alternet--2020-10-29--‘He just lies all the time’: Senior voters are rejecting Trump over his failed coronavirus response

Voters who are 65 and older — especially those who are White and live in red states or swing states — can be challenging for Democrats because : ( 1 ) they are more likely to be conservative , and ( 2 ) they are more likely to vote .
But reporters Kendall Karson and Will Steakin , in an article published by ABC News this week , stress that President Donald Trump 's response to the coronavirus pandemic is , in 2020 , hurting him with senior voters — including some who voted for him in 2016 .
`` @ @ @ @ @ @ @ first stunning victory by banding together a base that 's still mostly White , largely male , less formally educated and older , '' Karson and Steakin explain .
`` Underpinning Trump 's success in 2016 was , in part , an army of seniors that made up a large slice of the electorate and backed him by 7 percentage points over Hillary Clinton , according to national exit poll data .
Older voters are among the most likely to vote and have sided with Republican nominees in every presidential election since 2004 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ helping tilt key battleground states in his favor . ''
The ABC News journalists , however , add that in 2020 , Biden is performing relatively well among voters who are 65 and older .
`` This cycle , former Vice President Joe Biden is cutting into Trump 's coalition , making significant gains with older voters across the U.S. — particularly in must-win states for Trump , '' according to Karson and Steakin .
`` A recent ABC News/Washington Post poll found the two men running even among likely voters 65 and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ % .
In Florida and North Carolina , two states Trump narrowly won in 2016 and considered crucial for him to win in 2020 , the president 's advantage over Biden with seniors is slightly better than his national standing but still well short of his margins over Clinton . ''
ABC News interviewed some senior voters for the article , and Trump 's coronavirus response was a major concern .
Marcelo Montesinos , who voted for Trump in 2016 and is now 72 , told ABC News , `` He knew everything @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and he did n't take the precautions ... .
He did n't believe in science .
He does n't believe in doctors .
He always tries to blame somebody else , like a little kid . ''
Montesinos , who lost a family member to the pandemic , told ABC News that when Trump downplayed the pandemic 's severity , `` It hurt me so much . ''
North Carolina resident Cindy Cook , a 68-year-old independent , told ABC News that she does n't appreciate Trump 's recent attacks on Dr. Anthony @ @ @ @ @ @ @ part of the White House 's coronavirus task force .
Cook argued , `` ( Trump 's ) wrong .
Fauci knows what 's going on .
Trump just wants to get reelected and make everything he does terrific , but he has n't done anything . ''
Another North Carolina voter , 77-year-old Biden supporter Arlie Thompson , told ABC News , `` He certainly dealt himself a blow by not dealing with the pandemic like he should have .
The economy is a mess now . ''
Al , a senior @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is voting for Biden , told ABC News , `` I believe Fauci .
I do n't believe anything Trump says unless somebody of substantial means can verify it .
Because he just lies all the time . ''

Voters who are 65 and older — especially those who are White and live in red states or swing states — can be challenging for Democrats because: (1) they are more likely to be conservative, and (2) they are more likely to vote. But reporters Kendall Karson and Will Steakin, in an article published by ABC News this week, stress that President Donald Trump's response to the coronavirus pandemic is, in 2020, hurting him with senior voters — including some who voted for him in 2016.
"Trump is attempting a repeat of his first stunning victory by banding together a base that's still mostly White, largely male, less formally educated and older," Karson and Steakin explain. "Underpinning Trump's success in 2016 was, in part, an army of seniors that made up a large slice of the electorate and backed him by 7 percentage points over Hillary Clinton, according to national exit poll data. Older voters are among the most likely to vote and have sided with Republican nominees in every presidential election since 2004, reinforcing Trump four years ago and helping tilt key battleground states in his favor."
The ABC News journalists, however, add that in 2020, Biden is performing relatively well among voters who are 65 and older.
"This cycle, former Vice President Joe Biden is cutting into Trump's coalition, making significant gains with older voters across the U.S. — particularly in must-win states for Trump," according to Karson and Steakin. "A recent ABC News/Washington Post poll found the two men running even among likely voters 65 and older nationally — 48% to 49%. In Florida and North Carolina, two states Trump narrowly won in 2016 and considered crucial for him to win in 2020, the president's advantage over Biden with seniors is slightly better than his national standing but still well short of his margins over Clinton."
ABC News interviewed some senior voters for the article, and Trump's coronavirus response was a major concern. Marcelo Montesinos, who voted for Trump in 2016 and is now 72, told ABC News, "He knew everything all the way back in February, and he didn't take the precautions.... He didn't believe in science. He doesn't believe in doctors. He always tries to blame somebody else, like a little kid."
Montesinos, who lost a family member to the pandemic, told ABC News that when Trump downplayed the pandemic's severity, "It hurt me so much."
North Carolina resident Cindy Cook, a 68-year-old independent, told ABC News that she doesn't appreciate Trump's recent attacks on Dr. Anthony Fauci — an expert immunologist who is part of the White House's coronavirus task force.
Cook argued, "(Trump's) wrong. Fauci knows what's going on. Trump just wants to get reelected and make everything he does terrific, but he hasn't done anything."
Another North Carolina voter, 77-year-old Biden supporter Arlie Thompson, told ABC News, "He certainly dealt himself a blow by not dealing with the pandemic like he should have. The economy is a mess now."
Al, a senior voter who is a registered Republican but is voting for Biden, told ABC News, "I believe Fauci. I don't believe anything Trump says unless somebody of substantial means can verify it. Because he just lies all the time."


alternet--2020-10-29--Some of the mystery around why Barr was so anxious to fire US Attorney Berman has been solved

In June , Attorney General William Barr suddenly announced the resignation of U.S. attorney Geoffrey Berman .
There was only one problem—Berman had not resigned , and he was n't going to resign .
So Barr fired him .
Berman disputed Barr 's ability to remove him from office , but finally left after securing an agreement that his primary assistant would take over the office , rather than handing it off to a political appointee with no criminal law experience who was favored by Donald Trump .
In congressional testimony , Berman made it clear that Barr had been @ @ @ @ @ @ @ office for months .
The class between Berman and Barr made clear that the new attorney general was attempting to completely politicize the DOJ .
And for weeks following Berman 's departure , there was speculation over exactly why Barr was so anxious to see the New York attorney gone .
Was Berman looking into the fake `` We Build the Wall '' organization that was feeding money to Steve Bannon ?
Was he taking a closer look at Rudy Giuliani after bringing the grand jury case that indicted Giuliani 's pals ?
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ taking a look directly into the finances of the Trump Organization ?
At least part of the answer became clear on Thursday , and that answer is : none of the above .
Instead , Berman was trying to prevent a Turkish state-owned bank from illegally funneling billions to Iran in violation of U.S. sanctions .
And Donald Trump was defending them .
As The New York Times reports , Berman had the evidence he needed to make a case against Turkey .
But even before Barr came to town , the Department @ @ @ @ @ @ @ move forward on charges that Halkbank , under the control of Turkish dictator Recep Tayyip Erdogan , had violated U.S. law and international sanctions to the tune of billions .
In 2019 , a frustrated Berman came to press his case to the a newly installed Barr , and Barr had an immediate answer for him—settle the case .
What Barr wanted was for Berman to tell Turkish officials that , in exchange for a small fine , he would end the investigation .
Halkbank would be able to carry on business in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to the sanctions violations would not be charged .
Berman refused .
He pointed out that though they had enough evidence to lay charges against the bank , there were key investigations underway .
Not only did some of those investigations involve people close to Erdogan , there also appeared to be direct connections to the Iranian nuclear program—a program that was restarted after Trump broke the multinational Iran nuclear treaty .
`` This is completely wrong , '' said Berman .
`` You do n't grant immunity to individuals unless you are @ @ @ @ @ @ @ would n't be here . ''
Why was Barr pushing Berman to let it go ?
Because Erdogan was pushing Trump .
From the very beginning of his time in office , Trump has refused to confront the Turkish strongman over anything .
Meetings concerning Turkey inevitably include Trump bragging about his properties in Istanbul , and Trump frequently defends Erdogan 's harsh treatments of his political opponents .
Trump is n't alone .
Among the charges that the DOJ dropped when Michael Flynn pleaded guilty to lying to the FBI , were @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a plot to kidnap a U.S. resident and bring him to Turkey so Erdogan can kill him .
One year ago , Trump tweeted out his support for Turkey 's `` ultimate solution '' of the Kurdish situation as he betrayed America 's long-time allies , turned his back on treaties , and handed over much of what they considered their homeland to Erdogan .
For Trump , it 's not just a relationship in question , it 's an exchange of cash .
Trump has made at least $ 2.6 million from @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that ride down a golden escalator .
The two men also share an attorney in Rudy Giuliani , who Erdogan hired to lobby in the United States .
So why was n't Berman able to make progress in charging Halkbank ?
Because at the same time Erdogan was on the phone with Trump , pressing him to drop the case .
According to the NYT report , Erdogan is concerned because `` the case had become a major embarrassment for him in Turkey . ''
Berman was canned , at least in part @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in one of those `` personal relationships '' that Trump regards as more important than treaties or alliances .
But there is one point where the Times article does n't speculate—which came first : Erdogan 's making billions from Iran 's nuclear program while sending millions to Trump , or Trump 's desire to end the Iran nuclear deal , making Erdogan 's multi-billion dollar play possible ?

