UPDATED: Democaratic Convention 2024 US Election (23rd August)

[LionDen]

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From a Australian website.

Welcome to our coverage of the Democratic National Convention in the United States.

Today marked the final day of the DNC, and that meant the focus was on Kamala Harris herself.

This was, undoubtedly, the most important speech of her political career. Tens of millions of Americans were watching; she will never get a better chance to impress so many potential voters at once.

There will be at least one presidential debate, of course, on September 10, and that will draw a similar audience, but on that night Ms Harris will have Donald Trump on stage next to her. Today she had clear, uncontested air to get her message across.

Read about the day’s events as they happened below.

[LionDen]

Aug 23, 2024

Rumours swirl over mystery DNC guest

OK fellow political junkies, here we are, the final day of the DNC.

It’s pretty much all about Kamala Harris’s speech today, which is why the line-up might look a little thin; no one is allowed to distract too much from the top speaker. Still, we have a decent mix of political stars and celebrities on the schedule.

On the political side of things, we’ll be hearing from Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer, North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper, Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren and Arizona Senator Mark Kelly, a former astronaut.

Expect a warm reception for Mr Kelly’s wife, former congresswoman Gabby Giffords, who was shot and suffered a severe brain injury in a 2012 assassination attempt.

Ms Harris’s sister Maya, who has been deeply involved in her political campaigns, will also speak.

What of the celebrities? The Chicks (previously known as The Dixie Chicks) will sing the national anthem, P!NK is set to perform during primetime, and actress Eva Longoria, who’s long been a vocal Democrat, has a plum speaking slot.

The most eye-catching part of today’s schedule, though, is what’s not on it. There’s a conspicuous gap, and rumours are swirling that a surprise guest will appear.

A few names have been chucked about online, the most fanciful being Taylor Swift. Some folks are speculating the former Republican president George W. Bush might show up and endorse Ms Harris. It seems, though, that the mystery guest is in fact Beyonce.

CNN’s Jamie Gangel, citing a source “very familiar with the convention schedule”, says Bey is indeed the person in question, but her appearance could still fall through.

She read out a text from the source: “She’s coming. She’s not coming. She’s coming. I don’t think she’s coming. Wait, it may happen. Two minutes later, it may not happen.”

“So we don’t know. We really, really don’t know,” said Ms Gangel.

Sounds like someone, backstage, is in for a ruinously stressful few hours.

Beyonce would make sense as a DNC guest, given the Harris campaign has been using her song Freedom as a sort of anthem.

[LionDen]

Aug 23, 2024

Central Park Five to appear on stage

Another appearance worth watching: four members of the Central Park Five, who were wrongfully convicted of raping a jogger in New York in 1989, and were later exonerated.

Donald Trump, who was of course a leading celebrity figure in New York at the time, was a cheerleader for the teenage boys’ prosecution, and in a newspaper ad he called for them to receive the death penalty.

He was far from the only person who thought they were guilty, at the time. More notable perhaps is that Mr Trump has never apologised, even after the young men were exonerated.

[LionDen]

Aug 23, 2024

Elizabeth Warren lays into 'felon' Trump

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Senator Elizabeth Warren, who ran against Kamala Harris for the Democratic nomination in 2020, was the first big-name speaker of the evening.

The crowd greeted Ms Warren with a standing ovation, which actually brought her to tears.

“You know what I love most about Kamala Harris? Kamala Harris can’t be bought and she can’t be bossed around,” said Ms Warren when she eventually launched into her speech.

She praised Ms Harris’s response to the Global Financial Crisis (she was San Francisco’s district-attorney when the crisis struck, and soon afterwards became California’s attorney-general), saying she went after the banks and protected consumers while “Donald was trying to make money off people losing their homes”.

“Kamala stepped up. She enforced the law, she stood up to giant banks, and she delivered billions of dollars of help for families. That is the difference between a criminal and a prosecutor,” said Ms Warren.

