Republicans might argue that Kamala Harris cannot certify her own Electoral College victory because she is the sitting vice president. Never mind that vice presidents have performed this awkward function since the beginning of the Republic and never mind that the law requires it. The fact that the vice president is tasked with performing this function was of course part of the Trump strategy for overturning the election results in 2020/21—but in 2024/25 it might be used as to argue that Kamala Harris’s election is illegitimate and rigged.
They will argue that the next in line,the speaker of the house is the one to certify the electoral votes. That gives Mike Johnson the ability to throw out legitimate electors for fake electors.
If it’s designated that way in the Constitution and we’ve been able to elect presidents smoothly during our entire history, including some who were vice presidents, the thing can work — unless the Republican Party wants to make it not work for them in the rest of this nation’s history, either.
The constitution says nothing about what to do if the Vice President can't do the job. It will go to SCOTUS.
As regards the future history of this nation, If Trump becomes Chief Executive, this will be the last real election,if we have any in the future they will be in the style of Russia and Hungary.
BUT, under the Constitution, the Vice President CAN do the job. Such an eventuality was not addressed, because it is a faux problem, and there’s no reason the VP cannot PRESIDE over the Congress in certifying the vote {the VP is NOT certifying — Congress is certifying … }. How about we don’t create problems where there are none?
Does it say the vice president can’t do the job? Or does it give the job to the vice president? Thereby saying the vice president can do the job. That’s why it doesn’t address the vice president not doing the job.
There’s no question here. It’s a ceremonial thing in the first place. All the vice president has to do is read the results. All the work was done by election officials before that moment. The entire question is ridiculous. The only thing odd about this election is that we have an irrational, unsane, senescent, felonious, compulsive liar running as the Republican Party’s candidate.
I don't believe we know what living in a democracy really feels like, since so many of our fellow citizens are buried under a continuous deluge of disinformation, so that 40% vote against their own self interest much of the time.
Maybe that sounds a teeny bit smug and "elitist."
Well, if the definition of an "elitist" is "one who votes for honesty and openness and against ignorance and bigotry" then yes, I damn sure am an elitist, but I am also one who welcomes anyone to come over from the Dark Side and join me and the rest of "The Elite" in helping our country live up to its great promise.
Four sitting vice presidents have been elected president: John Adams in 1796, Thomas Jefferson in 1800, Martin Van Buren in 1836, and George H. W. Bush in 1988.
There is no provision in the Constitution for denying a Vice President the option to run for President. There is no provision in the Constitution for allowing the Speaker of the House to take over and certify the election, if the Vice President wins it. There is no reason to think that the process needs to be altered to allow such a thing.
Four sitting vice presidents have been elected president: John Adams in 1796, Thomas Jefferson in 1800, Martin Van Buren in 1836, and George H. W. Bush in 1988.
Kamala can PROVE to the country that Trump is nothing more than an immoral, lying lunatic. She can do it.
Only advice is to call out lies, distraction and divisiveness then immediately pivot to her vision for middle class and contrast that to Trump’s terrible record on the economy, democracy, Jan6, immigration, border deal, threat to freedoms, Roe, etc.
Harris should respond to a few of the attacks from Trump with, “Can you please repeat that lie, Donnie?” 🤣
I think she will CRUSH Trump in the debate. She is a prosecutor so she knows how to handle a CONVICTED FELON.
I'll be watching the debate tonight wearing this "Kamala removes stubborn orange stains" T 👇
I hope her calm and cheerful demeanor drives him CRAZY!
We do know what to expect from Trump: lies, fabrications, obfuscation, hypocrisy, endless blather, victimization, bizarre stories that have no basis in reality, apocalyptic predictions of doom and gloom.
paul - I have often wondered the same thing. I read a statistic from the US Dept of Education that may shed some light on this issue: 54% of adults in the US read below a sixth grade level. Our education system has failed us.
I used to read quite a bit when I was a child--and books were read to me early on--but that was before TV. Now social media is compounding the damage done by TV. Reagan was clueless.
Yes he's calling all those people, the uneducated, the ignorant, the vulnerable, to support him. There are apparently plenty. He makes them feel good, wanted.
When we criticize our education system, we are actually criticizing American society. How many of them, as kids, didn't have responsible adult supervision at home, didn't eat right, got bullied to and from school, hated school because their lunch money got stolen. How many didn't bother doing their homework, or screwed around in class instead of listening to their teacher or trying to learn? How many didn't have a safe place at hme where they could study? How many didn't see the point of study when they figured their lives would never amount to much because all the adults in their lives hadn't and whaat made them think they were gonna do any better?
It is too easy to say that our education system is a failure. WE are the failure, because we've got a good system but WE, the People are failing to operate it correctly. We care more about taking books out of school libraries than about making sure they have enough good books on the shelves. We fuss more about bathrooms and whether coaches can pray on the football field than whether kids are failing math. It's all down to US (even when we aren't actually the ones at fault -- it's a collective failure).
Yeah, we are the failure. But we created the systems we're dismantling now. I love the ideas of Bill Rees--he says human evolution can't keep up with our technology, which makes a lot of sense. On average, we've never been super great long-term thinkers, and when anyone talks about self-interest, humans have been quite unpredictable about what at any given moment feels to them like it's in their self-interest. On top of our technology we have this ability to create culture and narratives with tremendous influence. And always, always, throughout human history there have been characters ready to exploit any human weakness to their own immediate advantage. We are the problem, but working together we could also be the solution.
Mojo86 - When I was in middle school last century (early 60s) I read somewhere that newspapers, which I'd been reading since 4th grade, were written at 6th grade level. That tidbit has stayed with me all these years. Seems like at least that hasn't changed.
