All the preliminary speakers were good. They weren't all as inspiring as every speaker Monday night, but they were all good. I'll just focus on Adam Kinzinger.
I only just now saw his speech, after midnight in California. I can tell you that he brought tears to my eyes - literally. His speech was passionate and eloquent. He talked about principles, he talked about Trump - and his description of Trump was brilliant and spot on. And he implored Republicans multiple times to stand with him and do what is right. He described the Democratic Party to his fellow Republicans - Democrats are as patriotic as Republicans, and they love the country as much as Republicans. And he said that the policy differences Republicans might have with Democrats are trivial and insignificant in comparison to the bedrock principles that are fundamental to this country. And the Democratic Party loves those fundamental principles as much as the Republican Party used to.
Like I said, he brought tears to my eyes... literally... I was so glad to hear him say those words. And I will say now what I said a few days ago about him - I disagree with a LOT of his policies and positions, but I am proud to call him a fellow American.
And I would fight as hard for his right to hold those views as he is fighting for all of us now.
Kinzinger has risen to the occasion in every way, even though he is not wealthy enough to protect his family from the dangers posed by Trump in hiring full time security. He is a true American patriot.
Agree completely, especially as a former Republican (though many more years ago) myself. Imagine how much courage it took for Kinzinger to walk on that stage, likely not knowing what the reception would be.
Democrats rightly bash Republican leaders who, en masse, continue to dishonor themselves and betray the Constitution.
For this to truly be a pro-democracy party, former/“sort of” Republicans should be welcomed as fellow fighters for democracy.
I was proud of Kinzinger and proud of the delegates for their response to him.
Imagine how much courage it took for Kinzinger to walk on that stage, likely not knowing what the reception would be.
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I was impressed with all the Republicans who have repudiated Trump and were brave enough to speak at the DNC and implore their fellow Republicans to dump Trump. I hope the message was effective in giving those Republicans a permission structure to vote for the Harris-Walz ticket.
I was also impressed by the reception all of them got. I don't think I heard a single "boo" when anyone announced "I'm a Republican" -- that is as it should be. The DNC is definitely living up to their "Big Tent" reputation. And I hope it is causing a major panic at the Trump campaign HQ and triggers grumpy Trumpie "bigly".
And in case anyone missed it, Kinzinger gave a fiery response the other week to J.D. Vance's attempt to "swift boat" Tim Walz's military record.
Thank you for including the link to Kinzinger’s helpful explanation of Walz’ retirement from the National Guard. Now I have something to send a high school classmate who keeps lying about Walz on Facebook.
The odd thing Christina, my classmate was a Marine. Terry knows I come from a military family (father, brother, cousins, my late husband) and usually treats my posts with respect. He has just outright lied about Walz and refuses to acknowledge the “suckers and losers” treatment that Trump offers. I just want to post the truth for others who might read his posts or mine. Terry is lost.
I really hope that every time one of these MAGA people "attacks" (quotes for irony) Walz for serving a quarter of his lifetime in the U.S. military (what, it wasn't long enough??), that someone like Kinzinger or Gallego calls for an inquiry into Donald Trump's draft dodging! Five times! No bone spurs! Why don't we talk about THAT? (It's a real question.) Let's add Draft Dodger to his resume (or, as Jasmine Crockett called it, his rap sheet): Serial liar, rapist, convicted felon, fraudster, insurrectionist, bankrupt business owner, and draft dodger. I may have forgotten something, the list is getting longer.
My thought when I heard Adam speak is that Democrats are MORE patriotic than Republicans at this point in history. Patriotism is shown by actions, not words. Trump is the least patriotic of all. Thank you to Adam for his inspiring words and his vote for Harris/Walz.
Used to be Benedict Arnold was the most notorious traitor in American history. Here's a kind of fame I would love to bestow on Trump: he can now be the most famous traitor in American history, supplanting Benedict Arnold. A fitting category of fame for Trump.
In the 60s, when Republicans were able to turn the Vietnam protests against Democrats and the "hippies" by saying the protests showed that they hated the country, people then should have been more forceful in saying repeatedly, "We protest because we love this country and we want it to be better, and we know it can be." Instead, we allowed that anti-patriotism message to take hold, and we let the GOP claim the patriotism mantle for themselves unchallenged. Finally, over 50 years later, we're rightfully taking it back.
Adam Kinzinger, yes, yes, yes! The man gave his kin a lot of grief and zingers when he spoke out early, and often, against trump. They disowned him en' mass. He forfeited his place in Congress to a MAGA man in standing up to trump. Know what you stand for, or you'll fall for anything, seems to be his core value. Our own Maxwell Frost (FL) set the room ablaze with his powerful oration to the urgency of our need to do the work we've been entrusted to do in salvaging the good ship America. Robert "Overdrive" Hubbell, please rest. Reflect on the You Nebula. Thank you for your service to us, to your country, to Planet Earth!
With Fox hanging the phone up tonight on him, it is fair to say DonOld has worn out his welcome enough to now qualify as TOAST. Stale old white bread toast! It has worn out its welcome with his diminished followers. Optics are everything as you juxtapose what we saw at the DNC. Kudos to the planners, and organizers who did a beyond an amazing job of orchestrating this monumental event!
Rep. Maxwell Frost of central Florida, all of 27 years old, spoke powerfully of the dangers of climate change. "As a Floridian, I'm here to tell you the climate crisis isn't some far off threat--it's here." He spoke of walking communities forced to rebuild after hurricanes destroyed their homes, and immigrant farmworkers toiling in the heat.
"But with our movement, and organizing, and with an administration that cares, we are making progress!"
His statement was all the more powerful for his having kept it to less than three minutes.
I'm sure we all agree with Jim Duffey: rest, Robert, rest! I have a sick kid at my house - she got Covid as soon as we returned from Ireland and Belgium. She was able to watch Kamala's acceptance speech with me on the couch in the living room - she's been confined to her room, mostly sleeping, for a week! I hope Jill is feeling better, and whoever the other sick family members are! You've done a remarkable job this week.
Thank you Kathleen. Yes, we need to keep the old Stargazer and his clan healthy. I hope your daughter feels better soon too! KamalaHarris possess the courage of her convictions. DonOld just has convictions, THIRTY-FOUR of them, and counting!!
I love Adam Kinzinger and was so looking forward to his speech and then in the middle of it, I began to feel uncomfortable and couldn’t figure out why. I am also a former Republican, but opted out when the Tea Party didn’t go away and I saw the writing on the wall. I finally realized what the source of my discomfort with his speech was: I don’t understand why all of these disaffected Republicans haven’t banded together to form a new Conservative Party? I understand that the current focus is to elect Kamala, but after that is accomplished, this country needs a healthy two party system in order for democracy to continue to work as it’s designed.
I also used to be a Republican. I bailed on them when McCain chose Palin for VP - literally, a couple days later I changed my registration. The party had been making me uncomfortable for decades before that - especially when Reagan brought the religious fundamentalists into the party. One thing I figured out was that "fiscal conservatism" is really a smokescreen and a lie - and so is "individual responsibility".
I agree, and it wouldn't surprise me in the least if that's exactly what happens. I hope they even ditch the "Republican" name...too much baggage at this point.
Kinzinger has come out forcefully many times to accuse Trump of inciting the insurrection. If he missed that last night (I honestly don't remember), I can give him a pass.
I think we already have a great two party system--the Democrats and the regular Republicans. More and more of them are coming out of the closet and reclaiming their traditional values, most of which are shared by centrist Democrats. The MAGAts are NOT Republicans. They don't stand for any Republican value I ever heard of--law and order, value for the military, fiscal responsibility, fierce fighters of Russian and Chinese (communist) aggression...
What I would say to someone who plans on voting for Trump, “I’d be too ashamed.”
I was thinking of how loyal I am to Democrats and how hard it would be to vote for a Republican, but there is a line I wouldn’t be able to cross….human decency, morals, love of country, honesty…I would be too ashamed to vote for someone who crossed that line. I might not vote. (I wonder what I would have done if I lived in the Jim Crow south and my party was a racist one.)
Agree with everything you said, Gene. One point I found significant was that he indicated surprise that Democrats love their country as much as Republicans do. Republicans have used that trope for years - that if you’re a Dem, you don’t love your country. We need to out-patriot them in the next 74 days, and Kinzinger, Kamala and so many more have us a great start on that!
Then-young Democrats ceased loving the country in the wake of the Vietnam War. I began to realize how much that was hurting us, and so in the early '00s, I started wearing a flag on the lapel of one of my sport coats, and I put a flag decal on the rear window of my car.
But I still wasn't loving our country at gut level. Biden began to do that for me--best pres of my lifetime--which began first summer of the Eisenhower Administration. His passing the torch, and Kamala's great response, and Walz, have made my feelings deeper. Not to mention speeches from Hillary Clinton, Gabby Giffords, the Obamas (especially Michelle Obama), and numerous others.
The convention may actually signal the dawning of the Age of Aquarius, which was promised so long ago, in a wonderful song.
Well, Carrie, we sure showed how much we love this country over the last four days! I don't think even the MAGA media could wiggle out from under that (they'll probably just ignore it). I was so inspired by the chants of USA! USA! Notice nobody was chanting "Democrats! Democrats!" And I think every speaker said something about, or ended with, "I love my country!" Not "I love my party."
I bet that Kamala Harris, the next President of the United States, will ask Kinzinger to be in her cabinet! Secretary of Defense? Secretary of State? He exemplifies what it means to be a patriot!
Yes indeed, Gene - well said! I wanted also to comment positively about Kinzinger. How wonderful to have his voice there and he was eloquent and passionate. Thank you for a nice piece of writing about this.
I certainly don’t agree with most of Adam K’s policies but I have tremendous respect for him. In an effort to help bring some unity to the country I would like to see Kamala announce she will find some position in her cabinet for Adam, Liz or some other Republican.
Gene, what a perfect characterization of what Kinzinger said. After hearing so many Republicans speak at the Democratic convention--the mayor of Mesa, Arizona, who told his cohorts not to be ashamed to vote Democratic this time because there "was nothing left of the Republican party" they loved; the videos from Republicans for Harris; Geoff Duncan; maybe some of those wonderful sheriffs who spoke so eloquently--I feel that there may now be three parties in the U.S. The Democrats, of course. The MAGA nuts, 30 million people in their own, new, party (not Republican!) with Trump as their emperor. And the regular Republicans, who have no place to stand and no place to go at the moment. The Democrats and the Republicans love the United States of America. The 30 million isolated MAGA nuts are a bunch of dark weirdos filled with hate who plan to keep women pregnant and chained to stoves; keep anyone who's not white and old from voting; deport all our brown- and yellow-skinned immigrants, legal or not; and for all I know return people to slavery (good for the billionaires' profit line). Let us Democrats and Republicans stand together against the MAGA people and take our country back! The message of unity, bi-partisanship, and love of our beautiful country was so strong and so inspiring over the last four days that I cried a lot (and I never cry). Our country is not perfect but it is fantastic right now at this moment. America is great right now. President Kamala Harris is only going to make it greater. I now have hope that real Republicans like Kinzinger and real Independents like Oprah know that, and will vote with us to preserve the Union in these perilous times.
