Friday Talking Points -- Yes We Kam!

[ChrisWeigant]

Last week, we wrote our third Friday Talking Points column in a row that dispensed with our usual format and was solely devoted to angst and calling on President Joe Biden to drop out of the race. This week, we are happy to say, things have changed for the better. And that's putting it mildly!

Vice President Kamala Harris is now the presumptive Democratic Party presidential nominee. Joe Biden is now officially (through his own decision) a lame duck. And Democrats by the millions have been astounded that they are now feeling genuine hope and actual enthusiasm about an election that was shaping up to be pretty grim indeed.

The change is monumental, and it came from the top. Kamala Harris is going to run a completely different campaign than Joe Biden would have. Sure, they'll be almost identical on the actual issues, but the style and energy of her campaign is going to be off the charts. Here is just one example -- a press release sent out by Team Harris (emphasis in original) after Donald Trump recently appeared on a friendly news show to do his usual mix of rambling aimlessly and lying shamelessly:

Statement on a 78-Year-Old Criminal's Fox News Appearance



After watching Fox News this morning we only have one question, is Donald Trump ok?



Main takeaways Trump gave to the American people:

• Trump praised his Project 2025


• Trump is flustered and lashing out


• When Trump wasn't lying, he was making threats


• Abortion bans are good, mail-in voting is bad


• Praised dictators because he wants to be one


• Trump is clearly worried he made the wrong pick in JD Vance


• Trump is old and quite weird?


• This guy shouldn't be president ever again

If anyone wants an alternative, Kamala Harris is offering one.

To state the obvious, it's hard to imagine Team Biden ever getting that snarky, or being that effective for that matter. This is driven by the candidate herself, who wields snark with the masterful skill of an Olympic fencer (our mandatory Olympics reference, sorry...). Hours later, the Harris campaign had another press release with another rather pointed title: "Happy World IVF Day To Everyone Except JD Vance."

Already, Harris is taking the fight directly to Trump and it has noticeably set him back on his heels. For days, he continued to attack Biden, even though he was no longer Trump's opponent. Donald Trump has never known how to react to strong, intelligent women who oppose him, and he's even worse when that woman is a person of color. And Harris has already reframed the entire race as "the prosecutor versus the felon," which you have to admit is a pretty neat bit of sloganeering.

Here's Harris, from one of her first speeches after Biden made his bombshell announcement:

[As a prosecutor, I] took on perpetrators of all kinds: Predators who abused women, fraudsters who ripped off consumers, cheaters who broke the rules for their own gain. So hear me when I say: I know Donald Trump's type.

As attorney general of California, I took on one of our country's largest for-profit colleges that was scamming students. Donald Trump ran a for-profit college that scammed students. As a prosecutor, I specialized in cases involving sexual abuse. Well, Trump was found liable for committing sexual abuse. As attorney general of California, I took on the big Wall Street banks and held them accountable for fraud. Donald Trump was just found guilty of fraud on 34 counts.

That's the type of campaign we're about to see, folks. Harris is going to get under Trump's skin in a big way, and she is going to be absolutely relentless about doing so. Within the first day of taking up the torch from Biden, Democrats interviewed everywhere had a great talking point that castigated the news media for their obsession over Biden -- because now Trump was the really old guy in the race, who has obviously slipped a few notches in the past few years. Turning that around on Trump so quickly was a masterful bit of political jiu-jitsu, and it was just the beginning.

By the end of the week, the Trump campaign indicated it was (for now, at least) pulling out of the remaining scheduled presidential debate. Harris responded on social media: "What happened to 'any time, any place'?" She wasn't the only one out there mocking Trump's cold feet, either. An old Saturday Night Live sketch with Trump surrounded by dancing chickens immediately surfaced.

That is how you fight a bully. Step on his toes. Get in his face. Call him chicken. Taunt him. Mock him. Belittle him.

Trump has pretty much owned this sort of thing ever since he entered politics, but he may have finally met his match -- a powerful woman who isn't afraid of ripping Trump a new one and then laughing about it. And she's not the only one -- as we are writing this, "#LaughAtTrump" is the number-one trending hashtag on one social media site.

At this point, it is now Democrats who are gleefully looking forward to the next debate, while Trump runs scared. That is an epic sea-change that happened within days. And Harris is only getting started, folks.

This newfound enthusiasm and hope on the Democratic side is only just started to register in the polling. Harris has now essentially caught up to Trump. They're running roughly even -- Harris up a few points in one poll, Trump up a few in another, all within the margin of error. But even being tied is a huge improvement. Biden was slipping more and more behind Trump, but Harris already seems to have wiped out this deficit. If her bump in the polls continues into next week, she could soon be solidly on top of the race.

The mainstream political media could be a big help in all this. They love obsessing over the horserace aspect, and they also love a good comeback storyline. Harris is something new, in a race that was previously unbelievably stale. And the obvious enthusiasm and excitement on the Democratic side is indeed quite newsworthy. Currently the pundits are all consumed by the question of who Harris will choose as her running mate, with endless "veepstakes" stories being written. This should all help build that wave of excitement.

