Democratic National Convention (2 Viewers)

Incumbent said:

Trump can’t win in a battle of ideas so things are about to get even uglier on all fronts. The personal consequences are too great for him if he loses; his desperation will place greater demands on all of his worst instincts. Disinformation and bigoted attacks will only intensify. I hope America is prepared. I hope the Biden administration will do everything it possibly can to protect fair and secure voting and the safety of voters.

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sadly, i agree and have said as much.

I honestly think its why you have seen a distinct separation by Melania, Ivanka et al over the last 2 months. I think they KNOW what is on tap and want to avoid any and all shrapnel when it happens.

GrandAdmiral said:

Your first problem is expecting her to be like the Obamas. That was never going to happen.

We had a whole week of catchy phrases, including from Walz. It wasn't needed from her.

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I would agree and add that it wasn't even so much what she said, but how she said it, in that she came off as very strong, vibrant, confident, sane, i.e., presidential.

Incumbent said:

Trump can’t win in a battle of ideas so things are about to get even uglier on all fronts. The personal consequences are too great for him if he loses; his desperation will place greater demands on all of his worst instincts. Disinformation and bigoted attacks will only intensify. I hope America is prepared. I hope the Biden administration will do everything it possibly can to protect fair and secure voting and the safety of voters.

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someone said the following in another thread. Trump knows his only chance is to steal the election by having the votes
not certified and tied up in courts. This will only work if the votes in swing states are close. We have to ensure that
doesn't happen.

Incumbent said:

Yes. And it was a speech that at no time in his life, Trump has ever had the character or ability to give.

I say this as somebody who had concerns about making a candidate change, she was phenomenal to an extent I didn’t anticipate. She laid out the case against Trump with the skill of a prosecutor. She made her appeal to every American who is tired of the hateful, divisive, and dangerous MAGA movement. She articulated a vision for the future of our nation, and for the working class, that included key policy targets. She projected an authenticity that is often missing from politics. Her delivery was nearly flawless.

She was presidential.

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Likewise regarding concerns with making a change. Not that I was against it, but I was worried it was a damned if you do, damned if you don't situation. Would the party be able to coalesce around a candidate or just splinter, and if Harris was the candidate, would the electorate rally behind her?

But somehow, someway, the Democrats, the Democrats, who never seem to be able to get out of their own way, have managed to thread the most narrow of needles. Since Biden stepped aside I don't think anyone in the party could have imagined a better turn of events. The election is obviously still a ways off and undecided, but the energy and momentum have clearly changed.

One of my concerns particulary about Harris was -- and is -- how much will her demographics work against her in the general, as there are people who won't vote for her simply because of sex and race. But I think working in her favor to counter that, she seems to have captured the energy of a lot of the women voters in the country who are ready to see a "strong, vibrant, confident, sane" woman in the White House, and we may have reached a point where enough men aren't threatened by that for it to actually happen.

And I think the unique circumstances that led to her candidacy oddly work in her favor, in that it was practically thrust upon her, almost as if she was drafted to take on the job. So instead of being seen as an ambitious ladder climber, as strong women often are, she's the hero who has to come in, pick up the mess, and save the day (something women often have to do).

Booker said:

One of my concerns particulary about Harris was -- and is -- how much will her demographics work against her in the general, as there are people who won't vote for her simply because of sex and race. But I think working in her favor to counter that, she seems to have captured the energy of a lot of the women voters in the country who are ready to see a "strong, vibrant, confident, sane" woman in the White House, and we may have reached a point where enough men aren't threatened by that for it to actually happen.

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lets also add, globally, many have seen :
Finland- Sanna Marin
Estonia- Kaja Kallas
Sweden- MAgedlena Andersson
Denmark- Mette Frederiksen

over the last 4 years. Not widely known here domestically, but all women, all leaders. Those who do pay attention, even a little bit, see this and it has to weigh in some regards to their thought processes.

Booker said:

Likewise regarding concerns with making a change. Not that I was against it, but I was worried it was a damned if you do, damned if you don't situation. Would the party be able to coalesce around a candidate or just splinter, and if Harris was the candidate, would the electorate rally behind her?

But somehow, someway, the Democrats, the Democrats, who never seem to be able to get out of their own way, have managed to thread the most narrow of needles. Since Biden stepped aside I don't think anyone in the party could have imagined a better turn of events. The election is obviously still a ways off and undecided, but the energy and momentum have clearly changed.

