hotair--2020-08-07--About Sarah Jeong's tiresome false equivalence of China and the United States

Sarah Jeong is a “ tech journalist ” who currently works at The Verge , an offshoot of Vox Media .
You may recall she briefly worked at the NY Times editorial board and at the time there was some push back over that because of her history of Twitter jokes about white people .
Even NY Times subscribers found those to be offensive .
In any case , she left the editorial board last September after suggesting on Twitter that people should feel free to cancel subscriptions if they were upset about the Times ’ coverage of a whistleblower @ @ @ @ @ @ @ she had chosen not to buy a home or have children so she never felt obligated to support her employer : Anyway , Jeong now writes what she wants for Vox Media and today she has a piece which I have no doubt the NY Times is sorry they didn ’ t publish .
It ’ s thesis is that something new is afoot in the world which she calls “ information-nationalism.
” Just to make sure you get it , she uses the phrase 20 times in the piece .
So what @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s the idea that nations are averse to data that makes them look bad .
That may not sound terribly ground-breaking but it is apparently .
Jeong ’ s argument is that nations are now going beyond simply downplaying bad news that would embarrass them on the world stage to actively suppressing it and simultaneously highlight bad news for rival states .
She points to China ’ s suppression of the Tiananmen Square massacre as the best known example of the suppression part of this phenomenon .
For a long time , China @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the 1989 Tiananmen Square massacre has been held as the prime example of the dangers of internet censorship .
It is also the clearest example of information-nationalism : to allow Chinese citizens to speak of or remember Tiananmen Square is to cultivate weakness .
So China can ’ t acknowledge Tiananmen Square or its present-day treatment of the Uighurs .
For the inverse reason , Russian disinformation operations on Facebook have promoted real videos of police brutality in America and attempted to organize Black Lives Matter protests .
Before that , Russian state @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of Occupy Wall Street and WikiLeaks .
For years , Russia has sought to emphasize and even exacerbate existing tensions in the United States , presumably because it believes this is in Russia ’ s own interest .
At this point you might stop and note that the Tiananmen massacre happened in 1989 , long before there was any public facing internet on which news could be suppressed .
The point being that what she ’ s describing isn ’ t really a new phenomenon at all .
It ’ s what some @ @ @ @ @ @ @ always done .
The internet just makes it a much tougher job , i.e .
China now has to employ tens of thousands of people to knock down the spread of information online whereas in the 1980s it was probably much easier to control the flow of information .
In any case , Jeong might have an interesting point to make about China and Russia but of course what she really wants to do is lump in the U.S. as not really any different : The graphic for the piece is a variation @ @ @ @ @ @ @ identical figures ( they didn ’ t use Spider-Man because lawsuits ) are all pointing at one another .
And this really does seem to be her point : The U.S. is no different .
It ’ s a snappy piece of writing but it doesn ’ t hold up well to any thought .
Is China detaining a million Uighurs in re-education camps for months or years against their will , where they are beaten , starved and threatened until they comply really comparable to the U.S. putting illegal migrants in detention @ @ @ @ @ @ @ process their claims for entry and asylum ?
It ’ s not at all the same .
For one thing , the Uighurs want out of the camps and the migrants want in to the U.S. precisely because they know they ’ ll be better off here than in their countries of origin .
But this sort of apples and oranges comparison scheme continues .
Jeong writes “ China brutally represses its political dissidents ; in America , law enforcement in military camouflage have grabbed protesters off the streets and shoved them into @ @ @ @ @ @ @ people who spoke up about , for instance , the epidemic in Wuhan had police show up at their doors in the middle of the night .
Some of them disappeared and haven ’ t been heard from since .
Not even their relatives know for certain where they are .
Meanwhile in Portland , someone was arrested by federal police in an unmarked car and released a few hours later .
There ’ s really no comparison here except the kind that a truly motivated propagandist might make .
To her ( @ @ @ @ @ @ @ admit that it ’ s not really the same thing at all .
Or at least that it wasn ’ t until recently .
That link goes to a story from early March .
If you check the CDC website now , there ’ s a page devoted to testing data ( 65.7 million tests as of yesterday ) .
What this all boils down to in the end is the claim that to avoid becoming China America needs to be more like modern Germany , i.e .
willing to own up to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , slavery and Jim Crow in ours ) .
Isn ’ t this moment in time , with BLM protests having taken place in cities around the country and the 1619 Project having just won a prestigious award , an odd time to claim that we ’ re suppressing the past .
Aren ’ t we , as a nation , awash in the past at this moment ?
Jeong ’ s argument that we ’ re actually closer to suppressing it comes mostly from a statement by Sec .
Mike Pompeo : @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ( in the form of Sec .
Mike Pompeo ) has visciously suppressed the truth !
Or , you know , maybe not .
There ’ s a difference between government suppression of bad news ( Does the founding of the nation still count as news ? )
and one office-holder expressing a critical opinion of someone ’ s else ’ s very popular and widely-read opinion .
Has the 1619 Project been erased from the discussion .
Have the police shown up to arrest anyone for mentioning it ?
Not so far @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Sarah Jeong writes as if this comment proves our freedoms are nearly gone .
There ’ s a difference between being able to speak freely and being able to speak without being criticized by those who disagree .
China doesn ’ t have either and Sarah Jeong seems to want the latter but the American way is the former .
People get to speak freely and other people get to respond to them .
Let ’ s keep it that way .

Sarah Jeong is a “tech journalist” who currently works at The Verge, an offshoot of Vox Media. You may recall she briefly worked at the NY Times editorial board and at the time there was some push back over that because of her history of Twitter jokes about white people. Even NY Times subscribers found those to be offensive. In any case, she left the editorial board last September after suggesting on Twitter that people should feel free to cancel subscriptions if they were upset about the Times’ coverage of a whistleblower. At the time she said that she had chosen not to buy a home or have children so she never felt obligated to support her employer:
I’ve eschewed children and a mortgage exactly so I can have the freedom to follow my conscience. I will not dissuade anyone else from following their conscience as well. — sarah jeong (@sarahjeong) September 27, 2019
Anyway, Jeong now writes what she wants for Vox Media and today she has a piece which I have no doubt the NY Times is sorry they didn’t publish. It’s thesis is that something new is afoot in the world which she calls “information-nationalism.” Just to make sure you get it, she uses the phrase 20 times in the piece.
So what is “information-nationalism?” It’s the idea that nations are averse to data that makes them look bad. That may not sound terribly ground-breaking but it is apparently. Jeong’s argument is that nations are now going beyond simply downplaying bad news that would embarrass them on the world stage to actively suppressing it and simultaneously highlight bad news for rival states. She points to China’s suppression of the Tiananmen Square massacre as the best known example of the suppression part of this phenomenon.
For a long time, China’s crackdown on all references to the 1989 Tiananmen Square massacre has been held as the prime example of the dangers of internet censorship. It is also the clearest example of information-nationalism: to allow Chinese citizens to speak of or remember Tiananmen Square is to cultivate weakness. So China can’t acknowledge Tiananmen Square or its present-day treatment of the Uighurs. For the inverse reason, Russian disinformation operations on Facebook have promoted real videos of police brutality in America and attempted to organize Black Lives Matter protests. Before that, Russian state media outlet RT excelled in its coverage of Occupy Wall Street and WikiLeaks. For years, Russia has sought to emphasize and even exacerbate existing tensions in the United States, presumably because it believes this is in Russia’s own interest.
At this point you might stop and note that the Tiananmen massacre happened in 1989, long before there was any public facing internet on which news could be suppressed. The point being that what she’s describing isn’t really a new phenomenon at all. It’s what some autocratic (often communist) countries have always done. The internet just makes it a much tougher job, i.e. China now has to employ tens of thousands of people to knock down the spread of information online whereas in the 1980s it was probably much easier to control the flow of information.
In any case, Jeong might have an interesting point to make about China and Russia but of course what she really wants to do is lump in the U.S. as not really any different:
The major players in this game are China (with its unrivaled surveillance-censorship apparatus and Great Firewall), Russia (with its highly successful RT network and its shadowy Internet Research Agency), and the US (which still lays claim to some of the biggest tech companies in the world). At this point in time, the leaders of all three countries have bought into the same values and same assumptions about information-nationalism. It is not so much a cold war as it is three identical Spider-Mans pointing fingers at each other.
The graphic for the piece is a variation on the Spider-Man meme with three nearly identical figures (they didn’t use Spider-Man because lawsuits) are all pointing at one another. And this really does seem to be her point: The U.S. is no different.
In 2020, this is becoming a genuinely difficult question to answer. China is detaining over a million Uighurs in internment camps, citing national security issues. The United States detains migrants in its own internment camps, even going as far as to place children in cages. China is not a democracy; the American president has proposed to unconstitutionally delay this year’s election. China brutally represses its political dissidents; in America, law enforcement in military camouflage have grabbed protesters off the streets and shoved them into unmarked vans.
It’s a snappy piece of writing but it doesn’t hold up well to any thought. Is China detaining a million Uighurs in re-education camps for months or years against their will, where they are beaten, starved and threatened until they comply really comparable to the U.S. putting illegal migrants in detention camps for a few weeks while they process their claims for entry and asylum? It’s not at all the same. For one thing, the Uighurs want out of the camps and the migrants want in to the U.S. precisely because they know they’ll be better off here than in their countries of origin.
But this sort of apples and oranges comparison scheme continues. Jeong writes “China brutally represses its political dissidents; in America, law enforcement in military camouflage have grabbed protesters off the streets and shoved them into unmarked vans.” To be clear, people who spoke up about, for instance, the epidemic in Wuhan had police show up at their doors in the middle of the night. Some of them disappeared and haven’t been heard from since. Not even their relatives know for certain where they are. Meanwhile in Portland, someone was arrested by federal police in an unmarked car and released a few hours later. There’s really no comparison here except the kind that a truly motivated propagandist might make.
To her (partial) credit, Jeong does eventually admit that it’s not really the same thing at all. Or at least that it wasn’t until recently.
For many years, the United States ran its own version of the Chinese state-controlled internet apparatus, but we just called it “the internet.”… But still, hypocritical or not, the old American internet was in no way equivalent to the Great Firewall of China. And neither is the old foreign policy equivalent to the new. Regardless of how the American government behaved in secret, its public-facing policy was once to promote liberal democracy. Now it is openly engaged in information-nationalism. Information-nationalism pervades many arenas, beyond the issues of racism and political dissent. The federal government has made it harder to see numbers on coronavirus infections.
That link goes to a story from early March. If you check the CDC website now, there’s a page devoted to testing data (65.7 million tests as of yesterday).
What this all boils down to in the end is the claim that to avoid becoming China America needs to be more like modern Germany, i.e. willing to own up to past sins (Nazism in their case, slavery and Jim Crow in ours). Isn’t this moment in time, with BLM protests having taken place in cities around the country and the 1619 Project having just won a prestigious award, an odd time to claim that we’re suppressing the past. Aren’t we, as a nation, awash in the past at this moment?
Jeong’s argument that we’re actually closer to suppressing it comes mostly from a statement by Sec. Mike Pompeo:
As these protests were raging, Secretary Pompeo gave a speech at the National Constitution Center in Philadelphia where he attacked The New York Times’ 1619 Project, which originated as a special issue of The New York Times Magazine containing articles examining slavery and its lasting legacy in everything from mass incarceration to pop music. “They want you to believe that Marxist ideology that America is only the oppressors and the oppressed,” said Pompeo. “The Chinese Communist Party must be gleeful when they see the New York Times spout this ideology.”
That’s it. The government (in the form of Sec. Mike Pompeo) has visciously suppressed the truth!
Or, you know, maybe not.
There’s a difference between government suppression of bad news (Does the founding of the nation still count as news?) and one office-holder expressing a critical opinion of someone’s else’s very popular and widely-read opinion. Has the 1619 Project been erased from the discussion. Have the police shown up to arrest anyone for mentioning it? Not so far as I’ve heard. But Sarah Jeong writes as if this comment proves our freedoms are nearly gone.
There’s a difference between being able to speak freely and being able to speak without being criticized by those who disagree. China doesn’t have either and Sarah Jeong seems to want the latter but the American way is the former. People get to speak freely and other people get to respond to them. Let’s keep it that way.
Update: The editor of the Verge highlighted the exact false equivalence I reacted to above, calling it an inkblot test for authoritarianism.
https://twitter.com/reckless/status/1291802938793484291
He later tried to back away from this, claiming the false equivalence to China wasn’t central to Jeong’s argument:
https://twitter.com/reckless/status/1291931783215353862
As an editor he should know better. The part he’s highlighted above is a definition of her term “information-nationalism.” That’s an important part of her piece but the actual thesis is that China, Russia and the US are “three identical Spider-Mans pointing fingers at each other.” In other words, her thesis is not that information-nationalism exists, it’s that there are three global players who are in some sense all playing the same game, one of them being the U.S.
One way you can tell that’s her central point is that the image of the three Spider-Man figures is the one atop the piece who are indistinguishable except for the colors of their costumes (i.e. their flags). It’s literally illustrating her thesis. Another way to tell that the false equivalence with China is a part of Jeong’s thesis is by looking at her conclusion:
But institutions — and popular dissent — erode under steady pressure. Time and new technologies can carve out unthinkable landscapes. China did not forget Tiananmen Square overnight; Russia’s Internet Research Agency wasn’t built in a day. The banning of apps, the passage of new digital surveillance laws, the regulation of speech on platforms, the government sponsorship (implicit or explicit) of new technologies — these are the battles that make up information-nationalist warfare. For what it’s worth, I do not think America will build its own Great Firewall. But this has less to do with faith in the strength of American values and more to do with the sheer scope of such a project. I’m pretty sure America can only make a very poor imitation of the Chinese surveillance-censorship apparatus, just like I’m pretty sure TikTok by Microsoft is going to suck balls. In other words, the United States has embroiled itself in a war it cannot win and has no business fighting in the first place. I suppose that is one American tradition that won’t be easily undone.
Again, her point isn’t that information-nationalism exists as defined in those two bullet points, it’s that the U.S. is fully engaged in a three way battle with China and Russia and that it shouldn’t be.
As I pointed out above, her support for this thesis is pretty thin. Some false equivalence to China and one comment by Mike Pompeo don’t prove that we’re “three identical Spider-Mans.”
Also, though I didn’t spend much time on this, her claim that the sale of TikTok is because the U.S. can’t handle the truth is nonsense. The sale of TikTok is because our government has been cracking down on Chinese thefts of information, including their use of the Thousand Talents Program to get information out of top academics as well as the massive thefts of private data such as the 2017 hack of Equifax and the more recent attempt by Chinese hackers to steal coronavirus vaccine data. In short, this is about stopping China from stealing from us, which goes well beyond any concern about exposing human rights abuses.


