Trump attempted a coup and without the conscience of Pence would have succeeded.  He’s very clear this will be the last election.  He’s supported by Elon Musk, who as of October 1, 2024, is the richest person in the world. Musk also is very clear on his support for and need for dictatorship.

I am skeptical of Trump’s supposed two assassination attempts but they lead the way for Trump’s campaign to now request military aircraft for Trump to fly in during the final weeks of the campaign.  He wants an array of military vehicles to transport him.  The image matters.  He’s cultivating the image.  How he’s gotten this far without being in jail I don’t understand, and now when he’s so clearly stating he will not honor the results of this election I don’t see how we can hand him military aircraft and vehicles. His only honesty is announcing his plans to takeover the country and rule as a despot, like the group of people he admires.  

Vance refuses to acknowledge Trump lost the 2020 election. Trump is showing mental incompetence, so it’s easy to see that Vance will be his replacement when Trump takes over, steps aside, and is pardoned by Vance.

How can we think Trump won’t do what he did before? His campaign has had four years to better prepare, and the coup is beginning now, and yet, we’re acting like endorsements matter, like our vote matters. I hope I’m wrong but this is blatant and over the top. And of course, endorsements matter, and my vote counts.

From Heather Cox Richardson today: 

In election news, The Atlantic endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris for president. This is only the fifth time since its founding in 1857 that The Atlantic has endorsed a presidential candidate. It is the third time it has endorsed Trump’s opponent. It also endorsed Lyndon Baines Johnson in 1964 when he ran against extremist Arizona senator Barry Goldwater. And in 1860 it endorsed Abraham Lincoln. 

The Atlantic’s endorsement of Harris echoes its earlier endorsement of Lincoln, not only in its thorough dislike of Trump as “one of the most personally malignant and politically dangerous candidates in American history”—an echo of its 1860 warning that this election “is a turning-point in our history”—but because both endorsements show a new press challenging an older system.

The Atlantic nodded to the free thought on which the magazine was founded in 1857 when it came out strongly for Harris today. It is endorsing Harris, it said, because she “respects the law and the Constitution. She believes in the freedom, equality, and dignity of all Americans. She’s untainted by corruption, let alone a felony record or a history of sexual assault. She doesn’t embarrass her compatriots with her language and behavior, or pit them against one another. She doesn’t curry favor with dictators. She won’t abuse the power of the highest office in order to keep it. She believes in democracy. These, and not any specific policy positions, are the reasons The Atlantic is endorsing her.”