A Friday breakout session titled “Amplify: Getting Louder in 2024” featured ads written and tested to move audiences on key issues.
Humor is an important way to grab viewers’ attention. But it’s hard to do irony, explained panelist Anat Shenker-Osorio. The ad above generated eye rolls when first tested. Audiences thought it an exaggeration, unbelievable. Creators had to add the end cards to explain that this joke is no joke.
Republicans blocked a bill to protect access to contraception on June 5.
It’s one reason why health care advocate Laura Packard is traveling around the country with a giant, inflatable IUD.
More Amplify ads are here. They are free for you to use (except in Arizona). “All videos have been tested to ensure they not only persuade our audiences but move them to action. This “mobisuasion” approach is meant to break through the noise and mobilize voters in our base to repeat our message.”
MAGA Republicans don’t want to govern They want to rule … You! Marc Elias was on MSNBC Friday with Nicolle Wallace raising the alarm again about Project 2025 [timestamp 5:05]*:
“…I think we need to divide [the Project 2025] policy agenda into two pieces. There is the substantive policies which, honestly, I don’t think Donald Trump cares about, one way or the other. I suspect he is not even familiar with them or, if he is, he may agree or disagree with some of them. And then there are the process policies, and that is where Donald Trump sees the action, because the process pieces are what allows him to effectuate his desire to be a dictator. Not for a day. Not for a week. But to be an authoritarian ruler, that he can do whatever he wants, can run government with his cronies in charge, and have everyone in the executive branch at his beck and call. He will go after his enemies. He will seek vengeance. He will unleash not just the Department of Justice, but he will unleash the IRS, the DHS, it’ll be permitting. And he wants to be able to control government…as a tool of his corrupt vision of America. So should people be putting tens of millions of dollars into educating the public about Project 2025? I’d say no, they should be putting billions of dollars in educating the public about Project 2025. The fact is that we are facing an existential crisis of democracy, and there is not the organized, coordinated, well-funded, serious effort to understand that the other side is not playing a game of propaganda. They are playing for keeps, and their idea of keeps is to undermine democracy for a generation or more.”
A friend notes that while the barbarians are at the gates, Democrats in leadership are more worried about protecting their jobs than protecting the country and you from facing a dictatorial regime Republicans have in mind. They have one gear and what you’re seeing is it. They will not or cannot think outside the box.
Republicans are playing for keeps.
DO YOUR PART. Raise the alarm via every platform you have. Retweet the Lincoln Project and Biden-Harris HQ posts about Project 2025. Tell your friends, the people serving you lattes, etc.
Philadelphia Zoo is proud to announce the birth of a critically endangered Sumatran orangutan, the first birth of this species at the Zoo in 15 years, and a significant birth to the population of these animals.
Born to the Zoo’s 31-year-old female Tua and 28-year-old male, Sugi, on June 26, the infant continues to look strong, and Tua continues to be an excellent mother, nursing and holding the baby at all times. The sex of the infant has not been determined and a name has not been chosen. Mom and baby are currently setting their own schedule for when they will be visible to guests. They have access to their indoor habitat where visitors may get a glimpse of them but also have access to their bedroom space to spend time alone.
The Zoo is planning to have their big public debut sometime in mid-August and invites everyone to join. More details on the celebration to come soon. The baby’s birth is a part of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) Species Survival Plan (SSP) breeding program to ensure the survival of Sumatran orangutans and maintain a genetically diverse population. Sumatran orangutans are listed as critically endangered by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) with a population of 14,000 left on the island of Sumatra. Primary threats include deforestation and population fragmentation.
“It is a joy to be able to share this wonderful news with the greater Philadelphia region and the world,” says Vice President of Animal Well-Being and Conservation Rachel Metz. “This critically endangered species is rapidly losing habitat largely due to deforestation as a result of an increased demand for logging, palm oil, and other natural resources located in their habitats. Working with the Association of Zoos and Aquariums to maintain a genetically healthy population in human care is vital to the survival of this species.”
“Our entire Zoo Community and those that work closest with our orangutans are thrilled to watch Tua become a mother again and watch this baby grow,” says the Andrew J. Baker Curator of Primates and Small Mammals Michael Stern. “It is an honor to care for and work with these animals, and we all feel the magnitude this birth has in the protection of this species.”
