The freight train is a great visual, but we already feel what it's bringing. It's in the ether, an uplifting energy that has replaced the dread and foreboding that we awakened to on that Wednesday morning after the 2016 Tuesday election, a darkness that creeped into our lives, leaving us fearful about our great country. Thank you, Joe Biden for your sacrifice and Kamala Harris for your courage! And Robert Hubbell for your intelligent commentary and fabulous photos of the universe that surrounds us!
What a difference three weeks make! The positive energy must be sustained for the next three months, and we must do our part. If the last three weeks have taught us nothing else, it's that everything can change very quickly.
As Robert cautioned, we must also be prepared for Felonious T & The MAGAlomaniacs to play to their crowd and cheat in the election. I have a feeling that 2016 and 2020 were just warm-ups. Devoting some resources to keeping an eye on them and preparing for the inevitable lawsuits might be a good investment.
I have signed up to be a poll watcher with the NC Democratic Party, which I also did in 2020 and 2022. Please consider stepping up to the plate and helping protect our democracy. (Training is provided). I took on a half dozen half-day shifts observing the process and checking in with the Democratic Party to report any issues. Mostly that was just lines although we did have couple of a medical emergencies involving elderly voters who insisted on waiting in line. (NC has curbside voting for anyone; no need to disclose a reason). There are also opportunities to observe at the Board of Elections as they review absentee ballots for acceptance. Check with your local party.
When I'm not doing that, I'll be working shifts on the Voter Protection hotline. The latter is something that you can do even if you aren't in a swing state. Check out VoPro Pros (https://www.vopropros.com/). You will get training and a great handbook that answers most of the voter's questions. But there are experts (including a team of lawyers) to resolve the more difficult questions and/or issues. Mostly it is just helping voters find out how to request (or track) their absentee ballot, whether they can still register to vote, or find out details about in-person early voting.
VoPro Pros also has opportunies to help with Absentee ballot "curing" in states where it is allowed. (That's when an absenntee/VBM ballot gets rejected for a specific reason and you help the voter fix it in time for their vote to count) I was on a Markers for Democracy call on Monday where a Democratic candidate for US House in NY was discussing a prior election (in a race for the state legislature) where he won by just 10 votes. Someone asked about ballot curing and he told us that the Democrats had successfully cured 45 ballots, while only 2 ballots GOP ballots were cured.
Excellent advice, Cheryl! I've been a pollworker for the past several years in a very red district in NJ. It's given me confidence in the integrity of the process.
I share your comment Bob; the July primary here in AZ (the infamous Maricopa County!) was my 3rd as a poll worker, and I too am amazed at the level of security and diligence in this process. More people should take a turn, if only once. I enjoy the voters, they have such fun stories sometimes! And the teams of people are well-trained and helpful to the first-timers.
Cheryl, thanks for your comment, which leads me into mine about elections. Almost a year ago I read somewhere about poll workers quitting in fear. I being a veteran thought I'm not afraid and volunteered to become one. Yesterday was my first opportunity to assist voters in my district and county of KS. What I observed both in training to be a poll worker and the actual job lifts my spirit and allows me to say if election infrastructure is like what I observed and participated in, in my county, there will be no fraud.
As a highlight to that, we had a contentious ballot issue in the county for the sheriff position, with the incumbent being an election denier from 2020 to the point of spending sheriff department money on that election because he believed fraud had occurred (and no one knows how much to this day) and in the end no fraud was ever revealed, just the same broken lie that Trump spreads. So, the guy he trained as undersheriff ran as his direct challenger within the republican party. Guess who won? The challenger of course, by a margin of 14%. Now sheriff Hayden gets to go pound sand with his buddy Michael Flynn, yea that Michael Flynn the traitor and Trumps buddy and other misfits. Oh yeah, there will be a democratic opponent in November with an outstanding record as a local police officer with a distinguished career in law enforcement.
So, my take is this, democracy works, and I am truly looking forward to Nov. 6th, and serving as a poll worker and although that will be a long and busy day, it's worth it for democracy to work and to have eyes on the process.
I loved watching Kamala try to stifle a guffaw when Walz fired the "If he can get off the couch" line at Junior Dumbass (JD) Vance. You could see the thought balloon over her head ("Damn - he went there! I love it!").
She had such a surprised but happy look on her face as TW spoke. I bet she didn’t have time to see him in action before then and it was a real gift to her and her decision to choose him. Good choice VP Harris, soon to be POTUS!
We need to keep poking fun at Don-Old and JD, one has absolutely no sense of humor and hates even the thought of being laughed at, and the other has a weird sense of humor that makes him the butt of jokes.
