Alright. I'm fully over being upset about Biden being pushed out. I am amped as fuck to get to vote for Kamala Harris for President. I believe that we can beat this orange turd and flush him and his followers into the toilet bowl of history. I believe in her just as strongly as I believed in Joe (maybe more) and that's saying a lot cause I would've done anything for that man. I think we can do this for the first time since Joe announced he was dropping out. People HATE this fanta fascist. So much he got shot and people were like "yeah I don't give a shit, I still hate that fucking fascist." So yeah, everyone in the party's ready and so am I. Let's keep donating, let's keep making calls and knocking, and let's win this shit.
I don't think I've ever felt this bad for a white guy, but I think that was part of my anger yesterday. Voting for him didn't feel like a burden for me. But if this is what he feels is best, I believe him.
I'm still really pissed, I feel like my vote was tossed out because the big money donors didn't want Joe, and I am 100% sure that the party isn't going to do anything about that. My deep despair about the ruin of our democracy remains. That said, let's get Harris elected! Ain't no way out of this mess but forward.
Just so fucking deeply stupid. It'd be one thing if it was his normal whining where he knew nothing could happen, but this dumb motherfucker really asked to speak to a manager.
"Biden’s sacrifice is one of the most selfless, patriotic things that a Presidential candidate has ever done for this country."
Hard to disagree. Giving up the most powerful office in the world? I mean... it really hard to fathom. But he put his money where his mouth was. If we're serious about protecting democracy, pride cannot become an obstacle to that goal.
I'm all-in for Kamala. No doubt. But I wish these boosters--looking at you Jamie Raskin--would stop saying things like, "she was a heck of a prosecutor and she's going to prosecute Trump." Fueling the canard that the justice system is being "weaponized" to defeat TOTAL (The One That Always Lies) feeds his martyr complex. Kamala is smart enough and quick enough on her feet to make people recognize what an inveterate charlatan and stooge he is without alluding to coercive government power.
It's weird to say this but if it was going to happen (and I'm sticking with the view that it absolutely DID NOT have to happen) but the past few weeks of stressful nonsense may have been the best thing possible for Harris. It was like a lifeline for everyone who wants to beat Trump (whether they thought Biden should drop out or not) and everyone latched on for dear life. If we can keep this energy for the next three months without letting the media pull their shit again I'm reasonably optimistic.
And actually having it happen after their convention was a good thing. They spent all week complaining about Biden and about his age (oops, now they’ve got the old guy as their nominee) and I bet there would have been pressure for him to pick a women vp if this had gone down a few weeks ago. Now they’re stuck with Mr. “National abortion ban and women need to stay with their abusive husbands and inexperienced legislator” JD Vance.
I love it that it bites them in their arses picking Vance. They paid a very high price just to get the Silicon Valley tech"gurus" on their side (because Peter Thiel is Vance's big backer) and Silicon Valley is unfortunately rather rightwing, it was just often hidden because it's not a good look to consumers. And now it backfires in spectacular ways, the high price really wasn't worth it.
San Mateo county voted 80% for Biden in 2020-Silicon valley is very liberal place and Musk and his henchman are loud but not indicative of the whole tech industry. I think a lot were worried about Biden and the Harris pick will help get the money flowing and I’m sure she has a personal relationship with lots of tech leaders. This is from a NYT article that came out today.
“John Coogan, a start-up founder, wrote in a blog post in June that media coverage of Silicon Valley’s support for Mr. Trump was “at odds with reality.” Top venture capitalists had given four times more money to Democrats than Republicans in the first part of the year, he argued.
“Trump is very unpopular in Silicon Valley in general,” Mr. Khosla said, adding that those who were pro-Trump were “only a small constituency.”
I am sorry, I should have said the CEOs. I worked for a company in that area and we had Pride and equality groups, which influenced us in Europe heavily. So people not in leadership/upper management positions were great. Unfortunately our CEO though was a Trumper and one of the most overpaid CEOs (and I hope this fucker keeps his hands off TikTok, even though I do not use it myself). We employees hated the pick of the CFO back then, who was actually from the Dump Admin. And then there was Frances Townsend, the waterboarding enthusiast. She was awful, absolutely awful. But unfortunately there were a lot of rightwing hires in higher positions. So those who actually hold influence because of their wealth. :( The regular employee usually was/is a Dem voter.
