Tag: 2020 election

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Donald Trump Releases Whiny, Defensive 60 Minutes Interview

Donald Trump

Donald Trump on 60 Minutes (screen capture)
Donald Trump followed through on his threat to release the “full video” of his interview with CBS News journalist Leslie Stahl prior to airing on “60 Minutes” on Sunday night. From the Washington Post:

Trump was interviewed by Stahl at the White House on Tuesday but abruptly ended the interview after declining to participate in a scheduled walk-and-talk that would have included Pence.

Later that day, the president said on Twitter that he was “considering” posting the White House’s copy of the video, “so that everybody can get a glimpse of what a FAKE and BIASED interview is all about.”

Then, on Thursday morning, after he again teased a release of the video (“the vicious attempted ‘takeout” interview of me”), a 37-minute-clip of the interview appeared on the president’s Facebook page.

As with numerous business agreements in his past, Trump violates the agreement with CBS News in releasing the video. The White House had previously claimed their camera was “for archival purposes only,” according to a network official with knowledge of the interview.

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Betty Buckley To Trump: Stop Using My Music ‘Your Presidency Is The Very Antithesis Of Art’

Tony Award winner and proud Texas Democrat Betty Buckley (photo: John Boal)
Do not mess with Broadway legend Betty Buckley. She. Will. Call. You. Out. Buckley, a proud Texas Democrat, became aware that the Trump campaign has been playing the recording of her Tony Award-winning performance of “Memory” from CATS at the Donald’s rallies. Months ago, Sir Andrew Lloyd Webber sent a cease-and-desist letter to the Trump campaign asking that his music not be played at the events, but was clearly ignored. And so, the mighty Ms. Buckley has now fired off an open letter to the Trump/Pence campaign demanding they cease and desist using her music. “We must insist that you stop this misappropriation of music and performance that has nothing to do with the representation of your regime. Your presidency, completely devoid of empathy or humanity, is the very antithesis of art.” She goes on to note his “disastrous mishandling of the pandemic” which is responsible for closing down Broadway and theaters across the country as well as his “super spreader events” which are “undoubtedly exacerbating the problem.” Buckley also underscores the many artists who, like her, have asked that their music not be associated with Trump’s “deplorable mendacity and ill behavior.” Among those musicians are Elton John, Bruce Springsteen, The Rolling Stones, Phil Collins and many more. The star closes her epic takedown writing, “The good news is that we, the voters, have the ultimate say. We will reject you at the polls, and by January the utter hell of your presidency, your criminal enablers and regime will be nothing more than a (wait for it) memory.” Buckley recently produced a new music video in which she sings a beautiful medley of “For the Beauty of the Earth / Jesus Loves the Little Children” with the School of Arts & Enterprise Virtual Choir in a gorgeous arrangement by longtime collaborator Christian Jacob. The video was created to promote social justice, turn out voters in her home state, and encourage donations for the American Civil Liberties Union, Save The Children, Black Lives Matter, and Voto Latino. In a statement, Buckley shared:

“I grew up as a military brat on Air Force bases around the World.  My Father Ernest Buckley was a Major turned Lt. Colonel in the United States Air  Force. Kids of every race and color were my classmates and our neighbors.

“When I  was in the fifth grade my father retired from the military, and we settled in Fort Worth,  Texas. Every Sunday morning we went to the Methodist Church. I sang in the Youth Choir on Sunday evenings. ‘For The Beauty Of The Earth’ is one of my favorite, most beloved hymns. I learned ‘Jesus Loves The Little Children’ when I was very young at  Vacation Bible School.

“It is my hope that via the remembrance of the simple truths contained in the beautiful music and lyrics of these two traditional hymns some persons will feel a call to a soul remembrance of Truth. And it is my hope that the gorgeous faces and voices of the Children of the School of Arts and Enterprise will touch hearts and minds to remember our connected humanity.

“These children, their teachers and families did these recordings from their homes. Over 200 people have participated in creating this project. If this music and the images in this video touch one person, ten or one hundred, it will have been worth it.”

Watch and listen to Buckley’s hymns for humanity below. #Bravo

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Campaign Spot: Let’s Agree We All Love This Country And ‘Go From There’

A new campaign ad for Joe Biden premiered on Tuesday during the first game of the Major League Baseball World Series featuring a voiceover from iconic film actor, Sam Elliott. Titled “Go From There,” the voiceover plays out over a simple piano accompaniment of the “Star-Spangled Banner.” The message of the spot: “There is only one America.” “No Democratic rivers, no Republican mountains, just this great land and all that’s possible on it with a fresh start. Cures we can find, futures we can shape, work to reward, dignity to protect.” “There’s so much we can do if we choose to take on problems and not each other.” “Joe Biden doesn’t need everyone in this country to always agree, just to agree we all love this country — and go from there.”

