BTRTN: Kamalot!

Time for just a quick thanks to Joe. Then we must all get on with the hard work of electing the first Black female President of the United States.

Allow me to uncork a fine whine.

The past three weeks have been rough on bloggers. I have repeatedly flushed fully fleshed out essays down the toilet because they became obsolete before they could be posted. The article on how to get Biden to accept that he had to get out of the race would have been perfect on Friday. By Monday it was stale halibut stinking to high heaven.

Thrice in those two weeks the presidential campaign was flipped completely on its head: a debate that ended Joe Biden’s dreams of a second term, a confluence of a failed assassination, a rogue judge’s decision, and a jubilant convention made Donald Trump look unbeatable, and finally the instant unification of the Democrats behind Kamala Harris has shifted everything back to where it was in mid-June: a dead heat.

But ask me which hand I’d rather be playing, and I am transported to the idealistic rhapsody of Lerner and Loewe: “In short there’s rather not a more congenial spot for happy-ever-aftering than here in Kamalot.”

No, it’s not going to be easy. But for the first time in six months, I think we are going to win.

Here’s why.

We have finally discovered Donald Trump’s kryptonite. Himself. Let Donald be Donald.

Thank God Trump has never figured out that all he had to do was make the slightest effort to appear measured, thoughtful, and interested in voters beyond his MAGA base and he could have been a steamroller in 2024. For the first four minutes of his acceptance speech, it indeed seemed possible. Our hearts sank.

But not to worry. An hour and a half later, Trump was back in full bloviation, effortlessly shifting from bigotry to ignorance to self-adulation to anger to vengeance to incomprehensibility. He’s baaaaack.

Trump’s need to be obsessively loved, revered, and adored by his faithful makes him blind to his own opportunity.

If he had selected literally anybody other than J.D. Vance as his Vice President, the world could have interpreted it as a savvy move to lure independents. If Trump had chosen Doug Burgum as his V.P., people might have said “Doug who?,” but it would have been regarded as sound to pull in a business-friendly Governor to round out his ticket. If he had chosen Marco Rubio, the internet would have sizzled with the power of a Trump ticket balanced by an A-lister in the Republican mainstream. If Trump had chosen Nikki Haley, we’d all be searching for rental properties in Portugal – it would be over.

Trump could have chosen a woman. A person of color. Trump could have chosen a veteran of Congress with military creds to offset his ominous rants about NATO. Trump could have chosen the governor of a purplish state who could have brought home some electoral votes.

But no, Trump had to choose the only guy who said that if he were V.P., he never would have allowed the electoral college votes to go forward on January 6 -- like the traitorous Mike Pence did. Trump had to get the guy who would be blindly loyal to him personally. Trump had to get the guy who was ready to say out loud all the awful things that Trump likes saying out loud. Trump had to get his own personal Mini-Me.

It didn’t take long for pundits to start pummeling Trump about Vance. The selection of Vance dramatically elevates the impact of two of the most powerful Democratic issues: women’s and reproductive rights, and support for Ukraine.

Vance is the guy who says that childless women are “miserable cat ladies.” He thinks women who work outside the home “shunt their kids into crap day care so they can enjoy more freedom.” J.D. Vance said in 2022 that “I would like abortion to be illegal nationally.” Previously, he had offered this logic behind his position:

“I’m sympathetic to the view that like, okay, look here, here’s a situation – let’s say Roe vs. Wade is overruled. Ohio bans abortion, in 2022 or let’s say 2024. And then, you know, every day George Soros sends a 747 to Columbus to load up disproportionately black women to get them to go to have abortions in California. And of course, the left will celebrate this a victory for diversity – uh, that’s kind of creepy. And it’s like, if that happens, do you need some federal response to prevent it from happening? I’m pretty sympathetic to that actually. So, you know, hopefully we get to a point where Ohio bans abortion in California and the Soroses of the world respect it.”

Uh, yeah, J.D. I think we can all agree that a great deal of your ramble is pretty damn creepy.

Issue number two: Ukraine. Immediately before Russia launched its invasion in 2022, J.D. Vance said “I don’t really care what happens in Ukraine.” Later, he said, “frankly, there is no good reason that aid from the U.S. should be needed.” Vance is the guy who thinks that Ukraine should just shut up and give territory to the Russians to settle the matter.

Newsflash: this election is going to be won or lost by turning out the party loyalists en masse and swaying independents in seven states. If Donald Trump thinks that he needed a VP to do the former rather than the latter, he is certifiably nuts. Putting Trump and Vance on the same ticket in 2024 is like sponsoring an inflammatory rhetoric contest in a Quaker Meeting House.

