1/. Trump is flailing at Kamala, she terrifies him......can't wait for the debate on Tuesday!
“Kamala, you’re fired!” shouted Donald Trump. Then he pleaded: “You’re fired. Get out. Get out. Get out, Kamala!” The crowd cheered at his rally on 26 August in Glendale, Arizona, as though approving his order. But the invocation of the magic words he recited at the climax of every episode of The Apprentice failed to make her phantom disappear.
Trump’s advisers sneak policy material into his stump speech that he must read as it scrolls on his teleprompter. They want to channel him into speaking about “the issues”. But he has revolted against them and “the issues”. “They always say, ‘Sir, please stick to policy, don’t get personal,” he complained to a rally. He turned to his Maga masses to give him license. “Should I get personal, or should I not get personal?” The crowd cheered as he knew it would. It was the poll result he wanted. “My advisers are fired!”
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/article/2024/sep/04/trump-kamala-election?CMP=Share_iOSApp_Other
2/. Trump campaigning......not very good at it is he?
3/. Good advice from Nicolas Kristof, "Don't Demean Trump Voters", but so, so difficult to do....
Some of the best advice Democrats have received recently came from Bill Clinton in his speech at the Democratic National Convention.
First, he warned against hubris: “We’ve seen more than one election slip away from us when we thought it couldn’t happen, when people got distracted by phony issues or overconfident.” That’s something that any Clinton understands in his — or her — gut.
Second, related and even more important, he cautioned against demeaning voters who don’t share liberal values.
4/. Coming on Sept. 17th on HBO - "Stopping The Steal".....
Here's the trailer.....
5/. Ever been to Harrods in London? Bob Lefsetz just went, and was really impressed.....
You gotta be rich.
Actually, first we stopped in Harvey Nichols. All the men’s clothing is on the first floor, broken down by designer, and if I had 5 or 10k to spend I could change my entire look and be happy with it. But that ain’t gonna happen.
At Harrods the women’s stuff is on the ground floor. And the amazing thing is a lot of these handbags, the Louis Vuitton, the Balenciaga, have no price tags. If you’ve got to ask…you’re not going to be able to afford it.
And to tell you the truth, I didn’t see many people buying. Actually, at that point it was just us and the help. Seems that everybody slept in after a long night, they showed up around noon.
And when they did…
MAGA won’t like it in London. Because of all the ethnicities.
https://lefsetz.com/wordpress/2024/08/31/harrods/
6/. Our mainstream media is failing America......excellent article.....
The first thing to say about the hate and scorn currently directed at the mainstream US media is that they worked hard to earn it. They’ve done so by failing, repeatedly, determinedly, spectacularly to do their job, which is to maintain their independence, inform the electorate, and speak truth to power. While the left has long had reasons to dismiss centrist media, and the right has loathed it most when it did do its job well, the moderates who are furious at it now seem to be something new – and a host of former editors, media experts and independent journalists have been going after them hard this summer.
Longtime journalist James Fallows declares that three institutions – the Republican party, the supreme court, and the mainstream political press – “have catastrophically failed to ‘meet the moment’ under pressure of [the] Trump era”.
7/. Desi Lydec "Foxsplains" Tim Walz.....the scary bit is she uses real Fox footage.....amusing....
8/. Voter fraud is non-existent, but that doesn't stop the Republicans from screaming about it all the time.....
Get ready.
Donald Trump has made good use of the propaganda technique known as the Big Lie 1.0, famously claiming that the 2020 “election was stolen” from him.
And now he’s preparing to use Big Lie 2.0 to shut down our government this fall, believing it’ll hurt the Biden administration and thus the Harris/Walz campaign.
That second weapon — this Big Lie 2.0 — is the false allegation of widespread “voter fraud” in America. He intends to use it to try to bring the Biden administration to its knees in the next few weeks. And, as a bonus, if it works, he gets to prevent millions of people, particularly minorities and women, from voting.
Republicans have been using this lie to attack the heart of our democracy right out in the open ever since the Civil Rights Act was passed in 1964, the year they responded by rolling out Operation Eagle Eye, yelling about nonexistent “voter fraud” and using it as an excuse to intimidate minority voters in the Goldwater/Johnson race.
9/. Most interesting video from Dr. Arlene.....she explains why Trump voters are still loyal to Trump......
Insightful, and give her a chance to get going....9 minutes.....
