Check this guy's tweets out. Harris/Walz might turn out to be the catalyst for the generational change we need. I always thought it was too late for America to go back from being this diverse, multi-racial 'we are all immigrants' of a country to a white supremacist autocracy like the trumpies want (it is like India under Modi wanting to eliminate the Muslim population or influence. Too late, you better embrace it to prosper together or suffer the consequences).
This is pretty interesting about how Tim Walz used map data to inform others how their policies were working -- this is really cool, makes me like Walz even more. If the feds are not doing this, they should. Imagine (this is the kind of visualization I wanted to see when I brought it up here months ago) if we collect this type of data about abortion services denial state/county by state/county, and present the culprits to public at large to show the chaos they have unleashed on the country. Or even just show the exodus of healthcare/OBGYN professionals on maps county by county, state by state and other info.
He absolutely was/is conflicted about it. It took him up until just about 1-2 months ago to even utter the word, abortion. I called the WH 2x complaining about that. Biden was never going to be the advocate or champion that women need on this issue.
I agree that Biden may have been conflicted on abortion. Still, he was supportive of reproductive rights. I don't know Harris ' religious leanings, but Walz may be Lutheran, and the largest Lutheran denomination (ELCA) does support a woman's agency and right to abortion.
I learned about the case from Brendan Pierson, "GOP States' Effort to Restrict Abortion Pill Rebuffed By Appeals Court," (Reuters.com July 24, 2024), https;//www.reuters.com/legal/government/gop-states-effort-restrict-a[..]. On July 24, the Ninth Circuit decided State of Washington et.al., v. US FDA, No. 23-35294. It's also discussed in Lawyers for Good Government's Reproductive Health Digest.
Seven states (Idaho, Iowa, Montana, Nebraska, South Carolina, Texas, and Utah) asked to intervene (i.e., to participate in the case) in a case in the Washington State federal court. This case was brought by 12 Democratic attorneys general (yes, that is the proper plural of attorney general) sued to LIFT restrictions imposed on sales of mifepristone, such as requiring pharmacies to have a special certification to dispense it, and to prevent other restrictions from being imposed.
The lowest level of federal courts is the district court. The District Court for the District of Washington kicked the suit to the curb, ruling that, to apply the technical legal term, it was none of the plaintiffs' goddamn business. That is, they were not injured in any way by the FDA permitting mifepristone to be prescribed by telemedicine without an in-person visit to a doctor. (The FDA initially allowed this because of the COVID-19 pandemic, but made the rule permanent in 2023.) The Ninth Circuit agreed with the district court.
The states that were the plaintiffs in this case said that they were injured by having to incur higher medical costs under their Medicaid programs when more mifepristone patients were injured because they took the drug without consulting a doctor. The district court and Ninth Circuit said this was nonsense and anyway the mere fact that an entity pays for medical treatment doesn't give it the right to challenge FDA approvals of drugs.
This is pretty much the opposite of what Matthew Kacsmaryk's position in the case brought by Idaho,Missouri, and Kansas that got to the Supreme Court, which punted it back down without making a decision on the merits of the validity of the FDA regulations: FDA v. Alliance for Hippocratic Medicine, 602 US 367 (2024).
Forgot to say yesterday that I found the Resnick article through the Lawyers for Good Government newsletter--the link for (free) subscriptions is https://lawyersforgoodgovernment.org/reprodigest?.
Several organizations, including the Democracy for America Advocacy Fund, are highlighting that the House Appropriations Committee has voted to end all funding for Title X family planning and healthcare services--which would deprive 2.6 million low-income families not only of contraception and HIV testing and treatment, infertility care, and cancer screenings. There is a campaign for contacting your representative to urge them to prevent Title X from being defunded: https://actionnetwork.org/letters/heads-up-project-2025-is-already-underway. (It would not be surprising if y'all are on e-mail lists from several organizations working on this.)
It occurs to me that a lot of people were worried about Biden dropping out because they didn't think Harris could handle being the nominee. And she's only gone on to have an incredible start that I think has beaten everyone's expectations, including her fans. So I'm not sure the pundits have as strong of a pulse on America as they think they do. Time will tell 🤞
Agree, I have had my doubts, even expressed it here, but she has done very well and exceeded my expectations. She has used what might be seen as her idiosyncrasies into something advantageous for herself and for the moment.