“This successful outcome is a testament to the animal care, nutrition and veterinary teams that have worked with Tua to greatly improve her health over the last eight years,” says Director of Animal Health Dr. Donna Ialeggio. “Finding practical strategies to both maintain a healthy weight and treat her chronic Orangutan Respiratory Disease Syndrome with twice daily nebulization therapies are a testament to the ingenuity and dedication of our staff.”
In 2009, Tua successfully gave birth to and raised one female offspring, Batu. Batu stayed with Tua and Sugi at the Zoo through 2021. When the time was right and she and her family showed the behavioral signs it was time for Batu to leave her family, the SSP paired her with a male at Woodland Park Zoo in
Seattle, Washington, where she is now expecting her first baby this September. In 1928, Philadelphia Zoo was the first to successfully breed orangutans. Since then, the Zoo has had 19 more successful births.
Orangutan babies are born after an 8-month gestation and are totally dependent on their mothers. The baby is able to cling to its mother’s fur. Babies will nurse from their mothers for up to 6 years, but can start eating solid foods at 4 months old. Offspring will stay with their moms until they reach adolescence at 7 to 10 years old. In the wild, fathers typically don’t play a role in raising the young; in zoos, depending on personality, many orangutans do enjoy living together with their mate. After allowing time for Tua and the baby to bond, we will allow Tua, the baby and dad Sugi to be together if they choose to be. Tua and Sugi live together most of the time.
Sumatran orangutans live in primary and secondary forests of Sumatra, an island of Indonesia. They are the only members of the great ape family to spend most of their time off the ground. Their legs are short, but they have long, muscular arms to help them climb high in the trees. They primarily eat fruits, but also eat leaves, inner bark and various types of non-leafy vegetation. Orangutans are the most solitary of the great apes, but they exhibit a wide range of sociality across their range and may be extremely social when they do associate with other orangutans.
Yes, they are running war game simulations to anticipate what they think is the guarantee that the Democrats are going to try to steal the election in November. Among the possibilities they ran? Barbra Streisand kidnapped by Hamas. Antifa-BLM protesters taking over a migrant detention facility. The FBI arresting Donald Trump two days after winning the election.
“As things stand right now, there’s a zero percent chance of a free and fair election,” saidMike Howell, executive director of Heritage’s Oversight Project. “I’m formally accusing the Biden administration of creating the conditions that most reasonable policymakers and officials cannot in good conscience certify an election.”
The report said a key finding was that the sitting president is the greatest danger to the peaceful transition of power, with no mention of Trump’s efforts to overturn his 2020 loss. Instead it offered that conclusion as justification for doubting the outcome of the 2024 election and trying to reject anything other than a Trump victory. Trump himself has repeatedly declined tosay he will accept the results or rule out a violent response. He has told his supporters that he can only lose through cheating.
Howell said the exercise would lead Heritage to file more litigation over election procedures. He also said it should help the public resist “psychological operations” that he claimed were used in 2020 and are being used again. He didn’t say who supposedly ran the operations.
“The upshot is that we will see a contested election the likes of which we’ve never seen,” said Adam Ellwanger, a rhetoric professor at the University of Houston-Downtown who helped lead the simulation. “If we see the kind of manipulations that we saw in 2020, I wonder if average Americans who are supporters of the president [Trump] will swallow that so easily as they did in 2020.”
The simulation, known as the “2024 Transition Integrity Project,” is technically independent of the Heritage Foundation but included multiple Heritage employees. The full list of participants was withheld, which Howell said was for their safety. Another participant present Thursday was Josh Findlay, who was until recently the Republican National Committee’s director of election integrity operations. Heritage Foundation President Kevin Roberts spoke at the end of the event.
I guess this doesn’t surprise me. The Big Lie is the main organizing principle of the Republican Party and the cult has been programmed to believe that Donald Trump simply cannot lose the election. If they lose they are going to go completely nuts.
I’ll be looking forward to all the viral videos of Democrats saying that Biden can’t win used as evidence in the event that he does pull it off.
That’s how Trump characterized his VP search on a radio show today. He was lying about it being highly sophisticated but it is very much like the Apprentice which Trump thinks is what politics is all about.
The news is all over the choice right now. Is it going to be Vance? Well, Don Jr, his most fervent supporter will be speaking right before the announcement at the convention so… On the other hand, Doug Burgum is right out of Central Casting. he looks like he could be on the three dollar bill! And then there’s Li’l Marco who I think everyone knows Trump is just fucking with.
The thing that none of the media is talking about is the fact that Trump is choosing a new VP in the first place? He had one, remember? And he was the most adoring sycophant any narcissistic megalomaniac could ever hope for. Why isn’t he on the ticket again?