“We need to make life more affordable for working people. Donald Trump, the felon, has no plans to lower costs for families. He doesn’t know how, and basically, he doesn’t really care. When did he ever fill up a gas tank or worry about a grocery bill? The only bills are worries about are from his criminal defence lawyers. But Kamala cares, deep down.”

[LionDen]

Aug 23, 2024

Sharpton introduces the Central Park Five

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Reverend Al Sharpton, a civil rights activist turned TV and radio host, is speaking before the aforementioned Central Park Five come on stage.

He said he’d known Donald Trump for 40 years, and “only once in that time did he take a position on racial issues”.

“He spent a small fortune on full-page ads calling for the execution of five innocent young teenagers,” Rev Sharpton said.

“I’m going to bring them out in a minute, and you’ll hear from them tonight, because they were not executed. They’re here to continue to fight.

“It was there that I saw Trump love to fan racial flames. On the other side is a woman who I walked with in Selma, Alabama. Kamala Harris spoke to me that day about unity, and passing bills.

“I see a candidate who, with Joe Biden, brought leaders to the White House to confront violent hatred. Running against a man who said neo-Nazis in Charlottesville were ‘fine people’.”

Mr Trump would dispute that characterisation of his remarks after the white supremacist march in Charlottesville, Virginia in 2017, and the clashes with counter-protesters. Here is what he said: “You had some very bad people in that group. But you also had people that were very fine people, on both sides. You had people in that group – excuse me. I saw the same pictures as you did. You had people in that group that were there to protest the taking down of, to them, a very important statue.”

The statue in question was one of Robert E. Lee, the top confederate general in the US Civil War, which was eventually won by the Union, led by President Abraham Lincoln.

[LionDen]

Aug 23, 2024

'He wanted us dead': Central Park Five slam Trump

Reverend Al Sharpton wrapped up his speech by introducing the Central Park Five – men who, as teenagers, were wrongfully convicted of raping a jogger in New York. Donald Trump took out full-page ads in newspapers at the time, calling for them to receive the death penalty.

“They were known as the Central Park Five. Now they’re the ‘Exonerated Five’,” Rev Sharpton said as four of the men in question emerged on stage: Dr Yusef Salaam, now a New York City councilman, Korey Wise, Raymond Santana, and Kevin Richardson.

“Thirty-five years ago, my friends and I were imprisoned for a crime we did not commit,” Mr Wise told the DNC audience.

“Every day, as we walked into the courtroom, people screamed at us, threatened us, because of Donald Trump. He spent $85,000 on a full-page ad in The New York Times, calling for our execution.

“We were innocent kids, but we served a (combined) total of 41 years in prison. Reverend Al Sharpton stood with us; now I’m proud to stand with him today.

“Vice President Kamala Harris has also worked to make things fairer. I know she will do the same as president. And I approve that message.”

He made way, at that point, for Dr Salaam.

“I love these guys. These are my brothers,” said Dr Salaam.

“Forty-five wanted us unalive. He wanted us dead. Today we are exonerated, because the actual perpetrator confessed, and DNA proved it.”

(Donald Trump was the 45th US president.)

“That guy says he still stands by the original guilty verdict. He dismisses the scientific evidence, rather than admit he was wrong,” said Dr Salaam.

“He has never changed, and he never will. That man thinks that hate is the animating force in America. It is not. We have the constitutional right to vote, in fact it is a human right. So let us use it. I want you to walk with us, I want you to march with us, I want you to vote with us.

“Together, on November 5, we will usher in Kamala Harris and Tim Walz, into the White House.

“When they see us, American will finally say goodbye to that hateful man. We will say what I have long said after seven long years of incarceration: free. Free at last. Free at last. Thank God almighty, we are free at last.”

Those last words were a callback to Dr Martin Luther King’s famous speech in Washington.

[LionDen]

Aug 23, 2024

Romney is not the 'mystery guest'


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The anti-Trump Republican senator Mitt Romney, who was also the party’s presidential nominee in 2012, has clarified that he is not the mystery guest everyone’s speculating about.

