'It's basically a boogie board, a pelican case and a sonar unit'

With all the recent Aerosmith news focused on Steven Tyler’s throat injury and the sad news that the band is being forced to retire from live performances, we thought it would be the perfect time to revisit their entire studio catalog and pick our favorite song from each record. Aerosmith stands as one of our favorite bands of all time and could quite possibly be the greatest American rock band to ever grace the concert stage. Of course, there have been some great ones over the years—true legends like The Doors, Jefferson Airplane, The Beach Boys, and many more—but when The post Aerosmith’s Best Song On Each Of Their Studio Albums appeared first on ClassicRockHistory.com.

Rising grocery store prices over the last few years aren’t the fault of farmers or “greedy” corporations, a conservative North Carolina research organization concludes in a new documentary series and report. Instead, higher energy prices and more regulations are the culprit, according to the John Locke Foundation documentary series Sowing Resilience. It recommends a list of changes including streamlining the zoning and permitting process and building coalitions to fight overly restrictive federal and state mandates. The series examines policy decisions on agriculture that were made during the COVID-19 pandemic. “Experiences during the COVID-19 pandemic and the policy reactions to it exposed supply-chain and other vulnerabilities that still require solutions,” states a foundation’s report that accompanies the series. “The pandemic also worsened the growing food insecurity problem in North Carolina. Over 10% of North Carolinians struggle to secure enough food for a healthy lifestyle, according to the USDA. Only about 6% of adults in the state report consuming at least two servings of vegetables or fruits per day. Meanwhile, over one-third are obese, according to the Body Mass Indexes.” At the same time, grocery prices skyrocketed 25% from 2019-2023, the Foundation said. The last three years are in the Biden administration, which pushes Vice President Kamala Harris and her first price gouging federal law on food suppliers and grocers. “Climate policies such as carbon pricing add significant expenses to farmers’ operating budgets, translating to an annual increase in a family of four’s grocery bills by $1,330,” the John Locke Foundation, a conservative North Carolina think tank, said. “Environmental, social, and governance (ESG) reporting requirements and emissions monitoring increase participating farms’ annual operating expenses by an estimated 34%, beyond the reach of many smaller farms despite their need for market access.” The report challenges the assertion that higher food prices are the result of corporate greed. “There is competition across the many segments of the food industry,” the foundation states. “Widespread and coordinated price gouging is unlikely.” It cites higher fuel costs as a key reason for rising prices at the grocery stores. Overly restrictive zoning and permitting requirements have also hampered food production in North Carolina, the foundation report concludes. “One of the most substantial challenges with zoning regulations is their complexity and cost of compliance,” the reports say. “Farmers often face a maze of rules and regulations that require time, money, and expertise to navigate – diverting resources away from essential farming activities and placing an undue strain on farmers, particularly smaller operations with limited staff and financial resources.” Originally published by The Center Square. The post Report Challenges Harris’ Assertion Higher Food Prices Equal Corporate Greed appeared first on The Daily Signal.

The 2024 Democratic National Convention is a theatrical political gathering that spans four days and attracts the highest-ranking elected officials from across the nation. These include President Joe Biden, Vice President and presidential candidate Kamala Harris, as well as just about every major political personality you can think of. When I say that it is a theatrical event, I mean it. The DNC is an expensive platform for Democrats — and Republicans, at the Republican National Convention — to showcase who they are and what they stand for. Yet, without fail, these national conventions repeatedly do not address the important matters that impact all Americans. Strip away the excessive display, allure and drama of the convention, and what remains is a collection of highly influential and well-connected people, all proclaiming to the public the shortcomings of the opposing party, the exceptional qualities of their own candidates, and just how bad you’re going to have it if the other party wins. But Americans don’t need the extravagance and theatrics. They don’t need to be told who’s good and who’s bad. What they need are tangible solutions to real problems that they face on a daily basis. They don’t need to hear how incompetent or dictatorial their opponent is. They don’t need disparagement. That doesn’t help anyone, and it is absolutely detrimental to today’s polarized America. We need speeches that emphasize that we are all Americans, irrespective of our race, color, gender or creed. We need candidates to acknowledge