When we were kids, my maternal grandfather, for whom I’m named, would take my brother and me on walks. The problem was that my brother, who has been legally blind from birth, didn’t like to walk. Even with his glasses on, which were not nearly as advanced as what children receive now, he couldn’t see the ground all that well. It didn’t help that the road was rough, a dirt road with gouges cut out by runoff rainwater. So, after walking a few steps, he would sit down and refuse to budge. He wasn’t going to go into a situation where he couldn’t even see the next step in front of him. Grandpa would look at him and say, “C’mon, you balking mule.” Inevitably, Grandpa would have to carry him back to the trailer.
That’s very much how I’m feeling this morning. There’s no question that, as a nation, we need to keep moving forward after President Biden’s decision yesterday to drop out of this year’s race. However, there are too many questions, too many things going on behind the scenes that we do not know, and too many matters over which you and I have absolutely no control, for me to risk taking another step. So, I’m not. I’m balking as hard as an old mule.
One of my news aggregation subscriptions is The Skimm‘, a service that is operated and written by women. I find them to be less alarmist about most things, and this morning is certainly a good example of that. While all the major news services are coming at us with hand-wringing headlines that seem to spell doom and gloom, The Skimm’s morning briefing was somewhat calmer. It goes like this:
What’s going on: Could a former prosecutor go up against a convicted felon? The answer largely lies with the Democratic Party’s delegates. When President Biden ended his reelection bid, he released his nearly 3,900 “pledged” delegates — earned from the primary election cycle. Those delegates, who are now free agents, can do a couple of things: They can rally behind Biden’s endorsement of VP Kamala Harris (which could be the most likely outcome), even though they are under no obligation to do so. Or, they can vote for another candidate, opening the door to an open convention — a rare move in modern US politics and one that Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) called “crazy.” If the Democratic Party can’t rally behind one candidate, then the party’s 700+ “superdelegates” would have to step in and vote until there’s a candidate who wins the majority.
What it means: The clock is ticking for the Democratic Party to figure this out. The Democratic National Convention in Chicago is less than a month away, happening from Aug 19 to Aug 22. Before Biden dropped out of the race, the Democratic Party planned to approve the president’s nomination ahead of the DNC. Now, it’s unclear how the party will proceed. Especially since there are a slew of potential candidates who could put their hat in the ring against Harris, complicating the process. Looking at you, Sen. Joe Manchin (I-WV). On that note: Reuters reported that Harris’ campaign has been trying to secure delegates’ support in efforts to seal the deal. Meanwhile, The New York Times says it would be difficult for a candidate to seriously challenge Harris, as she’ll have access to the campaign’s tens of millions of dollars in cash reserves.
On the question of whether the Vice President can win, they said this:
What’s going on: A handful of polls conducted earlier this month appear to show VP Kamala Harris faring about the same as President Biden against former President Trump. For months, Biden has trailed behind Trump by a slim margin. The New York Times’ national polling averages found Harris (who is two decades younger than the president) to have a slight edge — standing two percentage points behind Trump compared to Biden’s three. Harris made history in 2020 when she became the first woman, first Black American, and first South Asian American to serve as VP. Voters had mixed feelings about yesterday’s announcement, with some excited to back a woman for the presidency while others weren’t as confident in Harris’ ability to beat Trump.
What it means: Biden’s endorsement could put Harris on a path toward becoming the nation’s first female president. Top Democrats are already standing behind Harris, with many pointing to her record. As VP, Harris has been tasked with addressing the root cause of migration from Latin America, securing voting rights, and protecting the right to abortion nationally. But despite the political experience under her belt, endorsements, and access to campaign money, some political analysts warn that Americans might not be ready for a female president. It also doesn’t help that she has struggled to clearly define a lane for herself as VP and has faced criticism for her time as a prosecutor. Meanwhile, Trump isn’t convinced that Harris is a threat to his campaign.
While Newsweek floated a quick-and-easy list of potential running mates for Harris, none of them included current Secretary of Transportation, Pete Buttigieg. The Hill and WSJ do have him on their list and, personally, he could be the best choice if former First Lady Michelle Obama can’t be convinced to run. I assume that conversation has already taken place or is taking place right now. We know that Republicans fear a race with the name Obama in it anywhere. If the Obamas ignite their get-out-the-vote machine, which they have not done to this point, winning is a lot more realistic than it appears now. What a Harris-Obama ticket would mean for women, and especially women of color, goes beyond the definition of groundbreaking.
The ultimate question is whether the people of the United States are too fucking racist for that kind of ticket. Sure, they’ll make other excuses, but at the end of the day, racism was the biggest opposition President Obama had to face in both of his elections and that situation hasn’t gotten any better in the interim. If anything, the rhetoric of the Orange Felon has made it worse.
As I mentioned yesterday, women will decide who is the next President. If women show up to vote, they will most likely elect the Democratic nominee. If they don’t… Men have a history of voting in favor of their ego, not reason.
And here we have another parallel to the 1968 election with the incumbent choosing to sit this one out. For those of you who slept through history class, that disaster of an election gave us Richard Nixon with all his corruptness. The Orange Felon seemed to surpass Nixon-level idiocy the first time around, so there’s no logical or intelligent reason to trust him with the Oval Office ever again.
What I do know is that Republicans must be stopped, from one end of the ballot to the other. They are fully committed to implementing Project 2025 at every level. Even if they don’t win the Presidency, which they’ve already said they’ll challenge. Hell, they’re ready to cause trouble even putting Harris on the ballot.
