Ladies and gentlemen, this is what we’re up against in 2024:
“Honestly, it was more of a choice of it just not being Joe Biden,” said Clara Carrillo-Hinojosa, a 21-year-old financial analyst in Las Vegas, of her support for Ms. Harris. She said she would probably vote for Mr. Trump: “Personally, I think we were doing a lot better when he was in the presidency, price-wise, money-wise, income-wise.”
Yet in some ways, Ms. Carrillo-Hinojosa is the kind of voter Mr. Biden hopes he can win once people start focusing on the race. Mr. Trump has offended her as a woman, she said, and she likes some of what Mr. Biden has done, including his support for Israel.
Most of all, she said, she strongly supports abortion rights — and did not realize that Mr. Biden does, too. She said that because states’ abortion bans had gone into effect during his presidency, she assumed it was because of him. Ultimately, despite her misgivings about the economy, support for abortion rights would probably be what decided her vote, she said.
I…have questions. You people who visit Las Vegas more often than me (lifetime total: Once), how does a 21-year-old become a financial analyst there, or is “financial analyst” just the fancy name for the person who cashes in your chips when you’re ready to go home? Presumably a financial analyst has some higher education, where you think she might have learned at least elementary, Schoolhouse Rock-level schooling on how laws are passed.
Or maybe not. But her vote counts the same as yours.
And who can blame her, when Donald Trump is building his brand as a “moderate” on abortion. The man most directly responsible for overturning Roe now is described thusly in the paper of record:
As the GOP suffers major losses from its stance on abortion, however, major media outlets have portrayed former president Donald Trump’s stances on abortion as less extreme. Over the last few months, mainstream media — including the New York Times, the Associated Press, and Politico — have portrayed Trump as “moderate” on abortion rights.
This week, for example, a New York Times headline described Trump as “Less Vulnerable on Abortion Than Other Republicans.” The subheadline noted that his “vague statements on the issue may give him some leeway with voters.”
Unlike his Republican rivals, who have “struggle[d] to address shifting views on abortion,” Trump has “effectively neutralized abortion as an issue during the Republican primary,” according to the New York Times analysis. The piece claims that “Mr. Trump has distanced himself from more restrictive abortion laws, favored by some in his party, seeming to recognize their unpopularity.” The story glosses over Trump’s actual record and policy positions, instead framing him as someone who has “been on many sides of the abortion issue over the years.”
Oh, and yet another bullshit word-salad response:
In April, during an interview with WMUR, Trump was asked if he would sign a 15-week abortion ban. “We’re looking at a lot of different options… and we’ll get something done where everyone is going to be very satisfied,” Trump said. When pushed to clarify if he meant on a national level, Trump said, “I think we’ll get it done on some level, it could be on different levels, but we’re gonna get it done.”
(I want a supercut of all the times Trump has claimed to be “looking at” something, followed by a promise that never was kept. I guess he can’t see it.)
If Democrats can’t nail three SCOTUS justices or his many statements on the “28 days after birth” bullshit to that guy’s doughy forehead, they don’t deserve to win anything. But I fear that’s what may well happen. I wrote in my journal yesterday that I thought Trump will win in ’24, and I’m thinking it wasn’t stream of consciousness.
It might be the dreary November rain falling outside, but I’m not feeling too optimistic at the moment.
But it’s nearly the holiday! We have an extremely low-key T’giving planned, partly because I have to work for some of it, and partly because we already did something, and partly because my birthday is Saturday, the same day Kate comes home from her Canadian tour, and might as well save the heavy meal for that. We’ll be at a Michigan-OSU indoor tailgate party for much of the day, so we’ll see how everything shapes up. I hope it’s fun. I’m sure it will be.
Dorothy said on November 21, 2023 at 1:59 pm
I just saw that you have this new post. I left a comment on the previous one about sewing machines in general!
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will said on November 21, 2023 at 2:11 pm
We have started seriously overestimating the American public. We need a shocking amount of remedial education. It could be an “event” on one of the biggest networks: “What even is this ‘government’ thing? We were surprised and you will be too.”
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Deborah said on November 21, 2023 at 2:52 pm
I think they’re counting on us throwing up our hands and giving up. We need to knuckle under and get to work on not letting Trump win. It just can’t happen again, it can not, period. People need to be reached and educated, money needs to be donated and spent wisely, strategically. I haven’t yet coughed up any dough but I need to start giving it where it can work. Last time around I used some of my donations emotionally, carelessly. That needs to stop. Put money where it counts, where it helps. If only it was easy to know where that is.
