DNC in Chicago: Introducing Kamala Harris

On Monday the Democratic National Convention is coming to town, and that town is Chicago, with its beautiful lakefront, architecturally significant buildings and a myriad of entertainment venues for almost every taste, and interest. It is also, of course, the moment of recognition of Vice President Kamala Harris as the Democrats introduce her to the nation as the successor to President Joe Biden who stood down in his own candidacy at the end of July.

Her campaign has energized the Democrats changing the tenor of the November presidential campaign from one of anxiety to one of dynamic energy, and in the near 30 days with her transition and nomination as candidate there have been untold dollars pouring into her campaign, and has also brought not only renewal to the party, but also for the Republican candidate, former President Donald Trump, a real game change that has thrown him off guard, forcing him to take the lead, since it was built in an elaborate scheme to denigrate Biden; and, decry not only his policies, but also to cast him as old, and out of touch, not to mention corrupt, along with his son Hunter, and other family members.

Now that plan is in shambles.

Trump, now, is the one that looks old, and corrupt, with his 34 felony counts, his numerous schemes of tax evasion, his sexual impropriety, and of course, the thousands of lies that he has shared in social media, in his infamous debate with Biden, and incoherent press conferences, not to mention the false remarks he made about Harris’ racial identity at the recent Chicago meeting of the National Association of Black Journalists.

The once popular media slogan, “his to lose” has lost its luster as Harris steps up to the plate armed with a reformed agenda, built from the Biden administration, but adapted to her own, and her party’s re-identification, is not one not so easily dismissed by the GOP, and its companion megaphone at Fox news have tried to do.

The meteoric rise of Harris, in such a short space, has not allowed her to spell out specific policies, or a broad platform, as her predecessors have done, with the exception of economics, but both the short timeline as well as the momentous energy that she has harnessed has also worked in her favor, avoiding the pitfalls of revealing too much, and allowing the energy and extent to build her up, is both deliberate and well calculated.

One major issue that she will face, along with increased demonstrations, expected to be large, perhaps spilling outside of the physical confines that Chicago city attorneys have carved out, is the war in Gaza, and the increased anger generated from the long standing alliance between the United States and its chief ally, Israel.

It will be a hard direction to shift with the death of nearly 40,000 Palestinians, the bombings by Israeli warplanes and the thousands of people, especially women and children whose suffering is seen nearly daily on network television stations, as well as news websites. And, the recent bombing of a school by Israel has generated outrage from many in the US, from Palestinian Americans, fellow Muslims, and their allies, as the death toll mounts.

“Just hours after the Biden administration Friday announced approval of $3.5 billion in military funds for Israel and shipments for new weaponry, an Israeli bombing of a school-turned-shelter in Gaza has killed 100 people or more, including scores of civilian men, women, and children in what was described as a "bloody massacre" that struck during morning prayers, leaving body parts scattered "in pieces" and healthcare workers overwhelmed with the dead and wounded,” reported commondreams.org

Our email inbox has been flooded with press releases showing their contempt for Biden, as well as Harris, and perhaps no other issue can define what needs to be a turning point in her favor.

One press statement from Revcom Corps Chicago accompanying its calendar of protests and demonstrations said: “As Bob Avakian has pointed out This is not a time to be siding with one group of oppressors or another. This is a rare time—a very rare opening—a chance that may come only once in a lifetime—a chance to take advantage of the deep divisions among the ruling oppressors and go after their whole system, with the aim of bringing the whole thing down, and putting something much better in its place.”

Harris also has to face economic proposals to what, even if she wins, could face opposition in an unchanged House and a very slim majority in the Senate, unless those races, mostly in swing states, are successful to give her an edge in Congress, because a president may propose, but Congress disposes.

One plan released in North Carolina on Friday during a campaign stop outlined a major effort to help the middle class but received some criticism from The Washington Post, but was defended by Rep. Hakeem Jeffries.

The Hill reported that, “Harris outlined a series of economic policy proposals and “she called for a federal ban on corporate price-gouging. CNN’s Jake Tapper asked Jeffries on “State of the Union” whether he backed her plan to ban price-gouging.”

