Boring, yet hateful. Rambling, yet dangerous. Sleepy, yet nightmarish. The worst convention acceptance speech in living memory, and one that highlighted a terrible candidate.
ONE MORE TIME: Joe is going to stay at the top of the ticket, he's NOT dropping out, per his campaign manager this morning. The elected Democrats, ALL of them, need to get their act together and support OUR candidate IN PUBLIC AND BEHIND CLOSED DOORS and quit worrying about their own re-election bids and relying on "polls". They should realize by now that they WILL be re-elected if Biden is by virtue of just being a Democrat on that ticket and working their butt's off to present unity in support of the President from now until November 5th. Joe has every chance of winning if he has ALL of his party's steadfast support!!
It’s crazy how motivated by pure hatred all the anti-trumpers are. Never any substantive policy criticisms just pure invective and vitriol and baseless accusations motivated by hatred. And the only reason they have to hate him is because the tv told them to. Sad!
It’s laughable that you are defending Joe Biden, also a career criminal, who is washed up! Trump is lousy, I agree! He can’t give a coherent speech, he rambles and makes a total ass of himself. So what’s the answer??? I don’t know but it’s certainly not choosing the lesser of two evils.
Hi Mike, well…if you have your golf caddy and a former “pro rassler” who was stinking drunk, ripping his shirt apart and threatening to hunt down folks who don’t agree with Donald to speak at your coronation…. You have the making of a colossal clusterfuck of a confab.. This confab is a collection of weirdos, criminals, drunks, 8 Ball consumers, in your face fascism, trout pouts… Have a great day Mike.
MS, thank you for the recap. I ♥ you! I watched about 30 minutes of it and then I just could not listen to it anymore without a vomit bucket. Trump has ALWAYS been a horrible speaker! I mean,, have we ever heard a speech out of his mouth that was engaging ever? LOL He rambles on like a mental patient and calls Biden and Pelosi every name in the book ...again. And JD Vance? For a guy that likes to talk about social decline and write books about it, somone should inform him that his new demi-god is the epitome of social decline and he himself is now 'American Hitler's bitch. The hypocracy of the GOP is maddening! The GOP is so desperate to gain control back that they will support an unimpressive, boring, ignorant, felon rapist for yet another presedential bid - UNREAL. They are desperate, folks. They have reduced themselves to wearing this mask of support for this nasty human being just so they can retain this party which has been degraded to a dumpster fire since Trump walked in the door. TRUMP CAN BE BEAT! I've said this before, but I really beleive most average Americans do not want a fascist d-bag for their president. For the Dems, I believeve in Biden and Harris both. However, I think all DEMS will vote BLUE no matter who. And lastly, down here in SW Florida where I live ( I grew up here middle class), where it is chock full of wealthy conservative baby boomers, I've been asking all kinds of people their thoughts. I have heard, especially among younger conservative women, that Roe v Wade is a dealbreaker for them, which I found interesting. They hate Biden but they hate the thought of losing bodily autonomy more (ummm ...yeah!) I also found very interesting that a lot of conservatives I've spoken to (more female than male, but some male) seem to be losing faith in Desantis, which I also thought was interesting. MOST folks of color I talk to here are for sure voting blue. Interesting right? I mean it is blood red conservative in these parts, but perspectives are maybe shifting? 🙄 Let's beat TRUMP!
Michelangelo, thanks so much for this summary! I avoided it all to protect my own emotional sanity, which hasn’t been great lately. I notice from your writeup and programs that the right is now taking some of the left’s positive language and positions, attributing it to themselves, weaponizing it, and using it as a hateful attack. Sounds like its coming from a speechwriter, too. This strategy now goes along with the mega gaslighting that is one constant weapon.
Here’s what I think.
When the people lead, the leaders will follow. The Progress Channel listeners and Substack readers are now a strong, stable base of liberal and progressive people and voters who have slowly but surely come together in a unified fellowship and resilient team. This team is in no way the cult or street mob that defines the conservative and reactionary right. It is our team or informal grouping of people who can provide some guidance and stability for the Democratic frontrunners who emerge from the party’s current confusion. Our support will certainly help. No matter what happens, we have worked hard to find our unity over the last few years and we have to stick together no matter what happens from now on.