Well, we know why, don’t we? And not only isn’t he on the ticket he and most of Trump’s former cabinet are refusing to endorse him. That is the important context within which this exciting “Apprentice VP search is happening. The media should make sure they mention that whenever they talk about it. But they won’t and that’s a problem.
[W]hile the contenders have various pluses and minuses, they share two qualities. They all looked at what happened on January 6 and decided they were still willing to take the VP slot, and they’ve all spent the last several months publicly supplicating to Trump by winking at 2020 election denial and pooh-poohing questions of whether they would accept the results of the 2024 race.
Trump’s coup failed because brave Republicans — Pence above all — were willing to put their loyalty to the Constitution over their personal loyalty to Trump. By definition, anyone who wants to be his vice president today is saying they would make a different choice. Journalists should keep those stakes front and center as they cover Trump’s running mate pick.
That’s a big part of the story. It’s even interesting and exciting. Why won’t the media tell it?
Rep. Glenn Grothman (R-WI) on Thursday accused “the angry feminist movement” of emasculating men and said the U.S. should “work our way back” to 1960 if former President Donald Trump wins in November.
In a House floor speech that could have been lifted from Margaret Atwood’s dystopian novel The Handmaid’s Tale, Grothman went after supporters of government-funded childcare programs and said President Lyndon Johnson’s War on Poverty “took the purpose out of the man’s life, because now you have a basket of goodies for the mom.” He added, “They’ve taken away the purpose of the man to be part of a family. And if we want to get America back to, say, 1960, where this was almost unheard of, we have to fundamentally change these programs.”
Grothman said “the breakdown of the family” was caused by the U.S. government in the 1960s and “people like Angela Davis, well-known communist, people like the feminists who were so important in the 1960s.”
“So I hope the press corps picks up on this, and I hope Republican and Democrat leadership put together some sort of plan for January, in which we work our way back to where America was in the 1960s,” he added.
Grothman, a fervent supporter of Trump, hailed the overturning of Roe v. Wadein June 2022, saying after the decision: “Over the years, millions of children have had their dreams stolen before seeing the light of the day. But today marks a brighter future for the hearts and minds of unborn children, women, and families.
“I commend the six justices who voted to overturn Roe for having the courage to base their decision on sound legal principles rather than a fashionable line of thinking that rules academia, Hollywood, and the mainstream media.”
This is the Trump cult.
I would vote for a pile of fetid garbage if that’s what’s on the ticket against these throwbacks.
Last night Biden questioned the reliability of the polls and he’s not wrong. They’re very weird this year, not necessarily in terms of the close race, which they almost all show, but in the cross tabs which keep featuring weird stuff that doesn’t make sense like Trump only being ahead in single digits among white people while garnering huge numbers among African Americans. I don’t know what the problem is but I’m finding myself very skeptical that we’re getting a real look at the state of the race from public polling.
Anyway, yesterday the Washington Post/ABC Ipsos poll had Biden at 42% and Trump at 43%, essentially tied. Here’s another respected poll the NPR Marist poll today:
With just days to go before the start of the Republican National Convention, President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump continue to be closely matched among registered voters in both a head-to-head matchup and a multicandidate field.
It too has weird cross tabs so I don’t know what to think. I dis find this interesting, however:
Americans are overwhelmingly more concerned about a president who plays fast and loose with the facts than someone who is too old to serve. Nearly seven in ten Americans (68%) think it is more concerning if a president does not tell the truth. Nearly one in three (32%) think it is more concerning if someone is too old to serve. Democrats (85%), independents (66%), and a slim majority of Republicans (51%) agree that dishonesty is of greater concern over advanced age.
If that was true, you would think Biden would win in a landslide. But you have to consider that many Republicans have been brainwashed to believe that Trump is an innocent truth-teller while Biden and his “crime family” are inveterate liars. Still, it’s interesting that so many people in both parties still at least pay lip service to the idea that honesty is important. (Note that only 51% of GOP voters believe that which indicates that at least half of them know that Trump is a lying sack of shit.)
Here are a few more interesting, if confounding findings:
Majority Believes Biden Has the Character to be President, Trump Falls Short
52% of Americans think Biden has the character to serve as president. 47% disagree. 50% of independents and just 10% of Democrats question Biden’s character to serve as president.
A majority of Americans (56%), including 18% of Republicans and 58% of independents, do not think Trump has the character to be President of the United States.
