188 Comments

Well, Kamala isn't a rapist, liar, business fraud, convicted felon, mental midget, golf cheat, dishonorable oligarch lover (apparent traitor), ignoramus. And she likes dogs. Has that going for her.

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She also has a good sense of humor and can tell a joke on herself which Trump is incapable of doing.

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What an astounding contrast in a nutshell! They need to use it in campaign ads.

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HaHAaaa! Well stated.

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Two days ago I was depressed. Yesterday I was surprised and confused. Today l am more optimistic than I have been since a day before the debate and I feel the wind in my sails. Damn the torpedoes! Full speed ahead!

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Me too!!!!!

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Once my head calmed down, I realized this is the real path to winning not only the WH, but the Congress and Senate as well. America is dying for change and Harris--a former prosecutor, a black woman with a formidable intellect and great political instincts *and* a sitting Vice President--is the face of it now.

And she's young, Donald, which you will never be again.

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If they fear Harris they'd just jump in the river if they faced a Harris/Kinzinger ticket.

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That ticket would without question win huge. And it would change the tide of politics and increase the numbers in the Democratic Party. Adam is like a gift of 20% of republicans salivating for a functional excuse to not vote for the idiot; that is right in front of their face. It’s truly in the numbers.

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Adam should weigh in on that.

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My feeling is that he understands it. I’m also sure he would accept it. What drives me nuts is this is a perfect opportunity to 1 win this with ease and 2 start to heal the country of this visceral attitude of the republican party as a whole. Very frustrating, indeed, to know something to be absolutely factual by the numbers. Adam would be the perfect kind of individual to have in that position. Very frustrating indeed.

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OMG !!! absolutely a Home Run!!!

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Oh yes 💯

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I had one issue with what you were saying about Harris as a candidate...that she needs to stop rambling during speeches and be more presidential. UMMM have you listened to ANY of Trump's speeches. They are a crazy, stupid mess of lies and insulting people. I believe Harris will do just fine and rally the troops to vote Democrat in November!

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I can't speak for Adam, but I can see both yours and his points. They are two different situations. Trump can say (and make up) anything he wants -- it doesn't matter. Harris needs to convince the "undecideds" that she is strong and can handle the job. It seems at first, her voice sounded too shaky, which translated into not sounding sure of herself. I've already see that changing for the better. So like you, I believe that she will be able to rally the troops and keep Trump out of office -- and not only because they are voting against him, but because they are voting for her.

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Yes, deepen and steady

Voice…. R. Maddow’s good

Example IMHO

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He was a rambling, disheveled, sweaty mess during his RNC speech.

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Yeah. I have to be honest. I simply couldn’t waste anymore seconds of my time, looking at him and listening to his stupid pathetic meaningless blabber. But yeah, I did notice he was sweating like a turd in the morning dew. Cheers 🥂

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She needs to talk like a prosecutor and not mince words, just stick with the simple ones. Cheater. Rapist. Liar. Punk. Criminal. Draft-dodger. Treasoner. If she's giving her prosecutor's summary in Trial 2024 - the Downfall, keep it simple.

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Yes, bitchy- but not too bitchy. All women are used to walking That red line.

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Super clever analysis which I agree with 100%.

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Who rambles more than Trump— no one ever!

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Even though Adam has a remarkable and consistent track record of support for the Democrats and against Donald Trump and the deceit and chaos that surrounds him, there is a deep bench of capable Democrats that want to be VP so it is unlikely that Adam will be chosen. From a marketing standpoint, Adam’s experience as a US Congressman, military officer, loving husband and father and all around decent human would make him a bold and brilliant choice.

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Adam once again I ask - is there any legal issues in a Democrat picking a republican for a running mate? You have SO much support out here but first is it within the legal parameters? And if so where can we go to voice our opinion where it will be heard?

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Actually, didn't John McCain (R) almost pick Joe Lieberman(D) as his running mate? I remember he regretted picking Sarah Palin!

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That was one of the first cries of the Koo-Koo birds in the GOP. Palin. McCain was told to shut up and stand in line. He doesn't seem like the type who enjoys that.

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I'm sure he wasn't. She was part of the The Tea Party, right? Then that led to trump??🤔

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Your memory serves you well.

