2024 - A Blank Canvas

[SaintStan86]

August 12, 2024
DeSANTIS REPORTEDLY HAS PICK AS REPUBLICAN NATIONAL CONVENTION SCHEDULE RELEASED
On Monday, a campaign spokesperson for Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis reportedly stated to The Wall Street Journal that the presumptive Republican nominee has selected his running mate, which is set to be revealed on Saturday at an upcoming rally to be held "in a crucial swing county in a critical state". DeSantis has been criss-crossing the country with multiple visits to such states as Nevada, Georgia, Ohio and Pennsylvania, with a sold-out arena rally in Charlotte, North Carolina last week drawing a capacity crowd with gubernatorial candidate and Lieutenant Gov. Mark Robinson and others in attendance. The campaign shows definitely no signs of slowing down, with a full itinerary booked through Friday, indeed indicating that his schedule will be blocked out for the weekend.

The news of DeSantis having selected his pick comes as the Republican National Convention schedule was released recently, with former President Donald Trump set to speak on the first night of the convention next Monday at Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee, followed by Gov. Glenn Youngkin of Virginia and Rep. and U.S. Senate nominee Dan Crenshaw as the keynote speakers on Tuesday night, with the Vice Presidential running mate set to speak on Wednesday night and presumptive nominee Ron DeSantis (whose nomination is set to be made a formality on Tuesday during the delegate vote) set to cap off the convention on Thursday night.

Speakers for Republican National Convention (subject to change; order is approximate in most cases)

Monday, August 19th: Your Life Matters (emphasizing cultural and patriotism issues)

• Wisconsin Gov. Tim Michels and his state's GOP congressional delegation will open the convention
• Sens. Chuck Grassley (IA), John Neely Kennedy (LA), Tommy Tuberville (AL) and Herschel Walker (GA)
• Former NFL sideline reporter Michele Tafoya (MN), nominee for U.S. Senate
• Veteran NFL announcer Al Michaels, who will introduce Tafoya
• Sen. Kelly Tshibaka (AK)
• Rep. Harriet Hageman (WY)
• State Sen. Mike Martucci (NY), nominee for U.S. Senate
• Sens. James Lankford (OK) and Ted Cruz (TX), who will introduce a tribute to Norma McCorvey, also known as "Jane Roe", the namesake plaintiff in Roe v. Wade who eventually became pro-life in her later years before her death in 2017
• Sens. Marsha Blackburn (TN) and Mike Lee (UT)
• U.S. Rep. Sarah Palin (AK)
• U.S. Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers (WA), nominee for U.S. Senate
• Former Senior Counselor to the President Kellyanne Conway
• Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders (AR)
• Former White House Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany
• Florida Lt. Gov. Jeannette Nuñez
• Former White House Director of Social Media Dan Scavino
• Donald Trump, Jr. and Eric Trump, sons of the former President
• Gov. Eric Holcomb (IN)
• Former Vice President Mike Pence
• Former President Donald J. Trump (final speech of night)

Tuesday, August 20th: Your Future Matters (emphasizing fiscal and economic issues)

• Former Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin
• Former Labor Secretary Eugene Scalia
• Former Energy Secretary Dan Brouillette
• Former Education Secretary Betsy DeVos
• Former Trump economic advisers Larry Kudlow and Peter Navarro
• Senate Majority Leader John Cornyn of Texas
• Senate Majority Whip John Thune of South Dakota
• Sens. Rick Scott (FL), Mike Crapo (ID), Rand Paul (KY), Deb Fischer (NE), Ben Sasse (NE), Ted Budd (NC), Markwayne Mullin (OK), Bill Hagerty (TN) and Ron Johnson (WI)
• Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy (CA), candidate for U.S. Senate
• State Sen. Rick Bennett (ME), nominee for U.S. Senate
• U.S. Rep. Matt Rosendale (MT-02), nominee for U.S. Senate
• Former Lt. Gov. Brian Dubie (VT), nominee for U.S. Senate
• West Virginia Attorney General Patrick Morrisey, nominee for U.S. Senate
• TBD, nominee for U.S. Senate in Wisconsin (either Rep. Scott Fitzgerald or Rep. Mike Gallagher; to be featured before keynote speaker)
• State Sen. Jill Vogel (VA), nominee for U.S. Senate (will also introduce keynote speaker)
• Gov. Glenn Youngkin (VA, keynote speaker)
• Barron Trump, son of former President Donald Trump
• Most GOP governors except for ones listed on other nights
• Former U.S. Rep. Todd Rokita (IN), nominee for Governor
• Missouri Sec. of State Jay Ashcroft, nominee for Governor
• Candidate for Governor Chris Vance (WA, running as an independent, but endorsed by Republicans)
• Candidate for Governor Chris Miller (WV)
• Former First Lady of the United States Melania Trump
• First Lady of Florida Casey DeSantis

Wednesday, August 21st: Your Country Matters (emphasizing foreign policy and national security)

• Sens. Katie Britt (AL), Tom Cotton (AR), Marco Rubio (FL), Todd Young (IN), Joni Ernst (IA) and Don Bolduc (NH)
• Sens. Lindsey Graham and Tim Scott of South Carolina, along with the state's GOP congressional delegation
• Former U.S. Ambassador to Germany Ric Grenell, candidate for U.S. Senate in California
• Former Director of National Intelligence John Ratcliffe, nominee for U.S. Rep. in Texas's 5th District
• U.S. Rep. Dan Crenshaw (TX-02), nominee for U.S. Senate
• U.S. Senate nominee Sam Brown (NV)
• Former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo
• Gov. Joe Lombardo (NV)
• Gov. Henry McMaster (SC)
• North Carolina Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson, nominee for Governor
• Gov. Tudor Dixon (MI)
• Gov. Christine Drazan (OR)
• Gov. Kristi Noem (SD)
• Ivanka Trump, daughter of former President Donald Trump
• TBD, nominee for Vice President

Thursday, August 22nd: Your Freedom Matters (based on the DeSantis campaign hashtag and slogan, "Freedom Matters")

• Most of Florida's GOP congressional delegation will speak
• Entrepreneurs Elon Musk and Peter Thiel, along with Chick-fil-A Chairman Dan Cathy, TPUSA founder Charlie Kirk and former Ambassador and majority owner of the New York Jets Woody Johnson, will also speak
• Sens. Mike Braun (IN), Dan Sullivan (AK), Eric Schmitt (MO) and J.D. Vance (OH)
• U.S. Rep. and House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan (OH-04), nominee for U.S. Senate
• Tiffany Trump, daughter of former President Donald Trump
• Former HUD Secretary Ben Carson
• Sen. Daniel Cameron (KY)
• U.S. Rep. John James (MI-10), nominee for U.S. Senate
• U.S. Senate nominees Dave McCormick (PA), Dr. Mehmet Öz (NJ) and Mark Ronchetti (NM)
• Govs. Greg Abbott (TX), Kay Ivey (AL) and Brian Kemp (GA)
• Sen. Adam Laxalt of Nevada (second-to-last speaker of the night)
• Gov. Ron DeSantis of Florida, presumptive Republican nominee (last speaker of the convention)

Notably absent from the list is Sen. Josh Hawley of Missouri, former Ambassador Nikki Haley and Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds, among other potential running mate candidates. The release of the schedule, though, with the traditional third night of the convention in which the Vice Presidential running mate speaks emphasizing national security matters and featuring Ivanka Trump as a speaker portending that Haley or another national security-oriented candidate is DeSantis's likely choice, as many argued that such a candidate would likely complement the Governor's largely domestic focus in Tallahassee - a fact emphasized when DeSantis himself hesitated to light up the Sunshine Skyway Bridge over Tampa Bay in the colors of the Ukrainian flag during the height of the Russia-Ukraine conflict. Another factor is the strong push to nominate a woman as his Vice President, not just to counter the gender gap that afflicted Trump's 2020 reelection bid, but also to push the "best over first" notion with regards to the position in that any female running mate would be "far more emblematic of empowering women" as opposed to Kamala Harris.

August 13, 2024
CRUCIAL SENATE RACES IN MINNESOTA, WISCONSIN SET FOR NOVEMBER
Voters on Tuesday selected their nominees for Senate and congressional races, plus hundreds of downballot state and local races, in Minnesota and Wisconsin as both states are set to be battlegrounds in this year's elections. The biggest race to watch for the GOP was in Wisconsin, where a competitive Senate primary for the nomination to take on two-term Democratic Sen. Tammy Baldwin was decided between two members of Congress on opposite ends of the Lake Michigan shoreline. In that race, Rep. Mike Gallagher of the Green Bay-based 8th District fended off a surging challenge from Rep. Scott Fitzgerald, who represents the 5th District in Milwaukee's western suburbs, 45 percent to 40 percent. While Fitzgerald won the suburban WOW counties surrounding Milwaukee and Gallagher dominated his political base in Green Bay and the Fox Cities, the latter prevailed narrowly in much of the rest of Wisconsin despite Fitzgerald's statewide name recognition from his much ballyhooed days as a key player in then-Gov. Scott Walker's 2011 legislative showdown that resulted in several recall elections.

At his watch party in Green Bay near the Green Bay Packers' storied Lambeau Field, Gallagher (appropriately wearing a green and gold tie) thanked his enthusiastic supporters and vowed "it's only halftime, and we are moving full steam ahead to take out Tammy Baldwin", while Fitzgerald remarked "If there's one thing that matters in this race, it's that without our strong pushback against some of his lesser votes, Mike Gallagher wouldn't have moved the needle to the side of us patriots, and he will need us to take out 'Toxic Tammy Baldwin' in November!" at his watch party in Waukesha County. Baldwin, in speaking to her supporters in Madison, vowed a "full-fledged campaign to shut down the DeSantis-Gallagher disinformation machine that puts corporations and bigots ahead of Wisconsin families".

Wisconsin voters also chose congressional nominees in both of the candidates' respective districts, with GOP State Sen. André Jacque (whose survival story from a bout of COVID-19 so bad at one point he was put on a ventilator proved to be compelling for voters) set to take on Democratic Green Bay Mayor Eric Genrich and business consultant and former Senate and gubernatorial candidate Kevin Nicholson winning a crowded GOP primary in the 5th, where he will be a strong favorite in what has long been the state's most Republican district against former State Rep. Sara Rodriguez, who was then-Gov. Tony Evers' running mate in 2022 and is arguably the strongest candidate the Democrats have run here in decades. Democrats also nominated candidates in two marginal districts, nominating Alex Eveland, a longtime staffer for former Rep. Ron Kind who eventually rose to Chief of Staff in Kind's final term, against Kind's freshman successor Rep. Derrick Van Orden, and State Asw. Greta Neubauer in the southeast-based 1st District of three-term Republican Bryan Steil, who succeeded former House Speaker Paul Ryan in 2018.

Meanwhile, in Minnesota where former NFL sideline reporter Michele Tafoya easily won her Republican primary for the U.S. Senate seat of departing Sen. Amy Klobuchar, the DFL side of the ledger was a high-stakes affair. In the end, strong endorsements from progressive groups and Gov. Tim Walz ultimately carried Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan to victory, winning 30 percent of the vote to 26 percent apiece for longtime former Attorney General Lori Swanson and U.S. Rep. Dean Phillips; both attempted to portray Flanagan as "too liberal for Minnesota", but Phillips especially faced pushback from progressives who relentlessly attacked Phillips as a "corporate Democrat" as well as a scorched-earth ad by the Flanagan camp accusing Phillips of "taking the side of Derek Chauvin" in his trial for the murder of George Floyd in Minneapolis, which led PolitiFact to issue Flanagan a "Pants on Fire" rating. Flanagan, speaking to her supporters in Minneapolis, proclaimed "We are going to defend Amy Klobuchar's seat, with a solid progressive who always has had Minnesota's back versus a carnival barker who only spouts noise". At her watch party in Bloomington Tafoya remarked "Of course we know why Peggy Flanagan is desperate - because the people of Minnesota are waking up and we are going to flip this blue state red in November!"

While Minnesota will have a number of competitive congressional contests in November, the biggest primary action Tuesday was in a safe blue seat - the open 4th District of retiring DFL incumbent Betty McCollum based in the state capital of St. Paul and surrounding Ramsey County. In that district, St. Paul Mayor Melvin Carter won a five-way race in the DFL primary and will be heavily favored to win the 4th District in November, though the even more heavily liberal Minneapolis-based 5th District also saw a competitive DFL primary of its own, as controversial Rep. Ilhan Omar survived her own primary against well-funded opposition critical of her hard-left views and controversial statements (one of them comparing presumptive GOP nominee Ron DeSantis to Axis-era fascist Italian dictator Benito Mussolini). Other DFL candidates nominated include State Rep. Liz Boldon in the southern-based 1st District based in Rochester and Mankato (against GOP incumbent Brad Finstad, Duluth Mayor Emily Larson in the Duluth-based 8th District, State Rep. Jess Hanson in the south suburban Twin Cities 2nd District held by freshman Rep. Tyler Kistner, and former State Senate Minority Leader Melisa Franzen in Phillips' 3rd District in the western Twin Cities suburbs including the vicinity of Lake Minnetonka, where she will face GOP State Sen. Julia Coleman, daughter-in-law of former U.S. Sen. Norm Coleman.

August 15, 2024
ARIZONA GOP SENATE BATTLE WILL GO TO OVERTIME AS GOSAR LASHES OUT
With virtually all of the votes counted in the razor-thin primary for the Republican nomination for U.S. Senate against recently renominated Sen. Kyrsten Sinema, the margins between Reps. David Schweikert (27.62 percent) and Andy Biggs (27.58 percent) are so close that an automatic recount has been officially declared in the race by Secretary of State Mark Finchem. One of a number of controversial GOP Secretaries of State nominated in the 2022 midterms (despite the gubernatorial race flipping to the Democrats that same year in Arizona), Finchem has been a steadfast "election truther" who considers the 2020 presidential result in the state to be "stolen" from Donald Trump. When asked about whether or not the recount will be completed in time for Arizona Republicans to unite in what is expected to be a very high-stakes Senate battle with Sinema, a maverick Democrat who just fended off her own primary challenge against liberal Rep. Ruben Gallego, Finchem vowed a "fully fair and transparent audit of all files and paper trails" in securing the GOP nominee.

The recount's declaration comes as the third-place finisher in the primary, conservative Rep. Paul Gosar (26.11 percent) took direct aim at his rivals for "having attempted to use false smears against our grassroots, America First campaign to drive voters away from my candidacy", but most especially Schweikert whose endorsement from former Gov. Doug Ducey did not go over well with Gosar. "If there's any Republican who fits the DC swamp mold to a T, it's Doug Ducey, and David Schweikert's reliance on him to prop up his flailing campaign and attack ours is downright uncouth of him". Schweikert, meanwhile, called Gosar a "sore loser who will never catch up to me or Andy (Biggs)" and also implored Finchem to invalidate the votes of a candidate who appears to be a card-carrying member of NAMBLA, apparently unaware that Arizona does not use ranked-choice voting for its primaries. Both Schweikert and Biggs along with Gosar are expected to be in Milwaukee next week at the Republican National Convention, though given the closeness of the results and its uncertain fate it is unclear if any of the candidates will speak.

On the next post: DeSantis's veep pick is revealed...

[2016]

Ivanka Trump introducing the Republican Vice Presidential Nominee? Got to be Nikki Haley then as Haley, Ivanka & her husband Jared Kushner worked pretty closely together in the Trump White House on Foreign Policy.

Nice Convention Speakers List though! A good mix! Gives you an idea how DeSantis would govern were he fortunate enough to win in November.

[SaintStan86]

August 16, 2024
DeSANTIS RALLY SET FOR SATURDAY NEAR HOUSTON; AIRPORT SECURED FOR VEEP PICK
A wealthy Houston suburb known in political circles as the hometown of former House Majority Leader Tom DeLay is set to take center stage on Saturday when Florida Gov. and presumptive Republican nominee Ron DeSantis descends on the Houston suburb of Sugar Land, Texas where he will be joined by his vice presidential running mate. DeSantis spox Christina Pushaw noted that following the announcement made on Wednesday, interest has been exceptionally high in tickets for the rally which sold out within 15 minutes, and also took note that DeSantis's nominee is "aimed at countering the gender gap that affected Donald Trump's 2020 reelection bid against Joe Biden". The rally will take place at Constellation Field, the home field of the Sugar Land Space Cowboys (the Triple-A affiliate of Major League Baseball's Houston Astros) and a seemingly appropriate venue for DeSantis, a former Yale baseball standout who once played in the 1991 Little League World Series.

The venue is also appropriately located directly east of Sugar Land Regional Airport, the largest commuter and business travel-focused airport serving the Houston area and a popular location for many domestic and international charter flights in and out of Houston. Sugar Land Mayor Joe Zimmerman ordered the closure of the airport "between midnight and 30 minutes after the rally is concluded" in order to secure the property from potential security threats, while also acknowledging that "Saturday is going to be a historic day for the City of Sugar Land, as we will be an eyewitness to history, and I will be there to witness Gov. Ron DeSantis and others introducing his running mate to the whole United States". In addition to Zimmerman, other dignitaries expected to be in attendance include Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, U.S. Sens. John Cornyn and Ted Cruz, U.S. Senate nominee Dan Crenshaw, virtually all of Houston's GOP congressional delegation including Troy Nehls and his twin brother, Fort Bend County Judge Trever Nehls, and even the venerable DeLay himself, among others. The rally is expected to take place at 10 a.m. Central time, which translates into 11 a.m. in New York City and 8 a.m. in Los Angeles. Fox News Channel host Laura Ingraham will be anchoring Friday night from Sugar Land's town square in front of its City Hall, and will be joined tonight by several other guests as well.

August 17, 2024

It is now 7 a.m. in Houston...

On CBS Saturday Morning...
JEFF GLOR: Welcome to the weekend, everyone! I'm Jeff Glor here with Michelle Miller and Dana Jacobson on this Saturday, August the 17th from right here in Times Square, looking live now at Sugar Land, Texas, outside of Houston where Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis is set to announce his pick for Vice President as the presumptive Republican nominee prepares to head to Milwaukee for this week's Republican National Convention...

DANA JACOBSON: Also this morning, we'll be taking you on a special trip to Easter Island in the middle of the South Pacific, where beneath the indigenous villages and iconic Moais lies never before seen treasure on a scuba diving expedition...

MICHELLE MILLER: Straight from the heart of Vermont, a unique twist on northern Thai cuisine from James Beard-award winning chef Nisachon Morgan. We'll have her here in studio with iconic selections from her Thai beer garden, Saap.

JEFF GLOR: And we'll hear from Vampire Weekend's Ezra Koenig on his breathtaking solo project, which we'll be giving you a first listen of in this week's Saturday Sessions.

MICHELLE MILLER: But we begin this morning with breaking news on the presidential campaign trail. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis is set to announce his running mate for the Republican presidential ticket at a minor league ballpark near Houston this morning, and already word is spreading that two particularly notable candidates for Vice President, Sen. Josh Hawley of Missouri and Gov. Kristi Noem of South Dakota have been ruled out in the consideration for Vice President.

BREAKING NEWS: Sen. Josh Hawley is having breakfast with his family at their "home away from home" in northern Virginia, with a Twitter post showing his family cozying up to the TV preparing to watch the reveal. In other words, Hawley is out.

BREAKING NEWS: Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin reiterates once again "I have not been selected to be Ron DeSantis's nominee, but make no mistake I'm very pleased with his decision. I'm going to let him do the talking."

8 a.m....

Over on a special edition of Washington Journal on C-SPAN...
ANCHOR: OK, as we continue to await word from outside of Houston on the selection of Ron DeSantis's running mate, we'd like to take this time to give you the viewer the opportunity to call in or share about your thoughts on DeSantis's impending selection on our Open Forum. The numbers on the screen are, 202-748-8000 for Democrats, 202-748-8001 for Republicans, 202-748-8002 for Independents, and 202-748-8003 for viewers outside the U.S. The lines are open now and your thoughts are greatly appreciated...

BREAKING NEWS: Sen. Ted Cruz: "Getting ready early this morning to stand with Gov. Ron DeSantis and his running mate!"

BREAKING NEWS: Several planes exclusively linked to the rally have arrived at Sugar Land Regional Airport, but much of the focus has been on a flight that left "early in the morning" from "somewhere in the Southeast".

BREAKING NEWS: Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds informs the Des Moines Register, "I'm not anywhere near Texas this morning".

BREAKING NEWS: Sen. Adam Laxalt: "Here outside Houston with my good friend Ron DeSantis and some Shipley Do-Nuts...wish we had these on the Strip!"

On local Houston radio station KTRH, where a special edition of their weekday morning newscast is airing...
JIMMY BARRETT: Glad to have you with us on this special edition of Houston's Morning News, as Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis descends on Sugar Land to announce his pick for Vice President on the Republican ticket. I'm Jimmy Barrett.
SHARA FRYER: And I'm Shara Fryer. This just in to the KTRH newsroom...Jimmy, it appears that a charter flight has reportedly arrived at Sugar Land Regional Airport, just across the street from Constellation Field, with a tail number registered to a plane based somewhere in South Carolina. Whether or not it could possibly be Nikki Haley, that's really up to Ron DeSantis to say, not anyone else...Maybe Tim Scott, but we shall see.

Lastly, over on Fox & Friends Weekend, just after 8:30 a.m....

Pete Hegseth, Fox & Friends weekend co-host
Source: Wikimedia Commons
Author: Gage Skidmore

(Fox News Alert tone sounds)
PETE HEGSETH: This is a Fox News alert, Gov. Ron DeSantis has chosen his running mate for Vice President of the United States, and it's one of the least surprising names on the short list...