their faults and shortcomings but let their supporters understand that nobody, not even themselves, is perfect. This issue is not limited to the DNC. The RNC is no better. The purpose of these conventions is not to discuss solutions. Their purpose is to unite in support of a political party and to deepen the division between the viewers and supporters of the opposing party. Let’s be clear, Democrats know what they are doing. Republicans know what they are doing. If they wanted to end the divisions in America next week, they could do so with ease. Worse, both parties lie and lie and lie. During the DNC, a woman who was sexually assaulted by her uncle at the age of 12 spoke on stage. She and the Democrats argued that former President Donald Trump would endorse policies such as a nationwide abortion ban, which would have prevented her from obtaining an abortion at age 12. The crowd enthusiastically applauded her while expressing strong disapproval toward Trump. They did this notwithstanding the abundance of statements and interviews from Trump wherein he explicitly states his lack of support for a nationwide abortion ban and his consistent endorsement of exceptions for cases of rape, incest and the life of the mother. How many times did Democrats talk about Trump’s participation in Project 2025, a policy guide produced by the Heritage Foundation that Trump has explicitly refused to endorse, had no involvement in, and even disagrees with much of? As expected, par for the course for any party, Project 2025 was given a grossly inaccurate and compelling name: “Trump’s Project 2025.” Let’s also not forget the numerous instances in which Trump was characterized as a dictator or a king, despite the fact that he was literally president for four years and no dictatorship or kingship came even close to arising. We must transcend these falsehoods and theatrics, and address the substantive matters at hand, as the reality is that we are on the brink of a civil war. The country is evenly polarized along party lines, with the moderate factions of each party progressively shifting toward the extreme ends. This is not due to a sudden divergence in people’s opinions. The reason for this is that each political party engages in falsehoods and ridicules the opposing party, something not seen in our nation’s history. And when each party is given a microphone that broadcasts them to millions of American households, what do they do? They divide even more. During the convention, Biden delivered a speech that could possibly be regarded as his farewell address. Despite the fact that he has several months remaining in his term, this entire speech — along with the speeches delivered by his wife, Jill, and daughter Ashley leading up to it — was merely a sentimental goodbye. Prior to Biden’s speech, the crowd burst into chants of gratitude and affection, exclaiming “Thank you, Joe” and “We love you, Joe.” They also displayed signs bearing these messages, which were distributed to all the spectators in the state and the United Center just before Biden took the stage. However, those expressions of gratitude were not commendations for Biden’s accomplishments as president. When the crowd chanted “thank you,” they were expressing gratitude to him for dropping out of the race. What a slap in the face. Insiders will tell you: Biden is resentful. Biden believes he was ousted by former President Barack Obama and Rep. Nancy Pelosi, because they are the only ones with the political sway to do that. It is the unspoken issue at the DNC. Everyone in the know knows there’s a major rift between Biden and the party leaders — that he feels betrayed — but they won’t dare make it public. It’s clear that Biden is putting on a happy face for the sake of the nation, cameras and his own party — a party that orchestrated a coup d’etat against him. The current state of affairs in America appears daunting. Today’s America does not evoke feelings of security, happiness and safety. Americans desire an America that embodies the essence of what America is — a nation unlike any other. COPYRIGHT 2024 CREATORS.COM We publish a variety of perspectives. Nothing written here is to be construed as representing the views of The Daily Signal. The post All Theater, No Class at National Conventions appeared first on The Daily Signal.

As Democrats nominated Vice President Kamala Harris in Chicago this week, speakers repeated multiple blatant falsehoods. The legacy media seems unlikely to expose these lies, so The Daily Signal will break them down here. Each lie framed former President Donald Trump—the Republican nominee—and his party as more radical than they really are, or shifted responsibility to them for the Biden-Harris administration’s record on key issues such as inflation. 