I felt the weight of history tonight, yet it paradoxically felt like a weight taken off.
What Kamala Harris said tonight - though the substance of her remarks were certainly effective - was less important that how she presented them. She was absolutely beaming with relatable humanity, yet also formed a perfect portrait of power. She presented as a person practically predestined to lead the world's largest democracy, largest economy, and largest fighting force, yet also as someone led by a passion not toward power only, but power for the sake of progress and prosperity. Her care and commitment for what she had to say and the country she needed to say it to were unmistakable. The fact she is a SHE was unremarked, because this fact of her groundbreaking both goes without saying but also is besides the point, which should remain her superlative qualifications and oratory. At the exact moment we needed a leader who possessed her qualities, she offered to us that leader. She is ready, and a nation and world is ready for her. It was a remarkable, unforgettable moment.
I (29) watched with my parents (66 and 75). We crowded into my bedroom as the sun went down outside on not just our day but an era of America, and not a moment too soon. The breeze blew in, not just through my window but over a country in need of a breath of fresh air. My Mom clapped and cried and said hope had come back to her. When the Walzes kicked the biggest balloons she declared them "just the cutest people!" My Dad watched intently and expressionless. At the end he got up, turned on a lamp, and with gusto simply declared "She seems like she's already President. Now the real work begins."
Will, you are wise beyond your years and a shoutout to your parents for raising such a beautiful young man. Like your mother, I, too, have felt the joy seep back into my soul, the thing that has been absent for so long. The days of doom and gloom are over. It’s time to remember that we are a nation of immigrants, all, and when we work together for the benefit of all, they cannot stop us.
Great comment. Anti-immigrant sentiment is fueling the rise of authoritarians, but in this country, being anti-immigrant is fundamentally un-American. Here, immigrants have the unique opportunity to become Americans, something that's rare elsewhere. Most other nations weren't founded by immigrants and don't offer the same path to national identity.
Seems like it’s sort of why there are always others ready to try out what we offer. Even when the path is fraught with danger, they still line up. There are always stories of immigrants who have done well. Elon is one although not the best example of the American dream. Still they come…as did my ancestors
My parents came to this country as teens, with an 8th grade education, no money and not knowing a word of English. My brother and I are both college grads--and engineer and a nurse. But life was always a struggle for my parents
Can’t imagine how hard that was. My parents were second generation. They had precious little education but we always heard how important it was. We listened and their progeny are educated and successful although hard work has not been a stranger. Sadly, some have succumbed to MAGAt coolaid and seem to have severed their roots. May they wilt or reconnect.
My grandparents came from Ukraine and Russia-no money-only the shirts on their backs. I know my grandfather worked on a farm. With saving, they bought a 2 family house, had lots of CDs and money. My dad went to college and got a masters, bought a house in a fairly wealthy suburb, retired comfortably and did lots of recreational travelling. They did not go into shady real estate deals or brothels. Maybe those were the people we did not want.
As a poster I saw at a demonstration said: "Without immigrants, Trump would have NO family." Also, minor point, he wouldn't exist as his mother was an immigrant! But, of course, all of this immigrant relatives had the correct level of melanin.
Wife #1 and wife#3 were all immigrants. Ivana wasn't even a citizen when Ivanka was born. The jury is out as to whether Melania was an undocumented worker. Different sources say different things.
"... being anti- immigrant is fundamentally un-American."
Sadly, I don't think that is true. Look at the anti-Irish sentiment during the great blight migration (signs saying No Irish need apply), anti-Italian in the late 19th century, anti- Chinese, anti-Hispanic.
Any large influx of labor threatens the staus quo and results in resenrment.
But “I’ve been here longer than you” seems to justify unjustifiable hatred. We have always needed an influx of labor it seems, now as much as ever. Sadly, it takes about 60 years for the obvious to become accepted. Maybe it just threatens the ability of the “powers-that-be” to orchestrate the hierarchy…
Bill L, I think both are true. Resentment of the other (more commonly called racism) does not negate the fact that we are almost entirely a nation of immigrants.
I grew up seeing signs in windows saying "we do not serve Indians"
I may be wrong, but didn't the immigrants take the jobs that no one wanted "black " jobs. Working on the railroad or sewing factories couldn't have been much fun.
Except for the regenerating indigenous nations that have always been here, every nation in the Americas was founded by immigrants. That's why to indigenous people, we are settlers no matter how long it has been since our ancestors came and stole the land we now call ours. Most countries have a standard process for becoming citizens - not particularly rare or unique.
“CHICAGO (The Borowitz Report)—In the latest sign that Kamala Harris is expanding her coalition, on Wednesday Melania Trump announced that she will speak on the final night of the Democratic National Convention.
Explaining her decision to speak, Mrs. Trump said, "None of us can stand another four years of Donald Trump."
“I DO care—don’t you?” she added.
Indicating that she planned to steer clear of the personal attacks that have typified the Republican campaign, she said, "When they go worst, we go best."
Melania said she is already contemplating what her life might look like after Donald Trump, adding, “I may get cat.”
It makes me feel a bit better in my thinking that all republicans are not trumpers who are too gullible or uneducated to know what is happening to them OR they want something like the power which they believe trump can give them. trump is like a lobbyist. He wants something from Congress. NRA gives the politicians money (or in the case of Thomas expensive vacations). Trump says he will give them votes so they can keep their cushy jobs in Washington.
She doesn’t really care. She got hers and her parent(s)taken care of. Her son is a US citizen and she’s got her renegotiated pre nup. So she’s set. Screw the other guy.
Very well told' Will. Much national trauma from 1968 was soothed by Kamala last night. She is ready for the People' of the United States of America. I am 76 & approved as a November Election worker, 'Put me in Coach [Walz], I'm ready to play, Today'.
I am going to work at the polls for the first time ever! I am so excited. I just have to remember not to wear my t-shirt with trump hair on it that says nope. I had it for the last election. I'm getting my money's worth.
Political parties are clearly a blessing and a curse. A curse when partisanship tr#mps the needs of the nation. Ms. Harris has pledged to do things right.
Political parties are like muffin pans. They are structures that in the end only produce results of the same quality as the ideas and people they are filled with.
Too bad that all the soul and brains seem to have migrated solely to the one party in the US, but I guess we'll just have to make double the amount of muffins with the one pan.
Over the last couple of centuries, political parties have evolved as a kind of check-and-balance for each other. The concept of a loyal opposition is as necessary to a functioning democracy as all of our rules, laws, mores, and the parties themselves.
The Republican party is in the process of dying. MAGAs cannot fill the role of loyal opposition, as they are not loyal to democracy or the United States. Until we can repair/return to some kind of balance in our political system, we are in grave danger of becoming a one party system, prey to all the excesses and corruption history has shown us comes from all governmental systems with no effective oversight.
Last night, the Democrats held the line for democracy. Hallelujah!
You hit the nail on the head with loyal opposition. The Harris campaign has been brilliant with inviting and embracing non-MAGA Republicans, Independents, and Undecideds. (Independents were 26% of voters in 2022.) Republicans for Harris Zoom, and now the Republican and Independent (Oprah) speakers repeatedly created that permission structure for viewers to vote for democracy over party. They are the margin, and change happens at the margins.
I'm Independent so I can talk more easily to former or left leaning members of my old party that I would rather see just temporarily sign up with modern versions of the Opposition Coalition that formed in 1854 to become the House Majority in the 34th Congress.
To me, they were united in important principles more any particular party loyalty. I do believe there are more Independents in most states than Republicans. We need as many of their votes as we can get, and owe them the same consideration for any who support our most common goals.
The Biden Harris administration did so much evenhanded infrastructure work in their states that my old party members try to claim so much credit for, despite having ruthlessly voted against it every time they could.
Jim, maybe out of the ashes a new Republican Party can form -- "My Old Party." They could "MOP" up the myriad messes made when they chose to follow "the chauffeur."
Stuart Stephen’s, a former Republican operative, says it has all been a lie. The Republicans have been lying to voters for years. Infrastructure improvements are recent examples.
The first thing the Republican party must do if it wants to survive is admit that it is not in control. That's Step One. Then it will have eleven more steps to go.
At the margins, where change happens -- YES and stretching into beyond spaces like Pete Buttigieg going onto Fox News which reminds me why I go to meetings where I'd not be expected or recognized as belonging but where my opinion counts to represent views the 'powers that be' don't anticipate. (Like Military-Civilian Community Council Meetings looking at big-picture planning for uses of Joint Base Cape Cod.) Michelle Obama's words echo in my mind, "Do something", I'm wondering what that is.
Before even getting to candidates, we need to have people registered to vote for those candidates, especially Democratic candidates. That's the specialty of Field Team 6, which has opportunities for donations to support the work, and a variety of grassroots work of phone banking, text banking, writing postcards, etc. to register Democratic voters.
2. Donations and/or grassroots work for Democratic majority in the Senate and House to pass Harris-Walz legislation. Swing Left does this strategically:
I have a democratic computer. My state is so blue you need a winter coat. I would love to have an relatively intellectual conversation with a trumper and get his views. There is this flagrant trumper guy Graham something or other who has a blog type thing. So I made a comment and gave my reasons, and surprisingly got several civilized comments with the respondents giving their point of view. No name calling, very polite. I think I will continue making comments. This wouldn't be considered trolling, would it?
AbrahamLincoln would be appalled at Trump's policy, which is, "to give as much 'offence' to others, leave them in a fearful, mean-spirited mood to come to us, and they shall be compelled to give up their lives for the love of ME."
The Democratic Party is a Big Tent, but we are holding this coalition solely to save democracy and the right to vote for self-governance instead of being ruled.
The factions within the party will NOT hold going forward, they will evolve according to priorities and interests (and skill in leadership).
The "fatal flaw" I see with the GOP - this iteration - was its anti-American drumbeat of hate - treating everyone not a rich, straight, white male as "the enemy." The "Moral Majority" backed the "reality TV" celebrity with NO MORALS in order to have power. They caught the car by overturning ROE. They deserve to be eliminated.
As for the margins, North Carolina is probably THE prime example of what happens as a result of allowing the extremists to emerge from the party primary system. The GOP slate is full of lunatics who are completely unqualified and like 45's Cabinet appointees, hostile to the job functions of the positions they are seeking. Their intent is to burn the entire system down.
We have a LOT of true educating to do, to prevent these grifters and hatemongers from resurrecting. In their eyes, a stranger is an enemy, instead of a potential ally and neighbor. The caste system has a lot to do with that mindset. Isabel Wilkerson's books should be essential reading.
"History, despite its wrenching pain, cannot be unlived, but if faced with courage, need not be lived again."
Steve, I'd like to see four American political parties that adhere to the missions of the founders.
A very "right" party that champions fiscal responsibility.
A "center right" party that is fiscally careful but embraces government's limited role. But also buys into infrastructure investments and universal voting rights.
A "center left" party that believes in leveling the playing field for all Americans and welcomes immigration as an infusion of much needed hard working enthusiastic workers.
A very "far left" party that is ready to assume responsibility for our total infrastructure by regulating and perhaps assuming ownership of our natural resources, utilities and complete supervision of industries that contribute to environmental destruction.
In my fantasy world, all four parties would pledge to keep all forms of religion out of the public domain while protecting the rights of all "believers" or non believers to worship privately as they wish. All four parties would be unified in defending the US and other nations - protecting democracy from the ambitions and horrors of autocrats (Russia, Iran, etc.) All four parties would believe in reproductive freedom. All four parties would eliminate the influence of big dark money in elections. Young people would be registered to vote automatically when they got a Social Security Card. Voting would be required. These principles are basic to a civilized society.
And lastly, as a "far lefty" I want a country where I can sit with a "far righty" and have a beer. I would listen respectfully while she explained her concerns about the national debt. He would hear my plea for ending fossil fuel dependency. We would debate intensely. Then clink our mugs, toast to living in a fine nation, and ask for another round. Then we would talk about food, dogs and grandchildren.
