11 thoughts on “Wednesday Open Thread”

1. NPR / PBS poll shows Harris, significantly gaining over Biden with undecided voters (and Trump losing the same). 

    Harris has gained ground  with younger voters, but the suburban and undecided voters are yet to be won by either candidate. 

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   1. If Harris wins, this will go down as one of the most audacious and bold moves in American politics.

      The timing, execution and response have been extraordinary. Just what America needed.

      Who knew Sleepy Joe was so crafty at stealing their thunder and saving the day?

      But wait! There's more. He gets to give a speech in prime time with millions watching and no cost to the Harris campaign. It's a freebe that drives home the message to dump Trump. Boom

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      1. It's the perfect judo move: Use your enemies momentum against him.

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      2. I can't wait until years from now after Biden is gone and the national achives unseal the documents that show Biden had planned this out some time ago and feigned resistance until after the RNC to manipulate Trump into picking a VP which just doubled down on MAGA base support.  (I ASSERT THE MOVIE RIGHTS NOW!)

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2. Why is the oligarch in charge of Tesla backing the anti-electric car candidate?

   With billions of dollars in EV and battery plant subsidies and tax incentives on the line, the auto industry has never seen such a stark difference in policy as it does ahead of the 2024 U.S. presidential election. On the one hand, former President Donald Trump has vowed to reverse policies that have spurred significant EV investment in the U.S. and North America; indeed, even Musk brought this up yesterday when asked about Tesla’s planned Mexico factory.

   “I think we need to see just where things stand after the election,” he said. “Trump has said that he will put heavy tariffs on vehicles produced in Mexico. So it doesn’t make sense to invest a lot in Mexico if that is going to be the case.”

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3. Civiqs was already polling Harris before Biden handed her the car keys:

   Drew Linzer

   We @Civiqs started tracking Trump vs. Harris two weeks ago. Normally this info is paywalled, but this deserves sharing: – Through 7/21, Biden trailed Trump 46-44 nationally; Harris was ahead 48-46. Trump is stuck at a ceiling of 46. Harris gains from 3rd party/undecided voters.

   …

   Digging into the pres vote crosstabs: – Young voters (18-34) go from Biden 44-36 (+8) to Harris 57-37 (+20) – Independents go from Trump 48-32 (+16) to Trump 49-41 (+8) – Harris picks up 7pp among Black voters and 8pp among Hispanic voters, almost all from 3rd party/undecideds

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4. Highly Complementary Article on Nancy Pelosi's Influence. Li Zhou at Vox.com

   According to multiple reports, former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi — long known for her steely legislative prowess and confrontation of Republicans — was integral to the push to get President Joe Biden to reconsider his 2024 reelection bid.

   “Nancy made clear that they could do this the easy way or the hard way,” a Democrat familiar with private conversations told Politico. “She gave them three weeks of the easy way. It was about to be the hard way.”

   The hard way could have included Pelosi publicizing devastating internal polling that showed Biden losing states he easily won in 2020, according to the publication. And it could have led to Pelosi and other Democratic leaders stating plainly that it was time for Biden to go. Current House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer also reportedly had frank conversations with the president about dropping out, though Pelosi’s stance was viewed as one of the most impactful given her stature in the party.

   …

   Pelosi’s willingness to take tough stances and the efficacy she’s had in doing so are trademarks of her leadership and a big reason she’s accrued so much respect. Simply put, she’s known for delivering.

    

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   1. If true, Pelosi performed the same role with President Biden in 2024 that Barry Goldwater did with President Nixon in 1974, albeit for somewhat differing reasons.

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5. Finally, it appears the media are returning their focus to Trump’s blitheringly idiotic assertions that only a cult member would believe.  About time these lies got some sunlight so the little worms can shrivel on the hot concrete of reality.

   Don’t Take Trump’s Word for It. Check the Data.

   For more than 90 minutes last week, Donald Trump gave a rambling speech accepting the Republican nomination for president for a third time. He used the opportunity, as well as his June debate with President Biden, to repeat favorite false claims and exaggerations. That Mr. Trump has a proclivity for saying untrue things is well known. But in his latest campaign for the White House, I’ve been struck by what appears to be an escalation in both the frequency of Mr. Trump’s lies and the outrageousness of his distortions.

   Now that the uncertainty around Mr. Biden’s candidacy has been resolved, the campaign will begin anew. With Mr. Trump sure to ratchet up his falsehood-laden rhetoric, it’s a good time to review his recent record of dishonesty.

   Not only are Trump’s ridiculous assertions debunked, they include charts to prove it! 🙂

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   1. This was the problem at the debate. Trump told lies but Biden couldn't fight back.

      Now we have a candidate who will fight back.

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6. Unlike SOME pundits, Mike Littwin is willing to admit what is becoming glaringly obvious:

   I’ve been on record for weeks calling for a contested mini-primary as the best way to choose a nominee to replace Joe Biden — I still think that was the Democrats’ best option — but that turned out to be a political junkie’s pipe dream….

   As his column continues, he admits

   I’m still not sure Harris is the best candidate Democrats could have chosen. But there’s every reason to believe she can effectively make the case on abortion rights. It’s the case she’s making now, with weeks yet to get to the Democratic National Convention. It is the case she has made many times before.

   And as you’ll be hearing in every Harris rally from now on, she knows the type of person she is up against and how to handle him.

   The Harris campaign for the 2020 nomination fell apart for a variety of reasons.  But this year, she will be able to run against a single opponent, one who already lost as an incumbent 4 years ago and now obviously has lost some physical vigor and mental acuity.  104 days to the end of the voting. 

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