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  21. <title>JD Vance’s selection as Trump’s running mate marks the end of Republican conservatism</title>
  22. <link>https://themoderatevoice.com/jd-vances-selection-as-trumps-running-mate-marks-the-end-of-republican-conservatism/</link>
  23. <comments>https://themoderatevoice.com/jd-vances-selection-as-trumps-running-mate-marks-the-end-of-republican-conservatism/#respond</comments>
  24. <dc:creator><![CDATA[Guest Voice]]></dc:creator>
  25. <pubDate>Fri, 26 Jul 2024 14:28:09 +0000</pubDate>
  26. <category><![CDATA[2024 Presidential Election]]></category>
  27. <category><![CDATA[Extremists]]></category>
  28. <category><![CDATA[Featured]]></category>
  29. <category><![CDATA[conservatism]]></category>
  30. <category><![CDATA[Donald Trump]]></category>
  31. <category><![CDATA[JD Vance]]></category>
  32. <category><![CDATA[MAGA]]></category>
  33. <category><![CDATA[Marco Rubio]]></category>
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  38. <guid isPermaLink="false">https://themoderatevoice.com/?p=280834</guid>
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  40. <description><![CDATA[<p>Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump and vice presidential candidate JD Vance at a campaign rally in Michigan on July 20, 2024. AP Photo/Evan Vucci Karyn Amira, College of Charleston Since Donald Trump chose Ohio Sen. JD Vance as his running mate, it’s been widely noted that Vance once described Trump as “reprehensible” and “cultural heroin.”<a class="read-more" href="https://themoderatevoice.com/jd-vances-selection-as-trumps-running-mate-marks-the-end-of-republican-conservatism/"> [&#8230;]</a></p>
  41. <p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://themoderatevoice.com/jd-vances-selection-as-trumps-running-mate-marks-the-end-of-republican-conservatism/">JD Vance’s selection as Trump’s running mate marks the end of Republican conservatism</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://themoderatevoice.com">The Moderate Voice</a>.</p>
  42. ]]></description>
  43. <content:encoded><![CDATA[<div class="theconversation-article-body">
  44. <figure>
  45.      <img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/609235/original/file-20240724-20-3ibf41.jpg?ixlib=rb-4.1.0&#038;rect=28%2C0%2C4802%2C3216&#038;q=45&#038;auto=format&#038;w=754&#038;fit=clip" /><figcaption>
  46.          Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump and vice presidential candidate JD Vance at a campaign rally in Michigan on July 20, 2024.<br />
  47.          <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://newsroom.ap.org/detail/Election2024Trump/51763c74c3d74572b19370f6cfba67b7/photo"> AP Photo/Evan Vucci</a></span><br />
  48.        </figcaption></figure>
  49. <p>  <span><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/karyn-amira-1472595">Karyn Amira</a>, <em><a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/college-of-charleston-734">College of Charleston</a></em></span></p>
  50. <p>Since Donald Trump <a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-vice-president-vance-rubio-burgum-rnc-6cc438a8370a21b2631f5a53b06b71d0">chose Ohio Sen. JD Vance as his running mate</a>, it’s been widely noted that Vance once described Trump as “<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2024/07/15/us/politics/trump-vp-pick.html">reprehensible” and “cultural heroin</a>.” However, the day after Vance won his own Senate race in 2022, he reportedly made it known that he <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2024/07/15/why-trump-vp-vpick-jd-vance/">would support Trump for president in 2024</a>.</p>
  51. <p>Given this dramatic change, what does Vance’s selection mean for the Republican Party and conservatism, the political philosophy that the GOP once claimed to embrace? </p>
  52. <p>I am a political scientist whose research and <a href="https://theconversation.com/reagan-wouldnt-recognize-trump-style-conservatism-a-look-at-how-the-gop-has-changed-213971">political analysis</a> focuses on the relationship between <a href="https://rowman.com/ISBN/9781793607461/The-Republican-Resistance-">Trump</a>, the <a href="https://doi.org/10.1017/S1537592719001063">Republican Party</a> and <a href="https://doi.org/10.1177/1532673X221112395">conservatism</a>. Everyday citizens define conservatism in different ways, but at its root it is a  philosophy that supports smaller and less-centralized government because consolidated power could be used to silence political competition and deny citizens their liberties. </p>
  53. <p>Since 2015, Trump has tightened his grip on the Republican Party, moving it further away from its <a href="https://theconversation.com/reagan-wouldnt-recognize-trump-style-conservatism-a-look-at-how-the-gop-has-changed-213971">professed conservative ideology</a>. The choice of Vance as Trump’s running mate – and the competition that preceded it – are the latest steps in this process.</p>
  54. <figure>
  55.            <iframe width="440" height="260" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/YOu8c-3OFc0?wmode=transparent&amp;start=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe><figcaption><span class="caption">Political columnist George Will describes how Trumpism has steered the Republican Party away from traditional conservative views.</span></figcaption></figure>
  56. <p>Vance came from a <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2024/06/11/briefing/donald-trump-vice-president-pick.html">small pool of contenders</a> that included other noteworthy politicians who likewise once vehemently opposed Trump. By examining their trajectories, we can see how the Republican Party has abandoned conservative values to serve a single man.  </p>
  57. <h2>Elise Stefanik</h2>
  58. <p>Elise Stefanik ran for Congress in 2014 from a district in upstate New York as a mainstream Republican who <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/powerpost/stefanik-cheney-trump/2021/05/05/3a20c2a4-adbc-11eb-b476-c3b287e52a01_story.html">admired Rep. Paul Ryan of Wisconsin</a>. Ryan was a traditional conservative who had run for vice president alongside former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney in 2012. <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/powerpost/stefanik-cheney-trump/2021/05/05/3a20c2a4-adbc-11eb-b476-c3b287e52a01_story.html">Romney endorsed Stefanik for Congress</a>, saying that she was “a person of integrity. Every campaign is different, but values don’t change.” </p>
  59. <p>But Stefanik’s values did change. When forced to share the ballot with Trump in 2016, she couldn’t even “spit his name out,” <a href="https://www.vox.com/2022/10/4/23386159/tim-miller-trump-maga-republicans-stefanik">according to Republican consultant Tim Miller</a>. But <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2024/02/23/politics/elise-stefanik-trump/index.html">early in Trump’s presidency</a>, she became a vocal ally, eventually <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2021/05/14/politics/liz-cheney-house-republicans-vote/index.html">replacing Rep. Liz Cheney</a> as chair of the House Republican Conference in 2021.</p>
  60. <p>House Republicans <a href="https://rollcall.com/2021/05/12/house-republicans-oust-liz-cheney-from-no-3-leadership-post/">ousted Cheney from that position</a> after she criticized Trump’s <a href="https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/timeline-donald-trumps-election-denial-claims-republican-politicians/story?id=89168408">refusal to support the 2020 election results</a> and his actions during the <a href="https://theconversation.com/the-jan-6-committee-makes-its-case-against-trump-his-allies-and-their-conspiracy-to-commit-an-insurrection-five-essential-reads-196754">Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol</a>. Cheney justified her opposition to Trump by highlighting her <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2021/05/05/liz-cheney-republican-party-turning-point/">respect for the rule of law and support for limited government</a> – even when those positions meant opposing her own party leader. These are foundational conservative principles, centered in aversion to consolidated government power. </p>
  61. <p>This switch was a significant moment in the party’s ideological transformation. Stefanik’s rising star subsequently landed her in the mix for vice president, which she called “<a href="https://www.politico.com/live-updates/2024/07/16/rnc-live-updates-coverage/stefanik-trump-00168886">An honor. A humbling honor</a>.”</p>
  62. </p>
  63. <h2>Marco Rubio</h2>
  64. <p>Florida Sen. Marco Rubio challenged Trump for the 2016 Republican presidential nomination. During that race, Rubio issued a news release calling Trump a “<a href="https://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/documents/rubio-campaign-press-release-rubio-donald-trump-dangerous">serious threat to the future of our party and our country</a>,” and blamed him for <a href="https://www.politico.com/story/2016/03/marco-rubio-donald-trump-gop-nominee-support-220664">ushering in a climate of violence</a>.  </p>
  65. <p>Statements like these made sense coming from a serious conservative whose worldview was defined by his family’s Cuban heritage and who opposed <a href="https://www.rubio.senate.gov/rubio-introduces-resolution-in-support-of-the-cuban-people/">communism, tyranny</a> and <a href="https://www.rubio.senate.gov/accomplishments/western-hemisphere/">excessive government power</a>.  </p>
  66. <p>Eventually, though, Rubio became a Trump ally. He voted to acquit Trump in his second impeachment trial in 2021, which centered on charges that Trump <a href="https://www.senate.gov/legislative/LIS/roll_call_votes/vote1171/vote_117_1_00059.htm">had incited an insurrection</a>. In line with Trump’s wishes, Rubio <a href="https://www.senate.gov/legislative/LIS/roll_call_votes/vote1171/vote_117_1_00218.htm">opposed establishing an independent commission</a> to investigate the Jan. 6 events.</p>
  67. <p>In early 2024, Rubio was asked in an ABC interview if he really wanted to be vice president even though Trump had defended calls by Jan. 6 insurrectionists <a href="https://www.politico.com/news/2022/05/25/trump-expressed-support-hanging-pence-capitol-riot-jan-6-00035117">to hang former Vice President Mike Pence</a> for certifying the 2020 election results. </p>
  68. <p>“When Donald Trump was president of the United States, this country was safer, it was more prosperous,” Rubio responded. “<a href="https://abcnews.go.com/ThisWeek/video/offered-vice-presidency-honored-opportunity-marco-rubio-108442669">I think this country and the world was a better place</a>.” </p>
  69. <p>This refusal to acknowledge and challenge Trump’s apparent support of lawlessness by his followers was an abdication of fundamental conservative values.</p>
  70. <figure>
  71.            <iframe width="440" height="260" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/3JEUGjyROw4?wmode=transparent&amp;start=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe><figcaption><span class="caption">Sen. Marco Rubio called Donald Trump ‘a con artist’ and a threat to conservatism in 2016, but sought to be his running mate in 2024.</span></figcaption></figure>
  72. <h2>Tim Scott</h2>
  73. <p>South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott has <a href="https://www.scott.senate.gov/issues/conservative-values/">touted his conservative values and principles</a> throughout his political life. It was logical for him to <a href="https://www.politico.com/story/2016/02/tim-scott-endorses-marco-rubio-218610">endorse Rubio</a> as Trump gained momentum in the 2016 Republican primaries. </p>
  74. <p>In 2017, Scott insisted that Trump’s <a href="https://www.congress.gov/118/meeting/house/116973/documents/HHRG-118-ED00-20240417-SD006.pdf">failure to condemn white nationalists</a> after violent clashes in Charlottesville, Virginia, <a href="https://www.vice.com/en/article/j5dab3/tim-scott-trump-charlottesville-race">compromised his moral authority</a>. Not long after, however, Scott met with Trump about his comments and was convinced that Trump had “<a href="https://www.npr.org/2017/09/13/550462690/sen-tim-scott-trump-has-obviously-reflected-on-his-charlottesville-comments">obviously reflected</a>” on what he said. </p>
  75. <p>When Trump refused to flatly condemn white supremacists a few years later in a 2020 presidential debate, <a href="https://thehill.com/homenews/senate/518936-tim-scott-trump-should-correct-his-debate-comments-on-white-supremacists/">Scott suggested that Trump “misspoke</a>” and should correct the comments, but added, “If he doesn’t correct it, I guess he didn’t misspeak.” After dropping out of the Republican primaries in 2024, Scott endorsed Trump as someone who could “<a href="https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/sen-tim-scott-endorse-donald-trump/story?id=106519265">unite the country</a>.”</p>
  76. </p>
  77. <h2>Why Vance?</h2>
  78. <p>These converted Trump allies still hold modern conservative stances on issues such as <a href="https://www.scott.senate.gov/issues/conservative-values/#:%7E:text=I%20believe%20that%20government%20should,Taxpayer%20Funding%20for%20Abortion%20Act.">abortion and health care</a>. But in seeking to become Trump’s running mate, they tacitly endorsed an executive’s attempt to <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/interactive/2022/election-overturn-plans/">overturn a democratic election</a> and subvert the liberties of U.S. citizens. Such a shift violates the spirit of conservatism. </p>
  79. <p>These politicians have also moved away from conservative principles in areas including <a href="https://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow-show/maddowblog/elise-stefaniks-vote-security-aid-ukraine-matters-rcna148773">U.S. foreign policy</a> <a href="https://theimmigrationhub.org/marco-rubios-evolution-from-proimmigrant-to-the-fringe-right">and immigration</a>. But the fundamental shift that is most profound is in their attitudes toward abuse of government power.</p>
  80. <p>What should we make of Trump choosing Vance, who once <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/elections/2024/07/15/jd-vance-trump-criticism/">privately compared Trump to Hitler</a> but now says that he <a href="https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/jd-vance-defends-trump-claims-invoking-jean-carroll/story?id=106925954">would not have readily certified the 2020 election</a> if he had been in Pence’s shoes? </p>
  81. <p>Many considerations affect the choice of a running mate. But Vance <a href="https://www.dispatch.com/story/news/politics/elections/2024/03/11/why-ohio-isnt-a-battleground-state-in-2024-presidential-race/72794662007/">doesn’t represent a swing state</a>. He probably won’t appeal to <a href="https://abcnews.go.com/538/picking-jd-vance-vp-trump-doubles-trumpism/story?id=111974335">MAGA-skeptical independent voters</a> who have yet to make up their minds about who to vote for. </p>
  82. <p>Instead, <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2024/07/17/politics/jd-vance-rnc-speech/index.html">people close to Trump</a> call the 39-year-old Vance the new heir to Trump’s MAGA movement. Vance is more than a protegé, though; he embodies Trump’s influence on the Republican Party’s evolving relationship with government power and <a href="https://nymag.com/intelligencer/2024/07/j-d-vance-explains-his-conversion-to-trump-and-maga.html">insists his political conversion is genuine</a>.</p>
  83. <p>If there was any speculation that Republicans would revert to some form of traditional conservatism after Trump leaves politics, the prospect of a JD Vance presidency makes clear that the answer is no.<!-- Below is The Conversation's page counter tag. Please DO NOT REMOVE. --><img loading="lazy" src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/235054/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" style="border: none !important; box-shadow: none !important; margin: 0 !important; max-height: 1px !important; max-width: 1px !important; min-height: 1px !important; min-width: 1px !important; opacity: 0 !important; outline: none !important; padding: 0 !important" referrerpolicy="no-referrer-when-downgrade" /><!-- End of code. If you don't see any code above, please get new code from the Advanced tab after you click the republish button. The page counter does not collect any personal data. More info: https://theconversation.com/republishing-guidelines --></p>
  84. <p><span><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/karyn-amira-1472595">Karyn Amira</a>, Associate Professor of Political Science, <em><a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/college-of-charleston-734">College of Charleston</a></em></span></p>
  85. <p>This article is republished from <a href="https://theconversation.com">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/jd-vances-selection-as-trumps-running-mate-marks-the-end-of-republican-conservatism-235054">original article</a>.</p>
  86. </div>
  87. <p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://themoderatevoice.com/jd-vances-selection-as-trumps-running-mate-marks-the-end-of-republican-conservatism/">JD Vance’s selection as Trump’s running mate marks the end of Republican conservatism</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://themoderatevoice.com">The Moderate Voice</a>.</p>
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  93. <title>YOU THINK I’M AFRAID TO DEBATE?</title>
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  95. <comments>https://themoderatevoice.com/you-think-im-afraid-to-debate/#comments</comments>
  96. <dc:creator><![CDATA[Don Hermann, Columnist]]></dc:creator>
  97. <pubDate>Fri, 26 Jul 2024 13:17:07 +0000</pubDate>
  98. <category><![CDATA[2024 Presidential Election]]></category>
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  100. <category><![CDATA[Presidential debates]]></category>
  101. <category><![CDATA[Donald Trump]]></category>
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  104. <guid isPermaLink="false">https://themoderatevoice.com/?p=280800</guid>
  105.  
  106. <description><![CDATA[<p>Do I look nervous to you? Scattered? You know me. I’m tough. Donny. Donny Trump. Look how I stood up to the legal system. They backed down because of me. I got a bad rap. Some called me a coward. What about how I got drafted during Vietnam? They weren’t going to take advantage of me.<a class="read-more" href="https://themoderatevoice.com/you-think-im-afraid-to-debate/"> [&#8230;]</a></p>
  107. <p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://themoderatevoice.com/you-think-im-afraid-to-debate/">YOU THINK I&#8217;M AFRAID TO DEBATE?</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://themoderatevoice.com">The Moderate Voice</a>.</p>
  108. ]]></description>
  109. <content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><img loading="lazy" src="https://themoderatevoice.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/dreamstime_s_40416982-e1721934266323.jpg" alt="" width="750" height="500" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-280806" /></p>
  110. <p>Do I look nervous to you? Scattered? You know me. I’m tough.</p>
  111. <p>Donny. Donny Trump.</p>
  112. <p>Look how I stood up to the legal system. They backed down because of me. I got a bad rap. Some called me a coward.</p>
  113. <p>What about how I got drafted during Vietnam? They weren’t going to take advantage of me. So my father and I took care of a tenant of his. A podiatrist. A favor here. A favor there. Before you knew it, I had bone spurs. A 4F Classification. Unfit to serve.</p>
  114. <p>They weren’t going to take advantage of me.</p>
  115. <p>Do you blame me?</p>
  116. <p>Authority is not going to interrupt my lifestyle.</p>
  117. <p>You got to show that you’re entitled to things.</p>
  118. <p>You may remember when I first ran for President in 2015, I submitted a medical report. I know my body better than the Doctor does. I wanted to make sure everything was covered, so I wrote it myself. The Doctor signed it. To make sure no one changed it, I had three large fellows go to the office and acquire all my records. I don’t understand the Doctor’s reaction “He felt raped.”</p>
  119. <p>What’s the big deal? So I touched some women. They seemed to like it. I kissed them, too. Now they make a big deal. A couple got me for rape. Ridiculous.</p>
  120. <p>Even though the records don’t show it, at Wharton, I was Number one in the class. Wharton claims they can’t confirm it. Take my word for it.</p>
  121. <p>I know the records show I went bankrupt several times. And failed in almost every business venture I was in. Keep in mind that an astute businessman doesn’t get hurt under these circumstances. I came out on top. A number of people I did business with did suffer, but it’s not my fault. Doing business under the Trump name is a major plus, they could use that information to sell other people. There are doubters. But look at it this way. I ran for President and won. I beat Hillary. People have some nerve, they question my credibility.</p>
  122. <p>A lot happened under my Presidency. I’m getting blamed for having a relationship with Putin. He was an enemy. Now he wants to be my friend. He bent over backwards to accommodate me. Word is that he was involved in helping me win the first election.</p>
  123. <p>I reciprocated. Gave him some highly classified information. That’s what’s friends are about.</p>
  124. <p>I didn’t get where I got being a nice guy.  My secret, tell people what you think they want to hear. Tell them often, they’ll believe you.</p>
  125. <p>Covid came when I was President. I played it down. You think I wanted to be blamed for it? Over one million died. They’re not going to put that in my camp.</p>
  126. <p>I’m still working on Mexico building that wall. Perhaps a contractor who did work for me would be interested?</p>
  127. <p>When I took over the Presidency the deficit was about $500 billion from Obama. When I left it was over $3 trillion. I tell people debt is good. I don’t worry about who’s going to pay for it. I’ll blame Obama. Or Hillary.</p>
  128. <p>You don’t think that jail hasn’t been keeping me up at night since I became President. Those bags under my eyes are not from age.</p>
  129. <p>So now comes the next election and that sleepy old man Biden beats me. That alone is an embarrassment.</p>
  130. <p>If I’ve ever done anything right in my life, it’s this. I pressed the right buttons of people around the country who are upset and angry with authority. They identify with my plight. No matter what I do or what I’ve done.</p>
  131. <p>I’ve told them I really won the election. And got cheated. They bought it.</p>
  132. <p>Congress is a surprise. I threatened those cowards a few times and they fell into line faster than you can say Hate. They’re in my hip pocket. I have absolutely no respect for them.</p>
  133. <p>They’ll lie and cheat for me. Say and do whatever I want.</p>
  134. <p>All this only scratches the surface. You think I want to debate that lady? That colored lady?</p>
  135. <blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
  136. <p lang="en" dir="ltr">Trump is a chicken <a href="https://t.co/6q1sUc2Evv">pic.twitter.com/6q1sUc2Evv</a></p>
  137. <p>&mdash; Republicans against Trump (@RpsAgainstTrump) <a href="https://twitter.com/RpsAgainstTrump/status/1816649353764671976?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 26, 2024</a></p></blockquote>
  138. <p> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p>
  139. <p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://themoderatevoice.com/you-think-im-afraid-to-debate/">YOU THINK I&#8217;M AFRAID TO DEBATE?</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://themoderatevoice.com">The Moderate Voice</a>.</p>
  140. ]]></content:encoded>
  141. <wfw:commentRss>https://themoderatevoice.com/you-think-im-afraid-to-debate/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
  142. <slash:comments>1</slash:comments>
  143. </item>
  144. <item>
  145. <title>Democracy Is Self-Correcting.</title>
  146. <link>https://themoderatevoice.com/democracy-is-self-correcting/</link>
  147. <comments>https://themoderatevoice.com/democracy-is-self-correcting/#respond</comments>
  148. <dc:creator><![CDATA[Dorian de Wind, Military Affairs Correspondent]]></dc:creator>
  149. <pubDate>Fri, 26 Jul 2024 02:25:59 +0000</pubDate>
  150. <category><![CDATA[At TMV]]></category>
  151. <category><![CDATA[Featured]]></category>
  152. <category><![CDATA[Government]]></category>
  153. <category><![CDATA[History]]></category>
  154. <category><![CDATA[Military]]></category>
  155. <category><![CDATA[Native Americans]]></category>
  156. <category><![CDATA[War]]></category>
  157. <category><![CDATA[Civil War (Other Than the US 1861-1865)]]></category>
  158. <category><![CDATA[Medal of Honor]]></category>
  159. <category><![CDATA[Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III]]></category>
  160. <category><![CDATA[Wounded Knee Massacre]]></category>
  161. <guid isPermaLink="false">https://themoderatevoice.com/?p=280816</guid>
  162.  