REPUBLICAN PARTY
PRESUMPTIVE VICE PRESIDENTIAL NOMINEE


Source: Wikimedia Commons
Author: United States Department of State

Nikki Haley, South Carolina
Former U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations
Former Governor of South Carolina
Former Representative, South Carolina House of Representatives

Source: Wikimedia Commons Author: Djmaschek

Source: Wikimedia Commons Author: Stantheman8609

Constellation Field in Sugar Land, Texas, where Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis revealed his vice presidential running mate, former Ambassador Nikki Haley, on August 17, 2024

August 17, 2024
BREAKING NEWS: DeSANTIS SELECTS HALEY AS RUNNING MATE: "AMERICA'S BRIGHTEST DAYS ARE AROUND THE CORNER"
On Saturday, Florida Gov. and presumptive Republican presidential nominee Ron DeSantis selected former Ambassador Nikki Haley as his vice presidential running mate during a late morning rally at a minor league ballpark in a major Houston suburb. During the rally at Constellation Field, the home of the Houston Astros' Triple-A affiliate in the Sugar Land Space Cowboys, in Sugar Land, Texas, DeSantis introduced the overcapacity crowd of over 20,000 (most of them congregating on the baseball diamond that was transformed into a stage and general admission level for the rally) to the former U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations, who DeSantis called "a woman who truly - and literally - stands for America" before even mentioning her name, for which Haley's own PAC and slogan/primary hashtag from her own GOP presidential bid, Stand for America, proved to be a dead giveaway of sorts to most of the audience.

After being introduced to a thunderous crowd over the loudspeakers playing the 1995 Hootie & the Blowfish hit "Only Wanna Be with You" (ironic considering that the iconic South Carolina band had its roots on the campus of the University of South Carolina - the longtime in-state rival of Haley's alma mater, Clemson University), Haley gave a rousing speech to the audience as she sought to shake off the "elitist" image that Haley was perceived to have adopted during the primaries, in contrast to the Trump-style conservative populism espoused by DeSantis. "Working together, we are going to build a stronger America, both prosperous here at home and peaceful around the world, with liberty and justice for all", Haley proclaimed to the audience. Towards the end of the rally, Haley took direct aim at President Biden on both foreign "We are of course going to stand with Israel and others fighting for democracy, but we're not going to do it by stretching our military and our money thin while we Americans continue to languish" and domestic "The next time Kamala Harris tells you gas prices are getting better, remember what the prices were under Donald Trump BEFORE COVID...because our memories are not short and she's going to be in for some real hell-raising if all she does is get you to forget about anything before COVID", and concluded by merging both her signature slogan and DeSantis's "We are going to promote freedom for America and the world, we are going to build up America and our people, and we are going to Stand for America because Freedom Matters!"

The speech was well-received across the conservative political spectrum, with both establishment and outsider factions alike praising Haley as "a necessary counterbalance to DeSantis's hard edged 'Trump on Decaf' act", "arguably the strongest ticket for the Republicans in decades", "exactly the right ticket to show Republicans they mean business on the world stage" and/or "a clear checkmate on the Democrats' yawning gender gap over the GOP" depending on the Republican at large and the faction. Former President Donald Trump praised the selection despite past misgivings about Haley, "Nikki Haley and I haven't really seen eye to eye since she talked badly about the stolen election, differences on foreign policy, but I have no doubt that she is the strongest person to be standing there next to Ron DeSantis...As she says all the time, she truly does Stand for America and STOOD FOR HER when the totally corrupt and so-called 'United Nations' tried to bully her when she stood tall for Israel, talked tough on China, securing the border, etc. She complements Gov. DeSantis wherever he has weaknesses and strengthens him where's he strong! There are many pretenders on the ballot, but only ONE America First ticket on the ballot this November - the DeSantis-Haley ticket! MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!"

Former President George W. Bush also spoke glowingly of DeSantis's pick of Haley. "Nikki Haley has always been a transformative presence in American politics, and Ron DeSantis made a great choice in selecting her to be his running mate...it clearly refutes the notion that Gov. DeSantis won't be tough on bad foreign actors," noted Bush who continued "Not that DeSantis - who served our country bringing the world's most dangerous terrorists to justice at Guantanamo Bay - isn't the brightest foreign policy mind, but Haley's work defending America at the UN takes the cake". Former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice also praised DeSantis's pick, "I could not think of someone more qualified to serve as Vice President, ready to marshal the troops in the Senate, than Nikki Haley - this is unapologetically the most pro-American ticket we have ever seen on the ballot!". Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds called DeSantis's selection "a fantastic selection that will create a strong and powerful Republican ticket", while South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem noted "There are some things regrettable about Nikki Haley, but I have no doubt that the DeSantis-Haley ticket is going to deliver at the polls for hardworking Americans who have suffered tremendously under Biden & Harris".

Not every Republican spoke glowingly of the move, particularly on the extreme ends of the MAGA spectrum between fringe extremists and hardcore "Never Trumpers". Former Wyoming Rep. Liz Cheney, commenting on CNN, remarked critically of DeSantis's pick "The selection of Nikki Haley is nothing more than a feeble attempt by a kindler, gentler version of Donald Trump to co-opt those who put country before party into thinking that he has their back. At the end of the day, while Haley should be commented for speaking up about the worst indiscretions of Donald Trump, this is still Ron DeSantis calling the shots and that in the end is still unsettling". Georgia Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, who is backing Constitution Party candidate Mike Lindell (having joined that party recently), also expressed disappointment in DeSantis: "Ron DeSantis clearly is nowhere near as America First as Donald Trump, and his pick of Nikki Haley is proof that Christian nationalists will be pushed aside in favor of the old Republican guard that hurt working Americans and their families more than they helped". However, former Vice President Mike Pence called DeSantis's pick of Haley "a slam dunk for the American people and for both religious and personal freedom - it is the most pro-life, pro-family ticket Republicans have ever seen".

Unsurprisingly, the news was unsettling for Democrats. For Jaime Harrison, the Democratic National Committee Chairman who hails from Haley's home state of South Carolina, it is personal. "As Governor of South Carolina, Nikki Haley's efforts to create a stronger Palmetto State was simply a matter of talk and little - if any - action, and Florida and South Carolina have become stricken by unprecedented levels of economic inequity, social division and partisan plundering more than ever before - because of the actions Ron DeSantis and Nikki Haley have engaged in as Governors of these states," proclaimed Harrison in a statement. Former Secretary of State and 2016 presidential nominee Hillary Clinton also was critical of the move, "The reality about Ron DeSantis's pick of Nikki Haley is nothing more than window dressing to make Republicans appear as if they are the party of women, when the truth is their policies have actually set women back", as was former President Barack Obama who noted "As President, I constantly had to do battle with Republican Governors who sought to erect roadblocks to progress, and Nikki Haley was one of the worst offenders".

Following the conclusion of the rally, DeSantis and Haley began their first barnstorming sessions and campaign trips as a ticket, as both are en route to Milwaukee to appear at the Republican National Convention this coming week. As for Vice President Kamala Harris, no word has emerged as to whether or not she has selected her running mate let alone when she plans to reveal the pick, though it is speculated that Harris intends to reveal her pick for Vice President the weekend after the Republican National Convention, as has been the case for the party in control of the White House in recent years between Republican John McCain's selection of Sarah Palin the day after the Democratic National Convention in 2008 and Clinton's selection of Sen. Tim Kaine (who himself is facing a tough reelection campaign this year) in 2016 less than 24 hours after Trump accepted the GOP nomination at the 2016 Republican National Convention. Regardless of the speculation, Harris is widely expected to have a running mate ready to go before the Democratic National Convention convenes on Monday, August 26th in Houston, just under a half-hour drive from where DeSantis introduced Haley as his running mate.

[2016]

@SaintStan86,
The Vice Presidential Reveal Post was very well done! Congrats!

[SaintStan86]

It's Sunday, August 18th, and the week of the Republican National Convention is upon Americans as Republican delegates prepare to head to Milwaukee to anoint Ron DeSantis as their presidential nominee with the mediocre Biden administration entering its twilight period and Democrats looking for a way to bounce back with Vice President Kamala Harris the following week. But as Republicans block out the coming week for their convention where Donald Trump is expected to pass the baton to DeSantis, a major third-party development has emerged of the Sunday morning talk show pack...

FORWARD PARTY
PRESIDENTIAL TICKET

Andrew Yang of New York Source: Wikimedia Commons Author: Gage Skidmore

Adam Kinzinger of Illinois Source: Wikimedia Commons Author: U.S. House of Representatives

August 18, 2024
REPORT: KINZINGER TO JOIN YANG ON "BIPARTISAN, BROAD-BASED" FORWARD PARTY TICKET
On Sunday morning, Forward Party founder and presidential nominee Andrew Yang announced his running mate for his 2024 presidential bid, and the former Democrat and 2021 New York City mayoral candidate's is one that is likely to draw significant attention especially from more moderate Republicans whose most cohesive stance alluded to one of the "darkest days" in modern American history. On CNN's State of the Union, Yang introduced his running mate, former Republican U.S. Rep. Adam Kinzinger of Illinois, a moderate Republican who became best known for his vote to impeach then-President Donald Trump in the second such attempt, as well as his subsequent service on the select January 6th Committee to investigate the January 6, 2021 attack on the U.S. Capitol that warranted Trump's second impeachment. Kinzinger, a self-described "John McCain Republican" who even adopted McCain's 2008 presidential slogan 'Country First' as the name for his super PAC, Country First PAC, expressed his enthusiasm for joining Yang on the presidential campaign trail: "Andrew Yang brought and advocated for bold solutions to the Democratic Party, as I tried to do the same with the Republican Party, and we're excited to join forces to give Americans a great alternative to the prevailing two-party consensus that has divided Americans for too long".

When asked by host Jake Tapper if the ticket will play in Peoria despite their differences in the past, Yang brushed off any rumors of sharp differences by even alluding to a famous duo from Kinzinger's home state. "The American people desire a clear consensus to benefit all Americans regardless of party, and Adam Kinzinger and I are like Siskel & Ebert, whom I'm sure would give our campaign two thumbs up", referring to the famed and late duo of Chicago film critics Gene Siskel & Roger Ebert, whose movie review shows and signature "Two thumbs up!" catchphrase became iconic during the latter part of the 20th century before Siskel's death in 1999 and that of Ebert in 2013. While Kinzinger says he is proud to join the Forward Party, unlike Yang who left the Democratic Party after his ill-fated 2021 campaign for Mayor of New York City, Kinzinger still calls himself a Republican despite his differences with the party on foreign policy as well as perceptions of Trump. Prominent neoconservative Bill Kristol endorsed the ticket following the announcement, calling the Yang-Kinzinger ticket "exactly what America needs at this important moment in time" and urged "all who believe in democracy first to get behind the ticket", while Washington Post columnist Jennifer Rubin expressed enthusiastic support as well: "This is arguably the best presidential ticket in a very long time".

To no great surprise, both parties effectively gave "two thumbs down" to the ticket. Democratic National Committee Chairman Jaime Harrison called Yang "an aggravant who wishes to divide the country at a time when Democrats more than ever must work to stop the return of Donald Trump through Ron DeSantis" and urged all Democrats to "unite behind the only candidate that's for the people, and that's Kamala Harris!", while Republican National Committee Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel was unmoved by Kinzinger's decision: "Adam Kinzinger's departure from the Republican Party to join a left-leaning third party that has virtually no appeal besides the few Americans who think not taking a stand on the issues that matter is what sells" and stated that "the only person who benefits from Yang's selection of Kinzinger is Governor DeSantis". While the Yang-Kinzinger ticket has obtained ballot access in all 50 states as well as all territories and the District of Columbia, there are no plans to assemble a downballot slate of congressional candidates (which Yang described as impossible) though if the ticket were to somehow become successful or at least get 5 percent or more of the vote, Yang has stated a desire to "build a team of candidates from all backgrounds to run for Congress in 2026".

August 18, 2024
OWENS GATHERS BLEXIT SUPPORTERS IN WISCONSIN, FORMALLY ENDS PRESIDENTIAL BID
While Republicans descended on Milwaukee for their party's convention this coming week to officially nominate Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis as their party's nominee for President, the last remaining Republican alternative of note finally ended her presidential campaign less than two hours northwest of Milwaukee at a high school football stadium in the town of Ripon, Wisconsin - the birthplace of the Republican Party. Commentator Candace Owens gathered over 3,000 supporters of her Blexit movement in Ripon late Sunday afternoon, where she spoke before the large crowd on behalf of her movement to "encourage Black Americans to leave the Democrat plantation behind and join the only party that is truly committed to empowering Black America for a brighter tomorrow".

In addition to serving as a gathering point for Blexit supporters, including many of whom will be attending the convention in Milwaukee this week as delegates, alternates and guests, Owens also ended her longshot presidential campaign: "While this officially marks the end of my presidential campaign, this is the only the beginning for the Blexit movement to take their place in our society and transform the conservative movement like never before". Owens also took direct aim at Vice President and presumptive Democratic nominee Kamala Harris, calling her "an embarrassment to African-Americans who will further divide our country and leave us poorer than ever before" and noting the "irony" of Harris's nomination being "pushed by miserable White liberals and desperate suburban housewives who think that Republicans are 'bigoted, hateful racists' when that argument primarily applies to them as ethnic and religious minorities flocked to Donald Trump and Ron DeSantis".

Though Owens spoke approvingly of DeSantis, she expressed her hope that former President Donald Trump did run in 2024: "Donald Trump is going to be a tough act for Ron DeSantis to follow, and I'm not that certain that DeSantis will be as above his pay grade as Trump was as our greatest President in my lifetime". While Owens remains an influential conservative, particularly amongst fellow Blexit supporters and young conservatives, her influence has been diminished as other Black conservatives have jockeyed for attention, and especially given that Owens' own hard-edged attitude in the culture wars (as well as her "based" attitude in Trump's America First movement) may have turned her off from some conservatives. Once a regular guest on Fox News, Owens has largely relegated herself to minor conservative news channels as well as her own work with Ben Shapiro's The Daily Wire, where she hosts a podcast. Still, Owens plans to attend the Republican National Convention this week, even though she will not be speaking, "I don't have plans to speak, but I will be there as Republicans look to nominate Ron DeSantis and Nikki Haley as our ticket for America's future".

"Ladies and gentlemen, the 2024 Republican National Convention, here in the birth state of the Grand Old Party - has now been called to order!" - Gov. Tim Michels of Wisconsin

Source: Wikimedia Commons Author: Spaluch1

Source: Wikimedia Commons Author: SidewalkMD

Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee, site of the 2024 Republican National Convention, where Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and former Ambassador Nikki Haley will be nominated as the 2024 Republican presidential ticket.

August 19, 2024
TRUMP SPEAKS TO DELEGATES ON FIRST NIGHT OF REPUBLICAN NATIONAL CONVENTION
On the first night of the Republican National Convention at Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee, Republicans gathered to set in stone their presidential ticket for the 2024 election as well as their platform - of which none emerged from the 2020 convention in Charlotte that was vastly overhauled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, with the night being end capped by former President Donald Trump speaking before the packed crowd in Milwaukee. Among the platform fights that emerged included whether or not to continue with Trump's trade policy regarding tariffs on China and Europe (the former remained, while the latter fell by the wayside), as well as tariffs on imported steel (which were narrowly dropped with those advocating for dropping them citing the low percentage of Chinese steel compared to other countries such as Canada, Brazil and Mexico). While Trump did express disappointment with the largely uneconomical tariffs on Europe and imported steel being dropped from the platform, he expressed considerable satisfaction with sanctions on Chinese imports ("Remember when Walmart was all about 'Made in the USA'?") and continued sanctions on China, North Korea and Russia as well as "new and strategic fair trade agreements with Taiwan, Japan and other countries who SHARE OUR VALUES, NOT China's!"

Other platform fights included the degree as to which Republicans are to approach the issue of abortion, with some calling for federalism to take hold where states decide abortion rights free of government intervention and others calling for a total abolition. The party did take a giant leap on the issue of gay marriage, with the platform now striking language calling for homosexuality to continue being pursued as an "abnormal lifestyle" despite objections from social conservatives and Southern states, while also continuing to express strong disapproval towards transgendered women competing in women's sports as well as sharing bathrooms and locker rooms with heterosexual girls and women. The party also moved towards a more libertarian stance on online poker and medical marijuana, endorsing taxing and regulating both like alcohol and tobacco as opposed to the previously controversial stances prohibiting both, while continuing to express reluctant disapproval of recreational use of marijuana and other illicit drugs. The party also reaffirmed support for a Balanced Budget Amendment, reducing the national deficit to pre-2008 TARP levels under $10 trillion, and ending "any remaining and insidious COVID restrictions and orders at any cost".

Former Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker, former White House Chief of Staff Reince Priebus and current Wisconsin Gov. Tim Michels all spoke on Monday, with the latter opening the convention earlier in the day with the state's six Republican House members and Sen. Ron Johnson. Sens. Chuck Grassley of Iowa and John Neely Kennedy of Louisiana also spoke in defense of Trump's "tenacity on electing qualified conservatives and constitutionalists to federal judicial posts and the Supreme Court" and blasted Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris for "destroying our judicial system with woke activist judges who are failing our country". Sens. Tommy Tuberville (AL) and Herschel Walker (GA), both of whom built their careers in football, also joined legendary sports announcer Al Michaels in introducing Michaels' longtime former colleague, Michele Tafoya (who is running for U.S. Senate in Minnesota) to the audience with Michaels proclaiming "Do you believe in miracles? Then how about we send Ron DeSantis 10 votes from a certain state that is home to our next guest and a great colleague of mine...let's go now to the next U.S. Senator from the great state of Minnesota, Michele Tafoya!"

Tafoya, who aims to become Minnesota's first GOP U.S. Senator since Norm Coleman was elected in 2002 and deliver her state to DeSantis for the first time since 1972 (Minnesota was the only state won by former Vice President and favorite son Walter Mondale in the landslide 1984 reelection of Ronald Reagan), called on delegates to "stand strong for the values we all hold dearly" and "never give up, because miracles happen where you least expect them, and in Minnesota you bet we believe in them!" The first night of the convention was devoted to abortion and other social, cultural and pride and patriotism issues, highlighted by a rousing speech from outgoing Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas (who received a video tribute and standing ovation for his two terms of service in the Senate) imploring Republicans to "vote for the one candidate with a true conscience...Ron DeSantis!" Cruz later joined Sen. James Lankford of Oklahoma that evening in paying tribute to Norma McCorvey, the famous "Jane Roe" in the Roe v. Wade case who later became an advocate for the pro-life movement until her death in 2017 and received a video tribute as well.

Sens. Mike Lee of Utah and Marsha Blackburn of Tennessee (the latter of whom is heavily favored for reelection after a close election in 2018 against Democratic former Gov. Phil Bredesen) also took the stage on Monday to emphasize the "importance of electing brave and fearless conservatives" and highlighted the candidacy of "conservative outsider" and State Sen. Mike Martucci, the Republican nominee for U.S. Senate in New York against Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand. Martucci later spoke in primetime as he vowed to "rein in the long, painful Democratic regime that has crippled the Empire State for too long and send a fearless conservative to represent New Yorkers in the Senate". Martucci was followed by Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers of Washington, who is the GOP's nominee for the Senate seat of retiring Democrat Maria Cantwell, having been introduced on stage by 2008 vice presidential nominee and U.S. Rep. Sarah Palin of Alaska (who also praised DeSantis's choice of Nikki Haley for Vice President), fellow U.S. Rep. Harriet Hageman of Wyoming and Palin's fellow Alaskan and Sen. Kelly Tshibaka. Palin and Hageman, along with Wyoming Sen. John Barrasso, are heavily favored for renomination and reelection on Tuesday despite the former two's highly competitive election bids in 2022.

But while Florida Lt. Gov. Jeannette Nuñez gave a rousing speech in which she looked forward to "becoming Florida's FIRST female Governor and will work to continue the great progress Florida has made under Ron DeSantis", the night clearly belonged to Donald Trump, as the former President is set to close out the night on the GOP's final full day as "the party of Trump". Several alums of the Trump era, including former White House Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany and one of her predecessors, current Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders, former senior counselor and campaign manager Kellyanne Conway, former social media director Dan Scavino and others spoke glowingly of their former boss and denounced the January 6th committee as a "witch hunt than thankfully belongs in the dustbin of history" (Scavino's words). After a powerful speech by Trump's older sons from his first marriage with the late Ivana Trump, Donald Trump, Jr. and Eric Trump, term-limited Indiana Gov. Eric Holcomb introduced a fairly skeptical but otherwise approving crowd to a particular guest familiar to him and his state.

That guest turned out to be none other than Holcomb's predecessor, former Vice President Mike Pence, who received a standing ovation and video tribute before his 20-minute speech calling Trump "the greatest President our country has ever seen" and while continuing to defend his role in certifying the 2020 election of Joe Biden to mixed boos and hisses from the audience, stated that "Never again shall we have to end up in the situation we were in in 2020, because we are going to redouble our efforts to stop the Democrats and forget the horror show of that election that Donald Trump and I have chosen to forgive and forget". At the end of his speech, Pence urged all Republicans to "elect Ron DeSantis as our next President and put an end to the miserable and forgettable era of Joe Biden and Kamala Harris", before introducing the former President on stage. After a powerful five-minute tribute, Trump entered the stage as he and Pence embraced and shook hands, with Trump remarking "Mike, I'm still mad at you for the naughty thing you did that night, but it's all good now, because hating the Democrats and Kamala Harris matters even more!"

To no great surprise at the end of the evening, Trump indeed spoke glowingly of his presidency, continued to blast Joe Biden as "the most illegitimate President in our nation's history" as well as speaking his mind on the 2020 election ("We are not going to let the Democrats STEAL our elections again, and we are going to raise hell like never before if Kamala steals it again!"), reiterated his calls for fair trade ("We are not going back to the failed trade policies of the past"), took aim at Republicans skeptical about Ron DeSantis ("I don't agree with Ron on everything, but I didn't agree with Ronald Reagan on everything either, and they are the greatest Republicans to have ever lived on the face of the earth!"), implored Republicans to continue denouncing "endless wars" ("Ron will make sure we don't get into another endless boondoggle overseas when America has problems of its own here at home and even in our woke chickenhawk military!"), and even took aim at the NBA with an olive branch to the main tenant of the Fiserv Forum, the NBA's Milwaukee Bucks ("Here in Milwaukee, you have a great NBA team, with a great Greek Freak - Giannis, (Antetokounmpo) whoever the hell his name is - who is ten times more American than LeBron James will ever be - but at least the Cavs were nice to let use their court eight years ago, what a glorious time that was!" (alluding to the 2016 Republican National Convention in Cleveland)).