Kinzinger spoke at a nearby college about a year ago and he told how he didn't want to have to explain to his children that he supported Trump. My only issue with him is that he didn't vote for the Voting Rights Amendment - and has never addressed why
Two comments from me today. I am tempted to repeat your entire commentary about the beyond the pale so-called J6 Awards. Every word is dead on and I share the outrage you express so well. I really hope this becomes the major story and scandal that it should be and that every major media outlet follows your example.
This J6 awards should be broadcast live so that all Americans should see what tyranny looks like. At very least, reporters should be camped outside of Mar-a-Lago or wherever he holds the darn thing and surround every so-called Republican politician who shows up with a phalanx of microphones asking if they support insurrection and the murder of members of their own party.
Time for an army of grassroots to sharpen their pens and write letters to the editor -- not to mention post about this outrage on social media! II don't have any confidence in the MSM to do their jobs, but we the people can do it ourselves.
For everyone with a presence on social media, please check out the Digital Drumbeat if you aren't already a subscriber. Here is a link to a recent post about amplifying the Harris Walz campaign:
I have a MAGA friend who, in a heated exchange recently said to me, "C'mon. Admit it. If the tables were turned, and it was Biden (D) who was 'accused' of all these things by Republicans...you'd still vote for him." Honestly...NOT A CHANCE! At the time, I wish I had the wits to say "I'd be too ashamed." He has since blocked me on social media--but I think I'll post that statement anyway. Great line.
It shows Trump's insanity, DK and Jeff! I hope that every Independent watched our Convention, as well as all disaffected Republicans. I hope they all do what so many Republicans have said this week: vote for saving the kind of country we have. Repudiate the country Trump would surely create if he were re-elected! Trump had to come up with this latest outrageous behavior because Kamala and Tim were getting all of the headlines. He is insanely jealous that anyone could do that. I shudder to think what he will say/do next. At some point, Republicans must ask themselves what they are thinking, if they are even thinking, about voting for a mentally ill sociopath who is telling us every day what he will do if re-elected! I'll quote a tee shirt I saw in Ireland: they are "Fecking Eejets!"
If the DNC were a play, we would be talking in equal parts about the experience of seeing it AND the craft of all of those involved in creating it. In this case, all of what must’ve been a massive staff of writers, producers, music directors, lighting technicians, and presentation coaches are all appropriately still in the background. The haunting theatricality of the gun violence survivors' telling of their stories deserves a Tony Award. The only name I have heard getting well-earned credit is that of messaging guru Anat Shenker-Osorio, who has argued consistently for the importance of Democrats foregrounding “freedom” and a clear statement of what we are for.
I agree 💯percent. Especially when you consider that they so perfectly captured the "vibe" even though Biden was heading up the ticket just a short time ago - I imagine the convention has been in the works even before they chose the host city -- in April 2023.
So right, Barbara, and this evident clarity and professionalism is a signature of the Democratic Party at this point in our history. Democrats Make Life Better, as the shirt says. And like the Democrats in the New Deal and in the New Frontier, our wide generation of doers in the Democratic Party get important things done. Look at the Inflation Reducation Act and every other piece of legislation that has been passed to make America strong and put people to work. As Kamala Harris said last night, "Donald Trump is an unserious man." That seems like a mild-mannered critique considering the vitriol that anyone of us could sling at the guy without a moment's notice. Yet it is fundamentally damning. As Vice President Harris continued, "But the consequences of putting Trump back in the White House are extremely serious." If Trump were merely a cartoon buffoon who rides around in a golf cart and makes idiotic statements, he should be kept from the White House. Yes, he is a dolt and a clown, but his instinctual propensity to lie, cheat, and throw the entire country and world under the cosmic bus to preserve his own fragile ego could kill our democracy and our planet. What we saw this week is a party, politicians, delegates, and leaders, and communicators who are serious, focused and know what the hell they are doing. Every aspect of that convention was pointed and direct, which should send a signal to Republicans and all Americans that "We are not playing with babies here." The Republican Party leaders, as Kamala Harris noted, are "out of their minds" and the grown-ups are ready to continue to lead this country forward in everything from Convention design to the serious business of leading all of America and the world to better days.
I've been saying that exact phrase "Republicans are out of their minds" for the last 20 years or so. I'm so glad to see it repeated in a very public way, and especially because it's more true today than it was 20 years ago. Republicans have gotten exponentially worse!
I agree, Barbara! In Hollywood, they give a producer/director an Oscar for Best Picture, who works behind the scenes on a fabulous, successful, heart-wrenchingly wonderful creation like this one. There is some one person whose name we don't know deploying all these resources in an utterly perfect way to have put together and presented the U.S. (and the world) with this amazing, world-saving, event! Wish I knew who it was.
So true! Absolutely inspiring and so liberating to hear people not only articulate our values but blow away the gaslighting of the maga years with their focused energy and clarity. And Kamala, Adam, the Obamas, they were mad and as snarky as could be. Loved that!
In a night that was orchestrated to near perfection, Leon Panetta was the outlier. His speech seemed to be glaringly out of place, off tempo and not well delivered or well received. As one of the last among my liberal friends and family to let go of my anger about Biden’s departure, I realized that this was a glimpse of what a Biden Convention would have looked like. I still believe in my stubborn heart that Biden could have, would have defeated Trump, but what Harris has done for this party is monumental. She has shifted the paradigm, earned my respect, support and effort and I predict a 48 state landslide puts her in the Whitehouse on November 5th!
Life long Democrat Panetta (age 86) is all gravitas, and will bring on board those men who weigh heavily foreign policy, responsible fiscal policy and support for our intelligence community. He, like former Republican Lt. Gov. Duncan and former Republican Congress member Adam Kinzinger, make Harris and Walz stronger candidates. We should praise their participation.
Tom, I agree 1000%. This is a segment of voters that is crucial, that have important concerns, and that Harris skillfully addressed with Panetta, Duncan, Kinzinger, and Bill Clinton.
I had the same take on Leon Panetta's ostensibly boring speech, but made myself pay attention on a rerun. The substance of his speech illustrated the "extremely serious" part of Kamala's comment that "Trump is an unserious man, but the consequences of putting Trump back in the White House are extremely serious."
Parenthetically, this one sentence was genius--continued the shrinking of Trump as set up by convention speakers while connecting to the serious threats of Project 2025 to our democracy and even taken-for-granted safety.
I loved Panetta's speech, a serious leader with an enormous history of service, showing us how a true political leader, a true public servant sees the world. Gravitas.
I loved it too, Patrick. And I loved Bill Clinton's too. If you really listen to what they said, it was important and to the point. Can I also say, in a convention with many thousands of beautiful faces that were female, young, racially and gender-diverse, I was glad to see that another minority, old people, was also represented (by Panetta and Bill and some faces in the crowd).
I was very thankful for his concise and directly to the point address of the existential difference in our national security by putting the power of our POTUS in the hands of Harris versus that psychopath. The joyous celebrating is needed but we cannot forget what is necessary to keep us safe from men like Trump the world over. I am very certain that there are many serious people globally that will appreciate Panetta giving his blessing to Harris’ ability to stand strong on the world’s stage.
That's interesting - I thought he was more put together than some of the others around him, and he brought his very long resume to bear on a convention kind of lacking in foreign policy credentials (beyond the current/former Presidents and Hillary). I respect Mark Kelly a ton, but he isn't a polished enough speaker to have been the running mate. Gallego did a solid job - maybe they should have put Chris Murphy and Tammy Duckworth in that block to solidify it.
I totally disagree. I thought his speech was exactly what the people needed to hear presented in the tone befitting the topic. This is serious and after the "joy" of the DNC convention people will need to be told exactly what's at stake by serious people, not flamboyant politicians. People take topics as presented more seriously than when it's presented joyfully. I hope all the people with short attention spans, and those needing constant entertainment, could manage to handle the whole six and a half minutes of "boredom".
I agree Panetta’s remarks outdated. His defense and foreign policy chops are well known and lend gravitas. He is a serious power broker in the CA Democratic Party.
Panetta knows a little something about our national security and at least what I had time to view was not otherwise as well covered. I think the younger generations may be more challenged by as complete a comprehension of the serious existential threat to our way of life that the orange bloated turd in our Oval Office presented for our country. These people with tons and tons of EXPERIENCE in national security actually do know a thing or two. Not everything is just about feeling good. We will not feel very good once tffg has made this country into another Russia, and that threat is sure to be real if he gets back into office.
That’s so. However, each generation ought to be thoughtful and intelligent enough to learn from earlier generations, not blunder into repeating mistakes.
Leon Panetta spoke in an old-school manner, agreed. But I think his note in the chorus was essential. We have to show voters that Harris has a backbone of steel. One of the main catastrophes about Trump is that he would hand over the Ukraine (or the U.S., for that matter--AOC said he'd sell it for a dollar), to his beloved mentor Vladimir Putin in a New York second. That's a problem that hasn't been highlighted enough. Harris is going to have to do some hard lifting on the international front in 2025, against Putin's invasions, China's plans to invade Taiwan, that idiot Netanyahu, and the always-crazy Iranian government, not to mention N. Korea. Panetta set a tone for that to come, and will reassure military and old-school people (who are not wrong to worry, in my opinion) that Harris is not all lovey-dovey domestic bliss. She's going to have to fight about the border (notice all the Latinos that spoke), so she covered that angle at the convention. Panetta and even Sen. Kelly sounded the clarion call for a return to America as the protector of the free world, sadly missing with the MAGA isolationists. J.D. Vance: "I don't care what happens to Ukraine." Trump: "Putin should do whatever the hell he wants." Panetta's voice was needed.
I liked his speech. He showed a competence, seriousness and gravitas that reflected well on Harris, DNC, for having chosen him to speak. I agree that if the entire convention had been like this it would have been uninspiring in the way the rest of the convention was. The joy and positive energy were perfect for the time. We all needed to move away from the dark, discouraging pit we’ve been stuck in with Trump and then the pandemic. We need to keep this positive energy going and also continue to show the seriousness and purpose of the Harris campaign. Trump IS an unserious man. Harris is filled with joy, love and empathy….and also grit and a focused, intelligent, serious mind.
I respectfully disagree. If we want to finally convince the GOP that MAGA is a LOSING proposition, the election needs to be won by more than the narrow margins of the 2020 election.
I woud like to see all the federal and statewide races come back beyond the point where recounts are triggered and provisional ballots need to be counted to decide the race. (I'm sure that will still be an issue for state legislative races and local elections).
Kris Mayes won the AG race in AZ by 280 votes out of over 2.5 MILLION votes cast!
In the 1950s, the Boston Red Sox had an outfielder named Jimmy Piersall. Great fielder, mediocre hitter. He suffered a nervous breakdown, at a time when there was not much tolerance. Somehow, he overcame it and made it back to the major leagues. He wrote a book about his experience, called Fear Strikes Out. Last night, with Kamala Harris, fear struck out again.
Go Sox - Actually, a striking feature of Kamala's speech was the nervous breakdown Trump was suffering on social media - he posted the whole time in increasing panic and called Fox News to try and respond, failing embarrassingly to do so.
“Nervous breakdown” was what people used to call probably a whole host of mental challenges and I’m old enough to remember wondering what the heck it was. In any case, Fear Strikes Out is a great title!
Thanks, Jon. Folks might check out the film of Fear Strikes Out starring Anthony Perkins and Karl Malden (as Piersall's father.) Director Robert Mulligan's first film. He would later direct To Kill A Mockingbird and other fine films. Jimmy Piersall eventually played 17 seasons in the majors.
