westernjournal--2020-11-01--Biden Snaps, Calls Minnesota Trump Supporters ‘Ugly Folks’

The Poynter Institute helped save Joe Biden from his own “ basket of deplorables ” moment , and just days before the election .
Democrats everywhere breathed a sigh of relief .
According to The Associated Press , at an Oct. 24 Biden drive-in rally in Bucks County , Pennsylvania , a group of Trump supporters had intermingled with the crowd or were “ making a ruckus from a short distance away.
” After the event was over , CNN political correspondent MJ Lee tweeted , “ Practically a Trump drive-in rally here now outside the Biden drive-in event.
” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ State Appearance Falls Flat as Biden and Team Miss His Cue Throughout the rally , there was plenty of honking , shouting and general disruption .
“ I am running as a proud Democrat , but I will govern as an American president for everybody , ” Biden said in his speech .
“ I ’ ll work as hard for those who don ’ t support me as those who do , including those chumps with the microphone out there.
” The Poynter Institute ’ s PolitiFact fact-checking website pointed to two @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Biden called Pennsylvanians who don ’ t vote for him chumps — one from Turning Point USA ’ s Benny Johnson and the other syndicated radio host Ben Ferguson — and said there was widespread online dissemination of this quote without context .
Biden , PolitiFact said , “ was referring to a very specific group of people — those disrupting his speech — and not all of the president ’ s supporters in the state .
And his comments came as he was saying that he would be a president for all @ @ @ @ @ @ @ him.
” The outlet rated the claim “ Mostly False.
” Others — Donald Trump Jr. , Kellyanne Conway , Mike Huckabee did share some version of the claim , although the first two included the video which made the context clear and in the latter Huckabee seemed to understand what the context was .
The point is , the fact-checkers have spoken , and “ chumps ” isn ’ t the new “ basket of deplorables.
” Then , when the same ruckus-causing happened at a Biden event Friday in St. Paul @ @ @ @ @ @ @ did the exact same thing , since apparently history doesn ’ t repeat itself over generations or ages nowadays , it repeats itself over the period of less than a week .
There are two problems with Biden ’ s drive-in rallies .
First , even though there ’ s the novelty and social distancing aspect baked in , you see the kind of crowds World TeamTennis used to draw .
RELATED : Watch : Obama 's Swing State Appearance Falls Flat as Biden and Team Miss His Cue In Toledo , Ohio @ @ @ @ @ @ @ at a local United Auto Workers plant earlier this month .
This should be a captive audience for Biden , who does well with unions and fancies himself a car guy .
Instead , the New York Post reported he only drew 30 cars to a “ half-empty ” parking lot .
The second issue is that drive-in rallies don ’ t make it difficult for supporters of the president to either gain entry or get close if they want to — which they did in St. Paul like they did in Bucks @ @ @ @ @ @ @ who brings us together , not pull us apart .
I ’ ll deal with this pandemic responsibly , bringing the country together around testing , tracing , masking , ” Biden said .
“ It ’ s estimated by the leading doctors in this country that if we just wore a mask for the next few months , we ’ d save over 100,000 lives of over 200,000 lives they expect to lose .
Dr. Fauci called for a mask mandate last week .
“ This isn ’ t a political statement @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , beeping the horns .
This is a patriotic duty for God ’ s sake.
” Curtis Houck , the NewsBusters editor who posted the video , makes a salient point : This is puerile behavior that doesn ’ t make these individuals effective Trump surrogates .
I ’ d normally question the risk-reward here , but there seems to be no reward aside from group members being able to tweet “ LOLZ Joe Biden just got angry at us !
!
” Tell me if you can plausibly see this conversation happening @ @ @ @ @ @ @ point in the next three days : “ Hon , I was thinking of voting Democrat .
But after watching Trump ’ s supporters honk at Joe Biden and look at him get flustered during that drive-in rally on CNN , I ’ ve got to hand it to them — I ’ ve gone MAGA.
” And then you see the red mist descend behind Joe Biden ’ s aviator sunglasses , and he goes into full “ lying dog-faced pony soldier ” mode .
He talks about the “ ugly folks @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , since it brings up the ugly shadow of that “ basket of deplorables ” remark , even if he ’ s just pointing out a bunch of people finding a new way to abuse a car horn .
What ’ s strange is that he dealt with this matter earlier in the speech in a far more deft way .
“ These guys are not very polite , but they ’ re like Trump , ” he said , pointing off-stage at the pro-Trump cars .
I don ’ t agree with @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a quick riposte , something ordinarily not seen out of this high-mileage version of Joseph Robinette Biden .
“ Ugly people , ” meanwhile , is a gaffe I don ’ t believe the Poynter Institute can effectively run cover for Biden on .
The race in Minnesota is unexpectedly tight , with Trump trailing Biden in the RealClearPolitics polling average by only 4.7 points as of Sunday morning .
How much of a wave Biden ’ s “ ugly folks ” statement makes is questionable .
But here ’ s the thing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to be the president of all of America , including those “ chumps ” and “ ugly people.
” He should act like it , then , particularly in a key swing state .
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Read our editorial standards .

The Poynter Institute helped save Joe Biden from his own “basket of deplorables” moment, and just days before the election. Democrats everywhere breathed a sigh of relief.
They shouldn’t have.
According to The Associated Press, at an Oct. 24 Biden drive-in rally in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, a group of Trump supporters had intermingled with the crowd or were “making a ruckus from a short distance away.”
After the event was over, CNN political correspondent MJ Lee tweeted, “Practically a Trump drive-in rally here now outside the Biden drive-in event.”
Practically a Trump drive-in rally here now outside the Biden drive-in event. Biden has just finished speaking pic.twitter.com/SvsjopLM99 — MJ Lee (@mj_lee) October 24, 2020
Throughout the rally, there was plenty of honking, shouting and general disruption.
“I am running as a proud Democrat, but I will govern as an American president for everybody,” Biden said in his speech. “I’ll work as hard for those who don’t support me as those who do, including those chumps with the microphone out there.”
Joe Biden says he’ll be a president for “all Americans” …Then proceeds to call Pennsylvanians who don’t support him “chumps” ? pic.twitter.com/Dsy9Y88X22 — Charlie Kirk (@charliekirk11) October 24, 2020
The Poynter Institute’s PolitiFact fact-checking website pointed to two Facebook posts of static images which said Biden called Pennsylvanians who don’t vote for him chumps — one from Turning Point USA’s Benny Johnson and the other syndicated radio host Ben Ferguson — and said there was widespread online dissemination of this quote without context.
Biden, PolitiFact said, “was referring to a very specific group of people — those disrupting his speech — and not all of the president’s supporters in the state. And his comments came as he was saying that he would be a president for all Americans, not just those who support him.” The outlet rated the claim “Mostly False.”
Others — Donald Trump Jr., Kellyanne Conway, Mike Huckabee did share some version of the claim, although the first two included the video which made the context clear and in the latter Huckabee seemed to understand what the context was. The point is, the fact-checkers have spoken, and “chumps” isn’t the new “basket of deplorables.”
Then, when the same ruckus-causing happened at a Biden event Friday in St. Paul, Minnesota, the Democratic presidential nominee did the exact same thing, since apparently history doesn’t repeat itself over generations or ages nowadays, it repeats itself over the period of less than a week.
