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You are here: Home / Open Threads / You Actually Have to Know Stuff To Do This Job! (Debate LIVE at 7 pm + Obama Events)

You Actually Have to Know Stuff To Do This Job! (Debate LIVE at 7 pm + Obama Events)

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“You actually have to know stuff to do this job.” – Rev. Warnock at the event with Stacey Abrams and Barack Obama on Friday.

Stacey Abrams has her final debate with pink slime Brian Kemp tonight at 7 pm Eastern time.

Here’s a direct link to the TV station that is airing the debate, but I have high hopes it will show up LIVE on YouTube as we get closer to start time.

Anne Laurie shared a bunch of Obama clips with tweets this morning, but in case anyone wants to catch the full events here are the three whirlwind events Obama was featured at over the course of 2 days.

Obama will be in Nevada on Tuesday.  It seems like he’s not going to Arizona, which could either be a good sign or a bad sign.  Or maybe they just haven’t asked him yet!

Open thread.

Update: Patty Murray and Pathological Liar Smiley Town Hall

Reader Interactions

75Comments

  7. 7.

    Elizabelle

    @Yutsano:   Yes!  Please, please, please.

    Incidentally, I am having to type in my ‘nym and email each comment.  Is that happening to anyone else?

  12. 12.

    Mai Naem mobile

    @Yutsano: that is great news. I hope Bolsonaro doesn’t pull a TFG and more importantly I hope Brazilians don’t have an equivalent to MAGats.

  15. 15.

    Elizabelle

    WaPost has a breaking news banner about Lula victory.

    Former Brazilian president Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, an icon of the Latin American left, defeated President Jair Bolsonaro on Sunday to win a third term leading the region’s largest country, the Superior Electoral Court said, capping a remarkable political comeback less than three years after he walked out of a prison cell.

    Lula received 50.83 percent of the vote, according to preliminary results, riding back to power on pledges to defend democracy, restore social justice and save the Amazon rainforest.

    With his victory, Lula joins a host of leftist leaders who have taken power in recent years across the region, from Colombia to Chile to Peru.

  16. 16.

    Elizabelle

    Refreshing to hear Stacey Abrams call a lie a lie.

    The WaPost and FTF NY Times can’t seem to use that word.  Most recently for Elon Musk’s [now deleted] Tweet this morning.  I wonder why not.

  19. 19.

    WaterGirl

    This is the best-handled debate I have seen in this entire 2020 cycle.  The questions seem to be neutrally-framed and the questions don’t seem to have an agenda.

  21. 21.

    Jinchi

    @kalakal: Let’s hope they manage a more peaceful transition than we did.

    Any idea how quickly the incumbent leaves office after losing an election there?

  23. 23.

    Jackie

    Patty Murray and MAGA Tiffany Smiley are having a town hall at 5:00 PT. Not sure if it can be viewed on YouTube. McConnell has been pouring $$$ into Smiley’s campaign.

  24. 24.

    Elizabelle

    @WaterGirl:  I keep hearing him saying Stacey doesn’t want to run on hers.  He’s said that at least 4 times.  Not true, but it’s the big lie technique.  He does not give specifics.

    Stacey does give specifics.

  27. 27.

    Elizabelle

    I think I will have to read the debate transcript later.  I cannot abide listening to Kemp.  Stacey is amazing.

    I think she will have crossover appeal to gettable Republicans and actual independents.  I truly do.

    Gun violence in the schools and elsewhere is a serious issue.

    I am glad to see music promoters cancelling events because it’s too dangerous with guns on the premises in dog knows whose hands.

  29. 29.

    OzarkHillbilly

    You Actually Have to Know Stuff To Do This Job! (Debate LIVE at 7 pm + Obama Events)

    That’s why I don’t do it.

  31. 31.

    AJ of the Mustard Search and Rescue Team

    Thank God for Lula’s win in Brazil. What a massive, massive relief 🙏🏻

  32. 32.

    Ohio Mom

    @Elizabelle: That happened to me the other day on my iPhone. I turned it off and turned it back on — exercising the full extent of my technical know-how — and all was well again. But maybe that was a coincidence?

  34. 34.

    Jinchi

    According to NBC, 1,634,480 people have already voted in Georgia by mail or absentee. That’s well above the total early vote for 2018 and 2020.

    49% (D) 42%(R) 9% (Other)

    55% (F) 45%(M)

    In 2018 just less than 4,000,000 voted for Governor

  36. 36.

    Jackie

    The hits just keep on coming…

    Yet ANOTHER lawsuit is going to trial against TFG!

    “Efrain Galicia, an activist of Mexican origin who claims that Donald Trump’s security guards roughed him up outside Trump Tower during a peaceful protest in September 2015, will have an opportunity to bring these allegations before a jury this week.

