#straight ticket democrat

[steelbluehome]

"Trump spent some time testing out the “Cacklin’ Kamala” nickname to show her as unserious on account of her laugh, but he recently started trying “Kamabla” – a sign he was not sold on his initial option though it is not clear what the insult means."

The Guardian

How do we know he didn't just forget the name of his opponent?

[visenyaism]

okay it is time to start annoying your friends and family about their plan to vote. now that i early voted today this is me annoying you all. go vote

[lejacquelope]

America had feminists under control.

Then the Republicans took over, went on a WAAAGH! against women, and gave them a whole new reason to rage at men.

If you have a problem with radical feminists, the best thing you can do to quell them is vote Democrat and stomp the fuck out of the GOP's efforts to revive the Patriarchy.

Patriarchy is EVIL, it is a moral failing, we can't let it consume America. Look at Afghanistan if you want to know where it will take us. Radical feminism is evil, it is a moral failing. The two are literally FEEDING off each other, creating a cancer insidiously eating away at our civilization. Conservatism is the bigger concern simply because they physically bring guns to the arena of ideas and are not shy about committing violence to get their way.

Call out feminists but Vote Blue at the ballot box. Preserve women's rights, squash their efforts to bring back patriarchy, prevent women from being relegated to second class citizens, and feminism will get thrown to the wayside like it was before Trump came along.

Keep the balance.

[july-19th-club]

some desperate glory is so America In Space (derogatory; intentional) that it does sometimes feel, during reading, like it's leaning a little heavy-handedly into the 'this is what american imperialism or american fundamentalism could look like in the rest of the universe. its Bad!'. like it almost seems way too obvious. but then i think about the average sixty-year-old military scifi reader - the kind of guy who would be likely to pick this book up at work and check it out - and i know for a fact that reading the word "enby" in the book would just be another scifi word to him like he's not reading it thinking 'ah, these are common gender terms', he's reading it thinking 'ah, the author has invented a neutral term for genders? maybe? maybe it's a type of alien?' like he doesn't know. and so whenever i as a spec fic reader who's thirty and online a lot and runs in very leftist circles see a review of a book that accuses it of spoonfeeding its readers very basic and obvious concepts i think about xkcd average familiarity. and quartz of course

[the-cimmerians]

On Thursday, Governor Tim Walz sat down for an interview with author Glennon Doyle, her partner Abby Wambach, and her sister Amanda Doyle during a taping of the We Can Do Hard Things podcast. The conversation touched on key election issues such as abortion and gun violence. However, midway through the podcast, the discussion shifted to queer youth, specifically transgender kids. Rather than shying away from the topic, Walz delivered a passionate, several-minute-long defense of LGBTQ+ rights, including transgender healthcare. He outlined his vision for the administration’s role in protecting these rights.

The question came from Abby Wambach, who turned to the topic after discussing Walz’ founding of a Gay-Straight Alliance at his high school in the mid-90s. Wambach asked, “Well, thank you Governor Walz so much for protecting even in the late ’90s queer kids. And so I have to ask, what will a Harris-Walz administration do to protect our queer kids today?”

Walz discussed positive legislative actions, such as codifying hate crime laws and increasing education, while emphasizing the importance of using his platform to advocate for LGBTQ+ rights. He then addressed the role of judges in safeguarding medical care for queer youth: “I also think what Abby, your point is on this, and I was just mentioning, we need to appoint judges who uphold the right to marriage, uphold the right to be who you are, making sure that’s the case, uphold the right to get the medical care that you need. We should not be naive. Those appointments are really, really important. I think that’s what the vice president is committed to.”

He didn’t stop there. Instead, he directly pivoted to calling out national anti-transgender attack ads which have flooded the airwaves across the United States, often airing besides NFL football games and other major sporting events. The Trump administration has spent upwards of $20 million on such ads, with outside organizations spending $80 million on various races.

“We see it now; the hate has shifted to the trans community. They see that as an opportunity. If you’re watching any sporting events right now, you see that Donald Trump’s closing arguments are to demonize a group of people for being who they are,” Walz said. He continued, “We’re out there trying to make the case that access to healthcare, a clean environment, manufacturing jobs, and keeping your local hospital open are what people are really concerned about. They’re running millions of dollars of ads demonizing folks who are just trying to live their lives.”