Biden Viewed as Lacking the Mental Fitness to Serve, Americans Divide About Trump
Nearly two in three Americans (64%), including 38% of Democrats and 35% of Biden supporters, do not think Biden has the mental fitness to serve as president. 68% of independents say the same.
Americans divide (50% mentally fit to 49% mentally unfit) about Trump’s mental acuity.
Nearly Six in Ten Think Trump will Win
Regardless of whom they plan to support, 59% of Americans think Trump will win this year’s presidential election. Most Republicans (93%) and a majority of independents (58%) think Trump will be victorious. Even 24% of Democrats and 22% of Biden supporters think Trump will win.
Neither Trump nor Biden Should be on the Ballot, Say Majorities
A majority of Americans (56%) do not think that Biden should be the Democratic candidate this year. A similar proportion of Americans (54%) do not think Trump should be the Republican nominee. However, Democrats (40%) are more likely to say that Biden should not be the Democratic candidate than Republicans (13%) are to say that Trump should not be the GOP nominee.
Biden and Trump Favorable Ratings Remain Upside Down
A majority of Americans (51%) have an unfavorable view of Biden, and 43% have a favorable one. Trump’s ratings are similar. 53% have a negative impression of Trump, and 43% have a positive one. Biden and Trump’s favorable ratings are little changed from last month.
Biden’s job approval rating is little changed at 43%. Last month, 41% of Americans approved of how Biden was doing his job. 52% disapprove, and 5% are unsure. One in four residents (25%) strongly approve of Biden’s job performance, and 40% strongly disapprove.
Newsom, Harris, Whitmer Match or Underperform Biden Against Trump
If Biden decides to drop out of the presidential contest, other potential Democratic candidates do not improve the Democrats chances against Trump.
Harris receives support from 50% of registered voters to 49% for Trump.
Newsom garners 50% to 48% for Trump.
Whitmer receives 49% of the vote to 49% for Trump.
Among independents, Trump receives majority support against Harris and Whitmer. Independents divide when asked to choose between Trump and Newsom.
You’ll note that the alternative Democrats are getting about the same as Biden which supports my theory that this election is a battle of coalitions, not a battle of two men (although the fascist coalition is also a personality cult.) More on that later.
I’m not sure that Joe Biden has to go — or stay, at least based on the polls. If I lean toward him going, it’s based upon my observation that the press is so invested in his dropping out that they will make it a lot harder for him to win and in a close race that could make the difference. That’s assuming they wouldn’t do the same to Harris, who some in the media are already accusing of orchestrating a cover-up of Biden’s health because she has been vouching for him. I’m not sure anyone can overcome the press pack because its discovered something that has them very excited:
I’m afraid so. And they’re so overstimulated right now that they may very well chase the dragon and treat Harris the same way.
Well, Joe Biden does, but who cares what he says, right?
President Joe Biden held an hour long press conference last night and answered a range of questions about his age, his competence, his stamina, his health and his future. He also delivered several incisive disquisitions on foreign policy that Donald Trump’s staff would have to use a very large coloring book and possibly a puppet show to explain to him. Not that that would work. He’d probably storm out of the meeting long before they got to the part about China and Russia, yelling something about love letters and being a boss.
The media didn’t seem all that impressed, judging his performance to only be fair to middling and virtually ignoring the substance of what he had to say. He offered a serious overview of America and its relationship to its allies and adversaries and made some news about Israel, calling for the war to end. But everyone was more interested in Biden’s theatrical performance and how he answered questions about whether he plans to quit so any talk of his actual policies and worldview are apparently irrelevant.
Biden’s criticized a lot for failing to effectively communicate his administration’s accomplishments and there’s something in that. He’s not good at it the way someone like Bill Clinton was, with his ability to rattle off facts and figures while simultaneously explaining how it’s good for average Americans, is. It’s a special skill. (Donald Trump touts his economic record but it’s all lies, which isn’t the same thing. Just saying “we had the greatest economy the world has ever known” takes no skill — just chutzpah.)
At the press conference Biden did make some comments about his economic accomplishments, however, although nobody seemed to care:
Biden: This morning we had a great economic report showing inflation is down. Overall prices fell last month. Core inflation is the lowest it's been in three years. Prices are falling for cars, appliances, and air fares. Grocery prices have fallen since the start of the year. pic.twitter.com/EyYFITQZXc
With all the concern about inflation, you’d think this week’s news that the Consumer Price Index declined again in June , beating economist’s expectation would be worth a question or two but it’s long been clear that the press isn’t particularly interested in good economic news. If they were, they’d be reporting on the Biden administration’s exceptional economic recovery policies which dealt with a very bizarre and unprecedented economic crisis caused by the pandemic. June was the first time since May 2020 that monthly headline CPI came in negative and also the slowest annual gain in prices since March 2021.