One of my concerns particulary about Harris was -- and is -- how much will her demographics work against her in the general, as there are people who won't vote for her simply because of sex and race. But I think working in her favor to counter that, she seems to have captured the energy of a lot of the women voters in the country who are ready to see a "strong, vibrant, confident, sane" woman in the White House, and we may have reached a point where enough men aren't threatened by that for it to actually happen.

And I think the unique circumstances that led to her candidacy oddly work in her favor, in that it was practically thrust upon her, almost as if she was drafted to take on the job. So instead of being seen as an ambitious ladder climber, as strong women often are, she's the hero who has to come in, pick up the mess, and save the day (something women often have to do).

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I was one of the people advocating for a change. I really liked Biden, and now love Biden, but it was obvious that he was in trouble, and I didn't think he would survive another term. Biden has looked much better ever since he dropped out, and I think that is partially due to a less hectic and stressful schedule. He can focus on the presidency, rather than campaigning on top of that responsibility.

A lot of people were scared, but I thought that fear was misplaced. I didn't think the path was needle small with a change, but I thought the path was needle small if Biden had stayed in the race. Everything was riding on his next debate performance, and that still may not have pulled him up enough. I was very confident that many Democrats would be able to beat Trump. I didn't think Harris was the best Democratic candidate, but I thought she would be good enough, and she was the best option to improve the chances of a smooth transition, so I advocated for her to take over. She has exceeded my expectations, and if she keeps this up, she will easily beat Trump. I wasn't initially excited about Walz, but he has also converted me. In retrospect, I think he was the best choice. He has a great story, and is a dynamic speaker. I didn't think he could be a future president, but I'm beginning to think he could succeed Harris. Also, I'm convinced that there is a majority that wants to get Trump out of their lives, and Harris is in a good position to make that happen.

P.S. Hopefully we'll soon have 2 sane parties again.

efil4 said:

I posted this on the GE thread

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I wonder how much of this is influenced by just witnessing the speech? I wonder if some of these who raised their hands will flip-flop a month from now, after the exuberance (not sure what to call it) wears off?

In one hour's time...

zztop said:

I wonder how much of this is influenced by just witnessing the speech? I wonder if some of these who raised their hands will flip-flop a month from now, after the exuberance (not sure what to call it) wears off?

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Optics in short term. We won't see or hear from them again, but if folks out there see and hear this and they too align with them, then chances are they see this and say "wow 7 of 8 moving to Harris...hmmm yeah sounds right".

I would only use that as a recruitment tactic. Wouldn't bank on those percentages and I'm SURE the HarrisWalz campaign isn't. But they will use to appeal to "undecideds".

bdb13 said:

I think positivity wins out over negativity

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Every time. I mean historically-IIRC the candidate offering the best vision of America, the most hope wins.

I think this confirms my impression that Harris is really speaking to everyone in this campaign. Cuban is echoing my impressions here.



The words that were cut off:

“Talking to stakeholders is the first step towards understanding what makes the economy work, or not work , from pricing to growth.

“ I will bring together labor and workers and small business owners and entrepreneurs and american companies to create jobs to grow our economy and to lower the cost of everyday needs like healthcare, care, and housing and groceries.”

And then -

“We will provide access to capital for small business owners and entrepreneurs and founders.”

She is Pro Business. She is her own person. She is not an ideologue.”

MT15 said:

I think this confirms my impression that Harris is really speaking to everyone in this campaign. Cuban is echoing my impressions here.



The words that were cut off:

“Talking to stakeholders is the first step towards understanding what makes the economy work, or not work , from pricing to growth.

“ I will bring together labor and workers and small business owners and entrepreneurs and american companies to create jobs to grow our economy and to lower the cost of everyday needs like healthcare, care, and housing and groceries.”

And then -

“We will provide access to capital for small business owners and entrepreneurs and founders.”

She is Pro Business. She is her own person. She is not an ideologue.”

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I think Harris is both a result of and a contributor to another potential turning point for our society. We are definitely at a sea change moment in our history. Harris winning will take us on an enlightened path forward, while Trump winning will take us back into our darkest past.

MT15 said:

I think this confirms my impression that Harris is really speaking to everyone in this campaign. Cuban is echoing my impressions here.



The words that were cut off:

“Talking to stakeholders is the first step towards understanding what makes the economy work, or not work , from pricing to growth.

“ I will bring together labor and workers and small business owners and entrepreneurs and american companies to create jobs to grow our economy and to lower the cost of everyday needs like healthcare, care, and housing and groceries.”