He emphasized the importance of representation and the impact of coming out, particularly for parents who may not have been exposed to LGBTQ+ identities and therefore might lack understanding. Walz pointed out, “Look, you’re reaching a lot of folks in hearing this, and for some people it’s not even out of malice and it’s not a pejorative, it’s out of ignorance. They maybe have not been around people. You’ve all seen this, however it takes you to get there, but I know it’s a little frustrating when you see folks have an epiphany when their child comes out to them.”

The strong defense of queer and trans youth came just one day after Kamala Harris participated in a Fox News interview with Brett Baier. Baier, who maintained a hostile tone throughout, pressed Harris on transgender issues with his second question. Rather than adopting the Republican framing, as some Democrats have done recently, Harris emphasized that the law requires medically necessary care for transgender inmates and criticized Trump for spending $20 million on ads focused on an issue far removed from the priorities of most Americans. Her response prompted Baier to quickly shift to another topic.

In back-to-back days, the Harris-Walz ticket has made it clear they will not back down on queer and trans rights, despite the barrage of anti-trans attack ads. This stance is likely reinforced by the repeated failure of similar ads in recent races, including Wisconsin’s Supreme Court election, legislative races in Pennsylvania and Virginia, Georgia’s Herschel Walker vs. Raphael Warnock election, Andy Beshear’s reelection in Kentucky, and the 2023 losses of 70% of Moms for Liberty and Project 1776 school board candidates across the United States. For transgender people, these interviews are likely a welcome relief after some wavering responses from other Democratic candidates in swing states.

[justinspoliticalcorner]

Erin Reed at Erin In The Morning:

On Tuesday, Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris announced that her pick for Vice President is Tim Walz, the governor of Minnesota. In recent years, as trans and queer people have come under attack from over a thousand proposed bills, Walz is expected to serve as a source of optimism for LGBTQ+ people. The governor’s long track record on LGBTQ+ rights positions him as a strong oppositional force against what has become a national attack on LGBTQ+ people, particularly transgender individuals.

“I am proud to announce that I've asked Tim Walz to be my running mate. As a governor, a coach, a teacher, and a veteran, he's delivered for working families like his. It's great to have him on the team. Now let’s get to work. Join us,” read Harris’ statement on Twitter. Walz has taken decisive action against attacks on transgender people in surrounding states, making Minnesota a refuge for those seeking care. In 2023, he signed an executive order protecting transgender people from out-of-state prosecution if they seek care within Minnesota’s borders. The executive order also issued a bulletin to health insurance companies, mandating coverage and initiating investigations into health insurance denials in the state.

In 2024, Walz signed a bill banning the gay and transgender panic defense. This defense is often used to help individuals avoid murder charges or receive lighter sentences by asserting that they were "deceived" by a romantic partner who was gay or transgender. According to one study, the transgender panic defense has been used at least 351 times. Walz's pro-LGBTQ+ record goes back much further than his time as governor. In 1999, he sponsored the first gay-straight alliance at his high school while working as a teacher. In Congress, he co-sponsored the repeal of the Defense of Marriage Act and voted to repeal Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.

Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz (D)’s track record on LGBTQ+ issues has been stellar, dating back to his pre-Congress days.

This makes me glad that he is the nominee.

[qqueenofhades]

re your tags on that last post, you could say he was...biden his time

BA DUMP TSHH.

I think that everyone, having gotten through the initial 24 hours of rage, fear, terror, confusion, anger, and frustration, is coming around to the idea that this was possibly a good thing and has undoubtedly given the Democratic ticket a much-needed jolt of energy. There are still all the very valid conversations to be had about the sway of a tiny group of billionaire donors, the media and Anonymous Democratic Sources bullying, the decision to torch Biden when they could so easily (so! easily!!!) have done it to Trump at any time and have clearly decided to go FULLY into the tank for him instead. This has many worrisome implications for democracy, and it's not something to be celebrated. All of that is still very much true.

