Mike Pence at Voteview and On The Issues for National Veep Day

I concluded last night's Sandy Hook Promise's 'Back-To-School Essentials' and P&G's 'The Look' among Emmy nominees for Outstanding Commercial with my hope and dread for today.

[S]tay tuned for a celebration of National Veep Day. With luck, Joe Biden announces his running mate. Otherwise, I am stuck writing about Mike Pence. I hope not.

It's almost noon on Sunday and Joe Biden still has not announced his pick. If he were going to do so today, he'd likely have done it by now to make the Sunday Morning talk shows. So, Mike Pence it is.

To observe today's national day, I'm going to do for Pence what I did for the Democratic Vice Presidential contenders, examine his ideology through Voteview and On The Issues. First, Pence at Voteview.



Pence served in the U.S. House of Representatives from 2001 to 2013, when he became the Governor of Indiana. By the end of his final term in Congress, he had a DW-Nominate first-dimension (ideological) score of 0.655, which made him more conservative than 89% of Republicans in the U.S. House as well as 94% of all House members when he left in 2013. Even among Republicans, Pence was quite far to the right.

That's also what On The Issues shows for him.



On The Issues rates Pence as having an economic score of 95 and a social score of 10, a Hard-Core Conservative, which makes him the most conservative politician I have made infographics for so far. Even Donald Trump, who has an economic score of 83 and a social score of 20, is closer to the center!

That's it for today's ideological examination of the sitting Vice President. I plan on recycling these graphics, along with those for the Democratic Vice Presidential nominee, for this year's Vice Presidential Debate. I already have the drinks for Pence. I'm just waiting for Biden to choose to select the beverages for his running mate.

That's it for Veep Day. Tomorrow, I plan on continuing my coverage of the Emmy Awards with nominations of shows about animals and nature for World Lion Day. The irony is that the number one show nominated in this category is "Tiger King." Oh, well, I missed World Tiger Day on July 29th again, so tomorrow I'll make up for it. Stay tuned.

Sandy Hook Promise's 'Back-To-School Essentials' and P&G's 'The Look' among Emmy nominees for Outstanding Commercial

I concluded Kerry Washington promotes 'The Fight,' a documentary about the ACLU's legal battles with the Trump Administration by predicting that "Looks like I'll be busy with the Emmy Awards for the next two months. Stay tuned." As I have the past two years, I begin with the nominees for Outstanding Commercial as today's Sunday entertainment feature. Every year, at least one of them is a public service announcement (PSA) that makes an important social or even political point. This year is no exception as two of the nominated commercials are exactly that. Even better, both are continuations of ad campaigns that have been nominated before.

The first nominee I'm featuring is Back-To-School Essentials | Sandy Hook Promise, the same organization I used at the top of last year's post.

Survive the school year with these must-have back to school essentials.
...
**Please note that this PSA contains graphic content related to school shootings that may be upsetting to some viewers. If you feel that this subject matter may be too difficult for you, you may choose not to watch this video.**

When I searched for this video, I found that it sparked a lot of reaction from news programs. The most extensive was CNN's Sandy Hook mom talks to CNN about her group's shocking PSA.

The nonprofit Sandy Hook Promise launched a "back to school" PSA to raise awareness about school shootings. CNN's Alisyn Camerota talks about the ad with the group's managing director Nicole Hockley, whose 6-year-old son Dylan was killed at Sandy Hook Elementary school in 2012.

The gun control legislation Alisyn Camerota and Nicole Hockley mentioned is among the pile of "socialist" bills sitting on Mitch McConnell's desk waiting to die while he plays "Grim Reaper." In this case, his nickname for himself is a little too apt.

The other socially conscious PSA is by the same people behind "The Talk," which won two years ago. Watch Proctor & Gamble's "The Look."

Created in 2019, “The Look” uses historical references and contemporary stories to highlight the bias experienced by Black men in America. The film helps to build empathy, change perspectives, prompt personal introspection, and bring people together for conversation. Produced by Saturday Morning with Anthony Mandler and Malik Sayeed, the film is used as an educational tool at institutions across the country. A discussion guide and background on the inspiration for the film can be found at www.talkaboutbias.com

When I searched on YouTube for this video, I saw almost no discussion of it, in contrast to the Sandy Hook Promise PSA. CNBC came close with a discussion of the spot, but its video was about the next PSA in the series, "The Choice," which wasn't one of this year's nominees because it was released after the eligibility cutoff. Maybe next year.