House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., on Sunday said Republicans would likely file legal challenges in any state possible if President Joe Biden drops off of the Democratic ticket. Republicans aren’t going to play fair. They’re going to use any minute legal hook they can to upset the election.
An overwhelming voter turnout is the only thing Republicans can’t stop. You have a right to vote. You have a responsibility to vote. All this mess, all this chaos, comes down to you. YOU hold the future of the United States in your hands.
But for this moment today, I’m sitting right here and waiting to see what the “geniuses” (I use that word loosely) at the DNC decide to do next. Let’s hope they don’t fuck it up.
Morning Update: 07/26/24
Exhaustion reigns as I’ve completely over-extended myself this week. If there’s a theme for today, it’s “Leave me the fuck alone.” Not that I can even hold to that because I have a doctor’s appointment this afternoon, which will, once again, come right in the middle of nap time. It’s one thing to go a day or two without naps, but we’ve missed them three out of the four previous days this week. I came in from getting the kids set up for school yesterday and collapsed onto the bed, not getting up except for necessities. I’m not doing my body any favors by keeping this kind of schedule.
The kids are as set for school as they can be. It still seems odd that neither of them has a supplies list that has to be purchased. Most everything they do is on their school-supplied Chromebooks, so as long as they keep those charged they have what they need. Tipper was especially excited to meet some of her teachers yesterday. She especially likes her math teacher, who is also her advisor, and her biology teacher, who is also her support coach. She has almost too much in common with the support coach, including a love for art and colorful language. The coach actually has a wood medallion with the word “fuck” burned into it hanging next to her desk. She and Tipper are going to get along just fine. Tipper also signed up for the robotics club which may end up being something that makes her brother a little jealous.
I forgot to get a picture of G yesterday, though. By the time we finished getting his things in order, I was struggling to stay upright and forgot all about it. There are some changes in the Lab program this year that give them more space, hot meals from Cafe Patachou (a Lab partner), and a little more direction as to when certain tasks need to be completed. There was some exciting news as his advisory coach got married over the summer! Some technical issues still linger as the legal status of the Lab changed a little, but none of those issues directly affect the students, so we’ll let the administrators work out those bugs.
At the same time, there were these signs that the kids are growing up whether I like it or not. Tipper’s boyfriend showed up while we were at the school and she ended up spending the afternoon with him (with his mom keeping a close watch). They’re going on a sort of date on Saturday evening as well. I have this sinking feeling that this is going to be a more common occurrence than I’m ready to endure. G’s coach was talking strongly with him about college and what he wants to do with his education. That’s a conversation I can’t even participate in because the world he’s looking at holds practically no resemblance to the one in which I reside. My experience is of no practical use to him. I’m glad he has guidance that is better informed than what I had.
My disturbing dreams last night were all apocalyptic so perhaps it is no surprise that I woke this morning to the news that the trains running to Paris have been sabotaged by arson. That is still an ongoing situation so there’s not a great deal of information that is truly reliable. As these Olympics are perhaps the most politically charged since the end of the Cold War, it’s not surprising that something happened. Fortunately, it appears that no one was critically injured. Security is extremely high for the event, though, and especially for its opening parade down the River Seine. We’re going to cross our fingers that everyone stays safe. The last thing we need is a repeat of the 1972 games.
Speaking of security, the Secret Service has to be struggling to keep up. Not only are they without a leader now, but the advent of Kamala Harris to the top of the ticket presents a whole new bundle of security issues that they have to cover. The simple fact that she’s both a woman and a person of color riles a lot of backward-thinking people who can’t begin to accept the idea of the President being anything other than an old Christian white man. Harris’ religious leanings are broad and she certainly seemed to have no trouble telling Netanyahu that he needs to end the Gaza war immediately. All of that gets under the skin of the good ol’ boys’ club and the Secret Service is struggling to make the necessary adjustments to keep the Vice President safe.
Following the theme of religion, remember that whole dust-up about Oklahoma’s state school superintendent requiring schools to teach Bible stuff? At least eight of the state’s larger school districts have said, “Nope, not gonna do it.” Critical to this decision seems to be a memorandum to the state school districts from the Center for Education Law advising them that the superintendent’s statement is illegal under state law, which already allows for voluntary religious education. If you’re wondering whether any of this is a reflection of Project 2025, be aware that there’s no direct link between the two. However, the superintendent’s position certainly falls within the attitude and intent of the conservative plan for dominating government at every level.
Also, be aware that the Orange Felon is attempting to brand VP Harris as a Marxist. Why anyone would take the word of a felon, I don’t know, but there seem to be a few million lemmings who are repeating this rhetoric. If you’re not familiar with the economic and political ideas of Karl Marx and Frederick Engles, you might want to read up on the concept. On the surface, anyone fed up with the inequality of Capitalism may find Marxism interesting. The felon’s comments are likely based on the idea that Harris is committed to addressing inequality and fighting for the rights of the working class, both of which are strong Marxist pillars. However, the devil’s in the details and the VP is most certainly not a Marxist. Take the time to do the reading, please.
Finally, remember those two astronauts sent to the International Space Station aboard a Boeing capsule? Yeah, they’re still there and there’s still no timetable for getting them back home. If you’ve ever taken a trip and had trouble scheduling a flight back home, perhaps you can commiserate with the two astronauts. They’re more than a month late getting back. Fortunately, this counts as a business trip so they don’t have to explain to their bosses why they haven’t been in the office for a while.
That’s all I’ve got. The dogs are back to sleep and I’m considering joining them. Sleeping is the safest thing I can do right now.
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