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No legal issues at all.

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David are you any relation to Ken and Ginny Skoglund from the UP or Mike and Jimmy?

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Uffda! 😘😘

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No relation.

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thanks - brought back some good memories of the Skoglund family.

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My parents grew up in North Dakota. My grandfather Emil Skoglund immigrated from Sweden in 1901

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It would be interesting to see if by any chance he had any relatives that settled in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan.

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Yes. I think it's just up to the party to change the rules if there is something that doesn't allow it. They just have to want it.

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LD - the 12th Amendment states: “no person constitutionally ineligible to the office of President shall be eligible to that of Vice-President of the United States.”

That’s it!

The Ninth Amendment reminds us:

“The enumeration in the Constitution, of certain rights, shall not be construed to deny or disparage others retained by the people.”

The Constitution allows only what it allows for, and only forbids what it forbids. It is the People’s prerogative to do so in a manner that seems fit, subject to only the clear and specific terms of the Constitution, in my most untrained opinion.

Any fool who argues that the elective process is subject to implicit constraints to be determined by judges, is pulling forth wisps of phantom law. Absent Alito and Thomas, I can’t imagine who would try that.

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Thanks Steve for the research and effort. I don’t see this happening as time goes by but I have appreciated the conversation and I believe that we have enough information to believe it is possible and who knows maybe next time.

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I am quite sure you can{t split the ticket.

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Why not?

It's my party, and I'll split it (cry) if I want to

Split it (Cry) if I want to, split it (cry) if I want to

You would split it (cry) too if it happened to you

*Lesley Gore

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Yes you can. Easily.

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I am not sure but a friend of ours was a congressman (Bart Stupak) and if I remember correctly this conversation came up once and I could swear it was a possibility. But believe me my memory is not was it was :)

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Stupak almost killed Obamacare unless his amendment to prohibit abortion funding was adopted.

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Adam, so many people of all political beliefs were saying months ago that they didn’t want another rematch of the last election. I didn’t necessarily want Biden and the orange man-baby either, but I am backing and voting for whoever is the Democrat’s candidate. But the comment in your piece that the Democrats had the courage to change, thanks to Biden putting “Country Over Party” and the Republicans didn’t. Democrats are the kind of people who are the leaders I can get behind. Biden got so, so many things done in his three years, from infrastructure bill, to lower costs for the millions needing insulin and much more. He is a true patriot in my book.

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Yes, I think we almost have (she has to be nominated yet) a candidate who can convey their and the Party's successes. The economy is hot and the jobless rate is low. The infrastructure bill is helping Blue and Red states. Immigration would have been addressed but Republicans blocked it. The debt could be reduced by auditing the rich who break tax laws and by closing loopholes used by the rich to avoid paying their fair share of taxes.

But there are issues Democrats have to start taking back. Inflation is real and immigration has been an area of weakness for Democrats. Kamala and the team need to figure out how to respond to those legitimate concerns. Inflation is often tied to an overheated economy. Most people don't know that. Gas prices have stayed relatively low because Biden released oil reserves to offset supply reductions because of the wars and OPEC shennanigans.

I know we need to focus on Trump a bit but I think Democrats pay too much time on the "Trump, the authoritarian!" message and not on how Dems will make it better! Let's spend more time discussing the issues. Let's focus on the future!

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Yes immigration and the border have been a problem for 30 years for our country which neither side seems to be able to successfully address. There was a bipartisan bill recently that the orange man-baby told the House Republicans to kill. These issues can only be tackled if all parties find common ground , compromise and move the country forward. There is much to do.

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Yes! They gave them EVERYTHING they asked for and the Trump cultists refused to pass it.

Tbh, I can't believe there is ANYONE "undecided" in this election. The choice is clear--the U.S. and DEMOCRACY must be saved! 🙏🏼🙏🏼

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Amen, Joan!