TC I agree! A comparison: a) Kamala Harris watching behind Tim Walz speech showed a proud person, happy for and sharing Walz's energy and success and vitality with pride, a woman with confidence in herself and reveling in Walz's success. b) Trump behind anyone talking on the same podium, whether it's Anthony Fauci giving a report in the dark days of the pandemic or Kari Lake introducing him, he is either stone cold unaware, like C-3P0 shutting off in Star Wars, though the robot has more human like personality, or he is trying hard to project an appearance of interest which usually is limited to responding to praise from the speaker with a condescending smile.
Any 1 minute clip side-by-side clip would not only say who should be the next President of the United States, but also determine which person you would invite to enter your living room.
You have summed up Governor Walz so well. I was watching the Philadelphia launch with such pleasure. At 85, I feel a certain amount of relief mixed with angst. And then I read your en banc review of the Maryland assault weapon band. Hope again brought a smile.
Tim Walz was a perfect choice. They are already in sync and u dare say doubling the JOY we feel. I honestly think don and jd will be intimidated by him. Since don is afraid to debate Kamala, I wonder if he’ll let jd debate Tim. Either would be awesome.
I hope there are impeachment hearings on Thomas and Alito and also Bill Barr (aka The Fixer).
Agreed. Along with Bill Barr I hope that Trump's illegal campaign acceptance of money from a foreign agent in the president of Egypt does not get swept under the rug! There is so much criminal behavior in the MAGA Party that it can and hopefully will take most of the justice department's time. We definitely need to expand it and bring them all to justice.
I completely agree with you! Since leaving office, Bill Barr has slammed Trump at every opportunity to appear on cable TV, probably because he was being paid. But then he says that he still supports Trump and be voting for him! What kind of BS is that?!!!
Bill Barr, one of MANY despicable people in MAGA world. So many of them deserve to be in prison, where they can no longer endanger the rest of us. Leonard Leo and Stephen PeeWee Herman) come to mind.
I fervently hope if we have a true blue wave in November that we see some real legal action against Barr, and the corrupt 9 supremes. Time to start turning over rocks and shining light on these individuals.
I don’t believe that all 9 “Supremes” are corrupt; but the 6 “right leaning” ones definitely are. I always thought judges were supposed to be non-partisan, something necessary for the fair application of the law, but apparently that was just my Pollyanna inner self holding that belief. This current SC has blown “Pollyanna” right out of the water.
AOC filed articles of impeachment of Thomas and Alito three weeks ago. This cannot be successful unless we get a 2/3 majority in the House and Senate come November. All the more reason to vote blue everywhere!
I think a simple majority is needed in the House then it is sent to the Senate for a trial. We would have to have the majority in the Senate for it even to go to trial, then we'd need 2/3 vote to actually get rid of person.
"The selection of Tim Walz also reinforced the joyful, positive tone of the Harris campaign—adding a double-dash of rapier wit accompanied by a knowing wink."
Anybody else get the visual of the Wicked Witch of the West melting away after terrorizing Oz for so many years? That is what I imagine when I read what the twice-impeached, convicted felon is posting or saying... His "rallies" are getting smaller and smaller, and Project 2025 has been exposed and people HATE IT. He didn't even have a change of heart after being shot at. He's a LOSER, and "everything Trump touches, dies."
Let's get out the vote (GOTV) for Harris Walz and Democrats all down the ballot this November!
"Too big to rig, too real to steal."
It's either a prison jumpsuit or a passport to Russia for the DonOLD.
Oh, and then, as future VP Walz suggested, there’s JV vance
I LOVE “the couch or the coach,” as well as Robert’s image of MAGA “twitching to life,” Frankenstein-like.
Yep, feeling SO much Hope here in Maine….while understanding that there’s SO much work to be done in the next 90 days, probably the most important 90 days of our lives.
Former Sen. McCaskill certainly got that one right!
Jen Psaki interviewed Pete Buttigieg and he had also had a very insightful comment about Trump being stumped by Harris-Walz because he can't fathom public service.
Exactly!!! I totally see it this way! I hear their mean comments or accusations and it feels like the wicked with melting into brown sugar!! I’m so glad you wrote that!!
I did a Happy Dance after the rally - something I haven’t felt like doing in a long time! I turned on Happiness by Pharrell Williams and danced all around the dining room! Happiness and joy and hope are back in America instead of gloom and doom! Yay! 💃🏻
I tried not to laugh, but couldn't help myself! There is no truth to the rumors of JD Vance and the couch--it just seems like something that could be true.
