alternet--2020-10-26--Ralph Nader's election wisdom: 'In the swing states, you have to vote for Joe Biden'

Autocracy is kleptocracy .
Donald Trump has repeatedly shown this to be true as he has abused the office of the presidency to enrich himself and his family , and to reward his political allies and other agents .
Trump has at least 3,400 conflicts of interest .
Investigative reporters from Forbes , Vanity Fair , the New York Times and the Washington Post , along with independent watchdog and public advocacy groups have exhaustively detailed how Trump and his family have personally profited from his presidency .
Trump 's adult children have become tens of millions of dollars richer @ @ @ @ @ @ @ made possible by their father 's presidency .
Trump 's company — which he still owns and controls — has received tens of millions of dollars ( if not more ) from direct payments to his hotels and other properties made by foreign countries .
Trump is also personally enriching himself through direct transfers to his businesses from the American people when he charges the Secret Service and other government agencies for staying at his properties .
Trump claims to be a billionaire .
Like other wealthy Americans who pay less in taxes @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 's own tax documents reveal that he paid only $ 750 in federal taxes in 2016 and 2017 .
In 10 of the previous 15 years , he paid no income taxes at all .
The Trump regime and the Republican Party have systematically expanded their destruction of workers ' rights , unions , the environment and public health and safety more generally .
Coronavirus relief efforts were intentionally sabotaged and undermined by denying resources and other support to Democratic-led states and cities .
Trump 's corruption and general malfeasance are indicative of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ where the country 's political and financial elites live by laws and norms which they created for their own benefit .
Such an arrangement can be reasonably described as legal theft : There is one set of rules in America for the rich and another set of rules for everyone else .
In that way , Donald Trump represents a unique opportunity that may never be repeated in American history for the gangster capitalists , plutocrats and the other elements of what Noam Chomsky describes as the RECD ( `` really existing capitalist @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and powerful by looting the government and further destroying civil society , the commons , and the other social and political institutions and norms that are prerequisites for a humane society .
How are such an abominably unjust set of outcomes made to appear legitimate and normal to the American people ?
To cite one example , benign-sounding language about a supposed `` K-shaped recovery '' is used to describe extreme income and wealth inequality , and the reality that America 's millionaires and billionaires have enriched themselves through the human and financial @ @ @ @ @ @ @ To further legitimate such injustice , minimum wage and working-class people in the service industries are described as `` heroes '' and `` essential workers '' in the PR newspeak of the corporations , the mainstream news media and the political classes .
In reality these `` essential workers '' are treated as disposable human beings to be sacrificed in the death cult of capitalism .
In total , `` coronavirus-fascism '' has shone an ever starker light on how American society in the Age of Trump has become a full-on pathocracy , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ can not be cured or otherwise redeemed .
Ralph Nader has been fighting for the freedoms and rights of the American people for six decades .
He is an author , attorney , consumer advocate and activist , as well as a five-time presidential candidate .
( His still-controversial Green Party campaign in 2000 has been blamed , fairly or otherwise , for the razor-thin margin of votes in Florida that elected George W .
Bush . )
Nader 's new book ( with co-author Mark Green ) is `` Wrecking America : @ @ @ @ @ @ @ All . ''
In this conversation , Nader explains how the plutocrats and the CEO class are benefiting from the coronavirus pandemic and why America 's mainstream media and other voices have largely been silent , if not complicit .
Nader also warns that voting for the Democratic Party ( which he describes as the `` lesser of two evils '' ) helped to create the disaster that is the Age of Trump .
He offers a case for why the Democratic Party ( along with `` liberals '' and `` progressives '' @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and language to defeat Trumpism and the Republican Party 's decades-long assault on social democracy .
You can also listen to my conversation with Ralph Nader on my podcast `` The Truth Report '' or through the player embedded below .
Given your decades of experience in politics and social change work , is there a moment when you feel like American society went off the rails ?
When things were truly broken and got us to where we are today , with the Age of Trump and American fascism ?
It went @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the right wing stole the 2000 election from Al Gore and blamed the Green Party , including me .
The 2000 election was a judicial coup d'état led by [ Justice Antonin ] Scalia .
It was one of the most criminogenic political decisions one can imagine .
Scalia could not even defend his own decision .
Subsequently , the 2000 election also helped to create eight years of a George W. Bush presidency .
The result of the 2000 election was a huge increase in judicial power , in essence creating a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ problem is only going to get worse with Trump going forward .
And of course , one must acknowledge all of the public policies that resulted from Bush being `` elected '' in 2000 .
A mockery has been made out of elections and the law .
There is now unchallenged gerrymandering by the Republicans .
Trump , like George W. Bush , also won the election with the Electoral College .
The Republicans have flattened the Democratic Party at almost every turn .
The Democrats are the only political party standing in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of our society .
In 1938 Franklin Donald Roosevelt described what we are witnessing with today 's Republican Party as `` fascism . ''
What do the Republicans understand about power , raw power , that the Democrats do not ?
The Republicans have more energy .
They go for the jugular , while the Democrats go for the capillaries .
One example : Do you know any Democratic senator that has as much drive and maniacal energy as Mitch McConnell ?
Can you compare the Koch brothers with George Soros ?
The @ @ @ @ @ @ @ elected a president in the form of Donald Trump who lost the popular vote .
They 've got their own `` news '' network in the form of Fox .
Where is the counterpart for Democrats or the left and progressives ?
Donald Trump and the plutocracy , in a country controlled by gangster capitalism , is a moral obscenity .
There are long breadlines .
The very rich have only become richer because of the coronavirus pandemic .
Social inequality overall is worsening .
How can the news media and other members @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Democrats , liberals and progressives — speak more clearly about these obscenities ?
Or are voices in the media and elsewhere just too scared to tell the truth about the depth of the crisis ?
The corporate media types and as well as the Democrats need to open a dictionary and read it carefully .
They collectively lack the language that can adequately describe the grotesque , vicious , cruel and omnicidal things that are going on in America today .
Here is one example .
What are they calling massive unprecedented hurricanes @ @ @ @ @ @ @ increase and wildfires ?
`` Climate change . ''
You see that language everywhere .
I tried to get environmental groups to use better language such as `` climate chaos , '' `` climate destruction '' and `` climate catastrophe . ''
Do you know who coined the phrase `` climate change '' ?
The right-wing wordsmith Frank Luntz .
In 2002 he told conservatives and other elements of the right wing , `` This phrase , 'global warming , ' is too alarming .
We got to find another phrase . ''
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ '' He said , `` Let 's call it 'climate change ' .
It sounds like the seasons : Autumn , winter , spring , summer . ''
Democrats and environmental groups lapped up that phrase like a cat drinking milk .
Another weak example of language is calling something `` problematic '' when it should be described as `` terrible '' or `` grotesque . ''
Here is another example : Instead of plainly saying that right-wing corporatists are lying , the mainstream media types and the Democratic Party will say it @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of saying something is really obstructive and bad , they will substitute `` challenging . ''
How is the coronavirus pandemic and this season of death an opportunity for gangster capitalists here in America and around the world ?
Trump , the Republicans and the right are leading a literal death cult where the solution is to go out and die for `` the economy . ''
As things get worse in America , criminally bad in fact , big business gets stronger .
That is the trend .
It did not happen @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
It did n't happen in the 1960s either .
But big business counterattacked and they took control of Congress .
Congress is the only tool left to take on gigantic corporations and the corporatocracy and its criminal , omnicidal behavior .
One would think that more of these progressive groups would focus on Congress ?
No .
They put out exposés .
They denounce corporate crime on Wall Street .
They have marches and all the energy goes up into the ether .
Those forces are scamming the American people .
They @ @ @ @ @ @ @ public the very minute that the United States government began its so-called relief efforts .
A public flood of money was released , and even the best reporters and journalists can not keep up with all of the corruption .
Big business is getting this `` relief '' money directly .
Even subsidiaries of right-wing corporatists such as the Koch brothers are getting this money .
The corporatists have crowded out the attempts of liberals and progressives and others to focus on winning a living wage , universal health care , and other @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
That is a sign of a crumbling society .
It is when the big crooks not only get away with the obscenities with impunity , but they actually come out of the disaster stronger and more dominant .
We are seeing huge numbers of small businesses going bankrupt in this country because of the economic devastation caused by the pandemic .
Amazon will be bigger .
Facebook will be bigger .
Google will be bigger .
ExxonMobil will be bigger .
There are going to be fewer but more strong and larger @ @ @ @ @ @ @ giant insurance companies .
How did the social Darwinist ethic that profits matter more than people take hold in late-20th and early 21st century America ?
The countervailing forces were broken .
They broke the labor movement .
They weakened and blocked the consumer movement .
They broke the use of the tort system .
What does it mean to be a progressive or a liberal in this perilous time ?
To be a liberal or a progressive in this moment means to take on giant corporations that have taken over government and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ bank , and turned the rest of the government against the American people .
In total , it is a type of corporate state fascism .
It is here right now .
And it is just becoming deeper and more powerful .
If Donald Trump is defeated , his voters and other supporters are not going to disappear .
Public opinion and other social science research show that there are tens of millions of people in America , almost all white , who are authoritarians .
What do you think the Trumpists want @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ?
Donald Trump 's supporters want a White America .
Trump has increased their numbers and power .
Trump wants civil strife .
Trump is the chief inciter of domestic terrorism and violence in this country .
Trump has given his supporters and their racism and other antisocial behavior much more visibility and helped to grow their numbers .
Many of Trump 's supporters are literally white supremacists .
Many of the men are angry , because in their minds , women have rejected them .
They are very alienated .
Many of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 's supporters see no future for themselves .
So they get a feeling of empowerment and feel consoled for their problems by joining a cult-like group .
It makes them feel powerful .
These Trump supporters also have weapons .
We saw what Trump 's followers are capable of in Michigan .
Noam Chomsky , Cornel West and other notable voices on the left have made a compelling argument that all people of conscience must vote for Joe Biden and the Democrats as a way of stopping Donald Trump so that the country @ @ @ @ @ @ @ What are your thoughts on that strategy ?
Should the left disregard its longstanding critiques and concerns and choose to support Biden ?
I am not openly supporting Joe Biden .
But I am going to oppose Donald Trump .
The Electoral College makes it simple .
In the solid red and blue states a person can vote for the Green Party .
But in the swing states , you have to vote for Joe Biden .
I also believe that people should only vote their conscience .
They should only vote for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ you vote for the least of two evils , the worst evil ends up dominating the least evil .
As an example , when you vote for a Democrat as the lesser of two evils , what has been the result ?
The Republicans control most state governments , the U.S. Senate and the White House .
If Joe Biden wins on Election Day and Trump actually leaves office , I am deeply concerned that the public 's expectations are going to be too high .
The American people will end up depressed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ normal '' did not solve the many problems that Trump both created and also made worse .
If Donald Trump somehow manages through means illegal and quasi-legal to `` win '' the election and stay in power , then the American people will experience something akin to a collective nervous breakdown .
Most will just surrender to Trumpism and American fascism and learned helplessness .
The premise of your observation is that you can beat the fight out of the American people .
As in other countries , we have seen that happen @ @ @ @ @ @ @ more of the people do in fact look defeated , with a few exceptions , Donald Trump has pummeled the American people into submission .
Is American-style fascism possible ?
Of course .
There are pockets of it all over the country — and now in the federal government and elsewhere at the highest levels here in America .
You have been a truth-teller , an activist , an organizer , a candidate and involved in social change work more generally for a very long time .
How do you sustain the energy @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that I do not like white flags .
I do not like surrender .
I do n't like bullies .
It is in my DNA .
I also keep foremost in my mind images of the people who I am trying to champion , defend and protect .
In my mind I always see that coal miner dying of black lung disease spitting up black soot and blood .