I also think that one of the main messages we offer from this point on is a clear ongoing statement of what hurt and harm the various provisions of Project 2025 will bring about in the day-to-day lives of ourselves, our families, friends colleagues and communities. We have to bring this Project 2025 out in the open as the defacto Republican platform and not be fooled by any “softening” about this that has been put out there by Republicans. Such softening is only a lie to gain power. We could really use a short, under 5 page bullet-point summary of Project 2025 to use as talking points. What is each of the main points, who will they hurt, and just how? Is there one?
Trump is beatable but remember this: we have to win twice. First we have to win with as much margin as possible in the electoral college. But second, the reactionary right will seek to overturn and overthrow any win that the Democrats come up with, even a landslide. Is there some planning going on right now about how to counter the overthrow attempt, including the response of the treasonous Supreme Court, when the inevitable effort is made to overturn the Democratic win?
It is important to talk it out in any forum.. in the 70’s it was coffee after work at my parents house. A professor, a city worker, a businessman and my Fad a Union steward plumber.. I listened to them give opinions sometimes it got heated but always ended with good night have to go home for dinner. See you tomorrow. My grandmother baked something everyday for them.
She would not talk much but would say I read in the National enquirer and they would all go Lenora none of that is true……
Thanks for the recap. I refused to watch the entire convention. I had just run out of my antidepressants and antiemetics. Trump apparently said he wasn’t supposed to be there. He’s right about that. He should already have been in prison. But that would have prevented the image of the strong man with the ear scratch and the maxi-pad covering it. Oh, did he talk about the conversation he had with the widow of the fireman on the day of the shooting? Naw. Never happened. It’s only about him.
Three inches to the left and it would be a completely different discussion.
We still have the electoral college, and it still elects presidents. Lower case intentional. Work on electoral votes, regardless of who our candidate. I would like the Democrats to stop screwing around and get on with it. Choose a candidate and stick with that. Regardless of the press, which seems to have more to do with this than the Republicans.
If Biden's re-elected, which I still think is a very good chance, we get Harris anyway eventually. That's the way I figure it. As I understand it from one of the Sirius 127 shows, can't recall which one, Biden has not done well in phone calls and the like behind the scenes among Democrats. Losing his train of thought, etc. Hasn't hit the press, but is apparently a reason a number of prominent Democrats have spoken out about him dropping out. The debate isn't the only place this has shown up. They've experienced it themselves. Be that as it may, if Joe's the candidate, I'm behind him all the way. A stuttering, arthritic Joe Biden is still a far better candidate than Adolf Trump. Kamala Harris as well. I was born in San Francisco, lived there for 27 years and now live down the Peninsula. There's more to Kamala Harris than may meet the eye. I know it, and most of the folks around here know it as well. I'd just like them to make a choice and go with it. Electoral college votes elect the president. Polls have been wrong the last, what, 4 elections. 2016, 2018, 2020 and 2022. WRONG. Don't put too much faith in them. Get out the electoral votes, and help candidates in other states. The court may be lost, unless judges are added, but control of the Senate and the House can do a lot.
If you want to see a fun video of Eric Swalwell, from across the Bay and a little north, try this:
The Rockefeller Institute released Balance of Payment numbers for 2022. As an aside, from IRS Gross Collections data, California paid $472 billion dollars in Federal Taxes in 2019. 2021, it was $587.6 billion. 2022, it was $696.8 billion. An increase of 68% during a pandemic.
In 2019, California parted with $14.2 billion dollars in order to subsidize Red Welfare States. In 2021, it was $44.1 billion. In 2022, it was $118.5! Ouch!. An $0.83 return on our Federal Tax dollar! I knew I felt a pain somewhere! This is how Red States exist!. We in the successful Blue States pay for them! Why are we NOT talking about this! We get hosed year after year after year! This is the economy of the U.S. Not whatever bullshit the Republican Party throws out there. Our economy is Failed Ass Red States being paid for by Successful Blue Donor states.
I'll go into this more in Mike's weekend Substack, but it's essentially the same thing I've been writing about here for who knows how long.
