shareblue--2020-08-25--GOP convention plays montage of Trump's many broken promises

The opening night of the Republican National Convention included a video montage of Donald Trump 's various 2016 campaign promises , claiming he had kept his word on each and listing the ways in which he had followed through .
The segment began with footage of Trump falsely stating , `` I did n't back down from my promises and I have kept every single one . ''
Several supporters spoke to those `` kept '' promises , which included job creation , protecting veterans , and implementing new trade deals .
Trump , however , has failed to keep @ @ @ @ @ @ @ clip showing construction on the southern border wall , one of Trump 's most fervent campaign promises , appeared to suggest that Trump had kept his word .
As a candidate in 2016 , Trump repeatedly claimed the wall would both be built quickly and that Mexico would pay for it .
In reality , Mexico has not contributed a dime to the effort .
And despite taking billions in U.S. taxpayer dollars from military families to pay for it , Trump has built only a few new miles of border wall as @ @ @ @ @ @ @ miles he promised by the end of his term .
The majority of the construction so far has been more substantial replacement barrier where fencing already stood .
At one point in the montage , Trump is shown promising , `` We will never ever sign bad trade deals .
America first again ! ''
Trump vowed in 2016 to `` negotiate fair trade deals that create American jobs , increase American wages , and reduce America 's trade deficit . ''
While his NAFTA 2.0 deal ( the U.S-Mexico-Canada Agreement ) received @ @ @ @ @ @ @ with China , signed in January , hurt American farmers and their bottom lines .
Additionally , the trade deficit , which Trump pledged to eliminate as a candidate , has in fact increased since Trump took office .
In the video , Trump is heard pledging to create `` millions of new jobs . ''
While job growth was steady for the first three years of the Trump administration , he created fewer jobs in any year than were added in each of the last three years of the Obama administration .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ nation has also lost tens of millions of jobs , in large part due to Trump 's botched response to the pandemic .
The nation has now lost more than 10 million net jobs since Trump took office .
Trump , meanwhile , continues to boast of his job creating prowess , tweeting as recently as last week , `` My Administration and I built the greatest economy in history , of any country , turned it off , saved millions of lives , and now am building an even greater economy than @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , NASDAQ is already at a record high , the rest to follow .
Sit back & watch ! ''
Elsewhere in the video , Trump can be heard pledging , `` We will rescue kids from failing schools , by helping their parents send them to a safe school of their choice . ''
Though Trump and Education Secretary Betsy DeVos have repeatedly pushed to funnel tax dollars to private and parochial schools , no such legislation has passed .
The video also featured audio of Trump saying , `` We will @ @ @ @ @ @ @ they have never been taken care of before . ''
Trump 's proposed cuts to Medicaid , SNAP , rental assistance , and other programs have done just the opposite , experts say .
And his 2017 freeze on federal pay was estimated to impact nearly 623,000 veterans working in government jobs .
The words `` promise kept '' appeared over each segment .
Notably absent from the video was any mention of the promise Trump has made at least 68 times : to repeal the Affordable Care Act and to replace it @ @ @ @ @ @ @ everybody .
Despite his repeated assurances , and a futile House GOP attempt to repeal the ACA in 2017 , Trump has yet to offer any such replacement .
Published with permission of The American Independent Foundation .

The opening night of the Republican National Convention included a video montage of Donald Trump’s various 2016 campaign promises, claiming he had kept his word on each and listing the ways in which he had followed through.
The segment began with footage of Trump falsely stating, “I didn’t back down from my promises and I have kept every single one.” Several supporters spoke to those “kept” promises, which included job creation, protecting veterans, and implementing new trade deals.
Trump, however, has failed to keep the majority of those promises.
The Wall
A clip showing construction on the southern border wall, one of Trump’s most fervent campaign promises, appeared to suggest that Trump had kept his word. As a candidate in 2016, Trump repeatedly claimed the wall would both be built quickly and that Mexico would pay for it.
In reality, Mexico has not contributed a dime to the effort. And despite taking billions in U.S. taxpayer dollars from military families to pay for it, Trump has built only a few new miles of border wall as of June — nowhere near the 450 miles he promised by the end of his term. The majority of the construction so far has been more substantial replacement barrier where fencing already stood.
Trade deals
At one point in the montage, Trump is shown promising, “We will never ever sign bad trade deals. America first again!”
Trump vowed in 2016 to “negotiate fair trade deals that create American jobs, increase American wages, and reduce America’s trade deficit.” While his NAFTA 2.0 deal (the U.S-Mexico-Canada Agreement) received bipartisan support, his Phase 1 agreement with China, signed in January, hurt American farmers and their bottom lines.
Additionally, the trade deficit, which Trump pledged to eliminate as a candidate, has in fact increased since Trump took office.
Employment
In the video, Trump is heard pledging to create “millions of new jobs.”
While job growth was steady for the first three years of the Trump administration, he created fewer jobs in any year than were added in each of the last three years of the Obama administration.
Since the coronavirus crisis hit, the nation has also lost tens of millions of jobs, in large part due to Trump’s botched response to the pandemic. The nation has now lost more than 10 million net jobs since Trump took office.
Trump, meanwhile, continues to boast of his job creating prowess, tweeting as recently as last week, “My Administration and I built the greatest economy in history, of any country, turned it off, saved millions of lives, and now am building an even greater economy than it was before. Jobs are flowing, NASDAQ is already at a record high, the rest to follow. Sit back & watch!”
Education
Elsewhere in the video, Trump can be heard pledging, “We will rescue kids from failing schools, by helping their parents send them to a safe school of their choice.”
Though Trump and Education Secretary Betsy DeVos have repeatedly pushed to funnel tax dollars to private and parochial schools, no such legislation has passed.
Veterans
The video also featured audio of Trump saying, “We will take care of our great veterans like they have never been taken care of before.”
Trump’s proposed cuts to Medicaid, SNAP, rental assistance, and other programs have done just the opposite, experts say. And his 2017 freeze on federal pay was estimated to impact nearly 623,000 veterans working in government jobs.
The words “promise kept” appeared over each segment.
Notably absent from the video was any mention of the promise Trump has made at least 68 times: to repeal the Affordable Care Act and to replace it with “something terrific” that covers everybody.
Despite his repeated assurances, and a futile House GOP attempt to repeal the ACA in 2017, Trump has yet to offer any such replacement.
Published with permission of The American Independent Foundation.


shareblue--2020-08-25--Kimberly Guilfoyle yells about heroin needles and riots in GOP convention speech

Kimberly Guilfoyle — former Fox News host , girlfriend of first son Donald Trump Jr. , and now Trump campaign spokesperson — delivered a loud and angry speech at Monday night 's Republican National Convention , in which she screamed about the chaos and violence Joe Biden would bring if elected president .
The speech was riddled with lies , including that Donald Trump built the `` greatest economy the world has ever known '' ( he did n't ) , that Biden wants `` open borders , closed schools , dangerous amnesty and will selfishly send your jobs back @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is true ) , and that Democratic leadership wants to `` destroy this country , and everything that we have fought for and hold dear '' ( another lie ) .
In one of her most bizarre lines , Guilfoyle claimed her mother was an immigrant from Puerto Rico .
Puerto Rico is a United States territory , and its residents are American citizens .
Her remarks belied the `` uplifting '' message Trump promised the GOP convention would deliver .
In one of her darkest lines , Guilfoyle painted California as a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ you want to see the socialist Biden/Harris future for our country , just take a look at California , '' she screamed .
`` It is a place of immense wealth , immeasurable innovation and the Democrats turned it into a land of discarded heroin needles in parks , riots in streets , and blackouts in homes .
In President Trump 's America , we light things up , we do n't dim them down . ''
Cable news pundits immediately panned the speech , shocked at both the decibel level and darkness @ @ @ @ @ @ @ I just have to say , Kimberly Guilfoyle , oh my goodness , I just feel like that was so intense and so dark that coming out of the other video , it was almost incongruous , '' CNN 's Dana Bash said after Guilfoyle spoke .
I speak to you tonight as a mother , a former prosecutor , a Latina , and a proud American .
And yes a proud supporter of President Donald J. Trump .
Why ?
Because he is the president who delivers for America .
He built @ @ @ @ @ @ @ known , for the strivers , the working class and middle class .
As commander in chief , he always puts America first .
President trump is the law and order president .
Now presidential leadership is not guaranteed it is a choice .
Biden , Harris , and the rest of the socialists will fundamentally change this nation .
They want open borders , closed schools , dangerous amnesty and will selfishly send your jobs back to China while they get rich .
They will defund , dismantle and destroy America 's @ @ @ @ @ @ @ trouble , and need police , do n't count on the Democrats .
As a first generation American , I know how dangerous their socialist agenda is .
My mother ... was a special education teacher from Puerto Rico .
My father also an immigrant came to this nation in pursuit of the American dream .
Now I consider it my duty to fight to protect that dream .
Rioters must not be allowed to destroy our cities .
Human sex drug traffickers should not be allowed to cross our border .
The @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Cuba and Venezuela must not take root in our cities and our schools .
If you want to see the socialist Biden/Harris future for our country , just take a look at California .
It is a place of immense wealth , immeasurable innovation , and immaculate environment , and the Democrats turned it into a land of discarded heroin needles in parks , riots in streets , and blackouts in homes .
In President Trump 's America , we light things up , we do n't dim them down .
We build @ @ @ @ @ @ @ them down .
We kneel in prayer and we stand for our flag .
This election is a battle for the soul of America .
Your choice is clear .
Do you support the cancel culture , the cosmopolitan elites of Nancy Pelosi , Chuck Schumer and Joe Biden — who blame America first ?
Do you think America is to blame ?
Or do you believe in American greatness ?
Believe in yourself , in President Trump , in individual and personal responsibility ?
They want to destroy this country , and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ hold dear .
They want to steal your liberty , your freedom , they want to control what you see and think , and believe so that they can control how you live .
They want to enslave you to the weak dependent liberal victim ideology to the point where you will not recognize this country or yourself .
From the beginning , when President Trump spoke about making America great again , he was speaking about that shining city on a hill , and restoring the beacon of light that once shined @ @ @ @ @ @ @ put America first , and he has .
When President Trump cut middle class taxes , putting tens of thousands of dollars back in the pockets of working-class Americans , that beacon began to flicker once again .
When president trump commanded the defeat of ISIS , took out al-Baghdadi and Soleimani and paved the way for peace in the middle east , that beacon started to glow .
When he negotiated historic trade deals with Canada , Mexico , Japan , and China , bringing back thousands of manufacturing jobs to America @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for the world to see .
America , it 's all on the line .
President trump believes in you .
He emancipates and lifts you up to live your American dream .
You are capable .
You are qualified .
You are powerful , and you have the ability to choose your life and determine your destiny .
Do n't let the Democrats take you for granted .
Do n't let them step on you .
Do n't let them destroy your families , your lives , and your future .
Do @ @ @ @ @ @ @ they told you and brainwash you and fed you lies that you are n't good enough .
Like my parents , you can achieve your American dream .
You can be that shining example to the world .
Manifest and be the change in this country that you dream , that you hope , that you believe in .
Stand for an American president who is fearless , who believes in you , and who loves this country and will fight for her .
President trump is the leader who will rebuild the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ citizen can realize their American dream .
Ladies and gentlemen , leaders and fighters for freedom and liberty and the American dream , the best is yet to come !
Published with permission of The American Independent Foundation .

