Republicans were blindsided when President Biden announced that he was stepping down, and he endorsed his Vice President, Kamala Harris. All of their planning and strategy was targeted on Biden, who—they said—was too old, senile, sleepy, confused, and unable to lead the country. They had ads and video clips ready to roll. They were not at all happy to learn that Biden was taking himself out of the race. They had to redirect their slime machine to Harris, not Biden.
Sad, very sad, as Trump might say.
They quickly recalibrated their attack ads. First, they insisted that Biden could not leave the ticket. It wasn’t fair, they said. Then they said Harris could not have access to the money raised for the Biden-Harris ticket; they threatened to sue. Then they said it was undemocratic to put Harris at the top of the ticket because primary voters didn’t choose her. But of course they did vote for her. They voted for Biden and Harris.
They said that Kamala Harris was “a radical Communist.” They said she was the “worst Vice President in American history.”
None of these claims caught fire, so they settled on attacking Harris because she laughed too much. Really. They called her “a cackling hyena.”
It’s true, Kamala smiles a lot and flashes her joyous smile at crowds. And she laughs often. Her laugh is genuine and it is contagious. She makes people happy.
So the Republicans thought they could diminish her by denouncing her expressions of happiness.
They must have thought that people would recoil at the sight of Kamala Harris laughing.
But they haven’t, they didn’t, and they won’t.
People see Trump and they see him scowling and angry. He likes to look angry. When he had his mug shot taken in Atlanta, he posed with a dark scowl.
Have you ever seen him laugh or smile? I haven’t. Does he have a sense of humor. I think not.
Imagine if you were offered an hour with either Trump or Harris. Which would you choose? The angry one or the happy one? The one who was embittered by his grievances or the one who would take an interest in you? The one who was angry or the one who was joyful?
The Harris campaign made an ad that begins with Trump saying that he hates it when people laugh at him. Then there is about 60 seconds of clips showing Kamala laughing uproariously.
They cleverly took Trump’s sneering at her laugh and made a cartoon ad featuring her laugh.
Keep laughing, Kamala.
Diane Ravitch's blog 
Walz is the veep pick
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Great News!
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And now she has chosen a former high school football coach as her running mate. Some “end around” huh? (That’s a football play for those who might not know). The Times reported that the those in the party who support “school choice” are not happy. The public schools now have a chance baby!
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It was really is great news. I hope Walz will stay true to his roots.
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Walz will help the Democrats build a big, inclusive tent. He will appeal to working people, and he is a terrific communicator. He will bring some hope to the rust belt and Midwest. Best of all, as a former teacher and coach, he supports public schools. He understands their importance.
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Harris has still not taken even one serious question from a journalist. She is dodging the media like Biden did, no doubt because her handlers fear her getting stuck in word salads. But her avoiding the media isn’t necessary because the media fawning over Harris has been relentless and will continue to be until election day. She is, of course, greatly helped by Trump’s unwillingness to act in public like a mature adult. What a country.
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Yes, because Trump never engage me in word salads. Where do you all come from? You project onto the Democrats with no hint of irony.
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I wish Corey had said something like “She is, of course, greatly helped by Trump’s unwillingness to act in public like a mature adult. What a country.”
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Maybe if the press didn’t try to make every encounter with candidates a “gotcha” moment for ratings or clicks, candidates would be more willing to engage with them.
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Corey,
I can’t wait to see Harris debate Trump, if he dares to show up.
Trump is the master of word salad. She is far smarter than him.
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Can someone direct me to Harris’s policy page? When I go to her website it’s all just fundraising. Kind of seems like people should know what their donations are going to support, no?
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Dienne:
The Wall Street Journal wrote this:
A person close to the process said Walz was picked for his executive experience and record on issues that Democrats want to work on nationally, such as the child tax credit, paid leave, abortion and gun control.
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Harris recently walked back her support for M4A and she says she will not ban fracking (which she said she would in 2020). With all this flip-flopping and hearsay, I don’t think it’s unreasonable to expect her to have detailed policy positions publicly available on her website before expecting people to donate to her. I know “not Trump” is good enough for you, but it isn’t for everyone.
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Dienne:
The Wall Street Journal wrote this:
A person close to the process said Walz was picked for his executive experience and record on issues that Democrats want to work on nationally, such as the child tax credit, paid leave, abortion and gun control.
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That’s what you already said and it doesn’t address the fact that Harris has no policy statement publicly available.
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She has been a candidate for only two weeks. Your expectations are unreasonable.
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She’s been VPOTUS for over 3.5 years.
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She has been running a presidential campaign for 2-3 weeks.
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I’m just gobsmacked with what you’re willing to accept and normalize. LOL, politicians who have no policies. Okay, you do you.
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Recently I watched a previous interview with Kamala and her sister after Kamala was elected Attorney General of California the first time. The interviewer mentioned that the Attorney General was called general.
Kamala’s sister said she’d never call her sister general.
Kamala laughed and said, Sister General.
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I like her sometimes raucous laugh. Reminds me of me! And I am waiting for the Tim Walz/Cheshire Cat memes!
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