theguardian--2020-08-28--House Democrats launch contempt proceedings against Mike Pompeo

Congressional Democrats have launched contempt proceedings against Mike Pompeo for his refusal to comply with subpoenas for documents connected to the Ukraine scandal that led to Donald Trump ’ s impeachment .
The move is the culmination of a long-running struggle over Congress ’ s authority to conduct oversight of government agencies .
The secretary of state , who was a fierce advocate of congressional rights when he was a Republican representative from Kansas , has ignored a string of demands for documentation from the Democrat-controlled House foreign affairs committee ( HFAC ) .
Experts and former officials questioned what @ @ @ @ @ @ @ would have on a secretary of state determined to defy Congress and undermine its authority , other than to register frustration at his behaviour and the erosion of the constitutional division of power .
A state department spokesperson dismissed the contempt announcement as “ political theatrics ” and said the documents could be available to the HFAC , but gave a different version of the conditions attached from those laid down in a letter Pompeo sent to the committee on Thursday .
In that letter , the secretary of state said the documents @ @ @ @ @ @ @ confirm he was “ substantively investigating ” Ukraine ’ s alleged “ corrupt influence ” on US foreign policy – an apparent reference to a conspiracy theory that has been debunked by US intelligence agencies .
The spokesperson said on Friday the relevant documents would be produced to Engel on the “ only condition being that he send a letter explaining what foreign policy issue he is investigating that requires these documents ” .
Pompeo has swept away a raft of norms as secretary of state .
In May , he orchestrated the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ been looking into his use of departmental resources for personal errands and his declaration of an emergency to get around a congressional block on arms sales to Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates .
This week , he took part in the Republican national convention with a filmed address from Jerusalem , while on a visit as secretary of state , in what legal scholars said was a likely violation of the Hatch Act , which prohibits public funds from being used for electoral purposes .
“ He seems to think the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ runs , the personnel he oversees and the taxpayer dollars that pay for all of it are there for his personal and political benefit , ” Eliot Engel , the HFAC chair , wrote .
The trigger for the contempt proceedings was Pompeo ’ s refusal to deliver to the HFAC documents about US policy towards Ukraine that the state department provided to the Republican-controlled Senate in the run-up to the impeachment of Trump .
At the end of July , Engel issued another subpoena for documentation on the alleged use of state @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to the Senate aimed at discrediting Trump ’ s challenger for the presidency , Joe Biden .
“ From Mr Pompeo ’ s refusal to cooperate with the impeachment inquiry to his willingness to bolster a Senate Republican-led smear against the president ’ s political rivals to his speech to the RNC , which defied his own guidance and possibly the law , he has demonstrated alarming disregard for the laws and rules governing his own conduct and for the tools the constitution provides to prevent government corruption , ” Engel said .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ to Engel on Thursday , in which the secretary of state said he would hand over the material if the committee opened an investigation in line with a Republican-led Senate inquiry into allegations of Ukraine exerting influence on Obama administration policy towards the country through Biden ’ s son , Hunter .
Hunter Biden was on the board of a Ukrainian energy company , Burisma , from 2014 to 2019 .
“ If you can confirm by letter that the committee is , in fact , substantively investigating identical or very similar corruption @ @ @ @ @ @ @ US foreign policy , the department is ready to commence production of documents , ” Pompeo said in the letter .
No evidence of any such evidence has been found , and the head of the National Counterintelligence and Security Centre , has issued a warning that a pro-Russian politician in Ukraine has been “ spreading claims about corruption..to undermine former Vice President Biden ’ s candidacy and the Democratic Party.
” The HFAC said Pompeo was seeking to involve the committee in a smear campaign being pursued by Senate Democrats .
“ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” Engel wrote .
“ Under no circumstances will I amplify Putin ’ s debunked conspiracy theories or lend them credence .
And I won ’ t stand by and see the committee or the House treated with such disdain by anyone.
” A state department spokesperson issued a statement setting out less onerous conditions for the delivery of the documents .
“ We have previously offered to provide copies of these documents to Chairman Engel , with the only condition being that he send a letter explaining what foreign policy issue he @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” the spokesperson said .
“ Once this letter is received , the Department will produce the documents .
This press release is political theatrics and is an unfortunate waste of taxpayer resources.
” Former officials expressed concern the HFAC contempt proceedings might ultimately serve to underline the impotence of a Congress in the face of a defiant , rule-breaking executive .
Rori Kramer , the former deputy assistant secretary of state in the bureau of legislative affairs , said of Engel ’ s announcement : “ That ’ s wonderful but there @ @ @ @ @ @ @ there used to be with congressional oversight .
“ It ’ s really shocking .
Four years ago , it would have been completely bizarro Twilight Zone , that Congress could subpoena you and hold you in contempt , and the answer of the administration would be : “ I don ’ t care ” , ” said Kramer , who is now director of US advocacy at the American Jewish World Service .
“ The people who work for the people who say we don ’ t care about oversight [ see @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and/or political appointees also don ’ t follow the rules… and it ’ s a race to the bottom .
”

Congressional Democrats have launched contempt proceedings against Mike Pompeo for his refusal to comply with subpoenas for documents connected to the Ukraine scandal that led to Donald Trump’s impeachment.
The move is the culmination of a long-running struggle over Congress’s authority to conduct oversight of government agencies. The secretary of state, who was a fierce advocate of congressional rights when he was a Republican representative from Kansas, has ignored a string of demands for documentation from the Democrat-controlled House foreign affairs committee (HFAC).
Experts and former officials questioned what impact a resolution declaring Pompeo in contempt would have on a secretary of state determined to defy Congress and undermine its authority, other than to register frustration at his behaviour and the erosion of the constitutional division of power.
A state department spokesperson dismissed the contempt announcement as “political theatrics” and said the documents could be available to the HFAC, but gave a different version of the conditions attached from those laid down in a letter Pompeo sent to the committee on Thursday.
In that letter, the secretary of state said the documents would be handed over if Engel could confirm he was “substantively investigating” Ukraine’s alleged “corrupt influence” on US foreign policy – an apparent reference to a conspiracy theory that has been debunked by US intelligence agencies.
The spokesperson said on Friday the relevant documents would be produced to Engel on the “only condition being that he send a letter explaining what foreign policy issue he is investigating that requires these documents”.
Pompeo has swept away a raft of norms as secretary of state. In May, he orchestrated the firing of the inspector general who had been looking into his use of departmental resources for personal errands and his declaration of an emergency to get around a congressional block on arms sales to Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.
This week, he took part in the Republican national convention with a filmed address from Jerusalem, while on a visit as secretary of state, in what legal scholars said was a likely violation of the Hatch Act, which prohibits public funds from being used for electoral purposes.
“He seems to think the office he holds, the department he runs, the personnel he oversees and the taxpayer dollars that pay for all of it are there for his personal and political benefit,” Eliot Engel, the HFAC chair, wrote.
The trigger for the contempt proceedings was Pompeo’s refusal to deliver to the HFAC documents about US policy towards Ukraine that the state department provided to the Republican-controlled Senate in the run-up to the impeachment of Trump.
At the end of July, Engel issued another subpoena for documentation on the alleged use of state department resources to collect material to supply to the Senate aimed at discrediting Trump’s challenger for the presidency, Joe Biden.
“From Mr Pompeo’s refusal to cooperate with the impeachment inquiry to his willingness to bolster a Senate Republican-led smear against the president’s political rivals to his speech to the RNC, which defied his own guidance and possibly the law, he has demonstrated alarming disregard for the laws and rules governing his own conduct and for the tools the constitution provides to prevent government corruption,” Engel said.
The HFAC published a letter Pompeo sent to Engel on Thursday, in which the secretary of state said he would hand over the material if the committee opened an investigation in line with a Republican-led Senate inquiry into allegations of Ukraine exerting influence on Obama administration policy towards the country through Biden’s son, Hunter. Hunter Biden was on the board of a Ukrainian energy company, Burisma, from 2014 to 2019.
“If you can confirm by letter that the committee is, in fact, substantively investigating identical or very similar corruption issues involving Ukraine and corrupt influence on US foreign policy, the department is ready to commence production of documents,” Pompeo said in the letter.
No evidence of any such evidence has been found, and the head of the National Counterintelligence and Security Centre, has issued a warning that a pro-Russian politician in Ukraine has been “spreading claims about corruption..to undermine former Vice President Biden’s candidacy and the Democratic Party.”
The HFAC said Pompeo was seeking to involve the committee in a smear campaign being pursued by Senate Republicans.
“I want no part of it,” Engel wrote. “Under no circumstances will I amplify Putin’s debunked conspiracy theories or lend them credence. And I won’t stand by and see the committee or the House treated with such disdain by anyone.”
A state department spokesperson issued a statement setting out less onerous conditions for the delivery of the documents.
“We have previously offered to provide copies of these documents to Chairman Engel, with the only condition being that he send a letter explaining what foreign policy issue he is investigating that requires these documents,” the spokesperson said. “Once this letter is received, the Department will produce the documents. This press release is political theatrics and is an unfortunate waste of taxpayer resources.”
Former officials expressed concern the HFAC contempt proceedings might ultimately serve to underline the impotence of a Congress in the face of a defiant, rule-breaking executive.
Rori Kramer, the former deputy assistant secretary of state in the bureau of legislative affairs, said of Engel’s announcement: “That’s wonderful but there’s not as much teeth as there used to be with congressional oversight.
“It’s really shocking. Four years ago, it would have been completely bizarro Twilight Zone, that Congress could subpoena you and hold you in contempt, and the answer of the administration would be: “I don’t care”,” said Kramer, who is now director of US advocacy at the American Jewish World Service.
“The people who work for the people who say we don’t care about oversight [see that] and then his senior leadership and/or political appointees also don’t follow the rules… and it’s a race to the bottom.”


