Hey Jamie, you’ve been doing some great work on the campaign, thanks.
A couple of anecdotal stories about phone banking via the Harris Florida campaign:
1. An independent told me he would not vote for Harris to teach the dems a lesson about Gaza. I explained that trump has proven he’d be infinitely worse than Harris for both America and Gaza and he agreed, but he really thought Harris needed to lose to fix the dems. Jeez.
2. A democrat said she’d never vote for Harris because she spent all the NC hurricane relief funds on immigrants.
3. Multiple republicans who were really angry that Harris had people calling in Florida. How did I get their number? Who said I could call? Why was I working for an admitted communist?
4. Apart from those few (out of hundreds? thousands?), EVERYONE was joyous about telling a stranger what their voting plan was, and how excited they were to vote for Harris/Walz. Walz is a BIG favorite.
5. According to the daily stats, hundreds of thousands of calls are being made in Florida a day,
all of them speaking about Harris, Powell (against Rick Scott) and the abortion ballot issue. A very strong and organized grassroots campaign, at least from the point of view of one little cog.
The polls don’t show it, but I have a good feeling about Florida, at least for Powell & the Abortion Amendment (she’s tied herself to it well). Hey, if it could happen in Iowa…
I've been reading articles that the GOP has ceded a ground game / GOTV efforts instead relying on a Musk super PAC that was recently excoriated in a Wired article. Is this essentially a one-sided when it comes down to the traditional GOTV efforts of calling voters, door knocking, absentee ballots tracking, etc. Because that seems like a big thing for the GOP to be just wholesale ignoring.
I was fully prepared to vote for anyone but Trump.
Yes women's reproductive health was part of that, and his misogyny more broadly. But it's also his affection for dictators and desire to be one. And his need to be seen as the best at everything, even when we know he is a failed businessman, and frankly, not very bright. I blame him directly for the loss of too many lives during the pandemic. The list of reasons to not want Trump is too long to write here.
Then along came Kamala. She is smart, and funny, and kind, and thoughtful. She is also tough, and determined, and successful, and presidential. I joyfully cast my vote for Kamala Harris on the first day of early voting in Georgia. I desperately hope the pollsters are wrong and she wins with an overwhelming margin.
Jamie the first thing I thought of when I heard about "the end of the fluoridation of public water supplies" was General Jack D. Ripper in Dr. Strangelove it was General Jack D. Ripper in person, I couldn't stop laughing.... The more I thought about Trump's campaign is just like the movie Dr. Strangelove. With all the stupidity and paranoia while holding the fate of the world in one person's hands. I didn't laugh after that.
This is personal for women. All women. Every month, sexually active woman worry about pregnancy. Even with birth control. The fear of being pregnant when you don’t want to be: whether you are mid-career or already have your family, or if you do not want children, is an ever-present possibility. To have your government tell you how to live based on the decisions of six SCOTUS robes and equally provincial controlling state legislatures? No. We’re not going back.
Exactly. And even though I am past child bearing, the existence of these laws says to me that I am less than a man because a female body can be coopted to "preserve life" when a male body cannot be. Not legally. But when men are totally capable of donating blood, marrow, and one kidney each -- all much less risky and damaging than a single pregnancy and labor -- the law doesn't require it. Because clearly, men's bodies are their own.
To answer your question: The number one factor driving my vote is to close the door on Donald Trump. But given a list of issues, reproductive rights is number one for me.
My 33 yr old sister is voting for the first time (Harris) because of abortion. She lives in Hawaii, so not a swing state.
My mother (GA resident) votED Harris and Dems because of Jan 6th, abortion, and she likes the two senators. This is someone that voted red in 2016 and ripped up her absentee ballot in 2020 after I berated her about believing post birth abortion propaganda. She has changed her view on abortion (again) because she didn't like how GA pushed it through without debate. This is what she told me yesterday.
Jamie, I'm not applying to be your editor, but can we talk more about Kennedy's brain worm and affection for eating road kill? Of all of Trump's upside down appointments, Kennedy over Health and Human Services would have to be the most insane.