There are two problems with Biden’s drive-in rallies. First, even though there’s the novelty and social distancing aspect baked in, you see the kind of crowds World TeamTennis used to draw.
In Toledo, Ohio, Biden set up a drive-in rally at a local United Auto Workers plant earlier this month. This should be a captive audience for Biden, who does well with unions and fancies himself a car guy. Instead, the New York Post reported he only drew 30 cars to a “half-empty” parking lot.
Joe Biden’s rally today in the UAW parking lot in Toledo is a drive in pic.twitter.com/IlpJz54A25 — Darrel Rowland (@darreldrowland) October 12, 2020
The second issue is that drive-in rallies don’t make it difficult for supporters of the president to either gain entry or get close if they want to — which they did in St. Paul like they did in Bucks County.
Listen to the cars honking at Biden’s event in St. Paul, Minnesota while he’s yelling at the top of his lungs, trying to give us all headaches. But then it gets worse as he attacks Trump supporters as “ugly folks.” Talk about a guy who says he’d represent all Americans! ? pic.twitter.com/ofbIauZxfX — Curtis Houck (@CurtisHouck) October 30, 2020
“We need a president who brings us together, not pull us apart. I’ll deal with this pandemic responsibly, bringing the country together around testing, tracing, masking,” Biden said.
“It’s estimated by the leading doctors in this country that if we just wore a mask for the next few months, we’d save over 100,000 lives of over 200,000 lives they expect to lose. Dr. Fauci called for a mask mandate last week.
“This isn’t a political statement, like those ugly folks over there, beeping the horns. This is a patriotic duty for God’s sake.”
Curtis Houck, the NewsBusters editor who posted the video, makes a salient point: This is puerile behavior that doesn’t make these individuals effective Trump surrogates.
I’d normally question the risk-reward here, but there seems to be no reward aside from group members being able to tweet “LOLZ Joe Biden just got angry at us!!” Tell me if you can plausibly see this conversation happening in America’s kitchens at any point in the next three days: “Hon, I was thinking of voting Democrat. But after watching Trump’s supporters honk at Joe Biden and look at him get flustered during that drive-in rally on CNN, I’ve got to hand it to them — I’ve gone MAGA.”
Do you think that former Vice President Joe Biden will win the state of Minnesota? Yes No
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And then you see the red mist descend behind Joe Biden’s aviator sunglasses, and he goes into full “lying dog-faced pony soldier” mode. He talks about the “ugly folks over there” — a no-win situation, since it brings up the ugly shadow of that “basket of deplorables” remark, even if he’s just pointing out a bunch of people finding a new way to abuse a car horn.
What’s strange is that he dealt with this matter earlier in the speech in a far more deft way. “These guys are not very polite, but they’re like Trump,” he said, pointing off-stage at the pro-Trump cars.
I don’t agree with it, but at least it shows a quick riposte, something ordinarily not seen out of this high-mileage version of Joseph Robinette Biden.
“Ugly people,” meanwhile, is a gaffe I don’t believe the Poynter Institute can effectively run cover for Biden on.
The race in Minnesota is unexpectedly tight, with Trump trailing Biden in the RealClearPolitics polling average by only 4.7 points as of Sunday morning. How much of a wave Biden’s “ugly folks” statement makes is questionable.
But here’s the thing: Biden says he’s going to be the president of all of America, including those “chumps” and “ugly people.” He should act like it, then, particularly in a key swing state.
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westernjournal--2020-11-01--Trump Stands Defiant Despite Minnesota COVID Restrictions: ‘They’d Thought I’d Cancel, But I’m Not C

Trump Stands Defiant Despite Minnesota COVID Restrictions: ‘They’d Thought I’d Cancel, But I’m Not Canceling’

President Donald Trump defiantly campaigned Friday in the Democratic Party stronghold of Minnesota , despite efforts — which Trump blamed on state leaders — to limit the size of the crowd at his rally .
The official rally at the Rochester airport was capped at about 250 people to comply with state COVID-19 rules , WCCO-TV reported .
Hundreds more people who gathered outside the airport were able to see Trump via a live video feed after the president delivered brief in-person remarks to the overflow crowd .
Trump , who is trying to flip a state that last gave @ @ @ @ @ @ @ nominee in 1972 , scolded Minnesota leaders for trying to suppress his campaign .
“ We ’ re having a problem with some people in Minnesota where they have a cap because Biden goes there and he can ’ t draw flies ; he can ’ t draw anybody .
Gets a few cars , I guess , and they honk their horn , ” Trump told reporters before leaving Washington , D.C. , for rallies in Michigan , Wisconsin and Minnesota .
TRENDING : Watch : Obama 's Swing State Appearance Falls @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Cue “ So we have 25,000 people in Minnesota , which is our last stop today .
Twenty-five thousand people want to be there .
And they say you can only have 250 people , ” the president added .
“ So they ’ d thought I ’ d cancel , but I ’ m not canceling .
And we ’ ll find out what happens .
But we have 25,000 people in Minnesota , ” Trump said .
“ But they ’ re angry at Omar .
They ’ re angry at @ @ @ @ @ @ @ going on in Minnesota .
And I think it ’ s going to flip for the first time since 1972 , ” he said , referring to progressive Democratic Rep. Ilhan Omar of Minnesota .
During Trump ’ s rally , he lashed out at Gov .
Tim Walz and Attorney General Keith Ellison , both Democrats .
“ We were given a very , very hard time by your so-called leaders , but they ’ re not very good leaders as you found out during the riots , and we ’ re @ @ @ @ @ @ @ our great White House , ” he said .
“ As you know , there are at least 25,000 people who wanted to be here tonight .
We just saw a lot of them .
Wanted to pay our respects .
They were here for a long time .
They waited and waited , and then the governor did bad things , ” Trump added .
“ Your far-left Democrat Attorney General , Keith Ellison , and your Democrat governor tried to shut down our rally , silence the people of Minnesota and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
They thought he would cancel — a word they are very familiar with , cancel .
Cancel culture .
But I said , ‘ No way , I will never abandon the people of Minnesota .
I will come up .
I will come up , ' ” he said .
“ I want to thank the thousands of people outside who were barred from entry by radical Democrats .
You are American patriots.
” RELATED : Pittsburgh Post-Gazette Backs Donald Trump in First Endorsement for GOP POTUS Nominee Since 1972 Trump @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Trump ’ s supporters .
“ When large numbers of rioters and vandals sacked the city of Minneapolis earlier this year , Keith Ellison did not ask them to submit a permit .
He told the throngs of violent demonstrators , ‘ By all means , exercise your First Amendment rights.
’ He said that prior to them ripping down your city , ” he said .
Trump said Ellison treated his supporters “ like second-class citizens .
He believes that the pro-American voters have fewer rights than anti-American demonstrators .
Keith Ellison @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in your homes while letting anarchists , agitators and vandals roam free as they destroy your cities and states.
” Trump said his campaign is battling “ the arrogant far-left political class .
“ They want one set of rules for you and no rules for themselves .
Biden and the left-wing Democrats treat law enforcement like criminals , and they treat criminals like heroes .
They lecture you on morality while they support sanctuary cities that get innocent Americans robbed , raped , maimed and murdered .
They ban you from going @ @ @ @ @ @ @ burned down the church.
” If he is elected , Democrat Joe Biden will embrace policies that will hurt Americans , Trump said .