My husband and I have talked about the "loyal opposition" for quite a while now, and as we see the destruction of the old republican party, it'll be interesting to see what grows in it's place. We do need at least 2 more parties , with clear statements as to their beliefs. Dems know what we want. Colorado has more independent voters than dems or magites/republicans and there is now a proposal on the November ballot to basically do away with party voting. in primaries and elections -- ranked voting. I like the idea of everyone voting in the primaries as well as general elections, but I'm not for ranked voting. I think if someone wins by a small margin of direct voters, we should know that.
Joyce, I for one would like to SEE actual results of ranked voting used somewhere. If one person wins outright, even by a small margin, does it actually go on to count second (and/or third) choices? Or perhaps that's what is left to hash out before an election is actually held via ranked choice voting. It seems that was kind of what Lincoln and his allies engineered into his election; the more broadly approved 2nd best choice! As a New Yorker living nearby Seward's home, it would seem Seward was clearly a thoughtful, well-educated and judicious politician sufficiently widely enough recognized to have developed some vigorous opponents with Lincoln having less wide recognition at the time.
We also need to expand our horizons beyond the current duopoly. Both the electoral college and the unconscious insistence upon a two party system are like the human body's appendix, obsolete at best, problematic at worst
And the FtWorth Star-Telegram had a headline that reduced it to democrats only caring about the freedom to get an abortion. How dismissive can you get.
We know how to immunize children against smallpox and polio. But when will every elementary school student be immune against what Dr. Bandy X. Lee calls “Trump contagion?”
If on day one of middle school, it is readily apparent that every elementary school’s primary objective—graduates who demonstrate in every word and deed a commitment to treating others they way they would want to be treated if the shoe was on the other foot—has been achieved, then those children are immunized against the authoritarian impulse, and they are the children of the revolution.
In 2025, when Democrats are in control of all three branches of government, and the Republican party is purging reprobates from its leadership positions, it will seem again like politics is in harmony.
To those who prefer to divide and conquer, to wait until discord inevitably emerges in an unforeseeable novel context, to those who will once again try to fool people into believing that it’s “us” against “them,” you will have limited success. You can fool some people all the time, but “you won’t fool the children of the revolution.” —T. Rex.
But as W said. “You can fool some of the people all the time, and those are the ones you want to concentrate on.” And they have. Use the Golden Rule to immunize against our social polio
In many states there are more independents than either Democrats or Republicans. We are fortunate to have one of the Senators who declares himself as an Independent. Since there is no longer a party that embraces conservative values what is the draw to being a Republican?
When each Republican administration drags us deeper and deeper into debt ($7.9 trillion under DonOLD), how do they expect us to believe they are fiscally responsible much less conservative.
Ya know? I think that the Democratic Party has broadened to occupy the center and a bit of conservatism. I still feel like I'm a fiscal conservative, yet I feel comfortable with Democratic leadership.
What's not conservative about investing in improving the means of production? That's what every serious business does. The revolutionary component of that is identifying human capital as the key source of American wealth.
It seems to me that non-ideological, non-partisan liberalism and conservatism are partners and can cooperate constructively even within a single cranium, so long is there is fealty, so far as we are able, to discovering, disclosing, and acting in compliance with truth.
What I am seeing is that the republicans are jumping on Kamala's switching stances on waitress's tips and building the wall. It goes without saying these people clearly have forgotten all about trump's flip flopping. Hey, he even was a democrat once!
I agree wholeheartedly🙏 I watched the whole DNC for 4 wonderful, joyous days & nights🤩 Thank you Joe for putting this LADY in to take over the fight!🇺🇸
It seems President Biden gifted us with one more shrewd act of political maneuvering. His endorsement of Harris was instantly embraced by his party and likely the country giving us the leader we need at this moment. Like the careful placement of delegations at Lincoln's convention, that should go down in history as the work of a master. Thanks again Joe!
Cameron, while a shrewd move, methinks Joe was actually heavily pressed to "do the right thing" in giving up what he saw as the most cherished position of his life's work! It proved to be not only shrewd but a brilliant choice for the country and an opportunity to show the country how a politician of and for the people elevates his love for country over his personal aspirations!
This week, we Anderson’s devoted more time to the convention than time spent in the entire history of conventions in our lifetimes. It feels like the dawning of a new age, one desperately needed for the protection of freedom in the world.
Thanks to the Professor for faithfully documenting the progress through the week. What a week it has been. We have renewed hope for the future!
After the quick glances that were all I could bear of the earpatch "convention", I found myself eagerly glued to the whole of this one. I wish the press would stop telling us about all the technical problems - I wasn't aware of them.
Your words...so beautifully .....so precisely chosen ....mirror my own deep joy that a human being such as Kamala Harris is stepping up.....is willing to take on the job of becoming "President of the United States of America"!!!
And Yes....NOW THE REAL WORK BEGINS!
I live in the state of SC but was born in NC, where I have a small farm and some relatives and friends. During COVID, I always watched advice from NC Governor Roy Cooper and his excellent, very professional team. He was serious about watching over the people in the state he governed.
It was great to see him last night praising and honoring Kamala Harris. His words were true.
I, though a very regular citizen of this great nation would like to encourage Kamala Harris....who I believe will become our next President, to consider a place for Governor Roy Cooper who will be stepping down from his current position as governor of NC. He is smart...he is a good man and there is nothing wrong with ambition!!!
Nice job Will! But I have to say that all the exuberance and balloons in the world are insufficient without a really hard slog: Dems (especially white Dems) historically don't bother to vote. And they rely on others to do the hard work for them. If Dems had gone to the polls even in the same numbers as Rethuglicans in the last 12 years, voting DOWN ballot as well as up, the USA would be in a very different place than it is now. Getting people to vote when they are too lazy or whiney to do so is the hard work. In 2020, 47% of registered Dems voted. Without supposed Independents and Black women, Biden would not have won. We. Need. To. Bury. The. Other. Side.
Thank you, Will. I feel the snapshot of you and your parents last night evoke the snapshot of many of us. And, like your father, I say: “the work begins”. While remaining ever grateful to Joe, I think we can say those words with renewed energy and joy!
How you wrote this Wil, captures a National sigh of relief . Your Mom expressed the nation’s passion well.
Many will , several have already , write history ..book by book of these times . Our hope restored that the MAGA bunch will get their due, not in malice but justice as consequence ,further proof crime will not prevail ..it’s been a carefully plotted plan for 40+ years .
💙🇺🇸’Gus’s Team ‘, how very well put. Thank you , Gus 🫶
I laughed out loud when Gretchen Wittmer said that DonOLDs first word was "chauffeur." And then she followed that up by saying, "Trump has never been in a grocery store. That's the chauffeurs job."
I am relieved the convention went well but ... on common sense.
1. I feel there was an unforced error and lost opportunity. If they were going to have a Jewish American hostage family then they ought to have included a Palestinian American. Together on the stage. Calling together for a ceasefire, release of hostages, and delivery of humanitarian aid. Joining in putting a shared goal first. What a force for good that would have been. An example of what is necessary and what is possible going forward. And of a Harris administration's commitment to justice as fairness. Instead we got, in the introductory video, Harris speaking to AIPAC. And a statement, during the acceptance speech, heavy on US support for Israels's self defense - without the explicit qualifier 'defense in compliance with US and international law.' As an American Jew and Zionist, who opposes Hamas and the Netanyahu regime abuses, it tainted the celebration and made me feel it will be harder going forward to electing Harris.
2. The balloon drop. All that plastic. A lost opportunity - of commitment to environmental concerns and of commitment to innovating green solutions - even if only to problems of showmanship.
I'm sorry you found so much to criticise that even the balloons weren't exempt. I hate balloons and plastic in general, I just loved the occasion. As for her treatment of the Israel/Gaza situation, she is not President yet, and her words were wise.
Justice for Palestinians and Israelis as well as climate science are important issues. And the constituencies - and individual voters - who prioritize these issues are critical to winning. The convention was an opportunity for Democrats to signal fresh thinking and new directions. Their performance was uneven. And it is necessary to advocate for improvements.
Balloons do not make decisions, so they are exempt from criticism. Strategists are not exempt. And certainly not the DNC.
I am volunteering every day. And will be until Nov 5. I have to answer potential voters. And persuade them. So I will sleep when I die and celebrate when we win.
I have much to say regarding the Jewish American family whose beloved son... hopefully is still alive...and the entire situation regarding the October festival and the warring between Israel and Palestine and related entities. I delated my words so as not to change the joy and hope offered by Kamala Harris.
I hear you. My heart is ripped apart concerning the entire situation! I love all people and to see families being slaughtered .....this should go before the United Nations courts!!!
NOTHING!!! should keep us from electing Kamala Harris as our next President of the USA!!!! She is the one!!! She will need our full support!!!!
There was a tap-dance around the problem of Gaza. The balloons are silly but expected. Plastic and other pollution problems, to say nothing of T. rex in the room Climate change must be addressed, but perhaps that was not the day to retire the balloons, just to keep the focus on the new direction. I expect to differ, as I always do, with Democratic administration policies, but no matter what, Democrats must defeat Trump and crew of pseudo-religious fascists. The nation and the ecosphere might not survive if the "GOP" cruel crackpot agenda is enacted.
As I have found useful often in the past, I turned to Amy Goodman's Democracy Now, and was rewarded with their video of some of the uncommitted and spokespeople for the Palestinians who I think would have been great to include with the parents of the hostage.
Unfortunately they didn't include anything I could see on what the Jewish Voice for Peace group was doing earlier.
"...The Uncommitted National Movement secured a historic victory when they successfully organized the first-ever panel addressing Palestinian rights at the DNC. Co-chairwoman Layla Elabeld spoke alongside Dr. Tanya Haj-Hassan, who volunteered to treat Palestinians during the genocide and has spoken out again and again against Israel’s intentional targeting of healthcare workers and infrastructure in Gaza.
These are all critical signs of the growing pressure our movements are building on Harris and the DNC, and a testament to the powers of grassroots organizing and the growing influence of the Palestinian solidarity movement. But it is not enough. We will continue building and pushing for real and concrete policy change: an arms embargo now to save Palestinian lives..."
It takes time and patience to allow passions to cool and rational voices to be heard, I hope they can work harder on raising the effectiveness of the peacemakers on both sides, working together.
"...the most solemn portion of the evening was an address by the parents of an American Israeli hostage, Hersh Goldberg-Polin, who has been held in Gaza since October 7th. Polin’s parents, Jon Polin and Rachel Goldberg, wore pieces of tape with the number 320, marking the number of days their son has been held hostage. As they spoke, the convention hall was largely silent. In his remarks, Jon Polin also called for an end to the war in Gaza.
JON POLIN: There is a surplus of agony on all sides of the tragic conflict in the Middle East. In a competition of pain, there are no winners. In our Jewish tradition, we say, ”Kol adam olam um lo’o,” “Every person is an entire universe.” We must save all these universes. In an inflamed Middle East, we know the one thing that can most immediately release pressure and bring calm to the entire region: a deal that brings this diverse groups of 109 hostages home and ends the suffering of the innocent civilians in Gaza.
AMY GOODMAN: Jon Polin, the father of American Israeli hostage Hersh Goldberg-Polin, addressing the Democratic National Convention last night...
...REP. RUWA ROMMAN: Good evening, everybody. My name is Ruwa Romman. I am a Georgia state representative. I am an elected Democrat. I come from the swing state of Georgia.
We are not here to create any divisions. As my colleagues have said over and over and over again, the only reason we are here — the only reason we are here — is to ensure that Donald Trump will never make it to the White House, and save the lives of the people that we love. It’s about the fact that today I watched my party say, “Our tent can fit anti-choice Republicans,” but it can’t fit an elected official like me? I do not understand. I do not understand why being a Palestinian has become disqualifying in this country.
