This seems like a campaign that is confidently going into election day trying to run up the score.
The Harris campaign does it again.
Plouffe – It’s a razor’s edge.
Harris – I’m going to Texas!
Walz – I’ll beat that, I’m going to Kentucky!Confidently executing their plan, ignoring the bedwetters, expanding the map and I’ll go ahead and say it, looking ahead to governing.
— Tom Watson (@tomwatson) October 22, 2024
Harris To Hold Campaign Event in Houston
I heard this while I was running errands and wanted to come home and double-check and then share with all those who are, like me, one raw nerve.
Come election day, I’m going to be eating all the sale Halloween candy I plan on buying for the occasion.
Open thread while I finish packing.
lamh47
I saw this as well.
Cautiously optimistic…we’ve got to vote and GOTV.
jonas
This tells me their internal polling looks good and they think they have time/resources to spend helping down-ballot candidates in red states. The fact that Allred is having her campaign with him I think also shows he’s confident she has legit coattails. I wish he were up by 5-10 points — that would make me cockily confident he could pull this off — but this is a good sign.
Nonetheless, I am a little nervous about PA. Bob Casey once looked like a shoe-in and now it’s apparently neck-in-neck.
Chet Murthy
TaMara, thank you for a positive post! I’m going to try to keep good thoughts for the next two weeks. Thank you for helping!
Betsy
Wow, that’s good to hear.
I’ve been hoping the campaign knows something we don’t know.
(I mean, of course they do, but I mean something like this!)
Dangerman
Means more lawyers fees as the lawsuits fly fast and furious.
I wonder if the Right has learned that nominating a fascist POS is a bad idea? Meaning, I wonder if TCFG runs in 2028 (assuming not in jail).
Ishiyama
I am happy to think that the campaign knows as much as I, a certified non-expert, can see for myself. Harris/Walz has a winning strategy and they are executing well, tactically.
TaMara
@Chet Murthy: There are two Youtube accounts I follow that help – one is Josh Johnson, and the other is Liberal Redneck. Both help raise my spirits. There are more…my YT feed is filled with joyful accounts (and then all those climate solution feeds), Keeps me off my (soon to be nuked) twitter account.
lamh47
@TaMara: Josh Johnson is awesome.
He segment on the POTUS debate was hilarious
Anoniminous
@jonas:
Neck and Neck?
Because the tens of thousands of young black women who registered in PA to vote for Harris are going to vote for a Republican?
As that great American hero Oddball said.
Gin & Tonic
Well, my dear wife and I did our civic duty this morning, so that’s two in the bank for Harris/Walz, and for Sheldon Whitehouse, who’s starting to get the hang of being a Senator.
TaMara
Also, just heard my email ding and guess what? My ballot has been counted. Woot!
Gin & Tonic
@Dangerman:
I’m not a betting man, nor an actuary, but I wouldn’t write a life insurance policy on the guy with a maturity that long.
TaMara
Also, just heard my email ding and guess what? My ballot has been counted. Woot!
jonas
@Dangerman: The only lesson the right learns from electoral defeat is that their candidate wasn’t insane enough. If Trump loses, and they come to accept it, they’ll double down on something even worse next time.
Manyakitty
@TaMara: woohoo! Tell me more about this beach vacation 😍
jonas
@Anoniminous: Harris and Trump are virtually tied in PA, too. The state is more than just Philly and it’s going to be a nail-biter. I’m sure MVP and Walz are going to be spending a lot of time there over the next two weeks because GOTV will be everything.
lamh47
Cautiously optimistic that polls are missing folks like this because they are overpopulating polls with Trump leaning voters because they missed them in ’16.
TaMara
@Manyakitty: It’s a chilly beach, with a stunning view of the Boston skyline, so I’ll be in my happy place with happy people.
Chet Murthy
@TaMara: Oh ha, I’ve seen one of Josh’s comedy bits before: it was great! I subscribed! I take Trae in …. small portions. He’s fine, but …. his (Southern) accent is triggering, and I just can’t get past it. It just makes me feel all sorts of uncomfortable. Which is a pity. What’s the name of that woman comedian who plays all sorts of right-wing roles ? I forget her name — she’s also excellent but I have somewhat the same problem: can only dip in infrequently b/c of the accent.
rk
@jonas:
I feel this too. I increasingly feel that this country (even the world) is heading towards a day of reconning. If an obviously flawed and insane lunatic like Trump is so close to winning then unless timely actions are taken such as giving statehood to DC and somehow fixing the supreme court, we’ll eventually be down this road again with a smarter right wing leader.
rikyrah
TEXAS IS THE WHITE WHALE
I believe in my heart of hearts that Texas is not red.
Texas is Voter Suppressed.
And, the main Voter Suppression is lack of turnout.
I believe if we vote. We win.
and, if we ever actually do figure out a way to win Texas…
we will put a dagger in the heart of the GOP.
Jeffro
@TaMara: congratulations!!! (high five)
Jeffro
I believe they are indeed!
I know we won’t know until all the votes are counted, but my armchair pundit’s license allows me to take a shot here: I think they’re undercounting Harris’ support by at least 2-3% (both nationally and in our blessed
only states that countswing states)Which is enough for her to win every swing state handily (especially compared to 2020) – NC included – and possibly tip Texas.
I might need to get a second bottle of Pedialyte for Nov 6th…
Marmot
Harris To Hold Campaign Event in Houston
Great! If there’s a city that could use a shove toward the polls, it’s Houston! (As I was complaining in a previous thread.
