64 Comments

The MAGA emperor never had clothes. Kamala has finally pointed her finger, laughed, and helped many to finally see that.

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Yes, and especially those who had pushed down their doubts.

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Excellent reporting….actual numbers are important and do tell a story.

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Great work Steve! I can remember asshole Trump stating that he had sent investigators to Hawaii and they had “evidence” that Obama was really born in Kenya. I found Obama’s birth announcement in 1962 in the Honolulu newspaper and my Trumpster friend would not believe it was real. I told him Obama’s parents were incredibly smart to know that their son would become the 45th president and at age two days old placed a fake birth announcement in the Honolulu newspaper! TOTAL TRUMP LIES AND BULLSHIT!!!

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As a lifelong resident of Hawaii, let me say that the birther BS was a preview of the MAGA lie machine, where reality does not intrude on their narrative. Exactly as you said, the conspiracy would have been huge. Hundreds of people would have had to conspire decades earlier, and before the Civil Rights Act and the Voting Rights Act, when no one could have credibly foreseen America electing anyone non-white as president. People who knew Barack Sr. and Ann at the University of Hawaii, including future congressman and Hawaii governor Neil Abercrombie, people who worked with Obama's grandparents, the people in the community, the people at the hospital where he was born, the newspapers, the state registrar and the vital statistics department of the state government, all would have had to conspire so that 45+ years later, a man of part African descent could become president. I dare say, even the great MLK could only hope for that but not really be convinced that it would ever happen. Most of us in Hawaii understood how utterly ludicrous the whole bullshit smear was. Even the governor at the time, who was a Republican, had to wearily come out and proclaim that his birth certificate was valid, genuine, and unquestionably accurate. And of course, that statement did not put the conspiracy theory to rest. MAGA is unhinged beyond reason and fact.

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We won’t even mention that witch of a pornhub wife of trumps who went on The View and insisted that Hawaii SHOULD HAVE a regular birth certificate instead of a certificate of live birth. The level of racist hate in those two is unparalleled and all they’ve done is infect others or wound it all back up again.

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No wonder she married a terrible person. She is one herself

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And of course, asshole trump's claim of sending an investigator and finding "evidence" was a boldfaced LIE. IF anyone had even come here to look, and I doubt anyone actually did, they would have found what I said: he was unquestionably born in Honolulu, his birth certificate was genuine and valid, and there were (are) people who REMEMBER his parents and grandparents and his being born. There was even a story where a physician who participated in his delivery (may have been the obstetrician, I'm not sure) went home and told his wife, I had a special event today. I had a Stanley give birth! (Ann's real name was Stanley Ann Dunham)

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I remember when that announcement made it into a few headlines.

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Thank you for this summary by numbers. Regarding the Haitian immigrants, it is the Trump camp's callous disregard for their safety and well being that chills the soul. This is what evil looks like. Vance has taken the cloak of Trump. Should he become VP, he has shown us who he is and what he will do as acting president under his senile master. We simply must defang the monsters with our votes.

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I just watched John Legend's video about the Haitian immigrants in Springfield. He is a native of Springfield, Ohio. Excellent. Everyone should see it. Makes this Ohio native proud.

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open for free? If so, put a link in here. Thanks.

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This began as a neo-Nazi comment far from Earth1 where most of us live. One of them showed up at a City Commission meeting & got tossed for his racist rants. Then it began to take on a life of its own - picked up by the likes of the Loomer to trump pipeline and JD Vance. Now the city buildings had to close due to bomb threats … we know how this works.

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(I didn't realize that such a large proportion of people in Springfield were Haitians. I'm sure that can be disconcerting for people who were born and lived there for their entire lives. Not casting any blame, just putting myself in their shoes.)

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The big lie is the GOP only objects to people coming into the US illegally. As has happened for centuries, those who immigrate settle near others from their homeland & where they are allowed &/or encouraged to settle. Refugee settlement agencies usually have few resources ($$) which makes ‘clusters’ more practical. Yes, this makes for a situation that can exploit people’s fears. The biggest fear of all is maga’s fear of losing.

The Haitians are legal refugees welcomed by the community because Springfield's population was shrinking. Employers could not fill jobs. Now the economy is growing again. Employers are happy. The majority of the town are not upset that they are there. The major concern was a lack of social infrastructure to handle the growth in population.

