I was watching one of my regular political folks on TikTok, and one of his comments was from a MAGA, being incredulous that the Vice President is getting the type of attendance for her rallies.
” After all, she dropped out before the 2020 Primary began.”
All is true, but, displays a lack of fundamental understanding about the Democratic Party base.
The BASE of the Democratic Party is Black people.
THAT BASE is not prone to aspirational politics.
THAT BASE is prone to pragmatic politics.
THAT BASE doesn’t fall for the new shiny object (in 2020, it was Mayor Pete).
THAT base had one goal and one goal only: to rid this country of Donald Trump.
Nothing new and shiny was going to deviate from that goal.
The Vice President spent a great deal of time working and building an apparatus in 2020 in South Carolina, as well as other states. The South Carolina Primary Voter didn’t disklike the Vice President. They liked her just fine. But, they couldn’t be aspirational with their vote in 2020. They had to be cold blooded pragmatic.
The Elders were clear on what had to be done. Congressman Clyburn just articulated what they already knew in 2020: That Biden was the one to be their warrior in this battle against Trump.
There were no hard feelings when then Senator Harris dropped out and put her endorsement towards then Vice President Biden, because Biden supporters had been nothing but respectful towards the Harris supporters. Being a Black woman, I was sad when she dropped out, but, was supportive of how she went about her campaign. When the Elders decided on Biden in South Carolina, that was the signal as to where we should go. Biden wasn’t my first choice, but, I gave grace to the wisdom of the Elders. I knew that they were focused on one goal, and since that goal was also mine, I was all-in with Biden. I had hoped that he would choose Senator Harris for his running mate, and the day that he did, I was thrilled.
Those of us who supported Senator Harris in 2020, were very happy that she would get the time to grow her resume more as the Vice President of the United States.
We watched as the MSM deliberately tried to erase her from this Administration. And then, had the nerve to turn around and whine ‘ Where’s Kamala?’
It’s Vice President Harris to you…and, if you only looked, you would see all the work that she was doing for this Administration.
The Vice President always had people who followed what she was done. Her accomplishments.
So, when this foolishness with President Biden and the traitor caucus first appeared, we were very attentive to what was being said. And NOT said.
What was repeatedly NOT SAID..
Was
” President Biden should step aside and allow Vice President Harris to run.”
They were pursing their lips to say that the President of the United States should step aside…but, never could finish the sentence by saying that the Vice President was the obvious choice.
And, we weren’t supposed to notice that.
Her NON-INCLUSION.
The sitting Vice President of the United States…and, she wasn’t brought up…
Uh huh
So, when President Biden stepped aside and endorsed Vice President Harris..
Those of us who had the President’s back knew what had to be done.
IF you’re always ready, you don’t have to get ready.
Will say it forever..
Black women getting into formation mere hours after the announcement made all the difference. We were making it clear that THIS Black woman was not going to be allowed to be shunted aside for some mythical candidate that they never named without all the bonafides of Vice President Harris.
The crowds that you see now are not surprising, because her supporters have always been there. We thought the time would be in 2028, but it was just moved up four years.
But, like Vice President Harris…we, too, are ready.
Ready to support her all the way to the White House.
I will say this again. The park nearest the United Center is an actual Park District Park. That neighborhood uses that park.
They can clown if they dare.
But, don’t start none. Won’t be none.
It might not be as hard as when I grew up, but that’s still the West Side.
THOMAS (@TommyInPA) posted at 3:22 PM on Thu, Aug 15, 2024:
Protesters big mad because City of Chicago blocking use of sound systems, stages, portable restrooms and more during DNC
I love this for them cuz here’s reaction from organizer: “Someone doesn’t want us to talk about ‘Genocide Joe’ and ‘Killer Kamala.”
https://t.co/JTUCghHKhn
(https://x.com/TommyInPA/status/1824179814066164170?t=c8mkABhm6aHPYidg2AprDA&s=03)
Chicago Sun-Times (@Suntimes) posted at 4:43 PM on Thu, Aug 15, 2024:
Ex-Cook County prosecutor accused of scheming with two Chicago cops to claim more than $100,000 in phony overtime now works as a prosecutor in Idaho, it was disclosed in court Thursday.