Autocracy is kleptocracy. Donald Trump has repeatedly shown this to be true as he has abused the office of the presidency to enrich himself and his family, and to reward his political allies and other agents.
Trump has at least 3,400 conflicts of interest. Investigative reporters from Forbes, Vanity Fair, the New York Times and the Washington Post, along with independent watchdog and public advocacy groups have exhaustively detailed how Trump and his family have personally profited from his presidency.
Trump's adult children have become tens of millions of dollars richer from business partnerships and other financial ventures made possible by their father's presidency. Trump's company — which he still owns and controls — has received tens of millions of dollars (if not more) from direct payments to his hotels and other properties made by foreign countries.
Trump is also personally enriching himself through direct transfers to his businesses from the American people when he charges the Secret Service and other government agencies for staying at his properties.
Trump claims to be a billionaire. Like other wealthy Americans who pay less in taxes than poor and working-class people, Trump's own tax documents reveal that he paid only $750 in federal taxes in 2016 and 2017. In 10 of the previous 15 years, he paid no income taxes at all.
The Trump regime and the Republican Party have systematically expanded their destruction of workers' rights, unions, the environment and public health and safety more generally. Coronavirus relief efforts were intentionally sabotaged and undermined by denying resources and other support to Democratic-led states and cities.
Trump's corruption and general malfeasance are indicative of a much larger problem in American society where the country's political and financial elites live by laws and norms which they created for their own benefit. Such an arrangement can be reasonably described as legal theft: There is one set of rules in America for the rich and another set of rules for everyone else.
In that way, Donald Trump represents a unique opportunity that may never be repeated in American history for the gangster capitalists, plutocrats and the other elements of what Noam Chomsky describes as the RECD ("really existing capitalist democracy") to become even richer and powerful by looting the government and further destroying civil society, the commons, and the other social and political institutions and norms that are prerequisites for a humane society.
How are such an abominably unjust set of outcomes made to appear legitimate and normal to the American people? To cite one example, benign-sounding language about a supposed "K-shaped recovery" is used to describe extreme income and wealth inequality, and the reality that America's millionaires and billionaires have enriched themselves through the human and financial destruction caused by the coronavirus pandemic.
To further legitimate such injustice, minimum wage and working-class people in the service industries are described as "heroes" and "essential workers" in the PR newspeak of the corporations, the mainstream news media and the political classes. In reality these "essential workers" are treated as disposable human beings to be sacrificed in the death cult of capitalism.
In total, "coronavirus-fascism" has shone an ever starker light on how American society in the Age of Trump has become a full-on pathocracy, one rapidly approaching a moment when it cannot be cured or otherwise redeemed.
Ralph Nader has been fighting for the freedoms and rights of the American people for six decades. He is an author, attorney, consumer advocate and activist, as well as a five-time presidential candidate. (His still-controversial Green Party campaign in 2000 has been blamed, fairly or otherwise, for the razor-thin margin of votes in Florida that elected George W. Bush.) Nader's new book (with co-author Mark Green) is "Wrecking America: How Trump's Lawbreaking and Lies Betray All."
In this conversation, Nader explains how the plutocrats and the CEO class are benefiting from the coronavirus pandemic and why America's mainstream media and other voices have largely been silent, if not complicit. Nader also warns that voting for the Democratic Party (which he describes as the "lesser of two evils") helped to create the disaster that is the Age of Trump. He offers a case for why the Democratic Party (along with "liberals" and "progressives" more generally) lacks the necessary energy and language to defeat Trumpism and the Republican Party's decades-long assault on social democracy.
You can also listen to my conversation with Ralph Nader on my podcast "The Truth Report" or through the player embedded below.
Given your decades of experience in politics and social change work, is there a moment when you feel like American society went off the rails? When things were truly broken and got us to where we are today, with the Age of Trump and American fascism?
It went off the rails when the Republicans and the right wing stole the 2000 election from Al Gore and blamed the Green Party, including me. The 2000 election was a judicial coup d'état led by [Justice Antonin] Scalia. It was one of the most criminogenic political decisions one can imagine. Scalia could not even defend his own decision. Subsequently, the 2000 election also helped to create eight years of a George W. Bush presidency. The result of the 2000 election was a huge increase in judicial power, in essence creating a group of unelected tyrants — and that problem is only going to get worse with Trump going forward.
And of course, one must acknowledge all of the public policies that resulted from Bush being "elected" in 2000. A mockery has been made out of elections and the law. There is now unchallenged gerrymandering by the Republicans. Trump, like George W. Bush, also won the election with the Electoral College. The Republicans have flattened the Democratic Party at almost every turn. The Democrats are the only political party standing in the way of massive Republican corporate domination of our society. In 1938 Franklin Donald Roosevelt described what we are witnessing with today's Republican Party as "fascism."
What do the Republicans understand about power, raw power, that the Democrats do not?
The Republicans have more energy. They go for the jugular, while the Democrats go for the capillaries. One example: Do you know any Democratic senator that has as much drive and maniacal energy as Mitch McConnell? Can you compare the Koch brothers with George Soros? The Republicans transformed the judiciary. They've elected a president in the form of Donald Trump who lost the popular vote. They've got their own "news" network in the form of Fox. Where is the counterpart for Democrats or the left and progressives?
Donald Trump and the plutocracy, in a country controlled by gangster capitalism, is a moral obscenity. There are long breadlines. The very rich have only become richer because of the coronavirus pandemic. Social inequality overall is worsening. How can the news media and other members of the mainstream media — and the Democrats, liberals and progressives — speak more clearly about these obscenities? Or are voices in the media and elsewhere just too scared to tell the truth about the depth of the crisis?
The corporate media types and as well as the Democrats need to open a dictionary and read it carefully. They collectively lack the language that can adequately describe the grotesque, vicious, cruel and omnicidal things that are going on in America today.
Here is one example. What are they calling massive unprecedented hurricanes, droughts, floods, sea level increase and wildfires? "Climate change." You see that language everywhere. I tried to get environmental groups to use better language such as "climate chaos," "climate destruction" and "climate catastrophe." Do you know who coined the phrase "climate change"? The right-wing wordsmith Frank Luntz. In 2002 he told conservatives and other elements of the right wing, "This phrase, 'global warming,' is too alarming. We got to find another phrase." They said, "What phrase?" He said, "Let's call it 'climate change'. It sounds like the seasons: Autumn, winter, spring, summer." Democrats and environmental groups lapped up that phrase like a cat drinking milk.
Another weak example of language is calling something "problematic" when it should be described as "terrible" or "grotesque." Here is another example: Instead of plainly saying that right-wing corporatists are lying, the mainstream media types and the Democratic Party will say it's "magical thinking." Instead of saying something is really obstructive and bad, they will substitute "challenging."
How is the coronavirus pandemic and this season of death an opportunity for gangster capitalists here in America and around the world? Trump, the Republicans and the right are leading a literal death cult where the solution is to go out and die for "the economy."
As things get worse in America, criminally bad in fact, big business gets stronger. That is the trend. It did not happen in the 1930s, by the way. It didn't happen in the 1960s either. But big business counterattacked and they took control of Congress. Congress is the only tool left to take on gigantic corporations and the corporatocracy and its criminal, omnicidal behavior.
One would think that more of these progressive groups would focus on Congress? No. They put out exposés. They denounce corporate crime on Wall Street. They have marches and all the energy goes up into the ether.
Those forces are scamming the American people. They began looting, stealing and cheating the public the very minute that the United States government began its so-called relief efforts. A public flood of money was released, and even the best reporters and journalists cannot keep up with all of the corruption. Big business is getting this "relief" money directly. Even subsidiaries of right-wing corporatists such as the Koch brothers are getting this money.
The corporatists have crowded out the attempts of liberals and progressives and others to focus on winning a living wage, universal health care, and other policies that would help the American people. That is a sign of a crumbling society. It is when the big crooks not only get away with the obscenities with impunity, but they actually come out of the disaster stronger and more dominant.
We are seeing huge numbers of small businesses going bankrupt in this country because of the economic devastation caused by the pandemic. Amazon will be bigger. Facebook will be bigger. Google will be bigger. ExxonMobil will be bigger. There are going to be fewer but more strong and larger giant drug companies, giant banks and giant insurance companies.
How did the social Darwinist ethic that profits matter more than people take hold in late-20th and early 21st century America?
The countervailing forces were broken. They broke the labor movement. They weakened and blocked the consumer movement. They broke the use of the tort system.
What does it mean to be a progressive or a liberal in this perilous time?
To be a liberal or a progressive in this moment means to take on giant corporations that have taken over government and used it as a type of personal bank, and turned the rest of the government against the American people. In total, it is a type of corporate state fascism. It is here right now. And it is just becoming deeper and more powerful.
If Donald Trump is defeated, his voters and other supporters are not going to disappear. Public opinion and other social science research show that there are tens of millions of people in America, almost all white, who are authoritarians. What do you think the Trumpists want? What is their vision of America?
Donald Trump's supporters want a White America. Trump has increased their numbers and power. Trump wants civil strife. Trump is the chief inciter of domestic terrorism and violence in this country. Trump has given his supporters and their racism and other antisocial behavior much more visibility and helped to grow their numbers. Many of Trump's supporters are literally white supremacists. Many of the men are angry, because in their minds, women have rejected them. They are very alienated. Many of them have lost their jobs. Trump's supporters see no future for themselves. So they get a feeling of empowerment and feel consoled for their problems by joining a cult-like group. It makes them feel powerful. These Trump supporters also have weapons. We saw what Trump's followers are capable of in Michigan.
Noam Chomsky, Cornel West and other notable voices on the left have made a compelling argument that all people of conscience must vote for Joe Biden and the Democrats as a way of stopping Donald Trump so that the country and the world can be saved. What are your thoughts on that strategy? Should the left disregard its longstanding critiques and concerns and choose to support Biden?
I am not openly supporting Joe Biden. But I am going to oppose Donald Trump. The Electoral College makes it simple. In the solid red and blue states a person can vote for the Green Party. But in the swing states, you have to vote for Joe Biden. I also believe that people should only vote their conscience. They should only vote for the people they believe in. When you vote for the least of two evils, the worst evil ends up dominating the least evil. As an example, when you vote for a Democrat as the lesser of two evils, what has been the result? The Republicans control most state governments, the U.S. Senate and the White House.
If Joe Biden wins on Election Day and Trump actually leaves office, I am deeply concerned that the public's expectations are going to be too high. The American people will end up depressed and spent because a return to "normal" did not solve the many problems that Trump both created and also made worse. If Donald Trump somehow manages through means illegal and quasi-legal to "win" the election and stay in power, then the American people will experience something akin to a collective nervous breakdown. Most will just surrender to Trumpism and American fascism and learned helplessness.
The premise of your observation is that you can beat the fight out of the American people. As in other countries, we have seen that happen. Unfortunately, in America more and more of the people do in fact look defeated, with a few exceptions, Donald Trump has pummeled the American people into submission. Is American-style fascism possible? Of course. There are pockets of it all over the country — and now in the federal government and elsewhere at the highest levels here in America.
You have been a truth-teller, an activist, an organizer, a candidate and involved in social change work more generally for a very long time. How do you sustain the energy and drive?
The easy answer is that I do not like white flags. I do not like surrender. I don't like bullies. It is in my DNA. I also keep foremost in my mind images of the people who I am trying to champion, defend and protect. In my mind I always see that coal miner dying of black lung disease spitting up black soot and blood.


