The Democratic National Convention in Chicago got off to a rockin' start with speeches by Democratic notables, including Hillary Clinton and First Lady Jill Biden, a tribute to civil rights activist Jesse Jackson, a surprise appearance by Vice President Kamala Harris, and a real give-em-hell speech by President Biden, which ended with a four-minute standing ovation from the audience. PBS gives a quick look at the highlights of the evening:
CBS's Face the Nation gives a longer summary with more excerpts from many speakers:
Tonight's speakers will include former President Barack Obama and Michelle Obama, second gentleman Dough Emhoff, and Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont.
In a speech to the nation from the Oval Office tonight, President Biden explained his decision to bow out of the presidential race and his vision for the country's future.
Rachel Maddow comments on what she calls "a timeless speech about a very specific moment":
President Biden has announced he is leaving the presidential race, and has endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris to succeed him as the Democratic candidate.
Click to enlarge.
NBC News reports:
Sky News (UK) reports:
CBS News:
What I Say: Thank God. Now we have a chance to win this election and save democracy. A really good chance.
Thank you for your service, Joe - and for choosing your country over your own ambition. This single act shows you are a true patriot. History will be kind to you.
3 p.m.: Harris takes up the challenge, reports the Guardian;
I am honored to have the President’s endorsement and my intention is to earn and win this nomination. Over the past year, I have traveled across the country, talking with Americans about the clear choice in this momentous election. And that is what I will continue to do in the days and weeks ahead. I will do everything in my power to unite the Democratic Party — and unite our nation – to defeat Donald Trump and his extreme Project 2025 agenda.
We have 107 days until Election Day. Together, we will fight. And together, we will win.
You go, girl! Now put on your running shoes, get out there and fight like hell! We got your back!
What will her campaign against Trump look like? Check out these two videos from 2019. when Harris was running for the Democratic nomination:
For the second time since Friday's assassination attempt on Donald Trump, President Biden addressed the nation today, saying,
There is no place in America for this kind of violence, for any kind of violence, ever, period, no exceptions. We can't allow this violence to be normalized. You know, the political rhetoric in this country has gotten very heated. It's time to cool it down. We all have a responsibility to do that.
What I say: Well, all right, Mr. President. I agree that calmness is needed now. But a spade is a spade is a spade.
How can you succeed in defeating this Teflon-coated opponent if you don't plainly point out that he tried to overthrow the government of the United States, overturn an election, and is a pathological liar with no conscience or sense of shame? As you yourself have done before.
How can we ordinary citizens down here at the bottom of the totem pole discuss what you yourself have called a grave threat to democracy without telling the simple truth? Without mentioning the many, many outright lies and bogus claims that we have all seen and heard, which were recorded by every news outlet in the country?
How can any decent, intelligent, moral person ignore that fact that your opponent and his political cohorts are openly planning to shred the Constitution and establish a permanent dictatorship in this country? Aided and abetted - indeed, encouraged - in that enterprise by a corrupt and partisan Supreme Court?
Just what are we supposed to say - cooly, calmly, reasonably? Please tell us in plain words so that we can follow your lead,
I know you're a very busy man, and don't have the time to get back to every constituent immediately. That's okay - I'll wait for your response. But I'm not sure history will.
ABC news reports on the attempt to assassinate Donald Trump in Butler, Pennsylvania, about 35 miles (55 kilometers) north of Pittsburgh:
NBC provides this aerial photo of the location where the shooting occurred during a Trump campaign rally. (148 yards = 444 feet = 135 meters)
Click to enlarge.
According to early reports, the shooter on a nearby rooftop fired at least eight shots from an automatic rifle. On spectator was shot in the head and died instantly. Two others are in critical condition at a local hospital.
The shooter was killed by a police sniper. Details are yet to be provided.
This despicable act will only infuriate and energize the Trumpists. Political violence has no place in American life. What goes around, comes around, fellas. Don't rejoice, don't gloat. Biden could be next.
And now Trump is a kind of martyr: the Passion of the Donald will be a powerful icon. This changes everything.
Pray for our country: deliver us from evil.
