Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

I am pretty sure these ‘journalists’ were not always such a bootlicking sycophants.

This fight is for everything.

Never give a known liar the benefit of the doubt.

Damn right I heard that as a threat.

Sometimes the world just tells you your cat is here.

Following reporting rules is only for the little people, apparently.

… riddled with inexplicable and elementary errors of law and fact

They want us to be overwhelmed and exhausted. Focus. Resist. Oppose.

Sitting here in limbo waiting for the dice to roll

I really should read my own blog.

Incompetence, fear, or corruption? why not all three?

Balloon Juice, where there is always someone who will say you’re doing it wrong.

They are not red states to be hated; they are voter suppression states to be fixed.

“Until such time as the world ends, we will act as though it intends to spin on.”

A snarling mass of vitriolic jackals

Pessimism assures that nothing of any importance will change.

Anyone who bans teaching American history has no right to shape America’s future.

After dobbs, women are no longer free.

Celebrate the fucking wins.

Text STOP to opt out of updates on war plans.

In after Baud. Damn.

“Can i answer the question? No you can not!”

Thanks to your bullshit, we are now under siege.

Good lord, these people are nuts.

You are here: Home / Elections 2024 / Tuesday Evening Open Thread: And Another Thing…

Tuesday Evening Open Thread: And Another Thing…

by | 82 Comments

This post is in: , , ,

From the Philadelphia Inquirer, “If debate moderators want to hold Trump accountable, they need to ask him these questions”:

… Harris’ every response and clothing choice will be hyper-analyzed as she is pressed on a wide variety of issues, including crime, taxes, immigration, and abortion. But parsing Harris’ policy positions and pantsuit preferences seems trivial given her opponent lacks the character, temperament, and fitness to be president.

That’s why the biggest challenge on Tuesday falls to the debate moderators at ABC News, and subsequently the media at large. Will ABC’s Linsey Davis and David Muir press Trump to give substantive responses to their questions?…

This is not a comprehensive list, but here are questions the debate moderators and political reporters should ask Trump to help voters make their decision:

  • Federal investigators received classified intelligence that suggested the president of Egypt gave you a $10 million “cash bribe,” but your attorney general blocked the probe, according to the Washington Post. Democrats on the House Oversight Committee last week asked you to provide the funding source of a $10 million donation you gave your campaign around the same time and how it was repaid. Will you make that documentation public?
  • You have flip-flopped your position on abortion over the years, including saying you were “very pro-choice” and later claiming women who get abortions should be punished. Last month, you gave two different answers within 24 hours regarding Florida’s six-week abortion ban. Can you clarify your position and whether you support a national abortion ban?

  • You called for prosecuting President Joe Biden, executing your former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Mark Milley, and jailing former Rep. Liz Cheney. If elected, will you follow through on any of these threats or go after other political enemies?…
  • During your first term, you left the country the most divided since the Civil War. Do you have any specific plans to unite the nation?
  • You never take responsibility. Any time you get investigated, indicted, impeached, convicted, accused of sexual harassment, or faced a civil judgment, you claim it is fake news, a hoax, or blame someone else. Have you ever owned up to a mistake or apologized for a failure?…

    • I would genuinely love it if pre-debate they had to have a public neutral height check with bare feet because Trump claims to be 6’3” and I’m sorry but there’s no fucking way in the world.

    — The Fig Economy (@figgityfigs.bsky.social) Sep 7, 2024 at 12:52 PM

    Reader Interactions

    82Comments

    2. 2.

      cain

      Harris bringing in
      Anthony Scaramucci, and national security official Olivia Troye is some next level shit.

      Fucking superb. She’s playing mind games with that asshole. This reminds me of the scene from “A Few Good Men” where Tom Cruise brings airman o’malley and airman rodriguez into court just to fuck with Jack Napier.

      Trump cannot stand disloyalty. Their presence is going to fucking throw him into a loop. he’s going to fucking lose it.

    6. 6.

      Mousebumples

      Happy Tuesday, and gooo Kamala!

      I’m not planning to watch live, but I’ll probably follow threads and live blogs. Though if any of the talking heads try to nitpick my MVP, I’ll be ignoring them.

      I will be postcarding, though! And planning on a $20.24 donation at some point during or shortly after the debate, even though I’ll have to re unsubscribe from everything.

    8. 8.

      SpaceUnit

      I’m not sure if I’m going to watch it or not.

       

      Guess I need to see what I’ve got in the liquor cabinet.