It's possible she learned a lot from the presidential bid that didn't go well. Different circumstance, trying to position in a Democratic primary, but still. Many presidents lost an election early on. Obama lost a primary to Bobby Rush eight years before he was elected president, Clinton lost his first reelection campaign as governor of Arkansas, Carter had a failed gubernatorial run in 1966, and there are lots of Republican examples (both Bushes, Reagan, Nixon).
I am not even going that far back about her transformation. Even her recent repro rights speeches were awkward (IMO) but something has changed since Biden dropped out. Everything is better and stronger. Her stump speech is excellent.
Necessity is the mother of invention. Fwiw I had read somewhere that she had been very deferential to Biden and the administration because she never wanted anyone to think she was a rival or not a team player; she didn't seek to build up her own power base. Now she's free of that.
Absolutely! Democrats cannot afford to let the perfect be the enemy of the good. That led to disaster in 2016. Harris and Walz have a positive and progressive vision for the future. We can quibble over details and negotiate after the election.
Oh I think conservatives know abortion is losing them the country. The thing is, there are Christian Nationalists, and then there are the rest of the Republicans (the latter group being ordinary dirtbags, rather than theocratic dirtbags). They know the CNs are batshit insane, but they've long since lost their ability to do anything about it, since they rely on churches for GOTV, volunteers, etc. So they bury their heads in the sand, try to pretend it's not an issue, desperately look for a talking point that will hide the reality, and so forth. It ain't working :)
Love the Walz pick. She chose someone with a very different background from her own. That says to me she knows where her blind spots may be, and wants to make sure they're covered when she's making decisions. That's very smart.
Walz polled really well with young progressive voters, Kelly comes of stiff and a bit conservative, and Shapiro was way too close to Israel and doesn't have a problem with the carnage there.
And you summed it up brilliantly with "regular dirtbags and theocratic dirtbags!"
The rest of the GOP firmly believe that should a woman in their family need an abortion that they will always be able to discreetly arrange a termination. Send the wife/daughter/mistress off for a refreshing spa weekend.
The despicable laws that they sign off on don't apply to them.
I’m watching the Philly rally too. The cheers after the abortion issue was THE LOUDEST AND LONGEST!!!! Yup Jessica… GOP will lose the election due to abortion. I’m encouraged but we still have work to do 👏👏💪
I am so happy she chose Walz. He’s relatable, he communicates well, and he represents rural progressivism, which we need to see more of in the Democratic Party. Yay, Kamala, for a great and savvy pick!!!!
I’m confident that Harris, Walz and their teams will have great retorts and rebuttals ready to go asap. I also expect some fab zingers from Walz. He’s a great pick - exudes hope and positivity.
DJT and JD appear more and more hateful, negative and depressing every minute. They’re endlessly whining about WW3 - give me an effing break.
Well, I wouldn’t call it WWIII, but I am extremely worried that our leaders; the President, Blinken, & Congress are allowing the warmonger nut case Netanyahu to drag us into a full blown war in the Middle East.
He comes over here & gives an address to Congress that was, imo, very aggressive, scolding toward Biden, & pro-war. He didn’t mention getting the hostages out, & now he’s gone & done these 2 strikes inside Iran & Lebanon. It sure seems like he’s thumbing his nose at anyone in the US who would dare try & rein him in at all, & instead he’s deliberately poking & poking at Iran.
I think he wants to start a war with Iran knowing that the US will be forced to come to their aid.
So no, I don’t think Biden & Harris are trying to start WW3, but I do think Netanyahu is.
I think you are right. Bibi the butcher has nothing to lose, as long as the war goes on, he stays out of jail. So he has no incentive to stop the carnage.
Check this guy's tweets out. Harris/Walz might turn out to be the catalyst for the generational change we need. I always thought it was too late for America to go back from being this diverse, multi-racial 'we are all immigrants' of a country to a white supremacist autocracy like the trumpies want (it is like India under Modi wanting to eliminate the Muslim population or influence. Too late, you better embrace it to prosper together or suffer the consequences).
https://x.com/AnandWrites/with_replies
Saw the link below in a tweet (from @jsrailton seen from @emptywheel twitter feed)
https://x.com/jsrailton/status/1821192407628837091
This is pretty interesting about how Tim Walz used map data to inform others how their policies were working -- this is really cool, makes me like Walz even more. If the feds are not doing this, they should. Imagine (this is the kind of visualization I wanted to see when I brought it up here months ago) if we collect this type of data about abortion services denial state/county by state/county, and present the culprits to public at large to show the chaos they have unleashed on the country. Or even just show the exodus of healthcare/OBGYN professionals on maps county by county, state by state and other info.
https://experience.arcgis.com/experience/c44d98d602804d6d885af299ac5db754
related. Check this thread out...
https://x.com/_cingraham/status/1820901195445362854
Abortion should be the issue that loses the nrepublicans the country. They don't deserve any authority here.