Robert, as an avid and dedicated follower, I urge you: please take a night or two off!!! I am so sorry to hear your family is suffering illnesses. Take a break. Politics will be here when you return and so will we!! Thanks for all you do. Xx
Thank goodness for the upcoming weekend. Yes, Robert, this is your "permission structure" to put on the oxygen mask for yourself and your family, and then go lite with your letters as your family recovers. Or as Rebecca Solnit extols, take a breath, and the rest of the chorus will continue to carry the note. With gratitude for all you do, be well.
Still giddy with excitement and more hopeful than ever after following the last four days and especially the stellar presentation of the next President from abroad I ask myself: How could this possibly be a close election?
How? 1. Russia, Iran and China’s possible interference. 2. MAGA Republicans continue to suppress voting through top-down ruses, e.g., Georgia’s sham board of elections. After this incredible convention it would be easy to coast. Robert is right: Savor the moment and get back to work.
And the MSM is trying to portray Kamala's policy statements in lacking details. I am totally disgusted with them. The 2020 Republicaln platform was "whatever Trump wants".
When whatever you say is 100% lies like Trump, it's pretty easy to make detailed "promises" that only the Rubes believe! I am sick and tired of the double standards of the MSM!!
I'm alternating between writing "mail now" postcards for Field Team 6 (www.fieldteam6.org) to register new voters in NC and postcard campaigns for NC candidates that need to be held until October. (if I stacked up my *hold* postcards, the stack would be 8" tall and I still have 5 - 6 more weeks of postcard writing before most of them need to be mailed!
And if things get too threatening for them...JFK, RFK, Martin Luther King...My prayers and meditations are dedicated to having everyone stays safe and whole. In my dark moments, I think the Trumpers threaten to kill people's children and grandchildren if they don't do what Trumpers want them to do. And Harris is not going to do what they want her to do, thank heaven.
Don't do that, Stefan! We said that in 2016. Putin is still out there, and if you think he isn't planning and scheming and turning his software hackers loose on our fragile American system, you should have another think.
I hope Jill is feeling better. I pray that you both stay strong as you navigate tending to your extended family's illness.
What a week! Just when I thought there was nothing more to be said, up popped another voice from the "crowd" that served to remind us what a creative talent the Dem camp has. I never knew how entertaining politics could be...all the while reenforcing how critical it is that we elect Kamala Harris and Tim Walz, the only choice for keeping our country the democracy that it has always been.
There's so much to say about what we witnessed last night, but watching Elizabeth Warren's reaction to the over-the-top reception she received was something else, don't you think? And I gotta say kudos to those white guys who support having a woman be their commander-in-chief! "Enough is Enough is Enough; Put a Woman in Charge...it's gonna be fantastic!"
Elizabeth Warren's being, clearly, deeply moved by the admiration and affection expressed in the crowd's applause and cheering was one of my favorite moments. Senator Warren is one of our most detail-driven, articulate, and clear headed policy wonks and a very valuable leader of the Democratic Party. I think she has probably long been pleased that she is generally respected, but what threw her off last night was that she saw that that respect contains real affection, is wrapped in love, a discernment, a gift. She saw herself seen as her best imagination of herself. This is a marked contrast to the cheering of Trump's crowds that are cheering in part because here is a guy who is as hateful and mean and smartassed as they find themselves to be on their worst days, and look at him: he was once President, so I must not be a shallow loser. Trump appeals to our worse imagination of ourselves. Warren's audience greeted her with a spontaneous overflow of feeling for a fellow battler who has fought for them. The contrast between the heart and soul of the two parties could not be greater.
I only would change one word of your Trump assessment, Patrick. I would substitute foul-mouthed for smartassed. Even though it is intended as an insult, smartassed sounds too positive for Trump.
And I agree about Sen. Warren, my old home state hero! Massachusetts comes up with some great, great Americans. I had the same feeling about Hillary's ovation, although no one is talking about Hillary. I felt the DNC crowd gave her a long, long ovation that spoke of love, gratitude, respect, and admiration for what she has done for us. For being Arkansas' first lady; First Lady of the US for 8 years; a U.S. Senator from New York; Secretary of State in perilous times; and a technically successful run for President of the United States (I'm going to say she lost on a technicality because she won the popular vote by a comfortable margin and she lost to Putin's interference in our electoral system). A lot of Democrats don't like her. Maybe only some Democratic woman like her; I'm one of them. I'm glad she spoke at the convention and glad that we honored her as she deserves for her long and selfless service to our country and her aspiration and Herculean effort to break that damn glass ceiling.
I agree, Christina. "Foul-mouthed" is a better word. And I couldn't agree more with your esteem for Hillary Clinton. My wife and twin daughters (then 32), and their older brother) were all devastated by the loss in 2016. I was stunned. I did not think the country would elect a flat-out conman in 2016. I was dead wrong, and he was much worse than a conman. All of us have said numerous times, over the last 8 years, how different would things have been if the candidate who won the popular votes in 2016 had received the most electoral college votes. That that sorry example of American manhood was able to trade on his macho arrogance, lies, and misogyny to sow hatred for such an accomplished leader as HRC still astonishes me. We must not let him fool us all again by lying to his followers and convincing the "undecideds" that he really doesn't know anything about Project 2025 and that a lot of his threats are good ol' hyperbole. Hilary Clinton speech was an eloquent and courageous passing of the torch that should have been rightly hers, very similar to Joe Biden's speech the night before. Both speeches deserve more credit, study, and attention and both leaders deserve our gratitude and, dare I say it, love.
I am still kvelling from our remarkable convention. It was one of the highlights of my 80 plus years. Kamala was spellbinding with every word. I am proud to be a democrat & I have never felt prouder to be an American.
2 of 2. As for actual convention goings on, there were numerous special moments, especially those involving family and young people. The ovation for Elizabeth Warren was very special and very well deserved.
Overall the portions of the convention I caught were about things that have been absent from the Democratic Party for a decade or more. Things like pride. Pride in being an American. Pride in believing in the power of government to do good. Pride in the possibilities that America offers that cannot be matched by any other country.
With that pride came a willingness to speak directly and uncodedly (if that's a word) about things that matter. And to act without the defensiveness and uncertainty that has dominated Democratic politics for so long. Which in turn led to the kind of creativity, humor, cleverness and fresh thinking that a party of supposed "elites," "creatives," and "Hollywood types" should be great at that has been missing from Democratic politics and communications for more years than I can remember. DL Hughley was among those who continued the deadly pointed anti-Trump humor that seemed to be intentionally missing from the Democratic arsenal since that infamous escalator ride (except from professional comedians who have been skewering Trump forever).
There was an anecdote told last night about Harris interacting with a young girl who played basketball but only liked playing offense. While I am a basketball purist who appreciates great defense, hell yeah baby, offense is where the fun is.
Jeff, you speak of pride, and I agree that came through loud and clear, but what struck me was the language used to back that up. Words like freedom, patriotism, and family values have been synonymous with the Republican party since Reagan. This version of the Democratic Party rejected that and repudiated the party that felt those words and terms were for them alone. Hearing the crowd chant “USA, USA!” at a Democratic convention was remarkable. This campaign finally realized that we are the party of those things the other party claimed for themselves, and by god, they will run on them. What an extraordinary month it has been topped off by an even more extraordinary convention. Now, we get to work and fight for our nation.
“ Hitting it out of the park” does not even begin to describe what Kamala Harris did last night. Watching her speak, I felt like this was the Harris I knew it was in there somewhere and was just waiting to break free. Very presidential, very commander-in-chief. Warm and firm at the same time.
I had to watch it a second time before I could go to bed. I’m surprised I even got to sleep, my heart was soaring so high.
And yes, Many congratulations to everyone who played apart and pulling off the last four days. It was a work of art. Joyful art.
1. I feel there was an unforced error and lost opportunity. If they were going to have a Jewish American hostage family then they ought to have included a Palestinian American. Together on the stage. Calling together for a ceasefire, release of hostages, and delivery of humanitarian aid. Joining in putting a shared goal first. What a force for good that would have been. An example of what is necessary and what is possible going forward. And of a Harris administration's commitment to justice as fairness. Instead we got, in the introductory video, Harris speaking to AIPAC. And a statement, during the acceptance speech, heavy on US support for Israels's self defense - without the explicit qualifier 'defense in compliance with US and international law.' As an American Jew and Zionist, who opposes Hamas and the Netanyahu regime abuses, it tainted the celebration and made me feel it will be harder going forward to electing Harris.
2. The balloon drop. All that plastic. A lost opportunity - of commitment to environmental concerns and of commitment to innovating green solutions - even if only to problems of showmanship.
Exactly right on both. A joint appearance by people who have been affected by the Gaza War from both sides would have been one of the most powerful moments of the week. I have no idea why either no one thought of it, or they didn't want to do it.
The point was to demonstrate how people directly hurt by the hostilities could overcome indulging in "an endless back-and-forth of grievances" and instead make a joint plea for the shared goal of a ceasefire, hostage release, and humanitarian aid.
The war must end at the negotiating table, which is not a place to adjudicate different narratives of the past but to agree on the legal framework for a shared future. That framework must be built piece by piece, with the first piece being addressing the most immediate necessities - cessation of hostilities, release of hostages, unimpeded delivery of humanitarian aid. Separate negotiations for 'the next day' and then an agreed legal framework for the establishment of two sovereign and geographically autonomous states. With acknowledgement of a desire to plan for 'truth and reconciliation' at a later date.
As with designing any 'scientific' experiment - including too many variables at once exponentially increases the likelihood of failure.
(This is why the nuclear agreement with Iran was limited and did not include every issue worthy of attention. It was to address the most immediate need and then build on the experience, ability, and relationships to negotiate. Republicans in their 'all or nothing' mind set did not understand this. It is why they do such a bad job at legislation and policy.)
Thank you for this comment. Hearing that the Harris campaign and the DNC said NO to having a Palestinian-American speak, EVEN an elected official is VERY disappointing to me and some of my uncommitted friends. It would have actually enhanced and confirmed the big tent image and true fairness. The one -sidedness of action cannot really be called a war. I continue to hope that the Harris administration will cut down on the weapons we send to Israel. We must LISTEN !!
ThankYou. The concerns for justice of you and your friends are shared by Israeli and American Zionists. And need to be better recognized. It is unfortunate that the Gaza protests were hijacked by the relative few who are more anti Israel than pro Palestine , and some of whom do indeed trade in antisemitic tropes. Of course, ignoring the majority of righteous protestors, the American right wing amplified the role of anti Israel and antisemitic actors.
I would disagree with one of your statements: The one -sidedness of action cannot really be called a war.
In fact, however much the disproportion, and the fact that a state can be expected to be held to a higher standard than a terrorist organization, Israel and Hamas are at war. In fact, and oddly, Netanyahu and Sinwar are long time allies - both prefer endless carnage to reasoned compromise on two states and thus both are aligned against the Palestinian Authority.
Sinwar (and Hamas) is not interested in “reasoned compromise”. Hamas’s objective is the destruction of Israel and the ethnic cleansing of Jews; they used to proclaim those objectives openly.
As to the Palestinian Authority (PA): They have been so hopelessly corrupt that they cannot responsibly govern Palestinian-majority areas and rid the areas of armed groups that would destroy peace. For decades, people have hoped the PA would reform itself and prove itself worthy of governing; hasn’t happened, yet. People in Gaza and the West Bank are caught between two would-be-governing groups that are highly unqualified.