https://t.co/nwfibzxdsX
(https://x.com/Suntimes/status/1824200373327847517?t=GwJP_LHdiIXQn9Wp9YdLXA&s=03)
🤣
Ben Jacobs
@Bencjacobs
In her latest campaign video, Kamala Harris wrongly claimed to be the first vice president to ever grow chili peppers. Thomas Jefferson was growing them in 1767! https://monticello.org/house-gardens/in-bloom-at-monticello/cayenne-pepper/
Ben Jacobs
@Bencjacobs
It’s not what she said though. Jefferson was still growing them at Monticello long after he first planted them! And, if it’s specifically the VP’s residence, that has only existed since Mondale and limits to a very narrow slice of time
1:55 PM · Aug 15, 2024
I love this reply:
@xiruxi
If you want to be pedantic, then Jefferson didn’t plant shit. He had 600 slaves doing all the work, but they weren’t vice president. So you’re wrong.
https://x.com/xiruxi/status/1824162380563222613
This breaks my heart:
Steven Walker
@swalker_7
DEVELOPING: New College of Florida dumped hundreds of library books this afternoon. The school also emptied the college’s Gender and Diversity Center, tossing hundreds of their books. Working to file a story now.
https://x.com/swalker_7/status/1824138952917295337
Fritz Farrow
@FritzFarrow
Lines of people waiting to get into Pres. Joe Biden and VP Kamala Harris’s event in Maryland—their first joint appearance since the shuffle at the top of the Democratic ticket . Folks are still getting in line.
https://x.com/FritzFarrow/status/1824111775312138658
rt Candee
@ArtCandee
Nevada PSA!!!!! The GOP is bragging about wiping 100k “inactive voters” from the Clark County voter rolls. Check your voter registration here: https://nvsos.gov/votersearch/
https://x.com/ArtCandee/status/1824111781645598778
Chris D. Jackson
@ChrisDJackson
Under President Biden, the U.S. is not only energy independent but also a net exporter of oil for the first time in over 70 years. That’s a HUGE deal! Thanks,
@POTUS
! #BidenDelivers #EnergyIndependence
https://x.com/ChrisDJackson/status/1824063035574509815
BWA HA HA AH AH AH AH HA
Acyn
@Acyn
Reporter: Trump says he wants to make America affordable again. Your response?
Biden: He ought to get a job
Kamala HQ
@KamalaHQ
Undercover video of Project 2025 leader: Trump has actually come up with a strategy that works… He is going to give people like me in the government the ability to enact anti-abortion laws. I’ve never seen him stand in the way of a anti-abortion initiative that was real politically
https://x.com/KamalaHQ/status/1824102997506322499
UH HUH
UH HUH
Once again…will any of those brave journalists going to the Press Conference today bring this up?
Lips so pursed.
Joyce Alene
@JoyceWhiteVance
Wow. The hits just keep coming in Georgia, where unelected officials are willing to sell their states election in exchange for the prospect of jobs in a new Trump administration.
https://x.com/JoyceWhiteVance/status/1824104415386816626
Max Flugrath
@MaxFlugrath
UPDATE: More questions & ethical concerns are surfacing about a GA State Election Board member who floated himself for a job in a 2nd Trump admin. The un-elected board just changed GA election rules which can be used by MAGA to obstruct certification of 2024 election results.