As a practicing Catholic, Biden may have been conflicted in supporting the pro-choice agenda.
I don't know the religious leanings of the Harris/Walz ticket, but given their history, I think we're in a much better position to win now.
He absolutely was/is conflicted about it. It took him up until just about 1-2 months ago to even utter the word, abortion. I called the WH 2x complaining about that. Biden was never going to be the advocate or champion that women need on this issue.
I agree that Biden may have been conflicted on abortion. Still, he was supportive of reproductive rights. I don't know Harris ' religious leanings, but Walz may be Lutheran, and the largest Lutheran denomination (ELCA) does support a woman's agency and right to abortion.
"Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America released a statement calling Harris-Walz 'the most pro-abortion Democratic ticket yet.'"
Tell it like it is, Susan B!
Yes, and that is what most Americans want.
And this childless cat lady approves!
I learned about the case from Brendan Pierson, "GOP States' Effort to Restrict Abortion Pill Rebuffed By Appeals Court," (Reuters.com July 24, 2024), https;//www.reuters.com/legal/government/gop-states-effort-restrict-a[..]. On July 24, the Ninth Circuit decided State of Washington et.al., v. US FDA, No. 23-35294. It's also discussed in Lawyers for Good Government's Reproductive Health Digest.
Seven states (Idaho, Iowa, Montana, Nebraska, South Carolina, Texas, and Utah) asked to intervene (i.e., to participate in the case) in a case in the Washington State federal court. This case was brought by 12 Democratic attorneys general (yes, that is the proper plural of attorney general) sued to LIFT restrictions imposed on sales of mifepristone, such as requiring pharmacies to have a special certification to dispense it, and to prevent other restrictions from being imposed.
The lowest level of federal courts is the district court. The District Court for the District of Washington kicked the suit to the curb, ruling that, to apply the technical legal term, it was none of the plaintiffs' goddamn business. That is, they were not injured in any way by the FDA permitting mifepristone to be prescribed by telemedicine without an in-person visit to a doctor. (The FDA initially allowed this because of the COVID-19 pandemic, but made the rule permanent in 2023.) The Ninth Circuit agreed with the district court.
The states that were the plaintiffs in this case said that they were injured by having to incur higher medical costs under their Medicaid programs when more mifepristone patients were injured because they took the drug without consulting a doctor. The district court and Ninth Circuit said this was nonsense and anyway the mere fact that an entity pays for medical treatment doesn't give it the right to challenge FDA approvals of drugs.
This is pretty much the opposite of what Matthew Kacsmaryk's position in the case brought by Idaho,Missouri, and Kansas that got to the Supreme Court, which punted it back down without making a decision on the merits of the validity of the FDA regulations: FDA v. Alliance for Hippocratic Medicine, 602 US 367 (2024).
Forgot to say yesterday that I found the Resnick article through the Lawyers for Good Government newsletter--the link for (free) subscriptions is https://lawyersforgoodgovernment.org/reprodigest?.
Several organizations, including the Democracy for America Advocacy Fund, are highlighting that the House Appropriations Committee has voted to end all funding for Title X family planning and healthcare services--which would deprive 2.6 million low-income families not only of contraception and HIV testing and treatment, infertility care, and cancer screenings. There is a campaign for contacting your representative to urge them to prevent Title X from being defunded: https://actionnetwork.org/letters/heads-up-project-2025-is-already-underway. (It would not be surprising if y'all are on e-mail lists from several organizations working on this.)
This should be FRONT page news everywhere. It's also great campaign ad for all democrats.
"Mind your own damn business!" - TW.
Mind your own fucking business, I add.
I had noticed this line in his other speeches but I agree with Lawrence that that line is apt for our fight here.
Harris and Walz just delivered pitch perfect home run speeches in Philadelphia.
I think Walz is a great choice!!! I have noticed some writers in Substack have a negative take and that pisses me off!!
He is by far the most progressive one, and the younger voters (who we need) love him.
Me too 🧐
It occurs to me that a lot of people were worried about Biden dropping out because they didn't think Harris could handle being the nominee. And she's only gone on to have an incredible start that I think has beaten everyone's expectations, including her fans. So I'm not sure the pundits have as strong of a pulse on America as they think they do. Time will tell 🤞
🎯Yes, and they tend to constantly pan abortion as not being a big motivating factor, and we know it is one of the biggest!
