The question about racism laid the blame on Kamala Harris instead of on Donald Trump himself. Donald Trump was not "called a racist," he IS a racist. He has always been a racist, from his landlor policies of refusing to rent to people of color right up to to when he accused Barack Obama of "being born in Africa," a versiuon of "go back to where you came from."
Trump uses racism to gin up his base and get them fearing dark-skinned people crawling through their windows and taking their shit, getting their jobs through DEI. marrying their daughters..
The way that that question was phrased was crap. Harrisis correct in labeling Trump a racist, and there is plenty of documented proof to back her up. It's not libel if it's true.
So why do people support him despite his racism?The answer is unpleasant to consider because many people are racist, though they will often get defensive when this is called out. Again, the statistics back this up, from the disproportionate number of black people are in prison versus their percentage in the population. Statistics also show how much more often black drivers are stopped by cops in traffic (which John Oliver addressed this week).
There was a lockstep reaction to BLM protests that lumped peaceful and violent actions into the same pot The coercion of the "defund police" message was included in this, and the movement was abandoned. Not only that, it isn't even possible to teach America's actual racist history in many states.
Harris is entitled to call that out for what it is: systemic racism at every level. She also knows all about misogyny (which perhaps is even more pervasive), but that's a topic for another day.
What would you call the National Association of Black Journalists interview? Trump bombed it badly, so it’s understandable that he wouldn’t do any other “serious” interviews after that.
Well said! None - he will not go unless he is getting fluffed by someone like Sean Hannity. VP Harris is pursuing a careful, deliberate media story, trying to allow voters to get to know her better without being beset with a barrage of questions about the details of her economic positions which if the Republicans control one of the houses of Congress will get whittled down considerably.
Let us not hold Harris to the bar of 'matching Donald Trump'; that is an extremely low bar. She can and should do a lot better than he does. In fact, she should strive to do as good as she can, which will necessarily entail doing difficult things. Sitting for a tough interview demonstrates a willingness to be open and accountable as a future leader of the nation. It informs and engages the public, whose participation is necessary for democracy to work. It also demonstrates that she has thought through the issues and is confidently ready and willing to defend her positions. Just because Trump shirks from these things does not mean she should do the same.
Yes, I wish there was more than mostly vague answers, but the other candidate just simply makes shit up. And then gets angry when someone wants to fact check them.
The ability to win elections is different than the ability to effectively govern. Despite what our media would have us believe, being popular doesn't mean you are good at your job. Biden is very good at getting shit done, and so was LBJ.
Trump was too, but what he got done in the shadows was to funnel obscene amounts of money to the super-rich, gut the CDC, fill the judiciary with Heritage Foundation theocratic fanatics, and normalize civil violence and hatred in ways that will take decades to undo.
Your comment that economists don’t like either candidate’s plans is inadequate. Economists are alarmed at Trump’s plans, particularly tariffs, which are inflationary, and cutting taxes on the rich without offsets, which again will bloat the deficit. Economists quibble with certain of Harris’s plans and note they would not increase the debt nearly as much as Trump's and would be far less inflationary than Trump’s
The government has not been even close to revenue neutral since the Clinton administration. And being revenue neutral in a fiscal year means nothing when the national debt is 8x fiscal year revenue (35T vs ~4T). What are we supposed to do???
Hmmmm, I would look at the link below. The last time debt equaled GDP was 1946. The US then grew into the dominant world economy after WWII. A stable debt::GDP ratio was maintained until the 2008 financial crisis, at which point it started spiraling out of control. We are now in uncharted territory. It is no longer a certainty the US and the US dollar will remain dominant as debt is projected to be 166% of GDP by 2054. I'm not an economist, but as someone that would like to retire and not live on the street, I am worried.
There is one line from Barack Obama’s DNC convention speech that I can still hear clearly. He said that DJT has not stopped whining about transgressions against him. He is a whiner NOT a doer. I was raised by 2 survivors of the Great Depression. My Dad one of 10. Spent 18 months on Okinawa in the first wave after the Marines took the island. My mother had to quit school in the tenth grade to go to work. They both believed you just got on with it, whatever it happened to be at the time. And whining was not tolerated.
Was Kamala perfect last night-no. But her focus is on the people of our country. Granted, she needs to do a much better job of saying hey-some of my stances have changed but I have learned a lot since then. And she should use Biden’s policies as a place to improve, adjust and go forward. She can do it without bashing Biden. But she stood strong with Ukraine and knows Donald will facilitate surrender to get the Moscow Trump Tower built. Kamala will not sell our country down the river.