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Let's hold off the on popping the champagne. This is not a campaign. This is a goddamn war. First and foremost Kamala (or whoever) must say the forbidden unspeakable words ... he is a traitor who for his treasonous criminal acts belongs in jail, who has long since dropped any pretense of innocence instead pleading for immunity. She must hold Insane Clown for his clownish response to the pandemic fully responsible for the inflation that we are just now recovering from. She must hold Insane Clown who singlehandedly killed the bipartisan border security bill as the owner of the border crisis. She must state that ethnic cleansing is a labor of love for Insane Clown and that includes both legal and illegal immigrants. She must recite chapter and verse Project 25. She must recite all of Insane Clown's clownish acts as president who never for a minute took being president seriously. And finally Democrats must attach Insane Clown to Putin, a Putin worshipper and Putin wannabe. If instead she like all Democrats treats it as politics as usual complete with smiley faces sports metaphors and boring scripted nonsense, if it's all abortion abortion abortion, if she picks up on Biden's weak punches, ultra MAGA, anti-democracy, if she goes to pieces when Insane Clown mispronounces her name, if she vanishes like Hillary did in the face of Insane Clown's torrent of abuse, then this euphoria will rapidly fade and we will find ourselves again hopelessly behind and preparing for the Second Coming of Insane Clown. I'm not optimistic but I hope Kamala (or whoever) proves me wrong.

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Well said. The Dems need to get serious and go right after Donald. Like Harry Truman, "Tell the truth and they will think it's Hell." The DNC needs to take lessons from the Lincoln Project. Stop pussyfooting and get after it. Tell the truth with strength and conviction and don't let up for one second.

Donald is bought and paid for by the world's oligarchs. If Donald gets back into the WH, 330 million Americans will wake up in a nation that looks like Hungary or Russia or North Korea. Forget the Constitution and the Bill of Rights. Forget freedom of speech and the Press and religion. Forget equal justice in the courts.

Donald isn't hiding any of this. He and CPAC and the Heritage Foundation and MAGA World bow down to Viktor Orban, the little dictator who is oppressing 9 million Hungarians. And they bow down to Vladimir Putin who is killing 1,000 young Russian men per month for his ego!

Donald has 147 members of Congress and 6 Supreme Court Justices who will bless his campaign promise to hunt down, arrest and imprison 11 million men, women and children. And he will have the political cover from the Supreme Court to commit crimes in office. A ruler above the law.

This is not a difficult story for the Dems to tell. But they have to get serious and focused and attack and don't let up until Donald and his slimy crew crawl home.

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Spot on, Burke 🎯

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Tell the truth and shame the Devil.

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I agree. The gloves have to come off. Trump has so many points of vulnerability. Attack them. Attack him. He is a grotesque abomination. Say it out loud. And consider this strategy…laugh at him. He is a joke and a baby, and he would go apoplectic if Harris treated him as the joke he is.

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Like you, Adam and all your analysis but I have to root for Senator Kelly. He is a veteran like you and upstanding, also, his wife Gabby Gifford has a PAC for gun control and David Hogg(from Stoneman Douglas High School shooting) is pushing young people to vote for gun control so they would probably back Kelly

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And he’s an actual ASTRONAUT!

The contrast between Sen Kelly and Trump could hardly be more stark. Kelly’s relationship with former congress-woman Gabby Gifford not only survived the horrific assassination attempt (which killed several other people) and ensuing brain damage, but remains an almost symbiotic one (they operate as a team).

Would even his most slavish devotees imagine Trump doing the same with any of his wives? His history of vulgar playboy-ism, infidelity, sexual assault, and probably a treasure trove of ick that’ll be revealed when all the Jeffrey Epstein material is released, tell the story of his “character.”

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Adam has encouraged us to vote blue- Country First! A large block of Never Trumpers we are, for Kamala! I’m from Arizona- in for Kelly- still , surely there’s a Military Advisory position. Please- hope you and all the other disaffected Republicans, will spend the next 4 months spreading the truth about Trump. Many thanks

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I think Kelly would be an ideal VP choice

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Hoping that you're right, and yeah, a Harris-Kinzinger ticket would be awesome.

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I think Trump and his "team" might now be realizing that it was a mistake to pick Vance as a running mate. I believe they truly thought they had the election all wrapped up. Now that Biden has stepped aside, they may be regretting chosen someone so "out-there" and extreme, instead of a more moderate person (relatively speaking!) who could pull in the undecideds. Too late!

