Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

Everybody saw this coming.

Donald Trump, welcome to your everything, everywhere, all at once.

A sufficient plurality of insane, greedy people can tank any democratic system ever devised, apparently.

Roe isn’t about choice, it’s about freedom.

Republicans firmly believe having an abortion is a very personal, very private decision between a woman and J.D. Vance.

“woke” is the new caravan.

Another missed opportunity for Jamie Dimon to just shut the fuck up.

Quote tweet friends, screenshot enemies.

Take hopelessness and turn it into resilience.

Every day Vance writes another chapter in the book called “Worst VP Pick Ever”.

When we show up, we win.

Give the craziest people you know everything they want and hope they don’t ask for more? Great plan.

The next time the wall street journal editorial board speaks the truth will be the first.

Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

The revolution will be supervised.

“What are Republicans afraid of?” Everything.

My years-long effort to drive family and friends away has really paid off this year.

But frankly mr. cole, I’ll be happier when you get back to telling us to go fuck ourselves.

This really is a full service blog.

We still have time to mess this up!

It is possible to do the right thing without the promise of a cookie.

Glad to see john eastman going through some things.

Prediction: the gop will rethink its strategy of boycotting future committees.

The frogs are rarely mistaken.

You are here: Home / Elections 2024 / Open Thread – Did Someone Ask for Jackal Rally Photos?

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169Comments

  6. 6.

    RaflW

    From the earlier thread:

    I really, really enjoyed it. And I’m TBH kind of jaded generally. I’ve been to a lot of MN capitol rotunda rallies, and this was not like that!

    People were energized and happy, even though the gym, with a/c and I saw two giant auxillary a/cs outside pumping in extra air, it was suuuper humid inside. Not that hot, but literally damp.

    Yet people (including me) were sorta dancing during the musical interludes, everyone seemed happy to be there, the room felt good. I did see just a couple of older folks need care for the heat.

    The semi-important people line* took 35 minutes just for check in, was a couple standard city blocks long. Again, the energy there was positive. Save Palestine protesters wanting us to bring a message to Kamala were across the street from the line. They were okay, but (to use a loaded word, and I know the Israel situation is awful and I’m personally furious Netanyahu is coming. Schumer should cancel saying “He’s going to Mar-a-Lago, f*ck him.”) the protesters were irritating. Their job, I guess, but did it help? Dunno.

    Annnyway, onwards. All the speakers were good. Evers is a dork (I say that lovingly, and as a fellow dork), but effective. Tammy Baldwin is not a fabulous stumper – thought she was much better at a 250 person County Dems event last year – but she delivered the message she was there for: Save ACA!

    Madam Vice President, well, I didn’t expect the charisma she has. It may not always come across on TV, but I now have a better understanding of clips I’ve seen of her getting gyms full of screaming teenagers in recent years. She’s good!

    Crisp delivery. She interacted and even worked in a shouted moment of encouragement from a woman in the risers.

    I came away much more optimistic than I’ve been in months and months. So worth the trip into town & line standing.
     

    *I was granted a Preferred slot & check in. Nice of them! Didn’t request anything special. I do volunteer at the county Dems a bit.

    eta: I also happened upon the motorcade exiting. I should probably have bought a lottery ticket today. She waived to all of us on the corner, just lucky schlubs on a random side street!

  9. 9.

    Jobeth

    I’m struck by how normal everyone looks compared to a Trump rally. No one in head to toe Kamala outfits, no  t-shirts with nasty sayings, no waves of identical hats. Just a nice cross section of normal Americans supporting their candidate.  I hope this registers with undecided voters who are turned off by the cult of Trump.

  11. 11.

    Sally

    I watched a video of Tim Walz speaking, and I liked him as a potential VP pick a lot. On fire when he speaks but looks comfy. Similar age to KH. Minnesota nice?! My opinion is worth nothing, but anyone else? I know there are several “not Walz”  favourites out there, but “Waltzing with Kamala and Tim in the White House” . I’ll get my hat.

  13. 13.

    RaflW

    @Jobeth: There was one wierdo. Like … one. And even that person seemed happy.