And now the Democrats have the perfect foil to hold up to two of the most misogynist, racist, isolationist blowhards ever to stand for election at any level.

In Kamala Harris, we have a strong, charismatic Black woman with southeast Asian heritage, and a powerful narrative of personal achievement. If a Democrat is going to win in this election, it will be because the candidate was able to inspire Blacks, young people, and suburban women who are passionate about reproductive rights.

Sounds like we have our candidate.  

In recent weeks, there was whining and whispers and wishes for Whitmer. It is true that Kamala Harris was not an impressive candidate when she ran in 2020. It’s also true that Harris did not make a strong name for herself in her first two years as Vice President.  She had been given the task of leading the administration’s efforts on immigration reform, and for way too long there was little to show for it.

But in the past year, Harris began to find her voice, particularly on reproductive rights. She also spoke out strongly on America’s role on the international stage. After October 7, as Biden narrowed his focus to navigating powder kegs in the Middle East, Harris was elevated as an administration spokesperson.

After three years of reading daily security briefings and breathing the rarified air of the situation room, she is a more confident, assertive, and experienced candidate.

My hope is that Kamala Harris’s first decision as a Presidential candidate is to reject the bile of hatred, divisiveness, and anger that is the hallmark of the MAGA world view.

My hope is that Kamala sees and seizes the ground that Donald Trump has conceded by selecting J.D. Vance as his Vice President. Let Trump double-down on his MAGA base. Let’s turn out our base – and make an appeal to independents.

I hope Kamala articulates a view of America in which those whose political views differ from our own are not labeled our “enemies,” or even our “opponents.” I hope Kamala calls them our neighbors.

I hope Kamala simply points out where the “center” of our nation actually is.

Most Americans believe that abortion should be available to those who wish to make that choice.

Most Americans believe that we should continue to support the brave citizens of Ukraine who are standing between the savagery of Vladimir Putin and Eastern Europe, and indeed the rest of the world.

Most Americans want government to accomplish vital goals – like infrastructure and immigration reform – through bipartisan compromise. Like Joe Biden was able to do.

My hope is that Kamala Harris points out that in the “center” of our nation, no responsible citizen of any party, philosophy, or belief wants political debates settled with guns. Indeed, most Americans want sensible gun legislation that includes both limitations on sale and ownership as well as investment to identify and help those who would commit atrocities with weapons of war.

My hope is that Kamala Harris finds the grace in this moment of rising temperatures, acute anger, and hyper-polarization to tamp down tempers and combat bombast, deceit, rage, and divisiveness with a vision for building bridges… of steel and concrete, to be sure, but also of cooperation and communications.

My hope is that when someone asks Kamala Harris how her presidency will differ from Biden’s, she will say that there is very little daylight between her and Biden on policy, but that she intends to be more accessible – more available to the press, more routinely on television, and more communicative on policy.

Let Trump and J.D. Vance scream about hate, spew disrespect, and wink as they sow violence.

Let’s not fight fire with fire. 

Sure, let’s pause and thank Joe Biden. He has had a remarkable career in public service, and surely will be remembered as a startlingly effective president in tumultuous times.  We’ve all felt a twinge seeing Joe suck it in and accept that after doing an exceptional job as President of the United States, his own party abandoned him in droves. Joe Biden had to make a wrenching personal decision in a short amount of time under stupendous scrutiny. It was the right decision. Let’s hope that the Democratic Convention begins with the greatest hagiography in history.  

But what about Kamala Harris?

One day in late June she was hard at work trying to re-elect a President who had a strong record to run on. After one two-hour debate debacle, she faced the reality that she might have to suddenly pick up the smashed ruins of a candidacy and run for President of the United States.

Two wild emotional rollercoasters, to be sure. Biden’s was the easier one.

No Democrat in this country has reason to equivocate. No Democrat has the luxury to stand idly on the sidelines.

Kamala Harris is stepping up to fight our fight, shouldering a stunning amount of responsibility and burden, and bravely moving forward.

Every single one of us owes to our families, our party, but most of all our nation to step up and support Kamala. No excuses. No hiding. No ducking.

Yes, yes, please write your checks. Now, and for more than you planned on.

But this time, we need more.

There are political organizations in every nook and cranny of this nation. They are a google search away. They will put you to work before today’s sun sets. Writing postcards. Sending texts. Making phone calls. Traveling to swing states.

The move from Biden to Harris? How shall I express it…

In short, there’s rather not a more congenial spot for happy-ever-aftering than here in Kamalot.

Provided, that is, that we do our part.

Let's get to work.

 

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