    On Monday, jury selection will start in the New York City civil trial over Galicia’s allegations that Trump’s security guard roughed him up at “the express or implied direction” of Trump. Galicia and several other activists filed a suit against Trump and a handful of the then presidential candidate’s cronies days after the incident, alleging assault and battery.”

    Apparently the folks in the Bronx really really don’t like Donald!

    https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2022/oct/30/donald-trump-lawsuit-bronx-jury-selection

  37. 37.

    kalakal

    @Jinchi: Sadly so do I.

    Here’s some depressingly familiar crap from The Guardian’s live feed

    “It’s fraud without a doubt, they manipulated the count. The armed forces must intervene,” said João Reis, a 50-year-old electrician. And if they don’t? “The population must take to the streets to demand military intervention so that we don’t hand power over to the communists.”

    From atop a sound truck, a man draped in the Israeli flag, another symbol often used by evangelical Bolsonaro supporters, and who identified himself as Felipe Pitanga, aggressively echoed such calls to reject the results. But most supporters were heading home resigned. “He is not leaving! I do not accept [Bolsonaro’s defeat]!” the man chanted to the rapidly dwindling crowd.

  38. 38.

    Jackie

    @WaterGirl: This is a Town Hall format. It’s on all the local stations – minus NBC (Sunday Night Football) – so it might not be available elsewhere – or maybe not until after the event.

  42. 42.

    SiubhanDuinne

    Just finished watching the Abrams-Kemp debate. Apart from content, I was struck again and and again by how robotic, animatronic, and totally zzzzz monotonous Kemp was. Abrams, by contrast, was animated, energetic, and fully engaged in every point. There is something profoundly wrong with Georgians if they fail again to elect her. I’m encouraged by the early voting turnout.

  44. 44.

    WaterGirl

    @SiubhanDuinne: Stacey Abrams really is excellent.

    And yes, there is something profoundly wrong if they fail to elect Abrams over Kemp, if they fail to elect Warnock over the unqualified and mentally ill former football player.

    What the fuck is wrong with these people who vote like that?

  48. 48.

    Jackie

    Smiley saved some tears from the debate for tonight’s TH. She’s not projecting strength with her Handmaiden antics.

  50. 50.

    Jackie

    @WaterGirl: It sure was!

    I’m on delay so a bit behind; increased gun violence this past year is being discussed. Ironically the biggest increase is in my congressional district (Red) and Smiley choking up doesn’t address the gun issue, brings up her disabled husband again and that we need to support the Blue.

  51. 51.

    Kent

    @Fair Economist:@Kent: Thankful Lula won but that was WAY too close.

    A win is a win.  NEVER underestimate the appeal of a fascist and racist demagogue.  Especially one with endlessly deep pockets. That is the lesson of this decade with Trump, BREXIT, etc.

  53. 53.

    Jackie

    @WaterGirl: He should run, himself, but maybe he secretly supports Patty and Democrats – as both support disabled Vets 100%. Smiley’s party certainly doesn’t!

  54. 54.

    Jackie

    Smiley isn’t supportive of the US financially continuing to aid Ukraine. Then quickly jumped to “how Biden failed Afghanistan.”

    Again, I don’t think she has an original thought in her head. Spewing GOP talking points – as she’s being funded to.

  56. 56.

    Ajabu

    All I can say having seen Stacey with Obama on Friday and then watching her debate tonight is she sure looks like a winner to me. She was hoarse Friday shouting to that loud crowd but tonight she had recovered and she kicked some cracker ass. Fuck Kemp and Walker!

  57. 57.

    Jackie

    Medicare and SS: Smiley knew what she was supposed to say – spouting what Rick Scott claimed earlier today – but she hadn’t memorized her lines and stuttered and stammered *explaining* Medicare and SS wouldn’t be effected for current or soon to be recipients. The garbling let us know that folks down the road had better come up with a savings net for themselves – because Republicans don’t care about their senior years.

    Smiley’s closing statements included tearful voice and husband.

    I hope the majority of WA voters won’t vote for BS.

  58. 58.

    WaterGirl

    @Ajabu: Yes, Stacey was hoarse on Friday but she sounded great tonight!

    if you just had it on in the background and were only half listening, I think a person would see that Kemp just repeated the same talking points over and over, and that Stacey had information in and knew exactly what she was talking about.

  59. 59.

    Jackie

    @WaterGirl: The only concern I had was Patty’s faces she made while Smiley was spewing GOP talking points. Reminded me of Gore and Kerry when debating Bush. Like she had better places to be. I’m pretty sure if Murray wins, it will be her last term (voluntarily.) I’m curious who she’s ready to pass her tennis shoes to.