theguardian--2020-08-28--The Guardian view on Trump’s convention speech: the unwitting truth amid lies | Editorial

There are lies , there are damned lies – and then there was this week ’ s Republican national convention : a four-day cavalcade of brazen falsehoods from the president and his enablers .
Wild distortions and exaggerations are hardly new to politics .
But Donald Trump ’ s mendacity is in a class of its own , as his closing speech on Thursday underscored .
Facing grim unemployment figures that have holed his plan to run on the economy , he is an incumbent still campaigning as an outsider , and relying on race-baiting , fearmongering and slandering his @ @ @ @ @ @ @ as a creature of the Washington swamp , is now portrayed as a Trojan horse for radicals bent on tearing down the American dream .
Yet the lies about Mr Biden and the Democrats pale beside those told about Mr Trump ’ s own record .
Empathetic .
Feminist .
Most remarkably , in Melania ’ s telling , a man of “ total honesty ” .
When he announced : “ I say very modestly that I have done more for the African-American community than any president since Abraham Lincoln , ” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ adverb or the rest of the statement was the more misleading .
The most glaring falsehood is that he took “ swift action ” to protect his country from coronavirus , instead of effectively abandoning it to its grim fate – 181,000 deaths to date .
The Republicans want America to believe that the worst is over , though more than 1,000 people are dying a day .
This refusal to even brush shoulders with the truth looks unhinged to those who revile him .
But it may well be effective .
He @ @ @ @ @ @ @ truth : many Americans were poorly served by years of economic growth , and could no longer identify with those who purportedly served them in Washington .
The conspiracy theories embraced by many of Mr Trump ’ s supporters make his own fantasies look almost tame .
The parallel universe of the convention speaks to those who dwell in the parallel universe of Fox , Facebook and Breitbart , in which facts are optional .
The most powerful man on Earth plays victim , claiming that he stands on behalf of the ordinary @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that “ They are coming for me because I am fighting for you ” .
The convention has sprinkled a little sugar to make him more palatable to those having qualms about backing him .
Black and Asian Republicans assured the audience that Mr Trump was not racist , and neither was the country he runs .
But seen as a whole , there was an unwitting truthfulness to this week .
“ When someone shows you who they are , believe them , ” Hillary Clinton said of her opponent four years @ @ @ @ @ @ @ his worst ; he was elevated despite , or perhaps even because of that .
His speech , like those that preceded it this week , told America what it can expect from him .
In context as well as tone it reflected his disdain for democracy .
Mr Trump gave it from the White House lawn , using the highest office in the land for partisan campaigning .
The GOP adopted no platform this week beyond enthusiastic support for him – an acknowledgment of its complicity in his success and dependence upon @ @ @ @ @ @ @ own words , “ at no time before have voters faced a clearer choice between two parties , two visions , two philosophies , or two agendas ” .
His presidency has made that clear enough , but this convention reaffirmed what is at stake : the future of American democracy .
Though Mr Biden leads in the polls , including in swing states , many fear he is not as far ahead as he needs to be ; Mrs Clinton won the popular vote .
Mr Trump ’ s speech was an @ @ @ @ @ @ @ some momentum .
He urged his supporters to send “ a thundering message they will never forget ” at the polls .
But what matters will not only be how many people are persuaded to vote on 3 November , but how many are allowed to , and whether their votes are recognised .
A man as careless of truth as Mr Trump can not be expected to respect the facts should they prove inconvenient .

There are lies, there are damned lies – and then there was this week’s Republican national convention: a four-day cavalcade of brazen falsehoods from the president and his enablers. Wild distortions and exaggerations are hardly new to politics. But Donald Trump’s mendacity is in a class of its own, as his closing speech on Thursday underscored.
Facing grim unemployment figures that have holed his plan to run on the economy, he is an incumbent still campaigning as an outsider, and relying on race-baiting, fearmongering and slandering his rival. Joe Biden, previously dismissed as a creature of the Washington swamp, is now portrayed as a Trojan horse for radicals bent on tearing down the American dream. Yet the lies about Mr Biden and the Democrats pale beside those told about Mr Trump’s own record. Empathetic. Feminist. Most remarkably, in Melania’s telling, a man of “total honesty”.
When he announced: “I say very modestly that I have done more for the African-American community than any president since Abraham Lincoln,” it was hard to know whether the adverb or the rest of the statement was the more misleading. The most glaring falsehood is that he took “swift action” to protect his country from coronavirus, instead of effectively abandoning it to its grim fate – 181,000 deaths to date. The Republicans want America to believe that the worst is over, though more than 1,000 people are dying a day.
This refusal to even brush shoulders with the truth looks unhinged to those who revile him. But it may well be effective. He came to power by recognising an underlying truth: many Americans were poorly served by years of economic growth, and could no longer identify with those who purportedly served them in Washington. The conspiracy theories embraced by many of Mr Trump’s supporters make his own fantasies look almost tame. The parallel universe of the convention speaks to those who dwell in the parallel universe of Fox, Facebook and Breitbart, in which facts are optional. The most powerful man on Earth plays victim, claiming that he stands on behalf of the ordinary man against a corrupt elite, and that “They are coming for me because I am fighting for you”.
The convention has sprinkled a little sugar to make him more palatable to those having qualms about backing him. Black and Asian Republicans assured the audience that Mr Trump was not racist, and neither was the country he runs. But seen as a whole, there was an unwitting truthfulness to this week. “When someone shows you who they are, believe them,” Hillary Clinton said of her opponent four years ago.
Mr Trump has never disguised his worst; he was elevated despite, or perhaps even because of that. His speech, like those that preceded it this week, told America what it can expect from him. In context as well as tone it reflected his disdain for democracy. Mr Trump gave it from the White House lawn, using the highest office in the land for partisan campaigning. The GOP adopted no platform this week beyond enthusiastic support for him – an acknowledgment of its complicity in his success and dependence upon him.
In Mr Trump’s own words, “at no time before have voters faced a clearer choice between two parties, two visions, two philosophies, or two agendas”. His presidency has made that clear enough, but this convention reaffirmed what is at stake: the future of American democracy. Though Mr Biden leads in the polls, including in swing states, many fear he is not as far ahead as he needs to be; Mrs Clinton won the popular vote. Mr Trump’s speech was an effective spectacle that may give his campaign some momentum. He urged his supporters to send “a thundering message they will never forget” at the polls. But what matters will not only be how many people are persuaded to vote on 3 November, but how many are allowed to, and whether their votes are recognised. A man as careless of truth as Mr Trump cannot be expected to respect the facts should they prove inconvenient.


theguardian--2020-08-28--With Donald Trump and this election, it feels ominously like 2016 all over again | Nathan Robinson

Donald Trump is not a competent president but he is a terrifyingly effective one , as the 2020 RNC proved once again .
The central lesson of 2016 for Democrats should have been : do not underestimate Trump , and do not take his general ignorance as a lack of political skill .
Worryingly , this lesson does not seem to have been fully absorbed , and there are eerie similarities between the present election and the one four years ago .
I ’ m getting deja vu , and I don ’ t like it .
The good news @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ahead in the polls .
The bad news is that Hillary Clinton was also ahead in the polls .
Biden ’ s lead may be sliding in critical states , and some estimates show him underperforming Clinton in the critical state of Wisconsin .
Biden ’ s overall margin over Trump is greater than Clinton ’ s was at her peak .
But FiveThirtyEight reports , troublingly , that “ there are also nine states where Biden ’ s margin over Trump is smaller than Clinton ’ s was at this point in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Rust Belt battleground states ” .
The political circumstances should be incredibly favorable for a challenger : nearly 200,000 people are dead in a crisis caused in large part by the president ’ s personal incompetence , and the economy has collapsed .
The Democratic candidate should be winning in a landslide .
The fact that it might be close shows a serious failure of leadership .
Joe Biden could still win in a landslide , and I hope he does .
But one thing we need to understand about Donald Trump is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , he is an excellent showman who understands the theatrical aspects of politics very well .
Though few Democrats will want to admit it , the RNC was well-produced .
It is easy to make fun of the absurd quantity of flags – the Republican approach to solving a problem is to throw as many flags at it as possible .
But the right has a very clear message and they hammer it home with relentless force : the Democrats want lawless anarchy in the streets and destructive socialist economic policy , your @ @ @ @ @ @ @ will be mob rule , riots , looting .
Immigrants will pour across the border .
Anarchy and mayhem will take hold .
The Republicans are the voice of our patriotic heroes , while Democrats want to tear down the Washington Monument , defund the police , and silence your political opinions with their “ cancel culture ” .
Of course , a great deal of this is utterly ridiculous , considering that the Democratic candidate is Joe Biden rather than Bernie Sanders .
Those of us on the left certainly wish Biden @ @ @ @ @ @ @ unauthorized immigrants , and prison abolition .
But Biden won ’ t even support popular social democratic policies like Medicare for All , and by appointing controversial “ top cop ” Kamala Harris as his running mate , he ’ s doing anything but show support for “ anarchists ” and rioters .
Biden is a conservative Democrat who supported the Iraq war and helped to build the contemporary system of mass incarceration , which is why those of us on the left are so deeply unenthused about having to drag ourselves to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is spectacle , not facts , that matters in Trump world .
In 2016 , Democrats made the mistake of thinking they could “ factcheck ” their way to victory , pointing out the many ways in which Trump ’ s statements were false or misleading .
To beat Trump you don ’ t need better facts , though , you need a better narrative .
Trump ’ s message is a simple and powerful one : I love America , they hate America , I will create greatness , they will create @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Biden team leans heavily on carefully pointing out that much of what Trump says is wrong .
This is important , but it ’ s not enough .
Hillary Clinton found this out the hard way .
Joe Biden still hasn ’ t really developed a political identity for the election .
He boasts of having the “ most progressive platform ” since FDR , yet the Democratic convention spurned young leftists like Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez , choosing instead to showcase anti-Trump Republicans .
Some seem to think the best strategy for Biden is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ warm body , a name on the ballot that isn ’ t Trump .
I am certain most Americans can not name a Biden policy proposal or even his campaign slogan ( that ’ s a trick , he actually has eight campaign slogans ) .
Like Hillary Clinton , Biden has major political liabilities , having been associated with the very administration whose failures Trump was elected by campaigning against .
Trump might well implode , and Biden could exceed expectations .
Trump ’ s “ I made America great again ” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ be a hard sell during a pandemic , yet his approval ratings have been weirdly resilient .
Frankly , we are in an unprecedented and chaotic political situation and it is impossible to predict how things will unfold .
But Trump is a juggernaut , saturating social media with advertising and having volunteers knock a million doors a week .
His final night at the RNC speech was tired and tedious , but Democrats would do well not to get cocky .
We ’ ve seen the consequences of complacency once before , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ second Trump term will be far , far worse , with unthinkable consequences for the climate , workers and immigrants .
Karl Marx said history repeated itself , first as tragedy , then as farce .
2016 was a tragedy .
I just hope we ’ re not about to see the farce .
• None Nathan Robinson is the editor of Current Affairs and a Guardian US columnist