Kimberly Guilfoyle — former Fox News host, girlfriend of first son Donald Trump Jr., and now Trump campaign spokesperson — delivered a loud and angry speech at Monday night’s Republican National Convention, in which she screamed about the chaos and violence Joe Biden would bring if elected president.
The speech was riddled with lies, including that Donald Trump built the “greatest economy the world has ever known” (he didn’t), that Biden wants “open borders, closed schools, dangerous amnesty and will selfishly send your jobs back to China” (none of that is true), and that Democratic leadership wants to “destroy this country, and everything that we have fought for and hold dear” (another lie).
In one of her most bizarre lines, Guilfoyle claimed her mother was an immigrant from Puerto Rico. Puerto Rico is a United States territory, and its residents are American citizens.
Her remarks belied the “uplifting” message Trump promised the GOP convention would deliver.
In one of her darkest lines, Guilfoyle painted California as a drug infested crime den.
“If you want to see the socialist Biden/Harris future for our country, just take a look at California,” she screamed. “It is a place of immense wealth, immeasurable innovation and the Democrats turned it into a land of discarded heroin needles in parks, riots in streets, and blackouts in homes. In President Trump’s America, we light things up, we don’t dim them down.”
Cable news pundits immediately panned the speech, shocked at both the decibel level and darkness that defined Guilfoyle’s remarks.
“I just have to say, Kimberly Guilfoyle, oh my goodness, I just feel like that was so intense and so dark that coming out of the other video, it was almost incongruous,” CNN’s Dana Bash said after Guilfoyle spoke.
Here are Guilfoyle’s full remarks:
“Good evening, America, I’m Kimberly Guilfoyle. I speak to you tonight as a mother, a former prosecutor, a Latina, and a proud American. And yes a proud supporter of President Donald J. Trump. Why? Because he is the president who delivers for America. He built the greatest economy the world has ever known, for the strivers, the working class and middle class. As commander in chief, he always puts America first. President trump is the law and order president. Now presidential leadership is not guaranteed it is a choice. Biden, Harris, and the rest of the socialists will fundamentally change this nation. They want open borders, closed schools, dangerous amnesty and will selfishly send your jobs back to China while they get rich. They will defund, dismantle and destroy America’s law enforcement. When you are in trouble, and need police, don’t count on the Democrats. As a first generation American, I know how dangerous their socialist agenda is. My mother … was a special education teacher from Puerto Rico. My father also an immigrant came to this nation in pursuit of the American dream. Now I consider it my duty to fight to protect that dream. Rioters must not be allowed to destroy our cities. Human sex drug traffickers should not be allowed to cross our border. The same socialist policies which destroyed places like Cuba and Venezuela must not take root in our cities and our schools. If you want to see the socialist Biden/Harris future for our country, just take a look at California. It is a place of immense wealth, immeasurable innovation, and immaculate environment, and the Democrats turned it into a land of discarded heroin needles in parks, riots in streets, and blackouts in homes. In President Trump’s America, we light things up, we don’t dim them down. We build things up, we don’t burn them down. We kneel in prayer and we stand for our flag. This election is a battle for the soul of America. Your choice is clear. Do you support the cancel culture, the cosmopolitan elites of Nancy Pelosi, Chuck Schumer and Joe Biden — who blame America first? Do you think America is to blame? Or do you believe in American greatness? Believe in yourself, in President Trump, in individual and personal responsibility? They want to destroy this country, and everything that we have fought for and hold dear. They want to steal your liberty, your freedom, they want to control what you see and think, and believe so that they can control how you live. They want to enslave you to the weak dependent liberal victim ideology to the point where you will not recognize this country or yourself. From the beginning, when President Trump spoke about making America great again, he was speaking about that shining city on a hill, and restoring the beacon of light that once shined so bright. His promise was to put America first, and he has. When President Trump cut middle class taxes, putting tens of thousands of dollars back in the pockets of working-class Americans, that beacon began to flicker once again. When president trump commanded the defeat of ISIS, took out al-Baghdadi and Soleimani and paved the way for peace in the middle east, that beacon started to glow. When he negotiated historic trade deals with Canada, Mexico, Japan, and China, bringing back thousands of manufacturing jobs to America, that beacon shined bright once again for the world to see. America, it’s all on the line. President trump believes in you. He emancipates and lifts you up to live your American dream. You are capable. You are qualified. You are powerful, and you have the ability to choose your life and determine your destiny. Don’t let the Democrats take you for granted. Don’t let them step on you. Don’t let them destroy your families, your lives, and your future. Don’t let them kill future generations because they told you and brainwash you and fed you lies that you aren’t good enough. Like my parents, you can achieve your American dream. You can be that shining example to the world. Manifest and be the change in this country that you dream, that you hope, that you believe in. Stand for an American president who is fearless, who believes in you, and who loves this country and will fight for her. President trump is the leader who will rebuild the promise of America and ensure that every citizen can realize their American dream. Ladies and gentlemen, leaders and fighters for freedom and liberty and the American dream, the best is yet to come!
Published with permission of The American Independent Foundation.


shareblue--2020-08-28--GOP convention starts with an ad 'paid for by McCarthy for Congress'

Night four of the Republican National Convention led with the obligatory prayer and an all-across-America montage .
It was n't @ @ @ @ @ House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy speak , particularly as he is the convention chair .
@ @ @ @ @ n't a speech at all .
Instead , it was a campaign ad for McCarthy @ @ @ @ @ disclaimer on the screen that said `` Paid for by McCarthy for Congress '' — @ @ @ @ @ paid for him to `` speak '' at the convention he chairs .
Published with @ @ @ @ @ Foundation .

Night four of the Republican National Convention led with the obligatory prayer and an all-across-America montage. It wasn’t surprising to see the current House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy speak, particularly as he is the convention chair.
But McCarthy’s speech wasn’t a speech at all. Instead, it was a campaign ad for McCarthy himself — complete with a disclaimer on the screen that said “Paid for by McCarthy for Congress” — which means McCarthy’s campaign paid for him to “speak” at the convention he chairs.
Watch McCarthy’s ad below:
Published with permission of The American Independent Foundation.


shareblue--2020-08-27--GOP senator demands laws be enforced after attacking prosecutor for doing just that

Sen. Josh Hawley ( R-MO ) demanded on Thursday that any public official unwilling to enforce the law resign their position .
But just weeks ago , he attacked a prosecutor in his home state for doing her job .
`` I hope that we will send a very clear message , as Republicans , that the first job of government is to protect law-abiding Americans .
Any elected official who has law enforcement responsibility and wo n't do it needs to resign , '' he said in a Facebook post .
`` That means these Democrat governors and mayors @ @ @ @ @ @ @ into chaos , allowing workers and their families to be assaulted , they need to resign . ''
Hawley was apparently upset about ongoing protests in American cities demanding an end to systemic racism and police brutality .
He urged Donald Trump to follow through with his threat to intervene using `` all lawful means in his authority . ''
His office did not immediately respond to an inquiry for this story .
Back in July , Haley was outraged when St. Louis Circuit Attorney Kimberly Gardner opened an investigation into whether a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Mark and Patricia McCloskey gained international attention after they pointed guns at nonviolent protesters outside their home in late June .
Hawley denounced the city investigation as `` a politically motivated attempt to punish this family for exercising their Second Amendment rights , '' and asked Attorney General William Barr to launch a federal civil rights investigation into Gardner .
`` This is a dog whistle of racist rhetoric and cronyism politics , '' Gardner told The Washington Post at the time .
`` Senator Hawley , who believes in the Constitution @ @ @ @ @ @ @ voters .
I thought the Republican Party was all about states ' rights and local control .
What happened ? ''
Despite Hawley 's objections , Gardner charged both McCloskeys with unlawfully exhibiting a weapon — a felony in the state .
Hawley called the charges `` an abuse of power . ''
Gov .
Mike Parson , a Republican , has promised to pardon the couple , if necessary .
On Tuesday , the McCloskeys spoke at the Republican National Convention , warning of `` an out-of-control mob causing chaos in the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ family will not be safe in the Radical Democrats ’ America . ''
The Justice Department said in July that it was `` reviewing '' Hawley 's request .