In June, Attorney General William Barr suddenly announced the resignation of U.S. attorney Geoffrey Berman. There was only one problem—Berman had not resigned, and he wasn't going to resign. So Barr fired him. Berman disputed Barr's ability to remove him from office, but finally left after securing an agreement that his primary assistant would take over the office, rather than handing it off to a political appointee with no criminal law experience who was favored by Donald Trump.
In congressional testimony, Berman made it clear that Barr had been trying to force him out of his office for months. The class between Berman and Barr made clear that the new attorney general was attempting to completely politicize the DOJ. And for weeks following Berman's departure, there was speculation over exactly why Barr was so anxious to see the New York attorney gone. Was Berman looking into the fake "We Build the Wall" organization that was feeding money to Steve Bannon? Was he taking a closer look at Rudy Giuliani after bringing the grand jury case that indicted Giuliani's pals? Or was Berman fired because he was taking a look directly into the finances of the Trump Organization?
At least part of the answer became clear on Thursday, and that answer is: none of the above. Instead, Berman was trying to prevent a Turkish state-owned bank from illegally funneling billions to Iran in violation of U.S. sanctions. And Donald Trump was defending them.
As The New York Times reports, Berman had the evidence he needed to make a case against Turkey. But even before Barr came to town, the Department of Justice would not allow him to move forward on charges that Halkbank, under the control of Turkish dictator Recep Tayyip Erdogan, had violated U.S. law and international sanctions to the tune of billions.
In 2019, a frustrated Berman came to press his case to the a newly installed Barr, and Barr had an immediate answer for him—settle the case. What Barr wanted was for Berman to tell Turkish officials that, in exchange for a small fine, he would end the investigation. Halkbank would be able to carry on business in the U.S. Erdogan and other figures connected to the sanctions violations would not be charged.
Berman refused. He pointed out that though they had enough evidence to lay charges against the bank, there were key investigations underway. Not only did some of those investigations involve people close to Erdogan, there also appeared to be direct connections to the Iranian nuclear program—a program that was restarted after Trump broke the multinational Iran nuclear treaty.
"This is completely wrong," said Berman. "You don't grant immunity to individuals unless you are getting something from them, and we wouldn't be here."
Why was Barr pushing Berman to let it go? Because Erdogan was pushing Trump.
From the very beginning of his time in office, Trump has refused to confront the Turkish strongman over anything. Meetings concerning Turkey inevitably include Trump bragging about his properties in Istanbul, and Trump frequently defends Erdogan's harsh treatments of his political opponents. Trump isn't alone. Among the charges that the DOJ dropped when Michael Flynn pleaded guilty to lying to the FBI, were illegal lobbying for Erdogan, and even a plot to kidnap a U.S. resident and bring him to Turkey so Erdogan can kill him.
One year ago, Trump tweeted out his support for Turkey's "ultimate solution" of the Kurdish situation as he betrayed America's long-time allies, turned his back on treaties, and handed over much of what they considered their homeland to Erdogan. For Trump, it's not just a relationship in question, it's an exchange of cash. Trump has made at least $2.6 million from his operations in Turkey since he made that ride down a golden escalator. The two men also share an attorney in Rudy Giuliani, who Erdogan hired to lobby in the United States.
So why wasn't Berman able to make progress in charging Halkbank? Because at the same time Erdogan was on the phone with Trump, pressing him to drop the case. According to the NYT report, Erdogan is concerned because "the case had become a major embarrassment for him in Turkey." Berman was canned, at least in part, because he had become an obstacle in one of those "personal relationships" that Trump regards as more important than treaties or alliances.
But there is one point where the Times article doesn't speculate—which came first: Erdogan's making billions from Iran's nuclear program while sending millions to Trump, or Trump's desire to end the Iran nuclear deal, making Erdogan's multi-billion dollar play possible?


alternet--2020-10-29--Why this year’s post-election court battles could make Bush v. Gore seem like a functioning democrac

Why this year’s post-election court battles could make Bush v. Gore seem like a functioning democracy: journalist

Following Election Day 2000 , Americans spent weeks wondering whether Florida 's 29 electoral votes had been won by Democratic Vice President Al Gore or Republican Texas Gov .
George W. Bush — and eventually , Gore conceded , congratulating Bush on becoming the next president of the United States .
British journalist Ed Luce , who now lives in the U.S. , fears that the 2020 presidential election could be even more chaotic and result in several court battles that will make the Bush v. Gore debacle of 2000 pale in comparison .
And he outlines his concerns in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ It is possible ( former Vice President Joe ) Biden will win Florida on Tuesday night and end all speculation , '' Luce writes .
`` Failing that , the chances of a rash of court battles over vote counts is high .
The Supreme Court has ruled on cases involving four states in the past month alone . ''
Discussing those rulings , Luce adds , `` In cases on South Carolina and Wisconsin , it ruled to make voting harder .
Although it upheld Pennsylvania 's three-day extension for postal ballots @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to return to the issue next month .
The justices also let stand North Carolina 's extension for mailed in ballots to nine days .
The stated logic behind some of these rulings have not been reassuring .
( Justice ) Brett Kavanaugh , who was confirmed in late 2018 as the second of Mr. Trump 's three appointments , cited the previously off-limits Bush v. Gore ruling in support of a ruling to stop a deadline extension for Wisconsin 's mail-in ballots .
In the South Carolina ruling , which mandated that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , he likewise argued that decisions by state legislatures 'ordinarily should not be subject to second-guessing ' by federal judges . ''
Luce goes on to describe a disturbing possibility : electors in swing states defying the will of the voters and giving the electoral votes to President Donald Trump — even if Biden really won the state .
`` Most swing-state legislatures — including Florida , Wisconsin , Michigan and Pennsylvania — are Republican , '' Luce writes .
`` Should any one of these override their state 's popular vote and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Mr. Kavanaugh has made his sympathies known .
The same applies to at least three of his colleagues . ''
And Luce adds that Justice Amy Coney Barrett , the latest addition to the High Court , `` could make a majority . ''
Luce wraps up his piece by lamenting that the Supreme Court `` gutted the 1965 Voting Rights Act , in 2013 , on the grounds that protecting minority rights was no longer necessary '' and pointing out how evasive Barrett was during her Senate confirmation hearings .
`` Asked @ @ @ @ @ @ @ she would deal with any appearance of impropriety that would result from her ruling on election cases , Ms. Barrett would only commit 'to fully and faithfully applying the law of recusal , ' '' Luce explains . ''
Given that she was hurriedly confirmed a week before the election and sworn in by Mr. Trump within hours , it is not clear what that means .
Under a conservative reading of the language originalist judges use in their opinions , many things are possible in the coming weeks . ''

Following Election Day 2000, Americans spent weeks wondering whether Florida's 29 electoral votes had been won by Democratic Vice President Al Gore or Republican Texas Gov. George W. Bush — and eventually, Gore conceded, congratulating Bush on becoming the next president of the United States. British journalist Ed Luce, who now lives in the U.S., fears that the 2020 presidential election could be even more chaotic and result in several court battles that will make the Bush v. Gore debacle of 2000 pale in comparison. And he outlines his concerns in an article for Financial Times.
"It is possible (former Vice President Joe) Biden will win Florida on Tuesday night and end all speculation," Luce writes. "Failing that, the chances of a rash of court battles over vote counts is high. The Supreme Court has ruled on cases involving four states in the past month alone."
Discussing those rulings, Luce adds, "In cases on South Carolina and Wisconsin, it ruled to make voting harder. Although it upheld Pennsylvania's three-day extension for postal ballots, the Court left itself wiggle room to return to the issue next month. The justices also let stand North Carolina's extension for mailed in ballots to nine days. The stated logic behind some of these rulings have not been reassuring. (Justice) Brett Kavanaugh, who was confirmed in late 2018 as the second of Mr. Trump's three appointments, cited the previously off-limits Bush v. Gore ruling in support of a ruling to stop a deadline extension for Wisconsin's mail-in ballots. In the South Carolina ruling, which mandated that postal ballots had to have a countersignature, he likewise argued that decisions by state legislatures 'ordinarily should not be subject to second-guessing' by federal judges."
Luce goes on to describe a disturbing possibility: electors in swing states defying the will of the voters and giving the electoral votes to President Donald Trump — even if Biden really won the state.
"Most swing-state legislatures — including Florida, Wisconsin, Michigan and Pennsylvania — are Republican," Luce writes. "Should any one of these override their state's popular vote and pledge their electors to Mr. Trump, Mr. Kavanaugh has made his sympathies known. The same applies to at least three of his colleagues." And Luce adds that Justice Amy Coney Barrett, the latest addition to the High Court, "could make a majority."
Luce wraps up his piece by lamenting that the Supreme Court "gutted the 1965 Voting Rights Act, in 2013, on the grounds that protecting minority rights was no longer necessary" and pointing out how evasive Barrett was during her Senate confirmation hearings.
"Asked repeatedly during her confirmation hearings about how she would deal with any appearance of impropriety that would result from her ruling on election cases, Ms. Barrett would only commit 'to fully and faithfully applying the law of recusal,'" Luce explains." Given that she was hurriedly confirmed a week before the election and sworn in by Mr. Trump within hours, it is not clear what that means. Under a conservative reading of the language originalist judges use in their opinions, many things are possible in the coming weeks."


alternet--2020-10-29--Three killed in terrorist knife attack inside Nice church

Three people were killed on Thursday inside a church in Nice , southern France , in what President Emmanuel Macron @ @ @ @ @ , Islamist attack .
`` The attack , which was quickly condemned in France and @ @ @ @ @ only two weeks after a schoolteacher who had used caricatures of the prophet Mohammed in @ @ @ @ @ a Paris suburb by a suspected Islamist.Macron , who had promised to intensify a planned @ @ @ @ @ Islamism after the teacher 's killing , said that France was `` being attacked '' @ @ @ @ @ of worship.Church bells rang out across ...

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alternet--2020-10-29--‘Just brutal’: Internet celebrates Jon Ossoff destroying GOP incumbent ‘crook’ senator in debate

Democratic nominee for Senate Jon Ossoff destroyed his Georgia Republican incumbent opponent , Senator David Perdue , at Wednesday night 's debate .
A clip of the video has gone viral , garnering 6 million views overnight .
The race is about as tight as it gets , with Perdue up in the polls by an average of less than one point , just .6 % .
Ossoff ran for the House in a 2017 special election but lost in a close race by about 9000 votes .
On Wednesday he appeared determined to make up for that .
`` @ @ @ @ @ @ @ able to properly respond to the COVID-19 pandemic if you had n't been fending off multiple federal investigations for insider trading , '' Ossoff says at the start of the clip .
`` It 's not just that you 're a crook , Senator , it 's thast you 're attacking the health of the people that you represent , '' Ossoff charged .
`` You did say COVID-19 was no deadlier than the flu .
You did say there would be no uptick in cases , '' Ossoff continued .
`` All @ @ @ @ @ @ @ your own assets , and your own portfolio , and you did vote four times to end protections for pre-existing conditions . ''
`` Four times , '' Ossoff repeated , battering Perdue with his own record .
`` Can you look down the camera and tell the people of this state why you voted four times to allow insurance companies to deny us health coverage , because we may suffer from diabetes , or heart disease , or asthma , or have cancer in remission ? ''
Ossoff demanded to know , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ `` Why , Senator ? ''
Social media users cheered on Ossoff standing up for voters , especially those in need of care .

