User-Supported News Commentary Hosted by Craig Crawford
Looking Under the Hood
44 thoughts on “Looking Under the Hood”
from C to shining C:
he’s selling crypto, shiny shoes, Chinese-made bibles and more to “hood”-wink black men.
just ask Rev Al
Rev. Al Sharpton says Donald Trump’s campaign is talking down to Black men. “It’s saying … ‘Mugshots! Blacks relate to me. Golden shoes! I’ll sell you a Bible, that is made in China for $3, I’ll sell it to you for $60! Is that good for you, Black churches?’ It’s the most insulting campaign, particularly to Black men.”
other news from stephen last night
Donald Trump turned his town hall into a music festival when he got tired of taking questions and his opponent VP Kamala Harris announced she’ll be interviewed by Bret Baier on Fox News.
more reporting on the genius-of-the-stable’s instability and a look under his hood:
Donald Trump over the weekend told supporters of his campaign for a second presidency that his Democratic opponents want to ban cows and windows in buildings, inviting another round of questions about his mental fitness.
“They just come up, they want to do things like no more cows and no windows in buildings,” the Republican White House nominee said during a campaign event with Hispanic voters in Las Vegas on Saturday. “They have some wonderful plans for this country.
“Honestly, they’re crazy, and they’re really hurting out country, badly.”
Kamala Harris’s presidential campaign subsequently reacted to the remarks on social media by writing, “a confused Trump goes on a delusional rant”.
Other Trump critics echoed the Democratic vice-president’s observation, describing the rant as “stunningly senile” and “incoherent”.
Nevada’s Democratic party also criticized the former president, writing: “Trump came to town and questioned Nevadans’ values and rambled about cows and windows.”
Saturday was not the first time that the former president has accused Democrats of wanting to get rid of cows.
During a rally earlier this summer, Trump said that Harris would pass laws to outlaw red meat if elected. He added: “You know what that means – that means no more cows.”
Trump has also said over the last several years that the Green New Deal, an expansive climate plan introduced and supported by progressive Democrats, would “take out the cows”.
The Green New Deal, he said in 2020, “would crush our farms, destroy our wonderful cows”.
“I love cows. They want to kill our cows. You know why, right? You know why? Don’t say it. They want to kill our cows. That means you are next,” he said.
[…]
Trump’s confusing comments about Democrats wanting to get rid of cows and windows on buildings on Saturday came just two days before another bizarre moment from this campaign cycle.
On Monday, at a town hall in Oaks, Pennsylvania, Trump stood on stage swaying and bobbing his head for about 30 minutes while music played after medical emergency-related interruptions.
At the same event, although his election against Harris is on 5 November, he told the crowd to get out and vote on “January 5 or before” – prompting critics online to again comment on Trump’s cognitive health.
Harris released a medical report which found that the most notable aspects of her health history were seasonal allergies and hives. “She possesses the physical and mental resiliency required to successfully execute the duties of the presidency” if she is elected in November, the report said.
A senior aide to Harris, 59, stated that the vice-president’s advisers saw the release of her health report and medical history as a chance to call attention to questions about Trump’s physical fitness and mental acuity.
On Sunday, more than 230 doctors, nurses and healthcare providers, called on the 78-year-old Trump to release his medical records, arguing that he should be transparent about his health as he seeks to become the oldest president elected.
“With no recent disclosure of health information from Donald Trump, we are left to extrapolate from public appearances,” the doctors wrote in a public letter. “And on that front, Trump is falling concerningly short of any standard of fitness for office and displaying alarming characteristics of declining acuity.”
