Kamala Harris shines in Oprah interview . . . while Trump preemptively blames Jewish voters if he loses

September 20, 2024

Kamala Harris appeared on a live event on Thursday hosted by Oprah Winfrey. The interview took place in a friendly setting but was remarkable, nonetheless. Harris is an empathetic, emotionally intelligent, skilled communicator who excels in one-on-one conversations that provide room for her humanity to shine through. As I write, the event is ongoing, but it has already addressed difficult and important issues. But no issue (so far) has been more powerful than the discussion of Trump's abortion bans.

The entire event is here, and I urge you watch it: Harris speaks at campaign event with Oprah in Michigan.

Oprah Winfrey’s producers included a short video on the life and preventable death of Amber Thurman, whose tragic story was revealed by Pro Publica on Wednesday. Amber experienced complications from mifepristone, sought medical care, and was turned away by physicians because she “wasn’t near enough to death” to qualify for a “life of the mother” exception under North Carolina’s abortion ban. By the time doctors were ready to treat Amber, it was too late. She died from complications that could have easily been prevented by earlier intervention. See NBC, How Georgia's LIFE Act killed Amber Thurman.

After the video played, Oprah turned to Amber’s mother and sisters, who spoke eloquently about Amber’s death. Many in the audience were moved to tears. Kamala Harris was visibly anguished by the testimonial of grief by Amber’s mother and sisters.

Oprah then turned to Kamala Harris and said, “What do you want to say, Madame Vice President?” Harris turned to Amber’s mother and sisters and said,

I am just so sorry.

Kamala let her statement hang in the air for a moment of stillness and silence—so that its impact could be absorbed by Amber’s mother and sisters and the audience. The seven-minute video clip of the segment is here: "I am just so sorry." | Kamala Harris on Amber Thurman.

Kamala Harris’s statement was remarkable because it was entirely selfless and completely focused on comforting Amber’s mother and sisters. Few politicians can summon the ability to be genuine and empathetic especially while at a campaign event. Donald Trump has never uttered similar words to anyone in any context.

If Americans are waiting to “get to know” Kamala Harris, the Oprah interview is essential viewing. Share the links included in this newsletter with someone who would benefit from seeing Kamala Harris in an informal setting talking about important issues.

There were many powerful and important moment in the interview. If you can, watch it all. But if you can’t, here are two segments that you should consider sharing.

Oprah asked Harris, “What is in your heart to say to the American people as we head into November 5, especially people who are undecided?” Harris gave a positive, affirming view of America’s future, framing her answer in terms of what we are fighting for, not what we are fighting against. If you only watch one clip, this should be the one: "Freedom worth fighting for." | Kamala Harris.

At the end of the interview, Oprah made a strong pitch for viewers to vote for Kamala Harris. The clip is here: "This is the moment." | Oprah Winfrey. Share it widely!

Oprah said,

For all of you watching who are still on the fence, in the middle, independent as I am, or whether you just still don't know what you're gonna do.

This is the moment for all decent and caring people who want the best for yourself and other people.

This is the moment for people who are tired of all of the bickering and all of the name-calling, people who are exhausted by the craziness and the made up stories and the conspiracies.

This is the moment you wanna get on with your life because you know that we can do better and that we deserve better.

You know this, I know you know this, I know you feel this. I know this is what you're saying amongst yourselves. We're better than this.

And as my friend and mentor Maya Angelou always said, ‘When you know better, you got to do better.’ So, let's do better and vote for Kamala Harris

It is worth the effort to amplify Oprah’s endorsement. She is one of the most influential Americans of our generation. Let me share with you how I came to realize that fact.

I was preparing for a high-stakes trial about fifteen years ago. As usual, my client wanted to run a mock jury simulation with test jurors selected from the same zip code as the real jurors.

Each mock juror filled out a 200-item questionnaire. The first question was, “Who is your hero?” I thought that was an interesting question, so I said to the jury consultant, “That’s interesting. What types of answers do you get to that question?”

The jury consultant replied, “Oh, we disregard that question.” I asked, “Why?” He replied, “Because the answer is overwhelmingly the same person across all jury pools, so it doesn’t really tell us anything.”