And despite his past criticism of Nikki Haley, Trump also spoke glowingly of his ticket. "There's no doubt Nikki Haley and I had bad blood between us, especially over the horrible things she said about me on January 6th, but I have no doubt that Nikki Haley was the greatest Ambassador we ever sent to the UN, and stood tall when they tried to get us to bow to China - something Beijing Biden always caved on", Trump remarked. He then concluded his speech, appropriately on what many considered the party's final night as "the party of Trump", "With Ron DeSantis, we are going to make freedom matter again, and we are going to Make America Great Again, Now and Always!"

Overall, the first night of the convention was smooth sailing, but not without protests that marred the scene outside of Fiserv Forum. Thousands of protestors were stationed within a mile of the arena, with such derogatory signs as "Dr. Death" and "DeathSantis" dotting the landscape. Both the Milwaukee Police Department and the Milwaukee County Sheriff's Office reported more than 100 arrests, a few dozen injuries, and even two deaths involving a crude Molotov cocktail that unexpectedly exploded in a car near a parking lot just blocks from Fiserv Forum, with over three dozen Greenpeace activists arrested for blocking traffic on Interstate 94 (including two ambulances rushing patients to the hospital and a CNN camera crew) during the evening rush hour.

[2016]

Day 1 of the RNC belonged mostly to Trump.

Day 2 will likely belong to Governor Glenn Youngkin & Casey DeSantis especially after what she had to go through. Cancer Survivor!!!

[SaintStan86]

August 20, 2024
DeSANTIS OFFICIALLY NOMINATED AS TRUMP ALUMS, SENATORS AND CASEY DeSANTIS SPEAK
The second day of the Republican National Convention was marked by continued evolutions on the party platform for 2024, with the focus of the day on fiscal and economic matters (including many of the debt and budget planks mentioned on Monday) as platform planks calling for a ban on critical race theory in public schools, restricting any future spending on professional sports stadiums to strictly basic infrastructure such as drainage and mass transit (with zero dollars devoted to the actual stadiums themselves), a national right-to-work law, and a national grid strategy aimed at replacing the patchwork of state and regional grids (with particular support from delegates in Texas, site of numerous power emergencies in recent years due to its growth not being met with expanded power plants and reactors). An attempt by a group of fringe activists to push for a "National Bank of the United States", similar to an idea pushed by supporters of Democratic politician Lyndon LaRouche. "We are NOT the party of Andrew Jackson and Lyndon LaRouche, WE are the party of Abraham Lincoln and Ronald Reagan. Any Republican who refuses to accept this can get the hell out of this arena and stay the hell out!", warned former House Speaker Newt Gingrich during a primetime address as he introduced current House Speaker and U.S. Senate candidate Kevin McCarthy of California and House Majority Leader and incoming House Speaker Steve Scalise of Louisiana to the crowd at Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee.

The day still featured a number of Trump administration alums as former Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin, Larry Kudlow and Peter Navarro spoke glowingly of Trump's "America First" policies on trade, tariffs, energy independence and the stock market, and blasted Biden for "creating a vast underclass of jilted tradesmen and other professionals who feel unfulfilled and lacking pride in their lives" (Navarro's words), while former Education Secretary Betsy DeVos urged delegates to push for school choice "without strings attached", elect school board candidates to "shake up our uncreative public schools", and "shake up" private school boards who are still stuck in 2020 (with regards to COVID and CRT). Mnuchin also called the jailings of former Trump advisors Roger Stone and Steve Bannon "modern day Salem witch trials" and thanked comedian Jerry Seinfeld for "having enough decency to not mess with the profits Steve gets from a show about nothing, all because of a trial about nothing". Former Energy Secretaries Dan Brouillette and Rick Perry (the latter also a former Texas Governor) also doubled down on energy independence, with Perry remarking "I'm all for electric chargers every 50 miles and carbon capture technology is amazing, but even Elon Musk said fossil fuels are a necessity - you got that Kamala?"

The day also highlighted many members of the Senate, with former Labor Secretary Eugene Scalia, whose father is the late Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia, stressing the importance of electing conservative Senators to "stand up to the woke legal establishment like we did in 2016 and beyond" and nominate "jurists who stand proudly for our values". Senate Majority Leader John Cornyn and Senate Majority Whip John Thune also spoke in the face of mixed boos from more conservative delegates, stressing the importance of a "Republican majority where you don't need the 'silly filly" (Cornyn's words) as well as a tribute to former colleague Mitch McConnell. Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky called on delegates to push for "a thorough and unadulerated audit of the Federal Reserve", while Sen. Rick Scott of Florida expressed his enthusiasm for "looking forward to working with Gov. DeSantis to restore our country to greatness with a sustainable economy that works for everyone".

Sen. Ben Sasse of Nebraska (despite boos from some in the audience still steaming over his disdain for former President Donald Trump, which prompted fellow Sen. Deb Fischer to respond "Knock it down, he's done great work for us all!") received a tribute and standing ovation as he called on Americans to "take our diapers off and let our inner adult run wild" with regards to entrepreneurship and career and technology education, vowing to make "career readiness" a priority for every university that takes federal student aid; this is the first convention attended by the two-term Senator, as the Trump-skeptical Senator did not attend the 2016 convention. Sen. Markwayne Mullin of Oklahoma also stressed Sasse's line on career readiness: "We certainly need a lot fewer influencers and a lot more plumbers, that's for sure...because that big, beautiful house in the suburbs is nothing without good pipes and good doors". Sen. Ron Johnson also excited his home audience, remarking "Doesn't it feel great to be here in Wisconsin with all of you?", as he introduced U.S. Rep. and Senate nominee Mike Gallagher to the stage. During the speech, Gallagher remarked "It's time to get to work electing Republicans and sending Kamala Harris and Tammy Baldwin back home where they belong!"

The Senators' time was also used to highlight the candidacies of its 2024 nominees, with recently renominated Sen. Josh Hawley of Missouri also making a call to action to delegates to "give us the 60-seat majority Republicans need to really get the ball moving" while also imploring his colleagues and the delegates "to fight for what the people in small towns and big cities across America want and not what the Beltway (referring to the Capital Beltway surrounding Washington, D.C.) wants". In addition to McCarthy and Gallagher, other candidates highlighted included Rep. Matt Rosendale (who is running against Sen. Jon Tester in Montana in a rematch of their 2018 race), West Virginia Attorney General Patrick Morrisey (who is favored to succeed retiring Sen. Joe Manchin in West Virginia), Maine State Sen. Rick Bennett (who is running to succeed retiring Sen. Angus King and was introduced on stage by fellow Mainer and Sen. Susan Collins), former Vermont Lt. Gov. Brian Dubie (who is running in a three-way battle to succeed retiring Sen. Bernie Sanders, and for which Dubie stressed the importance of electing "an independent, conservative alternative to the progressive muck that Vermonters have languished under for too long", as well as Vermont's "proud past tradition of voting for Republicans" prior to Sanders' election to Congress in 1990).

Capping off the Senators' introductions was a rousing speech by Virginia State Sen. Jill Vogel, who is running against incumbent Sen. and 2016 Democratic vice presidential nominee Tim Kaine in the Old Dominion and proclaimed "The Commonwealth deserves a Senator who will go to the Capitol to fight for her people, NOT for the elites that Tim Kaine has since sided with, becoming part of the problem". Vogel later relegated herself to the background as the roll call for the presidential delegate count began. With almost all of the delegates canceling out their earlier wins, DeSantis officially clinched 1,250 delegates with the vote count in North Carolina, read by none other than Lara Trump, the wife of Donald Trump's son Eric Trump, officially setting in stone the nomination of Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and former Ambassador Nikki Haley as the Republican ticket.

REPUBLICAN PARTY
PRESIDENTIAL TICKET

Gov. Ron DeSantis of Florida Source: Wikimedia Commons Author: Government of Florida

Nikki Haley of South Carolina Source: Wikimedia Commons Author: United States Department of State

Vogel then returned to the stage to introduce the keynote speaker of the night, fellow Virginian and Gov. Glenn Youngkin, who proclaimed "My fellow Americans, and my fellow Virginians...Virginia is back!" and highlighted his state's successes in "restoring our once-great economy in Virginia", "investing billions in new infrastructure and job training", "reining in unaccountable educrats who hurt our students and their parents", "restoring the highest standards in public education, including gifted and talented and AP courses as well as vocational training", and "stopping the far left from undermining our values as Virginians". Youngkin's most memorable line came during his closing part of the speech, in which he proclaimed "Virginia is once again for Lovers!" and enthusiastically endorsed Gov. DeSantis: "What will make the Old Dominion even sweeter is electing Ron DeSantis to the White House, to empower the states to make solid decisions that best suit their constituents and not unelected bureaucrats hiding in a bunker six floors deep".

Youngkin was certainly not the only Governor highlighted on Tuesday, as outgoing Indiana Gov. Eric Holcomb and former Vice President Mike Pence returned to the stage (also joined by Sen. Todd Young and U.S. Rep. and House Majority Whip Jim Banks of Indiana's 3rd District) as part of a special segment highlighting Indiana and the candidacies of gubernatorial hopeful Todd Rokita and conservative first-term Sen. Mike Braun; both are running respectively against Hammond Mayor and 2022 Democratic U.S. Senate nominee Tom McDermott and State Sen. Shelli Yoder. "America is at a crossroads, and the Crossroads of America will lead us back to greatness", proclaimed Pence. Hawley also returned to introduce Missouri Secretary of State Jay Ashcroft, who is the GOP nominee for Governor in the Show Me State (and whose father, former Attorney General John Ashcroft, also served as Governor and U.S. Senator from Missouri).

Other Governors highlighted on Tuesday included Oklahoma's Kevin Stitt ("Let's show Kamala what a real America looks like!"), Louisiana's Jeff Landry ("Louisiana is rising from the swamps once again!"), Kansas's Derek Schmidt ("There's nothing wrong with Kansas anymore, my dear!"), Alaska's Mike Dunleavy ("Alaska will lead the way back to an energy independent America!"), Ohio's Mike DeWine ("Ohio is going to send Ron DeSantis to Washington, and it's not even close..."), North Dakota's Doug Burgum ("The rugged frontier of the Dakotas will be buzzing again with Ron DeSantis leading the way!"), Tennessee's Bill Lee ("If you liked Ronald Reagan, you'll love Ron DeSantis!"), Nebraska's Jim Pillen ("Cornhusker Country is Ron DeSantis Country!") and Pennsylvania's Doug Mastriano ("God help us if Ron DeSantis, the proud son and grandson of one of many Pennsylvanians who sadly sold out to Florida, is not the 47th President of the United States...if Kamala gets there, we are in trouble!")

Four other Governors facing reelection this year, Utah's Spencer Cox, New Hampshire's Chris Sununu, Montana's Greg Gianforte and Vermont's Phil Scott also appeared on stage Tuesday night, stressing the importance of "conservative leaders who will do the best thing for their states as Ron DeSantis delegates unconstitutional powers back to us" (Gianforte's words) and "independent leadership instead of the rubber stamps that serve to benefit no one but puppets on a string" (Scott's words). They also used their bully pulpit to highlight GOP nominee and businessman Chris Miller (who is running to succeed term-limited Gov. Jim Justice in West Virginia) as well as endorsed GOP candidate Chris Vance, who left the Republican Party over his dissatisfaction with Trump but nonetheless was still endorsed by the GOP after placing second in the state's nonpartisan primary earlier this month against Gov. Jay Inslee.

The biggest story of the night, however, came when Donald Trump's youngest child, Barron Trump, took to the stage joined by several other Generation Z Republicans and spoke "My Dad also believed in putting the forgotten people of this country first, and Ron DeSantis is going to have those people, like Billy Joel does at his concerts, right upfront next to the stage where they belong!" as he introduced his mother, former First Lady Melania Trump, who received multiple standing ovations and also called her time in the White House "the greatest experience that any American will ever have experienced in their lifetimes, and with God's grace, it is my hope that the next person on this stage will have an greater experience...because she is such an inspiration to all of us!" Melania Trump then continued, "As we officially pass the baton of the Republican Party over from Donald and I to Ron DeSantis and this amazing woman you're about to meet, let's keep on fighting hard for all Americans, and put them FIRST as my husband did..." before officially introducing Florida First Lady Casey DeSantis to a five-minute standing ovation and tribute video.

Casey DeSantis proved to be every bit as gracious, grounded and humbled as her husband on the stage in Milwaukee, but the highlights of her night revolved around her difficult battle with breast cancer during 2021 and 2022. "When I was first diagnosed with breast cancer, it was the most soul-crushing experience you could ever imagine...Here I am, a grown woman, accomplished TV presenter, the most powerful women in the state of Florida, and you're reduced to crying for your Mom and Dad to hug you and comfort you like a baby, because as we all know, breast cancer affects us all no matter how old or young or powerful or anonymous we may be". "But I rose above that, beat it with confidence, and am now advocating for survivors across America", she continued. Casey then also vowed as First Lady to make it "my mission to stand up for two of the most overlooked but admired groups of people in this world: professional mothers who work hard for their communities from the factory floor to the executive suite, from police precincts to neighborhood classrooms, who devote their time to their children and their husbands but still struggle to balance life and work on this beautiful Earth that God created, and cancer survivors from every background, every walk of life who hope to one day see the day that the scourge of cancer is eradicated"; she also extolled the virtues of her husband, calling him "the greatest husband in the world, the greatest father to his three beautiful kids, and hopefully the greatest President America has ever seen". Casey then concluded the night: "With Ron DeSantis as your next President, families will matter again, and America will rise to the occasion on eagles' wings!"

Whew!...that was a post for the ages. Next up, Nikki Haley speaks followed by, who else, but the Governor of Florida...

[2016]

SaintStan86,

Amazing Post!

[Roll Roons]

Phil Scott speaking at the RNC was certainly not on my bingo.

Also I'm kind of surprised Yang/Kinzinger are running third-party if even Scott could get behind DeSantis.

[SaintStan86]

After Casey DeSantis's rousing speech last night, in which she vowed to make working mothers and breast cancer awareness the main focus of her philanthropic efforts (similar to how Jill Biden made education and veterans' families her focus and Melania Trump the wellness of children), no one thought the bar would get any higher. Can Nikki Haley top it tonight?...

August 21, 2024
NIKKI HALEY GIVES RIP-ROARING SPEECH TO REPUBLICAN DELEGATES IN MILWAUKEE
On a night where Vice Presidential hopeful Nikki Haley was set to speak, the focus of Wednesday night's leg of the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee focused on Republican women as well as foreign policy - a central tenet of Haley's political background shaped by her governorship in military-friendly South Carolina as well as her time as Ambassador to the United Nations during the first two years of Donald Trump's presidency. To no surprise, the foreign policy focus marked a shift back to the traditional realist foreign policy espoused by past Republican presidencies from the postwar era to the 1980s, and away from the hardline neoconservative stance espoused during the George W. Bush era (for which many of their most vocal advocates have since become increasingly out of step with the GOP grassroots). With the exception of strong stances in favor of Israel and against China, most of the foreign policy talk revolved around largely noninterventionist approaches towards the Middle East, Ukraine, Cuba, Venezuela and the future of NATO (with some even advocating for the latter to be disbanded and for the U.S. to quit the UN).

Indeed, many of the speakers on Wednesday involved candidates whose main specialty centered on foreign policy, and was also highlighted by a powerful speech from actor Gary Sinise who later introduced the night's keynote speaker, Rep. Dan Crenshaw from Texas's 2nd District, who is the GOP nominee to succeed Sen. Ted Cruz in Texas. "As a Congressman, I have advocated for a strong national defense, a stronger Texas and for the future of both the conservative movement and this great country. As your Senator, that commitment will be even stronger!" Another Texan who spoke on Wednesday night was former Director of National Intelligence John Ratcliffe, who is running to reclaim his old job in Congress from the open 5th District in the eastern Dallas suburbs (whose GOP incumbent, Lance Gooden, ran unsuccessfully against Crenshaw in the GOP runoff last May. "That time I served when America - and the world - was shut down, was the most amazing job I had, but my focus now will be returning to Congress to ensure that Ron DeSantis has all the tools he needs to fight terrorism, strengthen our military, and avoid a repeat of the disastrous defense debacles that Joe Biden has gotten us into".

Crenshaw also came back on stage with Nevada Gov. Joe Lombardo to introduce their next guest, retired Army officer and Purple Heart recipient Sam Brown, who is running against freshman Sen. Jacky Rosen in Nevada and is the great-grandson of NFL coach and executive Paul Brown, who helped found the Cleveland Browns and Cincinnati Bengals and whose granddaughter, Katie Blackburn, recently became controlling owner of the latter. "We are going to fight like tigers to get things done in the Senate, which is why we must put all of our sweat equity into getting me, Dan Crenshaw and many other great Republicans on this stage to help Adam Laxalt and others get things done for Ron DeSantis, but most importantly for the American people", proclaimed Brown. Other Senators who highlighted the night included Sen. Joni Ernst of Iowa, who stressed the importance of "leading women to fulfilling careers in science and engineering, in our trades and our farm fields, but most especially in our military" to convention delegates, Sen. Don Bolduc of New Hampshire, who called President Biden "the most incompetent commander-in-chief in our nation's history, and for which Kamala Harris will be even worse", and Sen. Tom Cotton of Arkansas, who highlighted the significance of "peace through strength" overseas and called the treatment of Veterans Affairs hospital patients - the subject of a recent scandal - "shameful and disheartening".

Two other former presidential candidates from this cycle, former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida, also spoke with the former highlighting his achievements as Secretary of State under Donald Trump and the latter calling on delegates to "be diligent in helping keep Republicans' feet to the fire when it comes to the atrocities in China" and vowed that "Ron DeSantis will stand up to Communist bullies who hate our freedoms and wish to push America into a world where America is transformed into a mediocre third-world country no one aspires to come to - I know my ancestors wouldn't want to come to Joe Biden's America, let alone Kamala Harris's". Ric Grenell, a former U.S. Ambassador to Germany and acting Director of National Intelligence under Trump who is now running against House Speaker Kevin McCarthy in what is now an all-Republican battle for an open U.S. Senate seat in California (as Democrats were shut out of the battle for the seat of retiring Democrat Dianne Feinstein) also declared to the delegates that "California is back and free of the Democrat chains that binded it!" and that "We've already seen Kamala Harris run the show in Washington, and it's very bad and will get worse if she goes to the Oval Office instead of Ron DeSantis" in his primetime speech. Along with Brown and Crenshaw, Grenell also expressed his solidarity with Arizona Republicans (whose own Senate primary debacle remains unresolved) and vowed "when their nominee is finally decided, Republicans will unite behind that nominee and take out Kyrsten Sinema!".

Republican women, and in particular Republicans from South Carolina, also took center stage on Wednesday with Sen. Katie Britt of Alabama calling Haley "a southern girl at heart whose top client was always the people of her state" and Rep. Nancy Mace giving a rousing speech to delegates: "It is because of Nikki Haley that South Carolina is prospering and America became feared by the world's enemies, and as Vice President she is going to make our enemies fear America again and make sure the Senate listens, fights for the American people, and sends what America asked for directly to Ron DeSantis's desk". Sen. Lindsey Graham also concurred in calling the Biden administration "a disaster on every level for our security and standing in the world" and declared "We cannot afford to hand the nuclear codes - and the keys to selecting judges on the bench - to Kamala Harris!".

South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster and Sen. Tim Scott also spoke on stage as they prepared to introduce the Fiserv Forum crowd to their next guest, North Carolina Lieutenant Governor Mark Robinson, who aims to became his state's first Black Governor. McMaster commended Haley for "preparing me for this amazing opportunity to serve the great people of South Carolina and leave it in fantastic shape, for which I have taken South Carolina even higher than before", while Scott also called Haley "a trailblazer who brought South Carolina into the modern age" as both spoke glowingly of Robinson as well. Robinson gave a powerful speech calling South Carolina "a model state for conservatism" and vowed to give North Carolinians "the sort of good, limited and responsible conservative government that they have been missing under the nosy thumbs of Roy Cooper and his minions who take whatever spoon-fed faulty advice they get from Kamala Harris".

Both Govs. Tudor Dixon of Michigan and Christine Drazan of Oregon - who won shocking upsets for Governor in 2022 with the latter becoming the first Republican Governor elected to lead her state in 40 years - also took to the stage highlighting their recent successes in reforming their states, as well as their insurgent rises to power, particularly with regards to the tough lockdown and mandate regimes of their Democratic predecessors that became unpopular with voters nationwide and which inspired strong opposition from the next speakers they introduced, South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem, who enthusiastically reiterated her endorsement of GOP nominee and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis by proclaiming "Take me to DeSantisLand - where freedom is abundant and families are thriving!", and Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds, who declared "the DeSantis-Haley ticket is the most freedom-loving, patriotic presidential ticket in American history and one that all Iowans - and all Americans - can partake in heartily".

Unsurprisingly, the night belonged to Nikki Haley herself, as former President Donald Trump's daughter, Ivanka Trump, gave a glowing and sentimental review of Haley's service as Ambassador under her father and introduced the crowd to Haley's husband, South Carolina Army National Guard officer Michael Haley, who is also President of Haley's super PAC and campaign organization, Stand for America. "America stood strongly for greatness under Donald Trump, and what did Joe Biden do with it? He squandered it and gave it away to our enemies and his donors. That's not standing for America, that's standing with cowards", Michael Haley declared as he proceeded at the end of his 20-minute speech to introduce his wife to the stage, who then declared "On behalf of the great people of South Carolina and millions of patriots everywhere, I humbly and graciously accept your nomination for Vice President of the United States!"