“ A vote for Joe Biden is a vote to put far-left radicals like Keith Ellison and Ilhan Omar and AOC plus three .
And gun grabber Beto O ’ Rourke wants to take your guns away , wants to destroy your Second Amendment , ” Trump said .
We are committed to truth and accuracy in all of our journalism .
Read our editorial standards .

President Donald Trump defiantly campaigned Friday in the Democratic Party stronghold of Minnesota, despite efforts — which Trump blamed on state leaders — to limit the size of the crowd at his rally.
The official rally at the Rochester airport was capped at about 250 people to comply with state COVID-19 rules, WCCO-TV reported. Hundreds more people who gathered outside the airport were able to see Trump via a live video feed after the president delivered brief in-person remarks to the overflow crowd.
Trump, who is trying to flip a state that last gave its electoral votes to a Republican presidential nominee in 1972, scolded Minnesota leaders for trying to suppress his campaign.
“We’re having a problem with some people in Minnesota where they have a cap because Biden goes there and he can’t draw flies; he can’t draw anybody. Gets a few cars, I guess, and they honk their horn,” Trump told reporters before leaving Washington, D.C., for rallies in Michigan, Wisconsin and Minnesota.
We are covering President Trump’s rallly in Rochester today. The crowd inside has been capped at 250 so a jumbotron has been set up outside for those who couldn’t get in. #wcco pic.twitter.com/QFsnU3C8Ft — John Lauritsen (@JDLauritsen) October 30, 2020
“So we have 25,000 people in Minnesota, which is our last stop today. Twenty-five thousand people want to be there. And they say you can only have 250 people,” the president added.
“So they’d thought I’d cancel, but I’m not canceling. And we’ll find out what happens. But we have 25,000 people in Minnesota,” Trump said.
Can President Donald Trump turn Minnesota red? Yes No
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“But they’re angry at Omar. They’re angry at all of this stuff that’s going on in Minnesota. And I think it’s going to flip for the first time since 1972,” he said, referring to progressive Democratic Rep. Ilhan Omar of Minnesota.
During Trump’s rally, he lashed out at Gov. Tim Walz and Attorney General Keith Ellison, both Democrats.
“We were given a very, very hard time by your so-called leaders, but they’re not very good leaders as you found out during the riots, and we’re going to win four more years at our great White House,” he said.
“As you know, there are at least 25,000 people who wanted to be here tonight. We just saw a lot of them. Wanted to pay our respects. They were here for a long time. They waited and waited, and then the governor did bad things,” Trump added.
“Your far-left Democrat Attorney General, Keith Ellison, and your Democrat governor tried to shut down our rally, silence the people of Minnesota and take away your freedom and your rights. They thought he would cancel — a word they are very familiar with, cancel. Cancel culture. But I said, ‘No way, I will never abandon the people of Minnesota. I will come up. I will come up,'” he said.
“I want to thank the thousands of people outside who were barred from entry by radical Democrats. You are American patriots.”
Trump then criticized Ellison’s treatment of Trump’s supporters.
“When large numbers of rioters and vandals sacked the city of Minneapolis earlier this year, Keith Ellison did not ask them to submit a permit. He told the throngs of violent demonstrators, ‘By all means, exercise your First Amendment rights.’ He said that prior to them ripping down your city,” he said.
“Keith Ellison sided with flag-burning extremists over law-abiding Americans.”
Trump said Ellison treated his supporters “like second-class citizens. He believes that the pro-American voters have fewer rights than anti-American demonstrators. Keith Ellison and Joe Biden want to imprison you in your homes while letting anarchists, agitators and vandals roam free as they destroy your cities and states.”
Trump said his campaign is battling “the arrogant far-left political class.
“They want one set of rules for you and no rules for themselves. Biden and the left-wing Democrats treat law enforcement like criminals, and they treat criminals like heroes. They lecture you on morality while they support sanctuary cities that get innocent Americans robbed, raped, maimed and murdered. They ban you from going to church while they let left-wing extremists burned down the church.”
If he is elected, Democrat Joe Biden will embrace policies that will hurt Americans, Trump said.
“A vote for Joe Biden is a vote to put far-left radicals like Keith Ellison and Ilhan Omar and AOC plus three. And gun grabber Beto O’Rourke wants to take your guns away, wants to destroy your Second Amendment,” Trump said.
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westernjournal--2020-11-01--Watch: Obama’s Swing State Appearance Falls Flat as Biden and Team Miss His Cue

Just in case you were wondering , Joe Biden is going to keep on Joe Bidening right up until Nov. 3 .
On Saturday , former Vice President Joe Biden appeared with his last boss , former President Barack Obama , for a rally in Flint , Michigan .
If you ’ ve watched any political coverage , you ’ re probably aware of the importance Michigan holds for the Democrats on Election Day .
Not only do you have its 16 electoral votes but there ’ s also a Senate race .
While incumbent Democratic Sen. Gary Peters has @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a bit in the campaign ’ s last days , according to the RealClearPolitics polling average , his lead has expanded and contracted frequently and the race has been tighter than many would have expected .
Biden ’ s Michigan lead in the RealClearPolitics polling average has swelled a bit , too ; he currently has a 7.0 percentage point advantage .
That ’ s a bit more than Hillary Clinton had in the same average in 2016 , but shoring up Michigan is never a bad idea — which is why Biden @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for a drive-in rally .
For the most part , there wasn ’ t much to talk about .
There was one general impression one took away from the rally , however , and one moment that crystallized it : when Biden appeared to miss Obama ’ s cue to come on stage .
TRENDING : Watch : Obama 's Swing State Appearance Falls Flat as Biden and Team Miss His Cue But first , the former president ’ s speech .
Say what you will about Barack Obama , but watching his @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the youthful energy that got him elected 12 years ago .
Yes , it was another unwelcome reminder that Obama ’ s dad humor , never the most palatable aspect of his stump-speech rigmarole , still grates on me nearly four years after he left 1600 Pennsylvania .
( “ Happy Halloween , everybody .
I love your masks , ” he said to begin his speech .
The nature of the event probably did some favors to Obama on that one , given that we couldn ’ t take notice of the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ) Yes , it remains filled with all the empty rhetoric you know and are indifferent to , at best .
Biden ’ s “ sense of decency , and empathy , the belief in hard work and family and faith , the belief that everybody counts , that ’ s who Joe is.
” As for Donald Trump , he ’ s not “ treating the presidency as anything more than a reality show to give him the attention that he craves.
” ( As liberal zingers go , “ reality show @ @ @ @ @ @ @ lifetime achievement award from the Old Political Speechwriters Guild in late 2019 and then quietly retired . )
And yes , speaking of the Old Political Speechwriters Guild , I think they ’ ve actually issued a formal denunciation of still using this kind of stale sermonizing about how Biden will “ finally make long overdue changes so that our economy actually makes life a little easier for everybody : for the waitress trying to raise a kid on her own , for the student figuring out how to pay for next semester @ @ @ @ @ @ @ always on the edge of getting laid off or the cancer survivor who ’ s worried that her pre-existing conditions protections will be taken away.
” These are the complaints of an Obama curmudgeon , however , and have no bearing on the efficacy of his speech .
As for his dad humor , no one brought their kids out to see Don Rickles .
