“Are You Now, Or Have You Ever…”, The Saturday Night Massacre, & More In Peace & Justice History for 10/20

https://www.peacebuttons.info/E-News/peacehistoryoctober.htm#october20

Bernie And AOC Expose Trump’s MAGA Betrayal

Zohran Dominates Cuomo During NYC Mayor Debate

Some Stuff From Around & About

I didn’t think I could love Martha Plimpton more until I saw this earlier today:

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Nick Offerman on The Daily Show:

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Open Secrets on campaign finance for the NYC mayoral race:

Former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo (I) established a new 2025 benchmark for the most dollars received from private contributions in one day on Sept. 29, receiving over $244,000 from individual contributors, a day after New York Mayor Eric Adams announced his departure from the 2025 mayoral race.

But Cuomo still trails Democratic nominee Zohran Mamdani in total fundraising, thanks to Mamdani’s massive lead in public funds received, with just a few weeks to go until Election Day.

Mamdani, a state assemblyman and self-described democratic socialist, defeated Cuomo and Adams in the Democratic primary. The ex-governor and outgoing mayor continued to run as independents but trail Mamdani in fundraising and the polls.

After reaching fundraising and spending caps, Mamdani has stopped soliciting donations. His campaign has raised $16.8 million and spent $10.7 million, and the New York City Campaign Finance Board estimates Mamdani has around $6.1 million left to spend, the most of any candidate.

Cuomo’s campaign has raised about $12.6 million and spent $8.9 million, leaving it with about $3.7 million. That fundraising total includes about $69,000 that was transferred in from one of Cuomo’s previous campaigns. In the last public funds payout on Oct. 9, Cuomo received $2.3 million, more than twice the payout for either Mamdani or Republican nominee Curtis Sliwa.

Sliwa didn’t receive any public payments during the primary since his race wasn’t competitive. He’s received $4.5 million in public funds for the general election and is estimated to have around $3.4 million to spend, not far behind Cuomo.

The Campaign Finance Board denied Adams public funds 12 times because his campaign failed to submit requested documents and may have violated election law, contributing to his departure from the race.

“Despite all we’ve achieved, I cannot continue my reelection campaign. The constant media speculation about my future and the Campaign Finance Board’s decision to withhold millions of dollars have undermined my ability to raise the funds needed for a serious campaign,” Adams said in his departure announcement.

His campaign still has about $3.3 million remaining. Adams’ campaign received the most private contributions of all candidates, but he also had a head start. By the time Mamdani, the first general election candidate other than Adams to raise funds, received his first contribution in October 2024, Adams’ campaign had already raised more than 60 percent of its $6.7 million in private contributions.

Adams may use some of the remaining funds to wrap up his campaign and pay any outstanding bills. Beyond that, his options are limited for the remaining money. He could save it for a future city race or transfer it into a state campaign fund that he could use to pay his legal expenses. He is strictly prohibited from contributing it to another campaign or organization.

With Adams out of the race, Cuomo’s campaign insists that the contest has shifted in his favor, and that the race is now a match-up between him and Mamdani, and the former governor did see a significant increase in financial support. (snip-MORE on the page linked above the story; worth the click to get the info.)

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Pot, kettle (kettle being Trump.)

John Bolton by Joyce Vance Read on Substack

John Bolton has been charged by a grand jury in the District of Maryland with 18 counts of mishandling classified information in violation of the Espionage Act, 18 USC 793. He is charged with eight counts of unlawfully transmitting national defense information and 10 counts of unlawfully retaining it in his possession. The information Bolton is charged in connection with was classified at the secret and top secret levels. (snip-MORE)

Five clips from The Majority Report

Fox host tries to force him into a hole so she can bash him with bigotry. He doesn’t fall for it. Hugs.

tRump / Rubio are desperately trying to drum up a war with Venezuela over their oil. The US handpicked successor to Maduro admitted she would give up the rights to the oil reserves to the western oil companies first thing. Venezuela has more oil than Saudi Arabia. That is why the US crippled the Venezuela economy in an attempt to get hat oil for our own. Maduro wants to use the money for the people, he wants to help the indigenous people, he wants to destroy the class structure that existed when he was growing up. The white people were treated better than the native brown people, he wanted to change that to where everyone is equal. People who are used to privilege react badly when everyone gets the same privilege. Hugs

This next video talks about the “young republicans” who are anywhere from 18 to 40 and these racist bigoted republicans have important positions in state and federal government. These republicans threatened to rape their enemies, and praised Hitler. Hugs

The clip below talks about Chuck Schumer and his actions before the shutdown and after. The democrats have a history of not standing up and taking action. The base of the party is glad the leaders are now taking concrete actions. Hugs

This last one is just for fun. It is a comedian who acts / talks like Cuomo to his face. Hugs

Let’s talk about Trump & the GOP preparing an ACA menu….