Democratic nominee for Senate Jon Ossoff destroyed his Georgia Republican incumbent opponent, Senator David Perdue, at Wednesday night's debate. A clip of the video has gone viral, garnering 6 million views overnight.
The race is about as tight as it gets, with Perdue up in the polls by an average of less than one point, just .6%.
Ossoff ran for the House in a 2017 special election but lost in a close race by about 9000 votes. On Wednesday he appeared determined to make up for that.
"Well perhaps Senator Perdue would have been able to properly respond to the COVID-19 pandemic if you hadn't been fending off multiple federal investigations for insider trading," Ossoff says at the start of the clip.
"It's not just that you're a crook, Senator, it's thast you're attacking the health of the people that you represent," Ossoff charged.
"You did say COVID-19 was no deadlier than the flu. You did say there would be no uptick in cases," Ossoff continued. "All the while, you were looking after your own assets, and your own portfolio, and you did vote four times to end protections for pre-existing conditions."
"Four times," Ossoff repeated, battering Perdue with his own record.
"Can you look down the camera and tell the people of this state why you voted four times to allow insurance companies to deny us health coverage, because we may suffer from diabetes, or heart disease, or asthma, or have cancer in remission?" Ossoff demanded to know, as Perdue just stood by silently. "Why, Senator?"
Social media users cheered on Ossoff standing up for voters, especially those in need of care.


alternet--2020-10-29--Coronavirus crisis in the arts: What if concerts, theater and other live events don't come back in 2

Coronavirus crisis in the arts: What if concerts, theater and other live events don't come back in 2021?

SAN DIEGO — Theaters from San Diego to Broadway are closed until at least next fall .
Festivals have been @ @ @ @ @ including Wonderfront and KAABOO in San Diego and Coachella and Stagecoach in Indio , California @ @ @ @ @ and other orchestras across the nation have been largely silenced .
Cirque du Soleil has @ @ @ @ @ closed down all but one of its 40-plus worldwide productions.The deadly coronavirus pandemic has led @ @ @ @ @ unthinkable situations becoming grim realities — from mass quarantines , plummeting economies and co ...


alternet--2020-10-29--The real 2020 drama is in the Senate. Here's how close it is to flipping

Conservatives ca n't handle bad news , so they invent poll numbers to show themselves winning .
Liberals are terrified of good news , so they obnoxiously say things like `` pretend we 're down by 20 ! ''
Then there 's reality—we 're looking good in the presidential race , so the real drama is in the Senate .
And we 're just a few points from having a good night , and the best night possible .
Using FiveThirtyEight.com 's Senate forecasts , we can see just how close that dividing line between `` good '' and `` @ @ @ @ @ @ @ If these forecasts held , Democrats would emerge with a four-seat 52-48 majority .
While better than being in the minority , that 's a small enough minority that West Virginia 's Joe Manchin and Arizona 's Kyrsten Sinema could hold most of the Democratic agenda hostage .
Furthermore , there are too many Democratic `` institutionalists '' in the Senate , like Vermont 's Patrick Leahy and Delaware 's Chris Coons , that even simple things like eliminating the filibuster could prove problematic .
So is a four-seat majority enough to pass @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to safeguard our democracy ?
Doubtful .
Furthermore , we 're not even guaranteed that much !
North Carolina , Maine , and Georgia 's special election seat are all within a few points in the 538 forecast .
It 's a real dogfight just to get to a small majority .
A tied 50-50 Senate is still well within the realm of possibility .
But here 's the flip side : What if the polls are understating Biden and Democratic support given how many new people are flooding into the system—young voters @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the undecideds break as aggressively toward the Democrats this year as they did toward Trump and the GOP in 2016 ?
What if we maximize our turnout because everyone is working so hard at get out the vote ( GOTV ) , and our base is hyper-mobilized ?
I actually think both Georgia Senate seats are looking good for us ( even if we might need to wait until January to clinch the seats in runoff elections ) .
If we win everything else the 538 model says we 're leading , that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , right ?
Then we have the races in Montana , Kansas , and South Carolina within five points or so .
Those are all tough races that we 're supposed to lose , but what if we work so hard that we pull them off ?
What if rural counties are so coronavirus-stricken that their Election Day turnout suffers ?
What if Donald Trump keeps saying stupid shit on the campaign trail and demobilizes even a fraction of his support ?
All we need is a small suppression of his vote alongside @ @ @ @ @ @ @ these tough seats our way .
Then there 's Alaska , which is near-impossible to poll , but there are many signs that Biden could carry it , or at least come shockingly close to doing so .
That could pull our candidate there over the line .
And given what we 're seeing in Texas turnout , the polls may simply be incapable of processing the kind of seismic shift underway .
To be clear , I 'm not saying we 're going to win those seats , but if we can @ @ @ @ @ @ @ batch , we 're suddenly looking at a 55-45 Senate , and actual freedom to do what we need to do : eliminate the filibuster , expand the courts , statehood for Washington , D.C. and Puerto Rico , and a national voting rights bill that protects everyone 's votes .
That 's how close things are between a tied Senate , or even Republicans maintaining their majority , and a 10-seat majority that could become 14 seats nearly overnight with Washington , D.C. and Puerto Rico statehoods .
The money has flowed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ lose from lack of resources .
So it 's up to us to do whatever GOTV we can to finish out the race .
Just six more days to fix our American democracy .
1 .
Contact anyone you know in any of these battleground states and urge them to vote , and to make sure three of their friends/family/coworkers/acquaintances vote along with them .
There are tons of battlegrounds .
Here 're just the presidential and Senate battlegrounds : Alaska , Arizona , Colorado , Florida , Georgia , Iowa , Kansas @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Montana , Nebraska , Nevada , North Carolina , Ohio , Pennsylvania , South Carolina , Texas , and Wisconsin .
That 's 19 states .
2 .
There are dozens of battleground House districts—pretty much anyone who lives in the suburbs qualifies .
So if you have any suburban contacts , reach out to them as well .
3 .
Reach out to everyone else and urge them to vote .
Period .
We build power by exercising power .
There are few places in the country where a vote is truly @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ballot worth fighting for .
And if not , you 're building toward the next election .
4 .
Go to DailyKos.com/GOTV to find something you can do in these last few days .
There are myriad options on that page , so find something that suits your skills and personality and GOTV like the fate of our country depends on it .
We are winning , yes , but we need to win by even more .
So if you 're one of those people who need to be losing by 10 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ are states on that list above that are legitimately 10 points down .
Motivation engaged !
Now let 's win this thing !

Conservatives can't handle bad news, so they invent poll numbers to show themselves winning. Liberals are terrified of good news, so they obnoxiously say things like "pretend we're down by 20!"
Then there's reality—we're looking good in the presidential race, so the real drama is in the Senate. And we're just a few points from having a good night, and the best night possible.
Using FiveThirtyEight.com's Senate forecasts, we can see just how close that dividing line between "good" and "the best ever" really is.
If these forecasts held, Democrats would emerge with a four-seat 52-48 majority. While better than being in the minority, that's a small enough minority that West Virginia's Joe Manchin and Arizona's Kyrsten Sinema could hold most of the Democratic agenda hostage. Furthermore, there are too many Democratic "institutionalists" in the Senate, like Vermont's Patrick Leahy and Delaware's Chris Coons, that even simple things like eliminating the filibuster could prove problematic.
So is a four-seat majority enough to pass the kind of aggressive reforms we need to safeguard our democracy? Doubtful.
Furthermore, we're not even guaranteed that much! North Carolina, Maine, and Georgia's special election seat are all within a few points in the 538 forecast. It's a real dogfight just to get to a small majority. A tied 50-50 Senate is still well within the realm of possibility.
But here's the flip side: What if the polls are understating Biden and Democratic support given how many new people are flooding into the system—young voters and previously inactive voters? What if the undecideds break as aggressively toward the Democrats this year as they did toward Trump and the GOP in 2016? What if we maximize our turnout because everyone is working so hard at get out the vote (GOTV), and our base is hyper-mobilized?
I actually think both Georgia Senate seats are looking good for us (even if we might need to wait until January to clinch the seats in runoff elections). If we win everything else the 538 model says we're leading, that puts us at 53-47. Looking better, right?
Then we have the races in Montana, Kansas, and South Carolina within five points or so. Those are all tough races that we're supposed to lose, but what if we work so hard that we pull them off? What if rural counties are so coronavirus-stricken that their Election Day turnout suffers? What if Donald Trump keeps saying stupid shit on the campaign trail and demobilizes even a fraction of his support? All we need is a small suppression of his vote alongside our own hyper-mobilized one to potentially swing these tough seats our way.
Then there's Alaska, which is near-impossible to poll, but there are many signs that Biden could carry it, or at least come shockingly close to doing so. That could pull our candidate there over the line. And given what we're seeing in Texas turnout, the polls may simply be incapable of processing the kind of seismic shift underway.
To be clear, I'm not saying we're going to win those seats, but if we can pull off just two upsets among that batch, we're suddenly looking at a 55-45 Senate, and actual freedom to do what we need to do: eliminate the filibuster, expand the courts, statehood for Washington, D.C. and Puerto Rico, and a national voting rights bill that protects everyone's votes.
That's how close things are between a tied Senate, or even Republicans maintaining their majority, and a 10-seat majority that could become 14 seats nearly overnight with Washington, D.C. and Puerto Rico statehoods.
The money has flowed to these candidates. They won't lose from lack of resources. So it's up to us to do whatever GOTV we can to finish out the race. Just six more days to fix our American democracy.
1. Contact anyone you know in any of these battleground states and urge them to vote, and to make sure three of their friends/family/coworkers/acquaintances vote along with them. There are tons of battlegrounds. Here're just the presidential and Senate battlegrounds: Alaska, Arizona, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Iowa, Kansas, Maine, Minnesota, Mississippi, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Texas, and Wisconsin. That's 19 states.
2. There are dozens of battleground House districts—pretty much anyone who lives in the suburbs qualifies. So if you have any suburban contacts, reach out to them as well.
3. Reach out to everyone else and urge them to vote. Period. We build power by exercising power. There are few places in the country where a vote is truly wasted. There's something on the ballot worth fighting for. And if not, you're building toward the next election.
4. Go to DailyKos.com/GOTV to find something you can do in these last few days. There are myriad options on that page, so find something that suits your skills and personality and GOTV like the fate of our country depends on it.
We are winning, yes, but we need to win by even more. So if you're one of those people who need to be losing by 10 to be motivated, well, there are states on that list above that are legitimately 10 points down. Motivation engaged! Now let's win this thing!