"Sinwar (and Hamas) is not interested in “reasoned compromise”. "
Netanyahu is not interested in reasoned compromise. It is why he hedged his bets on supporting Hamas to stymie the Palestinian Authority. Netanyahu is one of the most corrupt politicians in Israeli history. And one who has done the most harm. Israel has never been so bellicose and so insecure. The Palestinians have never been in such dire conditions.
Palestinians in Gaza are under onslaught by the racist right wing religious extremist Netanyahu regime - making lebensraum for Jewish fanatics. Fanatics responsible for the assassination of Yitzhak Rabin because he dared think of negotiations for peace. Fanatics then declared terrorists by Israel itself and whose Kahanist movements were made pariahs within Israel's government. Until Netanyahu embraced them and gave them positions in his administration. An administration responsible for Israel's worst intelligence failure, worst military failure, and worst policy failures. Including implicating Israel in war crimes, crimes against humanity, and genocide. A regime in its attempt to overturn Israel's independent judiciary, mobilized millions of Israelis in opposition for months before Oct 7 - in part in protest of the apartheid system of 'justice' in the occupied West Bank. I could go on. As an American Jew and Zionist, the AIPAC party line disgusts me. Friends of Israel and friends of Palestine understand the need to set endless grievance aside in order to work on a framework for peace.
agree on this, too. I was expecting it and surprised it didn’t happen. But was heartened by her statement on it during her speech and also heartened that the crowd roared the way it did.
Exactly. Yes. And that the applause for Harris on cease fire, releasing the hostages, ending the humanitarian crisis, and supporting Palestinian self determination - was the loudest of all she said on Israel and Palestine.
“(All the balloons were made from a biodegradable latex obtained from rubber trees.)”
[It wasn’t just “showmanship.”]
“Treb Heining, considered by many the king of balloon art, had assembled a hand-picked crew of his peers to work on the DNC installation, marshaling them not just for their skills. He brought them together in support of Tommy DeLorenzo, owner of Balloons by Tommy, one of the Chicago area’s premier balloon artists.
DeLorenzo has been battling Stage 4 lymphoma since 2022 and received a stem cell transplant on Tuesday. “
ThankYou. Yes. That info was not in this blog. But was mentioned in others later. I wish it had been announced at the time of the balloon drop. The drop itself is of course an element of convention showmanship which is expected but not necessarily inevitable. It had a start and can have an end. Biodegradable or not - a lot of energy to manufacture, ship, inflate etc and a lot of material for the landfill.
In the call to focus down ballot, in Missouri, Lucas Kunce is challenging Joshua Hawley. Lucas is a superb candidate. Hawley, as we all know, is a disaster. We could use some help!
Hi All! Kamala’s speech…just Kamala was remarkable and exhilarating and so genuine. I felt I was in the presence of not just greatness but a phenomenological representation of a collective change in consciousness that she somehow has embodied. She… and it has to be we, also, are finally growing up and owning the spiritual, moral and communal order we were asked to uphold by being so blessed to live in a Democratic Republic. She articulated but also exuded what being American can be. I’m more than blown away by her and by us. We’ve struggled in the dark for eight years and are starting to emerge, changed and self confident. It’s humbling and how blessed we are to have this leadership now. As great as she is..so are we…whose hard, sometimes painful but seriously determined work in recent years is revealing its form. I’m just thrilled and more motivated and certain than ever.
I loved the entire Convention. Last night Kinzinger was standout to me. What courage he has. And what a perfect teacher for us to remember to take pause as we secretly or overtly “otherize “ Republicans. I’m so grateful to him for what he has modeled and given up to do so.
And being in all of this with all of you is also amazing. Reading you every day has helped me articulate to my volunteers that we are not alone. We are everywhere across this country and we’ve been working hard in a deep fog for 8 years. I’m so glad for all of you.
I agree that the speech rose to the expectations as did the crowd. I agree that we need to get the vote out. I also think that there is actually going to be a department devoted to following pregnant women, as mentioned in the Health and Human Services Section of Project 2025, only they call it The Department of Life, not the Dept of Abortion. The abortion situation is going to be more drastic than anyone at the convention said. I have read almost 1/3 of the Project 2025 and I have some general sense of themes that keep on coming up. I think she left IVF up to Night 3 of the convention, but that is serious, as is birth control prevention. A piece that has been missing from the Democratic Party's understanding of the appeal of Trump to Christian Nationalists and why Project 2025 is addressed to them, is that they believe the end of days is nigh. That means there is nothing necessary about long term planning. No accumulation of wealth, no caring about the environment, no caring about children learning because they aren't going to be around long, perhaps let them learn reading so they can read scriptures, but in general, around 10% of the US population has a drastic End-of-days set of beliefs that means that they are not looking to tomorrow on earth. See Andra Watkins discussion of the comparison between Christian Nationalists (CN) and The New Apostolic Reformation (NAR) End of Days beliefs. The CN believe that they will be taken soon and leave the rest of us behind with the mess. So, they are more focused on behaving "Godly" as they define it. However, because the NAR are included in the plans in 2025, they believe that they cannot have their end until the entire planet is behaving "Godly" by their limited definition. She compares the two at the end of this link. https://project2025istheocracy.substack.com/p/what-is-the-new-apostolic-reformation
In fact, she has useful information for us to understand the beliefs of people who are faithful to Trump, and those who are leaving the party, are obviously not having the same understanding of Christianity as these two groups. So, if you are NAR, and you are told that abortion is wrong because only God decides if you get pregnant or not, so that means no exceptions to abortions. How they are including miscarriages into this, is part of the mean spirited nature of their religious beliefs. That will also include IVF and birth control, because that is thwarting the will of God as they see it which is that only a married man and woman can have sex and if he gives you a child then you have to have it. How that fits in rape of children by family members they are not married to, I don't know. But it is a religion that contradicts itself continuously. There are people who decide to leave this cultish religion on their own, but right now we have a bunch of these members in government in Congress and the Supreme Court. We need a strong leader to take this on. Of course, Kamala cannot do it alone. So, I hope she gets to be president, because there is some nasty stuff planned for us if she does not, and it effects every country on this planet and some really bad actors are involved in getting too much of a foothold if Trump is elected. that is very clear. If Republicans who are not CN or NAR can see their national safety is at stake, they too might elect a Black-Asian woman.
Agreed, Linda. I appreciated Fl Rep Wasserman Shultz on day 3 highlighting that for Floridians,”Project 2025 isn’t just a threat, it’s a reality that we battle every single day.”
The Orlando Sentinel reported yesterday more evidence of P2025 in our schools.P2025 calls for only abstinence-based teaching, also known as “risk avoidance”. “Sex-promotion textbooks” are also equated with standard reproductive ed teaching, where students learn about their bodies, how reproductive and sexual anatomy function,and how to prevent a pregnancy.
Fl Dept of Education required all counties to submit their reproductive health plans, which they did almost a year ago .The school year has started and the Dept of Education has not responded to any counties….or the media. So, no reproductive health/sex education plans in place.
Also,this week we learned that Florida’s tourism marketing agency quietly removed the “LGBTQ Travel” section from its website sometime in the past few months.
Project 2025 is happening NOW !! The voters need to know! 📣GOTV !!
Kathy I agree. I am so sorry for Floridians and people elsewhere. Since I am reading Project 2025, I know that it has infiltrated not just Red States but Blue states too, as Red State AGs block our approved legislation to make guns more safe, and communities more safe, as well as other things that happened in the Trump Administration. SCOTUS is also carrying out the Project 2025 agenda. We have to stand up to it. Understanding the White Christian Nationalist's Racist Agenda one can see it coming to fruition all over the country. We need to reverse it. We lost the rights of Roe v Wade.
I am a nearly 70 year old living in Florida for the past 10 years. When we first moved there, I figured that enough north easters were moving there to have a positive balance of Democrats vs Republicans. To my dismay, I see more Don’t thread on me license plates and Gun owners for tRump. It makes me want to sob. But now, there is Hope.
Thank you Linda. One very complex part of looking for the “end of days” is that it requires a return to Jerusalem. And after the wars when there is peace in Jerusalem, the Jews will accept Christ as their Messiah. Evangelicals support Israel anticipating that they will accept Christ. I know I haven’t stated this precisely but when our government seems to state unequivocal support for Israel that concerns me.
Yes Barbara. Thank you for adding this important piece. That is what I understood as well, so that is not a true support of Israelis, but a transactional support in that they need Israel their to serve their purposes. Andra Watkins has stressed in her chat conversations that the way she was raised as a Christian Nationalist her pastors were very respectful of Jews and Israel seeing Jews as the chosen people and that they would be saved, but I understood that they expect Jews to choose Christ as their Savior when he returns to earth, so they must convert. It is a complexity that I think needs to be better understood. In Project 2025 where the list the numerous organizations supporting it, I only noticed one person who was listed as belonging to a Jewish organization and it was Jeffrey Gunter from Republican Jewish Coalition. Wondering how well what is planned for Jews is understood by this coalition.
All the preliminary speakers were good. They weren't all as inspiring as every speaker Monday night, but they were all good. I'll just focus on Adam Kinzinger.
I only just now saw his speech, after midnight in California. I can tell you that he brought tears to my eyes - literally. His speech was passionate and eloquent. He talked about principles, he talked about Trump - and his description of Trump was brilliant and spot on. And he implored Republicans multiple times to stand with him and do what is right. He described the Democratic Party to his fellow Republicans - Democrats are as patriotic as Republicans, and they love the country as much as Republicans. And he said that the policy differences Republicans might have with Democrats are trivial and insignificant in comparison to the bedrock principles that are fundamental to this country. And the Democratic Party loves those fundamental principles as much as the Republican Party used to.
Like I said, he brought tears to my eyes... literally... I was so glad to hear him say those words. And I will say now what I said a few days ago about him - I disagree with a LOT of his policies and positions, but I am proud to call him a fellow American.
And I would fight as hard for his right to hold those views as he is fighting for all of us now.
Kinzinger has risen to the occasion in every way, even though he is not wealthy enough to protect his family from the dangers posed by Trump in hiring full time security. He is a true American patriot.
Agree completely, especially as a former Republican (though many more years ago) myself. Imagine how much courage it took for Kinzinger to walk on that stage, likely not knowing what the reception would be.
Democrats rightly bash Republican leaders who, en masse, continue to dishonor themselves and betray the Constitution.
For this to truly be a pro-democracy party, former/“sort of” Republicans should be welcomed as fellow fighters for democracy.
I was proud of Kinzinger and proud of the delegates for their response to him.
Imagine how much courage it took for Kinzinger to walk on that stage, likely not knowing what the reception would be.
⬆️
I was impressed with all the Republicans who have repudiated Trump and were brave enough to speak at the DNC and implore their fellow Republicans to dump Trump. I hope the message was effective in giving those Republicans a permission structure to vote for the Harris-Walz ticket.
I was also impressed by the reception all of them got. I don't think I heard a single "boo" when anyone announced "I'm a Republican" -- that is as it should be. The DNC is definitely living up to their "Big Tent" reputation. And I hope it is causing a major panic at the Trump campaign HQ and triggers grumpy Trumpie "bigly".
