Thinking about our relatively short history as a nation, one can easily focus on those transformative moments of great danger and division when it seemed that the one person (sometimes maybe the only one) who had the ability to bring us through was suddenly there on the stage.
The Virginia planter who’d dreamed of a martial sword, was turned down by the British Army he wished so much to be a part of, and then went on to face that army down with a courage and perseverance that made him a hero, then to go on to further enhance that heroism when he returned that sword to Congress and still went on to bring us through our raucous and uncertain infancy with a steady hand and an example we still revere.
The backwoods lawyer and homespun president, at first disdained as a hick by members of his own cabinet whose courage, political expertise, and extraordinary understanding of who we were meant to be brought us as whole as he could through our terrible adolescence, and gave us, in just over two minutes as an afterthought speaker, a goal for the ages.
The aristocratic cripple who through imaginative and daring policies brought us out of the worst financial disaster in our history, and then led us through the worst catastrophe the world had ever known as the arsenal of the armies that beat that darkness back.
We now face another crisis, this one of our own making, and perhaps one inevitable in any democracy. One man has already taken that stage and begun to bring us out of it. Now, unable to continue, he has handed that responsibility off to another, and we come to the second part of that transformative moment. Facing a dark malevolence whose mastery of illusion has seduced half a nation, a woman has stepped onto the stage, accepting the awesome responsibility of being the second half of that transformation. We hold our breath and move to stand behind her, hoping that she can now take on that crucial role played by those other Americans who, when the moment came, met and won it. You will have to bear much, Ms Harris. The forces arrayed against us are dark, deep, and desperate. Our job as those who understand and love the country we were meant to be is to stand behind you. Game on!
Doc, great poem, up to the end. My prefered message for the campaign is Democratic Diversity versus Republican Repression (or Regression, if you prefer). Emphasizing the overall Diversity rings many more positive bells than highlighting just one specific one. Say Rainbow if you want. Or let us together sing.
I have only seen a part of it but the meeting of the campaign staff with Joe (via phone) and Kamala in person was so moving. In her words, her demeanor, and my lord her glistening eyes the love and empathy she had toward Joe literally emanated from every fiber of her being. I'm welling just writing this!
I was gonna write a comment, but you blew me away and I have nothing more enlightening to add. Other than, perhaps you should offer up your skills as a speech writer for Kamala!
Never underestimate the power of women in this coming election. We’ve had it! Along with there being more women who are sick to death of the patriarchy there are people of color and our numbers are growing. The energy in this country shifted dramatically in moments after Kamala became the nominee. Whatever doubts we were suffering with for the last 3 1/2 years were washed away. We have a woman to fight for our rights with us and we will never go back. The 1950’s are over.
I told my 3 adult daughters days before Biden stepped down that women at the ballot box will save our democracy. Women will vote for our children’s future.
The power of women prevented abortion bans in at least several red states. That's why afterwards, other red states didn't put it up for a vote, instead legislating it to bypass the will of the voters.
"Legislating to bypass the will of the voters?" Elected representatives represent the voters. Unlike with federal judges, if you don't like what they are doing, you vote them out of office. Most states don't have referenda that allow voters to enact laws without going through their representatives.
True enough, but often a state-wide vote will have different results than a statute pushed through a legislature dominated by one party. Who the legislators are can often be the result of gerrymandering districts, which doesn’t affect a state-wide vote. In my state, for example, we have a GOP dominated legislature, but also had a two term Democrat Governor. I could easily see our legislature passing a highly restrictive abortion statute that, were it to be put up to an electoral vote, would be voted down by the citizens at large. Gerrymandering has warped representative democracy beyond recognition.
Direct democracy, in this case the use of a referendum to pass laws, is not something common in most states. It's an exception. In most states, laws have to be passed by the legislature...there is no option to bypass them. I would point out too, that virtually all industrialized countries have passed abortion laws through their legislatures, mostly choosing a 15 week cut off. Right now the pro choice people are kicking their opponents butts in most states. Kudos to them. That's how democracy is supposed to work. I'm confident that we will reach an eventual consensus on the issue if we allow democracy to play itself out.
Yes, and those young people who have been too bored to vote. They will come out for Kamala! This is exciting. She is exciting. And look at the target she has to hit. Beating a monster! Who has a third grader's grasp of the English language and cannot stop praising himself. So, there you go, third grader all the way! A lot of crazy people like him. But their numbers are shrinking as he self implodes. I am not saying it will be easy. But with positive dedication, fire and energy. She will win. UNLESS voting is blocked. Voters are intimidated and forced from the polling places. THIS WE CANNOT ALLOW!
We do! Absolutely!! Listen I love President Biden. I think he has had the most successful presidency in history. But he has been at this for far too many decades. All that experience is why he has been so great. But all those years means it was time to step aside. That was selfless and magnificent! Now he endorses a young, energetic woman with her own set of successes over her political life. She is more than two decades younger than Joe, with all the fire and energy that those younger years can give her. And with all the backlash against women over the last eight years. It is coming home to roost! Women will come out in droves to vote. As will men who love women.
I think Diet Mountain Dew, or DMD, is a wonderful nickname for Vance. It's not mean or profane like FJB or Let's Go Brandon but really captures the spirit of the man. He's like Appalachia but healthier, with just a splash of Yale.
Not just that, but he is angry that he didn't have what he perceived others at Yale had. A fish out of water angry that comes from knowing he has brain power like them but is missing some of the polish that he believes makes them look down on him.
I think you may have put your finger on what made him angry -- and it is of course based in the fact that he is very very bright but wasn't born to wealth. He needs to get over himself. And he will never be able to explain his 180 degree flip flop (I do wonder how his wife remains with him).
I remember that part — the formal meal where he knew nothing about the utensil placement and had no clue. So much anger neglecting the fact that most kids at any Ivy wouldn’t have known what to do either.
The HB branch of his family was his entire family. He had absolutely no role models in his family to follow to get where he is today. I don’t like him, but he actually is a self-made man.
There is no such thing. Sorry. He would not have made it out of Ohio without his grandparents, for instance. Flawed as they were, his family if not his community helped propel him to success.
Half of my family is from rural West Virginia, and he would stick out like a sore thumb there. I see little to nothing in him that makes him appear to be anything more than a disingenuous opportunist, playing the card when it helps him attain something but gladly distancing himself from it when it does not.
My parents were from Nebraska but moved to California. I was born and raised in Los Angeles, but we occasionally visited their relatives in Nebraska. By Vance’s lights, that makes me a Nebraskan.
I hate being fair to JD of all people, but we don't draw such distinctions on various hyphenated Americans. If a person is born of Greek parents who move to America and lived around other Greeks and occasionally visited family in Greece, we wouldn't think it odd that they'd identify strongly with Greek heritage.
I grew up in a neighborhood that was mixed, Italian, Irish, Polish, German, Greek, etc. Many Families were the generation that immigrated, 1st, 2nd, & 3rd generation in the same household. So yeah, I can understand your point exactly. Me, being of Italian and Irish decent, when the Irish guys and the Italian guys got into a fight, I'd go easy on myself! One of the best parts of growing up there, was that there was always an open invitation to stay for dinner. Got to enjoy authentic Polish, German, Italian, Greek, and Irish food. What a wonderful place to grow up. Sadly with gentrification, that neighborhood no longer exists.
It isn't that far, and how far is Chinatown in any American city from China?
There was quite a migration from Appalachia north years and years ago. The guy's roots are in the hoots and hollars, and so what? Now if he wants to exploit that and profit from it, it is up to the others who identify that way to decide how they feel about it, but I'm in no position to say that he isn't a hillbilly.
What I can definitively say is that he seems to be a rank opportunist willing to say one thing one day and the opposite the next to serve his ambition. However, I won't hold that against all hillbillies.
Vance is in no way from or like Appalachia; he spent his book spitting on them; he is just another selfish elitist frat boy from silicon valley -- an empty suit.
I'm sorry, but "unpopular presidency"? Extremely challenging events occurred, and there was a good deal of disagreement over how he handled certain components of some of them, but I would not go so far to call his tenure an "unpopular presidency". That's borrowing a page straight out of the FoxNews playbook.
Whether Biden *deserves* to be unpopular is a matter for debate. Around here, we think he's done pretty well! But that he is unpopular is just a bare fact. His approval ratings have been consistently upside down since 2021.
Joe Biden has been the most unfairly treated POTUS in my lifetime. He quite literally inherited one of the worst situations of any modern day President and he just doesn't get any credit or acknowledgment of this.
My wife and I were both history majors at UCLA. I have spent my life from the time I learned to read avidly devouring books about history, historical novels, biography, historiography. The history illiteracy of our country is appalling, horrific, growing, a danger to our country and form of government, and exactly what the morbidly rich want. Because human history is an enormous cautionary tale. One filled with tragedy, malevolence and error, with few bright spots but innumerable lessons. Candidly, our legislators also have a rather poor grasp even of our own history, on both sides to be fair.