I don’t know how much more we have to prove. All of us have decade-or-more-long résumés working for this party, because we know that this party is the only one that’s ever tried to meet the promise of our country. We are here to literally save the soul of our party. I do not understand why that is a bad thing.
This would have truly and sincerely been a beautiful gesture to show this party cares about the cries of an Israeli child the same way they care about the cries of a Palestinian child. We are not asking for too much. All we wanted was to be on that stage and show people desperate for hope there is something to hope for..."
At our college I worked at until 2012, we had several Syrian and Palestinian students who had understandable complaints about some Israeli abuses but also had some that were like the more numerous Israeli students and friends who are also for a fair peace and two state solution promised back in 1948.
It is harder for the fewer Palestinian peace proponents to get some of the same level of recognition as even the
Foreign policy and relations don't turn on a dime. And if we, the American people are listening...the Biden/Harris administration have condemned Netanyahu in his retaliation against Hamas that has killed so many innocents, have publically pushed and pushed, have slowed weapons delivery, have tried solutions to the famine...has pushed several peace plans and may have almost had one until Netanyahu met with DT. I am just not sure what you expect? Israel, though under Netanyahu has deteriorated through their aggressive settlements, is our ally. She said Palestinians should govern themselves. So I am asking.... Shall we colonialize Israel? Should we overthrow the government? I am asking knowing that I probably am not seeing all sides
You might research the Leahy Laws and Biden's National Security Memorandum 20. Both require the US to pause delivery of offensive weapons to states which are in violation of international humanitarian law or have failed to present credible evidence of compliance. Analysts in both the Department of Defense and State Department have noted evidence of violations and noted the lack of credible evidence of compliance. There has not been even a public or reported threat of any significant pausing of delivery, let alone an actual significant pause. (Maybe some ammunition to a couple of IDF units implicated in abuses on the West Bank.)
You might look at Israeli newspaper Haaretz. Especially for information about Netanyahu and his extremist administration.
Heather, It is a rare privilege for an authority of the American 19th century to be personally present at a major turning point in American political history.
It must have been exhilarating to experience something that echoed the significance of what occurred at the Chicago Republican convention that resulted in Lincoln, the underdog, winning the presidential nomination on the third ballot.
I suspect that this is why, after you had completed your boots-on-the-ground involvement in the Kamala/Coach political tsunami, at 4:34 you did not mention what we had witnessed but, rather, provided the Lincoln historical example.
You must be tingling after the emotions and exhilaration of your first physical presence at a presidential political convention. You certainly chose a lalapalooza!
I and your multitude of students await your saga on experiencing how modern-day history has exploded. A decade or generation hence, historians will be writing about the decisiveness of Kamala/Coach at a critical moment in American history.
Weren’t we all there in spirit and attention? Now it’s work time. What we need is to push the tsunami with every means at our individual disposals: money, phoning, writing, poll working, and any other category I can’t think of.
What a historic occasion, I heard Kamala Harris’ speech tonight, and it was truly impressive. The charge is on. I’m sure that any little slip will be grossly enlarged, where Trump seems to get the forever free pass from the press. But the momentum is with the Harris team and from what I have seen of Trump of late, he seems diminished and diminishing. Onward Democracy.
Well, there was plenty of him on ABC News, which we watched before convention coverage began, and we switched to PBS, which I thought was wonderful this week.
Wonderful history lesson...those 10,000 in Chicago in 1860 would have their minds blown by what we all witnessed the last 4 days on so many levels...a black woman at the top of the ticket...DJ's and bands...football players...televised to the nation at one time...
As the Professor points out in innumerable ways, that is what is magical about this nation at its best. The founders deliberately created a structure for a nation that could - and would - become something so different from anything they themselves could ever imagine.
For all the contradictions, they planted a seed; something that could grow and mature, even though that's not to everyone's liking. But time is a one-way ticket, and if you aren't growing you're dead.
People forget that Darwin did NOT champion survival of the fittest, in fact he endorsed nothing of the sort. He championed survival of the most adaptable.
Will, you may have just explained why so many people are growing/studying/reading/getting to know more about fungi of all sorts. They are models of adaptability! I like this source: "Entangled Life: How Fungi Make Our Worlds, Change Our Minds & Shape Our Futures" by Merlin Sheldrake. A newly circulating version of documentary film "Fantastic Fungi": https://fantasticfungi.com/pages/screenings.
Looks like for $4 you can watch the original 2019 on Apple TV, YouTube or Amazon Prime. This 2024 remastered version was available briefly at the launch I think, but doesn't seem to be available now except where it's in select theatres.
Oh for a good mushroom burger like the one I had in a strip mall in Richmond, VA, in 2012. Or the crayfish in mushroom sauce I ate in my first (way out in the country) Michelin restaurant in France.
We have visited the Armillaria solidipes in Malheur County, Oregon. Also known as Honey Mushroom, it's the largest organism on earth, if you count Australia's Posidonia australis as a sea organism.
Many will work very hard for Kamala and Tim to win -- and to win in a landslide.
But after that? Do schools remain the same? So K-12 across the land remains hostage to the linear, categorical, dehumanized assembly line machinery which the billionaires of standardized testing have wrought? So higher ed remains a series of neutered specialist silos all divorced from each other, from the human, and from nature?
Do you see any signs, Will, that Americans want to put the human, the humanities, and the natural back in our schools?
Republicans have sunk deep in their cult, slovenly deep in their criminal-in-chief's criminality. Will a good drubbing by Kamala, Tim, and revitalized Dems and decent others suffice to rid them and their poisons from our democracy? Will four more seats added to the currently deeply corrupt Clarence court restore some decency there? Can a restored America offset the surge of autocracy, oligarchy, nihilism around the world?
Can good things add up, happen, while our schools remain in servitude to our nihilist rich and but dutifully submissive to their plans only to grow the wealth gap for themselves and their oligarch, murderous, autocrat peers worldwide?
Phil, re: putting the human, the humanities, and the natural back in our schools:
In Falmouth MA, on Cape Cod, some schools have become sites for homeowners to bring kitchen waste to compost bins that are emptied by Black Earth Compost, which services RI, NH and MA. Gradual influence, as children come to understand how we've been mischaracterizing 'waste' and showing us how to harvest our discards so they become a resource.
So much of education is local. CO pays for public schools, charter schools and even religious schools. In the 1950's-60's, the states used to compete against each others' testing scores because everything was standardized. Now only the basics are standardized and education has become so very broad. And one administration at the top cannot change everything that needs changing. It's up to THE PEOPLE to be involved and have hope, rather than just sounding an alarm of dispair. I see that hope in the non-boomer generations now getting involved, and taking over, and I'm personally happy to see this.
Getting involved at the local level is key. Holding consequences only for those prominents at the top of the chain gang is a.backwards. We definitely need to take back our school systems , our local governments, our dignity. Field trips, recess, gym, while building like Walz did with teachers and a curriculum that emphasizes these hard taught lessons…earthy substantive collaboration…soup kitchens, biology at the basic levels which interests the young minds and points the way for natural curiosity. And history…do ancestry/dna study and find whose family trees are pride filled with interesting stories. Children are naturally inquisitive …deadened by a bunch of stiff stuffed white shirts…and abstract BS ..😓😰😉
Let their creativity experience voting booths , changing president roles, vp and such positions so they get a taste of reality . Little minds are sponges. Make school fun again. See the bully in the group ! and focus on why they are that way…home environment !
Can we back away from the brink for a tad, AND elect some power into the school boards. May take a day or two. Plenty of first steps being contemplated as we post.
Yes! Actually, I'm not sure he championed it, but rather gave us an explanation for why some survive because of an often surprising characteristic they have, while others who seem so sturdy fall by the wayside. I wish more would understand this, so as to avoid the error of believing might is right. It is also why it's essential to protect our environment, as this plays a major role in whether survival is even possible.
I am not sure that "champion" is quite the right word, but yes adaptability is critically useful to survival. Adaptability involves a relevant bend of specialization and diversification. Darwin figured out the mechanics. we humans need to pay attention to the role of diversity in resilience.
Many other issues don't either, like infrastructure projects, climate change mitigation, fiscal responsibility and others.
But DonOLD makes them political whenever a bill is passed which helps a majority of Americans. He also takes credit for bills passed under Obama like the Veterans Bill he's lied so many times about passing.
Well as much as I have tried here to be supportive of what happened over the past four days (which is in fact quite astounding given where we were just a short month ago) I am going to have to call people out for nonsensical misspellings of candidates' names, no matter how much you hate them. DonOLD is just unnecessary, as is RepubliKan seen in other posts here. I am NOT in disagreement about your sentiments, but I feel you infantilize your own positions by adding infantile and unnecessary words to your posts. You can attack me back as you have in other threads, but it pretty much is ignored, because I take this serious and obviously you and others who do this, do not. I would appreciate your positions MUCH better if you took this as seriously as it actually is.
I don't recall "attacking" anyone Jon, and if you took a response that way, I am sorry. I appreciate your position but I am still going to use CFDT (convicted felon Donald Trump) as a reminder if only to myself that he is a criminal who has NEVER suffered any consequences for his actions. Furthermore, I will continue to use TFFG as Trump is the former guy and we should never forgot what a terrible person he is as well as the fact that he accomplished nothing to make America great. As far as DonOLD goes, the media and many of the party members chased Biden out of office when they have said very little about his progressive mental decline. He may also have PTSD from the alleged assassination attempt which may be speeding up his mental decline.
I'm sure it bothers him that very few GOP politicians are supporting him and JD.
But, you are right. Dr. Richardson's comment section is almost completely in agreement on Trump/JD and Harris/Walz as well as the dangers of Project 2025 and the Republican members of the Supreme Court.
It's still may be possible that Amy Comey-Barrett's inner Sandra Day O'Connor may emerge, but those are big shoes to fill. But she will never ever be an RBG.
Thank you for bringing your concerns to me and my apologies for offending/attacking you in the past.
Apologies ABSOLUTELY accepted and not even necessary but appreciated! We can disagree on the Biden issue, I personally was pushing for him to step aside way back in February and it is clear to me from the hugely positive response to Harris that he has done the right thing. I loved Biden and supported him but I also saw the turn in the body politic very early (back in February) and was hugely fearful that stayng with him given his age and apparent mental struggles could sink the democratic party this year. I totally agree trump is worse but at the same time I do NOT want to see the GOP change their candidate because I think trump is easier to beat with harris than someone else like Nikki Haley or even Vance (god forbid!) Let trump decline all he can, I am fine with him as the opposition because I think he is the easier one to beat!
Jon - The NY Times especially Ezra Klein were on the dump Biden bandwagon soon after the 2022 election. And MSNBC kept mentioning Biden's age starting in earnest in early 2024. Hopefully, it all works out that not only will Kamala/Walz win the election in a landslide, they are able to control both the House and the Senate. Pelosi did the right thing when she stepped aside and perhaps Schumer needs to turn over the reigns of the Senate to someone else. McConnell has typified the GOP's lack of ideas and it will be interesting to see which old guy they select as their leader.
Early voting will be starting soon and hopefully the Democrats will vote early as who knows how difficult it will be to vote or have your registration reinstated in many of the red states.
Meanwhile in Florida… the State is trying to turn our State Parks into Golf Courses!!! Giving us citizens only one week notice for a public hearing, in the middle of the afternoon during Hurricane season - when we are experiencing afternoon lightening & thunderstorms!!! 😡
Go to the public meetings on Tuesday, August 27th. Each one is listed below. They have been scheduled for the same day, same time, so choose the park closest to you (geographically and spiritually.)
Can't make it? Send an email to the state legislators representing these State Park areas. The pre-written email urges them to take a strong position and to show up and stand with their communities at the DEP meetings. Click here to send those emails: https://floridaspringscouncil.good.do/protectstateparks
Thank you, Kathy, for this helpful info. I heard the announcement this morning about this horrible decision and was shocked, to say the least. NPR did say that a lot of the Republican legislators are opposing it, and I hope that is correct. But I will circulate these emails to all the Floridians I know who care about our environment.
