A friend messaged to ask how it’s going?
A brief update in North Carolina, as of Friday evening 10-18-2024:
I hear it was a record first day yesterday (Opening Day of early voting). At our polling place nearby, they told us 800 had voted there yesterday ), a record.
A later statewide report came from the NC state election board:
North Carolina Sets Turnout Record for First Day of Early Voting
Continue reading News of The (Voting) Day from (One of the) Front Lines
NOTE: There were many fine speeches on Tuesday night, the second day of the DNC. Watching the full evening video would be a good investment of spare time.
Below I will excerpt only two, which stood out for me: that of Senator Bernie Sanders, here almost in full, and some especially pertinent points by Michelle Obama.
Rather than bask in the high spirits and enthusiasm of the DNC (which was very real and welcome, but well-covered elsewhere), they spoke of some of the hard times which preceded this upsurge, and which may well return if the Harris-Walz ticket is not successful.
Obama was the more eloquent, and brought emotion and soul to the hall; Bernie was his gruff, indomitable and determined self, summarizing many major policy tasks and tough fights which will face Kamala Harris and her team if they are elected. I believe both are useful reminders as the convention proceeds.
There will be more outstanding oratory on Wednesday evening. Before it gets fully underway, readers are invited to take a few minutes to go over these cautions and challenges laid down from Tuesday. Continue reading Two DNC Truth-Tellers: Michelle & Bernie
Here are a few of what I felt were highlights of the first day and night at the DNC (seen from my recliner at home, but a marathon even so).
As I predicted, the Chicago cops were out on their bikes for the DNC, big time.
Inside, the speeches went on and on, to many thunderous cheers and loud, almost continuous applause. Rep. Jim Clyburn of South Carolina struck a biblical note of encouragement.
Among a parade of union leaders, UAW president Shawn Fain went the GOP’s Hulk Hogan one better, by stripping off his jacket to expose a vivid red tee-shirt that called out Trump’s anti-union attitudes with a 4-letter epithet that’s one of the worst profanities than can be hurled by a union member.
We also heard from legal eagle Rep. Jamie Raskin, one of the survivors of the January 6 attack, and a tenacious attack dog himself in the second impeachment the insurrection produced.
Raskin drew on that experience to voice an ominous warning to one JD Vance (and of several other names), in his perilous quest to become Trump’s next Veep:
“Remember what the mob chanted as they stormed the Capitol?” Raskin asked. “Hang Mike Pence.”
“J.D. Vance, do you understand why there was a sudden job opening for running mate on the GOP ticket?
Raskin continued.“They tried to kill him because he would not follow Trump’s plan to destroy and nullify the votes of millions of Americans.”
And while The Squad has been somewhat reduced by primary losses this year, two of the group’s veterans showed they were not only survivors but becoming stars:
Texas Rep. Jasmine Crockett, is a young but fast-rising House member, and a riveting, witty and eloquent speaker. She jumped right in, noting that on On Nov 5, the USA was going to hire a president. So, she said, let’s compare the two applicants’ résumes:
“[Kamala Harris] became a career prosecutor, while he became a career criminal. . . . She’s lived the American dream while he’s been Americas nightmare.”
Crockett then pivoted from keen barbs into a tender retelling of the comfort and encouragement she received from her very first meeting with Harris, when Crockett was an uncertain political newbie.” This is a speech worth hunting up on computer video.
And as a followup, straight from the Bronx and Queens New York came Alexandria Ocasio Cortez, known to all as AOC, another must-see video (only seven minutes, but power-packed and eloquent). Last night, AOC showed she was ready for prime time.
Of course there was much more; but the climax was Joe Biden’s speech, which included, for my money, the best, most unforgettable line of the night:
It was close to 2 AM EDT when I tumbled into bed. And after I catch a bite and take care of a bit of other business, I’ll be at it for the next night: after all, there’s not one but two Obamas to look forward to, among other riches. And what was it that guy fro Minnesota, the coach said: “We’ll sleep when we’re dead.”
Note: The weather forecast below is real, though I’ve jiggered the format. And reposting it is a bit whimsical, but not a joke.
Among the most effective and non-brutal “crowd control” techniques for events like the coming DNC are: rain (especially with thunder & lightning); and sweltering heat (especially with lakeside humidity). Either one holds down turnout, “dampens” or wilts activist enthusiasm, and discourages media attention, all without swinging a baton or tossing a pepper gas shell.
But this week, the Chicago weather gods are on the side of the insurgents. I’m still expecting, as explained in this earlier post, that the police (and federal backups) will be (at least initially) more professional and skillful in dealing with protests; though anything could happen, and weather can change . . . .
But here’s the data, and some provocative images, to help pass the time til the big party starts.
Continue reading “You DO Need a Weatherman” — DNC Protest Forecast (& Cartoons)
At his August 8 press conference, Donald Trump insisted the size of his crowds broke all records:
“Nobody has spoken to crowds bigger than me,” Trump told the audience at a press conference in Mar-a-Lago . . . . “If you look at Martin Luther King, when he did his speech, his great speech, and you look at ours, same real estate, same everything, same number of people. If not, we had more.”
Which Trump speech at the “same real estate” was not clear; the nearest was his inauguration on January 20, 2017, when he decried “American carnage.”
A federal investigation later revealed that original photos showing a sparse inaugural crowd there were altered to make the crowd seem much larger. NOTE: in the left photo below, the white spaces were all but completely empty:
By contrast, at the historic 1963 “March on Washington for Jobs & Freedom”, at which Dr. King made his “I Have A Dream” speech, the crowd was huge:
Trump’s often incoherent and untrue remarks in the press event lasted over an hour. Later fact checkers noted numerous falsehoods. This crowd size prevarication is typical, and easily exposed.