That is why I was so heartened to read of the recent $25 million gift by the Luskins, major UCLA donors, to its history department, one of the jewels of our university but one facing the same attack’s demoralizing humanities and social sciences departments everywhere. The study of history is not a luxury. It is essential to avoid a shallow, uninformed, unreflective and uncritical mind. It should regain the place in K-12 education it once held, not suffer from propaganda attacks by the left but especially from the fascists we now face. I can no longer call them the right, because they are not right about pretty much anything.
Time for all of us to make history with our first woman President, appropriately the child of immigrants, as many of our early Presidents were, and multiracial, as only one (maybe two if you include Calvin Coolidge’s claimed Native American partial ancestry) of our previous Presidents has been.
To borrow from a former President I intensely opposed, I feel for the first time in this election cycle that it may really be morning in America.
Those who do not learn from history are doomed to repeat it. It is shocking how little Americans know of the outside world. Europeans know a lot more about us than we of them
If I could live my life over, I'd have been a college history professor, teaching classes about how dictators were allowed to thrive in Germany and other places. (I have a joint history-pol.sci degree.) The best teacher I ever had, college or HS, was Mr. Paden, my history teacher back in 1967-68. He finally retired only a few years ago. He was one in a million.
He didn't inherit "one of the worst situtations," he inherited the absolutely worst situation ever, thanks to Trump's coup and his election lies which half the country still believes, coupled with his dropping the ball on Covid.
Possibly FDR could have an argument, but I don't disagree with you....especially given the coup attempt and lack of a good transition.
How the F did Trump get away with a piece of shix transition from simply a "good for the country and national defense" point of view? Sorry for the salty language but it's a real bone of contention with me...obviously.
Well, when you have dumbed down public education for 40 years and convinced every public tv to tune to Fox, what do you expect! It is the media/social media that has refused to give Biden credit -- along with the fact that Dems are notoriously bad at tooting their own horn when needed... luckily the new crop of Dems can do that.
Yes, my first reaction to the "unpopular presidency" was the same as Cynthia's. "WTF?" But then I realized your point about the polls giving data that showed the weakness in the approval ratings.
By the way, I thought both letters today were a superb follow up to the understandable overflow of excitement of yesterday. A little more subdued, but still strong on the "reasoned optimism" front.
And Bill's choice of the Yogi Berra quotation is right on point. I'll add my second favorite Yogi-ism for further elucidating logic: "When you come to a fork in the road, take it."
I completely get what you are saying, but until we next see a President maintain a favorable approval rating outside of honeymoons and one-offs, I'm suspicious that something fundamental has changed in the way Americans are viewing Presidents.
Absolutely! The disinformation industry doesn’t go away with Biden’s withdrawal. It will continue to eat away at the social fabric for profit and poison the minds of tens of millions of Americans until we address the fundamental reality that the First Amendment has been successfully weaponized.
Joe Biden is the only president in history who was unfairly subjected to an unbelievably toxic lie that he somehow "stole" the office from the incumbent -- spread first and foremost by the former incumbent himself and embraced as gospel truth by an entire political party (minus a few dissenters who were quickly pushed out) and his tens of millions of followers. This toxic lie, instead of fading into ignominy like it deserves, only continued to spread and metastasize since then, thanks to the constant malfeasance of the former president and his cult. When so many believed Biden wasn't even the legitimate president, is it any wonder that his approval ratings were always low? No president, no matter how amazing, was going to have good approval ratings in the face of such a pervasive and toxic lie directly aimed at delegitimizing his presidency. This is what Biden constantly had to endure.
I am no longer worried. As much as I wanted Biden to win, the input from all the political pros, as well as my own evaluation of Biden's campaign performance had me very concerned about the outcome. But I believe strongly that Harris, along with the Democratic Party, will do very well this year. Trump supporters are so concerned that they are planning lawsuits to force Biden to stay on the ballot despite the fact that he was not yet actually nominated by the at the convention. And for those who are concerned about Kamala's ability to legislate, that ought not to be a concern. In the few hours since she became the nominee, she has demonstrated an ability to campaign. That's the key.
Kamala was and is not my preferred candidate. Nothing against her but under such high stakes, I want someone who can lock up a blue wall or sunbelt state. What she has impressed me however is the discipline she showed the last three weeks: continue to prosecute the GOP while not appearing to dethrone the king. With almost a locked up nomination, I will support and fight for her with the upmost enthusiasm.
This has been hashed over repeatedly here and elsewhere, but under the circumstances Harris is really the only off-ramp for a Biden exit. The chance to have any other candidate passed after the primary process.
I have similar feelings on her candidacy but I didn't expect many competitors given the Sprint nature of this race. I wanted a Fighting Chance and she gives the pro-democracy side of Fighting Chance so I am satisfied.
Your comment about R lawsuits prompted a search for me. For those who want to know more, I found this: "Could Republicans sue to keep Biden on the ballot? Speaker Mike Johnson’s threat to challenge Vice President Harris’s nomination in court should be frivolous. But who knows with this Supreme Court?" by Ian Millhiser at Vox (https://www.vox.com/scotus/362186/supreme-court-biden-ballot-harris-lawsuits).
As I understand it, anyone can sue. If the lawsuit is found to be frivolous, it ought to be dismissed. Although I am concerned about what SCOTUS might do if an appeal is made, I think even, and maybe especially, the conservative majority would decide they do not want to take up the case this close to an election.
Yes, that is the precedent - not taking cases that would affect an election this close to it. But they have smashed so many precedents already. I don't trust them at all.
I'm thrilled with this choice, the one choice primary voters had already voted for. I haven't seen this kind of excitement on the Democratic side since 2008.
And excitement is what gets folks to the polls, as well as keeping a psychopath from turning us into a fascist nation. Amazingly, it seems like a blue wave of energy and concerted effort by the people to get Kamala elected and save our democracy. Patriotism on display!
Re: "And as the American Enterprise Institute’s Stan Veuger points out, “shaped but not burdened by” shouldn’t be too complex a notion for some to grasp."
Well, okay, but there ARE sophisticated people out there who can't grasp this. Bakari Sellers was talking to Tim the other day and posited that Joe Biden would never step aside for Harris because "never in the history of history," to paraphrase, "had a White man given up anything of value to a Black woman."
He is both shaped by and burdened by his worldview. It's all nonsense, of course, but when you're swimming in nonsense and have been for your whole adult life, you can't see it. What happens to the Sellers now? Now that what he believes has never happened in the history of history has happened right in front of his face? I don't know. I hope it wakes him and others like him up because, if he can chuck the nonsense, we can have a great future. If he can't, we won't.
(And, as an aside, the whole premise of his view is wrong. In the corporate world, White men turn over responsibility for very important projects, positions and companies to Black women all the time and no one says anything about it. Same thing in academia. And the media. So where he gets his information -- never in the history of history -- baffles me. It might not happen enough for his tastes, but it is untrue that it has never happened.)
The last time it happened in American politics, please.
It’s not nonsense. One of the reasons Sellers may be imprisoned by his past experiences is that white men don’t give up political power — GIVE UP, not lose elections — to Black women. To a lot of people, what Joe Biden did on Sunday was extraordinary. It shouldn’t be, as you imply. But it is, and that’s one reason people are so energized. Change seems possible.
Well, okay, but White men don't give up power to other White men, either. Did George H.W. Bush say, "Y'know, I like the cut of that Bill Clinton's jib. Why don't we just call it a day and save a bunch of time and money? Bill, give my Chief of Staff a call. I'll show you around. We can have this all wrapped up by next week."
No, a President resigning is unusual. But that’s not how you characterized your paraphrase of Sellers. You are arguing that what men give up all kinds of power to Black women all the time, and while it’s surely more common than it used to be, a white American President dropping out of a race confident his VP, a Black woman, could win it, is unusual. In this country, with our history, as one party has worked awfully hard over the last decade to remove political power from Black people via gerrymandering, yes, it’s unusual.
Never said it was "usual." It isn't, of course. But what Bakari Sellers said, "never in the history of history," is wrong, unless you narrow it down to Presidential politics. If THAT'S the dataset, then, he's right. There is no case in American history where a sitting American President has given up the office to a Black woman. But I don't think that's what Sellers meant.
I’m pretty sure he did mean politics specifically. Though I don’t think there are *all* that many examples in business or academia either - especially when the person who was being handed the power wasn’t especially popular and had many vulnerabilities. If you want to provide specific examples, I’d love to hear them.
I think there’s a very good reason it took Biden so long to give up power. There might have been an element of ego to be sure (though from the way some pundits, politicians and donors were treating him, I think some of the indignation was deserved). However, I think the biggest hurdle keeping him from stepping aside was uncertainty that Harris would perform all that much better than him. I don’t think that’s because he’s racist or misogynistic but because he knows that a decent percentage of the electorate is.