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News Round-Up: October 20, 2020

Matt Morton (screen capture)
Some news items you might have missed: • Edge Media: Thirst-trapping, self-described ‘typical alpha male footballer’ Matt Morton (above) comes out at 30-years-old. • NBC News: The Texas Board of Social Work Examiners voted unanimously to remove anti-LGBTQ discrimination protections from a section of its code of conduct last week following a recommendation from Gov. Greg Abbott. Abbott’s office said the change was suggested because the board’s nondiscrimination clause went beyond the state’s policy on social work. • Boy Culture: Donald Trump and Mike Pence were set to be interviewed by 60 Minutes, with Trump and Pence appearing together for a walk-around at the White House. But Trump apparently bailed 45 minutes into his interview with Lesley Stahl, then took to Twitter to shame her for not wearing a mask. Joe Biden and Sen. Kamala Harris are also set to appear in the episode, and their segments apparently went off without problems.

• US Elections Project: Of the states that provide party-registration information (which includes battleground states Florida, Nevada and Pennsylvania), about 53% of early votes have been cast by registered Democrats compared with 25% by registered Republicans. • Politico: The Fox News crowd may be salivating over the recent stories about Hunter Biden, son of former Vice President Joe Biden, but over 50 former senior Intelligence officials say the reports have “all the classic earmarks of Russian disinformation.” • CNN: A poll worker in Shelby County, Tennessee, was fired last week for asking voters to turn their Black Lives Matter t-shirts inside out before letting them vote, violating his training as a nonpartisan election worker. The state bans voters and poll workers from wearing clothing that endorses a political candidate, but Black Lives Matter is neither a candidate nor a political party. • Law and Crime: Miami police officer Daniel Ubeda was photographed Tuesday morning at a Florida polling location wearing a “Trump 2020: No More Bullshit” face mask, a move the department said is an “unacceptable” and a violation of MPD policy. Florida election law Chapter 102.101 states that “No sheriff, deputy sheriff, police officer, or other officer of the law shall be allowed within the polling place without permission from the clerk or a majority of the inspectors, except to cast his or her ballot.”

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USA Today Makes First-Ever Presidential Endorsement ‘Elect Joe Biden’

Former Vice President Joe Biden
For the first time since its founding in 1982, the editorial board for USA Today has endorsed a presidential candidate – Joe Biden. An excerpt:

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.

Mentioning Biden’s role in the last economic recovery, the editorial board notes that Trump “did no better than the Obama-Biden administration on job creation, the stock market and economic growth.” Also referenced is the national debt which is now $27 trillion, up more than $7 trillion from four years ago. The op-ed closes with this statement: “We may never endorse a presidential nominee again. In fact, we hope we’ll never have to.”

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Tiffany Trump Hosts So-Called ‘Trump Pride’ Event

Tiffany Trump dances out on stage at a so-called 'Trump Pride' event

Tiffany Trump dances out on stage at a so-called 'Trump Pride' event
Tiffany Trump (screen capture)
Tiffany Trump, the youngest daughter of Donald Trump, hosted a ‘Trump Pride’ event in Florida in hopes of attracting queer votes for her father’s reelection despite his dismal record on LGBTQ rights and protections. From Newsweek:

“I know what my father believes in. Prior to politics, he [Trump] supported gays, lesbians, the LGBQIIA+ community,” Tiffany began before then talking about “fabricated lies” and social media.

She said: “It saddens me. I have friends of mine who reach out and they say how could you support your father, we know your best friends are gay.”

“I know what my father believes in,” said Tiffany Trump in a 10-minute speech at the Westshore Grand Hotel. “Prior to politics he supported gays, lesbians … the LGBQIA+ community, okay.”

Many have pointed out she left out the ‘T’ in the acronym which stands for trans.

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Trump On COVID: People Are Saying ‘Whatever – Just Leave Us Alone’

Donald Trump

Donald Trump is D-O-N-E done with the coronavirus pandemic. During a conference call with campaign staffers, Trump expressed frustration with infectious disease expert Dr. Anthony Fauci and other health officials calling them ‘idiots.’ From Politico:

“People are tired of Covid. People are saying, ‘Whatever, just leave us alone.’ People are tired of hearing Fauci and all these idiots,” Trump said on the call, which included press.

“He’s been here for, like, 500 years. He’s like this wonderful sage telling us how — Fauci, if we listened to him, we’d have 700,000 [or] 800,000 deaths.”