Mr Romney was the only Republican in the Senate to vote guilty in both of Mr Trump’s impeachment trials. In 2012 he lost to incumbent president Barack Obama, albeit with a higher share of the vote than Mr Trump managed when he beat Hillary Clinton four years later.

“Contrary to fake news posts, I am not the surprise guest at the DNC tonight,” Mr Romney posted on social media, tongue firmly in cheek.

“My guess is that it will be Beyonce or Taylor Swift. So disappointing, I know!”

The signs continue to point towards Beyonce.

As previously mentioned, we are going to hear from one Republican later: former congressman Adam Kinzinger. But he hardly carries the heft of a former Republican presidential nominee.

[LionDen]

Aug 23, 2024

NBA superstar makes surprise appearance


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Golden State Warriors star Steph Curry, the NBA’s all-time leading three-point shooter, has urged Americans to vote for Kamala Harris.

Mr Curry was not present in Chicago for the DNC, but did film a video announcing his support for the Vice President (pointedly wearing the gold medal he just won for the US at the Olympics).

“What’s up everybody?” he began, before bringing up the Americans’ Olympic campaign.

“That unity on and off the court reminded us all that together, we can do all things, and continue to inspire the world.

“That’s why I believe that Kamala as president could bring that unity back, and continue to move our country forward. This is about preserving hope for our country.

“I got to visit Kamala with my team last year. I can tell you one thing: I knew then, and I definitely know now, the Oval Office suits her well. So in the words of Michelle Obama: do something! Go vote!

“It’s been an honour for me to represent our country. It’s an honour to support Kamala.”

[LionDen]

Aug 23, 2024

Kerry Washington opens primetime proceedings


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The primetime line-up started with The Chicks (formerly The Dixie Chicks) singing the national anthem. The crowd responded with a chant of “USA! USA!”. All very American.

After that actress Kerry Washington, the night’s celebrity host, came on stage.

“Now, I know that as I stand here there are folks, on social media, saying ‘Go back to your TV show. Shut up and act!’ But I am not here tonight as an actor,” Ms Washington said.

“I am here as a mother, as a daughter, as a proud union member. I am here as the granddaughter of immigrants, as a black woman descended from enslaved people. I am here tonight because I am an American and a voter, and because we the people are stronger when all our voices are heard.”

Ms Washington proceeded to take a video, for social media, of the audience repeating the Harris campaign’s refrain: “When we fight, we win.” And then she took aim at people who “struggle, or pretend to struggle” to pronounce the candidate’s name.

“Confusion is understandable. Disrespect is not,” she said.

“So tonight, we are going to help everyone get it right.”

Ms Washington brought two of Ms Harris’s young nieces out on stage to help teach the crowd. They broke Kamala into two parts: “comma” and “la”. Which actually doesn’t work if you don’t pronounce comma with an American accent.

Anyway it’s “KAH-MA-LA”. Emphasis on the first syllable.

That whole segment was a clear shot at Donald Trump and some other Republicans – not all – who appear to be mispronouncing Ms Harris’s name on purpose.

[LionDen]

Aug 23, 2024

Harris's stepdaughter lights up the stage


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Next up were Kamala Harris’s stepdaughter, Ella Emhoff, niece Meena Harris, and goddaughter Helena Hudlin, who took the stage together.

“I grew up in Oakland, California, in a house full of extraordinary women: my mum, my grandma and my auntie, who showed me the meaning of service, helping her sister, a 17-year-old single mum, fighting for justice for the American people, and still cooking Sunday family dinner,” Meena said.

“She guided me. Now she’s guiding my own children. And I know she will guide our country forward.”

Ella, who is co-parented by Ms Harris, Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff and her mother, Mr Emhoff’s ex-wife Kerstin, was up next.

“Kamala came into my life when I was 14, famously a very easy time for a teenager,” she quipped.