So, I had to ask, “Who is it?” The jury consultant replied, “Oprah Winfrey.”

I then went home and started telling my wife the story. As soon as I described the first item on the jury questionnaire (“Who is your hero?”), my wife said, “Oprah Winfrey.” It was at that moment that I became a believer in Oprah Winfrey's power and influence.

So, share Oprah’s endorsement far and wide! She is held in high esteem by most Americans! And share the clips of Kamala Harris’s shining performance! (To do so, right-click on the blue hyperlink, select “Hyperlink,” then select “Copy Hyperlink.” Go to a new document or social media post, right click where you want to insert the clip, and select “Paste.”)

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Meanwhile, Trump preemptively blames Jewish voters if he loses the election

Speaking at an event billed as a summit on antisemitism in America, Trump seemed to preemptively blame Jewish voters if he loses. He said,

The Jewish people would have a lot to do with a loss. It’s only because of the Democrat hold, or curse, on you.

See WaPo, Trump says if he loses election, Jewish voters would have ‘a lot’ to do with it. (This article is accessible to all.)

Blaming Jewish people for political setbacks has a long and ugly history. It is time for the media to condemn Trump's antisemitism, not merely report on it.

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GOP candidate for governor in North Carolina, Mark Robinson, vows to stay in race despite shocking revelations

Mark Robinson, North Carolina’s sitting Lieutenant Governor, was a controversial, extremist candidate when he was nominated as the GOP candidate for North Carolina governor. He had a history of making misogynistic, incendiary statements that should have disqualified him from holding any public office. See Newsweek, Mark Robinson: Full List of North Carolina Candidate's Controversies. Robinson has described the Holocaust as “hogwash,” has called Muslims “invaders,” has mocked school shooting survivors, and has been hostile to LGBTQ people, especially transgender people.

Despite his past controversies, Republicans nominated Robinson as their candidate for governor. Democrats nominated Josh Stein, who is currently leading in the polls.

On Thursday, CNN released a devastating report titled, Mark Robinson, NC GOP nominee for governor, called himself a ‘black NAZI!,’ supported slavery in past comments made on porn forum.

This deeply researched article begins as follows:

Mark Robinson, the controversial and socially conservative Republican nominee for governor of North Carolina, made a series of inflammatory comments on a pornography website’s message board more than a decade ago, in which he referred to himself as a “black NAZI!” and expressed support for reinstating slavery, a CNN KFile investigation found.

Despite a recent history of anti-transgender rhetoric, Robinson said he enjoyed watching transgender pornography, a review of archived messages found in which he also referred to himself as a “perv.”

The comments, which Robinson denies making, predate his entry into politics and current stint as North Carolina’s lieutenant governor. They were made under a username that CNN was able to identify as Robinson by matching a litany of biographical details and a shared email address between the two.

It gets worse from there, folks.

Robinson has denied that he made the comments and suggested that they were created by hackers.

The North Carolina GOP released a statement on Thursday backing Robinson, claiming the allegations are false. Trump has previously endorsed Robinson, saying that Robinson is

Martin Luther King on steroids. I told that to Mark. I said, ‘I think you’re better than Martin Luther King. I think you are Martin Luther King times two.

As of Friday, September 20, it is too late for Robinson to drop out of the race.

This newest controversy is bad news for Trump and good news for all Democrats on the ballot in North Carolina in November. If Kamala Harris can beat Trump in North Carolina, there is almost no path to victory for Trump. As Mitch McConnell famously said, Republicans have a “candidate quality” problem. And that problem starts at the top.

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Opportunities for Reader engagement

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Join me as I moderate an event with Senators Jon Tester and Sherrod Brown

The Democratic path to defending their majority in the Senate runs through Montana and Ohio—by defending the seats of Jon Tester (MT) and Sherrod Brown (Ohio).

On Monday, Sep. 23, at 6:00 pm Eastern / 3:00 pm Pacific I (Robert Hubbell) will be moderating a conversation with Senators Tester and Brown in an event sponsored by Senate Circle.