Edit:
2020 turnout in Houston: 1,633,557, or 65.86% of registered voters. State avg. was like 68%.
2020 turnout in Austin: 602,889, or 70.55% of registered voters.
C’mon, man!
jonas
@rk: Millions of people in this country require mass cult de-programming. Not sure how we’re going to do that.
Jeffro
another thought: if we’re right and this all shakes out MVP’s way…and we win the House…and we somehow manage to hold the Senate (hopefully with upsets in TX and FL)…
…well, we thought Biden moved quickly after HIS inauguration and kept confirming judges quickly…
…I’m just saying, I think we might not have seen nothin’ yet! (go go go, MVP!)
brendancalling
I’m incredibly tense over the whole thing. Canvassed this weekend. Canvassing THIS weekend.
Yarrow
Article in The Atlantic. Headline:
Old School
@jonas:
I think that’s what the FEMA concentration camps are for.
Citizen Alan
@Chet Murthy: I love Trae and his voice doesn’t bother me, though he does turn it up a notch for his stage persona. (I’ve met him and talked with him outside of a show.) My only issue is that it’s jarring when he goes on a tear with a minute-long rant on something stupid the GOP has done that’s all one sentence. I can’t process a sentence that long uttered by someone who otherwise sounds exactly like one of my cousins from back whom who I don’t think has ever spoken a sentence with more than 10 words in it.
KrackenJack
I got a notice that my ballot was being mailed on Oct 4. KrackenJill got hers on the 6th. We were out of town for two weeks. I assumed mine would be in the “Hold mail” stack when I returned. Nope. First time that has ever happened to me. Requested a replacement for physical P/U. Got a confirmation email but, no instructions about what happens next.
Went to pick it up today. The person at the counter had me fill out the same form. He said my address was off by one. He assumes it got returned as undeliverable, but they don’t notify the voter or have an easy way to check. Grrrrrrrrrr.
They got it corrected and printed out a new mail in ballot. Filling it out now and I’ll drop it in a physical box. This afternoon.
Misterpuff
Got my notification from California Ballot Trax this morning:
Your ballot for the November 5, 2024 General Election was recieved and counted. Thank you for voting.
So easy. Did my ballot and dropped it off on the drop off box when I was shopping Saturday.
I love California, wish I wasn’t moving….
Jeffro
OT but did anyone note or comment yet that ol’ Rudy G is having to literally turn over assets to pay back the GA election works he defamed?? SO SWEET
#ETTD
Gin & Tonic
@TaMara: I will tell you, based on personal observation, that it is not yet too chilly to swim in the ocean up here. You won’t confuse it with Cancun, but I went for a swim yesterday, and it was fine.
Jackie
@rikyrah:
I saw great news today; heavily populated Dem regions are BUSY at voting polls!😄 Maybe Democrats are finally fed up and are voting! The Dobbs decision was the final straw that broke the camel’s back.🤞🏻
TaMara
@Yarrow: I was sitting here, reading comments and in the background I hear Nicole Wallace dropping F-Bombs on air.
She just read it word for word and asked for apologies after. She was fired up at his treatment of the death of a military service member.
Ass. Hole. (but we all knew that)
Jeffro
speaking of #ETTD…there is, no kidding, a McDonalds e.coli outbreak going on…
EVANGELICALS GOD IS TRYING TO TELL YOU SOMETHING
Marmot
@Yarrow:
I’m not surprised. But it’s not like TFG knows anything about that, or holds any real beliefs at all. He probably thinks that because of the (orig.) Star Trek episode. This here Mr. Burke seems to think that fool has some understanding.
Yarrow
@TaMara: The one where TFG said he’d pay for the funeral but when the $60k bill came he said, “It doesn’t cost 60,000 bucks to bury a fucking Mexican.” Then told Mark Meadows, “Don’t pay it.” That one? Beyond awful.
Yarrow
Love that Harris is coming to Houston. Ted Cruz’s hometown. Fuck you, Ted Cruz.
lowtechcyclist
OK, I’ll ask it: Kentucky???
Excuse me, but Kentucky is an R+16 state. And the nearest to a tossup Congressional district are one D+9 and one R+9 district. Why on earth is Walz wasting a minute of his time there in the last two weeks of the campaign??
frosty
You and me both. Did two shifts in Sep and Oct and I’ll be canvassing Election Day weekend and flushing voters on Election Day. I’ll fit in 10/26 if I can.
catclub
@TaMara: 14 days in the future! impressive.
Marmot
@Jackie:
Travis County (Austin) yesterday, first day of early voting: 46,600+
Williamson County (traditionally conservative, but heading toward the right side of history) yesterday: ~27,000
By way of perspective, 2020 total turnout in Travis was 602,889. (72% Dem, 27% Rep.)
Old School
@lowtechcyclist:
Ishiyama
@lowtechcyclist: The campaign sees it as low-hanging fruit. s/
frosty
@Yarrow: Does he mean the kind of generals that tried to assassinate Hitler July 20, 1944? Or the ones like Goering who liked to wear a fancy uniform but wasn’t good for much else?
Or maybe the kind who tried to tell him he was wrong so they could evacuate Stalingrad before the 6th Army was surrounded? No, probably not them.
zhena gogolia
@lowtechcyclist: There must be some reason. They have not done anything without a reason yet.
Geminid
@lowtechcyclist: I read that Walz was attending a fundraiser in Kentucky.
NotMax
@Yarrow
“Provided steady work for oven manufacturers.”