    I was pleased by how many union folks were there. The side stands were probably 60 or 65% women, but near where I was on the floor, definitely different union guys including the Laborers, SEIU of course. A West Allis event probably should have some hardhat guys!

  15. 15.

    Anoniminous

    Good thing having the Veep as the candidate is she can be out campaigning just about 24/7.

  16. 16.

    RaflW

    @Sally: As a Minnesotan (I know, it’s confusing, I was just at a MKE rally, but I have ties to both and while I vote in MN, I sometime help campaign for Dems in SE Wisc where my BF just did back-to-back 6 month church gigs), I think Walz is a fantastic governor.

    He and the Democratic caucus pushed through an amazing list of accomplishments on a one-seat margin. Took a page of gop-style shock-and-awe to win a ton of shit for average people, trans folk, women’s right to repro care & choice. Very inspiring, and yet not as noticed as Whitmer’s similar work.

    I like his aw shucks, headin’ to the fishing opener mode, too. Does it play nationally? Dunno. I’m mighty fine with him staying in St. Paul. But if the powers that be tap him, then yeah, man, go.

  18. 18.

    TS

    @Jobeth:

    I’m struck by how normal everyone looks compared to a Trump rally.

    I looked at the collective behind JD Vance on the last thread – they HAVE to have been a paid collection of “folks for trump” – just strange. No way was that a normal group of folks supporting their nominee.

    These folks look happy and excited to be there – what a difference.

  19. 19.

    eclare

    Thanks so much!  And I want that blue POTUS t-shirt that the woman in the third photo is wearing.

  20. 20.

    comrade scotts agenda of rage

    @RaflW:

    I was pleased by how many union folks were there.

    Always good to see and good to point out as a reminder to others with no union background or appreciation of union membership and their support to *Democrats*.

    “Funny” how we do rallies indoors where there is no doubt about attendance while the Orange Fart Cloud…

  23. 23.

    Anoniminous

    Meanwhile,  Vance is begging people at a rally to laugh at his Mountain Dew “joke” (sic)

  24. 24.

    RaflW

    @eclare: That’s Wisconsin’s Secretary of State Godlewski!
    I’d sure hope the shirts will be sold as official merch (not yet on the Harris for Prez merch page, alas).

  26. 26.

    Sally

    @RaflW: I read that about his considerable accomplishments with a one seat majority – obviously got Pelosi style smarts. Great speaker too, rattles his points off so can’t be interrupted or stopped – loved that.

  28. 28.

    Mousebumples

    @RaflW: previous Wisconsin Treasurer, lost the Senate Primary to Mandela Barnes (2020). I forget who she replaced as Sec of State – LaFollette, maybe

    Eta – https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Doug_La_Follette – Doug had served continuously since 1983! A Democrat consistently elected as Sec of State, even during the Scott Walker years

    Also, as I said on bsky, thanks for the photos!

  31. 31.

    RaflW

    @Sally: He was also a member of Congress from the southernmost district in MN for twelve years. So he’s got D.C. chops, but not in a way that makes him feel phony or insidery. But he’d have a notion of how to work with the Democratic caucuses (and how to offer occasional whiffs of press-sainted bipartisanship™).

  32. 32.

    JCJ

    @RaflW: Ha ha –  you hit on what I love about Tony Evers.  My daughter says he reminds of her of a wet sock which is exactly what she wants in a governor.

  33. 33.

    RaflW

    @Mousebumples: Very happy to offer ’em up. Thanks to WG for saying yes and whipping up a post.

    I did grab a couple pics of Barnes, he got a good roar from the stands as he made his way to the VIP area up front.

  34. 34.

    BR

    @Sally: ​
    Yeah, I saw Walz today and he was great. Blunt but didn’t come across like a jerk. Sort of matter of factness that doesn’t sound like a canned politician. He jumped up to the top of my list.

  36. 36.

    Scout211

    @HumboldtBlue: Ugh. The hands in that clip. WTF are those hands doing while he’s talking about females and socialists.  It’s super creepy.

    But as Kamala said, she knows his type.

  38. 38.

