Taking the Gloves Off
Three videos that show us how it's done
In the first video, Senator Foghorn Leghorn, also known as John Kennedy of Louisiana, is asking questions during a hearing for the Congressional Subcommittee on the Freedom to Travel for Abortion Care. (First, let’s pause for a minute to ponder how insane it is that such a subcommittee exists.)
The senator got his undergraduate degree at Vanderbilt University; he has a law degree from the University of Virginia and a Masters from Oxford University. He knows exactly what he’s doing here—which is setting up a straw-man argument and then pretending that his absurd and dangerous hypothetical is a very real occurrence that must be addressed with the seriousness he demands! Luckily, Jocelyn Frye, president of the National Partnership for Women & Families, was having none of it. Check out this masterclass in rhetorical aikdo [the good part starts at 6 minutes and 42 seconds):
That, my friends, is a mic drop. Kennedy’s incredulousness that his question isn’t being taken at face value is as fake as his down-home good-old-boy schtick, and his question would be absurd if it weren’t so cruel, obscene, and misleading. We need more people like Jocelyn Frye to stand up to people like him and speak truth to power.
The Biden campaign released an ad yesterday along with a statement that should make our hearts sing:
Donald Trump is a liar and a fraud. His campaign is full of liars and frauds. And their desperate leaks and lies to the right-wing media only underscore how scared Donald Trump is to debate. This is Donald’s debate playbook: lies, distractions, and deceit. Donald Trump and his campaign are scared because they can’t defend his record, personal conduct, or extreme agenda in front of the American people. Donald can’t defend that he’s a criminal who has been convicted of 34 felonies, was found liable for sexual assault, committed financial fraud, and is only out for himself.
The press release goes on to list the many things Donald can’t defend—from his defense of state abortion bans to his racism and his treatment of veterans.
In conclusion, it says:
We are at an inflection point as a nation. Our freedoms, our democracy, our middle class, our leadership on the world stage are all at stake. To lead America, the land of possibilities, you need a vision for the future of what America can and should be. Donald Trump does not have a vision of anything beyond the failure he sees in the mirror.
I think we should get that last line etched in marble. With the debate coming up in nine days, it’s very heartening to see the Biden team stepping up its very considerable game.
Finally, my friend and fellow Nerd Avenger Tara Setmayer announced the launch of The Seneca Project, a political action committee she founded with Michelle Kinney. A bipartisan superPAC, that is led by women, The Seneca Project is
dedicated to mobilizing moderate women voters in key swing states in support of Joe Biden's re-election. With a focus on safeguarding women’s rights, healthcare access, and the preservation of democracy, we are galvanizing this crucial demographic to vote for President Biden and defeat the extremist MAGA agenda.
The Seneca Project fills a huge void and I am so grateful that it exists. (Full disclosure, I’m a member of the advisory committee.) As you know, I feel the attack on women’s reproductive freedom in America is one of the defining issues of our time. It is, or should be, beyond politics and beyond partisanship, and I can’t think of two better people than Tara and Michelle to deliver that message.
This is how it’s done. This is how we fight.
Thanks for this, Mary, I don’t understand why so little is being made of all these attacks on women’s rights. History shows that a descent into fascism is preceded by motions to return women to the kitchen and child raising and subordination. Unless, of course, you are a Handmaiden of the Lord and serve on the Supreme Court. Great place for her to enforce women’s loss of rights. Aaaarrrrrggghhh!
The GOP agenda is to put women back to prior to 1921. Take away their healthcare, their vote, their jobs. America can't let that happen. They want to end public schools so that only affluent white Republican people can have the proscribed "education".
We can't let them turn America into a Russia, China, Iran, or North Korea. That seems to be Donald's vision, a nation of MAGAs that kill the freedom of everyone else before they snuff out their lives. Donald must be defeated and silenced, along with all the MAGA