A lot of things happened. Here are some of the things. This is TPM’s Morning Memo. Sign up for the email version.
No Subtlety Left In Dominance Politics
Not that long ago the performative dance of dominance politics was more of a burlesque show, but any nuance has long since been stripped away in the Trump era. It’s full frontal now, with physical size and naked power being wielded unapologetically.
It yielded this cheeky NYT style section piece titled: Trump Mocks Harris’s Height. But Her Fans See a Certain Stature. This sentence hurt my soul: “But seeing the candidates together may make many who tune in for the debate aware of her actual height for the first time — a reality that could have been previously masked by what some call Tall Energy.”
The Harris campaign is giving as good as it gets, rolling out a debate day national cable TV ad that highlights former President Obama’s troll of the size of Trump’s crowds/manhood:
Immediately adjacent to the low-brow contest over physical size and prowess, is Trump’s assertion of unbridled political power as its own show of dominance. Every transgression – including his racist and xenophobic attacks, his threats to prosecute and jail his foes, and his refusal to abide by the election results – is not only a direct attack on democracy but a flex, showing off his own force of will by his rejection of existing norms.
There’s no reason to think that tonight’s debate stage won’t be a tableau of dominance politics, especially with the dynamic of Trump facing off against a biracial woman. But it comes with heightened awareness on the Democratic side that Harris stands to lose if she lets Trump dominate the physical space like he tried to by stalking Hillary Clinton on stage in 2016 or by talking over Biden in 2020 or by deploying rapid-fire falsehoods in 2024.
It’s the professional wrestling-ization of our national politics, a reality TV version of exaggerated masculinity with puffed-out chests, cock-of-the-walk strutting, and bulging veins. Democrats have long ceded this base-level stagecraft to Republicans. But with Trump himself a product of pro wrestling and intuitively familiar with its themes, even to the point of his willingness to play the heel role, the Harris campaign seems determined not to retreat from confrontation on the lizard brain level.
I find this all a dreary way to approach watching tonight’s debate, but this is where we are.
Watch With Us!
The TPM team will be all over tonight’s debate in Philadelphia, so come back and join us this evening. It begins at 9 p.m. ET on ABC and will be moderated by ABC News’ David Muir and Linsey Davis.
Cynicism Watch
- WaPo: Vance, Republicans elevate false claims about immigrants eating American pets
- TNR: MAGA Launches Most Unbelievable Conspiracy Yet—on Migrants Eating Pets
- NBC News: Ohio police have ‘no credible reports’ of Haitian immigrants harming pets, contradicting JD Vance’s claim
What Could Possibly Go Wrong?
Arizona election officials tell TPM’s Khaya Himmelman that CPAC’s request to monitor ballot drop boxes is akin to an “arsonist calling the fire department.”
Good Read
Semafor: Mysterious influencer network pushed sexual smears of Harris
Quote Of The Day
Thomas Zimmer, on how to think about the role of the Cheneys and other anti-Trump Republicans:
What these prominent Republicans do in not just publicly siding against Trump, but supporting the Democratic candidate in a presidential election deserves appreciation, as they draw a line against autocracy, at considerable personal cost – a line that must be held if democracy is to have any chance at survival. At the same time, we must not help perpetuate their deeply flawed diagnosis of Trumpism as a mere aberration from an otherwise noble conservative tradition and venerable Republican Party – a type of nostalgic myth that, not coincidentally, tends to obscure their own role in tolerating and condoning the forces that have fueled Trump’s rise and their own complicity in elevating extremism within the GOP.
Terrorgram Leaders Indicted In California
ABC News: “The Justice Department on Monday charged two California individuals who were alleged leaders of a white supremacist group that wanted to ignite a race war in the United States and allegedly plotted to kill “high value” targets and incite its followers to carry out terror attacks around the globe.”
What The What?
NYT: “An eccentric German princess who evolved from a 1980s punk style icon to a conservative Catholic known for hobnobbing with far-right figures said on Monday that she hosted Justice Samuel A. Alito Jr. and his wife at her castle during a July 2023 music festival.”
Kagan Keeps Pressing For SCOTUS Ethics Reform
Justice Elena Kagan continued to advocate for an enforcement mechanism for the Supreme Court’s new ethics code, during an appearance Monday at NYU’s law school.
Missouri Abortion Rights Measure In Peril
The Missouri Supreme Court is expected to consider this morning whether an important abortion rights measure will remain on the November ballot:
- Cole County Circuit Judge Christopher Limbaugh ruled the abortion rights measure was invalid because it “did not sufficiently inform voters who signed petitions for the proposed amendment of its ramifications,” the WaPo reports.
- Missouri Secretary of State Jay Ashcroft reversed himself and revoked his prior certification of the measure and removing it from the November ballot.
- With the deadline for getting the measure on the ballot looming at 5 p.m. CT today, the state Supreme Court has set a hearing on the matter for 8:30 a.m. CT.
On The Hill
- Punchbowl: “Speaker Mike Johnson’s self-described “righteous” idea to pair a six-month funding bill with the SAVE Act is on the brink of imploding. A number of House Republicans are unpersuaded by the proposal, describing it as irresponsible and ill-advised.”
- Politico: Bob Good to step down as Freedom Caucus chair this week
- WaPo: Congress to grill Andrew Cuomo on 2020 order linked to nursing home deaths
‘A Voice Of Rolling Thunder’
The marvelous James Earl Jones is dead at the age of 93.
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Seems appropriate. In tribute to Lord Vader and this stunningly beautiful kitty kat.
Big debate tonight. I wonder who I should vote for??
FiRsT1!rats!That Zimmer quote really hits home–yes, applaud the Cheneys but also yes, deplore their role in Trump’s success.
Trump IS the Masterbator!