We raised our kids in Menlo Park/Portola Valley and still live there part time. Our older son has worked for a bunch of tech companies-Facebook, Uber, Houzz and now at a startup called Human Interest. I know Reed Hastings from Netflix and Reed Hoffman from LinkedIN just dropped a lot of cash towards the Harris campaign as did Melinda Gates, Vinod Khosla and Sheryl Sandberg. Hopefully Laurene Jobs soon to follow.
I am less confident than others that big donors will turn the taps back on. I'd be nice if they read the room, but they just managed to knock off the incumbent and nominee-elect of the party. I guess it all depends if they get their egos stroked enough with tax and business guarantees.
Y’all. Of the guys trying to make a buck hawking wares, two happen to be Black. The guy in front of me asked one salesman if the other was his dad, and why come his dad is selling shirts for a lower price? I don’t have to tell you that these two gentleman are not related. But that’s where we are…. I gave him a knowing look. He gave me a head nod. I get the feeling that salesman B is out here making a buck, and I don’t begrudge him. Salesman A is a true believer. Oh, because the folks in line already asked if he was an undercover democrat. Because of him being Black and all.
Wish I had the guts to sell merch and make money off of these fools. These updates both confirm that we are correct in how they think while also being surprised by the warped way it manifests.
I will never forget the merch sellers at the Women's March in DC the day after Trump's inauguration (before all that unity went to shit and we found out about the organizers, etc)--they were selling Trump merch from the day before by yelling "Buy it and set it on fire! Use it as toilet paper!" It was the best and I had a newfound respect for the merchant class.
I've thought about making some right wing designs really quickly and shittily and putting them up on TeePublic (or one of the many print on demand online companies). I've done it for some of my actual drawings, a few left wing political statements, etc. and those have sold. Not sold well, I only made a few bucks.
But I can't bring myself to create something 'positive' for fascists, even if it's just a grift. I'm a terrible capitalist/grifter/businessman and always have been. I have zero "killer instinct" or "hustle."
This guy behind me talking about democrats switching over after the pew pew attempt is SENDING me. Also has hot takes about the Secret Sevrvice director being a DEI hire. And how he wishes that they were allowed to bring in their guns so they aren’t “at the mercy of the bad guys.” Y’all. This line better move quick….
It’s hot and humid as fuck out here and this line is ridiculous. They were supposed to open the doors an hour ago, the entire line is outside, still haven’t been through security. Having had to walk up a huge hill from parking I imagine the smell in the auditorium will be…. palpable.
And it'll be *OLD* person sweat. (I am one) It's a special funk. I crawl gun shows and gun culture for research and I think you're insane - but good luck and drink lots of water!
Newsom, Josh Shapiro, Mark Kelly, JB Pritzker, and Buttigieg have all endorsed Harris, they were all some that were seen as potential contenders at an open convention.
And worth noting that Mehdi Hasan, who has been very outspoken about the Biden administration's role in Gaza, thinks that Harris will be better and he endorsed her last week.
I love Shapiro, and it is noteworthy that despite being Jewish, he's managed not to piss off anyone in Pennsylvania on the issue. There was a great profile on him in the Times back in March re: Israel, and he remarkably has only a 19 percent disapproval rating in PA, which is unheard of in modern politics. Republicans may not vote for him, but they respect him, and he didn't anger the pro-Palestinian cause, either. I think he successfully navigated the issue.
<I>To Mr. Shapiro, the distinction is clear: Criticism of Israeli policies is fair game. “Affixing to every Jew the policies of Israel,” he said, is not.</i>
Semi-OT, but since you mentioned Hasan -- I moved a few weeks ago and finally cut the cable cord. No point in spending $150/month if I was only using it to have cable news on (muted) during the day to keep me company. Yes, I have Issues. Anyway, I can still watch CNN streaming via Max, but does anyone know of a free-ish or low-cost way to stream MSNBC? I'd love to know what Rachel Maddow has to say about all this.
If you don't mind listening instead of watching, her podcast feed includes audio of her program. Not just her Monday night show, but the special coverage shows she's involved with like conventions and breaking news reports.