Trump has consistently declined to disclose detailed information about his health during his public life. On Tuesday, the former president went on his Truth social media platform and published a post claiming his health “IS PERFECT – NO PROBLEMS!!!”
just one more cow
When rock band Blue Oyster Cult records “(Don’t Fear) the Reaper” producer Bruce Dickinson (Christopher Walken) insists Gene Frenkle (Will Ferrell) play more cowbell. With Chris Kattan, Chris Parnell, Horatio Sanz and Jimmy Fallon. [Season 25, 2000]
Good numbers this morning. Marist (top ten rated) has Harris up 5 points nationally, an improvement from their Oct. 1 poll: Harris 52 (+2 since 10/1) Trump 47 (-1) ————— Harris 50 fav/47 unfav Trump 46/53 1401 Likely Voters (Margin of Error +/- 3.9)
ls this Dobbs Dads?
Despite all her troubles with men, Harris is hugely ahead with college educated White men:
Men – White – College Graduate Harris 56% Trump 42%
Men – White – Not College Graduate Harris 32% Trump 67%
Democratic Senate candidate Colin Allred faced off with incumbent, Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX) Tuesday night, and things got heated when Allred slammed the Republican senator’s blatant hypocrisy.
You can’t be for the mob on January 6 and for the officers. You can’t. And it’s not funny. Because you’re a threat to democracy. I was on the House floor when we went through the votes. I remember when you objected to the results in Arizona.
A poll released by last month by the Texas Hispanic Policy Foundation(TxHPF) showed Allred trailing Cruz by only 3 percent.
Regina Montoya, a member of the TxHPF Board of Directors, told WFAA that “the dynamism of the Harris campaign has had an obvious down ballot impact in the Allred vs. Cruz race, where Colin is now effectively tied with Cruz going into the final days of the campaign.”
In August, “Allred recalled the day the Capitol was attacked — noting that he played in the National Football League before serving in Congress,” during an interview with Baptist News.
“When you’re a former professional football player in a situation like that,” Allred said, “people will unsurprisingly look to you for protection. So I took my suit jacket off and got ready to take on whatever came through that door.”
The Democratic hopeful continued, “That day, we came closer to losing our democracy than a lot of people realize, and Ted Cruz is responsible for that. He spread the lie that the election was stolen and was the senator who objected to the certification of the results in an attempt to overturn the will of the American people. But when the mob stormed the Capitol, he hid in a supply closet.”
Uncle Joe on the case…
“This is from the same guy who calls himself a great protector of women. [makes sign of the cross] C’mon. Folks, look. This is the same guy who has been held liable for $83m for sexual abuse and defamation. Same guy who who is getting rid of Roe v Wade … I think he’s running to stay out of jail.”
While being interviewed by Bloomberg News editor in chief John Micklethwait, Trump spoke about how auto factories in the United States aren’t really building cars. “They get away with murder because they say, ‘Oh yes, we’re building cars.’ They don’t build cars. They take ’em out of a box, and they assemble ’em. We could have our child do it,” Trump added.
You can tell these are pick-up lines he gets from his lunch and golfing buddies who think they’re so clever with their jokes. We’ll see who gets the last laugh.
When Donald Trump speaks about the economy, he sounds like a child. China gives us billions of dollars via tariffs.American auto workers take imported cars out of a box and stick the pieces together.These are very lightparaphrasesof statements he made today at the Economic Club of Chicago, in a sometimes combative interview with theBloomberg editor in chief John Micklethwait.
Yet voters consistently say they trust Trump more to handle the economy than they do Kamala Harris. Why? Perhaps because, when Trump speaks about the economy, he sounds like a child. Yes, he has a reputation as a businessman, and voters consistently trust Republicans more on the issue (even though the economy fares better under Democrats). But Trump’s reductionism may be the real source of his appeal when it comes to the economy and other policy areas. (“Build the wall”; “make NATO pay their fair share.”) By restricting his discussion to the bluntest, broadest, and vaguest of terms, he sells an appealing illusion.
Trump Oligarchs Musk and Adelson give $175 million to elect him
Judge McBurney granted injunction in Georgia to prevent rule requiring hand counting of ballots. WaPo.
A Georgia judge on Tuesday blocked a new rule implemented by the Georgia State Election Board that would have required county election workers to hand-count the number of ballots cast in each precinct and that critics said threatened to upend the November election by delaying the reporting of results.