  163. <description><![CDATA[<p>Ten years ago, U.S. ambassador to the United Nations Samantha Power, in a Harvard Kennedy School Commencement address, told the graduating students that democracy is self-correcting. Calling for the strengthening of human and civil rights at home and abroad, she said: Democracy wins out in the long run because it offers a chance to fix<a class="read-more" href="https://themoderatevoice.com/democracy-is-self-correcting/"> [&#8230;]</a></p>
  164. <p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://themoderatevoice.com/democracy-is-self-correcting/">Democracy Is Self-Correcting.</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://themoderatevoice.com">The Moderate Voice</a>.</p>
  165. ]]></description>
  166. <content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><img loading="lazy" src="https://themoderatevoice.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/Screenshot-2024-07-26-073330.png" alt="" width="597" height="273" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-280831" srcset="https://themoderatevoice.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/Screenshot-2024-07-26-073330.png 597w, https://themoderatevoice.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/Screenshot-2024-07-26-073330-300x137.png 300w" sizes="(max-width: 597px) 100vw, 597px" /></p>
  167. <p>Ten years ago, U.S. ambassador to the United Nations Samantha Power, in a Harvard Kennedy School Commencement address, <a href="https://www.harvardmagazine.com/2014/05/samantha-power-kennedy-school-commencement-address">told the graduating students</a> that democracy is self-correcting.</p>
  168. <p>Calling for the strengthening of human and civil rights at home and abroad, she said:</p>
  169. <blockquote><p>Democracy wins out in the long run because it offers a chance to fix its own mistakes. It is the only system built on the premise that if something is not working, people can actually correct it, from the bottom up. Democracy works best when people are given the opportunity to constantly monitor and repair the kinks in the machinery.</p></blockquote>
  170. <p>In other words (my words), the willingness and ability to recognize, admit and correct wrongs is certainly one of the hallmarks of a true democracy.</p>
  171. <p>Just yesterday I wrote about how our leaders, the military and the American people have, over the years, investigated and awarded hundreds of Medals of Honor to soldiers who had been unjustly denied the nation’s highest military award for valor in combat because of “prejudice, religious or racial bias, ethnic discrimination.”</p>
  172. <p>For some it took ten years or less, for others fifty years or more, for some a century. But justice was finally done.</p>
  173. <p>That is democracy. Self-correcting democracy.</p>
  174. <p>In &#8220;<a href="https://themoderatevoice.com/the-medal-of-honor-for-some-an-honor-too-far/">The Medal of Honor: For Some an Honor too Far,</a>&#8221; I explained how extremely high, “exacting,” the standards are for the award of the Medal of Honor. </p>
  175. <p>I wrote, “The recommendation, review and approval processes are equally rigorous and time consuming. Each step is subject to intense scrutiny…All recommendations require thorough reports on the act itself, the battlefield and its setting. Every aspect of the action that led to the nomination is documented, from eyewitness statements to the action itself, to weather reports…every piece must be examined and verified…”</p>
  176. <p>Yet sometimes the Medal is awarded in cases where it is not warranted. Sometimes there are “<a href="https://www.cmohs.org/news-events/blog/the-1916-medal-of-honor-review-board/">kinks in the machinery.</a>”  Sometimes, even with an award as revered as the Medal of Honor, mistakes are made.</p>
  177. <p>And indeed, in 1917, after a 1916 Army-appointed board reviewed for eight months all the Army Medals of Honor awarded since the Civil War – 2,625 in total – 911 Medals were rescinded.</p>
  178. <p>Most of those were from two large groups: the 27th Maine Infantry and President Abraham Lincoln’s funeral guards.</p>
  179. <p>In the case of the 27th Maine Infantry, the 1916 Review Board determined that the<a href="https://www.cmohs.org/news-events/blog/the-1916-medal-of-honor-review-board/"> &#8220;bases for the awards were suspect</a>&#8221; and rescinded all 864 awards.</p>
  180. <p>The Review Board decided that 29 of the Medals awarded to members of President Abraham Lincoln’s funeral guard were <a href="https://www.cmohs.org/news-events/blog/the-1916-medal-of-honor-review-board/">“erroneously bestowed</a>.”</p>
  181. <p>An additional 19 Medals of Honor were rescinded when the Board determined “the action was not valorous, even by the original standards.” Among these were six Medals awarded to five civilians and to the only  woman to ever receive the Medal of Honor, Dr. Mary E. Walker.</p>
  182. <p>These six Medals would be reinstated decades later.</p>
  183. <p>The Board, however, did not rescind twenty Medals of Honor awarded to soldiers of the 7th Cavalry for their actions during the December 1890 engagement at Wounded Knee Creek, South Dakota, referred to as the Wounded Knee Massacre.</p>
  184. <p>An “engagement” that was “part of a larger effort by the U.S. government to repress Native American tribes of the Great Plains and eradicate a religious movement known as &#8220;Ghost Dance.” </p>
  185. <p>An “engagement” that resulted in the death and injury of approximately 350 to 375 Native American (Lakota) men, women and children, according to a 1990 Senate resolution and one that has been called “<a href="https://www.militarytimes.com/news/pentagon-congress/2022/07/20/medals-of-honor-for-soldiers-who-perpetrated-wounded-knee-massacre-may-be-">one of the most infamous Native American massacres in U.S. history.</a>”</p>
  186. <p>Congress officially apologized for the massacre in 1990 and, in 2022, passed legislation urging the Pentagon to review the awards.</p>
  187. <p><a href="https://apnews.com/article/pentagon-medals-soldiers-wounded-knee-7c6a7cfd2b2d9ce6b4ce0d9731439cb4">In a memo signed last week</a>, Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III directed the Defense Department to review the Medals of Honor awarded to approximately 20 soldiers for their actions during the December 1890 engagement at Wounded Knee Creek, South Dakota, “to ensure no awardees were recognized for conduct inconsistent with the nation&#8217;s highest military honor.”</p>
  188. <p>The review will be completed by Oct. 15 by a five-person panel of experts who will provide recommendations for each recipient. Austin will then provide his recommendations to the president.</p>
  189. <p>&#8220;It&#8217;s never too late to do what&#8217;s right,&#8221;<a href="https://www.defense.gov/News/News-Stories/Article/Article/3848583/austin-orders-review-of-wounded-knee-medals/"> a senior defense official said</a>.  &#8220;And that&#8217;s what is intended by the review that the secretary directed, which is to ensure that we go back and review each of these medals in a rigorous and individualized manner to understand the actions of the individual in the context of the overall engagement.&#8221; </p>
  190. <p>Correcting flaws and errors in both the failure to award when merited and in the undeserved award of the nation’s highest military honor is another sign that  “democracy is self-correcting.”  </p>
  191. <p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://themoderatevoice.com/democracy-is-self-correcting/">Democracy Is Self-Correcting.</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://themoderatevoice.com">The Moderate Voice</a>.</p>
  192. ]]></content:encoded>
  193. <wfw:commentRss>https://themoderatevoice.com/democracy-is-self-correcting/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
  194. <slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
  195. </item>
  196. <item>
  197. <title>What are we fighting for?</title>
  198. <link>https://themoderatevoice.com/what-are-we-fighting-for/</link>
  199. <comments>https://themoderatevoice.com/what-are-we-fighting-for/#respond</comments>
  200. <dc:creator><![CDATA[Richard Barry, Associate Editor - Politics and the Arts]]></dc:creator>
  201. <pubDate>Thu, 25 Jul 2024 22:44:41 +0000</pubDate>
  202. <category><![CDATA[2024 Elections]]></category>
  203. <category><![CDATA[Featured]]></category>
  204. <category><![CDATA[Donald Trump]]></category>
  205. <category><![CDATA[Kamala Harris]]></category>
  206. <category><![CDATA[President Joe Biden]]></category>
  207. <guid isPermaLink="false">https://themoderatevoice.com/?p=280812</guid>
  208.  
  209. <description><![CDATA[<p>On Wednesday night President Joe Biden spoke to the nation about his decision to step down from the 2024 presidential race. He framed it as a necessary step, as a passing of the &#8220;torch to a new generation&#8221; required in this moment to save democracy. Much has been written about how difficult it must have<a class="read-more" href="https://themoderatevoice.com/what-are-we-fighting-for/"> [&#8230;]</a></p>
  210. <p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://themoderatevoice.com/what-are-we-fighting-for/">What are we fighting for?</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://themoderatevoice.com">The Moderate Voice</a>.</p>
  211. ]]></description>
  212. <content:encoded><![CDATA[<img loading="lazy" src="https://themoderatevoice.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/dreamstime_s_25658035-e1721969803736.jpg" alt="" width="760" height="474" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-280828" />
  213.  
  214.  
  215.  
  216.  
  217. <p class="">On Wednesday night <a href="https://www.dallasnews.com/news/politics/2024/07/25/kamala-harris-outlines-her-vision-in-houston-speech-we-are-not-going-back/" data-type="link" data-id="https://www.dallasnews.com/news/politics/2024/07/25/kamala-harris-outlines-her-vision-in-houston-speech-we-are-not-going-back/">President Joe Biden spoke to the nation</a> about his decision to step down from the 2024 presidential race. He framed it as a necessary step, as a passing of the &#8220;torch to a new generation&#8221; required in this moment to save democracy.  Much has been written about how difficult it must have been for him to make that decision and how rare it is for someone in such an important role to walk away for the greater good. </p>
  218.  
  219.  
  220.  
  221. <p class="">What is important, though, is how the greater good should be framed by the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Vice President Kamala Harris as she attempts to define her candidacy. For no matter how true it is that this next election is in fact a fight for democracy itself, it is also true that such a framing is simply too abstract, to difficult to articulate in the kind of raw political terms required by a national campaign for the nation&#8217;s highest office. It&#8217;s always harder and less effective to defend an idea than it is to point to what you are going to do to make people&#8217;s live better, and what voters are going to get if they choose you.</p>
  222.  
  223.  
  224.  
  225. <p class="">As Kamala Harris no doubt has some very smart people on her campaign team, it is clear they understood the challenge and have begun to rise to it. </p>
  226.  
  227.  
  228.  
  229. <p class="">Less than a week after President Biden&#8217;s speech, the <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/article/2024/jul/25/we-choose-freedom-kamala-harris-campaign-launches-first-ad" data-type="link" data-id="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/article/2024/jul/25/we-choose-freedom-kamala-harris-campaign-launches-first-ad">Harris for President Campaign released their first official video</a>. As narrated by Harris, the first words are &#8220;What kind of country do we want to live in?&#8221; She goes on to say: &#8220;There are some people who think we should be a country of chaos. Of fear, of hate&#8230;.but us, we choose something different&#8230;we choose freedom.&#8221; </p>
  230.  
  231.  
  232.  
  233. <p class="">And then she tells us what that means:</p>
  234.  
  235.  
  236.  
  237. <blockquote class="wp-block-quote">
  238. <p class="">The freedom not just to get by, but to get ahead. The freedom to be safe from gun violence. The freedom to make decisions about your own body. We choose a future where no child lives in poverty. Where we can all afford healthcare. Where no one is above the law.</p>
  239. </blockquote>
  240.  
  241.  
  242.  
  243. <p class="">The tag for the ad, the promise she makes, is this. &#8220;We believe in the promise of America and we&#8217;re ready to fight for it. Because when we fight, we win.&#8221;</p>
  244.  
  245.  
  246.  
  247. <p class="">Now, one might think it counterintuitive that Democrats would run on a theme extolling the value freedom given that Republicans like to claim they are the party of liberty. But, of course, Republicans are not the party of liberty; they are the party of making sure everyone lives according to their values.</p>
  248.  
  249.  
  250.  
  251. <p class="">In a speech to the <a href="https://www.dallasnews.com/news/politics/2024/07/25/kamala-harris-outlines-her-vision-in-houston-speech-we-are-not-going-back/" data-type="link" data-id="https://www.dallasnews.com/news/politics/2024/07/25/kamala-harris-outlines-her-vision-in-houston-speech-we-are-not-going-back/">American Federation of Teachers in Houston on Thursday</a>, Harris used the phrase, &#8220;We are not going back,&#8221;  as she cited the draconian measures laid out in the Project 2025 policy book like big tax breaks to corporations, ending the Affordable Care Act, and destroying gains made through collective bargaining in America. She talked about the Republican&#8217;s &#8220;full-on attack on hard-won, hard-fought freedoms,&#8221; like LGBTQ rights, abortion access and gun violence restrictions. </p>
  252.  
  253.  
  254.  
  255. <p class="">There is a truism in politics that people are far more tolerant of not getting new benefits than they are of having things they have come to expect taken away from them.</p>
  256.  
  257.  
  258.  
  259. <p class="">There is little doubt that democracy is at stake in this election cycle, but Team Harris has quickly figured out that to defend democracy voters need to be reminded what they will lose if they elect a candidate and a party who are all about taking away our freedom to be who we want to be. That&#8217;s what is on the ballot.</p>
  260.  
  261. Cross-posted from <a href="https://phantompublic.org/in-2024-freedom-is-on-the-ballot/">The Phantom Public</a> blog
  262. <em>
  263. Photo 25658035 © Percom | Dreamstime.com</em>
  264. <p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://themoderatevoice.com/what-are-we-fighting-for/">What are we fighting for?</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://themoderatevoice.com">The Moderate Voice</a>.</p>
  265. ]]></content:encoded>
  266. <wfw:commentRss>https://themoderatevoice.com/what-are-we-fighting-for/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
  267. <slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
  268. </item>
  269. <item>
  270. <title>Harris grassroots organizing goes into in overdrive Thursday night</title>
  271. <link>https://themoderatevoice.com/harris-grassroots-organizing-goes-into-in-overdrive-thursday-night/</link>
  272. <comments>https://themoderatevoice.com/harris-grassroots-organizing-goes-into-in-overdrive-thursday-night/#respond</comments>
  273. <dc:creator><![CDATA[KATHY GILL, Associate Editor]]></dc:creator>
  274. <pubDate>Thu, 25 Jul 2024 16:02:31 +0000</pubDate>
  275. <category><![CDATA[Featured]]></category>
  276. <category><![CDATA[Politics]]></category>
  277. <category><![CDATA[Society]]></category>
  278. <guid isPermaLink="false">https://themoderatevoice.com/?p=280782</guid>
  279.  
  280. <description><![CDATA[<p>Win With Black Women meets every Sunday on Zoom at 8:30 pm Eastern. This past Sunday, at least 44,000 women joined that call. They talked strategy for four hours. And raised $1.6 million in three hours. There are AT LEAST six Harris campaign organizing calls Thursday night. Crank up Zoom! White Women: Answer the Call<a class="read-more" href="https://themoderatevoice.com/harris-grassroots-organizing-goes-into-in-overdrive-thursday-night/"> [&#8230;]</a></p>
  281. <p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://themoderatevoice.com/harris-grassroots-organizing-goes-into-in-overdrive-thursday-night/">Harris grassroots organizing goes into in overdrive Thursday night</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://themoderatevoice.com">The Moderate Voice</a>.</p>
  282. ]]></description>
  283. <content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Win With Black Women meets every Sunday on Zoom at 8:30 pm Eastern. This past Sunday, at least 44,000 women joined that call. They talked strategy for four hours. <a href="https://19thnews.org/2024/07/win-with-black-women-zoom-call-harris-organizers/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">And raised <strong>$1.6 million in three hours</strong>. </a></p>
  284. <p>There are AT LEAST six Harris campaign organizing calls Thursday night. Crank up Zoom!</p>
  285. <p>White Women: Answer the Call<br />
  286. 8:30 / 5:30 pm Eastern/Pacific<br />
  287. <a href="http://AnswertheCall2024.com" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">http://AnswertheCall2024.com</a></p>
  288. <p>White Men Against MAGA<br />
  289. 9:00 / 6:00 pm Eastern/Pacific<br />
  290. <a href="https://www.mobilize.us/surj/event/653663/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://www.mobilize.us/surj/event/653663/</a></p>
  291. <p>Moms Rising : Let&#8217;s build some MOMentum!<br />
  292. 7:30 / 4:30 pm Eastern/Pacific<br />
  293. <a href="https://www.mobilize.us/momsrising/event/653465/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://www.mobilize.us/momsrising/event/653465/</a></p>
  294. <p>Young Voters for Harris<br />
  295. 8:00 / 5:00 pm Eastern/Pacific<br />
  296. <a href="https://joebiden.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_5sZdd8wDTrWOpiy4qJWBcw#/registration" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://joebiden.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_5sZdd8wDTrWOpiy4qJWBcw#/registration</a></p>
  297. <p>Climate Movement: Climate Movement, it&#8217;s our time to shine!<br />
  298. 8:00 / 5:00 pm Eastern/Pacific<br />
  299. <a href="https://tinyurl.com/2bwjy5st" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://tinyurl.com/2bwjy5st</a></p>
  300. <p>OUT for Kamala Harris and you should be, too! JOIN THE LGBTQ+ UNITY CALL<br />
  301. 9:00 / 6:00 pm Eastern/Pacific<br />
  302. <a href="https://act.hrc.org/page/154061/petition/1?ea.tracking.id=sm_adv_HarrislgbtCall" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://act.hrc.org/page/154061/petition/1?ea.tracking.id=sm_adv_HarrislgbtCall</a></p>
  303. <p><img loading="lazy" src="https://themoderatevoice.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/IMG_7610.jpeg" alt="Promo posters" width="1312" height="2281" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-280791" srcset="https://themoderatevoice.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/IMG_7610.jpeg 1312w, https://themoderatevoice.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/IMG_7610-173x300.jpeg 173w" sizes="(max-width: 1312px) 100vw, 1312px" /></p>
  304. <p><img loading="lazy" src="https://themoderatevoice.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/IMG_7612.jpeg" alt="Promo poster" width="1179" height="637" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-280794" srcset="https://themoderatevoice.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/IMG_7612.jpeg 1179w, https://themoderatevoice.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/IMG_7612-300x162.jpeg 300w" sizes="(max-width: 1179px) 100vw, 1179px" /></p>
  305. <p><img loading="lazy" src="https://themoderatevoice.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/IMG_7613.jpeg" alt="promo poster" width="1179" height="511" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-280795" srcset="https://themoderatevoice.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/IMG_7613.jpeg 1179w, https://themoderatevoice.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/IMG_7613-300x130.jpeg 300w" sizes="(max-width: 1179px) 100vw, 1179px" /></p>
  306. <p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://themoderatevoice.com/harris-grassroots-organizing-goes-into-in-overdrive-thursday-night/">Harris grassroots organizing goes into in overdrive Thursday night</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://themoderatevoice.com">The Moderate Voice</a>.</p>
  307. ]]></content:encoded>
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  309. <slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
  310. </item>
  311. <item>
  312. <title>The Medal of Honor: For Some an Honor too Far</title>
  313. <link>https://themoderatevoice.com/the-medal-of-honor-for-some-an-honor-too-far/</link>
  314. <comments>https://themoderatevoice.com/the-medal-of-honor-for-some-an-honor-too-far/#respond</comments>
  315. <dc:creator><![CDATA[Dorian de Wind, Military Affairs Correspondent]]></dc:creator>
  316. <pubDate>Wed, 24 Jul 2024 20:20:08 +0000</pubDate>
  317. <category><![CDATA[African-Americans]]></category>
  318. <category><![CDATA[Anti-Semitism]]></category>
  319. <category><![CDATA[Asian Americans]]></category>
  320. <category><![CDATA[At TMV]]></category>
  321. <category><![CDATA[Featured]]></category>
  322. <category><![CDATA[Hispanics]]></category>
  323. <category><![CDATA[History]]></category>
  324. <category><![CDATA[Jews]]></category>
  325. <category><![CDATA[Military]]></category>
  326. <category><![CDATA[Racism]]></category>
  327. <category><![CDATA[Religion]]></category>
  328. <category><![CDATA[War]]></category>
  329. <category><![CDATA[Andrews' Raiders]]></category>
  330. <category><![CDATA[Civil War (Other Than the US 1861-1865)]]></category>
  331. <category><![CDATA[Congressional Medal of Honor Society]]></category>
  332. <category><![CDATA[Jewish Medal of Honor recipients]]></category>
  333. <category><![CDATA[Marine Corps Sergeant Rafael Peralta]]></category>
  334. <category><![CDATA[Medal of Honor]]></category>
  335. <category><![CDATA[the Great Locomotive Chase]]></category>
  336. <guid isPermaLink="false">https://themoderatevoice.com/?p=280768</guid>
  337.  