And then -

“We will provide access to capital for small business owners and entrepreneurs and founders.”

She is Pro Business. She is her own person. She is not an ideologue.”

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I think Harris and Walz are the embodiment of freedom for everyone to do anything that doesn't harm others. And no, being offended by the equal freedom of existence of someone else is not an actual harm.

Here’s a good piece discussing the type of outreach that Harris is conducting. And it makes some critical points about it. She is making the outreach without adopting any of the tenets of MAGA, which a clear majority of voters feel is too extreme.

“Harris extensively reassured swing voters on many fronts. For those struggling economically, she offered populist, broadly appealing policies to curb health care and housing costs. To those preoccupied with crime and the border, Harris recounted her history as a tough prosecutor and vowed stringent border security. Harris delivered extensive paeans to middle-class struggles and values like family, community, homeownership, and faith. As William Kristol notes, she even strongly endorsed American exceptionalism.

Yet Harris was also absolutely unsparing in her takedown of Trump. And it’s important to appreciate this criticism for what it really was. In numerous ways, Harris portrayed the broad MAGA worldview as something in need of comprehensive repudiation.”

“But, in mulling what Harris means by all this, it’s crucial to appreciate what she did not do. Harris offered all this outreach to voters outside the core Democratic coalition without making serious concessions to the ideological preoccupations we associate with MAGA-style right-wing populism. There was no real accommodation with what might be called The World According to MAGA.”

zztop said:

I wonder how much of this is influenced by just witnessing the speech? I wonder if some of these who raised their hands will flip-flop a month from now, after the exuberance (not sure what to call it) wears off?

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The one who said Trump is actually a Trumper. He is a Trump influencer on X so someone did not vet the "undecided" very well.

Dragon said:

The one who said Trump is actually a Trumper. He is a Trump influencer on X so someone did not vet the "undecided" very well.

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Man, the Steves of the world are everywhere, hope there aren't too many more of them!!!!!

Quote me if you have a spine? Sounds like his Orange Hero there.....

MT15 said:

Here’s a good piece discussing the type of outreach that Harris is conducting. And it makes some critical points about it. She is making the outreach without adopting any of the tenets of MAGA, which a clear majority of voters feel is too extreme.

“Harris extensively reassured swing voters on many fronts. For those struggling economically, she offered populist, broadly appealing policies to curb health care and housing costs. To those preoccupied with crime and the border, Harris recounted her history as a tough prosecutor and vowed stringent border security. Harris delivered extensive paeans to middle-class struggles and values like family, community, homeownership, and faith. As William Kristol notes, she even strongly endorsed American exceptionalism.

Yet Harris was also absolutely unsparing in her takedown of Trump. And it’s important to appreciate this criticism for what it really was. In numerous ways, Harris portrayed the broad MAGA worldview as something in need of comprehensive repudiation.”

“But, in mulling what Harris means by all this, it’s crucial to appreciate what she did not do. Harris offered all this outreach to voters outside the core Democratic coalition without making serious concessions to the ideological preoccupations we associate with MAGA-style right-wing populism. There was no real accommodation with what might be called The World According to MAGA.”

Kamala’s Harsh Takedown of Trump Points the Way to a Post-MAGA America

In her speech, the vice president made real overtures to non-Democrats. But she also insisted that we must reject MAGA Republicanism whole cloth.

newrepublic.com

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Harris is validating the legitimate concerns that Trump has selfishly exploited for is personal gain, but Harris is offering a very different path to address those concerns. I think the single most important thing that Harris said in her speech is this with my emphasis in bold:


That is what I've waited 44 years to hear a presidential candidate bluntly say. For America, and the entire human race, to thrive and to free ourselves from the suffering of only surviving, we must delete the zero-sum game mentality from our spirit and our minds and replace it with a win-win mentality.

We've been brainwashed by the sociopaths, who have exploited us since the dawn of our existence, to believe that for us to be safe and secure, someone else has to be unsafe and threatened. That to have what we need, others must go without. That to have happiness and joy, others must have suffering and sorrow. They've brainwashed us with that destructive nonsense to create the world in their own image to serve only themselves. We can't keep playing by the bullies' rules if we want to thrive. If we keep playing by the bullies' rules, we will not survive as a species.

"None of us has to fail for all of us to succeed."

Apparently, even Nielsen is on the conspiracy to create fake support and enthusiasm for Harris-Walz.

/end sarcasm