Agree, I have had my doubts, even expressed it here, but she has done very well and exceeded my expectations. She has used what might be seen as her idiosyncrasies into something advantageous for herself and for the moment.
It's possible she learned a lot from the presidential bid that didn't go well. Different circumstance, trying to position in a Democratic primary, but still. Many presidents lost an election early on. Obama lost a primary to Bobby Rush eight years before he was elected president, Clinton lost his first reelection campaign as governor of Arkansas, Carter had a failed gubernatorial run in 1966, and there are lots of Republican examples (both Bushes, Reagan, Nixon).
I am not even going that far back about her transformation. Even her recent repro rights speeches were awkward (IMO) but something has changed since Biden dropped out. Everything is better and stronger. Her stump speech is excellent.
My guess is she got the best campaign advisors our side has to offer.
I feel she can be free to be her strong assertive and authentic self. In my opinion 👏🤗🥰
Necessity is the mother of invention. Fwiw I had read somewhere that she had been very deferential to Biden and the administration because she never wanted anyone to think she was a rival or not a team player; she didn't seek to build up her own power base. Now she's free of that.
We need to be unified, not sniping at each other!! Yay!!
Absolutely! Democrats cannot afford to let the perfect be the enemy of the good. That led to disaster in 2016. Harris and Walz have a positive and progressive vision for the future. We can quibble over details and negotiate after the election.
Oh I think conservatives know abortion is losing them the country. The thing is, there are Christian Nationalists, and then there are the rest of the Republicans (the latter group being ordinary dirtbags, rather than theocratic dirtbags). They know the CNs are batshit insane, but they've long since lost their ability to do anything about it, since they rely on churches for GOTV, volunteers, etc. So they bury their heads in the sand, try to pretend it's not an issue, desperately look for a talking point that will hide the reality, and so forth. It ain't working :)
Love the Walz pick. She chose someone with a very different background from her own. That says to me she knows where her blind spots may be, and wants to make sure they're covered when she's making decisions. That's very smart.
Walz polled really well with young progressive voters, Kelly comes of stiff and a bit conservative, and Shapiro was way too close to Israel and doesn't have a problem with the carnage there.
And you summed it up brilliantly with "regular dirtbags and theocratic dirtbags!"
The rest of the GOP firmly believe that should a woman in their family need an abortion that they will always be able to discreetly arrange a termination. Send the wife/daughter/mistress off for a refreshing spa weekend.
The despicable laws that they sign off on don't apply to them.
😂
Marcy, I am seeing that vibe I have been waiting for take shape, that vibe 'not in my country, no you won't' sort aimed at trump and his minions! :)
Listening to the Philly rally for Harris/Walz while I read your column. It inspires me. WE ARE NOT GOING BACK
I’m watching the Philly rally too. The cheers after the abortion issue was THE LOUDEST AND LONGEST!!!! Yup Jessica… GOP will lose the election due to abortion. I’m encouraged but we still have work to do 👏👏💪
I am so happy she chose Walz. He’s relatable, he communicates well, and he represents rural progressivism, which we need to see more of in the Democratic Party. Yay, Kamala, for a great and savvy pick!!!!
What’s radical is taking women’s rights away.
I’m confident that Harris, Walz and their teams will have great retorts and rebuttals ready to go asap. I also expect some fab zingers from Walz. He’s a great pick - exudes hope and positivity.
DJT and JD appear more and more hateful, negative and depressing every minute. They’re endlessly whining about WW3 - give me an effing break.
Well, I wouldn’t call it WWIII, but I am extremely worried that our leaders; the President, Blinken, & Congress are allowing the warmonger nut case Netanyahu to drag us into a full blown war in the Middle East.
He comes over here & gives an address to Congress that was, imo, very aggressive, scolding toward Biden, & pro-war. He didn’t mention getting the hostages out, & now he’s gone & done these 2 strikes inside Iran & Lebanon. It sure seems like he’s thumbing his nose at anyone in the US who would dare try & rein him in at all, & instead he’s deliberately poking & poking at Iran.
I think he wants to start a war with Iran knowing that the US will be forced to come to their aid.
So no, I don’t think Biden & Harris are trying to start WW3, but I do think Netanyahu is.
I think you are right. Bibi the butcher has nothing to lose, as long as the war goes on, he stays out of jail. So he has no incentive to stop the carnage.
It certainly looks good right now, and since we're only 90 days out it's gonna be hard for the gop to backtrack,