  338. <description><![CDATA[<p>The standards to award the Medal of Honor, the nation’s highest military award for valor in combat, are exacting -- as they should be.</p>
  339. <p>The recommendation, review and approval processes are equally rigorous and time consuming. Each step is subject to intense scrutiny, often resulting in delays of a few years between the date of action and the award date.</p>
  340. <p>Sometimes it is not the process -- the bureaucracy, “red tape” -- that causes inordinate delays, even denial of the Honor, but rather something more insidious: prejudice, religious or racial bias, ethnic discrimination.</p>
  341. <p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://themoderatevoice.com/the-medal-of-honor-for-some-an-honor-too-far/">The Medal of Honor: For Some an Honor too Far</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://themoderatevoice.com">The Moderate Voice</a>.</p>
  342. ]]></description>
  343. <content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><figure id="attachment_280777" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-280777" style="width: 614px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" src="https://themoderatevoice.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/Screenshot-2024-07-24-141039.png" alt="" width="614" height="372" class="size-full wp-image-280777" srcset="https://themoderatevoice.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/Screenshot-2024-07-24-141039.png 614w, https://themoderatevoice.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/Screenshot-2024-07-24-141039-300x182.png 300w" sizes="(max-width: 614px) 100vw, 614px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-280777" class="wp-caption-text">From a DoD photo by Petty Officer 1st Class Nathan Laird</figcaption></figure></p>
  344. <p>The standards to award the Medal of Honor, the nation’s highest military award for valor in combat, are exacting &#8212; as they should be.</p>
  345. <p>The recommendation, review and approval processes are equally rigorous and time consuming. Each step is subject to intense scrutiny, often resulting in delays of a few years between the date of action and the award date.</p>
  346. <p><a href="https://www.cmohs.org/news-events/blog/how-is-the-medal-of-honor-awarded/#:~:text=All%20recommendations%20require%20thorough%20reports,must%20be%2 0examined%20and%20verified.">The Congressional Medal of Honor Society:</a> </p>
  347. <blockquote><p>All recommendations require thorough reports on the act itself, the battlefield and its setting. Every aspect of the action that led to the nomination is documented, from eyewitness statements to the action itself, to weather reports&#8230;every piece must be examined and verified&#8230;</p></blockquote>
  348. <p>This is followed by equally lengthy and complex evaluation and approval processes.</p>
  349. <p>Although current criteria require that recommendations for the Medal must be submitted within 3 years of the valorous act and the Medal must be presented within 5 years, it often takes a significantly longer period of time.</p>
  350. <p>Sometimes it is not the process &#8212; the bureaucracy, “red tape” &#8212; that causes inordinate delays, even denial of the Honor, but rather something more insidious: prejudice, religious or racial bias, ethnic discrimination.</p>
  351. <blockquote><p>Even as Jewish men and women – more than 600,000 – have faithfully and patriotically served in every branch of our armed forces since the American Revolution, they have had to struggle against prejudice, constitutional bias and antisemitism and many have been denied high military honors.<strong>*</strong> </p></blockquote>
  352. <p>It took nearly a century for Jewish World War I hero Sergeant William Shemin, son of Russian immigrants, to posthumously be awarded the Medal of Honor.</p>
  353. <p>Reflecting on the historic injustice, <a href="https://themoderatevoice.com/remembering-and-honoring-eighteen-jewish-medal-of-honor-recipients/">President Obama said</a>, “Sergeant Shemin served at a time when the contributions and heroism of Jewish Americans in uniform were too often overlooked&#8230;It is my privilege on behalf of the American people to make this right.&#8221;</p>
  354. <p>It was more than half a century after their acts of conspicuous valor before two other soldiers of the Jewish faith, Korean War heroes Private First Class Leonard Kravitz and Corporal Tibor Rubin, were awarded the Medal of Honor.</p>
  355. <p>In the case of Rubin, a 1993 study commissioned by the Army determined that <a href="tthps://themoderatevoice.com/on-holocaust-remembrance-honoring-a-holocaust-survivor-medal-of-honor-recipient/">Rubin had been denied the Medal of Honor because of religion</a>.</p>
  356. <p><a href="https://themoderatevoice.com/medal-of-honor-tuesday-army-sgt-joe-hayashi/">Army Sgt. Joe Hayashi</a>, a California-born son of Japanese parents who emigrated to the U.S from Japan at the beginning of the century was posthumously awarded the Distinguished Service Cross for bravery during a World War II battle near Tendola, Italy in April 1945.</p>
  357. <p>“It wasn’t until about a half-century later that a Congressional inquiry revealed that many Nisei service members like Hayashi had been passed up for the nation’s highest honor for valor due to racial bias and ethnic discrimination,” <a href="https://www.defense.gov/News/Feature-Stories/Story/Article/3742954/medal-of-honor-monday-army-sgt-joe-hayashi/">writes Katie Lange at DoD News.</a></p>
  358. <p>She continues: “That wrong was finally remedied on June 21, 2000 — 55 years after Hayashi’s death — when his medal was upgraded to the Medal of Honor and he was promoted to Sergeant.”</p>
  359. <p>During the June 21 ceremony, Hayashi was one of 22 Asian American soldiers who received the Medal of Honor for their World War II heroism.</p>
  360. <blockquote><p>Although 1.2 million Black Americans served in the military during World War II, none was among the original recipients of the Medal of Honor awarded in the conflict. The Army commissioned a study in the early 1990s to analyze whether Black troops had been unjustly overlooked during an era of widespread racism and segregation in the military. Ultimately, seven Black World War II troops were awarded the Medal of Honor in 1997.</p></blockquote>
  361. <p>The quote above was part of<a href="https://apnews.com/article/dday-medal-of-honor-arlington-black-combat-medic-soldier-b7f013fffe6fb85a597692c0f8e6e308"> an <em>Associated Press</em> piece</a> on 21-year-old African American combat medic Waverly B. Woodson Jr. assigned to the only African American combat unit to land in Normandy on D-Day.</p>
  362. <p>“His landing craft took heavy fire, and he was wounded before even getting to the beach,” write Rebecca Santana and Kevin Wolf, “but for the next 30 hours he treated 200 wounded men while under intense small arms and artillery fire before collapsing from his injuries and blood loss&#8230;”</p>
  363. <p>Woodson was awarded the Bronze Star for his bravery, but the “Shaw Commission” found evidence that Woodson “may have been recommended” for the Medal of Honor along with three other Black World War II heroes.</p>
  364. <p>Eventually, 52 years after the end of World War II, three of those four soldiers where the commission had found evidence that they “may have been recommended” contemporaneously for the Medal of Honor, were awarded the nation’s highest military honor along with four other African American heroes.</p>
  365. <p>Woodson, however, was not one of them. But a little over one month ago, on June 3, 2024, almost 80 years after Woodson’s acts of heroism, he was posthumously awarded the Distinguished Service Cross, the nation’s second-highest medal for combat valor.</p>
  366. <p>Sen. Chris van Hollen who, along with other legislators and support groups, has been on a quest to award the Medal of Honor to Woodson, acknowledged that Woodson “has never received the full recognition that his actions clearly merited – largely due to the color of his skin.” Van Hollen continues to make the case for Woodson to  be awarded the Medal of Honor.</p>
  367. <p>Sadly, such bias has also been documented with prospective Hispanic American,<strong>**</strong> Native American, and Pacific Islander Medal of Honor recipients.</p>
  368. <p>Thanks to studies, investigations, pressure from numerous organizations and due to military and Congressional actions in recent decades, the bias that these veterans have suffered is slowly being corrected.</p>
  369. <p>Fortunately, such instances of bias, albeit tragic, are a small percentage of the 3538 Medals of Honor that have been awarded to-date.</p>
  370. <p>As previously mentioned, other factors such as bureaucracy, inefficiency, “lost paperwork,” the “fog of war,” etc. have caused acts of valor to go unacknowledged for decades.</p>
  371. <p>But how about for more than a century-and-a-half?</p>
  372. <p>On July 3 of this year, President Biden posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor to two Army soldiers for their heroic actions during the Civil War.</p>
  373. <p>Philip G. Shadrach and George D. Wilson, two of the famous Andrews&#8217; Raiders and participants in the daring but ill-fated  Civil War “Great Locomotive Chase,” finally received the honor posthumously, 162 years after their service was <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2024/07/03/us/politics/medal-of-honor-biden-civil-war.html">&#8220;cut short by a hangman’s noose in Atlanta&#8221;</a>.</p>
  374. <p>The two soldiers were <a href="https://www.cmohs.org/news-events/history/the-great-locomotive-chase-the-first-awarded-medal-of-honor/">“inadvertently&#8221;</a> left out of a group of a score of Raiders who participated in the raid, nineteen of whom had been awarded the Medal of Honor in previous years.</p>
  375. <p>In fact, in 1863, six of these men became the very first Medal of Honor recipients, just a year after President Abraham Lincoln authorized it.</p>
  376. <p>Please read more about these men and their epic actions that led to the award of the nation’s highest award for valor <a href="https://www.cmohs.org/news-events/history/the-great-locomotive-chase-the-first-awarded-medal-of-honor/">HERE</a>. </p>
  377. <p>====</p>
  378. <p><strong>*</strong> Dorian de Wind. <a href="https://themoderatevoice.com/remembering-and-honoring-eighteen-jewish-medal-of-honor-recipients/">“Remembering and Honoring Eighteen Jewish Medal of Honor Recipients.”</a> <em>The Moderate Voice</em>, March 2024</p>
  379. <p><strong>**</strong> Dorian de Wind. <a href="https://www.huffpost.com/entry/marine-sgt-rafael-peralta_b_8430016">“Marine Sgt. Rafael Peralta: An Honor Too Far?” <em>The Huffington Post</em>, Nov. 2015</a></p>
  380. <p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://themoderatevoice.com/the-medal-of-honor-for-some-an-honor-too-far/">The Medal of Honor: For Some an Honor too Far</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://themoderatevoice.com">The Moderate Voice</a>.</p>
  381. ]]></content:encoded>
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  385. <item>
  386. <title>GOP attacks against Kamala Harris were already bad – they are about to get worse</title>
  387. <link>https://themoderatevoice.com/gop-attacks-against-kamala-harris-were-already-bad-they-are-about-to-get-worse/</link>
  388. <comments>https://themoderatevoice.com/gop-attacks-against-kamala-harris-were-already-bad-they-are-about-to-get-worse/#respond</comments>
  389. <dc:creator><![CDATA[Guest Voice]]></dc:creator>
  390. <pubDate>Wed, 24 Jul 2024 14:29:16 +0000</pubDate>
  391. <category><![CDATA[2024 Presidential Election]]></category>
  392. <category><![CDATA[Featured]]></category>
  393. <category><![CDATA[Democratic Party]]></category>
  394. <category><![CDATA[Democrats]]></category>
  395. <category><![CDATA[Donald Trump]]></category>
  396. <category><![CDATA[GOP]]></category>
  397. <category><![CDATA[Joe Biden]]></category>
  398. <category><![CDATA[Kamala Harris]]></category>
  399. <category><![CDATA[Republicans]]></category>
  400. <guid isPermaLink="false">https://themoderatevoice.com/?p=280765</guid>
  401.  