alternet--2020-10-29--This doctor says Trump’s not crazy: He doesn’t even ‘remember what happened yesterday’

Many of the United States and the world 's leading mental health experts have concluded that Donald Trump is mentally unwell , pathological , dangerous and perhaps even a sociopath or a psychopath .
This conclusion has been reached after more than four years of observing Trump 's public behavior .
Other mental health professionals , most notably the president 's niece , Mary Trump , who is a psychologist , as well as Dr. Justin Frank ( author of `` Trump on the Couch '' ) have reached the same conclusion after expertly observing Trump 's behavior for years @ @ @ @ @ @ @ weeks ago for COVID treatment , during which he was administered an experimental cocktail of drugs , Trump has behaved in an even more erratic and aberrant manner .
Donald Trump 's mind and mental health are like the nuclear reactor at Chernobyl .
These last days before Election Day are a countdown for a man who , if he is defeated , will experience a meltdown that spreads his poison all over the world .
As documented by the Washington Post , Trump has lied more than 20,000 times while president .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ lies are becoming more frequent and outrageous .
Trump is now claiming that he somehow defeated the coronavirus pandemic .
In reality , the United States is falling deeper into a season of death .
The virus is spreading largely unchecked , with more than 227,000 people dead in total and upwards of 70,000 new cases a day .
During his second and final presidential debate with Joe Biden , Trump sounded remarkably callous and cruel in his discussions of the death and suffering caused by his negligence and incompetence during the pandemic @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and malignant narcissism are more important than the lives of others , Trump continues to host rallies where his followers gather unmasked by the thousands .
Public health experts have now directly tied Trump 's events to the spread of the virus and resulting illnesses and deaths .
Trumpism literally is a death cult ; his followers are human biological weapons .
On Tuesday , in Omaha , Nebraska , Trump again showed that he does not care about the health and safety of his followers .
After a rally at an airfield @ @ @ @ @ @ @ left behind in freezing temperatures when the buses they were promised did not appear .
Many people were forced to walk several miles from the rally site back to their vehicles , and dozens of them required medical attention .
As president , Donald Trump has significant influence over the behavior of the American people .
His mental pathologies have infected tens of millions of his followers , and have caused PTSD and other forms of stress and trauma for those Americans who oppose his regime .
But for all of Donald Trump @ @ @ @ @ @ @ be that he is even more dangerous than previously understood ?
That 's the contention of Dan McAdams , who is the Henry Wade Rogers Professor of Psychology and a professor of education and social policy at Northwestern University .
He is the author of almost 300 articles and chapters as well as seven books , including `` The Art and Science of Personality Development '' and `` The Redemptive Self : Stories Americans Live By . ''
McAdams ' work has been featured in leading media outlets such as the New York @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Atlantic , USA Today , the Wall Street Journal , NPR , CNN and elsewhere .
His most recent book is `` The Strange Case of Donald J. Trump : A Psychological Reckoning . ''
In this conversation McAdams warns that Donald Trump 's greatest threat is caused by the fact that he exists only in the present moment , a man without a future or a past who lacks any sense of a life narrative , story or ethics beyond winning at all costs .
This aspect of Donald Trump is the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ world .
McAdams also cautions that Donald Trump is a unique and strange person who defies any singular category of mental diagnosis , and shares his concern that leaders like Donald Trump inevitably bring ruin and destruction to the countries they lead .
But all may not be lost .
At the end of this conversation , McAdams offers hope that Trump 's followers will be dejected and broken once he is removed from office , and that America 's political and cultural institutions will be strong enough for healing to begin .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ with Dan McAdams on my podcast `` The Truth Report '' or through the player embedded below .
This conversation has been edited for clarity and length .
How have you made sense of the Age of Trump ?
For the first time here in America we have a full-blooded authoritarian leader .
This has happened in other countries at other times , most notably the 1930s in Italy and Germany , of course .
But for Americans this was all news .
I 've spent several years trying to understand Donald Trump @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ideas and theories from psychological science to make sense of him and his life .
But they have only proved somewhat helpful in that quest .
I end up just being flummoxed by the strangeness of the man .
I believe that he does not neatly fit the categories .
He 's not the typical malignant narcissist .
He 's unbelievably disagreeable , but in ways that nobody would ever fathom .
There are so many things about Donald Trump that are peculiar .
My book is entitled `` The Strange Case of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ can not help but to emphasize the strangeness of Donald Trump — it is as if he is a type of one-off when it comes to human nature .
Even at this point , there are many millions of Americans who are still in shock that Trump even became president .
The 50 % or so of the American populace who are strongly opposed to Donald Trump never got over election night 2016 .
It was a traumatic experience .
It was an event that people have flashbacks over .
People are in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Many people keep hoping against hope that somehow it is all going to go away — that Trump 's time in office is this weird anomaly that happened to American culture and somehow we are going to go back to some type of pre-Trump normal .
I do not believe things will be the same again in this country .
What many Americans will never get over is the feeling that this is not the country they thought they lived in before Trump was elected .
There is this repeated cycle of hope @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of Trump .
People are hopeful that some scandal , or his crimes against democracy and the country , will stop him .
But that never happens .
If anything , impeachment and every revelation of his wrongdoing has made him stronger .
What does that cycle of ups and downs , hope and disappointment , do to people ?
Going back to the 1970s , Donald Trump wins when he wears people out .
Trump 's modus operandi has always been to be more persistent , to hang in there and to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ he tried to win by outlasting everyone else .
He did this in the real estate market .
He did this to his creditors in the 1990s .
Trump has shown unlimited energy to promote himself .
I do not believe that there is anyone else on the planet with that much self-promoting energy .
Every day , Donald Trump he is fighting what he considers to be a battle of survival , and then he either wins or loses .
Trump has been like that his whole life .
Trump wakes up @ @ @ @ @ @ @ again with that behavior .
Trump does not even remember what happened yesterday .
Other human beings remember what happened on Monday when it is Tuesday .
As human beings we develop long-term narratives about how our lives work .
But not Mr. Trump .
For him it is new every day .
It is not a cognitive deficit .
Trump has always behaved that way .
He 's always had this tremendous ability to just forget about the past and to deal with the present moment .
That is part of what @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of his supporters .
He 's not hiding anything .
He 's not thinking about yesterday .
He 's not worried about two weeks from now .
He looks at the crowd , and he 's 100 % all there in the moment .
Outside observers often think , `` Oh my God , there is something behind all of that performance and behavior ! ''
The answer is no .
Trump is always what we see .
He is Donald Trump playing `` Donald Trump '' all the time .
Donald Trump @ @ @ @ @ @ @ way through the role .
Trump is a perfectly authentic fake .
There is nothing behind the mask .
Trump has boundless energy because he does not have to worry about yesterday or tomorrow .
What does Trump 's living in the `` forever present '' with no thought for the future or the past do to a country in terms of truth , reality and decision-making more generally ?
It dooms a democracy .
It dooms a culture and the broader development and health of a culture .
Democracy and society depend @ @ @ @ @ @ @ view .
If there is no long-term vision or understanding of reality , then what works for such a person like Donald Trump is whatever he or she needs at that moment to win the fight .
For example , on a given Monday Trump will say , `` Nancy Pelosi is the worst person on the planet . ''
On Wednesday , it is a totally different fight .
He does not have any memory of Monday and thus he will then say , `` Well , you know what , Nancy @ @ @ @ @ @ @ '' And on Friday , Donald Trump is in another place .
It is all moment to moment .