“Kamala Harris has articulated a very important plan to make sure that we are lowering costs for everyday Americans, that we are ending price gouging throughout the country, and that, of course, we are growing the middle class and making sure that everyday Americans can get ahead. So, we, as House Democrats, look forward to working with Kamala Harris to drive costs down,” Jeffries said on CNN

“The Washington Post editorial board hit Harris over her newly announced economic agenda on Friday, characterizing the plan as “populist gimmicks.”

“Vice President Kamala Harris’s speech Friday was an opportunity to get specific with voters about how a Harris presidency would manage an economy that many feel is not working well for them,” the board wrote in an editorial Friday. “Unfortunately, instead of delivering a substantial plan, she squandered the moment on populist gimmicks.”

Jeffries’ careful response centered on the pandemic, the Jan 6 riots as inherited by the Biden administration, and defended the vice president on what was a clear indication of work to do.

It’s also quite clear that not releasing a comprehensive platform was wise by the Harris campaign. But, this partial glimpse does give a sense of her priorities, and centering them on the middle class is a wise move considering the struggle that many have, even with wages that have exceeded inflation; and, in particular “proposing $25,000 in down payment help for certain first time homeowners and tax incentives for builders iof starter homes, as the Associated Press reported on Friday will garner more attention.

Not surprising is the reaction from the Trumpers, who were rife with criticism, and “Trump campaign spokesman Brian Hughes calling her plan representative of “the most socialist and authoritarian model,” added  the AP.

Rounding out the list of major issues is immigration, and migration, especially for those asylum seekers, the majority form Venezuela, who have been abused since 2021 by Southern governors, notably Greg Abbott of Texas.

With no legislative action by Congress since the 1980s and Trump ordering Republican lawmakers not to work on a recent bipartisan immigration deal, the fate of many has hung in the balance, and the border crisis, albeit with slower border crossings, has become a cause celebre for the GOP and Harris has received condemnation for being the “Border Czar” even though she never held that title and was tasked only by Biden with identifying root causes.

Democratic Sen. Mark Kelly of Arizona, previously considered as her running mate, told  CBS “Face the Nation” that he has every confidence in a Harris presidency to reform the system.

A recent proposal by the Biden administration titled “Parole In Place” has launched through the Department of Homeland Security, offers legal status to undocumented people married to Americans without the necessity of returning to their home countries, and possibly, under older terms, denied re entry.

It eventually can lead to citizenship if all conditions are met, but a Harris win can only use this as part of a multi pronged attempt to give balance to hundreds of thousands of those seeking asylum from violence plagued, and corrupt countries, and seeking refuge in the United States.

This, and other proposals, legislation and executive action will be some heavy lifting for Harris, if she wins, but also along with economics, could prove, if successful, to be a major legislative win for her administration.

Harris’ appearance will be bolstered by some heavy hitters this week, among them Biden on opening night in a farewell tribute to his long legislative leadership, as well as former President Barack Obama, Bill Clinton, and former presidential candidate Hillary Clinton; and security is tight with more than 500 police from various neighboring states as well as the Illinois National Guard.

Memories have bypassed the successful and peaceful 1996 Chicago DNC that nominated Bill Clinton, and most residents, and media, have focused on the infamous events of the 1968 convention, but as Chicago Police Chief Larry Snelling has said, “The Chicago Police Department does a great job of working through events like this will be no different.”

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Tim Walz gets praised and panned as VP nominee

The announcement by Kamala Harris that she selected Minnesota Governor Tim Walz as her vice presidential running mate caused delight to many, although the choice was unexpected, with many political observers thinking that it was going to be Attorney General Josh Shapiro of Pennsylvania, seemed to hit all of the markers: a military veteran, a Midwesterner, and a progressive liberal whose legislative record is in sync with her established values.

From the cheering crowd in Pennsylvania, when it was announced, the choice was welcome and adds another layer of energy into the Harris campaign, and also increased fund raising to the tune of #36 million.

Much has been said about his “everyman” character and it does ring true, married, with a near adult child, one whose financial disclosures reveal an upper middle class income, bereft of stock, and a former high school teacher and athletic coach, and close in age to the vice president, and as has been reported that she feels a strong chemistry with.