TaMara
@Gin & Tonic: I would love to be able to just walk in the waves. We’ll see. But some of my favorite days are when I’m walking through windblown rain on the beach.
(I’m also very happy walking on a sun-soaked beach, LOL)
zhena gogolia
@NotMax: Made the trains run on time. (or was that Mussolini?)
hrprogressive
Harris and Walz “expanding the map” vs Convicted Felon Donald Trump going to states he has zero chance of winning.
Okay, we don’t expect Harris and Walz to win Kentucky, but going and trying to boost turnout for downballot stuff is very helpful.
If the roles were reversed, the media wouldn’t be able to shut up about it, so, even the Avoiders of Optimism can note it for what it is.
The Democratic Fever Dream has been flipping Texas blue, so I’ll believe it when I see it and not a moment sooner.
But CFDT only winning by 5% and Cancun Cruz is on the verge of losing to Allred makes it a trip worth taking.
Even if “all they do” is help push Allred over the finish line in TX, that might actually be good enough.
Yarrow
@lowtechcyclist: Fundraising. Rich people there.
catclub
@Jeffro:
She will have two years if it happens.
The Audacity of Krope
If prior years are any indication, I think the lesson here will be that they didn’t go fascist enough.
frosty
@lowtechcyclist: I read it was for fundraising. I don’t see much potential for that in Kentucky either, but maybe it’s horse farm money.
ETA Others got here first!
Piety, keep me strong
BUTTERFLIES AND ZEBRAS AND MOONBEAMS, FAIRY-TALES
THAT’S ALL SHE EVER THINKS ABOUT, RIDIN’ WITH THE WIND
Little Wing (music)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hznFBJTfDOA
Trollhattan
@Yarrow:
Hitler grew the economy by shooting the guy who shot Hitler.
Let Das Rebuildingheit Fahrvergnügen!
catclub
Texas but not Florida? I have high hopes for the abortion ballot issue in Florida. IN spite of their frequent cluelessness, voters occasionally object to being manipulated on ballot initiatives. Also kansas.
Wasn’t polling off by 12-16% ?
TaMara
@hrprogressive: 😘
Trollhattan
@frosty: Guessing he wants a hundred Rommels. He wouldn’t know about Guderian, too hard to remember.
NotMax
@zhena gogolia
That was Mussolini. Also a fabrication.
True history tidbits:
Hitler’s personal train was named Amerika until their declaration of war.
Also the name for a proposed luxury ocean liner (plans drawn up but never built) intended to compete with Britain, France and Italy on the Atlantic runs.
Bostondreams
@frosty: Trump told whoever he was that he was talking to that in fact Hitler’s generals were loyal and never tried to kill him. Like Trump literally said history was wrong.
TaMara
@catclub: Texas rally appeared to take everyone by surprise, so maybe they have a FL event in the works, too
Harrison Wesley
So far Republicans are leading Democrats in early/mail-in voting here in Manatee County; I don’t know that it really means all that much since registered Republicans way outnumber registered Democrats (even Other outnumbers the Democrats!) here. Reactions at the voter greeting site in front of the SOE office were very positive, just as they were during the primaries. I certainly wouldn’t call it for Republicans yet. Will see if it’s the same during the next few days I’m spending down there.
Baud
@TaMara:
Maybe they’ll have it at Mar–Lago.
Marmot
@hrprogressive: In 2020, Austin and Dallas (of all cities) contributed roughly equal net Dem votes, with massive Houston way behind because of its low turnout and closer Dem/Rep split.
Travis County (Austin) net Dem votes, 2020: 274,523
Dallas County net Dem votes, 2020: 291,500
Harris County (Houston) net Dem votes, 2020: 217,563
MVP going to Houston is a smart, efficient way to ramp up our effect statewide. And also, the state government has been all up in Harris’s business lately, so it’s time to send a message too
Edit: Holy shit. Dallas’s turnout was only 65.59% in 2020, much like Houston! She should go there too — the Dem/Rep split was like 65%-33%. Much better payoff.
TBone
Nicole Wallace dropped the F bomb on live TV while quoting Donold from today’s story in The Atlantic that he wanted his generals more like Hitler’s generals (obedient). “I want to quote him accurately.” Good.
(The guests pointed out that Hitler’s generals put a bomb under a table, attempting to kill Hitler.)
Nelle
I had lunch with a Harris staffer yesterday. She’s confident. I’m going to carry that with me and stuff my fingers in my ears for the next two weeks. And work on getting out the vote.
Trollhattan
Sounds, er, reasonable.
Baud
@Trollhattan:
Oh wow. That’s a nice surprise.
Baud
@Nelle:
👍
rikyrah
They think Kamala Harris has taken the day off, but she’s being interviewed by NBC (airing tonight) and Telemundo (airing tomorrow).
So, as they will soon realize, Kamala Harris is not taking the day off. No days off when democracy is on the line.![]()
https://t.co/HWdzZi6s0d
(https://x.com/flywithkamala/status/1848790462255272438?s=03)
rikyrah
Marc E. Elias (@marceelias) posted at 3:45 PM on Tue, Oct 22, 2024:
![]()
BREAKING: Georgia Supreme Court UNANIMOUSLY REJECTS Republic Party’s motion for expedited consideration to reinstate MAGA State Election Board rules targeting the post election.