Fulton County Superior Court Judge Robert McBurney ruled Tuesday that the rule, approved by a pro-Trump majority of the state board, is “too much, too late” — especially as it comes without accompanying instructions on how the rule was to be implemented by county election staffs. The election is already underway in Georgia, with Tuesday marking the first day of early voting.
The temporary injunction does not mean the rule can’t go into effect eventually, but delays full consideration of the rule’s legality until after the election.
The move was spearheaded by a three-member board majority that has enacted changes to the state’s election rules in recent weeks and approved the hand-count requirement despite a string of public commenters — including local election officials — who begged board members not to. Statewide officials, including Republicans, have sharply criticized the board’s decisions.
The board’s actions have been lauded by former president Donald Trump, who praised the three members by name at a rally this summer.
The injunction was sought by election officials in suburban Atlanta’s Cobb County. The Democratic National Committee and state Democratic Party had also asked for the court to intervene.
McBurney’s decision came a day after he ruled that state law does not give county officials discretion to withhold certification of election results. The ruling was a defeat for Trump allies who sought to empower local leaders to hold up the outcome of the vote.
McBurney ruled Monday that certification of election results is a mandatory duty irrespective of any concerns that a county election board may have about the accuracy of the count. Such concerns are the domain of prosecutors and state election officials, he ruled, and local boards are expected to relay any evidence of irregularity to their local district attorney.
The ruling sends a signal to county election officials across the state who have hesitated to certify results. It also has the potential to affect several other rules approved this year by the State Election Board, including one that permits county boards to investigate irregularities and that critics fear could allow them to delay results.
[***]
McBurney isn’t buying that humans are more accurate than machines at counting.
This guy too.
The Wisconsin shipping magnate behind Trump.
A Trump supporter who emerged as a bigger player than expected was Dick Uihlein, the chief executive of the shipping company Uline and one of the wealthiest people in the Midwest. Mr. Uihlein put a staggering $49 million last quarter into a super PAC he steers, Restoration PAC, which in turn dispensed most of his money into a collection of pro-Trump and other Republican groups, including Turnout for America. The super PAC has also run its own pro-Trump advertisements.
Trump Crumbles When Pressed on Economic Policy in Tense Interview
Rolling Stone: The former president attempted to “weave” his way through an interview with Bloomberg News, but couldn’t escape his own policy black hole.
“it quickly became clear that the former president has no conception of the mechanics of or the potential ramifications of the economic platform he’s running on. Bluntly, the former president was incoherent when pressed with real questions.”
Whooping Cough is having an outbreak with 16,000 cases nationwide. This is such an easily preventable illness with the infant DPT vaccine.
I just happened to be researching the news articles on my stepsister’s death from polio when the above came on the news. It makes me absolutely furious that these parents don’t protect their children from death when the vaccines are so easily available.
Trump Crumbles
And yet, Hannity and Stephen Miller claim Plumpty “owned” the Bloomberg interview.
So, a thing I picked up in my book group from the other moms with daughters, especially, in the high school-to-college age ranges is that the kids really really really look down on the idea of cultural appropriation and that it’s a continual gripe with them.
Cultural appropriation is when a dominant culture adopts elements from a less dominant culture in a way that is unacknowledged or inappropriate. It can involve taking intellectual property, traditional knowledge, or cultural artifacts without permission.
today’s meme…
Weird ad on TV (some guy named Terry); anti-Harris; claims to be because of abortion, but the ad is like a sideshow; blames Jake Tapper and others for the alleged assassination attempt on Adolf’s ear; nasty comments about Whoopi & Joy (it aired during “The View”); ABC disclaimer before and after that they were required by law to air it. Another nut.