Donald Trump is not a competent president but he is a terrifyingly effective one, as the 2020 RNC proved once again. The central lesson of 2016 for Democrats should have been: do not underestimate Trump, and do not take his general ignorance as a lack of political skill. Worryingly, this lesson does not seem to have been fully absorbed, and there are eerie similarities between the present election and the one four years ago. I’m getting deja vu, and I don’t like it.
The good news for Democrats is that Joe Biden is ahead in the polls. The bad news is that Hillary Clinton was also ahead in the polls. Biden’s lead may be sliding in critical states, and some estimates show him underperforming Clinton in the critical state of Wisconsin. Biden’s overall margin over Trump is greater than Clinton’s was at her peak. But FiveThirtyEight reports, troublingly, that “there are also nine states where Biden’s margin over Trump is smaller than Clinton’s was at this point in the campaign,” including “many Rust Belt battleground states”.
The political circumstances should be incredibly favorable for a challenger: nearly 200,000 people are dead in a crisis caused in large part by the president’s personal incompetence, and the economy has collapsed. The Democratic candidate should be winning in a landslide. The fact that it might be close shows a serious failure of leadership.
Joe Biden could still win in a landslide, and I hope he does. But one thing we need to understand about Donald Trump is that while he is a terrible president, he is an excellent showman who understands the theatrical aspects of politics very well. Though few Democrats will want to admit it, the RNC was well-produced. It is easy to make fun of the absurd quantity of flags – the Republican approach to solving a problem is to throw as many flags at it as possible.
But the right has a very clear message and they hammer it home with relentless force: the Democrats want lawless anarchy in the streets and destructive socialist economic policy, your children will not be safe. There will be mob rule, riots, looting. Immigrants will pour across the border. Anarchy and mayhem will take hold. The Republicans are the voice of our patriotic heroes, while Democrats want to tear down the Washington Monument, defund the police, and silence your political opinions with their “cancel culture”.
Of course, a great deal of this is utterly ridiculous, considering that the Democratic candidate is Joe Biden rather than Bernie Sanders. Those of us on the left certainly wish Biden would promise full socialism, amnesty for unauthorized immigrants, and prison abolition. But Biden won’t even support popular social democratic policies like Medicare for All, and by appointing controversial “top cop” Kamala Harris as his running mate, he’s doing anything but show support for “anarchists” and rioters. Biden is a conservative Democrat who supported the Iraq war and helped to build the contemporary system of mass incarceration, which is why those of us on the left are so deeply unenthused about having to drag ourselves to the polls for him.
But it is spectacle, not facts, that matters in Trump world. In 2016, Democrats made the mistake of thinking they could “factcheck” their way to victory, pointing out the many ways in which Trump’s statements were false or misleading. To beat Trump you don’t need better facts, though, you need a better narrative. Trump’s message is a simple and powerful one: I love America, they hate America, I will create greatness, they will create poverty, violence and misery. The Biden team leans heavily on carefully pointing out that much of what Trump says is wrong. This is important, but it’s not enough. Hillary Clinton found this out the hard way.
Joe Biden still hasn’t really developed a political identity for the election. He boasts of having the “most progressive platform” since FDR, yet the Democratic convention spurned young leftists like Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, choosing instead to showcase anti-Trump Republicans. Some seem to think the best strategy for Biden is just to lie low and be a warm body, a name on the ballot that isn’t Trump. I am certain most Americans cannot name a Biden policy proposal or even his campaign slogan (that’s a trick, he actually has eight campaign slogans). Like Hillary Clinton, Biden has major political liabilities, having been associated with the very administration whose failures Trump was elected by campaigning against.
Trump might well implode, and Biden could exceed expectations. Trump’s “I made America great again” message certainly seems as if it should be a hard sell during a pandemic, yet his approval ratings have been weirdly resilient. Frankly, we are in an unprecedented and chaotic political situation and it is impossible to predict how things will unfold. But Trump is a juggernaut, saturating social media with advertising and having volunteers knock a million doors a week. His final night at the RNC speech was tired and tedious, but Democrats would do well not to get cocky. We’ve seen the consequences of complacency once before, and it was a disaster. A second Trump term will be far, far worse, with unthinkable consequences for the climate, workers and immigrants.
Karl Marx said history repeated itself, first as tragedy, then as farce. 2016 was a tragedy. I just hope we’re not about to see the farce.


theguardian--2020-08-28--'We're not taking it any more': Jacob Blake's family lead Washington rally – video

The family of Wisconsin shooting victim Jacob Blake condemned racism and demanded criminal justice reform as they spoke in front @ @ @ @ @ March in Washington DC .
Earlier this week Blake was shot multiple times in the @ @ @ @ @ him paralysed .
The protest , announced in early June following the killing of George @ @ @ @ @ , Minnesota , marked the anniversary of the demonstration at which Martin Luther King gave @ @ @ @ @ a Dream ' speech .
• Tens of thousands join Get Your Knee Off Our @ @ @ @ @

The family of Wisconsin shooting victim Jacob Blake condemned racism and demanded criminal justice reform as they spoke in front of thousands at the Commitment March in Washington DC. Earlier this week Blake was shot multiple times in the back by police, leaving him paralysed. The protest, announced in early June following the killing of George Floyd by police in Minneapolis, Minnesota, marked the anniversary of the demonstration at which Martin Luther King gave his historic 'I Have a Dream' speech.


theguardian--2020-08-28--'Say her name': Rand Paul confronted by protesters over after Republican convention – video

A group of angry protesters has confronted senator Rand Paul near the White House in Washington DC .
As Rand @ @ @ @ @ his wife , demonstrators chanted 'say her name ' , in reference to Breonna Taylor @ @ @ @ @ Kentucky who was shot dead by police in May .
After the incident , Paul @ @ @ @ @ had been 'attacked by an angry mob of over 100 ' .

A group of angry protesters has confronted senator Rand Paul near the White House in Washington DC. As Rand walked through the crowd with his wife, demonstrators chanted 'say her name', in reference to Breonna Taylor, a black woman from Kentucky who was shot dead by police in May. After the incident, Paul tweeted to say that he had been 'attacked by an angry mob of over 100'.


theguardian--2020-08-29--'DemExit': virtual convention aims to create US leftwing alternative