A BIG victory for voters and a HUGE loss for GOP election subversion! https://t.co/KaMMJCEzeI https://t.co/9tqegjkNTw
(https://x.com/marceelias/status/1848828167479562752?t=icZpx8-89zJBamFzmlpl1g&s=03)
rikyrah
Magdi Jacobs (@magi_jay) posted at 1:02 PM on Tue, Oct 22, 2024:
I can’t speak about ground game at this point but, in in broader terms, Kamala Harris is running a strategically masterful campaign, one that I believe is of historical importance. The coalition is diverse, both politically & socially, yet it is also incredibly *cohesive.*
(https://x.com/magi_jay/status/1848786915178565821?t=agDN2kMl9_yMzeFMKAwuaA&s=03)
frosty
@Bostondreams: Trump said history was wrong? Well, that’s his MO. His inauguration crowd was bigger than Obama’s. In his version of history.
Phylllis
@Trollhattan: I was wondering what was going on with that. Thanks for the update.
different-church-lady
@jonas: Make social media illegal. Piece of cake.
SatanicPanic
@lowtechcyclist: yeah that’s an odd one.
Another Scott
@TaMara:
Dunno if you saw this over at ABL’s place on BlueSky:
I know nothing about it – it’s just something I saw.
HTH a little!
Cheers,
Scott.
JML
I’m not entirely sure about Walz’s visit to KY; that state is exceptionally difficult on a presidential level even if we can win the governorship, depending.
but Harris going to Texas is very smart. One stop in Texas could energize GOTV there, but more importantly it will generate 1-4 days of stories about Harris going to Texas, Is Texas In Play, Could Allred Win, etc with one stop (and possibly raise a bunch of money for the state party, etc). It won’t take any boots on the ground focus off PA, MI, or WI but generating positive media of any kind right now is good, freaking the GOP out about losing TX is great, and possibly moving the needle with little effort? I like it.
Flipping TX would be a seismic shock to the GOP. It’s a moonshot, but…
Sister Golden Bear
A thought for those not planning to OD on edibles Election Night. While it’s all anecdotal, “shy Kamala” Republicans women voters do appear to be a real thing—albeit we have no real idea of how numerous they are. But given how they’re concerned that other people, especially their husbands, don’t find out that they voted for Harris, how many of them will be willing to tell an exit poller that they did so. Admittedly this is pure hopium, but I wouldn’t be surprised is Harris outperforms the exit polling because of this. Likely won’t be significantly, but might make a difference in very close states.
TBone
EVERYTHING TRUMP TOUCHES DIES!
https://www.cnn.com/2024/10/22/health/mcdonalds-cdc-ecoli-outbreak/index.html
Jeffro
@TBone: great minds and all that! ;)
(see #36)
Another Scott
@lowtechcyclist: Speech and fundraiser.
Looks fine to me.
Cheers,
Scott.
Jinchi
I’ve heard this “Hitler got the trains to run on time” nonsense before. The fact that the country was a smoldering ruin at the end of his tenure never seems to factor into the equation for some people.
Prometheus Shrugged
@jonas: So far, the votes received look fantastic for both Casey and Harris. With ~15% of the electorate already voted, registered Dems. have a more than 2:1 lead in the early vote. (61 to 28%). Obviously, party affiliation alone doesn’t indicate who has been voted for, but even with conservative estimates of the percentage of Democratic voters that vote straight D., the margins are huge already. Never say never, but they’re already almost insurmoutable margins. This is one of the two real sources of hope for me.
The other source of my hope comes from digging into the crosstabs of the polls that publish them. For example, a couple of the Athlon polls had Circus Peanut surging to a several point lead in Georgia and Michigan. This would be worrying, except that, come to find out, those polls have 50-60% of the black vote going for Trump. Now, I could believe that Trump maybe has peeled off a couple percentage points of black men for whatever reason, but there is no way in HELL Trump is getting 60% of the total black vote. And there’s no voter turnout model that could reverse the effect of that garbage input. The polls with a more reasonable black vote (70% Harris) have more reasonable slim leads for Harris in the blue wall states, North Carolina, and Georgia.
azlib
Turned in our mail in ballots at a voting center here in AZ today. There was actually a line due to the lockboxes being full. So we had to wait until the County elections workers came and set up another lockbox. Seems early voting has been strong here.
TBone
@Jeffro: 😆👍 I shoulda known!
KatKapCC
@TaMara: I love Josh’s comedy style. The way he’ll just be telling a story, not really making jokes, and then he’ll suddenly hit you with the lead-up to the punchline and take that little pause to let the audience catch up and start laughing, because they know what’s coming. He’s a natural.
BlueGuitarist
@Chet Murthy:
Mrs. Betty Bowers, America’s Best Christian?
SatanicPanic
@Sister Golden Bear: I don’t plan to OD on edibles but even though I’m not stressing now, I probably will be that day. So there will be weed.
artem1s
@TBone: ya beat me to it. First thing that popped up when I opened my iPad. Everything he touches dies!
NotMax
FYI.
H.E.Wolf
Rep. Barbara Jordan was from Houston. I anticipate that Kamala Harris will give a shout-out to Jordan at Friday’s rally.
lollipopguild
@TBone: There were several attempts on Hitler that all failed, one time they put a bomb on his plane when he visited his generals in Russia. The bomb did not go off , never heard why. Hitler was very lucky right up until he shot himself.
Yarrow
Good for him.
SatanicPanic
unpopular opinion- early voting tells us nothing and we should ignore it. At least I heard that on Pod Save America and it sounds right.
zhena gogolia
@lollipopguild: I would like to subscribe to your newsletter.
zhena gogolia
@SatanicPanic: Here I agree with you wholeheartedly.
artem1s
Latest from Electoral Vote dot com
The EC looks pretty much like it did before the GOP and Polymarket flooded the stats with their weighted polls. By Friday they’ll throw another dozen into the mix just so TCF doesn’t start ranting about some other celebrity’s Johnson. They are full on panic mode now.