Why does Chris perpetuate the misinformation that “inflation remains high”. Inflation does NOT “remain high”.
It is currently 2.5% which is close the recent past before the worldwide shock of Covid.
Every measurable metric for the economy is substantial better than when Trump was president. That’s just a fact.
Yes, “many people are pessimistic about the future of the economy.’ in part because some segments of “the media” perpetuate the misrepresentation that “inflation remains high”.
While the right wing media (and Trump’s persistent lying) with blatant misrepresentations of how “bad” the economy is.
Maybe she is not perfect but oh my, how nice to hear someone who respects the office and speaks with compassion rather than gloom and doom, no scare tactics, and no carnival acts at rallies (Dark Maga Musk). (answer #10).
Chris, I don't think using the same sarcastic tone with Harris as you do with Trump is appropriate. In fact, it's part of an overall shift to treating Harris and Trump as equivalents—no, this is a false equivalence. Your former colleagues at CNN are doing the same. You know much better than this, and your treatment of race in this piece is disappointing.
Why does Harris get grilled to prove her record while Trump's is ignored? I'm talking overall now, not your column.
Don't sell out, Chris.
I was expecting a Zoom session with my membership, but I haven't received any information about it. When can I expect this to happen? I have some sincere questions that I'd like to ask to get your opinion, which I always value and appreciate.
I especially liked her answer on Ukraine. Trump, we know, is ready to sell out Ukraine and give Putin whatever he wants. That's his "solution." What she says, basically, is that if there are any compromises to be made it will be WITH Ukraine's involvement. She will not surrender to Putin and present it as a done deal as Trump most assuredly would.
I live in Iowa surrounded by right wingers who think nothing of violence. At one peaceful protest, one of these yahoos ran over a woman with his big ol' truck, injuring her foot. The governor did the same a few weeks later, then signed a law making it legal to do so.
So yeah, I carry a fully loaded 12-gauge tactical shotgun in the trunk of my car because if I am going to be shot at by one of these morons, I want to be able to shoot back. I also have shot enough pistols to know that you need to constantly practice with them to be able to hit anything, but it's much easier with a shotgun. It also is an intimidating (though strangely legal) weapon.
Americans expect Harris to "SOLVE" immigration problem. What!!?? Are you serious, Chris? All by her lonesome? With GOP and Trump scuttling every attempted resolution? That is absurd.
Thanks, Chris. I think it's also worth highlighting CBS/60 Minutes' explanation, preceding the interview, for why Trump was not participating, read by correspondent Scott Pelley: https://www.cbs.com/shows/video/VgbQW7V_IO8yl3HDFihiJMRCGi7oyxhK/. That's at least as damning as anything Harris said or didn't say as she stepped up to the plate to take her swipes at what were by no means softballs.
For immigration, USA does the same thing as diplomacy. We talk to governments and ask to stop doing what they are doing. Next up is is sanctions. This definitely doesn't work for immigration as it tanks the economy and more people migrate. For genocides, we may use our military but it takes a long time to call an event a genocide. That is Trump's idea: USA bombs countries to stop immigration. Is that what we all want? I certainly don't want that option. Trump wants mass deportation. Going down the route, eventually the country accepting the immigrants will say stop, enough because it will disrupt their country. FYI: No one wants immigration in their country now. Then what happens here? People in camps then too many in camps. Soon people are dehumanized. Guess what is up next? Immigration is a world problem and bad agents like Russia are hyping it up. Sorry but Harris can't solve it anymore than Trump can. It's a world conversation to solve.
Chris wrote re the VPs answer on the war in the Middle East: " It’s not a terrible answer in diplomatic terms but not a very good one in pure political terms."
Fact: People are being killed. Babies, children, parents, grandparents, soldiers. The VP is a major part of the current administration. The answer MUST be diplomatic, no matter how Chris wants it stated.
The question about racism laid the blame on Kamala Harris instead of on Donald Trump himself. Donald Trump was not "called a racist," he IS a racist. He has always been a racist, from his landlor policies of refusing to rent to people of color right up to to when he accused Barack Obama of "being born in Africa," a versiuon of "go back to where you came from."
Trump uses racism to gin up his base and get them fearing dark-skinned people crawling through their windows and taking their shit, getting their jobs through DEI. marrying their daughters..
The way that that question was phrased was crap. Harrisis correct in labeling Trump a racist, and there is plenty of documented proof to back her up. It's not libel if it's true.
So why do people support him despite his racism?The answer is unpleasant to consider because many people are racist, though they will often get defensive when this is called out. Again, the statistics back this up, from the disproportionate number of black people are in prison versus their percentage in the population. Statistics also show how much more often black drivers are stopped by cops in traffic (which John Oliver addressed this week).