GOP ad slogan:
The Billionaires have decreed:
ITS OK TO BE WHITE TRASH!
https://www.cnn.com/2024/10/16/business/tostitos-chips-shrinkflation-pepsi/index.html
“The owner of Lay’s, Doritos, Tostitos and Ruffles chips will put more chips in some bags to claw back customers tired of higher prices with skimpier bags. Shoppers have balked at downsized chips, cookies, paper towels and other products, widely known as shrinkflation, and turned to cheaper options or stopped buying altogether.”
“A PepsiCo spokesperson told CNN that Tostitos and Ruffles “bonus” bags will contain 20% more chips for the same price as standard bags in select locations.”
“The price per ounce of salty snacks has increased 36% compared to 2020, outpacing a 21% increase in overall grocery store prices, Moskow said.”
Make smashed, baked-potato chips; you can do the same with yams, broccoli, etc. They priced themselves out of the market and tried to scam consumers. They should half the C-suite salaries and cut their bonuses completely for screwing the pooch in what they thought they could get away with.
Billionaires are the welfare queens who are also committing wage theft, not immigrants…unless you mean Elon.
Giving this one a bit of a pass, but he sees a way to fix the system whilst exploiting it, I guess. Mark Cuban is leaving Shark Tank to “spend more time with his kids.” Businesses are kids, right?
“…Cuban seemed incredibly frustrated with the health care system — not just the PBMs, but also the broader ways that it’s inefficient. “Everything’s an arbitrage. The more complex the system, the easier it is for a company to insert themselves or extend their cost or the friction that they introduce and charge people money for it. And so it does drive me up the wall. But that’s the opportunity as well, because it really should be a 1955 old-school system.” In a rather bold claim, he said, “This is literally the easiest industry to interrupt, to disintermediate, that I’ve ever been involved with.” He even gave a surprisingly specific timeline for when that could happen. (First Opinion podcast.)
Good for Mark Cuban. I left Shark Tank after one season.
At Univision town hall in Miami, fmr Pres. Trump claims without evidence that Haitian migrants in Springfield are “eating other things too that they’re not supposed to be” when asked about the conspiracy theory that the migrants are eating people’s pets
Former president Jimmy Carter casts early ballot in Georgia
Carter, who turned 100 on Oct. 1, had expressed a desire to live long enough to vote for Kamala Harris, according to his family.
Ethel Kennedy funeral on now..
Poobah, CS is really sounding like my uncle did when he was lying in the assisted care facility in his dementia watching Fox all day. We ended up having all his news-related channels blocked by agreement with the caregivers – he was so blind he couldn’t operate a remote and after being told they couldn’t get Fox on the TV anymore they’d put something truly mindless on and he’d wander off into some reality that only he wsa experiencing. After about a month he quit asking for Fox, still talked about Dumbass but with much less conviction and anxiety, and was generally much calmer and easier to deal with. Don’t really know how we could get CS to follow that path, so we’re stuck with him and his bullshit at least until January 20.
Ethel’s daughter Rory told a funny story:
“My brother and I were watching the TV news about protests against apartheid at the South African Embassy. We ran into Mum’s room and said ‘We want to go get arrested’. She said, ‘I’ll drive!’.
Nice looking Kamala event in Pennsylvania coming up..
Love it!
Harris, joined in Washington Crossing, PA by more than 100 Republicans backing her campaign, tells the crowd: “In a typical election year, you all being in here with me might be a bit surprising, dare I say, unusual. But not in this election.”
Kamala TV Alert
Her FOX interview with Bret Baier at 6pm ET
Carter, who turned 100 on Oct. 1, had expressed a desire to live long enough to vote for Kamala Harris, according to his family.
