Kamala Harris: Madam Vice President

[libgirl2]

13 hours ago, Caroline said:

We texted a friend we have in Minnesota to ask her her opinion of Walz. She gave him a ringing endorsement and said he is very popular in MN. I've read in other places that he will be a real boon for Dems as they conduct rallies in the Midwest.

How can you go wrong with a former teacher, winning coach, and a National Guardsman with a sense of humor? I think he seems like a great choice after listening to him speak. He's full of energy. I also liked that his wife Gwen had a normal appearance - no over the top hair styling or makeup. And she was wearing what I consider teacher clothes (slightly wrinkled dress and a cardigan). So excited to vote for the first time since Obama. Go Harris/Walz!

 

My friend's daughter and husband live there and say they love the guy. He is quite popular. 

13 hours ago, noseybutt said:

Conservative family members and acquaintances of mine are losing their minds on social media over this guy. Anyone else?

I see a lot of people (not friends) on SM going nuts. The racist insults are flying. Someone even used the "r" word. 

[Alisamer]

14 hours ago, AnywhereButHere said:

On a purely superficial level, he’s extremely personable, a great speaker, he’s great at engaging with a diverse group of people. He’s a veteran, a farmer, gun owner (and apparently excellent shot), yet he’s very progressive politically, a much loved teacher and football coach.  To quote the eminently quotable West Wing (😂) - he’s good for all time zones

On a policy level, he increased his state’s education budget, instituted free breakfasts and lunches, expanded access to student mental health resources. He signed a law codifying abortion rights and other reproductive and gender affirming health care in Minnesota. He firmed up gun laws and legalized pot (no, they’re not related - I was just trying to avoid small sentences 😆). He also shored up protections for workers and restored voting rights to former felons (this one is going to be a whole lot of fun if Trump and crew try to hammer him with it). 
 

Anyway, that’s my very small nutshell, and I’m hoping it’s somewhat coherent. I probably should’ve responded before the wine, but we had some leftover in the fridge,  I’m the only one in my house who drinks it, and we needed the fridge space. 🤷‍♀️😆

Oooh, a farmer? Will have to tell my dad. He voted for Pence, apparently, last time (we got mom on board for Biden, but didn't manage with dad) but a farmer who is also a gun owner? Dad might go for that.

Most of the stuff I've seen so far complaining about him amounts to "How horrible, he made sure school kids get to eat and made sure there are period products available in schools for girls who need them!" Because apparently in Trumplandia making sure kids aren't hungry and have necessities so they don't have to miss school are terrible things?

[libgirl2]

55 minutes ago, Alisamer said:

Oooh, a farmer? Will have to tell my dad. He voted for Pence, apparently, last time (we got mom on board for Biden, but didn't manage with dad) but a farmer who is also a gun owner? Dad might go for that.

Most of the stuff I've seen so far complaining about him amounts to "How horrible, he made sure school kids get to eat and made sure there are period products available in schools for girls who need them!" Because apparently in Trumplandia making sure kids aren't hungry and have necessities so they don't have to miss school are terrible things?

A girl can't get a pad or tampon for her period, but the fools wore maxi pads on their ears in solidarity. Morons. 

[GreyhoundFan]

Wow. If this is true, it could really shift things towards Kamala:

 

[noseybutt]

12 minutes ago, GreyhoundFan said:

Wow. If this is true, it could really shift things towards Kamala:

 

Someone correct me if I have this wrong--but I am pretty sure the LDS church is careful not to formally endorse a candidate (gotta preserve that tax exempt status).

LDS tend to vote red but haven't been all that supportive of Trump so there is a chance more will vote Blue than in the last election.

[GreyhoundFan]

9 minutes ago, noseybutt said:

Someone correct me if I have this wrong--but I am pretty sure the LDS church is careful not to formally endorse a candidate (gotta preserve that tax exempt status).

LDS tend to vote red but haven't been all that supportive of Trump so there is a chance more will vote Blue than in the last election.

This article is from Deseret News, which is owned by the LDS church. It's a little more muted than the other article, but still shows that at least a decent chunk of normally reflexive R voters are for Harris.

I couldn't find anything that showed an explicit endorsement in the past.

[GreyhoundFan]

[Audrey2]

If indeed this information is accurate and the LDS church is suggesting that it's members break from voting for Trump in this election it does make sense to me. I would not be surprised if some in the high counselor whatever they call it I've looked with fear project 2025 and fear that if the United States is pushed toward Christian nationalism that the LDS church would not be considered part of that Christian nationalism and could be left out in the cold. In no way am I a fan of the church, but at this point I will take any hope that I can that we might actually win this thing and send Trump back to the sewers from which he crawled.