There was a lockstep reaction to BLM protests that lumped peaceful and violent actions into the same pot The coercion of the "defund police" message was included in this, and the movement was abandoned. Not only that, it isn't even possible to teach America's actual racist history in many states.
Harris is entitled to call that out for what it is: systemic racism at every level. She also knows all about misogyny (which perhaps is even more pervasive), but that's a topic for another day.
“Harris hasn’t sat for many tough interviews…”. And how many tough interviews has Trump sat for?
None
What would you call the National Association of Black Journalists interview? Trump bombed it badly, so it’s understandable that he wouldn’t do any other “serious” interviews after that.
Well said! None - he will not go unless he is getting fluffed by someone like Sean Hannity. VP Harris is pursuing a careful, deliberate media story, trying to allow voters to get to know her better without being beset with a barrage of questions about the details of her economic positions which if the Republicans control one of the houses of Congress will get whittled down considerably.
And why should she have to sit for tough interviews by journalists?
I agree with you. Chris seems to think so.
Let us not hold Harris to the bar of 'matching Donald Trump'; that is an extremely low bar. She can and should do a lot better than he does. In fact, she should strive to do as good as she can, which will necessarily entail doing difficult things. Sitting for a tough interview demonstrates a willingness to be open and accountable as a future leader of the nation. It informs and engages the public, whose participation is necessary for democracy to work. It also demonstrates that she has thought through the issues and is confidently ready and willing to defend her positions. Just because Trump shirks from these things does not mean she should do the same.
Yes, I wish there was more than mostly vague answers, but the other candidate just simply makes shit up. And then gets angry when someone wants to fact check them.
Politician vs petulant child....
The ability to win elections is different than the ability to effectively govern. Despite what our media would have us believe, being popular doesn't mean you are good at your job. Biden is very good at getting shit done, and so was LBJ.
Trump was too, but what he got done in the shadows was to funnel obscene amounts of money to the super-rich, gut the CDC, fill the judiciary with Heritage Foundation theocratic fanatics, and normalize civil violence and hatred in ways that will take decades to undo.
And send Covid 19 testi g Kits to his Dictator friend Putin when the kits were being ratio ed here in the USA!. Incredible indeed!
Your comment that economists don’t like either candidate’s plans is inadequate. Economists are alarmed at Trump’s plans, particularly tariffs, which are inflationary, and cutting taxes on the rich without offsets, which again will bloat the deficit. Economists quibble with certain of Harris’s plans and note they would not increase the debt nearly as much as Trump's and would be far less inflationary than Trump’s
The government has not been even close to revenue neutral since the Clinton administration. And being revenue neutral in a fiscal year means nothing when the national debt is 8x fiscal year revenue (35T vs ~4T). What are we supposed to do???
The US has been revenue neutral I think 2 times (?) in the entire history of the US. It is not a real problem.
Hmmmm, I would look at the link below. The last time debt equaled GDP was 1946. The US then grew into the dominant world economy after WWII. A stable debt::GDP ratio was maintained until the 2008 financial crisis, at which point it started spiraling out of control. We are now in uncharted territory. It is no longer a certainty the US and the US dollar will remain dominant as debt is projected to be 166% of GDP by 2054. I'm not an economist, but as someone that would like to retire and not live on the street, I am worried.
https://www.pgpf.org/national-debt-clock
Amazing. Someone that is comprehensive and understandable and has full sentences that mean something.
There is one line from Barack Obama’s DNC convention speech that I can still hear clearly. He said that DJT has not stopped whining about transgressions against him. He is a whiner NOT a doer. I was raised by 2 survivors of the Great Depression. My Dad one of 10. Spent 18 months on Okinawa in the first wave after the Marines took the island. My mother had to quit school in the tenth grade to go to work. They both believed you just got on with it, whatever it happened to be at the time. And whining was not tolerated.
Was Kamala perfect last night-no. But her focus is on the people of our country. Granted, she needs to do a much better job of saying hey-some of my stances have changed but I have learned a lot since then. And she should use Biden’s policies as a place to improve, adjust and go forward. She can do it without bashing Biden. But she stood strong with Ukraine and knows Donald will facilitate surrender to get the Moscow Trump Tower built. Kamala will not sell our country down the river.
Why does Chris perpetuate the misinformation that “inflation remains high”. Inflation does NOT “remain high”.
It is currently 2.5% which is close the recent past before the worldwide shock of Covid.
Every measurable metric for the economy is substantial better than when Trump was president. That’s just a fact.
