On Thursday, accidental Presidential candidate Kamala Harris introduced herself to America.
A month ago, her approval ratings were lower than Joe Biden’s. Today, she is the Joan of Arc of the Democrats’ 2024 campaign to drive a stake through the heart of Donald J. Trump.
But lurking in the back of her mind has to be her hard-left 2019 Presidential campaign that crashed and burned before it got aloft, a shooting star. If so, she kept it there, in the past.
Thursday she became the first woman of Asian and African ancestry to be nominated for President by a major political party. It was historic. So was the nomination of Hillary Clinton, so “history” does not forecast victory.
In 37 minutes she touched many, but not all, bases. It was Goldilocks length — not too long, not too short.
The speech was, in a word, Presidential.
She was forceful, but avoided the tendency that plagues some women speakers, of being shrill.
She also avoided the top topic on the minds of most Americans — the economy and inflation. The thinking might have been if you can’t explain it, forget it.
One theme was “a new way forward,” but she did not spell out that new way, other than to support the middle class.
She did tackle the border, and promised to sign a bipartisan border bill that Trump had killed. The problem is, if Democrats don’t take the Senate, there will be no such bill. She also promised a “path to citizenship,” which will sound to many like amnesty. That will be fleshed out in the weeks ahead.
She did touch the third rail of Gaza.
She strongly reaffirmed Israel’s right of self-defense and promised to support it. She strongly condemned the Hamas terror group.
“At the same time,” she acknowledged the pain Gaza has suffered, which will anger some conservative Jews, and said her goal was to bring home the hostages, have a secure Israel, arrange a ceasefire and look forward to self-determination for the Palestinian people, which is U.S. policy.
She would defend Ukraine, and strengthen NATO, neither of which Trump would do.
She closed with a very strong, welcome (to me) pro-America passage that was reminiscent of Barack Obama.
In America, she said, “anything is possible,” and we are dedicated to freedom, opportunity, compassion, dignity, and fairness.
Before she spoke, convention organizers passed out American flags to everyone, and with the waving flags, and the chants of “USA” made it seem, well, almost Republican.
For decades Democrats treated patriotism as the P-word. Kamala has reclaimed it. It was strange, a Republican pundit quipped, to see Democrats waving flags, rather than burning them.
That flag would wave over the American military, she said, which would be the strongest and “most lethal” in the world.
“Trust me to put country over party,” she said.
On the other side, Donald J. Trump cozies up to dictators, would release those who attacked police on Jan. 6, and is a convicted felon, she said.
He would cut Social Security, and Medicare, and would outlaw all abortion, she said.
Closing with words of advice from her departed mother, Kamala said she was taught to not let others define you. “You show them who you are.”
She did that Thursday night, but it is not who she was during her aborted Presidential run.
In the weeks ahead, she will have to do interviews, and hold news conferences, to explain that.
People change, people evolve. I have done that on a few issues myself. She should be allowed the same right, and in the interest of fairness, so should JD Vance. Since Trump has no values, other than himself he gets to change, sometimes daily.
Mark I, I agree with you. Those changes should be believed unless/until the person does or says something to the contrary or does not do what they sid they are going to do. Obviously, as you said, this does not apply to that orange-skinned POS.
Both of you are spot on. Trump can’t even change his campaign of hate and retribution despite his advisors best counsel. She, her laugh, her smile, her warmth, her optimism and the whole ticket and their love for America and its potential is a genuine breath of fresh air.
Have you done a 180 on EVERY issue? From 5 years ago. Slight exaggeration. I may have to write something to help her.
Who are you addressing here?
My reply, on my screen, appears directly under the comment. It may show up different for you. This platform sucks, but I am stuck with it. i can’t even insert a photo or cartoon.
Stu, what you said here still does not answer Wanda’s question as to who you were replying to. I also would like to know.
As a suggestion maybe you could put the person’s name in your post.
As I explained, this platform sucks. If you are so desperate to know, c&p my answer and show it to me. That might help. Normally a reply says “in reply to….” The problem is, at first it shows up under the person’s comment, but then quickly becomes a list of all my replies. As I hope you know, I try to be as transparent as glass because I have nothing to hide and stand by my opinions.
My turn: Why don’t you start using your real name? Like I do, and Wanda does.
It’s easy to read a speech from a teleprompter. When is she going to face the press and defend the last 4 years.
If it’s so easy to read off a PrompTer, why can’t Trump do it? When he tries, he is flat and stumbling.
As to pressers, I called on her to do that in my piece.
“It’s the economy stupid.”
Stock market at a record high, inflation due to due to the orange jerks tax cuts, COVID and supply chain disruptions easing, record oil production. She didn’t go into the economy specifics because people, and I count Dems in there as well as MAGATs do not understand basic economics, never mind the more advanced economies kind.
Tell that to the average person looking for a break in the cost of the basics to feed a family. You know, bacon & eggs, bread, cereal. There’s not enough time before November to get prices down to even close to what they were when Biden entered the picture.