[thoughtful]

2 hours ago, GreyhoundFan said:

Not sure this is so much a black thing as a parent/teacher/takes no bullshit thing that crosses all backgrounds and genders. My mom's had more of a nostril flair and one Spock-eque raised eyebrow, and no whupping was in the offing, just knowing that she was thinking "Are you kidding me? I know you know better than that."

Mine is more of a brow furrow and a raise of upturned hands.

[noseybutt]

3 hours ago, Audrey2 said:

If indeed this information is accurate and the LDS church is suggesting that it's members break from voting for Trump in this election it does make sense to me. I would not be surprised if some in the high counselor whatever they call it I've looked with fear project 2025 and fear that if the United States is pushed toward Christian nationalism that the LDS church would not be considered part of that Christian nationalism and could be left out in the cold. In no way am I a fan of the church, but at this point I will take any hope that I can that we might actually win this thing and send Trump back to the sewers from which he crawled.

Oh I think this is a great summary of what is going on. Many mainstream and moderate Christian churches would consider LDS as Christian in the historical sense of the word and not quibble over the theology, similar to how they would view JW. But the hard core Project 2025 people are a different breed. To them, LDS would not be acceptable.

Which tells you how little Heritage Foundation understands about actual governing and especially the military, CIA, law enforcement, etc. Because LDS are disproportionately represented in those jobs.

[Alisamer]

20 hours ago, Audrey2 said:

If indeed this information is accurate and the LDS church is suggesting that it's members break from voting for Trump in this election it does make sense to me. I would not be surprised if some in the high counselor whatever they call it I've looked with fear project 2025 and fear that if the United States is pushed toward Christian nationalism that the LDS church would not be considered part of that Christian nationalism and could be left out in the cold. In no way am I a fan of the church, but at this point I will take any hope that I can that we might actually win this thing and send Trump back to the sewers from which he crawled.

Yeah they have to know that the christianity project 2025 wants in power is evangelical protestants - not them. Rs will happily take their votes to get themselves in power, but once established LDS and Jehovah's Witnesses and Catholics will all very quickly end up targets. They are "the wrong kind" of Christian if they are considered Christian at all (I think most fundamentaliswt evangelicals would NOT consider LDS in particular Christian)  - and I'm not up on Mormon history but I think they've been through that before!

If Project 2025 happened, the slide into Taliban-style legal oppression will have begun. First of course they'd try to mandate Christianity and go after non-Christian religions, but it wouldn't take long at all to move on to the "sort of" Christians and the "wrong sort" of Christians. Then the theological differences will be addressed... sprinkle baptism instead of immersion? Illegal! Non KJV bibles? Banned! Along the way they'd try to revive prohibition probably. It's all stuff that's failed before, and there'd be massive infighting. But they'd do SO much damage before they eventually collapse!

I am cautiously happy about the variety of normally R voters and politicians who are being brave enough to support Harris. I hope that sort of thing snowballs. I think there are enough R voters who either voted for Trump out of obligation, due to a single issue, or in the case of established politicians kissed Trump's butt in order to cover their own that if most of them were like, "Nah, don't want a dictatorship, I'm willing to vote D this once in hopes he is no longer in the running 4 years from now" it would make a huge difference.

Also spoke to my dad last night and was pleasantly surprised. He "doesn't much like that woman" in regard to Harris, but he "can't stand Trump" and liked Roy Cooper, and when I told him what I knew about Walz he seemed positive on him. So that's one country boy boomer who will probably be voting D this fall, I hope.

[Audrey2]

20 minutes ago, Alisamer said:

 

I am cautiously happy about the variety of normally R voters and politicians who are being brave enough to support Harris. I hope that sort of thing snowballs. I think there are enough R voters who either voted for Trump out of obligation, due to a single issue, or in the case of established politicians kissed Trump's butt in order to cover their own that if most of them were like, "Nah, don't want a dictatorship, I'm willing to vote D this once in hopes he is no longer in the running 4 years from now" it would make a huge difference.

Also spoke to my dad last night and was pleasantly surprised. He "doesn't much like that woman" in regard to Harris, but he "can't stand Trump" and liked Roy Cooper, and when I told him what I knew about Walz he seemed positive on him. So that's one country boy boomer who will probably be voting D this fall, I hope.

One thing I would really like to see Harris's campaign emphasize also is that Donald Trump is 78 years old which means there's a possibility that JD Vance would become president. Do people really want JD Vance as president? Vice presidential candidates count also.

You may consider this a conspiracy theory but if Trump slips much more I can completely see Vance trying to work behind the scenes to invoke the 25th amendment to remove Trump from the presidency.