That Biden still chose to publicly express his support for Harris, despite these lingering concerns and calls for a more “democratic process” via an open convention by many people in the pundit/donor/political establishment class, speaks volumes about his character, judgment and commitment to doing the right thing even when it’s difficult or unpopular.
Sellars was not wrong. He was just underestimating Biden like everyone has always done his entire life.
Sellers wasn't just talking about Joe Biden. "Never in the history of history" covers a lot of ground. I find this argument objectionable because it's cynical and dismissive of a lot of things that have happened "in the history of history."
I listened to these same arguments back when Barack Obama started his first run. No way White people would ever nominate a Black man for President! No way White people would ever vote for a Black man for President! No way Iowa voters -- because they're so White -- would ever choose a Black man to win the Iowa Caucuses! And on and on and on and on. It was all nonsense. All of those things happened and we don't have to go back to the Seleucid Empire to find that example.
Those arguments -- and Sellers' -- were predicated on the belief that America -- specifically White America -- was so racist that they would never do these things that they actually did. It rejected the notion that Americans -- writ large -- could evaluate a slate of candidates and choose the best one, regardless of that person's skin color. John McCain was a great man, a patriot, a hero, a qualified candidate. Barack Obama wasn't campaigning against some no-name dope, some Average White Man who, because of all his inherent privilege, just got what he wanted without working for it. And Barack Obama, because he worked hard, campaigned well, put together a great team and had a compelling message, beat him soundly, fair and square. There were no riots. John McCain didn't refuse to accept the results of the election. He conceded. Graciously. And he wished Obama well.
The whole notion that power is "given" to anyone strikes me as nonsensical too. Power is gained. It's earned. Sometimes it's seized. We've only had one President resign -- give up power -- and that was because he was going to be impeached and convicted in the Senate. He didn't want to do it. He was compelled to do it.
I suppose I've already written too many words about a nonsensical argument made by a guy on a podcast, but it really did strike me as the kind of argument that begged for some kind of response.
Joe Biden, after decades in politics, consented to be the vice president to a younger black man who hadn't even finished a full senate term. He agreed to be a subordinate, with a quiet (and limited), secondary role, under a black man holding the most powerful office in the land and commanding enthusiastic popular support.
Perhaps Biden expected that being VP to Obama would help him gain the presidency -- but it would be with the understanding that a black man helped him get to that position.
Many other white men took even quieter roles in assisting the presidency of a black man, with no plans of seeking great power themselves.
To be precise, Biden didn't give political power - the presidency - to Kamala. He gave her the opportunity to be selected by the party delegates as the nominee. It's up to the voters to give her that power.
Biden chose Harris as his VP knowing that being VP can be a stepping stone to the presidency - which means having power over every white man (and woman) in the land. And if she is president, she will have vastly more power than her white husband -- who appears to welcome that prospect.
And yes, Obama is a black man, not a black woman -- but if "woman" is the crucial aspect in the argument, why not just say that men never give away political power to women?
The whole Obama phenomenon included a lot of white men willing and eager to give a black man more power than they aspired to have themselves.
LBJ. You could even argue Nixon. Both were essentially the same circumstances as Biden; they were going to lose their power one way or the other, either by being elected out of office or impeached, respectively, so they just bailed.
Harry Truman too. He lost a primary to Estes Kefauver, who went on to win 12 of 13 primaries in 1952 but didn't get the nomination, mainly because in Congress he lead investigations of organized crime.
Fair enough. I would contend that it's not quite right to say Biden gave up his pawer to a black woman in any case (that's what a resignation would look like), but it's a great gesture on his part to endorse her as he withdraws. The dynamics have changed significantly since that endorsement in ways Biden couldn't have predicted when he made it, but certainly his endorsement played a role in shaping those dynamics.
I don’t think people quite realize that since Sunday the backbone of the Black and Asian/Indian middle classes in this country have pulled out their checkbooks and signed up for Harris. That could look very different from 2020 and even 2008.
My social media is full of Divine Nine members taking about their energetic support for Harris; the whacking great numbers of dollars raised in the last 48 hours; the Divine Nine are the four natl Black sororities and the five natl Black fraternities. I live in the Maryland suburbs of Washington DC. If you live here long enough, you absorb how much the Divine Nine have contributed to the growth and success of the Black middle class; and they are all in for Harris. If you live or work anywhere around South Asians, you notice how well-to-do much of the community are, and how excited the Aunties are about Kamala. That is how I know this.
I agree. Sellers has lost all credibility with me. As of just a day ago, after Biden had withdrawn, he was still attacking people who had called on Biden to step down. Before Biden stepped down, he said it would NEVER happen. Wrong and wrong.
Totally agree. I expected him to argue his position on the merits. Lazy and reductive is well put. That's why I was not persuaded by what he said on Tim's pod.
I spotted Sellers being namedropped in a Politico article today as a "close Harris ally" with knowledge of her campaign strategy (to get out there fast and big). I mean, maybe the writer was full of shit citing him like that, but given that Sellers' messaging arc during the Uncertain Times wasn't far from hers (though details like Biden giving up power to a Black woman were), seems he's doing okay
I listened to Tim's pod with Sellers and I was unpersuaded by pretty much anything he said, which is surprising because he's a lawyer who's been trained to make an argument which requires reasons and facts to support your claim. He's more a politician who spins to his political advantage, which is what he was doing with his prediction that a white man would never give up anything of value to a Black woman. As you've shown, it happens.
He was the first I saw - on CNN - to speak about Biden stepping down. He didn't really acknowledge what he believed has never happened in the history of history has happened. Pols never do. This morning, CNN reported on a conversation (via Zoom, I guess) with thousands of Black men about supporting Harris led by Sellers. So he's Riden with Harris, just as you would expect a politician to do.
Van Jones was also on the call. I find him to be much better at articulating the Black perspective.
Don't lead the pack of corporate owned news outlets in negativity. We've been thrown a lifeline - hang on to it and promote the enthusiasm felt by the outsiders instead of the woe is me BS of the insiders. Hand ringing is not useful or needed
Methinks there is an insider bias in the upper echelons of political pundits, and they totally miss the average non-politically obsessed American voter. Glad Bill Kristoll acknowledged that, at least.
Nobody has any legitimate expertise in this kind of presidential campaign because it's never been seen before. Listening to actual voters is just as legit as any campaign pundit.
The one thing I am curious to see is if Kamala closes the gap between the presidency and down ballot races, especially Senate races.
Exactly! Now I wish I hadn't read this newsletter (I'm avoiding MSM since learning that enough delegates have pledged), as I'm determined to focus on the positive. I've been told that denial is not in my repertoire, so it's not that. And it's absolutely not thinking by any stretch that we have this sown up. I'm just exhausted, and decided recently that the strategy you describe is the most productive. The more of us who focus on all the good this latest development could mean for our country, the more powerful our efforts will be.
The support for Harris is rocket fueled, but focused. This comes as NO surprise to those of us who have working in the trenches to give the Democrats hope. Until Sunday, the groups I have been working with were plodding on with dedicated volunteers we knew enough to keep fighting because their cause was just. They were very aware of the high hill they had to climb, even though truth and justice were on their side.
Sunday’s announcement let the genie out of the bottle. We were granted the one wish we all wanted. The speech Kamala gave yesterday was almost perfect. She is the future. She is for equality, freedom, and everyone working together. She is the next generation. She is expects the country to be healthy, safe, harmonious, and prosperous. America should lead the free world through the 21st century.
Her opponent is old and deteriorating. He is running to avenge his grievances, subjugate women, round up millions of immigrants, and quash dissent. Now it’s Trump who has to disprove the notion that he is a tottering old fool. He will have a lot of difficulty doing that.
The women, college kids, unions, LBGTQ folks, moderate Democrats, former Republicans, the left wing of the Democratic Party, and responsible lawyers, doctors, physical therapists, and beauty parlor operators are all flocking to Harris.
Trump’s highest ceiling came during the first half hour of his convention speech. It’s been downhill for him since then. He has a lot of difficulty responding when strongly confronted with the truth.
We have to keep the pressure building ; message, money, and momentum. The future could be an America that will be a great place to live and raise children. Let’s get it done!
We've been getting punched in the face for over a year, playing weak defense. I think Joe's mostly done a good to excellent job overall, but the age question was the defining issue.
All that energy has been building, and now we're out and moving and hitting and they still haven't even found an angle to hit Kamala on that can actually play outside the base.
I'm sure that'll change and the campaign will become the usual slugging match, but right now we're going forward and it's so goddamn nice to be on the attack.
"America should lead the free world through the 21st century."
I know in campaigns that foreign policy only goes so far, but this right here is the counter-point to Trump's isolationist calls. America can't lead if it turns its back on the world. And tell everyone, "We did that once before with Isolationism and America First. Then the world came knocking on Dec 7, 1941. Turning our backs on on friends and fellow democracies is not an option."