…may vary by state, but i looked it up a while ago and one has to live until close of polls on election day for their vote to count
Hang in there, President Carter! 🇺🇸
The town also participates in special events, such as a reenactment of Washington’s nighttime crossing each year.
from C to shining C:
he’s selling crypto, shiny shoes, Chinese-made bibles and more to “hood”-wink black men.
just ask Rev Al
Rev. Al Sharpton says Donald Trump’s campaign is talking down to Black men. “It’s saying … ‘Mugshots! Blacks relate to me. Golden shoes! I’ll sell you a Bible, that is made in China for $3, I’ll sell it to you for $60! Is that good for you, Black churches?’ It’s the most insulting campaign, particularly to Black men.”
other news from stephen last night
Donald Trump turned his town hall into a music festival when he got tired of taking questions and his opponent VP Kamala Harris announced she’ll be interviewed by Bret Baier on Fox News.
more reporting on the genius-of-the-stable’s instability and a look under his hood:
Trump bizarrely claims Democrats want to ban cows and windows in buildings | US elections 2024 | The Guardian
just one more cow
When rock band Blue Oyster Cult records “(Don’t Fear) the Reaper” producer Bruce Dickinson (Christopher Walken) insists Gene Frenkle (Will Ferrell) play more cowbell. With Chris Kattan, Chris Parnell, Horatio Sanz and Jimmy Fallon. [Season 25, 2000]
Good numbers this morning.
Marist (top ten rated) has Harris up 5 points nationally, an improvement from their Oct. 1 poll:
Harris 52 (+2 since 10/1)
Trump 47 (-1)
—————
Harris 50 fav/47 unfav
Trump 46/53
1401 Likely Voters (Margin of Error +/- 3.9)
ls this Dobbs Dads?
Despite all her troubles with men, Harris is hugely ahead with college educated White men:
Men – White – College Graduate
Harris 56%
Trump 42%
Men – White – Not College Graduate
Harris 32%
Trump 67%
— Marist.. https://maristpoll.marist.edu/polls/the-u-s-presidential-contest-october-16-2024/
mano o mano on who’s manlier in TX?
‘It’s not funny’: Colin Allred calls out Ted Cruz’s hypocrisy during debate (msn.com)
Uncle Joe on the case…
https://x.com/atrupar/status/1846338571466428658
https://x.com/atrupar/status/1846338571466428658
https://x.com/atrupar/status/1846338571466428658
https://x.com/atrupar/status/1846338571466428658
Shawn Fain can take us under this hood.
https://newrepublic.com/post/187196/trump-trashes-autoworkers-bloomberg-economy-interview
You can tell these are pick-up lines he gets from his lunch and golfing buddies who think they’re so clever with their jokes. We’ll see who gets the last laugh.
https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2024/10/trump-economic-message-secret/680264/
Trump Oligarchs Musk and Adelson give $175 million to elect him
https://www.reuters.com/world/us/musk-gave-75-million-pro-trump-group-becoming-republican-mega-donor-2024-10-16/
Judge McBurney granted injunction in Georgia to prevent rule requiring hand counting of ballots. WaPo.
McBurney isn’t buying that humans are more accurate than machines at counting.
This guy too.
https://www.nytimes.com/2024/10/16/us/elections/pro-trump-fund-raising.html
Trump Crumbles When Pressed on Economic Policy in Tense Interview
Billionaires Are $2.2 Trillion Richer Since 2017 Trump-GOP Tax Law
Richest 748 Americans’ Wealth Up 77% Since Cuts Passed
Whooping Cough is having an outbreak with 16,000 cases nationwide. This is such an easily preventable illness with the infant DPT vaccine.
I just happened to be researching the news articles on my stepsister’s death from polio when the above came on the news. It makes me absolutely furious that these parents don’t protect their children from death when the vaccines are so easily available.
And yet, Hannity and Stephen Miller claim Plumpty “owned” the Bloomberg interview.
So, a thing I picked up in my book group from the other moms with daughters, especially, in the high school-to-college age ranges is that the kids really really really look down on the idea of cultural appropriation and that it’s a continual gripe with them.
today’s meme…
Weird ad on TV (some guy named Terry); anti-Harris; claims to be because of abortion, but the ad is like a sideshow; blames Jake Tapper and others for the alleged assassination attempt on Adolf’s ear; nasty comments about Whoopi & Joy (it aired during “The View”); ABC disclaimer before and after that they were required by law to air it. Another nut.