I did the action above and called my Florida GOP Rep and Senator.The Senator’s aide told me they were getting many calls and emails. I also called Senator Passidomo’s office and thanked for her support as she is opposed to development.
So typical of the FL legislature. I don't understand the point of any public hearing in FL because the entire Republicans coalition in the legislature is deaf. FL has sunshine laws to prevent railroading like this but DeSantis doesn't give a damn about any laws that he didn't sign into law.
"The minutiae of politics had given the country a candidate who would change the course of history."
I get the feeling Kamala Harris is such a candidate, that a single poor debate performance by Biden has given the nation the leader it needs at this moment, the way the nation needed Lincoln in 1860.
"...and in another breath, the storm was there. There were thousands cheering with the energy of insanity.”
Except this time it's the energy of sanity returned.
As much as I am appreciative of the support many are giving Harris, I think it is misleading to say this happened because of "a single poor debate performance". The debate merely clarified for many more what many of us had been seeing and saying for months (but few were listening). Biden had lost a few "steps" and he was certain to lose the election against Trump. The LATTER issue (losing the election) was even more important, IMHO, than the former. Biden wasn't a complete blithering idiot (as Trump occasionally seems to be) but he clearly was NOT the "best" we had in our "stable" of potential Presidents. I could have lived with another Biden term (at least the start of one, no idea how long he would have lasted) if I really thought he could win, but as the polls turned radically against him, it was clear we were in trouble. Thankfully, Biden also saw it (or someone on his team agreed with the people who were starting to speak out) and he got the proper "religion" and agreed to step aside, much as LBJ did in 1968 after losing primaries to RFK and Gene McCarthy.
I agree with all the rest of your comments. This has been a great moment in time for politics, and we are all the benefactors of this turn of events.
I agree with all you say, there was more than one bad night, though. I think that one bad night got many people off the fence , or around the corner, or whatever metaphor you wish, about the likely dire consequences if Biden stayed in the race.
I truly feel that we are in a moment where, if we do the next bit of work that we need to do, the future will crack wide open. Although the speakers of this week were beyond impressive in quantity of quality, this shift in our country was not led by them but by us. The public did not just make room for but outright demanded the leadership and policies that we so badly deserve.
Will, I never would have guessed your age is 29. You give me hope for the younger generation. My sons are your parents ages. Hard for me to grasp that I’m 81. But I’ve heard many people say age is just a number. I always enjoy reading your comments. Thank you.
Maybe ALL students get breakfast and lunch—NUTRITIOUS BREAKFAST AND LUNCH that complement each other nutritionally and with attention paid to climate change. If we could get Home Economics back in the curriculum, maybe Home Ec students could, with teachers’ guidance, prepare the breakfasts and lunches.
I was so impressed and delighted by Tim Walz’ school program that I wept. It’s time we got nutrition back into public schools—worst blow to AGA and Big Pharma and gift to Americans suffering from diabetes and nutritional deficiencies.
When Tim Walz talked about growing up in a town of four hundred people, I felt that. So did I.
When he said he was a child of a veteran, I nodded my head, knowing what it’s like to be a Navy brat myself.
When he said he was a gun owner and a hunter. Yep, that was my childhood.
When he talked about being a teacher, about his students, boy did I smile. Public school teachers are my people.
And no, I’ve never coached a high school football team, but my 6th grade students brought.home.the.trophies every year for our elementary Field Day!!
When he talked about his family benefiting from Social Security, I remember how that helped my grandparents back in the day, and how that is helping my widowed mother now.
And there are people in this country who want to take away that earned right?
When he talked about he and his wife struggling to get pregnant, I started crying. My husband and I have two IVF babies. What we went through…..I can’t express the agony. But seeing our son and daughter now, the joy they have given us, the family we have made, it was totally worth it.
It’s physically painful to think there are some who want to take this right away. In some states now, in fact, it is already illegal. Unbelievable!
By picking Walz as her VP, a man who is as kind as he as relatable, Harris has made it even more clear -crystal, sparkling clear- that her vision for America is a country where freedom and opportunity will ring, for everyone, from sea to shining sea.
(And ok, the fact that Walz’s speech was bookended by songs of both John Mellenkamp and Neil Young?? Are you kidding me? Chef’s kiss perfection right there!)
Kamala referred to Trump as ‘unserious,’ though his return to the White House would indeed be deadly serious.
My impression is that Trump now is a floundering old whale whose presidency was a fluke. Last night Kamala cast a wide net to eliminate this floundering fluke.
Never underestimate the minions who still hope to ride in on Trump's coat tail for the sake of money and power! He is just "the dummy".....or "the Trojan Horse".
Keith, do you think anyone will ever point out that on the last day of his term, he pardoned 143 criminals who for the most part were felons. 10 of those pardons went to Medicare/Medicaid Fraudsters who stole almost $2 billion from US.
Rick Scott bought his governorship and Senate seat with the money he stole from the system and is dead set on ending social security as we know it. His court records are sealed so we have no way to know how much HE stole from US.
Gary There is massive dirty Trump linen to be exposed—not to mention his and his family’s financial ties, especially in the Arabian Peninsula. As for Rick Scott—ditto.
There is plenty of dirty Trump linen, but I am not certain the pardons issued are a great source, given the vast more number of pardons issued by Obama. And we have yet to see what Biden will do when he leaves office. Time will tell.
Well, it is fair to point out that Obama provided almost 2,000 pardons or executive clemency orders, while Trump only provided 237 (admittedly in one term vs two terms for Obama, but still Obama did far more than twice as many). I am NOT castigating Obama here, and I found many of Trump's pardons to be unfortunate (for me at least) but in the end, this power is not controlled or restricted, to do so would require a constitutional amendment, which isn't going to happen any time soon.
Just pointing out that Democratic Presidents (at least since 1952, Eisenhower) have pardoned far more people than GOP Presidents (Eisenhower 1157, JFK (575), LBJ (1187), Nixon (926), Ford (409), Carter (566), Reagan (406), Bush I (77), Clinton (459), Bush II (200), Obama (1927), Trump (237), Biden (11 but he hasn't left office yet!). GOP (about 3400), Dems (about 4700). And that doesn't include the 200,000 Vietnam war draft pardons issued by Carter and about 6,000 pot pardons issued by Biden. (Source, wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_people_pardoned_or_granted_clemency_by_the_president_of_the_United_States )
Following on this letter, Now is also perfect moment to discuss the 200th anniversary of The Marquis de Lafayette’s return as our Nations guest 8/15/1824 for 13 months. He was a military general of the Revolutionary War who was key to bringing France to support the Colonists fighting the revolutionary war. Also to highlight his commitment to abolish slavery and honor alliances with the Oneida, who fought with Lafayette during the Revolutionary War. When he returned in 1824 to a country with deep divisions, all were eager to welcome, honor and thank him. His story has a lot to say about where we are today and our hope for The success of Kamala Harris and Tim Walz.
At last I found your appreciation of the Marquis de Lafayette. Do you know Giles Unger’s book about him?I read it years ago and learned so much about his life, including that Washington loved him as a son and that American presidents visited him in his dungeon cell in Prussia, that I would never otherwise have known. His “tour” was after his being jailed, so a true rehabilitation for him and his dreams of democracy.
I do not but I'm reading Mike Duncan's book Lafayette, Hero of Two Worlds. The Lafayette200.org events started in NY at Snug Harbor on 8/14/1824 where he arrived and waited to go to NYC on Monday 8/15/1824. The parade down Broadway was the very first "Canyon of Heroes" parade.
I felt the weight of history tonight, yet it paradoxically felt like a weight taken off.
What Kamala Harris said tonight - though the substance of her remarks were certainly effective - was less important that how she presented them. She was absolutely beaming with relatable humanity, yet also formed a perfect portrait of power. She presented as a person practically predestined to lead the world's largest democracy, largest economy, and largest fighting force, yet also as someone led by a passion not toward power only, but power for the sake of progress and prosperity. Her care and commitment for what she had to say and the country she needed to say it to were unmistakable. The fact she is a SHE was unremarked, because this fact of her groundbreaking both goes without saying but also is besides the point, which should remain her superlative qualifications and oratory. At the exact moment we needed a leader who possessed her qualities, she offered to us that leader. She is ready, and a nation and world is ready for her. It was a remarkable, unforgettable moment.
I (29) watched with my parents (66 and 75). We crowded into my bedroom as the sun went down outside on not just our day but an era of America, and not a moment too soon. The breeze blew in, not just through my window but over a country in need of a breath of fresh air. My Mom clapped and cried and said hope had come back to her. When the Walzes kicked the biggest balloons she declared them "just the cutest people!" My Dad watched intently and expressionless. At the end he got up, turned on a lamp, and with gusto simply declared "She seems like she's already President. Now the real work begins."
Boy, is he ever right.
Will, you are wise beyond your years and a shoutout to your parents for raising such a beautiful young man. Like your mother, I, too, have felt the joy seep back into my soul, the thing that has been absent for so long. The days of doom and gloom are over. It’s time to remember that we are a nation of immigrants, all, and when we work together for the benefit of all, they cannot stop us.
Great comment. Anti-immigrant sentiment is fueling the rise of authoritarians, but in this country, being anti-immigrant is fundamentally un-American. Here, immigrants have the unique opportunity to become Americans, something that's rare elsewhere. Most other nations weren't founded by immigrants and don't offer the same path to national identity.
Seems like it’s sort of why there are always others ready to try out what we offer. Even when the path is fraught with danger, they still line up. There are always stories of immigrants who have done well. Elon is one although not the best example of the American dream. Still they come…as did my ancestors
JD: And although immigrants may or may not do well here, their children generally do. Kamala is the perfect example.
My parents came to this country as teens, with an 8th grade education, no money and not knowing a word of English. My brother and I are both college grads--and engineer and a nurse. But life was always a struggle for my parents
Can’t imagine how hard that was. My parents were second generation. They had precious little education but we always heard how important it was. We listened and their progeny are educated and successful although hard work has not been a stranger. Sadly, some have succumbed to MAGAt coolaid and seem to have severed their roots. May they wilt or reconnect.
My grandparents came from Ukraine and Russia-no money-only the shirts on their backs. I know my grandfather worked on a farm. With saving, they bought a 2 family house, had lots of CDs and money. My dad went to college and got a masters, bought a house in a fairly wealthy suburb, retired comfortably and did lots of recreational travelling. They did not go into shady real estate deals or brothels. Maybe those were the people we did not want.
Those lined up at the border believe that at their core.
As a poster I saw at a demonstration said: "Without immigrants, Trump would have NO family." Also, minor point, he wouldn't exist as his mother was an immigrant! But, of course, all of this immigrant relatives had the correct level of melanin.
Wife #1 and wife#3 were all immigrants. Ivana wasn't even a citizen when Ivanka was born. The jury is out as to whether Melania was an undocumented worker. Different sources say different things.
"... being anti- immigrant is fundamentally un-American."
Sadly, I don't think that is true. Look at the anti-Irish sentiment during the great blight migration (signs saying No Irish need apply), anti-Italian in the late 19th century, anti- Chinese, anti-Hispanic.
Any large influx of labor threatens the staus quo and results in resenrment.
But “I’ve been here longer than you” seems to justify unjustifiable hatred. We have always needed an influx of labor it seems, now as much as ever. Sadly, it takes about 60 years for the obvious to become accepted. Maybe it just threatens the ability of the “powers-that-be” to orchestrate the hierarchy…
Bill L, I think both are true. Resentment of the other (more commonly called racism) does not negate the fact that we are almost entirely a nation of immigrants.
I grew up seeing signs in windows saying "we do not serve Indians"
I may be wrong, but didn't the immigrants take the jobs that no one wanted "black " jobs. Working on the railroad or sewing factories couldn't have been much fun.
"Being anti immigrant is fundamentally un-American" I love it! May I steal it?
