GEORGIA INTEGRITY, CORNHUSKER SPLIT, A LOOSE BUNNY

Dawn Roberts, former co-chair of the Nikki Haley 2024 presidential campaign in Iowa, has made a dramatic switch to support Kamala Harris, revealing that the DNC has her on the road to endorse Harris. With Haley abandoning her campaign early on and throwing her support behind Donald Trump, the backing of Roberts only serves to emphasize the flow of previous Trump backers, GOPers, and former associates of the Trump administration into the Democratic Party fold, albeit only as voters. Roberts wrote in the Des Moines Register that she was drawn to Harris’ declaring her intention to be president for all the people, while seeing that Harris likes to bring people together in huge, diverse groups. Imagine! An independent thinker willing to cross over…more please! Over one hundred former national security officials including defense secretaries and CIA directors who worked in previous Republican Presidential administrations endorsed Kamala, writing in a letter that Trump is “unfit to serve again as President,” blaming him for undermining our allies, causing chaos in our government, and placing his personal interests above those of the country, “betraying” democracy. In their conclusion, they feel that, “any potential concerns regarding Harris pale in comparison to those surrounding Trump.”

Unfortunately, these moves contrast with the state of Georgia which is working to undermine the state’s election results, coordinating on a policy to call the results of the November vote into question before any votes are cast, and messaging to push rules and procedures as favored by election deniers. The Georgia Integrity Coalition’s emails were obtained by the Guardian through Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, disclosing a surreptitious group of county election officials across the state made up of zealous supporters of Trump and his 2020 election lies, who are attempting to characterize the upcoming election as being plagued with fraud. Starting last January, the emails reveal the inner workings of the coalition, to include exchanges between state and national groups the Tea Party Patriots and the Election Integrity Network, which is headed by former attorney Cleta Mitchell, who was an informal White House adviser in the Trump White House during the drive to upset the 2020 election results. The Georgia coalition has accused the Georgia Democratic Party of attempting to intimidate elections officials by sending letters to county board of elections members, and threatening legal action unless they vote to certify upcoming elections despite having legitimate concerns about the results. Indeed, letters had been sent by Democrats to elections board members in three counties because they had refused to certify local elections, with a warning that certification was not discretionary.

The United Tea Party of Georgia called the letter(s) “troubling,” pronouncing them “Orwellian” in demanding certification if doubts existed about the results. Election authorities, and Democrats, cite court cases in Georgia as far back as 1899 dictating certification as a “ministerial,” not discretionary, duty of election officials. Gabe Sterling, a deputy to Georgia secretary of state, Brad Raffensperger, warned a gathering of state-level election officials from several swing states that court suits could await them for refusing to certify November’s vote results. Georgia Integrity Coalition invited election denier, Dr. Janice Johnson, to speak, and she was recently seen smiling and waving to the crowd at a recent Trump rally where The Don praised her and two other MAGAts on the board, as “pit bulls fighting for victory.” Other emails within the group reveal coordination between members on two rules passed by the state election board giving county election officials more power in refusing to certify results, in addition to ongoing voter purges that Democrats say are in violation of the National Voter Registration Act. Election deniers complain that if the board of elections has no choice but to certify election results, then why the requirement to certify the result? Of course, their goal is to hinder certification ONLY if Trump loses, similar to the delaying tactic used on January 6, 2020…read coup attempt, with more whining in the courts! Meanwhile, Trump’s Georgia campaign is trying to dismiss the use of video footage used in a campaign ad, of meadows and mountains of the old Soviet republic of Georgia, instead of perfectly beautiful scenery found in the southern US state.

At this writing, the state of Nebraska was in the throes of attempting to pass a law changing how the state allocates its five electoral votes as they attempt to deny any votes going into the Harris-Walz column. Distribution is based on two votes apportioned to the overall winner of the state, with one each vote going to its three congressional districts and their winning candidate, an iffy situation for Trump since Harris is polling similar to Biden who had strength in 2020. The push for a winner-take-all scenario is being pushed by GOP Governor Jim Pillen, state legislature speaker, John Arch, and Senator Lindsey Graham of South Carolina. Nebraska’s GOP US Representatives Don Bacon and Adrian Smith said the push for a change remained several votes shy as of last Friday. Smith believes the unified slate of electors would give the state “more of a say” in presidential elections, as the current setup gives them a diminished influence; Bacon, on the other hand, says splitting the electors represents the popular will much better, but only if all states follow that arrangement. He thinks it is fair, but having Maine as the only other state with a similar provision is problematic, while noting that Harris has spent millions in Nebraska, with Trump spending almost nothing. Lakshya Jain of analysis firm, Split Ticket, has said that if Nebraska changes its electoral allocation, Harris’ chances of winning the presidency drop from 62% to 58% in her organization’s model. Senator Graham is firm in his belief that Trump will win the state by 20 points should the model be changed, saying, “The whole fate of the country and the world could hinge on one electoral vote.” An April vote to make the change failed a procedural vote, and a push to attach this legislative change to another measure as an amendment did not succeed with only eight lawmakers voting in favor.