I have two daughters and I cannot bear that my grand-daughter lives in a world with fewer rights than I had. I had a miscarriage before my first daughter was born and I required a medical procedure now all but banned in Red States. Under today's laws, I could have developed sepsis, lost my ability to bear children--which I WANTED--or potentially died because MY life holds no value to Republicans. Dobbs is definitely driving my vote--and my daughters.
I attended my first political rally as an attendee on Saturday in Atlanta (traditionally, I’ve ever only been at a political event because an assignment editor decided it needed to be covered). But the Harris rally was being held a few steps from where we live so we went. The info in today’s newsletter reflects what I saw there — this election will likely be decided by two things — women turning out and reproductive rights. Women of all ages and backgrounds were there in force. And they were there to work too — getting out the vote, talking issues, recruiting weekend door knockers and poll drivers for Tuesday. Another group that hasn’t really gotten a lot of attention? The many many members of Alpha Kappa Alpha, Harris’ sorority. HBCU women are mobilized for her.
One other thing stood out for me — the clockwork with which the event happened (It didn’t hurt the rally had hired Big Tigger to DJ and keep things moving). It was tightly choreographed. I’ve spent a lot of time over the years cooling my heels waiting for the money quotes to arrive. The rally had a stop of 2 pm. The last photo on my phone of Harris departing the stage was snapped at 2:02 pm.
The number of times Trump has rallies starting an hour, two hours late is astounding to me. Like…what’s he doing behind the scenes that is causing a lte start? If it happens once or twice in a campaign season, understandable. But a handful of times in the last few weeks??
Yes! I was thinking about the Trump rallies and all the late starts. The Harris campaign logistics were impressive, down to the timing of the snipers emerging on the roof of the Civic Center.
I’ve been voting most every election for a while now and normally across party lines. I could never vote for Trump. I have felt that way since 2016 and the book of “reasons why I would never vote for Trump” has continued to grow through the years. In a nutshell the #1 reason: he’s always pretended to be a wannabe mob boss with no moral compass who can be easily manipulated with his frail ego and no one is safe around him who is not willing to kiss his ring
That being said, I’ve never really been passionate about being politically involved, just politically informed, until the over turning of Roe v Wade. Before then, I voted, had occasionally written letters to congress people, senators, governors, and/or mayors, made donations, etc. on various issues, but after the over turn, it’s pushed me to do more like:
*after RvW was over turned, I joined a local march: made posters, waived signs, etc,
*later I joined a march for our lives march: made posters, waived signs, etc
*for this election I bought my first political yard signs: Veteran for Kamala, Never Forget Jan 6, and just for fun: Cats for Kamala.
*for this election I also wrote 200 postcards and sent them to voters in OH & AZ.
*I made sure to early vote and brought my family with me and all voted for Kamala (even my mom who is a devout Catholic though i could not convince her to vote yes on amendment 4 in FL but I’ll still consider it a win)
Abortion is an incredibly nuanced issue that impacts mostly women, but everyone else too. It’s never been about “free for all killing babies” and anyone who claims that’s all pro-choice folks care about need to put down the kool-aid.
Abortion is not my top issue. I am pro-choice and, without going into details, have thousands of hours under my belt with women who find themselves pregnant (or fearing pregnancy) under difficult circumstances. For them, I vote against those who seek to divide, who seek to speak of others with gross language, who brings out the worst of others, who talk about what acts they inflict on others because they “can”. I vote for good & affordable access to healthcare. I vote for those whose speech reflects my own way of talking to and about others. I vote against the idea that anyone who stands in the way of what I want is my enemy.
While abortion isn’t my #1 vote, it’s an ever-present cloud over my decisions.
("It seems clear now that we are under sampling women, African Americans, and the City of Detroit based on absentee ballot returns and early voting," the poll notes. In other words, the race is developing differently than their initial assumptions.) - which means the poll is totally wrong. :)
Col. Bat Guano!
Hey Jamie, you’ve been doing some great work on the campaign, thanks.
A couple of anecdotal stories about phone banking via the Harris Florida campaign:
1. An independent told me he would not vote for Harris to teach the dems a lesson about Gaza. I explained that trump has proven he’d be infinitely worse than Harris for both America and Gaza and he agreed, but he really thought Harris needed to lose to fix the dems. Jeez.