As for why this video didn't get the attention either "Back-To-School Essentials | Sandy Hook Promise" or "The Choice" received, maybe it's because P&G uploaded it on June 2, 2020, right after I posted 1968 has arrived again with nation-wide protests and police attacks on press. As timely as the video is, there were more compelling images on the subject of racism circulating that drowned it out. Too bad, as this video deserves more attention. At least the Television Academy is giving it some.

Follow over the jump for more conventional commercials, including the one I think will win, even if it isn't as important as the two above.

CNBC on the risks of reopening schools for the economy and how the pandemic disrupted the 2019-2020 school year

One of the responses by governors that Samantha Bee mocked last month was the insistence by some of them that schools reopen in their states while the COVID-19 pandemic continues to rage. CNBC examined the issue in depth this week in How The Back-To-School Debate Can Make Or Break The U.S. Economy.

As September draws closer, the entire United States is debating the best way to restart the school year in the new Covid-19 era. President Trump has pushed hard for reopening schools, citing other countries that have been able to resume classes as evidence the United States can too. Here’s what’s at stake for the economy and what steps the U.S. can take toward getting back to class.

The examples of Israel and Sweden serve as cautionary tales. The first demonstrates how, even when community spread had been contained, not implementing social distancing policies can result in a second wave. That's a phenomenon that New York should work to avoid. The second applies more to states like Florida, Texas, Arizona, and California, where the virus is running rampant. That will likely make a bad situation worse. If the economy loses billions of dollars and a fraction of a percentage because parents have to stay home to take care of their children because schools are closed, how much more will it lose if millions more Americans become sick and thousands more die?

The first video applies almost entirely to K-12 schools. What about colleges and universities? CNBC covered higher education as well in How Schools Are Handling The 2019-2020 School Year Disruption from May.

The 2019-2020 school year is another of the many things impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. Students across the United States from kindergarten through [high] school and into college moved to remote learning bringing with it many challenges.

Teaching remotely has been a challenge for me as it has been for my students. We're all finding out that working and studying from home is still work, even if we're spending fewer hours getting places because we're driving less. I have to learn new work habits now that I'm doing it from my home office and have stimuli that usually tell me to relax instead of concentrate. I'm sure that's true for my students, too.

Enough of the pandemic for now. Stay tuned for the Sunday entertainment feature and a celebration of National Veep Day tomorrow.

CBS News and CNN Business explain Russian disinformation and how to deal with it

I haven't blogged about Russian election interference since Both Robert Mueller and Senate Intelligence Committee warn of Russian interference in U.S. elections and Samantha Bee explains how to get away with election interference more than a year ago. Since I seem to write about Putin's hackers and agents only during the summer, it's the season to return to the topic. Maybe it's because my media sources tend to turn to the subject when it's warm. Such is the case, as both CBS News and CNN Business uploaded videos on the story lately. I begin with the more recent, How the U.S. can combat disinformation campaigns from CBS News.

Nina Jankowicz, author of "How to Lose the Information War," joins CBSN's "Red & Blue" to discuss what the U.S. can learn from other countries about how to fight disinformation.

Nina Jankowicz tells CBS News viewers a lot of good advice about information and news literacy, including some I've posted here before: Think critically about the source of the story; Ask if others are reporting it; Do a reverse image search, as a lot of disinformation, misinformation, and malinformation (thanks, Nina Jankowicz, for introducing me to that word) uses misattributed or manipulated images or video, such as the SWAT team clip in "Plandemic" John Oliver showed in Coronavirus Conspiracy Theories; Finally, walk away and calm down so the emotion doesn't overwhelm you.

By the way, when Jankowicz said that the Russians have been seeding disinformation via social media since 2014, she was referring to the Columbian Chemicals Plant explosion hoax, which I first mentioned in Putin's hackers and agents five years ago. That operation caused confusion, but it fizzled out. Still, Russian intelligence and their contractors at the Internet Research Agency learned enough that they were able to get the conspiracy theories around Jade Helm to go viral in 2015. The Texas Tribune reported Hysteria over Jade Helm exercise in Texas was fueled by Russians, former CIA director says two years ago.