Both Senators are in hard-fought campaigns and need resources to defend their seats. The minimum donation to join this conversation is $100. Although that amount is larger than usual for fundraisers promoted by this newsletter, it is significantly more accessible than most senatorial fundraisers. I hope that many of you can join to hear directly from two of the most charismatic, thoughtful members of the Senate. We will hear directly from the Senators and have extensive audience Q&A. 

Senate Circle is an all-volunteer group focused on a multi-year, state-based strategy to build a durable Democratic Senate majority. They are focused on these races because they believe these are the tipping points that will determine the moral direction of our country, the integrity of the courts, and the efficacy of Congress. From fair wages to abortion rights, the campaigns need to reach split ticket voters who will have to choose between party affiliation and their specific values. The campaigns also need to reach Democratic voters who may be questioning if their vote still counts. 

Please invest generously and attend our Zoom with them. You can donate/RSVP here ($100 minimum to attend the Zoom). 

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The One Dem Minute Film Festival invites you to become a Digital Warrior

The One Dem Minute Film Festival is excited to announce that their 2024 Films are now available, and they invite you to become "Digital Warriors" by sharing them far and wide! There are 40 pro-democracy videos -- all 3 minutes or less -- on topics that matter to voters, such as reproductive rights, climate change, and the dangers of a second Trump presidency.

 Link: https://onedemminute.com/the-films/

 You can contact them at one.dem.minute@gmail.com if you have any questions, need assistance, or would like to brand any of the films for a specific organization, initiative or campaign. 

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Concluding Thoughts

Several readers expressed concern about the fact that Nebraska Republicans are attempting to change how that state allocates electoral votes. Nebraska is one of the few states that does not use a “winner-take-all” methodology. Instead, it awards its five electoral votes by congressional district. In 2020, that methodology allowed Joe Biden to win 1 electoral vote in Nebraska (for the congressional district covering Omaha) while Trump won 4.

Nebraska Republicans are considering changing to a “winner take all” system on the theory that Trump would win all five votes in Nebraska, thereby depriving Kamala Harris of one electoral vote. See Nebraska Examiner, Winner-take-all push gets help of Gov. Jim Pillen, Sen. Lindsey Graham, Trump • Nebraska Examiner

As explained in the Nebraska Examiner article above, the proposal does not currently have sufficient votes in the Nebraska legislature to be enacted.

Some news outlets are portraying the effort to switch Nebraska’s vote allocation system to conform to that used by 48 other states as an effort that will “decide” the election. (Looking at you again, Alex Wagner.) While that is a possible outcome, it is not the most likely outcome. Efforts to sensationalize that possibility are clickbait journalism.

Let’s stop the handwringing over this effort. It currently does not have the votes to pass, and Democrats in Nebraska are doing their best to stop it. Let them do their work while we focus on winning the election. But more importantly, no part of our plan involves winning by a single electoral vote. Democrats should be working toward winning by 40 electoral votes or more!

Assuming disaster is to slip back into the dark days when anxiety ruled the Democratic Party and undermined our confidence. We have the momentum and should act like it! Let’s push toward victory with everything we’ve got. Dwelling on low probability outcomes is a distraction and a waste of energy!

Stay strong, everyone!

Talk to you tomorrow!

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Daily Dose of Perspective

I am proud of the image below, even though it is not very good. The photo captures a nebula cataloged as Sharpless 2-129. (Stewart Sharpless was an American astronomer who cataloged the HII emission nebulae in a specific region of the sky. The 313 objects he identified bear his name as a prefix.)

Sharpless 2-129 is a large nebula that cannot be captured in a single frame of my camera, so the cloud below depicts a small portion of a much larger nebula.

I struggled to capture an image of Sharpless 2-129 because of the bright full moon. My first two attempts produced fuzzy blobs. I extended my exposure time and used Photoshop with a brush and an exposure mask to isolate the nebula while holding the background exposure constant. Although that explanation may not make sense to most readers, the point is that I had to work hard to produce a low-quality image. So, I am proud of it!

Sharpless 2-129 is 9,100 light-years from Earth and is 271 light-years in diameter.

Enjoy!