Except for the regenerating indigenous nations that have always been here, every nation in the Americas was founded by immigrants. That's why to indigenous people, we are settlers no matter how long it has been since our ancestors came and stole the land we now call ours. Most countries have a standard process for becoming citizens - not particularly rare or unique.
I wonder how the orange traitor's wife feels about his disdain for immigrants?
I somehow missed her DNC speech last night…
“CHICAGO (The Borowitz Report)—In the latest sign that Kamala Harris is expanding her coalition, on Wednesday Melania Trump announced that she will speak on the final night of the Democratic National Convention.
Explaining her decision to speak, Mrs. Trump said, "None of us can stand another four years of Donald Trump."
“I DO care—don’t you?” she added.
Indicating that she planned to steer clear of the personal attacks that have typified the Republican campaign, she said, "When they go worst, we go best."
Melania said she is already contemplating what her life might look like after Donald Trump, adding, “I may get cat.”
https://www.borowitzreport.com/p/melania-to-speak-on-final-night-of?r=fqsxl&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web
Kathy, I also like the meme of Melania standing over a plot of grass in heels while holding a shovel, saying "I dig grave for husband now." 🤣
Bipartisanship at its best - Michelle would be happy to push him in.
In fact, it could be "the biggest crowd ever!!!"
I don't get that, but Stephanie Grisham certainly did on night 2! Melanie was spoofed on the Colbert show i think. Here's Stephanie... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iCjnETy3p2A&t=6s
It makes me feel a bit better in my thinking that all republicans are not trumpers who are too gullible or uneducated to know what is happening to them OR they want something like the power which they believe trump can give them. trump is like a lobbyist. He wants something from Congress. NRA gives the politicians money (or in the case of Thomas expensive vacations). Trump says he will give them votes so they can keep their cushy jobs in Washington.
too funny!
Melania has been looking for the exit ramp for some time now... with Baron.
Very Funny! LOL
Hilarious!!😆
She is paid to love whatever he spews.
She is trash just like him.
Her “I don’t care, do you” coat said it all. Two evil peas in a rancid pod.
JD, rancid indeed. I see him as a festering cancer who has spread rot all over the land with the help of Melanoma and his other aiders and abetters.
Why? For the right, she is the right color - it is not just anti-immigrant, it is an anti-immigrant of certain races, religions and incomes.
She doesn’t really care. She got hers and her parent(s)taken care of. Her son is a US citizen and she’s got her renegotiated pre nup. So she’s set. Screw the other guy.
Trump has made it clear that immigrants from Europe are just fine, especially Norway but presumably Slovenia is okay, depending on “credentials.”
It is like one saying I am not a racist because I have a black friend. Or as some might say to a black friend "your different".
I’ve wondered the same for many moons
But never doubt that they will try with all their money, manipulation and deceit. Just be ready and stead when it comes.
Never forget that the threat comes from inside the house. Evil is always busy
"Hope is a thing with feathers..." Emily Dickinson
Very well told' Will. Much national trauma from 1968 was soothed by Kamala last night. She is ready for the People' of the United States of America. I am 76 & approved as a November Election worker, 'Put me in Coach [Walz], I'm ready to play, Today'.
I'll be wavin' at ya from my table at my voting center!
6'2'' & white hair
I am going to work at the polls for the first time ever! I am so excited. I just have to remember not to wear my t-shirt with trump hair on it that says nope. I had it for the last election. I'm getting my money's worth.
I’m 80 and with ya , thanks Bryan…
Bryan You are the cream at the top of a lawyer’s milk bottle. From the courtroom to the election booth—-a 100% American!
Kamala: " ... to uphold the awesome responsibility that comes with the greatest privilege on Earth, the privilege & pride of being an American."
Political parties are clearly a blessing and a curse. A curse when partisanship tr#mps the needs of the nation. Ms. Harris has pledged to do things right.
Political parties are like muffin pans. They are structures that in the end only produce results of the same quality as the ideas and people they are filled with.
Too bad that all the soul and brains seem to have migrated solely to the one party in the US, but I guess we'll just have to make double the amount of muffins with the one pan.
Over the last couple of centuries, political parties have evolved as a kind of check-and-balance for each other. The concept of a loyal opposition is as necessary to a functioning democracy as all of our rules, laws, mores, and the parties themselves.
The Republican party is in the process of dying. MAGAs cannot fill the role of loyal opposition, as they are not loyal to democracy or the United States. Until we can repair/return to some kind of balance in our political system, we are in grave danger of becoming a one party system, prey to all the excesses and corruption history has shown us comes from all governmental systems with no effective oversight.
Last night, the Democrats held the line for democracy. Hallelujah!
You hit the nail on the head with loyal opposition. The Harris campaign has been brilliant with inviting and embracing non-MAGA Republicans, Independents, and Undecideds. (Independents were 26% of voters in 2022.) Republicans for Harris Zoom, and now the Republican and Independent (Oprah) speakers repeatedly created that permission structure for viewers to vote for democracy over party. They are the margin, and change happens at the margins.
I'm Independent so I can talk more easily to former or left leaning members of my old party that I would rather see just temporarily sign up with modern versions of the Opposition Coalition that formed in 1854 to become the House Majority in the 34th Congress.
To me, they were united in important principles more any particular party loyalty. I do believe there are more Independents in most states than Republicans. We need as many of their votes as we can get, and owe them the same consideration for any who support our most common goals.
The Biden Harris administration did so much evenhanded infrastructure work in their states that my old party members try to claim so much credit for, despite having ruthlessly voted against it every time they could.
Jim, maybe out of the ashes a new Republican Party can form -- "My Old Party." They could "MOP" up the myriad messes made when they chose to follow "the chauffeur."
Stuart Stephen’s, a former Republican operative, says it has all been a lie. The Republicans have been lying to voters for years. Infrastructure improvements are recent examples.
The first thing the Republican party must do if it wants to survive is admit that it is not in control. That's Step One. Then it will have eleven more steps to go.
In Texas they have no qualms about stealing credit for any democratic program or action. With no attribution of course.
Oprah wearing her purple outfit & Kenzinger in Prime Time. I kept lookin' for Tom Paine but, common sense was present.
At the margins, where change happens -- YES and stretching into beyond spaces like Pete Buttigieg going onto Fox News which reminds me why I go to meetings where I'd not be expected or recognized as belonging but where my opinion counts to represent views the 'powers that be' don't anticipate. (Like Military-Civilian Community Council Meetings looking at big-picture planning for uses of Joint Base Cape Cod.) Michelle Obama's words echo in my mind, "Do something", I'm wondering what that is.
How we can "Do Something:"
Be strategic in our donations and our labor.
As David Pepper writes, state legislatures are the Laboratories of Autocracy, so it is critical that we support Democratic candidates in state races.
https://statesproject.org/get-involved/give-smart/
https://www.grapevine.org/giving-circle/1XQhnyD/-
Before even getting to candidates, we need to have people registered to vote for those candidates, especially Democratic candidates. That's the specialty of Field Team 6, which has opportunities for donations to support the work, and a variety of grassroots work of phone banking, text banking, writing postcards, etc. to register Democratic voters.
https://www.fieldteam6.org/all-volunteer-ops
We can support Kamala Harris for President by:
1. Any ActBlue donation to her campaign
2. Donations and/or grassroots work for Democratic majority in the Senate and House to pass Harris-Walz legislation. Swing Left does this strategically:
https://swingleft.org/
I have a democratic computer. My state is so blue you need a winter coat. I would love to have an relatively intellectual conversation with a trumper and get his views. There is this flagrant trumper guy Graham something or other who has a blog type thing. So I made a comment and gave my reasons, and surprisingly got several civilized comments with the respondents giving their point of view. No name calling, very polite. I think I will continue making comments. This wouldn't be considered trolling, would it?
If we get out the millions of unregistered folk who trend Democratic, and those that failed to vote in 2020, we win.
https://www.fieldteam6.org/
AbrahamLincoln would be appalled at Trump's policy, which is, "to give as much 'offence' to others, leave them in a fearful, mean-spirited mood to come to us, and they shall be compelled to give up their lives for the love of ME."
And people say he doesn’t have a detailed policy. You nailed it, just add Project 2025
The Democratic Party is a Big Tent, but we are holding this coalition solely to save democracy and the right to vote for self-governance instead of being ruled.
The factions within the party will NOT hold going forward, they will evolve according to priorities and interests (and skill in leadership).
The "fatal flaw" I see with the GOP - this iteration - was its anti-American drumbeat of hate - treating everyone not a rich, straight, white male as "the enemy." The "Moral Majority" backed the "reality TV" celebrity with NO MORALS in order to have power. They caught the car by overturning ROE. They deserve to be eliminated.
As for the margins, North Carolina is probably THE prime example of what happens as a result of allowing the extremists to emerge from the party primary system. The GOP slate is full of lunatics who are completely unqualified and like 45's Cabinet appointees, hostile to the job functions of the positions they are seeking. Their intent is to burn the entire system down.
We have a LOT of true educating to do, to prevent these grifters and hatemongers from resurrecting. In their eyes, a stranger is an enemy, instead of a potential ally and neighbor. The caste system has a lot to do with that mindset. Isabel Wilkerson's books should be essential reading.
"History, despite its wrenching pain, cannot be unlived, but if faced with courage, need not be lived again."
- Maya Angelou, On the Pulse of Morning
Independents 26% of voters in 2022... but aren't independents the single largest electoral block? 49% a year ago! Nearly half didn't even vote. Here's a table. https://www.axios.com/2023/04/17/poll-americans-independent-republican-democrat
Wow, this is a very big shift from D or R to Independent over the past 19 years. It begs the question of the numbers of D versus R who shifted.
Steve, I'd like to see four American political parties that adhere to the missions of the founders.
A very "right" party that champions fiscal responsibility.
A "center right" party that is fiscally careful but embraces government's limited role. But also buys into infrastructure investments and universal voting rights.
A "center left" party that believes in leveling the playing field for all Americans and welcomes immigration as an infusion of much needed hard working enthusiastic workers.
A very "far left" party that is ready to assume responsibility for our total infrastructure by regulating and perhaps assuming ownership of our natural resources, utilities and complete supervision of industries that contribute to environmental destruction.
In my fantasy world, all four parties would pledge to keep all forms of religion out of the public domain while protecting the rights of all "believers" or non believers to worship privately as they wish. All four parties would be unified in defending the US and other nations - protecting democracy from the ambitions and horrors of autocrats (Russia, Iran, etc.) All four parties would believe in reproductive freedom. All four parties would eliminate the influence of big dark money in elections. Young people would be registered to vote automatically when they got a Social Security Card. Voting would be required. These principles are basic to a civilized society.
And lastly, as a "far lefty" I want a country where I can sit with a "far righty" and have a beer. I would listen respectfully while she explained her concerns about the national debt. He would hear my plea for ending fossil fuel dependency. We would debate intensely. Then clink our mugs, toast to living in a fine nation, and ask for another round. Then we would talk about food, dogs and grandchildren.
Cheers! Presupposing the trained monkeys, spouting only the dogma they’ve been taught, disappear back under their rocks.
Sounds close to heaven on earth to me.
Well you forgot and left out the Cosmo Dimonic Religio-Facist Party. They need a seat, too, don’t they, lol?
My husband and I have talked about the "loyal opposition" for quite a while now, and as we see the destruction of the old republican party, it'll be interesting to see what grows in it's place. We do need at least 2 more parties , with clear statements as to their beliefs. Dems know what we want. Colorado has more independent voters than dems or magites/republicans and there is now a proposal on the November ballot to basically do away with party voting. in primaries and elections -- ranked voting. I like the idea of everyone voting in the primaries as well as general elections, but I'm not for ranked voting. I think if someone wins by a small margin of direct voters, we should know that.