hotair--2020-08-07--Today's hot topics on Relevant Radio®: Religious liberty, Fatima and peace, Bleeding Blue, jobs and

Today's hot topics on Relevant Radio®: Religious liberty, Fatima and peace, Bleeding Blue, jobs and the economy, Hollywood and China, and more!

Once again , I get to step outside the box and guest host the Drew Mariani Show on Relevant Radio® from 3-6 ET today !
The Catholic talk-radio network is heard nationwide on the air , as well as online and through their free mobile app that plays live and podcast shows .
• What are the biggest threats to religious freedom in the US ?
First Liberty ‘ s Michael Berry joins us to outline them , and to explain why the pace on challenges has picked up so much lately .
• Does the Holy Mother have a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ David Carollo returns to discuss , and talk about the Blue Army .
• Kevin Jackson of Seeking Educational Excellence discusses the sudden relevance of his documentary , Bleeding Blue : Behind the Badge , Under the Gun .
Be sure to check out the trailer below .
• My friend Peter Grandich joins us to make sense of today ’ s jobs report , the issues around the relief package , the markets , and more • Does China dictate what you see at the movies and on television ?
Hollywood in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to discuss that , Richard Gere ’ s I-told-you-so , and much more from the world of entertainment !
• And more to come … stay tuned !
We may add more before the show starts today , plus we will have the chaplet of Divine Mercy in the second hour .
We will also take your calls at 1-888-914-9149 .
You can also listen on the Relevant Radio® app no matter where you are in the world , so download it now .
I ’ ll look forward to talking with you @

Once again, I get to step outside the box and guest host the Drew Mariani Show on Relevant Radio® from 3-6 ET today! The Catholic talk-radio network is heard nationwide on the air, as well as online and through their free mobile app that plays live and podcast shows.
Today’s Relevant Radio® show includes:
We may add more before the show starts today, plus we will have the chaplet of Divine Mercy in the second hour. We will also take your calls at 1-888-914-9149. You can also listen on the Relevant Radio® app no matter where you are in the world, so download it now. I’ll look forward to talking with you!


hotair--2020-08-07--Fauci: We should cautiously open the schools -- and the voting booths; Cuomo approves school reopeni

Fauci: We should cautiously open the schools -- and the voting booths; Cuomo approves school reopenings statewide

A surprising endorsement of Donald Trump ’ s position — albeit a careful one — from the man whom the media has painted as the president ’ s COVID-19 nemesis .
In an interview with the Washington Post , NIAID chief Dr. Anthony Fauci insists that schools can safely reopen in the fall , and should , as long as local conditions allow .
That might mean a pause in some instances , outdoor settings in others , but the need to reopen overall outweighs the risks that the pandemic present in most cases : “ The default principle should @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to get the children back to school , ” Fauci told us .
“ The big , however , and qualifier in there is that you have to have a degree of flexibility .
The flexibility means if you look at the map of our country , we are not unidimensional with regard to the level of infection.
” “ The bottom line is everybody should try within the context of the level of infection that you have to get the kids back to school , but the primary consideration … should be @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of the children , as well as the teachers and the potential secondary effects on parents and family members , ” he added .
… “ I ’ ve spoken to superintendents and principals , and recommend if possible , outdoors , better than indoors .
If possible , keep the classrooms well ventilated with the windows open if possible , wearing a mask , physical separation , desks that are put further apart , if you could possibly , physically do that , ” Fauci said .
That ’ s quite a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ been heaping derision on Trump for insisting on school reopenings .
Of course , Trump has mangled some of those arguments , insisting that children are “ almost immune , ” which is not the case .
Even if COVID-19 produces much fewer acute cases in children , they still get it and could still pass it to adults .
That ’ s the not-inconsiderable concern of teachers and of older household members whose risks will go up , at least in some measure , when children return to school .
However , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ health risks have to get considered , too .
The welfare of children isn ’ t entirely about COVID-19 risk , but also the detrimental effects of isolation , loneliness , and the lack of educational activity for a long period of time .
At least one policymaker has followed Fauci ’ s advice on this point , and it ’ s no MAGA-cheering governor either : Schools across New York can reopen for in-person instruction this fall , Gov .
Andrew M. Cuomo said Friday , solidifying New York ’ s status @ @ @ @ @ @ @ America that has a virus transmission rate low enough to forge ahead with reopening plans .
Just a few months after New York became a global epicenter of the pandemic , the governor opened the door for millions of students across the state to return to classrooms , even as most public school students in the country will start the school year remotely .
… Under the governor ’ s announcement , schools can decide to open as long as they are in a region where the average rate of positive coronavirus tests @ @ @ @ @ @ @ recommended by the World Health Organization to begin general reopening that has recently been adopted by some school districts .
Most of the state , including New York City , has maintained a positivity rate of about 1 percent .
Mayor Bill de Blasio has said schools can only open here if the positivity rate is below 3 percent .
That will make Trump happier , as it should boost the economic output from New York starting in the fall .
That depends in large part how many parents choose to send their @ @ @ @ @ @ @ as whether teachers unions cooperate with the state on reopening .
This makes more sense , however , than Bill de Blasio ’ s earlier idea to open mass child-care facilities in place of schools , which made no sense at all from either an epidemiological or educational point of view .
Fauci has another piece of advice , too .
While refusing to weigh in on the merits and demerits of mass mail-in voting , Fauci says in-person voting should be at least as safe as grocery shopping : When asked whether @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , Fauci declined to answer “ because that almost certainly is going to be used as a soundbite.
” Fauci said Americans could go to voting booths in November if they ’ re careful , and recommended polling locations operate like grocery stores and shops .
“ I don ’ t see any reason why , if people maintain that type of physical distancing , wearing a mask and washing hands — why you can not , at least where I vote , go to a place and vote , ” Fauci said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in play , namely the political health of the nation .
Mass mail-in voting has high failure rates — in NYC , it was over 20 % — and using it for a presidential election practically guarantees massive confusion and lack of credibility for the results .
It ’ s far too late to build reliable systems and inform voters of the proper processes in which to use them for a November election , and the collapse of a national election in the face of constitutional deadlines could create massive amounts of unrest @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the virus .
States and voters will need to suck it up and vote in person , just as schools will have to do the same at some point .
We shut down to allow ourselves to catch back up on resources to deal with a long-term pandemic At some point , we have to figure out how to live with it .