The role of the vice president in the United States is to provide unqualified support for the president, and to preside over the Senate, and when needed be the tie breaker. It is also a role that Harris knows well, and has grown dramatically since she was first nominated nearly four years ago.

While ticket balancing has been the principal reason, let’s remember what Texan Lyndon Johnson did for John Kennedy and the state’s mother load of electoral votes, and whose later retention prompted that fateful trip to Dallas.

In Harris’ case capturing votes in swing states such as nearby Wisconsin, Michigan and other so called “rust belt” states will be crucial to winning the White House, and Walz is expected to be relatable to voters in those states.

The decision was met with delight by the Trump campaign who quickly branded Walz as another liberal intent on ruining the country. Supporters made much of his role in providing free feminine hygiene products in high schools, and decided to label him  “Tampon Tim,” but whose actions many praised to support young women; and, he has been a stalwart supporter of LGBT rights and helped found a gay and straight student alliance in the high school where he taught, another move that the radical right will soon pan as being “woke”.

Notably Walz also supported affordable housing, health care, paid leave and affordable child care, all progressive stances aligned with that of Hariis and the DNC.

The Republican vice presidential nominee J.D. Vance has been tagging the Harris campaign on their travels, and in one amazing stunt, accompanied by his secret service agents, approached Air Force Two, the vice presidential plane, in direct violation of security protocols, and said, “I just wanted to check out my future plane.”

While this has been widely panned as schoolboy braggadocio, Vance has gone after Walz’s 24 year military career saying that he abandoned his Army National Guard Troops before they were deployed to Iraq, and that he has said was cowardly; when, in fact, Walz had no definitive notice that he would go to Iraq, and was carefully considering running for Congress, and worried that could he do both, and not be in violation of the Hatch Act, which limits political speech on the part of federal employees.

Critics point out that while Vance did serve in the Marines in Iraq, but as a “desk jockey” for communications and never saw combat. In his book, “Hillbilly Elegy,” he wrote, “I was lucky to escape any real fighting.”

Another claim was that Walz in support of limiting assault weapons to the military, said that he did not believe they should be what he “carried in war,” and while he did carry them in training modules and instruction, he did not carry them in war, but misspeaking often happens in unscripted public appearances, which the Harris campaign has amended, and Walz referred to himself as a retired command sergeant major in his run for Congress and governor. 

What’s in a title, say some, and one headlining statement was this: “This is a lie and stolen valor,” said Ashley Hayek, chief engagement officer, America First Policy Institute, an organization founded in 2021 to promote former U.S. President Donald Trump's public policy agenda,” according to Wikipedia quoting an Axios article.

The kerfuffle centered on this: when Walz decided to retire to devote full attention to running for Congress, he did so before taking the training necessary to receive that title; and the Harris campaign has now clarified, Walz’s title upon retirement was “Command Sergeant Major.

There is irony in this discussion of military titles and combatant roles since Trump between 1964 and 1972 received four student deferments and one medical disqualification, for bone spurs on one or both heels, and it has been reported that a Queens podiatrist did this at the request of his father Fred.

Meanwhile Trump has criticized Haris for not holding press conferences, or interviews, and claiming that she does not have the intellect for it, and at a recent press meeting of his own rambled on; worrying those gathered that he was aging fast, just as obviously as he said President Biden did..

In what is now a continued litany of lies, he claimed, in that press conference, that he was on a helicopter ride, with former Speaker of the California State Assembly Willie Brown (who previously dated Harris) and they were forced to make an emergency landing, and all that Brown discussed was Kamala; but, in fact, that ride never occurred and was with the former Gov. Jerry Brown, in 2018, as he and Trump toured California to survey wildfires.

Brown with characteristic candor told the San Francisco Chronicle as reported by CBS News: "Hell, no," Brown said. "I wouldn't say anything bad about any woman to him." Brown also told the Chronicle he hasn't spoken with Harris in three or four years.”

“California Gov. Gavin Newsom was also on the aircraft. A spokesperson for Newsom, Izzy Gardon, said Friday there was no problem with the flight, no emergency landing and no conversation about Harris,” added the report.