Other people do not live that way .
It is not sustainable .
To survive long-term a people , a nation , can not have leaders who behave like Donald Trump .
Many mental health professionals would respond that such behavior shows that Donald Trump is mentally pathological .
People can label said behavior however they would like to .
But here is what we must take into account in these discussions about mental @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the diagnostic categories are supposed to describe a compromise in one 's functioning such that a person can not get along in life and be successful .
Donald Trump is the president of the United States .
He clearly has been successful .
He has clearly gotten along in life .
Moreover , I do not think that Donald Trump suffers from a mental illness .
His behavior does not make him upset .
His behavior motivates and drives him .
So yes , a person can throw those diagnostic categories about , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ case .
They do not help to explain how Donald Trump came to be .
Donald Trump is much stranger than any diagnostic category .
Moreover , let us assume that we label Donald Trump as having narcissistic personality disorder or being a sociopath .
Who cares ?
The labels are interesting to the clinicians , but are we going to say in this country that people who have mental illnesses should not be president ?
If that is the conclusion , then Abraham Lincoln should not have been president because he clearly @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Lincoln used that mental illness in way that was powerful and productive .
I do not consider mental illness as a deal-breaker when it comes to public office .
But in my mind , Donald Trump is way more strange than any mental illness category that one can apply or create .
We must also grapple with the fact that many `` successful '' people such as CEOs and other `` high-achieving '' people are sociopaths .
Moreover , sometimes that personality type may be of benefit to them .
That is true @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the term `` mental illness . ''
Let us discuss instead personality disorders such as narcissistic personality disorder .
Steve Jobs met all nine criteria for narcissistic personality disorder .
Only five are sufficient for the diagnosis .
But Steve Jobs had other characteristics as well .
He was a genius , for one , which helped him negotiate life .
Donald Trump is not a genius .
Trump is also not as competent as other high-functioning narcissists we see in the world .
And yet Trump has been extraordinarily successful through the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of leadership is useful in certain contexts such as the military or sports .
But there should also be leadership by expertise .
Trump is almost 100 % brute-force leadership .
I do not believe that the United States has ever had such a president .
Donald Trump , again , is not like other human beings .
I have spent my entire career , some 30 years , studying how people create stories about their lives .
This is part of human nature .
Each of us is walking around with a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ came to be who we are .
The story helps to ground us .
It gives us a moral framework and help us make sense of who we are , who we were , who we will be in the future .
This a called a `` narrative identity . ''
Trump is the exception .
He does not have a story in his mind about how he came to be .
This is not a small thing .
It is why Trump is able to live in the moment .
He is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the character repeatedly , because there is no animating narrative in his mind about who he is and where his life is going .
None .
But again , not having a strong narrative identity — or not having one at all — is not a sign of any particular mental illness .
In the DSM there are mentions of `` emptiness '' and so forth , but that is not necessarily a criterion for mental illness .
It 's just something we all assume that just about everybody has , and now @ @ @ @ @ @ @ remarkably strange in that regard .
And a lot of people still do n't really believe it .
They keep thinking there 's something else to him .
He 's strategic .
He 's playing the long game and so forth .
But no .
There is no strategic or long game with Donald Trump .
Trump is like the alpha chimp who is always playing the short game , a brute-force game , to win at all costs .
What would Donald Trump say if you were to ask him , `` @ @ @ @ @ @ @ story ? ''
People have tried to do that very thing .
Going back to the 1980s , journalists and biographers have asked Mr. Trump such questions .
He refuses to answer .
Trump scoffs .
He changes the subject .
He ca n't answer such questions .
Trump will summon a memory from here or there , but the memory does not really reveal anything substantive because in his mind he has just always existed .
Trump can not offer a narrative about how he has become who he is today .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ him .
Such a question also does not make sense to children either .
I have repeatedly argued that Donald Trump the human being does not really exist .
He is a character , a symbol without substance , one on which people impose meaning .
Is that analysis correct ?
What would it feel like to be such a person ?
Your characterization of Donald Trump is a good one .
Of course , Trump is a human being .
He 's flesh and blood .
He 's not an apparition .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ to him there as a human .
But when we think of how persons operate in the world , it is not clear to me that Donald Trump would say to you , assuming he knew what the criteria even are , that he is in fact a person .
It is hard to say if Donald Trump is miserable .
It is hard to say that he has not done well in life .
He is always Donald Trump playing `` Donald Trump . ''
There is not a person behind that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ complexity .
Donald Trump is a force of sorts , and that is how he sees himself .
Does Donald Trump believe in right and wrong ?
Is there some type of ethical governor on his behavior ?
Donald Trump has a philosophy of life .
It is : `` Man is the most vicious of all animals , and life is a series of battles ending in victory or defeat . ''
That 's it .
That is what he believes .
Right from wrong has to be understood in that context @ @ @ @ @ @ @ right is what wins , what is strong .
You either win or you lose .
It 's victory or defeat .
When Trump says , `` Life is a series of battles ending in victory or defeat , '' he does not just mean that life ends in victory or defeat .
What Trump really means is that every battle ends in victory or defeat .
Life is a series of battles , one after another .
Monday , there 's a battle , Tuesday , there 's a battle , Wednesday @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 's victory or defeat in the battle and then you start all over .
For Donald Trump there really is no moral framework beyond his version of survival of the strongest .
I do n't think he has a moral framework .
It 's very interesting : How does somebody grow up without one of those things ?
If he 's going to win , everybody else has to lose , so he has to reverse everything that Barack Obama did .
Everything .
He did n't care about these things , he @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
He did n't even know what NAFTA was .
He just did n't like it because it was something that was around when Obama was around , so he did away with it .
Trump does not know what these things are .
He just wants to turn it around and go the other way , and that gives him a victory because somebody always has to lose .
Alliances like NATO and trade pacts , they make no sense to him .
They are ideally win-win propositions .
We help you @ @ @ @ @ @ @ not how the world works in Donald Trump 's mind .
If you 're the strongest and the smartest and the most stable genius on the planet , you do not need such relationships .
You just win .
You have to keep winning .
Trump is version 1.0 of a 21st-century American fascism .
What comes next ?
I 'm not sure there 'll be a version two .
I am not saying that everything is going to be fine .
Democracy in the United States can go into a tailspin .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ nothing natural about it .
If American democracy is failing , then Donald Trump certainly is playing a role in it .
But ultimately , I have more faith in the country 's political and social American institutions than that .
I actually believe that the country will recover from this moment .
In a sense , Donald Trump is part of a much bigger phenomenon .
I also do not believe that Donald Trump can be duplicated .
I do not imagine a Trump 2.0 .
But I do imagine that Trump @ @ @ @ @ @ @ people , who want a Trump 2.0 , that will become very frustrated because they will have missed their moment .
When Donald Trump is gone , it is going to be very hard for his supporters to recreate the magic that they had with him .
How would Donald Trump respond to being defeated in the 2020 presidential election ?
It is very difficult to imagine Donald Trump admitting defeat .
He 's never done it .
In any domain of his life , be it personal life or business life , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to any kind of misstep or defeat .
Will Trump even leave the Oval Office ?
Will he step off the White House grounds ?
Will he show up to the inauguration ?
Here in America we have never had to ask these kinds of questions before .

