Where did she learn to give these barn burner speeches?

[madaboutharry]

Kamala Harris is amazing!

I have been so filled with fear these past months, but after listening to Kamala Harris and Tim Walz, l have hope again.

We’re not going back!

A little observation: She really likes Tim Walz! 😊

[elleng]

1. Dunno, she's among the very smartest;

her parents surely are/were.

[Ocelot II]

2. She's a natural. So is Walz. What a great team!

[ananda]

9. It's called charisma, and they both have ut!

!

[wordstroken]

11. Agree 100 percent!! Excellent team!

[OAITW r.2.0]

3. She graduated from the Obama School of political Oratory.

1st in her class, I believe.

[Sogo]

8. Better than Obama!

IMHO....

[ecstatic]

13. It's the substance. Pres Obama was about hope and change,

which is great, but future president Harris is embracing a more aggressive message where we make it clear that we are not going back, and we are going to have control of our own fucking bodies again.

[speak easy]

22. Barack ended his 2008 acceptance speech this way with these words -

America, we cannot turn back. Not with so much work to be done. Not with so many children to educate, and so many veterans to care for. Not with an economy to fix and cities to rebuild and farms to save. Not with so many families to protect and so many lives to mend. America, we cannot turn back. We cannot walk alone. At this moment, in this election, we must pledge once more to march into the future. Let us keep that promise — that American promise — and in the words of Scripture hold firmly, without wavering, to the hope that we confess.

Thank you, God bless you, and God bless the United States of America.

[Cha]

34. Mahalo for that from Barack Obama, speak easy! His was

brilliant for the Time and this from VP Harri is what is needed now.

This isn't a competition.

[BeyondGeography]

29. More heartfelt

This battleground tour has been an eye opener for me. I have seen real soul-baring from her. She is pouring her heart out up there not just to win a race but to tell us what it will mean for the country. Obama was an A-grade orator and once-in-a-lifetime campaigner. But he was a cautious President who too often IMHO didn’t leverage the full strength of his communication skills and personal popularity to win political battles. Harris is giving me hope that she will swing for the fences with all her might if she gets the chance. Choosing to run and govern with Walz who used a one-vote majority in MN to pass a boatload of progressive legislation is right in line with that.

[FirefighterJo]

43. True, but

I joined DU when Mr. Obama entered the half circle of Congress to obstain against the wrongfull Bush-Gore election. He was at the time a freshman black senator, so I was impressed by his set of cojones Obama believed and tried in and for bipartsanship but got nothing. KaRmala Harris has it 'easy' on that point : the Great Obsolete Pedophiles have shown their true colors now.

[cachukis]

20. Yes, Oratory. Smooth. To become smoother.

[Morgan125]

4. No tax on tips!!

YAY

[Tree Lady]

10. I was wondering about that after Trump

said it.

[Ms. Toad]

17. Crap. That's disappointing.

Another one-off solution that favors one group over others similarly situated - and pits similarly situated people against each other, fighting for pieces of the pie. Like classifying reconstruction after breast cancer surgery medically necessary, but leaving other individuals with medically necessitated disfigurement on the hook to pay for it themselves out of pocket as cosmetic. Like capping insulin out of pocket at $35/month - but leaving other diabetes medications at $500/month, and leaving other medications for other diseases at $20,000/month.

And that's before even getting to the issue that excluding tips from income leaves tipped employees more likely to live in poverty on retirement - because SS is based on reported income.

[cachukis]

21. Agreed, but rhetorical response in a fight. Politics.

[electric_blue68]

23. Well, we have to keep keeping on to improve health care costs for lower income people in all catagories plus...

maaaaybe we finally get Single Payer some day.

[Ms. Toad]

28. The problem is that when one-off solutions are created for larger, "sexier" issues

rather than addressing the underlying issue, it lessens the chance that the underlying issue will be addressed because it quiets the loudest voice.

Disfigurement from surgical removal of cancer carries the same emotional toll, regardless of the kind of cancer which caused it. Calling treating the disfigurement medically necessary for breast cancer survivors - but cosmetic takes the very vocal breast cancer lobby out of the call for reform. Those who are left no longer have that well-funded voice advocating for reform.

Same thing for insulin.

So, while single payer is the goal, creating one-off solutions (whether for medical issues - or for one group of low-income workers) makes it harder for everyone who isn't in that group for whom the solution is created to get a similar result.

[wnylib]

38. Have you heard both Biden and Harris say

that they will extend the reduced cost of insulin to all people who need it? I have, several times.