Nikki Haley spoke glowingly of her days as the daughter of Sikh immigrants (one of them a college professor) in rural South Carolina, "It wasn't exactly pretty, but that didn't stop me and in fact it humbled me to sprout into a successful businesswoman whose family ran the premier upscale clothing boutique in Columbia, South Carolina for three decades before I became Governor". Haley then proceeded to talk about her successes in "turning South Carolina around into one of the best places to do business in the nation", "shaking up the old boys club and shutting it down", and "silencing critics who tried to say we were taking South Carolina back to the dark ages". Haley then spoke of her successes as Ambassador to the United Nations: "As Ambassador, I stood tall for America and American interests in front of a global body where the majority chose to be hostile and punish America for not bowing to those who wish to harm our ally in Israel and embolden our enemy in the Chinese Communist Party". Haley then concluded with "On Day One, I will get Ron DeSantis's priorities straight from the Congress to him, and we are going to make America great once again", "America cannot afford to hand the White House over to Kamala Harris on a silver platter" and "We are going to Stand for Freedom, we are going to Stand for Families, and we are going to Stand for America!".

August 21, 2024
HIGGINS TO RUN FOR SENATE AGAINST CASSIDY IN LOUISIANA, WILL NOT SEEK REELECTION IN 2024
While former Ambassador and now Vice President nominee Nikki Haley was the focus of the night, Rep. Clay Higgins of Louisiana stirred the crowd at the Republican National Convention by announcing that he will not be seeking reelection to Congress, instead deciding to run for U.S. Senate against fellow Republican Bill Cassidy in 2026. The move caught many Republicans off guard and especially Cassidy, who fell out of favor with conservatives and especially Trump supporters after his vote to convict the former President in his second impeachment trial. Following the announcement, Cassidy released a statement to the media, noting that "while emotions are quite raw, at the end of the day shall I run for the Senate, I will be running a vigorous campaign to highlight the differences between myself and Rep. Higgins", while also announcing that he will not endorse a candidate for Higgins' heavily conservative, hugely populist 3rd District, which includes much of the Interstate 10 corridor west of New Orleans and Baton Rouge including Lafayette, Lake Charles and much of the Acadiana region. Before being elected to Congress in 2016, Higgins was a local law enforcement officer known for his controversial Crime Stoppers videos which aggressively targeted criminals to the point where he became known locally as the "Cajun John Wayne".

Higgins' decision not to run for reelection triggered a last-minute scramble for his congressional seat on the first day of the state's three-day qualifying period for candidates to earn a spot in November's primary election, which runs concurrently with the general election in every other state. The filing period had originally been scheduled for June, but was moved to August after Gov. Jeff Landry opted to change state election laws to reduce the period between filing and the primary as part of recent election reforms he signed into law not unlike efforts already done in Georgia, Pennsylvania and other states. Donald Trump won the district with well over two-thirds of the vote in both 2016 and 2020, making any chance of even a mildly competitive Democratic bid virtually impossible; neither the state's four other Republican-held congressional districts (including incoming House Speaker Steve Scalise's 1st District in the suburbs of New Orleans) nor the state's lone Democratic seat (the 2nd District of Troy Carter connecting mostly Black precincts between most of New Orleans and Baton Rouge) are expected to see competitive primaries in November let alone runoffs.

Unsurprisingly for an open, heavily Republican district, multiple Republicans have already filed or started the filing process for the seat, with former State Senate President Patrick "Page" Cortez of Lafayette, State Reps. JP Coussan of Lafayette and Phillip DeVillier of Eunice, Lafayette Parish Mayor-President Josh Guillory (who unsuccessfully challenged Higgins in 2018) and former state Public Service Commissioner and Trump administration official Scott Angelle (who lost in the 2016 runoff to Higgins despite placing first in that November's primary) among the notable Republicans who filed; the only notable candidate to file as a Democrat is former State Rep. Vincent Pierre of Lafayette. Former GOP State Rep. Nancy Landry (who later worked in the office of Republican Secretary of State Kyle Ardoin and is unrelated to the Governor), will run for the seat as an independent.

As for the Senate seat held by Cassidy since 2014, when he defeated incumbent three-term Democrat Mary Landrieu in a December runoff, if he were to lose to Higgins or not seek reelection, it would leave recently renominated Sen. Mitt Romney of Utah and Sen. Susan Collins of Maine as the only Senators remaining who voted to convict Trump in his second impeachment trial related to the 2021 attack on the Capitol, with Romney having also voted to convict in Trump's first impeachment trial dealing with a foreign aid favor involving Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Sen. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska lost her reelection in 2022, while Sens. Richard Burr of North Carolina and Pat Toomey of Pennsylvania decided against seeking reelection that same year. Sen. Ben Sasse, who spoke at the Republican National Convention on Tuesday, announced he would not seek reelection in 2026 after ending his longshot presidential bid on the same night Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis clinched the GOP nomination (even though Sasse had already been mathematically eliminated after the first Super Tuesday in early March).

Coming up: The final day in Milwaukee...followed by the prequel to the Democratic veepstakes unraveling...

[SaintStan86]

It is now Thursday, August 22...The moment has come...

"Running for President has been thus far the greatest experience of my life, and while I did not expect to even become a Congressman, let alone Governor or even President, I have always given it my all. Which is why, in front of all these amazing Republican delegates here in Milwaukee, and most especially our amazing delegation from Florida, I am beyond humbled and honored to accept, with zero regrets and everything to give, your nomination for President of these United States of America." - Gov. Ron DeSantis of Florida

August 22, 2024
DeSANTIS CLOSES OUT REPUBLICAN CONVENTION, ACCEPTS PRESIDENTIAL NOMINATION
On Thursday night, Florida Gov. and Republican nominee Ron DeSantis accepted his party's nomination for President in front of a packed audience at Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee, where Republicans had gathered all week at the Republican National Convention as the party began its general election campaign to capture the White House back into their hands after an ignominious defeat that culminated in the infamous events of January 6th, 2021 as Congress attempted to certify Joe Biden's defeat of then-President Donald Trump, and further evolved as both Biden and Trump ultimately decided to forego a run for reelection in the case of the former or a "revenge tour" in the case of the latter. Despite divisions that were on display between more moderate establishment Republicans, America First conservatives and populists seeking a return to the "glory days" under Trump, and more traditional conservatives looking to move on with DeSantis, the convention concluded with a strong sense of unity and a platform that combined an America First economic agenda with a strong emphasis on American manufacturing, reining in the national debt and consolidating government, reforming entitlements and ending all diversions, reforming the tax code to favor working families and small businesses, and strengthening the national defense without resorting to "empire building escapades" reminiscent of the George W. Bush era.

Indeed, the final night of the campaign, branded as "Your Freedom Matters", had a clear Florida flavor as many members of the state's congressional delegation spoke on Thursday, including Reps. Byron Donalds, Michelle Salzman, Brian Mast, Maria Elvira Salazar, Daniel Webster, Kat Cammack, Anna Paulina Luna and Michael Waltz, along with former Gov.-turned-Sen. Rick Scott and Sen. Marco Rubio, highlighting the state's successes under DeSantis and testifying to the "sanctity of Ron DeSantis's principles and character" (Cammack's words), "commitment and integrity serving our country" (Mast's words) and "strong conservative show of strength that has made Florida a true American paradise" (Scott's words). Several entrepreneurs, business leaders and famous figures also appeared on Thursday, including former NFL and Florida Gators quarterback Tim Tebow (who spoke glowingly of DeSantis's pro-life stances), former U.S. Ambassador to the United Kingdom and majority owner of the NFL's New York Jets Woody Johnson (who once had Tebow play for the Jets) and entrepreneur Elon Musk (who called DeSantis "a national treasure with a laser-focused roadmap - and galaxy - to the future").

There were also plenty of key moments in the run up to 10 p.m. Eastern time, with Chick-fil-A Chairman Dan Cathy calling DeSantis "the Chick-fil-A of Governors" in reference to the fast food chicken sandwich behemoth's noted franchise efficiencies and TPUSA founder Charlie Kirk predicting that DeSantis will be "a President for the ages". One of the lighter moments as Kirk replaced Cathy on the stage in Milwaukee came when Kirk took a lighthearted jab at Cathy over Chick-fil-A's controversial 2019 decision not to partner with the Salvation Army and other Christian-focused charities, which at the time prompted Kirk to vow not to patronize the chain. "Love you Dan, but I'm still at mad at you over the woke spell you had right before COVID, so some frosted lemonade would be nice. Maybe I'll get Elon Musk to buy Popeyes to sweeten the deal..." (to laughs from Cathy and others in the audience); the Toronto and Miami-based parent company of Popeyes (whose own chicken sandwich has become Chick-fil-A's closest competitor), which also owns Burger King, Tim Hortons and Firehouse Subs, responded to Kirk on Twitter "You and Elon may want to talk to this guy first before you even think about buying @Popeyes...", showing a picture of Popeyes founder Al Copeland's above-ground tomb in New Orleans - a common sight in the low-lying city hit hard by Hurricane Katrina in 2005. (The following weekend, a Chick-fil-A representative responded by giving Kirk and other TPUSA members on hand in Milwaukee a large supply of frosted lemonades and other goodies.)

Venture capitalist and conservative fundraising powerhouse Peter Thiel also took to the stage Thursday night as he was joined on stage by several dozen LGBTQ+ Republicans, many of whom are members of the Log Cabin Republicans and other conservative- and libertarian-minded LGBT focus and advocacy groups. "There is only one party for freedom for all regardless of who they love, and that is the Republican Party!", Thiel proclaimed as he later introduced the audience to fellow billionaire Ken Griffin, who moved his Citadel hedge fund from Chicago to Miami in 2022, and who lambasted Kamala Harris as "the instigator behind the Land of Lincoln becoming the Lost World of Lincoln". Houston furniture store magnate Jim McIngvale, also known as "Mattress Mack", also took to the stage to endorse DeSantis and stress the importance of American manufacturing by using a famous quote from his Gallery Furniture chain in Houston, "Is Made in America important to you? If so, then Ron DeSantis is your man!" Northwestern Mutual CEO John Schlifske, whose annual conference is held inside the Fiserv Forum in late July, also expressed his support as a "private citizen": "Last month I was here for the quiet company I run that speaks for every American regardless of party, but tonight I am here not as a CEO but rather a private citizen in support of Ron DeSantis, the best choice for a brighter tomorrow!"

While the night was clearly one to celebrate DeSantis, there were also traces of the Trump era still present on the stage as the former President and his family sat from a suite directly facing the stage. The younger (and arguably much lesser known) of Trump's daughters, Tiffany Trump-Boulos, took to the stage to endorse DeSantis, praising the Governor for "bringing rays of sunshine to Florida when others sought to roll in the clouds", while former HUD Secretary Ben Carson convinced the audience at home (and especially his fellow African Americans) to "look past the chains of race and come together to elect Ron DeSantis - a man who truly would make Dr. Martin Luther King proud" as he introduced Sen. Daniel Cameron of Kentucky and current Rep. John James of Michigan's 10th District (who is the GOP nominee for the U.S. Senate seat of retiring Democrat Debbie Stabenow) on stage. Sens. Dan Sullivan of Alaska and Eric Schmitt also stressed the importance of "not counting out the underdogs" as they introduced GOP Senate nominee and former TV meteorologist Mark Ronchetti of New Mexico; all three also expressed their solidarity with Republicans in Arizona whose Senate nominee against Sen. Kyrsten Sinema remains unclear, as Sen. J.D. Vance introduced his fellow Ohioan, Rep. and House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan (who is running for the state's other U.S. Senate seat against Sen. Sherrod Brown) to the stage.

Two Republicans who ran for the U.S. Senate in Pennsylvania in 2022 - with one coming up short of the GOP nod and the other losing to then-Lieutenant Gov. John Fetterman that year - also appeared on stage together as Dave McCormick, the narrow loser of the 2022 GOP primary who is now his party's nominee in 2024 against Sen. Bob Casey, Jr., was joined by Dr. Mehmet Öz, the winner of that razor-thin Republican result in 2022 who has since returned to what Öz calls his "actual residence" in New Jersey and is now the GOP nominee against Sen. Bob Menendez; both spoke praise of DeSantis (whose family was originally from Pennsylvania and whose Italian-American ancestry figures strongly in New Jersey's demographics) and called America "broke" and "crippled" under Joe Biden with Öz declaring "America is in critical condition, and if we don't save her, tomorrow will not be guaranteed".

Governors Greg Abbott of Texas, Kay Ivey of Alabama and Brian Kemp of Georgia also enthusiastically endorsed DeSantis, with Abbott calling DeSantis "the greatest Governor in the history of the United States not counting those from Texas" and Kemp calling DeSantis "a true inspiration for the next generation of conservatives in this country who cannot wait to see 'Morning Again in America'", referencing a famous quote from the Ronald Reagan era. Words of praise were also spoken by Sen. Adam Laxalt of Nevada, a one-time roommate and colleague of DeSantis's in the Navy's JAG unit who drew multiple comparisons of his longtime friend to Ronald Reagan, for whom Laxalt's grandfather, the late Sen. Paul Laxalt, was Reagan's closest ally and was often referred to as "the First Friend" of the Gipper. "There's a new Gipper in town, and that Gipper 2.0 is Ron DeSantis!"

After a poignant 10-minute tribute, narrated by actor and retired Army National Guard Sergeant Tom Selleck - as well as words of praise for his military service by former President George W. Bush, DeSantis entered the stage to thunderous applause and accepted his party's nomination. There were indeed many notable lines quipped by the Governor, including "Florida has had many fantastic governors with amazing slogans, from Reubin Askew to Lawton Chiles to Jeb Bush to Rick Scott, and while I never like to boast, I think it's fair to say I have surpassed their expectations", "While Kamala Harris voted to keep America behind a computer screen during COVID, I fought to keep Florida open and never looked back", "I took on Disney and took on the NCAA even, I stood my ground, and they still came to Florida and thrived anyway", and "As Governor, I have shown America what it's like to live free, and as your President we are going to live free no matter what the cost".

While there were bold and happy times during his nearly 45-minute speech, there were also sentimental moments, including his modest upbringing in Florida, his journey to the Little League World Series and the Yale baseball team in his early years, his time as a JAG stationed at Guantanamo Bay, his first run for Congress in a newly created district situated between Jacksonville and Orlando, the sudden and unexpected death of his 30-year-old sister Christina in 2015 (for whom DeSantis expressed "a pain in my heart that will never go away"), his razor-thin victory for his first term as Governor in 2018, and his wife Casey's battle with breast cancer in 2021. Through it all, DeSantis kept his composure as he turned his focus to the general election ("Kamala Harris is going to be a disaster for America that will make Joe Biden look like Bill Cilnton") and closed out the night vowing to "give it my all for America, because your life matters, because your future matters, because your country matters, and because freedom matters!"

While the speech concluded the night of speeches, the final curtain had not yet dropped as former President Donald Trump walked to the stage as an easel with a covered canvas appeared behind DeSantis. "What a fantastic speech, Governor, one for the ages!", Trump remarked as he continued "Before we bring this beautiful convention to a close, I have a special surprise for you someone made, and I think you'll like it!" Suddenly appearing on stage was none other than George W. Bush himself, who spoke praise of DeSantis's service to the country at Guantanamo Bay as well as his work as Governor, and then revealed his latest of many portraits - this one of DeSantis himself; DeSantis was thoroughly impressed with Bush's work as Bush remarked "You never know what being from Florida can give you, and blue skies definitely speak to you, Governor". After the three men appeared together on stage to a standing ovation, and after Trump and Bush exited the stage (as well as the painting being moved off stage to a more secure spot backstage), DeSantis thanked the audience one final time and declared the convention adjourned sine die.

With the Republicans' convention now concluded in perhaps the most surprising fashion, especially given the past bad blood between Bush and Trump as well as factional divisions over the years dating as far back as the 1992 Republican National Convention in Houston, DeSantis, Haley and their families joined on stage as thousands of pounds of balloons and confetti descended onto the stage of Fiserv Forum. Fast national polling has given DeSantis's campaign a sizable bump; already leading five points ahead of Harris, DeSantis opened up a ten-point lead in the latest CNN poll as well as a nine-point lead in another from NBC News. Both Rasmussen and Trafalgar, whose polling methodologies traditionally have been more favorable to Republicans than not, would show 13-point leads in the coming days as the focus now turns to the Democrats as they head off to Houston. But first...

August 23, 2024
METRO DETROIT GROUND ZERO FOR KAMALA HARRIS VEEP REVEAL
With the nation still waking up to news of the 2024 Republican National Convention now in the history books, a spokesperson for Vice President Kamala Harris issued a statement announcing that the Vice President's own successor in her role should she be elected the first-ever 'Madam President' will be introduced on Saturday in a critical suburban battleground in Metro Detroit. While it is widely expected that her choice will be revealed later today, Harris will appear with her running mate for the first time on Saturday at Pine Knob Music Theatre in Clarkston, Michigan, one of the most prominent outdoor music venues in the nation located in the heart of a must-win territory for either Harris or Republican nominee Ron DeSantis. The amphitheater is located in Oakland County, an important swing county in Michigan and federal elections that was won by Gretchen Whitmer in both her winning 2018 and losing 2022 battles (albeit by a narrow margin in the latter) as well as her Republican predecessor Rick Snyder in 2010 and 2014, but has not voted for a Republican presidential nominee since George H.W. Bush won it in his doomed 1992 reelection bid.

Whitmer, who is now the nominee for the seat of retiring Sen. Debbie Stabenow, will be joined by Stabenow and the Harris ticket alongside several other Democrats including the state's other Senator, Gary Peters, who once represented a swing Oakland County district in Congress for his first two terms, having defeated a longtime Republican incumbent in 2008, and then represented a district split between Oakland County and Detroit proper before his election to the Senate in 2014. Peters narrowly won a second term in 2020 over current Rep. John James, whose primarily Macomb County-based 10th District includes a portion of Oakland itself and who is now the GOP nominee against Whitmer this year (having also unsuccessfully run against Stabenow in another close race in 2018), but is already the source of much running mate speculation as Peters has been thoroughly discussed as a potential running mate for Harris. While Peters is indeed attending the event, his staff and Peters himself has shot down rumors that Peters is indeed the VP nominee.

Asides from Peters, who also served as Commissioner of the Michigan Lottery before his election to Congress, other potential running mate candidates include the sort of moderate-to-liberal Senators who like Peters have "proven street cred" with suburban voters critical to the Democrats' chances in 2024, including Georgia's Jon Ossoff (whose victory clinched the Democrats' split of the Senate in 2020), Virginia's Mark Warner (who gave the keynote speech at the 2008 Democratic National Convention in Denver) and Connecticut's Chris Murphy (who has since become an outspoken advocate for "center aisle" solutions and gun control). Other potential picks for Harris have included New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy, Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear, North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper and female Sens. Tammy Duckworth of Illinois and Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota. According to PredictIt, the odds of Peters being selected as Harris's nominee was already among the highest, and the news of the Vice President's next rally in Michigan shot Peters to the top of the betting order for the Democratic veepstakes.

Will a favorite son be Harris's partner-in-crime? Or will there be a "Girl Power" ticket? Maybe even an olive branch to the South? Stay tuned...

[2016]

With the Rally being in Michigan everyone thinks it will be Gary Peters. But often Presidential Nominees do something excatly the opposite to throw off the Media.

My guess is Vice President Kamala Harris picks a more conservative, moderate Democrat like Roy Cooper.

These Swing Counties in Michigan are very important HOWEVER so is North Carolina. If Harris can snatch the Tar Heel State the Republican Map would become waaay more complicated.

Cooper would also bring much needed Executive Experience to the Ticket.

[SaintStan86]

Editor's note: Before I continue, I do want to apologize to the people of Tennessee for forgetting an obvious fact - that the way they hold their primaries is a little bit different - as from the beginning of statehood the first Thursday of August (even counting the 1st day of August) is when their congressional primaries are held. To that extent, I was fortunate enough to find some wiggle room to rearrange the story for the primaries occurring during the Summer Olympics in Paris, in that the Tennessee primaries take place on August 1st (during the first full week of the Olympics. Of course, it can be expected that NBC's affiliates in Tennessee will somewhat break away from Olympic action (not controversial really in the age of streaming since Peacock will already have aired hours of Olympic coverage in this TL) but not that much since Sen. Marsha Blackburn is expected to have an easy primary and reelection in this TL and most certainly IRL as well, and the congressional races are also mentioned as well for which only two such primary contests exist with zero prospects for even a remotely competitive general election race.

As for the real-life situation with regards to the new 5th District in south Nashville, east Williamson County and a couple of rural counties to the south, while this is a favorably Republican seat now (especially with Jim Cooper forced into retirement), I will say that in this TL Kurt Winstead will have won his primary in 2022 and is facing reelection to a second term with little difficulty. However, it's a crying shame that Manny Sethi decided against a run here as he certainly would have smoked his primary competition - only way he would have had a close race here is if Morgan Ortagus had been cleared to run here since Sethi is a solid conservative who ran a late-rising race against the establishment favorite and Trump-endorsed Bill Hagerty in 2020, having won Davidson and Williamson counties in that primary contest.

The fact that Ortagus and Robby Starbuck (as well as perhaps Sethi even though he does live in the 5th) got thrown under the bus by the GOP establishment in Nashville is downright shameful, and explains why the establishment favorite (Beth Harwell) will NOT be the primary winner in the 5th in 2022 - her endorsement from the ironically named State Sen. Frank Niceley (who pushed through legislation to require federal candidates to have lived a certain amount of time within the district - which is flagrantly unconstitutional) being a dead giveaway along with his own anti-semitic attacks on Ortagus (who is Jewish). This is why I reiterate personally that any Republican who refuses to accept the FACT that the GOP was the party that ENDED slavery and fought against racial and religious discrimination has no business campaigning with me anywhere in real life or in Atlasia, and Republicans should be implored to accept that Nixon's feeble attempt to win over George Wallace supporters through his "Southern Strategy" was a wrong, boneheaded move that ultimately backfired on the GOP in the long term.