What is becoming increasingly obvious to political observers, the media, and others, is that Trump and his campaign are becoming desperate, increasingly so, over his standing in the polls as Harris has cut his once sustained lead in half.

The DNC has sent recent emails to supporters showing that she is taking the lead in swing states, Arizona: Harris 49%and Trump 47%, tied in Georgia, Nevada: Harris 47% to Trump 45%, and close to Trump at 46% to Trump % at 48, and also in Pennsylvania she is at 46% to Trump at 50%.

For Trump, and Vance, as the “honeymoon” for Harris has extended is that her numbers may provoke them to even more attacks, lies, and shenanigans as we get closer to the November election date.

July Jobs Report dip raises concerns of US economy

The slowdown in the US economy, specifically the labor market, from the Labor Dept.'s July Jobs Report, released on Friday, has taken some by surprise, others by concern, and most seeing it as reasonable after several months of a hot, even overheated job market; and, is not entirely unwelcome for those that want to see the Federal Reserve Bank lower interest rates, and while some are urging caution, others like Sen. Elizabeth Warren are urging Chair Jerome Powell to come racing back to Washington, speeding forth in a fire engine red Corvette, to immediately lower interest rates to avoid massive job losses.

Lost in the excitement, or perhaps concern, is that interest rate cuts are done to shore up a sagging economy, not a gift to prospective homeowners, or those interested in opening a business, despite those worthy goals; but, it often seems as if many people have lost sight of that basic move from undergraduate economic studies.

Pushing that aside, for the moment, it’s still clear that July’s numbers are to say the least reasonable, and the worst, concerning; with an unemployment rate of 4.3 a slight downturn from the previous month, and the marquee unemployment rate of 114,000 non farm jobs is still nothing to sneeze at; albeit, a noticeable slowdown, especially with many economists predicting 175,000 would be the number, but, putting emotions aside, those high numbers that we have seen for the last 6 months were simply unsustainable, and while this is a note for the Fed to see what the data continues to show, before Powell, and the Federal Open Markets Committee, makes any moves to cut interest rates.

Let’s look at the heavy hitters from July: Healthcare still leading at 55,000 jobs, Construction at 25,000, Government (both state and local) at 17,000 and Transportation and warehousing at 14,000, the latter is a sure sign that the American consumer are still  wielding their smartphones and ordering online, and this despite inflationary prices, or so it seems.

That brings us to wages, which did increase 0.2 percent for the month, and 3.6 percent from a year ago, and while below forecasts from 0.3 percent and 3.7 percent, they may be shoring up consumer buying habits, on line and in stores.

Leisure and hospitality is still coming in healthy at 23,000, possibly attributable to the previous months higher wages, and more than anticipated.

Wages have so far kept pace with inflation, allowing those consumer purchases, the largest driver of the American economy, but July did show a decrease to 0.2, from what was seen as 0.3 percent, and 3.7 percent.

The main concern is that this tumble form last month was, as CNBC reported, “well below the average of 215,000 over the past 12 months.”

“You have to be careful in interpreting this data; it seems clear to me that there is noise in this report,” Omair Sharif, founder of Inflation Insights, tells me. He thinks that the Fed is going to wait and watch the August jobs report, which comes out before its mid-September meeting, before reaching any big conclusions,” reported The New York Times.

Back to the 64,000 question, when will the Feds cut rates? After a Wall Street selling frenzy on Friday, and fears from many quarters that maybe the Fed has waited too long, most of the markets are now safely betting that September is the best bet for an increase and some are saying, it might be more than the traditional quarter point, while others speculate there might be the quarter point, and then others, opting for a second cut in October of another half pont; still others for a quarter point for the remaining three Fed meetings this year.

Warren said in a post on X that “Fed Chair Powell made a serious mistake not cutting interest rates, and “he’s been warned over and over and over again that waiting too long risks driving the economy in a ditch,” sounding more like the law school professor she once was warning an errant pupil, further chastising him “to cancel his summer vacation and cut rates now.”

As we have noted in previous posts, the balancing act that he faces is monumental, cut too much, and inflation rises, not enough, and stasis is eminent. 