Sometimes things are achieved in increments, especially when up against strong opposition from the other party. So we celebrate each achievement and then push farther for more, as Biden, Harris, and Walz are doing.

We need to give them the Demicratic numbers in Congress that they need for them to achieve more.

Regarding tips, I did some part time restaurant serving many years ago, in addition to my regular job, in order to pay my divorce attornry and buy my own car in my own name. Back then, servers were paid below minimum wage and expected to make up the difference in tips. We had to report tips as income.

But now wages are higher for servers, so their reported SS will be higher. Tips will probably be lower since diners know that servers are paid more. Also, the cost
of paying servers more will get passed on to customers so they will be less inclined to tip as much. Some won't tip at all now. So now servers are better off in the long run not reporting tips and paying tax on them. Their higher regular pay will be taxed and they will have ready, untaxed cash from the lower tips that they do get.

[Freethinker65]

27. Agree. But perhaps that will lead to changes in the tipping culture here and change to higher base pay with benefits.

[Ms. Toad]

30. That would be nice.

Employers should be forced to bear the entire cost of paying their workers, so the cost is ultimately shared equally by all customers (not borne disproportionately by those who feel a responsibility to pay a portion of the employee's wage, while others pay none, or very little, of it).

[Hekate]

33. I'm confused. What does your post have to do with taxing tips?

[Ms. Toad]

35. It has to do with creating one-off solutions for a sub-group, when the underlying issue impacts a much larger group.

All low income workers struggle to have enough money after taxes to pay the bills. Rather than raising minimum wage across the board, the proposed solution pulls out one sub-group and gives them a benefit not shared by the rest of the similarly situated workers. This removes a substantial voice from the chorus demanding an increase in wages, making it less likely there will be an overall solution.

This is the same tactic used to avoid addressing the general issue of drug costs, by providing a one-off solution for a sub-group (those needing insulin), which had a particularly loud voice (a strong lobbying coalition) and a sexy story. The same tactic that was earlier used for breast cancer (again, a strong lobbying group, and a sexy story).

Providing one-off solutions to a sub-group, without addressing the underlying issue, is a way of diminishing the number of voices calling for reform (whether that reform is medical costs, or wages). Essentially it is a divide and conquer tactic. Give an effective pay increase to one group of low income workers by eliminating taxes on a substantial portion of their income, and there won't be as many calling for an overall solution in the form of a living wage, or at a minimum an increase in minimum wage.

[Bongo Prophet]

42. Biden's 2020 SS Reform plan addressed some issues by implementing a minimum SS payment of 125% of Fed Poverty Line

Unfortunately, the 2022 loss of the House, killed the possibility of this being passed. It is an existential issue for those of us who, for whatever reasons, fall into this gap in the safety net.

The minimum SS payment would be a set Special Minimum Benefit at 125% of Federal Poverty Line ($1301 in 2019), Grown by the National Average Wage Index (AWI).

VP Harris seems to be aiming at a continuance of this plan when she mentions "aging with dignity".

Changes to Benefits

Under current law, the death of a spouse leads to a steep reduction in household Social Security benefits. For example, when both spouses previously received equal benefits, the surviving household’s benefit is cut by 50 percent. Because many household expenses are not divisible, this causes steep reductions in survivors’ living standards. The Biden plan proposes a more generous survivor benefit for those who, under current rules, receive a smaller survivor benefit compared to the average of basic retirement benefits across all workers—that is, before any adjustments for early retirement, post-retirement earnings etc. are applied.

For long-career workers, benefits are mainly based on average historical earnings. Lower average earnings correspond to lower benefits. To protect the retirement living standards of workers with extremely low earnings, current law places a floor on the benefit level called the “special minimum benefit.” Very few beneficiaries are affected by this provision, however the benefits of those affected remain well below the poverty level. The Biden plan proposes an increase to the special minimum benefit of between 5 and 50 percent for long-term low earners with work histories between 10 and 30 years.

Some expenses such as out of pocket health care spending, transportation, and personal assistance services increase at very old ages. Those who live through very old age often live longer than they expected and saved for, and thus suffer declines in living standards due to depleted personal savings. The Biden plan would provide a benefit “bump up” for older beneficiaries that increases in size during ages 78 to 82 to reach a full 5 percent increase in the basic benefit calculated in the year of their retirement (“primary insurance amount”) by age 82 and beyond.