WaterGirl
@SatanicPanic: Yeah, but Pod Save America also said last night that the whole McDonald’s thing was a smart move on Trump’s part.
I heard that and turned it off.
I think they are high on their own supply.
TBone
@lollipopguild: yup, we all wish he’d had Hitler’s generals!
The referenced article that was featured by Nicole Wallace today:
https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2024/10/trump-military-generals-hitler/680327/
scav
@SatanicPanic: It does rather indicate the general populace is at least vaguely aware there’s an election going on and where to deposit ballots.
KatKapCC
@frosty: I wonder if the Kentucky thing is part of the campaign proving the “we will be leaders for all Americans, not just those who vote for us” concept. Harris uses that kind of line a lot, and by going to states they’re very unlikely to do well in, they can show that they aren’t ignoring them even if they’re not gonna win it.
Prometheus Shrugged
@SatanicPanic: I agree that it’s not diagnostic for the states that don’t report party affiliation. But the Pennsylvania numbers are too impressive to ignore. I mean, it’s 15% of the total electorate, and Dems. have a 60-28% advantage. That at least says that GOP has to run up big advantage with the remaining 85%, and I just don’t see that happening.
mrmoshpotato
@TBone:
@artem1s: Not surprising (and my lack of surprise has nothing to do with the orange shitstain.)
zhena gogolia
@Prometheus Shrugged: I like the way you think!
Shalimar
@SatanicPanic: Maybe tells us nothing because we have incomplete information, but early voting absolutely tells campaigns a lot. They have numbers tracking how many votes they have gotten in each precinct compared to the votes they project they need, how far ahead or behind the pace they are, and how well they need to do on election day to win the county, district, or state. Each candidate with a professional campaign should know their odds of winning based on early voting numbers.
mrmoshpotato
@WaterGirl:
Heads up their asses apparently.
Captain C
@Jeffro: I knew it. TCFG shat in the fries.
RSA
@Yarrow: I saw that article and was just going to post a link to it. Incisive. It should be a campaign-killer, except we’re in the stupidest timeline.
Suzanne
@jonas:
There are a ton of Harris signs here in my area of PGH, but a few absolutely flagrant Trump assholes. I’m talking signs that are the size of a full sheet of drywall.
Watching what is going on in Lebanon, as well as what continues in Gaza, is making me so depressed.
mrmoshpotato
@Captain C: He shit on the onions after stuffing his face with McDonald’s.
WaterGirl
@Another Scott: If it works, that would be a game-changer.
SatanicPanic
@zhena gogolia: ✊🏼
@WaterGirl: I don’t have a strong opinion on whether it was bad or good. 🤷♂️
@Prometheus Shrugged: I suppose? I mean at best we’d get an educated guess on one state. Seems not that valuable
Captain C
@NotMax:
This is true; Italian trains were no more punctual after him than before.
However, I’ve read recently that ‘make the trains run on time’ was not a reference to this, rather the pugnacious and often-striking railroad unions which Mussolini was promising to destroy with extreme prejucide once in power (which IIRC he did).
comrade scotts agenda of rage
Back in 84, we overdid it on hash election night.
Getting together with many of the same people again here in CO for election night 40 years later and much better outlooks.
We will drink a lot but we all gave up the hard stuff years ago.
Chet Murthy
@BlueGuitarist: No, she’s younger, and her bits are always her impersonating some right-wing figure, like say Ted Cruz’ press secretary. Stuff like that.
Captain C
@Bostondreams: “Hi Donald. I’m you’re new chief of staff, Claus. Claus V. Stauffenberg. We’re going to have a bang-up time here, I can just feel it!”
jowriter
@Yarrow: True. Walz was in Greenwich, CT at Gov. Lamont’s house Sunday or last night. Big bucks there. CT is big blue but money is necessary, from wherever it comes.
KatKapCC
@Chet Murthy: Hmmm…Sarah Cooper? Or does she only do Trump (which honestly I’m bored with). There’s also a lady called Clara who does a lot of like PR parody stuff on TikTok under the handle colormeloverly.
Suzanne
Josh Ritter, Harrisburg
PA on my mind.
Captain C
@Captain C:
‘extreme prejudice’, but that spelling kind of works too.
dexwood
Mrs. dexwood and I have just returned from voting for Madam President. It felt great. A very busy early voting location. The volunteer told us the turnout has been heavier than it was in 2020 at this spot. I remain sanguine about this election. Fuck Trump.
comrade scotts agenda of rage
@Captain C:
“Extreme Prejucide” is great!
Manfrommadras
Wishful thinking, imho. Lets break this down – TX and KY are blood red states. Spending precious time trying to win in a state whose EVs are already committed is political stupidity. They are trying to blow sunshine up your ass and looks like they’ve succeeded. At this stage, they need to be turning out votes in the Midwest. If they’ve given up on OH, PA, MI etc then this campaign is toast.
(Old time follower of this blog since 07)
Ksmiami
@Suzanne: “He’s a legacy from Harrisburg, we have to let him in…”
Chet Murthy
@KatKapCC: I tried googling and can’t find her. Sigh. She’s not Sarah Cooper. She’s white, and I’d say stereotypically Southern white woman — that sort of thing. Maybe dirty-blonde or brownish hair? She’s done a bunch of these bits, always some Southern right-wing woman doing something execrable, and she really lampoons it.