Inflation has dramatically dropped to 3 percent, but those read hot reports earlier of this year made the Feds wary, and as always Powell is a data driven chief, no more, no less.

“Greater confidence” is what the FOMC needs and right now they don’t have it that the US economy can sustain its traditional target to to hit the standard 2 percent inflation. But the chair has noted, “we’re getting close to the point at when it will be appropriate.” And, that point is widely understood to be at the September meeting.

Biden out, Kamala Harris in

Sunday’s announcement from the White House in a letter from the White House, posted on the social media platform X from President Joe Biden that he was going to stand down from being a candidate for the presidency in the 2024 election left most people in the United States thunderstruck, especially after saying for weeks that he was going to stay, and notably at a recent rally in Detroit where there was a roaring approval from the crowd.

For many, especially his supporters in Chicago, there was a sense of disbelief and sadness, and a distinct feeling that Biden was being pushed out, especially from the donor class, led by actor George Clooney, who had been a prominent fundraiser, but also from Democratic leadership, such as former Speaker of the House, Nancy Pelosi, and House Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, coupled with a raft of major newspapers, most notably The New York Times, who in an editorial, said that he needed to step down, due to his age, and surprisingly also a reliable supporter, The Washington Post. 

Whether it was this growing chorus, or that coffers were being closed, and depriving him of the needed money for his campaign, or advice from his family, the latter which is unknown, the decision was made after months of criticism and wariness of his age, 81, and especially of his mental acuity, after a dismal debate performance with former President Donald Trump, where suffering from a bad cold and two overseas trips, he seemingly lost his train of thought, and did not give the succinct answers his supporters expected.

It’s not necessarily a surprise to see this concern, because many people had told us of it, and added unfounded claims of senility, or Alzheimer's, the die was cast, and the pressures, in combination with the above, led to his withdrawal.

What he did next, endorsing Vice President Kamala Harris as the Democratic candidate was not only expected but hoped for, and the reaction among many of their leadership was a wholesale endorsement, with the notable exception of former President Barack Obama, has energized Democrats and the money has poured in, to the tune of $231 million dollars in less than a day.

Harris herself, while the obvious choice for a replacement does face considerable obstacles, number one being a woman, in a country, rare in the Western World, that has not had a female head of state, but also being a racial minority, with an Indian born mother and a Jamaican father, and who identifies as a Black American, and one who brings considerable background as an attorney general for California and also as a District Attorney, plus three and a half years as vice president.

For political baggage she has the role as intercessor for the crisis at the Southern Border, and is already being beaten about the head by Republicans, as the “Border Czar,” a false title, but nevertheless a convenient smear, since immigration is the leading issue for the GOP, and a signature part of any Trump speech, and he has been widely reported saying that immigrants are “poisoning the blood”of Americans, violent crime, false claims of illegal voting, and a host of unwarranted social ills.

In August the Democrats will hold their convention in Chicago, and at stake is an open, if not brokered convention, the former which last happened in the same city in 1968. But, as of Monday it was reported that Harris had a clear majority of delegates to clinch the nomination, and she needs 1,976 pledged delegates and she has far exceeded that number.

In a statement released from her campaign late on Monday, she said, “Tonight, I am proud to have secured broad support needed to become our party’s nominee, and as a daughter of California, I am proud that my home state’s delegation helped put our campaign over the top. I look forward to formally accepting the nomination soon.”

Obama has indicated that he wants an open primary versus a political anointing, and with the money and the endorsements pouring in might be tempting; but, since the primary votes to Biden are not automatically granted to Harris, there may be some type of political horse trading to be done.

Harris has also received a vast array of endorsements from lawmakers across the country, and all of the Democratic governors have given their support, among them, Gov. JB Pritzker of Illinois, Wes Moore, Roy Cooper, Gretchen Whitmer, and Mark Warner.

Meanwhile the Trump campaign is in seeming tatters as they based their entire campaign on fighting Biden and now have become increasingly concerned about Harris, and her roles in public service, in two prominent roles, and the vice presidency and her reputation as a prosecutor, and with sharp elbows has caused Trump to say he will not debate her in September, in what many of her supporters have told us, “would make mincemeat out of him.”

There are questions that the Republicans might mount a legal challenge to the Harris candidacy, but some legal and government voices have said that won't happen.

Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, in particular has expressed his doubts about the legality of Harris appearing on the ballot, citing state rules, and along with other GOP officials has threatened to take Democrats to court, but legal opinion says that there's no standing for that effort, and Axios quoted Ben Ginsberg, “an attorney who has long represented Republicans,” who said," There's nothing to the these threats, a convention naming a candidate who then gets ballot placement in every state is the normal course of business.”

No one candidate is the official nominee, until there is a vote, wrote legal scholar Rick Hansen in his op-ed piece for slate.com on Monday.

The most emphatic “no” was from Democratic attorney, Marc Elias who told MSNBC, “There is a zero, point, zero, zero, zero percent that Mike Johnson and his fever dream, of somehow there being legal action to prevent Kamala Harris . . . to keep [her] off the ballot, there is no chance that will happen.”

This is a developing story

Trump shooting is rooted in a violent America

 

In the aftermath of Saturday’s attempted assassination of former President Donald Trump, the wide ranging and sincere comments from lawmaker and pundits was that political violence had no place in American life, and while that may be true, to at least the acceptance of that specific event, American history is replete with political violence stretching back to the killing of Alexander Hamilton by Aaron Burr, in 1804, the caning of abolitionist Senator Charles Sumner in 1856, the shooting that felled President Garfield in 1881, Abraham Lincoln in 1865,the shooting of Theodore Roosevelt in 1912,  the assassination of of John F. Kennedy in 1963, Bobby Kennedy in 1968, the shooting of Ronald Reagan in 1981, and of Congresswoman Gabby Gifford in 2011,Congressman Steve Scalise in 2017, and the physical assault in 2022 on Paul Pelosi the husband of the then Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, but intended for her.

As a nation, America is awash in blood, but not only for politicians but also for hundreds of everyday citizens victims of domestic violence, street gangs, urban warfare, not to mention the killings at Columbine, Marjory Stoneman Doulgas High School, and Sandy Hook, and Las Vegas, and Highland Park Illinois, to name but a few of mass killings.

The image of a bloodied Trump, after a bullet pierced his ear, has now become an iconic image and cements his stature as a martyr, and one that he has always portrayed himself as, if not a victim.

Taking a step back we have to remember that he has told so many lies about the mundane, for example how many people showed up at his inauguration, claiming more than that of Barack Obama, to embracing the deep state conspiracy, aided by such figures as Marjorie Taylor Greene, and that Mexico was sending rapists to American shores, ostensibly as immigrants; migrants being put up in luxury hotels by New York city administration officials, to the dangerous, that ingesting bleach could “cure” the Covid virus.

The fact that so many people have embraced these lies, and the very danger that has incited people to the attack on the US Capitol on January 6th speaks volumes of what has become the Big Lie, that Joe Biden was not the lawfully elected president of the United States.

The rhetoric, along with the lies that has been so incendiary it’s frightening to hear people say that the off the cuff remark by Biden that he had Trump in his target like a bullseye, and that helped fuel the gunman that fired off rounds in rural Western Pennsylvania is incalculably false.

Facing the inherent danger of falsehoods now gives rise to sympathy for the shooting, but it will soon be back to the accusations, and the grandstanding that has become part of not simply American politicking, but the 21st century tenor of life in America.

The incendiary comments of Trump, now aided by his vice presidential candidate JD Vance, a junior senator from Ohio, whose earlier remarks blaming Democrats for the shooting (along with Speaker of the House Mike Johnson) has fueled the falsehoods Trump, and who are now making statements to turn down the political rhetoric seems ironic.

Vance said on social media, “The central promise of the Biden campaign is that President Donald Trump is an authoritarian fascist who must be stopped at all costs,” and “That rhetoric led directly to President Trump’s attempted assassination.”

Against this background was, and which may possibly resurface, the media driven attempt to get Biden to stand down as a candidate for the November election, and to find someone younger, and possibly dynamic, from the ranks of younger lawmakers, and while we’ve noted the difficult of vetting presidential candidates, most of whom have never faced such close scrutiny, and among them is Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer herself the target of a far right wing group planning to kidnap her, and who held Trump as a hero.