What Moderates Get Wrong About Growing The Democratic Party

The video below talks about the shut down and how the democratic party base has changed and is moving in one direction, while the party leadership has moved or stayed where they have been for decades. They talk about the money in politics and the consulting / strategy class who still want to run campaigns designed for getting the 1990s suburban populations along with the mythical older center voters. They also discuss the AIPAC / Israeli lobby who try to get their hooks into every candidate or congressional members. Hugs

Former U.S. Representative for New York’s 16th Congressional District, Jamaal Bowman joins the program.

Open Windows

(snork!! -A.)

Johnson announces campaign to get Trump a Nobel Peace prize by Ann Telnaes

The Speaker continues to display his fealty Read on Substack

The Speaker of the House will lead the effort to convince international parliaments and presidents to nominate Trump.

U.N. World Food Day

is today in Peace & Justice History. Feeding people is my main “thing,” so I’m featuring it today. There is so very much that has happened on October 16, and it can all be seen on this page.

October 16th every year

United Nations’ World Food Day is recognized every year.

About the annual day of hunger awareness , also, the Home Page.

From Charlotte On Sunday, Today-

Fun times with accidental noises, and I like the way she thinks for her birthday fundraiser!

Sounds I Still Make in My 30s by Charlotte Clymer

Last lap. Read on Substack

Today is my birthday.

This morning, I was in the backseat of an Uber ride and absentmindedly playing with my lips in the quiet way it’s socially acceptable for grown adults to do (or, perhaps, that’s me rationalizing) when, to my surprise, I accidentally forced too much air through the aperture of my mouth, creating a sound that could understandably be perceived by the driver as a fart.

Mildly panicked, I leapt into action by recreating the sound a few more times in quick succession in order to non-verbally (?) communicate to the driver:

Haha, see? That totally wasn’t what you thought it was! I accidentally made that sound with my lips! I’m now doing it again two or three more times to show that it’s just me playing with my mouth and not doing something very rude right behind you! Actually, making that sound is rude, too — look, I promise I am not blasting ass in the backseat of your car, okay?!

I am 39-years-old today. It’s my final year in this decade. It’s been a doozy.

I turned 30 a little over three weeks before the 2016 election. (I know. We won’t get into that because you already get it.)

All my life, I’ve heard of folks in their late-30s just dreading the big FOUR ZERO, and it’s not my place to judge them. I’m sure they had their reasons.

But me? I’m so ready for my 40s. If I could snap my fingers and make it happen now, I would have turned 40 today. Maybe I’ll just lie and say I’m 40 moving forward.

Being in your 40s sounds awesome. Being in your 50s and 60s sounds even better. I wanna fast-forward and get there already. I want the accumulated wisdom and experience and memories right now. I want that whole toolbox immediately.

Sadly, I cannot have it immediately. That is earned. I must brave the final year of my 30s in our oh-so-stable world to get a little closer to the benefits of being older and wiser.

To that end, I’m gonna make this a great Year 39. I plan to treat it like a final dress rehearsal for the second half of my life.

I’d like y’all to help me get things off to a great start.

Every year, for the past decade, I’ve hosted a birthday fundraiser for my favorite organization Running Start, a non-profit that trains young women in high school and college to run for office someday.

These programs are wide-ranging: from one-day workshops on college campuses (Elect Her) to congressional fellowships to the HBCU Women’s Leadership Summit, thousands of young women have been equipped with necessary skills to go on and do great things in politics, law, advocacy, and media.

I’ve served on the Board of Running Start since 2021, working harmoniously alongside my colleagues—Democrats and Republicans and independents—to ensure the next generation of young women get an exceptional head start toward leading our country someday.

In that time, I have seen a huge, diverse network of alums directly benefit from these programs and then watch as their campuses and communities benefit from them, too.

So, I am kindly asking y’all to help me celebrate my birthday by making a modest donation to Running Start: https://www.runningstart.org/charlotte

And believe me, I get it, everyone and their mother and their cousin is hitting y’all up for money right now — for that campaign or that non-profit or that candidate or that cause and on and on.

Thus, I am grateful for the consideration. It means a lot. I am thankful.

As always, those making very generous donations ($250 or more) should know you’ll be getting a phone call from me to thank you for your generosity, and if you really wanna go above and beyond ($1000 or more), that’ll mean coffee over zoom OR me treating you to lunch here in D.C. (or wherever you live if we can make it happen — no kidding, we will find a way.)

But also: everyone donating will get a personal email from me thanking them because every donation, no matter how much, means something to me and the young women who benefit from Running Start’s programs.

In the meantime, please wish me luck on this final lap of my 30s, and if you could offer up a prayer that I’ll avoid embarrassing sounds in cars, I’d appreciate that, too.