alternet--2020-10-26--The Mark Burnett reality TV presidency

The Mark Burnett reality TV presidency

We can now be reasonably sure that we have more accurate information about President Donald J. Trump 's financial situation—that he has often paid remarkably little in taxes , that he is not as successful a businessman as he has frequently claimed , and that he may soon have to come up with money to pay off huge debts .
However , as a historian of entrepreneurship , I find the most interesting revelation is that the British-born but self-proclaimed self-made American Mark Burnett rescued Trump when he picked the future president for a starring role on The Apprentice , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ television show followed Burnett 's Survivor ( 2000- ) but preceded Shark Tank ( 2009- ) .
From a working-class background and without a college education , Burnett arrived in the United States in 1982 .
He quickly persuaded a wealthy Beverly Hills family to hire him as a nanny , having convinced them that his experience as a member of an elite paratrooper force in Ireland and the Falkland Islands meant they were getting a nanny and security guard all-in-one .
A job as a nanny for a second wealthy family , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to hone his skills as an apprentice to the household 's head who provided contacts and information and , eventually , a job in his insurance office .
That job helped Burnett realize such employment would neither make him rich nor sate his adventuresome restlessness .
A critical element in the narrative of his own life that Burnett has offered was the role Trump played in motivating him .
He insisted that reading The Art of the Deal ( 1987 ) had inspired him `` to jump in , take risks , and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ '' Trump returned the favor , not only by agreeing to star in The Apprentice , but also by writing an introduction to Burnett 's Jump In !
Even If You Do n't Know How to Swim ( 2005 ) , which the real estate tycoon described as `` the inspirational rags-to-riches story of an American immigrant . ''
Burnett , he continued , was someone who `` transformed hard work and an inspired vision into the realization of the American dream . ''
The values Burnett promoted in Survivor , The Apprentice @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and Trump shared .
However , though they were reliable in producing successful reality TV programs , they do not work as well in governing a nation in crisis or in sustaining a Hollywood career .
As Ben Smith wrote in the New York Times on October 19th , 2020 , `` like his greatest creation , Mr. Trump—who sought and then lost an idiotic ratings war on Thursday night with Joe Biden—Mr .
Burnett seems to be struggling to keep his grip on the cultural moment . ''
It has now been @ @ @ @ @ @ @ it big .
Both of them have done their best to deploy religion to shore up their careers .
Recently Trump controversially , and some say cynically , held up a Bible for a photo op at St. John 's Church .
In 2013 Burnett produced The Bible for the History Channel , casting his third wife , Roma Downey , as the Virgin Mary .
`` An earnest but shallow take on the Greatest Story ever Told , '' one commentator remarked , `` The Bible suffers from leaden pacing and mediocre @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Trump as the host of The Apprentice assured Burnett 's success as a television producer but more significantly for the nation and the world helped rescue Trump from an uncertain economic fate and eventually elevated him into the presidency .
Burnett had contributed to Barack Obama 's campaign but resisted pressure in late 2016 to release potentially damaging tapes of The Apprentice that ended up on the cutting room floor .
During the fall of 2016 Burnett criticized Trump when he remarked that `` my wife and I reject the hatred , division @ @ @ @ @ @ @ unfortunate part of his campaign . ''
Once Trump was in the White House , Burnett danced a delicate dance to avoid alienating the president and harming his own brand .
Before Trump began firing people on The Apprentice , his brand , especially outside the world of real estate , was not very valuable .
That changed dramatically in the show 's first year , when his appearances brought him almost $ 12 million , a figure that increased dramatically to almost $ 48 million in 2005 .
From that high point @ @ @ @ @ @ @ may well have launched his successful bid for the presidency not seeking to achieve that high office , but to restore the luster and power of his brand .
Whether or not entrepreneurship can rescue the nation from the intertwined threats of the COVID-19 pandemic , an economic meltdown , and a potentially contested election outcome remains to be seen .
So far , it appears that what is needed is less neoliberal self-government in which entrepreneurship plays the central role and more vigorous action by the federal government .
Moreover , it @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and Trump have wrought .
On November 3rd , American voters will have to decide whether Trump will be a survivor or whether they want to say to the apprentice president , `` You 're Fired . ''