Joe Biden ’ s acceptance speech at the virtual Democratic national convention made one reference to “ middle class ” and one to “ working families ” .
It never mentioned the word “ poverty ” .
Although Democrats put on a formidable show of unity , there are still refuseniks on the left who see little distinction between Biden and Donald Trump or the parties they lead .
Some will gather at 4pm on Sunday for a virtual convention of their own .
More than 12,000 people have signed up to attend the People ’ s Convention , streamed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Hollywood actors and activists Danny Glover and Susan Sarandon as well as two of the more quixotic Democratic primary candidates , Mike Gravel and Marianne Williamson .
They will vote on forming a new political party “ free of corporate money and influence ” to run candidates in the congressional midterms in 2022 and for president in 2024 .
“ A choice between Biden and Trump is no choice at all , ” said Nick Brana , 31 , national coordinator of the Movement for a People ’ s Party ( MPP ) @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ The Democrats and Republicans have made it clear that they will always choose profits over people .
So we ’ re going to replace them.
” The convention revives an evergreen debate on the left : whether to follow the likes of Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York and reform the Democratic party from within , or to conclude that it is irredeemably beholden to corporate interests and walk away to create something new .
The MPP , founded by a variety of Senator Bernie Sanders ’ 2016 campaign staff , delegates @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
The party ’ s website has a page headlined “ # DemExit ” that declares : “ Dear DNC : This is our Declaration of Independence from your Corporate Party.
” In Brana ’ s view , poor people were erased from this year ’ s Democratic convention as it competed for Republican votes .
“ We believe that the Democratic and the Republican parties , as long as they ’ re financed by corporate money , will never represent working people , ” he continued .
“ You can not simultaneously @ @ @ @ @ @ @ billionaires and massive multinational corporations and represent working people .
You can not simultaneously have corporate lobbyists on your national committees , as both parties do , and simultaneously represent working people .
“ That ’ s why the key here is that , in order to have true representation in government , a party has to be funded by its people – crowdfunded just like the Bernie campaigns were , $ 27 at a time .
So we do not believe that the Democratic and the Republican party can be salvaged.
” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Democrats of all stripes agree on one thing : their hatred of the US president .
Sanders , the democratic socialist senator beaten by Biden in the party primary , told the convention that defeating Trump must be the overriding imperative , quelling fears of a repeat of divisions that festered with nominee Hillary Clinton in 2016 .
And whereas the Green party candidate Jill Stein arguably cost Clinton some crucial votes in swing states , opinion polls suggest that protest votes for third-party candidates will have less impact this time .
Even @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Biden and his running mate , Kamala Harris , provide sufficient motivation for disaffected progressives to swallow their objections and turn out .
Brana said : “ We ’ re encouraging people to vote their conscience , whomever that is , but the really important thing is that we never find ourselves in this position again .
For decades now , the Democratic and Republican candidates have been getting worse together and that ’ s the cycle that we need to break.
” Although America prides itself on giving consumers freedom of choice @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , it does not boast the type of multiparty democracies seen in Europe and elsewhere .
The MPP contends that the current duopoly will never deliver single-payer Medicare for All , higher education as a human right , a solution to the climate crisis or the dismantling of mass incarceration .
Others speaking at the People ’ s Convention , however , are reluctant to give up on the Democrats altogether .
Nina Turner , a co-chair of Sanders ’ primary campaign in 2020 and member of the Democratic national committee , said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ I am very clear that there are some progressives who want to ‘ # DemExit ’ but there are some progressives who believe , ‘ It ’ s my party , I can cry if I want to and I ’ m going stay inside and push ’ .
“ I support both of those forces because I think at the end of the day , even though they might be going down slightly different roads , they are parallel and the end point is the same .
That ’ s why I @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that yearning that some have to form another party , and also I do recognise and support those who say that they ’ re gon na stay inside the Democratic party and give ’ em hell and keep pushing them to the left .
Both of those forces are needed .
I consider those yin and yang.
” Turner , a former Ohio state senator , does not believe there will be a significant leftwing rebellion against Biden in this year ’ s election .
“ The majority of progressives , including ‘ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in 2016 and I see that same thing happening in 2020 .
This will be more of a vote against President Donald J Trump for most progressives than it will be a vote for Vice-President Biden .
It ’ s a binary choice.
” But if Biden is elected , the progressive movement will not give him an easy ride , she added .
“ We are a fire and the fire is burning and making it very clear that business as usual is not going to be accepted .
We ’ ve @ @ @ @ @ @ @ see them for leftists , and that is to slay the dragon of neo-fascism and then slay the dragon of neo-liberalism.
” Speakers at the People ’ s Convention also include Chris Smalls , a former Amazon worker fired in March after staging a walkout over unsafe Covid-19 protections at a Staten Island warehouse , and Cornel West , a philosophy professor at Harvard University and leading member of Democratic Socialists of America .
West said : “ You never say never because history is unpredictable , but the evidence doesn ’ t @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ever an institutional vehicle or serious force for fundamental change in America .
The big money has colonised too much of the party .
Wall Street and the military-industrial complex are just too strong when it comes to any progressive change .
We saw that with Brother Bernie in two primaries now.
” West says he voted for Stein in 2016 , which he does not regret , but will vote for Biden this time “ because I consider myself part of an antifascist coalition to push the gangster out of the White @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is in no way an endorsement of the neoliberal disaster that his policies will produce .
It ’ s just a way of preserving the condition for the possibility of any kind of democratic practice in the United States .
”

Joe Biden’s acceptance speech at the virtual Democratic national convention made one reference to “middle class” and one to “working families”. It never mentioned the word “poverty”.
Although Democrats put on a formidable show of unity, there are still refuseniks on the left who see little distinction between Biden and Donald Trump or the parties they lead. Some will gather at 4pm on Sunday for a virtual convention of their own.
More than 12,000 people have signed up to attend the People’s Convention, streamed live on social media and featuring the Hollywood actor and activist Danny Glover and the former Minnesota governor and professional wrestler Jesse Ventura as well as two of the more quixotic Democratic primary candidates, Mike Gravel and Marianne Williamson. They will vote on forming a new political party “free of corporate money and influence” to run candidates in the congressional midterms in 2022 and for president in 2024.
“A choice between Biden and Trump is no choice at all,” said Nick Brana, 31, national coordinator of the Movement for a People’s Party (MPP), which has nearly 100,000 members. “The Democrats and Republicans have made it clear that they will always choose profits over people. So we’re going to replace them.”
The convention revives an evergreen debate on the left: whether to follow the likes of Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York and reform the Democratic party from within, or to conclude that it is irredeemably beholden to corporate interests and walk away to create something new.
The MPP, founded by a variety of Senator Bernie Sanders’ 2016 campaign staff, delegates and volunteers, embraces the latter approach. The party’s website has a page headlined “#DemExit” that declares: “Dear DNC: This is our Declaration of Independence from your Corporate Party.”
The former Democratic presidential candidate author Marianne Williamson will be one of the prominent names to feature at the virtual People’s Convention. Photograph: Robert F Bukaty/AP
In Brana’s view, poor people were erased from this year’s Democratic convention as it competed for Republican votes. “We believe that the Democratic and the Republican parties, as long as they’re financed by corporate money, will never represent working people,” he continued.
“You cannot simultaneously be financed by Wall Street oligarchs and billionaires and massive multinational corporations and represent working people. You cannot simultaneously have corporate lobbyists on your national committees, as both parties do, and simultaneously represent working people.
We do not believe that the Democratic and the Republican party can be salvaged Nick Brana
“That’s why the key here is that, in order to have true representation in government, a party has to be funded by its people – crowdfunded just like the Bernie campaigns were, $27 at a time. So we do not believe that the Democratic and the Republican party can be salvaged.”
Such perspectives appear marginal in 2020 as Democrats of all stripes agree on one thing: their hatred of the US president. Sanders, the democratic socialist senator beaten by Biden in the party primary, told the convention that defeating Trump must be the overriding imperative, quelling fears of a repeat of divisions that festered with nominee Hillary Clinton in 2016.
And whereas the Green party candidate Jill Stein arguably cost Clinton some crucial votes in swing states, opinion polls suggest that protest votes for third-party candidates will have less impact this time. Even so, Democrats will be anxious that Biden and his running mate, Kamala Harris, provide sufficient motivation for disaffected progressives to swallow their objections and turn out.
Brana said: “We’re encouraging people to vote their conscience, whomever that is, but the really important thing is that we never find ourselves in this position again. For decades now, the Democratic and Republican candidates have been getting worse together and that’s the cycle that we need to break.”
Although America prides itself on giving consumers freedom of choice over everything from television to ice cream, it does not boast the type of multiparty democracies seen in Europe and elsewhere. The MPP contends that the current duopoly will never deliver single-payer Medicare for All, higher education as a human right, a solution to the climate crisis or the dismantling of mass incarceration.
That’s why I’m speaking at this convention: that yearning that some have to form another party Nina Turner
Others speaking at the People’s Convention, however, are reluctant to give up on the Democrats altogether. Nina Turner, a co-chair of Sanders’ primary campaign in 2020 and member of the Democratic national committee, said: “I support the movement and I am very clear that there are some progressives who want to ‘#DemExit’ but there are some progressives who believe, ‘It’s my party, I can cry if I want to and I’m going stay inside and push’.
“I support both of those forces because I think at the end of the day, even though they might be going down slightly different roads, they are parallel and the end point is the same. That’s why I’m speaking at this convention: that yearning that some have to form another party, and also I do recognise and support those who say that they’re gonna stay inside the Democratic party and give ’em hell and keep pushing them to the left. Both of those forces are needed. I consider those yin and yang.”
Thousands of supporters attend a campaign rally at Queensbridge Park in New York for Bernie Sanders in October 2019. Some see Sanders’ campaigns as a model for a left alternative. Photograph: Peter Foley/EPA
Turner, a former Ohio state senator, does not believe there will be a significant leftwing rebellion against Biden in this year’s election. “The majority of progressives, including ‘Berniecrats’, voted for Secretary Clinton in 2016 and I see that same thing happening in 2020. This will be more of a vote against President Donald J Trump for most progressives than it will be a vote for Vice-President Biden. It’s a binary choice.”
But if Biden is elected, the progressive movement will not give him an easy ride, she added. “We are a fire and the fire is burning and making it very clear that business as usual is not going to be accepted. We’ve got two dragons to slay as I see them for leftists, and that is to slay the dragon of neo-fascism and then slay the dragon of neo-liberalism.”
It doesn’t look like the Democratic party will be ever an institutional vehicle or serious force for fundamental change Cornel West
Speakers at the People’s Convention also include Chris Smalls, a former Amazon worker fired in March after staging a walkout over unsafe Covid-19 protections at a Staten Island warehouse, and Cornel West, a philosophy professor at Harvard University and leading member of Democratic Socialists of America.
West said: “You never say never because history is unpredictable, but the evidence doesn’t look like the Democratic party will be ever an institutional vehicle or serious force for fundamental change in America. The big money has colonised too much of the party. Wall Street and the military-industrial complex are just too strong when it comes to any progressive change. We saw that with Brother Bernie in two primaries now.”
West says he voted for Stein in 2016, which he does not regret, but will vote for Biden this time “because I consider myself part of an antifascist coalition to push the gangster out of the White House. But a vote for Biden is in no way an endorsement of the neoliberal disaster that his policies will produce. It’s just a way of preserving the condition for the possibility of any kind of democratic practice in the United States.”


theguardian--2020-08-29--What lies ahead as the US election enters the home stretch

