The Talented Mr. Ripley

 

You have to hand it to J.D. Vance. He lied with such smooth aplomb. His delivery was so measured, so apparently judicious, that a casual, uninformed, low-info observer would not notice how comprehensively deceptive many of his statements were. For example, I never would have known had not Mr. Vance told us that Trump actually saved Obamacare. Or that Trump peacefully turned over power to President-elect Joe Biden. Apparently, we're supposed to be in awe that Trump didn't stage another coup-attempt on January 20th. (We were actually thankful Trump churlishly refused to attend the actual inauguration ceremony, choosing instead to slink out of town back to Mar-a-Lago. Don't let the door etc.)

MODERATOR: "[Gov. Walz] mentioned that President Trump has called climate change a hoax. Do you agree?"

VANCE: "Look, what the president has said is that if the Democrats, in particular Kamala Harris and her leadership, if they really believe that climate change is serious, what they would be doing is more manufacturing and more energy production in the United States of America, and that's not what they're doing."

That was slick! Trump has repeatedly said climate change is a hoax. Vance's dodge completely misrepresented the record: "Under the Biden-Harris administration, the U.S. produced a record amount of oil last year — averaging 12.9 million barrels per day. That eclipsed the previous record of 12.3 million barrels per day, set under former President Donald Trump in 2019. Last year was also a record year for domestic production of natural gas." (NPR)

VANCE: Speaking about his and Trump's expressed desire to deport millions of brown people: "...I think you [should] make it harder for illegal aliens to undercut the wages of American workers. A lot of people will go home if they can't work for less than minimum wage in our own country, and by the way, that will be really good for our workers who just want to earn a fair wage for doing a good day's work."

Over the last 12 months the foreign-born workforce has grown by nearly 1.5 million people while the native-born workforce has shrunk by 768,000 people — mostly due to retirements, according to data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Were it not for the influx of immigrant workers, the U.S. economy would likely be shrinking.

The share of working-age men who were in the workforce in August was 89.5% — higher than all but one month during the Trump administration. The share of working-age women who were in the workforce last month was the highest ever — 78.4%.

VANCE: "A lot of fentanyl is coming into our country .... Kamala Harris let fentanyl into our communities at record levels."

It's an outrageous lie that Kamala allowed fentanyl into the country. In reality, close to 90% of illicit fentanyl is seized at official border crossings. Immigration authorities say nearly all of that is smuggled by people who are legally authorized to cross the border, and more than half by U.S. citizens. Virtually none is seized from migrants seeking asylum.

VANCE: "If you look at what was so different about Donald Trump's tax cuts, even from previous Republican tax cut plans, is that a lot of those resources went to giving more take-home pay to middle-class and working-class Americans. It was passed in 2017 and you saw an American economic boom unlike we've seen in a generation in this country."

Complete nonsense. According to the nonpartisan Tax Policy Center, more than half the savings from the 2017 tax cut went to the top 10% of earners, and more than a quarter went to the top 1%. Despite Trump’s frequent claims to the contrary, the 2017 tax cut was not the largest in U.S. history. However, it was big enough to blow a large hole in the federal budget.

VANCE: "I think you can make a really good argument that [Trump] salvaged Obamacare, which was doing disastrously until Donald Trump came about. ... Donald Trump could have destroyed the program — instead, he worked in a bipartisan way to ensure that Americans had access to affordable care."

One of Vance's most grotesque lies. During his presidency, Trump undermined the Affordable Care Act in many ways — for instance, by slashing funding for advertising and free "navigators" who help people sign up for a health insurance plan on HealthCare.gov. And rather than deciding to "save" the ACA, he tried hard to get Congress to repeal it, and failed -- mainly because of the principled vote of Sen. John McCain.

 

NOTE: The title to this post references The Talented Mr. Ripley, a 1955 novel by Patricia Highsmith about a consummate con man Tom Ripley. The novel has been adapted to film three times: Purple Noon (1960), starring Alain Delon; The Talented Mr. Ripley (1999), starring Matt Damon; and the 2024 series Ripley, starring Andrew Scott.

Crisis in Asheville -- Intercepted Email

The following cry for help from Asheville was sent on Tuesday. Perhaps the situation is less dire today, though only marginally probably. 

I am writing because Asheville, North Carolina and surrounding towns desperately need news coverage regarding our dire situation. We need drinking water IMMEDIATELY.

Following hurricane Helene, our water system was severely damaged. The city of Asheville reported there is no estimated date for water restoration. Our city has issued a boil water advisory, but we have no water to boil.

Residents, including myself, have not had water, power, or internet service since Friday morning. Many people have resorted to drinking from creeks, small pools, or hot water heaters, but others have no options at all. People without gas stoves are unable to boil water. Neighbors have shared what they can, but everyone is running out.

Asheville is going on the 5th day with no drinking water. No water for flushing toilets. No water for bathing. Sewage is backing up in homes and apartment buildings. Diseases and illness will spread.

This is such a large-scale disaster that there are not enough workers to help. First responders have been working around the clock, tirelessly to rescue people. Our utility workers are working nonstop to restore power. Churches, businesses and nonprofits have organized to provide basic needs. We have heard that rescue workers from around the country and even outside the US have been rushing to help us, and we are so grateful. The water system has sustained catastrophic damage. There is no quick solution, and disaster relief for emergency water delivery is terribly lacking.

