Sunday, June 30, 2024. Annette’s News Roundup.
From Ipsos.com
Despite the poor ratings of Biden’s performance, few respondents are no longer considering voting for Biden.
Among respondents who completed both the pre- and post-debate survey, just 4% are giving less consideration to voting for Biden. In comparison, 2% are giving less consideration to voting for Trump following the debate.
As a whole, in the pre-debate wave, 44% of respondents reported that they were considering voting for Biden. This was unchanged in the post-debate wave, where 46% said the same of Biden.
The percent of respondents considering voting for Trump (44% pre-debate, 44% post-debate) and independent candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. (18% pre-debate, 18% post-debate) was also unchanged. (This 538/Washington Post/Ipsos post-debate poll was conducted June 27 to June 28, 2024, by Ipsos using the probability-based KnowledgePanel®).
From the New York Times, an interesting fact.
51.3 Million Viewers Tuned In for Shaky Biden and Boisterous Trump. It was the smallest TV audience for a presidential debate since 2004.
One more thing. Or two.
BREAKING: President Biden has raised a campaign record of $27 million following the debate on Thursday. Don’t ever let the media, the pundits, or the spinsters tell you Democrats aren’t enthusiastic about reelecting President Biden.
— Biden’s Wins (@BidensWins) June 29, 2024
Lawrence O’Donnell talks about how many Americans viewed the Debate, how the Debate might affect the election and whether it makes sense to ask Joe to step down. Huh?
Lawrence then shares the screen with the President.
What a closeup of Trump’s debate puke reveals.
Heather Cox Richardson taught us the official name in formal rhetoric for Trump’s vomit of lies and fantasies - a Gish Gallop. But what if we look closely at some specifics?
From “Letters from an American,” June 28, 2024 -
On Thursday, the secret trial of Putin’s prisoner American journalist Evan Gershkovich began in Russia.
“I want to make a note of something that has been nagging at me for weeks now: Trump’s focus on 32-year-old Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich, who was arrested by Russian officers in March 2023 and is currently on trial for the trumped-up charge of espionage. The State Department considers him “wrongfully detained,” a rare designation indicating that the person is being held by a hostile government as a bargaining chip. That designation means the U.S. government will do all it can to secure his release.
At least three times now, Trump has interfered with those negotiations by vowing that Russian president Vladimir Putin will release Gershkovich for him and him alone.
He said it in last night’s CNN debacle, where he also made a big deal out of the idea that Putin will do it as a favor, without an exchange of money.
He said something else last night in his slurry of words that jumped out.
Somewhere in his discussion of Putin’s invasion of eastern Ukraine in February 2022, Trump said: “Putin saw that, he said, you know what, I think we’re going to go in and maybe take my—this was his dream. I talked to him about it, his dream.” (HCR)
Does this mean Trump knew about Putin’s invasion of Ukraine in advance? When?
Also, in the case of Gershkovich, has Trump been interfering with American foreign policy?
The Logan Act, codified at 18 U.S.C. 953, states Any citizen of the United States, wherever he may be, who, without authority of the United States, directly or indirectly commences or carries on any correspondence or intercourse with any foreign government or any officer or agent thereof, in relation to any disputes or controversies with the United States, or to defeat the measures of the United States, shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than three years, or both.
Trump spoke about migrants taking Hispanic Jobs and Black Jobs from Americans, both during the Debate and at his rally on Friday.
Do you think he meant Representative Justin Jones’ job in the House of Representatives in Tennessee?
Me walking into my “Black job” tomorrow pic.twitter.com/kKQ0BxBxj3
— Rep. Justin Jones (@brotherjones_) June 28, 2024
Or Victor Blackwell’s job at CNN?
“Me?
— Victor Blackwell CNN (@VictorBlackwell) June 29, 2024
Oh, nothin’ - just over here working my Black job.” pic.twitter.com/D3SvggZKLt
Or Dr. Faith Crittenden’s job at Yale.
Me heading to my Black Job this morning !
— Faith Crittenden, MD MPH (@FaithCrittenden) June 28, 2024
Black pediatricians are awesome! pic.twitter.com/gaSOizClWh
Something worth thinking about.
Since CNN’s dreadfully moderated debate last night in Atlanta, President Biden visited a Waffle House, had a post-debate rally, flew to North Carolina at 3am for another rally at noon and flew to NTC to commemorate Stonewall with superstar Elton John.
— Ricky Davila (@TheRickyDavila) June 29, 2024
Sleepy and feeble my ass.
For your pleasure.
The President with Elton John at Stonewall Inn on Friday, celebrating the opening of the newly refurbished National Monument Visitor Center on the anniversary of the historic uprising.
Your Daily Reminder
Trump is a convicted felon.
On May 30th, he was found guilty on 34 felony counts by the unanimous vote of 12 ordinary citizens.
On Thursday, July 11, the Convicted Felon Donald J. Trump will be sentenced.