A former director of the CIA and NSA said Wednesday that hysteria in Texas over a 2015 U.S. military training exercise called Jade Helm was fueled by Russians wanting to dominate “the information space,” and that Texas Gov. Greg Abbott's decision to send the Texas State Guard to monitor the operation gave them proof of the power of such misinformation campaigns.

Michael Hayden, speaking on MSNBC’s Morning Joe podcast, chalked up peoples’ fear over Jade Helm 15 to “Russian bots and the American alt-right media [that] convinced many Texans [Jade Helm] was an Obama plan to round up political dissidents.”

Yikes! I had no idea!

Of course, the Russian Federation's predecessor, the USSR, had been engaged in disinformation dissemination for decades before social media came along. CNN Business tells that story in A former KGB spy explains Russian disinformation tactics.

Long before there were fake accounts and fake news on Facebook, there were fake news stories planted in small print newspapers that eventually spread. CNN Business looks at how technology has made Russian disinformation easier to spread with little risk.

Technology is intended to make work more efficient. This includes the work of intelligence services of hostile governments.

Follow over the jump for a song and cartoon that I'm recycling for this post. After all, I am an environmentalist!

On The Issues' take on Democratic Vice-Presidential contenders from left to center

It's time to follow through with the promise I made in the footnote to Democratic Vice-Presidential contenders from left to center according to Voteview.

Cilizza listed Susan Rice, Keisha Lance Bottoms, Michelle Lujan Grisham, and Gina Raimondo as the other possibilities. McClatchy and Politico added Stacey Abrams and Gretchen Whitmer to their lists while leaving off Raimondo. None of them have served in Congress, so they don't have Voteview scores. They do have analyses at On The Issues, so if the announcement isn't made Monday, I might be able to create and post a Vice-Presidential version of OnTheIssues.org's take on the Democratic presidential candidates from left to center. Stay tuned.

It's Thursday and as of this morning, Joe Biden still hasn't announced his running mate, so I'm examining all of the dozen candidates mentioned as top possibilities at the start of the month, including Elizabeth Warren, Kamala Harris, Karen Bass, Tammy Baldwin, Val Demings, and Tammy Duckworth, who I already listed from left to center according to their Voteview scores.

Before I list the possibilities from left to center, I'm sharing my methods.

Mine was to rank the candidates by economic score from low (left) to high (right, or in this case center) to make it comparable to the liberal-moderate (there are no true conservatives running for the Democratic nomination) ranking I used last week which was based on the economic dimension. I then used the social score to break ties in the economic score with high scores being considered more liberal and low scores being considered more conservative.

Follow over the jump to see the contenders from left to center.

Ascena Retail Group, parent of Ann Taylor, Lane Bryant, and other chains, filed for bankruptcy, a tale of the Retail Apocalypse and pandemic

I concluded Executives at JCPenney and Hertz scored bonuses before declaring bankruptcy, tales of the Retail Apocalypse and pandemic with a teaser for today's post.

Stay tuned as I plan on making good on the other promise I made at the conclusion of yesterday's post.

Before I go, ABC News also reported that Ascena Retail Group, parent company of Ann Taylor, LOFT, Lane Bryant, Lou & Grey, Catherines, Cacique, Justice, and Dressbarn filed for bankruptcy recently. I'll have to report on that as well.

This story barely made a splash in news reports on YouTube, as the best one I found was from CBS Philly, Ann Taylor Owner Files For Chapter 11 Bankruptcy.

The operator of Ann Taylor and Lane Bryant filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy on Thursday, the latest retailer to do so during the pandemic. Mahwah, New Jersey-based Ascena Retail Group Inc., which operates nearly 3,000 stores mostly at malls, had been dragged down by debt and weak sales for years. Katie Johnston reports.