In terms of empty rhetoric , every politician uses it — although I ’ ll note few of them have been lionized for delivering substance from the podium @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
And as for the “ waitress trying to raise a kid on her own ” part , I ’ ll merely offer this defense : I searched the transcript of the speech to make sure and discovered , with some happiness , that at least he hadn ’ t descended to the depths of “ Main Street vs. Wall Street.
” ( Neither did Biden , for that matter . )
Given my views and the fact I ’ m writing in a conservative publication , I think we can safely assume @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in 2008 .
However , watching Obama ’ s speech , you not only saw the energy that convinced America to vote for him , you saw it primarily intact .
He hit his points and hit them with the kind of energy and exactitude that makes a rote teleprompter address seem like an unrehearsed speech from a Hollywood movie .
All warm-up acts must eventually vacate the stage , however — and as Barack Obama threw things over to the putative man of the hour , his intro fell decidedly flat .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ in Seconds as Flames Erupt from Ballot Box “ My friend , the next president of the United States of America : Joe Biden !
” Obama said as cars in attendance honked .
The camera panned to the door Biden was supposed to walk out of .
Nothing .
“ Joe Biden !
” Obama said again .
Nothing .
A few seconds later , Biden , who had apparently missed his cue , finally walked out .
“ Joe Biden !
” Obama repeated a third time as Biden made his @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Obama had to call Biden ’ s name three times before he eventually made it onto the stage .
Well , that doesn ’ t play into any common campaign tropes .
Apparently , neither Biden nor his staff could figure out what his cue was to come out .
This is something that ’ s usually worked out beforehand .
Perhaps there was some sort of technical glitch .
If there wasn ’ t , we ’ d like to know why Biden apparently missed the cue .
Did he not know @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Obama yelled his name ?
Were he and his staff just not paying attention , making them oblivious to what was going on outside ?
Biden ’ s speech was again , nothing you haven ’ t heard before .
Just like Obama , the former veep focused on COVID-19 for much of it , although he made sure to work in some of his own peculiar stump tics , including by using argot from his youth ( “ We used to have an expression up in Scranton .
We ’ d say @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s equal , we ’ d say , ‘ He wasn ’ t a patch on his jeans.
’ ” ) , repeating reductionist falsehoods about the ancien régime ( “ Went through eight years without one single trace of scandal , not one single trace of scandal , ” he said , thankfully to a crowd that wouldn ’ t at least giggle at that assertion ) , and quadrupling down on the claim that the Trump administration is doing nothing to fight COVID-19 .
( He called Trump “ a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of surrender to this virus.
” ) Joe Biden appeared to be as energetic as he gets these days , although he seemed a bit like a ’ 60s rock star who is able to force the screams out of their mouth but can ’ t make it match the music .
And for the record , he was that rock star .
It ’ s probably worth remembering that Joe Biden was the energetic , youthful face of the Democratic Party when he was elected to the Senate in 1972 , the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ was elected 32 years later .
Even in 2004 , Biden retained a modicum of that boundless energy and was scarcely known to be lacking loquaciousness .
Where has it all gone ?
The energy in Sunday ’ s speech felt akin to the energy your Uncle Walter displays in giving the Thanksgiving toast after he drank three Dunkin ’ 24-ounce black coffees on the way up because he was afraid of falling asleep during the two-hour drive from Connecticut to New Jersey .
One almost misses it this year because so few @ @ @ @ @ @ @ we normally would , but we ’ re also not voting on Uncle Walter for president .
I would never say Obama ’ s presence would cost Joe Biden votes , but it ’ s clear this was the tale of two speeches underscored by an awkward transition that revealed an uncomfortable truth about this year ’ s campaign .
Barack Obama won the presidency because he was to electoral politics what Steve Jobs was to tech or Michael Jordan was to basketball .
As a president , I ’ d argue his @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to conservatives , but also to Democrats , who saw profound political losses at the state and national level during the Obama administration .
And then there ’ s the state of his signature piece of legislation , Obamacare .
But at least Obama , with that political stamina and charm , could mostly overcome the effects of his party ’ s policies and come out of that period being remembered favorably .
The ossified , gaffe-prone Joe Biden isn ’ t the kind of guy who can count on that .
The @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Clinton , who never seemed quite as outmoded as Joe Biden does — but she still wasn ’ t any Barack Obama .
She also had the millstone of establishment Democrat politics hanging around her neck ; not that Joe Biden doesn ’ t , but few families have as many powerful political entanglements as Bill and Hillary Clinton .
When it comes to Biden ’ s ability to mess things up , don ’ t believe me on this .
Believe Barack Obama , who Politico reported told another Democrat during the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ t underestimate Joe ’ s ability to f— things up.
” There ’ s a reason why Obama didn ’ t come out and support him before the nominee was decided in all but name back in April .
( Biden said in April 2019 he had “ asked President Obama not to endorse ” him during the Democratic primary , according to USA Today .
“ Whoever wins this nomination should win it on their own merits , ” Biden said .
I could have made the same request and both would @ @ @ @ @ @ @ least Obama never thought he ’ d be messing things up on the presidential campaign trail when he picked Biden as his veep candidate .
In an August 2019 piece by Glenn Thrush in The New York Times , one of the reasons cited for Obama picking Biden over Virginia Sen. Tim Kaine — who would later become Hillary Clinton ’ s running mate — is that Biden wasn ’ t going to be gunning for the Oval Office .
“ Mr .
Obama , standard-bearer of change but conscious of the racial @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of asking voters to digest too much at once .
In Mr. Biden , he found a running mate who would conjure the comforting past and provide experience he did not possess , but would not maneuver for the presidency from the No .
2 slot , ” Thrush reported .
“ While Mr. Biden exceeded the first two expectations , he never abandoned his aspirations for the top job .
He has leveraged his steady vice presidency into a fragile front-runner status in the 2020 primary , at the even more advanced @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 76.
” “ You are the pick of my heart , but Joe is the pick of my head , ” Obama reportedly told Kaine when he made that decision 12 years ago .
As Biden finally emerged from that door and made it to the stage after his name was called three times , I wonder if Obama was thinking that Tim Kaine should have been the choice of his head , too .
We are committed to truth and accuracy in all of our journalism .
Read our editorial standards .

Just in case you were wondering, Joe Biden is going to keep on Joe Bidening right up until Nov. 3.
On Saturday, former Vice President Joe Biden appeared with his last boss, former President Barack Obama, for a rally in Flint, Michigan. If you’ve watched any political coverage, you’re probably aware of the importance Michigan holds for the Democrats on Election Day.
Not only do you have its 16 electoral votes but there’s also a Senate race. While incumbent Democratic Sen. Gary Peters has pulled away from GOP challenger John James a bit in the campaign’s last days, according to the RealClearPolitics polling average, his lead has expanded and contracted frequently and the race has been tighter than many would have expected.
Biden’s Michigan lead in the RealClearPolitics polling average has swelled a bit, too; he currently has a 7.0 percentage point advantage. That’s a bit more than Hillary Clinton had in the same average in 2016, but shoring up Michigan is never a bad idea — which is why Biden and Obama were in Flint on Halloween for a drive-in rally.
For the most part, there wasn’t much to talk about. There was one general impression one took away from the rally, however, and one moment that crystallized it: when Biden appeared to miss Obama’s cue to come on stage.
But first, the former president’s speech. Say what you will about Barack Obama, but watching his warm-up act, there’s still the youthful energy that got him elected 12 years ago.