Sen. Josh Hawley (R-MO) demanded on Thursday that any public official unwilling to enforce the law resign their position. But just weeks ago, he attacked a prosecutor in his home state for doing her job.
“I hope that we will send a very clear message, as Republicans, that the first job of government is to protect law-abiding Americans. Any elected official who has law enforcement responsibility and won’t do it needs to resign,” he said in a Facebook post. “That means these Democrat governors and mayors who are allowing their streets to descend into chaos, allowing workers and their families to be assaulted, they need to resign.”
Hawley was apparently upset about ongoing protests in American cities demanding an end to systemic racism and police brutality. He urged Donald Trump to follow through with his threat to intervene using “all lawful means in his authority.”
His office did not immediately respond to an inquiry for this story.
Back in July, Haley was outraged when St. Louis Circuit Attorney Kimberly Gardner opened an investigation into whether a couple had violated a Missouri weapons law. Mark and Patricia McCloskey gained international attention after they pointed guns at nonviolent protesters outside their home in late June.
Hawley denounced the city investigation as “a politically motivated attempt to punish this family for exercising their Second Amendment rights,” and asked Attorney General William Barr to launch a federal civil rights investigation into Gardner.
“This is a dog whistle of racist rhetoric and cronyism politics,” Gardner told The Washington Post at the time. “Senator Hawley, who believes in the Constitution, is usurping the will of the voters. I thought the Republican Party was all about states’ rights and local control. What happened?”
Despite Hawley’s objections, Gardner charged both McCloskeys with unlawfully exhibiting a weapon — a felony in the state.
Hawley called the charges “an abuse of power.” Gov. Mike Parson, a Republican, has promised to pardon the couple, if necessary.
On Tuesday, the McCloskeys spoke at the Republican National Convention, warning of “an out-of-control mob causing chaos in the streets” and claiming that “your family will not be safe in the Radical Democrats’ America.”
The Justice Department said in July that it was “reviewing” Hawley’s request.
Published with permission of The American Independent Foundation.


shareblue--2020-08-27--Trump uses hurricane briefing to congratulate Pence on convention speech

During an emergency briefing on Hurricane Laura on Thursday , Donald Trump paused to congratulate Vice President Mike Pence for his speech at the Republican National Convention the night before .
`` I just want to say Mike did a fantastic job last night .
And I think you deserve the honor of making your statement right there , '' Trump said , during a meeting with Federal Emergency Management Agency officials .
Pence spoke on the convention 's third night , using his platform to promote Trump 's record and skewing his various accomplishments .
He spoke darkly in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , which he claimed would be dangerous and violent , and supposedly led by socialist policy .
Trump 's comments on Thursday came amid warnings from those officials about preventing injuries and deaths following the storm , which made landfall in Louisiana and Texas on Thursday morning as a category 5 hurricane , packing 150 mph winds .
At least four people have died so far and more than 800,000 people are without power .
FEMA OFFICIAL : So that 's going to be our message for the next couple days , so @ @ @ @ @ @ @ storm .
Again , you 'll see that probably more slightly spike up because that 's what happens on these big storms .
DONALD TRUMP : Thank you very much .
I just want to say Mike did a fantastic job last night .
And I think you deserve the honor of making your statement right there .
You made a big statement last night , let 's make a smaller one now .
MIKE PENCE : Well , thank you Mr. President .
Published with permission of The American Independent Foundation .

During an emergency briefing on Hurricane Laura on Thursday, Donald Trump paused to congratulate Vice President Mike Pence for his speech at the Republican National Convention the night before.
“I just want to say Mike did a fantastic job last night. And I think you deserve the honor of making your statement right there,” Trump said, during a meeting with Federal Emergency Management Agency officials.
Pence spoke on the convention’s third night, using his platform to promote Trump’s record and skewing his various accomplishments. He spoke darkly in fearmongering terms of an America without Trump, which he claimed would be dangerous and violent, and supposedly led by socialist policy.
Trump’s comments on Thursday came amid warnings from those officials about preventing injuries and deaths following the storm, which made landfall in Louisiana and Texas on Thursday morning as a category 5 hurricane, packing 150 mph winds.
At least four people have died so far and more than 800,000 people are without power.
From an Aug. 27 FEMA briefing:
FEMA OFFICIAL: So that’s going to be our message for the next couple days, so we prevent injuries and deaths following the storm. Again, you’ll see that probably more slightly spike up because that’s what happens on these big storms. DONALD TRUMP: Thank you very much. I just want to say Mike did a fantastic job last night. And I think you deserve the honor of making your statement right there. You made a big statement last night, let’s make a smaller one now. MIKE PENCE: Well, thank you Mr. President.
Published with permission of The American Independent Foundation.


shareblue--2020-08-27--Eric Trump complains Democrats are too focused on coronavirus crisis

Eric Trump , a son of Donald Trump , attacked Democrats on Thursday for focusing too much on the coronavirus that has killed over 180,000 Americans .
`` All they can talk about , Steve , is COVID , '' Trump told Steve Doocy of Fox News .
`` COVID , COVID , COVID . ''
ERIC TRUMP : Even CNN and MSNBC are saying that our production quality and our speakers are better than the DNC .
I think this is a clear victory .
He called me about 30 seconds after I got off stage , and he @ @ @ @ @ @ @ family .
And he could n't be more proud of everybody .
Honestly , he 's gon na hit it out of the park tonight .
Nights like tonight are actually what my father does best .
If you look at the State of the Unions he 's given , he 's always blowing them out of the park .
He 's got a lot of things to be proud of .
He 's done a great job for this nation .
And the Democrats do n't .
The Democrats stand for a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ defunding police , $ 4 trillion in extra taxes .
Joe Biden is nowhere to be found .
Kamala Harris has called our law enforcement officers `` KKK '' and `` Gestapo . ''
All they can talk about , Steve , is COVID .
COVID , COVID , COVID , and how Trump 's a bad man .
You know , my father wants to talk about the greatest military in the world , the greatest economy in the world .
You know , stopping illegal immigration , preserving God in this @ @ @ @ @ @ @ preserving our Second Amendment , and so much more .
He 's done more for this nation in the last three and a half years than arguably any president in history .
He 's made me as a son incredibly proud .
We love him , and we 're gon na fight like hell and we 're going to get another four years because this nation deserves it .

Eric Trump, a son of Donald Trump, attacked Democrats on Thursday for focusing too much on the coronavirus that has killed over 180,000 Americans.
“All they can talk about, Steve, is COVID,” Trump told Steve Doocy of Fox News. “COVID, COVID, COVID.”
ERIC TRUMP: Even CNN and MSNBC are saying that our production quality and our speakers are better than the DNC. I think this is a clear victory.
He called me about 30 seconds after I got off stage, and he couldn’t be more proud of the family. And he couldn’t be more proud of everybody.
Honestly, he’s gonna hit it out of the park tonight. Nights like tonight are actually what my father does best. If you look at the State of the Unions he’s given, he’s always blowing them out of the park. He’s got a lot of things to be proud of. He’s done a great job for this nation.
And the Democrats don’t. The Democrats stand for a total lack of law and order, defunding police, $4 trillion in extra taxes. Joe Biden is nowhere to be found. Kamala Harris has called our law enforcement officers “KKK” and “Gestapo.”
All they can talk about, Steve, is COVID. COVID, COVID, COVID, and how Trump’s a bad man.
You know, my father wants to talk about the greatest military in the world, the greatest economy in the world. You know, stopping illegal immigration, preserving God in this country, preserving freedom of speech, preserving our Second Amendment, and so much more.
He’s done more for this nation in the last three and a half years than arguably any president in history. He’s made me as a son incredibly proud. We love him, and we’re gonna fight like hell and we’re going to get another four years because this nation deserves it.


shareblue--2020-08-27--Kellyanne Conway claims violence under Trump is not really on his 'watch'

Kellyanne Conway claimed on Thursday that Donald Trump is not responsible for violence in America 's cities — because they are mostly run by Democrats .
But Trump 's divisive rhetoric and actions have fueled the problem .
On Fox News , Trump 's White House counselor was asked whether Trump deserves some blame for `` chaos '' in America 's cities .
`` Wow .
No , and nobody is going to buy that .
We know that these are Democratically-led cities and most with Democratic governors , '' Conway answered .
`` It 's not Donald Trump 's @ @ @ @ @ @ @ law and order restored . ''
But while Conway is correct that many cities and states have elected Democratic leadership , her response falsely suggests that the president has no role in or responsibility for crime and unrest .
Beyond it just happening on his watch , Trump has actually contributed to the problem .
On Wednesday , police charged a pro-Trump teenager with shooting and killing two people and injuring another during a Black Lives Matter protest in Kenosha , Wisconsin , the night before .
BuzzFeed reported on Thursday that the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ at a January campaign rally in Iowa .
Last August , a right-wing extremist shot and killed 23 and injured 22 others at Walmart in El Paso , Texas , allegedly motivated by anti-immigrant and anti-Mexican hatred .
His `` manifesto '' contained many of the terms Trump has popularized to drum up division , including attacks on `` fake news , '' `` open borders , '' and `` invasion '' by Latinx immigrants .
In October 2018 , another Trump supporter mailed pipe bombs to several Trump critics and Democratic officials @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , but then complaining that the coverage of the `` 'Bomb ' stuff '' was hurting GOP momentum before the midterm elections .
More recently , Trump has encouraged armed mobs who tried to intimidate elected officials in Michigan to scale back coronavirus safety laws , calling them `` very good people . ''
He demanded in a May 1 tweet that Michigan 's governor `` See them , talk to them , make a deal . ''
As citizens around the country have protested in recent months against systemic racism , however @ @ @ @ @ @ @ `` thugs '' and inflamed violence in Portland , Oregon , and in Washington , D.C. , by sending in federal troops to control demonstrations .
Trump 's racist attacks on minority groups do n't just divide the nation ; they actually increase hate crimes .
A 2019 study found a 226 % increase in hate crimes in counties where Trump held a 2016 campaign rally , compared to those where he did not .
Trump encouraged his supporters at those rallies to assault protesters and reporters , even offering to pay any @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Trump 's administration helped contribute to the underlying problems of police violence and systemic racism .
In a July 2017 speech , Trump told police officers in New York not to be `` too nice '' to suspects . ''
And his Department of Justice rolled back its use of consent decrees , which had previously been a major tool for the federal government to get help local police departments to address patterns of racism and misconduct .
While Conway 's comments suggest that Trump is powerless to solve violence in cities run @ @ @ @ @ @ @ contradicted by Trump himself .
In his 2017 inaugural address , he vowed to immediately end poverty and crime in inner cities .
`` This American carnage stops right here and stops right now , '' he said .
After nearly four years in office , he has not kept that promise .
Published with permission of The American Independent Foundation .