I opened the comment section in order to say much of what Janet Sobel just said. Thank you Joe Biden for your willingness to withdraw from the presidential race, for your clarity about how to proceed from that decisions, and for your extraordinary presidency. Thank you Kamala Harris for the joy you have brought to campaigning and the campaign, for the clarity of purpose you have brought to this election, and for your selection of Tim Walz as the Vice Presidential nominee. And thank you Tim Walz for your capacity to be yourself while in the spotlight. One more thank you. Thank you to Robert Hubbell for keeping us all on track in this up and down campaign, for helping us see the probability that we will escape the "darkness" that Donald Trump has brought to America.
Here’s another contrast for you. Charlie Sykes whines that Shapiro should have been chosen as he was a “known quantity “ that could have delivered PA while Walz is “TBD”. I countered on Threads with a quote from someone here in NC that it’s chess not checkers. Shapiro could have helped with one state but Walz opens up the board.
I think the idea of one person "delivering" a state is ultra silly and super simplistic. That being said, Walz may have a greater impact on those voters in western PA than Shapiro - a region which I understand feels like the "Mid West".
Shapiro is still a very popular governor in PA. I can't see how his influence among voters has diminished .
I wonder if it may be predicated on the idea that Shapiro won't act as a surrogate in PA now that he is no longer in the potential Veep pool. That is a very "transactional" GOP way of looking at things.
Charlie Sykes -- and all of the pundits -- are clueless and have become irrelevant. We are all finding much better political insight and commentary here on Substack via Robert Hubbel, Heather Cox Richardson, Joyce Vance, and others who I'm sure y'all will recommend! :)
Bringing back hope, joy, and a sense of decency is long overdue. Trump’s madness, coarseness, greed, and abject cruelty have been almost too much to bear. To smile, laugh, dance, throw your hat in the air. That’s America at its best. Not cowering in the corner waiting for some two bit dictator to offer retribution. Let’s win this one by a landslide. As President Biden said, “The whole world is watching.” And indeed it is.
I observe significant threads (in other venues, noahpinion blog is one) of "tut-tutting" about the vibe orientation, as opposed to policy.
Emerging with joy and hope from a time of darkness is a legitimate - essential - political consideration in these times. It reflects KDDH/TW'a deep intuitive understanding of true leadership, in striking contrast to tfg, jvd/b/h/(?).
So many lovely things in the Harris & Walz event. I greatly appreciated Harris plugging the John Lewis and Freedom to Vote acts. And the humor of Walz dare I say even topped Mayor Pete. All this 'joy' is welcome and the Spirit renews & flows.
I feel that elation!! I was jumping off my sofa over and over last night! What a team Kamala and Walz are!! Hooray for all of us!
I want to elevate Robert and the unknown thousands of us out there who have steadfastly been holding joy throughout this dark time and despite our own fear and depression, got up every day and did our best to motivate our peers and volunteers and in so doing, despite our often lack of faith or hope, managed to grow our collective consciousness so it would emerge and be totally ready for this moment in history. It’s the metamorphosis of the caterpillar and we dissolved and are becoming winged. It’s so important to take stock of the process of consciousness in a human being. We couldn’t see it but we were doing the work, despite it all.
And I know Robert took a lot of guff about his unswerving optimism about President Biden. But he did us a huge service by allowing us to see someone have the courage to believe and to be positive in the pernicious face of fear and anger. I can’t say how I have appreciated this skill that he has and how it gave me a sense that my own skill in this area was ok and not silly or hopeless. And now, because we all grew together, whether we knew we were or not, we have collectively birthed the most overtly joyous, hopeful and skilled candidates we have ever had. How about reframing it all so politics is a joyful team sport?
And one more point…of course it now generates from a woman. One of the strengths of women if they feel safe, sure and empowered is the overt demonstration of joy and care. We’re wired to do this for our children. And the best of dad’s bring humor and delight to their kinfolk. America finally has a mom and dad who will love us right and with joy as much as they are able within the systems we have. They may even help transform those systems because that kind of intention is surely a transformer. And we are part of it and I hope we all practice joy, diligence, enthusiasm, passion, kindness, benevolent strength and vision right along with them. And to those of you who kept pushing for Biden to step down..it felt sad and sometimes too sharp for me but you led the way for the birth of joy and I thank you.
Robert…I am with you and this awesome community all the way. I can’t wait to win and laugh a whole lot!!
And yet… we felt the pain Biden was going through. So unfair. But it was Biden the person not the party and country. Give him a big spot at the convention.
Joe Biden stepped into the breach and held steady…didn’t get to have what all other incumbents expected and experienced, a peaceful transfer of power… or glamorous inaugural celebrations or even a raucous and joyful convention. He and First Lady Dr. Jill Biden reinvented (at least for that one inauguration) a way to mark what we hoped would be our survival…during a pandemic and after a violent insurrection. And got to work ON DAY ONE.
It occurs to me in this moment, anticipating a joyful outcome on Nov. 5, 2024, that Joe Biden and his extraordinary team have carried us and endured these last weeks of painful labor in order to deliver us, with our active participation, into a time when joy is possible again.