Yes, it was another unwelcome reminder that Obama’s dad humor, never the most palatable aspect of his stump-speech rigmarole, still grates on me nearly four years after he left 1600 Pennsylvania. (“Happy Halloween, everybody. I love your masks,” he said to begin his speech. The nature of the event probably did some favors to Obama on that one, given that we couldn’t take notice of the lack of laughter that line produced.)
Yes, it remains filled with all the empty rhetoric you know and are indifferent to, at best. Biden’s “sense of decency, and empathy, the belief in hard work and family and faith, the belief that everybody counts, that’s who Joe is.” As for Donald Trump, he’s not “treating the presidency as anything more than a reality show to give him the attention that he craves.” (As liberal zingers go, “reality show president” should have been given a lifetime achievement award from the Old Political Speechwriters Guild in late 2019 and then quietly retired.)
And yes, speaking of the Old Political Speechwriters Guild, I think they’ve actually issued a formal denunciation of still using this kind of stale sermonizing about how Biden will “finally make long overdue changes so that our economy actually makes life a little easier for everybody: for the waitress trying to raise a kid on her own, for the student figuring out how to pay for next semester’s classes or the shift worker always on the edge of getting laid off or the cancer survivor who’s worried that her pre-existing conditions protections will be taken away.”
These are the complaints of an Obama curmudgeon, however, and have no bearing on the efficacy of his speech. As for his dad humor, no one brought their kids out to see Don Rickles.
In terms of empty rhetoric, every politician uses it — although I’ll note few of them have been lionized for delivering substance from the podium quite so often as Barack Obama has.
And as for the “waitress trying to raise a kid on her own” part, I’ll merely offer this defense: I searched the transcript of the speech to make sure and discovered, with some happiness, that at least he hadn’t descended to the depths of “Main Street vs. Wall Street.” (Neither did Biden, for that matter.)
Given my views and the fact I’m writing in a conservative publication, I think we can safely assume neither you nor I voted for Obama in 2008. However, watching Obama’s speech, you not only saw the energy that convinced America to vote for him, you saw it primarily intact.
He hit his points and hit them with the kind of energy and exactitude that makes a rote teleprompter address seem like an unrehearsed speech from a Hollywood movie.
All warm-up acts must eventually vacate the stage, however — and as Barack Obama threw things over to the putative man of the hour, his intro fell decidedly flat.
“My friend, the next president of the United States of America: Joe Biden!” Obama said as cars in attendance honked.
The camera panned to the door Biden was supposed to walk out of. Nothing.
“Joe Biden!” Obama said again. Nothing.
A few seconds later, Biden, who had apparently missed his cue, finally walked out.
“Joe Biden!” Obama repeated a third time as Biden made his way to the stage.
Yes, Obama had to call Biden’s name three times before he eventually made it onto the stage. Well, that doesn’t play into any common campaign tropes.
Apparently, neither Biden nor his staff could figure out what his cue was to come out. This is something that’s usually worked out beforehand.
Perhaps there was some sort of technical glitch. If there wasn’t, we’d like to know why Biden apparently missed the cue. Did he not know he was supposed to come out when Obama yelled his name? Were he and his staff just not paying attention, making them oblivious to what was going on outside?
Biden’s speech was again, nothing you haven’t heard before.
Just like Obama, the former veep focused on COVID-19 for much of it, although he made sure to work in some of his own peculiar stump tics, including by using argot from his youth (“We used to have an expression up in Scranton. We’d say when someone wasn’t somebody else’s equal, we’d say, ‘He wasn’t a patch on his jeans.’”), repeating reductionist falsehoods about the ancien régime (“Went through eight years without one single trace of scandal, not one single trace of scandal,” he said, thankfully to a crowd that wouldn’t at least giggle at that assertion), and quadrupling down on the claim that the Trump administration is doing nothing to fight COVID-19. (He called Trump “a president who has waved the white flag of surrender to this virus.”)
Joe Biden appeared to be as energetic as he gets these days, although he seemed a bit like a ’60s rock star who is able to force the screams out of their mouth but can’t make it match the music. And for the record, he was that rock star.
It’s probably worth remembering that Joe Biden was the energetic, youthful face of the Democratic Party when he was elected to the Senate in 1972, the same way Barack Obama was when he was elected 32 years later. Even in 2004, Biden retained a modicum of that boundless energy and was scarcely known to be lacking loquaciousness.
Where has it all gone? The energy in Sunday’s speech felt akin to the energy your Uncle Walter displays in giving the Thanksgiving toast after he drank three Dunkin’ 24-ounce black coffees on the way up because he was afraid of falling asleep during the two-hour drive from Connecticut to New Jersey. One almost misses it this year because so few of us will be having Thanksgiving like we normally would, but we’re also not voting on Uncle Walter for president.
I would never say Obama’s presence would cost Joe Biden votes, but it’s clear this was the tale of two speeches underscored by an awkward transition that revealed an uncomfortable truth about this year’s campaign.
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Barack Obama won the presidency because he was to electoral politics what Steve Jobs was to tech or Michael Jordan was to basketball.
As a president, I’d argue his performance was profoundly subpar — not only to conservatives, but also to Democrats, who saw profound political losses at the state and national level during the Obama administration. And then there’s the state of his signature piece of legislation, Obamacare.
But at least Obama, with that political stamina and charm, could mostly overcome the effects of his party’s policies and come out of that period being remembered favorably.
The ossified, gaffe-prone Joe Biden isn’t the kind of guy who can count on that. The same thing could be said for Hillary Clinton, who never seemed quite as outmoded as Joe Biden does — but she still wasn’t any Barack Obama. She also had the millstone of establishment Democrat politics hanging around her neck; not that Joe Biden doesn’t, but few families have as many powerful political entanglements as Bill and Hillary Clinton.
When it comes to Biden’s ability to mess things up, don’t believe me on this. Believe Barack Obama, who Politico reported told another Democrat during the 2020 election cycle, “Don’t underestimate Joe’s ability to f— things up.”
There’s a reason why Obama didn’t come out and support him before the nominee was decided in all but name back in April. (Biden said in April 2019 he had “asked President Obama not to endorse” him during the Democratic primary, according to USA Today. “Whoever wins this nomination should win it on their own merits,” Biden said. I could have made the same request and both would have been as necessary.)
At least Obama never thought he’d be messing things up on the presidential campaign trail when he picked Biden as his veep candidate.
In an August 2019 piece by Glenn Thrush in The New York Times, one of the reasons cited for Obama picking Biden over Virginia Sen. Tim Kaine — who would later become Hillary Clinton’s running mate — is that Biden wasn’t going to be gunning for the Oval Office.
“Mr. Obama, standard-bearer of change but conscious of the racial dynamics of his candidacy, was wary of asking voters to digest too much at once. In Mr. Biden, he found a running mate who would conjure the comforting past and provide experience he did not possess, but would not maneuver for the presidency from the No. 2 slot,” Thrush reported.
“While Mr. Biden exceeded the first two expectations, he never abandoned his aspirations for the top job. He has leveraged his steady vice presidency into a fragile front-runner status in the 2020 primary, at the even more advanced, and politically vulnerable, age of 76.”
“You are the pick of my heart, but Joe is the pick of my head,” Obama reportedly told Kaine when he made that decision 12 years ago.