And in case anyone missed it, Kinzinger gave a fiery response the other week to J.D. Vance's attempt to "swift boat" Tim Walz's military record.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NP6UTysjpBo
Thank you for including the link to Kinzinger’s helpful explanation of Walz’ retirement from the National Guard. Now I have something to send a high school classmate who keeps lying about Walz on Facebook.
don't forget to remind your classmate that their candidate, Trump, is a draft dodger. Five times, and faked a medical condition to evade it.
The odd thing Christina, my classmate was a Marine. Terry knows I come from a military family (father, brother, cousins, my late husband) and usually treats my posts with respect. He has just outright lied about Walz and refuses to acknowledge the “suckers and losers” treatment that Trump offers. I just want to post the truth for others who might read his posts or mine. Terry is lost.
Every Republican who showed up was cheered and received enthusiastically. It made me proud of the party.
I really hope that every time one of these MAGA people "attacks" (quotes for irony) Walz for serving a quarter of his lifetime in the U.S. military (what, it wasn't long enough??), that someone like Kinzinger or Gallego calls for an inquiry into Donald Trump's draft dodging! Five times! No bone spurs! Why don't we talk about THAT? (It's a real question.) Let's add Draft Dodger to his resume (or, as Jasmine Crockett called it, his rap sheet): Serial liar, rapist, convicted felon, fraudster, insurrectionist, bankrupt business owner, and draft dodger. I may have forgotten something, the list is getting longer.
Thank you for that link
Misspelling in the last sentence. I think everyone knows who you meant.
My thought when I heard Adam speak is that Democrats are MORE patriotic than Republicans at this point in history. Patriotism is shown by actions, not words. Trump is the least patriotic of all. Thank you to Adam for his inspiring words and his vote for Harris/Walz.
Trump is a traitor.
Used to be Benedict Arnold was the most notorious traitor in American history. Here's a kind of fame I would love to bestow on Trump: he can now be the most famous traitor in American history, supplanting Benedict Arnold. A fitting category of fame for Trump.
If nothing else, give Trump the Benedict Arnold Award*.
*A friend of mine invented that Award; I wish I’d been so clever.
This should be #’d and spread around. ❤️🤍💙💙💙🇺🇸✌🏻
In the 60s, when Republicans were able to turn the Vietnam protests against Democrats and the "hippies" by saying the protests showed that they hated the country, people then should have been more forceful in saying repeatedly, "We protest because we love this country and we want it to be better, and we know it can be." Instead, we allowed that anti-patriotism message to take hold, and we let the GOP claim the patriotism mantle for themselves unchallenged. Finally, over 50 years later, we're rightfully taking it back.
And also, Gene, I think the student protests of the 60s and early 70s forced the U.S. to end the Vietnam war.
Adam Kinzinger, yes, yes, yes! The man gave his kin a lot of grief and zingers when he spoke out early, and often, against trump. They disowned him en' mass. He forfeited his place in Congress to a MAGA man in standing up to trump. Know what you stand for, or you'll fall for anything, seems to be his core value. Our own Maxwell Frost (FL) set the room ablaze with his powerful oration to the urgency of our need to do the work we've been entrusted to do in salvaging the good ship America. Robert "Overdrive" Hubbell, please rest. Reflect on the You Nebula. Thank you for your service to us, to your country, to Planet Earth!
With Fox hanging the phone up tonight on him, it is fair to say DonOld has worn out his welcome enough to now qualify as TOAST. Stale old white bread toast! It has worn out its welcome with his diminished followers. Optics are everything as you juxtapose what we saw at the DNC. Kudos to the planners, and organizers who did a beyond an amazing job of orchestrating this monumental event!
Rep. Maxwell Frost of central Florida, all of 27 years old, spoke powerfully of the dangers of climate change. "As a Floridian, I'm here to tell you the climate crisis isn't some far off threat--it's here." He spoke of walking communities forced to rebuild after hurricanes destroyed their homes, and immigrant farmworkers toiling in the heat.
"But with our movement, and organizing, and with an administration that cares, we are making progress!"
His statement was all the more powerful for his having kept it to less than three minutes.
I'm sure we all agree with Jim Duffey: rest, Robert, rest! I have a sick kid at my house - she got Covid as soon as we returned from Ireland and Belgium. She was able to watch Kamala's acceptance speech with me on the couch in the living room - she's been confined to her room, mostly sleeping, for a week! I hope Jill is feeling better, and whoever the other sick family members are! You've done a remarkable job this week.
Take care!
Thank you Kathleen. Yes, we need to keep the old Stargazer and his clan healthy. I hope your daughter feels better soon too! KamalaHarris possess the courage of her convictions. DonOld just has convictions, THIRTY-FOUR of them, and counting!!
I love Adam Kinzinger and was so looking forward to his speech and then in the middle of it, I began to feel uncomfortable and couldn’t figure out why. I am also a former Republican, but opted out when the Tea Party didn’t go away and I saw the writing on the wall. I finally realized what the source of my discomfort with his speech was: I don’t understand why all of these disaffected Republicans haven’t banded together to form a new Conservative Party? I understand that the current focus is to elect Kamala, but after that is accomplished, this country needs a healthy two party system in order for democracy to continue to work as it’s designed.
I also used to be a Republican. I bailed on them when McCain chose Palin for VP - literally, a couple days later I changed my registration. The party had been making me uncomfortable for decades before that - especially when Reagan brought the religious fundamentalists into the party. One thing I figured out was that "fiscal conservatism" is really a smokescreen and a lie - and so is "individual responsibility".
I agree, and it wouldn't surprise me in the least if that's exactly what happens. I hope they even ditch the "Republican" name...too much baggage at this point.
Definitely would need a new name! This one is tainted-much like the Whigs of old.
Kinzinger gave an admirable speech, but stopped short of accusing Trump of inciting the Jan 6 riot.
Kinzinger has come out forcefully many times to accuse Trump of inciting the insurrection. If he missed that last night (I honestly don't remember), I can give him a pass.
I think we already have a great two party system--the Democrats and the regular Republicans. More and more of them are coming out of the closet and reclaiming their traditional values, most of which are shared by centrist Democrats. The MAGAts are NOT Republicans. They don't stand for any Republican value I ever heard of--law and order, value for the military, fiscal responsibility, fierce fighters of Russian and Chinese (communist) aggression...
Agree, but I think those days are over and our regular Rs are going to have to regroup under another name. Just my two cents!
What I would say to someone who plans on voting for Trump, “I’d be too ashamed.”
I was thinking of how loyal I am to Democrats and how hard it would be to vote for a Republican, but there is a line I wouldn’t be able to cross….human decency, morals, love of country, honesty…I would be too ashamed to vote for someone who crossed that line. I might not vote. (I wonder what I would have done if I lived in the Jim Crow south and my party was a racist one.)
Agree with everything you said, Gene. One point I found significant was that he indicated surprise that Democrats love their country as much as Republicans do. Republicans have used that trope for years - that if you’re a Dem, you don’t love your country. We need to out-patriot them in the next 74 days, and Kinzinger, Kamala and so many more have us a great start on that!
Then-young Democrats ceased loving the country in the wake of the Vietnam War. I began to realize how much that was hurting us, and so in the early '00s, I started wearing a flag on the lapel of one of my sport coats, and I put a flag decal on the rear window of my car.
But I still wasn't loving our country at gut level. Biden began to do that for me--best pres of my lifetime--which began first summer of the Eisenhower Administration. His passing the torch, and Kamala's great response, and Walz, have made my feelings deeper. Not to mention speeches from Hillary Clinton, Gabby Giffords, the Obamas (especially Michelle Obama), and numerous others.
The convention may actually signal the dawning of the Age of Aquarius, which was promised so long ago, in a wonderful song.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kjxSCAalsBE
Well, Carrie, we sure showed how much we love this country over the last four days! I don't think even the MAGA media could wiggle out from under that (they'll probably just ignore it). I was so inspired by the chants of USA! USA! Notice nobody was chanting "Democrats! Democrats!" And I think every speaker said something about, or ended with, "I love my country!" Not "I love my party."
I bet that Kamala Harris, the next President of the United States, will ask Kinzinger to be in her cabinet! Secretary of Defense? Secretary of State? He exemplifies what it means to be a patriot!
Yes indeed, Gene - well said! I wanted also to comment positively about Kinzinger. How wonderful to have his voice there and he was eloquent and passionate. Thank you for a nice piece of writing about this.
I certainly don’t agree with most of Adam K’s policies but I have tremendous respect for him. In an effort to help bring some unity to the country I would like to see Kamala announce she will find some position in her cabinet for Adam, Liz or some other Republican.
Gene, what a perfect characterization of what Kinzinger said. After hearing so many Republicans speak at the Democratic convention--the mayor of Mesa, Arizona, who told his cohorts not to be ashamed to vote Democratic this time because there "was nothing left of the Republican party" they loved; the videos from Republicans for Harris; Geoff Duncan; maybe some of those wonderful sheriffs who spoke so eloquently--I feel that there may now be three parties in the U.S. The Democrats, of course. The MAGA nuts, 30 million people in their own, new, party (not Republican!) with Trump as their emperor. And the regular Republicans, who have no place to stand and no place to go at the moment. The Democrats and the Republicans love the United States of America. The 30 million isolated MAGA nuts are a bunch of dark weirdos filled with hate who plan to keep women pregnant and chained to stoves; keep anyone who's not white and old from voting; deport all our brown- and yellow-skinned immigrants, legal or not; and for all I know return people to slavery (good for the billionaires' profit line). Let us Democrats and Republicans stand together against the MAGA people and take our country back! The message of unity, bi-partisanship, and love of our beautiful country was so strong and so inspiring over the last four days that I cried a lot (and I never cry). Our country is not perfect but it is fantastic right now at this moment. America is great right now. President Kamala Harris is only going to make it greater. I now have hope that real Republicans like Kinzinger and real Independents like Oprah know that, and will vote with us to preserve the Union in these perilous times.
Kinzinger spoke at a nearby college about a year ago and he told how he didn't want to have to explain to his children that he supported Trump. My only issue with him is that he didn't vote for the Voting Rights Amendment - and has never addressed why
Two comments from me today. I am tempted to repeat your entire commentary about the beyond the pale so-called J6 Awards. Every word is dead on and I share the outrage you express so well. I really hope this becomes the major story and scandal that it should be and that every major media outlet follows your example.
This J6 awards should be broadcast live so that all Americans should see what tyranny looks like. At very least, reporters should be camped outside of Mar-a-Lago or wherever he holds the darn thing and surround every so-called Republican politician who shows up with a phalanx of microphones asking if they support insurrection and the murder of members of their own party.
Time for an army of grassroots to sharpen their pens and write letters to the editor -- not to mention post about this outrage on social media! II don't have any confidence in the MSM to do their jobs, but we the people can do it ourselves.
For everyone with a presence on social media, please check out the Digital Drumbeat if you aren't already a subscriber. Here is a link to a recent post about amplifying the Harris Walz campaign:
https://www.digitaldrumbeat.com/p/walz-and-harris-a-massive-meme-and?r=1aiy5t&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web
and here are a couple of great resources that they have shared on Project 2025:
https://www.digitaldrumbeat.com/p/the-big-list-of-resources-about-project?r=1aiy5t&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web
https://www.digitaldrumbeat.com/p/new-projected-state-by-state-impacts?r=1aiy5t&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web
I have a MAGA friend who, in a heated exchange recently said to me, "C'mon. Admit it. If the tables were turned, and it was Biden (D) who was 'accused' of all these things by Republicans...you'd still vote for him." Honestly...NOT A CHANCE! At the time, I wish I had the wits to say "I'd be too ashamed." He has since blocked me on social media--but I think I'll post that statement anyway. Great line.