  402. <description><![CDATA[<p>Vice President Kamala Harris attends a political event on July 17, 2024, in Kalamazoo, Mich. Chris duMond/Getty Images Stephen J. Farnsworth, University of Mary Washington Public opinion polls suggest that U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris is doing slightly better than Joe Biden was against Donald Trump, but Republican attacks against her are only now ramping<a class="read-more" href="https://themoderatevoice.com/gop-attacks-against-kamala-harris-were-already-bad-they-are-about-to-get-worse/"> [&#8230;]</a></p>
  403. <p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://themoderatevoice.com/gop-attacks-against-kamala-harris-were-already-bad-they-are-about-to-get-worse/">GOP attacks against Kamala Harris were already bad – they are about to get worse</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://themoderatevoice.com">The Moderate Voice</a>.</p>
  404. ]]></description>
  405. <content:encoded><![CDATA[<div class="theconversation-article-body">
  406. <figure>
  407.      <img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/608674/original/file-20240722-19-gic6ke.jpg?ixlib=rb-4.1.0&#038;rect=0%2C6%2C4451%2C2951&#038;q=45&#038;auto=format&#038;w=754&#038;fit=clip" /><figcaption>
  408.          Vice President Kamala Harris attends a political event on July 17, 2024, in Kalamazoo, Mich.<br />
  409.          <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/news-photo/vice-president-kamala-harris-attends-a-moderated-news-photo/2162037915?adppopup=true">Chris duMond/Getty Images</a></span><br />
  410.        </figcaption></figure>
  411. <p>  <span><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/stephen-j-farnsworth-501787">Stephen J. Farnsworth</a>, <em><a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/university-of-mary-washington-3973">University of Mary Washington</a></em></span></p>
  412. <p>Public <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/politics/how-does-kamala-harris-poll-against-donald-trump">opinion polls</a> suggest that U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris is doing slightly better than Joe Biden was against Donald Trump, but <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2024/07/21/politics/trump-team-kamala-harris-attacks/index.html">Republican attacks</a> against her are only now ramping up.</p>
  413. <p>Even as a candidate for vice president, Harris was the target of an intense barrage of conservative attacks that claimed, among other things, that she <a href="https://www.thedailybeast.com/maga-world-pivots-to-debunked-kamala-harris-affair-story">slept her way to political prominence</a>, a common slur against women in power. The anti-Harris rhetoric is part of what a report by the Wilson Center, a nonpartisan think tank, described as a broad pattern of <a href="https://www.wilsoncenter.org/publication/malign-creativity-how-gender-sex-and-lies-are-weaponized-against-women-online">gendered and sexualized attacks</a> on prominent women in public discourse.</p>
  414. <p>More recently, those comments were joined by conservative attacks branding Harris as the “border czar,” part of an effort to tie her to immigration, a <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2024/07/17/us/politics/kamala-harris-border-czar.html?searchResultPosition=2">hot-button topic</a> for conservatives. </p>
  415. <p>The <a href="https://www.politico.com/news/2024/07/21/trump-campaign-kamala-harris-nominee-00170110">intense attacks</a> so far are only a fraction of what will come.  Trump is skilled at both character assassination and political self-defense. Together, they translate into an exceptional ability to defeat his political rivals once they enter the presidential campaign arena.</p>
  416. <p>But Harris also has sharp rhetorical skills that could make this a fierce election fight. </p>
  417. <h2>Trump’s alternative facts</h2>
  418. <p>As I discuss in my book “<a href="https://doi.org/10.1080/07343469.2019.1603925">Presidential Communication and Character</a>,” Trump is highly skilled at both channeling <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2016/nov/09/donald-trump-ohio-youngstown-voters">white working-class anger</a> into political support for himself and at convincing his supporters to disregard the former president’s own well-chronicled <a href="https://theconversation.com/trump-found-guilty-in-hush-money-trial-but-will-it-hurt-him-in-the-polls-heres-why-voters-often-overlook-the-ethical-failings-of-politicians-230529">professional and personal failings</a>. </p>
  419. <p>Trump’s character generates enduring contempt among liberals, but those voters will back the Democratic nominee.</p>
  420. <p>In 2016, <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/elections/12-days-stunned-nation-how-hillary-clinton-lost-n794131">Trump defeated</a> Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton. He also defeated several well-known Republican presidential hopefuls in the primary race, including Sens. <a href="https://www.newsweek.com/marco-rubios-own-words-about-donald-trump-used-against-him-1882857">Marco Rubio</a> of Florida and <a href="https://www.texastribune.org/2024/07/16/ted-cruz-trump-republican-national-convention/">Ted Cruz</a> of Texas and former Governors <a href="https://www.politico.com/story/2018/12/01/trump-bush-rivalry-1037143">Jeb Bush</a> of Florida, <a href="https://www.politico.com/story/2018/02/02/trump-rnc-dinner-2018-kasich-384975">John Kasich</a> of Ohio and <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2016/03/29/politics/donald-trump-scott-walker-wisconsin/index.html">Scott Walker</a> of Wisconsin. </p>
  421. <p>Earlier in 2024, Trump easily dispatched another round of highly experienced Republicans, most notably Florida Gov. <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/2024-election/trump-desantis-rivalry-beyond-2024-2028-rcna128820">Ron DeSantis</a> and former South Carolina Gov. <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2024/02/27/us/politics/trump-michigan-haley.html">Nikki Haley</a>.  </p>
  422. <p>Like those other opponents, President Biden has long endured Trump’s personal attacks. But in 2020, Trump’s original nickname of “Sleepy Joe” failed to become as effective as his insults aimed at other politicians, and Biden’s election marked Trump’s only electoral defeat.</p>
  423. <p>As the 2024 election approached, Trump and conservative voices once again demonstrated their immense influence in shaping political narratives. They have convinced many voters this year to absolve Trump for his <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/graphics/2020/politics/trump-covid-pandemic-dark-winter/">mishandling of the COVID-19 pandemic</a>, ignore that he <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/donald-trump/trump-built-supreme-court-conservative-majority-loses-rcna131956">designed a Supreme Court majority</a> to overturn <a href="https://www.npr.org/2022/06/24/1102305878/supreme-court-abortion-roe-v-wade-decision-overturn">Roe v. Wade</a> and agree with him that the <a href="https://www.reuters.com/graphics/USA-TRUMP/LAWMAKERS/xegpbedzdvq/">2020 election</a> was stolen.</p>
  424. <p>In an even more powerful demonstration of Trump’s skills at political marketing, polls show that many voters follow Trump’s lead and <a href="https://www.barrons.com/news/trump-says-inflation-is-killing-our-country-under-biden-d6606d96">condemn Biden</a> for U.S. economic conditions that in fact are quite good. </p>
  425. <p><a href="https://www.cnn.com/business/live-news/markets-jobs-report-september/index.html">Unemployment is low</a>. Job growth is <a href="https://www.cnn.com/business/live-news/markets-jobs-report-september/index.html">booming</a>. <a href="https://www.axios.com/2024/01/25/biden-infrastructure-projects">Infrastructure projects</a> are underway. Inflation is <a href="https://www.npr.org/2024/04/25/1247177492/why-experts-say-inflation-is-relatively-low-but-voters-feel-differently">much lower</a> now than it was earlier in Biden’s term, and <a href="https://www.usatoday.com/story/money/personalfinance/2023/10/31/new-fiduciary-rule-retirement/71399693007/">individual retirement accounts</a> are flush thanks to large stock market gains.</p>
  426. <p>Given Trump’s public relations mastery – and the great susceptibility of many voters to his false narratives – one can marvel about how the Biden campaign had been able to endure the never-ending rhetorical assault and keep the contest <a href="https://www.politico.com/news/2024/07/14/biden-trump-post-debate-polls-nbc-news-cbs-fox-00168085">as close as surveys</a> show it had remained until recently.</p>
  427. <p>During a rally in Grand Rapids, Michigan, on July 20, 2024, Trump <a href="https://www.politico.com/news/2024/07/21/trump-campaign-kamala-harris-nominee-00170110">attacked both Biden and Harris</a>, repeatedly calling Biden “stupid” and insulting his IQ. But Harris, Trump said, was “crazy.”</p>
  428. <p>“I call her laughing Kamala,” Trump told the crowd. “You can tell a lot by a laugh. She’s crazy. She’s nuts.”</p>
  429. <h2>A former prosecutor against a convicted felon</h2>
  430. <p>With Biden dropping out of the campaign, political developments suggest Trump may be in for a taste of his own medicine.</p>
  431. <p>Harris’ <a href="https://www.npr.org/2020/08/12/901859774/a-look-at-kamala-harris-career-as-a-u-s-senator">previous career</a> as a U.S. senator who challenged Trump administration officials and the former president’s judicial nominees demonstrates that she is among the most effective Democratic officeholders when it comes to holding Republicans accountable.  </p>
  432. <p>Her career as an <a href="https://www.cbsnews.com/sacramento/news/what-to-know-about-kamala-harris-record-as-california-attorney-general/">attorney general and a prosecutor</a> also allows her to use law-and-order themes to <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2024/07/22/harris-trump-prosecutor-felon/">fight back</a> against <a href="https://theconversation.com/trumps-guilty-verdict-is-not-the-end-of-the-matter-231044">America’s first convicted felon former president</a>.</p>
  433. <p><a href="https://www.cnn.com/2024/07/21/politics/inside-bidens-exit-from-2024-race/index.html">Biden’s departure</a> may provide another major opportunity for Harris to reset the character assassination narrative, as the focus on age can now boomerang against Republicans. Trump now holds the record as the oldest major-party nominee for president, and a key issue that <a href="https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/campaigns/presidential/3093648/republicans-biden-age-democrats-target-trump/">he used against Biden</a> is likely to be turned back toward the former president.</p>
  434. <p>For voters, it promises to be a scorched-earth campaign season.<!-- Below is The Conversation's page counter tag. Please DO NOT REMOVE. --><img loading="lazy" src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/235160/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" style="border: none !important; box-shadow: none !important; margin: 0 !important; max-height: 1px !important; max-width: 1px !important; min-height: 1px !important; min-width: 1px !important; opacity: 0 !important; outline: none !important; padding: 0 !important" referrerpolicy="no-referrer-when-downgrade" /><!-- End of code. If you don't see any code above, please get new code from the Advanced tab after you click the republish button. The page counter does not collect any personal data. More info: https://theconversation.com/republishing-guidelines --></p>
  435. <p><span><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/stephen-j-farnsworth-501787">Stephen J. Farnsworth</a>, Professor of Political Science and Director, Center for Leadership and Media Studies, <em><a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/university-of-mary-washington-3973">University of Mary Washington</a></em></span></p>
  436. <p>This article is republished from <a href="https://theconversation.com">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/gop-attacks-against-kamala-harris-were-already-bad-they-are-about-to-get-worse-235160">original article</a>.</p>
  437. </div>
  438. <p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://themoderatevoice.com/gop-attacks-against-kamala-harris-were-already-bad-they-are-about-to-get-worse/">GOP attacks against Kamala Harris were already bad – they are about to get worse</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://themoderatevoice.com">The Moderate Voice</a>.</p>
  439. ]]></content:encoded>
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  443. <item>
  444. <title>‘Heaven has no rage like love to hatred turned, Nor hell a fury like [news media] scorned’</title>
  445. <link>https://themoderatevoice.com/heaven-has-no-rage-like-love-to-hatred-turned-nor-hell-a-fury-like-news-media-scorned/</link>
  446. <comments>https://themoderatevoice.com/heaven-has-no-rage-like-love-to-hatred-turned-nor-hell-a-fury-like-news-media-scorned/#respond</comments>
  447. <dc:creator><![CDATA[KATHY GILL, Associate Editor]]></dc:creator>
  448. <pubDate>Wed, 24 Jul 2024 04:47:31 +0000</pubDate>
  449. <category><![CDATA[Featured]]></category>
  450. <category><![CDATA[Media]]></category>
  451. <category><![CDATA[Politics]]></category>
  452. <category><![CDATA[2024 Presidential Election]]></category>
  453. <guid isPermaLink="false">https://themoderatevoice.com/?p=280715</guid>
  454.  
  455. <description><![CDATA[<p>The flurry of “Joe Biden has withdrawn” news has reflected a pundit class that was not amused at the timing and manner of the Biden announcement.</p>
  456. <p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://themoderatevoice.com/heaven-has-no-rage-like-love-to-hatred-turned-nor-hell-a-fury-like-news-media-scorned/">&#8216;Heaven has no rage like love to hatred turned, Nor hell a fury like [news media] scorned&#8217;</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://themoderatevoice.com">The Moderate Voice</a>.</p>
  457. ]]></description>
  458. <content:encoded><![CDATA[<p class="ledeGraph">In the flurry of &#8220;Joe Biden has withdrawn&#8221; news, Jerry Cobbs made this observation on Threads. As <a href="https://www.jefftiedrich.com/p/chill-the-fuck-out-weve-got-this" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Jeff Tiedrich noted Monday</a>, the pundit class was not amused at the timing and manner of the Biden announcement. </p>
  459. <p><figure id="attachment_280716" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-280716" style="width: 1232px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><a href="https://www.threads.net/@jerrycobbs/post/C9tYvA0MGmd"><img loading="lazy" src="https://themoderatevoice.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/CleanShot-2024-07-23-at-12.39.33@2x.png" alt="Threads screen shot" width="1232" height="448" class="size-full wp-image-280716" srcset="https://themoderatevoice.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/CleanShot-2024-07-23-at-12.39.33@2x.png 1232w, https://themoderatevoice.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/CleanShot-2024-07-23-at-12.39.33@2x-300x109.png 300w" sizes="(max-width: 1232px) 100vw, 1232px" /></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-280716" class="wp-caption-text"></p>
  460. <div class="imageCaption">Sending out a press release on Sunday afternoon, after the morning talk shows, totally screwed the media. No video clips, no &#8220;breaking news,&#8221; no chance for pundits to comment on how he sounded, looked, walked, etc. No chance to schedule guests to pick him apart as he spoke. He totally starved them of clicks and eyeballs, in repayment for them starving his candidacy of positive coverage purely for the sake of clicks and eyeballs. Don&#8217;t mess with DarkBrandon.</div>
  461. <p></figcaption></figure></p>
  462. <blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
  463. <p lang="zxx" dir="ltr"><a href="https://t.co/RMIRvlSOYw">pic.twitter.com/RMIRvlSOYw</a></p>
  464. <p>&mdash; Joe Biden (@JoeBiden) <a href="https://twitter.com/JoeBiden/status/1815080881981190320?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 21, 2024</a></p></blockquote>
  465. <p><script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p>
  466. <p>Here&#8217;s the not-very-self-aware Brian Stelter:<br />
  467. <img loading="lazy" width="1179" height="833" src="https://themoderatevoice.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/brian-stetler-laugh-2.png" alt="Laughing at Brian Stelter tweet" class="alignnone wp-image-280756" style="max-width: 75%;" srcset="https://themoderatevoice.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/brian-stetler-laugh-2.png 1179w, https://themoderatevoice.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/brian-stetler-laugh-2-300x212.png 300w" sizes="(max-width: 1179px) 100vw, 1179px" /></p>
  468. <p>Tiedrich on Stelter:</p>
  469. <blockquote class="highlight"><p>Stelter spent a month screaming that JOE MUST GO — but now that he’s gotten what he wanted, he’s moved the goalposts to JOE MUST GO BUT NOT LIKE THIS. some people are just never happy.</p></blockquote>
  470. <p>Supposedly &#8220;straight news&#8221; journalists also have their axes out. Here&#8217;s a snarky headline from AP on Monday (via the app &#8211; the <a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-final-days-of-decision-end-campaign-f891f5a42a70cb616289e874d79eb103" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">headline has changed on the website</a> but it&#8217;s still denigrating):<br />
  471. <figure id="attachment_280717" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-280717" style="width: 1179px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img loading="lazy" src="https://themoderatevoice.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/IMG_7513.jpg" alt="AP app headline" width="1179" height="635" class="wp-image-280717 up" style="max-width: 75%;" srcset="https://themoderatevoice.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/IMG_7513.jpg 1179w, https://themoderatevoice.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/IMG_7513-300x162.jpg 300w" sizes="(max-width: 1179px) 100vw, 1179px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-280717" class="wp-caption-text"></p>
  472. <div class="imageCaption" style="max-width: 75%;">Biden passed that torch slowly, hanging on until the wheels finally came off</div>
  473. <p></figcaption></figure></p>
  474. <p>It&#8217;s a conscious decision to use the verb &#8220;quits&#8221; rather than &#8220;withdraws.&#8221; One is connotatively more negative; it&#8217;s been the overall choice.<figure id="attachment_280744" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-280744" style="width: 823px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img loading="lazy" width="823" height="378" style="max-width: 75%;" src="https://themoderatevoice.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/guardian-biden-quits-crop.jpeg" alt="screenshot guardian biden quits" class="wp-image-280744 up" srcset="https://themoderatevoice.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/guardian-biden-quits-crop.jpeg 823w, https://themoderatevoice.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/guardian-biden-quits-crop-300x138.jpeg 300w" sizes="(max-width: 823px) 100vw, 823px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-280744" class="wp-caption-text"></p>
  475. <div class="imageCaption" style="max-width: 75%;"> Biden quits race</div>
  476. <p></figcaption></figure></p>
  477. <p>Axios married the fact that the Democratic National Committee is going ahead with a virtual roll call before August 1 by <a href="https://www.axios.com/2024/07/22/democrats-nominee-virtual-convention-vote" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">proclaiming its lack of democratic attitude</a>. </p>
  478. <p>Not word one by any of these pundits about the clock ticking for getting on the Ohio ballot. Yes, the Ohio legislature moved the deadline from August 7 to September 1. <a href="https://themoderatevoice.com/goodbye-smoke-filled-rooms-hello-social-media-the-punditry-and-powerbrokering-of-1968-is-back/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Better safe than sorry, Ohio Democrats say</a>; they want to meet the August 7 deadline.</p>
  479. <p><strong>What a difference framing makes, right? Same event, totally different approach.</strong></p>
  480. <p>Look. If all 50 state Democratic chairs endorsed Kamala Harris within HOURS of the Biden announcement &#8230; that says to me that a helluva lot of planning took place. <a href="https://learningenglish.voanews.com/a/loose-lips-sink-ships/5109516.html" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Planning with lips sealed, WWII like</a>.</p>
  481. <p><a href="https://x.com/nycsouthpaw/status/1815452371771695470" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Here&#8217;s The Atlantic, Tuesday</a>:<br />
  482. <img loading="lazy" src="https://themoderatevoice.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/the-atlantic.jpeg" alt="Snarky headline from The Atlantic" width="1733" height="2000" class="alignnone wp-image-280720 up" style="max-width: 75%;" srcset="https://themoderatevoice.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/the-atlantic.jpeg 1733w, https://themoderatevoice.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/the-atlantic-260x300.jpeg 260w" sizes="(max-width: 1733px) 100vw, 1733px" /></p>
  483. <p>Added: I think they should clarify that the author is a “<a href="https://49thshelf.com/Blog/2017/11/272/The-Chat-with-Governor-General-s-Nonfiction-Award-Winner-Graeme-Wood" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Canadian resident in the United States</a>.”</p>
  484. <p>And a conservative London paper, The Times:<br />
  485. <img loading="lazy" src="https://themoderatevoice.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/CleanShot-2024-07-23-at-18.41.57@2x.png" alt="screenshot times of london tweet" width="1210" height="1066" class="alignnone wp-image-280739" style="max-width: 75%;" srcset="https://themoderatevoice.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/CleanShot-2024-07-23-at-18.41.57@2x.png 1210w, https://themoderatevoice.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/CleanShot-2024-07-23-at-18.41.57@2x-300x264.png 300w" sizes="(max-width: 1210px) 100vw, 1210px" /></p>
  486. <p>None of these headlines &#8212; or stories &#8212; acknowledge the extensive planning required as well as the ability of that many people to keep their lips zipped. Nor do they identify the limits on who could use the Biden-Harris campaign funds (only one of them) &#8230; or what no ads for three weeks would do to campaign momentum.</p>
  487. <p><strong><em>This is strategic</em>.</strong></p>
  488. <ul>
  489. <li> Wait until after the Republican National Convention and vice presidential selection is done. </li>
  490. <li> Wait until Sunday after the talk shows. </li>
  491. <li> Announce without a media event. </li>
  492. <li> Have paperwork lined up to flip a switch which made the Biden-Harris campaign funds ready for Harris alone. </li>
  493. </ul>
  494. <p><strong>Again. With no leaks.</strong></p>
  495. <p>Maybe the fundraising was primed. I&#8217;m certain the calls for funds was prepared and ready to go, but <a href="https://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/4786610-harris-breaks-fundraising-record/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">I don&#8217;t think anyone would have projected a new 24-hour record</a>: $81,000,000.</p>
  496. <p>What kind of planning and manpower does it take to secure more than half delegate votes <em>the next day</em>? That&#8217;s a huge phone call tree.</p>
  497. <blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
  498. <p lang="en" dir="ltr">There was broad consensus among Georgia delegates interviewed by the <a href="https://twitter.com/ajc?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@AJC</a> to back Harris if the decision was thrown to them, with some saying if Biden trusted her to make her his running mate then Democrats should also back her as his successor. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/gapol?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#gapol</a> </p>
  499. <p> <a href="https://t.co/CyRdcAHQgX">https://t.co/CyRdcAHQgX</a></p>
  500. <p>&mdash; Greg Bluestein (@bluestein) <a href="https://twitter.com/bluestein/status/1815109926202798515?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 21, 2024</a></p></blockquote>
  501. <p><script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p>
  502. <p><a href="https://apnews.com/article/harris-biden-presidential-candidate-election-withdraw-9fbd153493cb3f088994854fe61a73e9"><img loading="lazy" src="https://themoderatevoice.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/CleanShot-2024-07-23-at-14.00.57@2x.png" alt="AP delegate survey" width="1670" height="742" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-280730" srcset="https://themoderatevoice.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/CleanShot-2024-07-23-at-14.00.57@2x.png 1670w, https://themoderatevoice.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/CleanShot-2024-07-23-at-14.00.57@2x-300x133.png 300w" sizes="(max-width: 1670px) 100vw, 1670px" /></a></p>
  503. <p>Republicans continue to make a lot of noise, but at least <strong>some</strong> headlines put their noisy illegitimate objections into context (unlike Sunday and Monday). Compare the Washington Post (illegitimate) with Business Insider (contextual). Gives you pause, or it should: it&#8217;s the alternative medium that is framing the story with facts.<br />
  504. <figure id="attachment_280731" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-280731" style="width: 1490px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img loading="lazy" width="1490" height="668" src="https://themoderatevoice.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/CleanShot-2024-07-23-at-14.04.05@2x.png" alt="WA post headline" class="size-full wp-image-280731 up" style="max-width: 75%;" srcset="https://themoderatevoice.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/CleanShot-2024-07-23-at-14.04.05@2x.png 1490w, https://themoderatevoice.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/CleanShot-2024-07-23-at-14.04.05@2x-300x134.png 300w" sizes="(max-width: 1490px) 100vw, 1490px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-280731" class="wp-caption-text"></p>
  505. <div class="imageCaption" style="max-width: 75%;">Republicans have no say in how Democrats pick their candidate (and vice versa).</div>
  506. <p></figcaption></figure></p>
  507. <p><figure id="attachment_280732" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-280732" style="width: 1516px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img loading="lazy" width="1516" height="322" src="https://themoderatevoice.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/CleanShot-2024-07-23-at-14.06.10@2x.png" alt="Biz Insider screen capture" class="size-full wp-image-280732" style="max-width: 75%;" srcset="https://themoderatevoice.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/CleanShot-2024-07-23-at-14.06.10@2x.png 1516w, https://themoderatevoice.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/CleanShot-2024-07-23-at-14.06.10@2x-300x64.png 300w" sizes="(max-width: 1516px) 100vw, 1516px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-280732" class="wp-caption-text"></p>
  508. <div class="imageCaption" style="max-width: 75%;">Business Insider properrly frames Republican threats of litigation.</div>
  509. <p></figcaption></figure></p>
  510. <p>I&#8217;ll leave you with two clips from Wisconsin:</p>
  511. <blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
  512. <p lang="en" dir="ltr">We who believe in reproductive freedom will stop Donald Trump&#39;s extreme abortion bans—because we trust women to make decisions about their bodies.</p>
  513. <p>When Congress passes a law to restore reproductive freedoms, as President, I will sign it into law. <a href="https://t.co/AwfjFQo2C9">pic.twitter.com/AwfjFQo2C9</a></p>
  514. <p>&mdash; Kamala Harris (@KamalaHarris) <a href="https://twitter.com/KamalaHarris/status/1815827300551696517?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 23, 2024</a></p></blockquote>
  515. <p><script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p>
  516. <blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
  517. <p lang="en" dir="ltr">Since MAGA cares so much about crowd size, this should be quite chilling to you all. </p>
  518. <p>Kamala Harris in Wisconsin today. </p>
  519. <p> <a href="https://t.co/kj84szzM1a">pic.twitter.com/kj84szzM1a</a></p>
  520. <p>&mdash; Brian Krassenstein (@krassenstein) <a href="https://twitter.com/krassenstein/status/1815902410042212514?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 24, 2024</a></p></blockquote>
  521. <p><script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p>
  522. <p>The jury is watching mainstream news media, but not with bated breath. </p>
  523. <p>I expect campaign coverage to shift from Biden&#8217;s age to negatives about Harris, with nary (or a passing) a critique of Trump&#8217;s age, lack of transparency (<a href="https://www.politico.com/news/2021/10/07/scope-ego-trump-colonoscopy-515444" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">health</a>, <a href="https://www.propublica.org/article/trump-irs-audit-chicago-hotel-taxes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">taxes</a>, <a href="https://www.emptywheel.net/2024/07/21/since-butler-trump-has-foregone-competent-medical-care-and-is-withholding-ct-scan-results/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Butler PA injury</a>), or clear <a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2024/06/trump-sharks-las-vegas-rally-speech/678667/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">inability to share a cogent train of thought</a> (&#8216;gibberish&#8217;).</p>
  524. <p>.</p>
  525. <p>[1] Headline from <a href="https://nosweatshakespeare.com/quotes/famous/hell-hath-no-fury-like-a-woman-scorned/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">William Congreve’s play, The Mourning Bride</a> (1697).<br />
  526. &nbsp;<br />
  527. ~~~~<br />
  528. &nbsp;</p>
  529. <p>The stakes in November have never been more urgent, nor the choices more extreme.</p>
  530. <p>Remember: you are not voting for one person. You are voting for a team.</p>
  531. <p>I’m voting for Team America not Team Russia-Hungary-North Korea.</p>
  532. <div style="max-width: 100px; margin:auto; margin-top: 25px; margin-bottom: 25px; ">
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  537.      </g>
  538.    </svg></div>
  539. <p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://themoderatevoice.com/heaven-has-no-rage-like-love-to-hatred-turned-nor-hell-a-fury-like-news-media-scorned/">&#8216;Heaven has no rage like love to hatred turned, Nor hell a fury like [news media] scorned&#8217;</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://themoderatevoice.com">The Moderate Voice</a>.</p>
  540. ]]></content:encoded>
  541. <wfw:commentRss>https://themoderatevoice.com/heaven-has-no-rage-like-love-to-hatred-turned-nor-hell-a-fury-like-news-media-scorned/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
  542. <slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
  543. </item>
  544. <item>
  545. <title>THE EX-PROSECUTOR VS. THE FELON</title>
  546. <link>https://themoderatevoice.com/the-ex-prosecutor-vs-the-felon/</link>
  547. <comments>https://themoderatevoice.com/the-ex-prosecutor-vs-the-felon/#respond</comments>
  548. <dc:creator><![CDATA[Dick Polman, Cagle Cartoons Columnist]]></dc:creator>
  549. <pubDate>Wed, 24 Jul 2024 04:19:58 +0000</pubDate>
  550. <category><![CDATA[2024 Presidential Election]]></category>
  551. <category><![CDATA[Featured]]></category>
  552. <category><![CDATA[Biden withdrawal]]></category>
  553. <category><![CDATA[Crime]]></category>
  554. <category><![CDATA[Democratic Party]]></category>
  555. <category><![CDATA[Dick Polman]]></category>
  556. <category><![CDATA[Donald Trump]]></category>
  557. <category><![CDATA[Joe Biden]]></category>
  558. <category><![CDATA[Kamala Harris]]></category>
  559. <category><![CDATA[Law]]></category>
  560. <category><![CDATA[MAGA]]></category>
  561. <category><![CDATA[Republican Party]]></category>
  562. <guid isPermaLink="false">https://themoderatevoice.com/?p=280753</guid>
  563.  