As Biden finally emerged from that door and made it to the stage after his name was called three times, I wonder if Obama was thinking that Tim Kaine should have been the choice of his head, too.
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westernjournal--2020-11-01--Biden’s Response to Laptop Bombshell Shows How Out of the Loop He Really Is

Hunter Biden ’ s laptop isn ’ t going to go away in the final days of the campaign , no matter how much his father wishes it would .
On Friday , the elder Biden made an appearance on Iowa ’ s KCRG-TV , during a curious visit to a state he doesn ’ t necessarily need to win and where the polling numbers don ’ t look as favorable as other states Biden could look to flip on Election Day .
But I digress , since what we take away from the former vice president ’ s first @ @ @ @ @ @ @ state where he finished a disappointing fourth in the February caucuses might not be remarks he made at his drive-in rally as much as his response to KCRG ’ s Beth Malicki when she asked about the information on Hunter Biden ’ s laptop .
Several emails on the computer , first reported by the New York Post , contain information which appears to contradict Joe Biden ’ s claim that he had no knowledge of his son ’ s overseas business dealings .
“ So , what about the Americans who really @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ask you about Hunter Biden ’ s laptop , how are you going to get them to see that you are fighting for them , when they ’ re so dead set against you ?
” Malicki asked .
TRENDING : Watch : Obama 's Swing State Appearance Falls Flat as Biden and Team Miss His Cue “ By the way , there ’ s nothing to any of that , nothing to any of that .
It ’ s all a smear , ” Biden said .
“ Every major outfit , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ this is a smear .
“ This is classic Trump .
We have four days left , and all of a sudden , there ’ s a laptop .
And many of you may recall , there ’ s also talk about , four months before , there was a similar thing that somebody had , allegedly , ” he continued .
“ There ’ s overwhelming evidence … from the intelligence community that the Russians are engaged .
I mean , look , this is — my son ’ s an honorable @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that were done around the issue of what was going on in Ukraine , if you noticed , every one of the major people who worked for Trump , during the impeachment , went under oath , and under oath said , ‘ [ Joe ] Biden did his job .
No law was broken .
… Hunter Biden broke no laws . '
” First argument : The information on Hunter Biden ’ s laptop is “ all a smear , ” “ there ’ s nothing to any of that ” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ serious investigator ” has said as much .
Whether or not it ’ s a smear , of course , depends on what your definition of “ smear ” is .
If what he ’ s saying is that it ’ s not a substantive story , I ’ d argue emails that show Joe Biden might have been introduced to an official at Burisma Holdings and talk cryptically about “ remuneration ” on a deal with a Chinese company , including “ 10 held by H for the big guy ?
” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Hunter Biden — are a pretty big story .
( It doesn ’ t help the elder Biden at all that a former business associate of Hunter ’ s , Tony Bobulinski , has identified “ the big guy ” as the former vice president . )
Second argument : “ This is classic Trump.
” Third argument : This is the Russians .
Unless the former vice president has evidence of Russian collusion , those two are mutually exclusive .
Furthermore , in the third argument he claims “ [ t ] @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the intelligence community that the Russians are engaged.
” Biden doesn ’ t cite anything here .
One assumes he ’ s might be pointing to a letter signed by former intelligence officials stating that the information on Hunter Biden ’ s laptop “ has all the classic earmarks of a Russian information operation.
” But that letter didn ’ t provide evidence and nothing has emerged in the interim .
On the contrary , the actual intelligence community has concluded the laptop isn ’ t Russian disinformation .
Sources in the FBI @ @ @ @ @ @ @ confirmed it ’ s not a disinformation campaign , and the director of national intelligence has come out and explicitly said that .
The Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee has also reportedly verified the legitimacy of documents provided by Bobulinski .
Whether or not those documents implicate Joe Biden as having been involved in the China deal is another question entirely , but there you have it .
Fourth argument : Biden “ did his job ” when he played a role in Ukrainian prosecutor Viktor Shokin ’ s firing .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ particularly enamored of the job being done by Shokin , a man generally seen as inept and corrupt .
It ’ s also unclear whether Shokin was helping or hindering any investigation into Burisma Holdings .
However , the fact that Joe Biden ’ s son was on the board of Burisma meant the then-vice president shouldn ’ t have been involved in the matter due to the potential for a conflict of interest .
If there was some sort of meeting between Biden and reported Burisma No .
3 Vadym Pozharskyi and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Biden — as posited in the email from Pozharskyi to Hunter Biden first reported by the New York Post — it would indicate Joe Biden ’ s statement that he “ never spoken to my son about his overseas business dealings ” was problematic .
Finally , “ Hunter Biden broke no laws.
” In terms of his business dealings , nothing explicitly criminal has been alleged — yet .
It ’ s worth noting , however , that Fox News has established Hunter Biden ’ s laptop was linked to an FBI @ @ @ @ @ @ @ whether or not the Democratic nominee ’ s son was the target .
None of this makes the laptop a non-story , a “ smear ” or a Russian disinformation effort .
Saying those things as if they ’ re an incantation , as Biden has , shows how out of the loop he really is .
If he ’ d simply say the information on the laptop is a fabrication , that would go a long way in minimizing the story .
One suspects there ’ s a reason he ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Hunter Biden being an “ honorable man , ” I don ’ t know if swing voters are going to be too impressed with that one either .
We are committed to truth and accuracy in all of our journalism .
Read our editorial standards .

Hunter Biden’s laptop isn’t going to go away in the final days of the campaign, no matter how much his father wishes it would.
On Friday, the elder Biden made an appearance on Iowa’s KCRG-TV, during a curious visit to a state he doesn’t necessarily need to win and where the polling numbers don’t look as favorable as other states Biden could look to flip on Election Day.
But I digress, since what we take away from the former vice president’s first return since winning the nomination to a state where he finished a disappointing fourth in the February caucuses might not be remarks he made at his drive-in rally as much as his response to KCRG’s Beth Malicki when she asked about the information on Hunter Biden’s laptop.
Several emails on the computer, first reported by the New York Post, contain information which appears to contradict Joe Biden’s claim that he had no knowledge of his son’s overseas business dealings.
“So, what about the Americans who really, today, only want me to ask you about Hunter Biden’s laptop, how are you going to get them to see that you are fighting for them, when they’re so dead set against you?” Malicki asked.
Note the arguments here:
Asked about the evidence of corrupt foreign deals on his son Hunter’s laptop, Joe Biden falsely claims “there’s nothing to any of that, it’s all a smear” from Russia. FACTS: The laptop is verified as authentic. While Biden claims Hunter “broke no laws,” the FBI is investigating. pic.twitter.com/alLKtDdr1T — Trump War Room – Text TRUMP to 88022 (@TrumpWarRoom) October 31, 2020
“By the way, there’s nothing to any of that, nothing to any of that. It’s all a smear,” Biden said. “Every major outfit, every serious investigator has pointed out that this is a smear.
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“This is classic Trump. We have four days left, and all of a sudden, there’s a laptop. And many of you may recall, there’s also talk about, four months before, there was a similar thing that somebody had, allegedly,” he continued.
“There’s overwhelming evidence … from the intelligence community that the Russians are engaged. I mean, look, this is — my son’s an honorable man.
“And all the investigations that were done around the issue of what was going on in Ukraine, if you noticed, every one of the major people who worked for Trump, during the impeachment, went under oath, and under oath said, ‘[Joe] Biden did his job. No law was broken. … Hunter Biden broke no laws.'”