1. A Nationwide Abortion Ban Multiple speakers, including the Democrats’ vice presidential nominee, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, claimed that Trump or the GOP would pass a nationwide ban on abortion. “And we know if these guys get back in the White House, they’ll start jacking up the cost on the middle class,” Walz said on Wednesday night. “They’ll repeal the Affordable Care Act. They’ll gut Social Security and Medicare, and they will ban abortion across this country with or without Congress.” On Monday, President Joe Biden declared, “And you know, Trump will do everything to ban abortion nationwide.” ?President Biden says President Trump "will do everything to ban abortion nationwide." Trump opposes a nationwide abortion ban, and even when he supported bans on abortion after 15 weeks gestation, he supported exceptions for rape, incest, and threats to the mother's life. #DNC pic.twitter.com/DBpa3mpGwk— Tyler O'Neil (@Tyler2ONeil) August 22, 2024 Trump has pledged not to cut Social Security and Medicare, and he has repeatedly stated his opposition to a nationwide abortion ban. He says he supports states making their own laws on abortion, as the Supreme Court allowed when it overturned 1973’s Roe v. Wade decision with 2022’s Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization. As president, Trump supported a national ban on abortion after 20 weeks gestation, and earlier this year, he suggested he might support banning abortion at the 15- or 16-week mark. Since April, however, he has stated that he would leave abortion legislation “up to the states” and insisted that he wouldn’t sign a national ban even if Congress passed one. Trump has always supported exceptions for rape, incest, and a threat to the life of the mother. 2. Trump Would Ban In Vitro Fertilization Multiple Democratic leaders suggested that Trump would ban in vitro fertilization, a fertility treatment in which a man’s sperm and a woman’s eggs are fertilized in a dish and then doctors implant one or multiple embryos inside a woman’s uterus. The IVF process often involves the creation of several human embryos that may never be used, raising ethical questions. Some same-sex couples have used the process to produce children with their combined genes and the help of an opposite-sex donor, and, with male couples, the help of a surrogate mother to carry the baby to term. Illinois Sen. Tammy Duckworth, who shared her struggles with infertility and celebrated the birth of her children through IVF, warned that Trump would ban the practice. “Trump’s anti-woman crusade has put other Americans’ right to have their own families at risk, because if they win, Republicans will not stop at banning abortion,” she said on Tuesday night. “They will come for IVF next.” Walz suggested Wednesday that Republicans would threaten IVF. He also bragged about protecting “reproductive freedom” in Minnesota, a euphemism for abortion. “In Minnesota, we respect our neighbors and the personal choices they make,” he said. “We’ve got a golden rule: Mind your own damn business. And that includes IVF and fertility treatments.” He spoke about how he and his wife needed “fertility treatments” to have their children, saying, “I’m letting you in on how we started a family because this is a big part [of] what this election is about.” While Walz has occasionally suggested that his family used IVF, his wife Gwen clarified that they used intrauterine insemination instead. (While intrauterine insemination involves the insertion of sperm into a woman’s uterus, IVF involves further steps, including the conception of a baby outside the womb.) “Americans want the hope of IVF, not the fear that it might be taken away,” Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker said on Tuesday night. Yet Trump does not oppose IVF, and the threat to IVF—even in Alabama—has been widely exaggerated. The issue emerged after the Alabama Supreme Court ruled that the destruction of unused embryos conceived through IVF constituted the wrongful death of a minor and that embryos had inherent human rights because they represent unique individuals with human DNA. This decision led some fertility clinics in the state to shut their doors because they routinely destroy unwanted embryos. Yet the Alabama legislature quickly passed—and Gov. Kay Ivey, a Republican, quickly signed—a bill shielding IVF clinics from liability for the destruction of embryos. The clinics resumed services shortly afterward. After the Alabama Supreme Court ruling, Trump strongly defended IVF. “We want to make it easier for mothers and fathers to have babies, not harder,” he said. “That includes supporting the availability of fertility treatments like IVF in every state in America.” “I strongly support the availability of IVF for couples who are trying to have a precious little beautiful baby,” Trump added. “I support it.” He went on to call on the Alabama Legislature to act to support IVF, and it did so with the legislation above. ??: First Tammy Duckworth warns that Trump's "anti-woman crusade" will target IVF.Then Tim Walz suggests Trump will go after "IVF and fertility treatments."Then a DNC ad claims the GOP wants "to put a stop to" IVF.Finally, watch what Trump himself says about IVF. pic.twitter.com/hC5lGda39G— Tyler O'Neil (@Tyler2ONeil) August 22, 2024 3. Project 2025 Many speakers condemned Project 2025, an initiative led by The Heritage Foundation in partnership with over 100 other conservative organizations. The project, a policy blueprint for a future conservative presidential administration, offered to work with any political campaign open to supporting those policies. Heritage and its allies launched the project in April 2023, before Trump had won the Republican