I found the local television coverage disappointing, especially since I've had my eye on Ascena Retail Group since I wrote Business Insider on stores closing in the Retail Apocalypse more than two years ago, when I wrote "The third company closing lots of stores is Ascena Retail Group. I didn't know who they were, but I did know some of the chains they own, including Ann Taylor, Dress Barn, Lane Bryant, and Loft." I was hoping for something more after two years, but the news media let me down. Considering that the bankruptcies of Brooks Brothers and Tailored Brands, parent of Men's Wearhouse and Jos. A. Bank got more coverage, I wonder if there isn't some subtle sexism to blame for this, as Ascena Group sells women's wear, while the other two chains sold men's business apparel. It's that, or it doesn't fit the news angle in my quip "I guess no one needs a business suit when they work from home and conduct business over Zoom." Even that doesn't hold water, as Ann Taylor sells clothes for professionals. I have two reactions — oink and sigh.

On the other hand, print media took the bankruptcy more seriously, as the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Business Insider, and Yahoo! Finance all ran stories on it. Follow over the jump for coverage from Business Insider, and Yahoo! Finance, since the first two sources are behind partial paywalls.

Executives at JCPenney and Hertz scored bonuses before declaring bankruptcy, tales of the Retail Apocalypse and pandemic

In an aside near the end of Lord & Taylor and Tailored Brands, parent of Men's Wearhouse and Jos. A. Bank, file for bankruptcy, tales of the Retail Apocalypse and pandemic, I noted an omission and promised to correct it.

I've been skipping over the Hertz bankruptcy. I've been confining my covering of travel to driving updates, but maybe it's time to look at air travel, hotels, and car rentals.

I'm following up on that promise even earlier than I expected, as I came across U.S. execs score bonuses just before bankruptcy by Reuters, in which both Hertz and JCPenney play starring roles.

As companies such as J.C. Penney prepared to file for bankruptcy during the coronavirus pandemic, their executives scored millions in bonuses sometimes weeks or even days before filing their cases. That's according to a Reuters analysis of securities filings and court records.

This report reminds me of the shady dealings in CNN Business explains retail bankruptcies and how private equity is gutting retail, tales of the Retail Apocalypse and of the disconnect between Wall Street and Main Street in The Economist explains why the stock market is rallying during the pandemic. They may be legal, but they certainly don't seem ethical. They also contribute to the image of businessmen as self-interested while leaving their employees out in the cold.

A bankruptcy expert interviewed by KARE11 also makes the point that employees are the big losers of retail bankruptcies in What does corporate bankruptcy really mean for consumers?

Men's Wearhouse and Lord & Taylor are the latest retailers to file for bankruptcy protection during the pandemic, but what does that term really mean for the consumer? We sat down with a bankruptcy expert to find out.

Not only will the country face an eviction crisis, but also a wave of business and personal bankruptcies. Welcome to the coronavirus recession.

Stay tuned as I plan on making good on the other promise I made at the conclusion of yesterday's post.

Before I go, ABC News also reported that Ascena Retail Group, parent company of Ann Taylor, LOFT, Lane Bryant, Lou & Grey, Catherines, Cacique, Justice, and Dressbarn filed for bankruptcy recently. I'll have to report on that as well.

Lord & Taylor and Tailored Brands, parent of Men's Wearhouse and Jos. A. Bank, file for bankruptcy, tales of the Retail Apocalypse and pandemic

It's only three days into August and it's already time for more tales of the Retail Apocalypse and pandemic. ABC News has the story in Retail rout gains pace, Lord & Taylor seeks bankruptcy.

Lord & Taylor, America's oldest retailer, is seeking bankruptcy protection, as is the owner of Men’s Wearhouse and Jos. A. Bank, lengthening the list of major retail chains that have faltered in the pandemic.

Household names, many longtime anchors in malls nationwide, were already struggling to keep up with a radical reformation in what people buy, and where they buy it. Much of that activity has moved online.

Thousands of store closures forced by the arrival of COVID-19 has proved too much.

Reuters has more on Lord & Taylor in Lord & Taylor: latest retail casualty of pandemic.

The oldest U.S department store chain, Lord & Taylor is the latest fashion retailer to file for bankruptcy on Sunday, joining a growing list of names during the coronavirus outbreak that has crippled the retail sector.