The answer to your question is complex. I thinking it over, I came up with this theory: modern media enables our semi literate citizens to form opinions and participate without really understanding what is really going on. They are easily duped, misled. That is my theory of how we got Trump as president and how we may get him again.
Always has and will continue to do so. During the assassination attempt which still has many unanswered questions, the felonious wannabe emperor was more freaked out about the whereabouts of his shoes than the shooting. It was reported that he didn't want anyone to know about the lifts in his shoes. Is there anything that this madman does or says that isn't fake or fraudulent?
Please draw a cartoon of Trump mentioning her heels followed by Kamala rolling out a closet full of heels and throwing them all at Trump... each shoe sticking in his toupee' as he swings wildly with a golf club to stave off her shoe attack... all this prompted by the ABC TV Debate moderators: "In 2006 a protestor threw his shoes at the president on live TV during a press conference, Mr. Trump, as president please demonstrate how you would handle such an attack... you have been provided with a golf club and Kamala has been provided with her shoe closet, Mr. Trump, please defend yourself"
Christine - “like” Didn’t DeSantas wear lifts too? Now there’s a problem with a female wearing heels? What!? Wasn’t taking away a woman’s bodily autonomy enough for him? Again, WTF!?
Whether he's physically tall, fat, skinny - it doesn't matter. Donald Trump is a bully and all bullies can only make themselves seem larger by attempting to make others fear them. As soon as that fear fails them, they literally disappear.
Trump has only ever insulted, bullied and lied about others in front of forums called 'debates' (this includes with all of his Republican adversaries as well).
Everyone knows that there is only one way to beat a bully; because at some point or another in our lives, we've all encountered one. You beat the bully not by convincing them or correcting them, but instead by standing up to them and saying that you're not going to let them push you around any more. It doesn't matter how tall or short you are if you have truth and courage on your side.
Donald Trump has been bullying America for 8 years. It stops tonight.
Jokes aside, I HONESTLY thought he was 5'6" or something before I learned he was over 6'! I guess morbid obesity makes people look shorter? Like a circular issue?
Stephen, I do believe it has been far longer than 8 years with all his stupid racist comments about Obama and his presence on a ridiculous fake show "The Apprentice." He has been stalking us and making life miserable for a whole lot of people for more than a decade and it is time it stops. I will be so grateful when Trump is off the stage and allowed to face his criminal indictments.
Trump is not six foot three. He probably thinks he weighs 180 too. He is a sad, sorry excuse for a human being and needs to be erased from American life.
I'm 5' tall and a retired philosophy professor. One day I was speaking with a student outside of class and he was shocked at my height: "behind that desk you look 6 feet tall!!" I suspect that a loud voice and sharp comments I developed to project a strong presence in the classroom were what really constituted my perceived height.
Perhaps you've both forgotten that " old Welsh truism" that only the most precious and revered gifts in life come in small packages ?? You both represent the gold standard of your professions....appreciated and beloved. None better.
Thanks so much for that lovely compliment! There is no more wonderful activity, so far as I'm concerned, than to stimulate and watch develop another human mind.
Oops--you are so right and I fixed it. Thanks for appreciating my profession; it was a joy to teach students in FLORIDA at the University of North Florida, against the clear disapproval of the First Baptist Church.
Philosopher, I make mistakes all the time with punctuation. They make fonts smaller and smaller, I swear. Ha. Glad you were there in spite of FBC disapprioval. Makes my heart sing.
I'm sure gov and his motley crew down there are busy running "questioning and pondering" outta higher learning, well on second thought, out of all learning. Years ago, my philosohhy professor made a pitch for me to switch majors. He said I would be a good student of philosophy. I really enjoyed his class.
I'm listening to Jason Stanley, Yale historian, talk about his new book on education. My former university colleagues are apparently now subject to a post-tenure review every five years to be sure they're not teaching anything DeSantis disapproves of; UF's recent post-tenure review gave 20% of all profs unsatisfactory reviews so THEY WILL BE FIRED. This attack on education by intimidating and firing those who teach the truth about history and ideas--even science and evolution--will be the death of this country. And on a lighter note, the #1 indicator of being a philosophy major is: Do people tell you you think too much??? If yes, you are a philosopher!
Yes, I'm afraid that everyone who can get out WILL get out. It's painful for me to think of my dear UNF students and colleagues now under attack. DeSantis closed down the women's center, multi-cultural center, LGBTQ center, and more--so now I support the Women's Center of Jacksonville, which is devoted to the needs of all Jax women but especially the female students at universities there: UNF, JU, FSCJ. If you want to do some good, support that center.
I read about a computer program that was teaching some fundamental thing about reading/pronouncation to people who had problems in that area. The program was able to correct difficult details, due to it's ability to quickly analyze every tiny detail, and provide feedback in the form of going over the detail in various ways until the detail was fixed.
I think that it is possible for teaching to be automated, and individualized. So yes, that could happen, but not real soon. AI currently doesn't understand reality as it is being trained using words, not reality. It still requires a human expert in a particular subject to teach or program a computer. Even when the computer has much more computing power than we are accoustomed to.
Ellen, I am sorry to hear about the interference of the ignorant with education at your university. It is disgusting! Is there no one who will stand up for the professors and staff? What about the students or is the university only accepting students who have already been cooked in fear, anger, resentment, and hatred so they can be molded and shaped into something this nation should be ashamed of? Is there no union? Every university should have their employees unionized so people like the fool DeSantis and his stupid crew can't mess with them.
UFF is there, and I know colleagues are working to change things, but I believe that the president of UNF is a coward and no one seems to have the OVARIES to stand up to a petty dictator.
Yes. Texas made an assault on their sociologists years ago. I doubt it's gotten better. Some major news orgs need to take a broad nation-wide but deep dive on this.