I have no idea what will happen the next 100 plus days. All I know are: Joe Biden gave us a big gift, Kamala performed above my expectations the last three weeks, Dems are fired up. She is still the underdog but we now have a shot.
JD Vance gave me Jeb’s please clap vibe but without Jeb’s decency. He is weird and high on his own supplies. Let’s hope Dems put up a good veep who can neutralize his lies and fake piety.
"I drank a Diet Mountain Dew, I'll bet they call that racist."
God, it must be so easy to be a speechwriter for the GOP. Just pull out your cards and fill in the blanks.
"I'll bet THEY call ______ racist."
"THEY don't want you to _________"
"THEY want to take away your _________"
If they think Americans who drink Diet Mountain Dew are getting anything but a caffeine buzz, well, there's a quote about people who believe absurdities. But more to the point, normal people can easily identify and label people who think like this as "way too much online, bud, you gotta stop using social media."
Does it work for the suburban, educated Rs and Independents in MI, WI & PA? That's who will decide the election. We don't know yet, but I suspect it does not.
I don't think it does. I think that Trump and his campaign are in a tailspin with the switch to Kamala. SHE can totally get that crowd which is very exciting.
I'm excited by the excitement around Kamala Harris. And I'm even 3x more excited that the Dems seem to be pulling this off (knock wood!) without blowing themselves up. And I'm encouraged by how the Rs seem to be panicking.
You don't have to whiplash between hope and fear; any sensible person would have both, most of the time. But for a fearful situation, this is a xit ton of hope.
This already seems like quite an accomplishment regardless of what comes next. These sorts of things are what you build on.
Dems need to do it with discipline. I truly think the short campaign helps Kamala. She was trying to be all things for all people in 2019. Now she just needs to prosecute the hell out of Trump’s crimes and promise a few sensible things the center of the electorate wants.
The #1 thing she wasn't doing was being the law and order Dem as she was known. That was then, this is now. This is a very different political moment. I fully expect her to prosecute Trump (her speech yesterday did just that) and appeal to what the swing voters in MI, WI and PA want, since they will decide the election.
Excellent point about the Dems pulling this off without blowing themselves up. So far, so good. The biggest concern about Biden stepping down was that the Dems would, as you put it quite well, blow themselves up. Certainly the party leaders were concerned about this.
I suspect their endorsing her quickly was based on preventing a party meltdown with an open convention.
There was also concern that if there wasn't a competitive race, Kamala would be seen as not legitimate. Her first statement out of the gate was that she would earn the nomination. So she recognizes that concern. I take her at her word, that she will earn the nomination.
As to the whiplash between hope and fear, I'm surprised Bill didn't quote F. Scott Fitzgerald: “The test of a first-rate intelligence is the ability to hold two opposing ideas in mind at the same time and still retain the ability to function.” Bill said he was worried and also encouraged. To ignore the worrisome things and focus only on the positive is not what you do in a political campaign. To do so would be political malpractice.
I had some fellow Democratic friend over for pizza and wine last night. The difference in level of excitement and enthusiasm between now and post debate Biden was off the charts. You need to get out more.
Since the Vance veep pick was one born out of overconfidence and hubris more than any strategic calculation, I wonder how big a factor it was that he has a one syllable name ending in -nce. Maybe Trump just liked the sound of Trump/Pence so much that he went with the similar sounding Trump/Vance. They only have to change 2 letters on all the 2016/2020 gear and propaganda. Trump is a simple man. Perhaps his thinking was as simple as that.
My Harris vibes are pretty high. I think a lot of the negative perception of her isn't really her fault, and ever since June 27, she has been pitch perfect. Loyally defending Biden in interviews without expressing even a hint of ambition, somehow managing an impossible task without just gaslighting everyone in the process. Declaring her intent to earn the nomination once Biden was out. And now acting like the nominee and leading.
The person we have seen since June 27 is not the person I thought she was; I couldn't even watch her post-debate interviews that night out of fear of how badly they might go, and just the unfairness of her being put in that position. But she aced them. From what I'm seeing out of her, I have little doubt that she was badly mishandled by the administration and intentionally held back. She's got this.
From what I've heard the Vance selection was pushed hard by DJT Jr. That may well have been the kiss of death. Has he ever been known for exercising good judgment?
Kamala started her presidential case by campaigning as a prosecutor. The blowback she got from her attack on Biden convinced her to take a kinder gentler approach 'for party unity'. That's not her strength as a campaigner. No such problem exists now. She can unleash the prosecutor all over Trump.
I believe the years as VP have honed her political skills on a national and international level. She's the VP of a very successful administration. So she's got that going for her, which is nice!
She has been pitch perfect. Contrast that with HRC who had a tin ear with her remarks about deplorables and putting coal miners out of a job. Her campaign was staffed based on loyalty, not competence. Harris' staff, so far, are showing their competence.
Thinking about our relatively short history as a nation, one can easily focus on those transformative moments of great danger and division when it seemed that the one person (sometimes maybe the only one) who had the ability to bring us through was suddenly there on the stage.
The Virginia planter who’d dreamed of a martial sword, was turned down by the British Army he wished so much to be a part of, and then went on to face that army down with a courage and perseverance that made him a hero, then to go on to further enhance that heroism when he returned that sword to Congress and still went on to bring us through our raucous and uncertain infancy with a steady hand and an example we still revere.
The backwoods lawyer and homespun president, at first disdained as a hick by members of his own cabinet whose courage, political expertise, and extraordinary understanding of who we were meant to be brought us as whole as he could through our terrible adolescence, and gave us, in just over two minutes as an afterthought speaker, a goal for the ages.
The aristocratic cripple who through imaginative and daring policies brought us out of the worst financial disaster in our history, and then led us through the worst catastrophe the world had ever known as the arsenal of the armies that beat that darkness back.
We now face another crisis, this one of our own making, and perhaps one inevitable in any democracy. One man has already taken that stage and begun to bring us out of it. Now, unable to continue, he has handed that responsibility off to another, and we come to the second part of that transformative moment. Facing a dark malevolence whose mastery of illusion has seduced half a nation, a woman has stepped onto the stage, accepting the awesome responsibility of being the second half of that transformation. We hold our breath and move to stand behind her, hoping that she can now take on that crucial role played by those other Americans who, when the moment came, met and won it. You will have to bear much, Ms Harris. The forces arrayed against us are dark, deep, and desperate. Our job as those who understand and love the country we were meant to be is to stand behind you. Game on!
I want to stand up and cheer!
Your profound words
of tribute and deep love
and compassion for our leaders
move me to tears
Yes our job is to stand behind you
Kamala Harris through the best
and the worst
of what is to come
Let freedom ring!
Let the black dove sing!
Doc, great poem, up to the end. My prefered message for the campaign is Democratic Diversity versus Republican Repression (or Regression, if you prefer). Emphasizing the overall Diversity rings many more positive bells than highlighting just one specific one. Say Rainbow if you want. Or let us together sing.
you are absolutely right, David
I stand corrected
I was all enthralled quoting the Martina McBride song
that goes "Let freedom ring, let the white dove sing"
when I realized um...changed it to black...
but I should have gone with MLK:
"Let the dove with character sing!"
😉🥂
In my yard, mourning doves are singing.... I always hear them as morning doves!
so do I
all us morning doves 🕊️ 🕊️ 🕊️ 🕊️ 🕊️ 🕊️ 🕊️ 🕊️ 🕊️ 🕊️
are singing now 🎶🎶🎶🎶
because it's morning
in America 🌅🇺🇸
Morning in AMerica.... again.... sigh
I think that gets folded into a future vs. past framework pretty neatly
That is some magnificent writing
I wish I had been able to frame my comment as elegantly as you did! I am with you
! Game on for sure!
Reading this gave me goosebumps! Wow! Thank you for this perspective.
This is glorious James.
I have only seen a part of it but the meeting of the campaign staff with Joe (via phone) and Kamala in person was so moving. In her words, her demeanor, and my lord her glistening eyes the love and empathy she had toward Joe literally emanated from every fiber of her being. I'm welling just writing this!
$100 million in small-amount donations in the first 24 hours of her journey would seem to indicate a very strong start!
Wow. I'm thinking the Harris campaign can use another speechwriter, Mr Quinn. Give it some thought.
agreed!
This is a beautiful piece of writing, sir.
Thank you James
I was gonna write a comment, but you blew me away and I have nothing more enlightening to add. Other than, perhaps you should offer up your skills as a speech writer for Kamala!
Here’s all we need to know:
Kamala: “I know Trump’s type.”
Trump: “She’s not my type.”
VOTE BLUE, for crying out loud!
Never underestimate the power of women in this coming election. We’ve had it! Along with there being more women who are sick to death of the patriarchy there are people of color and our numbers are growing. The energy in this country shifted dramatically in moments after Kamala became the nominee. Whatever doubts we were suffering with for the last 3 1/2 years were washed away. We have a woman to fight for our rights with us and we will never go back. The 1950’s are over.