A surprising endorsement of Donald Trump’s position — albeit a careful one — from the man whom the media has painted as the president’s COVID-19 nemesis. In an interview with the Washington Post, NIAID chief Dr. Anthony Fauci insists that schools can safely reopen in the fall, and should, as long as local conditions allow. That might mean a pause in some instances, outdoor settings in others, but the need to reopen overall outweighs the risks that the pandemic present in most cases:
“The default principle should be to try as best you can to get the children back to school,” Fauci told us. “The big, however, and qualifier in there is that you have to have a degree of flexibility. The flexibility means if you look at the map of our country, we are not unidimensional with regard to the level of infection.” “The bottom line is everybody should try within the context of the level of infection that you have to get the kids back to school, but the primary consideration … should be the safety, health and the welfare of the children, as well as the teachers and the potential secondary effects on parents and family members,” he added. … “I’ve spoken to superintendents and principals, and recommend if possible, outdoors, better than indoors. If possible, keep the classrooms well ventilated with the windows open if possible, wearing a mask, physical separation, desks that are put further apart, if you could possibly, physically do that,” Fauci said.
That’s quite a position, considering that media outlets have been heaping derision on Trump for insisting on school reopenings. Of course, Trump has mangled some of those arguments, insisting that children are “almost immune,” which is not the case. Even if COVID-19 produces much fewer acute cases in children, they still get it and could still pass it to adults. That’s the not-inconsiderable concern of teachers and of older household members whose risks will go up, at least in some measure, when children return to school.
However, Fauci is pointing out here that other health risks have to get considered, too. The welfare of children isn’t entirely about COVID-19 risk, but also the detrimental effects of isolation, loneliness, and the lack of educational activity for a long period of time. At least one policymaker has followed Fauci’s advice on this point, and it’s no MAGA-cheering governor either:
Schools across New York can reopen for in-person instruction this fall, Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo said Friday, solidifying New York’s status as one of the few states in America that has a virus transmission rate low enough to forge ahead with reopening plans. Just a few months after New York became a global epicenter of the pandemic, the governor opened the door for millions of students across the state to return to classrooms, even as most public school students in the country will start the school year remotely. … Under the governor’s announcement, schools can decide to open as long as they are in a region where the average rate of positive coronavirus tests is below 5 percent, a threshold recommended by the World Health Organization to begin general reopening that has recently been adopted by some school districts. Most of the state, including New York City, has maintained a positivity rate of about 1 percent. Mayor Bill de Blasio has said schools can only open here if the positivity rate is below 3 percent.
That will make Trump happier, as it should boost the economic output from New York starting in the fall. That depends in large part how many parents choose to send their children back to school, as well as whether teachers unions cooperate with the state on reopening. This makes more sense, however, than Bill de Blasio’s earlier idea to open mass child-care facilities in place of schools, which made no sense at all from either an epidemiological or educational point of view.
Fauci has another piece of advice, too. While refusing to weigh in on the merits and demerits of mass mail-in voting, Fauci says in-person voting should be at least as safe as grocery shopping:
When asked whether mail-in voting is safer during the pandemic, Fauci declined to answer “because that almost certainly is going to be used as a soundbite.” Fauci said Americans could go to voting booths in November if they’re careful, and recommended polling locations operate like grocery stores and shops. “I don’t see any reason why, if people maintain that type of physical distancing, wearing a mask and washing hands — why you cannot, at least where I vote, go to a place and vote,” Fauci said.
Here too there are other considerations in play, namely the political health of the nation. Mass mail-in voting has high failure rates — in NYC, it was over 20% — and using it for a presidential election practically guarantees massive confusion and lack of credibility for the results. It’s far too late to build reliable systems and inform voters of the proper processes in which to use them for a November election, and the collapse of a national election in the face of constitutional deadlines could create massive amounts of unrest that could kill as many people as the virus.
States and voters will need to suck it up and vote in person, just as schools will have to do the same at some point. We shut down to allow ourselves to catch back up on resources to deal with a long-term pandemic At some point, we have to figure out how to live with it.


hotair--2020-08-07--Rumor: Biden has chosen his VP, as Susan Rice offloads Netflix stock

The sourcing here is an inch thin , but what the hell .
Jon Cooper formerly chaired a Democratic Super PAC and was part of a “ Draft Biden ” outfit in 2016 .
His Twitter avatar is a photo of him with a smilin ’ Sleepy Joe .
Beyond that , we have no reason to believe this is true .
As far as I ’ m aware , not a single media outlet has corroborated it — and they ’ re working their sources hard to do so , no doubt .
But again , it ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a single tea leaf .
What we need to justify a full-blown “ Rumor !
” post is something more , a clue as to who Biden ’ s choice might be .
Do we have one ?
A would-be VP will have to start divesting in order to avoid conflicts of interest unless Biden plans to run his government the way Trump runs his , which hopefully he won ’ t .
Rice ’ s sale of Netflix is also notable not just because she ’ s an investor but because she @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s expecting to have a new job soon , obviously she ’ d need to begin the process of stepping away from her current one .
This is a step .
And if she ’ s expecting trouble in reconciling the left to her nomination , the less invested she is in corporate America , the better .
Her Netflix shares are by no means the most “ problematic ” part of her portfolio : [ In 2012 ] , Rice ’ s financial disclosures showed that she and her husband — @ @ @ @ @ @ @ owned as much as $ 600,000 worth of stock in TransCanada , the company that owned Keystone [ Pipeline XL ] .
She held stock in TransCanada and other fossil fuel companies for the entire eight years she served in the Obama Administration… Rice ’ s first financial disclosure as an Obama White House official , filed in 2008 , formed a parade of horribles for progressives .
Her investments ranged from fossil fuels and large financial institutions to pharmaceuticals and holdings in Las Vegas casinos owned by the Republican megadonors Sheldon Adelson @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ t want Rice .
She ’ s rich , she ’ s neoliberal on foreign policy , she ’ s a question mark on domestic policy .
Her one redeeming virtue is that she should be comparatively easy for a progressive to beat in a future primary .
They don ’ t want Kamala Harris either , though .
She ’ s been slippery on domestic policy , her record as California AG is checkered on criminal justice reform , and she has plenty of rich friends .
She could also be @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in 2024 or 2028 .
And so , to my amazement , there ’ s still a last-minute progressive push for Karen Bass despite the obvious problems she would cause Biden in Florida on the ticket : You would think at this point lefties would want to tone it down on Bass , knowing that she ’ s unlikely to be the pick and not wanting to make things more awkward for the eventual nominee by signaling that Rice or Harris is a second choice at best .
But here they are , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s Netflix divestiture reportedly sent her own “ stock ” skyrocketing last night on PredictIt ’ s VP nominee “ market , ” but at last check today Harris had reasserted her lead .
Hmmmm .
I ’ ll leave you with this , which is wise but might earn Pelosi a wrist-slap from lefties at a moment when Biden is poised to add a black woman to the national ticket for the first time in American history .

The sourcing here is an inch thin, but what the hell.
It’s Friday. Anything goes.
Jon Cooper formerly chaired a Democratic Super PAC and was part of a “Draft Biden” outfit in 2016. His Twitter avatar is a photo of him with a smilin’ Sleepy Joe. Beyond that, we have no reason to believe this is true. As far as I’m aware, not a single media outlet has corroborated it — and they’re working their sources hard to do so, no doubt. But again, it’s Friday:
Several sources tell me that Joe Biden has chosen his VP running mate. — Jon Cooper 🇺🇸 (@joncoopertweets) August 7, 2020
Eh, anyone can offer a single tea leaf. What we need to justify a full-blown “Rumor!” post is something more, a clue as to who Biden’s choice might be.
Do we have one?
Netflix director (and possible VP pick?) Susan Rice exercised her stock options in the streamer this week, and subsequently sold all the shares, netting her a gain of about $300,000 https://t.co/I0wyWWDIwM — Alex Weprin (@alexweprin) August 6, 2020
Not to read too much into the tea leaves here, but this appears to be the first time she has exercised her options since joining the Netflix board a couple years ago. Again, this was pursuant to a trading plan, so set before today. — Alex Weprin (@alexweprin) August 6, 2020
A would-be VP will have to start divesting in order to avoid conflicts of interest unless Biden plans to run his government the way Trump runs his, which hopefully he won’t. Rice’s sale of Netflix is also notable not just because she’s an investor but because she’s a director. If she’s expecting to have a new job soon, obviously she’d need to begin the process of stepping away from her current one. This is a step.
And if she’s expecting trouble in reconciling the left to her nomination, the less invested she is in corporate America, the better. Her Netflix shares are by no means the most “problematic” part of her portfolio:
[In 2012], Rice’s financial disclosures showed that she and her husband — scion of a wealthy Canadian family — owned as much as $600,000 worth of stock in TransCanada, the company that owned Keystone [Pipeline XL]. She held stock in TransCanada and other fossil fuel companies for the entire eight years she served in the Obama Administration… Rice’s first financial disclosure as an Obama White House official, filed in 2008, formed a parade of horribles for progressives. Her investments ranged from fossil fuels and large financial institutions to pharmaceuticals and holdings in Las Vegas casinos owned by the Republican megadonors Sheldon Adelson and Steve Wynn.
The left doesn’t want Rice. She’s rich, she’s neoliberal on foreign policy, she’s a question mark on domestic policy. Her one redeeming virtue is that she should be comparatively easy for a progressive to beat in a future primary. They don’t want Kamala Harris either, though. She’s been slippery on domestic policy, her record as California AG is checkered on criminal justice reform, and she has plenty of rich friends. She could also be hard to beat as a sitting VP in 2024 or 2028. And so, to my amazement, there’s still a last-minute progressive push for Karen Bass despite the obvious problems she would cause Biden in Florida on the ticket:
Nina Turner, Bernie Sanders' 2020 campaign co-chair, is among the signers. “Congresswoman Bass would make an excellent VP," she said. "She has a record of building coalitions, especially during turbulent times, and this skill set is absolutely needed in this critical moment." — Holly Otterbein (@hollyotterbein) August 7, 2020
You would think at this point lefties would want to tone it down on Bass, knowing that she’s unlikely to be the pick and not wanting to make things more awkward for the eventual nominee by signaling that Rice or Harris is a second choice at best. But here they are, still lobbying.
News of Rice’s Netflix divestiture reportedly sent her own “stock” skyrocketing last night on PredictIt’s VP nominee “market,” but at last check today Harris had reasserted her lead. Hmmmm.
I’ll leave you with this, which is wise but might earn Pelosi a wrist-slap from lefties at a moment when Biden is poised to add a black woman to the national ticket for the first time in American history.


