Now that she's the official nominee, is anyone else excited about Kamala Harris's chances?

[twodowntwotogo]

Just to get it out of the way - I am completely against Trump being elected President. I'm pretty excited to see Kamala being officially nominated, and looking forward to her fighting a strong campaign - albeit slightly nervously. Anyone else?

A drug improperly used, or used for the wrong illness, is obviously still harmful even if had been “extensively” tested.

Hence why giving invermectin to people to treat covid was not only ineffectual but also quite toxic.

I'm excited, bc like most Americans, I finally have some hope. Prior to, it was like watching a dumpster fire. Biden, while still competent was declining rapidly and Trump was just a dumpster fire. Now we have a competent woman leading in the polls, Trump is having one hilarious fuck up after another (it's so great to see him struggle) and Kamala has actually chosen a decent man for her VP. America options went from an incompetent, narcissistic sociopath and a VP who has the charisma of a piece of wallpaper to a decent, competent woman and a VP who can actually make a positive change in the country. I would say it's def enough to be excited about.

I’ve been reading up on Tim Waltz and he’s a good pick. I’m also loving that Harris has come out of the shadows. She’s very charismatic and energetic.

I also used to believe in Michelle Obama’s ‘when they go low, we go high’ thing but it doesn’t work. You cannot reason with MAGA’s rationally. Therefore you have to engage them on the same field. I love the attack ad below. People are cool with nerdy weird but not pervert weird. They’ve exposed the MAGA leadership for what they are, and in a funny way not a nasty way. Playing back their own statements.

At any rate I continue to be very excited about the Harris Walz candidacy. I love them as candidates, think that they are very exciting for the voters, and I hope they can get the job done and drive a stake through the heart of Trumpism/the politics of resentment and neo fascist autocracy.

The Trumpeter,s are bound to find something repulsive and fake about KM right hand man, he sounds a man of honour and integrity.

He probably is a man of honor and integrity. I find it a surprising pick though as he is from a solid democrat state. Mark Kelly from Arizona or Josh Shapiro from Pennsylvania would have been a smarter pick imo

He appears to be on the same hymesheet and share the same aspirations, possibly why he was chosen, good choice though all were worthy she interviewed.

She needs someone who can broaden her appeal to the independents

I suspect their data is better than any of ours.

I think it's a really interesting choice. He's pretty much exactly what JD Vance is pretending to be. Moving away from Ivy League educated lawyers/former prosecutors is new for Dems, and a smart move, imo.

I'm feeling cautiously optimistic for the first time in ages. They're radiating energy and enthusiasm which feels contagious.

You might think that if you did not actually know the data on vp picks historically. This has been widely discussed by both professionals and lay political observers with respect to this election. There is zero evidence that the VP pick actually brings the vp’s state. Zero. LBJ is the only one for which there is evidence and that is ambiguous.

Shapiro is popular in PA but had some issues with labour, school vouchers(a right wing corporate issue), a sexual harassment case he mishandled, and was too closely allied with Israel to lead Muslim voters in Michigan to support the ticket.

I personally thought all three candidates were excellent, honorable, active public servants but the role of the VP candidate is much bigger (and smaller) than acting as a favorite son candidate.

The US is a complex patchwork of states and rural/urban divides. Walz’s job is to be the happy, jovial, folksy, liberal, lutheran attackdog blunting years of right wing attacks on democrats as weird coastal elites, atheists, globalists (i.e. jews) . And he will do a bang up job. Shapiro and Kelly can fight for the ticket in their respective states very effectively as campaign surrogates. In fact keeping a democratic governor inPA is a significant boost for electoral integrity. In Kelly’s case he is a sitting senstor snd we are struggling to keep the senate so moving him was a bad idea. Meanwhile walz can appeal to rural/white voters who otherwise might tune out Shapiro. And if he doesn’t pisd off the very large Muslim community in Michigan he will help keep that state blue which is also an important consideration.

