Maintaining momentum
August 3, 2024
It has not yet been two weeks since President Biden endorsed Kamala Harris for president. On Friday, August 2, Kamala Harris secured enough votes in the DNC “virtual roll call” of delegates to secure the Democratic nomination. Although Harris was a candidate for president for only ten days in July, she raised $310 million—the largest single fundraising month for any presidential candidate ever. More importantly, two million donors gave for the first time to the presidential race. And three million donors contributed to the record-breaking fundraising amount.
A significant portion of the donations were generated by massive, self-organized Zoom calls of various groups including Black women, white women, and white men. Harris’s campaign appearances have seen overflow crowds of wildly enthusiastic Democrats. And for the first time in a year, the Democratic nominee dominated the news cycle for two weeks—until Donald Trump played the race card. But Kamala Harris is leading the media narrative again with news of her important role in the historic prisoner exchange on Thursday.
Finally, in two short weeks, Harris has erased Trump's lead and has tied the race—as measured by several metrics (national popular vote, swing states, electoral college). While a tied race is not where we want to be, it is a vast improvement of where we were two weeks ago. Most importantly, Kamala Harris has seized the momentum heading into the final ninety days of the campaign.
It is critically important that we maintain the momentum of the last two weeks. Maintaining momentum and enthusiasm over a long period is hard. It requires emotional commitment and discipline that is not part of our daily experience. But we are in a battle for democracy. If ever there was a time to step outside of our comfort zone, now is that time.
If we are going to maintain momentum, it is up to each of us to model enthusiasm, dedication, and joy as we engage in the hard work of democracy. Those feelings are contagious. Be a leader; encourage others; be an ambassador for Kamala Harris.
When tough times come—and they will—be steadfast and confident. We are done with self-doubt and double standards. We must believe in the righteousness of our cause if we expect others to do so.
In the next 72 hours, Kamala Harris will announce her running mate. Whoever she picks, we will have reason to celebrate and renew our enthusiasm. Two weeks later, Democrats will hold their national convention, which should showcase Democrats’ positive vision for America.
We must not flag. The next ninety days will be among the most consequential of our lives. We have seized the momentum. We must maintain and increase it if we hope to generate a landslide victory up and down the ballot. We must win the presidency, the Senate, the House, and statehouses if we are to reverse the damage inflicted by the Supreme Court and MAGA extremists in state legislatures.
We can do that. We are doing that. We need only keep up our efforts to ensure a historic turnout on November 5, 2024.
The rest of the ballot
A reader sent a note today with a gentle reminder that there will be elections in November in addition to the presidential race. The reader suggested I devote more of the newsletter to other races. That is a fair point, although there has been nothing like the last two weeks in American political history.
The reader’s note was timely. Before Biden withdrew from the race, I scheduled a Today’s Edition fundraiser with Adam Schiff, who is raising money for nine Senate candidates. Of course, expanding the Democratic margin of control in the Senate is imperative on many levels. The Senate will control confirmations to federal courts, the Cabinet, senior military positions, and hundreds of senior administrative positions. And that is before we begin talking about Kamala Harris’s legislative agenda.
So, I hope you will join me in a conversation with Adam Schiff on Wednesday, August 14th 5:00pm PT / 8:00pm ET. Several Democratic Senate candidates will be dropping in to take questions throughout the event. The fundraiser will support the following candidates for US Senate:
Congressman Adam Schiff (CA)
Senator Tammy Baldwin (WI)
Senator Bob Casey (PA)
Senator Sherrod Brown (OH)
Senator Jon Tester (MT)
Senator Jacky Rosen (NV)
Congressman Colin Allred (TX)
Congressman Ruben Gallego (AZ)
Congresswoman Elissa Slotkin (MI)
As always, I have worked with the candidates to ensure that the donation levels make the event accessible to all readers. (Donations start at $25, but we hope those of you who can give more will do so.)
Click here to donate and register (a video link will be sent the day before the event). https://secure.actblue.com/donate/hubbellaug14
Opportunity for reader engagement
Focus for Democracy
The 2024 presidential election is set to be a landmark event, and it’s crucial to seize every opportunity to make an impact. With so much at stake, you can play a pivotal role in shaping the outcome. Focus for Democracy offers a precise approach that helps political donors navigate the complexities and make informed decisions.