hotair--2020-08-07--Businesses in the former CHAZ/CHOP aren't so sure about abolishing the police (and worry about Antif

Businesses in the former CHAZ/CHOP aren't so sure about abolishing the police (and worry about Antifa)

In June a group of businesses in Seattle ’ s Capitol Hill neighborhood filed a lawsuit against the city .
The argument made in their legal complaint was basically that the CHAZ/CHOP area was causing harm to their businesses and that the city , at least until a string of shootings forced it to shut down the zone , seemed to be going along with those efforts .
Today the NY Times published an article about the lawsuit titled “ Abolish the Police ?
Those Who Survived the Chaos in Seattle Aren ’ t So Sure.
” Faizel Khan was @ @ @ @ @ @ @ his own mayor that the protests in his hometown were peaceful , with “ a block party atmosphere.
” But that was not what he saw through the windows of his Seattle coffee shop .
He saw encampments overtaking the sidewalks .
He saw roving bands of masked protesters smashing windows and looting .
Young white men wielding guns would harangue customers as well as Mr. Khan , a gay man of Middle Eastern descent who moved here from Texas so he could more comfortably be out .
To get into his coffee @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the permission of self-appointed armed guards to cross a border they had erected .
He wasn ’ t the only business owner facing these problems : John McDermott runs an auto repair shop in the zone .
One night he got a call that someone had broken in .
He and his son raced over and found someone cleaning out the register and preparing to burn the building down .
They held him and called police but police never came .
Instead a mob of protesters showed up claiming he had kidnapped the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ owners suing the city consider themselves progressives and are on board with Black Lives Matter .
In fact , the Times notes that even now some businesses owners in Seattle and Portland hesitate to speak out because they don ’ t want to provide ammunition to critics of BLM .
But Mr. Khan says another thing keeping business owners quiet is fear : Mr. McDermott , the auto shop owner , was highlighted on a website called Cop Blaster after his ordeal .
Cop Blaster labels him and other business owners who dare @ @ @ @ @ @ @ callers.
” The site posted his location and phone number and since then he ’ s received countless phone calls harassing him and his employees .
Calling the police when you ’ re being robbed is an unforgivable sin in the former CHAZ/CHOP .
Because of this , many businesses are now paying for private , armed security .
Mr Khan and other business owners have hired a firm called Iconic Security which they pay “ thousands ” of dollars a month to patrol their businesses even now .
The Times spoke to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ two guns and is working as a “ Black Lives Matter community guard ” whatever that is .
Hearns blames the violence and chaos at the CHAZ/CHOP on a subset of people who he identifies as Antifa : That ’ s an appealing story in some ways .
Antifa really does seem to be behind a lot of the violence in Portland but blaming everything on them in Seattle doesn ’ t really fit with reality .
I can believe white Antifa kids were behind a lot of the vandalism but a lot @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and reporting to CHAZ “ warlord ” Raz Simone were black .
I believe all of the shooting victims were black too .
So the claim that white kids from the suburbs were responsible for everything bad that happened doesn ’ t really add up .
I don ’ t know if the business owners have a case here .
Ed seemed skeptical back when he wrote about the lawsuit .
But at a minimum I hope this story causes a great deal of humiliation for Mayor Jenny Durkan whose response to having @ @ @ @ @ @ @ was a dumpster fire of incompetence .
Police Chief Carmen Best was clearly pushing back on this from the start saying she wasn ’ t responsible for abandoning the precinct in the center of the zone .
She also returned to the area and demanded an end to it before Mayor Durkan finally came around .
Finally , this article should also be an embarrassment to the media outlets that went along with Durkan ’ s portrayal of the zone as a block party .
For example , this piece published by Politico @ @ @ @ @ @ @ city undergoing a “ totalitarian takeover ” that will lead to “ fascist outcomes ” and could “ metastasize across the country.
” Its government “ has handed over an entire portion of the city to domestic terrorists.
” This “ group of rogue protesters ” is attempting “ to get a stranglehold on the city.
” This radical “ army ” of “ conquistadors ” has “ rolled over the police like Cortez rolling over the Aztecs.
” … What ’ s going on in these four blocks that shook the world @ @ @ @ @ @ @ looks nothing like the conquista touted on Fox .
It ’ s also the “ block party ” that Mayor Jenny Durkan has compared it to , to gleeful jeers from Fox commentators .
And it ’ s other things as well—a protean , issue-focused but conceptually sprawling formative community , at once silly and serious , spontaneous and disciplined .
What a load of hogwash .
Hopefully no one , even the author of that tripe , is dumb enough to believes CHAZ/CHOP was a block party after reading the Times ’ @ @

In June a group of businesses in Seattle’s Capitol Hill neighborhood filed a lawsuit against the city. The argument made in their legal complaint was basically that the CHAZ/CHOP area was causing harm to their businesses and that the city, at least until a string of shootings forced it to shut down the zone, seemed to be going along with those efforts. Today the NY Times published an article about the lawsuit titled “Abolish the Police? Those Who Survived the Chaos in Seattle Aren’t So Sure.”
Faizel Khan was being told by the news media and his own mayor that the protests in his hometown were peaceful, with “a block party atmosphere.” But that was not what he saw through the windows of his Seattle coffee shop. He saw encampments overtaking the sidewalks. He saw roving bands of masked protesters smashing windows and looting. Young white men wielding guns would harangue customers as well as Mr. Khan, a gay man of Middle Eastern descent who moved here from Texas so he could more comfortably be out. To get into his coffee shop, he sometimes had to seek the permission of self-appointed armed guards to cross a border they had erected.
He wasn’t the only business owner facing these problems:
The employees of Bergman’s Lock and Key say they were followed by demonstrators with baseball bats. Cure Cocktail, a local bar and charcuterie, said its workers were asked by protesters to pledge loyalty to the movement: “Are you for the CHOP or are you for the police?” they were asked, according to the lawsuit.
John McDermott runs an auto repair shop in the zone. One night he got a call that someone had broken in. He and his son raced over and found someone cleaning out the register and preparing to burn the building down. They held him and called police but police never came. Instead a mob of protesters showed up claiming he had kidnapped the thief:
“They started coming across the fence — you see all these beautiful kids, a mob but kids — and they have guns and are pointing them at you and telling you they’re going to kill you,” Mr. McDermott said. “Telling me I’m the K.K.K. I’m not the K.K.K.”
Khan and the other business owners suing the city consider themselves progressives and are on board with Black Lives Matter. In fact, the Times notes that even now some businesses owners in Seattle and Portland hesitate to speak out because they don’t want to provide ammunition to critics of BLM. But Mr. Khan says another thing keeping business owners quiet is fear:
Even weeks after the protests, blocks of his previously bustling neighborhood remained boarded up and covered in shattered glass. Many business owners are scared to speak out, Mr. Khan said, because of worries that they would be targeted further.
Mr. McDermott, the auto shop owner, was highlighted on a website called Cop Blaster after his ordeal. Cop Blaster labels him and other business owners who dare to call police for help “cop callers.” The site posted his location and phone number and since then he’s received countless phone calls harassing him and his employees. Calling the police when you’re being robbed is an unforgivable sin in the former CHAZ/CHOP.
Because of this, many businesses are now paying for private, armed security. Mr Khan and other business owners have hired a firm called Iconic Security which they pay “thousands” of dollars a month to patrol their businesses even now.
The Times spoke to a man named Rick Hearns who carries two guns and is working as a “Black Lives Matter community guard” whatever that is. Hearns blames the violence and chaos at the CHAZ/CHOP on a subset of people who he identifies as Antifa:
“It’s antifa,” he said. “They don’t want to see the progress we’ve made. They want chaos.” Many of the business owners on Capitol Hill agreed: Much of the violence they saw and the intimidation of their patrons came from a group these business owners identified as antifa, which they distinguished from the Black Lives Matter movement.
That’s an appealing story in some ways. Antifa really does seem to be behind a lot of the violence in Portland but blaming everything on them in Seattle doesn’t really fit with reality. I can believe white Antifa kids were behind a lot of the vandalism but a lot of the people walking around with guns and reporting to CHAZ “warlord” Raz Simone were black. I believe all of the shooting victims were black too. So the claim that white kids from the suburbs were responsible for everything bad that happened doesn’t really add up.
I don’t know if the business owners have a case here. Ed seemed skeptical back when he wrote about the lawsuit. But at a minimum I hope this story causes a great deal of humiliation for Mayor Jenny Durkan whose response to having an autonomous zone declared in her city was a dumpster fire of incompetence. Police Chief Carmen Best was clearly pushing back on this from the start saying she wasn’t responsible for abandoning the precinct in the center of the zone. She also returned to the area and demanded an end to it before Mayor Durkan finally came around.
Finally, this article should also be an embarrassment to the media outlets that went along with Durkan’s portrayal of the zone as a block party. For example, this piece published by Politico:
It seems I live in a city undergoing a “totalitarian takeover” that will lead to “fascist outcomes” and could “metastasize across the country.” Its government “has handed over an entire portion of the city to domestic terrorists.” This “group of rogue protesters” is attempting “to get a stranglehold on the city.” This radical “army” of “conquistadors” has “rolled over the police like Cortez rolling over the Aztecs.”… What’s going on in these four blocks that shook the world is indeed an occupation, but it looks nothing like the conquista touted on Fox. It’s also the “block party” that Mayor Jenny Durkan has compared it to, to gleeful jeers from Fox commentators. And it’s other things as well—a protean, issue-focused but conceptually sprawling formative community, at once silly and serious, spontaneous and disciplined.
What a load of hogwash. Hopefully no one, even the author of that tripe, is dumb enough to believes CHAZ/CHOP was a block party after reading the Times’ account.