Rounding the bend after the national party conventions , the US presidential race typically enters a three-month sprint to election day , with the candidates facing off a few times to debate each other and staging boisterous rallies before crossing the finish line .
This year , with the Republican national convention wrapping up on Thursday night with Donald Trump ’ s fearmongering speech , and the Democratic national convention being held the week before , the home stretch is shorter than ever .
The coronavirus crisis pushed the conventions unusually late , and a record number of states are @ @ @ @ @ @ @ early .
But both Joe Biden , the Democratic nominee , and Trump , the incumbent president , intend to hit some of the classic campaign notes from now until 3 November , while working behind the scenes to press their perceived advantages in a most unusual election year .
For the Biden campaign , that means organizing volunteers to coach voters on how to navigate new sets of rules in many states for voting early or voting by mail .
For Trump , that means attacking the credibility of mail-in voting and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ favor Democrats .
“ The old adage in campaigns is the only resource you can never get more of is time , ” said David Pepper , chairman of the Democratic party in the key swing state of Ohio , which starts in-person voting in less than 40 days .
“ The march toward election day is now in the home stretch.
” One purpose of the conventions was to draw battle lines , which Trump tried to do in a speech at the White House on Thursday night by attacking Biden as @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
“ Always remember : they are coming after me , because I am fighting for you , ” Trump said .
“ That ’ s what ’ s happening.
” But a relatively small proportion of the electorate – fewer than 20 million people , out of an anticipated 150 million total voters or more – tuned in to watch the conventions , meaning that both sides probably face opportunities , as well as hazards , with undecided voters in the weeks ahead .
One major crossroads will arrive with the first @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , with two more to follow in October .
The debates offer voters the first opportunity to see how the two candidates interact , and to judge them side by side .
Both campaigns intend to give voters other opportunities to encounter the candidates .
In an almost unprecedented step for him this election cycle , where much of his campaigning has been online , Biden announced on Thursday that he would be holding in-person rallies in swing states including Wisconsin , Minnesota , Pennsylvania and Arizona .
“ But we ’ re @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that is totally consistent with being responsible , unlike what this guy ’ s doing , ” Biden said of Trump , who on Thursday night addressed about 1,500 people seated shoulder to shoulder on the South Lawn of the White House , with few masks visible in the crowd .
“ I ’ m a tactile politician , ” Biden added .
“ I really miss being able to , you know , grab hands , shake hands , you can ’ t do that now .
But I can in fact @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in many of these places.
” Trump , who has been more aggressive than Biden about testing public health guidance in order to campaign , planned to stage a campaign mini-rally immediately after the convention , in New Hampshire on Friday evening .
Trump also plans to visit Louisiana , where Hurricane Laura wreaked widespread destruction after making landfall on Thursday with record winds .
A detour from the campaign trail by the president to handle a national emergency is not uncommon , as Barack Obama demonstrated with a visit to New Jersey @ @ @ @ @ @ @ just before his 2012 re-election .
But the US enters the 2020 election facing an alarming array of active crises , which Trump has sought to elude responsibility for by either blaming Biden or , in the case of coronavirus , dismissing the crisis as exaggerated or contradicting his own experts by claiming things are under control .
The number of new daily Covid-19 cases detected in the United States remains above 45,000 , and daily deaths have hovered above 1,000 , while total deaths have surpassed 180,000 , the worst record in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ability to track and trace the virus as the reopening of schools nationwide seems likely to lead to new outbreaks .
The country ’ s economic outlook remains dire , with new unemployment claims remaining stubbornly high , at over 1m each week , for months .
Protests have risen up in Wisconsin and elsewhere , meanwhile , after a white police officer shot a Black man , Jacob Blake , four times in the back last Sunday .
Trump has tried to turn the violence that ensued – a Trump-supporting teenager who @ @ @ @ @ @ @ has been charged with shooting two protesters dead – into a campaign issue .
“ Your vote will decide whether we protect law-abiding Americans , or whether we give free rein to violent anarchists , agitators , and criminals who threaten our citizens , ” Trump said in his Thursday speech .
Biden retorted : “ The violence you ’ ve seen is in Donald Trump ’ s administration , ” he said .
“ Donald Trump ’ s America.
” For all the literal pyrotechnics of the Republican convention – in the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Trump ” and “ 2020 ” over the Washington monument , in a ghastly violation of norms and laws banning the use of public office for the conduct of party politics – there are signs that the conventions have not changed the race much , or possibly boosted Biden .
A new USC/Dornsife national poll of likely voters released on Friday had Biden up a whopping 13 points on Trump , 53-40 , giving Biden a three-point bounce since last week ’ s Democratic convention – a bounce that was reflected in polling @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the campaign challenges that Trump has forced on us , ” said Pepper , the Ohio Democrat , blaming the president for mishandling the pandemic .
“ We will do whatever it takes to ensure every eligible Ohio voter that wants to cast their ballot safely and securely has the opportunity to do so and that their ballot will be counted .
”

Rounding the bend after the national party conventions, the US presidential race typically enters a three-month sprint to election day, with the candidates facing off a few times to debate each other and staging boisterous rallies before crossing the finish line.
This year, with the Republican national convention wrapping up on Thursday night with Donald Trump’s fearmongering speech, and the Democratic national convention being held the week before, the home stretch is shorter than ever.
The coronavirus crisis pushed the conventions unusually late, and a record number of states are using absentee ballots to push voting unusually early.
But both Joe Biden, the Democratic nominee, and Trump, the incumbent president, intend to hit some of the classic campaign notes from now until 3 November, while working behind the scenes to press their perceived advantages in a most unusual election year.
For the Biden campaign, that means organizing volunteers to coach voters on how to navigate new sets of rules in many states for voting early or voting by mail. For Trump, that means attacking the credibility of mail-in voting and discouraging turnout that his campaign fears will favor Democrats.
Jill Biden, Joe Biden and Kamala Harris in Wilmington, Delaware, at the conclusion fo the Democratic national convention on 20 August. Photograph: Olivier Douliery/AFP/Getty Images
“The old adage in campaigns is the only resource you can never get more of is time,” said David Pepper, chairman of the Democratic party in the key swing state of Ohio, which starts in-person voting in less than 40 days. “The march toward election day is now in the home stretch.”
One purpose of the conventions was to draw battle lines, which Trump tried to do in a speech at the White House on Thursday night by attacking Biden as a “Trojan horse for socialism”.
“Always remember: they are coming after me, because I am fighting for you,” Trump said. “That’s what’s happening.”
But a relatively small proportion of the electorate – fewer than 20 million people, out of an anticipated 150 million total voters or more – tuned in to watch the conventions, meaning that both sides probably face opportunities, as well as hazards, with undecided voters in the weeks ahead.
One major crossroads will arrive with the first presidential debate, scheduled for 29 September, with two more to follow in October. The debates offer voters the first opportunity to see how the two candidates interact, and to judge them side by side.
The old adage in campaigns is the only resource you can never get more of is time David Pepper
Both campaigns intend to give voters other opportunities to encounter the candidates. In an almost unprecedented step for him this election cycle, where much of his campaigning has been online, Biden announced on Thursday that he would be holding in-person rallies in swing states including Wisconsin, Minnesota, Pennsylvania and Arizona.
“But we’re going to do it in a way that is totally consistent with being responsible, unlike what this guy’s doing,” Biden said of Trump, who on Thursday night addressed about 1,500 people seated shoulder to shoulder on the South Lawn of the White House, with few masks visible in the crowd.
“I’m a tactile politician,” Biden added. “I really miss being able to, you know, grab hands, shake hands, you can’t do that now. But I can in fact appear beyond virtually, in person, in many of these places.”
Trump, who has been more aggressive than Biden about testing public health guidance in order to campaign, planned to stage a campaign mini-rally immediately after the convention, in New Hampshire on Friday evening.
Donald Trump Jr, Donald Trump and Melania Trump stand on the South Lawn of the White House during the final night of the Republican national convention on 27 August. Photograph: Evan Vucci/AP
Trump also plans to visit Louisiana, where Hurricane Laura wreaked widespread destruction after making landfall on Thursday with record winds.
A detour from the campaign trail by the president to handle a national emergency is not uncommon, as Barack Obama demonstrated with a visit to New Jersey in the wake of Superstorm Sandy, just before his 2012 re-election.
But the US enters the 2020 election facing an alarming array of active crises, which Trump has sought to elude responsibility for by either blaming Biden or, in the case of coronavirus, dismissing the crisis as exaggerated or contradicting his own experts by claiming things are under control.
The number of new daily Covid-19 cases detected in the United States remains above 45,000, and daily deaths have hovered above 1,000, while total deaths have surpassed 180,000, the worst record in the world.
The US has little ability to track and trace the virus as the reopening of schools nationwide seems likely to lead to new outbreaks.
The country’s economic outlook remains dire, with new unemployment claims remaining stubbornly high, at over 1m each week, for months.
Protests have risen up in Wisconsin and elsewhere, meanwhile, after a white police officer shot a Black man, Jacob Blake, four times in the back last Sunday. Trump has tried to turn the violence that ensued – a Trump-supporting teenager who tried to align himself with law enforcement has been charged with shooting two protesters dead – into a campaign issue.
“Your vote will decide whether we protect law-abiding Americans, or whether we give free rein to violent anarchists, agitators, and criminals who threaten our citizens,” Trump said in his Thursday speech.
Biden retorted: “The violence you’ve seen is in Donald Trump’s administration,” he said. “Donald Trump’s America.”
For all the literal pyrotechnics of the Republican convention – in the climactic moment, fireworks spelled out “Trump” and “2020” over the Washington monument, in a ghastly violation of norms and laws banning the use of public office for the conduct of party politics – there are signs that the conventions have not changed the race much, or possibly boosted Biden.
A new USC/Dornsife national poll of likely voters released on Friday had Biden up a whopping 13 points on Trump, 53-40, giving Biden a three-point bounce since last week’s Democratic convention – a bounce that was reflected in polling averages.
“We must deal with the campaign challenges that Trump has forced on us,” said Pepper, the Ohio Democrat, blaming the president for mishandling the pandemic. “We will do whatever it takes to ensure every eligible Ohio voter that wants to cast their ballot safely and securely has the opportunity to do so and that their ballot will be counted.”