First argument: The information on Hunter Biden’s laptop is “all a smear,” “there’s nothing to any of that” and “every major outfit, every serious investigator” has said as much.
Whether or not it’s a smear, of course, depends on what your definition of “smear” is. If what he’s saying is that it’s not a substantive story, I’d argue emails that show Joe Biden might have been introduced to an official at Burisma Holdings and talk cryptically about “remuneration” on a deal with a Chinese company, including “10 held by H for the big guy?” — with “H” apparently meaning Hunter Biden — are a pretty big story. (It doesn’t help the elder Biden at all that a former business associate of Hunter’s, Tony Bobulinski, has identified “the big guy” as the former vice president.)
Second argument: “This is classic Trump.” Third argument: This is the Russians. Unless the former vice president has evidence of Russian collusion, those two are mutually exclusive.
Furthermore, in the third argument he claims “[t]here’s overwhelming evidence … from the intelligence community that the Russians are engaged.” Biden doesn’t cite anything here.
One assumes he’s might be pointing to a letter signed by former intelligence officials stating that the information on Hunter Biden’s laptop “has all the classic earmarks of a Russian information operation.” But that letter didn’t provide evidence and nothing has emerged in the interim.
On the contrary, the actual intelligence community has concluded the laptop isn’t Russian disinformation. Sources in the FBI and the Department of Justice have reportedly confirmed it’s not a disinformation campaign, and the director of national intelligence has come out and explicitly said that.
The Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee has also reportedly verified the legitimacy of documents provided by Bobulinski. Whether or not those documents implicate Joe Biden as having been involved in the China deal is another question entirely, but there you have it.
Fourth argument: Biden “did his job” when he played a role in Ukrainian prosecutor Viktor Shokin’s firing.
It’s true that few were particularly enamored of the job being done by Shokin, a man generally seen as inept and corrupt. It’s also unclear whether Shokin was helping or hindering any investigation into Burisma Holdings. However, the fact that Joe Biden’s son was on the board of Burisma meant the then-vice president shouldn’t have been involved in the matter due to the potential for a conflict of interest.
If there was some sort of meeting between Biden and reported Burisma No. 3 Vadym Pozharskyi and that meeting was set up by Hunter Biden — as posited in the email from Pozharskyi to Hunter Biden first reported by the New York Post — it would indicate Joe Biden’s statement that he “never spoken to my son about his overseas business dealings” was problematic.
Finally, “Hunter Biden broke no laws.” In terms of his business dealings, nothing explicitly criminal has been alleged — yet. It’s worth noting, however, that Fox News has established Hunter Biden’s laptop was linked to an FBI money-laundering probe, although it was unclear whether or not the Democratic nominee’s son was the target.
None of this makes the laptop a non-story, a “smear” or a Russian disinformation effort. Saying those things as if they’re an incantation, as Biden has, shows how out of the loop he really is.
If he’d simply say the information on the laptop is a fabrication, that would go a long way in minimizing the story. One suspects there’s a reason he’s not doing that.
And as for Hunter Biden being an “honorable man,” I don’t know if swing voters are going to be too impressed with that one either.
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westernjournal--2020-11-01--Pro-Democracy Lawmakers Arrested After Standing Against Pro-China Lawmakers in Hong Kong

Hong Kong police arrested seven people Sunday over scuffles that broke out with security guards during a faceoff between pro-democracy and pro-Beijing lawmakers in the city ’ s legislature earlier this year .
Those arrested include current and former lawmakers and a legislative aide , police said .
All seven are from the pro-democracy camp .
A police statement said that six men and one woman had been detained on suspicion of contempt and interfering with legislative personnel .
It wasn ’ t clear if that referred to other lawmakers or the security staff .
The statement said the arrests @ @ @ @ @ @ @ May 8 committee meeting in which pro-democracy lawmakers rushed toward the chairperson ’ s seat and a phalanx of security guards shoved back .
TRENDING : Watch : Obama 's Swing State Appearance Falls Flat as Biden and Team Miss His Cue The guards carried out several pro-democracy lawmakers , including Eddie Chu and Ray Chan , after they had been ordered to leave for disorderly conduct .
Both stepped down on Sept. 30 .
Chan said on Twitter that he was arrested at 7 a.m. Sunday , and a statement on Chu @ @ @ @ @ @ @ also been picked up .
The Democratic Party said on its Facebook page that three of its legislative members had been arrested , including party chairman Wu Chi-wai .
Security guards marched Wu out of the chamber as he tried to wave a cardboard sign at the committee chair and others on the podium .
The May 8 incident was the first in a series of scuffles over a bill approved in June that made it illegal to insult the Chinese national anthem .
We are committed to truth and accuracy in all @ @ @ @ @ @ @ standards .

Hong Kong police arrested seven people Sunday over scuffles that broke out with security guards during a faceoff between pro-democracy and pro-Beijing lawmakers in the city’s legislature earlier this year.
Those arrested include current and former lawmakers and a legislative aide, police said. All seven are from the pro-democracy camp.
A police statement said that six men and one woman had been detained on suspicion of contempt and interfering with legislative personnel.
It wasn’t clear if that referred to other lawmakers or the security staff.
The statement said the arrests are part of an investigation into a May 8 committee meeting in which pro-democracy lawmakers rushed toward the chairperson’s seat and a phalanx of security guards shoved back.
The guards carried out several pro-democracy lawmakers, including Eddie Chu and Ray Chan, after they had been ordered to leave for disorderly conduct.
Both stepped down on Sept. 30.
Chan said on Twitter that he was arrested at 7 a.m. Sunday, and a statement on Chu’s Facebook page said he had also been picked up.
The Democratic Party said on its Facebook page that three of its legislative members had been arrested, including party chairman Wu Chi-wai.
Security guards marched Wu out of the chamber as he tried to wave a cardboard sign at the committee chair and others on the podium.
The May 8 incident was the first in a series of scuffles over a bill approved in June that made it illegal to insult the Chinese national anthem.
The Western Journal has reviewed this Associated Press story and may have altered it prior to publication to ensure that it meets our editorial standards.
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westernjournal--2020-11-01--Trump Wraps Up Election with Nationwide Rallies, Biden Focuses on 1 State

President Donald Trump is mounting one final test of whether the massive crowds that often show up at his signature rallies will translate into votes as he finishes the final 48 hours of his re-election campaign with a dizzying onslaught of events in the battleground states that could decide the race .
Joe Biden , however , is focusing his fire on Pennsylvania , hoping to flip the state Trump narrowly won in 2016 .
The president was set to hold five rallies in five states on Sunday alone .
He ’ ll hold seven more on Monday to close @ @ @ @ @ @ @ campaign .
Trump sees his ability to connect with everyday Americans as a central element of his outsider appeal , which he hopes will resonate again this year .
“ Let me ask you , is there a better place to be anytime , anywhere than a Trump rally ?
” Trump asked a massive crowd Saturday in Butler , Pennsylvania , that responded in roaring approval .
TRENDING : Watch : Obama 's Swing State Appearance Falls Flat as Biden and Team Miss His Cue With more than 91 million votes already @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of time to reshape the race .
Instead , they ’ re focusing on their base and making sure that any potential supporters have either already voted or plan to do so in person on Tuesday .