    Martin

    So, most immediate polls of registered voters. 18-34 moves from Biden +8 to Harris +20. Independents Trump +16 to Trump +8. Black and Hispanic voters each net +8 to Harris. She’ll probably lose some ground with non-college/older whites.

    None of this is surprising, but this isn’t really what will drive the election. These are difficult numbers to change anyway. What will drive the election is the shift from registered voters to likely voters and the introduction of the likely voter model. If Democrats can drag people to the polls because they’re fired up, then you get a multiplier on these gaps. That’s how Democrats win. And turnout – whether they’re voting for Harris or voting against Trump is the thing you need to generate.

  40. 40.

    Mousebumples

    @RaflW: he was a GREAT Senate candidate. And fuck the GOP for running such racist ads against him. I want Senator Barnes as my junior Senator! 😭

  41. 41.

    Old School

    @HumboldtBlue: If you click through to the original video, the clip is four years old. Which doesn’t make it OK, of course, but I thought I should point that out.

  46. 46.

    Scout211

    @Old School: If you click through to the original video, the clip is four years old.

    I wondered why Trump looked so much better in that clip that he has been looking recently. I guess it’s a good reminder that now, four years later, Trump is old.  He’s too old to be president.  He’s old.  Doesn’t he look old? Tired, too.  But definitely old. 

  48. 48.

    Sister Golden Bear

    @TS: It’s been reported for years how there’s always ads seeking paid extras to attend Trump rallies—with bonuses if they’re selected to sit behind Trump. So it wouldn’t surprise me at all that at least of some the folks with Vance were paid.

  50. 50.

    Martin

    Seeing more analysts sharing my view – that Harris path to victory might be cleaner by pressing her strengths and cranking on turnout, picking a female VP or non-conventional choice (these white male governors) than trying to shore up weaknesses through that pick which may only help in one state.

  51. 51.

    Sister Golden Bear

    @Martin:

    Independents Trump +16 to Trump

    Illustrating how “independents” are just Republicans too embarrassed to called themselves Republicans—but with all of the same racism and sexism.

    This election was always gonna be a rock fight.

  53. 53.

    SpaceUnit

    Nice.  Dems have all the energy right now.

     

    ETA:  And I sure as hell hope Uncle Joe does her introduction at the convention.

  56. 56.

    NaijaGal

    Wonderful photos!  I have to say that I’m absolutely thrilled at how well things are turning out, given the circumstances. I hope Dems continue to have Kamala Harris’s back through whatever gets thrown at her and have learned from what happened to Hillary Clinton and Joe Biden not to let the news media push your candidates around for their own entertainment.

  57. 57.

    Ishiyama

    I watched the video of the West Allis speech. Not since Hubert Humphrey has a politician merited the appellation “The Happy Warrior”. She is brilliant.

  61. 61.

    Omnes Omnibus

    Walz’s “how fucking weird are these guys” line of attack is good.  If he isn’t the VP nominee, whoever is should pick up that ball and run with it.

  62. 62.

    Martin

    @Sister Golden Bear: Well, Harris improved 8 points with them, so I don’t think racism/sexism necessarily applies. I’m guessing this particular pool are double-haters – voters that thought both candidate were too old.

    Again, the registered voter poll doesn’t capture whether they would sit out the election or not. It forces them to choose as if they were forced to vote. I don’t expect the top line RV polling to change terribly much. Again, all the action will be in the LV model, which speaks more to whether the VP pick energizes the base, rather than convert some moderates. Personally, I think there’s more headroom with LV than converting moderates. I think that’s been true since Trump arrived at least. Probably longer.

    If you believe the country is too bitterly divided, where do you think you’re going to convert voters from? It turns elections into how many of your soldiers can you put on the field.

  64. 64.

    RaflW

    @SpaceUnit: “Dems have all the energy right now”

    I heard it said today that the very effective roll out of MVP as the presumptive nominee is giving her a pseudo-convention polling bump already (Trump’s snore-fest got none), which one surely hopes will be followed by an actual convention bump in August.

    All the newsers & punters fevered dreams of Chicago ’68 will – please FSM – evaporate like rancid vape-pen mists.

  67. 67.