theguardian--2020-08-29--Melania & Me review: a friend spurned, a first lady burned and Donald Trump … unharmed

Stephanie Winston Wolkoff knew Melania Trump for more than 15 years but as an aide to the first lady she lasted less than 14 months .
Like other scarred veterans of the Trump administration , she now airs her grievances on paper .
Yet for all the hype around Wolkoff having secretly taped Melania , her book is sedate , not tempestuous .
It informs , but it lacks the bombshell revelations that can make this genre compelling or darkly entertaining .
Melania & Me should not be confused with Too Much and Never Enough , by Mary Trump , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The Rise and Fall of My Friendship with the First Lady , Wolkoff ’ s tale is one of friendship lost , as opposed to wholesale dysfunction or searing intra-familial enmity .
When controversy swirled around the finances of the Trump inauguration , Wolkoff was banished from the kingdom .
But she wound up back with her own loving family , a happy ending of sorts .
She did not appear to have engaged in any illegality .
Against this backdrop , her anger is understandable .
Neither hero nor rogue , she @ @ @ @ @ @ @ produced the Met Gala , was fashion director for Fashion Week , and worked for Anna Wintour at Vogue .
She is accustomed to heavy lifting , frenetic pace and people with very deep pockets .
Her husband , David Wolkoff , comes from a real estate family .
When she went to work in the White House in 2017 , he refused to disclose their personal finances .
Wolkoff explains that stance by pointing to Donald Trump ’ s famous recalcitrance on the very same matter .
Going back to 2015 , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s tutor for allegedly stiffing her nearly $ 33,000 .
They apparently settled months later .
Growing up , Wolkoff was not cosseted .
She grew up in upstate New York and , at 6ft 1in , played Division I college basketball .
But until 2016 , she writes , she had never voted in a presidential election .
She offers this explanation for such political passivity : “ I knew nothing about policy .
If you asked me the difference between Barack Obama ’ s and Mitt Romney ’ s stances @ @ @ @ @ @ @ plans , I would not know where to begin.
” Apparently , glamour was an end in and of itself .
Wolkoff and DC were not meant for each other .
Melania & Me amply conveys the tension between Ivanka Trump , Trump ’ s daughter with his first wife , and Melania , his third wife .
It also provides a glimpse of Melania ’ s world in the aftermath of the release of the infamous Access Hollywood tape , in which Donald Trump boasted of grabbing women “ by the pussy @ @ @ @ @ @ @ there is no love lost .
Indeed , Wolkoff intimates that Ivanka helped sabotage Melania ’ s 2016 Republican convention speech , parts of which had been lifted from Michelle Obama .
In Wolkoff ’ s telling , Rick Gates , a campaign deputy and deputy inaugural director , was behind the scandal , as Ivanka ’ s plant : “ If Ivanka controlled Rick , and Rick had allegedly written Melania ’ s convention speech , did that mean Ivanka was behind that major faux pas/sabotage ?
” In February 2018 , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ days in jail and 36 months of probation , after he pleaded guilty to lying to the FBI in connection and engaging in a conspiracy .
Wolkoff describes Ivanka as “ relentless ” in her efforts to “ usurp ” office space from Melania , and in poaching prospective staff .
She quotes the first lady referring to the president ’ s daughter and her minions as “ snakes ” , and draws a parallel between Ivanka and Hillary Clinton , namely that Ivanka also used a private email address for official business @ @ @ @ @ @ @ doing so .
In Wolkoff ’ s own words , “ Can you say private server ?
” She recalls the chant of “ lock her up ” at Trump ’ s rallies and the convention , and how it was never intended for Ivanka .
The Trumps are different from the rest of us .
Wolkoff is gone but does not want to be forgotten .
Who does ?
Once , she was closer .
On 11 October 2016 , four days after the Access Hollywood tape dropped , Melania and Wolkoff @ @ @ @ @ @ @ being angry , said Donald “ is who he is ” , and recalled telling him that if he ran for president , “ he had to be ready for everything to be opened up and exposed ” .
When it came to Barron , Melania ’ s son , however , the future first lady grew tense and protective , advising Wolkoff the boy was strong and would be fine .
Wolkoff takes a dimmer view of the other Trump boys and their penchant for big game hunting .
She claims Melania @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of a proposal to lift a ban on importing elephant trophies from Africa .
The move had been urged by Don Jr and Eric .
Melania sprang into action , Wolkoff writes , after being shown a New York Post headline that trumpeted the shift .
At the end of her book , Wolkoff regrets thinking Melania was different from her husband and sorrowfully concludes she is not .
The author recalls watching the 2020 State of the Union , and seeing Rush Limbaugh sitting in the first lady ’ s box .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s orbit , Wolkoff conveys a sense of personal liberation and passes moral judgment .
Is it too little too late , or a case of sour grapes ?
Wolkoff laments that the woman she “ once considered ” her “ close friend ” is “ gone ” .
Practically speaking , it might simply be time to move on .

Stephanie Winston Wolkoff knew Melania Trump for more than 15 years but as an aide to the first lady she lasted less than 14 months. Like other scarred veterans of the Trump administration, she now airs her grievances on paper.
Yet for all the hype around Wolkoff having secretly taped Melania, her book is sedate, not tempestuous. It informs, but it lacks the bombshell revelations that can make this genre compelling or darkly entertaining. Melania & Me should not be confused with Too Much and Never Enough, by Mary Trump, or Unhinged, by Omarosa.
Subtitled The Rise and Fall of My Friendship with the First Lady, Wolkoff’s tale is one of friendship lost, as opposed to wholesale dysfunction or searing intra-familial enmity. When controversy swirled around the finances of the Trump inauguration, Wolkoff was banished from the kingdom. But she wound up back with her own loving family, a happy ending of sorts.
She did not appear to have engaged in any illegality. Against this backdrop, her anger is understandable. Neither hero nor rogue, she is a seasoned event planner.
Wolkoff produced the Met Gala, was fashion director for Fashion Week, and worked for Anna Wintour at Vogue. She is accustomed to heavy lifting, frenetic pace and people with very deep pockets. Her husband, David Wolkoff, comes from a real estate family.
When she went to work in the White House in 2017, he refused to disclose their personal finances. Wolkoff explains that stance by pointing to Donald Trump’s famous recalcitrance on the very same matter. Going back to 2015, the couple was sued by their son’s tutor for allegedly stiffing her nearly $33,000. They apparently settled months later.
Wolkoff is gone but does not want to be forgotten. Who does?
Growing up, Wolkoff was not cosseted. She grew up in upstate New York and, at 6ft 1in, played Division I college basketball. But until 2016, she writes, she had never voted in a presidential election.
She offers this explanation for such political passivity: “I knew nothing about policy. If you asked me the difference between Barack Obama’s and Mitt Romney’s stances on immigration or to explain their economic plans, I would not know where to begin.”
Apparently, glamour was an end in and of itself. Wolkoff and DC were not meant for each other.
Melania & Me amply conveys the tension between Ivanka Trump, Trump’s daughter with his first wife, and Melania, his third wife. It also provides a glimpse of Melania’s world in the aftermath of the release of the infamous Access Hollywood tape, in which Donald Trump boasted of grabbing women “by the pussy”.
Between Melania and Ivanka, there is no love lost. Indeed, Wolkoff intimates that Ivanka helped sabotage Melania’s 2016 Republican convention speech, parts of which had been lifted from Michelle Obama.
In Wolkoff’s telling, Rick Gates, a campaign deputy and deputy inaugural director, was behind the scandal, as Ivanka’s plant: “If Ivanka controlled Rick, and Rick had allegedly written Melania’s convention speech, did that mean Ivanka was behind that major faux pas/sabotage?”
In February 2018, a federal judge sentenced Gates to 45 days in jail and 36 months of probation, after he pleaded guilty to lying to the FBI in connection and engaging in a conspiracy.
Wolkoff describes Ivanka as “relentless” in her efforts to “usurp” office space from Melania, and in poaching prospective staff. She quotes the first lady referring to the president’s daughter and her minions as “snakes”, and draws a parallel between Ivanka and Hillary Clinton, namely that Ivanka also used a private email address for official business, except she was not vilified for doing so.
In Wolkoff’s own words, “Can you say private server?” She recalls the chant of “lock her up” at Trump’s rallies and the convention, and how it was never intended for Ivanka. The Trumps are different from the rest of us.
Wolkoff is gone but does not want to be forgotten. Who does?
Once, she was closer. On 11 October 2016, four days after the Access Hollywood tape dropped, Melania and Wolkoff grabbed lunch in Manhattan. Melania denied being angry, said Donald “is who he is”, and recalled telling him that if he ran for president, “he had to be ready for everything to be opened up and exposed”.
When it came to Barron, Melania’s son, however, the future first lady grew tense and protective, advising Wolkoff the boy was strong and would be fine.
Wolkoff takes a dimmer view of the other Trump boys and their penchant for big game hunting. She claims Melania interceded with the president to delay implementation of a proposal to lift a ban on importing elephant trophies from Africa. The move had been urged by Don Jr and Eric. Melania sprang into action, Wolkoff writes, after being shown a New York Post headline that trumpeted the shift.
At the end of her book, Wolkoff regrets thinking Melania was different from her husband and sorrowfully concludes she is not. The author recalls watching the 2020 State of the Union, and seeing Rush Limbaugh sitting in the first lady’s box. She is disgusted.
Finally outside Melania’s orbit, Wolkoff conveys a sense of personal liberation and passes moral judgment. Is it too little too late, or a case of sour grapes? Wolkoff laments that the woman she “once considered” her “close friend” is “gone”. Practically speaking, it might simply be time to move on.