We can now be reasonably sure that we have more accurate information about President Donald J. Trump's financial situation—that he has often paid remarkably little in taxes, that he is not as successful a businessman as he has frequently claimed, and that he may soon have to come up with money to pay off huge debts. However, as a historian of entrepreneurship, I find the most interesting revelation is that the British-born but self-proclaimed self-made American Mark Burnett rescued Trump when he picked the future president for a starring role on The Apprentice, which launched in 2004. This reality television show followed Burnett's Survivor (2000- ) but preceded Shark Tank (2009- ).
From a working-class background and without a college education, Burnett arrived in the United States in 1982. He quickly persuaded a wealthy Beverly Hills family to hire him as a nanny, having convinced them that his experience as a member of an elite paratrooper force in Ireland and the Falkland Islands meant they were getting a nanny and security guard all-in-one. A job as a nanny for a second wealthy family, this time in Malibu, enabled him to hone his skills as an apprentice to the household's head who provided contacts and information and, eventually, a job in his insurance office. That job helped Burnett realize such employment would neither make him rich nor sate his adventuresome restlessness.
A critical element in the narrative of his own life that Burnett has offered was the role Trump played in motivating him. He insisted that reading The Art of the Deal (1987) had inspired him "to jump in, take risks, and pursue a career as an entrepreneur." Trump returned the favor, not only by agreeing to star in The Apprentice, but also by writing an introduction to Burnett's Jump In! Even If You Don't Know How to Swim (2005), which the real estate tycoon described as "the inspirational rags-to-riches story of an American immigrant." Burnett, he continued, was someone who "transformed hard work and an inspired vision into the realization of the American dream." The values Burnett promoted in Survivor, The Apprentice, and Shark Tank were ones Burnett and Trump shared. However, though they were reliable in producing successful reality TV programs, they do not work as well in governing a nation in crisis or in sustaining a Hollywood career.
As Ben Smith wrote in the New York Times on October 19th, 2020, "like his greatest creation, Mr. Trump—who sought and then lost an idiotic ratings war on Thursday night with Joe Biden—Mr. Burnett seems to be struggling to keep his grip on the cultural moment." It has now been almost ten years since Burnett last hit it big. Both of them have done their best to deploy religion to shore up their careers. Recently Trump controversially, and some say cynically, held up a Bible for a photo op at St. John's Church. In 2013 Burnett produced The Bible for the History Channel, casting his third wife, Roma Downey, as the Virgin Mary. "An earnest but shallow take on the Greatest Story ever Told," one commentator remarked, "The Bible suffers from leaden pacing and mediocre special effects."
The selection of Trump as the host of The Apprentice assured Burnett's success as a television producer but more significantly for the nation and the world helped rescue Trump from an uncertain economic fate and eventually elevated him into the presidency. Burnett had contributed to Barack Obama's campaign but resisted pressure in late 2016 to release potentially damaging tapes of The Apprentice that ended up on the cutting room floor. During the fall of 2016 Burnett criticized Trump when he remarked that "my wife and I reject the hatred, division and misogyny that has been a very unfortunate part of his campaign." Once Trump was in the White House, Burnett danced a delicate dance to avoid alienating the president and harming his own brand.
Before Trump began firing people on The Apprentice, his brand, especially outside the world of real estate, was not very valuable. That changed dramatically in the show's first year, when his appearances brought him almost $12 million, a figure that increased dramatically to almost $48 million in 2005. From that high point, the numbers drifted downward and he may well have launched his successful bid for the presidency not seeking to achieve that high office, but to restore the luster and power of his brand.
Whether or not entrepreneurship can rescue the nation from the intertwined threats of the COVID-19 pandemic, an economic meltdown, and a potentially contested election outcome remains to be seen. So far, it appears that what is needed is less neoliberal self-government in which entrepreneurship plays the central role and more vigorous action by the federal government.
Moreover, it remains to be seen what results Burnett and Trump have wrought. On November 3rd, American voters will have to decide whether Trump will be a survivor or whether they want to say to the apprentice president, "You're Fired."


alternet--2020-10-26--Here's what psychologists say about Trump's overly large, narcissistic signature

Many have commented on the oddity of Donald Trump 's huge and illegible signature .
When Trump announced his candidacy , I was reminded of the time in about 1988 when his handwriting was analyzed by Felix Klein , a world-renowned graphologist , author and court-recognized document examiner .
It was during a master-level seminar that I attended in NYC while pursuing my doctoral degree in clinical psychology .
I had become interested in graphology several years earlier after reading that it was taught in European and Israeli graduate-level psychology programs and used clinically and for business personnel selection .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ clinical projective tests , such as the House-Tree-Person and Kinetic Family Drawings Test , shared many interpretative similarities with gestalt handwriting analysis .
Although children learn cursive using a standard writing form template ( New York schools through the 1960 's taught the Palmer Method or one of its derivatives ) , within a year or so most children 's writing starts to differentiate from that model .
These writing changes , which are unconscious symbolic representations , can reveal a person 's developmental history , either positive , when their physical and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , if they were not .
Personality characteristics and subsequent behaviors are largely determined by our primal and childhood experiences , for better or worse .
Klein had presented our study group with a full page of Trump 's adult handwriting , with only his gender , age ( about 40 ) and handedness ( right ) , but without his signature which might identify him .
We were all taken aback , having not seen anything quite like it before , and we each took a turn analyzing it .
After this @ @ @ @ @ @ @ was and showed us Trump 's overly large , narcissistic signature ( with which we are all too familiar now , as he loves to show it off when he signs bills ) .
Klein began his analysis saying that Trump 's writing revealed his immense insecurity , aggressiveness and rigid inability to think and perceive the world accurately .
He said Trump was grandiose , extremely narcissistic and paranoid , so much so that he considered him delusional .
Moreover , Trump was unable to relate to other humans with any degree @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to him were objects , only useful to feed his insatiable need for adoration and attention .
In looking specifically at his signature , Klein explained that Trump 's rigidly angular letter connections formed what he called shark 's teeth , which is indicative of rage and the capacity for extremely aggressive , acting out behaviors .
Now I should explain that Felix Klein was a very soft-spoken and mild-mannered gentleman in the old-school Viennese tradition .
However , as he continued to speak , he became visibly upset and agitated which surprised @ @ @ @ @ @ @ I said something to the effect that , since Trump was just a vulgar real estate developer , there was no need to get upset .
He continued that Trump was a very dangerous individual , capable of all manner of criminal behavior and was a menace to society .
He went on to say that Trump was hypomanic and determined to get whatever he wanted , describing him as a `` screaming locomotive running down the tracks without breaks , '' adding , `` and God help anyone who tries to stop @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to talk him down without success , whereupon he stopped me in my tracks , with these unforgettable , exact next words : `` I 've probably examined well over 200,000 handwriting samples over more than 60 years , and Trump 's writing is one of the worst I 've ever seen .
In fact , the only writing that comes to mind that is as bad is Charles Manson 's . ''
To say I was dumbfounded would not be an exaggeration , but I have had a long time to reflect @ @ @ @ @ @ @ as this presidency has proven him right .
I believe Trump 's writing triggered such a strong emotional reaction because of the year Klein had spent in Dachau and Buchenwald concentration camps where he was forced to `` entertain '' his captors by analyzing their handwriting at their parties .
I can not imagine if he were still alive how he would have reacted to Trump becoming president , not to mention his setting up his own `` concentration camps '' and traumatizing little children by separating them from their parents and placing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ re-election is looking more remote and his legal and financial predicaments are looming large and threatening to destroy him , I am left fearing how he might react to defeat .
Being so desperate and vindictive , he is capable of extreme destructiveness , not just of our democracy and its governmental agencies , but as Commander-in-Chief much worse .
This is the reason I am putting out an analysis that was done over 30 years ago , which resonates as uncannily accurate today .
I can only hope that the danger we @ @ @ @ @ @ @ are prepared to fight for our country and our very lives .

Many have commented on the oddity of Donald Trump's huge and illegible signature. When Trump announced his candidacy, I was reminded of the time in about 1988 when his handwriting was analyzed by Felix Klein, a world-renowned graphologist, author and court-recognized document examiner. It was during a master-level seminar that I attended in NYC while pursuing my doctoral degree in clinical psychology. I had become interested in graphology several years earlier after reading that it was taught in European and Israeli graduate-level psychology programs and used clinically and for business personnel selection. I was further intrigued after learning how clinical projective tests, such as the House-Tree-Person and Kinetic Family Drawings Test, shared many interpretative similarities with gestalt handwriting analysis. Although children learn cursive using a standard writing form template (New York schools through the 1960's taught the Palmer Method or one of its derivatives), within a year or so most children's writing starts to differentiate from that model. These writing changes, which are unconscious symbolic representations, can reveal a person's developmental history, either positive, when their physical and emotional needs were met, or traumatic, if they were not. Personality characteristics and subsequent behaviors are largely determined by our primal and childhood experiences, for better or worse.
Klein had presented our study group with a full page of Trump's adult handwriting, with only his gender, age (about 40) and handedness (right), but without his signature which might identify him. We were all taken aback, having not seen anything quite like it before, and we each took a turn analyzing it. After this exercise, Klein revealed who the writer was and showed us Trump's overly large, narcissistic signature (with which we are all too familiar now, as he loves to show it off when he signs bills). Klein began his analysis saying that Trump's writing revealed his immense insecurity, aggressiveness and rigid inability to think and perceive the world accurately. He said Trump was grandiose, extremely narcissistic and paranoid, so much so that he considered him delusional. Moreover, Trump was unable to relate to other humans with any degree of emotional attachment or consideration. People to him were objects, only useful to feed his insatiable need for adoration and attention. In looking specifically at his signature, Klein explained that Trump's rigidly angular letter connections formed what he called shark's teeth, which is indicative of rage and the capacity for extremely aggressive, acting out behaviors.
Now I should explain that Felix Klein was a very soft-spoken and mild-mannered gentleman in the old-school Viennese tradition. However, as he continued to speak, he became visibly upset and agitated which surprised me. Attempting to calm him, I said something to the effect that, since Trump was just a vulgar real estate developer, there was no need to get upset. He continued that Trump was a very dangerous individual, capable of all manner of criminal behavior and was a menace to society. He went on to say that Trump was hypomanic and determined to get whatever he wanted, describing him as a "screaming locomotive running down the tracks without breaks," adding, "and God help anyone who tries to stop him!" Once again I tried to talk him down without success, whereupon he stopped me in my tracks, with these unforgettable, exact next words: "I've probably examined well over 200,000 handwriting samples over more than 60 years, and Trump's writing is one of the worst I've ever seen. In fact, the only writing that comes to mind that is as bad is Charles Manson's."
To say I was dumbfounded would not be an exaggeration, but I have had a long time to reflect on why Klein became so upset, as this presidency has proven him right. I believe Trump's writing triggered such a strong emotional reaction because of the year Klein had spent in Dachau and Buchenwald concentration camps where he was forced to "entertain" his captors by analyzing their handwriting at their parties. I cannot imagine if he were still alive how he would have reacted to Trump becoming president, not to mention his setting up his own "concentration camps" and traumatizing little children by separating them from their parents and placing them in cages.
As Trump's re-election is looking more remote and his legal and financial predicaments are looming large and threatening to destroy him, I am left fearing how he might react to defeat. Being so desperate and vindictive, he is capable of extreme destructiveness, not just of our democracy and its governmental agencies, but as Commander-in-Chief much worse. This is the reason I am putting out an analysis that was done over 30 years ago, which resonates as uncannily accurate today. I can only hope that the danger we face is clearly understood, so we are prepared to fight for our country and our very lives.