Many of the United States and the world's leading mental health experts have concluded that Donald Trump is mentally unwell, pathological, dangerous and perhaps even a sociopath or a psychopath.
This conclusion has been reached after more than four years of observing Trump's public behavior. Other mental health professionals, most notably the president's niece, Mary Trump, who is a psychologist, as well as Dr. Justin Frank (author of "Trump on the Couch") have reached the same conclusion after expertly observing Trump's behavior for years or decades.
After being hospitalized several weeks ago for COVID treatment, during which he was administered an experimental cocktail of drugs, Trump has behaved in an even more erratic and aberrant manner.
Donald Trump's mind and mental health are like the nuclear reactor at Chernobyl. These last days before Election Day are a countdown for a man who, if he is defeated, will experience a meltdown that spreads his poison all over the world.
As documented by the Washington Post, Trump has lied more than 20,000 times while president. In these last few weeks, his lies are becoming more frequent and outrageous.
Trump is now claiming that he somehow defeated the coronavirus pandemic. In reality, the United States is falling deeper into a season of death. The virus is spreading largely unchecked, with more than 227,000 people dead in total and upwards of 70,000 new cases a day.
During his second and final presidential debate with Joe Biden, Trump sounded remarkably callous and cruel in his discussions of the death and suffering caused by his negligence and incompetence during the pandemic.
Because fueling his ego, grandiosity and malignant narcissism are more important than the lives of others, Trump continues to host rallies where his followers gather unmasked by the thousands. Public health experts have now directly tied Trump's events to the spread of the virus and resulting illnesses and deaths. Trumpism literally is a death cult; his followers are human biological weapons.
On Tuesday, in Omaha, Nebraska, Trump again showed that he does not care about the health and safety of his followers. After a rally at an airfield, many of Trump's supporters were left behind in freezing temperatures when the buses they were promised did not appear. Many people were forced to walk several miles from the rally site back to their vehicles, and dozens of them required medical attention.
As president, Donald Trump has significant influence over the behavior of the American people. His mental pathologies have infected tens of millions of his followers, and have caused PTSD and other forms of stress and trauma for those Americans who oppose his regime.
But for all of Donald Trump's evident mental pathologies, could it be that he is even more dangerous than previously understood? That's the contention of Dan McAdams, who is the Henry Wade Rogers Professor of Psychology and a professor of education and social policy at Northwestern University. He is the author of almost 300 articles and chapters as well as seven books, including "The Art and Science of Personality Development" and "The Redemptive Self: Stories Americans Live By."
McAdams' work has been featured in leading media outlets such as the New York Times, the New Yorker, the Atlantic, USA Today, the Wall Street Journal, NPR, CNN and elsewhere. His most recent book is "The Strange Case of Donald J. Trump: A Psychological Reckoning."
In this conversation McAdams warns that Donald Trump's greatest threat is caused by the fact that he exists only in the present moment, a man without a future or a past who lacks any sense of a life narrative, story or ethics beyond winning at all costs. This aspect of Donald Trump is the greatest threat to the country and the world.
McAdams also cautions that Donald Trump is a unique and strange person who defies any singular category of mental diagnosis, and shares his concern that leaders like Donald Trump inevitably bring ruin and destruction to the countries they lead.
But all may not be lost. At the end of this conversation, McAdams offers hope that Trump's followers will be dejected and broken once he is removed from office, and that America's political and cultural institutions will be strong enough for healing to begin.
You can also listen to my conversation with Dan McAdams on my podcast "The Truth Report" or through the player embedded below.
This conversation has been edited for clarity and length.
How have you made sense of the Age of Trump?
For the first time here in America we have a full-blooded authoritarian leader. This has happened in other countries at other times, most notably the 1930s in Italy and Germany, of course. But for Americans this was all news. I've spent several years trying to understand Donald Trump using the standard vocabulary, nomenclature, ideas and theories from psychological science to make sense of him and his life. But they have only proved somewhat helpful in that quest.
I end up just being flummoxed by the strangeness of the man. I believe that he does not neatly fit the categories. He's not the typical malignant narcissist. He's unbelievably disagreeable, but in ways that nobody would ever fathom. There are so many things about Donald Trump that are peculiar. My book is entitled "The Strange Case of Donald J. Trump." I cannot help but to emphasize the strangeness of Donald Trump — it is as if he is a type of one-off when it comes to human nature.
Even at this point, there are many millions of Americans who are still in shock that Trump even became president.
The 50% or so of the American populace who are strongly opposed to Donald Trump never got over election night 2016. It was a traumatic experience. It was an event that people have flashbacks over. People are in therapy about what happened that night.
Many people keep hoping against hope that somehow it is all going to go away — that Trump's time in office is this weird anomaly that happened to American culture and somehow we are going to go back to some type of pre-Trump normal. I do not believe things will be the same again in this country. What many Americans will never get over is the feeling that this is not the country they thought they lived in before Trump was elected.
There is this repeated cycle of hope and despair with America and the Age of Trump. People are hopeful that some scandal, or his crimes against democracy and the country, will stop him. But that never happens. If anything, impeachment and every revelation of his wrongdoing has made him stronger. What does that cycle of ups and downs, hope and disappointment, do to people?
Going back to the 1970s, Donald Trump wins when he wears people out. Trump's modus operandi has always been to be more persistent, to hang in there and to run out the clock. As president he tried to win by outlasting everyone else. He did this in the real estate market. He did this to his creditors in the 1990s.
Trump has shown unlimited energy to promote himself. I do not believe that there is anyone else on the planet with that much self-promoting energy.
Every day, Donald Trump he is fighting what he considers to be a battle of survival, and then he either wins or loses. Trump has been like that his whole life. Trump wakes up the next day and starts all over again with that behavior. Trump does not even remember what happened yesterday. Other human beings remember what happened on Monday when it is Tuesday. As human beings we develop long-term narratives about how our lives work. But not Mr. Trump. For him it is new every day.
It is not a cognitive deficit. Trump has always behaved that way. He's always had this tremendous ability to just forget about the past and to deal with the present moment. That is part of what makes Trump so powerful in the minds of his supporters. He's not hiding anything. He's not thinking about yesterday. He's not worried about two weeks from now. He looks at the crowd, and he's 100% all there in the moment.
Outside observers often think, "Oh my God, there is something behind all of that performance and behavior!" The answer is no. Trump is always what we see. He is Donald Trump playing "Donald Trump" all the time.
Donald Trump is totally authentic as he fakes his way through the role. Trump is a perfectly authentic fake. There is nothing behind the mask. Trump has boundless energy because he does not have to worry about yesterday or tomorrow.
What does Trump's living in the "forever present" with no thought for the future or the past do to a country in terms of truth, reality and decision-making more generally?
It dooms a democracy. It dooms a culture and the broader development and health of a culture. Democracy and society depend on people taking some sort of long-term view. If there is no long-term vision or understanding of reality, then what works for such a person like Donald Trump is whatever he or she needs at that moment to win the fight.
For example, on a given Monday Trump will say, "Nancy Pelosi is the worst person on the planet." On Wednesday, it is a totally different fight. He does not have any memory of Monday and thus he will then say, "Well, you know what, Nancy and I were getting along today." And on Friday, Donald Trump is in another place. It is all moment to moment.
Other people do not live that way. It is not sustainable. To survive long-term a people, a nation, cannot have leaders who behave like Donald Trump.
Many mental health professionals would respond that such behavior shows that Donald Trump is mentally pathological.
People can label said behavior however they would like to. But here is what we must take into account in these discussions about mental illness and Donald Trump. Any of the diagnostic categories are supposed to describe a compromise in one's functioning such that a person cannot get along in life and be successful.
Donald Trump is the president of the United States. He clearly has been successful. He has clearly gotten along in life. Moreover, I do not think that Donald Trump suffers from a mental illness. His behavior does not make him upset. His behavior motivates and drives him.
So yes, a person can throw those diagnostic categories about, but they are not helpful in this case. They do not help to explain how Donald Trump came to be. Donald Trump is much stranger than any diagnostic category.
Moreover, let us assume that we label Donald Trump as having narcissistic personality disorder or being a sociopath. Who cares? The labels are interesting to the clinicians, but are we going to say in this country that people who have mental illnesses should not be president?
If that is the conclusion, then Abraham Lincoln should not have been president because he clearly suffered from clinical depression. However, Lincoln used that mental illness in way that was powerful and productive. I do not consider mental illness as a deal-breaker when it comes to public office. But in my mind, Donald Trump is way more strange than any mental illness category that one can apply or create.
We must also grapple with the fact that many "successful" people such as CEOs and other "high-achieving" people are sociopaths. Moreover, sometimes that personality type may be of benefit to them.
That is true. But I am not comfortable with the term "mental illness." Let us discuss instead personality disorders such as narcissistic personality disorder. Steve Jobs met all nine criteria for narcissistic personality disorder. Only five are sufficient for the diagnosis. But Steve Jobs had other characteristics as well. He was a genius, for one, which helped him negotiate life.
Donald Trump is not a genius. Trump is also not as competent as other high-functioning narcissists we see in the world. And yet Trump has been extraordinarily successful through the use of brute-force leadership. That type of leadership is useful in certain contexts such as the military or sports. But there should also be leadership by expertise. Trump is almost 100% brute-force leadership. I do not believe that the United States has ever had such a president.
Donald Trump, again, is not like other human beings.
I have spent my entire career, some 30 years, studying how people create stories about their lives. This is part of human nature. Each of us is walking around with a story in our minds about how we came to be who we are. The story helps to ground us. It gives us a moral framework and help us make sense of who we are, who we were, who we will be in the future. This a called a "narrative identity."
Trump is the exception. He does not have a story in his mind about how he came to be. This is not a small thing. It is why Trump is able to live in the moment. He is able to play "Donald Trump" the character repeatedly, because there is no animating narrative in his mind about who he is and where his life is going. None.
But again, not having a strong narrative identity — or not having one at all — is not a sign of any particular mental illness. In the DSM there are mentions of "emptiness" and so forth, but that is not necessarily a criterion for mental illness.
It's just something we all assume that just about everybody has, and now we run into an individual who's remarkably strange in that regard. And a lot of people still don't really believe it. They keep thinking there's something else to him. He's strategic. He's playing the long game and so forth. But no. There is no strategic or long game with Donald Trump. Trump is like the alpha chimp who is always playing the short game, a brute-force game, to win at all costs.
What would Donald Trump say if you were to ask him, "Who are you in your own life story?"
People have tried to do that very thing. Going back to the 1980s, journalists and biographers have asked Mr. Trump such questions. He refuses to answer.
Trump scoffs. He changes the subject. He can't answer such questions. Trump will summon a memory from here or there, but the memory does not really reveal anything substantive because in his mind he has just always existed. Trump cannot offer a narrative about how he has become who he is today. Such a narrative makes no sense to him. Such a question also does not make sense to children either.
I have repeatedly argued that Donald Trump the human being does not really exist. He is a character, a symbol without substance, one on which people impose meaning. Is that analysis correct? What would it feel like to be such a person?
Your characterization of Donald Trump is a good one. Of course, Trump is a human being. He's flesh and blood. He's not an apparition. There is a substance and a reality to him there as a human. But when we think of how persons operate in the world, it is not clear to me that Donald Trump would say to you, assuming he knew what the criteria even are, that he is in fact a person.
It is hard to say if Donald Trump is miserable. It is hard to say that he has not done well in life. He is always Donald Trump playing "Donald Trump." There is not a person behind that behavior, or a narrative, or complexity. Donald Trump is a force of sorts, and that is how he sees himself.
Does Donald Trump believe in right and wrong? Is there some type of ethical governor on his behavior?
Donald Trump has a philosophy of life. It is: "Man is the most vicious of all animals, and life is a series of battles ending in victory or defeat." That's it. That is what he believes. Right from wrong has to be understood in that context. It is Hobbesian. What is right is what wins, what is strong. You either win or you lose. It's victory or defeat.
When Trump says, "Life is a series of battles ending in victory or defeat," he does not just mean that life ends in victory or defeat. What Trump really means is that every battle ends in victory or defeat. Life is a series of battles, one after another. Monday, there's a battle, Tuesday, there's a battle, Wednesday, there's a battle. There's victory or defeat in the battle and then you start all over. For Donald Trump there really is no moral framework beyond his version of survival of the strongest.
I don't think he has a moral framework. It's very interesting: How does somebody grow up without one of those things? If he's going to win, everybody else has to lose, so he has to reverse everything that Barack Obama did. Everything. He didn't care about these things, he doesn't even know what they are. He didn't even know what NAFTA was. He just didn't like it because it was something that was around when Obama was around, so he did away with it. Trump does not know what these things are. He just wants to turn it around and go the other way, and that gives him a victory because somebody always has to lose. Alliances like NATO and trade pacts, they make no sense to him. They are ideally win-win propositions. We help you, you help us.
That is not how the world works in Donald Trump's mind. If you're the strongest and the smartest and the most stable genius on the planet, you do not need such relationships. You just win. You have to keep winning.
Trump is version 1.0 of a 21st-century American fascism. What comes next?
I'm not sure there'll be a version two. I am not saying that everything is going to be fine. Democracy in the United States can go into a tailspin. It is very fragile and there is nothing natural about it. If American democracy is failing, then Donald Trump certainly is playing a role in it. But ultimately, I have more faith in the country's political and social American institutions than that. I actually believe that the country will recover from this moment.
In a sense, Donald Trump is part of a much bigger phenomenon. I also do not believe that Donald Trump can be duplicated. I do not imagine a Trump 2.0. But I do imagine that Trump's core base, about 30 million people, who want a Trump 2.0, that will become very frustrated because they will have missed their moment. When Donald Trump is gone, it is going to be very hard for his supporters to recreate the magic that they had with him.
How would Donald Trump respond to being defeated in the 2020 presidential election?
It is very difficult to imagine Donald Trump admitting defeat. He's never done it. In any domain of his life, be it personal life or business life, Trump has never for a moment admitted to any kind of misstep or defeat. Will Trump even leave the Oval Office? Will he step off the White House grounds? Will he show up to the inauguration? Here in America we have never had to ask these kinds of questions before.