Excellent, thanks! Like a good Gen X white lady (heh), I faithfully tuned in every weeknight and then every Monday. That said, I often listened while doing other things, so an audio-only podcast is fine by me.
Overall I'm really excited to be able to move forward with a candidate more people can get behind. Please let's not spend the next four months complaining about her electability now.
Re the "Kamala is a cop" line that people keep trotting out. From what I've read, her tenure as a DA and AG seems to be a mixed bag on progressive policies. But people seem to have a problem with her role as a prosecutor *in general*, which seems misguided. Are people on the left really taking the position that we shouldn't have a state prosecution system at all? What would that even look like? And unless that's the case, isn't it a good thing to have women and minorities bring their perspective to these positions? It's just weird that "being a cop" seems to be the focus point more than what she did or did not do in those jobs.
I never understood that complaint. Are women/POC not supposed to have jobs in law enforcement ever, then? How is that fair or empowering? She created a program to help formerly incarcerated people rebuild their lives! But her job was to be the attorney general, and she did it. Are we not supposed to want women elevated to powerful roles like that? Our AG in New York is also a Black woman and we love her, are we going to start complaining that she held this job next time she runs for a higher office? I don't get it.
The cop thing was a big talking point in 2020 when there were 10 people running for the nomination (I love Bernie and Warren but it was mainly their supporters). I don’t think it’s going to have traction in a national election and probably help her with independents and most voters.
Kamala::Prosecutor/Cop is a purely cynical dividing argument trucked by folks who wanted to keep Black Lives Matter from getting behind her and dividing all those folks turning out for BLM.
Her being a DA has had a side effect of a significant number of federal judges put on the bench by the Biden admin are from the criminal law side. Which is actually a really good thing. The federal bench has been dominated by judges who come from civil law backgrounds and when they aren't as strong in criminal law, it creates the opportunity for more miscarriages of justice in those types of cases.
I'm facebook "friends" with a teacher/coach from high school who has gone increasingly off-the-rails right wing. I generally try to ignore it, but don't unfriend him b/c it's too insane and I can't help wanting to know what nonsense he is spouting and who is lapping it up. Anyway, his take is that Harris is heavily responsible for "hiding" Biden's "mental incompetence" (his words). People I went to high school with who have fallen down the same right-wing-insanity rabbit hole (all "very fine people," suburbian McMansionites with SUVs and whatnot) are falling over themselves praising this retired teacher/coach for his spot-on analysis. So, I guess that's one of the angles they will continue to chase in the coming months.
My high-school drama coach is a right-wing loon. I didn't know this when I was studying with her, but it got out after we made a trip to nationals. Both she and her husband went full Tea Party in 2008; through the 'grace' of Facebook I got to watch it happen.
The big lines of attack that the Confederates are working up are: conspiracy to hide Biden's physical issues (I expect Congressional hearings on this); ratfucking every dollar and nomination vote they can through FEC challenges and in the convention with enablers; tarring Harris with immigration and inflation (natch); plus the usual suspect antagonisms.
I know conspiracies don't have to make sense, but this one seems extra dumb. If Biden were physically or mentally incapacitated, Harris would become president. In their minds, isn't that her ultimate goal: to seize power? Why would she cover up for him when exposing him would help her cause?
Alright. I'm fully over being upset about Biden being pushed out. I am amped as fuck to get to vote for Kamala Harris for President. I believe that we can beat this orange turd and flush him and his followers into the toilet bowl of history. I believe in her just as strongly as I believed in Joe (maybe more) and that's saying a lot cause I would've done anything for that man. I think we can do this for the first time since Joe announced he was dropping out. People HATE this fanta fascist. So much he got shot and people were like "yeah I don't give a shit, I still hate that fucking fascist." So yeah, everyone in the party's ready and so am I. Let's keep donating, let's keep making calls and knocking, and let's win this shit.
I don't think I've ever felt this bad for a white guy, but I think that was part of my anger yesterday. Voting for him didn't feel like a burden for me. But if this is what he feels is best, I believe him.