CBS News:
NBC News:
President Biden spoke at an impromptu press conference shortly after the shooting:
This is a black day in American history. In a momentous, breathtaking, party-line decision released this morning, the six Republican-appointed justices (three of them appointed by Trump) ruled that Trump - along with all former and future presidents - has "absolute immunity" and cannot be prosecuted for any "official act" during his presidency. The Supreme Court summarizes its decision (read the full document here) -- emphasis mine:
Under our constitutional structure of separated powers, the nature of Presidential power entitles a former President to absolute immunity from criminal prosecution for actions within his conclusive and preclusive constitutional authority. And he is entitled to at least presumptive immunity from prosecution for all his official acts. There is no immunity for unofficial acts.
This case poses a question of lasting significance: When may a former President be prosecuted for official acts taken during his Presidency? In answering that question, unlike the political branches and the public at large, the Court cannot afford to fixate exclusively, or even primarily, on present exigencies. Enduring separation of powers principles guide our decision in this case. The President enjoys no immunity for his unofficial acts, and not everything the President does is official. The President is not above the law. But under our system of separated powers, the President may not be prosecuted for exercising his core constitutional powers, and he is entitled to at least presumptive immunity from prosecution for his official acts. That immunity applies equally to all occupants of the Oval Office.
The three Democratic-appointed justices dissented. Justice Sotomayor's dissent was particularly irate (pp. 68-97):
Today’s decision to grant former Presidents criminal immunity reshapes the institution of the Presidency. It makes
a mockery of the principle, foundational to our Constitution
and system of Government, that no man is above the law.
Relying on little more than its own misguided wisdom about
the need for “bold and unhesitating action” by the President, ante, at 3, 13, the Court gives former President Trump
all the immunity he asked for and more. Because our Constitution does not shield a former President from answering
for criminal and treasonous acts, I dissent. , , ,
Looking beyond the fate of this particular prosecution, the long-term consequences of today’s decision are stark. The Court effectively creates a law-free zone around the President, upsetting the status quo that has existed since the Founding. . . . The President of the United States is the most powerful person in the country, and possibly the world. When he uses his official powers in any way, under the majority’s reasoning, he now will be insulated from criminal prosecution. Orders the Navy’s Seal Team 6 to assassinate a political rival? Immune. Organizes a military coup to hold onto power? Immune. Takes a bribe in exchange for a pardon? Immune. Immune, immune, immune.
Let the President violate the law, let him exploit the trappings of his office for personal gain, let him use his official power for evil ends. Because if he knew that he may one day face liability for breaking the law, he might not be as bold and fearless as we would like him to be. That is the majority’s message today. Even if these nightmare scenarios never play out, and I pray they never do, the damage has been done. The relationship between the President and the people he serves has shifted irrevocably. In every use of official power, the President is now a king above the law.
Never in the history of our Republic has a President had reason to believe that he would be immune from criminal prosecution if he used the trappings of his office to violate the criminal law. Moving forward, however, all former Presidents will be cloaked in such immunity. If the occupant of that office misuses official power for personal gain, the criminal law that the rest of us must abide [by] will not provide a backstop.
With fear for our democracy, I dissent.
The Court's reasoning on both sides of the case is nuanced and detailed, and requires an understanding of the basics of law and government to fully comprehend. (See the wikiarticle Sovereign Immunity and related topics.) None of which matters to Trump and his followers. He and they will take it as a Get-Out-of-Jail-Free card, a license to kill, complete freedom to do whatever he wants.
It's a helluva mess, fellas. Instead of being the backstop of democracy, the six Republican justices have sold the country down the river. And they knew exactly what they were doing - they aren't ignorant, dimwitted "deplorables" out in the boonies. They know the effect this ruling will have on Trump's court cases and on the election. They know.
The only chance left to stop the madness is the ballot box - we have to save ourselves, because the politicized Supreme Court certainly won't. So Democrats and all others who aren't in league with the devil had better sure turn out in droves for this election. It doesn't matter if Biden or someone else is the candidate - the only thing to do is Vote Blue, No Matter Who.
God help us all.
FYI: Opinion polls show that voters are evenly split (within the margin of error) between Biden and Trump. Your Head Trucker cannot understand how half the population intends to vote for Trump, but go look at the figures for yourself:
This is all I saw of last night's presidential debate, and all I needed to see:
I haven't blogged much about politics these last few years, and for good reason: it's not safe to speak freely in America anymore. And the vicious madness of current politics is not good for my mental equanimity.