The threat of a brokered convention in Chicago, is about as concerning as it is for a repeat of the violent suppression of demonstrators at the 1968 Democratic Convention, in an already overheated atmosphere that again could possibly be violent. 

What is now seen are two elders battling it out for a change, or a sustained democracy, and one not only of the values espoused or the future of the nation, but its soul.

June Jobs Report shows US still strong

Resiliency is back on the front burner to describe the US Jobs outlook after Friday’s release by the Labor Dept., that showed 206,000 non farm jobs, and a slight uptick in the unemployment banner of 4.1 percent, all of which has showed a slight cooling off in American employment, and which has given hope to some that the Federal Reserve will lower interest rates, but as we have said before, in many previous posts, that the chair, Jerome Powell, is data driven, and the data is not quite there yet as we see with this report.

There has been a shift in the areas that show gains, leisure and hospitality have dipped, as has retail and construction, with the strongest gains showing in education, health care, and state and government employment.

The good news is that this is the 42nd straight month of job gains, and this steady pace, despite the naysayers who predicted a recession; and, most importantly wages have increased to 0.3 percent from May, and lower wage earners have seen their incomes rise, an important move, since they hey spend a greater portion of their income on housing, and other essentials.

For others wages have increased to exceed inflation, helping those people keep pace, and even a little extra, for vacations, and that favorite American pastime: dining out.

This is especially true for those in government employment which peaked at 70,000, health care at 49,000, and a bit of a sleeper category, social assistance which hit 34,000.

Of note construction added 27,000 jobs, and retail changed little 9,000, despite an earlier trend up earlier in the year the report noted, but not quite the major loss that some have stated.

Mary Daly, the president of the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco, said in a speech before the report was released on Friday, “At this point, we have a good labor market, but not a frothy one,” but added, :future labor market slowing could translate into higher unemployment, as firms need to adjust not just vacancies but actual jobs.”

Revisions of the jobs report are the norm, and both April and May have been revised downward, April now at 108,000, and May to 218,000, which might appear to be examined by Powell and the Federal Open Market Committee, at their next meeting.

In the absence of the London bookies, Americans, especially the stock market, are hedging their bets and are looking at September as their month for interest rates cuts, but, many people, both professionals and consumers, forget that interest rates are cut to stimulate a weakening economy, not to strengthen it, a fact that even many in the media seem to forget.

Neil Dutter at Renaissance Macro Research, was reported, in a note, by The New York TImes, stating, “today’s employment report ought to firm up expectations of a September rate cut.” and added that the cool off, slight as it might be for September, if not at this month’s meeting, that “they ought to make a strong signal a cut is coming.”

Powell himself, true to his pattern, has said, more cooling data would make the grade for a cut, saying, “like what we’ve been seeing recently,” before any rate cutting, and “We’d also like to see the labor market remain strong, We’ve said that if we saw the labor market unexpectedly weakening, that is also something that could call for a reaction.”

One area of note is the dramatic loss of temporary help services, down by 49,00 for the month, taking down that category of business services, and as CNN reported “is often closely watched by economists as it could serve as a forward looking data point in an an otherwise lagging indicator,: since as business grow they hire more temps and if times are tougher, the temp workers are the first to go.”

After first debate, concerns grow about Biden

The much anticipated rematch between President Joe Biden and Donald Trump, the presumed Republican candidate for president in the November 2024 election, the day after their debate garnered headlines the following day when Biden suffering from an obvious head cold tripped over his words, and seemingly lost his train of thought, something that nearly anyone else would have been forgiven, but in less than 72 hours, the national press had a field day saying that his age was an obvious deterrent to continuing his candidacy as the Democratic candidate.

Trump, by contrast, only a few years Biden’s junior, was relatively calm, compared to previous debates in 2020, but was still rolling with lies about immigration, the Southern Border, abortion, inflation, and the economy, yet it was those few gaffes that not only led the media, but also the internet and the social media microblogging site X, formerly known as Twitter.

As we have previously noted, age, which has been carefully studied by psychologists can vary across the spectrum, and while undoubtedly the incumbent and his staff regret those lapses, it's debatable that Bidin is not fit for another term in the White House.

