That was quite a show at the United Center! I haven't seen that much enthusiasm for a Democratic candidate since Barack Obama in 2008. Even more as the stakes are much higher this time around. We would have easily survived a McCain administration. I'm not sure about another Trump administration, especially one with a blatantly autocratic agenda in Project 2025.
I'm all in for Kamala and was very much impressed by her acceptance speech. She covered all the bases and her delivery was pitch perfect. Most importantly Democrats took back words like "freedom" and "opportunity," as they made their strongest pitch to working class voters that I have ever seen. For decades, Republicans have been whittling away at the core of the Democratic vote, taking union states like Ohio, Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin without offering anything in return. Kamala offered a clear agenda that would restore child tax credits and other incentives to get more out of their paychecks, which they have lost over the years largely thanks to Republican policies. Most importantly, she presented herself as a clear, cogent leader, one capable of making critical decisions.
Yet, Trump still polls well despite what has been a bumbling campaign ever since Kamala Harris assumed the top spot on the Democratic ticket. He's tried to stage these "press conferences" at his golf clubs that have left many questioning his cognitive abilities. He can't stay on subject. He repeatedly veers off to assail Kamala's intelligence, racial identity and how she came to be the Democratic nominee. To use Bobby Jr.'s words, this "palace coup" caught Republicans totally off guard and they have yet to swing effectively to counter her far more buoyant persona than Old Joe.
It's been a crazy election made even moreso by Kennedy's very weird independent run. First, he was trying to pick off Biden in the primaries. Unable to gain any traction, he turned independent. He seemed to pick up some momentum but mostly from the anti-vaccine conspiracy theories he promoted on social media. As he started to draw Trump voters, Donnie began to panic. So, a deal was struck. What kind of deal nobody knows, but here was Kennedy endorsing Trump in Arizona and venting all his bile on the Democrats yet again. It wasn't exactly the ghost of JFK Jr, which many Trumpists thought would rise from the grave and join their cult leader, but it was RFK's son. Next best thing I guess.
Seeing that the race is now favoring women's issues like reproductive rights, Trump threw a Hail Mary yesterday claiming he was "great" for women and reproductive rights. This resulted in a furious backlash on social media from all sides. I think he is really regretting not having picked a woman VP as Vancy is clearly not doing him any favors. Even the "dog killer" would have been a better choice than the "shillbilly" from Ohio. At least Kristi Noem was honest about what she did, and at this point what the Trump campaign lacks is any form of authenticity.
Contrast that with what we saw at the Democratic convention. Has there ever been a more genuine show of affection than Gus Walz standing up and shouting "That's My Dad!" as his father singled out him and his sister and mother in the audience, calling them the greatest thing that happened in his life. Or Doug Emhoff telling the world how his grown children still call his wife "Momala" because of the role Kamala has played in their lives throughout his marriage. Ella flashed the heart when Kamala's singled them out in her speech.
Conservative pundits and media alike were frustrated by what they saw, especially when it came to turning the roll call into a rave, making the Republican National Convention look like a Sunday bingo party. Each state had a signature song. Sure some of the songs didn't make any sense but who cares. Everyone was singing and dancing as the DJ spun the tunes on stage to the nearly unanimous consent of Kamala Harris and Tim Walz.
The saddest part was conservative pundits like Ann Coulter making fun of Gus' effusive reaction to his father. Even if he has learning disabilities, what does it matter? He was just showing how much he loves his father and how proud he is of him. It was so refreshing to see this unbridled enthusiasm, as well as the hugs on stage when Tim's family joined him after his rousing "pep talk" to the boisterous crowd.
I think what conservatives were most upset about is how the Democrats staked their claim to small town values. There was John Mellencamp's Small Towns being played as an intro to Tim's vice-presidential acceptance speech. Throughout the convention, Democrats made a bid to regain rural America. Something past candidates had conceded to Republicans. It is doubtful they will regain rural America as a whole, but they will make inroads, as the Republicans have utterly failed Small Town America. Despite all their claims to representing their values, they have done little to help Americans struggling in the heartland of the country. Just the opposite, as Tim noted. They've made everything harder on working class Americans. I hope to see in the weeks ahead a greater outreach by Democrats to bring rural voters back into their camp.
Meanwhile, Trump stumbles around trying to form a new narrative. One that supposedly will undermine Kamala's reach to the American people, which she so boldly proclaimed Thursday night. He will try to pin inflation, the alleged border crisis and high crime rate on her, when all these numbers are going down, not up. Yet, there are a lot of Americans who still believe themselves to be suffering through "Bidenomics" and Trump hopes to make them still believe he is the only one who can "make America great again."
We heard it all before in 2016. He made America sound like a blighted nation, as if we were still suffering through the 2008 recession brought about by Republican economic policies. It didn't matter that he inherited a booming economy and literally drove it into the ground. If anything the pandemic saved him, as it hid the recession that was already looming on the horizon. Then, he made just about every mistake a leader can make during a time of crisis, costing him the 2020 election. Yet, here he is again, as hard as it is to believe, trying to pitch himself as the outsider. I dare him to repeat, "what have you got to lose?"
I'd like to think Americans won't let themselves be fooled again. The choice is so obviously clear. You have to be totally blind not to see that the Kamala/Walz ticket offers far greater hope for the future, not just when it comes to the economy but everything else. Unfortunately, as Tim said, they are still the underdogs and it is going to take a big push over the next 70 days to convince enough voters in enough key states to score a resounding electoral college win for Kamala Harris. At least now there is the enthusiasm to do so.
As much as I would have liked Biden to stay in the race, because I thought he deserved it after all he had done over the last four years, there was very little excitement. It would have been a nail biter. It still will be a nail biter, but now I feel much more confident in the Democratic ticket. I think they really do have a chance to turn the page, not just on Trump, but an entire generation of Boomers that needs to step aside and allow Gen X, Millennials and Gen Z to assume the lead.
I think there was a lot of discouragement after Obama. He was a relatively young man, only 47 when he took office in 2008. So many young Americans pinned their hopes on him. He may not have delivered in full but he set the stage for an America more in tune with their values. Instead, we saw a 2016 race between two Boomers, both well past their prime, and then to see Trump pull out a victory in the electoral college was to hear a collective moan across the nation. Indeed, over the whole world. Will we ever move forward?
Well, here's our chance, and it is so refreshing to see the same level of enthusiasm as in 2008. It's not just a chance to make history but a chance to move the country forward again by getting past all those bad vibes of the last eight years and finally embrace the future. The time is now!
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