alternet--2020-10-26--Trump plans to fire Gina Haspel, Christopher Wray and Mark Esper immediately if reelected: report

Although former Vice President Joe Biden has a variety of possible paths to victory on Election Day , President Donald Trump might pull off a narrow Electoral College victory if he performs well in enough swing states — and if Trump does win a second term , according to Axios reporters Jonathan Swan and Alayna Treene , he plans to fire FBI Director Christopher Wray , CIA Director Gina Haspel and Defense Secretary Mark Esper immediately .
Swan and Treene report that according to two sources who have talked to Trump , those three officials are at the top of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ if he is reelected .
`` The list of planned replacements is much longer , but these are Trump 's priorities , starting with Wray , '' the Axios reporters explain .
`` Wray and Haspel are despised and distrusted almost universally in Trump 's inner circle .
He would have fired both already , one official said , if not for the political headaches of acting before November 3 . ''
After the 2018 midterms , Trump fired Attorney General Jeff Sessions .
And Swan and Treene note that winning a second @ @ @ @ @ @ @ anyone he sees as constraining him from enacting desired policies or going after perceived enemies . ''
Trump has recently expressed disappointment with Attorney General William Barr , which is ironic in light of how aggressively he has defended the president with everything from the Mueller Report to the Ukraine scandal .
But according to one of Axios ' sources , Barr is n't on Trump 's immediate chopping block even though the president has been ranting and raving against him .
Swan and Treene note , `` Trump is furious that Barr @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Trump hoped would be a bombshell report by U.S. Attorney John Durham on the Obama Administration 's handling of the Trump-Russia investigation .
Durham 's investigation has yet to produce any high-profile indictments of Obama-era officials as Trump had hoped . ''
According to Swan and Treene , Trump `` has never been impressed with Education Secretary Betsy DeVos… .
But that does n't carry the urgency of replacing Wray or Haspel . ''
Trump is angry with Wray , the Axios reporters note , because he did n't launch a formal investigation @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
And Trump is angry with Haspel , they report , `` for opposing the declassification of documents that would help the Justice Department 's Durham Report . ''
One of Axios ' sources told the publication , `` Since the beginning of DNI 's push to declassify documents , and how strongly she feels about protecting sources connected to those materials , there have been rumblings around the agency that the director plans to depart the CIA regardless of who wins the election . ''

Although former Vice President Joe Biden has a variety of possible paths to victory on Election Day, President Donald Trump might pull off a narrow Electoral College victory if he performs well in enough swing states — and if Trump does win a second term, according to Axios reporters Jonathan Swan and Alayna Treene, he plans to fire FBI Director Christopher Wray, CIA Director Gina Haspel and Defense Secretary Mark Esper immediately.
Swan and Treene report that according to two sources who have talked to Trump, those three officials are at the top of Trump's list of officials to fire if he is reelected.
"The list of planned replacements is much longer, but these are Trump's priorities, starting with Wray," the Axios reporters explain. "Wray and Haspel are despised and distrusted almost universally in Trump's inner circle. He would have fired both already, one official said, if not for the political headaches of acting before November 3."
After the 2018 midterms, Trump fired Attorney General Jeff Sessions. And Swan and Treene note that winning a second term will "embolden Trump to ax anyone he sees as constraining him from enacting desired policies or going after perceived enemies."
Trump has recently expressed disappointment with Attorney General William Barr, which is ironic in light of how aggressively he has defended the president with everything from the Mueller Report to the Ukraine scandal. But according to one of Axios' sources, Barr isn't on Trump's immediate chopping block even though the president has been ranting and raving against him.
Swan and Treene note, "Trump is furious that Barr isn't releasing before the election what Trump hoped would be a bombshell report by U.S. Attorney John Durham on the Obama Administration's handling of the Trump-Russia investigation. Durham's investigation has yet to produce any high-profile indictments of Obama-era officials as Trump had hoped."
According to Swan and Treene, Trump "has never been impressed with Education Secretary Betsy DeVos…. But that doesn't carry the urgency of replacing Wray or Haspel."
Trump is angry with Wray, the Axios reporters note, because he didn't launch a formal investigation of Hunter Biden's foreign business connections. And Trump is angry with Haspel, they report, "for opposing the declassification of documents that would help the Justice Department's Durham Report."
One of Axios' sources told the publication, "Since the beginning of DNI's push to declassify documents, and how strongly she feels about protecting sources connected to those materials, there have been rumblings around the agency that the director plans to depart the CIA regardless of who wins the election."


alternet--2020-10-26--Trump accuses media of ‘election law violation’ for reporting on COVID pandemic

President Donald Trump on Monday accused the American media of trying to illegally interfere in the 2020 presidential election by @ @ @ @ @ coronavirus pandemic .
`` We have made tremendous progress with the China Virus , but @ @ @ @ @ talk about it this close to the Election , '' the president wrote .
`` @ @ @ @ @ is being used by them , in total coordination , in order to change our @ @ @ @ @ Should be an election law violation ! ''
The president 's accusations against the news @ @ @ @ @ number of new COVID-19 infections hit a record high over the weekend .
According to @ @ @ @ @ there have been an average of 68,954 infections per day over the past seven days @ @ @ @ @ infections are hitting record highs , the president has continued to claim that the United @ @ @ @ @ corner '' on the pandemic .

President Donald Trump on Monday accused the American media of trying to illegally interfere in the 2020 presidential election by accurately report on the novel coronavirus pandemic.
"We have made tremendous progress with the China Virus, but the Fake News refuses to talk about it this close to the Election," the president wrote. "COVID, COVID, COVID is being used by them, in total coordination, in order to change our great early election numbers. Should be an election law violation!"
The president's accusations against the news media comes as the average number of new COVID-19 infections hit a record high over the weekend.
According to the COVID-19 Tracking Project, there have been an average of 68,954 infections per day over the past seven days.
Despite the fact that infections are hitting record highs, the president has continued to claim that the United States has "rounded the corner" on the pandemic.


alternet--2020-10-27--Polling guru who predicted Trump's 2016 victory: 'We’re watching an incumbent self-destruct'

With Election Day just one week away , polls signal that Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden will take the Oval Office .
President Donald Trump 's supporters are pointing to the outcome of the 2016 election in hopes that the president will defy the odds .
Democratic voters are also on edge because they , too , vividly remember the upsetting outcome of that election .
Now , the polling guru who predicted Trump 's 2016 win is admitting that he , too , is betting on a Biden win .
During a recent interview , Dave Wasserman , a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ via the non-partisan Cook Political Report , has revealed just how difficult it will be for Trump to win the upcoming election .
According to Vanity Fair columnist Mark McKinnon , the takeaway was clear : the president will need an electoral sweep to beat Biden and it does not appear that will happen .
After talking with him I came away with the sense that Trump is not just toast , but burnt toast .
To use a poker metaphor : In the last election , Trump won by pulling an inside @ @ @ @ @ @ @ nothing short of a royal flush—by pulling an ace from his sleeve .
Wasserman outlined the differences between this election and the 2016 election that awarded Trump his first term .
`` There are a couple of important differences , '' Wasserman said , adding , `` At the district level , the polling that we 're seeing is pretty consistent ; it 's in line with the national polls that suggest that Donald Trump is underperforming his 2016 margins [ by ] anywhere from 8 to 10 points , with few exceptions @ @ @ @ @ @ @ between Biden and former Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton .
Wasserman added , `` There are a couple of exceptions : One is in really heavily Hispanic districts .
[ These ] are places where Donald Trump is approaching or even exceeding his 2016 performance .
But we also are seeing in really wealthy suburbs or highly white-collar , professional suburbs—even in traditionally conservative metro areas—that Joe Biden is doing 10 or more points better than Hillary Clinton did . ''
The poll expert also explained how Biden 's polls fair differently from @ @ @ @ @ @ @ compared the 2016 polls to the erratic diagrams you see on an EKG .
Unlike Clinton , who rarely maintained a consistent lead over Trump , Wasserman notes that `` Joe Biden has never been behind ; he 's had a fairly stable lead that 's ebbed around the margins . ''
So , what 's the bottom line ?
Wasserman believes Trump needs to `` win all of the states that are really close in the polls right now : Florida , Georgia , Texas , Ohio , Iowa , North Carolina @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ta break through in Wisconsin , Michigan , Pennsylvania , or Arizona to have a pathway to replicating his success in 2016 . ''
With all that has transpired , Wasserman is convinced that will not be an easy feat for the president because Biden appears to be `` doing better in Arizona than in Wisconsin or Pennsylvania . ''
Although Trump managed to snag the 2016 election , Wasserman believes what the American public is witnessing now is `` an incumbent self-destruct . ''

