The Common Ils
Wednesday, October 16, 2024. This week, Kamala Harris went to Pennsylvania and acted like a president while Donald Trump went to the same state and acted the fool.
Forget it, Donald Trump, that's not Sister Sledge singing "He's The Greatest Dancer" you're hearing, it's gasps of shock and horror and gales of laughter. Via MSNBC's MORNING JOE this morning, let's go to the footage.
And so Trump, after jokingly asking the crowd whether “anybody else would like to faint,” took a different approach.
“Let’s not do any more questions. Let’s just listen to music. Let’s make it into a music. Who the hell wants to hear questions, right?” he said.
For 39 minutes, Trump swayed, bopped — sometimes stopping to speak — as he turned the event into almost a living-room listening session of his favorite songs from his self-curated rally playlist.
The estate of Leonard Cohen has issued a cease and desist order to Donald Trump, after a recording of Rufus Wainwright singing Cohen’s song Hallelujah was played at a bizarre campaign event.
Wainwright has also condemned Trump’s use of the song at the town hall in Oaks, Pennsylvania. The singer characterised Hallelujah as “an anthem dedicated to peace, love and acceptance of the truth. I’ve been supremely honoured over the years to be connected with this ode to tolerance. Witnessing Trump and his supporters commune with this music last night was the height of blasphemy. Of course, I in no way condone this and was mortified, but the good in me hopes that perhaps in inhabiting and really listening to the lyrics of Cohen’s masterpiece, Donald Trump just might experience a hint of remorse over what he’s caused. I’m not holding my breath.”
Hope he's okay. https://t.co/WGhGteFpjm
— Kamala Harris (@KamalaHarris) October 15, 2024
Credit where credit’s due: The Washington Post got one very right.
Marianne LeVine’s recent article didn’t just report on Donald Trump’s latest campaign event—it unflinchingly showcased the sheer oddity of it. In a media environment in which Trump’s bizarre behavior often gets sanitized by political journalists, the Post delivered a straightforward account of an event that raises serious questions about Trump’s mental state.
LeVine’s article stands out because it doesn’t try to normalize this behavior. By providing context, direct quotes, and vivid descriptions, she allows readers to fully grasp the event’s peculiarity without resorting to sensationalism.
For instance, she notes:
“As Trump stood onstage in his oversize suit and bright red tie, swaying back and forth, it was almost as if he were taking a trip back to decades past.”
The article also highlights how this behavior feeds into existing concerns about Trump’s fitness for office. Vice President Kamala Harris has openly questioned his mental stability, and events like this only add fuel to that fire.
In times when honest reporting is essential, the Post stepped up.
"Voters are just starting to tune in, and objectively they are seeing a diminished Trump, one who rambles for hours at end, makes no sense, freezes for 30 minutes and forces people to listen to his Spotify playlist. It’s bizarre and raises more and more concerns for voters," said a Harris campaign staffer who also previously worked for President Joe Biden.
Over the weekend, Harris released a summary of her medical history, using the moment to imply that Trump was not up to the task because he has so far refused to release his own.
“One must question … are they afraid that people will see that he is too weak and unstable to lead America,” she said. “Is that what’s going on?”
Songwriters never sue Democrats for using their music. Kamala never lies about the crowds at her rallies, and the videos never show empty seats and people leaving halfway through. She hasn't refused to share her medical records. Because she's not a weird, failing coward
— Paul Rudnick (@PaulRudnickNY) October 16, 2024
Trump has recently added Google to his list of targets, insisting fantastically, ““It has been determined that Google has illegally used a system of only revealing and displaying bad stories about Donald J. Trump, some made up for this purpose while, at the same time, only revealing good stories about Comrade Kamala Harris” and that “This is an ILLEGAL ACTIVITY, and hopefully the Justice Department will criminally prosecute them for this blatant Interference of Elections. If not, and subject to the Laws of our Country, I will request their prosecution, at the maximum levels, when I win the Election, and become President of the United States!”