nomination. And while many Project 2025 staff had worked in Trump’s administration, the project did not consult with Trump or any other Republican candidate in drafting the document. Even so, Democrats repeatedly introduced Project 2025 at the convention as “Trump’s plan.” Michigan state Sen. Mallory McMorrow presented Project 2025 as “the Republican blueprint for a second Trump term.” She went on to claim that Project 2025 aims “to turn Donald Trump into a dictator.” ??Setting Mallory McMorrow straight:1?Project 2025 is from Heritage, not GOP or Trump campaign2?It doesn't turn Trump into a "dictator," it brings the bureaucracy back under the prez3?DOJ has already been weaponized, Project 2025 tries to reverse it https://t.co/0DEwPruJqL pic.twitter.com/52PBFExtvB— Tyler O'Neil (@Tyler2ONeil) August 22, 2024 Yet neither Trump nor the Republican Party have adopted Project 2025, and the project merely aims to bring the bureaucracy back under the control of the people’s elected president, not make him a “dictator.” Project 2025 would enable the president to fire certain administrative staff who oppose his or her agenda, bringing the federal bureaucracy back in line with the Founders’ vision for the executive branch. Rep. Jasmine Crockett, D-Texas, said, “Donald Trump wants to put our 1787 Constitution through his Project 2025 paper shredder and make every day January 6.” ?Note to Jasmine Crockett: Project 2025 restores the Constitution, it doesn't put the document through a "shredder." These false #DNC talking points are getting more and more divorced from reality. https://t.co/mMP1wBmhr0 pic.twitter.com/ySUwrKgeWF— Tyler O'Neil (@Tyler2ONeil) August 22, 2024 Project 2025 does not undermine the Constitution, but rather aims to bring the executive branch back in line with the Constitution after the growth of independent agencies, federal government unions, and new regulations insulated it from the people’s elected president, making possible a “deep state” (where people who are answerable to the president under Article II of the Constitution nonetheless blatantly oppose his policies from within his administration). Colorado Gov. Jared Polis said, “Let’s talk about Project 2025, Donald Trump’s road map to ban abortion in all 50 states.” He went on to cite a few passages from the Project 2025 book “Mandate for Leadership,” mischaracterizing what the passages state. “On page 562, it says that Donald Trump could use an obscure law from the 1800s to single-handedly ban abortion in all 50 states, even putting doctors in jail,” Polis said. Page 562 does not mention banning abortion in all 50 states, but it does mention laws preventing the distribution of abortion pills in the mail. “Page 451 says the only legitimate family is a married mother and father where only the father works,” the governor added. Yet Page 451 says nothing of the sort. While it does mention the importance of a father in the home, it never suggests or implies that mothers cannot or should not work outside the home. ??On the left, Jared Polis says "Page 451 [of Project 2025] says the only 'legitimate family' is a married mother and father where only the father works."On the right, you can read Page 451 for yourself. There's nothing about only the father working. pic.twitter.com/IJb2QCyI15— Tyler O'Neil (@Tyler2ONeil) August 22, 2024 4. Book Banning Speakers repeatedly brought up another familiar talking point, accusing Republicans of banning books. Leftists crafted this talking point to oppose leaders in the parental rights movement who objected to sexualized and pornographic books in school libraries. Groups like Moms for Liberty oppose sexually explicit books in school libraries, but they are not demanding that publishers retract the books or that the government ban them. Yet Democrats repeatedly condemned Trump and Republicans for “banning books.” “Shutting down the Department of Education, banning our books—none of that will prepare our kids for the future,” former first lady Michelle Obama said Tuesday. “Demonizing our children for being who they are and loving who they love—look, that doesn’t make anybody’s life better.” ?Michelle Obama engages in gaslighting about "book banning," claiming that conservatives are "demonizing our children for being who they are" when we're saying that gender ideology is actually a dangerous lie that victimizes kids. #DNC https://t.co/y4kNTMC1jk pic.twitter.com/psFpHKHuRZ— Tyler O'Neil (@Tyler2ONeil) August 21, 2024 Obama’s reference to “demonizing our children” appears to be an oblique attack on the parents who oppose LGBTQ lessons in school for young children on the grounds that they don’t want their kids exposed to discussions about gender identity and sexual orientation. Obama dismissed the very serious concerns that parents have about sexual and gender indoctrination of children at young ages as “demonizing our children” when, in reality, the movement aims to protect kids from age-inappropriate topics that may conflict with their values and beliefs. Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, D-Fla., managed to tie Project 2025 to “book bans” in a speech condemning her state’s Republican governor, Ron DeSantis. “For the people of my state, Project 2025 isn’t just a threat. It’s a reality that we battle every day,” she said on Wednesday. “Today in Florida, state policy requires that kids are taught racist lies about so-called benefits of slavery; books are banned; teachers are censored; and our LGBTQ+ community endures endless state-sponsored hate, even a cruel ‘Don’t Say Gay’ school law.” Wasserman Schultz appeared to mischaracterize Florida’s history curriculum, which details the harsh conditions slaves endured and explains that “slaves developed skills which, in some instances, could be applied for their personal benefit” both while enslaved and when freed, William Allen, a descendant of slavery who helped write the curriculum, told Fox News. The “Don’t Say Gay” law, the proper name of which is the Parental Rights in Education Bill, does not mention the word “gay” but does bar classroom instruction—not casual discussion—of “sexual orientation” or “gender identity” with children in third grade or younger. ??So much gaslighting: Debbie Wasserman Schultz twists education policy on history, parental rights, and "book bans." No, Florida doesn't teach "racist lessons," and it doesn't prevent teachers from saying "gay." https://t.co/1BeJkOOThz pic.twitter.com/hEnbh86Qi8— Tyler O'Neil (@Tyler2ONeil) August 22, 2024 Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg urged Americans to “embrace the leaders who are out there building bridges and reject the ones who are out there banning books.” Pete Buttigieg repeats the accusation that Republicans are "banning books." FACT CHECK: False. Removing books from school libraries is not the same as banning them. https://t.co/1BeJkOOThz pic.twitter.com/XS2MnUyPpR— Tyler O'Neil (@Tyler2ONeil) August 22, 2024 5. Greedflation Harris has repeatedly suggested that the real culprit behind rising prices is corporate greed or “price gouging,” and this theme has repeatedly emerged at the DNC. Shawn Fain, president of the United Automobile Workers union, echoed this talking point. “Corporate greed turns blue-collar blood, sweat, and tears into Wall Street stock buybacks and CEO jackpots,” Fain declared. “It causes inflation. It hurts workers, it hurts consumers, and it hurts America.” ??UAW President Shawn Fain: "Corporate greed… causes inflation." If "greedflation" were to blame for our current economic woes, why is the producer price index higher than the consumer price index?? https://t.co/KG4HehupQt pic.twitter.com/34yZzupOD9— Tyler O'Neil (@Tyler2ONeil) August 22, 2024 Sen. Bob Casey, D-Pa., who is speaking Thursday, will rail against companies for price gouging and greed, according to prepared remarks obtained by Axios. Casey will condemn “greedflation,” which he describes as “big corporations jacking up their prices—corporate profits are up 75%, five times the rate of inflation.” Casey, who is up for reelection this year, has pushed this message in a new ad. Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., urged Democrats to tackle “price gouging,” echoing Harris in suggesting that greed, not government spending, is driving inflation. Of course, Harris did not pioneer this talking point. Biden has previously blamed corporate greed for inflation, but as Heritage Foundation Research Fellow EJ Antoni pointed out, there is a far more obvious culprit: government spending. As Antoni noted, “One of the functions of money is that of a measuring tool. If a yardstick were to shrink from 36 inches down to just 30, it would take 120 of these shortened yardsticks to cover the distance of a football field, instead of 100. As the dollar has lost value, it takes more dollars to measure the value of the things we buy.” While Americans feel the pain of inflation, so do businesses. According to data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, “Businesses have gotten the short end of the stick,” Antoni explained. “The producer price index is used to measure inflation on the products and services businesses buy—sometimes called wholesale inflation—and that index has risen 17.5% since Biden took office. Conversely, the consumer price index, the widely cited metric for inflation faced by American families, is up 17.1% over that same time.” “Businesses have actually been sheltering consumers from some cost increases in an effort to maintain market share and not lose customers,” he wrote. “That also explains why, according to the Biden administration’s Census Bureau, total corporate profits have fallen for the last six quarters after adjusting for inflation.” “If alleged price gouging were really the cause of inflation, did businessmen magically become greedy when Biden took office?” Antoni asked. “Were corporations never greedy in the 40 years leading up to Biden’s inflationary expansion of government? Businesses haven’t even passed all their higher costs on to consumers; if they’re trying to be greedy, they’re doing it all wrong.” If inflation is caused by corporate "greed" then why are producer and consumer prices both up by 19% since Jan '21 w/ consumer price increases only just recently catching up to price increases faced by businesses? Asking for a friend… pic.twitter.com/EBLwxyEEwR— E.J. Antoni, Ph.D. (@RealEJAntoni) April 15, 2024 The post 5 Massive Lies at the Democratic National Convention appeared first on The Daily Signal.