Joyce, I for one would like to SEE actual results of ranked voting used somewhere. If one person wins outright, even by a small margin, does it actually go on to count second (and/or third) choices? Or perhaps that's what is left to hash out before an election is actually held via ranked choice voting. It seems that was kind of what Lincoln and his allies engineered into his election; the more broadly approved 2nd best choice! As a New Yorker living nearby Seward's home, it would seem Seward was clearly a thoughtful, well-educated and judicious politician sufficiently widely enough recognized to have developed some vigorous opponents with Lincoln having less wide recognition at the time.
New York has some local elections using ranked choice voting. HCR's home state of Maine is the forerunner, with Alaska close behind.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ranked-choice_voting_in_the_United_States
We also need to expand our horizons beyond the current duopoly. Both the electoral college and the unconscious insistence upon a two party system are like the human body's appendix, obsolete at best, problematic at worst
And the FtWorth Star-Telegram had a headline that reduced it to democrats only caring about the freedom to get an abortion. How dismissive can you get.
Ridiculous. If that's all that they boil it down to, they've completely missed the point!
Deliberately skewed. Texas pols and media are experts.
It’s Fort Worth for Christ’s sake. What do you expect from a bunch of ignorant hicks?
Amen🙏🇺🇸
I think Adam Kinzinger will bring some friends to eat muffins with you.
We know how to immunize children against smallpox and polio. But when will every elementary school student be immune against what Dr. Bandy X. Lee calls “Trump contagion?”
If on day one of middle school, it is readily apparent that every elementary school’s primary objective—graduates who demonstrate in every word and deed a commitment to treating others they way they would want to be treated if the shoe was on the other foot—has been achieved, then those children are immunized against the authoritarian impulse, and they are the children of the revolution.
In 2025, when Democrats are in control of all three branches of government, and the Republican party is purging reprobates from its leadership positions, it will seem again like politics is in harmony.
To those who prefer to divide and conquer, to wait until discord inevitably emerges in an unforeseeable novel context, to those who will once again try to fool people into believing that it’s “us” against “them,” you will have limited success. You can fool some people all the time, but “you won’t fool the children of the revolution.” —T. Rex.
But as W said. “You can fool some of the people all the time, and those are the ones you want to concentrate on.” And they have. Use the Golden Rule to immunize against our social polio
And Mamala is a GREAT COOK!
Man, you can really write! Thank you!
I'll take 90 million this time around
Wow!
https://www.hmdb.org/m.asp?m=180575
In many states there are more independents than either Democrats or Republicans. We are fortunate to have one of the Senators who declares himself as an Independent. Since there is no longer a party that embraces conservative values what is the draw to being a Republican?
When each Republican administration drags us deeper and deeper into debt ($7.9 trillion under DonOLD), how do they expect us to believe they are fiscally responsible much less conservative.
Ya know? I think that the Democratic Party has broadened to occupy the center and a bit of conservatism. I still feel like I'm a fiscal conservative, yet I feel comfortable with Democratic leadership.
What's not conservative about investing in improving the means of production? That's what every serious business does. The revolutionary component of that is identifying human capital as the key source of American wealth.
It seems to me that non-ideological, non-partisan liberalism and conservatism are partners and can cooperate constructively even within a single cranium, so long is there is fealty, so far as we are able, to discovering, disclosing, and acting in compliance with truth.
Very clear and balanced on the subject of Israel/Gaza. And didn't hide her personal collaboration with the President on matters of State.
Yes, she threaded THAT needle well.
What I am seeing is that the republicans are jumping on Kamala's switching stances on waitress's tips and building the wall. It goes without saying these people clearly have forgotten all about trump's flip flopping. Hey, he even was a democrat once!
Tribal loyalties are eternally necessary and dangerous, for sure!
I agree wholeheartedly🙏 I watched the whole DNC for 4 wonderful, joyous days & nights🤩 Thank you Joe for putting this LADY in to take over the fight!🇺🇸
Dee, you're only going to make DonOLD mad. You know he looks at ratings and it's people like you that get his dander up.
I hear they only give DonOLD one ketchup packet at a time now.
In those hermetically sealed packets you can't open without scissors.
Dee, you mean this bad ass lady. She was tougher than Trump ever pretended to be.
It seems President Biden gifted us with one more shrewd act of political maneuvering. His endorsement of Harris was instantly embraced by his party and likely the country giving us the leader we need at this moment. Like the careful placement of delegations at Lincoln's convention, that should go down in history as the work of a master. Thanks again Joe!
Cameron, while a shrewd move, methinks Joe was actually heavily pressed to "do the right thing" in giving up what he saw as the most cherished position of his life's work! It proved to be not only shrewd but a brilliant choice for the country and an opportunity to show the country how a politician of and for the people elevates his love for country over his personal aspirations!
INDEED! Thank you for this brilliant move, Joe!
This week, we Anderson’s devoted more time to the convention than time spent in the entire history of conventions in our lifetimes. It feels like the dawning of a new age, one desperately needed for the protection of freedom in the world.
Thanks to the Professor for faithfully documenting the progress through the week. What a week it has been. We have renewed hope for the future!
After the quick glances that were all I could bear of the earpatch "convention", I found myself eagerly glued to the whole of this one. I wish the press would stop telling us about all the technical problems - I wasn't aware of them.
There were tech problems? If so, the power of the messages, the emotions, the enthusiasm masked them.
I was out of town, yet I managed to see more of the convention than I've watched in decades!
Will from Cal,
Your words...so beautifully .....so precisely chosen ....mirror my own deep joy that a human being such as Kamala Harris is stepping up.....is willing to take on the job of becoming "President of the United States of America"!!!
And Yes....NOW THE REAL WORK BEGINS!
I live in the state of SC but was born in NC, where I have a small farm and some relatives and friends. During COVID, I always watched advice from NC Governor Roy Cooper and his excellent, very professional team. He was serious about watching over the people in the state he governed.
It was great to see him last night praising and honoring Kamala Harris. His words were true.
I, though a very regular citizen of this great nation would like to encourage Kamala Harris....who I believe will become our next President, to consider a place for Governor Roy Cooper who will be stepping down from his current position as governor of NC. He is smart...he is a good man and there is nothing wrong with ambition!!!
He saved NC from McCrory. He needs to be used to keep up the good work
Nice job Will! But I have to say that all the exuberance and balloons in the world are insufficient without a really hard slog: Dems (especially white Dems) historically don't bother to vote. And they rely on others to do the hard work for them. If Dems had gone to the polls even in the same numbers as Rethuglicans in the last 12 years, voting DOWN ballot as well as up, the USA would be in a very different place than it is now. Getting people to vote when they are too lazy or whiney to do so is the hard work. In 2020, 47% of registered Dems voted. Without supposed Independents and Black women, Biden would not have won. We. Need. To. Bury. The. Other. Side.
Well said, Linda. The down ballot voting is crucial. Vote every election, every time.
There is always a PARADOX in the disappearing act !
Thank you, Will. I feel the snapshot of you and your parents last night evoke the snapshot of many of us. And, like your father, I say: “the work begins”. While remaining ever grateful to Joe, I think we can say those words with renewed energy and joy!
Will, you should start your own blog. You have the writer’s instinct. Well said.
Wow, you captured it, Will.
This needs to go national. Like, an opinion in the sadly declining NYT. it might just help them realize who they used to be.
Thanks.
How you wrote this Wil, captures a National sigh of relief . Your Mom expressed the nation’s passion well.
Many will , several have already , write history ..book by book of these times . Our hope restored that the MAGA bunch will get their due, not in malice but justice as consequence ,further proof crime will not prevail ..it’s been a carefully plotted plan for 40+ years .
💙🇺🇸’Gus’s Team ‘, how very well put. Thank you , Gus 🫶
Well said, Will.
For 29 a terrific comment. (India is the largest democracy, we are the oldest democracy)
India is pretty far over on the autocracy side of the line, and upwards of 74 million Americans want the US to be over there with them.
Up to us to make it so.
Heather Cox Richardson thank you.
So excited that you've been in "the room where it happened" for this Convention Professor ⭐
A compelling acceptance speech. Really nice to see and hear so much energy and "common sense".
I laughed out loud when Gretchen Wittmer said that DonOLDs first word was "chauffeur." And then she followed that up by saying, "Trump has never been in a grocery store. That's the chauffeurs job."
I am relieved the convention went well but ... on common sense.
1. I feel there was an unforced error and lost opportunity. If they were going to have a Jewish American hostage family then they ought to have included a Palestinian American. Together on the stage. Calling together for a ceasefire, release of hostages, and delivery of humanitarian aid. Joining in putting a shared goal first. What a force for good that would have been. An example of what is necessary and what is possible going forward. And of a Harris administration's commitment to justice as fairness. Instead we got, in the introductory video, Harris speaking to AIPAC. And a statement, during the acceptance speech, heavy on US support for Israels's self defense - without the explicit qualifier 'defense in compliance with US and international law.' As an American Jew and Zionist, who opposes Hamas and the Netanyahu regime abuses, it tainted the celebration and made me feel it will be harder going forward to electing Harris.
2. The balloon drop. All that plastic. A lost opportunity - of commitment to environmental concerns and of commitment to innovating green solutions - even if only to problems of showmanship.
I'm sorry you found so much to criticise that even the balloons weren't exempt. I hate balloons and plastic in general, I just loved the occasion. As for her treatment of the Israel/Gaza situation, she is not President yet, and her words were wise.
Justice for Palestinians and Israelis as well as climate science are important issues. And the constituencies - and individual voters - who prioritize these issues are critical to winning. The convention was an opportunity for Democrats to signal fresh thinking and new directions. Their performance was uneven. And it is necessary to advocate for improvements.
Balloons do not make decisions, so they are exempt from criticism. Strategists are not exempt. And certainly not the DNC.
I am volunteering every day. And will be until Nov 5. I have to answer potential voters. And persuade them. So I will sleep when I die and celebrate when we win.
Lin,
I have much to say regarding the Jewish American family whose beloved son... hopefully is still alive...and the entire situation regarding the October festival and the warring between Israel and Palestine and related entities. I delated my words so as not to change the joy and hope offered by Kamala Harris.
I hear you. My heart is ripped apart concerning the entire situation! I love all people and to see families being slaughtered .....this should go before the United Nations courts!!!
NOTHING!!! should keep us from electing Kamala Harris as our next President of the USA!!!! She is the one!!! She will need our full support!!!!
There was a tap-dance around the problem of Gaza. The balloons are silly but expected. Plastic and other pollution problems, to say nothing of T. rex in the room Climate change must be addressed, but perhaps that was not the day to retire the balloons, just to keep the focus on the new direction. I expect to differ, as I always do, with Democratic administration policies, but no matter what, Democrats must defeat Trump and crew of pseudo-religious fascists. The nation and the ecosphere might not survive if the "GOP" cruel crackpot agenda is enacted.
As I have found useful often in the past, I turned to Amy Goodman's Democracy Now, and was rewarded with their video of some of the uncommitted and spokespeople for the Palestinians who I think would have been great to include with the parents of the hostage.
Unfortunately they didn't include anything I could see on what the Jewish Voice for Peace group was doing earlier.
See https://www.jewishvoiceforpeace.org/2024/08/20/thousands-march-on-the-dnc/
"...The Uncommitted National Movement secured a historic victory when they successfully organized the first-ever panel addressing Palestinian rights at the DNC. Co-chairwoman Layla Elabeld spoke alongside Dr. Tanya Haj-Hassan, who volunteered to treat Palestinians during the genocide and has spoken out again and again against Israel’s intentional targeting of healthcare workers and infrastructure in Gaza.
These are all critical signs of the growing pressure our movements are building on Harris and the DNC, and a testament to the powers of grassroots organizing and the growing influence of the Palestinian solidarity movement. But it is not enough. We will continue building and pushing for real and concrete policy change: an arms embargo now to save Palestinian lives..."
It takes time and patience to allow passions to cool and rational voices to be heard, I hope they can work harder on raising the effectiveness of the peacemakers on both sides, working together.