10/. Paul Krugman explains the political rage of left behind regions.....
There were local elections in several German states a few days ago, and the results — a strong showing by the Alternative for Germany or AfD, a right-wing extremist party — were shocking but not surprising. Shocking because, given their history, Germans more than anyone else should fear the rise of anti-democratic right-wing forces. Not surprising because the AfD has been rising for a while, especially in the former East Germany, where the elections were held.
I am not any kind of an expert on Germany, and I won’t speculate about what these results mean for the Bundesrepublik’s future. What I can say as an American is that despite the vast differences in our nations’ modern histories, the rise of Germany’s modern far right — and especially its concentration of support in economically depressed areas — looks remarkably familiar.
11/. The adventures of MAGA-man, from Tom Tomorrow...
12/. The title intrigued me- "Trump Is A Flawless American Christian", so I read it.
It's long but historically fascinating, and I think the author proves his case.....
Trump embodies American Christianity.....
Donald Trump’s supporters regard him as a Christ-like figure because of how the so-called nefarious “establishment” has persecuted him.
First, the bureaucrats stole the election from Trump in 2020. Now, his supporters allege, the American judicial system has targeted him unfairly in multiple bogus cases, interfering with the 2024 election. And all because he’s an outsider who means to make America great again.
Trump has even explicitly endorsed the religious comparison, approving on social media of a message he supposedly received, saying that “It’s ironic that Christ walked through His greatest persecution the very week they are trying to steal your property from you.”
https://medium.com/deconstructing-christianity/trump-is-a-flawless-american-christian-3f346fc1fca2
13/. One for the Ladies.....
14/. New Harris/Walz ad, with a dark message.....
15/. The Times picks the best TV on Netflix....
Netflix adds original programming at such a steady clip that it can be hard to keep up with which of its dramas, comedies and reality shows are must-sees. And that’s not including all the TV series Netflix picks up from broadcast and cable networks. Below is our regularly updated guide to the 50 best shows on Netflix in the United States. Each recommendation comes with a secondary pick, too, for 100 suggestions in all. (Note: Netflix sometimes removes titles without notice.)
16/. Not everyone in the Midwest is MAGA.....
17/. Five reasons to watch "Slow Horses" on Hulu.....
We love the show, excellent British TV.....
IN THE NEW fourth season of Apple TV’s Slow Horses, the latest member of the comic thriller’s titular group of disgraced British spies suggests, “We can’t help anyone. This is a D-list unit with no unifying sense of purpose. Everyone here has been checked out and written off.”
Yet these written-off disgraces of the British intelligence apparatus not only keep successfully solving the cases they somehow stumble into, they’ve become the centerpiece of one of the most beloved series of the last few years. Mention the name to anyone who’s seen Slow Horses, and their faces will inevitably light up. Despite being a relatively lighthearted genre show that’s not concerned about the issues of modern life, it was nominated for nine drama Emmys for its third season, including for best drama, and for stars Gary Oldman and Jack Lowden, plus recurring guest star Jonathan Pryce.
What, exactly, has endeared so many to this show? Let’s run it down: https://www.rollingstone.com/tv-movies/tv-movie-reviews/slow-horses-season-4-gary-oldman-reasons-to-watch-1235090651/
18/. Rolling Stone lists the most anticipated movies coming soon....
Today's telemarketer joke
I had a phone conversation today with a very nice young chap from Pakistan. This is how it went:
"Hello sir, how are you today?"
"I'm very well, thank you for asking. And how are you? And, more to the point, WHO are you?"
"Sir, my name is Sanjit, and I'm calling you from Microsoft".
"Microsoft, eh? Is that a city in Pakistan? How's the weather there today?"
" No, sir - MICROSOFT, the computer company. I'm calling to tell you that we have found a problem with your computer and -" "REALLY?? Well, that's quite concerning......"
"Yes sir, it can become very serious indeed, but thankfully I will be able to fix it for you. Now, if you -"
"No, I meant it's very concerning because you see I don't HAVE a computer".
"You don't?"
"I don't".
"Ahh, it must be a problem on your laptop sir -"
"Don't have one".
"Ipad?"
"Nope".
"Tablet?"
"Nope, I have none of those things. As a matter of fact, I don't even have a telephone".
After a few seconds of silence he said "Ah, sir, you are lying to me now!"