I doubt that major news organizations will ever take this up, given who their funders are--but PBS, Democracy Today, and scholars like Jason Stanley are doing this work.
Philosopher, does it count, if I am the one who tells mysrlf I think too much? Haha. I'm familiar with Stanley. Didn't know (or forgot), he has a new book. I'm disgusted and appalled, of course, not surprised, by the fate of the professors. Do they have any recourse? This is, I believe a case for the DOJ. Violation of civil rights? Discrimination? What about the Federal Labor Dept., can they take action? It is so disturbing! Fascism truly is a rejection and repression of all things that point to truths.
The UFF, United Faculty of Florida (to which I belonged, believing in unions) is pursuing legal action but I don't know what else will work. DeSantis is term-limited and I argue he's so disappointed about being unable to be president and impose his will on the whole country that he's focusing maliciously on Florida. He's even got the cops going to homes of those who signed petitions he doesn't like. If Gaetz runs and gets the governorship it will be EVEN WORSE, especially against women
My suggestion for you is: READ more, THINK more, ACT more to make sure that at least some voters hear your voice and your stance for freedom, against fascism.
Maybe all the fired profs should do a sit-down strike and chain themselves to their desks/lecterns so DeSanctimonious has to send in the State Troopers to carry them out. Great optics, imho!
I think it would take something that drastic and dramatic to bring change, but I don't know many colleagues with the ovaries to do this, frankly. I'm retired so I am out of that fray.
Ellen, AWESOME!! Anyone who will stand with the truth in the presence of people who have decided only their truth is acceptable, and their "truth" is racist, misogynistic, homo/transphobic, xenophobic, and just plain hateful is a true gem! Thank you so much!
Well, I am retired and not in Florida anymore, so don't give me too much credit--it's easy from 1500 miles away. But I am doing as much as I can to phone bank, write postcards, write LTEs, talk, and educate myself so that I will know what's real and what's fake.
Ellen, for so many of us, that's about all we can do beyond talking with people and encouraging people to register to vote, then vote. Kudos to you for your efforts!
It's appropriate for all of us who are not active politicians or journalists, etc. to work where we are and to do these small things in the largest numbers we can. A citizen's job is to participate, I believe, and this is no small participation. We also have to use our particular talents; it's no use trying to organize 5,000 people if you're not a great organizer or are an introvert. I'd say: keep on keeping on, and kudos to you!
OMG! This is the absolute scariest piece of 💩 I’ve ever read about MAGA-type rethuglicans. I guess after an authoritarian regime has captured the press, they go after the education system. Hmmm... now I see why “they”, via the Project 2025 playbook, want to eliminate the Dept of Education
Read Jason Stanley's new book _Erasing History_. It is published today and I'm getting my copy later. He's a Yale historian who also wrote _How Fascism Works_, and I highly recommend that book, too. If the populace is stupid and ignorant, they are most easily manipulated and controlled by stupid and greedy politicians for their own purposes. Critical thinkers are less easily controlled. That's why I taught thousands of students critical thinking: it's the single best tool to empower citizens.
Great! And do get _How Fascism Works_ because it's clear, straightforward, and written in short chapters that you can take one at a time. He wrote it for citizens, not for an academic audience. If you like them, comment on my substack!
Rather than fact checking, they should just confront him about his lies. Recently he said:
“Can you imagine you’re a parent and your son leaves the house and you say, ‘Jimmy, I love you so much, go have a good day in school,’ and your son comes back with a brutal operation? Can you even imagine this? What the hell is wrong with our country?”
They should confront him with it and make him prove it. They should do that with all his lies. Nobody ever confronts him with the lies.
Yes, it is tempting to want to confront trump with the truth. But that is a losing proposition and plays into his strategy. Once you engage with his lies, you have already lost. He will just move on to a mouthful of other lies. It is called the Gish Gallop. He is too practiced with this tactic. An alternative would be to just call him “weird” and move on.
I agree. I’d be surprised if he lasts 90 minutes. The alley cat has the attention span of a tick. What I’ll be watching to see if in his frustration and agitation, he walks over to Kamala’s podium and tries to intimidate or even attack her. The Secret Service should prevent him from coming anywhere near her.
Rachel Scott, the black journalist who confronted him, is the only person I saw not let him waffle or intimidate and he left that interview early. He's a bully and coward and he can't stand up to someone who won't back down.
If he turns tail and runs off because he doesn't like a question or the questioner, I hope an audience member gets up and acts like a Mom or Dad chastising a misbehaving youngster and (using their command voice) , "Get back in here, start acting your age, and answer that lady's question Donald! And wipe that nasty look off your face!"
Mojo86 - “agree” I was a really sh*tty child and I would push boundaries like crazy but I always knew when to rein it in when my mother gave me a “look”. Maybe Harris can do that so she doesn’t have to waste precious time with his bs. They say that a picture is worth a thousand words.
You have to be a complete non-thinker to believe that something like that is even possible. If he were a better liar he might come up with something at least plausible, which just shows how crazy he is. He really needs psychiatric help.
How about you're a parent and your son leaves your house FOREVER and a man comes with a coffin draped in a flag because your godking was too incompetent to end the forever war in The Middle East started by 'Murica's FORMERLY dumbest president?
THAT is the correct response to that Alzheimers-fueled rambling.
Daniel - “Love” I feared that every day and I still fear that today with the other wars going on that might drag my child back into one. Proud of SEALS but…..the fear.
Men are almost always taller than women, so his demand is idiotic to begin with. No one seeing a man taller than a woman is going to think "Wow, I'll vote for him because he's taller than she is." Only in his deranged mind is that an issue or something to worry about. Straw clutching much, DonOLD.