Trump’s schedule last week had him slated for a speech against antisemitism…close but no cigar! Instead he delivered speeches loaded with antisemitism with a warning that Jewish voters would be held liable should he lose in November. The event hosted by mega-donor Miriam Adelson, entitled ‘Fighting Antisemitism’ had the former president whining about his 2020 loss, receiving only 24% of the Jewish vote, as he said, “I really haven’t been treated very well, but it’s the story of my life.”  Boo-hoo-hoo! A second appearance at the Israeli American Council’s national summit berated the gathering with the same tired whining diatribe, adding, “If I don’t win, Israel, in my opinion, will cease to exist within two years,” with a majority of voters supporting the “enemy.” He had difficulty distinguishing between the Israeli government and Jewish Americans with his claim, “I was there four years, gave them billions and billions of dollars. I was the best friend Israel ever had, and still in 2020, now, I’ve done all these things, so now, Jewish people have no excuse.” Trump kept referring to an unnamed poll which gives him 40% Jewish support…nearly twice the 24% he got in 2020…yet, one survey actually shows a 68% to 25% voter preference between him and Kamala…a gain of 1% for him…woohoo! Describing Senator Chuck Schumer as “a proud member of Hamas,” and calling Governor Josh Shapiro “a highly overrated Jewish governor,” he says, “I’m the one that’s protecting you…Democrats are the people that are going to destroy you…and Harris hates Israel.” In a radio interview in July, Trump called Jewish voters who voted for Democrats “fools,” while also referring to second gentleman Doug Emhoff as “a crappy Jew.” Does this also mean that if Jews vote for Trump they will get the same ‘reward’ as “my beautiful Christians” – never having to vote again?

One subject undeserving of a mention on his ‘Fighting Antisemitism’ jaunt was the GOP’s North Carolina Lieutenant Governor Mark Robinson, a gubernatorial candidate who has now been linked to statements praising Hitler, along with vile mentions of antisemitism. Robinson, between 2008 and 2012, reportedly posted countless disturbing statements on the message board of Nude Africa, a pornographic website, one stating, “I’m a black NAZI!” A followup post says, “Slavery is not bad. Some people need to be slaves. I wish they would bring it back. I would certainly buy a few.” Trump has called Robinson “better than Martin Luther King,” “Martin Luther King on steroids,” while his darling candidate refers to King as a “commie bastard,” “worse than a maggot,” “a phony,” and a “huckster.” Another forum user accused Robinson of being in the Ku Klux Klan, with Robinson responding, “I’m not in the KKK. They don’t let blacks join. If I was in the KKK I would have called him Martin Lucifer K–n!” using a racial slur in place of King’s surname. CNN has reported him using, regularly, slurs to describe gays, Jews, and Muslims. He has been especially cruel in mentions of transgender people, saying to Trump adviser Sebastian Gorka last year, “The transgender movement in this country, if there’s a movement in this country that is demonic and that is full of spirit of the antiChrist, it is the transgender movement.” A definite change of attitude from when he posted, “I like watching tranny on girl porn! That’s hot! It takes the man out while leaving the man in! And yeah I’m a ‘perv’ too!” Having an account on Ashley Madison, a website designed for marrieds seeking partners for an affair, deserves a mention, as well.