GOP ad slogan:
The Billionaires have decreed:
ITS OK TO BE WHITE TRASH!
https://www.cnn.com/2024/10/16/business/tostitos-chips-shrinkflation-pepsi/index.html
“The owner of Lay’s, Doritos, Tostitos and Ruffles chips will put more chips in some bags to claw back customers tired of higher prices with skimpier bags. Shoppers have balked at downsized chips, cookies, paper towels and other products, widely known as shrinkflation, and turned to cheaper options or stopped buying altogether.”
“A PepsiCo spokesperson told CNN that Tostitos and Ruffles “bonus” bags will contain 20% more chips for the same price as standard bags in select locations.”
“The price per ounce of salty snacks has increased 36% compared to 2020, outpacing a 21% increase in overall grocery store prices, Moskow said.”
Make smashed, baked-potato chips; you can do the same with yams, broccoli, etc. They priced themselves out of the market and tried to scam consumers. They should half the C-suite salaries and cut their bonuses completely for screwing the pooch in what they thought they could get away with.
Billionaires are the welfare queens who are also committing wage theft, not immigrants…unless you mean Elon.
https://www.statnews.com/2024/10/16/mark-cuban-interview-pbms-cost-plus-drugs-harris/
Giving this one a bit of a pass, but he sees a way to fix the system whilst exploiting it, I guess. Mark Cuban is leaving Shark Tank to “spend more time with his kids.” Businesses are kids, right?
“…Cuban seemed incredibly frustrated with the health care system — not just the PBMs, but also the broader ways that it’s inefficient. “Everything’s an arbitrage. The more complex the system, the easier it is for a company to insert themselves or extend their cost or the friction that they introduce and charge people money for it. And so it does drive me up the wall. But that’s the opportunity as well, because it really should be a 1955 old-school system.” In a rather bold claim, he said, “This is literally the easiest industry to interrupt, to disintermediate, that I’ve ever been involved with.” He even gave a surprisingly specific timeline for when that could happen. (First Opinion podcast.)
Good for Mark Cuban. I left Shark Tank after one season.
At Univision town hall in Miami, fmr Pres. Trump claims without evidence that Haitian migrants in Springfield are “eating other things too that they’re not supposed to be” when asked about the conspiracy theory that the migrants are eating people’s pets
Way to go Jimmy. WaPo.
Ethel Kennedy funeral on now..
Poobah, CS is really sounding like my uncle did when he was lying in the assisted care facility in his dementia watching Fox all day. We ended up having all his news-related channels blocked by agreement with the caregivers – he was so blind he couldn’t operate a remote and after being told they couldn’t get Fox on the TV anymore they’d put something truly mindless on and he’d wander off into some reality that only he wsa experiencing. After about a month he quit asking for Fox, still talked about Dumbass but with much less conviction and anxiety, and was generally much calmer and easier to deal with. Don’t really know how we could get CS to follow that path, so we’re stuck with him and his bullshit at least until January 20.
Ethel’s daughter Rory told a funny story:
Nice looking Kamala event in Pennsylvania coming up..
Love it!
Harris, joined in Washington Crossing, PA by more than 100 Republicans backing her campaign, tells the crowd: “In a typical election year, you all being in here with me might be a bit surprising, dare I say, unusual. But not in this election.”
Kamala TV Alert
Her FOX interview with Bret Baier at 6pm ET
…may vary by state, but i looked it up a while ago and one has to live until close of polls on election day for their vote to count
Hang in there, President Carter! 🇺🇸
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Washington_Crossing,_Pennsylvania
The Republicans showing up for Kamala are the real Republicans. Donald Trump is the RINO. And the hippo.
I was a fruit picker until those illegals showed up.
Brett walked right into that bear trap.
Did Bret wet himself?
NEW THREAD by Craig our fearless leader