At any rate the decision was not a foolish one. There were well understood reasons that Walz satisfied more stakeholders and important dem constituencies than either shapiro or kelley.

Thanks for that background, @pikkumyy77. It was really interesting for those of us in the UK for whom Tim Walz was little more than a name. It was quite heartening to see him being so direct in his response to Donald Tump and JD Vance. As an outsider, he seems to reflect the best side of the US. I feel so much more hopeful now as I think Donald Trump represents a threat to the world, as well as the US.

It would be wonderful to have her elected, I think the USA (and the world) needs some healing female energy. If she were a successful, popular president it could do wonders to change the mindsets of racists and misogynists.

Thank you again @pikkumyy77. Your explanations are really helpful.

As well as all this Shapiro was being pushed as a star and future president pretty hard and I think someone who would let KH shine but be solidly supportive was also a factor. Walz is such a good contrast to Harris while being eminently compatible. Some Reps are calling him 'tampon Tim' as he made menstrual products freely available to school students....as he said himself 'what a monster'

Yes to this. Shapiro has a lot going for him—would make an excellent AG for example—but the VP slot needs to backstop or supplement the presidency and he is very much a presidential contender which Walz is not. Especially as second to a woman the VP this round has to have an slmost preternatural ability to support without overshadowing. I think its quite useful that although he is basically the same age as KH he looks 20 years older he gives off the same steadying old white grandpa/favorite uncle vibe that biden did as vp for Obama.

Oh yes, Kamala ticks so many boxes:

Indian ✅️
Black ✅️
Married to a white man ✅️
He's also Jewish ✅️

Step daughter is either non-binary or a self-proclaimed ally to the Trans community ✅️

Running against trump ✅️

She's in with so many communities.
To others, she's the exact opposite of what they want for these reasons.

It will be interesting to see how it all pans out.

Bitter trumper is bitter? So what if she is the opposite of what Trump’s voters want? They should absolutely vote for whoever they like best! No one is stopping them.

They aren’t the majority. They never were. Republicans and their voters who hate all the all American qualities you refer to so contemptuously as “tick boxes” are the minority. They lost and the popular vote in the last three elections and they will lose it into the future. Without the regressive power of the electoral college—which apportions too much power to land rich/population low states we would never have another republican president.

This is an energized, base election. There are, in fact, more people in America who are mixed race, black, non white, immigrant, LGBTQ or related to someone who is than Trump has voters.

Surely these should not be the qualifiers required to become POTUS. The only requirements should be whether you are competent, intelligent, a good communicator and leader. Race/gender is irrelevant. Why can’t things just be a meritocracy 🤷🏼‍♀️

The fact that some mumsnet commenter looks at the former Attorney General of California, Senator from California, and Vice President of the United states and only sees race and gender doesn’t mean she is not a representative of meritocracy. She is both an inspirational figure who represents the best of a plural society and also a fine candidate in her own right.

I would love to see this election focus on merit. Harris has it all over Old Orange Felon

If this election focused on merit, Harris wouldn’t qualify to be a candidate. And neither would Trump to be fair. She isn’t good at her job and her record as a prosecutor is awful.

However the choice is binary. Only one candidate is a convicted felon who has already suggested strongly that unless he wins he will foment discontent over election results, and told a large gathering of evangelical Christians that ‘this will be the last time you need to vote’.

If you’re gonna call trump a felon you might aswell call Harris a criminal aswell.
She convicted thousands of people for marijuana violations sending many of them to prison. Despite admitting to having used marijuana previously herself. Doesn’t that make her a criminal by her own standards? Terrible terrible prosecutor

On what basis are you saying this?

45 people were sent to state prison for selling marijuana when she was AG, almost all for being dealers, not for possession.
Since then she has advocated for legalisation and helped push through legislation to reclassify marijuana as less dangerous.

So - somebody's policies and attitudes evolve. Hardly criminal.