Edited August 9 by Audrey2

[thoughtful]

41 minutes ago, Alisamer said:

Rs will happily take their votes to get themselves in power, but once established LDS and Jehovah's Witnesses and Catholics will all very quickly end up targets. They are "the wrong kind" of Christian if they are considered Christian at all (I think most fundamentaliswt evangelicals would NOT consider LDS in particular Christian)  - and I'm not up on Mormon history but I think they've been through that before!

Yes, and with some horrific violence on both sides.

[Howl]

4 hours ago, Audrey2 said:

One thing I would really like to see Harris's campaign emphasize also is that Donald Trump is 78 years old which means there's a possibility that JD Vance would become president. Do people really want JD Vance as president?...

... if Trump slips much more I can completely see Vance trying to work behind the scenes to invoke the 25th amendment to remove Trump from the presidency.

Obvs Vance and Project 2025 are counting on it...same as Brett Kavanaugh and Amy Coney Barrett -- he's young as these things go, and I'm sure if Vance were sufficiently authoritarian, in "office" for decades. 

Turkey's Recep Tayyip Erdoğan is an excellent recent example of how someone who comes into office as a centrist in a secular, democratic country is now president dictator for life.  Turkey is no longer secular and when there was a coup attempt against Erdoğan in 2016, he basically enacted Project 2025. 

[noseybutt]

29 minutes ago, Howl said:

Obvs Vance and Project 2025 are counting on it...same as Brett Kavanaugh and Amy Coney Barrett -- he's young as these things go, and I'm sure if Vance were sufficiently authoritarian, in "office" for decades. 

 

Agreeing. I don't think a behind-the-scene power struggle is a conspiracy theory at all. Trump is a cult of personality and he likely picked Vance because he was trying to shore up his policy and appease the very socially conservative wing of his party. Which means there will be power struggles from day one.

[Smee]

Vance is also, from what I can tell of him, 100% pure ambition. I think he wants to be President more than he wants any of his policies to come to fruition. Trump is a means to an end for him.

 

[noseybutt]

22 minutes ago, Smee said:

Vance is also, from what I can tell of him, 100% pure ambition. I think he wants to be President more than he wants any of his policies to come to fruition. Trump is a means to an end for him.

 

There is some sort of rule in life that con men attract other con men and eventually get conned themselves. 

[Smee]

7 hours ago, Alisamer said:

Yeah they have to know that the christianity project 2025 wants in power is evangelical protestants - not them. Rs will happily take their votes to get themselves in power, but once established LDS and Jehovah's Witnesses and Catholics will all very quickly end up targets. They are "the wrong kind" of Christian if they are considered Christian at all (I think most fundamentaliswt evangelicals would NOT consider LDS in particular Christian)  - and I'm not up on Mormon history but I think they've been through that before!

I dunno for sure about American Evangelicals, but the evangelical churches I used to go to 100% did not consider LDS or JWs to be Christian. Catholics, yes (although they were still looked down on and you'd attempt to convert them to the 'right' denomination) but JWs and LDS were seen as cults. Christadelphians also. Gotta believe in the trinity.

[47of74]

Kamala got a major endorsement that fuck face is raving about now

Quote

NEW YORK — Today, UNITE HERE, the hospitality workers’ union operating the nation’s largest labor-led canvassing operation, is proud to endorse Vice President Kamala Harris for President in the 2024 election. Harris has consistently demonstrated her unwavering commitment to working people and the labor movement.

As Vice President, Harris’s leadership was instrumental in saving the pensions of one million union members and retirees, securing 100% free COBRA healthcare for laid-off workers during the COVID-19 pandemic, and ensuring an extraordinarily pro-union National Labor Relations Board and General Counsel. Her actions have saved livelihoods and lives, demonstrating that she is the champion working people need in the White House. Most recently, VP Harris delivered remarks at UNITE HERE’s constitutional convention in June, where she stated that she is “guided by the belief that we work for you, and we will fight with you, alongside you and for you.” In stark contrast, under a Trump administration, working people would face potential national abortion bans, mass deportations, the repeal of healthcare protections, voting rights restrictions, and more which would directly impact UNITE HERE members and their families.

“Our members cannot afford to go back to Donald Trump’s disastrous leadership. Another Trump presidency would mean four chaotic years of defending against his attacks on unions, working people, immigrants, women, and others,” said UNITE HERE President Gwen Mills. “With Kamala Harris as President, workers will continue to move forward, organize their workplaces, and secure good wages and benefits. She has consistently demonstrated her commitment to labor rights and social justice, ensuring that every worker has a fair shot at the American dream. We’ve seen the blueprint for a second Trump administration in Project 2025, which aims to crush labor unions and hurt working families– we will not go back. It’s up to us to do our part to deliver victory in this race and UNITE HERE is ready to hit the doors.”

