Threat to Democracy
The fact that RFK Jr is not running for president hasn't deterred states from refusing to remove RFK Jr's name from the ballot because it would nicely dilute any Trump vote. It raises, seriously, the "threat to democracy" question with fingers pointing at those states and not Trump.
The Public has the Right to Know
This is why I don't trust the media. On the same day that US News & World Report told us that Trump's media shares rallied ahead of the debate, The Wall Street Journal reported that Trump's shares tumbled. Trustworthy reporting, I'm sure. The public has the right to know there's not much reliable reporting going on out there.
Who Won the Debate?
I don't actually care, but you won't be able to find out from looking at the media. When the moderators are fact-checking Trump as they debate but not Harris, you can be pretty sure you won't get an unbiased assessment. (Just so you know, yes, Trump made false claims, but so did Harris. I suspect there has never been a presidential debate without false claims on both sides. Why they only fact-checked Trump is abundantly clear, isn't it?) (The Babylon Bee had a report of the moderators taking a timeout to discuss strategy with Harris.) (Why is it that we do not require truth-in-advertising for political ads or expect truth from candidates who are trying to earn our trust?)
A Sad Passing
You've likely heard that James Earl Jones died this week at the age of 93. He was a beloved actor including memorable voices like Mufasa in The Lion King and Darth Vader from Star Wars. The Bee has reported that God has announced that from now on He will be voiced by James Earl Jones. Of course.
7 comments:
Threat To Democracy
It seems that the party that raves about how important democracy is is taking every step out can to impede the process.
The Public has the Right to Know
I can't read the WSJ article in full, but it seems that the World Report was talking numbers before the debate and WSJ was taking after. Why is went on to talk about the betting market on the election I'm not sure.
Who Won the Debate?
We don't require honesty from our candidates because we no longer care about what words they say, only how they make us feel. Which is why Harris's strategy right now is simply vibes and joy. We currently have people voting for her just on the basis that she is a black woman. She could come out and say "Death to America" and those types would still vote for her. We have opened up the allowance of voting to so many people that most voters are uninformed, couldn't tell you a single thing about what their candidate will do, and only vote blue or red without regard for character or policy.
A Sad Passing
I've always assumed his voice was the voice of God, and He have it to him so we'd know what He sounds like.
While I agree that RFK should be removed from the ballot where appropriate, I suspect that RFK voters are not likely to vote for him whether he's on the ballot or not. The contempt that the DFL state election officials have for RFK voters in assuming that they are too stupid to not be inexorably drawn to RFK's name on a ballot is impressive. I suspect that they project the sheep-like voting habits of their voters on other, more engaged, constituencies.
The "winner" of the debate is irrelevant, but the blatantly one sided "fact checking" (especially the fact that they were frequently wrong) was quite the feat. I can completely understand why Trump has no interest in another.
Who Won the Debate?
It’s debatable :). Personally, I don’t think anyone really “wins” political debates. There are two (or more) sides to every issue, and ideally the various candidates simply present their views, of which the hearer then judges and accepts/rejects--including the validity of claims made. (In reality, though, I think they all say what they think their supporters want to hear--i.e. what will get them elected; therefore, who “wins” the debates will be known on election day.) Of course, moderators for a political debate should be neutral, but I don’t think we’ve seen that in a long time.
A Sad Passing
Yes, I can conceive of James Earl Jones as the speaking voice of God. (God’s singing voice would have to be a blend of Engelbert Humperdinck and Enya--hands down.) (Does “imagining” God’s voice violate the second commandment??) I thought it ironic that James Earl Jones was a stutterer as a child and refused to speak for a while and that in 1977 he won a Grammy Award for Best Spoken Word Album.
I “met” James Earl Jones on the occasion of his receipt of an honorary doctorate at Princeton University's 1980 Commencement. (I worked in the very office in Nassau Hall where the honorary degree recipients waited to be presented.) At the time, I was 24 years old and didn’t know who he was, but I understand that his acceptance speech was “easy on the ears” :). The next year, I also “met” Marcel Marceau (a mine artist), when he received an honorary degree, but he did not have that “deep, commanding” voice! :)
An afterthought on James Earl Jones: I am surprised that his famous line, “No [Luke], I am your father,” from the Star Wars movie didn’t make it clear to all that he was indeed already speaking for God. :)
I believe all sides have low information voters that aren't paying attention, don't like Trump, don't like Harris, and will vote for RFK because he's not them. We have heard too many times, on both sides, of dead people getting elected because their name was still on the ballot.
Threat to Democracy
I still don't get how RFK could've taken votes from Trump more than from Biden or Harris. He's not a conservative in any way, so I don't get how any conservative or Republican would see him as valid alternative to Trump, who at least governed like a conservative for the most part. As for his actual supporters, I don't know that it would matter to them whether or not his name was on a ballot if they intend to vote for him in any case as the typical, but nonsensical "protest" or "statement" vote. I don't see that too many of them could be unaware he dropped out of the race.
But clearly, this is an intentional attempt by the Dems in states where they denied removing his name to interfere with the election, and thus yet another example of who is really the greater threat to "our democracy".
The Public has the Right to Know
As regards the media in general, it's a "buyer beware" situation. Fortunately, there are many sources for information available for those who wish to obtain truth and facts. But it's a cryin' shame it must be sought out rather than simply provided by those who ostensibly exist for the purpose.
Who Won the Debate?
This is really connected to the topic preceding this. And given debate moderators these days are generally members of the media, they can do their jobs better by asking questions intended to elicit clarification from the candidates for things they've said on the campaign trail which might not be perceived as true or are unclear. And while I would love to see some way in which candidates can be held to account for less than truthful statements...slanderous comments about the other guy/gal would be a good place to start...the lack of unbiased objectivity on the part of journalists to uncover the truth from both party candidates is an indictment on journalism as a whole.
A Sad Passing
This is the first I've heard of this sad passing. I hope he's saved.
David, while I agree that low information voters exist on all sides, I suspect that the hardcore RFK voters are informed enough not to vote for him. I also suspect that there will be people who'll vote for him as a protest vote. My impression of RFK voters is that they tend to me more engaged than many because they've already made a choice to vote for a 3rd party candidate.
The last dead person on the ballot I remember was in MO, when an ex governor(?) died during the campaign and it was made clear that his wife would serve in his place. In that case, it seems that the vote was not for the dead guy as much as for the party/ideals that the dead guy represented and the belief that whoever replaced him would follow in his footsteps.
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