As is true in many of our communities there is a small putrid extremist element, neo-Nazis for instance. It made its racist presence known by disrupting a city commission meeting & the person was removed. Now the city is under this national heat lamp dealing with lies, bomb threats and maga nazi idiocy. All because Donald Trump, JD Vance, Jim Jordan, Bernie Moreno (running against Sherrod Brown who so far is leading within the margin of error), Chip Roy, and many others are promoting what NPR found began in a neo-Nazi chat & comment on Gab. MTG dropped this grenade in a committee meeting.

Sadly there was an incident in Springfield ripe for their exploitation. The father spoke out. He said his son was killed in an accident not murdered; they had no right to speak his name and also:

I wish that my son, Aiden Clark, was killed by a 60-year-old white man. I bet you never thought anyone would say something so blunt, but if that guy killed my 11-year-old son, the incessant group of hate-spewing people would leave us alone,” Clark told the city hall forum. “The last thing that we need is to have the worst day of our lives violently and constantly shoved in our faces, but even that’s not good enough for them. They take it one step further. They make it seem that our wonderful Aiden appreciates your hate, that we should follow their hate.” https://www.springfieldnewssun.com/news/aiden-clarks-dad-begs-springfield-politicians-stop-using-son-to-hate-haitians/QEZC7DVPKVC5JDPLNH7H2YSRPU/

I pity the entire community. It will take a long time to right itself and for more of us to take to heart hashtag Aiden Clark’s mother wore as her husband spoke. #LiveLikeAiden

(The OH governor, has now committed $2.5M and state troopers to Springfield. Springfield had requested more resources before all this upended the community.)

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"It made its racist presence known by disrupting a city commission meeting" -- I saw the video. He was absolutely TERRIFYING.

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Yes, fear for good reason & it is part of their schtick. These groups - especially neo-Nazi types - target places, then show up to in public meetings & organize protests (as a show of force, I believe).

Springfield is fairly close to Columbus & votes mostly ‘blue’. Small. Their favorite sort of target.🤮

— Neo-Nazis already appeared about 48 miles west of Columbus to protest in Springfield in August. Given Columbus' liberal politics in a right-leaning state, central Ohioans should expect to see demonstrations by hate groups this fall, said Jeff Tischauser, senior research analyst at the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC).—

There is pushback in OH. “We really want to kind of mobilize voters, and we want to incentivize politicians to keep the decency alive," Bruno said.

https://www.dispatch.com/story/news/2024/09/10/neo-nazis-hate-groups-and-extremists-target-ohio-november-election/74968949007/

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GRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR

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OK, on a somewhat lighter side of the same coin from today’s insanity. He’s in CA today (actually for fundraising.). Maybe he had another infamous lapse or maybe his staff has threatened him if he doesn’t pivot? Either way the big question is who wants someone this unhinged in charge of the country?

— “I can say this. We will do large deportations from Springfield, Ohio. Large deportations. We’re going to get these people out. We’re bringing them back to Venezuela.”

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I fear that Springfield is just the tip of a very dangerous iceberg that’s floating around just waiting for the trump hate to melt it and unleash all the furies locked within.

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Brilliant, by the numbers, facts don’t lie! Thank you, Steve.

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It took women of color to stand up to tffg and call him out for what he is -- a disgrace -- first the panel of Black journalists and now Vice President Kamala Harris. Corporate media has refused to do this for those nine long, long years.

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This is absolutely a must-read! Makes me feel like we can do this!

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Hope by the numbers! Thanks Steven

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9 - the number of years this Trumpian nightmare has been with us.

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One - the number of Steven Beschloss essays which I totally appreciated today.

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Nice note. Thanks, James.

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I hope Walz can pull off a win. Vance is a fast, smooth talker but always on ridiculous topics.

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I believe that he will.

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Brilliant!

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I'm a Mathematician - numbers don't lie.

Kamala Harris - For the People

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Thanks for the numbers, Steven. I wasn’t aware of the numbers of Haitian immigrants in Springfield Ohio, and I’m furious that their lives have been put in danger by these hateful MAGA Republicans!

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Zero. The number of policy proposals from Trump during the debate. Zero. The number of true statements Trump uttered during the debate.

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Marvelous column! What a lovely way to start the weekend! Thank you, Steven.

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