2. A democrat said she’d never vote for Harris because she spent all the NC hurricane relief funds on immigrants.
3. Multiple republicans who were really angry that Harris had people calling in Florida. How did I get their number? Who said I could call? Why was I working for an admitted communist?
4. Apart from those few (out of hundreds? thousands?), EVERYONE was joyous about telling a stranger what their voting plan was, and how excited they were to vote for Harris/Walz. Walz is a BIG favorite.
5. According to the daily stats, hundreds of thousands of calls are being made in Florida a day,
all of them speaking about Harris, Powell (against Rick Scott) and the abortion ballot issue. A very strong and organized grassroots campaign, at least from the point of view of one little cog.
The polls don’t show it, but I have a good feeling about Florida, at least for Powell & the Abortion Amendment (she’s tied herself to it well). Hey, if it could happen in Iowa…
Thanks for the report, Steve. We hear these stories from Democrats, but not Republicans. You never know.
I've been reading articles that the GOP has ceded a ground game / GOTV efforts instead relying on a Musk super PAC that was recently excoriated in a Wired article. Is this essentially a one-sided when it comes down to the traditional GOTV efforts of calling voters, door knocking, absentee ballots tracking, etc. Because that seems like a big thing for the GOP to be just wholesale ignoring.
Living in purple suburban Atlanta I am shocked (and pleased) that we have had not one ground game person in our neighborhood this season.
As a father of 3 daughters, women’s rights are important to me. I’m a republican who voted democrat.
I was fully prepared to vote for anyone but Trump.
Yes women's reproductive health was part of that, and his misogyny more broadly. But it's also his affection for dictators and desire to be one. And his need to be seen as the best at everything, even when we know he is a failed businessman, and frankly, not very bright. I blame him directly for the loss of too many lives during the pandemic. The list of reasons to not want Trump is too long to write here.
Then along came Kamala. She is smart, and funny, and kind, and thoughtful. She is also tough, and determined, and successful, and presidential. I joyfully cast my vote for Kamala Harris on the first day of early voting in Georgia. I desperately hope the pollsters are wrong and she wins with an overwhelming margin.
Jamie the first thing I thought of when I heard about "the end of the fluoridation of public water supplies" was General Jack D. Ripper in Dr. Strangelove it was General Jack D. Ripper in person, I couldn't stop laughing.... The more I thought about Trump's campaign is just like the movie Dr. Strangelove. With all the stupidity and paranoia while holding the fate of the world in one person's hands. I didn't laugh after that.
This is personal for women. All women. Every month, sexually active woman worry about pregnancy. Even with birth control. The fear of being pregnant when you don’t want to be: whether you are mid-career or already have your family, or if you do not want children, is an ever-present possibility. To have your government tell you how to live based on the decisions of six SCOTUS robes and equally provincial controlling state legislatures? No. We’re not going back.
Exactly. And even though I am past child bearing, the existence of these laws says to me that I am less than a man because a female body can be coopted to "preserve life" when a male body cannot be. Not legally. But when men are totally capable of donating blood, marrow, and one kidney each -- all much less risky and damaging than a single pregnancy and labor -- the law doesn't require it. Because clearly, men's bodies are their own.
It makes me furious.
To answer your question: The number one factor driving my vote is to close the door on Donald Trump. But given a list of issues, reproductive rights is number one for me.
My 33 yr old sister is voting for the first time (Harris) because of abortion. She lives in Hawaii, so not a swing state.
My mother (GA resident) votED Harris and Dems because of Jan 6th, abortion, and she likes the two senators. This is someone that voted red in 2016 and ripped up her absentee ballot in 2020 after I berated her about believing post birth abortion propaganda. She has changed her view on abortion (again) because she didn't like how GA pushed it through without debate. This is what she told me yesterday.
Jamie, I'm not applying to be your editor, but can we talk more about Kennedy's brain worm and affection for eating road kill? Of all of Trump's upside down appointments, Kennedy over Health and Human Services would have to be the most insane.
The fact that the nation received multiple breaking news alerts Sunday about vaccines and fluoride tells you how truly nuts the Trump closing is.
Although now Trump wants Herschel Walker to oversee our nukes, I think? He's insane.