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The Trump Party is a complete fake. A scam. Every accusation is a confession. Maybe Lester Holt can start reporting the truth about Trump and the rest. Kamala will not let them lie to slander her. I would love to see MAGA fracture and hide under the nearest big rock.

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“Every accusation is a confession.”

Thank you!! I’m glad someone else noticed that. That would be an excellent comeback in a debate…

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Trump doesn't know how to debate any more than he knows how to preside. Yelling and lying is not debating. Trump and the rest are nothing but "intellectualy disadvantaged" criminals and Kamala knows how to prosecute criminals.

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The Grand Old Party is, to quote the 18 U.S. Code Chapter 95, a Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organization, and needs a good purgative and a scrub-out after this debacle. Mark Hanna done stole its soul.

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Thank you, Adam! I'm a little worried that because she's a woman of color, some people will be racist, but hopefully she can prove herself to those Americans. I also think if she picks a moderate Democrat as her running mate, she can get more independent and Republican voters. I love Joe Biden, but I'm glad he made the decision he did, though I am sure it was hard for him.

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I think the VP choice will be very important. I like Kinzinger on a unity ticket. I like Tim Ryan as Ohian who can communicate very well with red state voters. I like Doug Jones who comes from the reddest of all red states, Alabama. I worry about taking any Democrat out of the senate, which would happen with Kelly, although I guess Hobbes would appoint another Democrat.

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I think Mark Kelly would be a great choice.

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I'm starting to warm up to him. As a combat pilot he would stomp on Vance's PA service. He's current on senate dynamics and could be Harris' liason with Congress, and he could be the gun control advocate for the administration.

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I think Every Woman in America will vote for her( even if they tell their MAGA husband, they didn’t).

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I’m still afraid that because she’s a woman, a woman of color, and a sometimes aggressive progressive will make it harder to get the votes of conservatives who walk the party tightrope. That being said, I will gladly, proudly, and with gusto, vote for her. She is super smart and if 45 is brave enough (doubtful) to debate her she will SHRED him. I’m just sorry we didn’t get to see her do the same to Vance.

And yes, you do hear me laughing evilly right now. 😇

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Mandy, there is only one question here really: can she beat T? If you get all the women who want control of their own body to vote, all the men and women who don’t want a 20 year dictatorship to vote, all the men and women who want Trump held accountable for attempting to overthrow the election, kept highly classified documents in his bathroom and tried to have the VP not certify a fair election to vote, I think we have a pretty good shot, which hopefully will allay your fears! What do you think?

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Having served, it’s unfathonable that the hammer hasn’t come down

regards the criminal documents behavior

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I think I like the way you think, Bob! Thank you for giving us a bit of perspective. I don’t want to be negative in such an enlightening and uplifting space, but the problem I’m having is figuring out how to show my much loved family in TX that the facts you listed are true, and there’s no chain of conspiracies put in place by the democrats to persecute their poor Donnikins. It’s so disheartening! 45 proved he can successfully build a wall, but it isn’t keeping migrants out of the country. It’s keeping people from each other.

That said, I see here, and in other groups on Substack, and in my community as the minority prepares to keep boebert out of the House, that the ashes are still lit. Additionally, being able to converse with people who are in touch with reality is refreshing.

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Agree

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Randi Rhodes did call her “The Human Shredder” watch Randi on You tube M-F 3-5 pm

Awesome show. Smart lady. Takes phone calls

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And twisting your mustache! (A stick on one of course. 😜)

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lol I don’t know, we Scandinavian women can be pretty hairy!

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Silly goose! Btw, I've never thought or heard that about Scandinavian women.

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Really? My family just got lucky, then? 😆 I wonder if it’s regional…my mom’s people all fight excess hair, but a couple of us are next level.

Sorry, TMI, I’m sure! Ha! Oh, and it’s been years since anyone called me a silly goose. Took me right back to my childhood. ☺️

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Lol...Adam. i have to agree a Harris/Kinzinger ticket would be hard to beat. I believe in a mixed ticket such as that...no pressure ; )

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That’s definitely what we need to move toward, the parties working together again (like adults in every other job description have to do to keep our jobs) rather than turning the nation’s government into a giant…a giant tabloid! I would say soap opera, but it needs that element of flat out lies and bizarre tales.

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