    12. 12.

      zhena gogolia

      @dm: That won’t make any difference. He said a thousand unhinged things in the debate with Biden. No one noticed.

      Just in that first segment, he said that democrats kill babies. No one noticed or cared.

    16. 16.

      SpaceUnit

      She should call him a Russian puppet.  About a dozen times.  And then hold up one of those classified document folders and claim she has proof.

      It sent him off the rails in 2016.

    17. 17.

      piratedan

      yeah, I fully expect Trump will recreate his Gish Galloping performance from the Biden debate and the media will do nothing, no follow ups, no fact checks.

      I anticipate that Harris will do well, but will be criticized for not decpatitating Trump in a hitherto unexpressed preferred manner.

    19. 19.

      Dave

      @zhena gogolia: I will happily accept if he does but agree he’s unlikely to lose it in any manner that is sufficient to break through the protective bullshit barrier.

      Keeping in mind he is always graded on the very special Trump curve.

      Not impossible but I certainly wouldn’t go in to this anticipating it.

    20. 20.

      SatanicPanic

      @Dave: I’ll be happy if he comes off as rambling and weird. I don’t think people have really seen much of his obvious decline firsthand.

    24. 24.

      Kirk

      One minor push-back I’d like to see is for Kamala to reprove the moderators if/when they address him as President Trump. He’s not, no more than Bush or Bush or Clinton or Obama or Carter. It is a job title, not a life title.

      Of course, if she does so it will undoubtedly be seen as rude and uncivil if not untrue by the village.

    25. 25.

      Dave

      @Baud: Trump losing and taking Ted down with him would be positively delectable.

      Not sure that the various gods likee enough for that to happen but I would laugh and laugh.

    28. 28.

      CaseyL

      @piratedan: ​

      Harris will do well, but will be criticized for not decpatitating Trump in a hitherto unexpressed preferred manner.

      I know what preferred manner of decapitation I’d like to see.

      (Calling Havelock Vetinari!  Havelock Vetinari to the courtesy phone!)

    29. 29.

      JaneE

      Trump is 6’3″ like I am 5’5.5″.  I was at one time.  About 50 years ago.  Now they measure me at 5’2″.

      My husband has shrunk also.  Maybe Trump used to be 6’3″, but maybe not so much any more.

    30. 30.

      Hoodie

      @zhena gogolia:  He probably will not lose it, but it will be interesting how he reacts if she levels some of the criticisms that Hillary did in 2016.   His reaction there was to call Hillary “nasty,” which is the kind of thing he does to women (e.g., Rosie O’Donnell) he deems unattractive .   However, he’s already shown that he worries that Harris is attractive in the sense he recognizes, as evidenced by his obsessing about the Time cover making her look like a movie star.  He tends to think people, especially women, are judged by appearance and that aspect of Harris may scare him.  It’s what he hated about Obama, he was a good looking, charismatic guy who made him feel inferior.  In the case of Harris, Trump might say something inappropriately sexual rather than the insults he directed at Hillary.

    31. 31.

      Another Scott

      @zhena gogolia: Yup.  There’s no One Weird Trick.  There’s never One Weird Trick.

      Maybe there will be a few days of good memes.  Maybe.

      Forward!!

      Cheers,
      Scott.

    33. 33.

      Kirk

      @Baud: Is it?

      I do not recall the others being addressed as such. I could be mistaken on that, of course – a not uncommon experience i fear.

      But I don’t recall it being standard form.

    37. 37.

      SiubhanDuinne

      @zhena gogolia:

      Just in that first segment, he said that democrats kill babies. No one noticed or cared.

      If he says that tonight, I seriously doubt MVP will let it pass — even if she has to shout down the moderators to make her point.

    38. 38.

      JWR

      Can anyone tell me if it’s possible to live stream Colbert on tonight’s debate, and if so, is it worth it?

    40. 40.

      mrmoshpotato

      I hope Harris calls Dump a liar to his disgusting, orange, lying, fascist face.

      Maybe we’ll get a masterful retort of “NO LIAR!  NO LIAR!  YOU’RE THE LIAR!  YOU’RE THE LIAR!”

    41. 41.

      Ishiyama

      I saw one of Kamala’s aides outlining the problem created by the limited time format, and Kamala’s proposed tactics.This isn’t like a jury trial, where the attorney can argue to the jury as long as she desires; it’s more like appellate argument, where the total time you get is predetermined – usually 30 minutes, and you have to make your points, while also answering the questions from the panel.

      Since he was echoing my own opinion, I was, of course, satisfied that she will make a good showing. What Trump will do can’t be predicted.

