Notices by Heidi Li Feldman (heidilifeldman@mastodon.social), page 9

To counter the big money boosting Trump, Harris is relying on her unprecedentedly large ground game and continued advertising and voter outreach. In the battleground states, the Washington Post reports, Harris has “at least 2,000 aides and 312 offices.” That is a lot of payroll, rent, utilities, and taxes. 5/

“[R]eports filed with the FEC on Friday night showed millions of dollars in contributions to Trump-aligned super PACs that are engaged in an intensive effort to cast Harris in a negative light just as many voters are learning about her background and credentials for the first time.” — The Washington Post

One Trump megadonor alone has given at least $115 million to a high profile Trump-supporting PAC, Make America Great Again Inc. Donor is Timothy Mellon of that Mellon family. 4/

What the reporting mentions but does not make wholly clear is that the Trump campaign relies much more on outside money than the Harris campaign does and those figures are difficult to pin down. The Washington Post: “…the super PACs aligned with Trump are continuing to raise large sums from high-dollar donors as the two candidates enter the final sprint before November.” 3/

Harris and the DNC spent in August almost exactly the amount they raised (ABC). Bearing out what I have explained before, here, according to the Washington Post, is where the money is going: “The campaign spent more than $135 million on media buys and ad production; more than $6 million on air travel; about $4.9 million on payroll and related taxes; and $4.5 million on text messaging.” 2/

With ABC, https://abcnews.go.com/US/harris-trump-august-fundraising-fec-filings/story?id=113893128 , and the Washington Post, https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2024/09/20/kamala-harris-fundraising-advantage-trump/, both reporting today on Harris and DNC fundraising, time for another thread on why we must keep raising money for Harris.

The stories both lead with the fact that the Harris campaign raised 3 times what Trump did. This is obviously good, and a real achievement, but it does NOT mean Harris is now flush. 1/

Even when, perhaps especially when. I’m feeling tired or nervous about the state of U.S. politics, I don’t take my eye off the ball: doing what I can, every day, to help elect Democrats up and down the ticket and throughout the country.

Letting the morning crowd know that the Mastodon for Harris fundraiser is in the midst of a great match offer. https://secure.actblue.com/donate/mastodon-for-harris

Once the next roughly $900 in contributions come in, @acavan has offered to match to get us to $600,000. His full match offer is for just over $1262 and we’ve already raised the first chunk of that since starting last night.

Join in! Everybody’s welcome! https://secure.actblue.com/donate/mastodon-for-harris

Between our matcher @acavan and all those who met his offer, the Mastodon for Harris fundraiser has surpassed $600,000! Thank you to all who have brought us this far.

I finally had a chance to do the arithmetic. When our Mastodon for Harris fundraiser hits $598,737.75, the match from @acavan comes due, to take us past $600,000. Right now we are at $598,278.50. Let’s add the needed $459.75. https://secure.actblue.com/donate/mastodon-for-harris

Here’s the cspan link for Harris speaking at the National Association of Black Journalists later today, 2:30 Eastern time. https://www.c-span.org/video/?538450-1/vp-harris-discussion-black-journalists-philadelphia

Friends, I have received a wonderful match offer for the Mastodon for Harris fundraiser. @acavan wants to match half of what it will take to get us to $600,000. Right now, we have another $2524.50 to go, so this means that once we get the next $1262.50, Adam will put in the rest! Donate at https://secure.actblue.com/donate/mastodon-for-harris to get the match.

@WarnerCrocker He says he was joking?!?! @junecasagrande

Mastodon for Harris, nighttime update, 9/15. We are heading into the week with our next target within our grasp. https://secure.actblue.com/donate/mastodon-for-harris

Funds raised as of this post: $596,739.50
# of contributions: 6724
# of recurring contributions: 312

Current target: $600,000

Our recurring contributions are the highest they’ve been, now totaling $26,787.24 per month. Go, us!

Roberts has demonstrated he is willing to take extraordinary behind-the-scenes steps to protect and enable Trump. He has been secretly scathing about lower appellate court decisions that diverge from this goal. He has gone out of his way to make sure the Supreme Court takes cases it doesn’t have to and then assign himself opinion-writing duties that enable him to move the law in Trump’s favor as fully as possible. 8/

Wondering why Harris has adopted such a “big tent” strategy, has reached out to Republican voters, is repeatedly barnstorming the swing states, and doing all she can to put additional states in play? She and her advisers know she not only has to get more electoral votes than Trump on Election Day; she has to get them in the largest numbers possible in as many tight races as possible. And then she has to be prepared to fight for a win in the courts. /10

If the margins of a Harris victory on Election Day are tight and therefore vulnerable to disruption by Republicans, it seems likely Roberts will rush to involve the Supreme Court in the post-Election-Day litigation and that he will use that litigation to favor Trump, to the point of installing him in the White House contrary to all fact and legal precedent. This is no longer as speculative as it was before today’s reporting about Roberts’ role in last terms Trump-related cases. 9/

Justice Roberts is fully onboard with favoring Trump and a vision of the President as a quasi-monarch, above the law. He refuses to acknowledge that Trump is a clear and present danger to rule of law and pluralistic constitutional democracy. Moreover, Roberts is using his own power as Chief Justice to enable Trump. 2/

Just had time to catch up with the news. Before it gets lost in hue and cry about shots fired at the Trump golf course, I urge you to attend to the news of Chief Justice John Roberts’ unusual and aggressive efforts to protect Donald Trump from criminal prosecution. The New York Times broke the store, here https://www.nytimes.com/2024/09/15/us/justice-roberts-trump-supreme-court.html?unlocked_article_code=1.K04.kXFD.AVR1c4n1tAcb&smid=url-share (gift link) and the Daily Beast recaps it here https://flip.it/Wp7VPv .

The reporting doesn’t quite capture the significance of what Roberts did. 1/

Chief Justice Roberts repeatedly used the distinctive tool a CJ has, in order to make it easier for Trump to seek the Presidency and avoid criminal prosecution. He did so on broad grounds that will vastly expand the President’s raw power, whoever holds the office. This deliberate, carefully deployed strategy from Roberts is both shocking and deeply concerning re the 2024 Presidential election. 5/

In all the major presidential power and immunity cases, Roberts made sure he himself wrote for the majority and every time he expanded the power of the President and shielded even ex-Presidents from the reach of the law. 4/