Kellyanne Conway claimed on Thursday that Donald Trump is not responsible for violence in America’s cities — because they are mostly run by Democrats. But Trump’s divisive rhetoric and actions have fueled the problem.
On Fox News, Trump’s White House counselor was asked whether Trump deserves some blame for “chaos” in America’s cities.
“Wow. No, and nobody is going to buy that. We know that these are Democratically-led cities and most with Democratic governors,” Conway answered. “It’s not Donald Trump’s watch. He’s trying to get law and order restored.”
But while Conway is correct that many cities and states have elected Democratic leadership, her response falsely suggests that the president has no role in or responsibility for crime and unrest.
Beyond it just happening on his watch, Trump has actually contributed to the problem.
On Wednesday, police charged a pro-Trump teenager with shooting and killing two people and injuring another during a Black Lives Matter protest in Kenosha, Wisconsin, the night before. BuzzFeed reported on Thursday that the teen had been just feet from Trump at a January campaign rally in Iowa.
Last August, a right-wing extremist shot and killed 23 and injured 22 others at Walmart in El Paso, Texas, allegedly motivated by anti-immigrant and anti-Mexican hatred. His “manifesto” contained many of the terms Trump has popularized to drum up division, including attacks on “fake news,” “open borders,” and “invasion” by Latinx immigrants.
In October 2018, another Trump supporter mailed pipe bombs to several Trump critics and Democratic officials. Trump responded by applauding his arrest, but then complaining that the coverage of the “‘Bomb’ stuff” was hurting GOP momentum before the midterm elections.
More recently, Trump has encouraged armed mobs who tried to intimidate elected officials in Michigan to scale back coronavirus safety laws, calling them “very good people.” He demanded in a May 1 tweet that Michigan’s governor “See them, talk to them, make a deal.”
As citizens around the country have protested in recent months against systemic racism, however, Trump has attacked peaceful protesters as “thugs” and inflamed violence in Portland, Oregon, and in Washington, D.C., by sending in federal troops to control demonstrations.
Trump’s racist attacks on minority groups don’t just divide the nation; they actually increase hate crimes. A 2019 study found a 226% increase in hate crimes in counties where Trump held a 2016 campaign rally, compared to those where he did not. Trump encouraged his supporters at those rallies to assault protesters and reporters, even offering to pay any resulting legal bills.
Also significantly, Trump’s administration helped contribute to the underlying problems of police violence and systemic racism. In a July 2017 speech, Trump told police officers in New York not to be “too nice” to suspects.” And his Department of Justice rolled back its use of consent decrees, which had previously been a major tool for the federal government to get help local police departments to address patterns of racism and misconduct.
While Conway’s comments suggest that Trump is powerless to solve violence in cities run by Democrats, this argument has been contradicted by Trump himself. In his 2017 inaugural address, he vowed to immediately end poverty and crime in inner cities. “This American carnage stops right here and stops right now,” he said. After nearly four years in office, he has not kept that promise.
Published with permission of The American Independent Foundation.


shareblue--2020-08-27--GOP spent the week trying to cover up Trump's dismal record on LGBTQ rights

The Republican National Convention has so far been rife with talk of inclusivity , with speakers repeatedly suggesting the GOP welcomes everyone , from every walk of life , and that Donald Trump and his administration are champions of LGBTQ equality .
`` It does n't matter what you look like , who you love , how you worship , your gender , or your job , '' said Republican congressional candidate Sean Parnell on the opening night of the convention .
`` If you are a traditional Democrat who has become disillusioned with how radical your party has become @ @ @ @ @ @ @ are most welcome .
America needs all her patriots to rush to her defense . ''
Former U.S. ambassador to Germany and acting director of national intelligence Richard Grenell on Wednesday sidestepped any direct mention of LGBTQ rights but seemed to suggest Trump 's agenda held no bias against them .
`` America First does not advance the interests of one group of Americans at the expense of another , '' he said that night .
`` It has no bias about red and blue , educated or not educated , urban or @ @ @ @ @ @ @ belief that politicians should focus on the equality and dignity of every American , and that the duty is fulfilled by promoting the safety and wealth of the American people . ''
Marketing in the run-up to the convention also portrayed Trump as a champion of LGBTQ rights .
`` Gay people don ’ t have to vote Democrat , because Donald Trump is the most pro-gay president in American history , '' Grenell said in a video released by the Log Cabin Republicans on Aug. 19 .
Trump and his administration have @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and quietly rolled back existing protections since he took office in January 2017 .
Trump promised in July 2016 that he would `` do everything in my power '' to protect LGBTQ people if elected president —against Islamic extremism , that is .
In a convention speech following the deadly Pulse shooting , in which 49 people were killed when a gunman pledging allegiance to ISIS opened fire in a gay nightclub , Trump claimed he would `` do everything in my power to protect our LGBT citizens from the violence and oppression @ @ @ @ @ @ @ `` Only weeks ago , in Orlando , Florida , 49 wonderful Americans were savagely murdered by an Islamic terrorist .
This time , the terrorist targeted our LGBT community , '' he said at the time .
Some gay Republican activists , such as the president of the Log Cabin Republicans ' Miami chapter , incorrectly took this as an indication that Trump would be `` the most pro-LGBT GOP presidential candidate we have ever had , '' rather than an attack on Islam .
In his November 2016 victory speech , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of our land that I will be president for all of Americans , and this is so important to me . ''
But he did not keep that promise .
In fact , Trump has made more than 150 separate attacks on LGBTQ Americans since taking office , according to GLAAD 's Trump Accountability Project .
He instituted a ban on transgender people serving in the military .
His administration also rolled back Obama-era protections for transgender homeless people , students , and medical patients .
He has proposed allowing federal contractors to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ religious beliefs .
The Trump administration has tried to deny citizenship to the foreign-born children of same-sex couples and removed LGBTQ content from government websites and anti-discrimination guidelines .
Trump 's administration has also vocally opposed the Equality Act , which would add `` sexual orientation '' and `` gender identity '' to existing federal nondiscrimination laws .
It was also on the losing side of the landmark Supreme Court ruling in June against anti-LGBTQ job discrimination .
Trump acknowledged the defeat at the time , saying , `` They ruled and we @ @ @ @ @ @ @ has made no change to his anti-LGBTQ agenda since then .
In each of his four years in office , Trump has refused to even issue a proclamation for Pride Month .
Trump 's opponent , Joe Biden , has been endorsed by major LGBTQ rights organizations .
Biden 's campaign site also states that he `` believes that every human being should be treated with respect and dignity and be able to live without fear no matter who they are or who they love . ''
`` Hate and discrimination against LGBTQ+ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ took office , '' the site reads .
`` Defeating them will not solve the problem , but it is an essential first step in order to resume our march toward equality . ''
Published with permission of The American Independent Foundation .

The Republican National Convention has so far been rife with talk of inclusivity, with speakers repeatedly suggesting the GOP welcomes everyone, from every walk of life, and that Donald Trump and his administration are champions of LGBTQ equality.
“It doesn’t matter what you look like, who you love, how you worship, your gender, or your job,” said Republican congressional candidate Sean Parnell on the opening night of the convention. “If you are a traditional Democrat who has become disillusioned with how radical your party has become, then stand with us. You are most welcome. America needs all her patriots to rush to her defense.”
Former U.S. ambassador to Germany and acting director of national intelligence Richard Grenell on Wednesday sidestepped any direct mention of LGBTQ rights but seemed to suggest Trump’s agenda held no bias against them.
“America First does not advance the interests of one group of Americans at the expense of another,” he said that night. “It has no bias about red and blue, educated or not educated, urban or rural. America First is simply the belief that politicians should focus on the equality and dignity of every American, and that the duty is fulfilled by promoting the safety and wealth of the American people.”
Marketing in the run-up to the convention also portrayed Trump as a champion of LGBTQ rights.
“Gay people don’t have to vote Democrat, because Donald Trump is the most pro-gay president in American history,” Grenell said in a video released by the Log Cabin Republicans on Aug. 19.
Trump and his administration have in fact systematically worked against LGBTQ equality and quietly rolled back existing protections since he took office in January 2017.
Trump promised in July 2016 that he would “do everything in my power” to protect LGBTQ people if elected president —against Islamic extremism, that is.
In a convention speech following the deadly Pulse shooting, in which 49 people were killed when a gunman pledging allegiance to ISIS opened fire in a gay nightclub, Trump claimed he would “do everything in my power to protect our LGBT citizens from the violence and oppression of a hateful foreign ideology.”
“Only weeks ago, in Orlando, Florida, 49 wonderful Americans were savagely murdered by an Islamic terrorist. This time, the terrorist targeted our LGBT community,” he said at the time.
Some gay Republican activists, such as the president of the Log Cabin Republicans’ Miami chapter, incorrectly took this as an indication that Trump would be “the most pro-LGBT GOP presidential candidate we have ever had,” rather than an attack on Islam.
In his November 2016 victory speech, Trump pledged similarly “to every citizen of our land that I will be president for all of Americans, and this is so important to me.”
But he did not keep that promise.
In fact, Trump has made more than 150 separate attacks on LGBTQ Americans since taking office, according to GLAAD’s Trump Accountability Project.
He instituted a ban on transgender people serving in the military. His administration also rolled back Obama-era protections for transgender homeless people, students, and medical patients.
He has proposed allowing federal contractors to discriminate against LGBTQ people by citing their religious beliefs. The Trump administration has tried to deny citizenship to the foreign-born children of same-sex couples and removed LGBTQ content from government websites and anti-discrimination guidelines.
Trump’s administration has also vocally opposed the Equality Act, which would add “sexual orientation” and “gender identity” to existing federal nondiscrimination laws.
It was also on the losing side of the landmark Supreme Court ruling in June against anti-LGBTQ job discrimination. Trump acknowledged the defeat at the time, saying, “They ruled and we live with the decision,” but has made no change to his anti-LGBTQ agenda since then.
In each of his four years in office, Trump has refused to even issue a proclamation for Pride Month.
Trump’s opponent, Joe Biden, has been endorsed by major LGBTQ rights organizations.
Biden’s campaign site also states that he “believes that every human being should be treated with respect and dignity and be able to live without fear no matter who they are or who they love.”
“Hate and discrimination against LGBTQ+ people started long before Trump and Pence took office,” the site reads. “Defeating them will not solve the problem, but it is an essential first step in order to resume our march toward equality.”
Published with permission of The American Independent Foundation.