hotair--2020-08-07--Governor Abbott to Texans: Go get your flu shot as early as possible this year

Governor Abbott has his hands full trying to encourage Texans to help mitigate the coronavirus outbreak .
Now he has a new directive for Texans- go get a flu shot as soon as possible .
The coronavirus pandemic and the regular flu season are about to meet head-on .
As of now , key indications of the coronavirus outbreak in Texas are trending in the right direction , according to Governor Abbott .
Thursday he spoke to reporters after a closed-door roundtable discussion about the flu season with top health and medical officials and state lawmakers at the UT Southwestern @ @ @ @ @ @ @ rates in coronavirus testing and hospitalizations are down and that is good news .
He wants to get out in front of the flu season , which is fast approaching .
The governor is warning against complacency about the flu while the coronavirus is still with us .
Hospitalizations for flu patients will strain resources like PPE supplies as well as hospital beds .
If possible , Abbott recommends Texans get a flu shot in September in order to make sure hospitals do not reach capacity with both flu and COVID-19 patients .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ are often similar .
“ We know that the flu season is coming up .
And if flu season this coming year were as severe as it was last year on top of the pandemic of COVID-19 , that could pose substantial challenges for your hospitals , as well as for your PPE supplies , ” Abbott said .
“ For a doctor , the symptoms of flu and COVID19 are very similar , ” said Dr. John Hellerstedt with the Texas Division of Emergency Management .
Medical experts say the continued use @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and social distancing practices for COVID-19 could also help curb the spread of the flu .
Many North Texans can get the flu vaccine for free .
“ Our health department offers the vaccine , and we do the best we can to go into neighborhoods and offer flu drives , ” Abbott said .
Addressing the timing of school openings as the state deals with the current coronavirus outbreak and anticipates flu season , the governor expressed more concern over what students do outside of school than how they manage during school @ @ @ @ @ @ @ kids gathering together after school .
“ As students depart school for the day , they must maintain the very safest practices as they go home and do not gather in these different types of locations that will lead to a spread of COVID-19 , ” he said .
Abbott is confident schools will be ready for the fall semester but said districts do need to be ready to move from in-person to online learning if there is a localized COVID-19 outbreak .
“ School districts get to make their own decision and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of local public health authorities as well as state and national health authorities .
And then in addition to that , they can provide either an in-classroom setting , a remote learning setting or a combination of the two instilling the safest practice possible , ” he said .
As Texas Department of State Health Services Commissioner Dr. John Hellerstedt said Texas must sustain the downward trend in the coronavirus outbreak , Governor Abbott pointed to the “ almost uniformly ” adopted practices of wearing face masks and social distancing .
He warned @ @ @ @ @ @ @ surfacing as a spreading event for COVID-19.
” Governor Abbott did go out on a limb as he sounded overly-optimistic about the arrival of therapeutic drugs and even a vaccine for the coronavirus .
It sounds more like wishful thinking than reality , as I don ’ t think anyone expects a vaccine to be available for the coronavirus as early as November .
“ Pretty soon , maybe as soon as September , there will be therapeutic drugs that people will be able to take who test positive for COVID-19 and then @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the acceleration of vaccines potentially becoming available maybe as early as November .
And when vaccines start becoming available , it will mean that we will be able to build up the sense of herd immunity , ” Abbott said .
A widow ’ s despair over her husband ’ s death due to the coronavirus went viral this week .
She blames President Trump and Governor Abbott for his death .
She wrote her husband ’ s obituary and included her criticism of Trump and Abbott in it .
And she blames @ @ @ @ @ @ @ masks .
She said her husband did everything that was recommended to prevent catching the virus .
“ Shame on all of you , and may Karma find you all !
” Stacey Nagy wrote a 6-paragraph eulogy in Texas ’ Jefferson Jimplecute to her 79-year-old husband David who passed away on July 22 .
The obituary has now gone viral .
“ David ’ s death was needless , ” Nagy wrote .
“ They blame his death and the deaths of all other innocent people on Trump , Abbott and all @ @ @ @ @ @ @ take this pandemic seriously and were concerned with their popularity more than votes.
” Nagy wrote that others are also to blame for the rampant spread of COVID-19–those who believe it is “ their right ” to not wear masks .
“ Also to blame are the many ignorant , self centered and selfish people who refused to follow the advice of the medical professionals , believing their ‘ right ’ not to wear a mask was more important than killing innocent people , ” Nagy wrote .
I feel for her and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ expressing her grief as she does .
However , I will point out that by her own admission , her husband was 79 years old when he died and he had underlying conditions – including diabetes , heart problems , and early signs of dementia .
She told BuzzFeed News her husband didn ’ t like it when she talked about politics .
The obituary was published in the local newspaper and also on Facebook .
Her husband suffered a fall and had to be hospitalized .
Then he was placed in a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ coronavirus lockdown went into effect while he was in the nursing home .
That is where he died .
We know that nursing homes are particularly hard-hit with deaths from the coronavirus .
As I said , I feel for her in her grief but it looks like they did all they could do to prevent the virus .
To blame the president and governor is a stretch .
It looks as though the original Facebook post has been taken down .
She found lots of support on social media .

Governor Abbott has his hands full trying to encourage Texans to help mitigate the coronavirus outbreak. Now he has a new directive for Texans- go get a flu shot as soon as possible. The coronavirus pandemic and the regular flu season are about to meet head-on.
As of now, key indications of the coronavirus outbreak in Texas are trending in the right direction, according to Governor Abbott. Thursday he spoke to reporters after a closed-door roundtable discussion about the flu season with top health and medical officials and state lawmakers at the UT Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas. Both positivity rates in coronavirus testing and hospitalizations are down and that is good news. He wants to get out in front of the flu season, which is fast approaching. The governor is warning against complacency about the flu while the coronavirus is still with us. Hospitalizations for flu patients will strain resources like PPE supplies as well as hospital beds. If possible, Abbott recommends Texans get a flu shot in September in order to make sure hospitals do not reach capacity with both flu and COVID-19 patients. Symptoms of the flu and the coronavirus are often similar.
“We know that the flu season is coming up. And if flu season this coming year were as severe as it was last year on top of the pandemic of COVID-19, that could pose substantial challenges for your hospitals, as well as for your PPE supplies,” Abbott said. “For a doctor, the symptoms of flu and COVID19 are very similar,” said Dr. John Hellerstedt with the Texas Division of Emergency Management. Medical experts say the continued use of face masks, good hand hygiene and social distancing practices for COVID-19 could also help curb the spread of the flu. Many North Texans can get the flu vaccine for free. “Our health department offers the vaccine, and we do the best we can to go into neighborhoods and offer flu drives,” Abbott said.
Addressing the timing of school openings as the state deals with the current coronavirus outbreak and anticipates flu season, the governor expressed more concern over what students do outside of school than how they manage during school hours. Specifically, he warned against kids gathering together after school.
“As students depart school for the day, they must maintain the very safest practices as they go home and do not gather in these different types of locations that will lead to a spread of COVID-19,” he said. Abbott is confident schools will be ready for the fall semester but said districts do need to be ready to move from in-person to online learning if there is a localized COVID-19 outbreak. “School districts get to make their own decision and they get to take in the advice of local public health authorities as well as state and national health authorities. And then in addition to that, they can provide either an in-classroom setting, a remote learning setting or a combination of the two instilling the safest practice possible,” he said.
As Texas Department of State Health Services Commissioner Dr. John Hellerstedt said Texas must sustain the downward trend in the coronavirus outbreak, Governor Abbott pointed to the “almost uniformly” adopted practices of wearing face masks and social distancing. He warned against holding family gatherings which “keep surfacing as a spreading event for COVID-19.”
Governor Abbott did go out on a limb as he sounded overly-optimistic about the arrival of therapeutic drugs and even a vaccine for the coronavirus. It sounds more like wishful thinking than reality, as I don’t think anyone expects a vaccine to be available for the coronavirus as early as November.
“Pretty soon, maybe as soon as September, there will be therapeutic drugs that people will be able to take who test positive for COVID-19 and then we keep seeing these news stories about the acceleration of vaccines potentially becoming available maybe as early as November. And when vaccines start becoming available, it will mean that we will be able to build up the sense of herd immunity,” Abbott said.
A widow’s despair over her husband’s death due to the coronavirus went viral this week. She blames President Trump and Governor Abbott for his death. She wrote her husband’s obituary and included her criticism of Trump and Abbott in it. And she blames people who don’t wear face masks. She said her husband did everything that was recommended to prevent catching the virus. “Shame on all of you, and may Karma find you all!”
Stacey Nagy wrote a 6-paragraph eulogy in Texas’ Jefferson Jimplecute to her 79-year-old husband David who passed away on July 22. The obituary has now gone viral. “David’s death was needless,” Nagy wrote. “They blame his death and the deaths of all other innocent people on Trump, Abbott and all of the other politicians who did not take this pandemic seriously and were concerned with their popularity more than votes.” Nagy wrote that others are also to blame for the rampant spread of COVID-19–those who believe it is “their right” to not wear masks. “Also to blame are the many ignorant, self centered and selfish people who refused to follow the advice of the medical professionals, believing their ‘right’ not to wear a mask was more important than killing innocent people,” Nagy wrote.
I feel for her and won’t jump on her for expressing her grief as she does. However, I will point out that by her own admission, her husband was 79 years old when he died and he had underlying conditions – including diabetes, heart problems, and early signs of dementia. She told BuzzFeed News her husband didn’t like it when she talked about politics. The obituary was published in the local newspaper and also on Facebook.
Her husband suffered a fall and had to be hospitalized. Then he was placed in a nursing home for further recovery. The coronavirus lockdown went into effect while he was in the nursing home. That is where he died. We know that nursing homes are particularly hard-hit with deaths from the coronavirus. As I said, I feel for her in her grief but it looks like they did all they could do to prevent the virus. To blame the president and governor is a stretch. It looks as though the original Facebook post has been taken down. She found lots of support on social media.