But I will say that for the good of the country, Biden ought to decline the nomination at the Democratic Convention next month and let some other Democrat run for election this November.
Who that would be, I haven't the faintest idea. Pete Buttigieg is the only politician I know of who is smart enough and good enough to be the leader of the free world. He's sharp as a tack, he's got heart, and he's got balls. But Pete is still a bit too young, and needs more experience at the top of the ladder.
What about Kamala, you say. Well, what about her? She seemed like a woman who would really make a mark on Washington when she was elected Veep - but since then has largely faded into the woodwork. My impression is that Biden has kept her on the bench all this long time, and she's dutifully kept her mouth shut about it. She's a cypher to me - an unknown quantity. A fearless, outspoken woman who came out swinging just might energize the the party faithful and capture many voters' attention. But who knows.
However -- and remember, I told you Biden was too old five years ago! -- the choice before us now is to vote for a bad man who would be an incompetent president (to put it very mildly) -- or to vote for a good man who would also be an incompetent president. Both are unfit for office, albeit for very different reasons.
A terrible choice. Whichever way it turns out, we lose, and the world loses. Big time.
The stakes are too high to be indifferent about this election. God bless Joe Biden, who deserves our thanks and respect for doing all he could do -- but he should now yield the scepter to a younger and more vigorous man or woman. Someone who can pick up the baton and win the race, if there is anyone. It's not just about parties - it's about the continuation of democracy, or the hell of dictatorship. It's about the lives of millions of people all around the world. It's about Good versus Evil, and that's no joke.
There, I've said it. That's my good deed for today. Make of it what you will.
P. S. -- The more I think about it, a Harris-Kinzinger "unity" ticket might be a real humdinger. Hmm.
Update, 6/28, 11:30 p.m.: It's cold comfort, but I see the Editorial Board of the New York Timesagrees with me:
“The president appeared on Thursday night as the shadow of a great public servant. He struggled to explain what he would accomplish in a second term. He struggled to respond to Mr. Trump’s provocations. He struggled to hold Mr. Trump accountable for his lies, his failures and his chilling plans. More than once, he struggled to make it to the end of a sentence,” the board wrote in an opinion piece published Friday.
“The greatest public service Mr. Biden can now perform is to announce that he will not continue to run for re-election. As it stands, the president is engaged in a reckless gamble. There are Democratic leaders better equipped to present clear, compelling and energetic alternatives to a second Trump presidency. There is no reason for the party to risk the stability and security of the country by forcing voters to choose between Mr. Trump’s deficiencies and those of Mr. Biden. It’s too big a bet to simply hope Americans will overlook or discount Mr. Biden’s age and infirmity that they see with their own eyes,” the Times also said.
Biden is manifestly unfit for the highest job in the world, and the most demanding. To ignore what is right in front of our eyes is utterly foolish; that's exactly what we reproach the Republicans for doing in the face of all Trump's wickedness, isn't it? It would be disloyalty to our country to pretend all is well, nothing to worry about. Do you care more about your party or your country?
The board went on to say it would still support Biden as its “unequivocal pick” if the choice remains between him and former President Donald Trump.
Well, yes - if the choice is between Hitler and Pee-wee Herman, you have to go with the latter. But that's a damn rotten shame.
Roge Karma summarizes the current state of play in the Atlantic:
As of last night, there are no plausible theories left of how Biden could win the election. Last night was the test of whether Biden was up for the job of campaigning, and he failed it. This wasn’t just a weak performance, like Ronald Reagan’s first debate in 1984 and Barack Obama’s in 2012. The man could hardly speak. To believe that things will somehow turn around come September, when the next debate is scheduled, would be delusional.
The alternative to a Biden candidacy is for the president to voluntarily drop out of the race and either handpick his preferred successor or leave it entirely up to Democratic National Convention delegates to select a new candidate in August. Both come with significant risks; neither has a high probability of working. Vice President Kamala Harris, the most natural choice, may be even less popular than Biden, and other options, such as California Governor Gavin Newsom, are totally unproven at the national level. But the notion that a younger, more energetic, more articulate candidate could defeat Trump is at least plausible. Biden turning things around is not.