Yes, “many people are pessimistic about the future of the economy.’ in part because some segments of “the media” perpetuate the misrepresentation that “inflation remains high”.
While the right wing media (and Trump’s persistent lying) with blatant misrepresentations of how “bad” the economy is.
It’s not. Not by any substantive metric.
Kevin Drum provides some of the facts…
Consumption growth is historically high
https://jabberwocking.com/consumption-growth-is-historically-high/
Oil production is historically high
https://jabberwocking.com/oil-production-is-historically-high/
Poverty is historically low
https://jabberwocking.com/poverty-is-historically-low/
GDP growth is historically high
https://jabberwocking.com/gdp-growth-is-historically-high/
Unemployment is historically low
https://jabberwocking.com/unemployment-is-historically-low/
Plus the fact that...
Wages have been outpacing inflation for five years
https://jabberwocking.com/wages-have-been-outpacing-inflation-for-five-years/
Yes, Chris’s comment is factually incorrect. Period. Do better, Chris.
Maybe she is not perfect but oh my, how nice to hear someone who respects the office and speaks with compassion rather than gloom and doom, no scare tactics, and no carnival acts at rallies (Dark Maga Musk). (answer #10).
Chris, I don't think using the same sarcastic tone with Harris as you do with Trump is appropriate. In fact, it's part of an overall shift to treating Harris and Trump as equivalents—no, this is a false equivalence. Your former colleagues at CNN are doing the same. You know much better than this, and your treatment of race in this piece is disappointing.
Why does Harris get grilled to prove her record while Trump's is ignored? I'm talking overall now, not your column.
Don't sell out, Chris.
I was expecting a Zoom session with my membership, but I haven't received any information about it. When can I expect this to happen? I have some sincere questions that I'd like to ask to get your opinion, which I always value and appreciate.
Sincerely,
PIAITC
I especially liked her answer on Ukraine. Trump, we know, is ready to sell out Ukraine and give Putin whatever he wants. That's his "solution." What she says, basically, is that if there are any compromises to be made it will be WITH Ukraine's involvement. She will not surrender to Putin and present it as a done deal as Trump most assuredly would.
Of course the former Attorney General of the largest court system in the nation owns a gun.
I live in Iowa surrounded by right wingers who think nothing of violence. At one peaceful protest, one of these yahoos ran over a woman with his big ol' truck, injuring her foot. The governor did the same a few weeks later, then signed a law making it legal to do so.
So yeah, I carry a fully loaded 12-gauge tactical shotgun in the trunk of my car because if I am going to be shot at by one of these morons, I want to be able to shoot back. I also have shot enough pistols to know that you need to constantly practice with them to be able to hit anything, but it's much easier with a shotgun. It also is an intimidating (though strangely legal) weapon.
The sound of racking a shotgun evokes an immediate response for sure.
Americans expect Harris to "SOLVE" immigration problem. What!!?? Are you serious, Chris? All by her lonesome? With GOP and Trump scuttling every attempted resolution? That is absurd.
Thanks, Chris. I think it's also worth highlighting CBS/60 Minutes' explanation, preceding the interview, for why Trump was not participating, read by correspondent Scott Pelley: https://www.cbs.com/shows/video/VgbQW7V_IO8yl3HDFihiJMRCGi7oyxhK/. That's at least as damning as anything Harris said or didn't say as she stepped up to the plate to take her swipes at what were by no means softballs.
Thanks for the link!
Oh when oh when will we ever see a similar Q&A with Trump? And why do corporate media seem to not care if he does?
For immigration, USA does the same thing as diplomacy. We talk to governments and ask to stop doing what they are doing. Next up is is sanctions. This definitely doesn't work for immigration as it tanks the economy and more people migrate. For genocides, we may use our military but it takes a long time to call an event a genocide. That is Trump's idea: USA bombs countries to stop immigration. Is that what we all want? I certainly don't want that option. Trump wants mass deportation. Going down the route, eventually the country accepting the immigrants will say stop, enough because it will disrupt their country. FYI: No one wants immigration in their country now. Then what happens here? People in camps then too many in camps. Soon people are dehumanized. Guess what is up next? Immigration is a world problem and bad agents like Russia are hyping it up. Sorry but Harris can't solve it anymore than Trump can. It's a world conversation to solve.
Chris wrote re the VPs answer on the war in the Middle East: " It’s not a terrible answer in diplomatic terms but not a very good one in pure political terms."
Fact: People are being killed. Babies, children, parents, grandparents, soldiers. The VP is a major part of the current administration. The answer MUST be diplomatic, no matter how Chris wants it stated.