For Biden , that means paying close attention to black voters who are a critical part of the coalition he needs to build to win .
But some Democrats worry that voters of color may not be excited about Biden and won ’ t show up in force to support him , which could be devastating @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and Michigan .
The challenge is exacerbated by the Democratic push this year to encourage voting by mail .
But that runs counter to the tradition of some black voters who prefer to vote in person on Election Day .
“ Most black voters in Philly have been skeptical of mail-in voting , ” said Joe Hill , a veteran Democratic operative-turned-lobbyist from the city .
“ A lot of us have gotten our ballots already , ” Hill said , but added , “ Election Day has always been everything in Philadelphia.
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ of Sunday in Philadelphia encouraging voters to turn out .
He was scheduled to participate in a “ souls to the polls ” event that ’ s aimed at encouraging black church congregations to organize and vote .
He held his first in-person campaign events with former President Barack Obama on Saturday in the predominantly black cities of Detroit and Flint , Michigan .
Obama will also campaign for Biden on Monday in Georgia and in South Florida , another area of potential concern if Latino voters sit out the election .
RELATED @ @ @ @ @ @ @ First Endorsement for GOP POTUS Nominee Since 1972 As the largest city in a state that could decide the presidency , Philadelphia has always held special significance for Biden .
Just 30 miles from his longtime home in Wilmington , Delaware , Biden planted his campaign headquarters in Philadelphia before the pandemic forced most of his staff to work remotely .
The city gets intense focus because it ’ s such a deep trove of Democratic votes , especially non-white voters .
Democrat Hillary Clinton lost Pennsylvania by almost 45,000 votes four years @ @ @ @ @ @ @ votes shy of Obama ’ s Philadelphia County total in 2012 .
Clinton ’ s bigger problem was that she lost ground to Trump in other parts of the state beyond Philadelphia and its suburbs .
According to an analysis by University of Florida professor Michael McDonald , a nonpartisan political data expert , almost 2.3 million Pennsylvania voters had returned absentee ballots as of Friday out of almost 3.1 million requested .
That ’ s a statewide return rate of 74.2 percent .
Philadelphia ’ s return rate was a tick higher @ @ @ @ @ @ @ had the highest raw total of outstanding ballots , with more than 101,000 .
Statewide , registered Democrats maintained a solid advantage over Republicans on returned ballots : 1.54 million to about 520,000 .
In a separate analysis , the Democratic data firm TargetSmart found that more than 385,000 of the early Democratic voters didn ’ t vote at all in 2016 .
Across the state in Pittsburgh , Democratic consultant Mike Mikus stressed that Philadelphia isn ’ t Biden ’ s only path to flipping Pennsylvania .
Mikus noted that Trump won @ @ @ @ @ @ @ percentage points in 2016 only to watch Democrat Conor Lamb win a special congressional election there a year later .
Lamb won a full term in 2018 and is heavily favored again Tuesday .
Mikus said that trend will help Biden run up a wide margin in Allegheny County , the state ’ s second-most-populous county .
“ He ’ s got a real base , but there ’ s just no evidence that he ’ s done anything to reach anybody who didn ’ t already like him in 2016 , ” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s lost people who weren ’ t sure about him but were willing to take the gamble.
” “ It ’ s not just about Philadelphia.
” We are committed to truth and accuracy in all of our journalism .
Read our editorial standards .

President Donald Trump is mounting one final test of whether the massive crowds that often show up at his signature rallies will translate into votes as he finishes the final 48 hours of his re-election campaign with a dizzying onslaught of events in the battleground states that could decide the race.
Joe Biden, however, is focusing his fire on Pennsylvania, hoping to flip the state Trump narrowly won in 2016.
The president was set to hold five rallies in five states on Sunday alone. He’ll hold seven more on Monday to close out the final full day of the campaign.
Trump sees his ability to connect with everyday Americans as a central element of his outsider appeal, which he hopes will resonate again this year.
“Let me ask you, is there a better place to be anytime, anywhere than a Trump rally?” Trump asked a massive crowd Saturday in Butler, Pennsylvania, that responded in roaring approval.
With more than 91 million votes already cast, Trump and Biden are out of time to reshape the race.
Instead, they’re focusing on their base and making sure that any potential supporters have either already voted or plan to do so in person on Tuesday.
For Biden, that means paying close attention to black voters who are a critical part of the coalition he needs to build to win.
But some Democrats worry that voters of color may not be excited about Biden and won’t show up in force to support him, which could be devastating in fiercely contested battleground states like Pennsylvania and Michigan.
Is Trump going to win re-election? Yes No
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The challenge is exacerbated by the Democratic push this year to encourage voting by mail. But that runs counter to the tradition of some black voters who prefer to vote in person on Election Day.
“Most black voters in Philly have been skeptical of mail-in voting,” said Joe Hill, a veteran Democratic operative-turned-lobbyist from the city.
“A lot of us have gotten our ballots already,” Hill said, but added, “Election Day has always been everything in Philadelphia.”
Biden was set to spend much of Sunday in Philadelphia encouraging voters to turn out. He was scheduled to participate in a “souls to the polls” event that’s aimed at encouraging black church congregations to organize and vote.
He held his first in-person campaign events with former President Barack Obama on Saturday in the predominantly black cities of Detroit and Flint, Michigan. Obama will also campaign for Biden on Monday in Georgia and in South Florida, another area of potential concern if Latino voters sit out the election.
As the largest city in a state that could decide the presidency, Philadelphia has always held special significance for Biden. Just 30 miles from his longtime home in Wilmington, Delaware, Biden planted his campaign headquarters in Philadelphia before the pandemic forced most of his staff to work remotely.
The city gets intense focus because it’s such a deep trove of Democratic votes, especially non-white voters.
Democrat Hillary Clinton lost Pennsylvania by almost 45,000 votes four years ago even as she fell just 4,800 votes shy of Obama’s Philadelphia County total in 2012. Clinton’s bigger problem was that she lost ground to Trump in other parts of the state beyond Philadelphia and its suburbs.
According to an analysis by University of Florida professor Michael McDonald, a nonpartisan political data expert, almost 2.3 million Pennsylvania voters had returned absentee ballots as of Friday out of almost 3.1 million requested. That’s a statewide return rate of 74.2 percent.
Philadelphia’s return rate was a tick higher, at 74.6 percent, but it had the highest raw total of outstanding ballots, with more than 101,000.
Statewide, registered Democrats maintained a solid advantage over Republicans on returned ballots: 1.54 million to about 520,000. In a separate analysis, the Democratic data firm TargetSmart found that more than 385,000 of the early Democratic voters didn’t vote at all in 2016.
Across the state in Pittsburgh, Democratic consultant Mike Mikus stressed that Philadelphia isn’t Biden’s only path to flipping Pennsylvania. Mikus noted that Trump won a Pittsburgh-area congressional district by nearly 20 percentage points in 2016 only to watch Democrat Conor Lamb win a special congressional election there a year later. Lamb won a full term in 2018 and is heavily favored again Tuesday.
Mikus said that trend will help Biden run up a wide margin in Allegheny County, the state’s second-most-populous county.
“He’s got a real base, but there’s just no evidence that he’s done anything to reach anybody who didn’t already like him in 2016,” Mikus said, “and he’s lost people who weren’t sure about him but were willing to take the gamble.”
“It’s not just about Philadelphia.”
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