I told my 3 adult daughters days before Biden stepped down that women at the ballot box will save our democracy. Women will vote for our children’s future.
It is about to be a women's world. And about damn time!
The power of women prevented abortion bans in at least several red states. That's why afterwards, other red states didn't put it up for a vote, instead legislating it to bypass the will of the voters.
Yes, kudos to those women. And great praise for the men who were confident enough in their own masculinity to encourage and applaud women as equals.
"Legislating to bypass the will of the voters?" Elected representatives represent the voters. Unlike with federal judges, if you don't like what they are doing, you vote them out of office. Most states don't have referenda that allow voters to enact laws without going through their representatives.
True enough, but often a state-wide vote will have different results than a statute pushed through a legislature dominated by one party. Who the legislators are can often be the result of gerrymandering districts, which doesn’t affect a state-wide vote. In my state, for example, we have a GOP dominated legislature, but also had a two term Democrat Governor. I could easily see our legislature passing a highly restrictive abortion statute that, were it to be put up to an electoral vote, would be voted down by the citizens at large. Gerrymandering has warped representative democracy beyond recognition.
Direct democracy, in this case the use of a referendum to pass laws, is not something common in most states. It's an exception. In most states, laws have to be passed by the legislature...there is no option to bypass them. I would point out too, that virtually all industrialized countries have passed abortion laws through their legislatures, mostly choosing a 15 week cut off. Right now the pro choice people are kicking their opponents butts in most states. Kudos to them. That's how democracy is supposed to work. I'm confident that we will reach an eventual consensus on the issue if we allow democracy to play itself out.
Yes, and those young people who have been too bored to vote. They will come out for Kamala! This is exciting. She is exciting. And look at the target she has to hit. Beating a monster! Who has a third grader's grasp of the English language and cannot stop praising himself. So, there you go, third grader all the way! A lot of crazy people like him. But their numbers are shrinking as he self implodes. I am not saying it will be easy. But with positive dedication, fire and energy. She will win. UNLESS voting is blocked. Voters are intimidated and forced from the polling places. THIS WE CANNOT ALLOW!
from your lips to Gods ears
Sounds exactly right to me! VOTE VOTE VOTE BLUE.
I think this very well captures why I think we now have a very excellent chance to win, far better than we had a month ago!
We do! Absolutely!! Listen I love President Biden. I think he has had the most successful presidency in history. But he has been at this for far too many decades. All that experience is why he has been so great. But all those years means it was time to step aside. That was selfless and magnificent! Now he endorses a young, energetic woman with her own set of successes over her political life. She is more than two decades younger than Joe, with all the fire and energy that those younger years can give her. And with all the backlash against women over the last eight years. It is coming home to roost! Women will come out in droves to vote. As will men who love women.
Than a week ago!
I agree 1000%. I am so psyched!
Just posted a version of this on my Facebook feed, attributing it to you.
Thanks! Feel free to share with or without attribution.
I think Diet Mountain Dew, or DMD, is a wonderful nickname for Vance. It's not mean or profane like FJB or Let's Go Brandon but really captures the spirit of the man. He's like Appalachia but healthier, with just a splash of Yale.
I’m getting the impression from ppl living in Appalachia that he’s *nothing* like Appalachia.
It looks to me that he spent his childhood being embarrassed by the HB branch of the family.
Then he figured out he could make money off it.
Not just that, but he is angry that he didn't have what he perceived others at Yale had. A fish out of water angry that comes from knowing he has brain power like them but is missing some of the polish that he believes makes them look down on him.
I think you may have put your finger on what made him angry -- and it is of course based in the fact that he is very very bright but wasn't born to wealth. He needs to get over himself. And he will never be able to explain his 180 degree flip flop (I do wonder how his wife remains with him).
I remember that part — the formal meal where he knew nothing about the utensil placement and had no clue. So much anger neglecting the fact that most kids at any Ivy wouldn’t have known what to do either.
The HB branch of his family was his entire family. He had absolutely no role models in his family to follow to get where he is today. I don’t like him, but he actually is a self-made man.
I'd go so far as to say he's a self-made Yale-educated lawyer. What he is today is largely thanks to Peter Thiel.
There is no such thing. Sorry. He would not have made it out of Ohio without his grandparents, for instance. Flawed as they were, his family if not his community helped propel him to success.
As Andy Bashear very eloquently said, JD Vance "ain't from here."
JD Vance is an emotionally-damaged suburbanite.
I grew up in Western PA and had relatives in West Virginia, Vance is not that Appalachian, Like the splash of Yale bit ;)
Half of my family is from rural West Virginia, and he would stick out like a sore thumb there. I see little to nothing in him that makes him appear to be anything more than a disingenuous opportunist, playing the card when it helps him attain something but gladly distancing himself from it when it does not.
And he learned it from Trumpster.
exactly
empty suit
My parents were from Nebraska but moved to California. I was born and raised in Los Angeles, but we occasionally visited their relatives in Nebraska. By Vance’s lights, that makes me a Nebraskan.
I hate being fair to JD of all people, but we don't draw such distinctions on various hyphenated Americans. If a person is born of Greek parents who move to America and lived around other Greeks and occasionally visited family in Greece, we wouldn't think it odd that they'd identify strongly with Greek heritage.
I grew up in a neighborhood that was mixed, Italian, Irish, Polish, German, Greek, etc. Many Families were the generation that immigrated, 1st, 2nd, & 3rd generation in the same household. So yeah, I can understand your point exactly. Me, being of Italian and Irish decent, when the Irish guys and the Italian guys got into a fight, I'd go easy on myself! One of the best parts of growing up there, was that there was always an open invitation to stay for dinner. Got to enjoy authentic Polish, German, Italian, Greek, and Irish food. What a wonderful place to grow up. Sadly with gentrification, that neighborhood no longer exists.
But Vance grew up in Middletown, Ohio, a steel town north of Cincinnati, that is nowhere near Appalachia.
It isn't that far, and how far is Chinatown in any American city from China?
There was quite a migration from Appalachia north years and years ago. The guy's roots are in the hoots and hollars, and so what? Now if he wants to exploit that and profit from it, it is up to the others who identify that way to decide how they feel about it, but I'm in no position to say that he isn't a hillbilly.
What I can definitively say is that he seems to be a rank opportunist willing to say one thing one day and the opposite the next to serve his ambition. However, I won't hold that against all hillbillies.
Hillbillies are a lot of things. Phony isn't one of them. He's a phony. Ashamed of his roots. Sad. Also unattractive.
"Cornhusker Elegy"??
love the 'with just a splash of Yale!'
Or you might say that there is an element of the oxymoronic in *diet" Mountain Dew--and in a Yale educated hillbilly from Ohio.
I despise Vance, but I LOVE diet Mountain Dew!
I'm gonna do you a solid - the faux hillbilly is more like the store-brand knock-offs. Almost there but not quite.
Zero Sugar Holler Sweat.
Maybe Vance does the Dew to get all that caffeine. Anybody listening to him certainly need it to stay awake.
To be honest, I didn't know that any such thing existed until this morning. How is it as a mixer?
Not being very fussy, I think it works with gin for sure
Everything works with gin! :)
Gin is my favorite vodka.
Vance is in no way from or like Appalachia; he spent his book spitting on them; he is just another selfish elitist frat boy from silicon valley -- an empty suit.
Waiting for Seven Mountain Dew.
I'm sorry, but "unpopular presidency"? Extremely challenging events occurred, and there was a good deal of disagreement over how he handled certain components of some of them, but I would not go so far to call his tenure an "unpopular presidency". That's borrowing a page straight out of the FoxNews playbook.
Whether Biden *deserves* to be unpopular is a matter for debate. Around here, we think he's done pretty well! But that he is unpopular is just a bare fact. His approval ratings have been consistently upside down since 2021.
Joe Biden has been the most unfairly treated POTUS in my lifetime. He quite literally inherited one of the worst situations of any modern day President and he just doesn't get any credit or acknowledgment of this.
What a short memory our country has.
That's why we read history books. They tend to get it right.
And that's why they don't really teach history any more.
My wife and I were both history majors at UCLA. I have spent my life from the time I learned to read avidly devouring books about history, historical novels, biography, historiography. The history illiteracy of our country is appalling, horrific, growing, a danger to our country and form of government, and exactly what the morbidly rich want. Because human history is an enormous cautionary tale. One filled with tragedy, malevolence and error, with few bright spots but innumerable lessons. Candidly, our legislators also have a rather poor grasp even of our own history, on both sides to be fair.
That is why I was so heartened to read of the recent $25 million gift by the Luskins, major UCLA donors, to its history department, one of the jewels of our university but one facing the same attack’s demoralizing humanities and social sciences departments everywhere. The study of history is not a luxury. It is essential to avoid a shallow, uninformed, unreflective and uncritical mind. It should regain the place in K-12 education it once held, not suffer from propaganda attacks by the left but especially from the fascists we now face. I can no longer call them the right, because they are not right about pretty much anything.
