D.C. with a group representing his Catholic high school (exclusively for boys). The group was in the capitol opposing women’s rights. But, the only part that that’s relevant is his confrontation with a Native American?
Linda: Sandmann is a wealthy MAGA brat that had no business coming to D.D. to protest against women’s rights. No teenager should be doing that type of activity.
His family sued numerous publications over the coverage of him and already has won settlements from the Washington Post and CNN.
I didn’t give a complete list of why each speaker at the RNC is spreading fear and lies throughout the country. Sandmann should not represent this country in any way.
carolmalaysia In Linda’s notes, other influences don’t matter because, to her, the root of ALL evil is Catholicism and, more generally, religion . . . there’s a Catholic behind every bad thing that there ever was.
In the context of our cultural awareness of anti-Semitism, if you changed every reference to Catholic in Linda’s notes to Jewish, or if she dug up and referenced the Jewish background of any Jewish person who had anything to say here, her anti-Semitism would be as obvious to all as her anti-Catholicism is to me. CBK
CBK: While I agree Linda’s comments are often ridiculously broad-brush & come off as anti-Catholic baiting, I find absolutely nothing OK about Catholic school leaders bringing their students to DC to “March for Life.” In fact I find it abhorrent in too many ways to count. It makes me sad & mad to watch RC leaders follow boneheaded Evangelicals down the same rabbit-hole.
Googling just now, it irked the h out of me to find the Newman Society– a group I respected in my teens– cheering that media outlets are settling multi-millions on Sandmann over their “persecution” of him– what was once a sober “Letter” on doctrinal matters is clearly now just a hack political rag. If these misguided church-state-separation-busters can’t stand the heat they should stay the %#@ out of the kitchen.
bethree5 I appreciate, in spirit your comments and am openly opposed to the short-sighted, one-issue thinking that exists in many in the Church, as I have said here before.
The “however” there, however, is embodied in the first part of your note: “. . . Linda’s comments are often ridiculously broad-brush & come off as anti-Catholic baiting, . . . ” and in her obvious extreme contempt for Catholicism and religion.
Every time I see a “Linda,” I know that, in most cases, a harangue against all-things Catholic is coming.
On your second paragraph below, I do wonder about your comment about marching for a cause. Since when are religious groups exempt from First Amendment protections? Does Jefferson’s “separation of church and state” mean religious people have no right to expression in normal American means (marching) at all?
Also, the abortion issue (at the center of the March for Life) is and has been a central Catholic issue for years, regardless of boneheaded Evangelicals and their rabbit-holes.
BTW, I am a Catholic and I hate abortion; but I support women’s rights under the current law. If anyone is interested, my position is that the Church should work on changing people’s minds and hearts through cultural means–the longer and harder route–and not through aggressive-oppressive top-down laws; and certainly not by voting for (of all things anti-religious!) Trump and Trumpism (aka fascism).
I do think the Church has a moral point . . . about what happens to young people when “freedom” means “I don’t need to develop myself psychologically, socially, intellectually, morally, or spiritually. Under that view, freedom becomes a manifestation of the lowest common denominator of what’s left of a decaying civilization.
Even on practical grounds, however, such laws only defeat the broader cause by setting jaws harder against all-things-religious.
But here is your second paragraph: CBK
“I find absolutely nothing OK about Catholic school leaders bringing their students to DC to ‘March for Life.’ In fact I find it abhorrent in too many ways to count. It makes me sad & mad to watch RC leaders follow boneheaded Evangelicals down the same rabbit-hole.”
This is addressed to no person in particular-
When the religious and political, like Franklin Graham, state Catholic Conferences, and members of the National Council on Public Policy, drum up support for the GOP and, they are successful in taking away democracy from this and future generations, my duty is to make it known. Other insignificantly small U.S. religious sects are not a theocratic equivalent. Citing one example of difference, 80+ % of Jewish people vote Democratic.
I added comment about evangelical, Republican Sen. McSally yesterday. In my overall review, evangelical leaders pose a threat when they support Trump’s GOP but, they do not appear to have the powerful political apparatus that operates in the state and national capitols. If they do, I ask that the info. be posted so that we can all be warned.
If there are blog commenters who believe their fellow religious will defy the church’s Trump-supporting leaders and if they believe they can aide the effort, I hope the info. I post will support them in the effort. If pandering is necessary to achieve the goal, I will leave that part to others.
I found it alarming that a Minnesota bishop was advised by his state Catholic Conference that it was within his purview to deny the diocese’s priests the right to vote in an American election (the 2020 presidential primary). In contrast, evangelicals appear to have a very loose type of confederation for political action. However, if their leadership has done something similar and it was reported here, the citizens of America would have a better appreciation of the threat to democracy.