Trump described Fauci as a “disaster” and added that “every time he goes on television, there’s always a bomb. But there’s a bigger bomb if you fire him.”

Trump also commented on the call that he “couldn’t care less” if the media reported the remarks. “If there’s a reporter on, you can have it just the way I said it. I couldn’t care less.” Trump’s statement was probably in response to an interview Fauci gave CBS’s 60 Minutes where he told the venerable news magazine that Trump’s reluctance to wear a face mask in public is because he “equates wearing a mask with weakness.” “You know, a statement of strength,” Fauci said. “Like, ‘We’re strong. We don’t need a mask.’ That kind of thing.” Asked if that makes sense from a scientific stand point when facing a pandemic, Fauci answered, “No, it doesn’t. Of course not.”

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Streaming Tonight: Divas For Democracy ‘United We Slay’

Guest post by Lawrence Pfeil Jr. As the 2020 Election heads into the home stretch it’s all hands on deck, but for One Night Only it’s all divas on deck, as in the “stage deck.” This Sunday, October 18th at 8 pm EST Drag Out the Vote presents the fiercest divas from Broadway and RuPaul’s Runway together for a streaming evening of entertainment, Divas For Democracy: United We Slay.

Hosted by Entertainment Tonight’s Keltie Knight and RuPaul’s Drag Race’s Nina West, Divas For Democracy: United We Slay is a variety show where the divas of Broadway join forces with the divas of the drag world to encourage participation in our democracy. Broadway divas will sing some of the most iconic musical theatre songs while their drag counterparts match their vocal prowess with lip sync passion and style. Special segments will feature LGBTQIA+ activists in a nonpartisan fashion to promote the importance of the LGBTQIA+ community engagement and voter participation. “Drag Out The Vote™’s mission is to educate, register, and turn out voters with the art and activism of drag.”  They also server voter realness: • 100 million people did not vote in 2016 • 1 in 5 LGBTQ+ Adults is not Registered to Vote • Youth voter turnout had a historic high in 2018… of only 35% And you better believe Divas for Democracy is going to have more stars than a Drag Queen’s ass has sequins! See for yourself at  Divas for Democracy  Divas for Democracy streams exclusively on StageIt, October 18th, 2020 at 8 PM EST. Tickets are “donate what you can” with a minimum $5 donation, with optional “tipping” for additional donations. All proceeds benefit Drag Out The Vote’s get-out-the-vote efforts in 2020 and beyond. Click here for tickets. Lawrence Pfeil, Jr., is a freelance writer/playwright who has written for media outlets including The Randy Report, the New York Blade, and Edge Publications. You can follow him at TheOUTfront.com.

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Florida: Mail-In Ballots Have Already Surpassed Primary Vote Total

From Newsweek:

Recent statistics from the Florida Division of Elections have revealed that more people already voted by mail in the 2020 general election than did in the August 2020 primaries. The numbers also show that more Democrats have sent in their ballots than Republicans.

The figures from the Division of Elections website showed that of the more than 2 million mail-in voting ballots sent in, about 49 percent of them were from Democrats. About 30 percent of the ballots submitted were from Republicans, and approximately 20 percent were from people with other party affiliations or no party affiliation.

As of Saturday morning, 2,423,573 people had sent in ballots, with about 1,190,508 of them Democrats and 730,123 of them Republicans. The number just surpasses the 2,342,751 people who voted by mail in the primaries in August.

According to Politico, this is the first time ever at this stage of a general election, Democrats here are outvoting Republicans in the Sunshine state. That said, let this serve as inspiration for you to get out and VOTE!

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Biden Campaign: Do Not Rely On Polls, Do Not Become ‘Complacent’ #VOTE

Former Vice President Joe Biden (via Instagram)
The Biden campaign is asking supporters to not let current polling results lull them into a false sense of security that the race is over. From the Washington Post:

In a memo obtained by The Washington Post, Biden campaign manager Jen O’Malley Dillon urged supporters to “campaign like we’re trailing” heading into the final weeks of the election.

“We cannot become complacent because the very searing truth is that Donald Trump can still win this race, and every indication we have shows that this thing is going to come down to the wire,” Dillon wrote.

Dillon encouraged supporters to use 2016 as a reminder that polling can be wrong and that it all comes down to who can secure the 270 electoral votes needed to win the presidency. While Hillary Clinton won the popular vote in 2016, reflecting national polls, Trump won an electoral college victory by winning several Midwestern states that previously had gone to the Democrats. In key battleground states, Dillon wrote, the “race is far closer than some of the punditry we’re seeing on Twitter and on TV would suggest.”