    SpaceUnit

    @RaflW:

    Yeah.  MAGA world got dick-ola from both their shitty, low energy convention and that dipshit rally shooting (whatever that was).

    And Dems are lit.

  72. 72.

    WaterGirl

    Well, this is a fun tweet.  It’s been days since I could slow down enough to look.

  76. 76.

    Jackie

    Hillary Clinton wrote a passionate op-Ed to the NYT full-throatedly  endorsing Kamala. Here’s HuffPost’s summary:

    In an op-ed for The New York Times, Hillary Clinton said she believes in Vice President Kamala Harris’ ability to win against Donald Trump, her former political opponent whom she lost the presidential election to in 2016.

    “[Harris] is talented, experienced and ready to be president. And I know she can defeat Donald Trump,” she wrote.

    Clinton, who made history as the first woman in the U.S. to win a presidential nomination by a major political party, said Harris “represents a fresh start for American politics” and can offer a “hopeful, unifying vision.”

    “[Harris] and the campaign will have to cut through the noise, and all of us as voters must be thoughtful about what we read, believe and share,” Clinton wrote.

    Clinton also acknowledged the challenges that Harris will face during her campaign as a Black and South Asian woman. Trump has escalated attacks against Harris this week, and Clinton noted the “flood of disinformation and the kind of ugly prejudice we’re already hearing from MAGA mouthpieces.”

    In the op-ed, Clinton drew parallels between her own experience as a woman who ran in the 2016 presidential election.

    “I know a thing or two about how hard it can be for strong women candidates to fight through the sexism and double standards of American politics,” Clinton wrote in the Times. “I’ve been called a witch, a ‘nasty woman’ and much worse.”

    “Ms. Harris is chronically underestimated, as are so many women in politics, but she is well prepared for this moment … I look forward to hearing her prosecute a compelling case against Mr. Trump, who failed as a president the first time and is running on a dangerous agenda,” Clinton wrote.

    https://www.huffpost.com/entry/hillary-clinton-supports-kamala-harris-op-ed_n_66a04365e4b04ed80d3990c5

     

  77. 77.

    piratedan

    since I’m part of the Arizona contingent, lets talk about Sen. Mark Kelly about what he is and what he isn’t.

    To change things up, lets go with what he isn’t…

    He’s NOT a career legislator
    He’s not a liberal, very much a centrist
    He’s not a dynamic public speaker
    In his last election, he was up against Blake Masters who gave off creepy serial killer vibes and his election had a strong element of anyone but THAT guy to it.

    what he is…

    former pilot
    former military
    former astronaut
    and was about as “liberal” as purple Arizona would allow
    has pretty faithfully been a solid vote in the Senate for all of the Dem agenda, not a look at me, I’m going to rock the boat type (see Sinema) but he’s still learning on the job as a politico
    has a Hollywood backstory with who he married and is likely a VERY strong influence on his politics.
    Employed a kitchen table policy on his ads, very reasoned, personal conversational approach (perhaps to calm down sqiushy AZ independent voters).

    I see him as pretty damn near bulletproof for any reasonable attacks from the right. From the left, he may not be in lockstep with the policies that Ms. Harris would want to pursue and there could be real questions as to their potential teamwork.

    hope that helps….not trying to advocate for him, just trying to outline possible strengths and potential weaknesses.

    will hope that other jackals will add their insights to their local pols who might also be under consideration.

  81. 81.

    Chet Murthy

    @eclare: He’s the right age that he might have learned it from the REO Speedwagon song “Tough Guys”.  There’s a Little Rascals clip at the beginning of the song:

    Darla; Alfalfa, will you swing me before we have lunch?

    Alfalfa: Sure Darla

    Spanky: Hey Romeo, what about your promise to the He-man Woman-haters club?

    A: I’m sorry Spanky, I have to live my own life.

  82. 82.

    Jay

    @Sister Golden Bear:

    You are reading it wrong, the first number is the past polling, the next number is the current polling.

    Since MVP Kamlala Harris became the candidate the 34 Felonies Rapist Pedo guy has gone from polling +16 amongst “Independents”, to only +8, so basically he’s lost half his previous support.