One of DA Gascon's Top Deputies Will Face Trial on Six Felony Counts

'A Convention About Nothing': Kamala to Lay Out Her ... 'Personal Story'

During a devastating ABC interview, United States Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo dismissed damning news from the Biden administration as lies from former President Trump.  Raimondo spoke with ABC News anchor Kayna Whitworth at the 2024 Democratic National Conventional on Aug. 21. During the interview, Whitworth confronted Raimondo with the news that Biden’s Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) had recently downwardly revised job numbers from March 2023 to March 2024 by 818,000, before showing former President Donald Trump talking about the downward revision on the campaign trail. The sitting Secretary of Commerce ridiculously tried to claim Trump was lying before admitting that she knew nothing about the recent BLS revision. Oof!  When asked if she was worried that these numbers would be politically damaging, Raimondo said, “No, when I hear that, first of all, I don't believe it because I have never heard Donald Trump say anything truthful.” How she could say this while apparently not knowing the numbers her own boss’s administration put out is pretty amazing.  Whitworth immediately corrected Raimondo telling her for the second time that the brutal statistic was originally from the BLS. This was too confusing for the U.S. Secretary of Commerce. She responded, “I don't, I'm not familiar with that,” before changing the subject to praise Vice President Kamala Harris. Shortly before admitting she had no idea that the Biden-Harris administration had so epically screwed up the job numbers, Raimondo also told Whitworth that businesses longed for “predictability” and thus couldn’t countenance turning from Biden and Harris back to Trump.  Major media personalities panned Raimondo over her flub but also went after the leftist media and the Biden-Harris administration for routinely making hay off of fake job numbers in the past.  After playing a montage of legacy media hosts beclowning themselves on Biden’s behalf, Fox News host Laura Ingraham took them and Harris to task for promoting past job numbers that had ended up being downwardly revised later. Ingraham went on to emphasize how absurd Raimondo’s claims of ignorance were, “What! I didn’t even hear this before. She’s not familiar with which one the Department of Labor or the Bureau of Labor Statistics? She is the commerce secretary.” Syndicated radio host Mark Levin went after the Biden-Harris administration and the negligent and compliant legacy media on the Aug. 21 edition of his show:  “The Labor Department is run by politicians. So for a year, you’ve been told about all this job growth, that the economy’s going gangbusters, that they inherited this terrible economy and turned things around. No, they haven’t, it’s all a lie! It’s all a lie. And they’re going to get more lies out there and more propaganda and they don’t figure we’ll catch up with on time. Because they have their media boys and girls helping them out.”  Conservatives are under attack! Contact ABC News (818) 460-7477, CBS News (212) 975-3247 and NBC News (212) 664-6192 and demand they report fairly on how Bidenomics is crippling the American economy.

NBC’s Today came out firing Thursday thoroughly pleased with how their friends at the Democratic National Convention programmed the night prior, deeming it an “unforgettable” and “supercharged” night “heavy on star power” with vice presidential nominee Tim Walz giving off “Midwest dad energy” hounded by Republicans and Oprah Winfrey “expand[ing] the tent” for Democrats. “Tim Walz introduces himself to the nation with a high-stakes speech, stressing his small-town roots and personal story...while his party rolls out a lineup of stars and politics, Hollywood and music, to make the case for Kamala Harris,” co-host Hoda Kotb proclaimed in a tease.     Co-host Savannah Guthrie later stated from Chicago that Walz “leaned into that role of coach to energize voters”. She was followed by Peter Alexander bragging Kamala Harris gets to follow “an unforgettable evening here for Democrats” where Walz “[took] the handoff” for Democrats amid there were “[t]housands of signs sharing Coach Walz’s name”. Amid soundbites of Walz’s speech, Alexander rhetorically fluffed Walz’s pillows like someone working at a five-star hotel: “Walz introducing himself to America, emphasizing his heartland roots...and how his years as a schoolteacher informed his political career...while going after the Trump/Vance agenda...and contrasting the party’s definitions of freedom.” After stating “Coach Walz” closed with “a final pep talk,” Alexander shifted from Walz to the celebrities being the apple of his eye: The night’s surprise guest, Oprah Winfrey, with a speech drawing a line from pioneers of the civil rights movements to Harris and calling for unity....referencing J.D. Vance’s comments about childless cat ladies...but focusing on Harris...The night featuring a parade of rising Democratic stars, celebrities. The so-called analysis with Meet the Press moderator Kristen Welker and senior Washington correspondent Hallie Jackson was an embarrassment. Welker gushed about Walz having “delivered” and “cast himself as the coach” and “relatable dad” with “optics” and views on guns that “independent, moderate voters” will love. Jackson picked up on Winfrey’s speech and comically argued it’s being done “to both expand the tent” and leave everyone inside feeling “supercharged.” Jackson predictably hailed it as “very sweeping, very much about the ideals that Democrats want to be fighting for”, but took a bizarre direction by tying her to so-called Republicans who spoke at the convention, including former Georgia Lt. Gov. Jeff Duncan, who “said that actually means you’re a patriot.”     