It’s over!
Last night was the closing night for the Dems and their convention (mercifully)…..and it is now official we have our Dem candidate and now the campaigns can begin in earnest…..
The bummer of the night for those in attendance was the rumor of an appearance by Beyonce was just that…. all smoke and manure…..
Harris made her acceptance speech and made promises that will be idle words come next January…..but do not let me pee on the parade…..you decide….
As Kamala Harris took the stage Thursday during the final night of the Democratic National Convention, the cheering went on for so long that Harris had to gently move things along, saying, “OK, we gotta get to some business.” The vice president started out by wishing her husband, Doug Emhoff, a happy 10th wedding anniversary, then moved on—as expected—to laying out her personal story and accomplishments. Then came the moment many had been waiting for:
- “On behalf of the people. On behalf of every American regardless of party, race, gender, or the language your grandmother speaks. On behalf of my mother and everyone who has ever set off on their own unlikely journey. On behalf of Americans like the people I grew up with: people who work hard, chase their dreams, and look out for one another. On behalf of everyone whose story could only be written in the greatest nation on earth, I accept your nomination to be president of the United States of America.”
She went on to discuss what she sees as the “extremely serious” danger of putting Donald Trump, whom she called an “unserious man,” back in the White House. “Donald Trump tried to throw away your votes. When he failed, he sent an armed mob to the United States Capitol.” More quotes, per CNN and the AP:
- Appeal to the other side of the aisle: “I know there are people of various political views watching tonight. And I want you to know: I promise to be a president for all Americans. You can always trust me to put country above party and self.”
- Campaign promises: Harris talked about strengthening the middle class and said her administration would create an “opportunity economy where everyone has a chance to compete and a chance to succeed.” She said she’d end America’s housing shortage and protect social security and Medicare.
- On the erosion of reproductive rights: Speaking of Trump’s role in the end of Roe v. Wade and the further restrictions Republicans want to see placed on abortion, she said, “Simply put: They are out of their minds.”
- On Israel and Gaza: She said she’d “always stand up for Israel’s right to defend itself, and I will always ensure Israel has the ability to defend itself, because the people of Israel must never again face the horror that a terrorist organization called Hamas caused on October 7.” But she also said the devastation and suffering in Gaza must end.
- On border security: She said as president she’d get the bipartisan border bill, which she accused Trump of killing for political reasons, passed and signed into law. “I refuse to play politics with our security.”
And at the end the big finale….a huge balloon drop all 100,000 of them….yes I counted.
I wish something more interesting had occurred on the last night but it was pretty much the same as all conventions…..
We now have our two candidates and it is official…..let the dueling begin….all the jibes, accusations, insults and whining….
On to November!
I Read, I Write, You Know
“lego ergo scribo”
For all my life, as I presume since the beginning of the Republic, political campaign strategists always seem to market their candidates to the common electorate they feel are extraordinarily gullible, ill-informed, emotionally manipulated, and politically unaware. Whether it’s the hyperbolic advertising commercials or blathering speeches to solicit emotionalism from the crowds, people are like lemmings…. substance is second place to conveying the emotional “fear” of the other side winning. Political campaigning is simply an extension of typical product marketing. You need to buy this widget… but first we need to give you a reason you want the widget to create the desire to buy it We all have fallen for it.. simply look at everything in your home… you wanted it for a reason, and many times you didn’t know you wanted or needed it to begin with until marketing told you. From the moment we wake up each morning until we go to bed at night… we are being manipulated in some form to buy into something we are told we need.
Typical example… buying a big screen TV. It’s pretty much a guy thing that the bigger the better. Each time we need to get a new big screen we inherently get a bigger one. Hell, the biggest display of buyer remorse is when a guy finds the big screen he wants he will take it home and always say when kicking back on the La-Z-Boy and flipping it on for the first time… “I think I should have gotten a bigger one.”
That us the reason the men who wrote the constitution rejected having a direct vote by the people to elect the president and set up the electoral college system. Their plan!they set up was for the state legislatures to select electors to send to meet and choose a president. Now we choose the candidates by direct vote, then elect the president by direct vote. The framers were right, direct vote does not work well in selecting a president.
Arguments for the Electoral College:
1. Preserving Federalism: The electoral college system emphasizes the role of individual states in the election process, preserving the concept of federalism and the importance of states as unique entities within the United States.
2. Stability and Certainty: The electoral college usually provides a clear and decisive winner, reducing the likelihood of contentious recounts and disputed elections.
3. Campaign Efficiency: The electoral college focuses campaign efforts on competitive states, making campaigns potentially more efficient by narrowing down the areas where candidates need to concentrate their resources.
Arguments against the Electoral College:
1. Discrepancy Between Popular Vote and Electoral College Outcome: The most common criticism of the electoral college is that it can lead to a candidate winning the presidency despite losing the popular vote. This has occurred in several elections, leading some to question the system’s legitimacy.
2. Ignoring Non-Competitive States: Candidates often neglect states that are strongly leaning toward one party, leading to feelings of disenfranchisement among voters in those states.
3. Small State Overrepresentation: Critics argue that the electoral college gives disproportionate influence to smaller states, as they have a higher number of electoral votes per capita compared to more populous states.
Manipulation is the best term available….it is a theater and we are told to go to the lobby. chuq
Dueling will be window dressing…the Trump shadow government has been in place and operative for a long time now and the 7 traitors in some of the states that normally decide elections are ready to refuse to certify the election outcome and drive the whole thing to the house of reprehensibles for a Trump Victory at the hands of his cohorts there (12th amendment)– so all the rest is nothing but fodder for the peasantry.
It is the function of the vice president to accept and certify the votes. That is what Pence dud in 2020. Over riding the decision on the vice president requires the vote of the senate and the house. To force a vote, one house member and one senate member myst object go the vice president decision. In 2020, a house member objected, but they could not get any senator to object, so. the decision made by Pence stood. And the riot did not convince him to change his mind.
Escaped disaster by the thinnest of hairs.
And the band plays on chuq
I know I keep saying it, chuq, but as a foreigner, I want ANYONE but Trump to win your election. (Not RFK, obviously) The rest of the world hangs on America’s coat tails, and I really don’t want Trump to be calling the shots there.
Best wishes, Pete.
I understand your feelings here….and I am of like mind just this once. chuq