[What A Day]([link removed])

Thursday, September 19, 2024
BY MATT BERG & CROOKED MEDIA

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- Donald Trump, talking about his [apparent long-time sobriety]([link removed])

Kamala Harris and Donald Trump are still virtually tied in the polls with only weeks until the election, and the race is heating up to win over a key demographic: White dudes. Surprised? No, of course you’re not.
 

- It was obvious to [most people]([link removed]) with ears and eyeballs that former President Donald Trump flopped hard in the debate with Vice President Kamala Harris last week, a victory Democrats hoped would propel their candidate ahead with voters. But she hasn’t opened a decisive lead yet. [A new set of polls]([link removed]) from the New York Times, the Philadelphia Inquirer and Siena College found that the race is deadlocked nationally. Harris is maintaining a slight lead in Pennsylvania, but the polls are tight in [all of the swing states]([link removed]). The Economist says Harris has seen a “small but potentially significant” [bump in the polls]([link removed]) since the debate.
 

- Trump isn’t doing super well among people [that aren’t white]([link removed])… probably because he has a [nasty track record of racism]([link removed]) and endorses [harsh anti-immigration policies]([link removed]) and other measures that [would worsen equality]([link removed]). He’s also trailing Harris [among likely women voters]([link removed]), while leading her among men (come on guys) so his campaign is targeting young men in hopes of a big payoff: “That is beyond smart because they’re talking about a population that is underrepresented in actual votes on Election Day,” Josh Holmes, a Republican strategist, told the [Washington Post]([link removed]). “To the extent they can capture and motivate them, that is a significant demographic." Notably, Trump has appeared on podcasts hosted by influencers Logan Paul and Adin Ross.

 

- Democrats have their own plans — bolstered by mountains of cash — to woo that crucial voting bloc, and Caucasian men of all ages. On Thursday, White Dudes for Harris [released a new ad campaign]([link removed]) worth $10 million that’s airing in Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin on social media platforms. Speaking over images of Trump allies yelling, the narrator (who has a New York/New Jersey accent for some reason) [makes a compelling case]([link removed]): White men are “pretty sick of hearing how much we suck. Every time you go online, it’s the same story: We’re the problem. And yeah, some white dudes are. Trump and all his MAGA buddies are out there making it worse, shouting nonsense in their stupid red hats and acting like they speak for us when they don’t.”

[What A Day]([link removed])

Compared to President Joe Biden, Harris is crushing it among other demographics that could help prevent a second MAGA presidency — with one other big exception.
 

- Since Biden dropped out in July, the Democratic ticket saw a [major bump]([link removed]) in support among young, nonwhite and female voters. Harris has made inroads among Latino voters — a demographic also expected to be key to winning the election — earning one major Latino voter group’s [first-ever general election endorsement]([link removed]-). In battleground states, 82 percent of Black voters favor Harris, while only 12 percent back Trump, according to a new poll, which is in line with exit polling on Biden’s support among the same group in 2020.
 

- But there’s another sign of trouble for Democrats in Michigan, home to a large Arab-American population. Forty percent of Arab-Americans and Muslim voters in the battleground state [are backing]([link removed]) Green Party candidate Jill Stein, fueled by their frustration with the Biden administration’s handling of Israel’s devastating war in Gaza, according to data released this month. (Trump has 18 percent of that group’s support in the state, while Harris has 12 percent.) Stein is also ahead of Harris among Muslim voters in Arizona and Wisconsin. It’s worth reminding the Stein-curious people that she mathematically has no way to win or directly influence U.S. policy toward Israel. [In a recent interview with Mehdi Hasan]([link removed]), she was asked, “Lay out for me the steps whereby I go into a voting booth and vote Green and the genocide stops,” and it will not shock you to learn that she couldn’t give a coherent answer. 
 