hotair--2020-08-07--Dribbling: Americans should shut up about China atrocities, says NBA-TV analyst

Perhaps NBA figures should just shut up about politics and human-rights abuses entirely , especially after the league ’ s partnership in exploiting and abusing children in Xinjiang concentration , er , training camps .
Instead , NBA-TV and TNT analyst Stan Van Gundy advises Americans to shut up about China ’ s ongoing atrocities because history ‘ n stuff , or something .
This all started with a derisive column from the Orlando Sentinel ’ s David Whitley yesterday , in which he marveled at China ’ s ability to do what Laura Ingraham only dreamed of — getting @ @ @ @ @ @ @ dribble ” : Amid all the preaching , would someone make a peep about a country that commits more human rights abuses in 10 minutes than the U.S. does in 10 years ?
Don ’ t press your ears against the NBA ’ s bubble waiting for an answer .
The league officially declared it has no soul in October , when Houston general manager Daryl Morey sent one measly tweet supporting the democracy protests in Hong Kong .
The Chinese Communist Party started pulling NBA games off TV and merchandise off shelves @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the NBA quickly bowed in subservience and sent Morey to re-education camp .
Since then , the NBA has stayed mum as China ransacked all rights in Hong Kong , unleashed COVID-19 on the world and herded countless more Uighur Muslims onto trains bound for slave labor camps .
Somewhere , Laura Ingraham must be cackling .
Van Gundy took exception to Whitley ’ s accusations of hypocrisy and corruption in the midst of its “ social justice festival ” this season .
The TNT and NBATV analyst then made it pretty clear @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to go in maintaining both : If that ’ s the standard , then the NBA ’ s involvement in Xinjiang should keep every single one of its employees silenced for the next 400 years or so .
After all , their partnership in the physical abuse of children in Xinjiang — not to mention collaboration with a genocidal regime just a stone ’ s throw away from its concentration camps — is still ongoing .
And their obsequiousness to Beijing in shutting down any in-league criticism of China ’ s policies makes @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Gundy ’ s basically attempting the Steve Kerr maneuver , which won Allahpundit ’ s NBA China Cuck of the Week award last October : If Van Gundy set out to prove Whitley ’ s argument , he could hardly have done a better job .
Our pal and colleague Guy Benson was merciless in his response : I ’ d guess that “ galaxy brain ” is not an accurate description of Van Gundy ’ s intellectual power .
Neither is it an indication of his integrity .
It does , however @ @ @ @ @ @ @ really have to exert much effort into getting the league to knuckle under to its economic power , or to get social-justice hypocrites to defend Beijing , of all regimes .
“ Shut up and dribble ” started off as an insult , has transformed into the status quo , and it might end up being very good advice for the future .

Perhaps NBA figures should just shut up about politics and human-rights abuses entirely, especially after the league’s partnership in exploiting and abusing children in Xinjiang concentration, er, training camps. Instead, NBA-TV and TNT analyst Stan Van Gundy advises Americans to shut up about China’s ongoing atrocities because history ‘n stuff, or something. This all started with a derisive column from the Orlando Sentinel’s David Whitley yesterday, in which he marveled at China’s ability to do what Laura Ingraham only dreamed of — getting the NBA to “shut up and dribble”:
Amid all the preaching, would someone make a peep about a country that commits more human rights abuses in 10 minutes than the U.S. does in 10 years? Don’t press your ears against the NBA’s bubble waiting for an answer. The league officially declared it has no soul in October, when Houston general manager Daryl Morey sent one measly tweet supporting the democracy protests in Hong Kong. The Chinese Communist Party started pulling NBA games off TV and merchandise off shelves. With its multibillion-dollar relationship threatened, the NBA quickly bowed in subservience and sent Morey to re-education camp. Since then, the NBA has stayed mum as China ransacked all rights in Hong Kong, unleashed COVID-19 on the world and herded countless more Uighur Muslims onto trains bound for slave labor camps. Somewhere, Laura Ingraham must be cackling.
Van Gundy took exception to Whitley’s accusations of hypocrisy and corruption in the midst of its “social justice festival” this season. The TNT and NBATV analyst then made it pretty clear just how far NBA figures were prepared to go in maintaining both:
We committed genocide against Native Americans. We have enslaved, lynched, segregated and incarcerated blacks over 400 years. Women couldn’t vote for 140 years. Using abuses elsewhere to try to distract from our own poor record on human rights is dishonest https://t.co/3TyPJrbZPA — Stan Van Gundy (@realStanVG) August 6, 2020
If that’s the standard, then the NBA’s involvement in Xinjiang should keep every single one of its employees silenced for the next 400 years or so. After all, their partnership in the physical abuse of children in Xinjiang — not to mention collaboration with a genocidal regime just a stone’s throw away from its concentration camps — is still ongoing. And their obsequiousness to Beijing in shutting down any in-league criticism of China’s policies makes Marshal Petain look positively patriotic.
Van Gundy’s basically attempting the Steve Kerr maneuver, which won Allahpundit’s NBA China Cuck of the Week award last October:
Steve Kerr on if he's ever been asked about human rights during his previous trips to China: "No. Nor has (America's) record of human rights abuses come up either… People in China didn't ask me about, you know, people owning AR-15s and mowing each other down in a mall." pic.twitter.com/56mNC7LmID — Sam Hustis (@SamHustis) October 11, 2019
If Van Gundy set out to prove Whitley’s argument, he could hardly have done a better job.
Our pal and colleague Guy Benson was merciless in his response:
I wonder how Stan’s galaxy brain would grapple with the question of whether Americans were right to fight the Nazis, or express horror at the Holocaust. Our major civil rights laws were still years away at the time, after all. Too flawed to ‘cast stones’ or whatever? — Guy Benson (@guypbenson) August 7, 2020
I’d guess that “galaxy brain” is not an accurate description of Van Gundy’s intellectual power. Neither is it an indication of his integrity. It does, however, show that China didn’t really have to exert much effort into getting the league to knuckle under to its economic power, or to get social-justice hypocrites to defend Beijing, of all regimes. “Shut up and dribble” started off as an insult, has transformed into the status quo, and it might end up being very good advice for the future.


hotair--2020-08-07--Kanye hints: Yes, I'm trying to help Trump win by spoiling Biden's chances

I wonder if this poor guy , in his diminished state , grasps how profoundly it would change his public image if he became known as the man who Nader-ed America into four more years of Trump .
It wouldn ’ t matter if people boycotted his albums ; he ’ ll live a life of stupendous luxury even if he never sells another record .
And he *would* still sell records .
Boycotts are like diets : They last for awhile but nearly everyone reverts to the status quo ante in time .
Still , the media and most @ @ @ @ @ @ @ him the same way .
Nader at least had a lifetime of leftist activism before 2000 to guarantee a modicum of goodwill afterward .
I think Dems would get nasty with West for years to come if his candidacy ended up being decisive in swing states .
Which would be fine in normal circumstances .
Politics ain ’ t beanbag ; if you want to run , you price in certain risks to your candidacy .
The catch with West is that it ’ s uncertain how clearly he ’ s thinking about @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , after reading this brief interview with Forbes , it ’ s still hazy as to whether he ’ s trying to play spoiler for Trump on his own initiative or if the White House is using him as a true stalking horse , clandestinely directing his attempt to get on the ballot in various states by enlisting local Republican operatives to help him .
I ’ m still not sold on that .
This may just be Kanye being Kanye , embracing the delusion of grandeur that God wants him to be @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Trump be president , with TrumpWorld looking on amusedly and thinking , “ Hey , he could help.
” Amid various reports that Republican and Trump-affiliated political operatives are trying to get Kanye West onto various state ballots for November ’ s presidential election , the billionaire rap superstar indicated , in an interview by text today , that he was in fact running to siphon votes from the presumptive Democratic nominee , Joe Biden .
Asked about that directly , West said that rather than running for president , he was “ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ was “ walking .
.
.
to win.
” When it was pointed out that he actually can ’ t win in 2020—that he won ’ t be on enough ballots to yield 270 electoral votes , and that a write-in campaign isn ’ t feasible—and thus was serving as a spoiler , West replied : “ I ’ m not going to argue with you .
Jesus is King.
” … West says that he ’ s “ designing a school within the next month ” and that “ I ’ m @ @ @ @ @ @ @ curriculum.
” Author Randall Lane claims that earlier this summer West was signing off on text chats with him with “ Trump 2020 ” and a raised fist emoji , and that when Lane prodded him by suggesting that the haphazard ballot-access effort doesn ’ t feel like a Kanye production , West replied that it ’ s a “ God production.
” Hmmm .
So he ’ s working for Trump , right ?
Well , hold on .
Per the Daily Beast , some of Trump ’ s own advisors see @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , not Biden , in swing states : “ [ It ] could siphon from Trump Blacks who don ’ t like Biden , ” John McLaughlin , a top pollster for President Trump , told The Daily Beast on Wednesday night .
“ Blacks who don ’ t like Biden in a two-way race would vote for the president .
Now they might consider Kanye.
” … Seven sources in the president ’ s political orbit—senior administration officials , GOP operatives , campaign advisers , and individuals close to Trump—had some mixed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ week .
There were some who loudly applauded the budding GOP-connected dirty trick to pump up West ’ s bizarre run , thinking it is at least worth a try , if it somehow hobbles Team Biden in critical states .
Several said West should be seeking professional help and support from loved ones , instead of embarking on a long-shot bid for the White House .
Several people in the upper ranks of the president ’ s political operation said they were surprised by recent news regarding West ’ s campaign , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ aware of involvement from top Republicans or the president ’ s inner sanctum .
West ’ s most noteworthy policy position is his pro-life stance , which he ’ s reiterated on Twitter lately : Does that make sense for a Democratic spoiler ?
As McLaughlin suggests , anyone who opposes abortion strongly enough that they can ’ t bring themselves to support Biden might logically shift to Trump .
Now , with West in the race , they have a reason not to do that .
On the other hand , there @ @ @ @ @ @ @ dislike Biden ’ s position on abortion but dislike Trump even more , and were prepared to grudgingly vote Democratic — until Kanye came along and gave them an alternative .
It ’ s worth noting that young adults , the group to which West might logically have the strongest appeal , are also the age group most supportive of abortion rights .
According to a Pew poll taken last year , adults aged 18-29 split 70/29 on keeping abortion legal in most cases .
The same poll found black Protestants more likely @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to support keeping abortion legal in most cases , splitting 64/35 .
One way to look at that is to say , “ See ?
Kanye ’ s going to be a bust with both groups.
” Another way is to point to the ~30 percent or so of pro-lifers in both groups and reason that there ’ s a lot of votes there potentially that might otherwise reluctantly go to Biden for other policy reasons and which may now shift to West .
I don ’ t think it ’ s possible @ @ @ @ @ @ @ candidate more than the other without much more granular polling .
But we can , at least , draw a strong inference about what the president thinks based on his tweets this morning .
Here he is insisting that “ the black vote ” is very much in play this year thanks to Biden ’ s latest embarrassing gaffe , which isn ’ t strictly true — Biden will get over 80 percent for sure — but may be true enough in that enough black voters could defect from Democrats in sufficient numbers @ @ @ @ @ @ @ quotation from reporter Matt Fuller : “ Biden ’ s gaffe was suggesting African Americans think monolithically , a mistake that will surely win Donald Trump ‘ The Black Vote . '
”