Guthrie and Welker received a fever pitch in the level of eye-rolling partisanship as they fawned over Democrats “trying to corner the market on joy and hope” like in 2008 and seemed detached from the left’s previous strategy of “warn[ing] people about the threat that they say Trump poses to democracy” was nonsense (click “expand”): GUTHRIE: Well, it’s interesting, because, look, people are taking their shots at Donald Trump, either by name or implicitly. There’s no question about it, but does seem that Democrats are trying to corner the market on joy and hope.  JACKSON: Mmmhmm. WELKER: Yes!  GUTHRIE: Michelle Obama herself said, you know, hope is making a comeback. Of course, that was — hope was Obama’s theme in 2008. WELKER: Here’s what is so interesting about that. It seems as though the Democrats have realized that the message from the Biden campaign, trying to warn people about the threat that they say Trump poses to democracy, was not working. GUTHRIE: The negative argument. WELKER: The negative argument, so we’re hearing all of this positivity, joy, hope, reminds you of 2008. Barack Obama. They are trying to make the case that that will energize voters. JACKSON: And watch for Kamala Harris to make that case tonight. Campaign officials are saying it will be about lightness versus darkness. WELKER: Yeah. JACKSON: What they see as this sort of dark, ominous, grievance-filled campaign from the Trump/Vance team and a real contrast to that in her remarks tonight. GUTHRIE: The other thing is patriotism.  WELKER: That’s right. GUTHRIE: I mean, the chants of USA breaking out all through this convention hall this week — I mean, that is not always the kind of chant you hear about a Democratic National Convention. WELKER: It’s not and I think what’s fascinating about it, Savannah, is patriotism. She’s not necessarily going to cast this against the backdrop of her historic candidacy. JACKSON: That’s right. WELKER: Instead, again, just as Hallie was saying, she’s going to try to have a message that helps to expand the tent, that helps to reach out to those undecided voters.  In the second half hour, correspondent Tom Llamas channeled Jackson’s Wednesday story on the Obamas with a pathetically syrupy celebration of Walz. Llamas sounded like he was auditioning to work for Walz with lines such as describing Walz as “Midwest nice, but he’ll also fight for what he believes” in. Notice how Llamas was both crestfallen that “the attacks from Republicans are becoming more personal” (as though he never knew politics were rough and tumble) and brushed aside any questions about Walz’s character that emotes “Midwest dad energy” (click “expand”): LLAMAS: So he loves Minnesota, flannel, and he’s slowly becoming Vice President Kamala Harris’s attack dog. People say Governor Tim Walz is Midwest nice, but he’ll also fight for what he believes. And as the country gets to know him more, the attacks from Republicans are becoming more personal. This as millions watching last night also got to know his son in a moment you’re about to see. DNC ANNOUNCER: Governor Tim Walz! LLAMAS: Overnight, Minnesota Governor Tim Walz walking on to the biggest stage of his political life. The 60-year-old accepting the Democratic nomination for vice president and introducing himself to voters across the country. WALZ: We’re all here tonight for one beautiful, simple reason. We love this country. LLAMAS: Walz embracing his rural upbringing, which he says helped to shape his values. WALZ: That family down the road, they may not think like you do, they may not pray like you do, they may not love you like do, but they’re your neighbors and you look out for them and they look out for you. LLAMAS: Born in Nebraska, Walz enlisted in the National Guard at 17, serving for more than two decades. During that time, he also taught social studies in high school and coached football. Last night, some of his former players showing their support. His wife, Gwen, a teacher at the same school. (....) LLAMAS: Democrats, including former President Obama, calling Walz as warm and authentic as his favorite article of clothing. BARACK OBAMA: You can tell those — those flannel shirts he wears don’t come from some political consultant. They come from his closet, and they have been through some stuff! LLAMAS: Walz bringing what many online are calling Midwest dad energy to the campaign. [HARRIS-WALZ CLIP] LLAMAS: A former student said that Walz showed his character when he became the faculty adviser for the school’s first LGBTQ group. JACOB REITAN: Tim is out of central casting when it comes to a good and decent person. LLAMAS: But all of the attention has also brought scrutiny, with the Trump campaign accusing Walz of exaggerating aspects of his life story, saying he lied about his couple’s experience with IVF. The couple used a different fertility treatment, saying Republicans are playing semantics. The Trump team also seizing on this comment he made in reference to his military experience WALZ: We can make sure that those weapons of war that I carried in war are the only place, where those weapons are. LLAMAS: The campaign later clarifying that Walz never saw combat and simply misspoke. Now, the former football coach highlighting the urgency of this campaign. To even further drive the point home, NBC didn’t even have Alexander return to rerack his first hour report. Instead, correspondent Jacob Soboroff merged with a highlight reel of his travels on the convention floor interspersed with recap of the speakers. This nonsense including fawned over Walz as the “[f]ormer schoolteacher and football coach cheered on by his family, including his emotional son, Gus” with a lead-in “heavy on star power” and “talk show giant Oprah Winfrey” calling Harris “a trailblazer”. To see the relevant NBC transcript from August 22, click here.