Your Head Trucker says, without a new quarterback and smart, dramatic, honest game plan to turn things around, we're fucked. And I mean all of us: the country, the world, the whole human race. Remember you heard it here first.
As Elizabeth Bruenig writes, also in the Atlantic:
The candidates said some factual things and some false things, but only one message came across as true: Our nation is shambling along the road to hell, and there doesn’t appear to be an off-ramp. “We are living in a rat’s nest,” Trump said, right for the wrong reasons. “We’re like a bunch of stupid people,” he went on; “we’re a failing nation.” Absolutely, but not because of migrants or the Chinese or the Russians: This mess is made in America, and all of us are going to suffer for it.
There is no good reason for Pelosi to visit Taiwan now. We are already in an unwinnable, half-ass war with Russia, which is a major blunder (can you say Korea, Vietnam, Afghanistan?) - now she and Joe Biden want to start one with China?
HOW FUCKING STUPID IS THAT?
This is so wrong, for many reasons. It will not make Taiwan safer. It will not make China less militant, but more so. It's just a stupid election ploy.
I am rapidly losing confidence in the current administration, especially in its conduct of foreign affairs. I could say much more, but the main point is self-evident to anyone with a brain.
Bonus: The Queen and other members of the Royal Family hosted the G7 leaders at a dinner yesterday at the Eden Project in rural Cornwall:
President Biden and the First Lady were there; it is remarkable to think that when Her Majesty's reign began in 1952, Harry Truman was in the White House - and Winston Churchill in 10 Downing Street.
As international conferences go, this one has been pretty sedate so far: no chairs have been thrown, and nobody has gotten punched out. Everyone was, thankfully, on their best behavior in the Queen's presence, though I notice that Justin I'm-too-sexy-for-my-shirt Trudeau just had to wear brown shoes to prove he is the King of Cool. Ah, well.
BIG NEWS: You can't be fired for being gay or transgender, and the President has your back.
President Biden just issued an executive order protecting Americans against discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity — a turning point in our fight for equality under the law. https://t.co/fSuxT8dF8w
On his first day in his new job, President Biden has signed an executive order directing all federal agencies and employees to enforce and comply with the Supreme Court's 6-3 ruling last June that extended Title VII workplace protections to LGBT employees. Justice Neil Gorsuch - a Trump appointee - wrote the majority opinion, summarizing it thus:
In Title VII, Congress outlawed discrimination in the workplace on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, or national origin. Today, we must decide whether an employer can fire someone simply for being homosexual or transgender. The answer is clear. An employer who fires an individual for being homosexual or transgender fires that person for traits or actions it would not have questioned in members of a different sex. Sex plays a necessary and undisguisable role in the decision, exactly what Title VII forbids.
Hooray! The President and the Supreme Court have now extended the equal protection of the laws to gay people and trans people. Finally. But now is the time for the Congress to make it the law of the land in so many words; equal rights should not depend on the ruling of a court (which can later overrule itself) or on the stroke of a President's pen (which a later President can revoke). It's true, an Act of Congress can be repealed by a later Congress; but that would put a sort of triple lock on our equality, which is important. Perhaps we might even dream of a future day when equality is written into the Constitution - but for now we should look to the Democratic majority in Congress to seal it into law.
Nevertheless, thank you, Mr. President, for upholding justice for all Americans today. Proud of you!
In keeping with the Constitution and the votes of the American people, duly certified according to law, Joe Biden was peacefully inaugurated on the steps of the Capitol shortly before noon today in Washington, where as is customary he delivered his inaugural address, the sun shining brightly:
Your Head Trucker wept to see Joe sworn in, finally, dispelling the dark clouds that have hung over the nation for the last four years. Many problems remain to be faced, but now I feel I can breathe again, hope again. This is the song in my heart today:
O Lord our Governor, whose glory is in all the world: We commend this nation to thy merciful care, that, being guided by thy Providence, we may dwell secure in thy peace.
Grant to the President of the United States and to all in authority, wisdom and strength to know and to do thy will. Fill them with the love of truth and righteousness, and make them ever mindful of their calling to serve this people in thy fear; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with thee and the Holy Spirit, one God, world without end. Amen.