For small but important sides of the peace makers, see https://www.democracynow.org/2024/8/22/dnc_uncommitted_sit_in_protest
"...the most solemn portion of the evening was an address by the parents of an American Israeli hostage, Hersh Goldberg-Polin, who has been held in Gaza since October 7th. Polin’s parents, Jon Polin and Rachel Goldberg, wore pieces of tape with the number 320, marking the number of days their son has been held hostage. As they spoke, the convention hall was largely silent. In his remarks, Jon Polin also called for an end to the war in Gaza.
JON POLIN: There is a surplus of agony on all sides of the tragic conflict in the Middle East. In a competition of pain, there are no winners. In our Jewish tradition, we say, ”Kol adam olam um lo’o,” “Every person is an entire universe.” We must save all these universes. In an inflamed Middle East, we know the one thing that can most immediately release pressure and bring calm to the entire region: a deal that brings this diverse groups of 109 hostages home and ends the suffering of the innocent civilians in Gaza.
AMY GOODMAN: Jon Polin, the father of American Israeli hostage Hersh Goldberg-Polin, addressing the Democratic National Convention last night...
...REP. RUWA ROMMAN: Good evening, everybody. My name is Ruwa Romman. I am a Georgia state representative. I am an elected Democrat. I come from the swing state of Georgia.
We are not here to create any divisions. As my colleagues have said over and over and over again, the only reason we are here — the only reason we are here — is to ensure that Donald Trump will never make it to the White House, and save the lives of the people that we love. It’s about the fact that today I watched my party say, “Our tent can fit anti-choice Republicans,” but it can’t fit an elected official like me? I do not understand. I do not understand why being a Palestinian has become disqualifying in this country.
I don’t know how much more we have to prove. All of us have decade-or-more-long résumés working for this party, because we know that this party is the only one that’s ever tried to meet the promise of our country. We are here to literally save the soul of our party. I do not understand why that is a bad thing.
This would have truly and sincerely been a beautiful gesture to show this party cares about the cries of an Israeli child the same way they care about the cries of a Palestinian child. We are not asking for too much. All we wanted was to be on that stage and show people desperate for hope there is something to hope for..."
At our college I worked at until 2012, we had several Syrian and Palestinian students who had understandable complaints about some Israeli abuses but also had some that were like the more numerous Israeli students and friends who are also for a fair peace and two state solution promised back in 1948.
It is harder for the fewer Palestinian peace proponents to get some of the same level of recognition as even the
Foreign policy and relations don't turn on a dime. And if we, the American people are listening...the Biden/Harris administration have condemned Netanyahu in his retaliation against Hamas that has killed so many innocents, have publically pushed and pushed, have slowed weapons delivery, have tried solutions to the famine...has pushed several peace plans and may have almost had one until Netanyahu met with DT. I am just not sure what you expect? Israel, though under Netanyahu has deteriorated through their aggressive settlements, is our ally. She said Palestinians should govern themselves. So I am asking.... Shall we colonialize Israel? Should we overthrow the government? I am asking knowing that I probably am not seeing all sides
You might research the Leahy Laws and Biden's National Security Memorandum 20. Both require the US to pause delivery of offensive weapons to states which are in violation of international humanitarian law or have failed to present credible evidence of compliance. Analysts in both the Department of Defense and State Department have noted evidence of violations and noted the lack of credible evidence of compliance. There has not been even a public or reported threat of any significant pausing of delivery, let alone an actual significant pause. (Maybe some ammunition to a couple of IDF units implicated in abuses on the West Bank.)
You might look at Israeli newspaper Haaretz. Especially for information about Netanyahu and his extremist administration.
https://www.haaretz.com/
Oh my God !
You are the WITNESS TO THE HISTORY !
Heather, you did it again !
Heather, It is a rare privilege for an authority of the American 19th century to be personally present at a major turning point in American political history.
It must have been exhilarating to experience something that echoed the significance of what occurred at the Chicago Republican convention that resulted in Lincoln, the underdog, winning the presidential nomination on the third ballot.
I suspect that this is why, after you had completed your boots-on-the-ground involvement in the Kamala/Coach political tsunami, at 4:34 you did not mention what we had witnessed but, rather, provided the Lincoln historical example.
You must be tingling after the emotions and exhilaration of your first physical presence at a presidential political convention. You certainly chose a lalapalooza!
I and your multitude of students await your saga on experiencing how modern-day history has exploded. A decade or generation hence, historians will be writing about the decisiveness of Kamala/Coach at a critical moment in American history.
AND YOU WERE THERE!
Weren’t we all there in spirit and attention? Now it’s work time. What we need is to push the tsunami with every means at our individual disposals: money, phoning, writing, poll working, and any other category I can’t think of.
What a historic occasion, I heard Kamala Harris’ speech tonight, and it was truly impressive. The charge is on. I’m sure that any little slip will be grossly enlarged, where Trump seems to get the forever free pass from the press. But the momentum is with the Harris team and from what I have seen of Trump of late, he seems diminished and diminishing. Onward Democracy.
Well, there was plenty of him on ABC News, which we watched before convention coverage began, and we switched to PBS, which I thought was wonderful this week.
DNC YouTube page livestream for me! Commentary and edit-free! Just the speeches please, thank you sir!
Yup!
CSpan was perfect.
For us too! No talking heads!
Wonderful history lesson...those 10,000 in Chicago in 1860 would have their minds blown by what we all witnessed the last 4 days on so many levels...a black woman at the top of the ticket...DJ's and bands...football players...televised to the nation at one time...
As the Professor points out in innumerable ways, that is what is magical about this nation at its best. The founders deliberately created a structure for a nation that could - and would - become something so different from anything they themselves could ever imagine.
For all the contradictions, they planted a seed; something that could grow and mature, even though that's not to everyone's liking. But time is a one-way ticket, and if you aren't growing you're dead.
People forget that Darwin did NOT champion survival of the fittest, in fact he endorsed nothing of the sort. He championed survival of the most adaptable.
Will, you may have just explained why so many people are growing/studying/reading/getting to know more about fungi of all sorts. They are models of adaptability! I like this source: "Entangled Life: How Fungi Make Our Worlds, Change Our Minds & Shape Our Futures" by Merlin Sheldrake. A newly circulating version of documentary film "Fantastic Fungi": https://fantasticfungi.com/pages/screenings.
Is there a way to watch on line? Looks interesting. I loved "Finding the Mother Tree" and am a morel /puffball forager.
cameron, I have a friend who is a truffle forager with her Belgian Malinois. She has done a lot of work around preserving morel/puffball ecosystems.
Looks like for $4 you can watch the original 2019 on Apple TV, YouTube or Amazon Prime. This 2024 remastered version was available briefly at the launch I think, but doesn't seem to be available now except where it's in select theatres.
Oh for a good mushroom burger like the one I had in a strip mall in Richmond, VA, in 2012. Or the crayfish in mushroom sauce I ate in my first (way out in the country) Michelin restaurant in France.
We have visited the Armillaria solidipes in Malheur County, Oregon. Also known as Honey Mushroom, it's the largest organism on earth, if you count Australia's Posidonia australis as a sea organism.
OK, Will, how do we adapt?
Many will work very hard for Kamala and Tim to win -- and to win in a landslide.
But after that? Do schools remain the same? So K-12 across the land remains hostage to the linear, categorical, dehumanized assembly line machinery which the billionaires of standardized testing have wrought? So higher ed remains a series of neutered specialist silos all divorced from each other, from the human, and from nature?
Do you see any signs, Will, that Americans want to put the human, the humanities, and the natural back in our schools?
Republicans have sunk deep in their cult, slovenly deep in their criminal-in-chief's criminality. Will a good drubbing by Kamala, Tim, and revitalized Dems and decent others suffice to rid them and their poisons from our democracy? Will four more seats added to the currently deeply corrupt Clarence court restore some decency there? Can a restored America offset the surge of autocracy, oligarchy, nihilism around the world?
Can good things add up, happen, while our schools remain in servitude to our nihilist rich and but dutifully submissive to their plans only to grow the wealth gap for themselves and their oligarch, murderous, autocrat peers worldwide?
Phil, re: putting the human, the humanities, and the natural back in our schools:
In Falmouth MA, on Cape Cod, some schools have become sites for homeowners to bring kitchen waste to compost bins that are emptied by Black Earth Compost, which services RI, NH and MA. Gradual influence, as children come to understand how we've been mischaracterizing 'waste' and showing us how to harvest our discards so they become a resource.
Children understand these things very fast.
So much of education is local. CO pays for public schools, charter schools and even religious schools. In the 1950's-60's, the states used to compete against each others' testing scores because everything was standardized. Now only the basics are standardized and education has become so very broad. And one administration at the top cannot change everything that needs changing. It's up to THE PEOPLE to be involved and have hope, rather than just sounding an alarm of dispair. I see that hope in the non-boomer generations now getting involved, and taking over, and I'm personally happy to see this.
Getting involved at the local level is key. Holding consequences only for those prominents at the top of the chain gang is a.backwards. We definitely need to take back our school systems , our local governments, our dignity. Field trips, recess, gym, while building like Walz did with teachers and a curriculum that emphasizes these hard taught lessons…earthy substantive collaboration…soup kitchens, biology at the basic levels which interests the young minds and points the way for natural curiosity. And history…do ancestry/dna study and find whose family trees are pride filled with interesting stories. Children are naturally inquisitive …deadened by a bunch of stiff stuffed white shirts…and abstract BS ..😓😰😉
Let their creativity experience voting booths , changing president roles, vp and such positions so they get a taste of reality . Little minds are sponges. Make school fun again. See the bully in the group ! and focus on why they are that way…home environment !
They will need to be wooed, in their own vernacular, and then - yes.
Can we back away from the brink for a tad, AND elect some power into the school boards. May take a day or two. Plenty of first steps being contemplated as we post.
Yes! Actually, I'm not sure he championed it, but rather gave us an explanation for why some survive because of an often surprising characteristic they have, while others who seem so sturdy fall by the wayside. I wish more would understand this, so as to avoid the error of believing might is right. It is also why it's essential to protect our environment, as this plays a major role in whether survival is even possible.
I am not sure that "champion" is quite the right word, but yes adaptability is critically useful to survival. Adaptability involves a relevant bend of specialization and diversification. Darwin figured out the mechanics. we humans need to pay attention to the role of diversity in resilience.
For me, the most compelling quote of the night came from a Republican, Adam Kinzinger. "Democracy knows no party".
I liked every word he said.
I would add to Adam's quote, this thought after hundreds of solicitations from Democrats. Campaign finance reform "knows no party" either.
https://substack.com/profile/27513127-jonathan-brownson/note/c-66448960
Many other issues don't either, like infrastructure projects, climate change mitigation, fiscal responsibility and others.
But DonOLD makes them political whenever a bill is passed which helps a majority of Americans. He also takes credit for bills passed under Obama like the Veterans Bill he's lied so many times about passing.
Well as much as I have tried here to be supportive of what happened over the past four days (which is in fact quite astounding given where we were just a short month ago) I am going to have to call people out for nonsensical misspellings of candidates' names, no matter how much you hate them. DonOLD is just unnecessary, as is RepubliKan seen in other posts here. I am NOT in disagreement about your sentiments, but I feel you infantilize your own positions by adding infantile and unnecessary words to your posts. You can attack me back as you have in other threads, but it pretty much is ignored, because I take this serious and obviously you and others who do this, do not. I would appreciate your positions MUCH better if you took this as seriously as it actually is.
I don't recall "attacking" anyone Jon, and if you took a response that way, I am sorry. I appreciate your position but I am still going to use CFDT (convicted felon Donald Trump) as a reminder if only to myself that he is a criminal who has NEVER suffered any consequences for his actions. Furthermore, I will continue to use TFFG as Trump is the former guy and we should never forgot what a terrible person he is as well as the fact that he accomplished nothing to make America great. As far as DonOLD goes, the media and many of the party members chased Biden out of office when they have said very little about his progressive mental decline. He may also have PTSD from the alleged assassination attempt which may be speeding up his mental decline.
