If you missed yesterday’s Open Thread, click here.
Here are some new diaries:
Michael Holmans: H&TV’s Great British Breakfast and Euro-APR
teacherken: ABC-Washington Post poll — Clinton whomps Trump in debate
igualdad: Clinton campaign raises a record breaking $154 million in September
Inflection: A 60-second 1-2-3 on the positive case for Hillary
John Campanelli: After 90 years of never supporting a Democrat, The Desert Sun endorses Hillary
FilipinoScribe: Clinton campaign responds to NYT’s bombshell report about Trump’s taxes
Hunter: Hillary Clinton trolls Trump with late-night tweets of her own
First, the big bombshell everyone’s talking about that isn’t about Hillary Clinton — the NY Times revealed that the Donald reported a loss of nearly one billion dollars in 1995, which may have enabled him to avoid paying taxes for nearly two decades. That got the #LastTimeTrumpPaidTaxes hashtag going on Twitter, with many gems, including this one below:
Meanwhile, Politico and other media outlets have publicized a leaked audiotape from a Hillary Clinton speech in February where she expressed empathy for Millennials who haven’t had the financial success they’d been led to expect thanks to the Great Recession. Of course, that’s not what the leakers of the audiotape wanted to show — they wanted to make it seem like Hillary Clinton was trashing Millennials, because they knew that too many, like Politico, would barely listen to the audio and write distorted headlines that would generate clicks. Fortunately a lot of people listened to the audio and had a different reaction, including Bernie Sanders:
Meanwhile, the message is becoming clearer that if you want a better system, there is only one person to vote for:
Also, Saturday Night Live had its long-awaited premiere last night, which set record numbers. Of course we all wanted to see the Trump v. Clinton sketch, and for the most part, it did not disappoint. Alec Baldwin’s Trump was so eerily good. He can’t top the real Trump in sheer ridiculousness, but he sure came close. I love Kate McKinnon and her take on Hillary Clinton, but I feel as though none of the SNL Hillary impressions have ever really captured the essence who she is. It’s always just a caricature of her being cold and ambitious. Still, there’s plenty to enjoy, so if you haven’t seen it yet, here it is below:
With so much fallout from the first debate, it’s easy to forget that the Vice Presidential debate between Tim Kaine and Mike Pence will be held on October 4. The New York Times seems to regard it as a yawn fest.
Neither of this year’s vice-presidential candidates was a national figure at the time he was selected, unlike many past nominees. Neither has set off a media feeding frenzy like previous nominees such as Geraldine A. Ferraro, the first woman on a major party ticket, in 1984 or Sarah Palin, who became a lightning rod for critics in 2008.
Mr. Pence and Mr. Kaine are both white men in their late 50s, with solid governing résumés, but little reputation beyond their home states. They were safe choices picked in part because they would not detract from the top of the ticket.
At the same time, both the article above and this Huffington Post article give reasons why it is worth watching:
The Oct. 4 debate at Longwood University in Farmville, Virginia, will be the only time voters have the opportunity to see a face-off between the two men who could, under certain circumstances, become the leader of the country. It’s the best chance to see the personality, temperament and policy positions of the running mates who are so often less visible.
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Occasionally, these events also produce an unforgettable moment. Most famous was when Lloyd Bentsen humiliated Dan Quayle in the 1988 vice presidential debate with the line, “Senator, you’re no Jack Kennedy.”
I, for one, will be tuning in. I have the feeling that despite the seeming boring safeness, there will be a lot of good moments. I look forward to Kaine making Pence squirm.
Whether you feel good or bad about the polls, in this final crucial month, don’t forget to:
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