Point is that Dems would never nominate anyone whose character is anywhere close to Trump’s !
It shows Trump's insanity, DK and Jeff! I hope that every Independent watched our Convention, as well as all disaffected Republicans. I hope they all do what so many Republicans have said this week: vote for saving the kind of country we have. Repudiate the country Trump would surely create if he were re-elected! Trump had to come up with this latest outrageous behavior because Kamala and Tim were getting all of the headlines. He is insanely jealous that anyone could do that. I shudder to think what he will say/do next. At some point, Republicans must ask themselves what they are thinking, if they are even thinking, about voting for a mentally ill sociopath who is telling us every day what he will do if re-elected! I'll quote a tee shirt I saw in Ireland: they are "Fecking Eejets!"
If the DNC were a play, we would be talking in equal parts about the experience of seeing it AND the craft of all of those involved in creating it. In this case, all of what must’ve been a massive staff of writers, producers, music directors, lighting technicians, and presentation coaches are all appropriately still in the background. The haunting theatricality of the gun violence survivors' telling of their stories deserves a Tony Award. The only name I have heard getting well-earned credit is that of messaging guru Anat Shenker-Osorio, who has argued consistently for the importance of Democrats foregrounding “freedom” and a clear statement of what we are for.
In a piece I wrote yesterday, I summed up The Tale of Two conventions with this:
DEMOCRAT..........REPUBLICAN
....Winning..................Whining
.....Vision....................Division
...Justice.....................Just Us
Respectfully, I add the vision and sounds of good vs. evil.
The difference between the two parties and their respective supporters could not possibly be more stark.
I agree. I thought “whoever staged the convention deserves an Emmy!”
Very well -produced. And they pulled it together in 30 days
I agree 💯percent. Especially when you consider that they so perfectly captured the "vibe" even though Biden was heading up the ticket just a short time ago - I imagine the convention has been in the works even before they chose the host city -- in April 2023.
https://democrats.org/news/dnc-announces-chicago-to-host-2024-democratic-national-convention/
Yeah. I said Tony thinking it was like theater, but it was certainly also Emmy-worthy.
So right, Barbara, and this evident clarity and professionalism is a signature of the Democratic Party at this point in our history. Democrats Make Life Better, as the shirt says. And like the Democrats in the New Deal and in the New Frontier, our wide generation of doers in the Democratic Party get important things done. Look at the Inflation Reducation Act and every other piece of legislation that has been passed to make America strong and put people to work. As Kamala Harris said last night, "Donald Trump is an unserious man." That seems like a mild-mannered critique considering the vitriol that anyone of us could sling at the guy without a moment's notice. Yet it is fundamentally damning. As Vice President Harris continued, "But the consequences of putting Trump back in the White House are extremely serious." If Trump were merely a cartoon buffoon who rides around in a golf cart and makes idiotic statements, he should be kept from the White House. Yes, he is a dolt and a clown, but his instinctual propensity to lie, cheat, and throw the entire country and world under the cosmic bus to preserve his own fragile ego could kill our democracy and our planet. What we saw this week is a party, politicians, delegates, and leaders, and communicators who are serious, focused and know what the hell they are doing. Every aspect of that convention was pointed and direct, which should send a signal to Republicans and all Americans that "We are not playing with babies here." The Republican Party leaders, as Kamala Harris noted, are "out of their minds" and the grown-ups are ready to continue to lead this country forward in everything from Convention design to the serious business of leading all of America and the world to better days.
I've been saying that exact phrase "Republicans are out of their minds" for the last 20 years or so. I'm so glad to see it repeated in a very public way, and especially because it's more true today than it was 20 years ago. Republicans have gotten exponentially worse!
Perfectly stated, Patrick!
The New Deal, the New Frontier, and now the New Way Forward.
I agree, Barbara! In Hollywood, they give a producer/director an Oscar for Best Picture, who works behind the scenes on a fabulous, successful, heart-wrenchingly wonderful creation like this one. There is some one person whose name we don't know deploying all these resources in an utterly perfect way to have put together and presented the U.S. (and the world) with this amazing, world-saving, event! Wish I knew who it was.
So true! Absolutely inspiring and so liberating to hear people not only articulate our values but blow away the gaslighting of the maga years with their focused energy and clarity. And Kamala, Adam, the Obamas, they were mad and as snarky as could be. Loved that!
In a night that was orchestrated to near perfection, Leon Panetta was the outlier. His speech seemed to be glaringly out of place, off tempo and not well delivered or well received. As one of the last among my liberal friends and family to let go of my anger about Biden’s departure, I realized that this was a glimpse of what a Biden Convention would have looked like. I still believe in my stubborn heart that Biden could have, would have defeated Trump, but what Harris has done for this party is monumental. She has shifted the paradigm, earned my respect, support and effort and I predict a 48 state landslide puts her in the Whitehouse on November 5th!
Kamala Harris for the people!
Life long Democrat Panetta (age 86) is all gravitas, and will bring on board those men who weigh heavily foreign policy, responsible fiscal policy and support for our intelligence community. He, like former Republican Lt. Gov. Duncan and former Republican Congress member Adam Kinzinger, make Harris and Walz stronger candidates. We should praise their participation.
Tom, I agree 1000%. This is a segment of voters that is crucial, that have important concerns, and that Harris skillfully addressed with Panetta, Duncan, Kinzinger, and Bill Clinton.
I had the same take on Leon Panetta's ostensibly boring speech, but made myself pay attention on a rerun. The substance of his speech illustrated the "extremely serious" part of Kamala's comment that "Trump is an unserious man, but the consequences of putting Trump back in the White House are extremely serious."
Parenthetically, this one sentence was genius--continued the shrinking of Trump as set up by convention speakers while connecting to the serious threats of Project 2025 to our democracy and even taken-for-granted safety.
I loved Panetta's speech, a serious leader with an enormous history of service, showing us how a true political leader, a true public servant sees the world. Gravitas.
I loved it too, Patrick. And I loved Bill Clinton's too. If you really listen to what they said, it was important and to the point. Can I also say, in a convention with many thousands of beautiful faces that were female, young, racially and gender-diverse, I was glad to see that another minority, old people, was also represented (by Panetta and Bill and some faces in the crowd).
I was very thankful for his concise and directly to the point address of the existential difference in our national security by putting the power of our POTUS in the hands of Harris versus that psychopath. The joyous celebrating is needed but we cannot forget what is necessary to keep us safe from men like Trump the world over. I am very certain that there are many serious people globally that will appreciate Panetta giving his blessing to Harris’ ability to stand strong on the world’s stage.
That's interesting - I thought he was more put together than some of the others around him, and he brought his very long resume to bear on a convention kind of lacking in foreign policy credentials (beyond the current/former Presidents and Hillary). I respect Mark Kelly a ton, but he isn't a polished enough speaker to have been the running mate. Gallego did a solid job - maybe they should have put Chris Murphy and Tammy Duckworth in that block to solidify it.
Tammy Duckworth was sitting in her wheelchair to Rueben Gallego’s right as were other veterans in Congress.
I totally disagree. I thought his speech was exactly what the people needed to hear presented in the tone befitting the topic. This is serious and after the "joy" of the DNC convention people will need to be told exactly what's at stake by serious people, not flamboyant politicians. People take topics as presented more seriously than when it's presented joyfully. I hope all the people with short attention spans, and those needing constant entertainment, could manage to handle the whole six and a half minutes of "boredom".
I agree Panetta’s remarks outdated. His defense and foreign policy chops are well known and lend gravitas. He is a serious power broker in the CA Democratic Party.
He is also old school.
Well, there are still plenty of old schools standing...
Panetta knows a little something about our national security and at least what I had time to view was not otherwise as well covered. I think the younger generations may be more challenged by as complete a comprehension of the serious existential threat to our way of life that the orange bloated turd in our Oval Office presented for our country. These people with tons and tons of EXPERIENCE in national security actually do know a thing or two. Not everything is just about feeling good. We will not feel very good once tffg has made this country into another Russia, and that threat is sure to be real if he gets back into office.
True but we are in the mist of a generational change.
That’s so. However, each generation ought to be thoughtful and intelligent enough to learn from earlier generations, not blunder into repeating mistakes.
A great theory but hard to do
Old school with serious defense and foreign policy chops. Buttresses Kamala pick seasoned, knowledgeable people as her advisors
Leon Panetta spoke in an old-school manner, agreed. But I think his note in the chorus was essential. We have to show voters that Harris has a backbone of steel. One of the main catastrophes about Trump is that he would hand over the Ukraine (or the U.S., for that matter--AOC said he'd sell it for a dollar), to his beloved mentor Vladimir Putin in a New York second. That's a problem that hasn't been highlighted enough. Harris is going to have to do some hard lifting on the international front in 2025, against Putin's invasions, China's plans to invade Taiwan, that idiot Netanyahu, and the always-crazy Iranian government, not to mention N. Korea. Panetta set a tone for that to come, and will reassure military and old-school people (who are not wrong to worry, in my opinion) that Harris is not all lovey-dovey domestic bliss. She's going to have to fight about the border (notice all the Latinos that spoke), so she covered that angle at the convention. Panetta and even Sen. Kelly sounded the clarion call for a return to America as the protector of the free world, sadly missing with the MAGA isolationists. J.D. Vance: "I don't care what happens to Ukraine." Trump: "Putin should do whatever the hell he wants." Panetta's voice was needed.
I liked his speech. He showed a competence, seriousness and gravitas that reflected well on Harris, DNC, for having chosen him to speak. I agree that if the entire convention had been like this it would have been uninspiring in the way the rest of the convention was. The joy and positive energy were perfect for the time. We all needed to move away from the dark, discouraging pit we’ve been stuck in with Trump and then the pandemic. We need to keep this positive energy going and also continue to show the seriousness and purpose of the Harris campaign. Trump IS an unserious man. Harris is filled with joy, love and empathy….and also grit and a focused, intelligent, serious mind.
Let’s just win. The how much is not important
The how much is not important
⬆️
I respectfully disagree. If we want to finally convince the GOP that MAGA is a LOSING proposition, the election needs to be won by more than the narrow margins of the 2020 election.
I woud like to see all the federal and statewide races come back beyond the point where recounts are triggered and provisional ballots need to be counted to decide the race. (I'm sure that will still be an issue for state legislative races and local elections).
Kris Mayes won the AG race in AZ by 280 votes out of over 2.5 MILLION votes cast!
https://ballotpedia.org/Kris_Mayes
Good point.
The how *is* important: It may determine whether we win or lose.
Biden will defeat Trump by resigning. I literally threw my phone when I read his statement and cried.
I am no elated and so hopeful. Kamala is ready for the job.
In the 1950s, the Boston Red Sox had an outfielder named Jimmy Piersall. Great fielder, mediocre hitter. He suffered a nervous breakdown, at a time when there was not much tolerance. Somehow, he overcame it and made it back to the major leagues. He wrote a book about his experience, called Fear Strikes Out. Last night, with Kamala Harris, fear struck out again.
Go Sox - Actually, a striking feature of Kamala's speech was the nervous breakdown Trump was suffering on social media - he posted the whole time in increasing panic and called Fox News to try and respond, failing embarrassingly to do so.