Trump’s most devoted fans agree with this goal. His more embarrassed supporters wave it off as harmless rhetoric he’ll never be able to carry out. And whether Trump would be successful in his goal of corrupting the Justice Department to the point where it is used as his personal weapon is, to be sure, unknowable. The mere chance of success ought to be enough to disqualify him, but it is true that that chance is less than 100 percent.
The Bloomberg News-sponsored event was intended to cover massive ground. Bloomberg’s top editor John Micklethwait pressed Trump on issues ranging from immigration, proposed tariffs, the dissolution of some of America’s biggest corporations, foreign policy with regards to Taiwan, and ultimately to the country’s fate post-Election Day. But Trump, seemingly, wasn’t prepared with answers.
The former president elicited groans from the crowd while dodging questions about his proposed foreign tariff plan, which includes a 200 percent tariff (which Trump insinuated could even be as high as 2000 percent) on foreign cars.
Bloomberg Editor-In-Chief John Micklethwait did not take it easy on Trump, and it quickly became clear that the former president has no conception of the mechanics of or the potential ramifications of the economic platform he’s running on. Bluntly, the former president was incoherent when pressed with real questions about his policies.
Micklethwait spent most of the interview attempting to break Trump out of what the former president repeatedly referred to as “the weave,” his term for his rambling digressions — with ever-decreasing intelligibility — and general inability to focus on a given topic for more than a few seconds during his rallies and interviews.
But the sudden cancellation echoes Trump’s refusal to appear on 60 Minutes last week, defying a long-held preelection tradition, stretching back to 1968, in which both U.S. presidential nominees participate in sit-down interviews to discuss the finer details of their policy stances.
During its Monday night broadcast last week, CBS News’s Scott Pelley said that Trump backed out of his scheduled interview with 60 Minutes at the last minute on the basis that they “would fact-check the interview.”
Meanwhile, Kamala Harris continues her media appearances, rallies, interviews and more to get the message out.
Ask Donald Trump what his plan is for Black America.I'll tell you what it is: Look at Project 2025.pic.twitter.com/rBfENJKpqV— Kamala Harris (@KamalaHarris) October 15, 2024
At ESSENCE, Melissa Noel reports:
On Monday, Harris introduced her "Opportunity Agenda for Black Men." The plan centers on providing up to 1 million fully forgivable loans of up to $20,000 for Black entrepreneurs and investing in training, mentorship, and apprenticeships for Black men in high-demand industries. Harris is also pushing for the legalization of recreational marijuana—paired with a focus on ensuring Black men access wealth and jobs in that market.
"This agenda is a further realization of Vice President Harris' Opportunity Economy. An economy where people don't just get by, but get ahead. Where Black men are equipped with the tools to thrive: to buy a home, provide for our families, start a business and build wealth," said Congressman and Harris-Walz Campaign Co-Chair Cedric Richmond in astatement shared with ESSENCE.
I'm glad ESSENCE exists. I'm a longterm subscriber to the print edition. But it's an amazing, less than a month away from an election, ESSENCE can report on this very important proposal but COMMON DREAMS can't and won't. Nor IN THESE TIMES. Nor THE PROGRESSIVE -- an outlet with a token or two but the tokens know what they're allowed to cover, they know who's running the plantation. That's a very important proposal and it's one that deserves serious exploration. But so-called news outlets in 'independent' media can't be bothered.
We really need THE BLACK COMMENTATOR right now. I know they had their planned hiatus and then they came back but the hurricanes have delayed them. In the '00s, THE BLACK COMMENTATOR regularly led on the issues and could influence coverage that 'general' news sites (translation: We don't do Black issues) to cover a story.
While Donald disgraced himself at a Pennsylvania campaign event, Kamala delivered a powerful speech on the same day.
THE VICE PRESIDENT: Good evening, Pennsylvania! (Applause.) Can we hear for Karen? (Applause.) Wow.
Hey, everybody. Hi. All right. Oh, it is good to be back in Pennsylvania. (Applause.)