theguardian--2020-08-29--Trump must win the Midwest. But out here his breezy reelection gambit falls flat | Art Cullen

It ’ s dry .
So dry that my neighbor Steve Drey , the tractor parts man who hears it first , figures that the combines might start rolling through the brown corn in just a week or two .
Some farmers are cutting corn for livestock silage , and it ’ s punky .
One hundred fifty bushels per acre should be the ballpark crop yield around Storm Lake , Iowa , which is in severe drought along with much of the Corn Belt .
That ’ s a 25 % yield chop off expectations .
It makes farmers @ @ @ @ @ @ @ corn falls to a freak wind .
A hurricane-like derecho wind flattened 14 million acres in the Tall Corn State just a couple weeks ago .
This , as corn prices are at their lowest point in a decade .
The cicadas of late August called children back to school where vulnerable teachers and staff awaited them .
Most come from meatpacking households – Latino , Asian and African – whose breadwinners were ordered into close working quarters in April by a President who demanded slower virus testing .
We were among the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ infection rate shot up in the college towns as the students returned .
Governor Kim Reynolds ordered the bars shut down in six of the state ’ s 99 counties .
She sailed to election in 2018 but has since watched her numbers slide as her mind melded to Trump ’ s .
Our virus rate refuses to recede .
Fourteen teacher aides in Storm Lake quit just before classes resumed for fear of infection .
The governor ordered everyone back to class but didn ’ t tell schools how to do it @ @ @ @ @ @ @ regrets saying “ I just don ’ t know ” so often when asked how to pull this off safely .
Nobody does know .
The state last week acknowledged that it was disseminating faulty data about Covid infection as recently as July .
The meatpacking industry is doing its own testing of employees on a selective basis .
Deaths and hospitalizations have ebbed here .
Children have their temperatures checked at the school door .
We have no idea what the infection rate really is , or how long we can conduct @ @ @ @ @ @ @ but everyone was wearing them in class this week .
The kids here seem to get it .
Grandma , who takes care of them after school , is nervous .
It ’ s shouting distance of Labor Day , when people normally start fixing on the elections .
Labor is restless .
John Deere laid off Davenport and Waterloo workers last fall and this spring .
Deere reported strong profits last week as a result , despite slumping sales from the Trump Trade Wars .
There ’ s the disconnect between the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Dow rises while enhanced unemployment benefits expire .
Atop all this – a pandemic , a climate crisis inspiring a mega-drought and derecho , rotten farm prices and incompetent government – another unarmed black man was shot , this time in Kenosha , Wisconsin .
Not so far from Minneapolis , where George Floyd became a household name .
Now it ’ s Jacob Blake , whose mother Julia Jackson pleaded for prayer and healing on national TV , for her son , for the police , for this nation .
The Bucks @ @ @ @ @ @ @ simply must win Iowa and Wisconsin .
So he cast a convention against this backdrop of anxiety and fear – godless looters are coming for yours – and roped in our governor , former Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker , and Senator Joni Ernst of Iowa to play in the tragedy .
Few were inclined to listen .
When the corn calls , you are too busy removing fallen trees from your machine shed .
Trump dropped into the Cedar Rapids airport for an hour shortly before the convention to promise assistance after the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ he left , he approved homeowner and business relief for just one of the 27 counties the governor had requested .
For that , Governor Reynolds told the TV convention that Trump “ had our back.
” Senator Ernst , trailing Democratic challenger Theresa Greenfield in fundraising and polling , landed a prime-time cameo to praise her fearless leader .
The one who knocked down soybean prices .
The one who helped the corn-fueled ethanol industry implode .
The one who ordered children in cages to be separated from their mothers .
Farmers @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Unemployed machinists are frustrated .
That prized demographic , suburban women in Urbandale next to Des Moines , are encouraging the school board to sue the governor over her in-person school orders .
A few Latino organizers gathered in the park on the sweltering evening when Trump would commandeer the Rose Garden for his reality show .
“ Our people came here to be free of the corruption and violence , ” said Storm Lake City Councilman José Ibarra .
“ Now it has come back to find us .
Where can we @ @ @ @ @ @ @ vote ?
” They said their older folks who never saw a reason before have finally found one .
Even some of those farmers are wondering about Trump as they dig into a harvest so meager that wraps up as they vote .
An ill wind blows for incumbents .
• None Art Cullen is editor of The Storm Lake Times in Northwest Iowa , where he won the Pulitzer Prize for editorial writing on agriculture .
He is a Guardian US columnist and author of the book , Storm Lake : Change @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s Heartland

It’s dry. So dry that my neighbor Steve Drey, the tractor parts man who hears it first, figures that the combines might start rolling through the brown corn in just a week or two. Some farmers are cutting corn for livestock silage, and it’s punky.
One hundred fifty bushels per acre should be the ballpark crop yield around Storm Lake, Iowa, which is in severe drought along with much of the Corn Belt. That’s a 25% yield chop off expectations. It makes farmers itch to start harvesting before the paper-dry corn falls to a freak wind. A hurricane-like derecho wind flattened 14 million acres in the Tall Corn State just a couple weeks ago. This, as corn prices are at their lowest point in a decade.
The cicadas of late August called children back to school where vulnerable teachers and staff awaited them. Most come from meatpacking households – Latino, Asian and African – whose breadwinners were ordered into close working quarters in April by a President who demanded slower virus testing. We were among the hottest spots in the land.
The infection rate shot up in the college towns as the students returned. Governor Kim Reynolds ordered the bars shut down in six of the state’s 99 counties. She sailed to election in 2018 but has since watched her numbers slide as her mind melded to Trump’s. Our virus rate refuses to recede. Fourteen teacher aides in Storm Lake quit just before classes resumed for fear of infection. The governor ordered everyone back to class but didn’t tell schools how to do it. Our superintendent begged patience. She regrets saying “I just don’t know” so often when asked how to pull this off safely.
Nobody does know. The state last week acknowledged that it was disseminating faulty data about Covid infection as recently as July. The meatpacking industry is doing its own testing of employees on a selective basis. Deaths and hospitalizations have ebbed here. Children have their temperatures checked at the school door. We have no idea what the infection rate really is, or how long we can conduct classes. Masks are not required, but everyone was wearing them in class this week. The kids here seem to get it. Grandma, who takes care of them after school, is nervous.
It’s shouting distance of Labor Day, when people normally start fixing on the elections. Labor is restless. John Deere laid off Davenport and Waterloo workers last fall and this spring. Deere reported strong profits last week as a result, despite slumping sales from the Trump Trade Wars. There’s the disconnect between the stock market and Main Street – the Dow rises while enhanced unemployment benefits expire.
Atop all this – a pandemic, a climate crisis inspiring a mega-drought and derecho, rotten farm prices and incompetent government – another unarmed black man was shot, this time in Kenosha, Wisconsin. Not so far from Minneapolis, where George Floyd became a household name. Now it’s Jacob Blake, whose mother Julia Jackson pleaded for prayer and healing on national TV, for her son, for the police, for this nation. The Bucks and Brewers refused to play.
Trump simply must win Iowa and Wisconsin. So he cast a convention against this backdrop of anxiety and fear – godless looters are coming for yours – and roped in our governor, former Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker, and Senator Joni Ernst of Iowa to play in the tragedy. Few were inclined to listen. When the corn calls, you are too busy removing fallen trees from your machine shed. Trump dropped into the Cedar Rapids airport for an hour shortly before the convention to promise assistance after the derecho pulverized our Second City. After he left, he approved homeowner and business relief for just one of the 27 counties the governor had requested.
For that, Governor Reynolds told the TV convention that Trump “had our back.” Senator Ernst, trailing Democratic challenger Theresa Greenfield in fundraising and polling, landed a prime-time cameo to praise her fearless leader. The one who knocked down soybean prices. The one who helped the corn-fueled ethanol industry implode. The one who ordered children in cages to be separated from their mothers.
Farmers are anxious. Latinos are afraid. Unemployed machinists are frustrated. That prized demographic, suburban women in Urbandale next to Des Moines, are encouraging the school board to sue the governor over her in-person school orders.
A few Latino organizers gathered in the park on the sweltering evening when Trump would commandeer the Rose Garden for his reality show.
“Our people came here to be free of the corruption and violence,” said Storm Lake City Councilman José Ibarra. “Now it has come back to find us. Where can we go? What can we do but vote?”
They said their older folks who never saw a reason before have finally found one.
Even some of those farmers are wondering about Trump as they dig into a harvest so meager that wraps up as they vote. An ill wind blows for incumbents.


theguardian--2020-08-29--Liberals are quick to dismiss Trump. They do so at their peril | Michael Massing