In many ways, the southern states have never recovered from losing the Civil War over 170 years ago! They are the most crime ridden states and cannot support themselves economically. They are parasite states and now serve as fascist experiments with their total abortion idiocy. Their doctors are leaving because they do not want to be thrown into prison for caring for pregnant women whose pregnancy has gone terribly wrong and require an abortion to stay alive!!!
Thanks for doing the job most correspondents failed to do. And the job of watching this windbag of hot garbage, which I could never do. Vote Biden and Vote Blue!
The speech was insane, and not surprising. He doesn't really change at all, just becomes more and more who he has always been.
Defeating MAGA at the polls is an absolute emergency, but there has to be some kind of solution to the authoritarian impulse in the country's citizenry. It doesn't ultimately matter if they are a minority so long as they have numbers enough to press an authoritarian agenda forward. We have to solve our social problem of resentful right-wing rank-and-file who vote in sufficient numbers to let the fascists keep wielding enough power to game every system and subvert vital institutions.
Project 2025 is the result of focused work by the right-wing extremist elite made up almost entirely of lawyers. Where is OUR plan to protect this democracy, to lift up the victims of our broken social system? Our disorganization and reactivity leaves us with dire vulnerabilities that are being exploited.
And without Drumpf they've got NOTHING. I mean, who's going to follow J.D. Vance? Even the actual Nazis won't follow J.D. Vance because of his wife! Who else is there? Petty strongmen running their fiefdoms, like DeSantis and Abbott? Who?
I understand they don't like the fact she is Hindu and they named there son Vivek after Vivek Ramaswarmy whom JD Vance was friends with at Harvard.
HOWEVER,
They are focusing on the elements in Project 25 and future court judges.
I think JD's wife will get some kind of make over that will make her look more white, and Christian. Maybe one of those blue Jean skirts and long straight hair.
The logorrhea was off the charts, even by Trump standards.
So much for uniting the country. Most days, I’m convinced the polarization is beyond repairing.
I live in Pittsburgh, not far from the rally site, so local news coverage of the shooting was wall-to-wall. I found one report particularly notable: The Comperatore widow was asked if either/both presidential candidates reached out to her. At the time, Pres. Biden had called her, but she did not take the call. Trump had not yet called, which he did since. It amazed me that in the midst of her profound grief, she put politics ahead of graciousness: She said her husband was a deeply committed Republican and he would never have spoken with a Democratic president. SMH
Sorry the firefighter was killed but his widow kept the fanaticism going for her children to see when she refused to take the call of the POTUS who was only trying to comfort her!! Sad!!
First off a huge medal and trophy for you listening to even a minute of that speech. I would rather lick a portapotty urinal mint. Thanks for doing what many of us couldn't stomach.
This has been a horrid, nightmare inducing week, Dem infighting, Hatefest rally, shooting, lies lies and more liars.
My biggest fear is even if Biden (or whoever is on the Dem ticket) wins, there will be corruption, votes thrown out, all the stuff that the orange stain didn't pull off in the first go-around.
Thanks to you and the Progress team for doing the needful for those of us with tender tummies.
The fascist jamboree was nothing but a lie-fest full of weirdos ripping their shirts and babbling crazy stuff. The illegals are taking ALL of the new jobs? Sure. The poor farmers from El Salvador are being hired in high-tech jobs. I can't believe people are falling for this insanity!
Thanks Michelangelo-much appreciate your recap and assessment, and the motivational words. Good wins out over evil, but we do need a plan for ensuring a victory over the biggest threat to the America in our history, project 2025.
You call out what the MSM doesn’t; that Drumpf is a bloviating, boring, bullying, increasingly lifeless bag of wind. And a convicted felon too. He shouldn’t even be on the ballot.
JB is 81, honest and decent. He needs to affirm that KH will be a very capable replacement if necessary, with many great surrogates ready to step into a VP role. The plan needs to get started now.
ONE MORE TIME: Joe is going to stay at the top of the ticket, he's NOT dropping out, per his campaign manager this morning. The elected Democrats, ALL of them, need to get their act together and support OUR candidate IN PUBLIC AND BEHIND CLOSED DOORS and quit worrying about their own re-election bids and relying on "polls". They should realize by now that they WILL be re-elected if Biden is by virtue of just being a Democrat on that ticket and working their butt's off to present unity in support of the President from now until November 5th. Joe has every chance of winning if he has ALL of his party's steadfast support!!