Hey, everybody. All right. All right. All right. Come on. We got work to do. We got work to do. Okay.
AUDIENCE: Kamala! Kamala! Kamala!
THE VICE PRESIDENT: Hi, sweetheart. Hi.
Okay, okay, thank you. Thank you everybody. Thank you everybody. (Applause.)
And I want to thank all of the leaders who are here. Thank you all for taking time out of your busy lives to be here this evening and for all of us to be together.
Can we hear for Senator Fetterman — (applause); your next state attorney general Eugene DePasquale — (applause); Mayor Schember — (applause); Bob Casey, who could not be here tonight because he’s out doing what he needs to do to get reelected to the United States Senate. (Applause.)
All right. Okay, let’s get to work. Let’s get to work.
AUDIENCE MEMBER: We love you! (Applause.)
THE VICE PRESIDENT: Okay. Okay, so here’s the thing, Pennsylvania, we got just 22 days until Election Day — 22 days — (applause) — and we are nearing the home stretch.
But here’s the thing, this is going to be a tight race until the very end. Okay? We are the underdog. We are running like the underdog. We have some hard work ahead of us. But here’s the thing also: we like hard work. (Applause.) Hard work is good work. And with your help, in 22 days, we will win. (Applause.) We will win.
AUDIENCE: We will win! We will win! We will win!
THE VICE PRESIDENT: We will win. We will win.
And here’s why — and here’s why, because this election is about two very different visions for our nation. One, his, focused on the past.
AUDIENCE: Booo —
THE VICE PRESIDENT: And ours, focused on the future. (Applause.)
We are focused on issues that matter most to families across America, like bringing down the cost of living, investing in small businesses and entrepreneurs, protecting reproductive freedom — (applause) — and keeping our nation secure.
But that is not what we hear from Donald Trump. Instead, it is just the same old, tired playbook. He has no plan for how he would address the needs of the American people and American families. He is only focused on himself.
Well, folks, it’s time to turn the page. (Applause.) It’s time to turn the page. Turn the page, because America is ready to chart a new way forward. (Applause.)
And America is ready for a new and optimistic generation of leadership — (applause) — which is why Democrats, Republicans, independents are supporting our campaign — (applause) — because we need a president who works for all the American people. (Applause.) We are all in this together.
And as you all know, this has been the story of my entire career. My entire career, I’ve only had one client: the people. (Applause.)
As a young courtroom prosecutor, I stood up for women and children against predators. As attorney general of California, I took on the big banks, fought to deliver $20 billion for middle-class families who faced foreclosure. (Applause.)
I stood up for veterans and students who were being scammed by for-profit colleges — (applause); for workers who were being cheated out of the wages they were due — (applause); for seniors facing elder abuse.
And it is my pledge to you, as president, I will always fight for all the American people — (applause) — always. And together — together, we all will build a brighter future for our nation. (Applause.) Together, we will build a future where we have what I call an “opportunity economy,” where everyone can compete and have a real chance to succeed — not just to get by, but to get ahead. (Applause.)
Under my economic plan — and, by the way, you know, so, dude wants to talk about his plans, which really are about cutting taxes for the richest people. Please do check out the Wall Street Journal or Goldman Sachs or the 16 Nobel laureates or Moody’s, who have all analyzed the plans and said mine will strengthen the economy, his will make it weaker. (Applause.) Okay?
So, under my economic plan, we will bring down the cost of housing — (applause) — and help first-time homebuyers — giving them $25,000 for down payment assistance, so you can just — (applause) — so you can just get your foot in the door. You’ll do the rest. You’ll save up. You’ll work hard. But just to help people get their foot in the door. (Applause.)
We will help entrepreneurs start and grow small businesses. How many small-business owners do we have here? (Applause.) Right? I love our small businesses. I love — you guys know — it’s a part of my story — you know, my mother worked hard. We grew up — we lived in an apartment above a daycare center, and it was owned —
AUDIENCE MEMBER: Woo!