shareblue--2020-08-27--White House says it's building 'very large' file against reporter investigating Trump Org

The Washington Post on Thursday reported that the Trump Organization has charged American taxpayers at least $ 900,000 since Donald Trump took office , the vast majority of which was spent on trips to Trump 's own properties .
That number is approximate , as neither the Trump Organization nor the White House would give the Post the full dollar amount taxpayers have spent on Trump 's travel to his properties in multiple states .
So far , according to NBC News , he has spent 378 days at Trump-branded properties , more than a full year of his first @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Post 's inquiries for its report , the White House threatened David Fahrenthold , the lead reporter on the story .
`` The Washington Post is blatantly interfering with the business relationships of the Trump Organization , and it must stop , '' White House spokesperson Judd Deere said in a statement to the paper .
`` Please be advised that we are building up a very large 'dossier ' on the many false David Fahrenthold and others stories as they are a disgrace to journalism and the American people . ''
Deere @ @ @ @ @ @ @ false in the story , which was written based on federal spending documents the Post obtained through lawsuits .
The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment on whether it thinks it 's appropriate to threaten a reporter , nor did it comment on whether it disputes that taxpayer funds have been used on Trump 's trips to his own properties .
The Post did not immediately respond to a request for comment .
The threats against Fahrenthold are part of Trump 's pattern of attacking the media when @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Trump has sued media outlets for what he calls `` '' false and defamatory statements '' when they report facts that he does n't like .
He has also sued political organizations for running factual ads .
Fahrenthold won the 2017 Pulitzer Prize in National Reporting for his work investigating Trump 's false assertions of donating to charity .
Published with permission of The American Independent Foundation .

The Washington Post on Thursday reported that the Trump Organization has charged American taxpayers at least $900,000 since Donald Trump took office, the vast majority of which was spent on trips to Trump’s own properties.
That number is approximate, as neither the Trump Organization nor the White House would give the Post the full dollar amount taxpayers have spent on Trump’s travel to his properties in multiple states. So far, according to NBC News, he has spent 378 days at Trump-branded properties, more than a full year of his first term in office.
Responding to the Post’s inquiries for its report, the White House threatened David Fahrenthold, the lead reporter on the story.
“The Washington Post is blatantly interfering with the business relationships of the Trump Organization, and it must stop,” White House spokesperson Judd Deere said in a statement to the paper. “Please be advised that we are building up a very large ‘dossier’ on the many false David Fahrenthold and others stories as they are a disgrace to journalism and the American people.”
Deere did not point to anything that was false in the story, which was written based on federal spending documents the Post obtained through lawsuits.
The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment on whether it thinks it’s appropriate to threaten a reporter, nor did it comment on whether it disputes that taxpayer funds have been used on Trump’s trips to his own properties.
The Post did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The threats against Fahrenthold are part of Trump’s pattern of attacking the media when it reports anything he doesn’t like.
Trump has sued media outlets for what he calls “”false and defamatory statements” when they report facts that he doesn’t like. He has also sued political organizations for running factual ads.
Fahrenthold won the 2017 Pulitzer Prize in National Reporting for his work investigating Trump’s false assertions of donating to charity.
Published with permission of The American Independent Foundation.


shareblue--2020-08-27--Republicans highlight Trump's 'pro-life' record but refuse to acknowledge COVID deaths

The Republican National Convention is occurring at a time of absolutely unprecedented death in the United States .
More than 180,000 people have died as a result of the coronavirus pandemic , but you would n't know it from the convention .
Instead , the speakers have deployed `` pro-life '' tropes in service of only one political issue : banning abortion .
To the extent the pandemic was discussed at all , it was treated as if the crisis is behind us , rather than accelerating .
Melania Trump talked about our lives having `` changed drastically '' and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ until he has done all he can . ''
But then she just blithely moved on to talking about the 19th Amendment without ever mentioning the staggering amount of deaths .
Though COVID-19 got short shrift , abortion certainly did n't .
On the first night of the convention , Republican National Committee Chair Ronna McDaniel repeated Trump 's frequent lie that Democrats want `` abortion up until the point of birth . ''
Trump trotted this out in 2019 's State of the Union , saying that a New York law allowing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ allow a baby to be ripped from the mother 's womb moments before birth . ''
Coronavirus got mentioned on night one , but only as part of a montage accusing the World Health Organization of getting everything wrong .
The montage also served to let Trump pat himself on the back for signing the coronavirus relief act .
There was not one mention , however , of how many people America has lost since the pandemic started .
Night two was no different .
Cissie Graham Lynch , the granddaughter of Billy @ @ @ @ @ @ @ cultural grievances , declaring that religious freedoms were under attack during the Obama administration and that Democrats `` tried to make faith organizations pay for abortion-inducing drugs . ''
Of course , that 's not true .
First , the drugs Lynch is referring to are birth control pills , not `` abortion-inducing drugs . ''
Next , the Obama administration worked tirelessly to ensure religious organizations would not have to provide birth control , but the organizations balked at even having to sign a piece of paper that would let employees receive @ @ @ @ @ @ @ complained about abortion clinics being declared `` essential '' during the pandemic , overlooking the fact that abortion is fundamental and necessary medical care that must be completed within a fixed amount of time .
The real anti-abortion star of Night 2 was Abby Johnson .
Johnson has a high-profile conversion story , which she told at the convention .
In her telling , the Planned Parenthood in Texas at which she worked gave her an `` abortion quota , '' and was `` expected to sell double the abortions performed the previous @ @ @ @ @ @ @ back , and that when she did she was told : `` Abortion is how we make our money . ''
That 's not true .
Approximately 4 % of the services Planned Parenthood provides are abortion services .
The remainder is things like STI treatment and testing , contraception , and cancer screenings .
The next part of Johnson 's well-worn conversion story was that after this discomfiting conversation about quotas , she watched an ultrasound abortion for the first time .
During this , she said she `` saw the baby @ @ @ @ @ @ @ from the probe , '' and `` I saw the baby just crumble . ''
At least , that was Johnson 's story back in 2009 , when she first started telling it .
By the time she got to the RNC , though , it was much more over-the-top : One big problem with either version of the story : It appears to have never happened .
The Texas Observer looked into the conversion story over a decade ago and learned that Johnson likely quit her Planned Parenthood job over unhappiness at @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , not a newfound opposition to abortion .
And the allure of switching sides was strong , with a promise of $ 3,000 speaking gigs if she became an anti-abortion activist .
More importantly , when Texas Monthly tried to report the story , they found no record of any ultrasound-guided abortion or Johnson assisting in any sort of abortion , on the day Johnson insisted she had her dramatic conversion .
And no matter how Johnson tries to change the story , none of the details add up .
She told Texas @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the only Black patient seen on the ostensible day of Johnson 's conversion was six weeks along , not 13 , and would not have had an ultrasound-guided abortion .
She 's also gone on record with the surreal assertion that doctors perform abortions on people who are not even pregnant .
Additionally , Johnson holds some rather peculiar — yet totally in keeping with hyper-conservative worldviews — ideas unrelated to abortion .
She said it would be `` smart '' for police officers to racially profile her adopted biracial son because `` @ @ @ @ @ @ @ likely to commit a violent offense over my white sons . ''
She also believes in head-of-household voting , where only the `` head '' casts a vote .
And what happens when there 's a dispute between the husband and wife over who to vote for ?
They would have to decide on one vote , and `` [ i ] n a Godly household , the husband would get the final say . ''
In short , Johnson 's brand of falsehoods and self-aggrandizement was perfect for the GOP convention in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ her Tuesday night speech with a request that people vote for Trump , `` with our very most vulnerable Americans in mind , the ones who have n't been born yet . ''
No mention of those nearly 180,000 vulnerable Americans who have died in the last six months on Trump 's watch .
On night three , the GOP trotted out Lou Holtz , famous for coaching football at Notre Dame and racking up numerous NCAA violations at other schools .
Holtz called the Biden-Harris ticket `` the most radically pro-abortion campaign @ @ @ @ @ @ @ t ] hey and other politicians are Catholics in name only and abandon innocent lives . ''
Biden is , of course , a devout and practicing Catholic .
Sister Dede Byrne , a Catholic nun , also spoke on Wednesday .
She spoke movingly of her work with refugees worldwide while serving in the military , but then declared that the `` most marginalized group in the world is here in the United States .
They are the unborn . ''
Repeating an oft-spoken , but still wildly untrue , line , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the most pro-life president that this nation has ever had , defending life at all stages . ''
In keeping with the rest of the speakers at the convention , Sister Byrne made no mention of the thousands and thousands of marginalized people whose life Trump did n't care to defend from COVID-19 .
Published with permission of The American Independent Foundation .