I and other commenters will have to agree to disagree if they approve of the Minneapolis bishop’s action or thought it inconsequential.
It is fair for me to ask that commenters who claim the state Catholic Conferences don’t politic for school choice to validate that opinion.
I have provided direct quotes about their actions, taken from their sites.
I was disappointed that there wasn’t concern at this blog, before the SCOTUS decision, for the implications of the cases, Kristin Biel v. St. James Catholic school and Beurre v. Our Lady of Guadalupe. The cases are of even greater significance in light of the Minnesota bishop’s directive about voting.
Linda I tried to take your post seriously, but found its embedded bias too obvious to do so.
Linda writes: “. . . drum up support for the GOP and, they are successful in taking away democracy from this and future generations, my duty is to make it known.” (my bold)
That is an obvious transparent cover for your zealotry and anti-Catholic bias. Avoiding balance, using half-truths, omissions, and scare tactics about the future “if-thens” are all logical fallacies ironically used every day by Trump and his minions.
And Linda writes: “Other insignificantly small U.S. religious sects are not a theocratic equivalent. Citing one example of difference, 80+ % of Jewish people vote Democratic.”
Let me get this right: Evangelicals are “small U.S. religious sects” where no one there wants to replace the U.S. democracy with a theocracy; whereas all Catholics do. Also, Jewish people are okay as long as they vote Democratic.
If that’s where we are, we’ve all turned tribal, and the democratic spirit in the can already. CBK
In the cases I referenced, the SCOTUS decision took a leap in determining that teachers functioned in a MINISTERIAL capacity which excluded them from civil rights employment law.
No doubt this comment will make no sense to readers because my original comment will languish in moderation for approval until readers have moved on to subsequent posts.
A procedural question about the blog- how do CBK’s comments get inserted before comments with later time stamps ?
Linda, I don’t know. I have nothing to do with the order in which comments are posted, unless they are in moderation.
Diane I think we can post a comment OR a reply.
From what I can tell, the replies generally get posted under the comment we are replying to, regardless of date/time. Whereas the comments are “post your own” and are interjected according to time/date. At least that’s what appears to the the case.
I don’t know the “why” of moderation but have wondered if it has to do with word-count in any one specific heading? CBK
I think there are many reasons that comments go into moderation. One is having links. Another is that I personally put you there because you were posting pro-Trump messages. Lots more but I don’t know what they are. For a while, using the word Kavanaugh wound do it.
Diane Are you saying that I was posting pro-Trump messages? Huh? CBK
No. Why did you think that?
Diane Nevermind . . . (I misread your note). CBK
No, CBK. I was explaining why comments go into moderation.
1. Links, especially more than 1.
2. I put people into moderation if they post pro-Trump Messages or attack me.
3. Some other unknown reason, known only to WordPress.
correction – “earlier”
I have no problem constitutionally w/religious groups or anyone marching peacefully for whatever. I was commenting as a Catholic on the status of our church leadership, not as a citizen w/a legal issue. In fact I have been proud to see priests stand up against the war in VN, & would be delighted to see marches organized by Catholic leaders for workers’ rights, fair distribution of the fruits of labor, universal healthcare, etc [I like the Pope Francis Voters Guide].
Abortion I see as one of those horrors that is more common in societies which do not protect the poor or their children. It is not an easy issue; I see laws equating it with murder as cynical and binary and a distraction from doing what’s right socially. But I do not expect Catholic high school kids to take in all those nuances, & am appalled that church leadership would trot them out to demonstrate against it. They should be teaching per church viewpoint in the hopes their students will act in accordance, maybe even take political action, on their own as adults. And if they’re going to step out into that political fray [church leaders, not their student puppets], they can take whatever press heat is dished out & not try to squelch it.
You’ve called me out on the issue of church groups demonstrating politically. I’m not against it per se, but I do have an issue based on ‘rendering to Caesar.’ In other words, my preference is for churches to advise individuals on their own spirituality, and stay out of politics where they can. In a society like ours, where inequality has swiftly spiraled out of control, and the commonfolk are being trampled by the rich, it becomes increasingly hard to stay out of the political fray. Yet I see our church as coming at it from the wrong angle, more & more regularly. They organize big bi-coastal annual marches against abortion– something I see as a relatively small piece of a much bigger problem– but there’s bupkis about organizing workers for fair working wages, conditions & benefits, and govtl measures requiring megarich corps/ individuals to share their wealth fairly.