THE VICE PRESIDENT: — by our — yes, daycare centers. Bless you. (Laughter.)
And it was owned by Ms. Shelton, who we think of and thought of as — as our second mother. And she was a small-business owner. And Ms. Shelton, she was like all of you who do this work. You are business leaders, but you are community leaders. You are civic leaders. You mentor. You hire locally. I love our small businesses. Small businesses are part of the backbone of America’s economy. (Applause.)
So, you all know what I’m talking about. And as we move forward, what we are going to do in terms of knowing that small businesses must get the support you need to start up and to grow.
We will expand, under my economic policy, Medicare to cover home health care for seniors — (applause) — so more seniors can live at home with dignity. And like so many of my priorities, it is born out of a personal experience.
Look, when my mother got diagnosed with cancer, I took care of her. And for any of you who have taken care of someone — a senior, in particular — you know what that’s like, and it’s about trying to cook something for them that they might enjoy eating. It’s about trying to make sure that they have something that they can wear that won’t irritate their skin, right? It’s about trying to, from time to time, find a way to just bring a smile to their face or make them laugh. It’s about dignity. It’s about dignity. It’s about dignity. (Applause.)
But far too many people who want and need to take care of family members, either you have to leave your job or spend down everything you have to be able to qualify for Medicaid. That’s not right.
I look at the sandwich generation. So, we — we refer to folks who are raising young children and taking care of your parents, “the sandwich generation.” You’re right in between balancing all of that. It’s a lot of pressure, and you need and deserve to have the support to be able to handle all of that in a way that we know you are adding so much to our community, societies, and our economies.
So, I have a plan, and my plan is to make sure Medicare — not so you have to pay down everything and get on Medicaid — so that Medicare helps pay for home health care — (applause) — so you can do the work you need to get done in terms of the seniors in your life.
Under our plan, we will lower the cost on everything from health care to groceries.
Look, I’m going to take on corporate price gouging, just like I’ve done before. I’m going to do it again. (Applause.)
And give a middle-class tax cut to 100 million Americans, including $6,000 during the first year of your child’s life — (applause) — knowing, again, the vast majority of parents want to parent their children well, but don’t always have the resources to do it. And so, by expanding the Child Tax Credit that helps a young family buy a car seat, buy a crib, do the things in that so fundamental stage of their child’s development just to get them on the road to what they desire and want to do. And we all benefit from it. We all benefit from it. (Applause.)
So, all of this is to say I will always put the middle class and working families first. I come from the middle class, and I will never forget where I come from. (Applause.) Never forget where I come from. Never.
AUDIENCE: USA! USA! USA!
THE VICE PRESIDENT: So — so I just outlined for you a little bit — a little bit about my plan. Now let’s talk about Donald Trump. Well —
AUDIENCE: Booo —
THE VICE PRESIDENT: He — he had — he has a very different plan. Take, for example, Project 2025. Just google it.
AUDIENCE: Booo —
THE VICE PRESIDENT: It is a detailed and dangerous plan for what he will do if he is elected president.
You know, you all probably heard me say Donald Trump — I think in our collective opinion, certainly mine — is — is an unserious man. (Laughter.) But the consequences of him ever being president again are brutally serious — brutally serious.
So, on Project 2025 and his plan, Donald Trump will give billionaires and corporations massive tax cuts, like he’s done before, cut —
AUDIENCE: Booo —
THE VICE PRESIDENT: — cut Social Security and Medicare.
AUDIENCE: Booo —
THE VICE PRESIDENT: The plan on that end is to get rid of the $35 cap on insulin for seniors —
AUDIENCE: Booo —
THE VICE PRESIDENT: — to make it easier for companies to deny overtime pay for workers.
AUDIENCE: Booo —
THE VICE PRESIDENT: You g- — you got to read the plan.
I mean, the fact they put it in writing is a whole other thing to be discussed. (Laughter.)