“Like a lot of young people, I didn’t always understand what I was feeling. But no matter what, Kamala was there for me. She was patient, caring, and always took me seriously. She’s never stopped listening to me, and she’s not going to stop listening to all of us.”

Ella, her brother and their mother have all been vocally supportive of Ms Harris’s political career.

Helena said Ms Harris’s “advice means everything”.

“Whether it’s pursuing my passions, making an impact, or finding hope when the world doesn’t feel so hopeful. She taught me that making a difference means giving your whole heart,” she said.

[LionDen]

Aug 23, 2024

Gabby Giffords, gun violence victim, speaks


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After a rather sombre discussion about gun violence, one of the victims of that violence, former congresswoman Gabby Giffords, came onto the stage, accompanied by her husband, the senator and former astronaut Mark Kelly.

Ms Giffords was shot, and suffered a severe brain injury, in an assassination attempt.

The crowd loved it when, recounting her biography, Ms Giffords quipped that she “fell for an astronaut”, and gave her husband a kiss.

“On January 8, 2011, a man tried to assassinate me. He shot 19 people, he killed six. Terrible, terrible day. I almost died, but I fought for my life and I survived,” she said.

“I learned to walk again, one step at a time. I learned to talk again, one word at a time. So many people helped me as I worked hard to recover, including a decent man from Delaware who always checked in. He still does. Thank you Joe Biden, thank you for everything.

“Joe is a great president. My friend Kamala will be a great president. She is tough. She has grit. Kamala can beat the gun lobby, she can fight gun trafficking. Kamala stood up to Wall Street and the drug companies. She will protect abortion access. She will defend our freedom.

“Join me in voting for Kamala Harris.”

[LionDen]

Aug 23, 2024

P!NK sings, her daughter wows


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The musician P!NK just performed alongside her daughter, Willow, who appears to have inherited her mother’s amazing voice.

They sang What About Us. All very nice. But again, as an amateur listener with an incredibly lame Spotify playlist, I think the main takeaway will be Willow’s talent.

After that, Senator Kelly returned to the stage, this time without his wife. He spoke mostly about foreign policy, which is generally a bit of an afterthought at these conventions.

“Trump thinks that Americans who have made the ultimate sacrifice are ‘suckers’ and ‘losers’. If we fall for that again, and make him the commander-in-chief, the only suckers would be us,” he said.

“Kamala Harris knows that standing with our allies means standing up for Americans. She’ll keep modernising our military to support our troops, and to support our veterans.

“The world laughs at Trump, literally. But folks, it is not funny. When he was president, that meant the world was laughing at us. The threats we face are too serious. The alliances we have spent decades building are too critical. That is what’s at stake now.

“The choice is not even close. But in Arizona, and nationwide, this election will be.”

(Donald Trump has long denied calling America’s fallen soldiers from World War One suckers and losers, a claim that comes from his former White House chief of staff, General John Kelly.)

[LionDen]

Aug 23, 2024

Gretchen Whitmer mocks Trump


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Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer, who is herself spoken of as a potential presidential candidate, took a few quite sassy shots at Donald Trump.

“In Michigan, they call me governor. In Detroit, they call me ‘Big Gretch’. Donald Trump called me ‘that woman from Michigan’. As an insult,” Ms Whitmer said, motioning as though brushing something off her shoulder.

“Being a woman from Michigan is a badge of honour. Like women from across America, we just get stuff done,” she continued.

“Donald Trump doesn’t know you at all. You think he understands that when your car breaks down, you can’t get to work? No! His first word was probably ‘chauffeur’.

“You think he’s ever had to take items out of the cart before checking out? Heck, you think he’s ever been to a grocery store? That’s what the chauffeur is for.

“But Kamala Harris gets us.”

Ms Whitmer proceeded to ask people whether they wanted Mr Trump to be the person in charge, should a crisis affect their family.