With Election Day just one week away, polls signal that Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden will take the Oval Office. President Donald Trump's supporters are pointing to the outcome of the 2016 election in hopes that the president will defy the odds. Democratic voters are also on edge because they, too, vividly remember the upsetting outcome of that election.
Now, the polling guru who predicted Trump's 2016 win is admitting that he, too, is betting on a Biden win. During a recent interview, Dave Wasserman, a polling expert who analyzes Congressional races polls via the non-partisan Cook Political Report, has revealed just how difficult it will be for Trump to win the upcoming election.
According to Vanity Fair columnist Mark McKinnon, the takeaway was clear: the president will need an electoral sweep to beat Biden and it does not appear that will happen.
After talking with him I came away with the sense that Trump is not just toast, but burnt toast. To use a poker metaphor: In the last election, Trump won by pulling an inside straight. This time he'll need nothing short of a royal flush—by pulling an ace from his sleeve.
Wasserman outlined the differences between this election and the 2016 election that awarded Trump his first term.
"There are a couple of important differences," Wasserman said, adding, "At the district level, the polling that we're seeing is pretty consistent; it's in line with the national polls that suggest that Donald Trump is underperforming his 2016 margins [by] anywhere from 8 to 10 points, with few exceptions."
He also noted important differences between Biden and former Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton.
Wasserman added, "There are a couple of exceptions: One is in really heavily Hispanic districts. [These] are places where Donald Trump is approaching or even exceeding his 2016 performance. But we also are seeing in really wealthy suburbs or highly white-collar, professional suburbs—even in traditionally conservative metro areas—that Joe Biden is doing 10 or more points better than Hillary Clinton did."
The poll expert also explained how Biden's polls fair differently from Clinton's polling in 2016. Wasserman compared the 2016 polls to the erratic diagrams you see on an EKG. Unlike Clinton, who rarely maintained a consistent lead over Trump, Wasserman notes that "Joe Biden has never been behind; he's had a fairly stable lead that's ebbed around the margins."
So, what's the bottom line? Wasserman believes Trump needs to "win all of the states that are really close in the polls right now: Florida, Georgia, Texas, Ohio, Iowa, North Carolina." and "he's gotta break through in Wisconsin, Michigan, Pennsylvania, or Arizona to have a pathway to replicating his success in 2016."
With all that has transpired, Wasserman is convinced that will not be an easy feat for the president because Biden appears to be "doing better in Arizona than in Wisconsin or Pennsylvania."
Although Trump managed to snag the 2016 election, Wasserman believes what the American public is witnessing now is "an incumbent self-destruct."


alternet--2020-10-27--Top brass at Fox News told to quarantine ahead of Election Day as COVID-19 cases hit network

The president of Fox News and several of the network 's top stars were advised to quarantine and undergo testing for COVID-19 after `` a few '' network employees were diagnosed with the disease .
Variety on Monday obtained an internal memo from Fox News Media CEO Suzanne Scott and Fox News President Jay Wallace , which states that anyone at the network who tests positive will be required to quarantine and adhere to `` mandatory guidelines '' before entering any company building .
The New York Times earlier reported that Wallace was among those whom had possibly been exposed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that we stay in close contact with those employees who have been affected and offer our complete support , '' the memo , which was later published in full , read .
The exposures reportedly included top political anchors Bret Baier and Martha MacCallum , who host the 6 and 7 p.m .
ET weekday time slots .
The two hosts shared a private flight last week with an infected individual while covering the final presidential debate in Nashville , according to The Times .
News of the potential high-profile exposures arrives as @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Election Day .
The internal memo stated that the cable news giant would `` be further reducing some of the workforce in our building and operating virtually wherever possible '' throughout the week ahead .
And it appears to have necessitated coverage changes .
`` Only those employees who are critical to that night 's production will be permitted '' inside the network 's New York headquarters on Nov. 3 , the memo obtained by Variety read .
It added that `` enhanced testing procedures '' and `` increased safety protocols '' would @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , it is crunch time , '' Baier told colleague Brian Kilmeade , acknowledging his exposure in a Monday radio interview .
`` I 've tested negative three times now , and I 'll be doing the show from home this week , '' he added .
`` And we 'll be in preparation for Election Day . ''
Citing the network 's desire to keep personal health information private , a Fox News representative declined to confirm any details about the reports to Salon .
`` Fox News Sunday '' anchor Chris @ @ @ @ @ @ @ close proximity to President Donald Trump , who announced his COVID-19 diagnosis a few days later .
According to The Times , Fox News had `` one of the largest in-person footprints '' of the outlets that covered the debates this year .
In addition to Baier , MacCallum , and Wallace , the private flight included Dana Perino and Juan Williams , both co-hosts of `` The Five . ''
Per the report , the on-air personalities were asked to carry out their hosting duties remotely from quarantine .
Network employees told @ @ @ @ @ @ @ public health guidelines , including on travel to events such as the debates .
Staff in Nashville were reportedly tested by the network , as well as by the Commission on Presidential Debates .
The network 's star personalities , including Sean Hannity and Laura Ingraham , appear to have gone out of their way to discredit advice from medical and public health experts .
This spring , the network as a whole demonstrated a far shorter attention span for the crisis than its competitors , significantly cutting back on air-time dedicated to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ who frequently pushed coronavirus misinformation on his audience , were more likely to die of COVID-19 than viewers of colleague , Tucker Carlson , according to a study released this spring .
New research later showed that Fox News hosts and guests had peddled misinformation about the coronavirus more than 250 times in the span of one five-day bloc .
The trend appears to apply to the network 's viewers , as well .
A study published in the British Medical Journal earlier this month found that Fox News viewers take fewer coronavirus @ @ @ @ @ @

The president of Fox News and several of the network's top stars were advised to quarantine and undergo testing for COVID-19 after "a few" network employees were diagnosed with the disease.
Variety on Monday obtained an internal memo from Fox News Media CEO Suzanne Scott and Fox News President Jay Wallace, which states that anyone at the network who tests positive will be required to quarantine and adhere to "mandatory guidelines" before entering any company building. The New York Times earlier reported that Wallace was among those whom had possibly been exposed during the flight.
"Please know that we stay in close contact with those employees who have been affected and offer our complete support," the memo, which was later published in full, read.
The exposures reportedly included top political anchors Bret Baier and Martha MacCallum, who host the 6 and 7 p.m. ET weekday time slots. The two hosts shared a private flight last week with an infected individual while covering the final presidential debate in Nashville, according to The Times.
News of the potential high-profile exposures arrives as the network gears up for coverage of Election Day. The internal memo stated that the cable news giant would "be further reducing some of the workforce in our building and operating virtually wherever possible" throughout the week ahead.
And it appears to have necessitated coverage changes. "Only those employees who are critical to that night's production will be permitted" inside the network's New York headquarters on Nov. 3, the memo obtained by Variety read. It added that "enhanced testing procedures" and "increased safety protocols" would be put into place.
"Yeah, it is crunch time," Baier told colleague Brian Kilmeade, acknowledging his exposure in a Monday radio interview.
"I've tested negative three times now, and I'll be doing the show from home this week," he added. "And we'll be in preparation for Election Day."
Citing the network's desire to keep personal health information private, a Fox News representative declined to confirm any details about the reports to Salon.
"Fox News Sunday" anchor Chris Wallace recently moderated the first debate in close proximity to President Donald Trump, who announced his COVID-19 diagnosis a few days later.
According to The Times, Fox News had "one of the largest in-person footprints" of the outlets that covered the debates this year. In addition to Baier, MacCallum, and Wallace, the private flight included Dana Perino and Juan Williams, both co-hosts of "The Five." Per the report, the on-air personalities were asked to carry out their hosting duties remotely from quarantine.
Network employees told The Times that their colleagues adhere to public health guidelines, including on travel to events such as the debates. Staff in Nashville were reportedly tested by the network, as well as by the Commission on Presidential Debates.
The network's star personalities, including Sean Hannity and Laura Ingraham, appear to have gone out of their way to discredit advice from medical and public health experts. This spring, the network as a whole demonstrated a far shorter attention span for the crisis than its competitors, significantly cutting back on air-time dedicated to the pandemic.
Viewers of Hannity, who frequently pushed coronavirus misinformation on his audience, were more likely to die of COVID-19 than viewers of colleague, Tucker Carlson, according to a study released this spring. New research later showed that Fox News hosts and guests had peddled misinformation about the coronavirus more than 250 times in the span of one five-day bloc.
The trend appears to apply to the network's viewers, as well. A study published in the British Medical Journal earlier this month found that Fox News viewers take fewer coronavirus safety precautions than CNN viewers.


alternet--2020-10-27--US Republican Party heading towards becoming one of world's most authoritarian factions: internation

US Republican Party heading towards becoming one of world's most authoritarian factions: international study