Was? It’s ongoing!
“Nervous breakdown” was what people used to call probably a whole host of mental challenges and I’m old enough to remember wondering what the heck it was. In any case, Fear Strikes Out is a great title!
Thanks, Jon. Folks might check out the film of Fear Strikes Out starring Anthony Perkins and Karl Malden (as Piersall's father.) Director Robert Mulligan's first film. He would later direct To Kill A Mockingbird and other fine films. Jimmy Piersall eventually played 17 seasons in the majors.
I read the book saw the movie and the ball player play. I am not sure over coming a nervous breakdown is relevant to Harris.
Robert, as an avid and dedicated follower, I urge you: please take a night or two off!!! I am so sorry to hear your family is suffering illnesses. Take a break. Politics will be here when you return and so will we!! Thanks for all you do. Xx
Thank goodness for the upcoming weekend. Yes, Robert, this is your "permission structure" to put on the oxygen mask for yourself and your family, and then go lite with your letters as your family recovers. Or as Rebecca Solnit extols, take a breath, and the rest of the chorus will continue to carry the note. With gratitude for all you do, be well.
Still giddy with excitement and more hopeful than ever after following the last four days and especially the stellar presentation of the next President from abroad I ask myself: How could this possibly be a close election?
How? 1. Russia, Iran and China’s possible interference. 2. MAGA Republicans continue to suppress voting through top-down ruses, e.g., Georgia’s sham board of elections. After this incredible convention it would be easy to coast. Robert is right: Savor the moment and get back to work.
Some people are just not paying attention. At all.
Some are very busy and stressed. Some watch media that literally lies to them. Media that scares them. Some folks like to be told what to think.
Too many watch “pundits” and take all their info from them.
Way too many voters do not vote.
I’m writing postcards, volunteering at the booth for Democrats at the local fair and knocking on doors in October.
And the MSM is trying to portray Kamala's policy statements in lacking details. I am totally disgusted with them. The 2020 Republicaln platform was "whatever Trump wants".
When whatever you say is 100% lies like Trump, it's pretty easy to make detailed "promises" that only the Rubes believe! I am sick and tired of the double standards of the MSM!!
I'm alternating between writing "mail now" postcards for Field Team 6 (www.fieldteam6.org) to register new voters in NC and postcard campaigns for NC candidates that need to be held until October. (if I stacked up my *hold* postcards, the stack would be 8" tall and I still have 5 - 6 more weeks of postcard writing before most of them need to be mailed!
And if things get too threatening for them...JFK, RFK, Martin Luther King...My prayers and meditations are dedicated to having everyone stays safe and whole. In my dark moments, I think the Trumpers threaten to kill people's children and grandchildren if they don't do what Trumpers want them to do. And Harris is not going to do what they want her to do, thank heaven.
Don't do that, Stefan! We said that in 2016. Putin is still out there, and if you think he isn't planning and scheming and turning his software hackers loose on our fragile American system, you should have another think.
I hope Jill is feeling better. I pray that you both stay strong as you navigate tending to your extended family's illness.
What a week! Just when I thought there was nothing more to be said, up popped another voice from the "crowd" that served to remind us what a creative talent the Dem camp has. I never knew how entertaining politics could be...all the while reenforcing how critical it is that we elect Kamala Harris and Tim Walz, the only choice for keeping our country the democracy that it has always been.
There's so much to say about what we witnessed last night, but watching Elizabeth Warren's reaction to the over-the-top reception she received was something else, don't you think? And I gotta say kudos to those white guys who support having a woman be their commander-in-chief! "Enough is Enough is Enough; Put a Woman in Charge...it's gonna be fantastic!"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FciQeRGYFlw&t=16s
Elizabeth Warren's being, clearly, deeply moved by the admiration and affection expressed in the crowd's applause and cheering was one of my favorite moments. Senator Warren is one of our most detail-driven, articulate, and clear headed policy wonks and a very valuable leader of the Democratic Party. I think she has probably long been pleased that she is generally respected, but what threw her off last night was that she saw that that respect contains real affection, is wrapped in love, a discernment, a gift. She saw herself seen as her best imagination of herself. This is a marked contrast to the cheering of Trump's crowds that are cheering in part because here is a guy who is as hateful and mean and smartassed as they find themselves to be on their worst days, and look at him: he was once President, so I must not be a shallow loser. Trump appeals to our worse imagination of ourselves. Warren's audience greeted her with a spontaneous overflow of feeling for a fellow battler who has fought for them. The contrast between the heart and soul of the two parties could not be greater.
I only would change one word of your Trump assessment, Patrick. I would substitute foul-mouthed for smartassed. Even though it is intended as an insult, smartassed sounds too positive for Trump.
And I agree about Sen. Warren, my old home state hero! Massachusetts comes up with some great, great Americans. I had the same feeling about Hillary's ovation, although no one is talking about Hillary. I felt the DNC crowd gave her a long, long ovation that spoke of love, gratitude, respect, and admiration for what she has done for us. For being Arkansas' first lady; First Lady of the US for 8 years; a U.S. Senator from New York; Secretary of State in perilous times; and a technically successful run for President of the United States (I'm going to say she lost on a technicality because she won the popular vote by a comfortable margin and she lost to Putin's interference in our electoral system). A lot of Democrats don't like her. Maybe only some Democratic woman like her; I'm one of them. I'm glad she spoke at the convention and glad that we honored her as she deserves for her long and selfless service to our country and her aspiration and Herculean effort to break that damn glass ceiling.
I agree, Christina. "Foul-mouthed" is a better word. And I couldn't agree more with your esteem for Hillary Clinton. My wife and twin daughters (then 32), and their older brother) were all devastated by the loss in 2016. I was stunned. I did not think the country would elect a flat-out conman in 2016. I was dead wrong, and he was much worse than a conman. All of us have said numerous times, over the last 8 years, how different would things have been if the candidate who won the popular votes in 2016 had received the most electoral college votes. That that sorry example of American manhood was able to trade on his macho arrogance, lies, and misogyny to sow hatred for such an accomplished leader as HRC still astonishes me. We must not let him fool us all again by lying to his followers and convincing the "undecideds" that he really doesn't know anything about Project 2025 and that a lot of his threats are good ol' hyperbole. Hilary Clinton speech was an eloquent and courageous passing of the torch that should have been rightly hers, very similar to Joe Biden's speech the night before. Both speeches deserve more credit, study, and attention and both leaders deserve our gratitude and, dare I say it, love.
Liz!
I am still kvelling from our remarkable convention. It was one of the highlights of my 80 plus years. Kamala was spellbinding with every word. I am proud to be a democrat & I have never felt prouder to be an American.
Kamala Harris gave the best line in the whole Convention when she described Trump and his enablers. "Simply put, they are out of their minds."
2 of 2. As for actual convention goings on, there were numerous special moments, especially those involving family and young people. The ovation for Elizabeth Warren was very special and very well deserved.
Overall the portions of the convention I caught were about things that have been absent from the Democratic Party for a decade or more. Things like pride. Pride in being an American. Pride in believing in the power of government to do good. Pride in the possibilities that America offers that cannot be matched by any other country.
With that pride came a willingness to speak directly and uncodedly (if that's a word) about things that matter. And to act without the defensiveness and uncertainty that has dominated Democratic politics for so long. Which in turn led to the kind of creativity, humor, cleverness and fresh thinking that a party of supposed "elites," "creatives," and "Hollywood types" should be great at that has been missing from Democratic politics and communications for more years than I can remember. DL Hughley was among those who continued the deadly pointed anti-Trump humor that seemed to be intentionally missing from the Democratic arsenal since that infamous escalator ride (except from professional comedians who have been skewering Trump forever).
There was an anecdote told last night about Harris interacting with a young girl who played basketball but only liked playing offense. While I am a basketball purist who appreciates great defense, hell yeah baby, offense is where the fun is.
Reclaiming the flag, freedom and democracy !!❤️🤍💙
We’re flying our flag( appropriately right side up😉) along with our very lonely Harris/Walz sign. Please join us !
🇺🇸🪧
What a great idea!
Jeff, you speak of pride, and I agree that came through loud and clear, but what struck me was the language used to back that up. Words like freedom, patriotism, and family values have been synonymous with the Republican party since Reagan. This version of the Democratic Party rejected that and repudiated the party that felt those words and terms were for them alone. Hearing the crowd chant “USA, USA!” at a Democratic convention was remarkable. This campaign finally realized that we are the party of those things the other party claimed for themselves, and by god, they will run on them. What an extraordinary month it has been topped off by an even more extraordinary convention. Now, we get to work and fight for our nation.
“ Hitting it out of the park” does not even begin to describe what Kamala Harris did last night. Watching her speak, I felt like this was the Harris I knew it was in there somewhere and was just waiting to break free. Very presidential, very commander-in-chief. Warm and firm at the same time.
I had to watch it a second time before I could go to bed. I’m surprised I even got to sleep, my heart was soaring so high.
And yes, Many congratulations to everyone who played apart and pulling off the last four days. It was a work of art. Joyful art.
I don't know how a person could watch that speech and not think "This woman needs to be President. Heck - I wish she was President right now".
I am relieved the convention went well but ...
1. I feel there was an unforced error and lost opportunity. If they were going to have a Jewish American hostage family then they ought to have included a Palestinian American. Together on the stage. Calling together for a ceasefire, release of hostages, and delivery of humanitarian aid. Joining in putting a shared goal first. What a force for good that would have been. An example of what is necessary and what is possible going forward. And of a Harris administration's commitment to justice as fairness. Instead we got, in the introductory video, Harris speaking to AIPAC. And a statement, during the acceptance speech, heavy on US support for Israels's self defense - without the explicit qualifier 'defense in compliance with US and international law.' As an American Jew and Zionist, who opposes Hamas and the Netanyahu regime abuses, it tainted the celebration and made me feel it will be harder going forward to electing Harris.
2. The balloon drop. All that plastic. A lost opportunity - of commitment to environmental concerns and of commitment to innovating green solutions - even if only to problems of showmanship.
Exactly right on both. A joint appearance by people who have been affected by the Gaza War from both sides would have been one of the most powerful moments of the week. I have no idea why either no one thought of it, or they didn't want to do it.
I strongly disagree. The taking of hostages is a unique war crime.
If one tried to pair recognition of hostages with other aspects of the war, there could have been an endless back-and-forth of grievances.
The point was to demonstrate how people directly hurt by the hostilities could overcome indulging in "an endless back-and-forth of grievances" and instead make a joint plea for the shared goal of a ceasefire, hostage release, and humanitarian aid.
The war must end at the negotiating table, which is not a place to adjudicate different narratives of the past but to agree on the legal framework for a shared future. That framework must be built piece by piece, with the first piece being addressing the most immediate necessities - cessation of hostilities, release of hostages, unimpeded delivery of humanitarian aid. Separate negotiations for 'the next day' and then an agreed legal framework for the establishment of two sovereign and geographically autonomous states. With acknowledgement of a desire to plan for 'truth and reconciliation' at a later date.
As with designing any 'scientific' experiment - including too many variables at once exponentially increases the likelihood of failure.
(This is why the nuclear agreement with Iran was limited and did not include every issue worthy of attention. It was to address the most immediate need and then build on the experience, ability, and relationships to negotiate. Republicans in their 'all or nothing' mind set did not understand this. It is why they do such a bad job at legislation and policy.)