Baud
@Manfrommadras:
You could be right. We’ll find out in two weeks. No reason to stop doing what we’re doing before then.
Percysowner
I votes last week, but my ex was sick and couldn’t go with me. He can’t drive, so I took him today. Mostly, I’m throwing money in places they need it.
I really need the happy posts, because I keep seeing the scary headlines about who isn’t voting for Harris and it FREAKS ME OUT. Deep breaths, deep breaths.
zhena gogolia
@Chet Murthy: Blair something? She’s pretty funny but I haven’t seen her in a while.
HumboldtBlue
lowtechcyclist
@Jeffro:
It’s hard to hear the Lord when you’re following an antichrist.
zhena gogolia
@Manfrommadras: They haven’t given up on MI or PA.
zhena gogolia
@Chet Murthy: Blair Erskine.
Captain C
@Manfrommadras:
Texas is trending purple and has a lot of Republican vote suppression. Also, Ted Cruz is wildly unpopular and even if Harris doesn’t take the state, there’s a decent chance that Colin Allred could win the Senate seat.
They’ve totally done that. I don’t think Harris, Walz, or any surrogates have campaigned in any of those states, ever.
Baud
@Captain C:
Yeah, Texas is probably an easier get than Oh at this point.
billcoop4
@Manfrommadras
You don’t seem to understand the idea of a quick “fundraising” visit. I’ll be off to NC (I think) right after. This is a “Thank You” to Gov. Beshear. And there’s a lot of money in Louisville.
But I suspect you’re a troll.
BC
lowtechcyclist
@Old School:
@Geminid:
A fundraiser in Louisville. OK, that makes sense.
Hoodie
Harris going to Texas might be a bit of trolling of the faux triumphalism (e.g., the stops in CO and CA and all the RW poll seeding) coming from the Trump camp . Contrasts with the “exhaustion” narrative associated with Trump’s recent rampant cancellation of interviews, e.g., “I’m so full of energy I’m going to rally in Texas; Trump can’t even show up for a studio interview.” Might help juice Allred in Harris county if people think she’s really contesting in Texas.
Chet Murthy
@zhena gogolia: YES! Blair Erskine! Thank you! I googled her, and found this!
https://www.instagram.com/blaire.erskine/reel/C8n3uOjJVBU/
Baud
I don’t usually read, but if we win, I wouldn’t mind reading a book about Harris’s campaign with all the inside scoop about their strategy.
Villago Delenda Est
@Yarrow: Not to mention (and John Kelley informed the blithering idiot of this) that some of Hitler’s generals tried to assassinate him at least three times.
Chet Murthy
@zhena gogolia: Blair Erskine as Ted Cruz’ press secretary!
https://x.com/blaireerskine/status/1362427403440705539
scav
Ah yes, in the upteenth year of the interwebs (when I’m distracting myself by watching the Croatian version of an English gameshow — nb Finnish to follow) my vote will be inevitably swayed by the amount of time a candidate spends within the airspace of my state of residence.
Ruckus
@Betsy:
trump – known to me as shitforbrains is about the worst human to ever hold – stink up the office in my long lifetime and has aged about 25 yrs older in the last 4 + years. And he didn’t start out those 4 yrs all that and a box of cookies.
I will proudly vote for Kamala Harris – again. I got to vote for her for US Senator for CA and CA attorney general and did so gladly. She is a good person, smart, well spoken and a great democratic candidate.
pluky
@Gin & Tonic: If she can see the Boston skyline from the beach she’s North of Cape Cod. Water temps in Massachusetts Bay have dropped to the mid-50’s. South of Cape, into Buzzard’s Bay and the South Coast are low 60’s.
Villago Delenda Est
@Jinchi: “Trains running on time” has more to do with culture than political posturing. Germany’s trains run on time now, under a liberal democratic government. In fact, in Germany, 12:00 Noon means 11:55 AM as far as the trains are concerned.
The Audacity of Krope
Early voting tells campaigns who already voted and, therefore, where to spend resources.
Scout211
Sometimes, ya just gotta laugh.
Hmmmm, you think those two things are related? Reward for a job well done? At the very least it’s a concept of a reward for a job well done.
Alce _e_ardillo
@Dangerman: Or dead.
karen marie
@TaMara: Pop over to Sam’s Bakery in Fall River for some beautiful Lebanese breads. I used to buy a dozen closed meat pies at a time and freeze them for quick lunches. It’s been 12 years but I can still smell and taste them. They make the most beautiful pita you’ve ever eaten.
The Europa on Columbia Street, Fall River was another favorite place. They made a variety of baked goods, including bread, but the star for me was their cheese and butter sandwich. They used San Jorge cheese from Portugal and real butter on their own soft buns. Straight out of the bag or wrapped in tinfoil and heated in a 350 oven – hard to beat.
Have a great time wherever and whatever you eat!
Ksmiami
@Manfrommadras: they’ll be spending most of their time in wi, pa and mi. Ohio is blood red now.
Ruckus
@Baud:
This person does not seem to understand being president of the United States. All of them – that’s 50 if memory serves. Now as CA has voted for her in prior elections most of us likely seem happy to vote for her once again.
Just because even a majority of the state won’t vote for her does not mean that a not insignificant percentage will and of course every damn vote counts. And as someone who wants to be president she will have to represent all the people – even the ones that will/do not vote for her.