  564. <description><![CDATA[<p>The presidential race has just received an historic reboot, thanks to Joe Biden’s selfless decision to stand down in the national interest. For those of us who loathe the looming totalitarian threat to our democratic values, the president’s passing of the torch feels like a shot of adrenaline to our aching hearts. For starters, the<a class="read-more" href="https://themoderatevoice.com/the-ex-prosecutor-vs-the-felon/"> [&#8230;]</a></p>
  565. <p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://themoderatevoice.com/the-ex-prosecutor-vs-the-felon/">THE EX-PROSECUTOR VS. THE FELON</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://themoderatevoice.com">The Moderate Voice</a>.</p>
  566. ]]></description>
  567. <content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><img loading="lazy" src="https://themoderatevoice.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/212121-e1721794554629.png" alt="" width="760" height="495" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-280754" /></p>
  568. <p>The presidential race has just received an historic reboot, thanks to Joe Biden’s selfless decision to stand down in the national interest. For those of us who loathe the looming totalitarian threat to our democratic values, the president’s passing of the torch feels like a shot of adrenaline to our aching hearts.</p>
  569. <p>For starters, the baggage of the Biden age issue has been magically swept away. The focus now shifts to the MAGA nominee – the oldest presidential candidate in history, a convicted criminal who’s been found liable for rape and financial fraud, indicted for plotting a coup, and determined to rule with a fascist blueprint drawn up by 140 former aides.</p>
  570. <p>Maybe this existentially consequential election is winnable for the Dems after all. As evidenced by all the polls (including the Dems’ internal soundings), Biden had a very low ceiling. But now it feels like there’s room to grow. Kamala Harris – anointed by Biden and not seriously challenged – comes to the fore with a message tailor-made for 2024 combat: She’s an ex-prosecutor running against a felon. She’ll put Trump on trial in the public square. Since the judges won’t do it, she will.</p>
  571. <p>Plus, she can string sentences together without losing her train of thought (“Ultimately, in this election, we each face the question: What kind of country do we want to live in?”); indeed, she can make the case for the Biden administration’s major achievements – infrastructure, climate change investment, lower drug prices, the western world’s strongest economy – far more coherently than her lame duck boss.</p>
  572. <p>She’ll zero in on the MAGA ticket’s biggest vulnerability: its war against women’s bodily autonomy. She’s been doing that for more than a year (“We have worked too hard and for too long to see our daughters grow up in a world with fewer rights than our mothers”), and she’s already connecting the abortion issue to the broader fight to preserve all the freedoms that are currently imperiled.</p>
  573. <p>Biden was tanking with young voters (especially voters of color), age 18 to 29. She’ll bring them out en masse. She might be a tougher sell for white voters than Biden was in 2020, but she can address that potential deficit in the swing states by teaming up with a great white guy – one of the many successful governors, or perhaps Mark Kelly, the Arizona Senator and ex-Navy combat vet.</p>
  574. <p>The bottom line is that the campaign narrative has been overhauled; whereas before the Dems were drowning, now they’ve surged to the water’s surface. Harris’ team raised more than $81 million in just 24 hours, according to the Associated Press. An activist group led by Black women held a Zoom call and expected 1,000 participants; they got 40,000.</p>
  575. <p>Granted, the MAGAts will unleash a tsunami of attacks – highlighting border immigration (Biden gave Harris that thankless issue early on), tying her to the inflation that long plagued the Biden team (although inflation has been ebbing), and of course serenading her with racist and misogynist dog whistles. They don’t like the way she laughs, and Kellyanne Conway told Fox News that “She does not speak well. She does not work hard.”</p>
  576. <p>But Trump is clearly freaked out. On social media, he signaled that he may try to weasel out of the scheduled September presidential debate (the last thing he wants is to risk getting stomped by a Black woman). And best of all was his plaintive whine; with Biden out and Kamala in, “Now we have to start all over again.”</p>
  577. <p>What we’re seeing now is the starkest contrast between a pro-democracy party and an authoritarian cult. Much as the Democrats loved and respected Joe Biden for the great work he has done, they openly questioned whether their leader had the skills to win again. Whereas the cult is led by an aging criminal who brooks no dissent, who inspires the mindless to bandage their ears.</p>
  578. <p>This will be an election season like no other, and we should salute Joe one last time for teeing it up. In 2020 he saved democracy by running against Trump. In 2024, if Harris wins, he will be hailed in history for saving democracy by standing down.</p>
  579. <p>The entire chessboard has been reset. Let’s get to work.</p>
  580. <p>The presidential race has just received an historic reboot, thanks to Joe Biden’s selfless decision to stand down in the national interest. For those of us who loathe the looming totalitarian threat to our democratic values, the president’s passing of the torch feels like a shot of adrenaline to our aching hearts.</p>
  581. <p>For starters, the baggage of the Biden age issue has been magically swept away. The focus now shifts to the MAGA nominee – the oldest presidential candidate in history, a convicted criminal who’s been found liable for rape and financial fraud, indicted for plotting a coup, and determined to rule with a fascist blueprint drawn up by 140 former aides.</p>
  582. <p>Maybe this existentially consequential election is winnable for the Dems after all. As evidenced by all the polls (including the Dems’ internal soundings), Biden had a very low ceiling. But now it feels like there’s room to grow. Kamala Harris – anointed by Biden and not seriously challenged – comes to the fore with a message tailor-made for 2024 combat: She’s an ex-prosecutor running against a felon. She’ll put Trump on trial in the public square. Since the judges won’t do it, she will.</p>
  583. <p>Plus, she can string sentences together without losing her train of thought (“Ultimately, in this election, we each face the question: What kind of country do we want to live in?”); indeed, she can make the case for the Biden administration’s major achievements – infrastructure, climate change investment, lower drug prices, the western world’s strongest economy – far more coherently than her lame duck boss.</p>
  584. <p>She’ll zero in on the MAGA ticket’s biggest vulnerability: its war against women’s bodily autonomy. She’s been doing that for more than a year (“We have worked too hard and for too long to see our daughters grow up in a world with fewer rights than our mothers”), and she’s already connecting the abortion issue to the broader fight to preserve all the freedoms that are currently imperiled.</p>
  585. <p>Biden was tanking with young voters (especially voters of color), age 18 to 29. She’ll bring them out en masse. She might be a tougher sell for white voters than Biden was in 2020, but she can address that potential deficit in the swing states by teaming up with a great white guy – one of the many successful governors, or perhaps Mark Kelly, the Arizona Senator and ex-Navy combat vet.</p>
  586. <p>The bottom line is that the campaign narrative has been overhauled; whereas before the Dems were drowning, now they’ve surged to the water’s surface. Harris’ team raised more than $81 million in just 24 hours, according to the Associated Press. An activist group led by Black women held a Zoom call and expected 1,000 participants; they got 40,000.</p>
  587. <p>Granted, the MAGAts will unleash a tsunami of attacks – highlighting border immigration (Biden gave Harris that thankless issue early on), tying her to the inflation that long plagued the Biden team (although inflation has been ebbing), and of course serenading her with racist and misogynist dog whistles. They don’t like the way she laughs, and Kellyanne Conway told Fox News that “She does not speak well. She does not work hard.”</p>
  588. <p>But Trump is clearly freaked out. On social media, he signaled that he may try to weasel out of the scheduled September presidential debate (the last thing he wants is to risk getting stomped by a Black woman). And best of all was his plaintive whine; with Biden out and Kamala in, “Now we have to start all over again.”</p>
  589. <p>What we’re seeing now is the starkest contrast between a pro-democracy party and an authoritarian cult. Much as the Democrats loved and respected Joe Biden for the great work he has done, they openly questioned whether their leader had the skills to win again. Whereas the cult is led by an aging criminal who brooks no dissent, who inspires the mindless to bandage their ears.</p>
  590. <p>This will be an election season like no other, and we should salute Joe one last time for teeing it up. In 2020 he saved democracy by running against Trump. In 2024, if Harris wins, he will be hailed in history for saving democracy by standing down.</p>
  591. <p>The entire chessboard has been reset. Let’s get to work.</p>
  592. <p><em>Copyright 2024 Dick Polman, distributed exclusively by Cagle Cartoons newspaper syndicate. Dick Polman, a veteran national political columnist based in Philadelphia and a Writer in Residence at the University of Pennsylvania, writes at DickPolman.net. Email him at dickpolman7@gmail.com</em></p>
  593. <p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://themoderatevoice.com/the-ex-prosecutor-vs-the-felon/">THE EX-PROSECUTOR VS. THE FELON</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://themoderatevoice.com">The Moderate Voice</a>.</p>
  594. ]]></content:encoded>
  595. <wfw:commentRss>https://themoderatevoice.com/the-ex-prosecutor-vs-the-felon/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
  596. <slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
  597. </item>
  598. <item>
  599. <title>Unlock Greater Efficiency with Next-Gen Warehouse Storage Solutions</title>
  600. <link>https://themoderatevoice.com/unlock-greater-efficiency-with-next-gen-warehouse-storage-solutions/</link>
  601. <comments>https://themoderatevoice.com/unlock-greater-efficiency-with-next-gen-warehouse-storage-solutions/#respond</comments>
  602. <dc:creator><![CDATA[Emily Newton]]></dc:creator>
  603. <pubDate>Tue, 23 Jul 2024 16:25:37 +0000</pubDate>
  604. <category><![CDATA[Business]]></category>
  605. <category><![CDATA[Economy]]></category>
  606. <guid isPermaLink="false">https://themoderatevoice.com/?p=280704</guid>
  607.  
  608. <description><![CDATA[<p>Despite the distance of time, the United States is still feeling the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic in the warehousing and distribution sectors. Consumers have grown accustomed to ordering online and selecting rapid delivery options — and their expectations are unlikely to change any time soon.  While soaring industrial rent prices and record-level site scarcity<a class="read-more" href="https://themoderatevoice.com/unlock-greater-efficiency-with-next-gen-warehouse-storage-solutions/"> [&#8230;]</a></p>
  609. <p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://themoderatevoice.com/unlock-greater-efficiency-with-next-gen-warehouse-storage-solutions/">Unlock Greater Efficiency with Next-Gen Warehouse Storage Solutions</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://themoderatevoice.com">The Moderate Voice</a>.</p>
  610. ]]></description>
  611. <content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><img loading="lazy" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-280706" src="https://themoderatevoice.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/chuttersnap-BNBA1h-NgdY-unsplash.jpg" alt="next-gen warehouse storage" width="1920" height="1277" srcset="https://themoderatevoice.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/chuttersnap-BNBA1h-NgdY-unsplash.jpg 1920w, https://themoderatevoice.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/chuttersnap-BNBA1h-NgdY-unsplash-300x200.jpg 300w" sizes="(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px" /></p>
  612. <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Despite the distance of time, the United States is still feeling the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic in the warehousing and distribution sectors. Consumers have grown accustomed to ordering online and selecting rapid delivery options — and their expectations are unlikely to change any time soon. </span></p>
  613. <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">While soaring industrial rent prices and record-level site scarcity have adversely impacted many, they have also prompted the emergence of </span><span style="font-weight: 400;">next-gen warehouse</span><span style="font-weight: 400;"> technology. Since expansion is no longer an option for many business leaders, they have been forced to reimagine their current spaces with solutions like </span><span style="font-weight: 400;">multi-level warehouse</span><span style="font-weight: 400;"> storage or mobile racking systems.</span></p>
  614. <h2><b>Warehouses in the U.S. Are Running out of Space</b></h2>
  615. <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Industrial space is in short supply. In the United States, the average rent for warehouse and distribution buildings </span><a href="https://www.statista.com/statistics/626555/average-rent-per-square-foot-paid-for-industrial-space-usa-by-type/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">was $9.72 per square foot</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;"> in 2023, up from $8.10 in 2022 — a 20% price jump year-over-year. Indicators suggest it shows no signs of declining. While it has been steadily increasing for almost one decade, various factors have accelerated its growth.</span></p>
  616. <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">This shortage is largely the inevitable byproduct of pandemic-fueled e-commerce growth. Recent shifts in consumer demand have also played a significant role, as many brands have been forced to accommodate two-day and same-day delivery options by changing where they fill and how they deliver orders to remain relevant in competitive markets. </span></p>
  617. <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Due to these factors, warehouse space availability is dwindling even in traditionally low-demand areas. Once all the desirable spots in densely populated urban areas were taken, business leaders hastily acquired sites in rural or logistically subpar locations. </span></p>
  618. <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Rober Thornburgh, the chief executive of the Society of Industrial and Office Realtors, admitted that the disparity between supply and demand </span><a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2022/02/01/business/warehouses-supply-chain.html"><span style="font-weight: 400;">is more significant than he has ever seen</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;"> before. He went as far as to describe industrial space as “almost evaporating” before his eyes, claiming professionals are “lucky” even to know sites exist before they are bought up.</span></p>
  619. <h2><b>How </b><b>Next-Gen Warehouse</b><b> Storage Solutions Can Help </b></h2>
  620. <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Since industrial sites are scarce, facility managers must reimagine their current spaces. Many are turning to </span><span style="font-weight: 400;">next-gen warehouse</span><span style="font-weight: 400;"> storage solutions:</span></p>
  621. <h3><b>Very Narrow Aisles</b></h3>
  622. <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">While a standard aisle generally measures over 10 1/2 feet, very narrow aisles range from 5-7 feet. This storage system’s dimensions are roughly half the size of conventional racks, meaning management </span><a href="https://www.rosstechnology.com/news/understanding-very-narrow-aisles-and-narrow-aisle-storage-solutions/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">can fit 30%-50% more products</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;"> in the same space. Although it slightly limits maneuverability, modified material handling equipment can navigate narrow paths without issue.</span></p>
  623. <h3><b>Warehouse Management System</b></h3>
  624. <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Although a digital warehouse management system is not technically a space-saving technology, it can act as one. This stand-alone solution automates inventory recordkeeping, helping management predict fluctuations in demand. This way, mitigating overstock and stockout situations becomes more straightforward. </span></p>
  625. <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">This </span><span style="font-weight: 400;">next-gen warehouse</span><span style="font-weight: 400;"> technology is catching on because it enables inventory and space optimization. In fact, some warehouses experience a </span><a href="https://revolutionized.com/warehouse-layout-optimization/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">70% increase in inventory accuracy</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;"> and an 80% increase in product volume after deploying it. Since these systems require no layout or building alterations, they are cost-effective.</span></p>
  626. <h3><b>Multi-Level Warehouse</b><b> Storage</b></h3>
  627. <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Limited space and zoning restrictions keep most facility managers from expanding to accommodate demand. A </span><span style="font-weight: 400;">multi-level warehouse</span><span style="font-weight: 400;"> addresses this issue by building vertically instead of horizontally. Since it requires minimal alterations to the existing layout, it maximizes storage capacity without impeding vehicle or foot traffic. </span></p>
  628. <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">In a standard warehouse, the ground level </span><a href="https://www.marineinsight.com/maritime-law/multi-storey-warehousing/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">is around 32 feet high</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;"> and contains multi-tier racking systems. A multi-story design consists of several additional floors, each housing independent picking and packing processes. It utilizes ramps, conveyor belts and freight lifts to enable loading and unloading at different points. </span></p>
  629. <h2><b>The Temporary </b><b>Next-Gen Warehouse</b><b> Storage Solutions </b></h2>
  630. <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">While data points indicate storage solutions like </span><span style="font-weight: 400;">multi-level warehouses</span><span style="font-weight: 400;"> and very narrow aisles are some of the most effective options, some companies lack the resources to implement them. In these cases, temporary alternatives may be better:</span></p>
  631. <h3><b>Mobile Racking Systems</b></h3>
  632. <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Standard industrial shelving units do not offer the flexibility warehouses need when they are near capacity, turning every fluctuation in demand into a headache for management. Alternatively, mobile racking systems enable dynamic, high-density storage. Since they are movable, they can accommodate improvised layout redesigns. </span></p>
  633. <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">While conventional mobile racking systems are simply wheeled industrial shelves, the </span><span style="font-weight: 400;">next-gen warehouse</span><span style="font-weight: 400;"> solutions are mounted on motorized rail systems, enabling mobility at the push of a button. Workers, robots and forklifts retain unrestricted access. Moreover, decision-makers can certainly reprogram their automated retrieval systems to account for dynamic shelving.</span></p>
  634. <h3><b>Mezzanine Decking</b></h3>
  635. <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Mezzanine decking is a sort of temporary </span><span style="font-weight: 400;">multi-level warehouse</span><span style="font-weight: 400;"> solution. Implementing it is a sound business strategy if local building codes or budget restrictions prevent decision-makers from constructing additional floors. Here, workers use stairs to access higher levels. Each level conducts independent picking and packing processes. </span></p>
  636. <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Since mezzanine decking is temporary, it is dynamic — management can uninstall and reinstall these steel structures as their needs change. They can even use it as a walkway for very narrow aisles instead of as an independent level. If they need to accommodate automated retrieval robots, they can place ramps or conveyor systems alongside the stairs.</span></p>
  637. <h2><b>How to Implement Solutions With Minimal Downtime</b></h2>
  638. <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">While many </span><span style="font-weight: 400;">next-gen warehouse</span><span style="font-weight: 400;"> storage solutions are dynamic or mobile, installation requires time and labor that can impact standard operations. Decision-makers should use technology to anticipate consumer demand to avoid unnecessary downtime, moving to act as soon as it dips significantly. This way, they minimize the number of orders affected by delays. </span></p>
  639. <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Alternatively, they can take advantage of the post-pandemic surge in empty storefronts to house products during implementation. While these temporary storage spaces are not ideal, there is a surplus of them in many rural and urban areas. </span></p>
  640. <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Temporary walkways are a more straightforward solution. These elevated platforms allow workers to continue picking and packing orders while remaining out of the way of construction. While deploying these structures may affect operations, the impact will not be anywhere as near significant as other solutions’ installation procedures.</span></p>
  641. <h2><b>Will Industrial Rent Prices Fall in the Near Future?</b></h2>
  642. <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Warehouse managers who have held off on implementing next-gen technologies in hopes of outlasting soaring industrial rent prices and site scarcity may have to reconsider. While no one can predict the future, most indicators suggest this issue will persist in the coming years. For now, deploying a storage solution may be one of the best business strategies.</span></p>
  643. <p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://themoderatevoice.com/unlock-greater-efficiency-with-next-gen-warehouse-storage-solutions/">Unlock Greater Efficiency with Next-Gen Warehouse Storage Solutions</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://themoderatevoice.com">The Moderate Voice</a>.</p>
  644. ]]></content:encoded>
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  647. </item>
  648. <item>
  649. <title>YES, DONALD THERE IS A GOD</title>
  650. <link>https://themoderatevoice.com/yes-donald-there-is-a-god/</link>
  651. <comments>https://themoderatevoice.com/yes-donald-there-is-a-god/#respond</comments>
  652. <dc:creator><![CDATA[Don Hermann, Columnist]]></dc:creator>
  653. <pubDate>Tue, 23 Jul 2024 15:13:38 +0000</pubDate>
  654. <category><![CDATA[At TMV]]></category>
  655. <category><![CDATA[Economy]]></category>
  656. <category><![CDATA[Featured]]></category>
  657. <category><![CDATA[International]]></category>
  658. <category><![CDATA[Media]]></category>
  659. <category><![CDATA[Politics]]></category>
  660. <category><![CDATA[War]]></category>
  661. <guid isPermaLink="false">https://themoderatevoice.com/?p=280710</guid>
  662.  