The Republican National Convention is occurring at a time of absolutely unprecedented death in the United States. More than 180,000 people have died as a result of the coronavirus pandemic, but you wouldn’t know it from the convention.
Instead, the speakers have deployed “pro-life” tropes in service of only one political issue: banning abortion.
To the extent the pandemic was discussed at all, it was treated as if the crisis is behind us, rather than accelerating.
Melania Trump talked about our lives having “changed drastically” and declared that “Donald will not rest until he has done all he can.” But then she just blithely moved on to talking about the 19th Amendment without ever mentioning the staggering amount of deaths.
Though COVID-19 got short shrift, abortion certainly didn’t.
On the first night of the convention, Republican National Committee Chair Ronna McDaniel repeated Trump’s frequent lie that Democrats want “abortion up until the point of birth.”
Trump trotted this out in 2019’s State of the Union, saying that a New York law allowing for abortions later in pregnancy “would allow a baby to be ripped from the mother’s womb moments before birth.”
Coronavirus got mentioned on night one, but only as part of a montage accusing the World Health Organization of getting everything wrong. The montage also served to let Trump pat himself on the back for signing the coronavirus relief act. There was not one mention, however, of how many people America has lost since the pandemic started.
Night two was no different.
Cissie Graham Lynch, the granddaughter of Billy Graham, had an entire list of cultural grievances, declaring that religious freedoms were under attack during the Obama administration and that Democrats “tried to make faith organizations pay for abortion-inducing drugs.”
Of course, that’s not true. First, the drugs Lynch is referring to are birth control pills, not “abortion-inducing drugs.” Next, the Obama administration worked tirelessly to ensure religious organizations would not have to provide birth control, but the organizations balked at even having to sign a piece of paper that would let employees receive the pills via insurance.
Lynch also complained about abortion clinics being declared “essential” during the pandemic, overlooking the fact that abortion is fundamental and necessary medical care that must be completed within a fixed amount of time.
The real anti-abortion star of Night 2 was Abby Johnson. Johnson has a high-profile conversion story, which she told at the convention.
In her telling, the Planned Parenthood in Texas at which she worked gave her an “abortion quota,” and was “expected to sell double the abortions performed the previous year.” She alleges she pushed back, and that when she did she was told: “Abortion is how we make our money.”
That’s not true. Approximately 4% of the services Planned Parenthood provides are abortion services. The remainder is things like STI treatment and testing, contraception, and cancer screenings.
The next part of Johnson’s well-worn conversion story was that after this discomfiting conversation about quotas, she watched an ultrasound abortion for the first time. During this, she said she “saw the baby moving, and trying to get away from the probe,” and “I saw the baby just crumble.”
At least, that was Johnson’s story back in 2009, when she first started telling it. By the time she got to the RNC, though, it was much more over-the-top:
[A] physician asked me to assist with an ultrasound-guided abortion. Nothing prepared me for what I saw on the screen, an unborn baby fighting back, desperate to move away from the suction. And I’ll never forget what the doctor said next, “Beam me up Scotty.” The last thing I saw was a spine twirling around in the mother’s womb before succumbing to the force of the suction.
One big problem with either version of the story: It appears to have never happened.
The Texas Observer looked into the conversion story over a decade ago and learned that Johnson likely quit her Planned Parenthood job over unhappiness at being put on a performance improvement plan, not a newfound opposition to abortion.
And the allure of switching sides was strong, with a promise of $3,000 speaking gigs if she became an anti-abortion activist.
More importantly, when Texas Monthly tried to report the story, they found no record of any ultrasound-guided abortion or Johnson assisting in any sort of abortion, on the day Johnson insisted she had her dramatic conversion.
And no matter how Johnson tries to change the story, none of the details add up. She told Texas Monthly the patient was Black, but the only Black patient seen on the ostensible day of Johnson’s conversion was six weeks along, not 13, and would not have had an ultrasound-guided abortion.
She’s also gone on record with the surreal assertion that doctors perform abortions on people who are not even pregnant.
Additionally, Johnson holds some rather peculiar — yet totally in keeping with hyper-conservative worldviews — ideas unrelated to abortion. She said it would be “smart” for police officers to racially profile her adopted biracial son because “statistically, my brown son is more likely to commit a violent offense over my white sons.”
She also believes in head-of-household voting, where only the “head” casts a vote. And what happens when there’s a dispute between the husband and wife over who to vote for? They would have to decide on one vote, and “[i]n a Godly household, the husband would get the final say.”
In short, Johnson’s brand of falsehoods and self-aggrandizement was perfect for the GOP convention in the era of Trump. She ended her Tuesday night speech with a request that people vote for Trump, “with our very most vulnerable Americans in mind, the ones who haven’t been born yet.”
No mention of those nearly 180,000 vulnerable Americans who have died in the last six months on Trump’s watch.
On night three, the GOP trotted out Lou Holtz, famous for coaching football at Notre Dame and racking up numerous NCAA violations at other schools. Holtz called the Biden-Harris ticket “the most radically pro-abortion campaign in history” and that “[t]hey and other politicians are Catholics in name only and abandon innocent lives.” Biden is, of course, a devout and practicing Catholic.
Sister Dede Byrne, a Catholic nun, also spoke on Wednesday. She spoke movingly of her work with refugees worldwide while serving in the military, but then declared that the “most marginalized group in the world is here in the United States. They are the unborn.”
Repeating an oft-spoken, but still wildly untrue, line, she said, “Donald Trump is the most pro-life president that this nation has ever had, defending life at all stages.”
In keeping with the rest of the speakers at the convention, Sister Byrne made no mention of the thousands and thousands of marginalized people whose life Trump didn’t care to defend from COVID-19.
Published with permission of The American Independent Foundation.


shareblue--2020-08-27--Republicans revive Nixon's racist 'Southern strategy' at their convention

The question was how he planned to address poverty .
In his reply , the Republican running for president quickly pivoted to a central campaign theme — denouncing the fiery chaos that had erupted in American cities during protests over civil rights .
`` We have reaped not a solution of poverty , but we 've reaped the riots that have torn 300 cities apart , resulted in 200 dead and 7,000 injured throughout this country , '' Richard Nixon said on Oct. 3 , 1968 , at a town hall in an Atlanta TV studio that aired live across @ @ @ @ @ @ @ `` law and order '' and decried `` those who would destroy America , who would burn it . ''
He won the White House a month later .
It came to be known as Nixon 's Southern strategy : a campaign that used fear of crime and lawlessness to tap into white Southern voters ' opposition to racial integration and equality without using overtly racist language .
It was a strategy that Republicans honed gradually over decades — ultimately achieving dominance across the South and a political realignment that changed the electoral @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of Congress , and the tenor of the American debate about race .
It is now in Donald Trump 's hands .
At his nominating convention this week , Trump 's party has repeatedly warned of lawlessness on America 's streets , pointing to the sometimes violent protests over police killings of Black Americans .
The party gave a platform to a St. Louis couple made famous for waving guns at a Black Lives Matter protest outside their home .
Trump 's son , Donald Trump Jr. , described the race between Trump @ @ @ @ @ @ @ up to be church , work , and school versus rioting , looting , and vandalism . ''
On Wednesday , Mike Pence declared , `` You wo n't be safe in Joe Biden 's America . ''
Historians and political observers say the lineage of this messaging is clear .
The question is n't whether Trump is employing the same tactics that helped Nixon seize the White House from Democrats , but whether those tactics can work at this moment — in a more diverse America , beset by a pandemic and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
`` Trump has dusted off the old playbook that puts racial fear and grievance on the table , '' said Otis Johnson , who served from 2004 to 2012 as the second Black man elected mayor of Savannah , Georgia .
He was a graduate student in Atlanta when Nixon ran in 1968 .
Trump 's tactics , he said , are `` just a replay for me of 50 years ago . ''
But manipulating racial divisions to unite white voters goes back much further in American politics .
Before the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ slave uprisings were used to get poor Southern white people to vote in solidarity with wealthier landowners , said Keith Gaddie , a political scientist at the University of Oklahoma .
After World War II , when returning Black soldiers demanded voting rights and found support among white veterans who had fought beside them , candidates still preyed on racial discord .
They just were n't as direct .
`` There are phrases associated with different policy areas that are meant to activate white concern about racial integration , '' Gaddie said .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ segregated schools or opposition to busing .
'Safe streets , ' 'safe neighborhoods , ' and 'law and order . '
It means , basically , 'We 're going to keep the Blacks in line . '
'' The South had been solidly Democratic until Republican Barry Goldwater unsuccessfully sought the presidency in 1964 — losing the race but winning Louisiana , Alabama , Mississippi , Georgia , and South Carolina by campaigning on his opposition to the Civil Rights Act .
Four years later , Nixon 's challenge was competing for Southern @ @ @ @ @ @ @ who was running for president as an independent between terms as Alabama 's Democratic governor .
Nixon had to peel away some Southern white voters from Wallace without alienating voters in other regions .
In his speech accepting the nomination at the 1968 Republican National Convention , Nixon promised a war on crime amid `` cities enveloped in smoke and flame . ''
He also bluntly denied that `` law and order is the code word for racism , '' saying , `` Our goal is justice for every American . ''
But @ @ @ @ @ @ @ campaign , later made public by his presidential library , suggests an intent to harness racial division .
Drawing conservative Democrats to the GOP ticket would turn on `` the law and order/Negro socio-economic revolution syndrome , '' campaign strategist Kevin Phillips wrote , adding that Nixon `` should continue to emphasize crime , decentralization of federal social programming , and law and order . ''
On Election Day , Tennessee , Virginia , Florida , and the Carolinas went for Nixon as he won the White House .
Historians say subsequent Republican @ @ @ @ @ @ @ times .
Ronald Reagan declared support for `` states ' rights '' and railed against the `` welfare queen '' in 1980 campaign speeches .
In 1988 , George H.W .
Bush 's campaign and supporters used Willie Horton , a Black man convicted of murder who later raped a woman while out of prison on a weekend furlough , to paint Bush 's Democratic opponent , Michael Dukakis , as soft on crime .
Lee Atwater , an adviser for both presidents , once acknowledged this evolution of the Southern strategy — @ @ @ @ @ @ @ one that is `` much more abstract '' and uses issues like states ' rights , busing , and later taxes and cutting social services to communicate the same message : `` Blacks get hurt worse than whites . ''
In a 1981 interview , Atwater argued the issues would become so coded that voters would not consciously identify them as racist .
Accusations of racism dogged Trump even before he became a candidate .
He was widely criticized for promoting the false claim that Barack Obama was born outside the U.S. and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ office , Trump denigrated as `` animals '' some immigrants who entered the U.S. illegally .
And he declared there had been `` very fine people , on both sides '' in violent clashes three years ago between white supremacists and counterprotesters in Charlottesville , Virginia .
`` Trump is not necessarily very good at giving some of these more subtle messages , '' said Alan Abramowitz , a political scientist at Emory University in Atlanta .
`` He tends to give away the game . ''
Speakers at the Republican National Convention @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that Trump is racist .
Former football star Herschel Walker praised Trump as a longtime friend who is `` fighting to improve the lives of Black Americans , and all Americans . ''
`` Growing up in the Deep South , I 've seen racism up close , '' Walker said in a convention speech Monday .
`` I know what it is .
And it is n't Donald Trump . ''
After losing presidential races to Southern Democrats Jimmy Carter and Bill Clinton , Republicans tightened their hold on the South by @ @ @ @ @ @ @ voters who rejected feminism , said Angie Maxwell , a political scientist at the University of Arkansas and co-author of the book `` The Long Southern Strategy : How Chasing White Votes in the South Changed American Politics . ''
But coded racial messaging stayed in the mix and ultimately was aimed at sympathetic voters outside the South .
`` Racial resentment , anti-feminism , and Christian nationalism do n't have any geographic borders , '' Maxwell said .
Trump 's take on the Southern strategy is n't necessarily aimed at Southern voters @ @ @ @ @ @ @ white voters in battleground states such as Michigan , Pennsylvania , Ohio , and Wisconsin , Abramowitz said .
Will the strategy work ?
Maxwell said many more Americans seem to be grappling with fallout from the pandemic — such as deciding whether it 's safe to send children back to school — than with outbursts of violent protests .
Meanwhile , the lawlessness Trump is calling attention to has unfolded on his own watch .
`` Trump is the president , '' Abramowitz said .
`` So it 's a little bit @ @ @ @ @ @ @ running on a platform of : 'We 've got these terrible problems .
Elect me and I 'll solve them . '
''