But anyway, rant over. Back to the TL...

It is now Friday evening. Most Americans are either at the ballgame or the movies (or at least watching one or the other on TV) or watching either reality TV filler or WWE SmackDown, while their kids are glued to the Disney Channel or YouTube. However, some desperate suburban housewives with nothing else to do before the weekend commences are simply watching 20/20 or Dateline for the latest true crime thriller, when suddenly David Muir and Lester Holt break into their own respective programs (already taped as they are in actuality anchoring their nightly newscasts for the West Coast)...

On ABC during 20/20...
ANNOUNCER: This is an ABC News Special Report.
DAVID MUIR: Good evening, everyone. I'm David Muir in New York. We will go back to 20/20 shortly, but we're coming on the air now to report that Vice President Kamala Harris has selected her running mate for the Democratic presidential ticket.

And on NBC during Dateline...
ANNOUNCER: This is an NBC News Special Report. Here's Lester Holt.
LESTER HOLT: I'm Lester Holt here at Rockefeller Center with some breaking news from the campaign trail, where Vice President Kamala Harris has just announced her running mate for the Democratic nomination for President, selecting...

DEMOCRATIC PARTY
PRESUMPTIVE VICE PRESIDENTIAL NOMINEE


Source: Wikimedia Commons
Author: US Senate Photography

Gary Peters, Michigan
U.S. Senator from Michigan
Former U.S. Representative from Michigan
Former Michigan Lottery Commissioner (appointed)
Former Michigan State Senator
Former Rochester Hills City Council member

August 24, 2024
PETERS MAKES DEBUT AS RUNNING MATE OF HARRIS IN OWN BACKYARD
Late Saturday morning proved to be anything but auspicious for Vice President Kamala Harris, as she revealed her running mate for the Democratic nomination for President at the Pine Knob Music Theatre, one of the premier outdoor live music venues in the nation, located 40 miles northwest of downtown Detroit in the critically important suburban battleground of Oakland County, Michigan. And her choice could not have been more unsurprising - at least to the locals who packed the amphitheater shortly after word got out of her selection - as the Vice President nominated her fellow former colleague in the Senate, Sen. Gary Peters, to be her running mate. The 65-year-old Peters, an Oakland County native who was born in Pontiac, has fashioned himself as a reliable, traditional center-left liberal in the Senate who has been crucial to President Biden's domestic agenda, particularly in regards to infrastructure and matters relating to the automotive industry which defines the bulk of Metro Detroit's economy, as well as that of the state of Michigan. A financial advisor, business academic and retired Naval Reserve Lt. Commander by trade, Peters served in the Michigan Senate and as Commissioner of the Michigan Lottery before his election to Congress 2008 and later the Senate in 2014.

The rally began with local Democrats giving a flurry of speeches on the stage before Harris declared "The Republicans played their card, and now it's time to play ours" as she began to describe her pick for Vice President: "My running mate is a dedicated husband and father, who like many Americans, want and desire to keep government out of their lives, and let them live their lives authentically. He is a successful financial advisor whose passion was helping thousands of ordinary Americans with their financial security. He is a man who had the privilege of teaching business courses to thousands of students in the county he grew up in. He is a public servant who served his country in the Naval Reserve, who served in the State Senate, who served as the commissioner of his state lottery, who defeated an entrenched Republican incumbent - the first Democrat to win the seat in 75 years in a district whose voters became ignored by Republicans who frowned upon their successes in life."

Harris continued, "He successfully beat back a fierce challenge from the Tea Party to win a second term, and then a third in a district Republicans forced him to run in because they figured if they couldn't have his district back, nobody could. He rose out of that half suburban, half inner city district to reach the U.S. Senate, and then win a second term in the midst of a nightmare hellscape of pandemic, racism and climate crises. And through it all, he was an amazing colleague in the Senate and a foot soldier for President Biden and me. He is a true friend and servant for the people, and I am honored to introduce him to you right here in Michigan, in the community he grew up in - your Senator, and our next Vice President, Gary Peters!". Emerging stage right to the tune of Bob Seger's "Old Time Rock & Roll" was none other than Peters and his family, as the crowd exploded in jubilant applause not unlike the reception many of Pine Knob's musical guests over its 50-plus years have received.

Instantaneously, Peters took to the stage "Hello, Pine Knob!" as he thanked the audience for the "overwhelming support that you have shown to Kamala Harris" and expressed gratitude to Harris for "selecting me to be part of your journey to the White House". He also took direct aim at Republican nominee Ron DeSantis and alluded to not only DeSantis's handling of the COVID-19 pandemic ("While Floridians lived in fear, Michiganders learned to come together"), but also his state's economy ("While Floridians settle for work as serfs to tourists, government employees and orange juice plantations, here in Michigan we are actually building things again and taking care of our employees, too") and his handling of "culture war" politics ("When it comes to our entertainers, I've always had their backs, while Ron DeSantis attacks our institutions all because of a vocal minority of paranoid parents who are hypocrites when it comes to snowflakes"). Peters also highlighted his record on unions, gun control, infrastructure and the fallout from the 2021 attack on the Capitol ("While I have always taken pride in fighting to win, Trump and DeSantis would rather be happy with being sore losers").

Peters then continued, "I cannot wait to get on the road with you, Kamala, as we head off to Houston and join all of our friends from across America, uniting to elect a ticket that fights for the people, NOT for the privileged few". In addition to Peters, former Michigan Gov. and current U.S. Senate nominee Gretchen Whitmer also spoke ("Michigan is going to pave the way for a Democratic renaissance in 2024, and we are going to build that blue wave and build it high and mighty in November"), as did Rep. Haley Stevens (whose Oakland County district covers much of the same area that Peters represented in Congress from 2009-2013): "You wanted a surprise, well you sure got one here because there's no better place in America to start the road to November than right here in Michigan, right here with a great man who repped the same areas I now represent in Congress". The packed audience of over 15,000 in attendance celebrated as the music of various Metro Detroit musicians - from Aretha Franklin's "Freeway of Love" and Glenn Frey's "The Heat Is On" to Madonna's "Vogue", The Romantics' "What I Like About You" and Eminem's "Lose Yourself" - played in the background.

Former President Barack Obama, whose historic election as President dovetailed with Peters' 2008 defeat of eight-term Republican incumbent Joe Knollenberg in what was then Michigan's 9th District (where he also notably defeated controversial physician and euthanasia advocate Dr. Jack Kevorkian, who ran as an independent), praised the selection of Peters as the Vice President's running mate. "Gary Peters has been a fighter for the people of Michigan, and I have no doubt that as Vice President, he will guide the Senate in the right direction and ensure that the people's business is done the way it ought to be done - bold legislation regardless of the partisan divide that tears us apart". Former President Bill Clinton also spoke glowingly of the Michigan Senator, "When I first came to office in 1992, Oakland County was basically a no-man's land for Democrats. Gary Peters changed that, and it is only fitting that Kamala Harris selected him to be her running mate". President Biden enthusiastically endorsed the ticket, proclaiming "With Kamala Harris and Gary Peters, America will be in good hands, and I am honored to support this ticket that will further the progress we have made for years to come and cement not just a permanent Democratic majority, but an American majority where we do bold things together".

Republicans, as expected blasted the ticket. Republican National Committee Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel, whose grandfather was the late Michigan Gov. George Romney and whose uncle Mitt Romney was just renominated for the U.S. Senate in Utah, lambasted the Democratic ticket: "Kamala Harris is going to be the most consequentially disastrous President in our lifetime and her selection of Gary Peters will not make the consequences any less dire". She also took aim at Peters' record in Washington with regards to Michigan, "The policies pushed by Gary Peters have done nothing to fully reinvigorate Oakland County despite claims by Democrats that a 'sea change' from tradition (referring to the county's previous orientation as a Republican bastion) would benefit them in the end, to which that end has never come". Michigan Gov. Tudor Dixon, who defeated Whitmer in a 2022 come-from-behind victory, called Peters "part of the same failed Democrat leadership that stonewalled efforts to improve Michigan's business climate, rebuild our infrastructure and secure elections for future generations", while DeSantis (who served in Congress with Peters whose service in the Naval Reserve overlapped with DeSantis's between 2004 and 2008; both men were discharged with the rank of Lieutenant Commander) remarked talking to reporters at a campaign event in Florida (which is holding its congressional primaries on Tuesday), "We were both Lieutenant Commanders in the Naval Reserve, but the differences otherwise between us could not be more clear, and if Kamala Harris thinks having Gary Peters on board will save her candidacy, then she is clearly mistaken because they both have the same far-left talking points that AOC and other Democrats have adopted".

The Harris-Peters ticket will now be en route to Houston where Democrats are congregating for the Democratic National Convention at the Toyota Center, home of the NBA's Houston Rockets and a recently announced future expansion team for the National Hockey League (which along with the NBA is expanding to 36 teams). Texas is being targeted heavily by the Democrats, who are seeking to elect former HUD Secretary and San Antonio Mayor Julián Castro to succeed outgoing Republican Sen. Ted Cruz; the GOP nominee for Cruz's seat, Rep. Dan Crenshaw, hosted a fundraiser alongside Peters' GOP counterpart, former Ambassador Nikki Haley, at the house of conservative activist and GOP donor Kathaleen Wall in a wealthy Houston neighborhood west of Memorial Park. At the private fundraiser, Haley remarked "Of course we know where Gary Peters stands on the issues - on the same page as Kamala Harris. In other words - not even close to the moderate he claims to be!"

August 25, 2024
BREAKING: ARIZONA SECRETARY OF STATE RELEASES RESULTS OF AUTOMATIC RECOUNT IN GOP SENATE PRIMARY SHOWDOWN
Arizona Secretary of State Mark Finchem released the results on Sunday night of the state's automatic recount for the GOP primary for U.S. Senate from August 6th, and as expected the result is incredibly close. The final results show a mere 323-vote difference between Reps. David Schweikert (27.63 percent) and Andy Biggs (27.59 percent), with another Rep., Paul Gosar (26.15 percent), trailing Biggs by 11,629 votes. "We have done extensive paper audits, extensive reviews of absentee and mail-in ballots, and extensive forensics and signature audits throughout this whole process," Finchem said in a press conference to reporters, where he also revealed that the votes from a convicted pedophile and card-carrying NAMBLA member who campaigned from his jail cell would not have done much to alter the results of the race, and that because there is no ranked-choice voting in Arizona, they cannot be invalidated anyway. Finchem also continued, "This has been a very thorough process, and since requests for a recount cannot be made here in Arizona, I'm not sure how to explain this to Mr. Biggs or to Mr. Gosar, except to put aside your pride and concede at this point since there isn't much time between now and November for the winner of this primary to prepare for the general election".

Both Biggs and Gosar were nonetheless disappointed in the results, and challenged the timing of the recount with Gosar adding "The voters of Arizona elected Mark Finchem to do his job, and obviously that's what he's done. That being said, the fact that a few hundred votes separate my rivals from one another only speaks to how far we are from this race being resolved, and that there comes a time where certain ballots no longer count", pointing to absentee ballots postmarked after the primary election concluded which Gosar alleges favors his rivals without offering any proof as to whether or not Schweikert or Biggs benefited. Biggs, meanwhile, also refused to concede by alluding to the relative lack of forensic audits on signatures on ballots from Maricopa County: "Clearly, because David Schweikert is the favored choice of the GOP establishment here in the Valley, there had to be a way to steer this race in his favor, because they know that the campaign we ran represents the true grassroots of Arizonans who expect their Senators to be servant-leaders and not apologists for the elite establishment"; Schweikert had previously served as Maricopa County Treasurer during the mid-2000s prior to his election to Congress in 2010 (when he defeated two-term Democrat Harry Mitchell in a rematch of their 2008 race).

Biggs and Gosar were far from the only ones choosing to be critical of Schweikert, who had faced criticism over the misuse of campaign funds that triggered an investigation by the House Ethics Committee, which Schweikert eventually settled with a $50,000 fine on admission of 11 counts of ethical violations stemming from the misuse of campaign contributions as well as the utilization of his staffers to run political errands. Schweikert's 2022 GOP primary opponent, entrepreneur Elijah Norton (who also ran in this year's GOP primary for Schweikert's north Phoenix-based 1st District, where he ultimately finished second to eventual nominee Shawnna Bolick), told The Arizona Republic that the situation surrounding Schweikert is not surprising. "When I ran against David Schweikert in 2022, it seemed the only thing that mattered to him anymore was clinging to power, and this Senate election plus the influence of establishment figures like Doug Ducey doesn't faze me at all", said Norton. While the Arizona Republican Party did stop short of calling the race for Schweikert, it also acknowledged the slim possibility of the election being overturned, and called on Republicans to "unite once the nominee has been certified to help defeat Kyrsten Sinema and give Republicans the robust majority it needs to be effective in making America great again!" A spokesperson for Sinema was unavailable for comment on Sunday evening, though many observers have said that the further dragging out of the GOP primary result could eventually work to her benefit.

Next up: Welcome to Houston...

[Kahane's Grave Is A Gender-Neutral Bathroom]

When DeSantis wins we could look at a 7-2 SCOTUS.

[SaintStan86]

It is now Monday, August 26th. Democrats are descending on Houston to select their nominees for President and Vice President and set the platform for their party...

Editor's note: There are obviously going to be actors and actresses involved since this is the Democratic National Convention after all. However, I am not going to be very specific because there is no telling who Harris's biggest superfans are going to be.

Source: Wikimedia Commons Author: Ed Uthman

Source: Wikimedia Commons Author: Hhk1989

The Toyota Center in downtown Houston, Texas, where the Democratic ticket of Vice President Kamala Harris and Sen. Gary Peters is expected to be nominated at the Democratic National Convention.

Speakers for Democratic National Convention (subject to change; order is approximate in most cases)

Monday, August 26th: For Our Lives (emphasis on social issues including repro rights, gun control, climate change and racial justice)

• Democratic National Committee Chairman Jaime Harrison and Harris County Commissioner Rodney Ellis will open the convention, with a performance by Slim Thug and other Houston rappers of "Welcome 2 Houston".
• Rep. Lizzie Fletcher of Texas's 7th District.
• Nominee for Texas's 36th District, Abby Whitmire.
• Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand of New York.
• Rep. Pramila Jayapal of Washington's 7th District.
• Former Montana State Superintendent Denise Juneau, candidate for Governor of Montana.
• Rep. Chellie Pingree of Maine's 1st District, nominee for U.S. Senate.
• Rep. Sean Patrick Maloney of New York's 17th District.
• Rep. David Cicilline of Rhode Island's 1st District.
• Rep. Veronica Escobar of Texas's 16th District.
• Former Rep. Beto O'Rourke of Texas.
• Sen. Mark Kelly of Arizona and his wife, former Rep. Gabby Giffords.
• Rep. Jared Moskowitz of Florida's 23rd District and Lucy McBath of Georgia's 7th District, who will also be joined on stage by members of the "Parkland Five" that founded March for Our Lives (led by David Hogg) and Fred Guttenberg, whose daughter was murdered in the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School massacre.
• Sen. Chris Murphy of Connecticut, joined by parents from the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting of 2012.
• Pediatrician and gun control advocate Dr. Annie Andrews, nominee for South Carolina's 1st District.
• Sen. Alex Padilla of California.
• State Assemblyman Marc Levine of California, candidate for California's 2nd District.
• Gov. Josh Green of Hawaii.
• Sen. Michael Bennet of Colorado.
• Govs. Tim Walz of Minnesota and Jared Polis of Colorado.
• Reps. Ayanna Pressley of Massachusetts' 7th District and Cori Bush of Missouri's 1st District, who will be joined on stage by "Mothers of the Movement", highlighting victims of police brutality and gun violence including mostly mothers and others including the family of George Floyd.
• Rep. Ilhan Omar of Minnesota's 5th District.
• Attorney General Merrick Garland.
• Rep. Jonathan Jackson of Illinois' 1st District and former Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr., who will pay tribute to their father, 1984 and 1988 presidential candidate Jesse Jackson.
• Sen. Jon Ossoff of Georgia. Ossoff and former Sen. Raphael Warnock will also present a tribute to former President Jimmy Carter, who will turn 100 on October 1st. Carter is not expected to be in Houston this week.
• Gov. J.B. Pritzker of Illinois.
• Former President Barack Obama will give the second-to-last speech of the last night.
• President Joe Biden will close out the first night of the convention.

Tuesday, August 27th: For Our Future (emphasis on the economy, education, healthcare and labor issues, as well as the Senate)

• Rep. Kathy Manning of North Carolina's 6th District.
• Sen. Cory Booker of New Jersey.
• State Senate Minority Leader Dinah Sykes of Kansas, nominee for Kansas's 3rd District.
• Rep. Vicente Gonzalez of Texas's 34th District.
• NASA Administrator and former Sen. Bill Nelson of Florida.
• State Sen. Mike McGuire of California, candidate for California's 2nd District.
• Sen. Ben Ray Lujan of New Mexico.
• Healthcare reform activist Amy Vilela, candidate for Nevada's 1st District.
• Surgeon General Vivek Murthy.
• HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra.
• Former Cincinnati Mayor John Cranley, nominee for Ohio's 1st District.
• Former Obama administration HHS alum Anton Gunn, nominee for South Carolina's 6th District, who will also present a tribute to his soon-to-be predecessor, Jim Clyburn.
• Labor Secretary Marty Walsh.
• Govs. Ned Lamont of Connecticut and Dan McKee of Rhode Island, the latter of whom who will also introduce former Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo.
• Govs. Maura Healey of Massachusetts and Janet Mills of Maine.
• Vermont House Speaker Jill Krowinski, nominee for Governor.
• Govs. Jay Inslee of Washington and Gov. Roy Cooper of North Carolina.
• North Carolina Attorney General Josh Stein, candidate for Governor.
• Gov. Andy Beshear of Kentucky, who will introduce Suzanne Harrison, nominee for Governor of Utah.
• Former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, who will also introduce Hammond Mayor Tom McDermott, candidate for Governor of Indiana.
• Erik Wells, nominee for Governor of West Virginia.
• Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and Minority Whip Dick Durbin are both expected to speak, along with Sens. Tammy Baldwin of Wisconsin and Jacky Rosen of Nevada.
• Sen. Ed Markey of Massachusetts.
• Sen. Mark Warner of Virginia.
• Sen. Jeff Merkley of Oregon.
• Sen. John Hickenlooper of Colorado.
• Former West Virginia State Sen. Richard Ojeda, nominee for U.S. Senate.
• Former Rep. Kai Kahele of Hawaii, nominee for U.S. Senate.
• Former Salt Lake County Councilmember Shireen Ghorbani, nominee for Senate.
• Vermont Attorney General T.J. Donovan, nominee for U.S. Senate.
• Sen. Sherrod Brown of Ohio.
• Sen. Bob Casey Jr. of Pennsylvania.
• Sen. Jon Tester of Montana
• Rep. Joaquin Castro of Texas's 20th District, who will introduce his twin brother Julián Castro, nominee for U.S. Senate.
• Sen. Debbie Stabenow of Michigan, who will introduce the night's keynote speaker, former Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer of Michigan, nominee for Senate.
• Former State Auditor Nicole Galloway of Missouri, nominee for Senate.
• Rep. Suzan DelBene of Washington's 1st District, nominee for Senate.
• State Rep. John Ray Clemmons of Tennessee, nominee for Senate.
• Rep. Lisa Blunt Rochester of Delaware, candidate for Senate.
• Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan of Minnesota, nominee for Senate.
• House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries of New York's 8th District.
• Former President Bill Clinton.
• Gov. Kathy Hochul of New York.
• First Lady Dr. Jill Biden and former First Lady Michelle Obama are both expected to speak as they introduce the last speaker of the night...
• Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff.

Wednesday, August 28th: For Our Country (emphasis on national security, foreign affairs and public service issues, as well as on the vice presidential nominee, Gary Peters)

• Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin.
• Secretary of State Antony Blinken.
• Rep. Don Davis of North Carolina's 1st District.
• Rep. Jeff Jackson of North Carolina's 12th District.
• Macomb County Executive Mark Hackel, candidate for Michigan's 10th District, and Reps. Haley Stevens of Michigan's 11th District and Rashida Tlaib of Michigan's 12th District.
• Rep. Sara Jacobs of California's 51st District, who will introduce San Diego County Board of Supervisors Chair Nathan Fletcher, candidate for California's 49th District.
• Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham of New Mexico.
• Lt. Gov. Eleni Kounalakis of California.
• Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz of Florida's 25th District.
• Reps. Jake Auchincloss (4th District) and Seth Moulton (6th District), who will introduce Jack Schlossberg, candidate for New York's 12th District, and former Connecticut State Sen. Ted Kennedy Jr., nominee for Connecticut's 3rd District.
• Kansas City Councilman Kevin McManus, candidate for Missouri's 5th District.
• Former Missouri Secretary of State Jason Kander, candidate for Governor.
• Gov. Wes Moore of Maryland.
• U.S. Capitol Police officers who were on duty January 6, 2021.
• Rep. Andy Kim of New Jersey's 3rd District.
• Former Rep. Stephanie Murphy of Florida, candidate for Senate and keynote speaker for the night.
• Sen. Chris Van Hollen of Maryland.
• Sen. Tammy Duckworth of Illinois.
• Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse of Rhode Island.
• Sen. Martin Heinrich of New Mexico.
• Sen. Bob Menendez of New Jersey.
• Sen. John Fetterman of Pennsylvania.
• Sen. Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota.
• Sen. Tim Kaine of Virginia.
• Colleen Peters, wife of Sen. Gary Peters, will introduce her husband to the stage.
• Sen. Gary Peters of Michigan, nominee for Vice President (final speech of the night).
• Rock musician Bob Seger will close out the third night of the convention with a performance in honor of Peters.