However, now that we have had concrete evidence of the party immediately cohering around Kamala and the grassroots donors busting down the door to give her money, it may also turn out that this was a very wise political jiu-jitsu move by a very crafty political veteran like Biden. As the post I just reblogged pointed out, he did it AFTER the GOP convention, when the Republicans had already locked in (by any reasonable metric) a terrible, terrible ticket. It makes the Democrats look like the ones responsive to the American people demanding a younger and more mentally "with it" candidate (no matter how obvious the slurs about ageism were in regard to Biden when Trump is literally THREE YEARS YOUNGER and far more obviously scrambled). It opens all the excitement and historic firsts of Obama in 2008, it gives the perfect "Prosecutor vs. Felon" tagline that's really easy to run with and stick in people's minds, it is beautiful revenge for all Trump's horrible sexist behavior in 2016 (and really, his whole life) and it gives the Democrats the narrative, if they can FUCKING STICK TOGETHER AND STOP STABBING EACH OTHER IN THE BACK. Now we get to hear about Kamala's running mate, Kamala's plans, feel-good pieces about how she appeals to youth, women/people of color, etc. etc. ALL THAT IS GOOD.

I think/hope the DNC will now be a massive celebration of Biden, who after all came out of retirement when he was already old to take on Trump, beat him, deliver an incredibly successful presidency, and pass the torch on to Kamala. I saw some criticism of Obama yesterday for not endorsing her immediately, but what I read is that he/the other Democratic big beasts (Pelosi, Schumer, etc) want to be a uniting figure with an endorsement of the final candidate, if there was a contested primary beforehand. Thank fuck, it doesn't look like there will be, but it also means that they might wait until the DNC before openly endorsing her. Now, I am still angry at the Biden knifing that all these three were complicit in to some degree, BUT I also have no doubt that if/when Kamala is confirmed as the nominee, they will line up behind her to endorse her and her VP pick. I have seen Mark Kelly, Roy Cooper, etc as possible picks (since alas, she will probably have to pick a straight white man; Kelly would be replaced in the Senate by Democratic AZ governor Katie Hobbs; Cooper is term-limited as governor in NC and might help us target that state for a flip). But what is number one most important is that we support her and whoever she DOES choose. I have also heard that she is already in the process of vetting picks and this is exciting news.

I am thrilled to vote for a woman for POTUS the second time in a few years, I think she has a real shot at winning, and I am heartened by how the base has rallied to Kamala in 24 hours. Let's fucking go. As my new office decoration says:

[fanboy-feminist]

Biden dropping out has been, no joke, the best thing for the Democratic Party in years.

I haven't felt this sort of excitement in electoral politics since Bernie's 2015/2016 campaign. I genuinely do not believe that the Dems have had anything this good happen for them since Obergefell v. Hodges in 2015.

After weeks, months! of Biden fumbling so fucking much (student protests for a ceasefire in Gaza, god-awful debate, etc), to drop out and suddenly . . .

the main Democratic candidate is now a charismatic woman of color who called for a ceasefire in Gaza

a category 5 storm of memes about the biggest album of the year in pop music and pop culture and Kamala Harris

the Republican VP pick generally being an off-putting grifter weirdo

a rumor about aforementioned VP pick having sex with a couch starts to pick up traction

a genuinely exciting search for the Democratic VP slot

Minnesota governor Tim Walz (correctly) calls Trump and Trumpian Republicans “weird”

Harris picks Tim Walz, a middle class, ex-military, former public school teacher who coached his school's football team and sponsored the gay-straight alliance, now a pro-union Democrat attack dog (which I have never seen on a Democratic ticket as long as I have been alive) to be her running mate

he makes a JD Vance couch joke in his first speech as Harris’ VP pick!

How absolutely perfect is this? I have never seen this energy and excitement in electoral politics (save for MAGA-types [but they're a cult]) in my life. This is potentially a godsend for the Democratic party.

Moreover, I genuinely think this could make conditions for pushing for more progressive and left-leaning policies at all levels of government in the U.S. possible.

[darkmaga-returns]

Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson is warning voters that a Dominion voting machine model in use in many of the state’s counties is erroneously preventing voters from casting split-ticket ballots. According to Benson, the error is impacting specifically the Dominion ICX Voter Assist Terminal (VAT) system, which is offered to individuals with disabilities and assists with marking their ballots.