https://x.com/MaxFlugrath/status/1824102352342712611
Tara Palmeri
@tarapalmeri
Lewandowski told allies over the weekend that he was coming back as a campaign chairman essentially a layer above Wiles and LaCivita. This comes as Trump, superstitious and nostalgic, wants the team that helped him win in 2016 back
https://x.com/tarapalmeri/status/1824103670402699339
rolandsmartin
@rolandsmartin
My
@blkstarnetwork
team is ready to #BringTheFunk next week ar the Democratic National Convention in Chicago. Monday-Thursday, we will be live from 6 pm EST to midnight bringing you coverage unlike anyone else. No Black-owned media company is dedicating this level of time and energy to covering this historic election. On Thursday, we will also be simulcasting our coverage on
@tvonetv
’s digital platform. We will bring you all of the major speakers, and I GUARANTEE you we will have more Black experts and elected officials than all national mainstream broadcast and cable networks COMBINED. In addition, we will be live streaming a lot of the other events happening around Chicago. Download the
@blkstarnetwork
app TODAY to watch it all. You can also go to http://Youtube.com/RolandSMartin. #BlackOwnedMediaMatters
https://x.com/rolandsmartin/status/1823760193018097806
Will anyone going to that Press Conference ask the Orange Menace about this?
I won’t hold my breath.
Alli Gordon
@alligordon_
NEW reporting from my CNN Investigates colleagues: https://cnn.com/2024/08/15/politics/russ-vought-project-2025-trump-secret-recording-invs/index.html… Vought said his group was secretly drafting hundreds of EO’s, regulations + memos that would lay the groundwork for rapid action, describing his work as creating “shadow” agencies.
https://x.com/alligordon_/status/1824090345203765534
Slim to none and slim left last night.
emptywheel (postmenopausal & childless)
@emptywheel
What are the chances that one of the hand-picked journalists attending today’s Trump presser will ask him if he and Bibi are refusing a hostage deal to help Trump’s election chances?
https://x.com/emptywheel/status/1824014165947633821
NowThis Impact
@nowthisimpact
‘Kamala, you may be the first to do many things, but make sure you’re not the last’ — This footage of then-DA Kamala Harris on ‘The Oprah Winfrey Show’ seems downright prescient 19 years later
https://x.com/nowthisimpact/status/1823894880172609743
I swear, Frank misses his grift. The Orange Menace completely took away his grift.
GOP pollster on Trump-Harris: ‘I haven’t seen anything like this’
Updated: Aug. 14, 2024, 9:47 a.m.|Published: Aug. 14, 2024, 9:36 a.m.
By Matt Arco | NJ Advance Media for http://NJ.com
Republican pollster Frank Luntz appears stunned at the current state of the Kamala Harris-Donald Trump matchup and this year’s presidential election.
Luntz, who’s been called “The Nostradamus of pollsters” and conducts focus groups, had been bullish on Trump defeating Joe Biden and returning to the White House. Now, he says, he can’t believe what he’s seeing among his focus groups and in the polls.
“She’s bringing out people who are not interested in voting for either Trump or Biden, so the entire electoral pool has changed and if it continues in this direction you have to start to consider Democrats winning the Senate and Democrats winning the House,” Luntz said Wednesday on CNBC.
“She’s got intensity now. She’s got an intensity advantage. She’s got a demographic advantage and I haven’t seen anything like this happen in 30 days in my lifetime,” he said. “Now my groups are broken up by young women saying, ‘I’m not voting for him anymore.’”
He added: “The people who are undecided have all collapsed towards Harris. The people who are ‘weak’ Trump have all collapsed towards undecided.”
Luntz told hosts of “Squawk Box” that he’s attempting to hold a focus group of undecided, younger female voters, but is having trouble finding enough people who fit that category.
https://www.nj.com/politics/2024/08/gop-pollster-on-trump-harris-i-havent-seen-anything-like-this.html
Maurice W (@iamMauriceW) posted at 7:08 PM on Tue, Aug 13, 2024:
I’m done with MSNBC
The network is bleeding viewers because of minimizing VP Kamala Harris & Tim Walz…while uplifting & finding ways to compliment Trump & treat him like a regular candidate & not a convicted felon with more sexual assault accusations than I have fingers & toes!
(https://x.com/iamMauriceW/status/1823512074460209263?t=TgJgMp3u_ffiRXUu-2QEkg&s=03)
HawaiiDelilah™ 🥥🌴🌊 (@HawaiiDelilah) posted at 3:27 AM on Tue, Aug 13, 2024:
I truly believe that part of the exuberance we Democrats are feeling is the pure satisfaction of having a party that HITS BACK instead of folding like a lily.