Trump's reign of misrule began with "American Carnage" and it ends with American carnage.
For the benefit of my overseas truckbuddies and any others who care to watch, here are some videos of the filthy, horrific scene at the Capitol - a direct attack on our democracy at its very heart - the culmination of abomination that has been growing for the last four years - continuously cultivated by an evil man and his minions:
Just minutes before the rioters broke into the Capitol, Senate Majority leader Mitch McConnell broke decisively with Trump, urging his Republican colleagues to accept the fact of Biden's electoral victory:
About 3 p.m. Texas time, nearly three hours after the Capitol was invaded, President-Elect Joe Biden addressed the nation with a stirring call to patriotic values:
About half an hour later, the current occupant of the Oval Office hypocritically poured gasoline on the fire he himself started:
What I Say: Your Head Trucker has faith that our Republic will survive this brazen attempt at overthrowing our democracy; but the name of this filthy would-be tyrant will be an execration down all the centuries to come, and his descendants will bear the shame of it to the last generation.
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Aftermath, 1/7/21, 5 a.m.--To their eternal credit, the members of the House and Senate, undaunted by armed attack, reconvened at 7 p.m. last night, Texas time, to continue and complete their Constitutional duty of certifying the vote of the People. In the early hours of the morning, Vice President Mike Pence dutifully announced the result from the chair of the Senate, sealing beyond all doubt or question the election of Joe Biden and Kamala Harris as the next President and Vice President of the United States.
The chaplain of the Senate, the Rev. Barry Black, delivered this prayer from the dais, echoing in large part the prayers of millions, including your Head Trucker, these several months:
Lord of our lives and sovereign of our beloved nation, we deplore the desecration of the United States Capitol building, the shedding of innocent blood, the loss of life, and the quagmire of dysfunction that threaten our democracy.
These tragedies have reminded us that words matter and that the power of life and death is in the tongue. We have been warned that eternal vigilance continues to be freedom's price.
Lord, you have helped us remember that we need to see in each other a common humanity that reflects your image.
You have strengthened our resolve to protect and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies domestic as well as foreign.
Use us to bring healing and unity to our hurting and divided nation and world. Thank you for what you have blessed our lawmakers to accomplish in spite of threats to liberty.
Bless and keep us. Drive far from us all wrong desires, incline our hearts to do your will and guide our feet on the path of peace. And God bless America. We pray in your sovereign name, Amen.
Your Head Trucker would add only, Thanks be to God. Alleluia.
So the election is settled. Now we must somehow wait another two weeks for the life of the Nation to begin anew - with a wild beast, a raving, resentful madman, the enemy of the People, in the White House, manifestly unfit to govern. This is so wrong. In this modern world of instant terror and pushbutton destruction, there should be a quick and simple way to protect the Nation from a rogue President; just how that could be done by legal and constitutional means is the thought of many minds at this time, I am sure.
I was very proud to see that Vice President Pence, after four years of kowtowing to the monster's whims, at last acted the man and the patriot today in fulfilling his Constitutional duty to ensure the peaceful, legitimate continuity of government in our democratic republic. He ought to be Acting President now.
And one more thing: I also like the fact that the Congress publicly certified the votes that each of the fifty states had already certified, in a ceremony that is usually a mere formality. Notice what great legitimacy and certainty it gives to the results. No sane mind can now entertain the slightest doubt that the next President was lawfully elected - a fact endorsed by dozens of courts across the land that have unanimously refused to overturn the will of the People.
Our election system needs an overhaul and tune-up, to be sure, and perhaps a new set of wheels - but keep today's profound scenes in mind as you listen in the coming months and years to the debate about reforming our system of electing a President. Efficiency is important - but even more so is public confidence in the fairness and accuracy of the results. These things are not mutually exclusive.
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Update, 1/7/21, 11 a.m.--The political landscape seems to be shifting by the hour in the wake of yesterday's violent attack on Congress. To show how far minds have changed in just 24 hours, studly Republican Congressman Adam Kinzinger has just posted this video on Twitter calling for Trump to be removed from office by the 25th Amendment:
It’s with a heavy heart I am calling for the sake of our Democracy that the 25th Amendment be invoked. My statement: pic.twitter.com/yVyQrYcjuD
ABC and other news outfits have finally called Arizona and Georgia for Biden, giving him 306 electoral votes to Trump's 232. There is no way Trump is going to have a second term. So lift up your hearts.