Linda: “In my overall review, evangelical leaders pose a threat when they support Trump’s GOP but, they do not appear to have the powerful political apparatus that operates in the state and national capitols.” I can’t cite evidence opposing the organizational details. Are you saying Evangelicals do not have the same political influence as RC’s because they are fragmented, not an org’l monolith? It sounds logical, but is contradicted by it45’s routine& regular speeches & tweets dog-whistling born-agains via their fave memes.
Will my fellow Catholics “defy the church’s Trump-supporting leaders”? Hell, yeah. American RC’s famously (per poll) go their own way on birth control, divorce, [abortion? anecdotally, yes], & whatever else is preached from the pulpit. Keep in mind, the mass allows only a 7-15min spot for the homily. Even moderate Protestant ministers harangue for 30-45mins, & Evangelical leaders can keep it up for hours. I expect I’m not alone in taking from that structure that the ritual of the mass incl readings from OT & NT is paramount; Father’s tacked-on message is to be respected but perhaps is subject to debate.
As to other concerns you post, I’m not sure what your point is. Therefore, RC’s should leave the church? Or maybe, therefore right-thinking RC’s should be protesting against church leaders? I’ve said it before: churches are not democracies. And being a member of a congregation is not like being a member of a political party. Such conversations do take place between members & priests or higher-ups. Objections do get lodged. And not just among RC’s. 15 yrs ago, members of one of my classical choruses were shocked & appalled when United Methodist higher-ups fired the popular local minister for being openly gay. [The church hosted our rehearsals/ concerts, & the minister was a choral member]. I know many congregants registered their displeasure, & that it was ignored. Churches change very slowly, & lag social change by 50-100 yrs. I believe only significant disenrollment wakes up the hierarchy. The American RC church is playing w/fire, w/their hierarchical chasing after rightwing politics, & facts are they lose a higher %age annually than any other American sect.
Preparing for surviving the GOP Convention:
Save yourself: Watch West Wing and The Newsroom reruns; A Few Good Men and the American President; or all things Sorkin (and for a bonus, read or watch Being There)
The president’s only skills: Reality TV, Fear Mongering, Race Baiting and LIE WITH NO REMORSE. Be prepared for all 4!
While tens of thousands more die from the virus, millions of students do not attend classes in public schools and colleges – the ONLY statistic we’ll hear from the president is CONVENTION TV RATINGS.
Have a zoom OFFICE POOL: Sign up for the word you think will be used most often: Liberal, Obama, Wall, Great, China Flu, Fake, Hoax, “I” and “me”, Hunter Biden, violent protests… heck, why not – even “lock her up”
Seeing White men.
Seeing More white men.
and, PENCE DUMPED and a Blond, white female VP candidate.
“seeing” Nathan Sandmann, the white, Covington Catholic high school student from Mitch McConnells state who gained notoriety in a confrontation with an elder Native American while the school’s contingent was in the nation’s capitol opposing women’s rights.
Wag the Dog? Uh . . . maybe not. CBK
My bet on the word used most often: Socialist
Here’s how my family is surviving both conventions. Pre-covid we’d already paid 50% down on our decades-long usual Cape Cod cottage rental. A family retreat w/roots going back to when my great-grandfather started sending his family there from upstate-NY on the train in the 1930’s (when these cottages were built). [It was then a cheap vacation for academics.] So, long a clan-gathering, though in recent decades family is far-flung– we see maybe a cousin or two in Aug. But we live close enough to carry it on. Renting from the aged grandson of the guy who built 25 cottages on a landing named for his own seagoing great-grandfather. So the place is on my bones.
Still, it was hard to decide to travel here, after 4+ months as old-folk shut-ins working from home. Bit the bullet, as the route thro NYS, CT & MA was +/- as low-covid spread as in NJ. Our usual CT rest-stop proved as safety-measure-observant as back home. (The only unmasked people we saw were southern utility-men up to help w/ post-hurricane line repairs.)
Our sons quarantined/ tested negative so were able to join us for an extended visit, what a blessing. Had seen them only once since March– on the porch for an hour w/ masks. We are all musicians, so that’s what we do when we’re not sunbathing in cottage yard. [Beach is a bit more dicy, covid-wise– especially when high tide eliminates distancing sqft].
We don’t do TV up here. I’ve read key Dem convention speeches as recommended by Diane. Won’t even read Rep speeches much less tune in.
Add to your list of most often used phrases: Democrats are “radical socialists,” “anarchy in the streets,” mayhem, carnage. All of this on Trump’s watch.
“seeing” crosses and Bibles.