(https://x.com/HawaiiDelilah/status/1823275085844881908?t=2rJDDa51ViV941k4ZgetJQ&s=03)
The New Republic (@newrepublic) posted at 8:22 AM on Mon, Aug 12, 2024:
Trump is in full-blown meltdown mode, and it’s all because Harris and Walz are doing what Democrats rarely do: hit back.
https://t.co/KbopECfzMD
(https://x.com/newrepublic/status/1822987017044574648?t=0grVnjYYFyqMonmI62hS9A&s=03)
Anton “Quadrangle Quincy” Hand (@AntonHand) posted at 1:11 PM on Mon, Aug 12, 2024:
Reminder that your mail sent by USPS is constitutionally protected and your mail sent via FedEx and UPS is NOT as they are private services.
Use the fucking post office.
(https://x.com/AntonHand/status/1823059737648439536?s=02)
Serious “OG KHive” Black 🗳 (@NicsuPR) posted at 11:55 PM on Tue, Aug 13, 2024:
They really think we don’t have agency. Like we’re not responsible for their ability to emigrate and become successful citizens here. That’s why they thought they could bully us into submission and why they now think we’re bots or paid ops. Goofy people.
(https://x.com/NicsuPR/status/1823584294981251405?t=c6XXYlbLr3J40aazET9-_Q&s=03)
Sarah Reese Jones (@PoliticusSarah) posted at 3:03 PM on Tue, Aug 13, 2024:
Walz with a powerful message, “We can’t hope that we defeat Donald Trump, we can’t hope that we can collectively bargain, we can’t hope we protect Social Security, we can’t hope that we address climate change. You don’t hope to win; you plan, prepare, and work to win.” https://t.co/8omlE6VJk5
(https://x.com/PoliticusSarah/status/1823450263157436913?s=02)
Dr. Virgo 🐝💛 (@DrVirgo1981) posted at 4:41 AM on Tue, Aug 13, 2024:
The black lash from black people is ancestral. Imagine telling black people not to vote for a black woman given our history in this country.
Harris was bussed just like my mother.
Like someone on TikTok said, it’s giving voter suppression
(https://x.com/DrVirgo1981/status/1823293912787689780?t=Eu1wd1YI-gPfXwvNaxYWfA&s=03)
Biden/Obama/HRC/Harris Democrat (@KTforBiden) posted at 5:48 AM on Wed, Aug 14, 2024:
It IS voter suppression.
There are still racist ass people trying to steal our votes…on the right AND THE LEFT! Radicalized left wing fanatics have lost their minds. And they think by using a war on the other side of the world they can suppress our votes!
(https://x.com/KTforBiden/status/1823672938555437219?t=5o8omnESiUGSIRKkAm2pFw&s=03)
Keith Boykin (@keithboykin) posted at 7:13 PM on Tue, Aug 13, 2024:
Minyon Moore was part of a group that advised Joe Biden on selecting Kamala Harris as his running mate and on nominating Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson as the first Black woman on the Supreme Court. Now she’s the chair of the Democratic National Convention. https://t.co/tsyd0SIO1n
(https://x.com/keithboykin/status/1823513200324960385?t=E6mxE3UO1Jn0T0ISYGXs7w&s=03)
Marvin Sapp InTheSkreets/Marvin Gaye InTheSheets (@groove_sdc) posted at 4:28 AM on Wed, Aug 14, 2024:
This is part of the “system” and the “establishment” folks want to overthrow.
The part that empowers Black women.
(https://x.com/groove_sdc/status/1823652861911187949?t=qrSAnqp5VQD3bZ8kEQMLQA&s=03)
Jazz the Professor (@Jazzieeiswhoiam) posted at 5:50 AM on Wed, Aug 14, 2024:
#OTD Ernest Everett Just (Aug 14, 1883 – Oct 27, 1941). Biologist, academic, science writer, cofounder of Omega Psi Phi fraternity. His primary legacy is his recognition of the fundamental role of the cell surface in the development of organisms.