I'm still really pissed, I feel like my vote was tossed out because the big money donors didn't want Joe, and I am 100% sure that the party isn't going to do anything about that. My deep despair about the ruin of our democracy remains. That said, let's get Harris elected! Ain't no way out of this mess but forward.
"He was asking for a refund on all the money the Republicans spent attacking Biden."
What a cheap and stupid fucking bastard.
Just so fucking deeply stupid. It'd be one thing if it was his normal whining where he knew nothing could happen, but this dumb motherfucker really asked to speak to a manager.
It's so, so funny to me. Who does he think he's asking for it back from? He's the one who spent the money! It's HIS money! HIS campaign!
"Biden’s sacrifice is one of the most selfless, patriotic things that a Presidential candidate has ever done for this country."
Hard to disagree. Giving up the most powerful office in the world? I mean... it really hard to fathom. But he put his money where his mouth was. If we're serious about protecting democracy, pride cannot become an obstacle to that goal.
I'm all-in for Kamala. No doubt. But I wish these boosters--looking at you Jamie Raskin--would stop saying things like, "she was a heck of a prosecutor and she's going to prosecute Trump." Fueling the canard that the justice system is being "weaponized" to defeat TOTAL (The One That Always Lies) feeds his martyr complex. Kamala is smart enough and quick enough on her feet to make people recognize what an inveterate charlatan and stooge he is without alluding to coercive government power.
Thank you.
I didn’t consider that, good point!
She herself is leaning into this so…🤷🏼♀️
https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZTNusGT3M/
It's weird to say this but if it was going to happen (and I'm sticking with the view that it absolutely DID NOT have to happen) but the past few weeks of stressful nonsense may have been the best thing possible for Harris. It was like a lifeline for everyone who wants to beat Trump (whether they thought Biden should drop out or not) and everyone latched on for dear life. If we can keep this energy for the next three months without letting the media pull their shit again I'm reasonably optimistic.
And actually having it happen after their convention was a good thing. They spent all week complaining about Biden and about his age (oops, now they’ve got the old guy as their nominee) and I bet there would have been pressure for him to pick a women vp if this had gone down a few weeks ago. Now they’re stuck with Mr. “National abortion ban and women need to stay with their abusive husbands and inexperienced legislator” JD Vance.
I love it that it bites them in their arses picking Vance. They paid a very high price just to get the Silicon Valley tech"gurus" on their side (because Peter Thiel is Vance's big backer) and Silicon Valley is unfortunately rather rightwing, it was just often hidden because it's not a good look to consumers. And now it backfires in spectacular ways, the high price really wasn't worth it.
San Mateo county voted 80% for Biden in 2020-Silicon valley is very liberal place and Musk and his henchman are loud but not indicative of the whole tech industry. I think a lot were worried about Biden and the Harris pick will help get the money flowing and I’m sure she has a personal relationship with lots of tech leaders. This is from a NYT article that came out today.
“John Coogan, a start-up founder, wrote in a blog post in June that media coverage of Silicon Valley’s support for Mr. Trump was “at odds with reality.” Top venture capitalists had given four times more money to Democrats than Republicans in the first part of the year, he argued.
“Trump is very unpopular in Silicon Valley in general,” Mr. Khosla said, adding that those who were pro-Trump were “only a small constituency.”
I am sorry, I should have said the CEOs. I worked for a company in that area and we had Pride and equality groups, which influenced us in Europe heavily. So people not in leadership/upper management positions were great. Unfortunately our CEO though was a Trumper and one of the most overpaid CEOs (and I hope this fucker keeps his hands off TikTok, even though I do not use it myself). We employees hated the pick of the CFO back then, who was actually from the Dump Admin. And then there was Frances Townsend, the waterboarding enthusiast. She was awful, absolutely awful. But unfortunately there were a lot of rightwing hires in higher positions. So those who actually hold influence because of their wealth. :( The regular employee usually was/is a Dem voter.
We raised our kids in Menlo Park/Portola Valley and still live there part time. Our older son has worked for a bunch of tech companies-Facebook, Uber, Houzz and now at a startup called Human Interest. I know Reed Hastings from Netflix and Reed Hoffman from LinkedIN just dropped a lot of cash towards the Harris campaign as did Melinda Gates, Vinod Khosla and Sheryl Sandberg. Hopefully Laurene Jobs soon to follow.