According to Benson, the Dominion machine has an issue processing certain types of ballots—namely those where a voter wishes to vote for a mix of Republican and Democratic Party candidates instead of a straight party line. The Michigan Secretary of State claims the problem with the VAT machine isn’t unique to Michigan, and ballot marking errors have been reported by election officials nationwide.

“Yeah, this is a nationwide issue with Dominion voter access terminals in, in the counties that use them in the voter access terminals,” Benson announced earlier this week. She added: “Of course, not all the machines, just the ones that are accessible, have an issue. With the straight-party voting and a programming issue, that’s again affected the machines nationwide.”

[mariacallous]

interesting day up north in Maine yesterday, lots of Republican, ex-military, white, men over 50 telling me they find Trump disgusting, "well I'll tell you who I'm not voting for a rapist, criminal, fraud, traitor, scumbag!" "I'm a Republican, I've always voted Republican, but this time I'm voting a straight Democrat ticket because I'm just so sick of him!" it was the strongest day for anti-Trump feeling I've had and all from older men

Everyone is saying it

[steelbluehome]

[jscalzi]

I Voted Early, and You (Probably) Can Too

I am going to be in France on the actual election day, so it was important for me to vote as soon as I could here in Ohio, which happens to be today. I drove over to the Darke County Board of Elections, presented my ID, got my ballot, and then made my choices. This year was straight Democratic ticket, because (to put it mildly) the Republicans have entirely lost the plot when it comes to sanity,…

[fatsamsgrandslamspeakeasy]

THIS article is a MUST-READ!!! Please click on and take 10 minutes to read why ALL "loyal" Democrat voters need to rethink their loyalty to a failed and self-dooming political party!

But I would respectfully say to author Mr. Gary L. Francione:

If unconditional Trans support is the only issue that caused you to leave the Democratic Party, then your knowledge of current events must be extremely limited.

What about: Open borders, with benefits to anyone coming across our border can only cause our country to go bankrupt, not to mention the safety concerns of allowing criminals, sex offenders and terrorists into our country.

What about: A corrupt DOJ, and FBI determined to do whatever it takes to keep one party in power, needs censorship to keep public opinion on their side, and censorship was what was happening with multiple visits by the FBI to Facebook, Twitter, and other media outlets. ?

What about: The unfair and unbalanced prosecution of, and use of law fare against Trump when there was clear evidence of the Biden family crimes on the laptop that generated literally no prosecution. ?

What about: The relentless gaslighting regarding a senile Biden and the narrative that he was sharp, and on top of his game, when even one with blurred vision could see he was not. ?

What about: horrible economy causing prices to skyrocket all around. ?

What about: funding a country in the midst of a potential imminent world war, while ignoring the problems and hardships of Americans suffering from natural disasters. ?

I find it disturbing that the Democratic Party has any support at all, except from those incarcerated or those looking to destroy America.

[simply-ivanka]

Vice President Candidate Tim Walz - Some of his Issues Before The Voters

• The Floyd riots. Walz managed to infuriate mainstream voters when he initially refused to quell the riots and arson that followed George Floyd’s death in Minneapolis, only to enrage activists later when he called in the National Guard. Violent crime continues to plague the state.

Walz also signed a 2023 bill giving felons the right to vote except while they are incarcerated.

• Covid: Minnesota was a proud lockdown state; Walz enforced closures, restrictions and curfews, as well as a mask mandate, for more than a year. Police arrested a business owner who defied restrictions, while Walz set up a hotline that allowed residents to tattle on others who weren’t following his rules (Walz said the snitching was for people’s “own good.”)

• Spendalooza: Minnesota is racing to become the California of the Midwest, via a spending blowout that has ballooned government and depleted coffers. Walz hiked taxes, blew through a $18 billion surplus, and is on track for a $2.3 billion deficit. The money was thrown at a bevy of progressive priorities, including public education, “free college,” paid family and medical leave, and expanded government health care.

• Green New Deal: Walz tied his state’s vehicle emission standards to California regulations, among the strictest in the nation. And he signed a bill requiring state electric utilities to be 100% carbon free by 2040—an insane, and costly, fantasy.