Indeed! And as others have pointed out, Hillary Clinton was ahead in the polls and look how that turned out. 😔
Sakina, the fascist just said he took a bullet for democracy. I have no words to describe how much I loathe him.
It’s crazy how motivated by pure hatred all the anti-trumpers are. Never any substantive policy criticisms just pure invective and vitriol and baseless accusations motivated by hatred. And the only reason they have to hate him is because the tv told them to. Sad!
It scares me that Americans will vote for a criminal and liar who only cares about himself. They did it in 2016. What a horror that was!
This aged like warm milk
It’s laughable that you are defending Joe Biden, also a career criminal, who is washed up! Trump is lousy, I agree! He can’t give a coherent speech, he rambles and makes a total ass of himself. So what’s the answer??? I don’t know but it’s certainly not choosing the lesser of two evils.
Hi Mike, well…if you have your golf caddy and a former “pro rassler” who was stinking drunk, ripping his shirt apart and threatening to hunt down folks who don’t agree with Donald to speak at your coronation…. You have the making of a colossal clusterfuck of a confab.. This confab is a collection of weirdos, criminals, drunks, 8 Ball consumers, in your face fascism, trout pouts… Have a great day Mike.
I couldn't bring myself to watch the speech. I just couldn't stand to hear that voice, so thanks for the recap. It was actually kind of reassuring.
We couldn’t watch it live either. Binging Big Bang Theory helped to flush the current news cycles out of our heads for an evening. Highly recommended.
I had to stop too. Missed Hannibal
Hannibal Lecter wouldn't serve Donald Trump to his worst enemy, let alone be friends with him.
MS, thank you for the recap. I ♥ you! I watched about 30 minutes of it and then I just could not listen to it anymore without a vomit bucket. Trump has ALWAYS been a horrible speaker! I mean,, have we ever heard a speech out of his mouth that was engaging ever? LOL He rambles on like a mental patient and calls Biden and Pelosi every name in the book ...again. And JD Vance? For a guy that likes to talk about social decline and write books about it, somone should inform him that his new demi-god is the epitome of social decline and he himself is now 'American Hitler's bitch. The hypocracy of the GOP is maddening! The GOP is so desperate to gain control back that they will support an unimpressive, boring, ignorant, felon rapist for yet another presedential bid - UNREAL. They are desperate, folks. They have reduced themselves to wearing this mask of support for this nasty human being just so they can retain this party which has been degraded to a dumpster fire since Trump walked in the door. TRUMP CAN BE BEAT! I've said this before, but I really beleive most average Americans do not want a fascist d-bag for their president. For the Dems, I believeve in Biden and Harris both. However, I think all DEMS will vote BLUE no matter who. And lastly, down here in SW Florida where I live ( I grew up here middle class), where it is chock full of wealthy conservative baby boomers, I've been asking all kinds of people their thoughts. I have heard, especially among younger conservative women, that Roe v Wade is a dealbreaker for them, which I found interesting. They hate Biden but they hate the thought of losing bodily autonomy more (ummm ...yeah!) I also found very interesting that a lot of conservatives I've spoken to (more female than male, but some male) seem to be losing faith in Desantis, which I also thought was interesting. MOST folks of color I talk to here are for sure voting blue. Interesting right? I mean it is blood red conservative in these parts, but perspectives are maybe shifting? 🙄 Let's beat TRUMP!
Michelangelo, thanks so much for this summary! I avoided it all to protect my own emotional sanity, which hasn’t been great lately. I notice from your writeup and programs that the right is now taking some of the left’s positive language and positions, attributing it to themselves, weaponizing it, and using it as a hateful attack. Sounds like its coming from a speechwriter, too. This strategy now goes along with the mega gaslighting that is one constant weapon.
Here’s what I think.
When the people lead, the leaders will follow. The Progress Channel listeners and Substack readers are now a strong, stable base of liberal and progressive people and voters who have slowly but surely come together in a unified fellowship and resilient team. This team is in no way the cult or street mob that defines the conservative and reactionary right. It is our team or informal grouping of people who can provide some guidance and stability for the Democratic frontrunners who emerge from the party’s current confusion. Our support will certainly help. No matter what happens, we have worked hard to find our unity over the last few years and we have to stick together no matter what happens from now on.