  83. 83.

    piratedan

    @WaterGirl: tbh, I would prefer someone more in line with Ms. Harris as well, I just wanted to offer a pragmatic overview since he may be more or less unknown to those outside of the state.

    The Gabby Giffords angle is one that many may find as attractive as a story, but Kelly doesn’t strike me as the type to trade on that.

    I wanted to be frank as to what I saw were his pros and cons.  Since there will be a LOT of speculation.

  88. 88.

    Martin

    @piratedan: I think all of that is accurate. My issue is this:

    I see him as pretty damn near bulletproof for any reasonable attacks from the right. From the left, he may not be in lockstep with the policies that Ms. Harris would want to pursue and there could be real questions as to their potential teamwork.

    I think if we’re worried about attacks from the right, we’re worried about the wrong things. Again, stop playing defense. You don’t win on defense. Yes, he comes in clean, he’s solid. What does he add?

    From an electoral standpoint (if that’s the model you run your VP candidates through) is Arizona important enough? The swing state to get is PA, so just take Shapiro under this model.

    Does Kelly get persuadable voters? Yeah, probably – he’s a fucking astronaut. Who doesn’t want to be his friend? I think if you as a voter is defined by your racism and sexism, white guy VP doesn’t make up for black female P. Like, that’s not how racism works – it’s not debits and credits, and she’s the top of the ticket, not the insurance policy, so I think it’s only some persuadable voters. He’s an interesting gun guy, so maybe he uniquely reaches some voters in those states – he’s got a uniquely compelling ‘responsible gun owner’ but strong gun control story that almost nobody in the Democratic Party has. Maybe that has more reach than I’m giving credit for.

    Does Kelly get people knocking on doors or turning out in higher numbers outside of AZ? I don’t see it. I don’t see *any* white guy under consideration getting people knocking on doors. Maybe that’s me, but unless you’re Timothy Chalamet, you got no rizz with Democratic voters. They’ll like you, but they ain’t kicking down doors for you. That’s just not where the Democratic Party is after Dobbs and all that and I stand by that.

    So, those to me are the 3 degrees of freedom to evaluate the VP pick. Electorally he’s okay, but Shapiro is better. Getting persuadable voters not bad. Energizing the base/turnout, adds nothing.

  89. 89.

    RaflW

    @HumboldtBlue I know Nikki Haley doesn’t care, she’s thickened her skin to become a MAGA freak, but this would mortify normal people “Despite Haley’s fervent opposition to Trump during the primary race and her frequent comments stating that Trump is a threat to the nation and unfit to lead, she endorsed Trump in a speech at the Republican National Convention.”

  91. 91.

    sab

    @Martin: Shouldn’t the VP choice also consider if something awful happens VP will be president? I like Mark Kelly but I probably would never vote for him.

  95. 95.

    RaflW

    @Martin: My question is: How does Sen. kelly talk about Roe/Dobbs. He cannot equivocate at all. And maybe that’s where he is, I just don’t know.

    (In general, I think he’s probably too moderate to be her VP. If she picks him, fine, whatevs, crawl thru glass to vote, etc…)

  96. 96.

    piratedan

    @Martin: as I mentioned, I was not trying to play as an advocate for his selection, just trying to illuminate some dark corners and remove mysteries.

    I’m sure that the Harris campaign is doing their best to determine which VP selection works best for them and I’ll trust them to do their jobs.

    Just trying to see if others would do the same for their native sons and daughters who might also be under consideration.  It simply helps to know who these people are.  I guess it’s a matter of being anticipatory versus reactionary.

  98. 98.

    BR

    @Martin:

    I could see Walz getting folks energized — people who Harris might not reach. He has a certain style that would complement her style. Shapiro might too, but he’s done and said some things that could really hurt in MI whereas Harris brings a reset on the Gaza war.

  100. 100.

    eclare

    @BR:

    Yeah from what I’ve read Shapiro is to the right of Joe on Israel.

    To me Cooper makes the most sense.  Extensive campaign experience, been in office for decades, so vetted for years.  Got Medicaid expanded.  And you’re not taking a sitting D out of office.

