He's a Creep. He's a Weirdo.

 

Unearthed audio: JD Vance calls for a “federal response” to block women in red states from traveling to another state to get an abortion pic.twitter.com/t9YAbFuoPc

— Kamala HQ (@KamalaHQ) July 26, 2024

What the hell is he doing here? (Don. Jr. and Eric wanted dad to pick him.) He doesn't belong here. (But there's Silicon Valley money and Project 2025 backers behind him, so we will likely be seeing him for at least a minute more.) 

Yeah, JD may not be a sofaphile and maybe he isn't into dolphin porn, but he is a really weird guy. From a kind of racist take on stopping women from traveling to get an abortion, to being on board with tracking women's menstrual cycles--literally policing their bodies! to defending his unfortunate and weird "cat lady" comments in a way that is still unfortunate and weird, while taking a swipe at Jennifer Aniston, he's really shaping up to be one of the worst running mate choices imaginable.

He isn't really helping the Republican ticket, but it's sort of worse than that. He could be an active drag. In the voting sense--not in the George Santos sense. Except he has changed his names as many times as George Santos, so there's that.)

A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Debate

 

In a statement that was positively BOLD in its chicken-shittedness (it's a word now--I have the best words!) the Trump campaign tried to back out of debated presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris because former President Barack Obama had not endorsed her yet. And, they wanted to imply, was not going to. Because obviously, Donald Trump is the foremost Democratic Party understander. 

So you will never guess what happened next. Go on. (OK, you probably already know.):

Earlier this week, Michelle and I called our friend @KamalaHarris. We told her we think she’ll make a fantastic President of the United States, and that she has our full support. At this critical moment for our country, we’re going to do everything we can to make sure she wins in… pic.twitter.com/0UIS0doIbA

— Barack Obama (@BarackObama) July 26, 2024

Any surprises, there?

The Inflection Point

The presidency of Joseph Robinette Biden in one term has given so much to this country, and the simple message of this speech, that the idea of America is bigger than any one man's ambition, is the simple reason why. This man loves his country and believes in us as a people because of what we can be. This speech shows a faith in us, in "We, the People", that is touching and heartfelt. 

This faith in our future and admiration for our best values as a creedal nation are what we need going forward--there can be no turning back. Biden understands that that future doesn't depend on himself alone, but on all of us.

I also know who doesn't understand that and rejected it when presented with that choice--even with violence.  

I am even more determined to support Kamala Harris because we cannot go back. We cannot go back.

Harris Fired Up Milwaukee

 

FULL SPEECH: Kamala Harris electrifies the crowd in Milwaukee, Wisconsin as she delivers her first official campaign speech for the presidency.

Worth watching in its entirety and sharing far and wide. pic.twitter.com/GMSXHSiqHS

— MeidasTouch (@MeidasTouch) July 23, 2024

In the first 24 hours after President Biden dropped after the race, the campaign for Vice-President Harris broke a fundraising record. It feels like enthusiasm is BACK in this race.

I can't help but notice that her GOP detractors have some criticisms, which are, as far as I can tell:

1) She was a popular and attractive single career woman with an active social life before marriage,

2) She laughs (I think they are jealous because she gets the jokes and does not need them explained?),

3) She was either a total "cop" or just let everyone go, I do not know what story they want and neither do they,

and--

4) Something about being a "DEI hire" which of course, stands for "Doing Everything Impressively" (touches earpiece) wait a minute, they mean something else....and had to be told to tone that racist shit down.

Also, being desperate scared freaks, Articles of Impeachment have already been announced because...yeah. Exactly.  It's always clown time in this circus.

Is this hope I'm feeling?

JD Vance is a Weird Little Guy

JD Vance says women who haven’t given birth like Kamala Harris are “childless cat ladies who are miserable at their own lives,” and have “no direct stake” in America. pic.twitter.com/3DJY3pQTGe

— Ron Filipkowski (@RonFilipkowski) July 22, 2024

Every time I hear this "childless cat lady"  thing, I really kind of want a nun to rap his knuckles. I get that Vance is a selfish dude who might only care about people in one's own family (if then!) but for many of us, we can care about many people, and even derive joy from the happiness of others.

 It's the image of Vance as the busybody looking with distaste at the neighbors: "Why don't I hear the pitter-patter of tiny feet?" (As he once looked at the poor white folks during his youth and deplored their indiscriminate breeding.) 

None of his weird little busybody business. Women are not ambulatory baby factories. And yes, stepchildren count as parenting. 

It's Up to Us

 

I spent the last few days putting off writing about the "Pass the Torch" movement. Oh, I was getting ready. I was going to sit down and take names and call out the fuckery. People didn't start one minute from the first question during the debate before I think the "drop Biden" movement started, in a way that felt coordinated and desperately shitty to me. 

Who the fuck treats a decent man who just gave us an astonishingly successful 3.5 years like this? Why are Democrats even airing our laundry in public? I'm a fan of transparency on one hand, but on the other it felt disrespectful to the man and his honorable public service. 

Every dumb horserace "Here's what a contested convention would look like" article, every "who might we see in a blitz primary?" thumbsucker, seemed to be a repudiation of the primaries we just had. 

The last straw wasn't the has-been campaign mahoffs of yesteryear who have displayed the political savvy of brain-damaged lemmings in the rush to shaft the incumbent Democratic president, though, that was going to make me bleed my frustration all over the internet--it was the distilled self-parody of Sorkinism: suggesting Democrats nominate Mitt Romney. 

Big "not The Onion" energy, but why did my eyes water? 

Because much as my feelings about Mitt Romney have moderated from 2012--he still isn't a Democrat, and it felt defeatist. One major party is captured by racist, violent authoritarianism, and the other is consigned to irrelevance and mere "Never Trumpism"?  Fuck that. 

Rest in Power, Sheila Jackson Lee

 

The time is now to unite behind the President and get to work beating Donald Trump — one last time. https://t.co/d84qoX5n5h

— Sheila Jackson Lee (@SJacksonLee) July 19, 2024

What an admirable career of fighting for others! In that spirit, let's get right, unite, and fight.