And he plans to impose what I call a “Trump sales tax,” a 20 percent tax on everyday necessities, which economists have measured will cost the average American family more than $4,000 a year.
AUDIENCE: Booo —
THE VICE PRESIDENT: And on top of all of this, Donald Trump intends to get rid of the Affordable Care Act —
AUDIENCE: Booo —
THE VICE PRESIDENT: — and he has no plan to replace it.
AUDIENCE MEMBER: Concepts!
THE VICE PRESIDENT: (Laughs.) You guys watched the debate. (Laughs.) Right. He has, quote, “concepts of a plan.” “Concepts.”
But seriously, think about it — in all seriousness, he’s going to then threaten health insurance coverage for 45 million people based on a concept? (Laughter.) The seriousness of this cannot be overlooked. Think about that — taking us back to a time we all remember when insurance companies could deny people with preexisting conditions. You remember what that was?
AUDIENCE: We’re not going back! We’re not going back! We’re not going back!
THE VICE PRESIDENT: Well, we are not going back. We are not going back.
AUDIENCE: We’re not going back! We’re not going back! We’re not going back!
THE VICE PRESIDENT: We are not going back. No. We —
And why are we not going back? Because we will move forward — (applause) — because ours is a fight for the future.
And it is a fight for freedom, like the fundamental freedom of a woman to make decisions about her own body and not have her government telling her what to do. (Applause.)
And we all remember how we got here. Donald Trump hand-selected three members of the United States Supreme Court to overturn Roe v. Wade, and they did.
AUDIENCE: Booo —
THE VICE PRESIDENT: And now — now, in America, one in three women lives in a state with a Trump abortion ban. Think about that. Many of these bans have no exceptions, even for rape and incest, which is saying to a survivor of a crime of a violation to their body that you have no right to make a decision about what happens to your body next. That’s immoral. That’s immoral.
And let us agree: One does not have to abandon their faith or deeply held beliefs to agree the government should not be telling her what to do — not the government. (Applause.) No. No.
If she chooses, she will talk with her priest, her rabbi, her pastor, her imam, but not the government telling her what to do. Not a bunch of folks up at a state capitol telling her what to do, as though she doesn’t know what’s in her own best interest and they know better. Come on.
And it is my pledge to you, when Congress passes a bill to restore the protections and reproductive freedom nationwide, as president of the United States, I will proudly sign it into law. (Applause.) Proudly sign it into law. Yes, I will. Yes, I will.
So much is on the line in this election.
AUDIENCE MEMBER: Love you!
THE VICE PRESIDENT: So much is on — I love you back. (Applause.) And listen, so much — so much is on the line in this election.
And we have to remember, this is not 2016 or 2020; the stakes are even higher, because a few months ago, the United States Supreme Court just told the former president that he would be essentially immune —
AUDIENCE: Booo —
THE VICE PRESIDENT: — from anything he does while he’s in office.
Now, just imagine Donald Trump with no guardrails, right?
AUDIENCE: Booo —
THE VICE PRESIDENT: He — he who has vowed, if reelected, that he will be a dictator on day one.
AUDIENCE: Booo —
THE VICE PRESIDENT: That he would weaponize the Department of Justice against his political enemies. He who has called for the, quote, “termination” of the Constitution of the United States.
AUDIENCE: Booo —
Lock him up! Lock him up! Lock him up!
THE VICE PRESIDENT: Well — well — well —
AUDIENCE: Lock him up! Lock him up! Lock him up!
THE VICE PRESIDENT: So, hold on. Hold on. Hold on. Hold on. Hold on. Hold on. Hold on.
Because see, here’s the thing, the courts will handle that. Let’s handle November, shall we? (Applause.) We’ll handle November. We’ll handle November.
And we are clear. Look, anybody who says they would terminate the Constitution of the United States should never again stand behind the seal of the president of the United States. (Applause.) Never again. Never again. Never again.
And so, after all these years, we know who Donald Trump is. He is someone who will stop at nothing to claim power for himself.