• Culturally weird:  Walz gave his party a laugh when he declared Republicans “weird,” though it’s Minnesota that’s rapidly moved away from cultural norms under his tenure. He signed a law making the state a “sanctuary” for minors seeking transgender hormone treatment and surgery; another one mandating the dispensing of tampons in school boys’ bathrooms; and a law that declares an “individual” right to an abortion with no time limit or requirement that minors notify their parents.

Dept. of Conventional Wisdom: Walz has a jovial Midwestern style, and is often found chatting about his love of hunting or coaching while sporting a Carhartt jacket and baseball cap. Democrats intend to present him as their bridge to working-class voters and argue he’s capable of presenting progressive policy as practical and positive for most Americans. Think Pennsylvania Sen. John Fetterman or Montana Sen. Jon Tester. Yet Minnesota has little to show for its massive spending and liberal governance: Crime is up; education proficiency rates are down; capital and residents are leaving; inflation remains high; and job numbers are ticking down. Minnesota’s tax rates—individual, corporate and estate—are now among highest in the nation. Walz didn’t fare well with working-class voters in his gubernatorial elections. And his policy history magnifies the perception of a far-left ticket.

The real error may be lost opportunity. Vice-presidential candidates don’t usually make-or-break a ticket, but with another potential razor-thin presidential race in November—one that may very well run straight through Pennsylvania—Harris’s decision to walk away from a popular Keystone governor was risky.

[justinspoliticalcorner]

A.B. Stoddard at The Bulwark:

1. Trump’s Not Taking the L. . .

The last two weeks—the unveiling of the Harris-Walz ticket, and Kamala Harris’s surge in the polls—feels like some surreal dream state. Everything has changed. Have you noticed Harris has pushed Donald Trump right out of the comfy lead he’s held for an entire year? He’s noticed. From FiveThirtyEight to RealClearPolitics—pick your polling average—they all now show Harris out in front after only two and a half weeks.

Trump is no longer on track to win the election—which he has been for more than six straight months. Instead, the momentum, money, voter registration, volunteering, grassroots organizing, polling, and online engagement all favor the Democrats and it looks now like Trump could easily lose. But that won’t happen, because Trump doesn’t lose. He beat Joe Biden in 2020—remember? So if he’s not the rightful victor on November 5, an entire army of Republicans is ready to block certification of the election at the local level. No need to worry about mayhem on January 6, 2025 when Congress meets in joint session; the election deniers plan to stop a result right away if it looks like Harris is winning. Their goal: Refuse to certify anywhere—even a county that Trump won—and prevent certification in that state, which prevents certification of the presidential election. A Harris victory could become a nightmare.

An investigation by Rolling Stone identified “in the swing states of Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada, North Carolina, and Pennsylvania . . . at least 70 pro-Trump election conspiracists currently working as county election officials who have questioned the validity of elections or delayed or refused to certify results.” Of those 70, 22 of them already have “refused or delayed certification” in recent past elections. Nationwide, Republicans have refused to certify results at least 25 times since 2020, in eight states—the most in Georgia.

The article describes social media posts from the zealots who have infiltrated election administration as showing “unapologetic belief in Trump’s election lies, support for political violence, themes of Christian nationalism, and controversial race-based views.” There are more than enough such individuals in these key posts to bring us to a constitutional crisis. “I think we are going to see mass refusals to certify the election” in November, Democratic election lawyer Marc Elias told Rolling Stone. “Everything we are seeing about this election is that the other side is more organized, more ruthless, and more prepared.” Sit with that.

Then there is this. Trump’s self-destructive attacks on Georgia’s popular governor made the headlines from his Atlanta rally last Saturday, but he also singled out for praise three little-known Georgians—Janice Johnston, Rick Jeffares, and Janelle King—calling them “pitbulls fighting for honesty, transparency, and victory.” Who are Johnston, Jeffares, and King? They are three of the five members of Georgia’s State Election Board. Three days after Trump’s speech, this past Tuesday, those three Republicans approved a new rule requiring a “reasonable inquiry” prior to election certification that—while vague and undefined—could be exploited to delay certification and threaten the statewide election certification deadline of November 22.