Timing, hand gestures and facial expression all made for good comedy. I felt uncomfortable with the joke, however; not the right time or place for it. (Call me old-fashioned & I'll agree with you).
R Hodsdon - “old fashioned” ;) Honestly it was because it came from such an unexpected person that it kind of diffused any uncomfortable feeling that I might have had. Don’t think that anyone else could have gotten away with it (definitely not a female). Since it was male on male I didn’t mind.
The thing is, I didn't find it crude, just funny. And it probably went over a lot of people's heads. Considering the way the right slings insults in a never-ending pile-on garbage fest, I honestly don't see the harm in such a mild comeback.
LOL! It's sad that you're right. And it's said that many men would rather vote for a man then know is an incompetent POS than vote for a "weak" woman. I dare anyone to call Maggie Thatcher, Golda Meir, Indira Ghandi, or Angela Merkel weak.
Robert, you are a great man! - and you exude tall energy! Physical stature is only important to «small» and insecure men, like Donald Trump. (Btw, there is no way he is 6’3 - he is even lying about that. Sad.) Go Kamala!!
Seriously?! You have amazing "tall energy" - everything about you is what people perceive height gives them and they don't have.
When I learned Kamala Harris's height, I was shocked - she, like you, project height because of ideas, sincerity and honesty..
And can you or someone please explain why the orange putz calls her "Comrade" when he so admires Putin and others who run Communist countries? Does he not know the difference or similarities?
If you’re on social media, Scott Dworkin encourages using the hashtag #KamalaUnitesUS
“We just launched the hashtag #KamalaUnitesUS on multiple social media platforms. This will ensure that the debate conversation online will focus on the positives—like how Kamala’s campaign of infectious joy unites all of us. We’ll be reminding folks that Harris will work for every American, no matter who you are.”
Except Trump is the unity party. RFK JR, Tulsi, Elon, etc are all united behind Trump and rescuing America from the grips of bureaucratic socialists who have destroyed it.
Donald thinks that because he’s taller that he he gets stature points. he’s just as wrong about that as he is with everything else. I’ve never been one to get off on looksism but in this case he looks like one of those blowup things they put in front of used car lots only he’s fat and they are skinny. It just goes to show how deluded he is that he thinks he’s a better physical specimen than his stunning opponent, who will have him pulling his orange hair out of his empty head.
I wonder if Trump will follow his own debate rules and remove the lifts from his shoes.
Or the diapers from his behind.
That could cause exposure to hazardous biological waste for everyone in the vicinity.
That goes for his face anus as well.
Hazardous lies.
If she really upsets Trump she'll be able to smell him!
Here is a monkey wrench in the works.
Republicans might argue that Kamala Harris cannot certify her own Electoral College victory because she is the sitting vice president. Never mind that vice presidents have performed this awkward function since the beginning of the Republic and never mind that the law requires it. The fact that the vice president is tasked with performing this function was of course part of the Trump strategy for overturning the election results in 2020/21—but in 2024/25 it might be used as to argue that Kamala Harris’s election is illegitimate and rigged.
They will argue that the next in line,the speaker of the house is the one to certify the electoral votes. That gives Mike Johnson the ability to throw out legitimate electors for fake electors.
If it’s designated that way in the Constitution and we’ve been able to elect presidents smoothly during our entire history, including some who were vice presidents, the thing can work — unless the Republican Party wants to make it not work for them in the rest of this nation’s history, either.
Is THIS what we finally come down to?
The constitution says nothing about what to do if the Vice President can't do the job. It will go to SCOTUS.
As regards the future history of this nation, If Trump becomes Chief Executive, this will be the last real election,if we have any in the future they will be in the style of Russia and Hungary.
Democracy as we know it will be a fading memory.
BUT, under the Constitution, the Vice President CAN do the job. Such an eventuality was not addressed, because it is a faux problem, and there’s no reason the VP cannot PRESIDE over the Congress in certifying the vote {the VP is NOT certifying — Congress is certifying … }. How about we don’t create problems where there are none?
Does it say the vice president can’t do the job? Or does it give the job to the vice president? Thereby saying the vice president can do the job. That’s why it doesn’t address the vice president not doing the job.
There’s no question here. It’s a ceremonial thing in the first place. All the vice president has to do is read the results. All the work was done by election officials before that moment. The entire question is ridiculous. The only thing odd about this election is that we have an irrational, unsane, senescent, felonious, compulsive liar running as the Republican Party’s candidate.
I don't believe we know what living in a democracy really feels like, since so many of our fellow citizens are buried under a continuous deluge of disinformation, so that 40% vote against their own self interest much of the time.
Maybe that sounds a teeny bit smug and "elitist."
Well, if the definition of an "elitist" is "one who votes for honesty and openness and against ignorance and bigotry" then yes, I damn sure am an elitist, but I am also one who welcomes anyone to come over from the Dark Side and join me and the rest of "The Elite" in helping our country live up to its great promise.
yes Judith is IS !
Excellent point! This is SLIGHTLY new, but what of vice presidents being given the roll of president7 when the president was killed?
They have NOTHING and know it, so they're freaking out.
Four sitting vice presidents have been elected president: John Adams in 1796, Thomas Jefferson in 1800, Martin Van Buren in 1836, and George H. W. Bush in 1988.
Yep.
See?
Done!
There is no provision in the Constitution for denying a Vice President the option to run for President. There is no provision in the Constitution for allowing the Speaker of the House to take over and certify the election, if the Vice President wins it. There is no reason to think that the process needs to be altered to allow such a thing.
Four sitting vice presidents have been elected president: John Adams in 1796, Thomas Jefferson in 1800, Martin Van Buren in 1836, and George H. W. Bush in 1988.
Mikey - do not even try it!!!
Perfect response to a petty bully.
The bush vs Al Gore was short guy wins
Only because the GOP cheated.