Like many of the other retail chains filing for bankruptcy, Lord & Taylor's troubles did not come as a surprise. WXYZ in Detroit uploaded Lord & Taylor is latest big name retailer reportedly bracing for bankruptcy three months ago.*

Big name retailers are taking a big hit amid the coronavirus pandemic. Neiman Marcus is nearing bankruptcy, J-Crew filed Monday and now the latest to reportedly file for bankruptcy is Lord & Taylor.

It's not an accident the reporter was on location in Novi; the one remaining Lord & Taylor store in Michigan is in the Twelve Oaks Mall. There used to be one in Briarwood Mall in Ann Arbor, but a Von Maur occupies that spot now. Both malls have lost their Sears, so each has a vacant anchor. When Lord & Taylor liquidates, Twelve Oaks will have two.

ABC News has more on Tailored Brands, the parent company of Men's Wearhouse and Jos. A. Bank.

Tailored Brands, which owns Men’s Wearhouse and Jos. A. Bank stores, was struggling even before shelter-in-place orders smothered any demand for suits or ties...Tailored Brands filed for Chapter 11 protection Sunday in the Southern District of Texas.

Men’s Wearhouse and Jos. A. Bank stores, along with K&G Fashion Superstore and Moores Clothing for Men, all owned by Tailored, with continue to operate during restructuring. The company expects to reduce it's funded debt by at least $630 million.

News of store closings preceded the bankruptcy filing, which ABC10 in Sacramento reported in last week's Men's Wearhouse closing stores as demand for suits drops | Business Headlines.


As I've quipped three times already, "I guess no one needs a business suit when they work from home and conduct business over Zoom." Also, I admit I've been avoiding discussing the issues with the Boeing 737 Max just like I've been skipping over the Hertz bankruptcy. I've been confining my covering of travel to driving updates, but maybe it's time to look at air travel, hotels, and car rentals as well.

Before I go, ABC News also reported that Ascena Retail Group, parent company of Ann Taylor, LOFT, Lane Bryant, Lou & Grey, Catherines, Cacique, Justice, and Dressbarn filed for bankruptcy recently. I'll have to report on that as well. Stay tuned.

*I can never resist a local angle, especially when it makes the local outlet look good.

Kerry Washington promotes 'The Fight,' a documentary about the ACLU's legal battles with the Trump Administration

Two weeks ago, I wrote about "John Lewis: Good Trouble" for the Sunday entertainment feature. Today, I am featuring another documentary about civil rights and politics, "The Fight," "an inside look at the legal battles that lawyers for the American Civil Liberties Union are facing during the Trump administration." Watch The Fight - Official Trailer by Magnolia Pictures & Magnet Releasing.

The Fight is an inspiring, emotional insider look at how these important battles are fought and the legal gladiators on the front lines fighting them. Directors Elyse Steinberg, Josh Kriegman, and Eli Despres capture the rollercoaster ride of the thrill and defeat in these deeply human battles. When a mother is separated from her child, a soldier is threatened to lose his career, a young woman’s right to choose is imperiled at the pleasure of a government official, and the ability to exercise our basic right to vote is threatened, the consequences can be devastating to us and to future generations. The Fight celebrates the unsung heroes who fiercely work to protect our freedoms.

While I've mentioned the ACLU in passing before and even reported on the organization being nominated for Creative Arts Emmy Awards two years ago, I've never made the ACLU the main subject of one of my posts until now. Time to make up for that omission.

Kerry Washington, the star of "Scandal," is one of the film's producers. She has been busy giving interviews promoting the documentary, including the one that got my attention, Kerry Washington on the ACLU | Real Time with Bill Maher (HBO).

Emmy-nominated actor and producer Kerry Washington joins Bill to discuss her work on the ACLU documentary, "The Fight."

Washington's star power should serve the film well when it comes time for awards such as the Critics' Choice Documentary Awards and Academy Awards. It's already won two, a U.S. Documentary Special Jury Award for Social Impact Filmmaking at the Sundance Festival and Best Documentary at the Miami Film Festival. May those be good omens for the film's award prospects.

Speaking of awards, Good Morning America interviewed Washington in Kerry Washington talks Emmy noms and a ‘Scandal’ reunion – in her PJs. "The Fight" got third billing to the two entertainment events in the title.

Catching up with Washington, who was nominated for four Emmys this year, including one for her role in “Little Fires Everywhere.”