Time for all of us to make history with our first woman President, appropriately the child of immigrants, as many of our early Presidents were, and multiracial, as only one (maybe two if you include Calvin Coolidge’s claimed Native American partial ancestry) of our previous Presidents has been.
To borrow from a former President I intensely opposed, I feel for the first time in this election cycle that it may really be morning in America.
Those who do not learn from history are doomed to repeat it. It is shocking how little Americans know of the outside world. Europeans know a lot more about us than we of them
If I could live my life over, I'd have been a college history professor, teaching classes about how dictators were allowed to thrive in Germany and other places. (I have a joint history-pol.sci degree.) The best teacher I ever had, college or HS, was Mr. Paden, my history teacher back in 1967-68. He finally retired only a few years ago. He was one in a million.
Like I have repeatedly said; history and historians will regard Biden much higher than voters do today.
The NYTimes always had an article going, even when it was good news, on “How that’s bad for Biden”.
They would print a headline like, "Bad News For Biden, His Cancer Cure May Cost Him The Oncologists' Vote"
He didn't inherit "one of the worst situtations," he inherited the absolutely worst situation ever, thanks to Trump's coup and his election lies which half the country still believes, coupled with his dropping the ball on Covid.
Possibly FDR could have an argument, but I don't disagree with you....especially given the coup attempt and lack of a good transition.
How the F did Trump get away with a piece of shix transition from simply a "good for the country and national defense" point of view? Sorry for the salty language but it's a real bone of contention with me...obviously.
Yes, FDR most definitely could have an argument.
Unfair? That's Trump's always line.
Yes...and Joe Biden never uses it. Definitely shows the difference in character for sure.
Yes. I don't think any Democrat uses it.
memory of a gnat
Well, when you have dumbed down public education for 40 years and convinced every public tv to tune to Fox, what do you expect! It is the media/social media that has refused to give Biden credit -- along with the fact that Dems are notoriously bad at tooting their own horn when needed... luckily the new crop of Dems can do that.
Yes, my first reaction to the "unpopular presidency" was the same as Cynthia's. "WTF?" But then I realized your point about the polls giving data that showed the weakness in the approval ratings.
By the way, I thought both letters today were a superb follow up to the understandable overflow of excitement of yesterday. A little more subdued, but still strong on the "reasoned optimism" front.
And Bill's choice of the Yogi Berra quotation is right on point. I'll add my second favorite Yogi-ism for further elucidating logic: "When you come to a fork in the road, take it."
Yes, that's exactly what Joe Biden did on Sunday.
I completely get what you are saying, but until we next see a President maintain a favorable approval rating outside of honeymoons and one-offs, I'm suspicious that something fundamental has changed in the way Americans are viewing Presidents.
I think JVL hit on it the other day. Biden was never bigger than the office. He doesn’t have a larger than life personality and is not a great orator.
Maybe many want the large personality to gravitate to. I like normal achieving results but maybe not everybody does anymore.
Oh, it's worse than that now. Many (the majority) want the WWE.
Are you not entertained?
So true! Idiocracy wasn't just a comedy, it was a warning!
For the past 10 years every day has been Poe's Law Day.
Exhausting.
Absolutely! The disinformation industry doesn’t go away with Biden’s withdrawal. It will continue to eat away at the social fabric for profit and poison the minds of tens of millions of Americans until we address the fundamental reality that the First Amendment has been successfully weaponized.
Joe Biden is the only president in history who was unfairly subjected to an unbelievably toxic lie that he somehow "stole" the office from the incumbent -- spread first and foremost by the former incumbent himself and embraced as gospel truth by an entire political party (minus a few dissenters who were quickly pushed out) and his tens of millions of followers. This toxic lie, instead of fading into ignominy like it deserves, only continued to spread and metastasize since then, thanks to the constant malfeasance of the former president and his cult. When so many believed Biden wasn't even the legitimate president, is it any wonder that his approval ratings were always low? No president, no matter how amazing, was going to have good approval ratings in the face of such a pervasive and toxic lie directly aimed at delegitimizing his presidency. This is what Biden constantly had to endure.
Exactly!
That's fair. FDR did not have that.
History well judge him far better than voters do today.
I am no longer worried. As much as I wanted Biden to win, the input from all the political pros, as well as my own evaluation of Biden's campaign performance had me very concerned about the outcome. But I believe strongly that Harris, along with the Democratic Party, will do very well this year. Trump supporters are so concerned that they are planning lawsuits to force Biden to stay on the ballot despite the fact that he was not yet actually nominated by the at the convention. And for those who are concerned about Kamala's ability to legislate, that ought not to be a concern. In the few hours since she became the nominee, she has demonstrated an ability to campaign. That's the key.
Kamala was and is not my preferred candidate. Nothing against her but under such high stakes, I want someone who can lock up a blue wall or sunbelt state. What she has impressed me however is the discipline she showed the last three weeks: continue to prosecute the GOP while not appearing to dethrone the king. With almost a locked up nomination, I will support and fight for her with the upmost enthusiasm.
This has been hashed over repeatedly here and elsewhere, but under the circumstances Harris is really the only off-ramp for a Biden exit. The chance to have any other candidate passed after the primary process.
I have similar feelings on her candidacy but I didn't expect many competitors given the Sprint nature of this race. I wanted a Fighting Chance and she gives the pro-democracy side of Fighting Chance so I am satisfied.
👏🏻👏🏻
Your comment about R lawsuits prompted a search for me. For those who want to know more, I found this: "Could Republicans sue to keep Biden on the ballot? Speaker Mike Johnson’s threat to challenge Vice President Harris’s nomination in court should be frivolous. But who knows with this Supreme Court?" by Ian Millhiser at Vox (https://www.vox.com/scotus/362186/supreme-court-biden-ballot-harris-lawsuits).
It's certainly amusing to see how concerned these people seem to be about disenfranchising their opposition's voters.
Well, their position is pretty clear. If someone is going to disenfranchise voters, it is going to be them, damnit!
Hah!
Yes, especially when they claim it isn't small-d democratic. That's rich.
As I understand it, anyone can sue. If the lawsuit is found to be frivolous, it ought to be dismissed. Although I am concerned about what SCOTUS might do if an appeal is made, I think even, and maybe especially, the conservative majority would decide they do not want to take up the case this close to an election.
How would a registered Republican even have "standing" to file such a lawsuit?
Good question.
Yes, that is the precedent - not taking cases that would affect an election this close to it. But they have smashed so many precedents already. I don't trust them at all.
I don't rust them either. I just think they wouldn't want to set a precedent that can be used against their puppet masters down the road.
I'm thrilled with this choice, the one choice primary voters had already voted for. I haven't seen this kind of excitement on the Democratic side since 2008.
And excitement is what gets folks to the polls, as well as keeping a psychopath from turning us into a fascist nation. Amazingly, it seems like a blue wave of energy and concerted effort by the people to get Kamala elected and save our democracy. Patriotism on display!
exactly!
We just went from no chance to a real opportunity. She's a prosecutor and he's a felon. Anything can happen, but I like where we are starting .
Re: "And as the American Enterprise Institute’s Stan Veuger points out, “shaped but not burdened by” shouldn’t be too complex a notion for some to grasp."
Well, okay, but there ARE sophisticated people out there who can't grasp this. Bakari Sellers was talking to Tim the other day and posited that Joe Biden would never step aside for Harris because "never in the history of history," to paraphrase, "had a White man given up anything of value to a Black woman."
He is both shaped by and burdened by his worldview. It's all nonsense, of course, but when you're swimming in nonsense and have been for your whole adult life, you can't see it. What happens to the Sellers now? Now that what he believes has never happened in the history of history has happened right in front of his face? I don't know. I hope it wakes him and others like him up because, if he can chuck the nonsense, we can have a great future. If he can't, we won't.
(And, as an aside, the whole premise of his view is wrong. In the corporate world, White men turn over responsibility for very important projects, positions and companies to Black women all the time and no one says anything about it. Same thing in academia. And the media. So where he gets his information -- never in the history of history -- baffles me. It might not happen enough for his tastes, but it is untrue that it has never happened.)
The last time it happened in American politics, please.
It’s not nonsense. One of the reasons Sellers may be imprisoned by his past experiences is that white men don’t give up political power — GIVE UP, not lose elections — to Black women. To a lot of people, what Joe Biden did on Sunday was extraordinary. It shouldn’t be, as you imply. But it is, and that’s one reason people are so energized. Change seems possible.
Well, okay, but White men don't give up power to other White men, either. Did George H.W. Bush say, "Y'know, I like the cut of that Bill Clinton's jib. Why don't we just call it a day and save a bunch of time and money? Bill, give my Chief of Staff a call. I'll show you around. We can have this all wrapped up by next week."
