Kamala and Tim: Thanks and Hope

The light of America's promise will burn bright

as long as we never give up and we keep fighting.

--Vice President Kamala Harris

Some encouraging words from Team Blue, down but not out:

What I Say:  We all owe a great debt of gratitude to our two standard-bearers, who suddenly took on a massive, gruelling campaign they never expected to run, and did it with grace, good cheer, and unstinting effort all the way down to the finish line.  Just to think of the sheer physical effort it took staggers me - a stroll through the grocery store wears me out at this late age - to say nothing of the mental and emotional strain they and their families went through in that whirlwind campaign.

It was a damn hard job, and an uphill battle; but they took up the challenge gladly and fought to win against all odds.  That they lost is no reflection whatsoever on their courage and character.  As the old hymn goes, which inspired the likes of Harry Truman:

Dare to be a Daniel,

Dare to stand alone,

Dare to hold a purpose firm,

Dare to make it known.

And I will say this:  the idea that Kamala lost because she was a woman, or a black woman, or any other personal characterstic is utterly false:  weenie-whiney bullshit.  She very nearly did win:  the difference in the popular vote was less than 2 percent.  In my view, she lost because she wasn't selling what a slim majority of voters wanted.  They chose rotgut whiskey instead of bottled water.  It's just real simple.

'

They will have a hell of a hangover, too, when they come to their senses.  It's a damn shame that the rest of us will have to suffer along with them.

It is most interesting to study the eye-opening results of the popular vote, as well as the exit polls, broken down by sex, race, religion, education, income, and much more.  I encourage all my truckbuddies in this country and abroad to do so before you say another word about the election.  Knowledge is power.

Keep the faith, brothers.

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Playing to Win: All Gas, No Brakes

* * * * *  W E  V O T E D !  * * * * *

Only a week now till Election Day, November 5th.  Here's a few heads-up for you.

1.  It's straight out of a Frank Capra movie.  Gotta love Coach's do-or-die pep talk to Team Blue:

 

2.  Bernie Sanders cogently explains why you should vote for Kamala even if you disagree with her on some issues:

 

3.  Robert Reich warns us not to fall for the old Red Mirage trick that Trump exploited last time:

4.  Ragin' Cajun James Carville says, "We're gonna win, baby!"

5.  Mika from Morning Joe says "this is the election where you want to know you did everything you could when America was on the line":

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Take the Keys Away!

Coach had this to say about Trump's impromptu dance party the other day:

 

What I say: This is not the behavior of someone who is eager to win an election. It's more like someone who thinks it's already in the bag, and votes aren't necessary. Just sayin'.

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Trae Crowder: It's a Wild World

The Liberal Redneck recaps last night's VP debate between Walz and Vance.

CBS provides highlights from the hour-and-a-half debate:

 

Rachel Maddow and other political commentators react:

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Coach Fixes His Truck

I love it:  this is a brilliant piece of campaign advertising.  The monologue might have been a little better written, but the point is clear:  Walz is a regular guy, a man of the people, and the Democrats care about all us ordinary, middle-class folks.  Unlike the other guys.  Sure, it really doesn't have anything much to do with the issues - but it is a very appealing portrait of Walz's humanity and decency,  

It's an old, old strategy in the US of A.  All through the 19th century, parties loved to paint their candidate as a true-blue American, born in a log cabin, a drinker of hard cider, not fancy French wines, a real man of the people, not some rich, out-of-touch snob from the big city who doesn't care about working folks.  The more things change . . . 

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DNC Day 3 Highlights

See Politifacts for fact-checking of statements made by Walz and others
at last night's convention.

Hope and joy are here again!  It was a great night for speaking and cheering at the Democratic convention in Chicago.  PBS provides a short recap of the evening:

 

CBS News Face the Nation provides full speeches by handsome Hakeem Jeffries (he's gay, really?!!), Bill Clinton, Nancy Pelosi, Oprah Winfrey, my man Pete Buttigieg (looking and sounding very presidential), and Coach Tim Walz:

Ya know, fellas, this is the most fun we Democrats have had in years.  What a blast!  We should do this more often.

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Trae Loves Tim

Trae Crowder is excited about Kamala's VP pick, and why shouldn't he be?  I agree with everything he says here.  So listen up now.

P.S.-- M.P. has signed up for Ground News and says he likes it a lot, much better than the default news he was getting on his computer.  I'm afraid to change my settings, you never know what unintended consequences that will bring.  But I scan a lot of different news sources anyway.

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Kamala Picks Walz for VP

A winning team - I do hope.

Of course Kamala picked Walz.  Just as I advised her to do a couple of weeks ago.  

Walz is a crowd-pleaser; now the campaign gets into high gear with a full ticket.  I like Walz; he's a regular guy, a good neighbor, a happy fella.  But is there anything more to him than the popular coach who fires up a pep rally?  We shall see.

NBC News:

CBS News:

Sky News (UK):

 

Former Speaker Pelosi on Morning Joe:

Update, 7:45 p.m.:  Walz's speech in full at the Philadelphia rally where he was introduced by Vice President Harris as her running mate today:

Tim Walz on guard for America, ca. 1982.
A man who knows how to handle his gun is OK by me.

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Newsbites 7/26/24

There are 103 days left until the election, November 5th.  Check your voter registration, and be sure it's up to date.

What a difference a week makes - from depression to elation!  I Hope the Dems keep the campaign train fired up and steaming right on to victory - not just for the good of the party, but also for the country and the world, and all us little people who live and love and work in it.

Here are a few news clips worth watching.  First, the Obamas endorse Kamala: 

 

Governor Walz on the "he-man woman haters" in the Republican party:

 

Secretary Pete on Trump's fear of debating Kamala:

 

Former Ambassador Susan Rice on Kamala's creds to be Commander-in-Chief:

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Tim Walz for Veep!

Governor Tim Walz (D-Minn.)

In the last 24 hours, your Head Trucker has discovered Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, and I think he would be a super Vice President for Kamala.  Of course, I know only what I've seen on YouTube and read on Wikipedia - which is true for all other candidates and politicians as well - but what I have seen and heard gives me great confidence that Walz is the man.  

And with Kamala, it would be a match made in political heaven - an irresistable Tracy & Hepburn team.

Poster for Woman of the Year, 1942.
Click to enlarge.

What makes me so confident is more than Walz's resume - small town guy, family man with 2 kids, 24-year Army National Guard vet (artillery), high school teacher and football coach, 12 years a Congressman, 5 years as governor of Minnesota - but beyond all that, he's highly articulate, witty, and humorous, with a positive outlook on America.  A happy, hopeful guy - unlike the angry, snarling opposing team - and he's only 6 months older than Kamala.  He also has executive experience (governor), which Kamala does not.