How do we do it? We use data to pinpoint the most effective programs that will drive the voter turnout needed to protect our democracy this November.
Join us at our next event on Wednesday, August 7th, to discover how top evaluators in our field identify these crucial programs and how your contributions can mobilize thousands of key voters in swing states.
Wednesday, August 7th
5pm PT / 8pm ET
Registration link: https://bit.ly/F4D7Aug
Concluding Thoughts
As we focus on domestic politics, there are potentially major developments in the Middle East. As the events of the last week have demonstrated, international diplomacy matters to the safety and security of Americans. If we look at the statements and demeanor of the two presidential candidates over the last week, one is comporting herself like a world leader and the other acting like someone you would not invite into your home.
It is puzzling how those two candidates can be tied at this point in the race. But the good news is that the media has finally stopped giving Trump as much of a free pass as he has enjoyed in the past. His age, his gaffes, his meandering word-salad non-answers, and his hateful positions are getting more attention now that Joe Biden is no longer the foil and Kamala Harris has seized the momentum.
Two weekends ago, Joe Biden withdrew and endorsed Kamala Harris. We have come a long way in two weeks. That progress gives us every reason to be hopeful but no reason to be complacent. We need your continued personal commitment and enthusiasm to win in November. Stay involved and remain enthusiastic! If you do, others will follow your lead!
Talk to you on Monday!
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The photo below is of the Trifid Nebula, which is 5,200 light years from Earth. This is the second time I have featured this nebula. This photo was taken with a hydrogen-alpha filter, which generated a more detailed, subtle image that shows the wispiness of the gas clouds (called “nebulosity”). The photo was taken with a ninety-minute exposure in Los Angeles on 8/1/2024.
Thank you, Robert, for heeding the suggestion of a reader to pay due attention to the other races which will be decided on Nov 5. Any attempt by a hopefully elected President Harris to tackle the country's most pressing and serious issues would be seriously hampered (if not stopped altogether) should MAGA remain in power in the House and/or eke out a majority in the Senate.
So a drive to vote democratic up and down the ticket (which, as various reports and surveys suggest, seems to be an issue especially with democratic voters even in 'normal' times) is more important than ever– on the national, the state and the local level.
Quite a number of republican never-trumpers and independents will vote for Kamala Harris but might be tempted to balance that choice by supporting Republican candidates for the House and state legislatures. It should be hoped that the various campaigns address that group of voters. It should be made clear to them that currently the party formerly known as the 'Grand Old Party' is firmly in the grip of MAGA militants. To crush that lethal influence and to revive a decent conservative representation in politics, reflecting the Cheneys, Kinzingers and Duncans, they have to vote democratic up and down then ticket. It is in their own interest.
Hi All!
Robert you are spot on! We are not used to generating our own motivation and enthusiasm unless we feel spurred on by outer people and events. Right now in history, self-generation must become the norm. We have to get through the desert to the water by any inner means possible, no matter what. It’s good for us to work on that ability anyway.
My county Dem committee has been working the county Fair this week. It’s a pretty Republican attended event but we have had the largest stream of Dems and others stop by wanting info and sharing excitement and hope. We are across the tent aisle from a Trump t-shirt booth with slogans like” I vote for the convicted felon”. Our voters are showing no signs of intimidation this year…a very new posture.
One Trump man who stood by to say hi(he’s quite friendly minus his politics) shared that he loves Trump because he’s really tough and intimidating and that will protect us. That my fellow readers is what we are up against. A huge chunk of America thinks safety still lies in muscle and intimidation. This is why the Rise of the Women is finally materializing and it must. For the first time, as I talked to him, I was not intimidated, not uncertain or daunted or stripped of my resolve. Brute strength is a dying concept for leadership. Women and men alike are growing out of our need to believe that. Kamala is a seminal spark, uniting people everywhere. She holds gender and two races other than white and allows so many people to believe in something more that bar room brawls as diplomacy.
We can win this election and seriously change the course of history. And…we all have to add our “muscle” and begin to chip in, do our part, donate but even more so, donate your feet and hands and really help motivate our voters. Imagine if everyone who donated money also made calls or canvassed. Wow. The flood is upon us. No time to sit back.
I am so, so grateful to Robert’s unyielding positivity and to this community. It gives me hope every day.