The votes are in, and Joe Biden is the next President of the United States. Hallelujah! Live from NBC News:
NBC also shows us live celebrations of Biden's victory across the country:
Biden made this statement at midday after learning of his victory:
I am honored and humbled by the trust the American people have placed in me and in Vice President-elect Harris. In the face of unprecedented obstacles, a record number of Americans voted. Proving once again, that democracy beats deep in the heart of America. With the campaign over, it’s time to put the anger and the harsh rhetoric behind us and come together as a nation. It’s time for America to unite. And to heal. We are the United States of America. And there’s nothing we can’t do, if we do it together.
America has chosen Joe Biden to be the 46th president of the United States. The American people have disavowed four years of a thuggish presidency. They have chosen decency over dysfunction, fact over fiction, truth over lies, and empathy over cruelty. They have rejected the last four years of ugliness, divisiveness, racism and sustained assaults on constitutional democracy. And even as Trump plots legal challenges and levies unfounded claims of fraud, it is clear America is moving on. Now, the real work begins.
Click to enlarge.
Harris and Biden gave their victory speeches to a "drive-in" crowd tonight in Wilmington, Delaware. Both were fine speeches. Biden himself impressed your Head Trucker as being very presidential: strong, confident, optimistic, and determined to do his best to be the leader of all the people and to heal the divisions in this country.
And I'll close tonight's post with the moving remarks of CNN's Van Jones, who struggles to explain what Biden's victory means to him and many others in this diverse nation:
Joe Biden, speaking to the nation late last night as election results continue to trickle in:
In America, we hold strong views, we have strong disagreements, and that’s okay. Strong disagreements are inevitable in a democracy, and strong disagreements are healthy, they’re a sign of a vigorous debate of deeply held views. But we have to remember the purpose of our politics isn’t total, unrelenting, unending warfare, no. The purpose of our politics, the work of the nation isn’t to fan the flames of conflict but to solve problems, to guarantee justice, to get to improve the lives of our people.
We may be opponents but we’re not enemies--we’re Americans. No matter who you voted for, I’m certain of one thing: the vast majority of them, almost 150 million Americans who voted, they want to get the vitriol out of our politics. We’re certainly not going to agree on a lot of issues, but at least we can agree to be civil with one another. We have to put the anger and the demonization behind us. It’s time for us to come together as a nation to heal. It’s not going to be easy--we have to try.
The Editorial Board of the nationwide daily USA Today - and for my overseas truckbuddies, I might describe it as the low-key, mild-mannered Mr. Rogers of American newspapers - has for the first time in its four-decade history endorsed a presidential candidate. Excerpt from the Board's statement:
Four years ago, the Editorial Board — an ideologically and demographically diverse group of journalists that is separate from the news staff and operates by consensus — broke with tradition and took sides in the presidential race for the first time since USA TODAY was founded in 1982. We urged readers not to vote for Donald Trump, calling the Republican nominee unfit for office because he lacked the “temperament, knowledge, steadiness and honesty that America needs from its presidents.”
We stopped short, however, of an outright endorsement of Hillary Clinton, the Democratic nominee. This year, the Editorial Board unanimously supports the election of Joe Biden, who offers a shaken nation a harbor of calm and competence. . . .
It's no secret that the Editorial Board disagrees with Trump not just on his approach to the coronavirus but also on fundamental issues, from health care and climate change to immigration and trade. Policy differences, however, are not the reason behind our first-ever presidential endorsement. Diverse views, even ones we think are wrongheaded, are a staple of American politics and something to celebrate.
If this were a choice between two capable major party nominees who happened to have opposing ideas, we wouldn’t choose sides. Different voters have different concerns. But this is not a normal election, and these are not normal times. This year, character, competence and credibility are on the ballot. Given Trump’s refusal to guarantee a peaceful transfer of power if he loses, so, too, is the future of America's democracy.