Reblogged this on David R. Taylor-Thoughts on Education and commented:
There is no tradition that trump will not break.
I predict this RNC will be a full 3-ring circus, complete with a big top and clown car. The clown car will be sponsored by Goya and My Pillow.
Yup. More of the Trump clown car posse
Neither convention interests me, because in the Internet/Social Media era, the primary winners and their positions are already known. Delegate numbers are known too. 😐
Eddie, too bad for you. The Democratic Convention had some wonderful moments, including the roll call of delegates from all the states and territories; The boy from New Hampshire who stutters and was helped by Biden when they met at a town hall; Obama’s passionate speech;and Biden’s speech, which was terrific.
Watching the Convention was not about who would win the nomination, but about seeing the people and their messages.
I’m not sure I can bear to watch the Trump Convention. I can’t stand to listen to his braying and boasting, nor that of his family, all of whom will speak.
I will seek DNC videos online. Thanks. 😁
Eddie: I’m sending all four days, in case anyone missed a day.
Democratic National Convention: Day 1
Streamed live on Aug 17, 2020
2020 Democratic National Convention
Tune in on Monday, August 17 from 9-11 PM ET for the first night of the 2020 Democratic National Convention, where we’ll hear from the many Americans who are rising up to take on the crises facing our country.
Democratic National Convention: Day 2
Streamed live on Aug 18, 2020
2020 Democratic National Convention
Tune in on Tuesday, August 18 from 9-11 PM ET for the second night of the 2020 Democratic National Convention, where we’ll hear from the leaders and the experts, the veterans and the activists, all those who seek to unite and not divide, and who step up — not back down — from a fight over what’s right.
Featuring: Former Acting U.S. Attorney General Sally Yates, Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, Former Secretary of State John Kerry, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Rep. Lisa Blunt Rochester, Former President Bill Clinton, and Former Second Lady Dr. Jill Biden.
Democratic National Convention: Day 3
•Streamed live on Aug 19, 2020
2020 Democratic National Convention
Verified
Tune in on Wednesday, August 19 from 9-11 PM ET for the third night of the 2020 Democratic National Convention, where we’ll hear from Kamala Harris and nominate her as the next Vice President of the United States.
Featuring: Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, Sen. Elizabeth Warren, Gov. Tony Evers, Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham, and Former Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords.
Democratic National Convention: Day 4
Streamed live on Aug 20, 2020
2020 Democratic National Convention
Tune in on Thursday, August 20 from 8:40 PM-11 PM ET for the final night of the 2020 Democratic National Convention, as Vice President Joe Biden accepts the Democratic nomination and speaks about his vision for uniting America.
Featuring: Vice President Joe Biden, Sen. Cory Booker, Gov. Gavin Newsom, Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms, Sen. Tammy Baldwin, Sen. Tammy Duckworth, Sen. Chris Coons, Sen. Kamala Harris, and the Biden Family.
I just finished watching Trump exaggerate the significance of a study with ”emergency” or fast-track approval by the FDA for the use of convalescent plasma–plasma from people who had recovered from COVID-19.
Days before Trump had called the FDA part of the deep state trying to prevent him from getting re-elected.Today he trotted out the head of the FDA to describe the non-randomized trail use of this kind of plasma and tout the efficacy of it in 35% of patients under 80 who received it within three days of diagnosis. I am sure you will hear more about this during TRUMP’s corporate pay-to-play convention.
In no time after this announcement, the physicians on tap at CNN and MSNBC were quick to state that Trump has put pressure on the FDA to fast track “cures” and this was the second high-profile example. The first was hydroxychloroquine as a cure for COVID-19.
The danger is that Trump is corrupting the FDA’s standing as a professional agency with strict criteria for RCT’s Randomized Control Trials before approving a drug for a treatment. https://www.cnn.com/2020/08/23/health/covid-19-convalescent-plasma-eua-white-house/index.html
See this on Trump’s accusing the FDA for being part of a deep state not approving cures fast enough, meaning that “miracle cure “he wants before the election. https://www.reuters.com/article/us-health-coronavirus-trump-fda/trump-says-without-proof-that-fda-deep-state-slowing-covid-trials-idUSKBN25I0LF
AT least one non-family member from this great new “They All Knew” video will be up there lying for Trump at the RNC:(Guess who!)
As well as some from his base of crazies will be there:
https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2020/8/19/1970371/-Donald-Trump-is-stocking-his-convention-with-deplorables-and-that-s-a-good-thing
And he thinks he’s got the TV smarts to win ratings –but I highly doubt it.
https://www.politico.com/news/2020/08/22/donald-trump-republican-convention-scramble-400222
For those concerned about polls, I keep track of virtually all of them here and they look promising to me:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nationwide_opinion_polling_for_the_2020_United_States_presidential_election
Thanks for the video link.