I said "Well, you started it!!" and put the phone down.
Today's dental joke
A man went to a female dentist for a tooth removal.
She took a syringe for anesthesia shot but the man refused:
- No, no, I hate injections!
The doctor pulled out a mask for a gas anesthesia and the man refused again:
- No, no, I can't stand a mask.
- Will you take pills?
The doctor gave the man two big blue pills.
He swallowed them and asked:
- What kind of drug is it?
- This is Viagra.
- I didn't know Viagra works as an anesthesia.
- No, it doesn't but you'll have something to hold on while I'll pull your tooth...
Today's Heavenly story
Heaven is overcrowded.
God decides on a six month moratorium on new admissions.
He puts junior angel Gabrielle, a yente and a soft touch, in charge of the gate.
She decides that if you had a good story she'd let you in.
Next up was Morrie: "I had just moved into my dream condo in Miami.
One morning I'm on the terrace overlooking the ocean and I fall off.
Luckily I landed in some shrubs. I look up and the last thing I see is a refrigerator coming at me."
"Mmm", says the angel, "never heard one like that before. You're in!" Then comes Solly: "I come home from playing tennis and I find my wife in bed, naked, the smell of sex all around her.
Feverishly I search for the guy but can't find him.
In anger I pick up the fridge and toss it off the terrace. I have a heart attack on the spot".
Gabrielle ponders for a moment but having a good heart, makes an exception for Solly.
And then came Abe. The angel lets him know that's she's been too lax all day. " This had better be good".
"Well", says Abe. " I'm hiding in this refrigerator..."
Today's golf joke
A father, son, & grandson went to the country club for their weekly round of golf.
Just as they reached the first tee, a beautiful young blonde woman carrying her bag of clubs approached them.
She explained that the member who brought her to the club for a round of golf had an emergency that called him away & asked the trio whether she could join them. Naturally, the guys all agreed.
Smiling, the blonde thanked them and said, "Look, fellows, I work in a topless bar as a dancer, so nothing shocks me anymore. If any of you want to smoke cigars, have a beer, bet, swear, tell off-color stories or do anything that you normally do when playing a round together, go ahead.
But I enjoy playing golf, consider myself pretty good at it; so please, don't try to coach me on how to play my shots."
With that the guys agreed to relax & invited her to drive first.
All eyes were fastened on her shapely behind as she bent to place her ball on the tee.
She then took her driver & hit the ball 290 yards down the middle, right in front of the green.
The father's mouth was agape. "That was beautiful," he said.
The blonde put her driver away & said, "I really didn't get into it & I faded it a little."
After the three guys hit their drives & their second shots, the blonde took out a lob wedge & lofted the ball within five feet of the hole. (She was closest to the pin.) The son said, "Lady, you played that perfectly."
The blonde frowned & said, "It was a little weak. I've left a tricky little putt." She then tapped in the five-footer for a birdie.
Having the honors, she drove first on the second hole, knocked the heck out of the ball, & it landed nearly 300 yards away smack in the middle of the fairway.
For the rest of the round the statuesque blonde continued to amaze the guys, quietly & methodically shooting for par or less on every hole.
When they arrived at the 18th green, the blonde was three under par, & had a very nasty 12-foot putt on an undulating green, for a par.
She turned to the three guys & said, "I really want to thank you all for not acting like a bunch of chauvinists & telling me what club to use or how to play a shot, but I need this putt for a 69 & I'd really like to break 70 on this course.
If any one of you can tell me how to make par on this hole, I'll take him back to my apartment, pour some 35-year-old Single Malt Scotch in him, fix him a steak dinner, & then show him a very good time the rest of the night."
The yuppie son jumped at the thought! He strolled across the green, carefully eyeing the line of the putt, & finally said, "Honey, aim about 6 inches to the right of the hole & hit it firm. It will get over that little hump & break right into the cup."
The father knelt down & sighted the putt using his putter as a plumb. "Don't listen to the kid, darlin', you want to hit it softly 10 inches to the right & let it run left down that little hogback, so it falls into the cup."
The old gray-haired grandfather walked over to the blonde's ball, picked it up, & handed it to her & said, "That's a gimme, sweetheart."
The blonde smiled & said, "Your car or mine?"
REMEMBER . . . OLD AGE & BRAINS WILL OVERCOME YOUTH & SKILL EVERY TIME