    In the end, it’s who Kamala is comfortable with, and I trust her to make that decision.

  101. 101.

    Martin

    @sab: No. The ONLY thing that matters is getting past Nov 5. There is no scenario post Nov 5 involving a Dem president/VP which is worse than Trump winning. There is no Dem VP that is less experienced than Trump/has worse policy ideas than Trump.

    Focus on the mission – nothing matters after Nov 5. I know that’s a bad attitude to have, we can address that when we’re not running against Trump.

  102. 102.

    eclare

    @BR:

    Definitely a different style than Kamala, I haven’t spent much (any) time in WI, MI, or PA, so I have no idea how that plays.  But he’s been in office for decades, so well vetted, and gotten things done with a small margin legislature.  He is a sitting D, but I think we can count on MN to reelect a D.

  104. 104.

    Martin

    @RaflW: I think there’s an open question of whether he needs to if Harris is there, or if he needs to just back her up policy wise. I’m of the view that you have 53% of the electorate being women, and they’ve carried every Dem victory since the Dobbs decision, fucking deliver for them, and go with an all female ticket. Or, at least don’t shy from that. Especially if that VP candidate can take it hammer and tong to Trump/Vance on these issues.

    But if you think the VP needs to speak to this, then you’re mostly ruling out a male VP.

  105. 105.

    Betty Cracker

    @piratedan: Thanks for the summary! My initial reaction to the Kelly for VP speculation was that he might be too valuable where he is for that to make sense. I know zilch about AZ politics, but from afar, it looks like an extremely difficult needle for Dems to thread.

  107. 107.

    Martin

    @eclare: We just took this huge risk to address a problem where Dem voters had issues with age. It seems to me the focus needs to be youth and the future. Cooper undercuts that.

  109. 109.

    Ishiyama

    Mr. Dooley on the qualifications of the Vice Presidential Candidate:

    He has to be an all-round man. He must be a good speaker, a pleasant man with th’ ladies, a fair boxer and rassler, something iv a liar, an’ if he’s a Raypublican campaignin’ in Texas, an active sprinter. If he has all thim qualities, he may or may not rayceive a majority at th’ polls, an’ no wan will know whether they voted f’r him or not.

  110. 110.

    David 🌈 ☘The Establishment☘🌈 Koch

    I saw Walz on MSNBC tonight and he was very impressive.

    I saw a bit of Cooper and he was good, but I need to see a longer clip.

  111. 111.

    frosty

    @piratedan: I have no insights to Shapiro, but leave my Governor alone! We need him in PA to block a Republican legislature all set to fuck around.

  113. 113.

    Martin

    @frosty: Can he also block Trump federal action? Because that’s the context. If he can’t, he’s not going to help you in the way you need if Trump wins.

  115. 115.

    Mapanghimagsik

    I just saw the movie Twisters,and I’m a little bit more stupid for having done so.

     

    It didn’t help the Reagan movie was in the trailers, but i can see why.

  116. 116.

    sab

    @Martin: I respect your point of view.

    Frankly I don’t care enough about VP to give it much thought. That is Ms. Harris’ job, and I trust her to choose well. I am all in for her.

  118. 118.

    Kent

    @David 🌈 ☘The Establishment☘🌈 Koch:  I saw the same interview of Waltz on MSNBC as well.  He is impressive.  As a Washingtonian he was off my radar and I don’t think I ever saw him before.

    I think the well is pretty deep and there are a lot of good Dem governors to pick from.  Raiding the Senate makes me nervous.

  119. 119.

    NotMax

    I’d mention Hawaii Governor Jiosh Green. AFAIK we’ve never had a practicing M.D. on the ticket.

    But then again, he’s Jewish too.

  120. 120.

    Geminid

    @RaflW: It would not be very hard to find out how Mark Kelly speaks about Roe/Dobbs. He won Senate races in 2020 and 2022 and I expect he talked about reproductive freedom in both campaigns and since because this is an important question and a good issue for Democrats.

    Ed.This would be reported by Arizona state and local media and maybe national as well. There are advocacy groups like NARAL who rate Senators on this question on the basis of how they vote.