I have two daughters and I cannot bear that my grand-daughter lives in a world with fewer rights than I had. I had a miscarriage before my first daughter was born and I required a medical procedure now all but banned in Red States. Under today's laws, I could have developed sepsis, lost my ability to bear children--which I WANTED--or potentially died because MY life holds no value to Republicans. Dobbs is definitely driving my vote--and my daughters.
I attended my first political rally as an attendee on Saturday in Atlanta (traditionally, I’ve ever only been at a political event because an assignment editor decided it needed to be covered). But the Harris rally was being held a few steps from where we live so we went. The info in today’s newsletter reflects what I saw there — this election will likely be decided by two things — women turning out and reproductive rights. Women of all ages and backgrounds were there in force. And they were there to work too — getting out the vote, talking issues, recruiting weekend door knockers and poll drivers for Tuesday. Another group that hasn’t really gotten a lot of attention? The many many members of Alpha Kappa Alpha, Harris’ sorority. HBCU women are mobilized for her.
One other thing stood out for me — the clockwork with which the event happened (It didn’t hurt the rally had hired Big Tigger to DJ and keep things moving). It was tightly choreographed. I’ve spent a lot of time over the years cooling my heels waiting for the money quotes to arrive. The rally had a stop of 2 pm. The last photo on my phone of Harris departing the stage was snapped at 2:02 pm.
The number of times Trump has rallies starting an hour, two hours late is astounding to me. Like…what’s he doing behind the scenes that is causing a lte start? If it happens once or twice in a campaign season, understandable. But a handful of times in the last few weeks??
Yes! I was thinking about the Trump rallies and all the late starts. The Harris campaign logistics were impressive, down to the timing of the snipers emerging on the roof of the Civic Center.
I’m guessing you just don’t understand the time it takes to completely replace his blood with that of a toddler.
What, you thought he spoke like a child with his own rotted black blood, coursing through is veins?
I’ve been voting most every election for a while now and normally across party lines. I could never vote for Trump. I have felt that way since 2016 and the book of “reasons why I would never vote for Trump” has continued to grow through the years. In a nutshell the #1 reason: he’s always pretended to be a wannabe mob boss with no moral compass who can be easily manipulated with his frail ego and no one is safe around him who is not willing to kiss his ring
That being said, I’ve never really been passionate about being politically involved, just politically informed, until the over turning of Roe v Wade. Before then, I voted, had occasionally written letters to congress people, senators, governors, and/or mayors, made donations, etc. on various issues, but after the over turn, it’s pushed me to do more like:
*after RvW was over turned, I joined a local march: made posters, waived signs, etc,
*later I joined a march for our lives march: made posters, waived signs, etc
*for this election I bought my first political yard signs: Veteran for Kamala, Never Forget Jan 6, and just for fun: Cats for Kamala.
*for this election I also wrote 200 postcards and sent them to voters in OH & AZ.
*I made sure to early vote and brought my family with me and all voted for Kamala (even my mom who is a devout Catholic though i could not convince her to vote yes on amendment 4 in FL but I’ll still consider it a win)
Abortion is an incredibly nuanced issue that impacts mostly women, but everyone else too. It’s never been about “free for all killing babies” and anyone who claims that’s all pro-choice folks care about need to put down the kool-aid.
Abortion is not my top issue. I am pro-choice and, without going into details, have thousands of hours under my belt with women who find themselves pregnant (or fearing pregnancy) under difficult circumstances. For them, I vote against those who seek to divide, who seek to speak of others with gross language, who brings out the worst of others, who talk about what acts they inflict on others because they “can”. I vote for good & affordable access to healthcare. I vote for those whose speech reflects my own way of talking to and about others. I vote against the idea that anyone who stands in the way of what I want is my enemy.
While abortion isn’t my #1 vote, it’s an ever-present cloud over my decisions.
("It seems clear now that we are under sampling women, African Americans, and the City of Detroit based on absentee ballot returns and early voting," the poll notes. In other words, the race is developing differently than their initial assumptions.) - which means the poll is totally wrong. :)
Exactly! That's a lot of undersampling
I was undecided but now that I hear that Trump is anti Fluoride that makes my vote clear.
I have a wife and two grown daughters and abortion rights are at the top of our voting issues, tied with saving democracy fron a dictator.