“What if it’s him? What if it’s that man from Mar-a-Lago?” she asked, calling back to her earlier remark.

“In a crisis, we need someone strong enough to come up with a plan, to tell the truth, and to bring people together. Right now, before the crisis, is when we get to choose. Why wouldn’t we choose the leader who’s tough, tested, and a total badass?”

[LionDen]

Aug 23, 2024

Actress Eva Longoria speaks


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Actress Eva Longoria, a longtime, vocal supporter of the Democrats, told the crowd she had known Kamala Harris for “more than a decade”.

“We were both raised knowing that no one was going to hand us anything, especially as women. That we were going to have to touch every rung of the ladder to get ahead,” Ms Longoria said.

“She worked at McDonald’s. I worked at Wendy’s. And look at us now!”

Ms Longoria brought up a saying from the latino community: “Si, se puede.” It translates to “yes, you can”, which is a callback to Barack Obama’s famous slogan.

“I’m here to tell you: yes she can,” she said.

“Our voices, our vote. We’re going to decide this election. And let me tell you, the energy tonight isn’t just here in Chicago, it’s all across the country.

“Let’s get to work, let’s turn all of this enthusiasm and joy into action.”

[LionDen]

Aug 23, 2024

'A weak man': Republican eviscerates Trump


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Former Republican congressman Adam Kinzinger, a longtime critic of Donald Trump, came on stage after Eva Longoria.

“I am proud to be in the trenches with you as part of this sometimes awkward alliance that we have, to defend truth, defend democracy, and decency,” Mr Kinzinger said.

“I was just a kid when I was drawn to the party of Ronald Reagan, to his vision of a strong America. I was a Republican for 12 years in Congress, and I still hold onto that label. I never thought I’d be here.

“But I’ve learned something about the Democratic Party, and I want to let my fellow Republicans in on the secret: the Democrats are as patriotic as us. They love this country just as much as we do. And they are as eager to defend American values, at home and abroad, as we conservatives have ever been.”

The usual “USA! USA!” chant broke out at that point.

“I discovered something about my party too. Something I couldn’t ignore,” he continued.

“The Republican Party is no longer conservative. It has switched its allegiance from the principles that gave it purpose to a man whose only purpose is himself.

“Donald Trump is a weak man pretending to be strong. He is a small man pretending to be big. He’s a faithless man pretending to be righteous. He’s a perpetrator who can’t stop playing the victim.

“He puts on quite a show, but there is no real strength there. As a conservative and a veteran, I believe true strength lies in protecting the vulnerable, in defending your family.

“Donald Trump has suffocated the soul of the Republican Party. His fundamental weakness has seeped through my party like an illness.

“We must put country first. And tonight, as a Republican speaking before you, I’m putting our country first. Because the fact is, I do belong here. I know Kamala Harris shares my allegiance to the rule of law and democracy.

“Whatever policies we disagree on pale in comparison to those matters of principle, of decency, and of fidelity to this nation.”

[LionDen]

Aug 23, 2024

Kamala Harris accepts Democratic nomination


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Kamala Harris had to deal with an awkward little period after taking the stage as the crowd refused to stop cheering. There were a great many “thank yous”.

“We’ve got to get to some business. Thank you, thank you. Please. Thank you. OK, let’s get to business,” she eventually said.

“First, let me thank my incredible husband, Doug, for being an incredible partner to me, an incredible father to Cole and Ella.

“To our President, Joe Biden: when I think about the path that we have travelled together, Joe, I am filled with gratitude. Your record is extraordinary, as history will show.

“And to Coach Tim Walz: you are going to be an incredible vice president.

“The path that led me here was unexpected. And I’m no stranger to unlikely journeys.”

[LionDen]

Aug 23, 2024

Harris pays tribute to her mother


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Ms Harris began her speech by paying tribute to her parents – and also, helpfully, revealing a bit of her life story to viewers who wouldn’t have known about it already.