For nearly four decades, the Editorial Board has stood for certain core values: truth, accountability, civility in public discourse, opposition to racism, common-ground solutions to the nation’s problems, and steadfast support for First Amendment rights. These aren’t partisan issues, or at least they shouldn’t be.
Donald Trump has trampled each of these principles, making more than 20,000 false or misleading statements, ducking responsibility for his actions, spewing streams of invective at his critics, trafficking in racial fearmongering, governing more as the leader of the red states than of the United States, and relentlessly attacking the free press.
Everything about Biden’s nearly half-century political career suggests he would do a far better job of respecting these values. “We need to revive the spirit of bipartisanship in this country, the spirit of being able to work with one another,” the Democratic nominee said in a recent speech in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. . . .
Biden is well positioned to repair the wreckage Trump has made of the federal government, from the foreign service to the science agencies Trump has tried to politicize. As vice president in the Obama administration, Biden played a central role in the last economic recovery and is equipped to handle another one.
Even before the pandemic struck, Trump did no better than the Obama-Biden administration on job creation, the stock market and economic growth. (Remember his promise to pay off the national debt in eight years? It's now $27 trillion, up more than $7 trillion from four years ago.) Biden knows that the recovery process will require, first and foremost, a comprehensive national response to the COVID-19 crisis that has upended Americans’ lives and left large sectors of the economy reeling.
This extraordinary moment in the history of our nation requires an extraordinary response. With his plans, his personnel picks, his experience and his humanity, Joe Biden can help lead the United States out of this morass and into the future. Your vote can help make that happen.
A timely message from travel writer and enthusiast Rick Steves:
Excerpt from the video summary:
As a traveler and a student of history, I've seen how strong societies can fray. And I fear for our democracy. It’s more fragile than we realize. And it is at risk.
That's why, this year, I believe our choice is more fundamental than partisanship. Four years ago, Donald Trump pledged to "Make America Great Again." When I survey our national life today, it's clear to me that we've lost so much more than we've gained in that time.
If we truly want to make America great again, we need to elect Joe Biden to the White House on November 3. Please join me.
Allan Lichtman, professor of history at American University in Washington, D. C., has accurately predicted every presidential election winner since 1980, often a year or two before the election, based on his analysis of 13 political, economic, and social criteria he calls the "keys to the White House."
In this New York Times video produced in August 2020, you can find out who Prof. Lichtman thinks will win the election next month, and why.
What I Say: Your Head Trucker reminds you that in this mortal life, nothing at all is certain until it happens. There' s many a slip betwixt the cup and the lip, as the old saying goes. You remember that in 2016 all signs, apart from Prof. Lichtman's, were go for a win by Hillary - and look what happened.
Furthermore, in 2000, the prof did correctly predict that Gore would win the popular vote - but chicanery in Florida threw the election to Bush. What do you think are the chances of political chicanery in this election?
I do feel the Democrats will prevail in this election - but feelings are not facts. It ain't over till it's over. So keep your fingers crossed, watch out for tricks, and VOTE!
Lord, make me an instrument of your peace. Where there is hatred, let me sow love; where there is injury, pardon; where there is discord, harmony; where there is doubt, faith; where there is despair, hope; where there is darkness, light; where there is sadness, joy. Grant that I may seek not so much to be consoled as to console; to be understood as to understand; to be loved as to love. For it is in giving that we receive; it is in pardoning that we are pardoned; and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life. Amen.
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We cannot all do great things, but we can do small things with great love.
and welcome to the Blue Truck, a blog for mature gay men with news and views on gay rights, history, art, humor, and whatever comes to mind. Plus a few hot men. The truck's all washed and gassed up, so hop in buddy, let's go.
CAUTION: For mature gay men only beyond this point. Some posts and links may not be suitable for children or the unco guid. You have been warned.
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My Story
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Churches say that the expression of love in a heterosexual monogamous relationship includes the physical, the touching, embracing, kissing, the genital act - the totality of our love makes each of us grow to become increasingly godlike and compassionate. If this is so for the heterosexual, what earthly reason have we to say that it is not the case with the homosexual?
It is a perversion if you say to me that a person chooses to be homosexual. You must be crazy to choose a way of life that exposes you to a kind of hatred. It's like saying you choose to be black in a race-infected society.
If God, as they say, is homophobic, I wouldn't worship that God.