And you don’t have to take my word for it. I’ve said for a while now: Watch his rallies, listen to his words. He tells us who he is, and he tells us what he would do if he is elected president. So, here tonight, I will show you one example of Donald Trump’s worldview and intentions.
Please roll the clip.
(A video is played.)
AUDIENCE: Booo —
THE VICE PRESIDENT: So — so, you heard him — so, you heard his words. You heard his words coming from him. He’s talking about the enemy within Pennsylvania. He’s talking about the enemy within our country, Pennsylvania. He’s talking about that he considers anyone who doesn’t support him or who will not bend to his will an enemy of our country.
AUDIENCE: Booo —
THE VICE PRESIDENT: It’s a serious issue. He’s saying — he is saying that he would use the military to go after them. Think about this.
And — and we know who he would target. And we know he — who he would target because he has attacked them before: journalists whose stories he doesn’t like, election officials who refuse to cheat by filling extra votes and finding extra votes for him, judges who insist on following the law instead of bending to his will.
This is among the reasons I believe so strongly that a second Trump term would be a huge risk for America and dangerous. (Applause.)
Donald Trump — Donald Trump is increasingly unstable and unhinged — (applause) — and he is out for unchecked power. That’s what he’s looking for. He wants to send the military after American citizens. He — he has worked to prevent women from making their own health care decisions and threatened your fundamental freedoms and rights like the freedom to vote, the freedom to be safe from gun violence, the freedom to breathe clean air and drink clean water, the freedom to love who you love openly and with pride. (Applause.)
So, here in Pennsylvania, I say to those who know best: When freedom is on the line, Americans always answer the call. We always answer the call. (Applause.)
And in this election —
AUDIENCE: Vote! Vote! Vote!
THE VICE PRESIDENT: Vote. Vote.
And so, to your point, in this election, we will answer the call again, because it all comes down to this. We are all here together because we know what’s at stake, and we are here together because we love our country. We love our country. We love our country. (Applause.)
AUDIENCE: USA! USA! USA!
THE VICE PRESIDENT: That’s right. That’s right. We love our country. And — and I do believe one of the highest forms of patriotim — patriotism that there is — one of the highest forms of patriotism is to fight for the ideals of our country. (Applause.) That is borne out of love of country to fight to realize the promise of America.
So, Election Day is in 22 days — 22 days. And here in Pennsylvania, early voting has already started. (Applause.) Yep. And, Erie County, you are a pivot county. (Applause.) How you all vote —
AUDIENCE MEMBER: (Inaudible.)
THE VICE PRESIDENT: And — and thank you, because how you all vote in presidential elections often ends up predicting the national result. (Applause.) Yeah. Yes.
AUDIENCE: Erie! Erie! Erie!
THE VICE PRESIDENT: The chant is “Erie.” “Erie.” (Laughs.) That’s right.
And so, in Erie County, you can vote early in person at the Erie County Voter Registration Office — (applause) — from now until Tuesday, October 29th. And so, now is the time to make your plan to vote.
And if you have already received your ballot in the mail, please do not wait. Fill it out and return it today or tomorrow, but please get it out.
And remember the deadline to register to vote in Pennsylvania is Monday, October 21st. So, if you or anyone you know has not yet registered, now is the time because, look, the election is here and we need to organize. We need to mobilize. We need to energize folks. And we need to remind everybody that their vote is their voice, and your voice is your power. (Applause.)
So, Erie, I ask you, then, are you ready to make your voices heard? (Applause.)
Do we believe in freedom? (Applause.)
Do we believe in opportunity? (Applause.)
Do we believe in the promise of America? (Applause.)
And are we ready to fight for it? (Applause.)
And when we fight —
AUDIENCE: We win!
THE VICE PRESIDENT: — we win.
God bless you. And God bless the United States of America. (Applause.)
Isaiah's THE WORLD TODAY JUST NUTS "Dancing With Himself" went up last night and the night before his "Diaper Duty." went up.