  663. <description><![CDATA[<p>YES, DONALD THERE IS A GOD A God who wants fairness. And decency. And honesty. And opportunity for all people. A God who abhors Hate. A God who doesn’t want to be used for political purposes. A God who recognizes people of all religions. A God who is not a white Christian God exclusively. A<a class="read-more" href="https://themoderatevoice.com/yes-donald-there-is-a-god/"> [&#8230;]</a></p>
  664. <p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://themoderatevoice.com/yes-donald-there-is-a-god/">YES, DONALD THERE IS A GOD</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://themoderatevoice.com">The Moderate Voice</a>.</p>
  665. ]]></description>
  666. <content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><img loading="lazy" src="https://themoderatevoice.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/F7XF3SgXcAAACCP.jpg" alt="" width="640" height="567" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-280713" srcset="https://themoderatevoice.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/F7XF3SgXcAAACCP.jpg 640w, https://themoderatevoice.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/F7XF3SgXcAAACCP-300x266.jpg 300w" sizes="(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px" /></p>
  667. <p><strong>YES, DONALD THERE IS A GOD</strong></p>
  668. <p>A God who wants fairness. And decency. And honesty. And opportunity for all people.</p>
  669. <p>A God who abhors Hate.</p>
  670. <p>A God who doesn’t want to be used for political purposes. A God who recognizes people of all religions. A God who is not a white Christian God exclusively.</p>
  671. <p>A God who wants justice for people who commit crimes. People who lie. And cheat. And rape. And are destructive at the expense of anyone who gets in their way.</p>
  672. <p>A God who doesn’t look kindly at those who take undo advantage of those who have provided them with appropriate products and services.</p>
  673. <p>A God who wants those who are dishonest to get punished accordingly. A God who doesn’t want someone through gimmickry to avoid appropriate punishment.</p>
  674. <p>Donald, this God helped you. You survived by inches. You claimed God was with you.</p>
  675. <p>Do not misinterpret God’s actions.</p>
  676. <p>God has been watching you and wants you to understand all the misdeeds you have been engaged in.</p>
  677. <p>This God wants contrition from you.  Who knows? This God has given you the will to be able to experience it.</p>
  678. <p>This God wants you to have wisdom. And knowledge.</p>
  679. <p>Let’s begin. Something completely unexpected happened.  A woman of color became your prime competition for the Presidency.</p>
  680. <p>It was as if it were a gift from Heaven. She was so magnetic it’s no wonder you didn’t run for the hills. Your name calling is not going to work. Your lack of information is going to shine like a beam focusing on it. God works in strange ways.</p>
  681. <p>Deflection doesn’t do it. In a little over a month, you’ll have a major decision. A commitment to debate the Democratic candidate for President. Sweaty palms time. Should I? Or Shouldn’t I?</p>
  682. <p>To give you a heads up, can you name one extreme right wing person you claim is decent?</p>
  683. <p>Were you really Number One at Wharton?</p>
  684. <p>How many times have you lied as President?</p>
  685. <p>Do you have to mislead to gain traction?</p>
  686. <p>Why is hurting people so important?</p>
  687. <p>Would you trust someone who lies like you do?</p>
  688. <p>What is the impression of the person you see in the mirror?</p>
  689. <p>Are all the women who say you groped them lying?</p>
  690. <p>What is your feeling about the business people who were forced into bankruptcy or close to it as a result of your lack of payment for their services?</p>
  691. <p>There will be scores more of these kinds of questions coming. Transparency will be critical.</p>
  692. <p>You’re on your own. The almighty is handing you the ball. Will you run with it?</p>
  693. <p>Kamala Harris will be watching. Ready to hold your feet to the fire. Ouch.</p>
  694. <p>&nbsp;</p>
  695. <p>&nbsp;</p>
  696. <p>&nbsp;</p>
  697. <p>&nbsp;</p>
  698. <p>&nbsp;</p>
  699. <p>&nbsp;</p>
  700. <p>&nbsp;</p>
  701. <p>&nbsp;</p>
  702. <p>&nbsp;</p>
  703. <p>&nbsp;</p>
  704. <p>&nbsp;</p>
  705. <p>&nbsp;</p>
  706. <p>&nbsp;</p>
  707. <p>&nbsp;</p>
  708. <p>&nbsp;</p>
  709. <p>&nbsp;</p>
  710. <p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://themoderatevoice.com/yes-donald-there-is-a-god/">YES, DONALD THERE IS A GOD</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://themoderatevoice.com">The Moderate Voice</a>.</p>
  711. ]]></content:encoded>
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  714. </item>
  715. <item>
  716. <title>Kamala 2024 – now we’re having fun</title>
  717. <link>https://themoderatevoice.com/kamala-2024-now-were-having-fun/</link>
  718. <comments>https://themoderatevoice.com/kamala-2024-now-were-having-fun/#respond</comments>
  719. <dc:creator><![CDATA[Richard Barry, Associate Editor - Politics and the Arts]]></dc:creator>
  720. <pubDate>Mon, 22 Jul 2024 18:16:01 +0000</pubDate>
  721. <category><![CDATA[2024 Elections]]></category>
  722. <category><![CDATA[Featured]]></category>
  723. <category><![CDATA[Politics]]></category>
  724. <category><![CDATA[Donald Trump]]></category>
  725. <category><![CDATA[Joe Biden]]></category>
  726. <category><![CDATA[Kamala Harris]]></category>
  727. <guid isPermaLink="false">https://themoderatevoice.com/?p=280700</guid>
  728.  
  729. <description><![CDATA[<p>Not 24 hours after Joe Biden stepped down to make way for his Vice President Kamala Harris to become the likely Democratic presidential nominee, Nate Cohn at the New York Times is already harshing our buzz by reminding us that victory in the November election will not be a walk in the park for Kamala.<a class="read-more" href="https://themoderatevoice.com/kamala-2024-now-were-having-fun/"> [&#8230;]</a></p>
  730. <p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://themoderatevoice.com/kamala-2024-now-were-having-fun/">Kamala 2024 &#8211; now we&#8217;re having fun</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://themoderatevoice.com">The Moderate Voice</a>.</p>
  731. ]]></description>
  732. <content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Not 24 hours after Joe Biden stepped down to make way for his Vice President Kamala Harris to become the likely Democratic presidential nominee, <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2024/07/22/upshot/kamala-harris-polls-trump.html">Nate Cohn at the New York Times</a> is already harshing our buzz by reminding us that victory in the November election will not be a walk in the park for Kamala. Surely her nomination is not in doubt, as we have seen a number of high-profile Democrats, many of whom would have been considered viable candidates in their own right, endorse her. Though we are not sure what process the party will put in place to nominate her, there is little doubt we are looking at a Harris-Trump match-up. It is also absolutely true and, frankly, obvious that this will be a tough election.</p>
  733. <p>Cohn makes the perfectly reasonable case that &#8220;the majority of voters have long had an unfavourable view&#8221; of Kamala Harris, just as they have had an unfavourable view of Biden. Still, he says, as recently as a year ago many Democrats were not particularly concerned about their unpopularity because they saw the election as a referendum on democracy itself and Trump&#8217;s obvious authoritarian impulses. They believed that Americans would understand this and that an &#8220;anti-MAGA&#8221; majority would reject Donald Trump.</p>
  734. <p>A deeper dive, as Cohn points out, shows that there is surely more to it. For example, recent polling has suggested that, beyond Biden&#8217;s age, a majority of voters are not happy with the direction of the country and have deeply held concerns with issues such as immigration and the economy, areas in which many voters seem to trust Trump more. Kamala Harris was a key part of Biden&#8217;s team and can be easily blamed for any perceived failings of the Administration so, again, no walk in the park.</p>
  735. <p>Mr Cohn does suggest that Kamala Harris could be seen as an agent of change able to present a vision for the country that successfully addresses concerns voters may have. He does not, however, seem overly optimistic.</p>
  736. <p>I think he misses a key point. </p>
  737. <p>When news began to circulate that Joe Biden was going to do the very brave and noble thing of stepping down for the good of his country, there was not only a sense of relief but also of excitement, almost giddiness that now Americans terrified of another Trump Presidency would have a fighting chance. </p>
  738. <p>After Trump&#8217;s truly awful acceptance speech at the GOP convention, many pundits said that his rambling incoherence was <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2024/07/09/opinion/trump-convention-speech.html">proof that he was beatable</a>. There is an old saying, however, that you can&#8217;t beat something with nothing, and many of us felt that with Biden at the top of the ticket that was the problem. In the June 27th debate, every time Trump would lie, <a href="https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/newfoundland-labrador/daniel-dale-trump-era-1.5884246">more than 30 times according to CNN fact checker Daniel Dale</a>, we could see for ourselves that President Biden was not capable of offering a challenge. In subsequent appearances, which were intended to quell our concerns, we were never quite sure what he was trying to tell us.</p>
  739. <p>Of course we don&#8217;t know what the outcome of the election will be; we don&#8217;t know how Kamala Harris will perform, but we know we have a chance. The overwhelming sense that I felt and that I think was shared by many others when we heard that Biden was stepping down was excitement and even fun at the prospect of taking on Trump effectively. </p>
  740. <p>The Biden Administration has a good record to run on; they are on the winning side of issues like reproductive rights and foreign policy, and Kamala Harris will be able to draw attention to the terrifying policies that we are likely to get with four more years of Trump, such as those promoted in Project 2025.</p>
  741. <p>For the first time in a while, it&#8217;s fun and exciting being a Democrat, and that&#8217;s the sort of thing that opens checkbooks, draws volunteers, gets people to their polling stations and wins elections now that we have something to fight with.</p>
  742. <p>Cross-posted at <a href="https://phantompublic.org/kamala-2024-now-were-having-fun/">The Phantom Public</a> blog</p>
  743. <p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://themoderatevoice.com/kamala-2024-now-were-having-fun/">Kamala 2024 &#8211; now we&#8217;re having fun</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://themoderatevoice.com">The Moderate Voice</a>.</p>
  744. ]]></content:encoded>
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  746. <slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
  747. </item>
  748. <item>
  749. <title>The ‘Jewishness’ of Kamala Harris (Revisited)</title>
  750. <link>https://themoderatevoice.com/the-jewishness-of-kamala-harris-revisited/</link>
  751. <comments>https://themoderatevoice.com/the-jewishness-of-kamala-harris-revisited/#respond</comments>
  752. <dc:creator><![CDATA[Dorian de Wind, Military Affairs Correspondent]]></dc:creator>
  753. <pubDate>Mon, 22 Jul 2024 15:07:08 +0000</pubDate>
  754. <category><![CDATA[2020 Elections]]></category>
  755. <category><![CDATA[2024 Elections]]></category>
  756. <category><![CDATA[2024 Presidential Election]]></category>
  757. <category><![CDATA[African-Americans]]></category>
  758. <category><![CDATA[Asian Americans]]></category>
  759. <category><![CDATA[At TMV]]></category>
  760. <category><![CDATA[Featured]]></category>
  761. <category><![CDATA[Politics]]></category>
  762. <category><![CDATA[Racism]]></category>
  763. <category><![CDATA[Religion]]></category>
  764. <category><![CDATA[Women]]></category>
  765. <category><![CDATA[identity politics]]></category>
  766. <category><![CDATA[Joe Biden]]></category>
  767. <category><![CDATA[Kamala Harris]]></category>
  768. <guid isPermaLink="false">https://themoderatevoice.com/?p=280694</guid>
  769.  
  770. <description><![CDATA[<p>Almost four years ago, then-Senator Kamala Harris was Joe Biden’s vice-presidential running mate in an election that would result in the resounding defeat of Donald J. Trump. Referring to the wide-ranging use of and reference to “identity politics” – perhaps by both sides &#8212; during the 2020 national election, I wrote a piece on Kamala<a class="read-more" href="https://themoderatevoice.com/the-jewishness-of-kamala-harris-revisited/"> [&#8230;]</a></p>
  771. <p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://themoderatevoice.com/the-jewishness-of-kamala-harris-revisited/">The ‘Jewishness’ of Kamala Harris (Revisited)</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://themoderatevoice.com">The Moderate Voice</a>.</p>
  772. ]]></description>
  773. <content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><figure id="attachment_280695" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-280695" style="width: 622px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" src="https://themoderatevoice.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/Screenshot-2024-07-22-091741.png" alt="" width="622" height="452" class="size-full wp-image-280695" srcset="https://themoderatevoice.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/Screenshot-2024-07-22-091741.png 622w, https://themoderatevoice.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/Screenshot-2024-07-22-091741-300x218.png 300w" sizes="(max-width: 622px) 100vw, 622px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-280695" class="wp-caption-text">J.D. Crowe politicalcartoons.com via Cagle Cartoons (August 2020)</figcaption></figure></p>
  774. <p>Almost four years ago, then-Senator Kamala Harris was Joe Biden’s vice-presidential running mate in an election that would result in the resounding defeat of Donald J. Trump.</p>
  775. <p>Referring to the wide-ranging use of and reference to “identity politics” – perhaps by both sides &#8212; during the 2020 national election, I wrote <a href="https://themoderatevoice.com/the-jewishness-of-kamala-harris/">a piece on Kamala Harris.</a></p>
  776. <p><a href="https://www.reuters.com/world/us/all-50-democratic-party-us-state-chairs-back-harris-sources-2024-07-21/">Now that it is all-but-certain</a> that Kamala Harris will be the Democratic Party’s presidential nominee, it seems appropriate to look at this amazing American once again: her background, her “Blackness,” her “Jewishness.” (Kamala Harris is a Black Baptist). </p>
  777. <p>Why?</p>
  778. <p>Because, <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2024/07/22/opinion/al-sharpton-kamala-harris.html?campaign_id=39&#038;emc=edit_ty_20240722&#038;instance_id=129420&#038;nl=opinion-today&#038;regi_id=35160923&#038;segment_id=172812&#038;te=1&#038;user_id=2910f801e3e3f50d3eaa1fddbf7fdfb0">as Al Sharpton predicts</a>, “The attacks on her, as the highest elected Black woman in American history, will be unlike anything we’ve ever seen&#8230;Black women have always been America’s favorite punching bag. Get ready to see ugly stereotypes, questions about her record and verbal attacks taken to the next level.” </p>
  779. <p>The following are some excerpts from the August 17, 2020 <a href="https://themoderatevoice.com/the-jewishness-of-kamala-harris/">“The &#8216;Jewishness&#8217; of Kamala Harris.</a>” </p>
  780. <p>But first two updates and one remark:</p>
  781. <p>•  Since then, Kamala Harris has added three-and-a-half years of experience to her resume as a most successful vice-president of the United States.</p>
  782. <p>•  Harris is a young, vibrant woman running against a man who “<a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/donald-trump-age-oldest-candidate-election-2024-7">is now the oldest party nominee for president in US history.</a>” </p>
  783. <p>• The caption in the 2020 J.D. Crowe political cartoon above, &#8220;Finally. A Fresh face in the race,&#8221; is as current and appropriate now as it was then. </p>
  784. <p>From &#8220;The &#8216;Jewishness&#8217; of Kamala Harris&#8221;:</p>
  785. <p>With a Jamaican father and a mother from India, Harris has been called a Black woman, a Black American, an African American, an Indian-American, an Asian-American, a woman of color, a woman of Jamaican-Indian descent, a woman of Afro-Indian descent, a woman of Tamil and African ancestry who identifies as Black and, how about, an “Indo-Jamaican posing as an African American.”</p>
  786. <p>Referring to the historic significance of her nomination for vice president on a major party’s presidential ticket, one reads:</p>
  787. <p>• The first Black woman.<br />
  788. • The first woman of color.<br />
  789. • The first Asian-American.<br />
  790. • The first daughter of immigrants.<br />
  791. • The first woman of Jamaican-Indian descent.<br />
  792. • The first Asian-American and African American woman.</p>
  793. <p>What does Kamala Harris herself have to say about her racial identity?</p>
  794. <p>During a February 2019 interview on “The Breakfast Club” radio show, Harris said firmly:</p>
  795. <blockquote><p>I’m Black, and I’m proud of being Black. I was born Black. I will die Black…I’m not going to make excuses for anybody because they don’t understand…I’m not going to spend my time trying to educate people about who Black people are…</p></blockquote>
  796. <p>In her heart, Harris calls herself simply “an American.”</p>
  797. <p>Ironically, Harris’ detractors — the same ones who would use her “Blackness” against her — are now cynically questioning and obsessed with the “legitimacy of her Blackness.”</p>
  798. <p>While in the past, the “one-drop rule” was sufficient for someone with any African Black ancestry to be considered Black, it is weirdly interesting to see how some conservatives are now intent on “changing the rules” and say that Harris does not have sufficient Black blood to be “truly Black.”</p>
  799. <p>Recently, conservative radio host Mark Levin kicked off one of his TV shows by ranting about Kamala Harris’ ethnicity:</p>
  800. <blockquote><p>Kamala Harris is not an African American, she is Indian and Jamaican&#8230;India is out there near China&#8230;her ancestry does not go back to American slavery&#8230;I keep hearing people say she would be the first African American vice president. No, if she is elected, God forbid, or nominated, then elected, she is still not the first African American vice president&#8230;</p></blockquote>
  801. <p>Not to be outdone, right-wing provocateur Dinesh D’Souza tweeted:</p>
  802. <blockquote><p>The ‘first Black woman’ hoopla is based on the idea that finally a female descendant of slaves can make it all the way to the White House. The problem is that Kamala Harris is descended from one of Jamaica’s largest slaveowners. This exposes the whole morality tale as a farce!</p></blockquote>
  803. <p>And if that was not enough, we now see “Birtherism 2.0” raising its ugly head again, claiming Harris is not a natural-born citizen, promulgated by right-wing neo-birther editorials and social media posts and dog-whistled by Trump and his cronies, along with many other bizarre and cruel falsehoods and conspiracy theories, mainly about her heritage, “scraping the raw edges of America’s divisions over race, gender and national origin.”</p>
  804. <p>How about her gender?</p>
  805. <p>I will merely quote Karen Green, chair of the Florida Democratic Party’s Diversity and Inclusion Committee, who says: “She’s a universal woman of our modern times. She serves as a woman who refutes everything Trump stands for…”</p>
  806. <p>There is another “first” that drives the Right insane. When Harris and Biden are elected, Harris’ husband, Douglas Emhoff, will become the first-ever “second gentleman” and first-ever Jewish spouse of a vice president or president.</p>
  807. <p>Which finally brings me back to the title of this piece, &#8220;The &#8216;Jewishness&#8217; of Kamala Harris.&#8221;</p>
  808. <p>Simply, Harris has a great deal of close connections with and respect for the Jewish religion and Jews (“she married one”), for the Jewish community and for the State of Israel. The latter proven repeatedly throughout her political career, notwithstanding Trump, his campaign and the Republican Jewish Committee seeking to paint Harris as a “radical leftist.”</p>
  809. <p>Biden’s announcement that he had chosen Harris as his running mate drew swift praise from Jewish Democratic advocacy groups. Read more about Harris’ Israel policies in the Times of Israel’s “In Harris, Biden chooses a traditionally pro-Israel Dem as his veep candidate.”</p>
  810. <p>At <em>Haaretz</em>, Chemi Shalev says Biden’s decision is “logical, reasonable, calculated and widely expected,” calling it “a milestone for America, good for Biden and comforting for Jews.”</p>
  811. <p>In a lighter vein, Ron Kampeas describes “<a href="https://www.sltrib.com/religion/2020/08/12/faith-facts-about-bidens/">Five Jewish things to know about U.S. vice president candidate Kamala Harris.</a>”</p>
  812. <p>Among some of Harris’ “Jewish nuggets”:</p>
  813. <p>“She smashed a glass at her wedding,” referring to her marriage to Douglas Emhoff.</p>
  814. <p>“She did the blue box thing,” referring to Harris collecting donations to plant trees in Israel.</p>
  815. <p>“Her big sisters are Jewish,” recalling Barbara Boxer’s and Dianne Feinstein’s — both Jewish — endorsements during her 2016 senatorial race.</p>
  816. <p>Finally, Emhoff’s children from his first marriage affectionately call Harris “Momala,” a nickname similar to the Yiddish “Mamaleh,” which means “little mama” and also happens to be Harris’s official Twitter account name. Harris is also said to have a close relationship with Emhoff’s first wife and a “warm relationship” with her Jewish parents-in-law. The friendly, close relationship is reflected in a hilarious, good-natured imitation Harris did in 2019 of her mother-in-law, Barbara Emhoff, about which the Jewish press raved and Kveller wrote: “Kamala Harris’ impression of her Jewish mother-in-law is worthy of an Oscar.”</p>
  817. <p>Now, <em>that</em> ought to count for something!</p>
  818. <p>As to Harris’ own religion, while growing up Harris attended a Black Baptist Church and a Hindu Temple. She now considers herself a Black Baptist.</p>
  819. <p><a href="https://religionnews.com/2020/11/07/5-faith-facts-about-vp-elect-kamala-harris-a-black-baptist-with-a-hindu-family/?fbclid=IwAR3ggY_PP7v-g6S5gFxKJeIhvNasORbMBLknl75Gpk1R73Z3LetNQiQcrzs">Yonat Shimron  at <em>the Salt Lake Tribune</em> says it best</a>: “Harris’ ethnic, racial and cultural biography represents a slice of the U.S. population that is becoming ascendant but that has never been represented in the nation’s second-highest office.”</p>
  820. <p>==</p>
  821. <p>CODA: …and now, hopefully, in the nation’s highest office.</p>
  822. <p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://themoderatevoice.com/the-jewishness-of-kamala-harris-revisited/">The ‘Jewishness’ of Kamala Harris (Revisited)</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://themoderatevoice.com">The Moderate Voice</a>.</p>
  823. ]]></content:encoded>
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  825. <slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
  826. </item>
  827. <item>
  828. <title>Private Equity and Health Care</title>
  829. <link>https://themoderatevoice.com/private-equity-and-health-care/</link>
  830. <comments>https://themoderatevoice.com/private-equity-and-health-care/#respond</comments>
  831. <dc:creator><![CDATA[ROBERT A. LEVINE, TMV Columnist]]></dc:creator>
  832. <pubDate>Mon, 22 Jul 2024 13:22:06 +0000</pubDate>
  833. <category><![CDATA[At TMV]]></category>
  834. <category><![CDATA[Health Care]]></category>
  835. <category><![CDATA[ICUs]]></category>
  836. <category><![CDATA[Nursing Homes]]></category>
  837. <category><![CDATA[private equity]]></category>
  838. <category><![CDATA[radiology suites]]></category>
  839. <category><![CDATA[urgent care]]></category>
  840. <guid isPermaLink="false">https://themoderatevoice.com/?p=280692</guid>
  841.  