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Jenine said on November 21, 2023 at 3:02 pm
@will, Yes, I think that’s about what’s needed at this point. I still have hope and pray that it’s not misplaced.
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Julie Robinson said on November 21, 2023 at 3:16 pm
Yes to everything you wrote about sewing, Dorothy. I’m itching to get back to my machine.
Re the voting public, I’ve been shocked at the intelligence/education of at least half the Floridians I meet. And the school kids now have a huge deficit leftover from the pandemic. Big article in WaPo yesterday, I think. But maybe NYT.
Phone searches are tricky for me and I’m at the damn laundromat again. Our pricey washer broke, and while it’s covered under warranty, they are still waiting for a part. I know I sound whiny and entitled by writing this. I am. I’m used to running a load whenever I need to.
Anyway, we’ll have 10 for Thursday, including our neighbor, a couple from Argentina, and a friend whose wife will be working on Thanksgiving. We like to make sure no one is alone.9
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Jeff said on November 21, 2023 at 3:23 pm
Wait, what? Michigan is playing Ohio State on Saturday?
(Dorothy, I went back and read your sewing machine post. My sister would say the same; it’s her prayer rug, her meditation mat, her rosary.)
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Dave said on November 21, 2023 at 3:34 pm
Julie, they’ve done everything they can to destroy public education in Florida, going back over several years. If you recognize the name Richard Corcoran, in his journey from the state legislature to the current head of New College, he’s been one of the leaders in that and he had a great deal of support from the last governor and the current governor, whose name I prefer not to even type.
Today’s appliances leave a lot to be desired, I’m always hearing stories about some modern washing machine, dryer, or refrigerator has given out and it’s not all that old. It’s disgusting.
Trump scares me to death, I’ve no other way to put it. I wonder every day how people think he’s something good for our country.
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Julie Robinson said on November 21, 2023 at 5:08 pm
Dave, my sister moved here in 1988 so I heard about politics and education issues starting then. She was in Palm Beach County and heard from employees that they sent their kids to school for daycare and educated them at night after work. It hasn’t gotten any better, and the good teachers are leaving in droves.
We bought the washer, a Speed Queen, from a local dealer who doesn’t believe in any electronics in appliances. Only it turns out the washer has a circuit board, and that’s what failed. The part alone is $400. The repair guy told us if the manufacturer had just added a fuse the failure could be prevented. I’m pretty livid about the whole thing and will be giving feedback to our dealer as well as complaining about the repair place. We called them every day for two weeks and they never ever called back to tell us the part was on back order. Our local guy doesn’t do repairs under warranty or we would have gone with him.
We’ve spent $40 at the laundromat just to wash the clothes. Right now I have about 10 loads on the line and waiting for the dryer here at home. Again, I fully recognize that I’m spoiled.
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Dave said on November 21, 2023 at 5:20 pm
Speed Queen is one of those brands, maybe the only brand left, that are supposed to be functional, bells and whistles free, and hardy, a brand that will last and last, the way they used to make them. I’m guessing that’s a main reason you bought one.
I didn’t even think about previous administrations going back beyond Rick Scott, another man that makes me shake my head strenuously about Florida politics, not that Indiana is much better but Florida gets far more publicity. It does go back farther, though, I realize.
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Jeff Borden said on November 21, 2023 at 6:39 pm
For the second Thanksgiving in a row, Covid is fucking up our plans. Last year, I fell victim to the virus and we had to cancel plans for hosting my sister, brother-in-law and nephew at our house. This year my sister and her husband have it. Thanks to all you anti-science assholes for not getting the vaccine. (I recently read vaccination rates for ALL diseases are dropping, so let’s all welcome back scarlet fever, whooping cough, polio and the rest of the gang. RFK Jr. can go fuck himself.) So, no turkey for us. Hanger steaks, mushrooms in wine sauce, etc.
The Democrats are so hapless at messaging it’s almost comic. I’m not surprised at all the dingbat in Vegas thinks Biden is responsible for women losing their rights. Or, that the economy was better under the Orange King than it is now. Or, that the dictator worshipping slob from Mar-a-Lardo was tougher on Russia and China that Sleepy Joe. And there’s always the right-wing Wurlitzer pounding out the tune 24/7 to the drooling morons who get information from Fox, Breitbart and all the other sewers out there.
I’m increasingly ashamed of the industry where I spent 32 years. We’re eight years beyond the introduction of that asshole and mainstream media still can’t figure out how to cover all his bullshit effectively. The man is talking straight up fascism. He’s talking like Pinochet or Perot. He’s openly sharing how he will weaponize the federal government to crush his enemies and cleanse our land of “the others.” He’s promising a 10% tariff on all imports and an exit from crucial, critical treaties and alliances. He’s a fucking madman. And he’s getting crazier and crazier while I’m told by the august NYT how Biden mistook Taylor Swift for Brittany Spears.