    43. 43.

      Rusty

      Harris has done a very good job picking her battles.  Most of what rolls out Trumps mouth should be ignored,  the insults, his weird, wandering, off topic ramblings.  She can control the debate by keeping it to her issues with rational explanations, and respond to only the most blant Trump lies with dismissiveness and condescension.   That wounds him more than anything.

    45. 45.

      K-Mo

      My predictions:

      • MVP will stick to the messages she’s trying to get out and dance around the gotcha questions and weird hypotheticals without answering them.
      • TFG will ramble, lie, and attack.  His main approach will be to make grandiose and false characterizations of how great everything was in 2018, how terrible they are now, and how miraculous they will be if he gets elected.  No details, no realistic proposals. Just me good she bad, ad nauseum.
      •  Commentators will all praise or criticize the candidates based on their pre-assigned roles.  No one will offer honest, objective insight.
      • Trump will inexplicably say or do at least one weird thing that will leave me scratching my head while nobody mentions it.
    46. 46.

      wjca

      @The Audacity of Krope: Yes, former Presidents are routinely referred to by that title.

      Note, however: calling him “President Trump” would be routine.  But calling him “Mr. President” would not.  The latter being reserved for the current President only.

    48. 48.

      Another Scott

      @Hoodie: I liked it when Biden called Turmp a “loser”.  He should have done it more often.

      We know that Turmp has said that “all that matters is ratings”.  MVP should needle him a time or two about the DNC getting much better ratings than his pathetic convention show.  Stuff like that.

      She should also talk about his proposal for menstruation police.  We know he hates blood.

      But, I’m sure she will do well no matter how she decides to battle him tonight.

      Forward!!

      Cheers,
      Scott.

    49. 49.

      prostratedragon

      DirectTV customers won’t have ABC for the debate. DTV gave an explanation that should not have been able to drag itself out the door. They were concerned about “customer confusion” if viewers suddenly lost ABC again after being allowed to see it for three hours. (DTV and Disney have an ongoing dispute about carry charges.)

    50. 50.

      mrmoshpotato

      @frog: Inject disinfectant and “get light into the body” – most likely by shoving a lightbulb up your ass in Dump’s syphilitic, decaying mind.

    51. 51.

      SiubhanDuinne

      @JWR:

      Don’t know the answer to that, but I do know he’ll be doing his show live at 11:30 (or 11:35, whatever it is), if that helps.

    52. 52.

      Baud

      I wouldn’t mind hearing that a moderater asked Trump if he lost in 2020. Not that I expect Trump to give a straight answer.

    53. 53.

      cain

      @K-Mo: They are totally going to ask her if she’s black.

      It’s going to trigger the fuck out of me and every other non-white person.

    56. 56.

      middlelee

      @Kirk: According to Emily Post it’s nuanced and in person he should be addressed as Mr. Trump but if talking about him or introducing him it would be Former President Trump.

    57. 57.

      cain

      I think for Harris, shes’ going to have to keep hammering him with accusations. Do not answer any of the moderator’s questions – they are all dumb. This should be about maximizing the amount of tiktok videos you can create.

      If the media whines, and they will – tell them they are irrelevant and then start reading out all the headlines and then shrug and say “irrelevant”.

    58. 58.

      Nukular Biskits

      While you guys/gals will be watching the debate tonight, I’ll be watching the National Hurricane Center’s updates.

      Already picked up stuff in the yard. Tomorrow the porch.

      Fired up generator, just in case.

      I’ll catch the clips in the morning but I hope MVP rips Trump a new asshole.

    59. 59.

      mrmoshpotato

      @Baud:

      I wouldn’t mind hearing that a moderater asked Trump if he lost in 2020. Not that I expect Trump to give a straight answer. 

      And then call Dump a lying loser?

    61. 61.

      SiubhanDuinne

      @Baud:

      Right. It’s normally whatever is the highest title the person has held (unless it’s a current title).

      This is not the case in, e.g., Canada. Years ago I went to a thing at the Carter Center which featured former President Carter and his good friend former P.M. Joe Clark. During the Q&A I addressed a question to Clark and opened with “Prime Minister, what is your view on [whatever it was]?” He smiled broadly and said, in essence, “This is why I love to come to the States. I never get my former title in Canada, but you Americans always remind me that I was once a Somebody” (I’m paraphrasing, but that was the gist and it brought a big, good-natured laugh).*

      *ETA: Including, maybe especially, from Carter.