There are some polls that indicate a lack of confidence for some voters and Intelligencer reported on their website that, “According to the results of USA Today–Suffolk’s national poll of 1,000 registered voters (conducted over the weekend), 41 percent of Democrats said Biden should be replaced as the party’s nominee, as did 37 percent of Democrats who said they still planned to vote for him following the debate. Fifty percent of respondents said Trump won the debate, while only 11 percent said Biden won, and, per USA Today’s summary, “when asked an open-ended question about why they thought one candidate or the other had prevailed, most cited either the strength or the weakness of their mental acuity.”

Calls for him to dropout have helped print media, in its prized location, above the fold, and others in the media, smelling blood in the water have leapt to the forefront, but what is notable is that they have largely ignored the lies and falsifications that Trump, appealing to his base, said last Thursday evening.

While it’s unlikely that such a move by Biden will happen already there are names being floated as possible contenders, Gov. Gavin Newsom, of California, Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, Gov. JB Prtizker of Illinois, Josh Shaprio, former attorney general of Pennsylvania, and Vice President Kamala Harris, who despite low approval ratings, and some early mistakes from Biden, such as giving her a portfolio, similar to his under President Obama, of what The New York Times called “intractable” and “polarizing” issues of “illegal migration and voting rights”, as a seemingly coercive, yet despite those claims, the former prosecutor and senator from California has had a definite upwards shift, not only in stature, but staff to include experienced political operatives.

The traditional Sunday chat shows featured “Maryland Gov. Wes Moore [who] said Sunday that he will not seek the Democratic nomination this year and he does not foresee President Biden leaving the race, making clear that the president is staying the course despite the bruising debate performance that sparked concern among some members of the party last week. 

"Joe Biden is not going to take himself out of this race – nor should he," Moore said on "Face the Nation," making clear that he "will not" seek the nomination.   

The report also noted that, “Moore, a rising star within the party, has been among a group of names floated should Biden leave the race,” but stressed that, "Joe Biden is our nominee, Joe Biden is our leader, and Joe Biden has earned — and Joe Biden deserves — the confidence, the respect, and frankly the partnership that we now have to provide to him." 

There are issues with all of these candidates, the most important being as former Senator Barbara Boxer told the Times,” It’s not as easy as it sounds, being vetted for president is like no other vetting. We don’t know what these people would do.”

What might be the wiser course for the Democrats is to have, not only Harris but other key administration officials fan out across the country to counter the lies that Trump said in the debate. A short list, of which would be:

That he was “the one that got the insulin down for the seniors.”; that “everybody” including not one, but all legal scholars, wanted to end Roe V. Wade; that Biden is fully responsible for inflation; that some states allow for abortions after birth, run, of course, by Democrats; and, of course, his standard punch lines about immigration, that in New York, migrants are being sheltered in luxury hotels, are poisoning the blood of Americans, that Biden is putting all migrants on social security, and that they're being sent by their governments from their prisons, and that there have been nearly 18 million to 20 million sent to the US by the Biden administration, figure that most government officials and researchers put at about one third of that. 

The Associated Press reported that, “Biden appeared to acknowledge the criticism during a rally in Raleigh, North Carolina, saying” I don’t debate as well as I used to.” But he added, “I know how to do this job. I know how to get things done.” Speaking for 18 minutes, Biden appeared far more animated than he had the night before as he excoriated Trump for his “lies” and for waging a campaign aimed at “revenge and retribution.”

Fundraising for Biden increased the day of the debate according to his campaign to the tune of $27 million, in an attempt to increase the coffers, and to meet, or outpace Trump whose war chest increased to $141 million on the day he was convicted in a New York courtroom on 34 felony counts, to influence the 2020 election.

Biden himself, speaking at a fundraiser at the home of New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy said, “I understand the concern after the debate. I get it” and, “I didn’t have a great night. But I’m going to be fighting harder and going to need you with me to get it done.”

Even more succinctly the president added, ““I know I’m not a young man,” Biden said to cheers. “I don’t walk as easy as I used to. I don’t speak as smoothly as I used to. I don’t debate as well as I used to, but I know what I do know: I know how to tell the truth!”