Under current Social Security laws, once the initial benefit is calculated, the benefit is adjusted each year to keep pace with general price increases in the economy. However, the price index used is the Consumer Price Index for Wage and Clerical Workers (CPI-W). That index does not accurately capture annual changes in the general price level of the basket of goods and services that retirees purchase, which includes more health-care-related items and less work-related items such as clothing and transportation. The Biden plan would increase overall benefits by shifting the index for calculating annual cost-of-living benefit adjustments to the Consumer Price Index for the Elderly (CPI-E) , which usually grows faster than the CPI-W index.

https://budgetmodel.wharton.upenn.edu/issues/2020/3/6/biden-social-security

Thank you for bringing up these important issues. Many do not understand these gaps, and that partial solutions often miss dealing with the bigger picture. Very insightful.

[Ms. Toad]

45. Good information! n/t

[geojazz]

5. It's all in the timing!! Thank Barack!!!

[Joinfortmill]

6. In court, I think

[Deuxcents]

7. I've watched the rallies all week and know the dialogue by heart! Hope they keep it fresh and exciting

I’d like to see more down ballot remarks and more about 2025 that will impact Vets, public schools. Bring home the destruction they would have on our every day lives. Love the fire in both their voices and the ease with the crowd..it’s from the heart and not their note cards..makes a real difference 🗳️

[Justice matters.]

16. Agreed 100% about more down ballots and 2025. Hoping the convention...

At the convention, when the feed is wider... someone must tell the campaign to clarify clearly in prime time IMHO.

[electric_blue68]

24. I think I noticed a bit of a change last night

[ecstatic]

36. Yeah I don't think it's meant for us to watch each one, even though we're doing that

Lol. Coming up with brand new speeches each time in the span of 2 weeks is just not possible and probably not advised either. But they switch it up here and there.

[ecstatic]

12. They're giving us the red meat

That we've so desperately craved. Our hopes, dreams and desires are being validated.

And no, we're not going back! Lock him up!

[GiqueCee]

14. I truly believe...

... that this woman will save the world. I'm with her 'til end.

[TBF]

15. Well despite what the right-wingers say, she is very experienced!!

She was not only VP, but also a Senator and State AG - she campaigned for those offices too!

I do think her confidence has grown & it's amazing to see her rise to the moment. Walz is definitely a great pick for VP, she's obviously very comfortable w/him.

[electric_blue68]

25. Being a good prosecuter...You have know your stuff, AND learn to talk clearly to a group of people!....

Then Senator -a bigger "room full" of people.

And now...

ARENAS, Airplane hangers 😁 etc for
The US Presidency!

Talk about exponential growth!!! 😃

[dchill]

18. This is NOT her first rodeo.

[hvn_nbr_2]

19. She's made good use of her time as VP

Learned, grew, worked on weaknesses, honed strengths.
I think we can also thank Joe for giving her opportunities to do those things.

[mopinko]

46. she has been touring the country, under the radar, since roe fell.

mostly college campuses. speaking AND organizing. we’re going to slaughter them.

[Cirsium]

26. No surprise

The only thing new is that she has been given an opportunity.

[MaryMagdaline]

31. Moot court and trial. Typical closing arguments

[Cha]

32. lol... I was thinking about how much

VP Kamala Harris' speeches are like she's been doing this all her life!

[JudyM]

37. She was stunning in Judiciary hearings.

[PlutosHeart]

39. Tim will provide a much

needed assurance through both humor and intelligence. He made me feel safe. He has that effect.
Yes. I think she is very happy that she chose him.

[betsuni]

40. I see some people giving men credit for Harris's success: "This is basically a [man's name] ticket" as if

she wouldn't have progressive policies otherwise, "Thanks Barack" for good speeches. She was one of the most progressive senators and has spent her career speaking in court and in public. Her personality, style, charisma, intelligence are hers, can't be taught. .

I am very cranky about it.

[FlyingPiggy]

41. To be fair, who doesn't like Walz? Let me tell you: weirdos. Everyone else loves him!

[Zoomie1986]

44. I liked her in 2020, but it seemed like she was

More hesitant and less willing to take risks with a campaign, and that's pretty common for a first-time candidate whose experience has taught her her she must be 10 times better than everyone else to be considered even 1% as good.

It's like she's stopped worrying if people won't like her, or worried about making a mistake (perfectionism is a real problem for black women who get as far as she has). It's loosened her up. Now she's telling us, I know I can do this job, I've got everything it takes to do it, and I'm a good person, and if you can't be on board with that, well, bye.