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tajalli said on November 21, 2023 at 6:44 pm
Dorothy, what a boon you have bestowed with your practical sewing assistance to smooth your friends’ way in a very distressing process and assure they don’t feel so alone in their situation. We need to hear more of the decent happenings in life and this hit the spot.
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alex said on November 21, 2023 at 8:47 pm
The J-game sure isn’t on its A-game but when was it ever?
Thinking back on how the mainstream press treated the Carters, no one should be surprised that the Bidens aren’t getting a fair shake. The Obamas and the ACA weren’t represented fairly either.
I don’t blame the Dems for their messaging as much as I blame the press for ignoring it, whatabouting it and bothsiding it, all in a fruitless effort to remain relevant to people who’ve been irretrievably seduced by agitprop.
I encounter people all the time who say they don’t know what to believe — about COVID and vaccines, voter fraud, you name it. The 21-year-old “financial analyst” who blames Biden for the loss of her abortion rights probably hears Biden being blamed for everything else that’s wrong with the world and assumes he’s responsible for this too. She’s the very definition of a low-information voter who probably doesn’t pay much attention to news and wouldn’t have much capacity for discernment even if she did.
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Mark P said on November 22, 2023 at 2:26 am
Oh, the New York Fucking Times prints another bullshit article. Here are two hints: Clara Carrillo-Hinojosa is not a financial advisor, and Clara Carrillo-Hinojosa is a fucking stupid yahoo fascist Trump supporter. Why talk to her? Everybody, even fucking stupid New York Times writers, knows that Trump supporter = moron. It’s like talking about “independents”. Ain’t no sich of a thang, not today. Today, you are a Democratic voter, or you are a fucking stupid yahoo fascist Trump supporter. There is no middle ground.
And today we have learned nothing new and useful, only that another fucking stupid New York Times writer has discovered another fucking stupid yahoo fascist Trump supporter to interview.
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alex said on November 22, 2023 at 8:43 am
It may not manage to pierce the din, but here’s a Times piece (gifted) that’s spot-on.
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kv450 said on November 22, 2023 at 8:49 am
re: voting – I hate to sound like the condescending elitist that I am, but I want to scream when I read about stupid, ignorant people ruining our country.
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alex said on November 22, 2023 at 8:51 am
It’s a wonder I didn’t have nightmares last night after watching this harrowing Frontline documentary, but here we go again. The media have become so distracted by Gaza that we’re seeing virtually nothing about Ukraine.
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Mark P said on November 22, 2023 at 10:06 am
Conservatives, especially the fundamentalist Christian variety, are too busy jacking off over Israel to think about Ukraine. They want an Israel that encompasses the Biblical borders, and the rebuilding of the Temple in Jerusalem. Once that happens, Jesus will come back and establish his fascist nation on Earth and send the nonbelievers straight to hell, and that includes every Jew in the conservatives’ beloved Israel. They care nothing about the people of Israel, only their bloodthirsty fantasies.
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Suzanne said on November 22, 2023 at 10:26 am
Exactly correct Mark P, but over & over when I tell people that people like Mike Pompeo and Mike Johnson WANT a war in Israel to bring back Jesus, I get the “this lady is crazy” looks from my listeners. Sensible, non-evangelical people simply cannot grasp the concept. Everyone needs to read Hal Lindsey’s Late Great Planet Earth to understand where this originated.
On a better note, we attended an interfaith service Thanksgiving service last night hosted by the local Jewish Temple. It was moving and wonderful, with speakers including a rabbi, a Catholic priest, an Imam, a Buddhist monk, an African-American pastor (wow, could he preach!), a UCC pastor, and a few others. Why can’t we all get along?!?
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nancy said on November 22, 2023 at 10:47 am
Suzanne: YES. I remember telling several of my more successful (i.e., actual Middle East correspondents) about this, and they shook their heads like I was the crazy one.
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David C said on November 22, 2023 at 11:21 am
I found out this weekend that my brother is a Glenn Beck guy. JFC I knew he was a wingnut but Glenn Beck? My sister told me all the weird-assed shit he buys into. It’s Bilderberger Satan worship type shit. What the hell can anyone do? I’m not a wingnut whisperer.