The question was how he planned to address poverty. In his reply, the Republican running for president quickly pivoted to a central campaign theme — denouncing the fiery chaos that had erupted in American cities during protests over civil rights.
“We have reaped not a solution of poverty, but we’ve reaped the riots that have torn 300 cities apart, resulted in 200 dead and 7,000 injured throughout this country,” Richard Nixon said on Oct. 3, 1968, at a town hall in an Atlanta TV studio that aired live across the South. He vowed to restore “law and order” and decried “those who would destroy America, who would burn it.” He won the White House a month later.
It came to be known as Nixon’s Southern strategy: a campaign that used fear of crime and lawlessness to tap into white Southern voters’ opposition to racial integration and equality without using overtly racist language. It was a strategy that Republicans honed gradually over decades — ultimately achieving dominance across the South and a political realignment that changed the electoral map for presidential candidates, the makeup of Congress, and the tenor of the American debate about race.
It is now in Donald Trump’s hands.
At his nominating convention this week, Trump’s party has repeatedly warned of lawlessness on America’s streets, pointing to the sometimes violent protests over police killings of Black Americans. The party gave a platform to a St. Louis couple made famous for waving guns at a Black Lives Matter protest outside their home. Trump’s son, Donald Trump Jr., described the race between Trump and Democrat Joe Biden as “shaping up to be church, work, and school versus rioting, looting, and vandalism.”
On Wednesday, Mike Pence declared, “You won’t be safe in Joe Biden’s America.”
Historians and political observers say the lineage of this messaging is clear. The question isn’t whether Trump is employing the same tactics that helped Nixon seize the White House from Democrats, but whether those tactics can work at this moment — in a more diverse America, beset by a pandemic and weighing whether to reelect a Republican incumbent.
“Trump has dusted off the old playbook that puts racial fear and grievance on the table,” said Otis Johnson, who served from 2004 to 2012 as the second Black man elected mayor of Savannah, Georgia. He was a graduate student in Atlanta when Nixon ran in 1968. Trump’s tactics, he said, are “just a replay for me of 50 years ago.”
But manipulating racial divisions to unite white voters goes back much further in American politics. Before the Civil War, ominous warnings of potential slave uprisings were used to get poor Southern white people to vote in solidarity with wealthier landowners, said Keith Gaddie, a political scientist at the University of Oklahoma.
After World War II, when returning Black soldiers demanded voting rights and found support among white veterans who had fought beside them, candidates still preyed on racial discord. They just weren’t as direct.
“There are phrases associated with different policy areas that are meant to activate white concern about racial integration,” Gaddie said. “‘Neighborhood schools’ is code for segregated schools or opposition to busing. ‘Safe streets,’ ‘safe neighborhoods,’ and ‘law and order.’ It means, basically, ‘We’re going to keep the Blacks in line.'”
The South had been solidly Democratic until Republican Barry Goldwater unsuccessfully sought the presidency in 1964 — losing the race but winning Louisiana, Alabama, Mississippi, Georgia, and South Carolina by campaigning on his opposition to the Civil Rights Act.
Four years later, Nixon’s challenge was competing for Southern votes against George Wallace, a segregationist who was running for president as an independent between terms as Alabama’s Democratic governor. Nixon had to peel away some Southern white voters from Wallace without alienating voters in other regions.
In his speech accepting the nomination at the 1968 Republican National Convention, Nixon promised a war on crime amid “cities enveloped in smoke and flame.” He also bluntly denied that “law and order is the code word for racism,” saying, “Our goal is justice for every American.”
But an internal memo from Nixon’s 1968 campaign, later made public by his presidential library, suggests an intent to harness racial division. Drawing conservative Democrats to the GOP ticket would turn on “the law and order/Negro socio-economic revolution syndrome,” campaign strategist Kevin Phillips wrote, adding that Nixon “should continue to emphasize crime, decentralization of federal social programming, and law and order.”
On Election Day, Tennessee, Virginia, Florida, and the Carolinas went for Nixon as he won the White House.
Historians say subsequent Republican presidents adapted the strategy to suit the times. Ronald Reagan declared support for “states’ rights” and railed against the “welfare queen” in 1980 campaign speeches. In 1988, George H.W. Bush’s campaign and supporters used Willie Horton, a Black man convicted of murder who later raped a woman while out of prison on a weekend furlough, to paint Bush’s Democratic opponent, Michael Dukakis, as soft on crime.
Lee Atwater, an adviser for both presidents, once acknowledged this evolution of the Southern strategy — from a direct appeal to racism to one that is “much more abstract” and uses issues like states’ rights, busing, and later taxes and cutting social services to communicate the same message: “Blacks get hurt worse than whites.”
In a 1981 interview, Atwater argued the issues would become so coded that voters would not consciously identify them as racist.
Accusations of racism dogged Trump even before he became a candidate. He was widely criticized for promoting the false claim that Barack Obama was born outside the U.S. and ineligible to hold office. Once in office, Trump denigrated as “animals” some immigrants who entered the U.S. illegally. And he declared there had been “very fine people, on both sides” in violent clashes three years ago between white supremacists and counterprotesters in Charlottesville, Virginia.
“Trump is not necessarily very good at giving some of these more subtle messages,” said Alan Abramowitz, a political scientist at Emory University in Atlanta. “He tends to give away the game.”
Speakers at the Republican National Convention this week have rebutted head-on the idea that Trump is racist. Former football star Herschel Walker praised Trump as a longtime friend who is “fighting to improve the lives of Black Americans, and all Americans.”
“Growing up in the Deep South, I’ve seen racism up close,” Walker said in a convention speech Monday. “I know what it is. And it isn’t Donald Trump.”
After losing presidential races to Southern Democrats Jimmy Carter and Bill Clinton, Republicans tightened their hold on the South by locking up support among evangelical Christians and voters who rejected feminism, said Angie Maxwell, a political scientist at the University of Arkansas and co-author of the book “The Long Southern Strategy: How Chasing White Votes in the South Changed American Politics.”
But coded racial messaging stayed in the mix and ultimately was aimed at sympathetic voters outside the South.
“Racial resentment, anti-feminism, and Christian nationalism don’t have any geographic borders,” Maxwell said.
Trump’s take on the Southern strategy isn’t necessarily aimed at Southern voters. His targets are more likely working-class white voters in battleground states such as Michigan, Pennsylvania, Ohio, and Wisconsin, Abramowitz said.
Will the strategy work? Maxwell said many more Americans seem to be grappling with fallout from the pandemic — such as deciding whether it’s safe to send children back to school — than with outbursts of violent protests.
Meanwhile, the lawlessness Trump is calling attention to has unfolded on his own watch.
“Trump is the president,” Abramowitz said. “So it’s a little bit strange for the incumbent president to be running on a platform of: ‘We’ve got these terrible problems. Elect me and I’ll solve them.'”


shareblue--2020-08-27--10 bogus arguments Trump has used to attack voting by mail