Wednesday's Morning Joe was enraptured by Michelle Obama's line from her DNC speech: "hope is making a comeback."  But remind us: who's been in charge for the last—apparently hopeless—four years? Oh, right: it was the administration of President Joe Biden and Vice President—what was her name again? That irony was lost both on Michelle Obama and the Morning Joe crew. Thus, Mika Brzezinski observed that people "are just feeling like very, very brought down by the past, I don't know, four to eight years, the Trump years, Covid, the impact that it's had on our kids."  So the Biden-Harris years were a real downer? Mika? After weirdly insisting the country is not divided, Willie Geist wished: "Let's have hope make that comeback."  So if hope needs to make a comeback, it was absent during the last four years, Willie? Al Sharpton said that the Michelle/Barack speeches "reignited in us hope that we are better than this, and we can do better than this, and we can strive to make this country better."  So things must get better than they were under Biden-Harris, Rev? And who better to achieve that than . . . Harris?  Beyond hope making a comeback, there was additional irony in Michelle's speech. She spoke of "this country we love" and "this great nation." Such a Super Patriot, that Michelle! You know, the woman who declared that before her husband won the 2008 Dem nomination, she had never been "really proud of my country." Here's the transcript. MSNBC Morning Joe 8/21/24 6:06 am EDT WILLIE GEIST: The roll call was fun and the energy was real and the arena was packed. But then that was just the opening act. MIKA BRZEZINSKI: That was just the first. GEIST: The headline was Michelle and Barack Obama. MIKA:  And boy, did Michelle bring it. One of the most popular figures in the Democratic party, former First Lady Michelle Obama, gave a powerful 21-minute speech taking on Donald Trump on issues of race and gender. In her remarks, she touched on her family's history and the importance of this election. MICHELLE OBAMA: Something wonderfully magical is in the air, isn't it? Yeah. You know, we're feeling it here in this arena, but it's spreading all across this country we love. A familiar feeling that's been buried too deep for far too long.  You know what I'm talking about! It's the contagious power of hope. The anticipation. The energy. The exhilaration of, once again, being on the cusp of a brighter day. The chance to vanquish the demons of fear, division, and hate, that have consumed us and continue pursuing the unfinished promise of this great nation. The dream that our parents and grandparents fought and died and sacrificed for.  America, hope is making a comeback. . . .  MIKA: Michelle Obama, Eddie Glaude, rocked the night. But she was speaking to not just the young people across the nation. I think it's people across the nation who are just feeling like very, very brought down by the past, I don't know, four to eight years, the Trump years, Covid, the impact that it's had on our kids. She really brought people up and said, come on, it's on us. Let's go. EDDIE GLAUDE: Absolutely. The line, hope is making a comeback. MIKA: Yeah. GLAUDE: And she did it with her arms out --  that sleeveless outfit, you know? It was wonderful. GEIST: President Obama made that same speech, effectively, that same message and point when he said we don't want to live in this country that Donald Trump has been showing us. The picture he's been painting for the last decade. We don't want to be divided. In fact, we're not. It's something we say on the show all the time. When you coach Little League or go to church, we're not the way Donald Trump says we are. So let's not be that way. Let's have hope make that comeback. AL SHARPTON: I think that the electricity you saw here last night, and in my opinion, electrified people around the country, is that we're not dealing with grievance, and we're not even dealing with the fact that some of us are in unfair situations, as we consider it. But they reignited in us hope that we are better than this, and we can do better than this, and we can strive to make this country better.