Gaining ground with seven weekends to go!

September 21, 2024

This short newsletter is intended to open the Comment section on Saturday. I am attending my 50th high school reunion on Saturday and I must lose ten pounds tonight, so I will be brief.

Kamala Harris gave another inspired speech on the campaign trail on Friday before a packed arena in Madison, Wisconsin. The full speech can be accessed at the following link, which is cued to show the size and enthusiasm of the crowds that continue to greet VP Harris. Vice President Kamala Harris Live from Madison, Wisconsin Campaign Rally.

The cynics in the major media outlets told us that the enthusiasm would quickly fade after a short post-convention honeymoon period. If any of those pundits have said, “I was wrong,” I missed it. Democrats should take heart from the fact that the enthusiasm for Kamala Harris continues unabated.

Meanwhile, the GOP vice-presidential nominee is having a tough time convincing voters to pay for the privilege of seeing JD Vance and Tucker Carlson on Saturday evening in Hershey, Pennsylvania. Per a local media outlet, “Ticket prices have again dropped - they can be purchased for less than $20.” (Perhaps Republicans in Pennsylvania are saving their money to pay for tickets to Tucker Carlson’s event on Sunday, which features Sandy Hook denialist Alex Jones.)

So, JD Vance is appearing at events in a swing state only 47 days before the election and making voters pay for the privilege. I would say that is bad planning by the Trump campaign.

Trump will appear in Wilmington, North Carolina, on Saturday but will not charge voters for the privilege of attending his rally. Trump has, however, dis-invited NC GOP gubernatorial candidate Mark Robinson from the rally. See AP News, Robinson won't appear at Trump's North Carolina rally after report on online posts, AP sources say.

The news of Robinson’s status as a persona non grata with the Trump campaign occurred on the day that reports appeared that Robinson praised Hitler’s book, Mein Kampf. See The Intelligencer, Mark Robinson Also Called ‘Mein Kampf’ a ‘Good Read’ (nymag.com).

The Harris-Walz campaign has released several ads connecting Trump and Robinson, especially on the abortion issue, where Robinson has said that abortion is necessary because “women are not responsible enough to keep their skirts down.” (Robinson also criticized men for not “keeping their pants up.”) One of the ads is embedded in this article: HuffPo, New Kamala Harris Ad Emphasizes Ties Between Donald Trump, Mark Robinson | HuffPost Latest News

Trump kicked off the seventh remaining weekend of campaigning by releasing a lengthy ALL CAPS rant on Truth Social assuring women that if he is elected, women will no longer be unhappy. Trump wrote:

I WILL FIX ALL OF THAT, AND FAST, AND AT LONG LAST THIS NATIONAL NIGHTMARE WILL BE OVER. WOMEN WILL BE HAPPY, HEALTHY, CONFIDENT AND FREE! YOU WILL NO LONGER BE THINKING ABOUT ABORTION . . . .

As we head into the final seven weeks, the Harris-Walz campaign is remaining on message, while Trump and Vance flail with new crises of their own making each day. We can’t count on Republicans to defeat themselves, but we should recognize that the GOP dysfunction is creating an opening for Harris and Walz to gain ground with a disciplined campaign. Good! That is exactly what the Harris-Walz campaign should be doing!

---

Opportunities for Reader Engagement

---

Help re-elect Senators Jon Tester and Sherrod Brown for a fundraiser on Monday, September 23, hosted by Senate Circle.

Join me as I moderate a discussion with Senators Jon Tester (MT) and Sherrod Brown (Ohio). The fundraising event is sponsored by Senate Circle and will feature an opportunity for participants to ask questions of Senators Tester and Brown. Minimum donation is $100 to help Senators Tester and Brown win two of the most consequential Senate races in 2024.

The Zoom fundraiser will take place on Monday, September 23 at 6:00 p.m. Eastern / 3:00 p.m. Pacific. (I will sign on 15 minutes early to chat with readers who join the call.)

You can donate/RSVP here

---

Join a 24-hour “Postcard Around The Clock 3.0”!