Thank you, Colleen. I share those sentiments too, and you expressed them so well. What Joe Biden did for us was courageous and generous, and historical. We must not forget that we would not be where we are today were it not for the way he has conducted his presidency in the face of incredible obstacles- and continues to do so.
It blew my mind that even as he endured doubt and pushback, he was working quietly and effectively on a complex prisoner transfer that some claimed could not be done. And then with his customary grace he acknowledged Kamala as candidate. This man will go down in history not only for his capacity to accomplish difficult things in difficult circumstances, but for his essential goodness.
So today I feel joy and hope. We all had a hand in it.
And thank you, Ann. His great big (how many times broken) heart. I”m so glad you wrote about his persistence (thank you, Liz) and doggedness in negotiating that prisoner exchange. A lesser person, having been so shabbily treated, might have just said, “Well, screw it; I’m done here,”
As his favorite poet might say, Joe Biden has made “hope and history rhyme.”
I hope history honors him as he should be honored. ☘️ And that he gets to to enjoy every last minute of the rest of his presidency and of a well-deserved beautiful, fulfilling, joyful post-presidency. However he chooses to spend it.
"To deliver us" has the echo of our savior dying on the cross. It seems an echo of our other assassinated saints. And then consider the Devil Trump, impersonating Jesus but without martyrdom or salvation. He can't wear the ear patch stigma but once.
It feels to me that we have been in a mythic struggle that does echo suffering, death, with the hope of resurrection. Seems also like childbirth or other rites of passage.
I’ve left the church but those themes and archetypes linger and resonate with me. Old English major. Can’t help it.
He is so many malevolent things, sacrilegious may lead the list. Certainly belongs on it.
Thank you for your response. I love Joe Biden. (Happy now to support Harris Walz.)
Nicely said, Amy. And now we are reunited on an unstoppable bandwagon of programs that the vast majority of Americans are in favor of. Freedom. To vote. To choose. To love. To study. To eat. To shelter. To feel safe...
You dear Robert are unbelievable. Not only do you explain the political world we are living in you do it so calmly so I live without all the stress I would have without you. But that's not all! You have opened my eyes to our outer space. Beyond just the stars, when I can see them. Now you go even further and help me understand what goes into such beautiful photography. Thank you, gracias, Todah raba, Danke, Merci, Grazie (these are the ones I've heard not the languages I speak 😂)
A balanced and fair column on thr emerging threat of a joyful, engaged, forward looking campaign with two relatively new faces. Somewhere above, Hubert Humphrey, the Happy Warrior, is looking down on a Midwestern guy bringing some Midwestern values to the campaign. Walz and Harris have found a new, simpler vocabulary that resets the dialog: feeding kids, not socialism; women's control of their own bodies versus child murder; protecting kids versus Second Amendment rights. I can't wait to put on my bumper sticker and keep working! Let's get it done!
The freight train is a great visual, but we already feel what it's bringing. It's in the ether, an uplifting energy that has replaced the dread and foreboding that we awakened to on that Wednesday morning after the 2016 Tuesday election, a darkness that creeped into our lives, leaving us fearful about our great country. Thank you, Joe Biden for your sacrifice and Kamala Harris for your courage! And Robert Hubbell for your intelligent commentary and fabulous photos of the universe that surrounds us!
What a difference three weeks make! The positive energy must be sustained for the next three months, and we must do our part. If the last three weeks have taught us nothing else, it's that everything can change very quickly.
As Robert cautioned, we must also be prepared for Felonious T & The MAGAlomaniacs to play to their crowd and cheat in the election. I have a feeling that 2016 and 2020 were just warm-ups. Devoting some resources to keeping an eye on them and preparing for the inevitable lawsuits might be a good investment.
I have signed up to be a poll watcher with the NC Democratic Party, which I also did in 2020 and 2022. Please consider stepping up to the plate and helping protect our democracy. (Training is provided). I took on a half dozen half-day shifts observing the process and checking in with the Democratic Party to report any issues. Mostly that was just lines although we did have couple of a medical emergencies involving elderly voters who insisted on waiting in line. (NC has curbside voting for anyone; no need to disclose a reason). There are also opportunities to observe at the Board of Elections as they review absentee ballots for acceptance. Check with your local party.
When I'm not doing that, I'll be working shifts on the Voter Protection hotline. The latter is something that you can do even if you aren't in a swing state. Check out VoPro Pros (https://www.vopropros.com/). You will get training and a great handbook that answers most of the voter's questions. But there are experts (including a team of lawyers) to resolve the more difficult questions and/or issues. Mostly it is just helping voters find out how to request (or track) their absentee ballot, whether they can still register to vote, or find out details about in-person early voting.