Right!
Kamala can PROVE to the country that Trump is nothing more than an immoral, lying lunatic. She can do it.
Only advice is to call out lies, distraction and divisiveness then immediately pivot to her vision for middle class and contrast that to Trump’s terrible record on the economy, democracy, Jan6, immigration, border deal, threat to freedoms, Roe, etc.
Harris should respond to a few of the attacks from Trump with, “Can you please repeat that lie, Donnie?” 🤣
I think she will CRUSH Trump in the debate. She is a prosecutor so she knows how to handle a CONVICTED FELON.
I'll be watching the debate tonight wearing this "Kamala removes stubborn orange stains" T 👇
https://libtees-2.creator-spring.com/listing/votek
I hope her calm and cheerful demeanor drives him CRAZY!
We do know what to expect from Trump: lies, fabrications, obfuscation, hypocrisy, endless blather, victimization, bizarre stories that have no basis in reality, apocalyptic predictions of doom and gloom.
Let's go Kamala!
It just boggles the mid that any half-thinking, half-cognizant American needs any more " " proof."
How utterly foolish are we as a society to think there is any " choice " here?
paul - I have often wondered the same thing. I read a statistic from the US Dept of Education that may shed some light on this issue: 54% of adults in the US read below a sixth grade level. Our education system has failed us.
It will take more than the educational system to overcome this defficiency.
Victor - Yes, of course. And it would be an integral piece of the puzzle.
My point exactly (and in far fewer words).
Thank Reagan!
I used to read quite a bit when I was a child--and books were read to me early on--but that was before TV. Now social media is compounding the damage done by TV. Reagan was clueless.
( for starters )
Those are the people who support him and those are the people who have the most to lose if he wins.
Yes he's calling all those people, the uneducated, the ignorant, the vulnerable, to support him. There are apparently plenty. He makes them feel good, wanted.
The most to lose?
Perhaps their perception, or a little scuff on the Ego, but this is certainly not an actual reality for the majority of mindless MAGA minions.
Yes, rather ironic and heartbreaking.
When we criticize our education system, we are actually criticizing American society. How many of them, as kids, didn't have responsible adult supervision at home, didn't eat right, got bullied to and from school, hated school because their lunch money got stolen. How many didn't bother doing their homework, or screwed around in class instead of listening to their teacher or trying to learn? How many didn't have a safe place at hme where they could study? How many didn't see the point of study when they figured their lives would never amount to much because all the adults in their lives hadn't and whaat made them think they were gonna do any better?
It is too easy to say that our education system is a failure. WE are the failure, because we've got a good system but WE, the People are failing to operate it correctly. We care more about taking books out of school libraries than about making sure they have enough good books on the shelves. We fuss more about bathrooms and whether coaches can pray on the football field than whether kids are failing math. It's all down to US (even when we aren't actually the ones at fault -- it's a collective failure).
Yeah, we are the failure. But we created the systems we're dismantling now. I love the ideas of Bill Rees--he says human evolution can't keep up with our technology, which makes a lot of sense. On average, we've never been super great long-term thinkers, and when anyone talks about self-interest, humans have been quite unpredictable about what at any given moment feels to them like it's in their self-interest. On top of our technology we have this ability to create culture and narratives with tremendous influence. And always, always, throughout human history there have been characters ready to exploit any human weakness to their own immediate advantage. We are the problem, but working together we could also be the solution.
What?!?! Over half of the adults in America read below a 6th grade level? Seriously? Well, hey—that
answers the question of why so many Americans
vote for Trump.
Education is ALWAYS the answer to so very many questions . . . thanks for the reminder.
Mojo86 - When I was in middle school last century (early 60s) I read somewhere that newspapers, which I'd been reading since 4th grade, were written at 6th grade level. That tidbit has stayed with me all these years. Seems like at least that hasn't changed.
The proof is Trumps reading and language levels - 4th grade at best
That is flabbergasting... How did/could this happen? It would be interest to know what the literacy breakdown is by age
States are spending less and less on education- too many district supervisors and stuperintendants - not enough teachers
The answer to your question is complex. I thinking it over, I came up with this theory: modern media enables our semi literate citizens to form opinions and participate without really understanding what is really going on. They are easily duped, misled. That is my theory of how we got Trump as president and how we may get him again.
Gaily - 54% of adults between the ages of 17 and 75. A little over one half of the people in that age group read below a sixth grade level. Amazing.
If and when he calls her Comrade Kamala, I hope she replies with Convict Donald.
The latter is true. The former is just second-grade playground name-calling. Empty because not backed by any fact.
When TCFG starts whining she could say “Strong men don’t whine they... fill in the blank”
She did it!!
Yes!
he cheats. he calls others out on exactly what he’s doing.
Always has and will continue to do so. During the assassination attempt which still has many unanswered questions, the felonious wannabe emperor was more freaked out about the whereabouts of his shoes than the shooting. It was reported that he didn't want anyone to know about the lifts in his shoes. Is there anything that this madman does or says that isn't fake or fraudulent?
He’s Satan
He is the Devil. No doubt. And I ain't even religious!
Dear Bob R:
Please draw a cartoon of Trump mentioning her heels followed by Kamala rolling out a closet full of heels and throwing them all at Trump... each shoe sticking in his toupee' as he swings wildly with a golf club to stave off her shoe attack... all this prompted by the ABC TV Debate moderators: "In 2006 a protestor threw his shoes at the president on live TV during a press conference, Mr. Trump, as president please demonstrate how you would handle such an attack... you have been provided with a golf club and Kamala has been provided with her shoe closet, Mr. Trump, please defend yourself"
https://youtu.be/TxNprnas7i8?t=9
🤣
I like your Avatar! The younger generation standing tall and defiant! Like it a lot!!!