Of course, sooner or later Trump and the Republicans will figure out some cohesive way of attacking Harris. But so far they have been notably perplexed by the concept, which is odd seeing as how they had plenty of time to prepare a "Plan B" for the Trump campaign when the question of Biden stepping aside became paramount. But they have wasted the entire week, while Harris is out there positively defining herself to the country. And there just aren't that many weeks left to go. Harris only has a little over 100 days to squeeze in her entire campaign, but if she continues dominating the airwaves it should be more than enough.

A few other minor things happened in politics this week, but none of them really even merits a mention. In other words, it was a one-story week again, but (finally!) it was a positive story being told by Democrats.





Obviously, we have to have two awards this week.

First, President Joe Biden was the Most Impressive Democrat Of The Week, for his selfless act of putting country before his own ambition. It's a hard, hard thing for anyone to walk away from a presidential campaign, no matter when it happens. And for a while there it looked like Biden had completely ruled it out. But this Sunday, he pulled the plug and passed the Democratic torch to his own running mate, Vice President Kamala Harris.

This was a historic decision, and it very well may have saved whatever chance Democrats have to beat Donald Trump this November. If Biden had stayed, he certainly seemed like he was on the path to defeat. With a whole new race, that doesn't seem inevitable anymore.

By stepping aside, Biden has ensured his legacy will be a good one. He got an incredible amount of far-reaching legislation passed, making his presidency perhaps the most successful on that front since L.B.J. He turned the country around from the COVID-19 pandemic. He saved the American economy, and avoided the recession that virtually every economist was predicting. He added more jobs during his first term than any president, ever. It's a very strong record all around, in fact.

Now Biden will be remembered solely for this record, and for dropping out of the race. Whether his policies will continue or not hinges on the election's outcome, but Biden will not be seen as "the guy who lost to Donald Trump." That's where his legacy was heading, before last Sunday.

Our second MIDOTW award goes to Vice President Kamala Harris, the new presumptive Democratic Party presidential nominee. Harris unified the party behind her with lightning speed. She got enough delegates to ensure her the nomination in roughly one day's time. Nobody else even bothered to challenge her (although Senator Joe Manchin did briefly flirt with the idea, just to get his face on television once again). Money began pouring in by the hundreds of millions of dollars, from both large donors and small. People have been volunteering to work on the campaign by the tens of thousands. The internet is going wild with pro-Kamala memes. And it hasn't even been a single week, yet.

The difference between this week and the previous three weeks is the difference between night and day. Between gloom and enthusiasm. Between despair and hope. Watching Harris campaign is exhilarating. She has a lot of energy and eagerness and she has become a much better speaker during her stint as Joe's veep. She has completely redefined the campaign, much to Trump's consternation.

We should almost change the name of the award for her to "Most Impressive Democratic Week, Ever!" since it's hard to recall any other such astounding week for the Democratic Party. Kamala Harris not only unified the Democratic Party in the blink of an eye, she has energized it beyond belief. Every Democrat we've spoken to is now looking forward to the next presidential debate, because everyone expects Kamala to just wipe the floor with Trump. For being the agent of such change, Kamala Harris is definitely the Most Impressive Democrat Of The Week, right up there with her boss Joe.

[Congratulate President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris via the White House contact page, to let them know you appreciate their efforts.]





Before we get started, we didn't think it even rose to the level of a (Dis-)Honorable Mention award, but what exactly was up with Barack Obama dragging his feet on endorsing Kamala Harris? He finally did so, but it took him and Michelle days longer than all the other prominent Democrats in the party. Bill and Hillary Clinton were the quickest off the mark, but day after day went by without the nod from the Obamas. So we'd just like to know: what was up with that?

Anyway, let's move along to the main award....

Politics in New Jersey have gone through some rather dramatic changes this year, as the traditional Democratic Party machine in the state has seen its power greatly diminished. In what seems like a continuation of this trend, Senator Bob Menendez announced this week he would be resigning his seat... in August, that is, after he picks up two more paychecks.

He is stepping down because (not unlike Donald Trump) Menendez is now a convicted felon. He was found guilty of bribery and other assorted crimes by a federal jury in his home state. He has sworn to appeal his case all the way up to the Supreme Court, and to be fair he might actually have a chance of convincing them to overturn it (since they've been ruthlessly gutting all the bribery laws they can for awhile now). While this was the first time Menendez was convicted, it is not the first time he has been charged -- he beat the rap in an earlier bribery case, years ago.

Menendez is, quite obviously, a sleazeball. So seeing him go is a relief to Democrats. He wasn't going to win re-election anyway, so whether the governor appoints the current Democratic nominee for his Senate seat or just puts someone in as a caretaker until January, the seat will safely remain in Democratic hands.