“My mother was 19 when she crossed the world alone, travelling from India to California with an unshakeable dream to be the scientist who would cure breast cancer,” she said.

“When she finished school, she was supposed to return home to a traditional arranged marriage. But as fate would have it, she met my father.

“They fell in love, and got married, and that act of self-determination made my sister Maya and me.”

She went on to describe her childhood.

“My early memories of our parents together are very joyful ones. A home full of laughter and music.

“At the park, my mother would say ‘stay close’. But my father would say ‘run Kamala, run, don’t be afraid, don’t let anything stop you’. From my earliest years he taught me to be fearless.

Ms Harris said the “harmony” between her parents did not last, and they split up when she was in elementary (primary) school. The future Vice President ended up, with her mother, in a “beautiful working class neighbourhood”.

Her mother worked hard, so we was cared for by a wide group of people – “none of them family by blood, but all of them family by love”.

“Family who loved us, believed in us, and told us we could be anything, and do anything,” she said.

“They instilled in us the values they personified: community, faith and the importance of treating others as you would want to be treated. With kindness, respect and compassion.

“My mother was a brilliant, five-foot tall, brown woman with an accent. As the eldest child, I saw how the world would treat her. My mother never lost her cool. She was tough, courageous, a trailblazer in the fight for women’s health, and she taught Maya and me a lesson that Michelle (Obama) mentioned the other night. She taught us to never complain about injustice, but do something about it.

“That was my mother. She also taught us: ‘never do anything half-assed’. That is a direct quote.”

[LionDen]

Aug 23, 2024

Kamala reflects on 'pivotal' life moment

Kamala Harris told the crowd that, when she was deciding what area of law to pursue in her career, she reflected on “a pivotal moment” in her life.

“When I was at high school, I started to notice something about my best friend,” she said.

“She was sad at school. And there were times she didn’t want to go home. So one day I asked if everything was all right, and she confided in me that she was being sexually abused by her stepfather. I immediately told her she had to come stay with us. And she did.

“This is one of the reasons I became a prosecutor: to protect people like Wanda, because I believe everyone has a right to safety, to dignity, and to justice.”

When she prosecuted assault cases, Ms Harris said, she charged it “not in the name of the victim, but in the name of the people”.

“In our system of justice, a harm against any one of us is a harm against all of us,” she said.

“I would often explain this to console survivors of crime, to remind them that no one should be made to fight alone. We are all in this together. And every day, in the courtroom, I stood proudly before a judge and I said five words: ‘Kamala Harris, for the people.’

“And to be clear, my entire career, I’ve only had one client: the people.”

[LionDen]

Aug 23, 2024

'An unserious man': Harris attacks Trump directly


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After formally accepting the Democratic nomination, Kamala Harris launched an extended salvo against Donald Trump, contrasting her career record with his.

“Our nation, with this election, has a precious, fleeting opportunity to move past the bitterness, cynicism and divisive battles of the past. A chance to chart a new way forward,” she said.

“Not as members of any one party or faction, but as Americans. And let me say, I know there are people of various political views watching tonight. I want you to know, I promise to be a president for all Americans. You can always trust me to put country above party and self.

“I will be a president who unites us around our highest aspirations. A president who leads and listens, who is realistic, practical, and has common sense. And always fights for the American people.

“As a young prosecutor in Oakland, California, I stood up for women and children against predators who abused them. As attorney-general of California, I took on the big banks. I stood up for veterans and students being scammed by big for-profit colleges. For workers who were being cheated out of their wages. For seniors facing elder abuse. I fought against the cartels who traffic in guns and drugs and human beings, who threaten the security of our border and the safety of our communities.

“These fights were not easy.”

There’s the bio. Now for the part of the speech linking it to the current election.

“This election is not only the most important of our lives. It is one of the most important in the life of our nation,” said Ms Harris.

“In many ways, Donald Trump is an unserious man. But the consequences of putting Donald Trump back in the White House are extremely serious.