I'm sure it bothers him that very few GOP politicians are supporting him and JD.
But, you are right. Dr. Richardson's comment section is almost completely in agreement on Trump/JD and Harris/Walz as well as the dangers of Project 2025 and the Republican members of the Supreme Court.
It's still may be possible that Amy Comey-Barrett's inner Sandra Day O'Connor may emerge, but those are big shoes to fill. But she will never ever be an RBG.
Thank you for bringing your concerns to me and my apologies for offending/attacking you in the past.
Apologies ABSOLUTELY accepted and not even necessary but appreciated! We can disagree on the Biden issue, I personally was pushing for him to step aside way back in February and it is clear to me from the hugely positive response to Harris that he has done the right thing. I loved Biden and supported him but I also saw the turn in the body politic very early (back in February) and was hugely fearful that stayng with him given his age and apparent mental struggles could sink the democratic party this year. I totally agree trump is worse but at the same time I do NOT want to see the GOP change their candidate because I think trump is easier to beat with harris than someone else like Nikki Haley or even Vance (god forbid!) Let trump decline all he can, I am fine with him as the opposition because I think he is the easier one to beat!
Jon - The NY Times especially Ezra Klein were on the dump Biden bandwagon soon after the 2022 election. And MSNBC kept mentioning Biden's age starting in earnest in early 2024. Hopefully, it all works out that not only will Kamala/Walz win the election in a landslide, they are able to control both the House and the Senate. Pelosi did the right thing when she stepped aside and perhaps Schumer needs to turn over the reigns of the Senate to someone else. McConnell has typified the GOP's lack of ideas and it will be interesting to see which old guy they select as their leader.
Early voting will be starting soon and hopefully the Democrats will vote early as who knows how difficult it will be to vote or have your registration reinstated in many of the red states.
Meanwhile in Florida… the State is trying to turn our State Parks into Golf Courses!!! Giving us citizens only one week notice for a public hearing, in the middle of the afternoon during Hurricane season - when we are experiencing afternoon lightening & thunderstorms!!! 😡
Floridians, there are actions you can take !
Action Alert:
Angry? You should be. Here's what you can do:
Go to the public meetings on Tuesday, August 27th. Each one is listed below. They have been scheduled for the same day, same time, so choose the park closest to you (geographically and spiritually.)
Can't make it? Send an email to the state legislators representing these State Park areas. The pre-written email urges them to take a strong position and to show up and stand with their communities at the DEP meetings. Click here to send those emails: https://floridaspringscouncil.good.do/protectstateparks
https://www.floridaspringscouncil.org/single-post/state-parks-threatened
Thank you, Kathy, for this helpful info. I heard the announcement this morning about this horrible decision and was shocked, to say the least. NPR did say that a lot of the Republican legislators are opposing it, and I hope that is correct. But I will circulate these emails to all the Floridians I know who care about our environment.
I did the action above and called my Florida GOP Rep and Senator.The Senator’s aide told me they were getting many calls and emails. I also called Senator Passidomo’s office and thanked for her support as she is opposed to development.
Can't say that I like that, but clearly there is work to do in Florida. Still.
So typical of the FL legislature. I don't understand the point of any public hearing in FL because the entire Republicans coalition in the legislature is deaf. FL has sunshine laws to prevent railroading like this but DeSantis doesn't give a damn about any laws that he didn't sign into law.
DISLIKE!!
Good luck in your fight. Don’t leave a stone unturned. Get your Democratic reps to take up the fight. This is robbery and should be projected as such.
I heard about the Action Items above from my (adopted )Rep/Dem Warrior Anna Eskamani !
All my legislators are GOP..sigh.My Fl Senator said they were getting many calls/emails.
🤬🤯
"The minutiae of politics had given the country a candidate who would change the course of history."
I get the feeling Kamala Harris is such a candidate, that a single poor debate performance by Biden has given the nation the leader it needs at this moment, the way the nation needed Lincoln in 1860.
"...and in another breath, the storm was there. There were thousands cheering with the energy of insanity.”
Except this time it's the energy of sanity returned.
As much as I am appreciative of the support many are giving Harris, I think it is misleading to say this happened because of "a single poor debate performance". The debate merely clarified for many more what many of us had been seeing and saying for months (but few were listening). Biden had lost a few "steps" and he was certain to lose the election against Trump. The LATTER issue (losing the election) was even more important, IMHO, than the former. Biden wasn't a complete blithering idiot (as Trump occasionally seems to be) but he clearly was NOT the "best" we had in our "stable" of potential Presidents. I could have lived with another Biden term (at least the start of one, no idea how long he would have lasted) if I really thought he could win, but as the polls turned radically against him, it was clear we were in trouble. Thankfully, Biden also saw it (or someone on his team agreed with the people who were starting to speak out) and he got the proper "religion" and agreed to step aside, much as LBJ did in 1968 after losing primaries to RFK and Gene McCarthy.
I agree with all the rest of your comments. This has been a great moment in time for politics, and we are all the benefactors of this turn of events.
Now, we all need to go out and vote!
I agree with all you say, there was more than one bad night, though. I think that one bad night got many people off the fence , or around the corner, or whatever metaphor you wish, about the likely dire consequences if Biden stayed in the race.
Thank you for your thoughtful comment.
“There were thousands cheering with the energy of insanity.” Yes. And it appears that history is being changed again!
I truly feel that we are in a moment where, if we do the next bit of work that we need to do, the future will crack wide open. Although the speakers of this week were beyond impressive in quantity of quality, this shift in our country was not led by them but by us. The public did not just make room for but outright demanded the leadership and policies that we so badly deserve.
We lit our own light at the end of the tunnel.
Will, I never would have guessed your age is 29. You give me hope for the younger generation. My sons are your parents ages. Hard for me to grasp that I’m 81. But I’ve heard many people say age is just a number. I always enjoy reading your comments. Thank you.
Maybe ALL students get breakfast and lunch—NUTRITIOUS BREAKFAST AND LUNCH that complement each other nutritionally and with attention paid to climate change. If we could get Home Economics back in the curriculum, maybe Home Ec students could, with teachers’ guidance, prepare the breakfasts and lunches.
I was so impressed and delighted by Tim Walz’ school program that I wept. It’s time we got nutrition back into public schools—worst blow to AGA and Big Pharma and gift to Americans suffering from diabetes and nutritional deficiencies.
Or of sanity, on a roll.
I like the Insanity as the Measure of Energetic Cheer !
When Tim Walz talked about growing up in a town of four hundred people, I felt that. So did I.
When he said he was a child of a veteran, I nodded my head, knowing what it’s like to be a Navy brat myself.
When he said he was a gun owner and a hunter. Yep, that was my childhood.
When he talked about being a teacher, about his students, boy did I smile. Public school teachers are my people.
And no, I’ve never coached a high school football team, but my 6th grade students brought.home.the.trophies every year for our elementary Field Day!!
When he talked about his family benefiting from Social Security, I remember how that helped my grandparents back in the day, and how that is helping my widowed mother now.
And there are people in this country who want to take away that earned right?
When he talked about he and his wife struggling to get pregnant, I started crying. My husband and I have two IVF babies. What we went through…..I can’t express the agony. But seeing our son and daughter now, the joy they have given us, the family we have made, it was totally worth it.
It’s physically painful to think there are some who want to take this right away. In some states now, in fact, it is already illegal. Unbelievable!
By picking Walz as her VP, a man who is as kind as he as relatable, Harris has made it even more clear -crystal, sparkling clear- that her vision for America is a country where freedom and opportunity will ring, for everyone, from sea to shining sea.
(And ok, the fact that Walz’s speech was bookended by songs of both John Mellenkamp and Neil Young?? Are you kidding me? Chef’s kiss perfection right there!)
Well said, Mischele. Tim Walz is everyman. His story is our story. The trappings may differ, but is he right in the "ordinary" wheelhouse.
I to had to concive by IVF second time was a charm I got twin girls.
Nobody knows the stress we go through mentally and physically and financially. It all paid off in the end finally after 10 years of trying 🩷🩷
Kamala referred to Trump as ‘unserious,’ though his return to the White House would indeed be deadly serious.
My impression is that Trump now is a floundering old whale whose presidency was a fluke. Last night Kamala cast a wide net to eliminate this floundering fluke.
Keith Wheelock,
Never underestimate the minions who still hope to ride in on Trump's coat tail for the sake of money and power! He is just "the dummy".....or "the Trojan Horse".
Emily Why do you think that I carry a wooden spike and a silver bullet in my shoulder bag?
Keith has seen far too much to underestimate the MAGAt minions.
Tuba I thought you might appreciate ‘floundering fluke.’
Keith, do you think anyone will ever point out that on the last day of his term, he pardoned 143 criminals who for the most part were felons. 10 of those pardons went to Medicare/Medicaid Fraudsters who stole almost $2 billion from US.
Rick Scott bought his governorship and Senate seat with the money he stole from the system and is dead set on ending social security as we know it. His court records are sealed so we have no way to know how much HE stole from US.
Gary There is massive dirty Trump linen to be exposed—not to mention his and his family’s financial ties, especially in the Arabian Peninsula. As for Rick Scott—ditto.
There is plenty of dirty Trump linen, but I am not certain the pardons issued are a great source, given the vast more number of pardons issued by Obama. And we have yet to see what Biden will do when he leaves office. Time will tell.
Well, it is fair to point out that Obama provided almost 2,000 pardons or executive clemency orders, while Trump only provided 237 (admittedly in one term vs two terms for Obama, but still Obama did far more than twice as many). I am NOT castigating Obama here, and I found many of Trump's pardons to be unfortunate (for me at least) but in the end, this power is not controlled or restricted, to do so would require a constitutional amendment, which isn't going to happen any time soon.
Just pointing out that Democratic Presidents (at least since 1952, Eisenhower) have pardoned far more people than GOP Presidents (Eisenhower 1157, JFK (575), LBJ (1187), Nixon (926), Ford (409), Carter (566), Reagan (406), Bush I (77), Clinton (459), Bush II (200), Obama (1927), Trump (237), Biden (11 but he hasn't left office yet!). GOP (about 3400), Dems (about 4700). And that doesn't include the 200,000 Vietnam war draft pardons issued by Carter and about 6,000 pot pardons issued by Biden. (Source, wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_people_pardoned_or_granted_clemency_by_the_president_of_the_United_States )
Following on this letter, Now is also perfect moment to discuss the 200th anniversary of The Marquis de Lafayette’s return as our Nations guest 8/15/1824 for 13 months. He was a military general of the Revolutionary War who was key to bringing France to support the Colonists fighting the revolutionary war. Also to highlight his commitment to abolish slavery and honor alliances with the Oneida, who fought with Lafayette during the Revolutionary War. When he returned in 1824 to a country with deep divisions, all were eager to welcome, honor and thank him. His story has a lot to say about where we are today and our hope for The success of Kamala Harris and Tim Walz.
Lafayette's grave in Paris has American flags on it.
I have often passed by the statue of Lafayette on horseback in Hartford CT, but didn't understand his connection to that city.
At last I found your appreciation of the Marquis de Lafayette. Do you know Giles Unger’s book about him?I read it years ago and learned so much about his life, including that Washington loved him as a son and that American presidents visited him in his dungeon cell in Prussia, that I would never otherwise have known. His “tour” was after his being jailed, so a true rehabilitation for him and his dreams of democracy.
I do not but I'm reading Mike Duncan's book Lafayette, Hero of Two Worlds. The Lafayette200.org events started in NY at Snug Harbor on 8/14/1824 where he arrived and waited to go to NYC on Monday 8/15/1824. The parade down Broadway was the very first "Canyon of Heroes" parade.
It’s a great story. He would have warned about what Kamala represents and the Democratic Party has become
You really need to go find a life. LOL
I can only imagine how happy you are, to be where you are when you are this week!
SO pleased for you!!