  842. <description><![CDATA[<p>Health care in the United States was the world’s most expensive even before private equity became involved. Now it’s even more expensive and the quality of care has declined. When private equity enters any sphere of business activity, it’s a given that services and products will be impacted negatively. After all, private equity is a<a class="read-more" href="https://themoderatevoice.com/private-equity-and-health-care/"> [&#8230;]</a></p>
  843. <p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://themoderatevoice.com/private-equity-and-health-care/">Private Equity and Health Care</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://themoderatevoice.com">The Moderate Voice</a>.</p>
  844. ]]></description>
  845. <content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><img loading="lazy" src="https://themoderatevoice.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/dreamstime_s_178240243-300x200.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="200" class="alignleft size-medium wp-image-279291" />Health care in the United States was the world’s most expensive even before private equity became involved. Now it’s even more expensive and the quality of care has declined. When private equity enters any sphere of business activity, it’s a given that services and products will be impacted negatively. After all, private equity is a format for wealthy individuals to make more money in new businesses on the backs of workers and consumers. It’s true for health care just as it is for other private equity investments.</p>
  846. <p>There were only 24 private equity firms in the United States in 1980, but their investments have proven to be so successful that the number of private equity firms has soared. About 5000 private equity firms controlling approximately 18,000 companies were noted in 2022 and continued growth can be expected. There is not strict monitoring and regulation by government entities, allowing private equity firms to literally strip companies of whatever value they had.</p>
  847. <p>Initially, private equity firms would buy firms that were financially troubled or borderline. They would then pay themselves a hefty fee to manage these firms and make them appear solvent again. Cutting workers and services were ways to curb spending and make financial spreadsheets look better. Usually, they would accrue debt to pay their management fees and temporarily enhance the company. Then when the time was right, they would sell the firm to other investors at a significant profit, leaving a shell of a company that was buried in debt. But the private equity company did well financially.</p>
  848. <p>For a number of years now, they have used this format to buy up companies involved in health care, particularly nursing homes. There is a manifest conflict of interest between private equity firms whose primary goal is to make money for their investors and health care facilities whose aim is to care for patients and provide them with the best services possible. Doing what is best for patients entails having more than adequate personnel on duty around the clock. In addition, facilities must have the best technology available for medical testing and be able to provide the most effective medications to treat various conditions, even if the meds are expensive.</p>
  849. <p>Nursing homes care mainly for elderly patients, many of them demented and with multiple medical conditions. Because the patients are so fragile and sick and often not capable of lucid complaints, the owners of many nursing homes feel they can get away with stinting on adequate care for them. Personnel may often be cut to a bare minimum at some of these units, appropriate testing not done, nor expensive medications given. And when the Covid-19 pandemic hit, private equity nursing homes were unprepared for the influx of new patients. Mortality in private equity nursing homes has been shown to be over 10 percent higher than in other nursing homes.</p>
  850. <p>Aside from nursing homes, private equity has also been buying urgent care centers, hospital emergency rooms, radiology departments and ICUs. The private equity firms make money the same way they do with nursing homes and other investments. They cut staff, including doctors, nurses, aides and so forth, get patients out quickly, and don’t give expensive medications. For profit entities like private equity should have no roles to play in the delivery of health care in any type of unit. Health care decisions should be made on the basis of necessity, not to generate or save money.</p>
  851. <p>www.robertlevinebooks.com</p>
  852. <p>Buy The Uninformed Voter</p>
  853. <p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://themoderatevoice.com/private-equity-and-health-care/">Private Equity and Health Care</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://themoderatevoice.com">The Moderate Voice</a>.</p>
  854. ]]></content:encoded>
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  856. <slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
  857. </item>
  858. <item>
  859. <title>Social Media Reaction to Biden Dropping Out of Presidential Race</title>
  860. <link>https://themoderatevoice.com/social-media-reaction-to-biden-dropping-out-of-presidential-race/</link>
  861. <comments>https://themoderatevoice.com/social-media-reaction-to-biden-dropping-out-of-presidential-race/#respond</comments>
  862. <dc:creator><![CDATA[JOE GANDELMAN, Editor-In-Chief]]></dc:creator>
  863. <pubDate>Mon, 22 Jul 2024 03:42:28 +0000</pubDate>
  864. <category><![CDATA[2024 Presidential Election]]></category>
  865. <category><![CDATA[Democracy]]></category>
  866. <category><![CDATA[Featured]]></category>
  867. <category><![CDATA[Free Speech]]></category>
  868. <category><![CDATA[Journalism]]></category>
  869. <category><![CDATA[Media]]></category>
  870. <category><![CDATA[Social Media]]></category>
  871. <category><![CDATA[Biden withdrawal]]></category>
  872. <category><![CDATA[Donald Trump]]></category>
  873. <category><![CDATA[Joe Biden]]></category>
  874. <category><![CDATA[Kamala Harris]]></category>
  875. <guid isPermaLink="false">https://themoderatevoice.com/?p=280671</guid>
  876.  
  877. <description><![CDATA[<p>President Joe Biden&#8217;s decision not to run for re-election and to throw his support to Vice President Kamala Harris had been pitchforked into the headlines when social media was flooded with a sea of reactions. Philadelphia Inquirer columnist Will Bunch tweet a link to his column which is worth sharing here. Its headline: Biden can<a class="read-more" href="https://themoderatevoice.com/social-media-reaction-to-biden-dropping-out-of-presidential-race/"> [&#8230;]</a></p>
  878. <p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://themoderatevoice.com/social-media-reaction-to-biden-dropping-out-of-presidential-race/">Social Media Reaction to Biden Dropping Out of Presidential Race</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://themoderatevoice.com">The Moderate Voice</a>.</p>
  879. ]]></description>
  880. <content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><img loading="lazy" src="https://themoderatevoice.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/286994_768_rgb.jpg" alt="" width="768" height="499" class="size-full wp-image-280675" srcset="https://themoderatevoice.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/286994_768_rgb.jpg 768w, https://themoderatevoice.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/286994_768_rgb-300x195.jpg 300w" sizes="(max-width: 768px) 100vw, 768px" /> </p>
  881. <p>President Joe Biden&#8217;s decision not to run for re-election and to throw his support to Vice President Kamala Harris had been pitchforked into the headlines when social media was flooded with a sea of reactions.</p>
  882. <p>Philadelphia Inquirer columnist Will Bunch tweet a link to <a href="https://www.inquirer.com/opinion/biden-drops-out-legacy-harris-trump-20240721.html">his column which is worth sharing here</a>. Its headline: <em>Biden can go down as an American hero — but only if Harris can beat Trump.</em> Its sub headline: <em>Biden did what he promised in restoring sanity to America in the 2020s, but few will remember if a dictatorial Trump returns.</em></p>
  883. <p>Here&#8217;s the ending of his column (which should be read in full):</p>
  884. <blockquote><p>The immediate sense on Sunday afternoon was largely one of why did this decision take so long. Democrats seemed, for the most part, electrified at the idea of Harris — who’s ridden issues like reproductive rights and student debt to gain respect after a rocky start in the utterly thankless job of vice president — at the top of the ticket. If any prominent Democrat is scheming to challenge Harris in Chicago, they have been too timid to step forward.</p>
  885. <p>In one nanosecond on a sleepy Sunday afternoon, the most important presidential election in American history has been stood on its head. Suddenly, it is the 78-year-old, often incoherently rambling Trump who is the oldest person ever to win his party’s nomination, and who is the one who needs to be answering some tough health questions.</p>
  886. <p>Suddenly, a presidential candidate who is a convicted felon is slated in early September to debate California’s former top prosecutor, who rose to national prominence by grilling Supreme Court nominees.</p>
  887. <p>The Republican candidate whose Milwaukee convention reeked of stale testosterone, who entered the arena arrogantly to the sounds of James Brown’s “It’s a Man’s Man’s Man’s World,” is frantically retooling to fight an energetic 59-year-old woman.</p>
  888. <p>And if Harris turns this election upside down and becomes the 47th president of the United States, she will also forever save the legacy of the 46th. But in the end, the American plebians who show up to vote in November will decide whether Biden becomes a hero of our democratic mythology, or merely a tragic figure.
  889. </p></blockquote>
  890. <p>A sampling of tweets throughout the day:</p>
  891. <blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
  892. <p lang="en" dir="ltr">Joe Biden puts country first and Republicans meltdown. What a tell.</p>
  893. <p>&mdash; Joe Scarborough (@JoeNBC) <a href="https://twitter.com/JoeNBC/status/1815107985900970059?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 21, 2024</a></p></blockquote>
  894. <p> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p>
  895. <blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
  896. <p lang="en" dir="ltr">Issue for this fall&#39;s Presidential campaign is now sharply defined: Democracy vs. Authoritarianism.</p>
  897. <p>&mdash; Michael Beschloss (@BeschlossDC) <a href="https://twitter.com/BeschlossDC/status/1815118564510028229?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 21, 2024</a></p></blockquote>
  898. <p> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p>
  899. <blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
  900. <p lang="en" dir="ltr">VOTE FOR THE PROSECUTOR<br />NOT THE PERPETRATOR</p>
  901. <p>&mdash; George Conway (@gtconway3d) <a href="https://twitter.com/gtconway3d/status/1815103091559006410?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 21, 2024</a></p></blockquote>
  902. <p> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p>
  903. <blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
  904. <p lang="en" dir="ltr">BREAKING: Vice President Kamala Harris has now raised $60 MILLION for her presidential campaign.</p>
  905. <p>&mdash; Keith Boykin (@keithboykin) <a href="https://twitter.com/keithboykin/status/1815218631003050352?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 22, 2024</a></p></blockquote>
  906. <p> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p>
  907. <blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
  908. <p lang="en" dir="ltr">Why is Trump still attacking Biden on social media ten hours after Biden stepped out of the race?</p>
  909. <p>&mdash; Michael Beschloss (@BeschlossDC) <a href="https://twitter.com/BeschlossDC/status/1815222176309490163?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 22, 2024</a></p></blockquote>
  910. <p> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p>
  911. <blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
  912. <p lang="en" dir="ltr">This is insane. Vice President Kamala Harris has raised $60 million for her presidential campaign in less than 12 hours.</p>
  913. <p>&mdash; Republicans against Trump (@RpsAgainstTrump) <a href="https://twitter.com/RpsAgainstTrump/status/1815221991869182089?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 22, 2024</a></p></blockquote>
  914. <p> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p>
  915. <blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
  916. <p lang="en" dir="ltr">History recognizes actions that are bigger than self. Joe Biden will go down as one of the great ones, having led the country out of the disastrous term of his predecessor and quietly doing good things for all Americans, red state as well as blue, accomplishments that put him up… <a href="https://t.co/HyIUP7zcF6">https://t.co/HyIUP7zcF6</a></p>
  917. <p>&mdash; Ken Burns (@KenBurns) <a href="https://twitter.com/KenBurns/status/1815136524947890346?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 21, 2024</a></p></blockquote>
  918. <p> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p>
  919. <blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
  920. <p lang="en" dir="ltr">Just got this from a friend:</p>
  921. <p>“My 75 year old aunt who lives in Texas who was an R until trump just donated to democrats for the first time. As did my parents.”</p>
  922. <p>&mdash; Rufus Gifford (@rufusgifford) <a href="https://twitter.com/rufusgifford/status/1815196446972428564?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 22, 2024</a></p></blockquote>
  923. <p> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p>
  924. <blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
  925. <p lang="en" dir="ltr">.<a href="https://twitter.com/JoeBiden?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@JoeBiden</a> will go down in history as one of our greatest presidents. This last act of sacrifice for his country guarantees it.</p>
  926. <p>&mdash; Michael McFaul (@McFaul) <a href="https://twitter.com/McFaul/status/1815086280729903198?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 21, 2024</a></p></blockquote>
  927. <p> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p>
  928. <blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
  929. <p lang="en" dir="ltr">The applause Biden is going to get at the convention is going to be unlike anything we&#39;ve ever seen. </p>
  930. <p>that speech will also be the most important of his career,</p>
  931. <p>&mdash; Sam Stein (@samstein) <a href="https://twitter.com/samstein/status/1815201642515484935?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 22, 2024</a></p></blockquote>
  932. <p> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p>
  933. <blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
  934. <p lang="zxx" dir="ltr"><a href="https://t.co/eddaAKJ8s6">pic.twitter.com/eddaAKJ8s6</a></p>
  935. <p>&mdash; Kamala HQ (@KamalaHQ) <a href="https://twitter.com/KamalaHQ/status/1815219754619072739?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 22, 2024</a></p></blockquote>
  936. <p> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p>
  937. <blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
  938. <p lang="en" dir="ltr">I’ve gotten a lot of text messages today from Gen Zers, who are not interested in politics, asking me how they can get involved to help Vice President Kamala Harris beat Donald Trump. Something is brewing. Young people are fired up. Trump should be scared.</p>
  939. <p>&mdash; Harry Sisson (@harryjsisson) <a href="https://twitter.com/harryjsisson/status/1815218051463188821?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 22, 2024</a></p></blockquote>
  940. <p> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p>
  941. <blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
  942. <p lang="en" dir="ltr">I finally agree with Donald: It would be a huge mistake to elect the oldest candidate in American history. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/KamalaHarris2024?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#KamalaHarris2024</a></p>
  943. <p>&mdash; Mary L. Trump (@MaryLTrump) <a href="https://twitter.com/MaryLTrump/status/1815218321735745802?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 22, 2024</a></p></blockquote>
  944. <p> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p>
  945. <blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
  946. <p lang="en" dir="ltr">.<a href="https://twitter.com/POTUS?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@POTUS</a> just demonstrated what America First really looks like.</p>
  947. <p>&mdash; Michael McFaul (@McFaul) <a href="https://twitter.com/McFaul/status/1815088939629269111?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 21, 2024</a></p></blockquote>
  948. <p> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p>
  949. <blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
  950. <p lang="en" dir="ltr">Just think of all the time, money and resources Republicans wasted on Hunter Biden and Burisma. All for nothing.</p>
  951. <p>&mdash; Ron Filipkowski (@RonFilipkowski) <a href="https://twitter.com/RonFilipkowski/status/1815212586926846320?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 22, 2024</a></p></blockquote>
  952. <p> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p>
  953. <blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
  954. <p lang="en" dir="ltr">Joe Biden has been one of America’s most consequential presidents, as well as a dear friend and partner to me. Today, we’ve also been reminded – again – that he’s a patriot of the highest order. </p>
  955. <p>Here’s my full statement: <a href="https://t.co/Bs2ZumFXxe">https://t.co/Bs2ZumFXxe</a></p>
  956. <p>&mdash; Barack Obama (@BarackObama) <a href="https://twitter.com/BarackObama/status/1815110737095721109?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 21, 2024</a></p></blockquote>
  957. <p> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p>
  958. <blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
  959. <p lang="en" dir="ltr">Breaking News: <br />Responding to an emergency motion from the Trump campaign, Judge Aileen Cannon orders Joe Biden to stay in the race.</p>
  960. <p>&mdash; Dick Polman (@DickPolman1) <a href="https://twitter.com/DickPolman1/status/1815213586060312782?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 22, 2024</a></p></blockquote>
  961. <p> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p>
  962. <blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
  963. <p lang="en" dir="ltr">“In a shambolic,dangerous political era in which Trump, shrouded in a haze of faux patriotism and strength,has vaulted anarchy, venom and gibberish onto the global stage,Biden’s act of selflessness and grit is welcome — and, in its own way, epic.” From me: <a href="https://t.co/NpexMqHAim">https://t.co/NpexMqHAim</a></p>
  964. <p>&mdash; Tim O&#39;Brien (@TimOBrien) <a href="https://twitter.com/TimOBrien/status/1815177248355364966?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 22, 2024</a></p></blockquote>
  965. <p> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p>
  966. <blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
  967. <p lang="en" dir="ltr">President Biden is the most successful and impactful president since at least LBJ. I am deeply honored to have served him and his ambitious agenda. Today, <a href="https://twitter.com/JoeBiden?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@joebiden</a> has ensured that he will forever be remembered as the fearless patriot he has always been. I could not be more…</p>
  968. <p>&mdash; Susan Rice (@AmbassadorRice) <a href="https://twitter.com/AmbassadorRice/status/1815109978136396177?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 21, 2024</a></p></blockquote>
  969. <p> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p>
  970. <blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
  971. <p lang="en" dir="ltr">Imagine that. <a href="https://t.co/1cDazJTlQA">pic.twitter.com/1cDazJTlQA</a></p>
  972. <p>&mdash; (((Alan Rosenblatt, PhD))) (@DrDigiPol) <a href="https://twitter.com/DrDigiPol/status/1815205244235633128?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 22, 2024</a></p></blockquote>
  973. <p> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p>
  974. <blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
  975. <p lang="en" dir="ltr">A quick prediction: Initial polling will improve for Democrats, but it will still understate Dem strength. The electorate just changed dramatically; there will be more women, more black voters, more young voters. Polling won’t catch much of that.</p>
