Happy Thursday all, and a happy and joyous Thursday it is! In a new video, above, Tara McGowan and I talk about the Vice President’s powerful debate performance and what we think it means for the 2024 election in an excerpt of a new episode of our Closing Strong series. It’s a timely and detailed look at the VP’s great night. Watch, enjoy and share with your networks.
In my post tomorrow I will be sharing the recording from last night’s Hopium discussion where I go a bit deeper into recent electoral data and what I think it means for us now. The bottom line - we were in a stronger position than Trump before the debate, and our stronger hand got even stronger this week; and it is hard to see what tools Trump and the Rs have to fundamentally alter the trajectory of the race now.
In the various interviews I’ve done these last few days I’ve talked about how we are now having the election we all thought we would have. What I mean by that is it was my working theory, and the theory of the Biden and now Harris campaign, that if the ugliness and extremism of MAGA and the far right was put in front of the American people in 2024 that they would reject it, as they did in 2018, 2020, 2022 and as did the voters in of Europe, the UK and France in their recent elections. Biden’s struggles made this harder to do. Now that Biden has passed the torch, and we have this dynamic and compelling candidate and ticket leading us, the madness and danger of Trump has become once again the issue driving our politics - as it should, for it is the most important in our politics today. A central reason Tuesday night was so successful for the Vice President, and so satisfying for all of us, is that she not only presentated a hopeful vision for the future but she powerfully exposed his ugliness, something that the Biden-Harris-Walz campaign always believed needed to be seen in a debate setting to be believed. This is why they want another debate, and why they wanted the early debate in June. For Trump 2024 is far uglier and more extreme than earlier versions of Trump. He is a rapist, fraudster, traitor, 34 times felon. He is much more untethered, impulsive, mad. And he is so much so that voters needed to see it all themselves. And they did on Tuesday And it was devastating for him. And she was amazing, confident, poised, intelligent, prepared, fierce, scrappy - a leader for all of us, taking on this incredible threat, staring it down, making it small, weak and pathetic, and as she did so often in the courtroom winning, for the people.
One of the reasons we are where we today - no other Democrat in these past 9 years has been better at taking Trump down, and making his ugliness and his threat, understandable than the former prosecutor, Kamala Harris. We are all so fortunate this extraordinary election has turned out the way it has, and that she, this now historic figure, when given this incredible opportunity, just keeps bringing it, everyday. For the people.
Yes my friends, we are now having the election we all hoped we would havw. With early in person voting beginning next Friday we now need to go out there and win this thing, together. All gas, no breaks!!!!!! We can do this people!
Vice President Harris and Governor Tim Walz hit the trail again today. The Vice President is doing two events in North Carolina with Hopium friend Anderson Clayton and the Dem ticket, and Governor Walz heads to Michigan and Wisconsin. If you need a daily dose of joy remember you can watch the Harris-Walz campaign events live on their YouTube channel. If you want to do more at this critical time please donate to the Harris-Walz campaign or sign up as a volunteer. You can also help us get to 270 by donating to Ruben Gallego in Arizona, Anderson Clayton and the NC Dem Party and the Nebraska Dem Party (the blue dot!).
I loved this MSNBC clip from Tuesday night. It’s the moment where Governor Walz learns that Taylor Swift endorsed the campaign. Enjoy:
More recent Hopium analysis/commentary:
Reflections on the remarkable success of the Biden-Harris Presidency
Tom Bonier and I discuss how 2024 feels more like 2022 than 2016
2024 is not like 2016 or 2020 it is like 2024 (letting go of 2016)
Hard Work Is Good Work. And We Are Going TO Win! - Our community has been busting it’s ass on elections all across the country since I launched Hopium in March of last year, but our most important work is the work we are going to do now in these final two months. This section spells out my recommendations on where you can put your time and money, and of course you are free to volunteer and donate beyond what we are doing here. We are still a start up here at Hopium, and while we are now more than 110,000 proud patriots, I want to remain narrow and focused on the places where I think your money and time can make the biggest difference. That’s why we’ve focused on non-incumbent open seat and challengers races and the Presidential race of course.
I am particularly excited about new Thursday night calling and postcarding events for the House candidates most likely to turn red seats to blue ones and flip the House this November. We’ve had a great turnout, we get a lot of work done and have lots of fun. Join us! It’s where the cool kids spend their Thursday nights!!!!!!
In the coming days, as we get in more data about our new electoral landscape, I will be updating my recommendations. For background, here’s my post on the strategy behind our candidate and state party endorsements, including our Presidential battleground “check” and “checkmate” strategy. Sign up to call or postcard for Mondaire Jones (NY-17) at tonight’s Winning The House Thursday. These events have been well-attended and fun - join us if you can!
Contribute, volunteer and win with the Hopium community today:
Harris-Walz!!!!!! - 1,045,000 raised, $1m goal - Donate | Volunteer | Merch | The Harris-Walz YouTube Channel - Friends, we are now over $1m raised for Harris-Walz, our House candidates and our three “checkmate” states - so amazing all!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Winning The House - $1,037,000 raised, $1.5m goal - Donate | Volunteer | Learn More | Sign Up For Our Thursday Night Winning The House Calling and Postcarding Series. Watch our recent discussion with Leader Hakeem Jeffries. To go deeper watch one of our interviews with our great candidates - Janelle Bynum (OR-5), George Whitesides (CA-27), Kirsten Engel (AZ-06) Will Rollins (CA-41), Laura Gillen (NY-04), Rudy Salas (CA-22), Josh Riley (NY-19), Tony Vargas (NE-02), Adam Gray (CA-13), Sue Altman (NJ-07) and Mondaire Jones (NY-17).
North Carolina - $452,000 raised, $500,000 goal - Donate | Volunteer | Learn More | Be sure to watch my interview with NC Dem Chair Anderson Clayton
Arizona/Ruben Gallego - $354,000 raised, $400,000 goal - Donate | Volunteer | Learn More | Be sure to watch my interview with Ruben Gallego
Nebraska/Blue Dot - $165,000 raised, $200,000 goal- Donate | Volunteer | Learn More | Be sure to watch my interview with NE Dem Chair Jane Kleeb - and note for those who are focused on the Nebraska Senate race money into the NE Dem Party supports that race too.
Here are ways you can do even more:
Commit to Vote on Day 1 and get everyone you know to join you. Early voting begins in three states on September 20th - just 8 days away!
Watch my With Dems presentation on the greatness and goodness of the Democratic Party and this six minute video on the incredible stakes in this election.
Help grow the Hopium community. Use this link to encourage others sign others up. You can gift a subscription to a friend or student here and get group rates too. From now until Election Day a paid annual Hopium subcription is 10% off. If you have changed credit cards or moved you can update your payment information or check your renewal status by following these instructions from Substack. Let’s keep our community growing and the Hopium flowing! Paid subscribers help keep most of our content free for the 110,000 strong in our community down the home stretch!
Keep working hard all. Proud to be in this fight with all of you - Simon
The Debate And What It Means For The Election (Video), Harris and Walz Hit The Trail, Working For Mondaire Jones Tonight at 730pm ET