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nancy said on November 22, 2023 at 11:56 am
I mentioned a few days back that a bad-news bomb had landed in my life. It finally went off; a friend — not a very close friend, but a friend — died early this morning of a fast-moving cancer that sounded like something only a horror-movie screenwriter could conjure. We served on a board together, and in between the emails/texts to draft a social-media statement, I found this link in “Today in nn.c history” from three years ago . I copied/pasted it on my Facebook, then took it down, but I’ve never felt anything so strongly in my life:
I’ve been reading, off and on all weekend, about how President Trump intends to spend his post-presidency. Bottom line: He’s still going to be out there whoring for attention, and the attention-whore-chasing media will no doubt point cameras and microphones at him.
Whereas this is what I was thinking: I don’t want to see his hamsteak face or his asshole-shaped mouth, ever again. I don’t want to see his ridiculous hair, nor his sex-worker wife, nor his weird kid, nor his pathetic kid, nor the three O.G. kids – the stupid one, the other stupid one, and Government Barbie. I don’t want to hear his braying voice. I don’t want to hear any of his vocal tics, including “many people are saying” or “it was fantastic” or “no one had ever seen this before” or “they said, ‘Sir, we’re so sorry this happened to you,’” or really anything out of his asshole-shaped mouth again. I don’t want to see his veneers in that ghastly rictus smile. I don’t want to see his bubble butt, his man-boobs, his entourage of hideous men and sex-cyborg women. I don’t want to even see another pair of stiletto heels, maybe ever. Don’t want to see corkscrew-curl hair on women, cheek implants, breast implants, nose jobs or inflated lips, either. I don’t want to see Jared. Later, Ben Carson. Later, Steve Mnuchin, and take blondie with you. Bye, Wilbur Cox, Andrew Giuliani, Betsy DeVos and everyone else in the West Wing, including the mice and the flies.
If I’ve forgotten anyone, consider yourself wished into the cornfield.
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Deborah said on November 22, 2023 at 1:00 pm
Amen, Nancy, so sick of him and everything about and around him. He can not be our president again.
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ROGirl said on November 22, 2023 at 1:05 pm
He’s a carbuncle on the butt of humanity.
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Mark P said on November 22, 2023 at 1:52 pm
Oh, and, by the way, if you thought Hamas was bad, wait till conservative Jesus comes back. He’s one bloodthirsty son of a bitch god.
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Heather said on November 22, 2023 at 2:34 pm
Sorry about your friend, Nancy. Sounds horrible.
I pretty much feel the same about Drumpf. Too bad his parents lived so long–sounds like we might be stuck with him for a while yet. Unless he goes to jail. A girl can dream.
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FDChief said on November 22, 2023 at 3:04 pm
The Trump Problem largely rests on the ugly reality that 1) a vast number of people are dumber than a bag of hammers and as ignorant as a feral hog, and that 2) they don’t feel the need to do anything to change that.
Throw in greed, religion, and gun-humping as drivers of the non-nitwit Trump faction (you don’t have to be stupid to vote Republican; you can be evil!) and you get the toxic plurality that could well sink this republic.
Say what you will for Caesar, the man had genuine gifts.
To think what history will say about the nation that trashed its own proudest ambition for a bloated con man whose only talent is lying to create his own mythology!
If we did shame in this country we should be ashamed that this cluck was ever anything but a joke.
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Bitter Scribe said on November 22, 2023 at 6:27 pm
If and when the Republic dies, it will be because of voters like that one. How fucking ignorant can you get and still, I dunno, move about and not walk off a cliff or something?
Of course she has to live in Nevada, a swing state. I sure hope her financial analysis doesn’t involve betting on red.
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Deborah said on November 22, 2023 at 6:54 pm
I got an email asking for a donation for a Democrat running for congress but I have no idea where. I reread the email a bunch of times but nowhere did it say which state or district the guy was running in. Is that the new deal now to get money from people, to keep it a secret? Sorry but I think that’s weird, I wouldn’t give a dime.
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alex said on November 22, 2023 at 9:25 pm
Something I learned in Sociology 101 in 1980 — Republicans are out to suppress the vote by causing malaise as well as the sense that nothing can be done about it. The playbook hasn’t changed, just the tactics.
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Sherri said on November 22, 2023 at 11:22 pm
I’m staying home tomorrow and resting, rather than gathering with our usual group of friends, because I just don’t have the energy to do anything social. However, I am slowly on the mend, and I am very grateful for that. I saw a pulmonologist this week, who looked at my chest X-ray and said my lungs are improving, but that I had a “no joke” case of pneumonia. It was an atypical pneumonia, so rather than a pocket in one lung, there were scattered pockets in both lungs.
And today I got the stitches out from my surgery to repair my orbital floor fracture, and everything is healing well there, too.
Happy Thanksgiving, all!
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