Fake Irishman
@Marmot:
Harris which Contains Houston is also a much more suburban county that Dallas: Dallas flipped permanently Dem in 2006, Harris still is close enough that we have to sweat out county elections. Apples and Oranges.
winning Harris by 15-16 points is doable. We probably need to win it by roughly 18-20 to have a real shot at winning statewide. There are about five large suburban counties I’m tracking. Flipping Collin north of Dallas would be huge. If we can flip Denton next door, Tail-gunner Ted will likely be applying for a shitty guest commentator job on Fox.
Wapiti
I think there’s also value in pushing up the popular vote totals, because it chips away at the “fraud” claims we all expect when/if/whether or not Trump loses again. Down ballot races are important, too, because Harris will want the Senate backing her moves.
karen marie
@TBone: If Killer Quarter Pounders were trans, they’d be banned.
What Have the Romans Ever Done for Us?
@lamh47: People seem to have forgotten that Nikki Haley’s state campaign committee members threw their endorsement to Harris a couple months back. She tried to tell them not to and they said screw you we’re doing it anyway. That’s gotta mean something.
karen marie
@WaterGirl: I listened to an episode of their show last week. I was less than impressed.
JaySinWA
@Hoodie: Trumps cancellation of Wednesday events can’t possibly be related to McDonald’s e-coli outbreak. /s
ETA He’s got the diapers, but vomiting could be a problem.
WaterGirl
@Manfrommadras: What if they are trying to secure the Senate seats in those states? That’s plenty reason enough to do fundraising and a rally there.
HumboldtBlue
@Manfrommadras:
What are you talking about? Harris was in Michigan yesterday and will be in Pennsylvania this week.
There are also down ballot races that need support.
Situation Normal
@Manfrommadras: Hmm. Maybe so. Quite the grim outlook, and if things go to shit you get to say you’re right.
But my first thought was: sunshine came softly through my window today. So, whatever — I have heard persuasive arguments that Harris campaign is on track with a correct sense of urgency. Our household has donated & voted.
The Lodger
@karen marie: But don’t Killer Quarter Pounders contain trans fats?
zhena gogolia
@Captain C: 😂
frosty
@Prometheus Shrugged: I got out my trusty spreadsheet and did the math.
o To calculate the electorate, start with 2020 total voters
o Subtract the early vote to figure out the remaining 85%
o Split it 50/50, then add that to the 15% already voted to get projected total for 50/50 final, then adjust with the early vote to get to a 50/50 final split
o Subtract what’s already in to find what the D and R remaining vote has to be for a tie
o The result is 53% R, 47% D for the remaining vote. If the early vote is from Philly and the suburbs, this is not an impossible target for the R vote.
Basically we still have to work our tails off. The early vote doesn’t tell us who’s going to win.
@Shalimar: I’ll go along with that. Early vote is tea leaves for us but it can focus the campaign GOTV.
Geminid
@Manfrommadras: Texas is not a blood red state, as you should know and likely do.
frosty
@Suzanne: Down south here in Confederate Pennsylvania there are fewer Trump flags but still the yard signs and I’ve actually seen one or two Harris yard signs. It’s a slight positive.
I’m sorry you’re freaked out about Gaza and Lebanon. It’s totally understandable. I can’t read any more about it; it’s all gone and going wrong and I can’t do anything.
artem1s
@Manfrommadras: These visits aren’t just about the EC. Keeping the Senate and flipping the House is thinking ahead. Cruz is vulnerable in TX. Bashear terms out in 2027. Harris is pocketing good will for the future. They’ve spent a lot of time in the mid west. They have Big Dog and Obama’s bus touring NC, GA, etc. Visiting these leaning purple enclaves is not a waste of time if you are looking past election day. This is a signal that they are thinking about transition planning.
zhena gogolia
@frosty: It will go much worse if Trump is elected.
Suzanne
@frosty:
There’s a video on Xhitter that has gone viral, of two little girls in Gaza. One is the older sister, maybe 7 or 8, carrying the little one, maybe 4, who is injured. And I have no idea if it’s real or not, or if the language translation is accurate, and I am keenly aware that I am being manipulated for someone’s ends. And yet these little girls look very similar to mine, and I am trying to hang onto what is real and true, which is that children shouldn’t be suffering, no matter who their parents are, no matter where they live. And this just grinds on and on and on.
Philbert
@Manfrommadras: OLd timer here too.
KY: curious, yes. Is it next to a good media market where it matters, perhaps?
TX: a. money . b. Allred c. win TX. The first two are worth it for a quick stop.
frosty
@zhena gogolia: Which is why I’m putting my mental (and some physical) energy into the election.
Gvg
@TaMara: I used to go to the beach each October. Nobody was there. I had family friends to stay with. I would walk on the beach for hours. Something about the sound of the wind blowing across sand, that hissing sound, is just very soothing to me. The first few months of fall semester are always very stressful in my job, and it felt good to do almost nothing except walk for a week. That sound of the wind I love.
lowtechcyclist
@Situation Normal:
Could’ve slipped out easy, but I’ve changed my ways.
ETA: :pulls out LP of Donovan’s greatest hits, puts it on turntable, “Sunshine Superman” plays after “Epistle to Dippy”:
artem1s
Wrong. It’s just had such terrible voter suppression that the African American base that voted Bill and Obama into the WH has given up. The retired union workers all White-flighted out to the suburbs and turned into ‘fuckyouIgotmine’ Republicans and apparently spend all their time talking to reporters on Cletus Safaris. The Urban areas have actually gotten Bluer over the past decade and grown in population. But the state has been losing total population which makes it easier for the GOP to spread thin the Blue vote and win elections in those heavily gerrymandered districts.