  61. 61.

    Jackie

    @WaterGirl: If a compilation of Republican candidates debating was produced, it would be a parroting of identical talking points, almost word for word. No originality in the lot.

  63. 63.

    opiejeanne

    @WaterGirl: The ads against her and Kim Schrier are all over youtube, when I try to watch Chef John or Binging with Babish, not to mention all of the other channels, and they’e really stepped up how many times they show the ads these past few days. I’m not in Kim Schrier’s district and I’m sorry I can’t vote for her, but I did vote for Suzan delBene.

    ETA: I haven’t seen any ads against Suzan del Bene. They must think they can’t get that seat.

  64. 64.

    Jackie

    @opiejeanne: I may have missed your updates; are you a besotted Gramma???

    And my side of the Mountains, Newhouse is doing *I’m scared! Vote for meeee*! The pissed off MAGAts might be voting against him (he voted to impeach TFG) or not voting!🤞🏻🤞🏻

  65. 65.

    dww44

    @WaterGirl: I’ve a theory. When The state went for  Biden and Ossoff and Warnock the state GOP was horrified and this time they are determined to  win it and the Senate for the GOP.  They will vote for the devil himself if it means they retake the Senate.  Candidate quality does NOT matter to them.  He will do what the power brokers say anyway.  They Do. Not. Care. If it degrades the State, the Senate or our democracy.

  66. 66.

    WaterGirl

    @dww44: Not sure any of that is theory any longer. Sadly, it seems to be fact.

    They most definitely do not care about governing, unless it’s to control “lesser” people.  They want power and control and money.  The last people in the world who should be making decisions in government.

  67. 67.

    Jackie

    @dww44: That means MORE Democrats have to vote than the Rethugs. And I’m sure they’re aware and doing their best!

    I’m already not making any appointments or plans the day(s) after Election Day. Winners won’t be decided Nov 8th. Plus Georgia elections – Senator and Governor races may go to runoffs.

  68. 68.

    Kent

    @Jackie:@WaterGirl: The only concern I had was Patty’s faces she made while Smiley was spewing GOP talking points. Reminded me of Gore and Kerry when debating Bush. Like she had better places to be. I’m pretty sure if Murray wins, it will be her last term (voluntarily.) I’m curious who she’s ready to pass her tennis shoes to.

    I’m a Washingtonian and I don’t know a single undecided voter who bothered to watch this debate.   As for the next Senator?  Maybe Pramila Jayapal?  Although she did herself no favors with the idiotic letter on Ukraine.  But maybe she is more of a creature of the House and not so much the Senate.   I don’t think Patty Murray is going to have much of a say though.

  69. 69.

    Jackie

    @Kent: Jayapal? That is my first thought, but she may be too progressive for our mainstream Democrats. I really at this point have any clue who Patty would endorse in six years. Who knows – in six years, Jayapal might be considered mainstream by then.🤷🏼‍♀️

  70. 70.

    Jackie

    @Jackie: I’m a mainstream voter, which is why I watch these debates. I’m watching to see how candidates come across to casual/first time voters.

  71. 71.

    Mai Naem mobile

    @WaterGirl: Barack Obama is coming to Arizona for a rally with Kelly and Hobbs on Wednesday. It was on the local news this evening.

    I don’t know crap about Washington politics but I think Jayapal is liberal enough that she could be beaten by a moderate republican(if one exists) in a senate race. At the same time I think she’s capable of being a good House speaker but I have a feeling that job will be going to a California  or a NE Dem for the foreseeable future based on numbers.

  72. 72.

    opiejeanne

    @Jackie: Yes, The Baby finally arrived on Wednesday night, after 29 hours of a very slow induced labor. I’m a somewhat besotted grandmother, but unfortunately I live 3 hours away. My son has been sending me photos of Abigail every day and she is changing rapidly, faster than I remember mine changing. I need to go south for a visit soon. I expect that if my daughter hosts Thanksgiving in Portland my son will bring Abby to the party, even if her mother won’t attend. She’s a Jehovah’s Witness, my son is not.

  75. 75.

    Geminid

    @Mai Naem mobile: Hakeem Jeffries (NY) is thought to have the inside track for the top post if and when Speaker Pelosi steps aside. As Caucus Chairman, he’s currently 4th in rank behind Pelosi, Hoyer and Clyburn. Any Caucus election would be open and there are no guarantees he would be selected, but I think he would be.

    Speaker Pelosi has not said what her plans are for the next Congress, but my hunch is that she and the other two top leaders plan to step aside after the midterms regardless of the results.

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