#History
https://t.co/T3DSKiAGKJ https://t.co/EvRIYxuLIr
(https://x.com/Jazzieeiswhoiam/status/1823673521588838661?t=oz7DVZMUet1MHcwBI0-J4Q&s=03)
because the Orange Menace is broke. He can’t buy ads.
Renee
@PettyLupone
The Harris team is so damn smart. Bio ads in 7 battleground states *this month* means that trump has lost his chance to define her first. The more people learn about her, the more they’ll want to vote for her to put an end to this disgraceful chapter in politics.
https://x.com/PettyLupone/status/1823718319645688072
The Associated Press (@AP) posted at 0:25 PM on Tue, Aug 13, 2024:
BREAKING: A constitutional amendment that qualified for the ballot in Missouri could guarantee a right to abortion while reversing the state’s near-total ban on the procedure. https://t.co/6AGqkJsCRa
(https://x.com/AP/status/1823410581895843846?t=x5I-U7vTQ784A6PZOY5svw&s=03)
Kyle Griffin (@kylegriffin1) posted at 9:35 PM on Tue, Aug 13, 2024:
BREAKING:
MADISON, Wis. (AP) — Wisconsin voters reject Republican-authored ballot questions that limit governor’s power to spend federal money.
(https://x.com/kylegriffin1/status/1823548982850666625?t=t8dNuW11QShV_RDp31xwYA&s=03)
Mike Harvey (@electMikeHarvey) posted at 9:56 PM on Tue, Aug 13, 2024:
This is amazing news for the State of Wisconsin.
It might prohibit Wisconsin from doing what @GovRonDeSantis of Florida is doing.
Letting school children starve by not using federal food dollars because eating is apparently “woke.”
(https://x.com/electMikeHarvey/status/1823554170336453019?t=HR6_XN-lsNyxQHQNdeJE2w&s=03)
Nick Knudsen 🇺🇸 (@NickKnudsenUS) posted at 2:22 PM on Mon, Aug 12, 2024:
Holy shit.
UAW just dropped this ad destroying Republicans and their corporate overlords.
It’s epic.
Please share far and wide! #UnionsForAll https://t.co/oK8HCB0Sf6
(https://x.com/NickKnudsenUS/status/1823077648933027921?s=02)
Touré (@Toure) posted at 9:32 PM on Tue, Aug 13, 2024:
Kamala entered the race 3 wks ago to massive fanfare from voters and media. She got tons of free media and soared in the polls. Massive momentum. There was no need to do a big intv. The DNC is next week—more free media, more momentum. In late August she’ll do big intvs.
(https://x.com/Toure/status/1823548336047067623?s=02)
Renee 🪷 (@PettyLupone) posted at 9:45 AM on Mon, Aug 12, 2024:
Y’all will never hustle the common sense out of Black people no matter what you do. https://t.co/GbKK88Q0W3
(https://x.com/PettyLupone/status/1823007790027477027?s=02)
LOL
Plies (@plies) posted at 9:38 AM on Wed, Aug 14, 2024:
Trump Team Wants Him To Stay On Message. He Is On Message. He Talking About The Same Sh*t He Been Talking About The Last 10 yrs! Racism & Sexism It’s All He Knows. He Doesn’t Know Policy, Insults & Coning Is What’s Gotten Him To This Point. His Show Now Is Just Coming To An End!!
(https://x.com/plies/status/1823730941346635858?t=WSKSgnu8kBfrR84nHHedbA&s=03)
Michael McDonald (@ElectProject) posted at 11:48 AM on Wed, Aug 14, 2024:
And to the folks saying Harris MUST do an interview or press conference. Guess what? She doesn’t. She’ll control her message through the DNC convention. She’s already said that she’ll do interviews and press conferences afterwards. This is what a good campaign looks like
(https://x.com/ElectProject/status/1823763723611480335?t=oJ7MmJGHed47A-dRmfD6Kw&s=03)
🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣
Sarah Reese Jones (@PoliticusSarah) posted at 9:45 AM on Wed, Aug 14, 2024:
.@Acosta asks Harris communications director Michael Tyler about holding a press conference. Tyler says the priority is engaging voters, “We will commit to directly
engage with the voters. They’re actually going to decide this election.”. https://t.co/g6foa52hgw
(https://x.com/PoliticusSarah/status/1823732725821358329?t=3Tu6KCmndjz_VCWLyuva2Q&s=03)
Marvin Sapp InTheSkreets/Marvin Gaye InTheSheets (@groove_sdc) posted at 0:10 PM on Wed, Aug 14, 2024:
Once you realize they lionized someone like Aaron Bushnell for setting himself on fire then you realize why it’s easy for some folks in this movement to demand Black folks in America put an international conflict over our own domestic issues.