I also think that one of the main messages we offer from this point on is a clear ongoing statement of what hurt and harm the various provisions of Project 2025 will bring about in the day-to-day lives of ourselves, our families, friends colleagues and communities. We have to bring this Project 2025 out in the open as the defacto Republican platform and not be fooled by any “softening” about this that has been put out there by Republicans. Such softening is only a lie to gain power. We could really use a short, under 5 page bullet-point summary of Project 2025 to use as talking points. What is each of the main points, who will they hurt, and just how? Is there one?
Trump is beatable but remember this: we have to win twice. First we have to win with as much margin as possible in the electoral college. But second, the reactionary right will seek to overturn and overthrow any win that the Democrats come up with, even a landslide. Is there some planning going on right now about how to counter the overthrow attempt, including the response of the treasonous Supreme Court, when the inevitable effort is made to overturn the Democratic win?
Trump is beatable.
Richard
Fenton MO
The GOP will lie and cheat to steal the next election. It's all they excel at.
It is important to talk it out in any forum.. in the 70’s it was coffee after work at my parents house. A professor, a city worker, a businessman and my Fad a Union steward plumber.. I listened to them give opinions sometimes it got heated but always ended with good night have to go home for dinner. See you tomorrow. My grandmother baked something everyday for them.
She would not talk much but would say I read in the National enquirer and they would all go Lenora none of that is true……
Father not dad
Thanks for the recap. I refused to watch the entire convention. I had just run out of my antidepressants and antiemetics. Trump apparently said he wasn’t supposed to be there. He’s right about that. He should already have been in prison. But that would have prevented the image of the strong man with the ear scratch and the maxi-pad covering it. Oh, did he talk about the conversation he had with the widow of the fireman on the day of the shooting? Naw. Never happened. It’s only about him.
Three inches to the left and it would be a completely different discussion.
We still have the electoral college, and it still elects presidents. Lower case intentional. Work on electoral votes, regardless of who our candidate. I would like the Democrats to stop screwing around and get on with it. Choose a candidate and stick with that. Regardless of the press, which seems to have more to do with this than the Republicans.
If Biden's re-elected, which I still think is a very good chance, we get Harris anyway eventually. That's the way I figure it. As I understand it from one of the Sirius 127 shows, can't recall which one, Biden has not done well in phone calls and the like behind the scenes among Democrats. Losing his train of thought, etc. Hasn't hit the press, but is apparently a reason a number of prominent Democrats have spoken out about him dropping out. The debate isn't the only place this has shown up. They've experienced it themselves. Be that as it may, if Joe's the candidate, I'm behind him all the way. A stuttering, arthritic Joe Biden is still a far better candidate than Adolf Trump. Kamala Harris as well. I was born in San Francisco, lived there for 27 years and now live down the Peninsula. There's more to Kamala Harris than may meet the eye. I know it, and most of the folks around here know it as well. I'd just like them to make a choice and go with it. Electoral college votes elect the president. Polls have been wrong the last, what, 4 elections. 2016, 2018, 2020 and 2022. WRONG. Don't put too much faith in them. Get out the electoral votes, and help candidates in other states. The court may be lost, unless judges are added, but control of the Senate and the House can do a lot.
If you want to see a fun video of Eric Swalwell, from across the Bay and a little north, try this:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xsxNNFrFi-4.
The Rockefeller Institute released Balance of Payment numbers for 2022. As an aside, from IRS Gross Collections data, California paid $472 billion dollars in Federal Taxes in 2019. 2021, it was $587.6 billion. 2022, it was $696.8 billion. An increase of 68% during a pandemic.
In 2019, California parted with $14.2 billion dollars in order to subsidize Red Welfare States. In 2021, it was $44.1 billion. In 2022, it was $118.5! Ouch!. An $0.83 return on our Federal Tax dollar! I knew I felt a pain somewhere! This is how Red States exist!. We in the successful Blue States pay for them! Why are we NOT talking about this! We get hosed year after year after year! This is the economy of the U.S. Not whatever bullshit the Republican Party throws out there. Our economy is Failed Ass Red States being paid for by Successful Blue Donor states.