Looks like I'll be busy with the Emmy Awards for the next two months. Stay tuned.

Democratic Vice-Presidential contenders from left to center according to Voteview

Chris Cilizza of CNN quoted Joe Biden on Thursday about the timing of his selection of a running mate.

We're almost there.

"I'm going to have a choice in the first week in August," former Vice President Joe Biden said Tuesday of his vice presidential pick "and I promise I'll let you know when I do."

Which, wow!

Cilizza ranks his top ten choices by likelihood of being picked, six of whom, Kamala Harris, Karen Bass, Tammy Duckworth, Elizabeth Warren, Val Demings, and Tammy Baldwin, are currently serving in Congress and have Voteview scores. McClatchy and Politico also have these same six Senators and Representatives on their lists of probable running mates, so I'm doing for the Democratic Vice Presidential contenders what I did more than a year ago in Democratic presidential candidates from left to center from Voteview, rank them from left to center.* Again, "the scores of liberals are all negative and the more liberal they are, the more negative the scores, so the most liberal candidate will have the lowest or most negative score. That's not an aspersion on liberals; it just makes the people on the left graph [to] the left on a number line or two-dimensional graph."

Since the two most liberal likely picks are former presidential candidates, I'm going to unretire their infographics at least until the announcement. I'm an environmentalist; I recycle. I begin with Elizabeth Warren.

The most liberal candidate according to Voteview is still Elizabeth Warren. Since I began following the Democratic candidates in April, she has moved steadily leftward. Then, her score was -0.762. At the end of May, her score was -0.767, making her the most liberal member of the 116th Senate in addition to the most liberal candidate. Warren's score is now -0.774, making her the most liberal member of both houses of Congress.

I wrote a brief update in An update on Democratic candidates' Voteview scores before Congress returns from August recess, saying "Elizabeth Warren was -0.774 in July and is now -0.769, moving slightly to the center/right, but is still the most liberal member of Congress." As I wrote above, Warren ended her run with a Voteview score of -0.767, the most liberal member of Congress.

Warren's score has returned to -0.769, still the most liberal score of any member of either house of Congress. While I like Warren, I don't think she's the best choice, mostly because Massachusetts has a Republican governor who would likely appoint a Republican to fill her seat should she ascend to the Vice Presidency. Democrats need every seat they can get and keep in the Senate for a majority.

Next, Kamala Harris.

Kamala Harris has not had a steady a journey to the left as Warren. She began in April with a score of -0.702. She had moved slightly to the center by end of May with an ideology score of -0.696. Harris now has moved to the left of where she was last month with an ideology score of -0.710, making her more liberal than 97% of Democrats in the 116th Senate and the second most liberal Senator as well. All this time, she has been the second most liberal candidate according to Voteview.

I updated Harris's ideological location in An update on Democratic candidates' Voteview scores before Congress returns from August recess.

Kamala Harris was -0.710 in July and is now -0.713 and is still the second most liberal member of the current Senate, so she is continuing her leftward drift according to Voteview, which contrasts with her drift to the center according to On The Issues.

Harris left the race with an ideology score of -0.714, so she continued her drift to the left right up to the end, although she is still the second most liberal Senator behind Elizabeth Warren with a score of -0.769, which is unchanged since August.

Since leaving the contest last December, Harris has drifted slightly to the center with a score of -0.709, still good enough to remain the second most liberal Senator, although not the second most liberal member of Congress. That honor belongs to Representative Sylvia Garcia, who has an ideological score of -0.729.

By the way, Cilizza has Harris as his first choice as do McClatchy, Politico, and FiveThirtyEight, which uploaded Confidence Interval: Will Biden Choose Kamala Harris As His VP?

Welcome to another episode of Confidence Interval, where we make a persuasive case for a hot take … and then reveal how confident we really feel about the idea. This time, elections analyst Nathaniel Rakich argues that Joe Biden will pick Sen. Kamala Harris as his running mate.

Nathaniel Rakich is willing to be $20.00 on Harris and so are a lot of other people. I'm not one of them, but that's because I'm generally not a gambler and I like someone else just a bit more. Follow over the jump to find out who that is along with the scores for the rest of the women in Congress who experts think could be picked.