I wonder if this poor guy, in his diminished state, grasps how profoundly it would change his public image if he became known as the man who Nader-ed America into four more years of Trump. It wouldn’t matter if people boycotted his albums; he’ll live a life of stupendous luxury even if he never sells another record. And he *would* still sell records. Boycotts are like diets: They last for awhile but nearly everyone reverts to the status quo ante in time.
Still, the media and most of liberal America would never look at him the same way. Nader at least had a lifetime of leftist activism before 2000 to guarantee a modicum of goodwill afterward. I think Dems would get nasty with West for years to come if his candidacy ended up being decisive in swing states.
Which would be fine in normal circumstances. Politics ain’t beanbag; if you want to run, you price in certain risks to your candidacy. The catch with West is that it’s uncertain how clearly he’s thinking about anything right now.
Having said that, after reading this brief interview with Forbes, it’s still hazy as to whether he’s trying to play spoiler for Trump on his own initiative or if the White House is using him as a true stalking horse, clandestinely directing his attempt to get on the ballot in various states by enlisting local Republican operatives to help him. I’m still not sold on that. This may just be Kanye being Kanye, embracing the delusion of grandeur that God wants him to be president, or wants him to help Trump be president, with TrumpWorld looking on amusedly and thinking, “Hey, he could help.”
Amid various reports that Republican and Trump-affiliated political operatives are trying to get Kanye West onto various state ballots for November’s presidential election, the billionaire rap superstar indicated, in an interview by text today, that he was in fact running to siphon votes from the presumptive Democratic nominee, Joe Biden. Asked about that directly, West said that rather than running for president, he was “walking,” quickly adding that he was “walking . . . to win.” When it was pointed out that he actually can’t win in 2020—that he won’t be on enough ballots to yield 270 electoral votes, and that a write-in campaign isn’t feasible—and thus was serving as a spoiler, West replied: “I’m not going to argue with you. Jesus is King.”… West says that he’s “designing a school within the next month” and that “I’m meeting with Betsy DeVos about the post-Covid curriculum.”
Author Randall Lane claims that earlier this summer West was signing off on text chats with him with “Trump 2020” and a raised fist emoji, and that when Lane prodded him by suggesting that the haphazard ballot-access effort doesn’t feel like a Kanye production, West replied that it’s a “God production.” Hmmm.
So he’s working for Trump, right? Well, hold on. Per the Daily Beast, some of Trump’s own advisors see potential for West to hurt the president, not Biden, in swing states:
“[It] could siphon from Trump Blacks who don’t like Biden,” John McLaughlin, a top pollster for President Trump, told The Daily Beast on Wednesday night. “Blacks who don’t like Biden in a two-way race would vote for the president. Now they might consider Kanye.”… Seven sources in the president’s political orbit—senior administration officials, GOP operatives, campaign advisers, and individuals close to Trump—had some mixed reactions when privately discussing Kanye 2020 this week. There were some who loudly applauded the budding GOP-connected dirty trick to pump up West’s bizarre run, thinking it is at least worth a try, if it somehow hobbles Team Biden in critical states. Several said West should be seeking professional help and support from loved ones, instead of embarking on a long-shot bid for the White House. Several people in the upper ranks of the president’s political operation said they were surprised by recent news regarding West’s campaign, and insisted that they weren’t aware of involvement from top Republicans or the president’s inner sanctum.
West’s most noteworthy policy position is his pro-life stance, which he’s reiterated on Twitter lately:
Over 22,500,000 black babies have been aborted over the past 50 years. — ye (@kanyewest) July 31, 2020
Thank you God and mom and dad for letting me live pic.twitter.com/JqZgTp8chY — ye (@kanyewest) August 7, 2020
Does that make sense for a Democratic spoiler? As McLaughlin suggests, anyone who opposes abortion strongly enough that they can’t bring themselves to support Biden might logically shift to Trump. Now, with West in the race, they have a reason not to do that. On the other hand, there may be a segment of pro-lifers who dislike Biden’s position on abortion but dislike Trump even more, and were prepared to grudgingly vote Democratic — until Kanye came along and gave them an alternative. It’s worth noting that young adults, the group to which West might logically have the strongest appeal, are also the age group most supportive of abortion rights. According to a Pew poll taken last year, adults aged 18-29 split 70/29 on keeping abortion legal in most cases. The same poll found black Protestants more likely than any other major Christian religious group to support keeping abortion legal in most cases, splitting 64/35.
One way to look at that is to say, “See? Kanye’s going to be a bust with both groups.” Another way is to point to the ~30 percent or so of pro-lifers in both groups and reason that there’s a lot of votes there potentially that might otherwise reluctantly go to Biden for other policy reasons and which may now shift to West.
I don’t think it’s possible to game out whether West helps one candidate more than the other without much more granular polling. But we can, at least, draw a strong inference about what the president thinks based on his tweets this morning. Here he is insisting that “the black vote” is very much in play this year thanks to Biden’s latest embarrassing gaffe, which isn’t strictly true — Biden will get over 80 percent for sure — but may be true enough in that enough black voters could defect from Democrats in sufficient numbers to cost Biden the election. Exit quotation from reporter Matt Fuller: “Biden’s gaffe was suggesting African Americans think monolithically, a mistake that will surely win Donald Trump ‘The Black Vote.'”
https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/1291722355471941633


hotair--2020-08-07--Final mail-in primary failure rate in New York City: 20.8%

Utter disaster .
More than one in every five ballots cast in New York City got discarded in the state ’ s June 23rd primary , raising all sorts of questions about who actually won the congressional nominations and other races .
Voters didn ’ t get proper instructions , the postal service wasn ’ t prepared , and that will leave a permanent cloud over all the results : The mail-in ballots of more than 84,000 New York City Democrats who sought to vote in the presidential primary were disqualified , according to new figures released by the Board @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 403,103 mail-in ballots for the June 23 Democratic presidential primary .
But the certified results released Wednesday revealed that only 318,995 mail-in ballots were counted .
That means 84,108 ballots were not counted or invalidated — 21 percent of the total .
The prospects for November look pretty grim , too .
The Board of Elections rejected efforts by co-chair Doug Kellner to improve the system for the general election : Meanwhile , the embattled BOE found itself mired in controversy again after emails obtained by The Post show the agency blew off @ @ @ @ @ @ @ another absentee balloting nightmare in November .
His six-page proposal urged city BOE officials to ensure proper staffing at polling places during the November election to ensure lines are no longer than 30 minutes ; to tally absentee ballots more quickly than the six weeks it took to certify results from the primary ; and to plan for processing “ double or triple ” the number of absentee applications .
If New York produces a 20 % or higher failure rate in November , it might skew the entire presidential election .
Imagine @ @ @ @ @ @ @ winner would expect a margin of , say , 5 % or lower — or under 1 % , as was the case in the critical battleground states in 2016 .
Lawsuits are already in process in New York over the failures in this primary ; what would happen if Donald Trump eked out a narrow New York victory because 20 % or more of NYC ’ s vote got disqualified ?
Meltdown , that ’ s what would happen .
Once again , this demonstrates that incompetence far outstrips potential fraud with @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in scope .
Eric Boehm argued yesterday at Reason that most states are totally unprepared for mail-in voting , and that pressing the issue risks disaster in three months : The bigger problem facing states as they prepare for the 2020 general election is not the president ’ s tweeting or the spectral fears of voter fraud .
It ’ s that there is no time to build out the infrastructure necessary for a full-scale vote-by-mail operation like the ones in Colorado , Oregon and elsewhere .
So far , Congress has authorized @ @ @ @ @ @ @ help states get prepared for what ’ s likely to be the weirdest election in recent history , but the Brennan Center says it will take $ 4 billion in additional election spending to cover the cost of ballot printing , postage , security measures like drop boxes and bar codes , and hiring additional staff to count votes .
Hasen estimates that , despite spending more than $ 3 trillion on coronavirus aid , Congress has provided to states only about 20 percent of what would be necessary to run an election @ @ @ @ @ @ @ only expanded absentee balloting , but also funding for things like protective equipment for poll workers .
… Even in the vast majority of states that have moved to ease restrictions on absentee balloting in light of the pandemic , a full-scale vote-by-mail system is virtually impossible to implement before November .
In New York City , it doesn ’ t even appear that they ’ re interested in trying .
It ’ s not that they couldn ’ t have known of the issues in expanding mail-in balloting .
Boehm points out @ @ @ @ @ @ @ already well known : Absentee and mail-in ballots have higher failure rates under normal conditions .
They just usually comprise such a small number of overall votes that it rarely impacts the results .
By pushing mail-in balloting to be the most common method , and in doing so as abruptly as we see now , that normal failure rate will explode as it did in New York City — and the normal failure rate would still have made it tough to settle close elections as it is .
We simply can ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a presidential and congressional elections , where hard deadlines for ends of terms exist and the need for confidence is high .
If we can figure out how to fill the streets with protesters and the Walmarts with shoppers , we ’ d better figure out how to do in-person voting with reliable scan-based counting to keep the points of failure to a bare minimum .