So even though he is doing the right thing now -- resigning in disgrace -- Bob Menendez is still our Most Disappointing Democrat Of The Week, for obvious reasons.

[Contact Senator Bob Menendez on his Senate contact page, to let him know what you think of his actions. But you'd better do it before mid-August, as that page won't be up for very much longer.]




Volume 760 (7/26/24)

Obviously, we've got one single theme for our talking points today: get Kamala Harris elected!

The first three of these are offered up as either rewording of things Harris has already said in her speeches or suggestions for what to say next. The others could be used by any Harris-supporting Democrat.

Enjoy!



Prosecute the case

This will be one of the main two themes of the entire campaign now. And it's a doozy.

"I started out as a prosecutor, bringing justice for victims and convicting all kinds of dangerous criminals. I know Donald Trump's type. I've seen his ilk before. And I've put people like him in jail for what they did. Donald Trump has spent his entire life ripping people off and ignoring the rules. Too many times, he has gotten away with it. He has stiffed his employees and contractors, he has defrauded consumers, and he has been an absolute pig towards women. I'm quite familiar with all of these types of criminal. So you've got to ask yourself who you want to see in the White House for the next four years, a convicted 34-time felon or a prosecutor who has devoted her life to the concept of justice for all and the rule of law? That's the choice you all will have to make in the voting booth, folks."



We're not going back

The second major campaign theme has also already emerged. And now Democrats have a poster-child bad-boy to focus on, in the person of J.D. Vance.

"Donald Trump and J.D. Vance want to take this country backwards. They want to rip away freedoms that were won through long, hard struggles. They want only people who look like them to have any power to decide what the rest of us can and cannot do. My campaign looks forward to the future, while theirs wants to drag us all back to some dismal past they imagine was better -- for people like them. Have you heard some of the crazy things J.D. Vance has said about women? His views would have been considered extreme even back in the 1950s, folks. I want to lead America into the future and make things better for people just like you. They want to turn us all around and head us into the past. But we're not going back! Not if I can help it, that's for sure."



Trump is way old

This one's pretty easy and requires no real setup or explanation.

"Now there is only one old guy in the race who is clearly past his prime, and his name is Donald Trump. Have you heard how crazy he sounds when he speaks? Have you heard him forget how to pronounce simple words? Why has he never released his full medical records or any of those cognitive tests he brags about? Let's face it, Trump is way too old. And he's deteriorating fast, too."



Seriously? Have you thought this out?

We wrote a column this Monday on this one, because the whole thing was just too, too funny.

"Immediately after President Joe Biden announced he wasn't going to finish his run for a second term, some Republicans began calling on him to resign the presidency right now. To which I say: 'Really? Have you thought this out? I mean, seriously?' You know what would instantly happen if Biden took their advice? President Kamala Harris would be sworn in. And she'd still be able to run for two full terms. They'd be handing her the gift of incumbency and it would reassure voters that she was more than capable of doing the job. I did notice that these knee-jerk calls for Biden to resign seem to have died down somewhat -- probably because somebody in Republicanland finally figured out what it would all mean."



Let's have some fun again

Never underestimate the power of positive emotion in politics.

"You know what? Kamala Harris has reintroduced the concept of fun to Democratic politics. Just look at her giving a speech -- she's obviously having a ball prosecuting the case against Trump. Republicans even tried to attack her because she laughs. Well you know what? Trump needs someone to laugh in his face, as many times as possible. I don't know about you, but I for one am ready to have some fun in the political arena again."



Rise of the Swifties

Hoo boy. Talk about waking a sleeping giant....

"When the clip of J.D. Vance running down Kamala Harris (and a few other Democrats) as, quote, childless cat ladies who were miserable, unquote, the reaction was swift. Women everywhere were offended, and Jennifer Aniston scathingly denounced Vance to her millions of followers online. The truly jaw-dropping idiocy of this statement is that Harris has kids. Stepkids. But I guess they don't count, in the misogynistic mind of Vance. But the reaction was 'Swift' in another way too, since there is one childless cat-lady who is one of the most successful women on Earth: Taylor Swift. Now, Swift hasn't actually endorsed any presidential candidate, but it's pretty clear she was never going to endorse Trump even before Vance's comment surfaced. But some Swifties have noticed, and they took umbrage. And having the Swifties angry at you means millions upon millions of fans will be that much more enthused about voting against you. So go right ahead, Mr. Vance -- tell us what you really think about 'childless cat-ladies'. You just go right ahead and keep digging that hole deeper!"



A brilliant update of a winning slogan

This seemed to organically pop up at the first rally Harris held after Biden's announcement, in the form of a bunch of people each holding up hand-made signs that spelled it out. It'll be interesting to see if it catches on, as either an official or unofficial campaign slogan, but we think it is brilliant since it riffs on the successful campaign slogan of the first Black person to become president. In any case, what we'll be looking for (in case you missed it):

YES WE KAM!

Chris Weigant blogs at: ChrisWeigant.com
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