Joy to the world

The first thing Tim Walz said to Kamala Harris on stage yesterday in Philadelphia was: “Thank you for bringing back the joy.” And she has, from her first public appearance after Joe Biden threw his support behind her as the Democratic nominee, Kamala Harris has brought joy.

The laughter that drives the Wankmaggot crazy. (As far as I know, he has never been seen laughing, which is hardly surprising. He may have a tremendous sense of entitlement, but there is no evidence that he has any sense of humour.)  The genuine smile. Her ability to connect with people.

Pundits are making much of the transformation of in recent weeks of the vice president. Those pundits really have not been paying attention. All those qualities were clearly visible in 2019 when she threw her name into the crowded ring for the 2020 Democratic nomination. (She was an early favourite of mine and I shook my head in disappointment when her campaign came to an end after the debates and before the first primary in Iowa.) Those qualities were also obvious during the 2020 vice-residential debate. There were no flies on her. (Although, memorably, there was one on Mike Pence.)

That woman has been there all along, guys.

And then, yesterday, this.

Thank you, Madame Vice President for following the advice I offered you a couple of days ago. (I’m sure it made all the difference.) You picked the right guy. Tim Walz is perfect – folksy, charming and not afraid to throw very humorous punches. As one wag quickly pointed out on Facebook (and everyone watching immediately felt)…

Andy Borowitz, on whom you can always depend, had this out soon after.

Oh, and by the way, in case you hadn’t noticed, the link provided above of Walz’s speech was from Fox News. Yes, his speech was aired in full. (Okay, it was the Minneapolis affiliate and he is the governor there. No idea if the speech got the same treatment elsewhere on Faux News. No idea either what sort of vitriol their commentators spewed after the speech, but I’d like to think that at least some of their viewers were shaking their heads and wishing Walz was the Republican candidate.

Down in Florida, the Tangerine Wankmaggot was no doubt shitting his pants. Meanwhile in New York, MSNBC hosts were peeing their pants with excitement. The same adjective was used to describe the Philly rally over and over again: joyous. Everyone loves the coach. No one more so, it was obvious yesterday, than Kamala Harris.

Lawrence O’Donnell was particularly struck by this.

The Democrats, O’Donnell pointed out, have been trying for years to nail down the language they should be using to tackle the issue of abortion rights. “Pro Choice” and “reproductive rights” were all very well, as far as they went, but they weren’t a sucker punch. It wasn’t until yesterday that the governor of Minnesota nailed it, telling Republicans they should “mind your own damn business”. Yes, that one will run and run. The whole basis of the Roe v Wade ruling was, after all, the right to privacy.

I cannot wait to see the Democratic convention. Obviously I’m looking forward to the Obamas, but even more I want to see what’s on offer instead of the clapped out country singer and wrestler who were the “celebrity” guests in Milwaukee. I’m going to take a punt on Beyoncé. Maybe even that notorious cat lady Taylor Swift. And who knows? Perhaps, after getting a shout out from Walz yesterday, Springsteen will turn up.

Yes, the stars really do seem to be aligned. History really could be made. In any sane democracy it would be a slam dunk. (As someone said yesterday, it’s your fun aunt and fun uncle versus your felon uncle and creepy cousin.) But the USA is not a sane democracy. There’s the ludicrous, rigged electoral college to overcome. If anyone can do it, it’s these two.

I knew Walz would be the perfect counterpoint for Harris. The only thing that took me by surprise yesterday was this.

How is that possible? Had to check. It’s (nearly) true. Walz turned 60 in April. Harris will turn 60 in October. Oh, well, never mind. Sixty is, after all, the new forty.