Late last night, Linda Wharton, consultant to the Roundup sent the article below to me:
The Philadelphia Inquirer became the first newspaper to do its duty and call upon Donald Trump to leave the Presidential race.
Now maybe a 100 or so newspapers and television news stations will get some backbone and do the same.
To serve his country, Donald Trump should leave the race.
Editorial, The Philadelphia Inquirer.
Biden had a horrible night Thursday. But the debate about the debate is misplaced. The only person who should withdraw from the race is Trump.
President Joe Biden’s debate performance was a disaster. His disjointed responses and dazed look sparked calls for him to drop out of the presidential race.
But lost in the hand wringing was Donald Trump’s usual bombastic litany of lies, hyperbole, bigotry, ignorance, and fear mongering. His performance demonstrated once again that he is a danger to democracy and unfit for office.
In fact, the debate about the debate is misplaced. The only person who should withdraw from the race is Trump.
Trump, 78, has been on the political stage for eight years marked by chaos, corruption, and incivility. Why go back to that?
To build himself up, Trump constantly tears the country down. There is no shining city on the hill. It’s just mourning in America.
Throughout the debate, Trump repeatedly said we are a “failing” country. He called the United States a “third world nation.” He said, “we’re living in hell” and “very close to World War III.”
“People are dying all over the place,” Trump said, later adding “we’re literally an uncivilized country now.”
Trump told more than 30 lies during the debate to go with the more than 30,000 mistruths told during his four years as president. He dodged the CNN moderators’ questions, took no responsibility for his actions, and blamed others, mainly Biden, for everything that is wrong in the world.
Trump’s response to the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection he fueled was farcical. He said a “relatively small number of people” went to the Capitol and many were “ushered in by the police.”
After scheming to overturn the 2020 election, Trump refused to say if he would accept the results of the 2024 election. Unless, of course, he wins.
The debate served as a reminder of what another four years of Trump would look like. More lies, grievance, narcissism, and hate. Supporters say they like Trump because he says whatever he thinks. But he mainly spews raw sewage.
Trump attacks the military. He denigrates the Justice Department and judges. He belittles the FBI and the CIA. He picks fights with allies and cozies up to dictators.
Trump is an unserious carnival barker running for the most serious job in the world. During his last term, Trump served himself and not the American people.
Trump spent chunks of time watching TV, tweeting, and hanging out at his country clubs. Over his four-year term, Trump played roughly 261 rounds of golf.
As president, Trump didn’t read the daily intelligence briefs. He continued to use his personal cell phone, allowing Chinese spies to listen to his calls. During one Oval Office meeting, Trump shared highly classified intelligence with the Russian foreign minister and ambassador.
Trump’s term did plenty of damage and had few accomplishments. The much-hyped wall didn’t get built. Infrastructure week was a recurring joke. Giant tax cuts made the rich richer, while fueling massive deficits for others to pay for years. His support for coal, oil drilling and withdrawal from the Paris Agreement worsened the growing impact of climate change.
Trump stacked the judiciary with extreme judges consisting mainly of white males, including a number who the American Bar Association rated as not qualified. A record number of cabinet officials were fired or left the office. The West Wing was in constant chaos and infighting.
Many Trump appointees exited under a cloud of corruption, grifting and ethical scandals. Trump’s children made millions off the White House. His dilettante son-in-law got $2 billion from the Saudi government for his fledgling investment firm even though he never managed money before.
Trump’s mismanagement of the pandemic resulted in tens of thousands of needless deaths. He boasts about stacking the Supreme Court with extreme right-wingers who are stripping away individual rights, upending legal precedents, and making the country less safe. If elected, Trump may add to the court’s conservative majority.
Of course, there were the unprecedented two impeachments. Now, Trump is a convicted felon who is staring at three more criminal indictments. He is running for president to stay out of prison.
If anything, Trump doesn’t deserve to be on the presidential debate stage. Why even give him a platform?
Trump allegedly stole classified information and tried to overturn an election. His plans for a second term are worse than the last one. We cannot be serious about letting such a crooked clown back in the White House.
If anything, Trump doesn’t deserve to be on the presidential debate stage. Why even give him a platform?
Yes, Biden had a horrible night. He’s 81 and not as sharp as he used to be. But Biden on his worst day remains lightyears better than Trump on his best.
Biden must show that he is up to the job. This much is clear: He has a substantive record of real accomplishments, fighting the pandemic, combating climate change, investing in infrastructure, and supporting working families and the most vulnerable.
Biden has surrounded himself with experienced people who take public service seriously. He has passed major bipartisan legislation despite a dysfunctional Republican House majority.
Biden believes in the best of America. He has rebuilt relationships with allies around the world and stood up to foes like Russia and China.
There was only one person at the debate who does not deserve to be running for president. The sooner Trump exits the stage, the better off the country will be. (The Inquirer Editorial Board. This opinion was written by a group of journalists who work separately from the newsroom to debate matters of public interest.)