    62. 62.

      geg6

      @JWR:

      Does he do debate commentary in real time?  I thought he just broadcasts his show live at the usual time.  That’s what he’s done for past debates and for the conventions..

    67. 67.

      Scout211

      @Nukular Biskits:  While you guys/gals will be watching the debate tonight, I’ll be watching the National Hurricane Center’s updates.

      Are you in the direct path right now?  What does your area expect for rain/wind?

      Take care!  Let us know how it goes for you.

    68. 68.

      KrackenJack

      Per Josh Marshall at TPM:

      But as debate watchers we come back to a basic conundrum: if you’re paying enough attention to be worked up about the debate you are almost certainly not the intended audience. And not only are you not the intended audience but your experience of the campaign and politics generally is so totally different from that of the intended audience that absent a real suspension of disbelief, a real effort to separate yourself from your own impressions, you’ll have a hard time knowing how each candidate did for the audience that matters.

      Add to that the impact of the eventual media narrative and I’ll just luxuriate in my epistemic bubble of Harris highlight videos, thanks.

    69. 69.

      JWR

      @SiubhanDuinne: Thanks! I usually just watch the show “live” in PDT, such as that may be, but I was curious if a “live” live stream might include a bit of Colbert’s audience kicking in with a few natured gufaws and applause. ;)

    71. 71.

      SiubhanDuinne

      @geg6:

      His normal shows are live-on-tape. He tapes around 5:00pm and whatever they capture is broadcast at 11:30(ish). For special events, like tonight, his show will be broadcast live (not l-o-t) at 11:30, so he’ll have watched the debate and have hot-take commentary.

    72. 72.

      Scout211

      (NBC)    The Harris campaign plans to fly a drone show above the Philadelphia Art Museum less than an hour before the candidates take the stage tonight.

      “Tonight’s show will echo some of the popular messaging this campaign and grassroots supporters have latched onto since the start of Vice President Harris’ candidacy, and build on our Philly-themed advertising and new ad launched earlier this morning trolling Donald Trump’s weird obsession over his small crowd sizes,” said spokesperson Kevin Munoz in a press release.

      Munoz said that the drones would spell out, “When we vote we win,” “fight for our freedom fight for our future” and “we’re not going back.”

      This is so cool.  The Harris campaign wins the cool factor.

    73. 73.

      Nukular Biskits

      @Scout211:

      I live in Gulfport, MS, which is roughly 120 miles east of where the center of the storm is expected to pass over LA (just east of Baton Rouge).  At least that’s as of the 7 PM CDT NHC forecast.

      The system has been drifting a little to the east as it moves north.

      I don’t anticipate a direct hit but, unless it make a dramatic move to the east, we’ll be on the eastern side, which is NOT where I want to be.  Tropical storm winds should be arriving around 5 pm tomorrow, give or take.

    74. 74.

      JWR

      @geg6: It’s my understanding that when the little chyron on the lower right is there, then it’s live. Otherwise his taping for today’s show would already be done. That’s my understanding, anyway.

    76. 76.

      Harrison Wesley

      @Scout211: Very cool indeed.  I lived for a bunch of years near the Art Museum.  Great place to stage stuff (like the 4th of July fireworks).  Should be great.

    77. 77.

      Craig

      I think she should take a page out of Reagan’s book and when he spouts a bunch of word salad, just side eye him and say, ‘ There he goes again… Rambling on.’ Repeat. Repeat.

    79. 79.

      John S.

      @Craig:

      That would be brilliant! Only people of a very particular demographic would understand the callback, but it would still play well with the uninitiated.

    80. 80.

      BC in Illinois

      @The Audacity of Krope:

      Yes, former Presidents are routinely referred to by that title.

      Or not. In 1962, for a “Pageant of the Arts” for what would later be the Kennedy Center, when Former President Eisenhower was introduced, (2:42:02) he was introduced (and referred to earlier by JFK) as “General Eisenhower.”

      [The pageant is well worth watching. Seven-year-old Yo Yo Ma. Bob Newhart. Andre Previn. Harry Belafonte. Marian Andersen. Robert Frost. Nat’l Symphony Orchestra. Navy Band. Ballet. Leonard Bernstein. etc.]

    82. 82.

      Gvg

      @Kirk: I disagree, until recently the point was made rather strongly that you did NOT use the title as current. You said former, if you mentioned it at all. Not sure exactly when that changed, but I think the official government protocol is to not use the title. Now, the press and the public are more variable. It used to be that the political press, especially National Political journalists were careful. It had to do with showing that they knew the correct answers I think. Now, eh who knows.

    Comments are closed.