Come for the politics, stay for the snark.
We’re getting a hard freeze either tonight or tomorrow night. Sad to see the end of the growing season. I am not ready for the cold. I cut some of my flowers before the cold could freeze them tonight.
Harris gave two more interviews.
I haven’t watched them yet, but I love watching Harris give the middle finger to the would-be gatekeepers in the media.
Harris has a lot of energy!
Open thread.
(Image by NEIVANMADE)
A quick housekeeping note: We’re still safe and sound at the hotel. The power company is still estimating 17 OCT for restoration, so we’ll sit tight until it’s restored. No point going home if we have no power. The girls are curled up on the bed with me as I type this.
I’m going to just run through the basics again tonight. I’ll deal with the new Kofman assessment tomorrow or sometime this week.
OTD in 1906 Hannah Arendt was born.
“The ideal subject of totalitarian rule is not the convinced Nazi or the convinced Communist, but people for whom the distinction between fact & fiction and the distinction between true & false no longer exist”.
— Darth Putin (@DarthPutinKGB) October 14, 2024
The Russians have decided to use a different way to terrorize Ukrainians today: bomb threats!
Messages about mass “mining” are coming from different Ukrainian cities – Sumy, Zhytomyr, Lviv, Vinnitsa, Zaporizhzhia, Kyiv and others
People are being evacuated from educational establishments, dormitories, ministries and courts, local blogs say. pic.twitter.com/MA491tXoUx
— NEXTA (@nexta_tv) October 14, 2024
⚡️Threatening emails sent to Ukrainian organizations after media investigation into Russian security services.
School, embassies, and media outlets, including the Kyiv Independent, received bomb threats that singled out 3 RFE/RL journalists.https://t.co/vycXdGpof5
— The Kyiv Independent (@KyivIndependent) October 14, 2024
The Kyiv Independent has the details:
Hundreds of Ukrainian schools, businesses, embassies, and media outlets, including the Kyiv Independent, received bomb threats via email on Oct. 14, prompting evacuations of state institutions.
The threats appeared to be connected to a recent investigation conducted by Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty (RFE/RL) into Russian security services’ sabotage efforts in Ukraine.
“I have planted several explosive devices in your building, and very soon it will explode,” the email received by the Kyiv Independent said.
The email, while otherwise vague as to “your building,” did list some other addresses as targets, including the RFE/RL office and the U.S. Embassy in Kyiv. The threats lead authorities to carry out searches for explosives at a number of organizations, RFE/RL reported.
The police did not find any evidence of an explosive device at the outlet’s office in Kyiv.
The sender claimed to represent a “terrorist group” and said that three of RFE/RL’s investigative journalists should consider themselves responsible for the attack. The group’s name matches that of an anti-Ukrainian Telegram channel that disseminates calls to set fire to cars belonging to Ukrainian military personnel.
RFE/RL’s investigative project, Schemes, published a report on Oct. 10 documenting how Russian security services recruit Ukrainians, including minors, to burn cars belonging to military personnel and conscription center representatives.
The journalists who authored the report were those named in the threatening email.
“We will not be intimidated and stand behind our reporters who will continue to bring news to Ukrainian audiences without fear or favor,” RFE/RL President Stephen Capus said.
Capus pledged to cooperate with authorities in investigating the incident.
Here is President Zelenskyy’s address from earlier today. Video below, English transcript after the jump.
War for Ukraine Day 964: Russia Ups the Terrorization of UkrainiansPost + Comments (13)
Seems like you guys need a bit of a lift. Here’s what we are fighting for, one of the best candidates ever. You can rewind to see Walz, he’s great as always
Open thread
ETA: since some folks need some cheering up, how about this:
Over an hour later and in the Villages the line to drop off mail ballots and vote for @KamalaforFL goes back a mile. pic.twitter.com/QCcgyFk0fp
— Mitch Emerson (@MitchEmerson) October 14, 2024
Live Event: Harris and Walz in PennsylvaniaPost + Comments (68)
I think Democrats often feel powerless–& therefore depressed–b/c everything seems against what we are fighting for: our democracy. Everything seems in aid of the fascists.
The NYT & other political media. The Muppet who owns this site. Russian trolls & disinfo. All of the GOP…
— Magdi Jacobs (@magi_jay) October 11, 2024
H/t commentor UncleEbenezer – Dan Pfeiffer, “It’s Time to Stop Panicking About the Polls”:
It is a tradition among Democrats in the Trump era. Around the first couple of weeks of October, we lose our minds and briefly forget everything we have learned about politics. Democratic electeds and operatives start panicking about the polls and dial up every reporter in their contacts to offload their anxiety in the least helpful ways possible.
We are in one of those moments now…
On one hand, I get it. The stakes could not be higher and the race could not be closer. It’s equal parts mystifying and enraging that someone as dumb and dangerous as Donald Trump could win the election. However, to quote a famous meme from this exact moment in the 2008 campaign:
“Everyone needs to chill the fuck out.”
I am not telling anyone to stop “bedwetting.” And I am certainly NOT telling people that Kamala Harris will definitely win. Trump may still win this race. By some measures, Trump is stronger than he was in 2020. But the whiplash between the Democratic elation of a few weeks ago and the full-on panic of the last few days is detached from reality. This has been a remarkably stable race. The vibes changed, but the race hasn’t.
With three weeks to go, Kamala Harris and Donald Trump are in a dead-heat race nationally and in all seven battleground states. That’s where the race was before the Democratic convention, after the second debate, and after the second assassination attempt on Trump. For an election beset by a series of unprecedented events, the Harris-Trump race remains remarkably steady…
… Kamala Harris has some real advantages over these final three weeks.
We have this fourth set from commenter Weftage. If you live in a state with a number of these and you want to put something together, please let me know.
THANK YOU FOR PUTTING THIS TOGETHER.
And big thanks to everyone who has put something together this year!
Oregon statewide ballot measures
[Since I mostly lurk, I haven’t really introduced myself. I will just say that I am white, over 70, and a widow. I have lived in Portland, Oregon since the late 1970s.]The summary:
Measure 115: Yes
Measure 116: Yes
Measure 117: (no opinion)
Measure 118: No
Measure 119: Yes
The details:
It’s Ballot Initiatives & Amendments Time – Oregon EditionPost + Comments (67)
I’ve been doing garden cleanup all morning. No breakfast, I’m starving, eating a piece of pumpkin pie as an appetizer.
Looks like we could use an open thread!
We’ve got less than a month to make sure we get every eligible voter to the polls. Here’s a good place to start: https://t.co/l7B0fUIDbq
A big group of us are phone banking tomorrow, Monday Oct. 14th, trying to make 1,000,000 calls in one afternoon. Join me! We need boots on… pic.twitter.com/VEA2YMOHG7
— Misha Collins (@mishacollins) October 13, 2024
Kamala Harris: He refuses to release his medical records. He is unwilling to do a 60 Minutes interview. He is unwilling to meet for a second debate. Why does his staff want him to hide away? Are they afraid that people will see he is too weak and unstable to lead America? pic.twitter.com/bLrX3Eabya
— Acyn (@Acyn) October 13, 2024
She’s taking the fight to Trump. Watch and share with your networks. Any people on the sidelines in your life? Ask them to watch. https://t.co/bZDYPEuZu8
— Neera Tanden?? (@neeratanden) October 14, 2024
Oh wow that is the Nashville bridge when back in September Jon helped get a woman off the ledge of the bridge they were filming the video on pic.twitter.com/0stSk6DrI7
— Wu Tang is for the Children (@WUTangKids) October 11, 2024
Monday Morning Open Thread: We Will FightPost + Comments (263)