Utter disaster. More than one in every five ballots cast in New York City got discarded in the state’s June 23rd primary, raising all sorts of questions about who actually won the congressional nominations and other races. Voters didn’t get proper instructions, the postal service wasn’t prepared, and that will leave a permanent cloud over all the results:
The mail-in ballots of more than 84,000 New York City Democrats who sought to vote in the presidential primary were disqualified, according to new figures released by the Board of Elections. The city BOE received 403,103 mail-in ballots for the June 23 Democratic presidential primary. But the certified results released Wednesday revealed that only 318,995 mail-in ballots were counted. That means 84,108 ballots were not counted or invalidated — 21 percent of the total.
The prospects for November look pretty grim, too. The Board of Elections rejected efforts by co-chair Doug Kellner to improve the system for the general election:
Meanwhile, the embattled BOE found itself mired in controversy again after emails obtained by The Post show the agency blew off Kellner, who proposed reforms to prevent another absentee balloting nightmare in November. His six-page proposal urged city BOE officials to ensure proper staffing at polling places during the November election to ensure lines are no longer than 30 minutes; to tally absentee ballots more quickly than the six weeks it took to certify results from the primary; and to plan for processing “double or triple” the number of absentee applications.
If New York produces a 20% or higher failure rate in November, it might skew the entire presidential election. Imagine what would happen in states where the winner would expect a margin of, say, 5% or lower — or under 1%, as was the case in the critical battleground states in 2016. Lawsuits are already in process in New York over the failures in this primary; what would happen if Donald Trump eked out a narrow New York victory because 20% or more of NYC’s vote got disqualified? Meltdown, that’s what would happen.
Once again, this demonstrates that incompetence far outstrips potential fraud with mail-in voting, both in probability and in scope. Eric Boehm argued yesterday at Reason that most states are totally unprepared for mail-in voting, and that pressing the issue risks disaster in three months:
The bigger problem facing states as they prepare for the 2020 general election is not the president’s tweeting or the spectral fears of voter fraud. It’s that there is no time to build out the infrastructure necessary for a full-scale vote-by-mail operation like the ones in Colorado, Oregon and elsewhere. So far, Congress has authorized $400 million in new spending to help states get prepared for what’s likely to be the weirdest election in recent history, but the Brennan Center says it will take $4 billion in additional election spending to cover the cost of ballot printing, postage, security measures like drop boxes and bar codes, and hiring additional staff to count votes. Hasen estimates that, despite spending more than $3 trillion on coronavirus aid, Congress has provided to states only about 20 percent of what would be necessary to run an election in the middle of a pandemic—meaning not only expanded absentee balloting, but also funding for things like protective equipment for poll workers. … Even in the vast majority of states that have moved to ease restrictions on absentee balloting in light of the pandemic, a full-scale vote-by-mail system is virtually impossible to implement before November.
In New York City, it doesn’t even appear that they’re interested in trying. It’s not that they couldn’t have known of the issues in expanding mail-in balloting. Boehm points out that the issues of voter incompetence are already well known:
Compounding the logistical problems is simple voter ineptitude. In-person voting limits common mistakes—like voting for too many candidates or failing to sign a ballot—that are more likely to happen with absentee ballots. Research by Charles Stewart, a professor of political science and founder of the MIT Election Lab, an estimated 800,000 absentee ballots were rejected in 2008 by local election authorities, mostly due to mismatched signatures or because they arrived too late.
Absentee and mail-in ballots have higher failure rates under normal conditions. They just usually comprise such a small number of overall votes that it rarely impacts the results. By pushing mail-in balloting to be the most common method, and in doing so as abruptly as we see now, that normal failure rate will explode as it did in New York City — and the normal failure rate would still have made it tough to settle close elections as it is.
We simply can’t sustain that kind of meltdown in a presidential and congressional elections, where hard deadlines for ends of terms exist and the need for confidence is high. If we can figure out how to fill the streets with protesters and the Walmarts with shoppers, we’d better figure out how to do in-person voting with reliable scan-based counting to keep the points of failure to a bare minimum.


hotair--2020-08-07--"Biden" retreats: What I meant to say was that African-Americans are incredibly diverse, too

Chances that Joe Biden actually wrote these tweets : < 1 % .
Someone who has control of Biden ’ s Twitter feed after his bedtime tried performing a cleanup on Aisle 78 after the Democratic presidential nominee ’ s jaw-dropping remarks comparing Latino “ diversity ” to the lack of such among African-Americans .
Note the time stamps on these walkbacks : Uh-huh .
That , um , sounds suspiciously unlike the authentic voice of Joe Biden , especially these days .
It sounds more like the authentic voice of crisis-management PR flacks faced with the unpleasant task of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ another problem with this explanation , and Grabien ’ s Tom Elliott points it out .
Hours after Biden ’ s first attempt to hail Hispanic diversity by comparing to monolithic thinking by African-Americans , Biden made the exact same argument in a different meeting , emphasis mine : It ’ s about respect .
It ’ s about honor .
It ’ s about being able to look your kid in the eye and say , “ Honey , everything ’ s going to be OK. ” That ’ s what we @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Honor .
Treating people with dignity .
We can build a new administration that reflects the full diversity of our nation , and the full diversity of the Latino communities .
Now , when I mean full diversity , unlike African-American community and many other communities , they ’ re from everywhere — from Europe , from the tip of South America , all the way to our border in Mexico , and in the Caribbean .
And different backgrounds , different ethnicities , but all Latinos .
Really get a chance @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in November .
Ahem .
Does Biden not know that Africans have diverse ethnicities too ?
“ Africa ” is not a country but a continent , with its own cultures and ethnicities .
Even in the US among African-Americans , the communities are diverse based on experiences , both personal and shared .
Kamala Harris has a different background than Karen Bass , for instance , as Barack Obama did from John Lewis .
That doesn ’ t mean that commonalities don ’ t exist too , but it ’ s absurdly @ @ @ @ @ @ @ it to a mythical single-origin point for black voters .
And to do it twice suggests that Biden ’ s making the Kinsleyan gaffe of mistakenly revealing what he truly thinks about African-Americans , which further calls into question who wrote the tweets after Biden ’ s night-night time .
Biden ’ s correct in a way about the path to victory is through “ Latinos , especially in battleground states , ” but only if one assumes that Biden has monolithic and enthusiastic support from black voters .
Biden apparently assumes that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , and she was correct on a percentage basis .
She failed to turn them out in the numbers necessary to win in key battleground states , however , while not being nearly as insulting as Biden is here .
This won ’ t convince African-Americans who planned to vote for Biden to suddenly switch to Donald Trump .
It might convince them not to bother voting at all .
Again .

Chances that Joe Biden actually wrote these tweets: <1%. Someone who has control of Biden’s Twitter feed after his bedtime tried performing a cleanup on Aisle 78 after the Democratic presidential nominee’s jaw-dropping remarks comparing Latino “diversity” to the lack of such among African-Americans. Note the time stamps on these walkbacks:
Earlier today, I made some comments about diversity in the African American and Latino communities that I want to clarify. In no way did I mean to suggest the African American community is a monolith—not by identity, not on issues, not at all. — Joe Biden (@JoeBiden) August 7, 2020
My commitment to you is this: I will always listen, I will never stop fighting for the African American community and I will never stop fighting for a more equitable future. — Joe Biden (@JoeBiden) August 7, 2020
Uh-huh. That, um, sounds suspiciously unlike the authentic voice of Joe Biden, especially these days. It sounds more like the authentic voice of crisis-management PR flacks faced with the unpleasant task of undoing a disaster.
There’s another problem with this explanation, and Grabien’s Tom Elliott points it out. Hours after Biden’s first attempt to hail Hispanic diversity by comparing to monolithic thinking by African-Americans, Biden made the exact same argument in a different meeting, emphasis mine:
This is the hill Biden's apparently going to die on. This afternoon he appeared in a virtual roundtable and doubled down on his “Latinos have a more diverse culture than blacks” take pic.twitter.com/j8azhzL5YJ — Tom Elliott (@tomselliott) August 6, 2020
It’s about respect. It’s about honor. It’s about being able to look your kid in the eye and say, “Honey, everything’s going to be OK.” That’s what we’re going to do. Dignity. Honor. Treating people with dignity. We can build a new administration that reflects the full diversity of our nation, and the full diversity of the Latino communities. Now, when I mean full diversity, unlike African-American community and many other communities, they’re from everywhere — from Europe, from the tip of South America, all the way to our border in Mexico, and in the Caribbean. And different backgrounds, different ethnicities, but all Latinos. Really get a chance to do that, if we win in November.
Ahem. Does Biden not know that Africans have diverse ethnicities too? “Africa” is not a country but a continent, with its own cultures and ethnicities. Even in the US among African-Americans, the communities are diverse based on experiences, both personal and shared. Kamala Harris has a different background than Karen Bass, for instance, as Barack Obama did from John Lewis. That doesn’t mean that commonalities don’t exist too, but it’s absurdly ignorant to laud Latino diversity by comparing it to a mythical single-origin point for black voters. And to do it twice suggests that Biden’s making the Kinsleyan gaffe of mistakenly revealing what he truly thinks about African-Americans, which further calls into question who wrote the tweets after Biden’s night-night time.
Biden’s correct in a way about the path to victory is through “Latinos, especially in battleground states,” but only if one assumes that Biden has monolithic and enthusiastic support from black voters. Biden apparently assumes that, as Hillary Clinton did in 2016, and she was correct on a percentage basis. She failed to turn them out in the numbers necessary to win in key battleground states, however, while not being nearly as insulting as Biden is here.
This won’t convince African-Americans who planned to vote for Biden to suddenly switch to Donald Trump. It might convince them not to bother voting at all. Again.