VoPro Pros also has opportunies to help with Absentee ballot "curing" in states where it is allowed. (That's when an absenntee/VBM ballot gets rejected for a specific reason and you help the voter fix it in time for their vote to count) I was on a Markers for Democracy call on Monday where a Democratic candidate for US House in NY was discussing a prior election (in a race for the state legislature) where he won by just 10 votes. Someone asked about ballot curing and he told us that the Democrats had successfully cured 45 ballots, while only 2 ballots GOP ballots were cured.
Excellent advice, Cheryl! I've been a pollworker for the past several years in a very red district in NJ. It's given me confidence in the integrity of the process.
I share your comment Bob; the July primary here in AZ (the infamous Maricopa County!) was my 3rd as a poll worker, and I too am amazed at the level of security and diligence in this process. More people should take a turn, if only once. I enjoy the voters, they have such fun stories sometimes! And the teams of people are well-trained and helpful to the first-timers.
I also enjoy my time with my Republican counterparts - they're not ALL bad!
Cheryl, thanks for your comment, which leads me into mine about elections. Almost a year ago I read somewhere about poll workers quitting in fear. I being a veteran thought I'm not afraid and volunteered to become one. Yesterday was my first opportunity to assist voters in my district and county of KS. What I observed both in training to be a poll worker and the actual job lifts my spirit and allows me to say if election infrastructure is like what I observed and participated in, in my county, there will be no fraud.
As a highlight to that, we had a contentious ballot issue in the county for the sheriff position, with the incumbent being an election denier from 2020 to the point of spending sheriff department money on that election because he believed fraud had occurred (and no one knows how much to this day) and in the end no fraud was ever revealed, just the same broken lie that Trump spreads. So, the guy he trained as undersheriff ran as his direct challenger within the republican party. Guess who won? The challenger of course, by a margin of 14%. Now sheriff Hayden gets to go pound sand with his buddy Michael Flynn, yea that Michael Flynn the traitor and Trumps buddy and other misfits. Oh yeah, there will be a democratic opponent in November with an outstanding record as a local police officer with a distinguished career in law enforcement.
So, my take is this, democracy works, and I am truly looking forward to Nov. 6th, and serving as a poll worker and although that will be a long and busy day, it's worth it for democracy to work and to have eyes on the process.
Thanks so much for your efforts, Cheryl. And also for the information about VoPro Pros. I will submit my volunteer application today!
Yes. Well said!
Hear! Hear!
You said it perfectly!
I loved watching Kamala try to stifle a guffaw when Walz fired the "If he can get off the couch" line at Junior Dumbass (JD) Vance. You could see the thought balloon over her head ("Damn - he went there! I love it!").
Yes. She seemed to be thoroughly enjoying his speech! I know I was too! Freedom, Joy, HOPE!
She had such a surprised but happy look on her face as TW spoke. I bet she didn’t have time to see him in action before then and it was a real gift to her and her decision to choose him. Good choice VP Harris, soon to be POTUS!
We need to keep poking fun at Don-Old and JD, one has absolutely no sense of humor and hates even the thought of being laughed at, and the other has a weird sense of humor that makes him the butt of jokes.
He’s the butt, all right.
Aha! Jon's catching the spirit! :-)
TC I agree! A comparison: a) Kamala Harris watching behind Tim Walz speech showed a proud person, happy for and sharing Walz's energy and success and vitality with pride, a woman with confidence in herself and reveling in Walz's success. b) Trump behind anyone talking on the same podium, whether it's Anthony Fauci giving a report in the dark days of the pandemic or Kari Lake introducing him, he is either stone cold unaware, like C-3P0 shutting off in Star Wars, though the robot has more human like personality, or he is trying hard to project an appearance of interest which usually is limited to responding to praise from the speaker with a condescending smile.
Any 1 minute clip side-by-side clip would not only say who should be the next President of the United States, but also determine which person you would invite to enter your living room.
Go Walz! Go Harris!
So true.
TC, I am embarrassed to admit this, but I must have been out of some loop because I don't get the inside joke about getting off the couch. Help!
Word has it that Vance admitted to having sex with a couch, Jane. That's the reference and the joke.
Whaaaa? How does that work? Thanks for this shall I say WEIRD. explanation!
Here you go: https://www.businessinsider.com/jd-vance-couch-sex-joke-author-speaks-2024-7 😀
You have summed up Governor Walz so well. I was watching the Philadelphia launch with such pleasure. At 85, I feel a certain amount of relief mixed with angst. And then I read your en banc review of the Maryland assault weapon band. Hope again brought a smile.