Thank you for this comment. Hearing that the Harris campaign and the DNC said NO to having a Palestinian-American speak, EVEN an elected official is VERY disappointing to me and some of my uncommitted friends. It would have actually enhanced and confirmed the big tent image and true fairness. The one -sidedness of action cannot really be called a war. I continue to hope that the Harris administration will cut down on the weapons we send to Israel. We must LISTEN !!
ThankYou. The concerns for justice of you and your friends are shared by Israeli and American Zionists. And need to be better recognized. It is unfortunate that the Gaza protests were hijacked by the relative few who are more anti Israel than pro Palestine , and some of whom do indeed trade in antisemitic tropes. Of course, ignoring the majority of righteous protestors, the American right wing amplified the role of anti Israel and antisemitic actors.
I would disagree with one of your statements: The one -sidedness of action cannot really be called a war.
In fact, however much the disproportion, and the fact that a state can be expected to be held to a higher standard than a terrorist organization, Israel and Hamas are at war. In fact, and oddly, Netanyahu and Sinwar are long time allies - both prefer endless carnage to reasoned compromise on two states and thus both are aligned against the Palestinian Authority.
Sinwar (and Hamas) is not interested in “reasoned compromise”. Hamas’s objective is the destruction of Israel and the ethnic cleansing of Jews; they used to proclaim those objectives openly.
As to the Palestinian Authority (PA): They have been so hopelessly corrupt that they cannot responsibly govern Palestinian-majority areas and rid the areas of armed groups that would destroy peace. For decades, people have hoped the PA would reform itself and prove itself worthy of governing; hasn’t happened, yet. People in Gaza and the West Bank are caught between two would-be-governing groups that are highly unqualified.
"Sinwar (and Hamas) is not interested in “reasoned compromise”. "
Netanyahu is not interested in reasoned compromise. It is why he hedged his bets on supporting Hamas to stymie the Palestinian Authority. Netanyahu is one of the most corrupt politicians in Israeli history. And one who has done the most harm. Israel has never been so bellicose and so insecure. The Palestinians have never been in such dire conditions.
Palestinians in Gaza are under onslaught by the racist right wing religious extremist Netanyahu regime - making lebensraum for Jewish fanatics. Fanatics responsible for the assassination of Yitzhak Rabin because he dared think of negotiations for peace. Fanatics then declared terrorists by Israel itself and whose Kahanist movements were made pariahs within Israel's government. Until Netanyahu embraced them and gave them positions in his administration. An administration responsible for Israel's worst intelligence failure, worst military failure, and worst policy failures. Including implicating Israel in war crimes, crimes against humanity, and genocide. A regime in its attempt to overturn Israel's independent judiciary, mobilized millions of Israelis in opposition for months before Oct 7 - in part in protest of the apartheid system of 'justice' in the occupied West Bank. I could go on. As an American Jew and Zionist, the AIPAC party line disgusts me. Friends of Israel and friends of Palestine understand the need to set endless grievance aside in order to work on a framework for peace.
Agree on this!
agree on this, too. I was expecting it and surprised it didn’t happen. But was heartened by her statement on it during her speech and also heartened that the crowd roared the way it did.
Exactly. Yes. And that the applause for Harris on cease fire, releasing the hostages, ending the humanitarian crisis, and supporting Palestinian self determination - was the loudest of all she said on Israel and Palestine.
“(All the balloons were made from a biodegradable latex obtained from rubber trees.)”
[It wasn’t just “showmanship.”]
“Treb Heining, considered by many the king of balloon art, had assembled a hand-picked crew of his peers to work on the DNC installation, marshaling them not just for their skills. He brought them together in support of Tommy DeLorenzo, owner of Balloons by Tommy, one of the Chicago area’s premier balloon artists.
DeLorenzo has been battling Stage 4 lymphoma since 2022 and received a stem cell transplant on Tuesday. “
~Patty Wetli, WTTW
ThankYou. Yes. That info was not in this blog. But was mentioned in others later. I wish it had been announced at the time of the balloon drop. The drop itself is of course an element of convention showmanship which is expected but not necessarily inevitable. It had a start and can have an end. Biodegradable or not - a lot of energy to manufacture, ship, inflate etc and a lot of material for the landfill.
In the call to focus down ballot, in Missouri, Lucas Kunce is challenging Joshua Hawley. Lucas is a superb candidate. Hawley, as we all know, is a disaster. We could use some help!
Call Hawley the coward and wussy that he is and show the video of him running out of the Capitol away from his supporters.
Hi All! Kamala’s speech…just Kamala was remarkable and exhilarating and so genuine. I felt I was in the presence of not just greatness but a phenomenological representation of a collective change in consciousness that she somehow has embodied. She… and it has to be we, also, are finally growing up and owning the spiritual, moral and communal order we were asked to uphold by being so blessed to live in a Democratic Republic. She articulated but also exuded what being American can be. I’m more than blown away by her and by us. We’ve struggled in the dark for eight years and are starting to emerge, changed and self confident. It’s humbling and how blessed we are to have this leadership now. As great as she is..so are we…whose hard, sometimes painful but seriously determined work in recent years is revealing its form. I’m just thrilled and more motivated and certain than ever.
I loved the entire Convention. Last night Kinzinger was standout to me. What courage he has. And what a perfect teacher for us to remember to take pause as we secretly or overtly “otherize “ Republicans. I’m so grateful to him for what he has modeled and given up to do so.
And being in all of this with all of you is also amazing. Reading you every day has helped me articulate to my volunteers that we are not alone. We are everywhere across this country and we’ve been working hard in a deep fog for 8 years. I’m so glad for all of you.
I agree that the speech rose to the expectations as did the crowd. I agree that we need to get the vote out. I also think that there is actually going to be a department devoted to following pregnant women, as mentioned in the Health and Human Services Section of Project 2025, only they call it The Department of Life, not the Dept of Abortion. The abortion situation is going to be more drastic than anyone at the convention said. I have read almost 1/3 of the Project 2025 and I have some general sense of themes that keep on coming up. I think she left IVF up to Night 3 of the convention, but that is serious, as is birth control prevention. A piece that has been missing from the Democratic Party's understanding of the appeal of Trump to Christian Nationalists and why Project 2025 is addressed to them, is that they believe the end of days is nigh. That means there is nothing necessary about long term planning. No accumulation of wealth, no caring about the environment, no caring about children learning because they aren't going to be around long, perhaps let them learn reading so they can read scriptures, but in general, around 10% of the US population has a drastic End-of-days set of beliefs that means that they are not looking to tomorrow on earth. See Andra Watkins discussion of the comparison between Christian Nationalists (CN) and The New Apostolic Reformation (NAR) End of Days beliefs. The CN believe that they will be taken soon and leave the rest of us behind with the mess. So, they are more focused on behaving "Godly" as they define it. However, because the NAR are included in the plans in 2025, they believe that they cannot have their end until the entire planet is behaving "Godly" by their limited definition. She compares the two at the end of this link. https://project2025istheocracy.substack.com/p/what-is-the-new-apostolic-reformation
In fact, she has useful information for us to understand the beliefs of people who are faithful to Trump, and those who are leaving the party, are obviously not having the same understanding of Christianity as these two groups. So, if you are NAR, and you are told that abortion is wrong because only God decides if you get pregnant or not, so that means no exceptions to abortions. How they are including miscarriages into this, is part of the mean spirited nature of their religious beliefs. That will also include IVF and birth control, because that is thwarting the will of God as they see it which is that only a married man and woman can have sex and if he gives you a child then you have to have it. How that fits in rape of children by family members they are not married to, I don't know. But it is a religion that contradicts itself continuously. There are people who decide to leave this cultish religion on their own, but right now we have a bunch of these members in government in Congress and the Supreme Court. We need a strong leader to take this on. Of course, Kamala cannot do it alone. So, I hope she gets to be president, because there is some nasty stuff planned for us if she does not, and it effects every country on this planet and some really bad actors are involved in getting too much of a foothold if Trump is elected. that is very clear. If Republicans who are not CN or NAR can see their national safety is at stake, they too might elect a Black-Asian woman.
Agreed, Linda. I appreciated Fl Rep Wasserman Shultz on day 3 highlighting that for Floridians,”Project 2025 isn’t just a threat, it’s a reality that we battle every single day.”
The Orlando Sentinel reported yesterday more evidence of P2025 in our schools.P2025 calls for only abstinence-based teaching, also known as “risk avoidance”. “Sex-promotion textbooks” are also equated with standard reproductive ed teaching, where students learn about their bodies, how reproductive and sexual anatomy function,and how to prevent a pregnancy.
Fl Dept of Education required all counties to submit their reproductive health plans, which they did almost a year ago .The school year has started and the Dept of Education has not responded to any counties….or the media. So, no reproductive health/sex education plans in place.
Also,this week we learned that Florida’s tourism marketing agency quietly removed the “LGBTQ Travel” section from its website sometime in the past few months.
Project 2025 is happening NOW !! The voters need to know! 📣GOTV !!
Kathy I agree. I am so sorry for Floridians and people elsewhere. Since I am reading Project 2025, I know that it has infiltrated not just Red States but Blue states too, as Red State AGs block our approved legislation to make guns more safe, and communities more safe, as well as other things that happened in the Trump Administration. SCOTUS is also carrying out the Project 2025 agenda. We have to stand up to it. Understanding the White Christian Nationalist's Racist Agenda one can see it coming to fruition all over the country. We need to reverse it. We lost the rights of Roe v Wade.
How many times it’s a judge from Texas that blocks progress?
Too many times!
https://www.politico.com/news/2024/08/23/texas-immigrant-spouses-legal-status-00176233
https://www.texastribune.org/2024/02/09/texas-abortion-transgender-care-outside-state-borders/
https://www.texasattorneygeneral.gov/news/releases/attorney-general-ken-paxton-leads-multistate-coalition-suing-biden-administration-over-unlawful-ban
https://edition.cnn.com/2023/02/24/politics/mifepristone-abortion-lawsuit-blue-states-texas/index.html
I am a nearly 70 year old living in Florida for the past 10 years. When we first moved there, I figured that enough north easters were moving there to have a positive balance of Democrats vs Republicans. To my dismay, I see more Don’t thread on me license plates and Gun owners for tRump. It makes me want to sob. But now, there is Hope.
Thank you Linda. One very complex part of looking for the “end of days” is that it requires a return to Jerusalem. And after the wars when there is peace in Jerusalem, the Jews will accept Christ as their Messiah. Evangelicals support Israel anticipating that they will accept Christ. I know I haven’t stated this precisely but when our government seems to state unequivocal support for Israel that concerns me.
Yes Barbara. Thank you for adding this important piece. That is what I understood as well, so that is not a true support of Israelis, but a transactional support in that they need Israel their to serve their purposes. Andra Watkins has stressed in her chat conversations that the way she was raised as a Christian Nationalist her pastors were very respectful of Jews and Israel seeing Jews as the chosen people and that they would be saved, but I understood that they expect Jews to choose Christ as their Savior when he returns to earth, so they must convert. It is a complexity that I think needs to be better understood. In Project 2025 where the list the numerous organizations supporting it, I only noticed one person who was listed as belonging to a Jewish organization and it was Jeffrey Gunter from Republican Jewish Coalition. Wondering how well what is planned for Jews is understood by this coalition.