The U.S. Republican Party has been moving in an increasingly regressive and autocratic direction for over a decade and now more closely resembles far-right ruling parties in Turkey , Hungary , and India than typical center-right parties in Western European democracies , a Swedish study published Monday has found .
In the largest study of its kind , researchers at the Varities of Democracy ( V-Dem ) Institute at the University of Gothenburg found that since 2004 the Republican Party has `` retreated from upholding democratic norms '' and is shifting in an increasingly authoritarian direction , especially since the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ study found that the GOP is `` now more similar to autocratic ruling parties such as the Turkish AKP and Fidesz in Hungary than to typical center-right governing parties in democracies such as the Conservatives in the U.K. or CDU in Germany . ''
Other parties which the Republicans ' behavior resembles include the ruling BJP in India and PIS in Poland , according to the study .
V-Dem researchers examined political discourse of 1,955 parties across 1,560 elections in 169 countries between 1970 and 2019 to determine `` the extent of commitment @ @ @ @ @ @ @ before an election . ''
`` The Republican Party in 2018 was far more illiberal than almost all other governing parties in democracies , '' they found .
`` Only very few governing parties in democracies in this millennium ( 15 % ) were considered more illiberal than the Republican Party in the U.S. '' '' Conversely , the Democratic Party was rated slightly less illiberal than the typical party in democracies , '' the study stated .
It 's not just the Republicans who are moving toward authoritarianism .
Right-wing parties in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and the median ruling party in the 169 nations is more authoritarian now than in 2004 .
`` What we see is that the disrespect of political opponents , the encouragement of violence , and also the violation of minority rights ... they have all clearly increased with the Republican Party in recent years , since [ Trump ] came in the leadership but also before that , '' V-Dem deputy director Anna Luehrmann , one of the study 's lead authors , told CNN .
`` The disagreement is not any more @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
`` We see that at least one political group seems to go by : 'Take all means necessary to achieve our policy goals . '
''

The U.S. Republican Party has been moving in an increasingly regressive and autocratic direction for over a decade and now more closely resembles far-right ruling parties in Turkey, Hungary, and India than typical center-right parties in Western European democracies, a Swedish study published Monday has found.
In the largest study of its kind, researchers at the Varities of Democracy (V-Dem) Institute at the University of Gothenburg found that since 2004 the Republican Party has "retreated from upholding democratic norms" and is shifting in an increasingly authoritarian direction, especially since the ascension of President Donald Trump.
The study found that the GOP is "now more similar to autocratic ruling parties such as the Turkish AKP and Fidesz in Hungary than to typical center-right governing parties in democracies such as the Conservatives in the U.K. or CDU in Germany."
Other parties which the Republicans' behavior resembles include the ruling BJP in India and PIS in Poland, according to the study.
V-Dem researchers examined political discourse of 1,955 parties across 1,560 elections in 169 countries between 1970 and 2019 to determine "the extent of commitment to democratic norms that a party exhibits before an election."
"The Republican Party in 2018 was far more illiberal than almost all other governing parties in democracies," they found. "Only very few governing parties in democracies in this millennium (15%) were considered more illiberal than the Republican Party in the U.S."
"Conversely, the Democratic Party was rated slightly less illiberal than the typical party in democracies," the study stated.
It's not just the Republicans who are moving toward authoritarianism. Right-wing parties in many countries are also becoming more illiberal and the median ruling party in the 169 nations is more authoritarian now than in 2004.
"What we see is that the disrespect of political opponents, the encouragement of violence, and also the violation of minority rights... they have all clearly increased with the Republican Party in recent years, since [Trump] came in the leadership but also before that," V-Dem deputy director Anna Luehrmann, one of the study's lead authors, toldCNN.
"The disagreement is not any more just about policy," Luehrmann added. "We see that at least one political group seems to go by: 'Take all means necessary to achieve our policy goals.'"


alternet--2020-10-27--Texas GOP Gov. Abbott to deploy 1,000 National Guard troops for election

In a disturbing and possibly unprecedented move Republican Governor Greg Abbott will deploy 1000 National Guard troops into Texas cities for the presidential election next week .
`` The Texas Army National Guard said Monday it had been ordered to dispatch 1,000 troops to five major cities around the state in conjunction with the Nov. 3 election , '' MySanAntonio.com reports .
`` The guard in recent weeks had told the San Antonio Express-News that its commander , Maj. Gen. Tracy Norris , had been asked to draft contingency plans in case of trouble at polling places in major cities @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Democratic `` strongholds '' will be receiving the Guard units , including San Antonio , Austin , Houston , Dallas , and Fort Worth .
`` We have not been asked to go to any polling locations as of yet .
Now that could change , leading up to the election or after the election , '' a Texas Army National Guard spokesperson says .
Abbott has not released any information on this plan which some see as authoritarian voter intimidation .
The Texas governor is already under fire after reducing ballot boxes @ @ @ @ @ @

In a disturbing and possibly unprecedented move Republican Governor Greg Abbott will deploy 1000 National Guard troops into Texas cities for the presidential election next week.
"The Texas Army National Guard said Monday it had been ordered to dispatch 1,000 troops to five major cities around the state in conjunction with the Nov. 3 election," MySanAntonio.com reports.
"The guard in recent weeks had told the San Antonio Express-News that its commander, Maj. Gen. Tracy Norris, had been asked to draft contingency plans in case of trouble at polling places in major cities around the state."
Express-News reports Democratic "strongholds" will be receiving the Guard units, including San Antonio, Austin, Houston, Dallas, and Fort Worth.
"We have not been asked to go to any polling locations as of yet. Now that could change, leading up to the election or after the election," a Texas Army National Guard spokesperson says.
Abbott has not released any information on this plan which some see as authoritarian voter intimidation.
The Texas governor is already under fire after reducing ballot boxes to just one per county.


alternet--2020-10-27--Elizabeth Warren condemns GOP vote on Barrett as 'last gasp of a desperate party'

A `` talkathon '' on the U.S. Senate floor that began Sunday night continued Monday as Democratic senators did their best to protest and delay the final confirmation vote for Supreme Court nominee Amy Coney Barrett currently scheduled for 7:30 p.m. this evening .
With Barrett 's confirmation all but certain , Democrats said the talkathon was necessary to make clear to the public that the GOP is ramming through the confirmation of President Donald Trump 's third Supreme Court nominee in what Sen. Elizabeth Warren ( D-Mass . )
called `` a corrupt and illegitimate process . ''
Warren @ @ @ @ @ @ @ during the talkathon , appearing on the Senate floor late Sunday night and delivering a 17-minute speech on Barrett 's nomination as well as remarks on how the judge 's confirmation would harm Warren 's constituents .
The senator said the Republican Party 's impending confirmation of Barrett—against the dying wishes of the late Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg and the precedent set by Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell ( R-Ky. ) in 2016 when he refused to hold hearings on Judge Merrick Garland 's nomination—is `` the last gasp of a desperate party @ @ @ @ @ @ @ beholden to billionaires and extremists that is desperate to keep its grasp on power and willing to break any rule , any precedent , or any principle to hold onto that power just a little longer , '' said Warren , adding that the Democrats are well aware they can not stop Barrett 's confirmation at this point .
`` I 'm under no illusions here .
Democrats have fought tooth and nail , but the Republicans control the Senate .
The reason the Republicans are willing to break every rule to jam @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the election is that they have realized a truth that shakes them down to their core : the American people are not on their side . ''
The Senate Democrats previously held talkathons during the Trump administration to protest the confirmation of Education Secretary Betsy DeVos and Republicans ' attempt to repeal the Affordable Care Act ( ACA ) in 2017 .
With the Supreme Court set to hear a case on the healthcare law on Nov. 10—and Barrett on record as criticizing court decisions which have upheld the ACA—Warren said Republicans in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to strip healthcare from millions of people . ''
A vote for Barrett , she said , is `` a vote to turn back the clock on reproductive freedom .
To endanger Dreamers and immigrants .
To let climate change rampage unchecked .
To imperil efforts to address systemic racism .
To place workers ' rights , voting rights , LGBTQ rights , and gun violence prevention at risk . ''
`` Ultimately , it 's also a vote to rubber stamp an illegitimate process carried out against the wishes of much of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ deadly crisis that Senate Republicans have ignored as Americans have died , '' the senator added .
On Monday morning , Warren was joined by colleagues including Sens .
Tammy Baldwin ( D-Wis. ) , Kirsten Gillibrand ( D-N.Y. ) , and Chris Murphy ( D-Conn. ) —who along with Sen. Brian Schatz ( D-Hawaii ) spoke during the `` graveyard shift , '' appearing on the Senate floor between 2:00 and 5:00 a.m. Baldwin repeated a call—made by the American public , advocacy groups , and lawmakers for months—for Senate Republicans to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ small businesses get the relief they need during the coronavirus pandemic before pushing through a Supreme Court confirmation .
`` Right now people want action , support , and relief from Washington .
The House passed the HEROES Act over five months ago , '' Baldwin said .
`` Was there a rush for the Senate majority to take action to confront the public health and economic crisis that has only gotten worse since then ?
No .
This legislation has been sitting on the majority leader 's desk since May while businesses @ @ @ @ @ @ @ jobs , and hundreds of thousands of Americans have died . ''
Voters , Gillibrand said , `` sent us here to raise their voices , represent their interests , and provide them with the help that they need ...
Eight million Americans have fallen into poverty during this pandemic including an outsize number of people of color and children ... People are sick , they are struggling and scared about the future .
For months my fellow Democrats and I have been calling for a vote on the relief package the House @ @ @ @ @ @ @ we have been met with silence . ''
`` The weeks we should have dedicated to negotiating a real relief package have instead been spent rushing through the confirmation of a Supreme Court justice , '' the senator added .
`` The hypocrisy is truly stunning . ''