Donald Trump offered his latest dishonest argument against voting by mail on Wednesday , baselessly suggesting poll workers would not be able to handle it .
He has now made at least 10 false and often contradictory claims to try to stop Americans from mailing in their ballots during a pandemic .
In a Washington Examiner interview published Wednesday , Trump dismissed his own argument that the U.S .
Postal Service might not be able to handle millions of ballots .
`` It 's not the post office , '' he told the paper .
`` It has nothing to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Trump argued that even if ballots came `` a day late , '' that was `` not the problem .
The problem is when they dump all these [ ballots ] in front of a few people who are counting them , and they 're going to count them wrong .
The post office is not to blame . ''
This argument makes little sense , as election officials verify the ballots , make sure they are legitimate , and then scan them .
Here are some of the other claims he has @ @ @ @ @ @ @ months : It will spread the coronavirus In an Aug. 23 tweet , Trump warned that if voters are allowed to directly drop off their ballots in secure drop boxes , this would be a `` security disaster . ''
`` They are not Covid sanitized , '' he warned .
`` A big fraud ! ''
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has been saying for months that the coronavirus is spread mostly from person to person , not from touching surfaces .
On the other hand , at least 71 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in Wisconsin in April contracted the virus .
Poll workers might change ballots before counting them On Aug. 17 , Trump suggested , with no evidence whatsoever , that poll workers who collect ballots could change the mail-in ballots before they are tabulated .
`` Some states use 'drop boxes ' for the collection of Universal Mail-In Ballots , '' he tweeted .
`` So who is going to 'collect ' the Ballots , and what might be done to them prior to tabulation ?
A Rigged Election ?
So bad for our @ @ @ @ @ @ @ '' Drop boxes can also be used for absentee ballots and poll workers process them the same way before tabulation .
It 's only OK in places that have tried it before Days before casting his own ballot by mail in Florida , Trump argued that mail-in voting was only acceptable in places like Florida that have done it previously .
`` Whether you call it Vote by Mail or Absentee Voting , in Florida the election system is Safe and Secure , Tried and True , '' he tweeted on Aug. 4 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ been cleaned up ( we defeated Democrats attempts at change ) , so in Florida I encourage all to request a Ballot & Vote by Mail !
# MAGA . ''
Like many states , Florida makes no distinction between voting by mail and absentee voting .
Trump 's own campaign is making robocalls urging supporters to vote by mail in several key 2020 states — including some that have recently made it easier to do so .
On Aug. 3 , Trump argued against a new Nevada law automatically sending ballots to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ many other states — suggesting that the U.S .
Postal System was unprepared to deliver 1.6 million items .
`` In an illegal late night coup , Nevada 's clubhouse Governor made it impossible for Republicans to win the state , '' he tweeted .
`` Post Office could never handle the Traffic of Mail-In Votes without preparation .
Using Covid to steal the state . ''
Trump 's handpicked postmaster general told the Senate last week that the Postal Service is `` fully capable and committed to delivering the nation 's election @ @ @ @ @ @ @ It will lead to fraud and inaccuracy Trump claimed in a July 30 tweet , `` With Universal Mail-In Voting ( not Absentee Voting , which is good ) , 2020 will be the most INACCURATE & FRAUDULENT Election in history .
It will be a great embarrassment to the USA . ''
But experts say voting by mail is secure and possibly less susceptible to fraud than in-person voting .
Studies have found virtually zero suspected voter fraud cases in states that have universal mail-in voting .
We might not know the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on July 30 that if too many people vote by mail , it might take a while to know the results .
`` Must know Election results on the night of the Election , not days , months , or even years later ! ''
he demanded in a tweet .
But the results of close elections are often unknown on Election Night ; the 2000 election result was not certain for 36 days .
Election experts note that any delays would be so officials can ensure an accurate count .
Trump also @ @ @ @ @ @ @ voting by mail could lead to mailbox robbery .
In a tweet on May 26 , Trump wrote , `` There is NO WAY ( ZERO ! )
that Mail-In Ballots will be anything less than substantially fraudulent .
Mail boxes will be robbed , ballots will be forged & even illegally printed out & fraudulently signed . ''
Two days later , he invented the idea that `` kids go and they raid the mailboxes and they hand them to people that are signing the ballots . ''
People might be forced @ @ @ @ @ @ @ warned in a tweet that mail-in ballots might lead to people being forced to vote against their will .
`` The United States can not have all Mail In Ballots .
It will be the greatest Rigged Election in history .
People grab them from mailboxes , print thousands of forgeries and 'force ' people to sign .
Also , forge names .
Some absentee OK , when necessary .
Trying to use Covid for this Scam ! ''
Even the conservative Heritage Foundation 's database of voter fraud contains no examples of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ way .
Trump likely admitted his real motivation in an April 8 tweet .
`` Republicans should fight very hard when it comes to state wide mail-in voting .
Democrats are clamoring for it .
Tremendous potential for voter fraud , and for whatever reason , does n't work out well for Republicans , '' he said .
But even this is not true ; Utah switched to all vote-by-mail in 2012 .
No Democrat has been elected statewide in the deeply red state in that time .
Published with permission of The @ @ @ @

Donald Trump offered his latest dishonest argument against voting by mail on Wednesday, baselessly suggesting poll workers would not be able to handle it.
He has now made at least 10 false and often contradictory claims to try to stop Americans from mailing in their ballots during a pandemic.
In a Washington Examiner interview published Wednesday, Trump dismissed his own argument that the U.S. Postal Service might not be able to handle millions of ballots.
“It’s not the post office,” he told the paper. “It has nothing to do with the post office.” Trump argued that even if ballots came “a day late,” that was “not the problem. The problem is when they dump all these [ballots] in front of a few people who are counting them, and they’re going to count them wrong. The post office is not to blame.”
This argument makes little sense, as election officials verify the ballots, make sure they are legitimate, and then scan them.
Here are some of the other claims he has made against voting by mail in recent months:
It will spread the coronavirus
In an Aug. 23 tweet, Trump warned that if voters are allowed to directly drop off their ballots in secure drop boxes, this would be a “security disaster.”
“They are not Covid sanitized,” he warned. “A big fraud!”
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has been saying for months that the coronavirus is spread mostly from person to person, not from touching surfaces.
On the other hand, at least 71 people who participated in an in-person election in Wisconsin in April contracted the virus.
Poll workers might change ballots before counting them
On Aug. 17, Trump suggested, with no evidence whatsoever, that poll workers who collect ballots could change the mail-in ballots before they are tabulated.
“Some states use ‘drop boxes’ for the collection of Universal Mail-In Ballots,” he tweeted. “So who is going to ‘collect’ the Ballots, and what might be done to them prior to tabulation? A Rigged Election? So bad for our Country. Only Absentee Ballots acceptable!”
Drop boxes can also be used for absentee ballots and poll workers process them the same way before tabulation.
It’s only OK in places that have tried it before
Days before casting his own ballot by mail in Florida, Trump argued that mail-in voting was only acceptable in places like Florida that have done it previously.
“Whether you call it Vote by Mail or Absentee Voting, in Florida the election system is Safe and Secure, Tried and True,” he tweeted on Aug. 4. “Florida’s Voting system has been cleaned up (we defeated Democrats attempts at change), so in Florida I encourage all to request a Ballot & Vote by Mail! #MAGA.”
Like many states, Florida makes no distinction between voting by mail and absentee voting. Trump’s own campaign is making robocalls urging supporters to vote by mail in several key 2020 states — including some that have recently made it easier to do so.
The Postal Service isn’t ready
On Aug. 3, Trump argued against a new Nevada law automatically sending ballots to voters — a system already used in many other states — suggesting that the U.S. Postal System was unprepared to deliver 1.6 million items.
“In an illegal late night coup, Nevada’s clubhouse Governor made it impossible for Republicans to win the state,” he tweeted. “Post Office could never handle the Traffic of Mail-In Votes without preparation. Using Covid to steal the state.”
Trump’s handpicked postmaster general told the Senate last week that the Postal Service is “fully capable and committed to delivering the nation’s election mail securely and on time.”
It will lead to fraud and inaccuracy
Trump claimed in a July 30 tweet, “With Universal Mail-In Voting (not Absentee Voting, which is good), 2020 will be the most INACCURATE & FRAUDULENT Election in history. It will be a great embarrassment to the USA.”
But experts say voting by mail is secure and possibly less susceptible to fraud than in-person voting. Studies have found virtually zero suspected voter fraud cases in states that have universal mail-in voting.
We might not know the results on election night
Trump also warned on July 30 that if too many people vote by mail, it might take a while to know the results.
“Must know Election results on the night of the Election, not days, months, or even years later!” he demanded in a tweet.
But the results of close elections are often unknown on Election Night; the 2000 election result was not certain for 36 days.
Election experts note that any delays would be so officials can ensure an accurate count.
People will rob mailboxes
Trump also suggested, again with no evidence, voting by mail could lead to mailbox robbery.
In a tweet on May 26, Trump wrote, “There is NO WAY (ZERO!) that Mail-In Ballots will be anything less than substantially fraudulent. Mail boxes will be robbed, ballots will be forged & even illegally printed out & fraudulently signed.”
Two days later, he invented the idea that “kids go and they raid the mailboxes and they hand them to people that are signing the ballots.”
People might be forced to vote
On May 24, Trump warned in a tweet that mail-in ballots might lead to people being forced to vote against their will.
“The United States cannot have all Mail In Ballots. It will be the greatest Rigged Election in history. People grab them from mailboxes, print thousands of forgeries and ‘force’ people to sign. Also, forge names. Some absentee OK, when necessary. Trying to use Covid for this Scam!”
Even the conservative Heritage Foundation’s database of voter fraud contains no examples of people being forced to vote in this way.
It will hurt Republicans
Trump likely admitted his real motivation in an April 8 tweet.
“Republicans should fight very hard when it comes to state wide mail-in voting. Democrats are clamoring for it. Tremendous potential for voter fraud, and for whatever reason, doesn’t work out well for Republicans,” he said.
But even this is not true; Utah switched to all vote-by-mail in 2012. No Democrat has been elected statewide in the deeply red state in that time.
Published with permission of The American Independent Foundation.