  121. 121.

    Martin

    @NotMax: I don’t think Jewish is a problem. I think their view on Israel policy is. I can think of a lot of Jewish Dems that would help that one policy challenge. Shapiro unfortunately isn’t one of them.

  125. 125.

    NotMax

    @BR

    Bite your tongue.

    BS has met the criteria for what we used to call a phonus balonus for the entirety of his Congressional career.

    In Yiddish (more precisely), a gantzeh k’nocker.

    Have never ever understood what was the swell of support for him as a candidate for president.

  127. 127.

    Sally

    Rep Hageman said in an interview that Dems are scraping the bottom of the barrel with MVP Harris. I don’t agree, but, if that’s the bottom of our barrel, it’s a pretty awesome barrel.

  131. 131.

    sab

    @Betty Cracker: He looks like a typical white midwestern male. Also looks ten years older than he is. So probably his own wife couldn’t pick him out in a lineup. But I do like him.

  136. 136.

    dc

    @eclare: If Cooper leaves the state to campaign, our crazy Lt. Governor becomes acting governor while he’s gone. With our crazy state legislature and our crazy State Supreme Court, anything could happen.  So, no.

  138. 138.

    sab

    Back in the 1970s I door to door canvassed in Ohio for Democrats. Big issue was Howard Metzenbaum running for Senate had a German name. Prospective voters hoped he wasn’t Catholic. We didn’t think saying it’s fine, he’s Jewish was a helpful response.

    Some things change. Others don’t. I never in a million years thought RW Catholics and Evangelicals would be on the same side. I should have realized that fascism would do that.

  140. 140.

    BR

    I just realized that none of the possible VP picks are as progressive as Harris. I don’t know when the last time that’s happened.

  141. 141.

    eclare

    @eclare:

    I think I found it on Alex Wagner.  He was good, big emphasis on public schools, very plain spoken, former teacher, very folksy.  He has a very different style than Kamala, but that could be complimentary.

    Also kept referring to the other side as weird, which cannot be stated enough, and I’m surprised no one else has. The best and most honest thing W ever said:  that was some weird shit.

  143. 143.

    Geminid

    @BR: “Progressive” is somewhat of an abstract label. As a practical matter I do not think there is much difference on policy between Harris and any of the five.

  146. 146.

    NaijaGal

    @TS: So do I. She doesn’t need their approval. Still can’t get over the suggestion I heard they printed that Mitt Romney should be the Democratic nominee, for a guaranteed loss in November. Chaos agents.

  147. 147.

    Martin

    Good news everyone! Kamala has finally arrived! She has her own articles of impeachment now!

  148. 148.

    piratedan

    @TS: yeah, along with the WaPo, no reason to give them the opportunity to twist what she says or change the context.  They’ve already done that with her speeches.  I don’t mind tough questions, because there are some topics that require discussion and analysis.  I don’t trust these outlets to be fair, their behavior and reporting are proof of that.

  150. 150.

    Martin

    BTW, anyone else who might be thinking about what swing voters look like should read my link above. They don’t look like what you expect. For instance, they’re somewhat to the left of elected Dems on economic issues.

  154. 154.

    206inKY

    @dc: Yup, this is why Cooper’s a tough pick. Plus he’s really just a boost for NC.

    I’m still dreaming of a Harris/Whitmer ticket that pours even more fuel on this enthusiasm train. Harris/Abrams also sounds amazing.

    But I’ll be delighted with whoever she picks. I think Pete did a great job disemboweling Vance in his interview with Maher. Love Walz too.

    Hopefully she passes on Andy so we can keep him in Kentucky to capture a miracle Senate seat. Ditto with keeping Kelly’s seat in Arizona.

  155. 155.

    TS

    I still subscribe to the Washington Post (got it so cheap I hate to let it go – gave up the NYT in 2016)

    Whether one is for or agin the recent events, the makeover on the online front page of Wapo is amazing. Kamala is everywhere. Mostly positive articles. The only mention of the convicted one is via an article re the Secret Service wanting no more outdoor events. There are also a few items on Biden – amazingly the photos have changed – they no longer show those that have him appearing old and/or feeble.

