The VP Debate
I put a bunch of my thoughts on Twitter/X last night so I'll post those rather than type a lot more.
The shortest version of my summary is: Vance clearly won the debate even if he didn't win every question. He was sharper, clearer, and gave the best answers he could on questions that are politically bad for the GOP right now. More importantly, he came across as a real gentleman: nice, calm, respectful. Probably surprised a lot of people who only know his caricature from left-wing media. Also, the moderators made the debate significantly worse by their behavior.
Even the mostly-leftist panel at the NY Times mostly thought Vance won (except for Charles Blow, who's not rational): Opinion | 13 Writers on Who Won the Walz-Vance Vice-Presidential Debate - The New York Times (nytimes.com)
Debate transcript is here: Read the full VP debate transcript from the Walz-Vance showdown - CBS News
This is about right, though somewhat understates how good the night was for Vance: America's time machine: Takeaways from a refreshingly civil VP debate (axios.com)
The first tweet here is my last tweet, the next was my first tweet about the debate. The rest are actually in reverse order with the later tweets first
Full debate is here if you want to watch:
In the past, Trump has repeatedly said that he thinks abortion, as an issue, belongs with the states. But while he had said he does not support a federal abortion ban, he hadn't said explicitly that he would veto such a ban if a Republican Congress passed one...until last night:
Just One Thing: The ILA needs to be destroyed
The International Longshoremen’s Association went on strike yesterday. The head of the union said that if his workers, over half of whom make over $150,000 a year, don't get a 77% raise over 6 years they won’t even come to the negotiating table to discuss other issues such as automation. Indeed, he said that if the union doesn’t get their way, they’ll cripple the country. His word, not mine. The union boss, Harold Daggett, has been credibly accused of being affiliated with the Genovese crime family and sure talks that way, as well as driving around in a Bentley which he can afford because he earns something like $900,000 a year running the big union and a local. Other nations have much more automated ports. We should too. These workers are a massive tax on every American consumer. It won’t happen under Biden but it’s time to bust this mobbed-up union once and for all.
This may require a subscription to read, unfortunately: This is insanity. Dockworkers Strike: That’s Just How We Do Things Here | National Review
Thank you, Greg Biffle
NASCAR driver Greg Biffle working hard to help the struggling people of western NC after Hurricane Helene
NASCAR Stars Using Helicopters to Provide Hurricane Helene Aid (caranddriver.com)
Today's Guests
My KOA colleague, co-host of Broncos Country Tonight, former Denver Broncos safety, and very interesting dude Nick Ferguson joins me...mostly to talk about politics. Nick's background, framing for political issues, and social connections are about as different as possible from mine and it's part of the reason that I find talking politics with him so interesting, and I hope you do as well.
Other Stuff
Good: Israel bars U.N. secretary-general from entering country | Reuters
What's next between Israel and Iran? Israel said mulling attacks on Iran oil rigs, nuclear sites in response to missile attack | The Times of Israel
Israel beefs up forces on Lebanon border as Hezbollah reports clashes with troops | Reuters
Will abortion be a major voting issue in Georgia, especially without an abortion-related ballot measure for people to vote on? I think there’s a good chance the judge gets overturned, but we’ll see…and could it impact the presidential election?
Judge strikes down Georgia ban on abortions - POLITICO
If you're on Medicaid Part D, you may be pleasantly surprised at your premium this year. Just wait until next year. A Medicare Election Bribe for Seniors - WSJ
For some reason, the Korean car brands, even though they're making great cars, remain much too easy to steal or hack: Millions of Vehicles Could Be Hacked and Tracked Thanks to a Simple Website Bug | WIRED
Hey Sneakerheads, this would be a fascinating case study for a business school: Nike’s Sales Are in a Funk. It’s Working Off a Jordan Hangover. - WSJ
The mule train is back! Mules deliver aid to North Carolina after Hurricane Helene closed roads (axios.com)
These numbers are staggeringly large: NRF | NRF and Appriss Retail Report: $743 Billion in Merchandise Returned in 2023
Target quietly changes store returns policy to battle customer abuse (nypost.com)
I think this is hard to even imagine, outside of some dystopian post-apocalyptic move: China’s Housing Glut Collides With Its Shrinking Population - WSJ
Today's Videos
"The Government Can"
It's 15 years old but seems to perfectly channel Kamala Harris and, unfortunately, only slightly less perfectly channel Donald Trump
Terrifying
This is in Michigan.