“Consider not only the chaos and calamity when he was in office, but also the gravity of what has happened since he lost the last election. Donald Trump tried to throw away your votes. When he failed, he sent an armed mob to the United States Capitol.

“When politicians in his own party begged him to call off the mob and send help, he did the opposite. He fanned the flames. And now, for an entirely different set of crimes, he was found guilty of fraud by a jury of everyday Americans, and separately found liable for committing sexual abuse.

“And consider what he intends to do if we give him power again. Consider his explicit intent to set free violent extremists who assaulted law enforcement officers at the Capitol. His explicit intent to jail journalists, political opponents, and anyone he sees as the enemy. His explicit intent to deploy our active duty military against our own citizens. Consider the power he will have, especially after the Supreme Court just ruled that he would be immune from criminal prosecution. Just imagine Donald Trump with no guardrails, and how he would use the immense powers of the presidency, not to improve your life, not to strengthen our national security, but to serve the only client he has ever had: himself.”

[LionDen]

Aug 23, 2024

'Out of their minds': Kamala attacks Trump on abortion

Kamala Harris went on to bring up “Project 2025”, the blueprint for a second Trump term which the candidate himself claims to know “nothing” about. She said it had been “written by his closest advisers”, which is a half-truth – it’s a document produced by conservative thinktank The Heritage Foundation, and its authors are largely former Trump staffers.

“Its sum total is to pull the country back to the past,” Ms Harris said.

“We are not going back.

“We are charting a new way forward. Forward. To a future with a strong and growing middle class.

“Building that middle class will be a defining goal of my presidency.

“This is personal for me. The middle class is where I come from. My mother kept a strict budget, we lived within our means, yet we wanted for little. And she expected us to make the most of the opportunities that were available to us, and to be grateful for them. Because, as she taught us, that opportunity is not available to everyone.”

What followed was a laundry list of ambitious goals, some of which may be less than easily achievable. And then she transitioned to another attack on Donald Trump.

“I think everyone here knows, he doesn’t actually fight for the middle class. He doesn’t. Instead he fights for himself, and his billionaire friends,” said Ms Harris.

“Instead of a Trump tax hike, we will pass a middle class tax cut that will benefit more than 100 million Americans.

“I believe America cannot truly be prosperous unless Americans are fully able to make their own decisions about their own lives, especially on matter of heart and home. But tonight, in America, too many women are not able to make those decisions.

“Let’s be clear about how we got here. Donald Trump handpicked members of the United States Supreme Court to take away reproductive freedom. And now he brags about it. In his words: ‘I did it, and I’m proud to have done it.’

“Doctors are afraid they may go to jail for caring for their patients. Couples just trying to grow their family, cut off in the middle of IVF treatments. Children who have survived sexual assault, potentially being forced to carry a pregnancy to term. This is what’s happening in our country because of Donald Trump. And understand, he is not done.

“As a part of his agenda, he and his allies would limit access to birth control, ban medication abortion, and impose a nationwide abortion ban with or without Congress.

“He plans to create a national anti-abortion co-ordinator and force states to report on women’s miscarriages and abortions. Simply put, they are out of their minds.”

I believe Mr Trump would dispute some of the above.

[LionDen]

Aug 23, 2024

Harris claims Trump 'easy to manipulate'


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Moving on to foreign policy, Kamala Harris claimed Donald Trump was susceptible to “manipulation” by foreign, autocratic leaders like Russian President Vladimir Putin and North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un.

“They know he is easy to manipulate with flattery and favours,” she said.

“They know Trump won’t hold autocrats accountable, because he wants to be an autocrat himself.

“As president, I will never waver in defence of America’s security and ideals, because in the enduring struggle between democracy and tyranny, I know where I stand and I know where the US belongs.”

“Everywhere I go, and everyone I meet, I see a nation that is ready to move forward,” she said.

“Ready for the next step in the incredible journey that is America. I see an American where we hold fast to the fearless belief that built our nation and inspired the world.