I'll go into this more in Mike's weekend Substack, but it's essentially the same thing I've been writing about here for who knows how long.
In many ways, the southern states have never recovered from losing the Civil War over 170 years ago! They are the most crime ridden states and cannot support themselves economically. They are parasite states and now serve as fascist experiments with their total abortion idiocy. Their doctors are leaving because they do not want to be thrown into prison for caring for pregnant women whose pregnancy has gone terribly wrong and require an abortion to stay alive!!!
Thanks for doing the job most correspondents failed to do. And the job of watching this windbag of hot garbage, which I could never do. Vote Biden and Vote Blue!
The speech was insane, and not surprising. He doesn't really change at all, just becomes more and more who he has always been.
Defeating MAGA at the polls is an absolute emergency, but there has to be some kind of solution to the authoritarian impulse in the country's citizenry. It doesn't ultimately matter if they are a minority so long as they have numbers enough to press an authoritarian agenda forward. We have to solve our social problem of resentful right-wing rank-and-file who vote in sufficient numbers to let the fascists keep wielding enough power to game every system and subvert vital institutions.
Project 2025 is the result of focused work by the right-wing extremist elite made up almost entirely of lawyers. Where is OUR plan to protect this democracy, to lift up the victims of our broken social system? Our disorganization and reactivity leaves us with dire vulnerabilities that are being exploited.
And without Drumpf they've got NOTHING. I mean, who's going to follow J.D. Vance? Even the actual Nazis won't follow J.D. Vance because of his wife! Who else is there? Petty strongmen running their fiefdoms, like DeSantis and Abbott? Who?
I understand they don't like the fact she is Hindu and they named there son Vivek after Vivek Ramaswarmy whom JD Vance was friends with at Harvard.
HOWEVER,
They are focusing on the elements in Project 25 and future court judges.
I think JD's wife will get some kind of make over that will make her look more white, and Christian. Maybe one of those blue Jean skirts and long straight hair.
Right on all counts.
The logorrhea was off the charts, even by Trump standards.
So much for uniting the country. Most days, I’m convinced the polarization is beyond repairing.
I live in Pittsburgh, not far from the rally site, so local news coverage of the shooting was wall-to-wall. I found one report particularly notable: The Comperatore widow was asked if either/both presidential candidates reached out to her. At the time, Pres. Biden had called her, but she did not take the call. Trump had not yet called, which he did since. It amazed me that in the midst of her profound grief, she put politics ahead of graciousness: She said her husband was a deeply committed Republican and he would never have spoken with a Democratic president. SMH
So much for “unity.” MAGAs will never unify.
Sorry the firefighter was killed but his widow kept the fanaticism going for her children to see when she refused to take the call of the POTUS who was only trying to comfort her!! Sad!!
Hi Mike,
First off a huge medal and trophy for you listening to even a minute of that speech. I would rather lick a portapotty urinal mint. Thanks for doing what many of us couldn't stomach.
This has been a horrid, nightmare inducing week, Dem infighting, Hatefest rally, shooting, lies lies and more liars.
My biggest fear is even if Biden (or whoever is on the Dem ticket) wins, there will be corruption, votes thrown out, all the stuff that the orange stain didn't pull off in the first go-around.
Thanks to you and the Progress team for doing the needful for those of us with tender tummies.
Liz
The fascist jamboree was nothing but a lie-fest full of weirdos ripping their shirts and babbling crazy stuff. The illegals are taking ALL of the new jobs? Sure. The poor farmers from El Salvador are being hired in high-tech jobs. I can't believe people are falling for this insanity!
Greatest hits of grievance but on Quaaludes is so funny. Thanks. A memorable line.
Wouldn't be surprised if the orange bastard was popping a few of those at Studio 54 back in the day.
Thanks Michelangelo-much appreciate your recap and assessment, and the motivational words. Good wins out over evil, but we do need a plan for ensuring a victory over the biggest threat to the America in our history, project 2025.
You call out what the MSM doesn’t; that Drumpf is a bloviating, boring, bullying, increasingly lifeless bag of wind. And a convicted felon too. He shouldn’t even be on the ballot.
JB is 81, honest and decent. He needs to affirm that KH will be a very capable replacement if necessary, with many great surrogates ready to step into a VP role. The plan needs to get started now.