They see us as a means to an end.
(https://x.com/groove_sdc/status/1823769260537106760?t=DLoNOZpEajaB-mDQ20mLuA&s=03)
University Democrats (@UDems) posted at 10:00 AM on Wed, Aug 14, 2024:
We recently learned that UT Austin’s historic campus polling place, Flawn Academic Center, will not be in use this November. A UT decision.
We visited Comissioner’s Court to express our concern for the significant impact this could have on student turnout. https://t.co/j1e1PiMv0v
(https://x.com/UDems/status/1823736499655073828?t=Vn8Bf06wsaGve4g6KaNlHA&s=03)
Heather Long
@byHeatherLong
I just keep staring at this chart. Inflation below 3% for the first time since March 2021! Core inflation drops to 3.2% –>lowest since April 2021 Is the inflation battle won? It’s sure looking like it.
https://x.com/byHeatherLong/status/1823700118949843442
This sounds great. Old fashioned retail politicking :)
Nidia
@NidiaCavazosTV
NEW: VP Harris and Gov. Walz will take on a bus tour through Pennsylvania on Sunday, ahead of the Democratic National Convention, according to campaign officials. •The tour will begin in Pittsburgh •Several stops will be made including retail stops to meet with voters •SG Doug Emhoff and Minnesota First Lady Gwen Walz will also be on the bus tour
https://x.com/NidiaCavazosTV/status/1823691774218453339
I don’t think the youth of today understand what a cultural milestone moment it was when Magic announced it. I know that everyone in my house cried, because we literally thought it was a death sentence.
If you had told me that Magic would still be here. Was going to see his children grow up and become a grandfather, I simply wouldn’t have believed you. And anyone who told you otherwise is lying to you.
With EVERYBODY Sayin’ – C! J! Writes! YEAH!
@CJWritesNThangs
Magic Johnson turns 65 today.
For those of us who remember the announcement, that is an amazing factoid.
6:42 AM · Aug 14, 2024
https://x.com/CJWritesNThangs/status/1823686736179802392
Ashleigh Fields
@AshleighFields_
Yesterday,
@KamalaHarris
welcomed new students to
@HowardU
outside of the historic Cramton Auditorium, inspiring the crowd by saying, “you might be running for president of the United States.”
https://x.com/AshleighFields_/status/1823442736248484144
Andrew Wimer
@andrewwimer
BREAKING NEWS 🚨
@IJ
is taking on one of the most predatory civil forfeiture schemes we have ever seen. Indiana is intercepting packages at a FedEx shipping hub, running K-9s over them, and forfeiting any cash found w/o saying a specific crime that was violated.
https://x.com/andrewwimer/status/1822982462277857674
Ammar Moussa
@ammarmufasa
Wow. This is a devastating deep dive into some of JD Vance’s business ventures.
Not only did this company go bankrupt, he treated workers horribly, making them work in unbelievable circumstances.
Just incredibly heartbreaking stories.
https://x.com/ammarmufasa/status/1823320416137454056
Josh Marshall
@joshtpm
Harris’ Campaign Is Working—Get Used to It https://talkingpointsmemo.com/edblog/harriss-campaign-is-working-get-used-to-it/sharetoken/c7fa1674-c868-4194-922e-80ad234f5ca9… via
@TPM
Good Morning, Everyone😊😊😊
Absolutely on the mark…yes! Harris all the way in 2024!!! More than ready and able to lead America forward!!!