alternet--2020-10-29--‘It’s not just that you’re a crook, senator’: Jon Ossoff shows GOP foe no mercy in viral debate cli

‘It’s not just that you’re a crook, senator’: Jon Ossoff shows GOP foe no mercy in viral debate clip

Although Georgia is still a red state , Democratic candidates have been surprisingly competitive in the state 's two U.S. Senate races this year — just as former Vice President Joe Biden has been quite competitive in the 2020 presidential race .
One of Georgia 's Democratic Senate candidates is Jon Ossoff , who gave his GOP opponent , incumbent Republican Sen. David Perdue , absolute hell in a debate held on Wednesday night , October 28 .
And a clip of that debate has gone viral , receiving a staggering 6 million views overnight .
Ossoff did n't hesitate @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Slamming Perdue 's response to the coronavirus pandemic , Ossoff told his opponent , `` Well , perhaps Sen. Perdue would have been able to properly respond to the COVID-19 pandemic if you had n't been fending off multiple federal investigations for insider trading .
It 's not just that you 're a crook , senator ; it 's that you 're attacking the health of the people that you represent . ''
Ossoff went on to note how Trumpian Perdue 's response to the pandemic has been .
Like President Donald Trump @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the pandemic — which , according to Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore , has killed more than 1.1 million people worldwide and over 227,700 people in the United States .
The Democrat told Perdue , `` You did say COVID-19 was no deadlier than the flu .
You did say there would be no significant uptick in cases .
All the while , you were looking after your own assets and your own portfolio — and you did vote four times to end protections for preexisting conditions .
Four times .
And the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Act — it includes loopholes that specifically allow insurance companies to deny policies to Georgians with preexisting conditions . ''

Although Georgia is still a red state, Democratic candidates have been surprisingly competitive in the state's two U.S. Senate races this year — just as former Vice President Joe Biden has been quite competitive in the 2020 presidential race. One of Georgia's Democratic Senate candidates is Jon Ossoff, who gave his GOP opponent, incumbent Republican Sen. David Perdue, absolute hell in a debate held on Wednesday night, October 28. And a clip of that debate has gone viral, receiving a staggering 6 million views overnight.
Ossoff didn't hesitate to play hardball during the debate. Slamming Perdue's response to the coronavirus pandemic, Ossoff told his opponent, "Well, perhaps Sen. Perdue would have been able to properly respond to the COVID-19 pandemic if you hadn't been fending off multiple federal investigations for insider trading. It's not just that you're a crook, senator; it's that you're attacking the health of the people that you represent."
Ossoff went on to note how Trumpian Perdue's response to the pandemic has been. Like President Donald Trump, Perdue has downplayed the severity of the pandemic — which, according to Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, has killed more than 1.1 million people worldwide and over 227,700 people in the United States.
The Democrat told Perdue, "You did say COVID-19 was no deadlier than the flu. You did say there would be no significant uptick in cases. All the while, you were looking after your own assets and your own portfolio — and you did vote four times to end protections for preexisting conditions. Four times. And the legislation that you tout, the Protect Act — it includes loopholes that specifically allow insurance companies to deny policies to Georgians with preexisting conditions."


alternet--2020-10-29--John Ratcliffe went ‘off script’ when he claimed threatening e-mails were an Iranian plot to hurt Tr

John Ratcliffe went ‘off script’ when he claimed threatening e-mails were an Iranian plot to hurt Trump: report

After Democratic voters in several states recently received threatening e-mails claiming to be from the far-right Proud Boys , Director of National Intelligence John Ratcliffe told reporters that trolls in Iran sent them to `` intimidate voters , incite social unrest and damage President Trump . ''
But according to Politico reporters Natasha Bertrand and Daniel Lippman , the `` damage President Trump '' part was not in the prepared statement that Ratcliffe had showed to FBI Director Christopher Wray and Department of Homeland Security official Chris Krebs prior to a press conference .
The e-mails pretending to be from @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a troll operation and told voters that unless they voted for Trump in 2020 's presidential election , `` we will come after you . ''
That threat was very much the type of thing that trolls acting on behalf of the Kremlin and Russian President Vladimir Putin would do ; in 2016 , according to the Mueller Report , Russian trolls wanted to add as much chaos to the United States ' presidential election as they could .
But in this case , according to U.S. intelligence , the trolls sending bogus @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Ratcliffe , according to Bertrand and Lippman , `` went off script '' when he claimed the Iranian rolls were trying to hurt Trump .
The Politico reporters explain , `` Ratcliffe attributed the e-mails to Iran but said they were 'designed to intimidate voters , incite social unrest and damage President Trump , ' raising immediate questions about how threatening Democrats to vote for Trump could be aimed at damaging the president 's re-election bid — and how the intelligence community had made that determination within 24 hours of the messages .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ also told reporters , `` Although we have not seen the same actions from Russia , we are aware that they have obtained some voter information just as they did in 2016 . ''
Another area in which Ratcliffe `` went off script , '' according to Bertrand and Lippman , was by omitting any reference to the Proud Boys during his statement .
The prepared remarks he showed Wray and Krebs , according to Politico sources , specifically mentioned the Proud Boys .
`` Last week 's briefing about Iran and Russia @ @ @ @ @ @ @ victory lap — government analysts and private-sector investigators had been able to attribute the influence operation to Iranian hackers within a matter of hours , whereas it usually takes months for investigators to confidently determine the origins of a foreign cyberattack , '' Bertrand and Lippman note .
`` The attribution was aided by a series of clumsy mistakes the hackers made , Krebs told reporters in a separate briefing last week . ''

After Democratic voters in several states recently received threatening e-mails claiming to be from the far-right Proud Boys, Director of National Intelligence John Ratcliffe told reporters that trolls in Iran sent them to "intimidate voters, incite social unrest and damage President Trump." But according to Politico reporters Natasha Bertrand and Daniel Lippman, the "damage President Trump" part was not in the prepared statement that Ratcliffe had showed to FBI Director Christopher Wray and Department of Homeland Security official Chris Krebs prior to a press conference.
The e-mails pretending to be from the Proud Boys had the markings of a troll operation and told voters that unless they voted for Trump in 2020's presidential election, "we will come after you." That threat was very much the type of thing that trolls acting on behalf of the Kremlin and Russian President Vladimir Putin would do; in 2016, according to the Mueller Report, Russian trolls wanted to add as much chaos to the United States' presidential election as they could. But in this case, according to U.S. intelligence, the trolls sending bogus e-mails were hackers based in Iran.
Ratcliffe, according to Bertrand and Lippman, "went off script" when he claimed the Iranian rolls were trying to hurt Trump.
The Politico reporters explain, "Ratcliffe attributed the e-mails to Iran but said they were 'designed to intimidate voters, incite social unrest and damage President Trump,' raising immediate questions about how threatening Democrats to vote for Trump could be aimed at damaging the president's re-election bid — and how the intelligence community had made that determination within 24 hours of the messages."
During the press conference, Ratcliffe also told reporters, "Although we have not seen the same actions from Russia, we are aware that they have obtained some voter information just as they did in 2016."
Another area in which Ratcliffe "went off script," according to Bertrand and Lippman, was by omitting any reference to the Proud Boys during his statement. The prepared remarks he showed Wray and Krebs, according to Politico sources, specifically mentioned the Proud Boys.
"Last week's briefing about Iran and Russia was meant to be a kind of victory lap — government analysts and private-sector investigators had been able to attribute the influence operation to Iranian hackers within a matter of hours, whereas it usually takes months for investigators to confidently determine the origins of a foreign cyberattack," Bertrand and Lippman note. "The attribution was aided by a series of clumsy mistakes the hackers made, Krebs told reporters in a separate briefing last week."


alternet--2020-10-29--Economists warn against deceptive White House spin on new GDP figures: 'Don't be fooled'

With the federal Bureau of Economic Analysis set to release third-quarter economic growth estimates Thursday that are expected to show a historic surge in GDP following the worst contraction on record in the previous quarter , experts and Democratic lawmakers are sounding the alarm about President Donald Trump 's election-minded efforts to portray the deceptive numbers as proof that the economy is roaring back under his leadership .
Even though the numbers have not yet officially been released , the Trump reelection campaign is already running Facebook ads touting the `` fastest GDP growth in history '' and celebrating the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ figures supposedly show .
`` The economic calamity threatening American households is largely self-inflicted , and will get even more dire unless Congress takes bipartisan action soon . ''
—Rep .
Don Beyer But several economists and analysts have warned in recent days that the new BEA statistics will likely paint a highly misleading picture of the economy , which remains mired in deep recession as the coronavirus continues to spread and Congress fails to approve additional relief spending , leaving tens of millions of jobless and hungry Americans without desperately needed assistance @ @ @ @ @ @ @ third-quarter GDP growth at over 30 % at an annualized rate—a figure that would be staggering if it did n't come on the heels of the worst GDP drop in U.S. history in the second quarter .
`` Some basic math and data can help pierce through the mirage , '' economist and Brookings Institute fellow Jay Shambaugh wrote in a blog post Monday .
`` One reason 30 percent growth does n't mean the economy is healed stems from how percentage changes work when going down and then up .
If you @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and it drops 30 percent , it is now worth $ 70 .
If it gains back 30 percent , it is then worth $ 91 ( the gain is just $ 21 because 30 percent of 70 is 21 ) . ''
`` In the same manner , '' Shambaugh continued , `` the large drop in output in the second quarter followed by similar sized increases in the third quarter will still leave a large hole . ''
Dean Baker , senior economist at the Center for Economic and Policy Research @ @ @ @ @ @ @ would have to grow at a 53.3 percent annual rate in the third quarter to make up the ground lost in the first and second quarters . ''
Given that the BEA figures are likely to be among the last major economic indicators released ahead of the November 3 election , the Trump campaign has rushed to seize upon the numbers and the president is all but certain to hail them upon their release Thursday morning .
`` Trump will claim credit .
Do n't be fooled , '' tweeted economist Robert Reich @ @ @ @ @ @ @ drops in history .
And the growth has n't lasted .
Latest indicators show big loss of momentum . ''
In a brief report ( pdf ) released Wednesday ahead of the new BEA statistics , Democrats on the Joint Economic Committee said Thursday 's numbers `` will not fully reflect the worsening public health crisis . ''
`` Instead , on the surface , it will appear to suggest a dramatic economic turnaround , '' the committee says .
`` However , even record-breaking third quarter real GDP growth of 30 % @ @ @ @ @ @ @ substantially smaller than when the year began . ''
The Trump campaign 's touting of the GDP figures as evidence of a booming economic recovery also ignores the deteriorating material circumstances of countless Americans as millions remain unemployed and struggle to afford food , rent , and other basic expenses .
Shortly after confirming Amy Coney Barrett to the Supreme Court late Monday , Majority Leader Mitch McConnell ( R-Ky. ) adjourned the Senate for recess until November 9 , effectively killing the chances of a coronavirus relief package ahead of Election Day @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , vice chair of the Joint Economic Committee , said in a statement Wednesday that `` Republicans ' failure to reauthorize unemployment supports is a catastrophic mistake that threatens to engulf the personal finances of millions of families . ''
`` The economic calamity threatening American households is largely self-inflicted , and will get even more dire unless Congress takes bipartisan action soon , '' Beyer added .
`` We are no longer talking about stimulus , we are talking about life-preservers for millions people who have been terribly hurt and face worse @ @ @ @