Authors Andrew Kaczynski and Em Steck of CNN say they have revealed “only a small portion of Robinson’s comments on the website given their graphic nature.” As news of the CNN Kfile report began leaking, Republicans called on Robinson to withdraw his candidacy, but a Thursday evening deadline arrived too quickly to have any effect, and he vowed to stay in the race, even with Trump disinviting him from a rally in the state. Even Fox News host, Jesse Watters, says he has never heard of Robinson, ‘forgetting’ that he interviewed him on his Primetime show in January. Head of the North Carolina elections board, Karen Bell, said that even with a withdrawal from the race, Robinson’s name probably would still appear on absentee, military, and overseas ballots…an insurmountable hurdle. Robinson was quick to release a video on his social media accounts, saying, “Those are not the words of Mark Robinson. Clarence Thomas famously once said he was the victim of a high-tech lynching. Well, it looks like Mark Robinson is, too.” Noted for scandalous comments in his career, he has said that former first lady Michelle Obama is secretly a man, and that singer Beyoncé’s music is “satanic,” telling Moms for Liberty at a 2023 event that Americans need to read more from Adolf Hitler and Josef Stalin. In a 2021 interview, he told The East Carolinian that once a woman is pregnant, “it’s not her body anymore,” although admitting that his wife had an abortion just to soften his rigid stance, but still condemning it for everyone else. After calling the LGBTQ+ community “filth” in the same year, he shrugged off calls to resign, comparing being gay to “what cows leave behind.” In the meantime, Josh Stein, the Democratic gubernatorial nominee, sustains his solid lead in the race, with no plans to debate Robinson. “Mark Robinson has spent his entire public life spewing hate, lying about his record, and spreading dangerous and false conspiracy theories. A debate would only serve to legitimize him and provide a platform for his vile and dangerous rhetoric, and we won’t be part of that,” Stein declares.

Robinson has been soundly criticized by religious leaders in his state, as well as nationally, and it appears that the chickens are coming home to roost, with a weekend ‘mass resignation‘ of his staff. The campaign’s senior adviser, campaign manager, finance director, and deputy campaign manager reportedly left for greener pastures, with the remaining staffers spinning the news as only “staff changes.” A news release praised the efforts of “team members who have made the difficult choice to step away from the campaign,” wishing them well in future endeavors, promising “new staff roles in the coming days.” JD Vance, commenting on these shocking revelations, showed his leadership qualities, saying, “The allegations are pretty far out there, of course, but I know that allegations aren’t necessarily reality. I don’t not believe him, I don’t believe him. I just think that you have to let these things sometimes play out in the court of public opinion.” Come again? Senator Lindsey Graham told Kristen Welker on ‘Meet the Press’ that Robinson “deserves a chance to defend himself.” And Senator Tom Cotton called the allegations “concerning,” and that “He owes the people of North Carolina more answers about it,” as he attempted to divert Jake Tapper’s attention to the bunny running loose in the CNN studio.

Satirist Andy Borowitz says that comments posted to a porn site by “Mark Robinson are virtually identical to passages that appear in Project 2025,” as acknowledged by the Heritage Foundation. According to Foundation spokesman, Harland Dorrinson, “When we were assembling Project 2025, we cast a wide net for good ideas, and the website Nude Africa was one of the places we looked. We had no idea who the author was, but we were like, ‘Whoever this guy is, he must be some kind of genius.'” The notions lifted from Robinson’s comments and inserted into Project 2025 include “an embrace of Nazism, a return to slavery, and, of course, the secret surveillance of women. It’s hard to believe that Mark came up with that last one when he was only fourteen.” The Heritage group apologized for failing to properly attribute Robinson’s “brilliant material” in Project 2025, but promised that he would receive “full credit” in all future editions. Borowitz further reveals that “JD Vance abruptly cancelled his entire campaign schedule in order to clear his search history,” after revelations in the Robinson story. “All the blood drained from his face,” said an aide who was with Vance when he heard the Robinson news. “I haven’t seen him that panicked since he was asked to choose a donut.” The campaign tried to project an air of normalcy, particularly after Vance was spotted in a Denny’s parking lot smashing his laptop with a hammer. But the aide said that the history-clearing episode has left Vance’s staff ‘rattled,’ adding, “It’s creeping us out to think that he might be even weirder than we already know.”

Conspiracy theorist and pillow fort aficionado, Mike Lindell, is again facing backlash after his company marked down some of its pillow line to $14.88, a figure seen as symbolic for white supremacists and neo-Nazis. A social media ad, touting the discounted pillows as the “ultimate comfort upgrade,” and a graphic promising “Sleep like a dream with our Standard MyPillow for just $14.88!” showing Lindell holding two pillows with a prominently displayed price. The number ‘1488’ is a common symbol among hate groups, the ’14’ being shorthand for the ’14 Words’ of a white supremacist slogan, while the ’88’ is shorthand for ‘Heil Hitler,’ since the letter ‘H’ is the eighth letter in the alphabet. Posting the ad on four major platforms resulted in hundreds of criticisms denouncing Lindell, with no comment forthcoming from either MyPillow or Lindell. To paraphrase a comment from the Jimmy Kimmel Live! show, “Prosecuting Trump and his MAGAts is like painting the Golden Gate Bridge…as soon as you’re finished, you have to start all over again.” So, keep it up, Mikey…and sleep well!