Thursday, August 29th: For The People (emphasis on the Harris presidential campaign; the title of the night is also the slogan and social media hashtag for the campaign)

• California congressional candidates: Reps. Ted Lieu, Adam Gray, Salud Carbajal, Sydney Kamlager, Mark DeSaulnier, Kevin Mullin, Jimmy Panetta, former Rep. Harley Rouda, former State Sen. Ed Hernández, State Assemblyman Adrin Nazarian, former San Jose Mayor Sam Liccardo, and candidates Florice Hoffman, Mark Anthony Paredes and Will Rollins.
• Former State House Minority Leader Stacey Abrams of Georgia.
• Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee of Texas's old 18th District, who will introduce former Houston City Councilwoman Amanda Edwards, nominee for Texas's new 18th District and her likely successor.
• Rep. Al Green of Texas's old 9th District, who will introduce former Houston City Councilman Edward Pollard, nominee for Texas's new 25th District.
• Rep. Colin Allred of Texas's 32nd District, who will introduce Dallas County Commissioner Elba Garcia, nominee for Texas's new 24th District.
• CNN analyst and former State Rep. Bakari Sellers of South Carolina, who will introduce State House Minority Leader James Beverly of Georgia, nominee for Georgia's 2nd District.
• Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York's 14th District, who will introduce State Sen. Julia Salazar, nominee for New York's 7th District, and former State Sen. Alessandra Biaggi, nominee for New York's 16th District.
• Sen. Ben Cardin and Rep. John Sarbanes, both of Maryland (the latter the nominee for Cardin's Senate seat), who will pay tribute to retiring former House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer.
• Reps. Jared Huffman, Katie Porter, Raul Ruiz, Adam Schiff and Eric Swalwell, and former Lt. Gov. Cruz Bustamante of California, who will also pay tribute to retiring Sen. Dianne Feinstein.
• Rep. and House Minority Whip Katherine Clark of Massachusetts' 5th District.
• U.S. Rep. Catherine Stefani of California's 11th District, who will honor former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.
• Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts.
• Former California State Assembly Speaker Anthony Rendon.
• Mayor London Breed of San Francisco.
• California State Controller Malia Cohen.
• NBA superstars Stephen Curry and LeBron James.
• Govs. Katie Hobbs of Arizona and Phil Murphy of New Jersey.
• Sen. Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona, who will also introduce State Sen. Shelli Yoder of Indiana, nominee for Senate.
• Former talk show host Oprah Winfrey.
• Gov. Gavin Newsom of California (third to last speaker of the convention).
• Former First Lady and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton (second to last speaker of the convention).
• Vice President Kamala Harris, nominee for President (final speech of the convention).
• Recording artist and musician Taylor Swift is expected to perform to close out the convention.

Notably absent from the list of speakers for this week in Houston are Sens. Bernie Sanders of Vermont and Joe Manchin of West Virginia. Sanders, which officially caucuses with the Democrats as an independent, has reportedly refused to endorse the Democratic nominee, state Attorney General T.J. Donovan, in what has become a three-way race between himself and two former Lieutenant Governors, Republican Brian Dubie and Vermont Progressive Party nominee David Zuckerman, whose politics are believed to be closer to those of Sanders who has yet to make an endorsement. Manchin, who is retiring after having previously announced a reelection bid in 2021 following the Republican takeover of the Senate, has largely stepped out of the spotlight as he prepares to spend his final months in the Senate and return home to his family in West Virginia.

Up next: Night one of the Democratic National Convention...

[2016]

When DeSantis wins we could look at a 7-2 SCOTUS.

Odds-On Favourite to replace Breyer if DeSantis wins would be United States Appeals Court Circuit Judge for the 11th District BARBARA LAGOA.

Republicans seem more united in this TL evident by Trump burying the hatchet with former President George W. Bush & the Bush Family.

That was a pretty darn powerful moment at the Final Night of the RNC seeing Governor DeSantis alongside two former Presidents, Trump and Bush.

[SaintStan86]

When DeSantis wins we could look at a 7-2 SCOTUS.

Odds-On Favourite to replace Breyer if DeSantis wins would be United States Appeals Court Circuit Judge for the 11th District BARBARA LAGOA.

Republicans seem more united in this TL evident by Trump burying the hatchet with former President George W. Bush & the Bush Family.

That was a pretty darn powerful moment at the Final Night of the RNC seeing Governor DeSantis alongside two former Presidents, Trump and Bush.

There's still rifts between Trump and Bush and always will be, but the prevailing theme of this convention is that it's not about the Bushes or the Trumps anymore...it's about Ron DeSantis.

All things said, the Bushes and Trumps have plenty of history and shared successes with regards to Florida, and it's important to note that a lot of establishment figures within the GOP (e.g. McConnell, Graham, Cornyn, etc.) are about as gung-ho for Trump now as they were for Bush back in the day. The only ones who don't feel this way are the pure-play moderates (Collins, Romney) and the pure-play conservatives (Cruz, Rand Paul) with Ben Sasse somewhat of a chameleon given he's generally more of the latter but has some traces of the former. For what it's worth, Trump and Bush are essentially Reaganesque in the streets but Nixonian in the sheets - both presided over deficit booms caused by circumstances beyond their control (9/11 in Bush's case, COVID in Trump's), both had big-government Republican wings as their base (neocons for Bush, blue-collar populists for Trump), but both differed in terms of tone (Bush was essentially his father made over, while Trump was Nixon 2.0).

It's also important to note that Trump was not the first choice of grassroots conservatives in the 2016 primary, which at first was led by Rand Paul until Trump's golden escalator ride happened, as it seemed that Paul's numbers declined as Trump's rose. By the time Iowa came around, Ted Cruz was the choice of conservatives who demanded tough fiscal discipline and traditional values (basically Reagan types), and by Super Tuesday it wasn't even close as the conservatives were splintered up to this point; and when Rubio dropped out it was too late for Cruz to consolidate the conservative vote in time to slow down the Trump train. The only reason Trump rose to where he was is because he played the GOP special interest game right - be it moderates in New Hampshire, military voters in South Carolina, or rural populists in Alabama or Ohio who do the same usual 3G talk but scoff at the notion of entitlement reform or deficit reduction - two priorities conservatives MUST NOT ignore going forward.

Ron DeSantis is basically the Reagan to Trump's Nixon, both in this TL and most likely IRL as well, while Haley has essentially become the favorite of the old Bush neocon cabal and Pence - despite reservations over J6 - has refashioned himself "back to the future" as a social conservative stalwart splitting that vote with Cruz. This TL also highlighted the fringe candidates on both extremes of the Trump spectrum - neither of which were present in Milwaukee between the more moderate Hogan largely fading into the political wilderness and Sasse breaking out on his own conservative merits on the NT end, Owens fading out as more vibrant Black conservative voices like Rep. Byron Donalds and Amala Ekpunobi have emerged (Owens is essentially an elder stateswoman amongst Black conservatives now), and Lindell's penchant for the crazy has effectively boxed him (as well as MTG) into the safe confines - of the Constitution Party.

As for Detroit, the dead giveaway of the VP choice in this TL was meant to be, since the Democrats are pretty much going gung ho on Michigan. Yes, things don't look rosy right now on the GOP side (never mind the enormous amount of meddling Jocelyn Benson and Whitmer's campaign has thrust Republicans into for the gubernatorial gaggle against Whitmer), but once Republicans coalesce around their gubernatorial nominee (which I predict will be Tudor Dixon save a last-minute, albeit Dem-meddled surge from Kevin Rinke), they will be spending the next three months putting Whitmer in a bind and the situation will probably be bad enough where Whitmer suffers an Ann Richards-style surprise defeat. In this TL, Whitmer losing to Dixon will give off a mixed blessing of sorts in that Debbie Stabenow's retirement will open the door for a comeback bid of sorts through the Senate for Whitmer, except the retirement will also give John James an opportunity to finally win a Senate race.

P.S. Breyer has already been replaced, and my money is on Thomas or Alito being the one that retires. Barbara Lagoa will most likely be Thomas's replacement since the 11th Circuit for which Thomas is the circuit justice covers Florida. However, I am actually supportive of SCOTUS going to 15 justices with 14 circuits - one for each justice - and Roberts overseeing the DC and Federal circuit appeals that go to SCOTUS; if this scenario happens, Barbara Lagoa may or may not be selected depending on whether or not KBJ assumes the likely new Florida Circuit which would be based in Miami where KBJ grew up. Do keep in mind that I am actually not in favor of court packing - any expansion of SCOTUS would require both parties to pick two justices out of the Senate and the other two at the president's privilege; this will be impossible under Biden or if Harris wins in this TL, and will likely only happen under DeSantis in this TL with a big enough GOP majority to sidestep a filibuster. Hence, here's my SCOTUS proposal...

APPENDIX
Potential SCOTUS Expansion (total number of congressional seats)
Since there will be six additional justices, with Chief Justice Roberts as the defacto "circuit judge" for the D.C. and federal circuits, this proposal will require that two of the picks come from the Senate Democrats, two from the Senate Republicans, and the other two at the President's discretion.

1st (Boston) - Kagan (21)
Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, Vermont

2nd (New York) - Sotomayor (26)
New York (Eastern, Northern, Southern, Western)

3rd (Philadelphia) - Alito (30)
Delaware, New Jersey, Pennsylvania (Eastern, Middle, Western)

4th (Richmond) - Kavanaugh (42)
Maryland, North Carolina (Eastern, Middle, Western), South Carolina, Virginia (Eastern, Western), West Virginia (Northern, Southern)

5th (Houston, moved from New Orleans) - Senate GOP pick (44)
Louisiana (Eastern, Middle, Western), Texas (Eastern, Northern, Southern, Western)

6th (Cincinnati) - President's pick (43)
Kentucky (Eastern, Western), Michigan (Eastern, Western), Ohio (Northern, Southern), Tennessee (Eastern, Middle, Western)

7th (Chicago) - Barrett (34)
Illinois (Central, Northern, Southern), Indiana (Northern, Southern), Wisconsin (Eastern, Western)

8th (St. Louis) - Senate GOP pick (38)
Arkansas (Eastern, Western), Iowa (Northern, Southern), Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri (Eastern, Western), Nebraska, North Dakota, Oklahoma (Eastern, Northern, Western), South Dakota

9th (San Francisco) - Senate DEM pick (26)
California (Eastern, Northern), Nevada

10th (Denver) - Gorsuch (25)
Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico, Utah, Wyoming

11th (Atlanta) - Thomas (25)
Alabama (Middle, Northern, Southern), Georgia (Middle, Northern, Southern), Mississippi (Northern, Southern)

12th, new circuit (Miami) - Jackson (28)
Florida (Middle, Northern, Southern), Puerto Rico, Virgin Islands

13th, new court (Seattle) - Senate DEM pick (21)
Alaska, Idaho, Montana, Oregon, Washington (Eastern, Western)

14th, new court (Los Angeles) - President's pick (32)
California (Central, Southern), Guam, Hawaii, Northern Mariana Islands

District of Columbia - Roberts
Federal Circuit

Based on this proposal, there's really nowhere for Barbara Lagoa to go without pushing one of the liberal justices towards somewhere where they have no direct family or occupational connection to the area (KBJ grew up in Miami, Kagan used to be the Dean of Harvard Law School, and Sotomayor was born in the Bronx). In other words, when it comes to Lagoa, Biden may have already checkmated DeSantis from potentially picking her due to Jackson's being originally from Miami. Stephen Breyer was linked to Northern California, and I'm giving that pick to the Senate Democrats and Southern California to the President since SoCal is arguably more conservative as a whole (even as an area that favors Democrats) than the deeply liberal Bay Area even with the Central Valley included.

P.S.S. As you can see on the Democratic National Convention schedule, Florida (with the obvious exception of Bill Nelson (former Senator-turned-NASA Administrator) is blocked out completely because that state will be having its primaries on night two of the convention. The only other races at the federal level on this night are a pair of runoffs in Oklahoma for districts widely expected to go Republican in November even with high-profile Democratic candidates awaiting the Republican runoff winner. After this, the TL (save for Delaware, Massachusetts, New Hampshire and Rhode Island primaries; Louisiana's of course takes place on Election Night) is going to pivot to the general election contest with three debates scheduled (by the organizers since the Commission on Presidential Debates has ceased operations in this TL after the GOP decided to drop out over the way it treated Donald Trump in the 2020 debates).

[2016]

DeSantis will be one-term President should he win in this TL if he packs the Courts. Any Court-Packing should be a NO-GO for a Republican. He would never get such a Proposal through the Senate.

[Kahane's Grave Is A Gender-Neutral Bathroom]

That's a decent SCOTUS proposal. I would hope the Dems would pick Garland (decent compromise since he'd probably be on the bench for only ~a decade) or Lucy Koh.

[PRESIDENT STANTON]

DeSantis will be one-term President should he win in this TL if he packs the Courts. Any Court-Packing should be a NO-GO for a Republican. He would never get such a Proposal through the Senate.

So I suppose its okay if a Democrat goes the Court packing route! Funny I have the view that court packing is NO-GO for a Democrat and would never get such a proposal through the Senate! If it's a Republican doing the Court packing, I am fine with that. I think DeSantis will and would be a two-term president as well.

[SaintStan86]

August 26, 2024
OBAMA, BIDEN DAZZLE CROWD ON FIRST NIGHT OF DEMOCRATIC NATIONAL CONVENTION
The first night of the Democratic National Convention in Houston brought the sorts of star power and typical first day of culture war preening as Democrats sought to seek a path forward in the midst of an inflation-scarred recession, the continued aftereffects of the COVID-19 pandemic and a Washington gripped by partisan gridlock. With a stirring rap rendition by a group of local Houston rappers kicking off the convention at the Toyota Center and a performance of the national anthem by recording artist John Legend, the first day went as expected with Democratic National Committee Chairman Jaime Harrison and Harris County Commissioner Rodney Ellis - now the most powerful Democrat in the county that houses Houston after the GOP's rollicking midterm wipeouts, gaveling in the convention on a sunny but hot day in Houston with temperatures hovering around 100 degrees.

As expected, social issues (hence the theme, "For Our Lives") took center stage with three-term Rep. Lizzie Fletcher, now facing a tough reelection again in a newly redrawn 7th District restored to most of its previous west Houston footprint, imploring the audience to "continue the fight for a woman's right to choose" and acknowledging the significance of Houston to women's rights (pointing to the 1977 National Women's Conference held that year in Houston), also using the time to promote the candidacy of fellow Houstonian and long-shot Dem candidate Abby Whitmire in the nearby 36th District in Houston's northern suburbs. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand of New York also made women's rights her signature issue for the convention, taking aim at Republican nominee Ron DeSantis as progressive Rep. Pramila Jayapal of Washington's 7th District, former Montana State Superintendent and 2024 gubernatorial nominee Denise Juneau and Rep. Chellie Pingree of Maine's 1st District, her party's nominee for the open U.S. Senate seat in Maine, also giving similar overtures to "keep fighting for equity for women everywhere".

Issues relating to the LGBTQ+ community, as expected, also took center stage as two of the Democrats' leading openly gay members, Reps. David Cicilline (who represents Rhode Island's 1st District) Sean Patrick Maloney (facing his own tough reelection in New York's 17th District) and  warned of DeSantis taking a "meat cleaver to the right to love". They also took aim at the Florida Governor's crusade against The Walt Disney Company over issues relating to trans rights and legislation in Florida pertaining to the scope of LGBT education in elementary schools. "The next time the Republicans tell you this isn't an issue, just remember who's pulling their strings, and what they're sweeping around the rug", perhaps alluding to the sexual abuse scandal that ultimately led to the resignation of former Rep. Matt Gaetz from Florida's 1st District in 2023.

The day then turned to the issue of gun violence, with Rep. Veronica Escobar and her predecessor, two-time statewide candidate and former presidential candidate Beto O'Rourke recounting the horrors of the 2019 mass shooting at a Walmart in their hometown of El Paso as well as two subsequent mass shootings in the Permian Basin between Odessa and Midland that year and at an elementary school in Uvalde in 2022. They were then joined by Sen. Mark Kelly of Arizona, his twin brother and retired astronaut Scott Kelly (who finished second in the runoff for the U.S. Senate nomination in Texas earlier this year), and Mark's wife, former Rep. Gabby Giffords, who was critically wounded in a 2011 mass shooting at a Tucson supermarket where she was holding a constituent meeting (Houston restaurateur and billionaire Tilman Fertitta, whose NBA team (the Houston Rockets) plays in the Toyota Center, loaned his charter plane to fly Mark Kelly to be with his wife that day). Giffords herself gave a powerful speech, imploring the delegates to "commit to end gun violence, no matter what the cost", and to "stop abusing the Second Amendment for the benefit of a few radicals".

Bereaved of the victims of the Uvalde massacre were also joined by survivors and families of the victims of several other school massacres, including the Columbine (1999), Sandy Hook (2012) and Marjory Stoneman Douglas (2018) shootings, as well as the recent Atlanta mall shooting among others, as Reps. Jared Moskowitz of Florida's 23rd District and Lucy McBath of Georgia's 7th District, along with Sen. Chris Murphy of Connecticut and gun control activist Fred Guttenberg (whose daughter was killed in the aforementioned 2018 shooting), took to the stage calling for stricter gun control measures, with another candidate, pediatrician Dr. Annie Andrews (who is running in a rematch in South Carolina's 1st District against Rep. Nancy Mace), describing "the trauma that just one bullet from an AR-15 can cause" in stating her case for such measures. The "Parkland Five" who founded the gun control advocacy group March For Our Lives, led by lead activist David Hogg, took direct aim at DeSantis with Hogg not holding back: "Ron DeSantis should spend less time worrying about pronouns and more time worrying about whether or not we can live our lives freely without worrying about someone shooting us".

Climate change was another point brought up during the first night, with Sen. Alex Padilla of California and State Assemblyman Marc Levine (one of two candidates for California's 2nd District) stressing the importance of "preserving Mother Earth for future generations", Hawaii Gov. Josh Green warning of "Honolulu being reduced to ruins if we don't take action now", and Colorado's duo of Gov. Jared Polis and Sen. Michael Bennet stressing the importance of "creating a lean, green economy that will create good-paying jobs for millions of Americans and save our planet". Polis also insisted that his policies also would not undermine the oil and gas industry (pointing to recent job gains in his state from that sector), and called on DeSantis to "acknowledge your oil privilege when oil and gas itself even recognizes we're in a race to the bottom".

Race relations also took center stage on the first night as the family of George Floyd, who grew up in Houston and was "starting a new life" in Minneapolis when he was murdered in a chokehold during an arrest by Minneapolis police officers, took to the stage after a stirring video totaling 8 minutes and 46 seconds (the amount of time Floyd had been in a chokehold). Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz called Floyd's death "a watershed moment that took 8 minutes, 46 seconds out of our collective well-being" and stated "if the video you just saw didn't change your view on race, you've wasted your time". Several members of the progressive "Squad" caucus in the House, led by Rep. Ilhan Omar (who represents Minneapolis which anchors Minnesota's 5th District) and fellow Reps. Ayanna Pressley and Cori Bush, who were joined on stage by other victims and families of victims of police brutality. Attorney General Merrick Garland joined the crowd on stage as he called white supremacists "a cancer on society" and called on the delegates to "fight back against the merchants of hate who divide us whether it's denying racism or denying the Holocaust".

There were also tributes aplenty as Rep. Jonathan Jackson of Illinois' 1st District and former Illinois Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr. paid tribute to their father, 1984 and 1988 presidential candidate Jesse Jackson, who is battling Parkinson's disease but with assistance from his sons did manage to reach the podium to give a speech to the Houston audience: "We cannot let the divisive actions of Donald Trump and Ron DeSantis further divide us, for love and peaceful protest must matter if we are to truly achieve justice in the fight for racial equality". Sen. Jon Ossoff of Georgia and his former colleague, former Sen. Raphael Warnock, also appeared on stage to present a tribute to former President Jimmy Carter, who will turn 100 on October 1st, and who later joined the audience live via satellite from his Georgia home where he thanked the delegates for their "tireless dedication to defending democracy" and called on them to "stand strong in the face of those who wish to keep their blindfolds on instead of seeing the light", concluding with the simple phrase "Let us be true to others and follow God's will in serving others so that we can deliver a brighter future for all generations".

Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker took to the stage next to highlight his accomplishments as Governor of Illinois ("While other states engage in gridlock, in Illinois we are getting things done to build progress on top of progress") and took aim at his critics ("While Florida is taking aim at its residents, we are taking aim at the problems that affect its residents") as he introduced former President Barack Obama. Obama gave a stirring speech for the night, where he highlighted the "successes" of the Affordable Care Act, acknowledged the continued struggle for LGBTQ+ rights, and warned of a "new dark age for America" if DeSantis is elected President. "While Joe Biden and I were working hard to keep America moving, Ron DeSantis and other young bucks in the House were trying to slam the brakes", Obama continued as he recalled his battles with the Republican-controlled Congress during the latter six years of his presidency. "When I tell you to look at all the progress we made in my first two years in the White House making healthcare affordable, getting Americans back to work, and preserving work protections for women and minorities, and contrast it with the constant bullying and sniping we faced when Republicans took over, you know I'm speaking from my heart!", Obama proclaimed as he introduced "my partner-in-crime over the last eight years whose term represented the most remarkable transformation in our nation's history"...