  976. <p>&mdash; John Yarmuth ? (@JohnYarmuth) <a href="https://twitter.com/JohnYarmuth/status/1815130239413944373?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 21, 2024</a></p></blockquote>
  977. <p> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p>
  978. <blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
  979. <p lang="en" dir="ltr">Once again, by tomorrow afternoon, Kamala Harris will have broken the record for a single 24 hour period of fundraising in political history. <a href="https://t.co/UmYAfYbf5E">https://t.co/UmYAfYbf5E</a></p>
  980. <p>&mdash; Yashar Ali ? (@yashar) <a href="https://twitter.com/yashar/status/1815200522481324536?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 22, 2024</a></p></blockquote>
  981. <p> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p>
  982. <blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
  983. <p lang="en" dir="ltr">Trump tried to get his Vice President killed.</p>
  984. <p>Biden just gave up power to uplift his.</p>
  985. <p>That&#39;s the difference.</p>
  986. <p>&mdash; Micah Erfan (@micah_erfan) <a href="https://twitter.com/micah_erfan/status/1815091116221575616?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 21, 2024</a></p></blockquote>
  987. <p> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p>
  988. <blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
  989. <p lang="en" dir="ltr">FLASHBACK: Nikki Haley in January:</p>
  990. <p>&quot;The first party to retire its 80 year old candidate is going to be the one who wins this election.&quot; <a href="https://t.co/fCJJXssvfF">pic.twitter.com/fCJJXssvfF</a></p>
  991. <p>&mdash; Kyle Griffin (@kylegriffin1) <a href="https://twitter.com/kylegriffin1/status/1815166190375120909?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 21, 2024</a></p></blockquote>
  992. <p> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p>
  993. <blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
  994. <p lang="en" dir="ltr">Some good news. Nikki Haley voters PAC announces support for VP Harris. This is a big deal.<a href="https://t.co/LWeUYCpxki">https://t.co/LWeUYCpxki</a></p>
  995. <p>&mdash; Christopher Bouzy (spoutible.com/cbouzy) (@cbouzy) <a href="https://twitter.com/cbouzy/status/1815170373123457129?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 21, 2024</a></p></blockquote>
  996. <p> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p>
  997. <blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
  998. <p lang="en" dir="ltr">It’s similar to the excitement with President Obama. <a href="https://t.co/khLYa19d5X">https://t.co/khLYa19d5X</a></p>
  999. <p>&mdash; Andrew C Laufer, Esq (@lauferlaw) <a href="https://twitter.com/lauferlaw/status/1815202022477443502?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 22, 2024</a></p></blockquote>
  1000. <p> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p>
  1001. <blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
  1002. <p lang="en" dir="ltr">WE FUCKING DID IT!!!! HOLY SHIT WE JUST RAISED OVER $200,000 FOR <a href="https://twitter.com/KamalaHarris?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@KamalaHarris</a> !!!!!!!!!!! THANK YOU FOR MAKING THIS POSSIBLE!IF WE CONTINUE AT THIS RATE WE MAY HIT $250,000 BEFORE MIDNIGHT!<a href="https://t.co/kH22Mxqdol">https://t.co/kH22Mxqdol</a></p>
  1003. <p>&mdash; David Hogg ? (@davidhogg111) <a href="https://twitter.com/davidhogg111/status/1815181180402036810?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 22, 2024</a></p></blockquote>
  1004. <p> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p>
  1005. <blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
  1006. <p lang="en" dir="ltr">Romney&#39;s statement on Biden</p>
  1007. <p>“I’m a classic Republican and he’s a classic Democrat; obviously, President Biden and I usually didn’t see eye-to-eye. I opposed many of his initiatives. But we did find common ground on infrastructure, Ukraine, the Electoral Count Act, adding…</p>
  1008. <p>&mdash; Jake Sherman (@JakeSherman) <a href="https://twitter.com/JakeSherman/status/1815171027745517704?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 21, 2024</a></p></blockquote>
  1009. <p> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p>
  1010. <blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
  1011. <p lang="en" dir="ltr">One of the most successful presidents of my lifetime, <a href="https://twitter.com/JoeBiden?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@JoeBiden</a> will also go down in history as one of the most selfless. He put democracy and this country over all else, and has served it with honor and dignity.</p>
  1012. <p>&mdash; Jim Messina (@Messina2012) <a href="https://twitter.com/Messina2012/status/1815182657824678347?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 22, 2024</a></p></blockquote>
  1013. <p> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p>
  1014. <blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
  1015. <p lang="en" dir="ltr">November 5: the Prosecutor vs. the Felon</p>
  1016. <p>&mdash; Daniel Goldman (@danielsgoldman) <a href="https://twitter.com/danielsgoldman/status/1815174299742863610?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 21, 2024</a></p></blockquote>
  1017. <p> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p>
  1018. <blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
  1019. <p lang="en" dir="ltr">I have said it many times and will keep saying it. Joe Biden’s record of accomplishment is greater than any president since Franklin Roosevelt. Johnson had huge majorities in Congress. Biden had the slimmest ever. LBJ could get Republican support for many initiatives, including… <a href="https://t.co/Df2rT7DCEd">https://t.co/Df2rT7DCEd</a></p>
  1020. <p>&mdash; Norman Ornstein (@NormOrnstein) <a href="https://twitter.com/NormOrnstein/status/1815186481104765430?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 22, 2024</a></p></blockquote>
  1021. <p> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p>
  1022. <blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
  1023. <p lang="en" dir="ltr">Energy boost on the Dem side is off the charts right now. Biden was just an albatross as a candidate. The Old Regular Dems are lining up for Harris too. Yes, she could screw this all up. But now Dems have an actual chance to win. <a href="https://t.co/YwkG3WjZ1Q">https://t.co/YwkG3WjZ1Q</a></p>
  1024. <p>&mdash; Aaron Astor (@AstorAaron) <a href="https://twitter.com/AstorAaron/status/1815171787317026868?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 21, 2024</a></p></blockquote>
  1025. <p> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p>
  1026. <blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
  1027. <p lang="en" dir="ltr">Oldest. Nominee. Ever. <a href="https://t.co/554wMBMrpm">pic.twitter.com/554wMBMrpm</a></p>
  1028. <p>&mdash; Tristan Snell (@TristanSnell) <a href="https://twitter.com/TristanSnell/status/1815124787238150159?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 21, 2024</a></p></blockquote>
  1029. <p> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p>
  1030. <blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
  1031. <p lang="en" dir="ltr">Like JFK, President Biden asked not what his country could do for him but what he could do for his country. He will go down in history as a truly great president and a great human being.</p>
  1032. <p>&mdash; Laurence Tribe ?? ?? (@tribelaw) <a href="https://twitter.com/tribelaw/status/1815085590830039142?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 21, 2024</a></p></blockquote>
  1033. <p> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p>
  1034. <blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
  1035. <p lang="en" dir="ltr">Women don’t give you ovaries to Trump and Vance. </p>
  1036. <p>Kamala Harris potential bumper sticker</p>
  1037. <p>&mdash; Anthony Scaramucci (@Scaramucci) <a href="https://twitter.com/Scaramucci/status/1815129436997443863?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 21, 2024</a></p></blockquote>
  1038. <p> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p>
  1039. <blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
  1040. <p lang="en" dir="ltr">You could put this ad right back on air right now and it would be the best ad of the cycle <a href="https://t.co/ItxLBkfFdz">https://t.co/ItxLBkfFdz</a></p>
  1041. <p>&mdash; Dan Pfeiffer (@danpfeiffer) <a href="https://twitter.com/danpfeiffer/status/1815107185397174690?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 21, 2024</a></p></blockquote>
  1042. <p> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p>
  1043. <blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
  1044. <p lang="en" dir="ltr">SCOOP: DEMOCRATIC STATE PARTY CHAIRS HOLDING CALL NOW ON BACKING HARRIS AS PARTY NOMINEE &#8211; SOURCES</p>
  1045. <p>VP HARRIS WINS HER FIRST DELEGATES &#8211; STATE OF TENNESSEE PLEDGES 77 &#8211; SOURCES <a href="https://t.co/zd4ruyjApZ">https://t.co/zd4ruyjApZ</a></p>
  1046. <p>&mdash; Nandita Bose (@nanditab1) <a href="https://twitter.com/nanditab1/status/1815142515915329746?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 21, 2024</a></p></blockquote>
  1047. <p> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p>
  1048. <blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
  1049. <p lang="en" dir="ltr">Joe Biden has served with his whole heart. Like so many times before, he has demonstrated his unwavering courage and true patriotism for the country and people he loves so much. Thank you, Mr. President. <a href="https://t.co/gzW4QCywKW">pic.twitter.com/gzW4QCywKW</a></p>
  1050. <p>&mdash; Joe Kennedy III (@joekennedy) <a href="https://twitter.com/joekennedy/status/1815107708456177729?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 21, 2024</a></p></blockquote>
  1051. <p> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p>
  1052. <blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
  1053. <p lang="en" dir="ltr">In stepping aside, President Biden has shown how much and how genuinely he loves and wants to preserve democracy. He has done one of the most difficult things for any political leader, and has done so in the national interest.</p>
  1054. <p>&mdash; Michael Beschloss (@BeschlossDC) <a href="https://twitter.com/BeschlossDC/status/1815089660785213781?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 21, 2024</a></p></blockquote>
  1055. <p> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p>
  1056. <blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
  1057. <p lang="en" dir="ltr">In my opinion Harris was not given a chance to really shine these past four years (partly the lot of being VP, partly bc of unjustified spin for dumb things). Once she is unleashed she is going to be the total firecracker we remember from the Senate. Trump’s worst nightmare.</p>
  1058. <p>&mdash; Asha Rangappa (@AshaRangappa_) <a href="https://twitter.com/AshaRangappa_/status/1815110498595066345?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 21, 2024</a></p></blockquote>
  1059. <p> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p>
  1060. <blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
  1061. <p lang="en" dir="ltr">Throw out all the polls that were done up to today. This is a brand new race, and i believe Dems have advantage for first time in this election cycle. And Trump folks know this but won&#39;t admit it. Let&#39;s go. Team Democracy led by VP Harris brings me great joy.</p>
  1062. <p>&mdash; Matthew Dowd (@matthewjdowd) <a href="https://twitter.com/matthewjdowd/status/1815100684251058346?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 21, 2024</a></p></blockquote>
  1063. <p> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p>
  1064. <blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
  1065. <p lang="en" dir="ltr">According to CNN’s Jamie Gangel, these are the names Kamala Harris is considering to pick as her running mate:</p>
  1066. <p>-Arizona Senator Mark Kelly<br />-Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear<br />-NC Governor Roy Cooper<br />-Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro<br /> <a href="https://t.co/xM0QBi0A4d">pic.twitter.com/xM0QBi0A4d</a></p>
  1067. <p>&mdash; Republicans against Trump (@RpsAgainstTrump) <a href="https://twitter.com/RpsAgainstTrump/status/1815131284001398786?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 21, 2024</a></p></blockquote>
  1068. <p> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p>
  1069. <blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
  1070. <p lang="en" dir="ltr">Today, <a href="https://twitter.com/JoeBiden?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@joebiden</a> proved that he was the embodiment of his message. He came out of retirement in 2020 to defeat Donald Trump and save democracy because that&#39;s what the country needed. Today, he once again put his country first—an act of true patriotism—the polar opposite of Donald…</p>
  1071. <p>&mdash; Dan Pfeiffer (@danpfeiffer) <a href="https://twitter.com/danpfeiffer/status/1815088549995356352?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 21, 2024</a></p></blockquote>
  1072. <p> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p>
  1073. <blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
  1074. <p lang="en" dir="ltr">Trump is laying the groundwork for skipping September&#39;s debate on ABC now that Biden is no longer his opponent. He says Fox News should host it instead <a href="https://t.co/GzQ35k35Nc">pic.twitter.com/GzQ35k35Nc</a></p>
  1075. <p>&mdash; Brian Stelter (@brianstelter) <a href="https://twitter.com/brianstelter/status/1815144301699228042?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 21, 2024</a></p></blockquote>
  1076. <p> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p>
  1077. <blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
  1078. <p lang="en" dir="ltr">Biden, much like George Washington deciding not to run again, deserves so much credit for acting in the best interests of the country. Service first.</p>
  1079. <p>&mdash; Andrew Weissmann (weissmann11 on Threads)? (@AWeissmann_) <a href="https://twitter.com/AWeissmann_/status/1815100393199993144?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 21, 2024</a></p></blockquote>
  1080. <p> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p>
  1081. <blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
  1082. <p lang="en" dir="ltr">I’ve known President Biden for years. He’s a great man, and everything he does is guided by his love for his country. As President, he is a partner to Canadians — and a true friend.</p>
  1083. <p>To President Biden and the First Lady: thank you. <a href="https://t.co/5mQvFn8INn">pic.twitter.com/5mQvFn8INn</a></p>
  1084. <p>&mdash; Justin Trudeau (@JustinTrudeau) <a href="https://twitter.com/JustinTrudeau/status/1815123013463150842?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 21, 2024</a></p></blockquote>
  1085. <p> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p>
  1086. <blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
  1087. <p lang="en" dir="ltr">My heart hurts for the best president of my lifetime. <a href="https://t.co/RJnNcdAz7j">https://t.co/RJnNcdAz7j</a></p>
  1088. <p>&mdash; Molly Jong-Fast (@MollyJongFast) <a href="https://twitter.com/MollyJongFast/status/1815083285191516312?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 21, 2024</a></p></blockquote>
  1089. <p> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p>
  1090. <blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
  1091. <p lang="en" dir="ltr">Possible that Trump campaign peaked at 1 PM Eastern today.</p>
  1092. <p>&mdash; Michael Beschloss (@BeschlossDC) <a href="https://twitter.com/BeschlossDC/status/1815104358243316098?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 21, 2024</a></p></blockquote>
  1093. <p> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p>
  1094. <blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
  1095. <p lang="en" dir="ltr">When Biden said he wd not pardon his own son, he was a patriot.<br />When Biden denounced the Supreme Court for giving the presidency MORE power and criminal immunity, he was a patriot. <br />And he is again today. <br />Service to country first.</p>
  1096. <p>&mdash; Andrew Weissmann (weissmann11 on Threads)? (@AWeissmann_) <a href="https://twitter.com/AWeissmann_/status/1815102422873989197?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 21, 2024</a></p></blockquote>
  1097. <p> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p>
  1098. <blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
  1099. <p lang="en" dir="ltr">This, my friends, is what they call a mic drop.<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/PresidentHarris2024?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#PresidentHarris2024</a> <a href="https://t.co/XIe32ckW25">pic.twitter.com/XIe32ckW25</a></p>
  1100. <p>&mdash; Mary L. Trump (@MaryLTrump) <a href="https://twitter.com/MaryLTrump/status/1815136551984402819?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 21, 2024</a></p></blockquote>
  1101. <p> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p>
  1102. <blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
  1103. <p lang="en" dir="ltr">Joe Biden did something today that the autocrats, dictators, and the rest of the oppressive leaders in the world would never do: he put country over party and power.</p>
  1104. <p>Donald Trump tried to violently overthrow an election.</p>
  1105. <p>Biden stepped aside to save one from a future tyrant.</p>
  1106. <p>&mdash; Rick Wilson (@TheRickWilson) <a href="https://twitter.com/TheRickWilson/status/1815118709142253952?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 21, 2024</a></p></blockquote>
  1107. <p> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p>
  1108. <blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
  1109. <p lang="en" dir="ltr">The framers of our Constitution knew that our republic would endure only if our presidents have the character and honor to put duty ahead of self interest. President Biden deserves our gratitude for his decades of service to our nation and for his courageous decision today.</p>
  1110. <p>&mdash; Liz Cheney (@Liz_Cheney) <a href="https://twitter.com/Liz_Cheney/status/1815113174447702383?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 21, 2024</a></p></blockquote>
  1111. <p> <script async src="+++++
  1112.  
  1113.  
  1114. <blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
  1115. <p lang="en" dir="ltr">Joe Biden has been one of America’s most consequential presidents, as well as a dear friend and partner to me. Today, we’ve also been reminded – again – that he’s a patriot of the highest order. </p>
  1116. <p>Here’s my full statement: <a href="https://t.co/Bs2ZumFXxe">https://t.co/Bs2ZumFXxe</a></p>
  1117. <p>&mdash; Barack Obama (@BarackObama) <a href="https://twitter.com/BarackObama/status/1815110737095721109?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 21, 2024</a> </script><script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p>
  1118. <blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
  1119. <p lang="en" dir="ltr">Tough decision. Right decision. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/BidenDroppingOut?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#BidenDroppingOut</a></p>
  1120. <p>&mdash; Larry Sabato (@LarrySabato) <a href="https://twitter.com/LarrySabato/status/1815084968072114520?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 21, 2024</a></p></blockquote>
  1121. <p> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p>
  1122. <blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
  1123. <p lang="en" dir="ltr">Here is the difference between a man who loves his country, and one who loves himself.</p>
  1124. <p>Joe Biden did an honorable and selfless act by stepping aside. His legacy will be among the best.</p>
  1125. <p>Trump cares about Trump only. And the GOP is too scared to do what the Dems did: tell the…</p>
  1126. <p>&mdash; Adam Kinzinger (Slava Ukraini) ?????? (@AdamKinzinger) <a href="https://twitter.com/AdamKinzinger/status/1815090679540035896?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 21, 2024</a></p></blockquote>
  1127. <p> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p>
  1128. <p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://themoderatevoice.com/social-media-reaction-to-biden-dropping-out-of-presidential-race/">Social Media Reaction to Biden Dropping Out of Presidential Race</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://themoderatevoice.com">The Moderate Voice</a>.</p>
  1129. ]]></content:encoded>
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