Tim Walz was a perfect choice. They are already in sync and u dare say doubling the JOY we feel. I honestly think don and jd will be intimidated by him. Since don is afraid to debate Kamala, I wonder if he’ll let jd debate Tim. Either would be awesome.
I hope there are impeachment hearings on Thomas and Alito and also Bill Barr (aka The Fixer).
Agreed. Along with Bill Barr I hope that Trump's illegal campaign acceptance of money from a foreign agent in the president of Egypt does not get swept under the rug! There is so much criminal behavior in the MAGA Party that it can and hopefully will take most of the justice department's time. We definitely need to expand it and bring them all to justice.
I agree. Bill Barr has shown himself to be a despicable human being.
I completely agree with you! Since leaving office, Bill Barr has slammed Trump at every opportunity to appear on cable TV, probably because he was being paid. But then he says that he still supports Trump and be voting for him! What kind of BS is that?!!!
The regular kind of BS, CK!
Bill Barr, one of MANY despicable people in MAGA world. So many of them deserve to be in prison, where they can no longer endanger the rest of us. Leonard Leo and Stephen PeeWee Herman) come to mind.
I totally agree with you. Cleanup on aisle ex-president don and his cronies
I fervently hope if we have a true blue wave in November that we see some real legal action against Barr, and the corrupt 9 supremes. Time to start turning over rocks and shining light on these individuals.
I don’t believe that all 9 “Supremes” are corrupt; but the 6 “right leaning” ones definitely are. I always thought judges were supposed to be non-partisan, something necessary for the fair application of the law, but apparently that was just my Pollyanna inner self holding that belief. This current SC has blown “Pollyanna” right out of the water.
You are correct it is the corrupt 6, bought and paid for.
If you thought it was only Thomas and Alito, think again. Check out this information from Demlabs: https://thedemlabs.org/2024/08/05/supreme-hypocrisy-pays-neal-gorsuch-gets-fortune-from-rupert-murdochs-harper-collins/
Oh no! We knew it was also Gorsuch!
Only 6 ASSociate Justices are corrupt; Jackson, Kagan and Sotomayor are clean.
I shudder to think what we will find.
AOC filed articles of impeachment of Thomas and Alito three weeks ago. This cannot be successful unless we get a 2/3 majority in the House and Senate come November. All the more reason to vote blue everywhere!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O-eBAqn9u10&t=57s
That’s what we need to do. VOTE BLUE TOTALLY Up and Down the ballot
I think a simple majority is needed in the House then it is sent to the Senate for a trial. We would have to have the majority in the Senate for it even to go to trial, then we'd need 2/3 vote to actually get rid of person.
Thanks for the correction, Lorraine. My bad for not researching further.
"The selection of Tim Walz also reinforced the joyful, positive tone of the Harris campaign—adding a double-dash of rapier wit accompanied by a knowing wink."
We got the Coach - not the Couch
HARRIS WALZ 2024!!!
Anybody else get the visual of the Wicked Witch of the West melting away after terrorizing Oz for so many years? That is what I imagine when I read what the twice-impeached, convicted felon is posting or saying... His "rallies" are getting smaller and smaller, and Project 2025 has been exposed and people HATE IT. He didn't even have a change of heart after being shot at. He's a LOSER, and "everything Trump touches, dies."
Let's get out the vote (GOTV) for Harris Walz and Democrats all down the ballot this November!
"Too big to rig, too real to steal."
It's either a prison jumpsuit or a passport to Russia for the DonOLD.
Conold is my newest name for him
Oh, and then, as future VP Walz suggested, there’s JV vance
I LOVE “the couch or the coach,” as well as Robert’s image of MAGA “twitching to life,” Frankenstein-like.
Yep, feeling SO much Hope here in Maine….while understanding that there’s SO much work to be done in the next 90 days, probably the most important 90 days of our lives.
On MSNBC Nicolle Wallace said Tim Walz talked about shrinking Trump.
I believe some shrink-wrapping will also be in store for Vance.
Claire McCaskill talking about Walz on MSNBC :"He is the guy JD Vance pretends to be."
Former Sen. McCaskill certainly got that one right!
Jen Psaki interviewed Pete Buttigieg and he had also had a very insightful comment about Trump being stumped by Harris-Walz because he can't fathom public service.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hoEIPO9tdA0
Shrinkage - my feeble brain goes to Elaine in Seinfeld.
😂 😂
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GG2dF5PS0bI
Yep, that's the one!
it was George that had the shrinkage problem.
Exactly!!! I totally see it this way! I hear their mean comments or accusations and it feels like the wicked with melting into brown sugar!! I’m so glad you wrote that!!
Bluto.
And a prison jumpsuit or a passport to Russia for all of DonOLD's sycophants. From your lips to God's ears!
Maybe we can trade them for the release of some more American hostages...
Brillant idea, Tom!
I did a Happy Dance after the rally - something I haven’t felt like doing in a long time! I turned on Happiness by Pharrell Williams and danced all around the dining room! Happiness and joy and hope are back in America instead of gloom and doom! Yay! 💃🏻
A John Lewis favorite 🎶, if I remember correctly.
I tried not to laugh, but couldn't help myself! There is no truth to the rumors of JD Vance and the couch--it just seems like something that could be true.
I just fell in love with Tim Walz. I didn’t think things could get more joyous and hopeful, but he just cranked it up to 11!
And I don’t know anyone else who could have delivered the “couch” line with humor and charm and not an ounce of sleaze.
Spinal Tap and the couch in a one comment!
Regarding the couch joke, you said it perfectly, Sharon! Thank you.
I opened the comment section in order to say much of what Janet Sobel just said. Thank you Joe Biden for your willingness to withdraw from the presidential race, for your clarity about how to proceed from that decisions, and for your extraordinary presidency. Thank you Kamala Harris for the joy you have brought to campaigning and the campaign, for the clarity of purpose you have brought to this election, and for your selection of Tim Walz as the Vice Presidential nominee. And thank you Tim Walz for your capacity to be yourself while in the spotlight. One more thank you. Thank you to Robert Hubbell for keeping us all on track in this up and down campaign, for helping us see the probability that we will escape the "darkness" that Donald Trump has brought to America.
Here’s another contrast for you. Charlie Sykes whines that Shapiro should have been chosen as he was a “known quantity “ that could have delivered PA while Walz is “TBD”. I countered on Threads with a quote from someone here in NC that it’s chess not checkers. Shapiro could have helped with one state but Walz opens up the board.
I think the idea of one person "delivering" a state is ultra silly and super simplistic. That being said, Walz may have a greater impact on those voters in western PA than Shapiro - a region which I understand feels like the "Mid West".
Shapiro is still a very popular governor in PA. I can't see how his influence among voters has diminished .
I wonder if it may be predicated on the idea that Shapiro won't act as a surrogate in PA now that he is no longer in the potential Veep pool. That is a very "transactional" GOP way of looking at things.
I’m from NC and he will help so win in NC
Charlie Sykes -- and all of the pundits -- are clueless and have become irrelevant. We are all finding much better political insight and commentary here on Substack via Robert Hubbel, Heather Cox Richardson, Joyce Vance, and others who I'm sure y'all will recommend! :)
Thank you. And YES!
What a great comparison, Annette! Thank you!
Bringing back hope, joy, and a sense of decency is long overdue. Trump’s madness, coarseness, greed, and abject cruelty have been almost too much to bear. To smile, laugh, dance, throw your hat in the air. That’s America at its best. Not cowering in the corner waiting for some two bit dictator to offer retribution. Let’s win this one by a landslide. As President Biden said, “The whole world is watching.” And indeed it is.
I love those photos.
I observe significant threads (in other venues, noahpinion blog is one) of "tut-tutting" about the vibe orientation, as opposed to policy.
Emerging with joy and hope from a time of darkness is a legitimate - essential - political consideration in these times. It reflects KDDH/TW'a deep intuitive understanding of true leadership, in striking contrast to tfg, jvd/b/h/(?).
Beautiful post tonight. I'm awashed in serotonin or some long-forgotten hormone of hope. It's a wonderful feeling. Thank you.
I watch d the entire rally with tears in my eyes and pride in my heart. We even took back the chant USA USA. It was glorious.
So many lovely things in the Harris & Walz event. I greatly appreciated Harris plugging the John Lewis and Freedom to Vote acts. And the humor of Walz dare I say even topped Mayor Pete. All this 'joy' is welcome and the Spirit renews & flows.
I want to get back in touch with you about VoProPros. Would tomorrow 8/8 work e-mail wise?
(50 year anniversary of Nixon resignation…)
Thanks
See my messages in Substack to you. Then I can assist with your joining VPP.
I feel that elation!! I was jumping off my sofa over and over last night! What a team Kamala and Walz are!! Hooray for all of us!
I want to elevate Robert and the unknown thousands of us out there who have steadfastly been holding joy throughout this dark time and despite our own fear and depression, got up every day and did our best to motivate our peers and volunteers and in so doing, despite our often lack of faith or hope, managed to grow our collective consciousness so it would emerge and be totally ready for this moment in history. It’s the metamorphosis of the caterpillar and we dissolved and are becoming winged. It’s so important to take stock of the process of consciousness in a human being. We couldn’t see it but we were doing the work, despite it all.
And I know Robert took a lot of guff about his unswerving optimism about President Biden. But he did us a huge service by allowing us to see someone have the courage to believe and to be positive in the pernicious face of fear and anger. I can’t say how I have appreciated this skill that he has and how it gave me a sense that my own skill in this area was ok and not silly or hopeless. And now, because we all grew together, whether we knew we were or not, we have collectively birthed the most overtly joyous, hopeful and skilled candidates we have ever had. How about reframing it all so politics is a joyful team sport?
And one more point…of course it now generates from a woman. One of the strengths of women if they feel safe, sure and empowered is the overt demonstration of joy and care. We’re wired to do this for our children. And the best of dad’s bring humor and delight to their kinfolk. America finally has a mom and dad who will love us right and with joy as much as they are able within the systems we have. They may even help transform those systems because that kind of intention is surely a transformer. And we are part of it and I hope we all practice joy, diligence, enthusiasm, passion, kindness, benevolent strength and vision right along with them. And to those of you who kept pushing for Biden to step down..it felt sad and sometimes too sharp for me but you led the way for the birth of joy and I thank you.
Robert…I am with you and this awesome community all the way. I can’t wait to win and laugh a whole lot!!
And yet… we felt the pain Biden was going through. So unfair. But it was Biden the person not the party and country. Give him a big spot at the convention.
Joe Biden stepped into the breach and held steady…didn’t get to have what all other incumbents expected and experienced, a peaceful transfer of power… or glamorous inaugural celebrations or even a raucous and joyful convention. He and First Lady Dr. Jill Biden reinvented (at least for that one inauguration) a way to mark what we hoped would be our survival…during a pandemic and after a violent insurrection. And got to work ON DAY ONE.
It occurs to me in this moment, anticipating a joyful outcome on Nov. 5, 2024, that Joe Biden and his extraordinary team have carried us and endured these last weeks of painful labor in order to deliver us, with our active participation, into a time when joy is possible again.
Thank you, Colleen. I share those sentiments too, and you expressed them so well. What Joe Biden did for us was courageous and generous, and historical. We must not forget that we would not be where we are today were it not for the way he has conducted his presidency in the face of incredible obstacles- and continues to do so.
It blew my mind that even as he endured doubt and pushback, he was working quietly and effectively on a complex prisoner transfer that some claimed could not be done. And then with his customary grace he acknowledged Kamala as candidate. This man will go down in history not only for his capacity to accomplish difficult things in difficult circumstances, but for his essential goodness.
So today I feel joy and hope. We all had a hand in it.
And thank you, Ann. His great big (how many times broken) heart. I”m so glad you wrote about his persistence (thank you, Liz) and doggedness in negotiating that prisoner exchange. A lesser person, having been so shabbily treated, might have just said, “Well, screw it; I’m done here,”
As his favorite poet might say, Joe Biden has made “hope and history rhyme.”
I hope history honors him as he should be honored. ☘️ And that he gets to to enjoy every last minute of the rest of his presidency and of a well-deserved beautiful, fulfilling, joyful post-presidency. However he chooses to spend it.
"To deliver us" has the echo of our savior dying on the cross. It seems an echo of our other assassinated saints. And then consider the Devil Trump, impersonating Jesus but without martyrdom or salvation. He can't wear the ear patch stigma but once.
It feels to me that we have been in a mythic struggle that does echo suffering, death, with the hope of resurrection. Seems also like childbirth or other rites of passage.
I’ve left the church but those themes and archetypes linger and resonate with me. Old English major. Can’t help it.
He is so many malevolent things, sacrilegious may lead the list. Certainly belongs on it.
Thank you for your response. I love Joe Biden. (Happy now to support Harris Walz.)
Nicely said, Amy. And now we are reunited on an unstoppable bandwagon of programs that the vast majority of Americans are in favor of. Freedom. To vote. To choose. To love. To study. To eat. To shelter. To feel safe...
You dear Robert are unbelievable. Not only do you explain the political world we are living in you do it so calmly so I live without all the stress I would have without you. But that's not all! You have opened my eyes to our outer space. Beyond just the stars, when I can see them. Now you go even further and help me understand what goes into such beautiful photography. Thank you, gracias, Todah raba, Danke, Merci, Grazie (these are the ones I've heard not the languages I speak 😂)
A balanced and fair column on thr emerging threat of a joyful, engaged, forward looking campaign with two relatively new faces. Somewhere above, Hubert Humphrey, the Happy Warrior, is looking down on a Midwestern guy bringing some Midwestern values to the campaign. Walz and Harris have found a new, simpler vocabulary that resets the dialog: feeding kids, not socialism; women's control of their own bodies versus child murder; protecting kids versus Second Amendment rights. I can't wait to put on my bumper sticker and keep working! Let's get it done!
Perfection, Robert. We appreciate you more than you know!
Right on!