No, a President resigning is unusual. But that’s not how you characterized your paraphrase of Sellers. You are arguing that what men give up all kinds of power to Black women all the time, and while it’s surely more common than it used to be, a white American President dropping out of a race confident his VP, a Black woman, could win it, is unusual. In this country, with our history, as one party has worked awfully hard over the last decade to remove political power from Black people via gerrymandering, yes, it’s unusual.
Never said it was "usual." It isn't, of course. But what Bakari Sellers said, "never in the history of history," is wrong, unless you narrow it down to Presidential politics. If THAT'S the dataset, then, he's right. There is no case in American history where a sitting American President has given up the office to a Black woman. But I don't think that's what Sellers meant.
I’m pretty sure he did mean politics specifically. Though I don’t think there are *all* that many examples in business or academia either - especially when the person who was being handed the power wasn’t especially popular and had many vulnerabilities. If you want to provide specific examples, I’d love to hear them.
I think there’s a very good reason it took Biden so long to give up power. There might have been an element of ego to be sure (though from the way some pundits, politicians and donors were treating him, I think some of the indignation was deserved). However, I think the biggest hurdle keeping him from stepping aside was uncertainty that Harris would perform all that much better than him. I don’t think that’s because he’s racist or misogynistic but because he knows that a decent percentage of the electorate is.
That Biden still chose to publicly express his support for Harris, despite these lingering concerns and calls for a more “democratic process” via an open convention by many people in the pundit/donor/political establishment class, speaks volumes about his character, judgment and commitment to doing the right thing even when it’s difficult or unpopular.
Sellars was not wrong. He was just underestimating Biden like everyone has always done his entire life.
Sellers wasn't just talking about Joe Biden. "Never in the history of history" covers a lot of ground. I find this argument objectionable because it's cynical and dismissive of a lot of things that have happened "in the history of history."
I listened to these same arguments back when Barack Obama started his first run. No way White people would ever nominate a Black man for President! No way White people would ever vote for a Black man for President! No way Iowa voters -- because they're so White -- would ever choose a Black man to win the Iowa Caucuses! And on and on and on and on. It was all nonsense. All of those things happened and we don't have to go back to the Seleucid Empire to find that example.
Those arguments -- and Sellers' -- were predicated on the belief that America -- specifically White America -- was so racist that they would never do these things that they actually did. It rejected the notion that Americans -- writ large -- could evaluate a slate of candidates and choose the best one, regardless of that person's skin color. John McCain was a great man, a patriot, a hero, a qualified candidate. Barack Obama wasn't campaigning against some no-name dope, some Average White Man who, because of all his inherent privilege, just got what he wanted without working for it. And Barack Obama, because he worked hard, campaigned well, put together a great team and had a compelling message, beat him soundly, fair and square. There were no riots. John McCain didn't refuse to accept the results of the election. He conceded. Graciously. And he wished Obama well.
The whole notion that power is "given" to anyone strikes me as nonsensical too. Power is gained. It's earned. Sometimes it's seized. We've only had one President resign -- give up power -- and that was because he was going to be impeached and convicted in the Senate. He didn't want to do it. He was compelled to do it.
I suppose I've already written too many words about a nonsensical argument made by a guy on a podcast, but it really did strike me as the kind of argument that begged for some kind of response.
Good clarification of narrowing it down to presidents. I didn't get that he was being that narrow.
Joe Biden, after decades in politics, consented to be the vice president to a younger black man who hadn't even finished a full senate term. He agreed to be a subordinate, with a quiet (and limited), secondary role, under a black man holding the most powerful office in the land and commanding enthusiastic popular support.
Perhaps Biden expected that being VP to Obama would help him gain the presidency -- but it would be with the understanding that a black man helped him get to that position.
Many other white men took even quieter roles in assisting the presidency of a black man, with no plans of seeking great power themselves.
All this is true. But again, we were talking about a white man giving political power to a Black woman.
To be precise, Biden didn't give political power - the presidency - to Kamala. He gave her the opportunity to be selected by the party delegates as the nominee. It's up to the voters to give her that power.
Exactly right. He took an action that allowed her a shot. That's it. A fair shot, which is all anyone has a right to ask for in this world.
Biden chose Harris as his VP knowing that being VP can be a stepping stone to the presidency - which means having power over every white man (and woman) in the land. And if she is president, she will have vastly more power than her white husband -- who appears to welcome that prospect.
And yes, Obama is a black man, not a black woman -- but if "woman" is the crucial aspect in the argument, why not just say that men never give away political power to women?
The whole Obama phenomenon included a lot of white men willing and eager to give a black man more power than they aspired to have themselves.
LBJ. You could even argue Nixon. Both were essentially the same circumstances as Biden; they were going to lose their power one way or the other, either by being elected out of office or impeached, respectively, so they just bailed.
Harry Truman too. He lost a primary to Estes Kefauver, who went on to win 12 of 13 primaries in 1952 but didn't get the nomination, mainly because in Congress he lead investigations of organized crime.
I think if you read dicicero’s comment, which I was responding to, my subsequent comments will make more sense.
Fair enough. I would contend that it's not quite right to say Biden gave up his pawer to a black woman in any case (that's what a resignation would look like), but it's a great gesture on his part to endorse her as he withdraws. The dynamics have changed significantly since that endorsement in ways Biden couldn't have predicted when he made it, but certainly his endorsement played a role in shaping those dynamics.
They handed their power to BLACK WOMEN? That wasn’t in my AP US history textbook, or yours.
I don’t think people quite realize that since Sunday the backbone of the Black and Asian/Indian middle classes in this country have pulled out their checkbooks and signed up for Harris. That could look very different from 2020 and even 2008.
How do you know this?
My social media is full of Divine Nine members taking about their energetic support for Harris; the whacking great numbers of dollars raised in the last 48 hours; the Divine Nine are the four natl Black sororities and the five natl Black fraternities. I live in the Maryland suburbs of Washington DC. If you live here long enough, you absorb how much the Divine Nine have contributed to the growth and success of the Black middle class; and they are all in for Harris. If you live or work anywhere around South Asians, you notice how well-to-do much of the community are, and how excited the Aunties are about Kamala. That is how I know this.
My history classes didn't have any examples of white men handing over political power to any women of any color.
I don't recall Margaret Thatcher becoming Prime Minister following a coup.
The voters essentially gave it to her.
A Black woman being handed political power is what Sellers is talking about. Not a President relinquishing it, which is still rare enough.
If that's what Sellers meant, it's not what he said. He made the comment before Biden dropped out of the race.
I agree. Sellers has lost all credibility with me. As of just a day ago, after Biden had withdrawn, he was still attacking people who had called on Biden to step down. Before Biden stepped down, he said it would NEVER happen. Wrong and wrong.
A difference without a distinction. Sellers was wrong. He just was.
She wasn't handed power. Only the voters can give her that power.
That response from Bakari was the worst kind of "insight" -- cynicism masquerading as analysis.
If you were a Black man in this country — I’m assuming from your profile picture you’re not — wouldn’t you be cynical? Or fearful?
If I were a commentator and former politician, as Sellers is, I would choose a position and advocate for it on the merits.
He could've argued that Biden has the best chance of winning because of X, Y or Z.
Instead he just went with "he's a white man who will never give up power." It's lazy and reductive.
Totally agree. I expected him to argue his position on the merits. Lazy and reductive is well put. That's why I was not persuaded by what he said on Tim's pod.
His experience as a Black man is not a basis for evaluating a candidate. And, it turns out, his experience told him wrong.
I spotted Sellers being namedropped in a Politico article today as a "close Harris ally" with knowledge of her campaign strategy (to get out there fast and big). I mean, maybe the writer was full of shit citing him like that, but given that Sellers' messaging arc during the Uncertain Times wasn't far from hers (though details like Biden giving up power to a Black woman were), seems he's doing okay
Charles V was once king of the world. Now no one even remembers him or that he abdicated the throne.
People today don't know what happened 50 years ago, never mind 500 years ago.
I listened to Tim's pod with Sellers and I was unpersuaded by pretty much anything he said, which is surprising because he's a lawyer who's been trained to make an argument which requires reasons and facts to support your claim. He's more a politician who spins to his political advantage, which is what he was doing with his prediction that a white man would never give up anything of value to a Black woman. As you've shown, it happens.
He was the first I saw - on CNN - to speak about Biden stepping down. He didn't really acknowledge what he believed has never happened in the history of history has happened. Pols never do. This morning, CNN reported on a conversation (via Zoom, I guess) with thousands of Black men about supporting Harris led by Sellers. So he's Riden with Harris, just as you would expect a politician to do.
Van Jones was also on the call. I find him to be much better at articulating the Black perspective.
FWIW, I don't think Bakari Sellers is that sophisticated. I think Tim, Sarah and JVL are. He's a politician. He spins. They're analysts.