I was one of the lucky ones that had enough gas in our vehicle to evacuate today. My husband, 17-year-old son and our dog were able get to South Carolina this afternoon. It was an intense trip that involved siphoning gas from our son’s car, and searching frantically for a gas station (with power, and not cash-only). Since I am no longer in survival mode, I’m able to focus on bringing attention to this water situation in the hopes that Asheville and Western North Carolina will receive help. 

Reaching out for help has been very difficult for Asheville residents as we have had no Internet access or power since Thursday night. In addition, a lack of sleep, minimal food and heightened stress has made life extremely difficult. For many, each day is spent frantically searching for water, food, gas, medication and other supplies like batteries, baby wipes, and candles. We are surrounded by floods, downed trees, power lines, debris and toxic mud. We are constantly hearing the sounds of helicopters, sirens, and chainsaws. Asheville is apocalyptic.

Most of our resources we have received are from each other. Our neighborhood organized daily meetings to connect neighbors to resources and provide emotional support. Sadly, many of our neighbors are living in substandard homes that have trees through them, or water pooled in their basement. Some homes are overcrowded with families taken in after their losing their homes. I briefly had a family of four living with me after their near death experience when four trees destroyed their home.

Many of us feel like we have been forgotten. We have not heard a word from FEMA about food, water or shelter. Why are there hydrating fluids sitting on shelves in closed grocery stores and warehouses? We have many amazing local businesses that have donated food and water. And then there are those who don’t. Why aren’t drinks like boxed milk, soda or juice being released from the many closed grocery stores? Instead, these stores are locked and watched by guards.

Why is our government not distributing pamphlets, or making nonstop radio announcements providing practical advice? Such as… Don’t use the toilet if you can’t flush. Suggest alternatives for disposing of feces. For drinking water, drain your hot water heaters. Collect rainwater in buckets or on trash bags. Say SOMEthing!

Our leaders could send texts or radio announcements and updates, at least hourly. Instead, I heard only occasional vague announcements regarding water restoration. I often tune in and hear local radio shows that have no bearing on our dire situation. A local for-profit radio station 104.3 has provided nonstop news coverage and empathy to locals calling in. Empathy goes a long way.

Where are the adult protective services workers? Our disabled and elderly neighbors cannot get out to find food, or fill up jugs of water from the creeks. Or from donation sites. Our unhoused neighbors have no access to notifications of distribution sites and no transportation. We have no public transportation.

This is not a problem just in my neighborhood. It’s all throughout Asheville and in the surrounding Western NC communities. There are families in hard to reach areas like Barnardsville who are stranded and have no way to come to donation centers.

Today there was a distribution of 1 gallon of water per household member at a handful of city locations. Many neighbors did not have gas to go pick up water. Elderly and disabled people could not go pick up heavy jugs of water. The city gave no concrete plan or date they would deliver water to them.

Please, PLEASE bring attention to this story. My neighbors won’t last much longer without drinking water.

We need an immediate federal, state and local government intervention to deliver water to all of Asheville and the surrounding areas. DELIVER water. Not announce distribution centers. We also need our leaders to encourage grocery stores to have a heart and allow people to gain access to any hydration. If such businesses choose to guard their stores rather than rescue their customers from hunger and thirst, we should boycott them when they reopen and the crisis has passed. We need stores throughout the state and country to make water donations. We’d welcome individuals who could to come to WNC with a truckload of water. (But be sure to arrive with a full tank of gas so that you can get back out!)

Please bring this issue to light. Report on this story ASAP and urge immediate action. Western North Carolina deserves help. My neighbors are a diverse group of wonderful, kind, gentle people that love our mountains and each other. I fear we are about to lose as many people from this water disaster as we tragically lost in the hurricane.

The Democratic Hero of NC Senate Dist. 37

 

Kate Barr (in mauve, seated at head of table),
with some of her campaign volunteers

I wrote about the singular Democrat Kate Barr back in December. She had just signed up to run in the newly gerrymandered Senate Dist. 37, wherein the Republican elves carved the liberal enclave of Davidson off from Mecklenburg and stuck it in a district with Iredell County, making a district that is 62% Republican. Barr's campaign Twitter bio caught my attention and my fancy: "Dem for NC Senate District 37. Gerrymandered out of a chance. F*ck it. I’m running anyway .... let’s raise a little hell and have some fun."

Her campaign motto, printed on T-shirts and pink hoodies -- "Clear Eyes, Full Heart, Can't Win" -- became a pretty brilliant piece of marketing. The Washington Post's Colby Itkowitz has just reported on Kate Barr's improbable (but oh so hopeful) race, and I'm so glad I sent her money back in December (even though she said at the time that she didn't want anybody's money). What had started as an in-your-fat-face defiance of Republican power grabbing has become a genuine campaign with a sparkly website, yard signs, bumper stickers, and many volunteers willing to hit the streets.

They say Kate Barr can't win, but what she is doing is boosting Democratic performance in an impossible district, which increases the likelihood for Democratic successes in statewide races up above her on the ballot. In other words, Kate Barr is a hero.

Here's what I wrote about her in December, and her Republican opponent.