    First time in a month I have looked at anything at WaPo except the puzzles!

  156. 156.

    eclare

    @206inKY:

    Pete disembowels every enemy in every interview!  I think he’s planning on running for gov in MI once Gretchen leaves.  In the interview he did for CBS a while back, the interviewer asked about future plans, and he hinted that with young kids he might want to stay closer to home.

    And yes, Beshear needs to stay in KY!

  157. 157.

    Tony Jay

    +++Jackal News+++Jackal News+++

    And by the weekend, sources close to my arse hint, the gates of ratfucking will be thrown open… probably…

      NYT GUEST OPINION

      Divided Democrats In Fear Of the Trump Juggernaut Cry Out For A United Front

      by Candidate Robert Fitzgerald Kennedy Jr

     

    Our energised movement made Biden confront his mortality and step aside. As Vice-President I would act again to help Kamala transcend her own limitations and transform our nation back into a place where its citizens enjoy the freedom to make their own decisions and the God-given opportunity to forge new destinies regardless of who their parents were ….

  159. 159.

    strange visitor (from another planet)

    @piratedan: despite all tbe evidence to the contrary from ukraine, the fascist gop maintains that we’re being invaded and as the  vaunted “border czar”, she refuses to stem the tide of darker people.

    (narrator: “there is no such thing as “border czar””)

  160. 160.

    piratedan

    @strange visitor (from another planet): I hear ya, it’s a common theme from the GOP again this year.  Democratic Open Borders policy figures in ads seen from Kari Lake and Juan Ciscomani here in the desert.  Same bullshit, same pledges that only a border wall can fix it.

    Fear is all they have to sell down here, I live in Southern AZ and I can assure you that the only fucking crisis down here is that they want to keep it alive as an issue and have no interest in addressing it unless a berlin wall solution is employed, with no regards to tribal sovereignty, asylum seekers or even base humanitarian concerns.

  162. 162.

    Splitting Image

    @BR:

    I just realized that none of the possible VP picks are as progressive as Harris. I don’t know when the last time that’s happened.

    Lloyd Bentsen?

  163. 163.

    brantl

    @Martin: The likelihood that 50% or more of them are progressive is ridiculously small. Given that the choice had been Biden,  or the steaming pile of recidivism Nazi shit.

  166. 166.

    JML

    I’ve known Walz since he first ran for the US House, and he’s a good dude. He’s been a pretty dang good governor, communicates well to his state, and handled the pandemic effectively in a state where there was some real conflict over things like mask mandates and shutdowns. (he very smartly did regular updates where he spoke plainly and jargon-free and framed things as “here’s what we know right now, and why we’re doing what we’re doing”). I’ve been mildly disappointed that for an “Education Governor” he’s mostly ignored the real crisis in higher education (the excellent public universities in MN are teetering), but he was an E-12 guy before going to Congress, so it happens.

    He’d be a fine VP for Harris…not sure he wants it though. He seems to really like being Governor, and did not love being in DC. Of course, part of that was he had young kids and wasn’t wealthy so there was a real burden there with travel and so forth.

    MN has a fine tradition of supplying excellent VP’s though, and being part of the Humphrey-Mondale tradition is nice for any MN politician!

    I think there are a lot of good choices for Kamala to pick for VP, though. Of course, I expect the deeply stupid media to furiously rip every choice to bits because they didn’t get to personally decide who it was…

  167. 167.

    RaflW

    @Martin: Walz welcomed legislation and signed it that prohibits enforcement in the state of Minnesota any laws, subpoenas, judgements or extradition requests from other states against people who get, perform or assist with abortions in Minnesota.”

    That’s what I’m talking about. Walz knows how to use a legislative process to ensure reproductive rights, and is not at all afraid to talk about it.

    I see that Kelly voted for the Women’s Health Protection Act, so that’s a good sign. I just want to be absolutely sure any VP candidate doesn’t undermine Harris’s clear position on repro care & choice by looking for a ‘centrist’ compromise position.

    Right now, no quarter for compromise. The GOP has abused that every time, and lacks any good faith.

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