You make these statement without understanding or explaining WHY prices are high and exactly what the current administration has done to make them higher. It’s important to understand the underlying causes of an inflationary environment, and to look outside the United States and see that this is a world-wide issues, not a domestic one.
Again, tell that to the average shopper!
I agree freeze. But most people don’t get it and don’t want to be educated about it. It’s easier to ascribe a simple cause and effect than to think about complexities.
Don’t let others define you…”You show them who you are”?? And in the meantime under her party’s approval, an aborted child will never have that opportunity to show who he or she is. That child is defined as unnecessary and not even acknowledged as a human. That child is reduced to “reproductive health”. So much for showing them who you are.
My friend, believe it or not, I do respect your opinion here. It is an honorable one. However, it must be acknowledged that your opinion is based upon religious theory rather than medical or scientific fact. I am anti-abortion, but pro-choice. I was in a position years ago to make that exact decision, and we chose our child, may she rest in peace. But I would not for second try to make that difficult decision for anyone else. Further, before birth control existed, my immigrant grandmother, who lived in virtual poverty in the 1930s and already had five daughters, chose to get an illegal abortion because she could not afford another child. She died from that back-alley procedure at age 30 and I was deprived of having a grand-mom. No one should ever be in that position again.
Well said and my sorrow for your loss.
Freeze, I am so sorry. These tragedies are lost on the pro-choice deplorable. I admire you for your level headed approach to the issue. I share your pain. My oldest daughter, who had struggled for years to have a child, had to have a life saving abortion for premature rupture of membranes when she finally got pregnant. Devastating for all of us. My mother, who was in a Nazi death camp, had an abortion, when she was liberated, for a pregnancy which resulted from a Nazi camp guard rape. These are not easy situations and I abhor those who blame women for the failure of their birth control or otherwise get pregnant.
Freeze, I too am anti abortion and pro choice. It is amazing how many idiots try to tell me I cannot be both.
In addition about 30 years ago I talked with a friend of mine who had to make a choice. I told her how I felt, she told me how she felt, we discussed it and she then made her choice. I could tell how much agony she was in trying to make that choice.
Please try not to be an one issue voter. There’s so many reasons not to vote, or to vote for someone. I’m a Democrat who has voted for Republicans but could never ever vote for trump and so I pray about that one issue that bothers me then vote for the better human. In this case, it’s Kamala. Watching Trump try to become king of the USA, kills my spirit. That man wants to be like his buddies from Russia and North Korea. It’s his fantasy and he says it out loud and you guys won’t take it seriously. He has no interest in unifying the people. He plays to the worst instincts of his base and behind closed door he’s repulsed by the majority of them. He is deceitful, manipulative and strategically intentional. I pray he loses this election and enjoys his retirement.
Please try not to be an one issue voter. There’s so many reasons not to vote, or to vote for someone. I’m a Democrat who has voted for Republicans but could never ever vote for trump and so I pray about that one issue that bothers me then vote for the better human. In this case, it’s Kamala. Watching Trump try to become king of the USA, kills my spirit. That man wants to be like his buddies from Russia and North Korea. It’s his fantasy and he says it out loud and you guys won’t take it seriously. He has no interest in unifying the people. He plays to the worst instincts of his base and behind closed door he’s repulsed by the majority of them. He is deceitful, manipulative and strategically intentional. I pray he loses this election and enjoys his retirement.
Poverty is not a excuse for abortion. I’m one of 8 children. I grew up in a predominantly Irish catholic neighborhood where most people had big families like mine. The mothers in are neighborhood were very loving and welcoming of all the kids and everyone looked out for each other. If I would invite someone over to eat my mother would say I’ll just add another cup of water to the soup There is no excuse for unwanted pregnancies in 2024. It’s the abortions of convenience that are evil that I’m against.
I saw a slightly different speech than you. Predictably, Vice President Harris began and ended with a flurry generating wild support from the home team. However, midway through she lost the audience. No fewer than five times (and maybe double that) I said to my friend who joined me to watch that only a few people applauded at applause lines consecutively. You could hear a pin drop after those applause lines and this went on for a while. Hearing pins drop at a pep rally is less than ideal. To be fair, I felt the same during Presidents Obama’s & Clinton’s speeches. Again, she recovered nicely.
On a personal level, I do not put much stock in speeches. That said, dynamic speech-making was the defining characteristic of super-charismatic Presidents like JFK, Reagan, Clinton & Obama.
I did not notice the dead spots, or applause lines, you did.
I am sometimes distracted because I am taking notes.
When on my job, I could sometimes access the speeches in advance. I could not for DNC.
Anyway, all reaction is subjective.
Some sayings that best express my view of the new Kamala Harris:
“A leopard does not change its spots”
“Like putting lipstick on a pig”
“If you remove the bullshit, underneath is the real bullshit.”
If she wins, she will be what she has always been: a raging far-left progressive. To think otherwise is to be a fool.