The markets have noticed all this and rewarded investors and owners of 401ks and IRAs with a banner year. Trump, who predicted a stock market crash if Biden became president, says that the bull run on Wall Street is because traders are anticipating his return to the White House. And, yes, once again he’s predicting a crash if he isn’t.
Yesterday, the government also reported that the number of Americans filing for unemployment benefits fell again last week and remain at healthy levels. The jobs story is incredible and as someone who has heard politicians screaming “jobs, jobs, jobs!” in every election I can remember it’s unfathomable to me that this issue appears to have absolutely no salience in this one. It is the best job market since the 1960s, largely due to the Biden administration policies, which we know because the U.S. economic performance is the best in the world.
The World Bank upgraded its outlook for the global economy Tuesday, estimating that it will expand 2.6% this year on the strength of sustained growth in the United States…
Stronger-than-expected growth in the United States — the world’s biggest economy — accounted for 80% of the World Bank’s upgraded outlook. The agency now expects the U.S. economy to expand 2.5% in 2024, the same as in 2023 but up sharply from the 1.6% the bank had predicted in January. “U.S. growth is exceptional,’’ Ayhan Kose, the bank’s deputy chief economist, told The Associated Press ahead of the release of its latest Global Economic Prospects report.
There was a time that such news would be heralded as “morning in America” but according to polling, a majority of voters believe that Trump would be a better steward of the economy than Joe Biden which is, as he would say, malarky. By virtually all measures, Biden’s economic performance has surpassed Trump’s even before the pandemic.
When it comes to jobs, Biden’s done far better than Trump. Even excluding Covid losses and recoveries, Biden’s average job growth significantly exceeds Trump’s. @Morning_Joepic.twitter.com/D2K5pmo36s
Biden has supported and strengthened unions which are having something of a renaissance with big wins in the last couple of years. And astonishingly, this economy has benefited lower wage workers more than the 1%. Axios reported yesterday this amazing statistic:
Just 13% of workers in the U.S. are now earning less than $15 an hour; two years ago, that number was 31.9%, per new data from Oxfam.
As for the GOP’s most sacred shibboleth, the budget deficit, Trump added $4.8 trillion in non-Covid related debt while with a similar adjustment, Biden has added $2.2 trillion. Extending Trump’s tax cuts as he plans to do will add another $3.9 trillion. Not that they care. The deficit is just a weapon which Republicans use to try to cut Social Security and Medicare, which Trump insists he will protect but whose budgets attempted to cut every year he was in office.
Biden’s economic performance has been exceptional. As MSNBC’s Chris Hayes and The Atlantic’s James Fallows both posted yesterday on the unemployment and inflation numbers:
Correct.
I have been around to see a lot more of US history and of administrations' management of the macro-economy than @ChrislHayes has.
If we were living in a normal world this would be more important than any other issue in this election. Joe Biden’s administration has been incredibly successful at steering the economy away from recession and into prosperity the likes of which we haven’t seen in half a century. And Trump is planning to destroy it. As USA Today reports:
“Biden’s policies are better for the economy,” says Mark Zandi, chief economist of Moody’s Analytics. “They lead to more growth and less inflation.” According to a Moody’s study, Trump’s plan would trigger a recession by mid-2025 and an economy that grows an average 1.3% annually during his four-year term vs. 2.1% under Biden. (The latter is in line with average growth in the decade before the pandemic.)
Next year, under a Trump administration, inflation would rise from the current 3.3% to 3.6%, well above the 2.4% forecast under Biden, the Moody’s analysis shows. Compared with Biden, the U.S. would have 3.2 million fewer jobs and a 4.5% unemployment rate, a half percentage point higher, at the end of a Trump tenure […]
The consequences of allowing Trump to take over with his daft tariffs and Project 2025 wrecking ball will be the dumbest thing this country has ever done.
I sincerely doubt that the American people really want this. But as of now, they don’t really know about it. Regardless of whether Biden remains at the top of the ticket, the Democratic Party needs to calm down and start delivering the message that Trump is planning to kill the golden goose and serve it for dinner at Mar-a-Lago.
