A compendium of the best reporting and commentary surrounding the pivotal 2024 elections in the United States. You will rarely find horse race coverage here, or the standard "both sides" BS that passes so often for political journalism. What you will find are links, with brief commentary, to work that I believe advances the conversation we should be having about America's – and the world's – future. Remember: Everything is at stake this year. (Unfortunately, some of the work I point to is behind paywalls.)
Two men recognized and exploited the anti-democratic loopholes within America’s rickety democracy in order to deliver Republicans victories that they could never win at the ballot box. Now their willfully minoritarian creations threaten the very essence of a representative democracy: if Donald Trump, rightwing courts, gerrymandered state legislatures and an extreme Republican caucus in the US House of Representatives create constitutional chaos over the certification of this presidential election, two men cleared the path.
This is the stark truth, and it reflects several conditions. One of these "loopholes" is the Electoral College, our increasingly crazy system of electing presidents given that – in the modern era – it gives a massive advantage to Republicans. Another linchpin to the success of this anti-democracy movement is money, specifically the facts that a) the Supreme Court decided more than a decade ago that money equals votes, opening the campaign "contributions" (legalized bribery) floodgates that have drastically favored Republicans largely because b) there are vastly more ultra-rich Republicans who want to overthrow modern democracy than similarly wealthy Democrats who want to keep it. The author of this piece also nails something important when he notes that the chief instigators have stayed "a step ahead of hapless Democrats" the entire time.
Bids opened Monday for a contract to supply the state Department of Education with 55,000 Bibles. According to the bid documents, vendors must meet certain specifications: Bibles must be the King James Version; must contain the Old and New Testaments; must include copies of the Pledge of Allegiance, Declaration of Independence, U.S. Constitution and the Bill of Rights; and must be bound in leather or leather-like material. A salesperson at Mardel Christian & Education searched, and though they carry 2,900 Bibles, none fit the parameters. But one Bible fits perfectly: Lee Greenwood’s God Bless the U.S.A. Bible, endorsed by former President Donald Trump and commonly referred to as the Trump Bible. They cost $60 each online, with Trump receiving fees for his endorsement.
Trump's entire adult life has been one financial scheme after another. One of his favorites has been selling absurdly overpriced products – or renting his name for others to do that – and pocketing cash. He finds suckers everywhere, and with very few exceptions he's never been held remotely accountable even for outright fraud. Political power and a cult following has enabled him – and his family and "business associates" – to go wild. The "Trump bible" is one of the more hypocritical schemes, but the cult members – people like Oklahoma's education superintendent, Ryan Walters – are all in. As New York Magazine's Ed Kilgore puts it, "Walters wants to waste a lot of money not simply to thumb his nose at church-state separation but to ensure that Oklahoma’s children consume their divine guidance in overt MAGA packaging, with Trump himself quite possibly getting a bit of the take." Trump world is all corruption, all the time, and he has all kinds of willing partners.
These false narratives pushed by right-wing media don’t just mislead the public — they can also discourage hurricane victims from seeking much-needed assistance from the federal government. As federal, state, and local authorities work to provide aid and support recovery efforts, it's crucial for accurate information to reach those affected by Hurricane Helene. The spread of misinformation during times of crisis can have real and harmful consequences for vulnerable communities struggling to rebuild.
The lies from Trump, his apparatchiks, Congressional Republicans and so many others in his orbit would be described as disgusting if they weren't so normal for that crowd. Media Matters has a good roundup of the most vile deceit stemming from the horrific tragedy that has struck so hard in the Southeast. Some lies can have deadly consequences, and these are among them.
The vast majority of the country, the normal people, have seen enough and want the clown car to disappear into the MAGA vortex somewhere between reality and Orlando. The swift and explosive momentum for Kamala Harris is unlike anything that’s been seen in decades. Which is why maybe at this point in my rant I just need to say out loud that which is being said to me in private by people I respect — and not just in whispers, but in excited tones of exuberance: That a new era is being born, one where caucasian is just one of the options but no longer the bossy pants of the world. Where it’s OK if you’re missing the lower right quadrant of the second X chromosome thus making it a “y” which means you’re never going to have your own fallopian tubes so just deal with it and keep your hands off the gender who has them. Simple.
You may recall that Moore famously predicted Trump's win in 2016. Almost everyone laughed him off, even though he'd earned at least a listen given his years of activism. So this prediction isn't nothing. But he takes it much further, and we need to pay attention. Moore says a Harris victory needs to be sweeping for our nation to be able to save itself from Trump's predatory ways. Vote. Get your family members to vote. Get your friends to vote. Vote like your life and liberty depend on it, because they may.
Voting is just part of democracy, but it's the essential place to start. Make sure you're registered. Doublecheck in the fall, well before Election Day, because in some states Republican officials are removing people, mostly those who tend to vote for Democrats, from voting rolls.
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David Daley
Jennifer Palmer, Paul Monies, Heather Warlick
Evlondo Cooper
Michael Moore