I was a grumbly little grouch yesterday afternoon.
I feel better now.
Reading a collection of nothing but good news. Are you sure we’re still the Democrats!?
Judging from the lewks being served at this Vance rally, whomever invented the Bedazzler is rolling in cash.
I am less confident than others that big donors will turn the taps back on. I'd be nice if they read the room, but they just managed to knock off the incumbent and nominee-elect of the party. I guess it all depends if they get their egos stroked enough with tax and business guarantees.
I wish I could be happier today. Going to vote and ignore the fundraising emails.
Y’all. Of the guys trying to make a buck hawking wares, two happen to be Black. The guy in front of me asked one salesman if the other was his dad, and why come his dad is selling shirts for a lower price? I don’t have to tell you that these two gentleman are not related. But that’s where we are…. I gave him a knowing look. He gave me a head nod. I get the feeling that salesman B is out here making a buck, and I don’t begrudge him. Salesman A is a true believer. Oh, because the folks in line already asked if he was an undercover democrat. Because of him being Black and all.
Porkchop, I really appreciate your undercover efforts. Your patience is to be commended.
Wish I had the guts to sell merch and make money off of these fools. These updates both confirm that we are correct in how they think while also being surprised by the warped way it manifests.
I will never forget the merch sellers at the Women's March in DC the day after Trump's inauguration (before all that unity went to shit and we found out about the organizers, etc)--they were selling Trump merch from the day before by yelling "Buy it and set it on fire! Use it as toilet paper!" It was the best and I had a newfound respect for the merchant class.
I've thought about making some right wing designs really quickly and shittily and putting them up on TeePublic (or one of the many print on demand online companies). I've done it for some of my actual drawings, a few left wing political statements, etc. and those have sold. Not sold well, I only made a few bucks.
But I can't bring myself to create something 'positive' for fascists, even if it's just a grift. I'm a terrible capitalist/grifter/businessman and always have been. I have zero "killer instinct" or "hustle."
This guy behind me talking about democrats switching over after the pew pew attempt is SENDING me. Also has hot takes about the Secret Sevrvice director being a DEI hire. And how he wishes that they were allowed to bring in their guns so they aren’t “at the mercy of the bad guys.” Y’all. This line better move quick….
I'm loving these updates.
Okay wait where are you?
Middletown high school, waiting in line for the JD Vance event.
Is it a dumb question to follow up by asking, why are you doing this to yourself?
I’m a glutton for punishment. Not really, I’m curious. And I’m going to write some rapid response samples for the job I’m trying to get.
Thanks for going. Some people I know are there. 😶
Please, not the t-shirt vendors! :)
It’s hot and humid as fuck out here and this line is ridiculous. They were supposed to open the doors an hour ago, the entire line is outside, still haven’t been through security. Having had to walk up a huge hill from parking I imagine the smell in the auditorium will be…. palpable.
Any remaining ear napkins on display? Maybe Bedazzled?
And it'll be *OLD* person sweat. (I am one) It's a special funk. I crawl gun shows and gun culture for research and I think you're insane - but good luck and drink lots of water!
Would there were a guy hawking water to the line! He’d make a killing. Alas, nothing but cheap t-shirts and tacky hats.
Newsom, Josh Shapiro, Mark Kelly, JB Pritzker, and Buttigieg have all endorsed Harris, they were all some that were seen as potential contenders at an open convention.
And worth noting that Mehdi Hasan, who has been very outspoken about the Biden administration's role in Gaza, thinks that Harris will be better and he endorsed her last week.
I do think avoiding Shapiro as running mate will be key to keeping that "better on Gaza" perspective.
I love Shapiro, and it is noteworthy that despite being Jewish, he's managed not to piss off anyone in Pennsylvania on the issue. There was a great profile on him in the Times back in March re: Israel, and he remarkably has only a 19 percent disapproval rating in PA, which is unheard of in modern politics. Republicans may not vote for him, but they respect him, and he didn't anger the pro-Palestinian cause, either. I think he successfully navigated the issue.
