Trump is the cranky old man.
Kamala Harris is the new, fresh face.
I am seeing a lot of videos of Kamala Harris smiling and laughing and enjoying this moment.
I had worried that she didn't seem serious enough. Commentators were making fun of her laugh. I have changed my mind. Stay happy and optimistic. Let Trump keep talking about carnage. Let Trump keep talking about the last election. Let Trump keep looking back to a former America. Let old men criticize her laugh.
Until Biden dropped out, I didn't fully comprehend that Trump is old, too. Trump is crazy old. There is a mental template that Trump fits into neatly -- the belligerent and vile old man. Trump is the old man shaking his fist at monsters.
Kamala Harris seems younger than her age, 59.
Apparently Kamala Harris is "brat." Being brat, I have learned, is a good thing. A British pop singer named Charli XCX-- yes, that is her name -- tweeted that "kamala is brat." Young people have picked that up. Brat apparently means self-actualizing and willful, a little bit sassy. "Sassy," too, is a good thing. Charlie XCX said brat is “a pack of cigs, a Bic lighter, a strappy white top with no bra." In the context of Kamala Harris, it means Kamala Harris has broken out from under the thumb of old men and is now free to be herself.
Charlie XCX has a new album. This is its cover:
Apparently the album is a big hit, and lime green has become a popular new color among the young. The Harris campaign is incorporating lime green into its branding.
Will this matter in the 2024 election? Biden was a turn-off for young voters. The Biden team thought student loan forgiveness would excite young people. No. Policy does not motivate and excite constituencies as much as being relatable does.
Harris has a sassy vibe. It projects feminine power and attitude. Harris is brat.
Brat is good? I still don't get it. I am not supposed to get it. It is their language and by intention it is different from mine. Age matters in this election. The generations matter. It always has mattered. Democrats can finally see that clearly. That was the problem for Biden. Now it's Trump's problem.
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11 comments:
The younger generation is inheriting our legacy of climate change, gun violence and national debt – issues old politicians refuse to address. It’s about time they take over. Let’s hope they can steer the country in a better direction.
New in absolute terms, or a new version, or section of the cycle? We didn’t just fall out of a coconut tree—nor did we just fall off the turnip truck. Cigarette smoking and provocative clothing as Youthful are hardly new under the sun, either. But point taken otherwise—if Harris is in on, or a creative part of, the younger adult zeitgeist, that is a good sign for her. Biden certainly was not. In my view, her biggest potential liability in this connection is her mixed history on law and order. She was a punitive “cop” to some, and to others a fellow traveler of race charlatans like Jussie Smollett and BLM.
In a TikTok interview, Charli XCX (who invented the term and named her new album after it) explained the meaning of the word "brat," which she uses to describe herself.
“You’re just like that girl who is a little messy and likes to party and maybe says some dumb things sometimes,” she says. “Who feels herself, but maybe also has a breakdown, but kind of like parties through it."
Definitely a campaign slogan for the 21st Century… 😱
100,000 new voter registrations occurred this week in the age group 18-35. It is projected that 85% of those voters are for Kamala Harris. Tic Tok is filled with created Harris bits and these are circulating rapidly and it’s not by my age group that’s for sure. It’s the Obama phenomena being repeated by Harris. If the young get involved it will be a real problem for crazy old man Trump who is yelling at the kids to get off his lawn. We won’t go back, but Trump wants to do so. Let’s see if the young registrations becomes several million.
I hope the celebrations and un-seriousness aren't premature, just because the media is giddy over a revived horse race doesn't change the threat. When the guy selling Trump flags over on Highway 62 ("I'm voting for the Felon") packs up his stall I'll be more optimistic.
Even so Hope is the operative, but it's the only thing so far that has changed. Strip away the "brat" and the coconuts it's still the Biden campaign with a different face.
Democrats were struggling to persuade "low information" (ignorant, apathetic, complacent, cynical) voters and in desperation threw their candidate overboard. Hopefully, this dramatic move may wake up enough of them to move the needle and the polls.
I'm hopeful a change in momentum could be a tipping point and move Republicans to abandon this suicidal course and return to sanity.
That's how hopeful I am...
I've known several project managers. I remember excitement and joy as the first step was taken, the first shovel of dirt with golden shovels and men and women in suits and hard hats. Then came the reality: funding, personnel issues, supply chain problems, schedule slippage, and a search for culprits to blame.
Kamala for President is a significant undertaking that requires all hands on deck. Billfolds are open. Substantial leadership and guidance are needed through the rapids of mainstream political currents. Volunteers working on phone banks, knocking on doors, and working around the clock
need support and direction. Mobilizing the "Get out the vote!" efforts is essential. Team Harris must have the vibe and brat. The hour requires it!
How about the chance to make history? Ditto what Dave said. You can’t motivate the complacent, Rick, but you can energize the enthusiastic. Whatever it takes: brat me off the lawn, Clint.
Advantages for Harris: Its only a three-month campaign for her, not the usual long slog of two (or four) years that inspires horse-race fatigue and allows rich institutions to game the outcome. I've always thought our national elections should be limited (no campaigning, no contributing) to a very short period to allows us to focus on candidates' merits and objectives. Kind of like the European snap elections. No endless digging into something they said as a teenager.
She may not need all the disaffected, constantly on-the-fence and "hold my nose" voters if sufficient numbers of new, never voted before, and "what does this have to do with me?" (kids) people register and actually show up. The focus should be to inspire, not persuade.
And the Republican party seems all-in. After TFG's success in transforming it to suit his plan to conquer the existing government, I can't see it contorting itself back to anything reasonable enough to compete with The Future First Lady's popularity. Go Brats!
Hells bells, Peter! I’m older than you, yet I have no trouble with said understanding. Maybe you spent too much time growing melons!
O offense intended. Melon growing these days is pretty sassy, by golly
I was a monthly donor to the Biden campaign. I’m now an almost-daily donor to Harris. She’s motivating far more young people and also reviving the enthusiasm of boomers like me. The shorter campaign will work in her favor and I don’t see the enthusiasm dying down any time soon. The Brat thing makes me smile because it represents lots of new young voters. Trying not to get overconfident, but I feel good about our chances. Especially if Vance keeps doubling down on his Handmaid’s Tale vision for women.
I've read that Young Voters have not only registered to vote in numbers approaching 200,000, but are also coughing up truckloads of money. I'm encouraged, and am ready to go to work !
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