Electoral college cheats us all .
Christine - “like” Didn’t DeSantas wear lifts too? Now there’s a problem with a female wearing heels? What!? Wasn’t taking away a woman’s bodily autonomy enough for him? Again, WTF!?
Exactly my question! Of course he would deny their existence, claim that it's rigged, and appeal to the sc!
Christine, I am wondering if he will be wearing a wire or earpiece. Inquiring minds want to know!
HAH HAH!👏😁👍
😂😂 I bet he's a midget really!
MENTALLY, to be sure !
Haha 😆
ROTFLOL!
😂
What would be a funny skit would be having Harris come out with a gas mask to ward off the fumes given by Trump's farts.
Doubtful.
Ha! What lifts?!!
Whether he's physically tall, fat, skinny - it doesn't matter. Donald Trump is a bully and all bullies can only make themselves seem larger by attempting to make others fear them. As soon as that fear fails them, they literally disappear.
Trump has only ever insulted, bullied and lied about others in front of forums called 'debates' (this includes with all of his Republican adversaries as well).
Everyone knows that there is only one way to beat a bully; because at some point or another in our lives, we've all encountered one. You beat the bully not by convincing them or correcting them, but instead by standing up to them and saying that you're not going to let them push you around any more. It doesn't matter how tall or short you are if you have truth and courage on your side.
Donald Trump has been bullying America for 8 years. It stops tonight.
Jokes aside, I HONESTLY thought he was 5'6" or something before I learned he was over 6'! I guess morbid obesity makes people look shorter? Like a circular issue?
Hard to believe anyone can stack sh*t that high.
It takes a tall man with a tiny apparatus to tell such tall tales I guess?
That's what Stormy Daniels reported, with full description.
all it takes is a large container. Even some garbage cans look good.
The bush vs Al Gore was short guy wins
Citizen, yeah, the short ignorant pampered rich guy won.
Stephen, I do believe it has been far longer than 8 years with all his stupid racist comments about Obama and his presence on a ridiculous fake show "The Apprentice." He has been stalking us and making life miserable for a whole lot of people for more than a decade and it is time it stops. I will be so grateful when Trump is off the stage and allowed to face his criminal indictments.
Whatever. She'll be debating a mental midget in Donald Trump.
Boom! 💥
Trump is not six foot three. He probably thinks he weighs 180 too. He is a sad, sorry excuse for a human being and needs to be erased from American life.
Kilograms?
🤣🤣
Don - Really “LIKE”
LOL!!!
Paula B. - “Like”
I'm 5' tall and a retired philosophy professor. One day I was speaking with a student outside of class and he was shocked at my height: "behind that desk you look 6 feet tall!!" I suspect that a loud voice and sharp comments I developed to project a strong presence in the classroom were what really constituted my perceived height.
Philosopher and Professor Reich...
Perhaps you've both forgotten that " old Welsh truism" that only the most precious and revered gifts in life come in small packages ?? You both represent the gold standard of your professions....appreciated and beloved. None better.
Thanks so much for that lovely compliment! There is no more wonderful activity, so far as I'm concerned, than to stimulate and watch develop another human mind.
Ellen, you are so right!!! I am a retired teacher, but am preparing to go back into the fray again as a tutor in a middle school. I can't wait!
God Bless you for.your.loving " service" ...enlightenment... to a legion of students over your.many years of teaching, sir.
Philosopher, I think you have 5 inches rather than five foot posted. Ha Thanks for good story! And for being a professor of philosophy.
Oops--you are so right and I fixed it. Thanks for appreciating my profession; it was a joy to teach students in FLORIDA at the University of North Florida, against the clear disapproval of the First Baptist Church.
Philosopher, I make mistakes all the time with punctuation. They make fonts smaller and smaller, I swear. Ha. Glad you were there in spite of FBC disapprioval. Makes my heart sing.
I'm sure gov and his motley crew down there are busy running "questioning and pondering" outta higher learning, well on second thought, out of all learning. Years ago, my philosohhy professor made a pitch for me to switch majors. He said I would be a good student of philosophy. I really enjoyed his class.
I'm listening to Jason Stanley, Yale historian, talk about his new book on education. My former university colleagues are apparently now subject to a post-tenure review every five years to be sure they're not teaching anything DeSantis disapproves of; UF's recent post-tenure review gave 20% of all profs unsatisfactory reviews so THEY WILL BE FIRED. This attack on education by intimidating and firing those who teach the truth about history and ideas--even science and evolution--will be the death of this country. And on a lighter note, the #1 indicator of being a philosophy major is: Do people tell you you think too much??? If yes, you are a philosopher!
Soon there will be no teachers, librarians nor Professors left in Florida. How very sad for all in education there.
Yes, I'm afraid that everyone who can get out WILL get out. It's painful for me to think of my dear UNF students and colleagues now under attack. DeSantis closed down the women's center, multi-cultural center, LGBTQ center, and more--so now I support the Women's Center of Jacksonville, which is devoted to the needs of all Jax women but especially the female students at universities there: UNF, JU, FSCJ. If you want to do some good, support that center.
There were teachers and librarian in Nazi Germany--Nazi approved, of course.
I read about a computer program that was teaching some fundamental thing about reading/pronouncation to people who had problems in that area. The program was able to correct difficult details, due to it's ability to quickly analyze every tiny detail, and provide feedback in the form of going over the detail in various ways until the detail was fixed.
I think that it is possible for teaching to be automated, and individualized. So yes, that could happen, but not real soon. AI currently doesn't understand reality as it is being trained using words, not reality. It still requires a human expert in a particular subject to teach or program a computer. Even when the computer has much more computing power than we are accoustomed to.