<I>To Mr. Shapiro, the distinction is clear: Criticism of Israeli policies is fair game. “Affixing to every Jew the policies of Israel,” he said, is not.</i>
Exactly.
https://www.nytimes.com/2024/05/11/us/politics/josh-shapiro-pennsylvania.html
Imagine that quote being a mind-blown moment for some. Oy vey.
Semi-OT, but since you mentioned Hasan -- I moved a few weeks ago and finally cut the cable cord. No point in spending $150/month if I was only using it to have cable news on (muted) during the day to keep me company. Yes, I have Issues. Anyway, I can still watch CNN streaming via Max, but does anyone know of a free-ish or low-cost way to stream MSNBC? I'd love to know what Rachel Maddow has to say about all this.
If you don't mind listening instead of watching, her podcast feed includes audio of her program. Not just her Monday night show, but the special coverage shows she's involved with like conventions and breaking news reports.
Excellent, thanks! Like a good Gen X white lady (heh), I faithfully tuned in every weeknight and then every Monday. That said, I often listened while doing other things, so an audio-only podcast is fine by me.
Overall I'm really excited to be able to move forward with a candidate more people can get behind. Please let's not spend the next four months complaining about her electability now.
Re the "Kamala is a cop" line that people keep trotting out. From what I've read, her tenure as a DA and AG seems to be a mixed bag on progressive policies. But people seem to have a problem with her role as a prosecutor *in general*, which seems misguided. Are people on the left really taking the position that we shouldn't have a state prosecution system at all? What would that even look like? And unless that's the case, isn't it a good thing to have women and minorities bring their perspective to these positions? It's just weird that "being a cop" seems to be the focus point more than what she did or did not do in those jobs.
I never understood that complaint. Are women/POC not supposed to have jobs in law enforcement ever, then? How is that fair or empowering? She created a program to help formerly incarcerated people rebuild their lives! But her job was to be the attorney general, and she did it. Are we not supposed to want women elevated to powerful roles like that? Our AG in New York is also a Black woman and we love her, are we going to start complaining that she held this job next time she runs for a higher office? I don't get it.
The cop thing was a big talking point in 2020 when there were 10 people running for the nomination (I love Bernie and Warren but it was mainly their supporters). I don’t think it’s going to have traction in a national election and probably help her with independents and most voters.
Kamala::Prosecutor/Cop is a purely cynical dividing argument trucked by folks who wanted to keep Black Lives Matter from getting behind her and dividing all those folks turning out for BLM.
Her being a DA has had a side effect of a significant number of federal judges put on the bench by the Biden admin are from the criminal law side. Which is actually a really good thing. The federal bench has been dominated by judges who come from civil law backgrounds and when they aren't as strong in criminal law, it creates the opportunity for more miscarriages of justice in those types of cases.
I'm facebook "friends" with a teacher/coach from high school who has gone increasingly off-the-rails right wing. I generally try to ignore it, but don't unfriend him b/c it's too insane and I can't help wanting to know what nonsense he is spouting and who is lapping it up. Anyway, his take is that Harris is heavily responsible for "hiding" Biden's "mental incompetence" (his words). People I went to high school with who have fallen down the same right-wing-insanity rabbit hole (all "very fine people," suburbian McMansionites with SUVs and whatnot) are falling over themselves praising this retired teacher/coach for his spot-on analysis. So, I guess that's one of the angles they will continue to chase in the coming months.
My high-school drama coach is a right-wing loon. I didn't know this when I was studying with her, but it got out after we made a trip to nationals. Both she and her husband went full Tea Party in 2008; through the 'grace' of Facebook I got to watch it happen.
The big lines of attack that the Confederates are working up are: conspiracy to hide Biden's physical issues (I expect Congressional hearings on this); ratfucking every dollar and nomination vote they can through FEC challenges and in the convention with enablers; tarring Harris with immigration and inflation (natch); plus the usual suspect antagonisms.
I would be *very* tempted to reply to that coach with "Careful. Your misogyny is showing."
I know conspiracies don't have to make sense, but this one seems extra dumb. If Biden were physically or mentally incapacitated, Harris would become president. In their minds, isn't that her ultimate goal: to seize power? Why would she cover up for him when exposing him would help her cause?
That is absolutely the line I've seen from the Republicans (the GOP and my former state rep) I follow.