With the federal Bureau of Economic Analysis set to release third-quarter economic growth estimates Thursday that are expected to show a historic surge in GDP following the worst contraction on record in the previous quarter, experts and Democratic lawmakers are sounding the alarm about President Donald Trump's election-minded efforts to portray the deceptive numbers as proof that the economy is roaring back under his leadership.
Even though the numbers have not yet officially been released, the Trump reelection campaign is already running Facebook ads touting the "fastest GDP growth in history" and celebrating the "Great American Comeback" that the figures supposedly show.
"The economic calamity threatening American households is largely self-inflicted, and will get even more dire unless Congress takes bipartisan action soon."
—Rep. Don Beyer
But several economists and analysts have warned in recent days that the new BEA statistics will likely paint a highly misleading picture of the economy, which remains mired in deep recession as the coronavirus continues to spread and Congress fails to approve additional relief spending, leaving tens of millions of jobless and hungry Americans without desperately needed assistance.
The BEA is expected to peg third-quarter GDP growth at over 30% at an annualized rate—a figure that would be staggering if it didn't come on the heels of the worst GDP drop in U.S. history in the second quarter.
"Some basic math and data can help pierce through the mirage," economist and Brookings Institute fellow Jay Shambaugh wrote in a blog post Monday. "One reason 30 percent growth doesn't mean the economy is healed stems from how percentage changes work when going down and then up. If you own a stock priced at $100 and it drops 30 percent, it is now worth $70. If it gains back 30 percent, it is then worth $91 (the gain is just $21 because 30 percent of 70 is 21)."
"In the same manner," Shambaugh continued, "the large drop in output in the second quarter followed by similar sized increases in the third quarter will still leave a large hole."
Dean Baker, senior economist at the Center for Economic and Policy Research, noted Tuesday that "the economy would have to grow at a 53.3 percent annual rate in the third quarter to make up the ground lost in the first and second quarters."
Given that the BEA figures are likely to be among the last major economic indicators released ahead of the November 3 election, the Trump campaign has rushed to seize upon the numbers and the president is all but certain to hail them upon their release Thursday morning.
"Trump will claim credit. Don't be fooled," tweeted economist Robert Reich. "It follows one of sharpest drops in history. And the growth hasn't lasted. Latest indicators show big loss of momentum."
In a brief report (pdf) released Wednesday ahead of the new BEA statistics, Democrats on the Joint Economic Committee said Thursday's numbers "will not fully reflect the worsening public health crisis."
"Instead, on the surface, it will appear to suggest a dramatic economic turnaround," the committee says. "However, even record-breaking third quarter real GDP growth of 30%-35% will leave the U.S. economy substantially smaller than when the year began."
The Trump campaign's touting of the GDP figures as evidence of a booming economic recovery also ignores the deteriorating material circumstances of countless Americans as millions remain unemployed and struggle to afford food, rent, and other basic expenses.
Shortly after confirming Amy Coney Barrett to the Supreme Court late Monday, Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) adjourned the Senate for recess until November 9, effectively killing the chances of a coronavirus relief package ahead of Election Day.
Rep. Don Beyer (D-Va.), vice chair of the Joint Economic Committee, said in a statement Wednesday that "Republicans' failure to reauthorize unemployment supports is a catastrophic mistake that threatens to engulf the personal finances of millions of families."
"The economic calamity threatening American households is largely self-inflicted, and will get even more dire unless Congress takes bipartisan action soon," Beyer added. "We are no longer talking about stimulus, we are talking about life-preservers for millions people who have been terribly hurt and face worse personal tragedy."


alternet--2020-10-29--Here's why Noam Chomsky and Daniel Ellsberg are so adamant about defeating Trump

`` There is a kind of an official view about democracy—it says that you , the public , are spectators not participants , '' activist and scholar Noam Chomsky points out in a new video .
`` You have a function .
The function is to show up every couple of years , push a lever , go home , do n't bother the important people who run the world , you 've done your job .
We ca n't accept that . ''
At the same time , Chomsky is vehement about the urgent necessity of defeating Donald Trump @ @ @ @ @ @ @ take a little time away from real politics , an interlude , and make sure you get somebody out .
This time it is critically important , '' Chomsky says in the video ( produced by my colleagues with the Vote Trump Out campaign ) .
`` There 's a real malignant cancer that has to be excised . ''
Excising Trump from the top of the executive branch is essential .
`` Take the trouble to remove him from the political world , '' Chomsky says .
`` Then go on with @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Understanding .
Consciousness .
Organizing .
Activism and engagement .
Everything from your local school board , your local community , on to the international world .
All the time .
That includes pressing whoever is in office to keep their word and go beyond . ''
Defeating Trump is a crucial—and certainly insufficient—precondition for making possible the kind of changes in government policies that are desperately required for social decency .
`` Under a Biden presidency , progressives would need to be persistent from the very beginning in challenging and opposing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ propose , '' Daniel Ellsberg wrote this month in the Detroit Metro Times .
`` Yet , for now , the imperative need is to free the nation from Trump 's unhinged and destructive grip . ''
Ellsberg , who has been an activist for peace and social justice ever since releasing the Pentagon Papers in 1971 , has no illusions about the Democratic nominee .
`` Joe Biden 's record is not at all progressive , '' he tweeted last week .
`` So how can I ask progressives to vote for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ?
Three words : Trump .
Climate .
Democracy . ''
And Ellsberg added : `` If you 're not urging others to vote for Biden , you 're not helping remove a would-be Mussolini from the White House balcony .
Especially in swing states , by encouraging others to vote for someone else or not to vote at all , you 're risking that Trump stays , and the Paris climate goals stay decisively out of reach . ''
Ellsberg urged people to `` do all you can '' to `` remove @ @ @ @ @ @ @ White House . ''
President Trump is a dream come true for those who despise democracy .
The year he moved into the Oval Office , a book by historian Nancy MacLean—Democracy in Chains—documented what she called `` the single most powerful and least understood threat to democracy today : the attempt by the billionaire-backed radical right to undo democratic governance . ''
The forces aligned with Donald Trump have achieved enormous breakthroughs during the last four years in their quest to `` undo democratic governance . ''
The potential for democracy in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ whether Trump gains re-election .

"There is a kind of an official view about democracy—it says that you, the public, are spectators not participants," activist and scholar Noam Chomsky points out in a new video. "You have a function. The function is to show up every couple of years, push a lever, go home, don't bother the important people who run the world, you've done your job. We can't accept that."
At the same time, Chomsky is vehement about the urgent necessity of defeating Donald Trump. "Sometimes it's worthwhile to take a little time away from real politics, an interlude, and make sure you get somebody out. This time it is critically important," Chomsky says in the video (produced by my colleagues with the Vote Trump Out campaign). "There's a real malignant cancer that has to be excised."
Excising Trump from the top of the executive branch is essential. "Take the trouble to remove him from the political world," Chomsky says. "Then go on with the real work of politics. Creating. Understanding. Consciousness. Organizing. Activism and engagement. Everything from your local school board, your local community, on to the international world. All the time. That includes pressing whoever is in office to keep their word and go beyond."
Defeating Trump is a crucial—and certainly insufficient—precondition for making possible the kind of changes in government policies that are desperately required for social decency. "Under a Biden presidency, progressives would need to be persistent from the very beginning in challenging and opposing many of the things that he may propose," Daniel Ellsberg wrote this month in the Detroit Metro Times. "Yet, for now, the imperative need is to free the nation from Trump's unhinged and destructive grip."
Ellsberg, who has been an activist for peace and social justice ever since releasing the Pentagon Papers in 1971, has no illusions about the Democratic nominee. "Joe Biden's record is not at all progressive," he tweeted last week. "So how can I ask progressives to vote for Biden and urge others to do so? Three words: Trump. Climate. Democracy."
And Ellsberg added: "If you're not urging others to vote for Biden, you're not helping remove a would-be Mussolini from the White House balcony. Especially in swing states, by encouraging others to vote for someone else or not to vote at all, you're risking that Trump stays, and the Paris climate goals stay decisively out of reach." Ellsberg urged people to "do all you can" to "remove a climate-denier and would-be dictator from the White House."
President Trump is a dream come true for those who despise democracy. The year he moved into the Oval Office, a book by historian Nancy MacLean—Democracy in Chains—documented what she called "the single most powerful and least understood threat to democracy today: the attempt by the billionaire-backed radical right to undo democratic governance."
The forces aligned with Donald Trump have achieved enormous breakthroughs during the last four years in their quest to "undo democratic governance." The potential for democracy in the United States will largely hinge on whether Trump gains re-election.