“An America where we care for one another, look out for one another, and recognise that we have so much more in common than what separates us. None of us, none of us has to fail for all of us to succeed. And in unity, there is strength.

“Our opponents in this race are out there every day denigrating America. Talking about how terrible everything is. Well, my mother had another lesson she used to teach: never let anyone tell you who you are. You show them who you are.

“America, let us show each other, and the world, who we are and what we stand for: freedom, opportunity, compassion, dignity, fairness and endless possiblities.

“We are the heirs to the greatest democracy in the history of the world. And on behalf of our children, and our grandchildren, and all those who sacrificed so dearly for our freedom, we must be worthy of this moment. It is now our turn to do what generations before us have done.

“To fight for this country we love, to fight for the ideals we cherish, and to uphold the awesome responsibility that comes with the greatest privilege on earth: the privilege and pride of being an American. So let’s get out there, let’s fight for it.

“Together, let us write the next great chapter in the most extraordinary story ever told.”

[LionDen]

Aug 23, 2024

'We're doing well!': Trump responds to Harris


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Donald Trump called into Fox News after Kamala Harris’s speech.

“Let me ask you this, sir. There has been huge appeal and momentum for women voters. She’s trying to pull the youth vote, the Hispanic vote, the black vote back in her direction. Polls show she’s having some success. So what are you going to do?” host Martha MacCallum asked him.

“No, she’s not having success. I’m having success,” Mr Trump shot back.

“I’m doing great with Hispanic voters. I’m doing great with black men. I’m doing great with women, because women want safety. They want safety. And they don’t have safety when they have someone allowing 20 million people into our country, many of them very dangerous people.

“No, it’s only in your eyes that they have that, Martha. We’re doing very well in the polls, and in the swing states, we’re winning in almost every one of them.”

There are, by most estimates, about 12 million undocumented migrants in the US at the moment. It’s unclear where Mr Trump’s “20 million” figure came from.

“She’s going to give a tax increase of four to five times what people and companies are paying now,” Mr Trump claimed.

“She didn’t talk about crime. She didn’t talk about 70 per cent of our people living in poverty.”

Again, it is unclear where these numbers come from.

Ms Harris proposes raising America’s corporate tax rate from its current level, 21 per cent, to 28 per cent. And the current US poverty rate is 11.5 per cent – too high, without a doubt, but not quite 70 per cent.

During Ms Harris’s speech, Mr Trump went on something of a posting spree on his social media network, Truth Social, at some points posting more than once per minute.

“There will be no future under Comrade Kamala Harris, because she will take us into a Nuclear World War III. She will never be respected by the Tyrants of the World!” he said in one such post.

“She didn’t mention China, she didn’t mention fracking, she didn’t mention Energy, she didn’t mention, Meaningfully, Russia and Ukraine, she didn’t mention the big subjects of the day that are destroying our Country.

“SHE HAS LED US INTO FAILING NATION STATUS!”

Some of that is true. Ms Harris did, however, mention Ukraine in her speech.

“I helped mobilise a global response, over 50 countries, to defend against Putin’s aggression,” she said.

“And as president, I will stand strong with Ukraine and our NATO allies.”

Here’s a sample of some other posts from Mr Trump.

“She talks about other Countries’ Borders, but nothing about our Borders!”

“She stands for Incompetence and Weakness – Our Country is being laughed at all over the World!”

“The Tyrants are laughing at her, she’s weak and ineffective, and for three-and-a-half years she has done nothing except enabled them to get STRONG, RICH and POWERFUL!”

“She caused the attack of October 7th. Iran was BROKE – Didn’t have money for Hezbollah!”

“SHE HATES ISRAEL – Wouldn’t even show up to Congress for Netanyahu’s session!”

That last one is true – Ms Harris did not attend Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s speech to Congress a month ago, though she could have in her capacity as President of the US Senate. Nor did Senator J.D. Vance, whom Mr Trump has chosen to be his vice president.