“Kamala Harris’s personal story resonates deeply with our members. As a woman of color and daughter of immigrants, her journey reflects the diverse fabric of our union, which proudly represents women, people of color, and immigrants,” said UNITE HERE Secretary-Treasurer Nia Winston. “Her record of unwavering commitment to working people makes her an inspirational and formidable leader. Harris has stood alongside us, advocating for the rights of workers, unlike Donald Trump, a hotel and casino owner with a record of labor abuses, who has consistently crossed union picket lines. This election is about deciding whether we continue to build on our pro-union successes or face significant setbacks.”

 

[LongTimeLurkerOG]

13 hours ago, 47of74 said:

Kamala got a major endorsement that fuck face is raving about now

 

Hmmm, there should be more reminders about herr orange's connection to immigrants 🤔 How far back, one or two generations ... His grandparents. Not just the two he married. Discounting the very obvious of course, that we're all from immigrants unless American Indian/indigenous. 

Edited August 10 by LongTimeLurkerOG
Info update

[Audrey2]

52 minutes ago, LongTimeLurkerOG said:

Hmmm, there should be more reminders about herr orange's connection to immigrants 🤔 How far back, one or two generations ... His grandparents. Not just the two he married. Discounting the very obvious of course, that we're all from immigrants unless American Indian/indigenous. 

I was thinking Trump's mom was Scottish.

From Wikipedia 

Spoiler

Born in the Outer Hebrides of Scotland, Mary Trump emigrated to the U.S. in 1930 and became a naturalized citizen in March 1942.[1] She raised five children with her husband and lived in the New York area.[2]

Mary Anne MacLeod was born in the village of Tong on the Isle of Lewis.[3][4] Raised in a Gaelic-speaking household, she was the youngest of ten children born to Mary Ann MacLeod (née Smith; 1867–1963) and Malcolm MacLeod (1866–1954).[5] Her father was a crofter, fisherman and compulsory officer at Mary's school.[4][1][6][7] English was her second language, which she learned at the school she attended until secondary school.[4]

Her paternal grandparents were Alexander MacLeod and Ann MacLeod; her maternal grandparents were Donald Smith and Mary MacAulay. They were from the locations of Vatisker and South Lochs, respectively.[8] Donald died at sea aged 34 when his sailing ship sank, a common fate for men in the region which was dependent on fishing.[9] Some of the family's earlier generations had been forced off their land as part of the Highland Clearances.[10] According to one genealogical account, displaced families in Mary's village lived in "human wretchedness" while nearby farmable land was used for sheep.[11] Local historians have said properties at the time were "indescribably filthy", and that families in the area lived austere lives as fishers, farmers and peat diggers.[9] The outbreak of World War I weakened the area's economy and reduced the male population further.[4]

Not only that Mary Trump also worked a domestic for approximately 4 years when she came to the United States.

Maybe if we have someone who reads here who's English or Scottish they may correct me but if I remember correctly the outer Hebrides we're not considered a desirable part of Scotland. From what I remember or hearing about them you might even call them a "hellhole county". (using Trump's words against him)

[WatchingTheTireFireBurn]

I'm seeing a lot of ads characterizing Harris as extreme left progressive...and every time I'm like YEAH!.....HELL YEAH!.... 

(my only concern is that the middle people are bothered)

I'm VERY VERY happy about the idea of democrats going more progressive. 

[Audrey2]

34 minutes ago, WatchingTheTireFireBurn said:

I'm seeing a lot of ads characterizing Harris as extreme left progressive...and every time I'm like YEAH!.....HELL YEAH!.... 

(my only concern is that the middle people are bothered)

I'm VERY VERY happy about the idea of democrats going more progressive. 

But then considering how far right Trump and his supporters are just about anything is far left and progressive including feeding people and allowing people to have health care.

[fraurosena]

I agree. If being progressive or rightwing are points on a scale, and the rightwing makes an extreme shift further to the right, then anything previously perceived as moderately left suddenly seems "progressive" by contrast. That does not mean that the ideals on the moderate side actually shifted far to the left at all.

Not that the extreme rightwing cares, they'll say anything simply to fearmonger.

[Smee]

Agreed. If the Democrats were running in many other places in the world they'd be considered a conservative/middle-right party. American politics on the whole sits right of the centre. But when your far right is SO far right, your not-very-right-mostly-centrist seems left.