The law in Georgia, where Trump and fourteen1 others are charged with plotting to overturn the 2020 election result, requires county election boards to certify results “not later than 5:00 P.M. on the Monday following the date on which such election was held”—so this year, by the evening of November 11. The secretary of state is then to certify the statewide results “not later than 5:00 P.M. on the seventeenth day” after the election, so November 22.

Across the country, the November election results will have to be certified in more than 3,000 counties, and all state results must be final by the time electors meet in each state on December 17. Members of county election boards are not tasked with resolving election issues; certification is mandatory and “ministerial,” not discretionary. Disputes over ballot issues are separate from the certification process—investigated and adjudicated by district attorneys, state election boards, and in court. Election experts say the new rule could disrupt the entire process across the state by allowing local partisans to reject results. And Georgia appears to be at the center of Trump’s plans. Casting doubt on Fulton County, which makes up the bulk of Democratic votes in the state, will help him claim he won the Peach State as the rest of the results come in red.

But even without an explicitly permitted “inquiry” like the new Georgia rule provides, Republicans in other swing states still plan on acting at the county level to slow or stop certification. Because questioning the outcome at the very start of the process will create delay. Any doubt and confusion, and perhaps even violence, makes it easier to miss essential deadlines and can threaten the chance that the rightful winner prevails. Election deniers also hope that sowing chaos might prompt GOP legislatures to intervene—in Georgia, Arizona, or Wisconsin for example—a dangerous scenario I wrote about in April.

[...] It’s crucial that these plans are widely publicized. And they can be. Just like Project 2025, which was virtually unheard of and is now in the forefront of the political debate. Putting a media spotlight on this issue will force Republican officials to address what they are well aware of and are refusing to call out. Yesterday CBS News reported Biden said in his first interview since leaving the presidential race he is “not confident at all” there will be a peaceful transfer of power if Trump loses. Harris isn’t likely to talk about this in her campaign, so it’s critical that other high-profile surrogates do. President Obama, President Clinton, Hillary Clinton, and others must educate voters about the plot underway to force more public pressure and accountability on the process. Every Republican must be asked about local certification of elections, electors honoring the popular vote of their state, preventing political violence—all of it. Repeatedly. As Elias told an interviewer, there are things we can do, as citizens willing to invest some time, to take action. This isn’t a threat from abroad. This year—and likely for years to come—we will all have to continue to fight against what our fellow Americans are doing to subvert elections. Because without free elections—and facts and truth—we cannot be a free country.

A.B. Stoddard wrote in The Bulwark that Republicans will seek to cause chaos post-election to try to block certification of a potential Kamala Harris win.

[qqueenofhades]

my mom and I are watching the DNC right now and she's feeling the energy too. she's excited. she used to split ticket vote but ever since 2016 she's been straight blue and gone even more left. I have hope 💙

The thing that's been so refreshing about the DNC this year (aside from like, them literally murdering Donald Trump for five hours straight on prime time national TV) is that the Democrats have finally taken back the USA FREEDOM message from the Republicans who have monopolized it since AT LEAST 9/11 and before (everyone once more stare hard at Reagan). That has been used to justify even more restrictive assaults on rights and freedoms, fascism and militarism, etc. (For you younguns, the major surveillance bill passed after 9/11 was literally called the Patriot Act). Basically, if you've been waving the American flag and shouting FREEDUM, you're probably a MAGAist, and that has driven a lot of people away from feeling it and the Democrats from using that message, because they didn't really have a good way to counter it.

But now that the Republicans have gone fully off the deep end of militarized fascist theocratic police state in the name of Freedom (somehow?), and Trump snuggles up to the world's worst dictators and shit-talks America all the time and hurts American people, the Democrats have managed to craft an effective and resonant message that no, WE are the party of freedom and American values-- the best and more aspirational values, rather than the well-known shit ones. And judging from the sheer number of Republican and ex-Trump voters/officials speaking at the DNC, that's reaching and persuading non-Democrats and ordinary people who are responding to an uplifting and joyful message (just as they did in 2008) far more than this constant vindictive hateful negativity and violence that is the only thing Trumpworld is capable of putting out. And I think that's very important.