It’s always MY pleasure!
This video should be part of an ad for Biden and other democratic candidates.
I thought I read somewhere that it was going to be aired on TV but I can’t find that now. I did find this though, of Michael Cohen, which IS scheduled to be aired during the RNC this week:
Recent news that will somehow be skipped over at the Repugnican National Convention:
Trump loses appeal to keep investigators from getting his tax returns.
Trump ordered to pay Stormy Daniels’s legal fees
Protestor loses eye after being struck by tear gas canister.
Ex-Mexican President Vicente Fox offers to sell red hats with the words “Don’t grab them by the _____” on them.
Republican-led Senate Intelligence Committee concludes that Donald Trump, Jr.; Jared Kushner; and several others extremely close to Trump probably lied under oath in testimony.
The Trump Border Patrol is now expelling young children, rather than deporting them, after no legal process whatsoever, simply sending them back across the border, endangering them enormously.
If there is any justice in the world, when this is all over, Donald Trump will exchange his orange clown makeup for an orange jump suit.
carolmalaysia, Thanks for the DNC video links. 😁
Two dozen former Republican lawmakers on Monday came out to endorse Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden on the first day of the 2020 Republican National Convention.
Fox News reports that the list of former GOP lawmakers is headlined by Jeff Flake, the former Arizona senator who frequently clashed with the president before retiring in 2018.
The other Republicans endorsing Biden are former Sens. John Warner of Virginia, Gordon Humphrey of New Hampshire, and former Reps. Steve Bartlett of Texas, Bill Clinger of Pennsylvania, Tom Coleman of Missouri, Charlie Dent of Pennsylvania, Charles Djou of Hawaii, Mickey Edwards of Oklahoma, Wayne Gilchrest of Maryland, Jim Greenwood of Pennsylvania, Bob Inglis of South Carolina, Jim Kolbe of Arizona, Steve Kuykendall of California, Ray LaHood of Illinois, Jim Leach of Iowa, Connie Morella of Maryland, Mike Parker of Mississippi, Jack Quinn of New York, Claudine Schneider of Rhode Island, Chris Shays of Connecticut, Peter Smith of Vermont, Alan Steelman of Texas, Bill Whitehurst of Virginia, Dick Zimmer of New Jersey, and Jim Walsh of New York.
It is amazing that anyone would want this crook to be president. “LOCK HIM UP!”
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Axios: New York AG sues Trump Organization in probe of financial dealings
New York Attorney General Letitia James (D) announced Monday that her office had filed a lawsuit to compel the Trump Organization to comply with subpoenas related to an investigation into whether President Trump and his company improperly inflated the value of its assets on financial statements.
The state of play: The investigation was launched after the president’s former personal attorney Michael Cohen testified to Congress that Trump inflated and deflated his net worth at various times in order to obtain more favorable terms for loans and insurance.
The big picture: The attorney general’s investigation is one of several probes that Trump and his company are facing as he seeks re-election in November. Earlier on Monday, Manhattan District Attorney Cy Vance said he would hold off on a subpoena for Trump’s financial records until an appeals court weighed in on the case.
What they’re saying: “I took action to force the Trump Organization, and specifically EVP Eric Trump, to comply with my office’s ongoing investigation into its financial dealings. For months, the Trump Organization has failed to fully comply with our subpoenas in this investigation,” James said in a statement.
“We are seeking thousands of documents and testimony from multiple witnesses regarding several Trump Organization properties and transactions, including from Eric Trump, who was intimately involved in one or more transactions under review.”
“The Trump Organization has stalled, withheld documents, and instructed witnesses, including Eric Trump, to refuse to answer questions under oath. That’s why we filed a motion to compel the Trump Organization to comply with our lawful subpoenas for documents and testimony.”…
https://www.axios.com/new-york-attorney-trump-organization-investigation-261d4f83-7e45-40e9-a7e5-9e48a11a8183.html?utm_campaign=organic&utm_medium=socialshare&utm_source=email
Trump is setting the tone for the country. Massive voter fraud is going to happen if Trump loses.
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President Trump delivered a rally-like address to the Republican National Convention on Monday in a surprise appearance in Charlotte after he was officially nominated for the 2020 GOP ticket.
Trump’s remarks, which lasted about an hour, touched on a variety of topics but repeatedly returned to the pandemic and mail-in voting, arguing that expanding access to mail-in ballots could invite massive fraud in the election – a claim experts say is not substantiated.