Ellen, I am sorry to hear about the interference of the ignorant with education at your university. It is disgusting! Is there no one who will stand up for the professors and staff? What about the students or is the university only accepting students who have already been cooked in fear, anger, resentment, and hatred so they can be molded and shaped into something this nation should be ashamed of? Is there no union? Every university should have their employees unionized so people like the fool DeSantis and his stupid crew can't mess with them.
UFF is there, and I know colleagues are working to change things, but I believe that the president of UNF is a coward and no one seems to have the OVARIES to stand up to a petty dictator.
Yes. Texas made an assault on their sociologists years ago. I doubt it's gotten better. Some major news orgs need to take a broad nation-wide but deep dive on this.
I doubt that major news organizations will ever take this up, given who their funders are--but PBS, Democracy Today, and scholars like Jason Stanley are doing this work.
Philosopher, does it count, if I am the one who tells mysrlf I think too much? Haha. I'm familiar with Stanley. Didn't know (or forgot), he has a new book. I'm disgusted and appalled, of course, not surprised, by the fate of the professors. Do they have any recourse? This is, I believe a case for the DOJ. Violation of civil rights? Discrimination? What about the Federal Labor Dept., can they take action? It is so disturbing! Fascism truly is a rejection and repression of all things that point to truths.
The UFF, United Faculty of Florida (to which I belonged, believing in unions) is pursuing legal action but I don't know what else will work. DeSantis is term-limited and I argue he's so disappointed about being unable to be president and impose his will on the whole country that he's focusing maliciously on Florida. He's even got the cops going to homes of those who signed petitions he doesn't like. If Gaetz runs and gets the governorship it will be EVEN WORSE, especially against women
My suggestion for you is: READ more, THINK more, ACT more to make sure that at least some voters hear your voice and your stance for freedom, against fascism.
Maybe all the fired profs should do a sit-down strike and chain themselves to their desks/lecterns so DeSanctimonious has to send in the State Troopers to carry them out. Great optics, imho!
I think it would take something that drastic and dramatic to bring change, but I don't know many colleagues with the ovaries to do this, frankly. I'm retired so I am out of that fray.
Ellen, AWESOME!! Anyone who will stand with the truth in the presence of people who have decided only their truth is acceptable, and their "truth" is racist, misogynistic, homo/transphobic, xenophobic, and just plain hateful is a true gem! Thank you so much!
Well, I am retired and not in Florida anymore, so don't give me too much credit--it's easy from 1500 miles away. But I am doing as much as I can to phone bank, write postcards, write LTEs, talk, and educate myself so that I will know what's real and what's fake.
Ellen, for so many of us, that's about all we can do beyond talking with people and encouraging people to register to vote, then vote. Kudos to you for your efforts!
It's appropriate for all of us who are not active politicians or journalists, etc. to work where we are and to do these small things in the largest numbers we can. A citizen's job is to participate, I believe, and this is no small participation. We also have to use our particular talents; it's no use trying to organize 5,000 people if you're not a great organizer or are an introvert. I'd say: keep on keeping on, and kudos to you!
OMG! This is the absolute scariest piece of 💩 I’ve ever read about MAGA-type rethuglicans. I guess after an authoritarian regime has captured the press, they go after the education system. Hmmm... now I see why “they”, via the Project 2025 playbook, want to eliminate the Dept of Education
Read Jason Stanley's new book _Erasing History_. It is published today and I'm getting my copy later. He's a Yale historian who also wrote _How Fascism Works_, and I highly recommend that book, too. If the populace is stupid and ignorant, they are most easily manipulated and controlled by stupid and greedy politicians for their own purposes. Critical thinkers are less easily controlled. That's why I taught thousands of students critical thinking: it's the single best tool to empower citizens.
Thanks for the recs, Prof. Ordering my copy today.
Great! And do get _How Fascism Works_ because it's clear, straightforward, and written in short chapters that you can take one at a time. He wrote it for citizens, not for an academic audience. If you like them, comment on my substack!
“ is inches
Yes, I saw that and corrected it to '
Rather than fact checking, they should just confront him about his lies. Recently he said:
“Can you imagine you’re a parent and your son leaves the house and you say, ‘Jimmy, I love you so much, go have a good day in school,’ and your son comes back with a brutal operation? Can you even imagine this? What the hell is wrong with our country?”
They should confront him with it and make him prove it. They should do that with all his lies. Nobody ever confronts him with the lies.
He has walked out on at least one woman interviewer when he did not like the question.
Yes, it is tempting to want to confront trump with the truth. But that is a losing proposition and plays into his strategy. Once you engage with his lies, you have already lost. He will just move on to a mouthful of other lies. It is called the Gish Gallop. He is too practiced with this tactic. An alternative would be to just call him “weird” and move on.
I think it more likely he'd walk out if he is pressed.
I agree. I’d be surprised if he lasts 90 minutes. The alley cat has the attention span of a tick. What I’ll be watching to see if in his frustration and agitation, he walks over to Kamala’s podium and tries to intimidate or even attack her. The Secret Service should prevent him from coming anywhere near her.
Rachel Scott, the black journalist who confronted him, is the only person I saw not let him waffle or intimidate and he left that interview early. He's a bully and coward and he can't stand up to someone who won't back down.
Good for her. Better than most of the MSM journo class then.
They will!
If he turns tail and runs off because he doesn't like a question or the questioner, I hope an audience member gets up and acts like a Mom or Dad chastising a misbehaving youngster and (using their command voice) , "Get back in here, start acting your age, and answer that lady's question Donald! And wipe that nasty look off your face!"
R Hodsdon - “like” I got a mental picture and I hope that I see that in real life.
*waddled out.