A "talkathon" on the U.S. Senate floor that began Sunday night continued Monday as Democratic senators did their best to protest and delay the final confirmation vote for Supreme Court nominee Amy Coney Barrett currently scheduled for 7:30 p.m. this evening.
With Barrett's confirmation all but certain, Democrats said the talkathon was necessary to make clear to the public that the GOP is ramming through the confirmation of President Donald Trump's third Supreme Court nominee in what Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) called "a corrupt and illegitimate process."
Warren was among the first senators to speak during the talkathon, appearing on the Senate floor late Sunday night and delivering a 17-minute speech on Barrett's nomination as well as remarks on how the judge's confirmation would harm Warren's constituents.
The senator said the Republican Party's impending confirmation of Barrett—against the dying wishes of the late Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg and the precedent set by Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) in 2016 when he refused to hold hearings on Judge Merrick Garland's nomination—is "the last gasp of a desperate party."
"This is a party beholden to billionaires and extremists that is desperate to keep its grasp on power and willing to break any rule, any precedent, or any principle to hold onto that power just a little longer," said Warren, adding that the Democrats are well aware they cannot stop Barrett's confirmation at this point. "I'm under no illusions here. Democrats have fought tooth and nail, but the Republicans control the Senate. The reason the Republicans are willing to break every rule to jam through an illegitimate nomination eight days before the election is that they have realized a truth that shakes them down to their core: the American people are not on their side."
The Senate Democrats previously held talkathons during the Trump administration to protest the confirmation of Education Secretary Betsy DeVos and Republicans' attempt to repeal the Affordable Care Act (ACA) in 2017. With the Supreme Court set to hear a case on the healthcare law on Nov. 10—and Barrett on record as criticizing court decisions which have upheld the ACA—Warren said Republicans in the Senate are preparing to "vote to strip healthcare from millions of people."
A vote for Barrett, she said, is "a vote to turn back the clock on reproductive freedom. To endanger Dreamers and immigrants. To let climate change rampage unchecked. To imperil efforts to address systemic racism. To place workers' rights, voting rights, LGBTQ rights, and gun violence prevention at risk."
"Ultimately, it's also a vote to rubber stamp an illegitimate process carried out against the wishes of much of the nation—and against the backdrop of a deadly crisis that Senate Republicans have ignored as Americans have died," the senator added.
On Monday morning, Warren was joined by colleagues including Sens. Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.), and Chris Murphy (D-Conn.)—who along with Sen. Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii) spoke during the "graveyard shift," appearing on the Senate floor between 2:00 and 5:00 a.m.
Baldwin repeated a call—made by the American public, advocacy groups, and lawmakers for months—for Senate Republicans to pass legislation to ensure American families and small businesses get the relief they need during the coronavirus pandemic before pushing through a Supreme Court confirmation.
"Right now people want action, support, and relief from Washington. The House passed the HEROES Act over five months ago," Baldwin said. "Was there a rush for the Senate majority to take action to confront the public health and economic crisis that has only gotten worse since then? No. This legislation has been sitting on the majority leader's desk since May while businesses have closed, millions have lost their jobs, and hundreds of thousands of Americans have died."
Voters, Gillibrand said, "sent us here to raise their voices, represent their interests, and provide them with the help that they need... Eight million Americans have fallen into poverty during this pandemic including an outsize number of people of color and children... People are sick, they are struggling and scared about the future. For months my fellow Democrats and I have been calling for a vote on the relief package the House put forward to address these concerns and we have been met with silence."
"The weeks we should have dedicated to negotiating a real relief package have instead been spent rushing through the confirmation of a Supreme Court justice," the senator added. "The hypocrisy is truly stunning."


alternet--2020-10-27--Here's how North Dakota plans to spend $1.25 billion in federal COVID relief — no, it's not on publi

Here's how North Dakota plans to spend $1.25 billion in federal COVID relief — no, it's not on public health

North Dakota got $ 1.25 billion in federal coronavirus relief through the CARES Act—money that 's supposed to go to `` necessary expenditures incurred due to the public health emergency with respect to the Coronavirus Disease 2019 . ''
Somehow , $ 16 million in fracking grants is getting wedged into that category .
The fracking money , which is to go toward new oil wells at $ 200,000 a pop , is being repurposed from an earlier plan to plug and clean up abandoned well sites .
That measure was intended to support between 300 and 550 jobs in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ agricultural use , and the state categorized it as small business relief .
The $ 66.7 million for that project was not even $ 20 million less than the state 's CARES Act spending on public health .
The $ 16 million now intended for fracking is more than six times the amount the state dedicated to rental assistance , or just under half the amount the state spent on community services like child care and meal services .
North Dakota officials say they still plan to finish the well-plugging project , but @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the winter when the ground freezes , subsidizing new oil wells will be the way to support jobs .
Or , in translation , give a handout to the oil industry .
New well opening has n't recently kept up with the 70 new wells a month it takes to maintain North Dakota 's oil production rate , but 846 wells are sitting there , drilled and not fracked—hence the fracking subsidy .
Get those wells open and protect North Dakota 's main industry rather than its people .
`` To take this @ @ @ @ @ @ @ wells is completely against the intention of what this money is supposed to be used for , which is to clean up a problem predating the Bakken , '' Dakota Resource Council Executive Director Scott Skokos told The Bismarck Tribune .
`` If they are going to do this , it represents essentially a large bailout to the oil industry that we as an organization would oppose . ''

North Dakota got $1.25 billion in federal coronavirus relief through the CARES Act—money that's supposed to go to "necessary expenditures incurred due to the public health emergency with respect to the Coronavirus Disease 2019." Somehow, $16 million in fracking grants is getting wedged into that category.
The fracking money, which is to go toward new oil wells at $200,000 a pop, is being repurposed from an earlier plan to plug and clean up abandoned well sites. That measure was intended to support between 300 and 550 jobs in the oil industry while reclaiming land for agricultural use, and the state categorized it as small business relief. The $66.7 million for that project was not even $20 million less than the state's CARES Act spending on public health. The $16 million now intended for fracking is more than six times the amount the state dedicated to rental assistance, or just under half the amount the state spent on community services like child care and meal services.
North Dakota officials say they still plan to finish the well-plugging project, but that as it needs to halt for the winter when the ground freezes, subsidizing new oil wells will be the way to support jobs. Or, in translation, give a handout to the oil industry.
New well opening hasn't recently kept up with the 70 new wells a month it takes to maintain North Dakota's oil production rate, but 846 wells are sitting there, drilled and not fracked—hence the fracking subsidy. Get those wells open and protect North Dakota's main industry rather than its people.
"To take this money and use it to frack new wells is completely against the intention of what this money is supposed to be used for, which is to clean up a problem predating the Bakken," Dakota Resource Council Executive Director Scott Skokos told The Bismarck Tribune. "If they are going to do this, it represents essentially a large bailout to the oil industry that we as an organization would oppose."


alternet--2020-10-27--'Face of white privilege and nepotism': Jared Kushner eviscerated after mocking racial justice prot

'Face of white privilege and nepotism': Jared Kushner eviscerated after mocking racial justice protesters

Senior White House adviser Jared Kushner—who like his boss and father-in-law President Donald Trump is a product of his family 's fortune—was mercilessly lambasted on social media on Monday after he mocked Black Lives Matter activists and suggested that many Black people do n't want to be successful .
Appearing on the Fox News morning show `` Fox & Friends , '' Kushner—some of whose $ 1.8 billion family fortune was amassed off the misfortune and suffering of Black people—and the hosts discussed economic issues facing the Black community .
Racism was not mentioned .
Kushner did touch upon the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ fashion .
After mentioning George Floyd , the unarmed Black man killed in May by Minneapolis police , Kushner accused people who expressed support for Black lives of `` virtual signaling . ''
`` They 'd go on Instagram and cry or they would put a slogan on their jersey or write something on a basketball court , '' he said .
`` And quite frankly , that was doing more to polarize the country than it was to bring people forward . ''
While admitting that Black Americans overwhelmingly vote for Democrats @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Platinum Plan '' —which seeks to help Black people through capitalism-based solutions without acknowlegding the existence of racism as an obstacle to opportunity—and other policies `` can help people break out of the problems that they 're complaining about , but he ca n't help them be successful more than they want to be successful . ''
The Democratic National Committee released a statement blasting Kushner for demeaning racial justice protests as mere `` complaining . ''
`` This dismissive approach to the issues that Black voters care about is indicative of Trump @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of Black people , '' the statement said .
Reaction to Kushner 's remarks came fast and fierce on social media :

Senior White House adviser Jared Kushner—who like his boss and father-in-law President Donald Trump is a product of his family's fortune—was mercilessly lambasted on social media on Monday after he mocked Black Lives Matter activists and suggested that many Black people don't want to be successful.
Appearing on the Fox News morning show "Fox & Friends," Kushner—some of whose $1.8 billion family fortune was amassed off the misfortune and suffering of Black people—and the hosts discussed economic issues facing the Black community. Racism was not mentioned. Kushner did touch upon the subject, albeit in a decidedly derisive fashion. After mentioning George Floyd, the unarmed Black man killed in May by Minneapolis police, Kushner accused people who expressed support for Black lives of "virtual signaling."
"They'd go on Instagram and cry or they would put a slogan on their jersey or write something on a basketball court," he said. "And quite frankly, that was doing more to polarize the country than it was to bring people forward."
While admitting that Black Americans overwhelmingly vote for Democrats, Kushner asserted that Trump's "Platinum Plan"—which seeks to help Black people through capitalism-based solutions without acknowlegding the existence of racism as an obstacle to opportunity—and other policies "can help people break out of the problems that they're complaining about, but he can't help them be successful more than they want to be successful."
The Democratic National Committee released a statement blasting Kushner for demeaning racial justice protests as mere "complaining."
"This dismissive approach to the issues that Black voters care about is indicative of Trump's callousness and disregard for the lives of Black people," the statement said.
Reaction to Kushner's remarks came fast and fierce on social media: