The Harris campaign kicks into high gear

July 26, 2024

Kamala Harris has the Trump campaign on its back foot. Whatever Trump’s advisers expected from V.P. Harris, they were wrong. Although Trump and his surrogates have tried several lines of attack, each attempt backfires as Trump offends important constituencies he needs to win. In attacking Kamala Harris, Trump is offending Black Americans, successful women, mothers raising blended families, couples trying to conceive, young people, and more. The Harris campaign has responded forcefully, using a pointed sense of humor that is refreshing and attractive to younger voters who see the internet as a battlefield of ideas.

On Thursday, the Harris campaign released a powerful television ad that was a “no-holds-barred” look at the threat to democracy posed by Trump. See The Guardian, ‘We choose freedom’: Kamala Harris campaign launches first ad. The ad is embedded in The Guardian article; I urge you to watch it. If you don’t, here is The Guardian’s description of the ad:

Released on Thursday morning, the ad opens with shots of Harris’s smiling face behind a podium, the word Kamala, the word Harris, and the American flag. The soundtrack is the beginning of Beyoncé’s song Freedom, to which Harris entered and exited her first speech to campaign staffers after gaining lightning speed momentum on the road to becoming the presumptive nominee.

The ad is narrated by Harris, whose first words are, “In this election we each face a question. What kind of country do we want to live in?”

She continues: “There are some people who think we should be a country of chaos. Of fear. Of hate,” she says, over shots of Trump and JD Vance. “But us, we choose something different.”

On social media, the Harris campaign has been even more aggressive. The Harris campaign took a clip of Trump imitating Kamala Harris, saying, “I’m the prosecutor and he is the convicted felon.” After Trump admits that he is a convicted felon and Harris is a prosecutor, the ad immediately cuts to a picture of Kamala Harris with her voice saying, “I am Kamala Harris and I approve this message.” The Harris campaign is showing early signs of social media savvy—just as Barack Obama’s campaign did in 2008.

The Harris campaign also went after JD Vance, who described Kamala Harris in 2021 as a “childless cat lady” who should not have an equal voice in the future of America because she does not have biological children. (Harris is a stepmother to two children with Doug Emhoff.) Thursday was “In Vitro Fertilization Day.” The Harris campaign released a statement saying, “Happy World IVF Day To Everyone Except JD Vance.” See HuffPo, Harris Campaign Wishes Happy World IVF Day To Everyone Except 1 Person.

The confidence and swagger of that ad was reflected in the Harris campaign’s immediate acceptance of debate with Donald Trump, set for September 10. But as Kamala Harris demonstrated an eagerness to debate, Trump began hedging his bets, saying he “did not like the idea” of a debate on ABC. See CNBC, ‘Let’s go’: Harris agrees to debate Trump, accuses him of ‘backpedaling’ on Sept. 10 date.

The Harris campaign also used social media to troll Trump's morning appearance on Fox News, during which Trump called Kamala Harris “garbage.” The Harris campaign issued a press release entitled Statement on a 78-Year-Old Criminal’s Fox News Appearance. The press release said,

After watching Fox News this morning we only have one question, is Donald Trump ok? Trump is old and quite weird [and] this guy shouldn’t be president ever again.

For their part, Trump and his surrogates were reduced to claiming that Kamala Harris is a “DEI hire,” a “failed border czar,” and a socialist who will destroy the economy of America.

Luckily for Kamala Harris, economic growth and border security both improved in the second quarter. On Thursday, the US Bureau of Economic Analysis reported that the gross domestic product grew at a 2.8% rate in the second quarter, well above the consensus prediction of 1.9% by economists. See USA Today, US GDP report: Latest data shows economy grew 2.8% in Q2 (usatoday.com)

At the border, crossings by immigrants dropped to their lowest level since 2020 (under Donald Trump). See CBS News, Migrant crossings continue to plunge, nearing the level that would lift Biden's border crackdown. Per CBS News,

July is on track to see the fifth consecutive monthly drop in migrant apprehensions along the U.S.-Mexico border and the lowest level in illegal immigration there since the fall of 2020, during the Trump administration, the internal Department of Homeland Security figures show.

My point in noting the responses by the Harris campaign is not to revel in the “zingers” and “smackdowns” that are long overdue. Rather, it is to highlight the nimbleness, swagger, and professionalism of the Harris campaign. The lightning-quick responses would be exemplary for any presidential campaign; they are stunning for a presidential campaign that is four days old.

Although it is still early, it seems clear that the Harris campaign will focus on Trump's criminality, incoherence, age, and hateful agenda. And it is doing so with a satirical edge that transfers easily into internet memes—which is an effective way to create viral messaging that reaches young people. Meanwhile, the Trump campaign has been caught flat-footed, trying to ignore the awkward creepiness of JD Vance and Trump's part-time approach to campaigning.

All of this should give Democrats confidence that Kamala Harris will run a strong campaign against an opponent who will wage a vile and hate-filled counter-offensive. If the first few days of the campaign are any indication, Kamala Harris is up to the task.

---

Speeches by Kamala Harris on Thursday

V.P. Harris gave two significant speeches on Thursday. The first was to the American Federation of Teachers in Houston. V.P. Harris said, in part,

There are those who are really trying to take us backward. Donald Trump and his extreme allies want to take us back to failed trickle-down economic policies, back to union busting, back to tax breaks for billionaires. Donald Trump and his allies want to cut Medicare and Social Security, to stop student-loan forgiveness for teachers and other public servants, and I say to AFT, they even want to eliminate the Department of Education and end Head Start, which of course would take away preschool from hundreds of thousands of our children.

In a second speech after meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu, V.P. Harris adopted a tougher tone in calling for Israel to conclude a cease-fire and secure the return of the hostages. See The Guardian, Kamala Harris says ‘I will not be silent’ on suffering in Gaza after Netanyahu talks.

The Guardian described the speech as follows:

Harris’ forceful remarks on Thursday, which were sharp and serious in tone, reflected what might mark a departure from Biden in how she deals with Netanyahu. Some noted the significance of Harris being the one to give public remarks after both she and Biden had separately met the prime minister.

---

Vance makes it impossible for Trump to deny knowledge of Project 2025

Trump has been pretending that he is not aware of the proposals in Project 2025—the blueprint for an authoritarian takeover of the federal government if Trump is re-elected. But JD Vance has made it impossible for Trump to maintain the fiction that he is unaware of those ideas. Vance ha written the forward to an upcoming book by Kevin Roberts, president of the Heritage Foundation, who describes himself as the “head” of Project 2025.

The book is Dawn’s Early Light, Taking Back Washington To Save America. Roberts’ book will be published in September—during the heart of the presidential campaign.

Vance writes the following about the ideas in the book (which track Project 2025):

Never before has a figure with Roberts’s depth and stature within the American Right tried to articulate a genuinely new future for conservatism. We are now all realizing that it’s time to circle the wagons and load the muskets. In the fights that lay ahead, these ideas are an essential weapon.

The book was originally titled, “Dawn’s Early Light: Burning Down Washington to Save America,” with a cover image showing a match over the word “Washington.” See Vox, JD Vance’s ties to Project 2025 and Kevin Roberts may be a problem for Trump. The book title apparently changed as insiders realized that Vance might become the GOP vice presidential nominee.

---

This is encouraging . . .

The Guardian newspaper has published a statement about how it plans to cover V.P. Harris in the presidential campaign. Georgia Warren, the editorial director, interviewed a Guardian reporter, Lauren N Williams, about covering Kamala Harris. Here is part of Warren’s report on that interview:

Lauren [said] “[T]hat doesn’t mean we should glorify her. Kamala Harris is not America's savior; she is a politician who is running for president. But if the GOP is trying to control the conversation and use offensive rhetoric to keep us away from issues that really matter, it’s our job as journalists not to be driven by their agenda, and instead to redirect the public conversation to the candidates’ platforms, policies and political histories.”

While our reporting on Harris will always be rigorous, Lauren reminds us that “we cannot treat Trump and Harris as two candidates who are on the same playing field with regard to the threat they pose to democracy. It must always be reiterated: Donald Trump is the only candidate who has 34 felony convictions and tried to overthrow the government.”

Let’s hope that The Guardian adheres to its pledge to avoid “false equivalencies” and to redirect the story to policies and political histories when Republicans engage in unfair attacks on Kamala Harris.

Meanwhile, the NYTimes is continuing its lopsided, biased reporting that seems to give Trump a pass while criticizing everyone else in ways that fail to acknowledge the fundamental asymmetry described by The Guardian. David Brooks has a piece in the Times today (which I won’t link to) that is reminiscent of the Times’s take on Hillary Clinton, i.e., “Insiders don’t like her because she is a tough boss.”  

---

Opportunities for Reader engagement

---

Join me as I host a Today’s Edition discussion and fundraiser for Rep. Dan Goldman.

Join me on Thursday, August 1, 2024, at 5:00 pm Pacific / 8:00 pm Eastern as I join in a conversation with Rep. Dan Goldman of NY-10.

Dan represents NY-10 in Western Brooklyn and Lower Manhattan. A former federal prosecutor and the lead counsel in the first impeachment of Donald Trump, Dan brings unmatched experience defending the rule of law, and a common sense, practical approach to Congress. He’s quickly become a leader on gun violence, reproductive and voting rights, while also bringing a pragmatic, pro-capitalism approach to addressing the issues that impact the country — mental health, public safety, creating jobs and expanding the tax base, and ensuring businesses can thrive. https://secure.actblue.com/donate/ev_08.01.24

---

Give A Week to Save Democracy!

Will you give a week of your time to save democracy? The most effective way to help Democrats win in November is to knock on doors and talk to potential voters in swing states. Join Progressive Turnout Project on Tuesday, August 13 at 8pm ET / 5pm PT to hear how you can join the effort!

Leading grassroots organizations nationwide will join us in hosting a YouTube Live event to encourage volunteers to step up in a big way.

We'll be joined by special guests, Anderson Clayton, North Carolina Democratic Party Chair (at 26, the youngest party chair in the nation) and Lavora Barnes, Michigan Democratic Party Chair since 2019.

Progressive Turnout Project's Flexible Paid Door-Knocking Program is perfect for folks who are able to travel to a swing state and help on the ground for days, a week or longer. You can make $250 per day to offset your travel expenses. And we'll share other ways people can make a difference.

RSVP: https://www.mobilize.us/ptp/event/649543/

---

Concluding Thoughts

As we approach the end of the first week of Kamala Harris’s candidacy, things are going better than anyone expected. We should enjoy our good fortune, but prepare ourselves for a tough fight. The RNC just announced it will spend $68 million to attack Kamala Harris. Ouch! $68 million is a LOT of money in negative advertising.

Everyone should resolve now not to be deterred or dispirited by the negative attacks on Kamala Harris. That is what happened (in part) to Hillary Clinton and Joe Biden. Let’s keep our nerve, our wits, and our focus. We have a strong candidate who can withstand the attacks—as long as we have her back. Let’s not falter; instead, let’s turn those attacks back on the GOP as evidence of that party’s dark vision of a divided America. With our help, Kamala Harris will point the way to a more tolerant, just, and inclusive America.

Talk to you tomorrow!

+++++++++++++

Below is a photo of the Eagle Nebula (M16), taken on 7/24/24 in Los Angeles with a 90-minute exposure. M16 is a star-forming region 7,000 light years from Earth. The large gas columns in the photo are known as the “Pillars of Creation.”

A reader sent an email that asked, “What is a “nebula”?

In 1760, Charles Messier was searching for comets using a four-inch refractor telescope. He kept finding “fuzzy blobs” that were not comets (they remained stationary in the night sky relative to the stars). To save himself and other astronomers the trouble of tracking those stationary fuzzy blobs, Messier kept a list of those fuzzy objects and their locations. He called those fuzzy objects “nebula”—from the Latin for “clouds.”

That list became what we know as the Messier Catalog. Objects included in the list have the prefix “M” followed by a number from 1 to 110 to correspond to the objects that Messier (and others) included on the list.

In an ironic twist, the Messier Catalog lists the most important and interesting deep-sky objects visible from Earth with a small(ish) telescope. Rather than collecting objects to be ignored, the Messier Catalog contains the jewels of our solar system and beyond.

Messier objects include gas clouds (like M63, the Eagle Nebula), remnants of exploded stars (supernovae) that are generally round (hence the term “planetary nebula”), galaxies (which were called spiral nebula) and star clusters (like the Pleiades).

One more fun fact: Despite the solid-looking appearance of the Pillars of Creation in the photo below, the particle density of those structures is far lower (on average) than the best vacuum that can be created on Earth. In the immortal words of Douglas Adams, “Space is big. You just won't believe how vastly, hugely, mind-bogglingly big it is.” The uncountable gas particles shown in the photo are sparsely scattered in the vast, nearly empty vacuum of space.

I promise not to turn this newsletter into an astronomy blog, but once you get me started talking about astronomy (and science), you can’t shut me up!