Daniel - “like”
Mojo86 - “agree” I was a really sh*tty child and I would push boundaries like crazy but I always knew when to rein it in when my mother gave me a “look”. Maybe Harris can do that so she doesn’t have to waste precious time with his bs. They say that a picture is worth a thousand words.
Amen.
R Hodsdon - “like”
You have to be a complete non-thinker to believe that something like that is even possible. If he were a better liar he might come up with something at least plausible, which just shows how crazy he is. He really needs psychiatric help.
It happened once.
Donald Trump and his children must prove they have not been operated on.
By "operated on", are we talking like ET Alien abductions and "the Probe" here, or are we talking, like, brain implants?
Oh, if only that would happen tonight. I would like to see him walk out of the debate😀
It won't happen. Only one journalist had the courage to confront him and I'm sure none of these will.
How about you're a parent and your son leaves your house FOREVER and a man comes with a coffin draped in a flag because your godking was too incompetent to end the forever war in The Middle East started by 'Murica's FORMERLY dumbest president?
THAT is the correct response to that Alzheimers-fueled rambling.
Daniel - “Love” I feared that every day and I still fear that today with the other wars going on that might drag my child back into one. Proud of SEALS but…..the fear.
Especially the media.
Men are almost always taller than women, so his demand is idiotic to begin with. No one seeing a man taller than a woman is going to think "Wow, I'll vote for him because he's taller than she is." Only in his deranged mind is that an issue or something to worry about. Straw clutching much, DonOLD.
Karla - “like” Why is he Always so worried about size!? (Saying that sarcastically of course)
I LOVED President Obama's jab about Trump's "weird obsession" with crowd sizes, complete with hand gesture. One of my favorite moments of the DNC.
President Obama’s comment about Donald and crowd size was a laugh out loud moment followed by cheering in my home.😂
Texas - “like”
Karla - “Like” Me too! Didn’t expect it coming from him but Loved it!
Timing, hand gestures and facial expression all made for good comedy. I felt uncomfortable with the joke, however; not the right time or place for it. (Call me old-fashioned & I'll agree with you).
R Hodsdon - “old fashioned” ;) Honestly it was because it came from such an unexpected person that it kind of diffused any uncomfortable feeling that I might have had. Don’t think that anyone else could have gotten away with it (definitely not a female). Since it was male on male I didn’t mind.
The thing is, I didn't find it crude, just funny. And it probably went over a lot of people's heads. Considering the way the right slings insults in a never-ending pile-on garbage fest, I honestly don't see the harm in such a mild comeback.
Karla - “like” “agree”
Being tall is a proxy for having a penis. Since he can't show his he needs to demonstrate that he has one and she doesn't. Good grief.
LOL! It's sad that you're right. And it's said that many men would rather vote for a man then know is an incompetent POS than vote for a "weak" woman. I dare anyone to call Maggie Thatcher, Golda Meir, Indira Ghandi, or Angela Merkel weak.
Karla - “like”
Paula B. - “like” I believe that he can’t show it because he can neither see it nor find it.
That made me snort. I'm happy to remain ignorant on the subject of his . . . size. At least of that; we already know the size of his heart.
Karla - “like” Well we all know that his brain and heart are Definitely as equally small as his….unmentionable. :D
Robert, you are a great man! - and you exude tall energy! Physical stature is only important to «small» and insecure men, like Donald Trump. (Btw, there is no way he is 6’3 - he is even lying about that. Sad.) Go Kamala!!
I am tired of talking about Trump's body parts, otherwise I'd say that he does look pretty tall to me.
Morten- “like”
I have gotten shorter as I have gotten older. I was never tall but i wish the height on my drivers license could say “used to be 5’8””
Robert Reich would have made a great governor.
Trump projected his cheating to her.
Thin David vs. Goliath, or in this case, Davida.
I thought Trump wears shoes with inserts to make them look taller.
that's why he seems to lean forward. Bet he has back problems. Poor baby
Seriously?! You have amazing "tall energy" - everything about you is what people perceive height gives them and they don't have.
When I learned Kamala Harris's height, I was shocked - she, like you, project height because of ideas, sincerity and honesty..
And can you or someone please explain why the orange putz calls her "Comrade" when he so admires Putin and others who run Communist countries? Does he not know the difference or similarities?
Joan Eisenstodt, projection as usual.
If you’re on social media, Scott Dworkin encourages using the hashtag #KamalaUnitesUS
“We just launched the hashtag #KamalaUnitesUS on multiple social media platforms. This will ensure that the debate conversation online will focus on the positives—like how Kamala’s campaign of infectious joy unites all of us. We’ll be reminding folks that Harris will work for every American, no matter who you are.”
https://open.substack.com/pub/dworkin/p/our-plan-to-beat-pro-trump-debate?r=fqsxl&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=email
Except Trump is the unity party. RFK JR, Tulsi, Elon, etc are all united behind Trump and rescuing America from the grips of bureaucratic socialists who have destroyed it.
Josh I'm curious to know in what way you think America is destroyed. Can you name just a couple of aspects?
Yep, I feel his love bringing us all together.
Scoundrels United, Inc.
Kamala Harris's growth energy went into brain improvement: intelligence and mental stamina. Trump's went into useless flesh.
Of course, women generally are, and are expected to be, shorter than men, so I don't see that as a problem.
Donald thinks that because he’s taller that he he gets stature points. he’s just as wrong about that as he is with everything else. I’ve never been one to get off on looksism but in this case he looks like one of those blowup things they put in front of used car lots only he’s fat and they are skinny. It just goes to show how deluded he is that he thinks he’s a better physical specimen than his stunning opponent, who will have him pulling his orange hair out of his empty head.
I wonder how the studies break down along gender lines? For the voters/respondents and the subjects of the studies.
And RR, you have good mojo energy which is much better than "tall energy" anyday.