In assessing the Republican national convention , liberal columnists poured forth a torrent of bile and scorn .
Some sample headlines from the Washington Post : “ The GOP Convention Just Ripped the Mask off Trump ’ s Corruption and Lies.
” “ Trump Shows us the Limits of Running the Country Like a Reality TV Show.
” “ Trump ’ s Choice for America : Democracy or White Supremacy ?
” “ What Country Does Mike Pence Live In ?
” “ The Latest Chaos at the Convention Reveals Trump as a Miserable Failure.
” “ To sum up @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Post columnist , wrote in a representative passage , “ the Republican party has dropped any pretense of a policy platform , throwing its lot in with a racist , xenophobic and compulsively dishonest man who creates chaos and dysfunction and is the subject of multiple investigations relating to his finances.
” For those of us who devoutly desire Trump ’ s defeat , the Republican convention did seem a miasma of bromides and bombast , hypocrisy and hyperbole , fawning and evasion .
The columnists ’ lockstep bashing of Trump , however @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
It shows the extent to which the liberal commentariat has become an arm of the Democratic party .
It also suggests their remarkable lack of curiosity and interest in how the convention played with ordinary voters .
And , however cynical and manipulative the show may have been , it seemed in many ways an effective one .
Take , for instance , the naturalization ceremony Trump conducted in the White House .
One columnist , in a typical swipe , blasted the president for “ crassly reducing five newly minted US @ @ @ @ @ @ @ those props included a medical worker from Ghana , a substitute teacher from Sudan , a construction worker from Bolivia , and a software engineer from India , all of whom were asked by the president to share their stories .
The inductees were clearly moved and gratified by the attention , helping make Trump ’ s Muslim ban and references to Mexican rapists seem distant memories .
The president projected similar empathy in a meeting with frontline workers , among them a police officer who contracted and recovered from Covid , a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the pandemic , a teacher and two nurses .
“ I want to thank you all very much , a fantastic group of people , ” said Trump , helping distract attention from just how incompetent and disastrous his response to the virus has been .
Every night , hardworking men and women appeared to attest to the American spirit .
There were cops , veterans , a dairy farmer , a fisherman from Maine , a foundry owner from Wisconsin and a logger who talked about all the mills in Minnesota that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and which Trump was fighting to keep open .
Most extraordinary of all was the nonstop procession of African Americans expressing their support for the president .
They included retired football star Herschel Walker , South Carolina senator Tim Scott ( who memorably described how his family “ went from cotton to Congress in one lifetime ” ) , and a group of tenants of New York public housing who praised Trump for providing funds to improve their buildings while the city ’ s progressive mayor sat by .
In another White House @ @ @ @ @ @ @ felon , recounted how he had found Christ in prison and how after his release he created a re-entry program for ex-prisoners .
Ponder testified to Trump ’ s commitment to criminal justice reform .
Trump then surprised Ponder by pardoning him .
The event , opined one columnist , was “ part of an all-out attempt to whitewash the administration ’ s shocking racism ” , but it ’ s doubtful that the conservative Christians tuning in saw it that way .
( After Trump , the names most frequently invoked at @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ) In a column titled “ Sorry , Democrats .
Trump ’ s Convention Is Working ” , David Von Drehle , in a rare dissent from the hegemony at the Post , pointed out that gestures like Ponder ’ s pardon were aimed not only at swaying uncommitted African Americans but also at reassuring white voters “ who don ’ t want to believe they are voting for a racist ” .
All this was laced with apocalyptic references to the rioting , looting , mob rule , businesses set on fire @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on police officers that have occurred in many American cities .
The Republicans lost no opportunity to pin the blame on the Democrats who run them – thus obscuring the fact that the mayhem is occurring on the watch of a president who came into office promising to end “ American carnage ” .
The grim roll-call of African Americans gunned down by the police rated hardly a mention during the four-day conclave .
During their own convention , the Democrats effectively showcased their vision of a rainbow America embracing all colors , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ national origins .
While I watched it , however , I worried whether ordinary blue-collar Americans would feel part of it .
Biden held one notable session with union members , but it was fleeting and forgettable .
After Hillary Clinton ’ s fatal failure to connect with the working class in 2016 , the need for Democrats to reach out to them has been clear .
To judge from their convention , however , they remain as lumbering and clueless as ever .
Clearly , their program – building infrastructure , investing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ healthcare – would serve ordinary Americans better than that of the Republicans , yet the Republican party , led by a self-aggrandizing plutocrat , continues to outdo them in appearing the champion of working families – the greatest feat of stagecraft of all .
The day after the Democratic convention ended , MSNBC ’ s Andrea Mitchell asked the Ohio senator Sherrod Brown how he thought the event had played in the rust belt .
Brown quickly admonished her for using that term , saying that the region was not rusting but revitalizing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , to her credit , she pressed Brown on why Trump continues to have such a hold on working-class white people .
The Democrats , said Brown , must do a better job of exposing Trump ’ s “ phony populism ” .
After the Republicans ’ skillfully choreographed show , that task seems more urgent than ever .
• None Michael Massing is the author most recently of Fatal Discord : Erasmus , Luther , and the Fight for the Western Mind

In assessing the Republican national convention, liberal columnists poured forth a torrent of bile and scorn. Some sample headlines from the Washington Post: “The GOP Convention Just Ripped the Mask off Trump’s Corruption and Lies.” “Trump Shows us the Limits of Running the Country Like a Reality TV Show.” “Trump’s Choice for America: Democracy or White Supremacy?” “What Country Does Mike Pence Live In?” “The Latest Chaos at the Convention Reveals Trump as a Miserable Failure.” “To sum up,” Jennifer Rubin, the Washington Post columnist, wrote in a representative passage, “the Republican party has dropped any pretense of a policy platform, throwing its lot in with a racist, xenophobic and compulsively dishonest man who creates chaos and dysfunction and is the subject of multiple investigations relating to his finances.”
For those of us who devoutly desire Trump’s defeat, the Republican convention did seem a miasma of bromides and bombast, hypocrisy and hyperbole, fawning and evasion. The columnists’ lockstep bashing of Trump, however, is revealing in its own way. It shows the extent to which the liberal commentariat has become an arm of the Democratic party. It also suggests their remarkable lack of curiosity and interest in how the convention played with ordinary voters. And, however cynical and manipulative the show may have been, it seemed in many ways an effective one.
Take, for instance, the naturalization ceremony Trump conducted in the White House. One columnist, in a typical swipe, blasted the president for “crassly reducing five newly minted US citizens to photogenic props”. But those props included a medical worker from Ghana, a substitute teacher from Sudan, a construction worker from Bolivia, and a software engineer from India, all of whom were asked by the president to share their stories. The inductees were clearly moved and gratified by the attention, helping make Trump’s Muslim ban and references to Mexican rapists seem distant memories.
The president projected similar empathy in a meeting with frontline workers, among them a police officer who contracted and recovered from Covid, a trucker who continued to haul goods during the pandemic, a teacher and two nurses. “I want to thank you all very much, a fantastic group of people,” said Trump, helping distract attention from just how incompetent and disastrous his response to the virus has been.
Every night, hardworking men and women appeared to attest to the American spirit. There were cops, veterans, a dairy farmer, a fisherman from Maine, a foundry owner from Wisconsin and a logger who talked about all the mills in Minnesota that had shut down during the Obama-Biden years and which Trump was fighting to keep open.
Most extraordinary of all was the nonstop procession of African Americans expressing their support for the president. They included retired football star Herschel Walker, South Carolina senator Tim Scott (who memorably described how his family “went from cotton to Congress in one lifetime”) and a group of tenants of New York public housing who praised Trump for providing funds to improve their buildings while the city’s progressive mayor sat by.
In another White House event, Jon Ponder, a thrice-convicted felon, recounted how he had found Christ in prison and how after his release he created a re-entry program for ex-prisoners. Ponder testified to Trump’s commitment to criminal justice reform. Trump then surprised Ponder by pardoning him. The event, opined one columnist, was “part of an all-out attempt to whitewash the administration’s shocking racism”, but it’s doubtful that the conservative Christians tuning in saw it that way. (After Trump, the names most frequently invoked at the convention were God and Lincoln.)
In a column titled “Sorry, Democrats. Trump’s Convention Is Working”, David Von Drehle, in a rare dissent from the hegemony at the Post, pointed out that gestures like Ponder’s pardon were aimed not only at swaying uncommitted African Americans but also at reassuring white voters “who don’t want to believe they are voting for a racist”.
All this was laced with apocalyptic references to the rioting, looting, mob rule, businesses set on fire, anarchists roaming the streets and assaults on police officers that have occurred in many American cities. The Republicans lost no opportunity to pin the blame on the Democrats who run them – thus obscuring the fact that the mayhem is occurring on the watch of a president who came into office promising to end “American carnage”. The grim roll-call of African Americans gunned down by the police rated hardly a mention during the four-day conclave.
During their own convention, the Democrats effectively showcased their vision of a rainbow America embracing all colors, generations, genders, sexual orientations and national origins. While I watched it, however, I worried whether ordinary blue-collar Americans would feel part of it. Biden held one notable session with union members, but it was fleeting and forgettable.
After Hillary Clinton’s fatal failure to connect with the working class in 2016, the need for Democrats to reach out to them has been clear. To judge from their convention, however, they remain as lumbering and clueless as ever. Clearly, their program – building infrastructure, investing in early education, expanding access to healthcare – would serve ordinary Americans better than that of the Republicans, yet the Republican party, led by a self-aggrandizing plutocrat, continues to outdo them in appearing the champion of working families – the greatest feat of stagecraft of all.
The day after the Democratic convention ended, MSNBC’s Andrea Mitchell asked the Ohio senator Sherrod Brown how he thought the event had played in the rust belt. Brown quickly admonished her for using that term, saying that the region was not rusting but revitalizing. Mitchell accepted the rebuke, but, to her credit, she pressed Brown on why Trump continues to have such a hold on working-class white people in the Midwest. The Democrats, said Brown, must do a better job of exposing Trump’s “phony populism”. After the Republicans’ skillfully choreographed show, that task seems more urgent than ever.