After an eight-minute video and standing ovation, President Joe Biden took to the stage in Houston beginning with "How much better do you feel four years later?", to a mixture of laughter and applause. Some of Biden's more salient lines included "Four years ago, we were on a battle for the soul of our nation, a struggle to heal our open wounds", "We built back our economy better and passed historic infrastructure and climate change legislation", "Here's the deal: while Republicans have chosen to obstruct and bully, we have chosen to govern and unite the country", "There is still work to be done, and with Kamala Harris we are going to do even greater things like never before", "While we look forward to the future with Kamala Harris, Ron DeSantis wants to turn the clock back to our darkest days", and perhaps the most poignant "Oh, how Beau would have loved it!", referencing his late son, former Delaware Attorney General Beau Biden who died of cancer during his vice presidency. Biden then concluded the night by encouraging the audience both in Houston and at home to "always keep fighting no matter what it takes, because democracy is worth fighting for" and closed with "I am a proud Democrat and always will be, but more than anything I have been proud to be your American President!"

While viewers on TV saw a well-choreographed convention in primetime, the scene on the news was not all sunshine, lollipops and rainbows. The Houston Police Department reported 30 arrests during protests at the convention, including an incident at Discovery Green in which InfoWars conspiracy kingpin Alex Jones riled up a small crowd to "intimidate" delegates and other Democratic activists in town, only to caught by police during his own livestream as Jones screamed "Oh no, here comes the gestapo...Get off me you Nazis!" Another incident occurred when a group of white supremacists were arrested for illegal possession of guns and Molotov cocktails by local and federal authorities, while a "die-in" by PETA protestors was dismantled by law enforcement in front of the Toyota Center, and a Free Tibet movement protest chain blocked up traffic and highway construction on Interstate 69 outside the George R. Brown Convention Center, leading to several arrests in both of the latter. Not surprisingly, Fox News Channel led off their post-convention night coverage with coverage of the protestors (titled "City Under Siege", ironically the name of a once-popular crime segment on Fox's Houston station, KRIV, that partially inspired the TV show COPS) with Sean Hannity remarking: "This is the America the Democrats stand for, because obviously sleepy, cranky Joe Biden is suddenly a 'grumpy old man' the media would rather keep in his bunker".

August 27, 2024
SCOTT, MURPHY SET FOR SENATE COLLISION COURSE AS FLORIDA, OKLAHOMA DECIDE HOUSE NOMINEES
While day two of the Democratic National Convention was ongoing in Houston, voters in Florida and two congressional districts holding runoffs in Oklahoma went to the polls on Tuesday to determine their nominees for November. As expected, the headlining race of the night - the Senate battle between freshman Sen. Rick Scott and Democratic former U.S. Rep. Stephanie Murphy was all but a yawner as both candidates easily won their respective Republican and Democratic primaries. During a watch party in Naples, Scott marked the beginning of his general election battle against the three-term former Rep. from Orlando: "We are ready to defend this Senate seat and stop Kamala Harris's partner-in-crime in Florida, Stephanie Murphy, from stealing it, because anything short of a victory in November will be dangerous for our country". Murphy, who flew from Houston late in the afternoon to appear at her watch party in Orlando, rallied the crowd in her hometown as she declared "Now, the hard work begins to bring change to Florida and stop Ron DeSantis and Rick Scott from taking their assault on our values, our lives and our democracy to the national stage, and instead elect a problem solver who will fight for the American people". This particular election is expected to be one of the most expensive Senate races this year, with heavy amounts of ad spending projected to be made across the state's media markets including Miami, Orlando, Tampa, West Palm Beach and Jacksonville.

Other than the Senate race, Florida's primary elections were for the most part quiet with the home state of Gov. and Republican nominee Ron DeSantis, who passed through a congressional map that explicitly favors Republicans before the 2022 midterms, offering few if any competitive races. In the 2nd District, where Panama City-based GOP Rep. Neal Dunn defeated Democrat and fellow incumbent Al Lawson in 2022 after the latter's previous Black minority opportunity district was dismantled in the controversial redistricting that year, Dunn is running for reelection against Leon County Commissioner Rick Minor, the former chairman of the Democratic Party in his county, which is home to Tallahassee. Meanwhile on the other end of Lawson's now defunct district in Jacksonville, first-term Republican Aaron Bean will be seeking a second term against former State Rep. Tracie Davis, who unsuccessfully ran in the Democratic primary for an open State Senate seat in 2022 against a fellow colleague on the Jacksonvile City Council. In central Florida, conservative former State Rep. Anthony Sabatini emerged out of a crowded Republican field in the west suburban Orlando-based 11th District, which is also home to Walt Disney World and the massive retirement community known as The Villages. Sabatini, who lost to fellow Republican and now Rep. Cory Mills in the neighboring 7th District in Orlando's northern suburbs, will now be a favorite for election in the seat vacated by seven-term Republican Daniel Webster.

To the west along Interstate 4 in Tampa Bay, in the Pinellas County-based 13th District, conservative star and Rep. Anna Paulina Luna is running for a second term against Steven Cary, the former District Director for former Rep. and former Republican Gov. Charlie Crist (who Luna succeeded in 2022 while Crist ran for Governor), while in the 15th District in Tampa's northeast suburbs another Republican freshman, Laurel Lee (who once served as Secretary of State under Gov. Ron DeSantis) will face attorney and former State Rep. Brian Rush (who made a longshot bid for the Democratic primary for U.S. Senate in 2022), and veteran Republican Vern Buchanan, who has had competitive races in some past reelection bids and coasted in others, will face former State Rep. Andrew Learned in the Bradenton and south Tampa Bay-based 16th District.

Two open seats in South Florida are expected to remain Democratic. In the Palm Beach-based 22nd District (where Democrat Lois Frankel is retiring after six terms), term-limited State Rep. David Silvers won the Democratic primary (which is tantamount to election in the heavily Democratic district that has a sizable Jewish and transplant population) after a bruising primary against two former State Reps., Mark Pafford and Dave Kerner (the latter now a Palm Beach County Commissioner), while in the North Miami-based 24th District, the Democratic primary served as the real contest in a district connecting the heart of Miami's Black and Haitian-American communities to the LGBT mecca of Miami Beach and other barrier communities along Biscayne Bay; openly gay State Sen. Shevrin Jones defeated Haitian-born State Rep. Dotie Joseph and Miami Beach Commissioner Kristen Rosen Gonzalez to become the prohibitive favorite to succeed retiring Rep. Frederica Wilson.

Two other Miami-based districts also saw Democrats nominate their candidates for November in districts being targeted by the DCCC. In the 27th District based in the heart of Miami and stretching southward to Coral Gables, healthcare tech executive and former State Rep. Nick Duran won the Democratic primary to take on two-term Republican Rep. Maria Elvira Salazar, while former Rep. Debbie Mucarsel-Powell was recruited by the DCCC to run against the man who defeated her in 2020, two-term Rep. Carlos Giménez; Mucarsel-Powell, who recently worked as an advisor for Giffords PAC, has cited Giménez's votes against banning assault weapons and other gun control measures (though Giménez did vote occasionally to expand background checks) as a motivating factor in her decision to seek her old seat.

Not every race on Tuesday was decided in Florida. Republicans in two Oklahoma districts also selected their nominees on Tuesday, with retiring Rep. Frank Lucas' district director, Grace Enmeier, scoring a surprisingly narrow win in the western-based 3rd District over favored State Rep. Jon Echols (who largely won in the district's smaller urban core around south Oklahoma City and its western suburbs but otherwise underperformed in the larger rural remainder), while former State House Speaker and two-time U.S. Senate candidate T.W. Shannon's name recognition and conservative outsider status enabled him to outperform term-limited State Sen. Rob Standridge in the southern-based 4th District that stretches from the south OKC suburbs to Lawton and Ardmore. Enmeier is now heavily favored to win over Democratic Elk City city manager and former State Sen. Tom Ivester, while Shannon is favored to win in November over Norman-based former State House Minority Leader Emily Virgin for the seat being vacated by retiring Rep. Tom Cole.

[SaintStan86]

August 27, 2024
SPOUSES, SENATORS OWN TUESDAY NIGHT AS DEMOCRATS TURN FOCUS TO THEIR FUTURE
"For Our Future" was the overarching theme of the second day of the Democratic National Convention in Houston on Tuesday, with an emphasis on the party's domestic agenda including the economy, education, healthcare and labor, as well as on prominent members of the Senate and the party's governorships. Indeed, "For Our Future" was a fitting title as Democrats turned their focus from the Obama-Biden era to a potential "new dawn" in the Democratic Party, as Vice President Kamala Harris secured her party's nomination in the roll call of the states' delegates, cementing the ticket of herself and Sen. Gary Peters as the Democratic ticket for 2024.

DEMOCRATIC PARTY
PRESIDENTIAL TICKET

Vice President Kamala Harris of California Source: Wikimedia Commons Author: Lawrence Jackson

Sen. Gary Peters of Michigan Source: Wikimedia Commons Author: US Senate Photography

With the Democratic ticket now set in stone, the focus of the convention turned to domestic matters. Rep. Kathy Manning, facing a competitive reelection in her Greensboro-based 6th District, was joined on stage by Sen. Cory Booker as the two emphasized the importance of public education and took direct aim at the Republicans' "classless, bigoted war on gifted public school teachers". "There is no critical race theory being crammed down our children's throats, so where's the outrage?", exclaimed Booker who also promoted "school choice that doesn't leave the neediest amongst us out in the cold" and called Republicans' plans to abolish the Department of Education "dangerous for our democracy". Kansas State Senate Minority Leader Dinah Sykes, herself a former Republican who is the DCCC's recruited nominee for Kansas's 3rd District, also extended an "olive branch" to "all my fellow moms who feel jilted by Republican extremists who wish to starve kids of their curiosity and reduce them to mere automatons" by encouraging them to "vote Democratic to save our schools and our libraries from the prying eyes of those who wish to scrub America of our history".

Reconciling economic and science-based matters was another theme brought up by the Democrats on Tuesday as one of Houston's preeminent industries took center stage - the space industry. Rep. Vicente Gonzalez, whose 34th District in Texas includes SpaceX's Starbase spaceport near Brownsville), and NASA administrator Bill Nelson (himself a former U.S. Senator from Florida who once flew in space himself on one of NASA's Space Shuttle missions) stressed the importance of public-private partnerships to "further our space horizons beyond the wild galaxy" (Gonzalez's words) with Nelson also alluding to both the famed Star Trek series ("Our mission as Americans is clear: to boldly go where no one has gone before") and President John F. Kennedy's famous speech at nearby Rice University from 1962 ("We choose to go to the Moon again and to Mars, not because they are easy, but because they are hard - as JFK said it best over 60 years ago right here in Houston").

In another matter relating to the impact of wildfires on the economy, State Sen. Mike McGuire of California, who is now one of two candidates running in the 2nd District, stressed the importance of "not letting the all-too-real effects of climate change wipe out our national treasures - our wineries, our sequoias and our beloved Snoopy" as he alluded to the Peanuts comic strip; the museum honoring the comic strip and its legendary cartoonist, Charles Schulz, had been threatened by a major wildfire in 2017 that destroyed his home in Santa Rosa. "If Donald Trump couldn't save the home of Snoopy's master from burning down, imagine Ron DeSantis burning down his museum - That would be an even greater loss to our nation than some mere whining about Colin Kaepernick and the anthem!", said McGuire, also alluding to the controversy at the same time surrounding NFL players kneeling during the national anthem including Kaepernick, the San Francisco 49ers quarterback whose decision to sit on the bench during the national anthem of a 2016 preseason game stirred outrage on the right.

The convention also took time to honor the frontline workers who "sacrificed immensely" during the COVID-19 pandemic as several frontline workers took to the stage joined by Surgeon General Vivek Murthy and HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra, who credited the efforts of the Biden administration with "effectively getting shots in the arms of millions of Americans, so we could all get back to work and back to the country we all love" (Murthy's words) while also taking direct aim at DeSantis's handling of the pandemic in Florida: "Ron DeSantis, this is what true sacrifice and service above self looks like!" (Becerra's words). Others who took to the stage to discuss healthcare included Obama HHS alum Anton Gunn, who credited the Affordable Care Act with "bringing healthcare to millions of Americans who needed it the most", while Sen. Ben Ray Lujan of New Mexico (who himself survived a stroke early in his first term in the Senate and received a standing ovation from the audience) credited the Affordable Care Act with "saving my life and allowing me to return to the Senate to serve the wonderful people of New Mexico", and activist and current House candidate for Nevada's 1st District Amy Vilela stressed the importance of going "to the next level with Medicare for All" as she gave the heartrending account of the death of her 22-year-old daughter from a heart attack that stoked her activism for single-payer healthcare.

There were also tributes on the stage in Houston as Gunn honored his soon-to-be predecessor, former House Majority Whip Jim Clyburn from South Carolina's 6th District, on the Toyota Center stage, while former talk show host and Cincinnati mayor Jerry Springer also spoke of the importance of "electing Democrats to keep our nation going and our union strong", closing with his famous line "As I introduce y'all to John Cranley, I will close by encouraging everyone here in Houston to go out into your neighborhoods and keep the good work going. Until next time, take care of yourself, and each other! Ladies and gentleman, my fellow former Cincinnati Mayor and Cincinnati's next Congressman, John Cranley!" Cranley, who is running in the open 1st District in Ohio (GOP Rep. Steve Chabot is retiring) that is now exclusively within Hamilton County and favors the Democrats, then addressed the audience and proclaimed "The way to the White House for Kamala Harris, just like it was for Barack Obama, runs right through Cincinnati!"

Labor Secretary Marty Walsh, the former Mayor of Boston, later took to the stage to express his "solidarity with the working men and women of this country" and endorsed his support for unionization efforts at Amazon and Starbucks, among other companies historically considered nonunion. "We are not going to let faceless corporations who don't pay their fair share continue to pay their workers starvation wages when they are struggling to put food on the table for their families", said Walsh as various gubernatorial nominees and incumbents from New England and other parts of the country also spoke before the convention. Former Commerce Sec. Gina Raimondo also spoke in support of Harris, along with North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper, Washington Gov. Jay Inslee, and Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear. Former Transportation Sec. Pete Buttigieg also spoke of the "successes" of Biden's infrastructure legislation and was also introduced on stage by none other than former late-night talk show host-turned-Buttigieg sidekick David Letterman, who also presented a "Top Ten Things You Should Know About Pete Buttigieg", with the No. 1 entry being "Who really cares? He's going to vote for Kamala Harris anyway!". Two of the more notable gubernatorial nominees that took to the stage included Indiana's Tom McDermott (who spoke of a "Hoosier Revival" for Democrats) and North Carolina Attorney General Josh Stein, who vowed to "continue the great progress Roy Cooper has made in a state won TWICE by Donald Trump".

The night also highlighted the Senate, including both sitting Senators facing reelection as well as nominees, as Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer proclaimed "Come November 5th, Democrats are going to keep Republicans in check in the Senate, and even take it back!", highlighting the reelection bids of Wisconsin's Tammy Baldwin, Nevada's Jacky Rosen, Ohio's Sherrod Brown, Pennsylvania's Bob Casey Jr., and Montana's Jon Tester. Candidates including West Virginia's Richard Ojeda, Vermont's T.J. Donovan, Missouri's Nicole Galloway, Minnesota's Peggy Flanagan and Washington's Suzan DelBene were also promoted by Senate Minority Whip Dick Durbin as "proof that our hopes for a Senate majority are even stronger than before". Texas U.S. Senate candidate and former HUD Secretary and San Antonio Mayor Julián Castro (whose twin brother, Rep. Joaquin Castro, introduced him with "a big, hearty Texas welcome") also proclaimed "This is going to be our year, Texas! We are going to take back the Senate and where else but in Ted Cruz's seat!". And retiring Sen. Debbie Stabenow of Michigan also spoke in primetime as she introduced the night's keynote speaker, former Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, who is running to succeed Stabenow.

Members of the House, both veterans and rising stars alike, were also highlighted as part of House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries' focus on "the future of the Democratic Party" as the representative for New York's 8th District (based in Brooklyn) pointed to "several exciting progressive problem solvers who are going to bring us back stronger than ever before". At the same time, New York Gov. Kathy Hochul also spoke of her state's "successful and healthy recovery from a pandemic that could have wiped our country off the map if not for the great work Joe Biden has done for us" as she turned the mic over to former President Bill Clinton, who received several standing ovations in his 20-minute speech where he urged the audience to "go vote for Kamala Harris, because to all the seniors out there depending on Medicare and Social Security to get them through, I cannot imagine what they're going to be in for if Ron DeSantis prescribes them to a death panel, whatever the hell that is..." After former First Lady Michelle Obama (herself receiving chants of "Michelle for Senate" in the wake of rumors she might run for Durbin's Senate seat in 2026 should he retire) and First Lady Dr. Jill Biden gave their remarks (with Jill Biden proclaiming "Being your First Lady has been the opportunity of a lifetime, and the millions of children my work has impacted is going to be felt for generations to come, long after we leave this Earth"), Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff emerged onto the stage to give his speech as the New Radicals' iconic 1998 hit "You Get What You Give" blared over the Toyota Center premises.

As expected, Emhoff's speech jibed with the delegates and others in the audience as he spoke of his earlier days as an entertainment lawyer and later visiting law professor at Georgetown University, and reminisced on his time as Second Gentleman under Kamala Harris: "Going all over the country, meeting with ordinary people doing extraordinary things, it has been the honor of a lifetime, and it's definitely not over yet!" Emhoff also remarked "America is so much better off today because Joe Biden brought America back from the dreary depths of a dark time of pandemics, reckonings and sore losers" (the latter referring to the 2021 attack on the Capitol) and stated "Come November, America is going to have its President Momala, and for the first time ever, a First Gentleman who will be a true Ladies' Man for the free world!", as Kamala Harris emerged from backstage to make a brief appearance with her husband to close the second night of the convention out.

[SaintStan86]

Day 3 of the convention is upon us, with some "Night Moves" to top it off...

August 28, 2024
PETERS TAKES THE STAGE AS MEMORIES OF JANUARY 6TH, 9/11 REHASH IN HOUSTON
The third day of the Democratic National Convention in Houston was befitting of its title "For Our Country", as delegates heard from a multitude of speakers that largely spoke on matters of foreign policy and national security, as well as witnesses from recent tragedies such as the refinery explosion east of downtown Houston as well as the explosion at Fort Moore last month, and going as far back as the January 6, 2021 attack on the Capitol and the September 11, 2001 attacks. This ultimately set the stage for the endcap speech by Sen. Gary Peters, who took to the stage to accept the Democratic Party's nomination for Vice President in a speech that sought to reinvigorate the party's traditional appeal to blue-collar voters at a time when the working-class demographic has largely fallen out-of-tune with the party's ascendant elite liberal wing.

Two of President Biden's leading Cabinet members on defense and foreign policy, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and Secretary of State Antony Blinken, took to the podium to defend Biden's strategy for "restoring order in the world" and refuted the notion that America "let its troops out to dry", with Austin calling the Afghanistan withdrawal a "success" that Biden "gets too little credit for". "Ever since he ran for President in 2008, President Biden knew that long-term occupation where our troops were left to die was not his modus operandi", said Austin who also took aim at Republican nominee and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis for "spending more time debating with chicken hawks like Sean Hannity and Tucker Carlson than with our troops", even going as far as saying that "DeSantis cares more about the Texas border - which is farther away from Pensacola than Puerto Rico - than he does about our foreign affairs". Blinken also took aim at DeSantis: "While President Biden has been standing up for decency in the world, Ron DeSantis has been assailing our allies - you don't know it, because at least give credit to Donald Trump for being open about his dances with our enemies".

The third day also gave an opportunity for candidates with military experience to highlight their commitments to their country and view their opportunity as "a call to serve" per the words of California Rep. Sara Jacobs of the northeast San Diego-based 51st District, who introduced San Diego County Board of Supervisors Chair Nathan Fletcher, a former Republican running against freshman Rep. Brian Maryott in the state's nearby 49th District, based in affluent suburbs of San Diego and Orange County with Camp Pendleton in the middle - appropriate given Fletcher's past service in the Marine Corps. "I went from serving as District Director to a staunch conservative in the House in Duke Cunningham while serving my country at the same time, to serving in the State Assembly as a moderate Republican, to becoming a Democrat on a historically Republican Board of Supervisors, because the GOP went from service about self to serving the very special interests they and Donald Trump claimed to oppose", Fletcher said as he recalled his earlier political days.

Two freshman Democrats from North Carolina also took to the stage to highlight their military backgrounds, as the 1st District's Don Davis (himself an Air Force Academy grad and facing a tough reelection against State Sen. Lisa Stone Barnes) spoke of his tireless efforts in "fulfilling my public service duties" to his eastern North Carolina district, while the 14th District's Jeff Jackson, an Army National Guard reservist and JAG who is now running for reelection in the heavily Democratic 12th District based in Charlotte after his current district was made more Republican, acknowledged that "my duty to my country has never stopped" and refuted the notion that Democrats "don't care about our military". "When it comes to fully funding our troops, giving them the tools they need to defend our country, protect our communities, and offer healthcare and benefits to our active duty military and veterans when they come home, Democrats have ALWAYS led the way", said Jackson.

Military service wasn't the only thing on display Wednesday night, as three leading Democratic ladies - Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham of New Mexico, Lt. Gov. Eleni Kounalakis of California and Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz of Florida's 25th District (herself a former DNC Chairwoman) stressed the importance of public service "in our daily lives". Lujan Grisham spoke of her efforts to promote public service in her state, while Kounalakis spoke of her lauded efforts to send "over 1 million texts to voters" as an example of a successful strategy to elect Democrats (without the obvious caveat that Kounalakis only faced a Democrat in her November 2018 election) and Wasserman Schultz emphasized the "tikkun olam" tenets of her Jewish faith in convincing the delegates to "use their religious beliefs for good in this country and this world, to bring about a more peaceful, progressive and prosperous America".