Join Downtown Nasty Women, Markers For Democracy, and Team Min for 24 Hours in ’24—Our Freedoms Are On The Ballot—Postcard Around The Clock 3.0

Monday, September 23, 7:30pm ET through Tuesday, September 24, 7:30pm ET on Zoom

Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi will be kicking off the event! 

Read more about the event and RSVP here to get the Zoom link now for the full 24 hours, so you can come in and out as you please. Here is the Schedule for the full 24 hours and here is our Speakers Bios page.

If you register, you will receive a reminder with the Zoom link again Monday and any last-minute updates. Bookmark and check out our Linktree page to see the Merch page, postcarding info, and more! Attendees are welcome and encouraged (but not required) to write Get-Out-The-Vote postcards during the 24 hours. New to postcarding? If you’d like to be ready to write during the event, please visit our Postcard Resources page 

---

And this Sunday, join Focus for Democracy

With early voting now underway, join Focus for Democracy’s next event as they reveal the most effective programs to reach swing state voters. Join them this Sunday, 9/22, and find out how directing your support to these programs can have an outsized impact on the election.

Sunday, September 22nd

5:00pm PT / 8:00pm ET

Registration link: https://bit.ly/F4D22Sep

---

Concluding Thoughts

The new rule by the Georgia Election Commission to require the hand-counting of ballots statewide is generating a lot of concern among Democrats. That is understandable, but let’s recognize that the ruling is likely unlawful and impractical.

At this late date, it is doubtful that hundreds of election boards across the state have the resources or funding to count 5 million ballots by hand. And remember that the delay will affect not only the presidential race, but every election in Georgia for national, statewide, legislative, county, city, and judicial elections.

So, there should be substantial pushback among Georgia legislative and statewide candidates for a computer tally of the vote. Under Georgia law, counties must certify their results “no later than the second week following election day.”

The Georgia Secretary of State must certify the results 17 days after the election and the Governor must certify the results 18 days after the election (for presidential electors). The electors meet on December 17, 2024, to “cast” their ballots.

My point is that Georgia and federal law allow time to complete counting and certification and mandate that the counting be completed by a certain date. Although it would be preferable to have a result on election night, that is not possible in many states. For example, ballot counting continues in California for weeks after election day to allow for the delivery of mail ballots.

There will undoubtedly be litigation and political pushback over Georgia’s scheme. And do not underestimate the interest of the Trump campaign in wanting ballots counted by the federal deadline: It will be a tight race in Georgia and Trump could be hurt by any failure to timely certify the results of the presidential election.

As I noted yesterday, there are experts at the state level who are opposing the unlawful rules issued by the Georgia elections commission. Let them do their work as we focus on winning by big margins in other states. Our plan should be to win and flip enough states to allow for the hand count of ballots in Georgia. We can do that if we refuse to be distracted by events over which we have no control.

We truly do have every reason to be hopeful but no reason to be complacent.

Stay strong, everyone!

---

Daily Dose of Perspective

The two photos below document my first effort at astrophotography. My wife bought me my first telescope as an anniversary gift in 2011 (a 4” refractor). A total lunar eclipse followed several months thereafter, and I naively assumed I could just hang my 35 mm digital camera off the end of the telescope to capture images of the lunar eclipse.

With little preparation, I removed the telescope eyepiece and diagonal mirror, attached my camera to the telescope tube, and began taking photos as the lunar eclipse progressed. (I later learned that this technique is known as prime focus photography.)

I randomly experimented with ISO settings and focal length to bring the eclipse into focus and correct exposure. The second photo below shows me kneeling on the sidewalk in a local park as I photographed the lunar eclipse.

During the period of totality, clouds drifted in front of the moon, creating the dramatic effect in the photo below. The image below was my first effort at astrophotography. It has been a long journey over the last 13 years, and technology has advanced dramatically. But I still look back fondly on that first astrophotography session! I hope you enjoy viewing the photo as much as I did capturing it!