Hillary lost Ohio by less than the total of both Stein and Johnson voters. Kerry lost Ohio by less than the total provisional votes cast – many of those happened because Ken fucking Blackmon changed all rules about registration and absentee voting so late that many people did not know they weren’t registered anymore. It’s really hard to rebuild when you have SoS like LaRose constantly trying to fuck with voters rights.
Even if the gerrymandering ballot gets passed it’s going to take 2-3 decades to undo all the damage Karl Turdblossom Rove did to this state during the 90’s and 00’s.
Uncle Cosmo
@Manfrommadras: What part of “fund-raiser” do you not understand? And where do you conjure up the quaint notion that “they’ve given up on OH, PA, WI”?
IMHO your understanding of politics can be written out on the head of a straight pin with a paint roller. Go back to sleep.
lowtechcyclist
@Philbert:
Jeffersonville, IN (site of the Census Bureau’s National Processing Center, been there a few times) is directly across the Ohio from Louisville, but that isn’t exactly a major market, and Indiana isn’t exactly in play anyway.
Nah, what the others have said: Walz is there for a fundraiser.
tailfedders
Deleted
Uncle Cosmo
Flashback to 1985, in a rail car riding down the Neretva River valley from Sarajevo to the Adriatic, TV at both ends playing Benny Hill. Yugoslav fellow in the seat facing me is cracking up at the skit while I’m LMAO at the fact that it’s subtitled in Serbo-Croatian.
Enhanced Voting Techniques
@Jinchi: That was Mussolini.
Gloria DryGarden
@jonas: I agree. I was just thinking, if someone knows some tv screenwriters? A funny or sexy sit com w cult deprogramming built into the script somehow..
cain
@Manfrommadras:
Are you from Madras, OR or Madras (Chennai), India?
catclub
Even if you don’t have party, You can still draw some conclusions. If you know that votes were returned in a precinct that is 80-20 one way or the other you can learn something.
Or you can learn things like : this precinct that is 80%GOP has only returned 5% of votes while that precinct that is Democratic has returned 20%.
I gotta get out of this place
I live in North Carolina now, and I’ve been contacted in person by Democratic Party representatives 2 and 1/2 times (1/2 times was a door hanger with which democrats to vote for – which I took into the voting booth with me!)
I’ve gotten two mailers asking for donations from Trump. Nothing – not even a postcard – from any other republicans. Their ground game is invisible. Or they don’t have money? I wonder how much money is being sucked up by the Great Orange Pumpkin that’s not going down ballot… and will affect house races?
I’d love a trifecta – a clean sweep of all offices. (I think it’s time for my meds now)
catclub
@Enhanced Voting Techniques: It was also a lie by Mussolini. The key part is claiming it and having people believe it. Trump is very good at that. I might think that every time he insists his admin was the best ever at this that or the other thing, he is just lying as usual, but some people believe it. Not enough say “he is a total liar about everything.”
Geminid
@Suzanne: The picture of a girl trudging up an empty road with her sister in her arms is all over Middle East news sites and Twitter accounts. One common response is, “Why is an adult filming her as she struggles instead of helping her?”
That picture might not have been staged, but it sure looked like it was. You would have seen those girls coming from a hundred yards away at least. It looked like someone was waiting for them to get close enough for a good picture.
But that said, far worse has happened to children in Gaza for over a year now and it’s still happening, so you have good reason to be upset.
catclub
Michael Lewis wrote a book about the Trump 2017 transition. And it was terrifying. It also told about many amazing things the US government does, that need to be maintained.
By the way, there should be more reporting that Trump’s 2025 transition team is equally shambolic as 2017. They are missing deadlines.
Slightly_peeved
@WaterGirl:
If I was told that me, personally, visiting Houston had a 1% chance of getting Ted Cruz fired, I’d pay for the flight myself. And I live so far away it’s the next day here.
tokyokie
The spousal unit and I voted today, the second day of early voting. (We would have voted Monday, but my required flu vaccine, received after a 12-hour shift, knocked me on my butt and I slept most of the day.) We had to wait a few minutes to get through the line, and I assume the line was longer Monday. We voted in the largely black Fort Worth suburb of Forest Hill, so I imagine most of the voters were voting for Democratic candidates. (And one election worker followed me outside to commend me for wearing a Luka Modrić Real Madrid jersey.) I almost voted for a Republican, but I noticed the error and corrected it. In the races in which the Democrats didn’t field a candidate, we didn’t vote for anybody. And I see no signs locally of the GOP’s GOTV effort, and without a heavy GOP turnout, Rafael Cruz is going to lose and will be able to spend more time in Cancún.
Ksmiami
@Uncle Cosmo: omg I did the exact train route in 1985 from Zagreb to Split then off to cousins on Hvar. But it was gloriously free of tourists
tokyokie
That was Mussolini. Except that if a train wasn’t running on time, it would just be cancelled.
tokyokie
I think trump’s decision to outsource the GOTV effort is a catastrophic mistake. It really looks like everybody involved, from the organizers to the canvassers, is on the grift. But what can one expect from those supporting a crooked-ass felon?
Manyakitty
@TaMara: have the best time ever!!!
TooManyJens
@Manfrommadras:
Harris, Emhoff, and both Walzes either have been or will be in PA this week.
FWIW, spirits are pretty high where I am, and this is a county that went Trump the last 2 elections. The campaign is going all-out.
whatsleft
@Manfrommadras: dougj, is that you?