As the day turned to night in hot and humid Houston, delegates inside the Toyota Center were introduced to Democratic royalty as Massachusetts Reps. Jake Auchincloss (4th District in west suburban Boston) and Seth Moulton (6th District in Boston's North Shore suburbs) introduced two members of the Kennedy family seeking to return the family name to Congress: Jack Schlossberg (running in New York's 12th District based in Manhattan) and former Connecticut State Sen. Ted Kennedy Jr. (running in Connecticut's 3rd District based in New Haven). Schlossberg (the grandson of President John F. Kennedy and son of Caroline Kennedy Schlossberg) urged young people "to get active and - as my grandfather said - ask what you can do for your country" in reference to JFK's famed inaugural speech from 1961, while the elder Kennedy (whose father was the late legendary Massachusetts Sen. Ted Kennedy) spoke of the importance of "putting the people first in helping them to achieve their dreams of a better America".

While foreign affairs and the Kennedy dynasty were indeed on display, two of the most important dates in the nation's recent history also were in the public view on Wednesday night as Gov. Wes Moore of Maryland introduced several law enforcement officers (including U.S. Capitol Police officers) who were on duty on January 6, 2021 when the U.S. Capitol was being invaded by rioters seeking to disrupt the certification of Biden's election as President over Trump. "These officers gave it their all that day, and were given nothing but lip service from Republicans who still continue to chase the Big Lie today", Moore said as he called on the delegates to "punish Republicans who continue to push disinformation and hate - and make sure that this insensitive and insidious approach to our democracy is never tried again". Rep. Andy Kim of New Jersey's 3rd District, who is facing a rematch against Republican Bob Healey in November and who cleaned up trash inside the Capitol following the attack also spoke about the attack and the "unfinished business" of the now-disbanded January 6th committee, as did former Rep. Stephanie Murphy of Florida, who is now the Democratic nominee for Senate after winning her primary last night and served on that committee.

Kansas City attorney and Councilman Kevin McManus (now the Democratic nominee in the Kansas City-based 5th District) also took to the stage both to call on Democrats to "reinvigorate their commitment to America's working class" and to introduce one-time Kansas City mayoral candidate and former Secretary of State Jason Kander, who is now the party's gubernatorial nominee. Kander, who also ran for the U.S. Senate in 2016 against then-Sen. Roy Blunt but later pulled out of the race for Kansas City Mayor in 2019 to seek treatment for depression and PTSD, called on Democrats to "hold Republicans' feet to the fire when it comes to mental health and treatment for suicide and depression" and blasted DeSantis as "the Fox News equivalent of a keyboard warrior who'd rather sweep it under the rug than actually put on his big boy pants and reach out to those who need it the most". After being introduced by late night talk show host Jimmy Kimmel (who called Ron DeSantis "Donald Trump on decaf, meaning you'll never know he promotes the same stuff as Trump because he's not going to be in your face about putting lipstick on a pig"), comedian Jon Stewart then used the bully pulpit of the convention to reiterate Kander's call not only for mental health treatment for veterans stricken with PTSD, but also similar benefits for victims and first responders from the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks. "The choice between America and Trump is not even close, and Ron DeSantis knows very well where he's going wrong", said Stewart.

This provided the perfect segue for Metro Detroit's four Democratic Reps. in Congress - Debbie Dingell of the Ann Arbor and Downriver-based 6th District, Andy Levin of the Oakland County-based 11th District, Rashida Tlaib of the Dearborn-based 12th District (which extends to Southfield), and John Conyers III of the Detroit-based 13th District - to introduce Macomb County Executive Mark Hackel, one of the DCCC's star recruits of the 2024 cycle who is running in the Macomb County-based 10th District Rep. John James is vacating for a U.S. Senate run (his third). Hackel and several Senate colleagues of Gary Peters (whom Hackel has been familiar with for years) also spoke positively of their colleague, with Sen. Tammy Duckworth of Illinois (herself a double amputee) speaking of Peters' time in the U.S. Navy Reserve, Sen. Martin Heinrich of New Mexico speaking to Peters' integrity as a Senator, Sen. John Fetterman of Pennsylvania (who took to the stage in his usual untucked gray shirt and "everyman" motif) alluding to Peters' "commitment to serve the working men and women who built this country and build it better than Ron DeSantis ever would", and Sen. Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota calling Peters "emblematic of the Midwestern spirit of the everyday American" as Sen. Tim Kaine of Virginia (himself the party's 2016 vice presidential nominee) calling Peters "a true public servant whose commitment to country before party is unmatched".

After an introductory speech by his wife Colleen, who spoke of her husband's most important role - that of a family man with two daughters and a son (aptly named Gary Peters Jr.), as well as a 10-minute introductory video narrated by rapper Eminem who spoke of Peters' service "going outside and inside of 8 Mile", Peters took to the stage with a long standing ovation as he accepted his party's nomination for Vice President "without any question". The Senator then spoke of many aspects of his political career, including his time serving on a "very conservative City Council in the hometown of Madonna", his election to the State Senate "in the year Newt Gingrich took over and took a wrecking ball to our country", his time as Michigan Lottery Commissioner "including contests during Pistons games in my backyard while they won a hard-fought NBA title - and fought off a bunch of unruly fans, too", his defeat of a longtime Republican as well as controversial physician and euthanasia activist Jack Kevorkian who ran as an independent in that race ("I am the only man in America who beat Dr. Death and gave him a get out of jail free card at the same time"), his winning of the biennial congressional office lottery and subsequent reelection in 2010 and 2012 (which Peters credited to his "successful efforts to save the American automobile industry"), and his service in the Senate (which Peters called "the honor of a lifetime and one that has made me prouder than ever to be an American").

Peters then turned his focus to his Vice President candidacy, thanking Vice President Kamala Harris for "inviting me to come on board that 'Freeway of Love' Aretha Franklin loved to sing about, and join her on her historic journey to become our next President - and our first Madam President - how does that sound?", took direct aim at Ron DeSantis ("While Democrats are moving forward to the future and bringing opportunity to all who desire it, Ron DeSantis wants to go back to the days of dune buggies and Pony Express") as well as DeSantis's vice presidential running mate, former Ambassador Nikki Haley: "While Nikki Haley will serve as nothing more than a yes woman for Ron DeSantis, parroting only what Ron and his masters at Fox News want her to say lest she stray from the plantation and get thrown under the bus, I will serve as an open-minded, problem-solving leader who will fight hard in the Senate as the symbolic leader of the chamber I have come to love, the one to deliver to Kamala Harris the actions she will take to transform this country".

After Peters concluded his speech proclaiming "America is worth fighting for, and as your Vice President, we are going to go far and lead the free world like never before, because the world depends on America to be that torchbearer for liberty's light - a light that shines for all regardless of what you look like, where you live and who you love - because that is what country over party is all about", delegates were treated to a medley of select songs from legendary Detroit rock musician Bob Seger, with such selections as "Night Moves" and "Like a Rock" being played with videos of ordinary Americans on display, as Harris joined Peters and his family on stage in Houston to endless applause. There was a minor controversy as Seger sung the latter song as Chevrolet (who once used "Like a Rock" to promote its pickup truck line in the 1990s and early 2000s, in one of the most iconic advertising campaigns in American history) took to Twitter to announce that it had "ZERO connections to either presidential campaign. Our trucks are the longest lasting, most dependable trucks on the road - regardless of your politics."

Next up: Kamala Harris' finest hour has come...

[SaintStan86]

Editor's note: Of course some may be wondering "Oh wow, SaintStan86 pulled a fast one" regarding Louisiana, and while part of it I admit may be because I forgot about Louisiana's filing period, in reality I wouldn't be shocked if the GOP were to shorten the time until it is absolutely the dateline between 90 days of so before the primary and Election Night (which as we all known IS THE PRIMARY. Whether in this TL or IRL, it is fair to say that Republicans are going to win the Governor's Mansion in Louisiana in 2023, and given I'm already hedging my bets on Jeff Landry winning (given he is likely to clear the field for conservatives), I wouldn't be shocked if - in addition to the obvious election integrity stuff being drawn out through the Legislature getting passed, that the dates are somewhat moved as well. But yes, this is the plot twist I threw in there, and it's fair to say that once January 20, 2025 rolls around (and yes, it will be a Monday), this TL reaches its epic conclusion.

Also, I would also like to address an update regarding Florida, particularly in the Orlando-based 10th District Val Demings is vacating. While I had for the most part predicted Randolph Bracy given his legislative experience (and the fact that a challenger of his, Aramis Ayala, is running for Florida Attorney General now), I have now shifted my bets towards Maxwell Frost (the March For Our Lives organizer who could very well become the youngest member and perhaps the first Zoomer in Congress) winning the seat and getting all kinds of press on the levels of AOC once he gets there. The one thing about elections is that one day you say the most experienced legislator (and yes, there are several of them I have name dropped in this TL) gets elected to Congress, only to be sidestepped the next day by an outsider you've never heard of. Remember that Dan Crenshaw was just a retired Navy SEAL and Purple Heart recipient studying at Harvard and returning home to his father with his bride one day in 2017, and the next day he runs for Congress, barely makes it into a runoff against an establishment favorite, and then goes on to become a media juggernaut and wipes out that establishment favorite and then beats the Democrats in two sleeper races made close by fretting over Trump's "mean words" in some corners of the Houston district he repped.

Now, back to the TL and the conclusion of the Democratic National Convention...

"This is a journey I am proud to have embarked on. One where you meet ordinary people doing extraordinary things. And I am glad to see that this journey is definitely not over. So with the right hand of God and family besides me, and with history on the verge of shattering that proverbial glass ceiling, I humbly accept your nomination for President of these United States of America." - Vice President Kamala Harris of California

August 29, 2024
KAMALA HARRIS ACCEPTS DEMOCRATIC NOMINATION; BATTLE TO NOVEMBER BEGINS
With less than 68 days to go before the presidential election, Vice President Kamala Harris closed out the Democratic National Convention in Houston on Thursday with a nearly hour-long speech that emphasized her "life's journey" that Harris described as "woven as beautifully as a Stevie Wonder album". The California Democrat, who grew up in the San Francisco Bay Area - born in Oakland, raised in Berkeley, spoke of her early childhood (where she and her sister "broke racial barriers" with the desegregation of a previous predominantly White elementary school), her heady days at Howard University and as a law student at the University of California's Hastings College of Law, her work in the Alameda County District Attorney's Office (and later transition across the bay to San Francisco's equivalent where she eventually was elected District Attorney), her defeat of the very same DA in San Francisco who previously recruited her (with a little help from Aaron McGruder and Chris Rock), her eventual defeat over the Republican District Attorney of Los Angeles County in 2010 for California Attorney General, and her subsequent rise to the U.S. Senate and eventually Vice President. "Suffice it to say, I've done it all. And I am proud of where I have come from, because while I may be rooted in Oakland and may have left my heart in San Francisco, I am exceptionally proud of who I am and how the Bay shaped me."

Harris's maiden speech as the official Democratic presidential nominee, which was also preceded by a Pledge of Allegiance from Olympic gold medal gymnast (and resident from the nearby suburb of Spring) Simone Biles earlier in the evening, was far from the only notable moment of the convention. The day, appropriately titled "For the People" after her presidential campaign slogan and social media hashtag, featured appearances from many members of California's Democratic congressional delegation (itself larger than the entire congressional delegation - Republicans and Democrats - of Texas, if only by one member) as well as candidates running in open seats or against sitting Republicans, as California Gov. Gavin Newsom championed "the California Dream" alongside these members - some of whom themselves spoke of their successes in "driving change through America". Quotes like "As California goes, so goes the nation" (Ted Lieu), "Texas and Florida's economy have nothing on California's legendary economy with multiple Fortune 100 companies, Nobel Laureates and dreamers and doers" (Newsom), "Yes we have our housing struggles, but as Californians we always find a way to persevere" (Jimmy Panetta) and "We're more than just a place you see in the movies, we're a place where dreams go to spring eternal" (Adrin Nazarian), and "Texas, where's your dream?" (Will Rollins) were just some of the notables the California delegation spoke as they also kept the limelight on Harris, whom Rep. Kevin Mullin called "our shining star guiding the country in one direction: Forward!"

The unexpected praise for the Golden State in the original capital of the Republic of Texas, unsurprisingly led former Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner and former statewide candidate Beto O'Rourke to respond. "Hey look, Texas, I'm sorry your California friends - mostly a bunch of lousy Dodgers fans who can't get over losing to our Astros and are just as bad at being sore losers as Donald Trump - did this to you", Turner said as he continued: "But you know, it doesn't have to be like this. That's why we have (U.S. Senate nominee) Julián Castro and so many others here who are ready to fight for you, to build up that Texas Dream so that we don't have to worry about our neighbors to the west bullying us because Greg Abbott chose to be a sitting duck". O'Rourke also continued, "Rest assured, Texas remains the better state, and with Democrats winning Texas this year and in 2026, great things are going to happen! Our schools, our economy, our power grid - this is what's at stake!", without giving any hints as to future speculation about his ambitions.

Turner then introduced to the stage two former Houston City Council colleagues widely expected to win their first terms in the next Congress from the city's heavily Democratic "HBCU districts" - with the north Houston-based 18th District's venerable incumbent Sheila Jackson Lee introducing Amanda Edwards (who proclaimed "Here in H-Town, we are looking to the future and beyond!") and another retiring incumbent, Al Green (whose 9th District has been renumbered "back to the future" as the 25th in the next redistricting), introducing the delegates to Edward Pollard who declared "Together We Will" in winning the White House and control of Congress for 2024, laying the groundwork for a "Texas Democratic Renaissance in 2026". Several other Democrats running for Congress from Texas, including five running in competitive districts across the Rio Grande from El Paso to Brownsville as well as Austin-area Democrat Kathie Tovo (who is heavily favored to succeed Lloyd Doggett in her city's 37th District) and Dallas-based Rep. Colin Allred from the 32nd District (itself now a North Dallas-based swing seat once again). Allred also introduced to the stage Dallas County Commissioner Elba Garcia, who is running in the newly restored 24th District that stretches from downtown Dallas to western parts of the city and its suburbs.

Several other state delegations of note that were on display in the run up to Harris's primetime endcap included two-time Georgia gubernatorial nominee and former State House Minority Leader Stacey Abrams, who urged the delegates to "stand strong and keep fighting for fair elections" as she joined CNN analyst and former South Carolina State Rep. Bakari Sellers (who himself unsuccessfully ran for Congress in this cycle) in introducing her former position's current occupant, James Beverly, who is now the Democratic nominee in Georgia's 2nd District where he is facing freshman Republican Chris West. "While I am fighting for my fellow Georgians, working to make their state better, Chris West is doing the dirty work of Donald Trump and Ron DeSantis in dividing our country". Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York's 14th District also used the primetime bully pulpit to promote "two rising progressive fighters who are fearless in their own ways": State Sen. and Queens/Brooklyn-based 7th District nominee Julia Salazar and former State Sen. and Westchester-based 16th District nominee Alessandra Biaggi, the granddaughter of longtime former Bronx-based Rep. Mario Biaggi.

There were also tributes on stage to the old guard of the Democratic Party, as retiring Sen. Ben Cardin and Rep. John Sarbanes (who is running to succeed Cardin in the very same Senate seat once held by his late father, Paul Sarbanes, whom Cardin succeeded in 2006) paid tribute to retiring former House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer. Hoyer, who has served 43 years in Congress dating back to a 1981 special election, stated "Thank you to the people of Maryland, and this great nation, for giving me the opportunity to serve the American people with immense pride and unbridled patriotism. I never expected to last this long in Congress, let alone on the national stage, but I have given it my all, and the impact I and others have had on millions of Americans will be felt for generations to come". Virtually all of the notable candidates who sought the nomination for U.S. Senate as Democrats in California also took to the stage where they honored retiring Sen. Dianne Feinstein and urged (per Rep. Adam Schiff's words) "the California people to stand strong, and work overtime to elect Democrats in 2024, 2026 and beyond, because whichever Republican wins that seat is a dead Senator walking on Day One". Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi also received a standing ovation as her successor in the San Francisco-based 11th District, Catherine Stefani, thanked Pelosi for "being a trailblazer who lit the path for us all to progress and prosperity for every American".

The focus of the night finally turned to Harris, as House Minority Whip Katherine Clark of Massachusetts' 5th District took to the stage, calling House Democrats "the first line of defense against a radical Republican rubberstamp that will be devastating to working men and women, families and children everywhere", as she introduced Sen. Elizabeth Warren, herself a graduate of the University of Houston, to the Toyota Center stage. "It feels great to be back here in Houston, and you know it!" as Warren enthusiastically endorsed her former Senate colleague and urged Democrats "to turn out, from the court house to the White House, for Democrats no matter who the nominee is - because any Democrat you see on the ballot, even the ones you don't agree with, are better than the Republicans who are intent on wreaking havoc on our economy, our culture and our country for the worse." A slew of California-based speakers, including former California State Assembly Speaker Anthony Rendon, San Francisco Mayor London Breed and California State Controller Malia Cohen, also took to the stage.

There was also an appearance by NBA superstars in the Golden State Warriors' Stephen Curry and the Los Angeles Lakers' LeBron James, both of whom faced many vigorous contests against the building's main tenant, the NBA's Houston Rockets, over the years. Both spoke of Harris's stances from a "justice" perspective, with Curry speaking to Harris's roots in the Bay Area and James extolling the "virtues" of Harris's "relentless fight for truth and justice in the face of so much going on in our world that has gone stir crazy". Two gubernatorial stars in the Democratic Party, Arizona's Katie Hobbs and New Jersey's Phil Murphy, spoke of their "commitment to solving problems for their states" as they proceeded to endorse Harris along with Sen. Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona, who contrasted the "independent streaks that Democrats have" with "the barren, plain vanilla shells that Republicans always box themselves into". Sinema then turned her focus to Indiana State Sen. Shelli Yoder, who is running for the U.S. Senate against conservative first-term Republican Mike Braun (for whom Yoder disdained as "a proverbial yes man for the Trump-DeSantis bullying machine").

Former talk show host and now-California resident Oprah Winfrey also took to the stage, as she endorsed Harris and spoke to the Senator's qualities as "a woman of fierce moral character and undying love for the people she serves". Gov. Gavin Newsom then returned to the stage to also speak of his fellow Californian, reiterating his "California Dream" theme, speaking of "star chasers and star gazers" in descsriv and proclaiming "In California, we dream big, and Kamala Harris is going to bring America to the world when she becomes our first Madam President!" This set the stage for former First Lady and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, who surprisingly lost her 2016 presidential race in heartbreaking fashion, to speak before the audience (in none other than the same white pantsuit she wore at the 2016 Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia) as she read the pre-planned victory speech that she would have given had she defeated Donald Trump eight years prior. "Let this speech that never was serve as motivation, to all in this room, to go out there and vote for Democrats up and down the ballot - no matter what the cost" as she introduced "our first Madam President, your next President, Kamala Harris!"

After a 10-minute tribute video and a standing ovation from the crowd, Harris finally took to the stage to accept the Democratic Party's nomination as she spoke of her vision for the country, using quotes like "It's easy for us to just walk away, but baby we were born to run!", "While Ron DeSantis seeks to tear down our country, we are seeking to build it up", "The great run of growth you have seen with President Biden? I'm going to keep it going and never let the foot off the pedal", "They next time they tell you to burn this book, burn that book, just remember what Russia and Nazi Germany have done, and what half the country is advocating for", "Ron DeSantis likes to talk about helping veterans, but I will fight for them and their families in ways that he will never comprehend", "Truly fighting for women's lives should never be spoken with a handmaid's tale", "Imagine how close we came to losing it all on that horrible day at the Capitol almost four years ago", and (in her closing line) "We are fighting for a safer nation that stands for our lives, a prosperous economy that stands for our future, a greater standing in the world that stands for our country, and a freer, ever more perfect union that stands FOR THE PEOPLE!".

Joined by her husband and family, including her stepchildren and sister Maya, Harris reminds the audience "it's not over yet, here's a little encore for you to enjoy!", as Grammy-winning musician Taylor Swift came to the stage to perform a medley of three of her hits - "Mean", "You Need to Calm Down" and "You Belong With Me" - with lyrics modified to reflect the presidential election. For example, in "Mean", she sung "Somebody, she'll be living in the big old White House. And all you're ever gonna be is mean...Why you gotta be so mean?" and "Grumbling on about how I should shut up and sing", while in "You Belong With Me" she sung "I'm on the stage, it's a typical Thursday night, I'm here with the kind of people he doesn't like...But he wears Trump's shirts, I wear T-shirts. He's G.O.P., and I'm on the bleachers." In a surprise no one saw coming after Swift finishes, none other than Houston native Beyoncé - who responds "Hey H-Town - THIS is how you close out the convention" as she and Swift proceeded to play her hit with Destiny's Child, "Independent Women Part I", in tribute to Harris as the balloons and confetti finally fell from the rafters of the Toyota Center to end the Democratic National Convention and turbocharge into the general election with Labor Day weekend on the horizon.

And for those who may be wondering, here are the third party candidates (besides Andrew Yang, of course!)...

LIBERTARIAN PARTY
PRESIDENTIAL TICKET

Dave Smith of New York Source: Wikimedia Commons Author: ReasonTV

Mike ter Maat of Florida Source: Ballotpedia Author: Unknown

GREEN PARTY
PRESIDENTIAL TICKET

Norman Solomon of California Source: Ballotpedia Author: Unknown

No picture available as of press time; the only pictures I could find of her are on her personal Twitter account, and I am not going to rip off her Twitter account for the benefit of Atlasia. However, it shall be mentioned that her mother is none other than Erin Brockovich, and that her day job is that of a computer scientist and 501c3 founder who also does public speaking. She is also an activist and women's rights advocate. Katie Roedersheimer of Texas

CONSTITUTION PARTY
PRESIDENTIAL TICKET

Mike Lindell of Minnesota Source: Wikimedia Commons Author: Gage Skidmore

Jenna Ellis of Colorado Source: Wikimedia Commons Author: Gage Skidmore

Up next: The general election begins, the debates are set, and the ad heard 'round the world steals the spotlight...

[2016]

With the Conventions now over we need an Electoral Map!