- What’s more, the Uncommitted movement — which drew over 100,000 votes in Michigan during Super Tuesday in protest of Biden’s handling of the Israel-Gaza war — announced on Thursday that it won’t endorse Harris, while also warning against voting for Trump or a third-party candidate. "We feel sorry for Vice President Harris, who has missed a crucial opportunity to unite the party and the country around a common sense policy of no more American bombs killing civilians,” Uncommitted co-chair Lexis Zeidan told What A Day. “This isn't just a failure to lead; it’s a dangerous disconnect from the values most Americans hold, and we can’t afford the consequences.” The group’s delegates [were denied a speaking slot]([link removed]) at the Democratic National Convention, frustrating the members, many of whom noted the number of Republicans who were invited to speak there.
There’s no consensus on whether protest votes over the war in Gaza will drastically affect Kamala Harris’s chances of winning. But Joe Biden won swing states by a razor-thin margin in 2020, and every vote could make a difference in November.

Reports show that Israel sent thousands of explosive pagers to members of militant group Hezbollah that injured 3,000 people. Does this signal the beginning of a larger Israeli military operation in Lebanon? This week on [Pod Save The World]([link removed]), hosts Tommy Vietor and Ben Rhodes discuss the implications of the incident and explore Kamala Harris's leadership style on national security and foreign policy. Listen to the latest episode of Pod Save The World available now, wherever you get your podcasts.

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Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson (R-NC), who’s running for governor in the state, referred to himself as a “black NAZI!” and expressed support for bringing back slavery, [according to a bombshell CNN investigation]([link removed]) of his social media activity before entering politics. Well okay then! Nice work with candidate vetting!
 
Despite his history of anti-transgender rhetoric, Robinson also said he enjoyed watching transgender porn (you might’ve seen [recent headlines]([link removed]) about him being a porn aficionado). Robinson denies making the comments, which appeared on social media accounts CNN linked to him. An email belonging to Robinson [was also found]([link removed]) registered on a website for married people seeking affairs. Okay, that’s it: We officially know too much about everyone’s personal lives. 
 
There are many bizarre and graphic details in this story, including how he allegedly posted on a porn website he has a fond memory of “peeping” on women as a young man: “I came to a spot that was a dead end but had two big vent covers over it! It just so happened it overlooked the showers! I sat there for about an hour and watched as several girls came in and showered,” Robinson wrote.

Speaking with CNN, Robinson called the report “tabloid trash” and said he intends to stay in the race, despite some North Carolina Republicans [pressuring him to bow out]([link removed]).

An Alaska man was charged with allegedly threatening to torture and kill six Supreme Court justices and their families, the Department of Justice [announced on Thursday]([link removed]). The 76-year-old sent more than 465 messages via SCOTUS’s public website, including many violent, racist and homophobic ones, per an unsealed indictment. The indictment didn’t name which of the nine justices were targeted.
 
The United Nations General Assembly [overwhelmingly voted in favor]([link removed]) of a resolution demanding that Israel end its occupation of Palestinian territory within a year. Only 14 countries, including Israel and the United States, voted against the nonbinding resolution, while 124 countries voted in favor and 43 others abstained. 
 
Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) skipped his duties on Wednesday [to try to convince Nebraska’s GOP governor and state legislators to change the way the state allocates Electoral College votes]([link removed]). The state currently doles them out by congressional district, but the Trump campaign wants it switched to winner-take-all. As if we needed more evidence that the Electoral College is terrible. 
 
The Arizona GOP [unveiled a new billboard]([link removed]) with Trump allies on it: conspiracist billionaire Elon Musk, roadkill enthusiast Robert F. Kennedy Jr., former Democratic presidential candidate and current grifter Tulsi Gabbard (how far we’ve come!), tech bro Vivek Ramaswamy, and, of course, veep candidate Sen. J.D. Vance (R-OH). Can you say “nightmare blunt rotation?”

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Survivor spoiler alert! Jon Lovett “[burned bright and fast]([link removed])” in last night’s Survivor debut. Gone too soon, but we couldn’t be more proud. It truly was “[one glorious and perfect]([link removed])” episode. Even if the tribe members spelled his name “John.” Light a candle for our guy tonight.

The cast of “Veep” is [reuniting for a table read]([link removed]) of one of the show’s most popular episodes, in an event hosted by Stephen Colbert, to help “Dems win up and down the ballot in Wisconsin.” I strongly support more Mike McLintock in my life.

[What A Day]([link removed])

[You Survived Today. See You Thursday.]([link removed])

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