Don't lead the pack of corporate owned news outlets in negativity. We've been thrown a lifeline - hang on to it and promote the enthusiasm felt by the outsiders instead of the woe is me BS of the insiders. Hand ringing is not useful or needed
Methinks there is an insider bias in the upper echelons of political pundits, and they totally miss the average non-politically obsessed American voter. Glad Bill Kristoll acknowledged that, at least.
Nobody has any legitimate expertise in this kind of presidential campaign because it's never been seen before. Listening to actual voters is just as legit as any campaign pundit.
The one thing I am curious to see is if Kamala closes the gap between the presidency and down ballot races, especially Senate races.
Exactly! Now I wish I hadn't read this newsletter (I'm avoiding MSM since learning that enough delegates have pledged), as I'm determined to focus on the positive. I've been told that denial is not in my repertoire, so it's not that. And it's absolutely not thinking by any stretch that we have this sown up. I'm just exhausted, and decided recently that the strategy you describe is the most productive. The more of us who focus on all the good this latest development could mean for our country, the more powerful our efforts will be.
This is silly. If you want this type of reinforcement then consider joining a cult.
Huh, I thought the newsletters were pretty positive. I may have been reading too many predictions of doom.
The support for Harris is rocket fueled, but focused. This comes as NO surprise to those of us who have working in the trenches to give the Democrats hope. Until Sunday, the groups I have been working with were plodding on with dedicated volunteers we knew enough to keep fighting because their cause was just. They were very aware of the high hill they had to climb, even though truth and justice were on their side.
Sunday’s announcement let the genie out of the bottle. We were granted the one wish we all wanted. The speech Kamala gave yesterday was almost perfect. She is the future. She is for equality, freedom, and everyone working together. She is the next generation. She is expects the country to be healthy, safe, harmonious, and prosperous. America should lead the free world through the 21st century.
Her opponent is old and deteriorating. He is running to avenge his grievances, subjugate women, round up millions of immigrants, and quash dissent. Now it’s Trump who has to disprove the notion that he is a tottering old fool. He will have a lot of difficulty doing that.
The women, college kids, unions, LBGTQ folks, moderate Democrats, former Republicans, the left wing of the Democratic Party, and responsible lawyers, doctors, physical therapists, and beauty parlor operators are all flocking to Harris.
Trump’s highest ceiling came during the first half hour of his convention speech. It’s been downhill for him since then. He has a lot of difficulty responding when strongly confronted with the truth.
We have to keep the pressure building ; message, money, and momentum. The future could be an America that will be a great place to live and raise children. Let’s get it done!
This.
We've been getting punched in the face for over a year, playing weak defense. I think Joe's mostly done a good to excellent job overall, but the age question was the defining issue.
All that energy has been building, and now we're out and moving and hitting and they still haven't even found an angle to hit Kamala on that can actually play outside the base.
I'm sure that'll change and the campaign will become the usual slugging match, but right now we're going forward and it's so goddamn nice to be on the attack.
we must not only be on offense
we must launch pre-emptive strikes
always non-violent
always powerful
Preach, doc.
"America should lead the free world through the 21st century."
I know in campaigns that foreign policy only goes so far, but this right here is the counter-point to Trump's isolationist calls. America can't lead if it turns its back on the world. And tell everyone, "We did that once before with Isolationism and America First. Then the world came knocking on Dec 7, 1941. Turning our backs on on friends and fellow democracies is not an option."
This campaign is Darkness v. Light, and Light just got a big shot of adrenaline.
Beautiful! Thank you!
I have no idea what will happen the next 100 plus days. All I know are: Joe Biden gave us a big gift, Kamala performed above my expectations the last three weeks, Dems are fired up. She is still the underdog but we now have a shot.
JD Vance gave me Jeb’s please clap vibe but without Jeb’s decency. He is weird and high on his own supplies. Let’s hope Dems put up a good veep who can neutralize his lies and fake piety.
"I drank a Diet Mountain Dew, I'll bet they call that racist."
God, it must be so easy to be a speechwriter for the GOP. Just pull out your cards and fill in the blanks.
"I'll bet THEY call ______ racist."
"THEY don't want you to _________"
"THEY want to take away your _________"
If they think Americans who drink Diet Mountain Dew are getting anything but a caffeine buzz, well, there's a quote about people who believe absurdities. But more to the point, normal people can easily identify and label people who think like this as "way too much online, bud, you gotta stop using social media."
And yet it works for that crowd...
Does it work for the suburban, educated Rs and Independents in MI, WI & PA? That's who will decide the election. We don't know yet, but I suspect it does not.
I don't think it does. I think that Trump and his campaign are in a tailspin with the switch to Kamala. SHE can totally get that crowd which is very exciting.
Is the quote about people who believe absurdities from Voltaire?
I'm excited by the excitement around Kamala Harris. And I'm even 3x more excited that the Dems seem to be pulling this off (knock wood!) without blowing themselves up. And I'm encouraged by how the Rs seem to be panicking.
You don't have to whiplash between hope and fear; any sensible person would have both, most of the time. But for a fearful situation, this is a xit ton of hope.
This already seems like quite an accomplishment regardless of what comes next. These sorts of things are what you build on.
Dems need to do it with discipline. I truly think the short campaign helps Kamala. She was trying to be all things for all people in 2019. Now she just needs to prosecute the hell out of Trump’s crimes and promise a few sensible things the center of the electorate wants.
The #1 thing she wasn't doing was being the law and order Dem as she was known. That was then, this is now. This is a very different political moment. I fully expect her to prosecute Trump (her speech yesterday did just that) and appeal to what the swing voters in MI, WI and PA want, since they will decide the election.
Exactly!
Excellent point about the Dems pulling this off without blowing themselves up. So far, so good. The biggest concern about Biden stepping down was that the Dems would, as you put it quite well, blow themselves up. Certainly the party leaders were concerned about this.
I suspect their endorsing her quickly was based on preventing a party meltdown with an open convention.
There was also concern that if there wasn't a competitive race, Kamala would be seen as not legitimate. Her first statement out of the gate was that she would earn the nomination. So she recognizes that concern. I take her at her word, that she will earn the nomination.
As to the whiplash between hope and fear, I'm surprised Bill didn't quote F. Scott Fitzgerald: “The test of a first-rate intelligence is the ability to hold two opposing ideas in mind at the same time and still retain the ability to function.” Bill said he was worried and also encouraged. To ignore the worrisome things and focus only on the positive is not what you do in a political campaign. To do so would be political malpractice.
She showed shrewd political judgement, getting on the phone immediately and dialing for delegates. That's how an assassin does it.. respect.
I had some fellow Democratic friend over for pizza and wine last night. The difference in level of excitement and enthusiasm between now and post debate Biden was off the charts. You need to get out more.
Since the Vance veep pick was one born out of overconfidence and hubris more than any strategic calculation, I wonder how big a factor it was that he has a one syllable name ending in -nce. Maybe Trump just liked the sound of Trump/Pence so much that he went with the similar sounding Trump/Vance. They only have to change 2 letters on all the 2016/2020 gear and propaganda. Trump is a simple man. Perhaps his thinking was as simple as that.
My Harris vibes are pretty high. I think a lot of the negative perception of her isn't really her fault, and ever since June 27, she has been pitch perfect. Loyally defending Biden in interviews without expressing even a hint of ambition, somehow managing an impossible task without just gaslighting everyone in the process. Declaring her intent to earn the nomination once Biden was out. And now acting like the nominee and leading.
The person we have seen since June 27 is not the person I thought she was; I couldn't even watch her post-debate interviews that night out of fear of how badly they might go, and just the unfairness of her being put in that position. But she aced them. From what I'm seeing out of her, I have little doubt that she was badly mishandled by the administration and intentionally held back. She's got this.
From what I've heard the Vance selection was pushed hard by DJT Jr. That may well have been the kiss of death. Has he ever been known for exercising good judgment?
Kim Guilfoyle is all I need to know about the quality of his judgment.
Indeed.
And please keep in mind that Gavin Newsome MARRIED her.
Kamala started her presidential case by campaigning as a prosecutor. The blowback she got from her attack on Biden convinced her to take a kinder gentler approach 'for party unity'. That's not her strength as a campaigner. No such problem exists now. She can unleash the prosecutor all over Trump.
I believe the years as VP have honed her political skills on a national and international level. She's the VP of a very successful administration. So she's got that going for her, which is nice!
Didn't even have to be a looper in the Himalayas to get it!
Big hitter, the Lama!
She has impressed me the last month or so, and she was not someone I would have picked from the 2020 Dem primaries.
She has been pitch perfect. Contrast that with HRC who had a tin ear with her remarks about deplorables and putting coal miners out of a job. Her campaign was staffed based on loyalty, not competence. Harris' staff, so far, are showing their competence.
peNCE - vaNCE ……. Haha, I thought the exact same thing. Good one!
Where would we be without the wisdom
of the great Yogi Berra?
Nobody goes there anymore. It's too crowded.
"You have to be careful if you don't know where you're going, because you might not get there."
Standing at a fork in the road with indecision.