We are in the midst of witnessing one of the most important moments in world history, assuming the momentum continues to grow to elect Vice President Kamala Harris to the White House this November. The near instantaneous and total transformation of the national spirit that exploded immediately in the wake of the flawless handoff from Biden to Harris last month has truly been the stuff of history.
It demonstrates that real history (if you want to call it that) does not plod along in dull linear fashion, but acts more on the order of how a grand slam home run can suddenly reverse the fortunes of a baseball team, or slight adjustment to the grip of a tennis racket can transform a career.
Best in all this now happening is how that dirty old man has become the foil for a huge revival in overall morale, humanitarian morals and lovely human passions and compassion.
Passionate appeals to the left of us, passionate appeals to the right.
First, there is Liz Cheney’s pitch in a new email/social media post to fellow Republicans as well as independents and Democrats delivered yesterday:
“The GOP has chosen. They have nominated a man who attempted to overturn an election and seize power. Now, we have just months to save our republic and ensure Donald Trump is never anywhere near the Oval Office again.
“It’s up to all of us to put our love of country ahead of partisanship, to stand together for our values and our freedom in the face of a threat we’ve never faced before. So much is on the line. We must right the ship of our democracy. That’s why I launched Our Great Task.
“I am committing to doing everything I can to ensure we defeat Donald Trump at the ballot box this November, and I’m asking you to do the same. If you are with me, please contribute today.
“Every one of us – Republican, Democrat, Independent – must work together to ensure that Donald Trump and those who have appeased, enabled, and collaborated with him are defeated. This is the cause of our time.”
Eloquent and so important, just as Republican Adam Kinzinger was speaking at the Democratic Convention last week.
It underscores the message sent by over 200 Republican office holders today.
Then, there is Bernie Sanders’ pitch to his followers on the proverbial left.
‘As I’m sure you are aware,” he writes, “This is not a normal election.
“It is not a normal election when we are running against someone who is a pathological liar. It is not a normal election when we are running against someone who has been convicted of 34 felonies. It is not a normal election when our opponent is a convicted sexual abuser and, as a private businessman, was involved in 4,000 lawsuits — indicating a total lack of trustworthiness.
“But it’s even worse than that. When Donald Trump claims that ‘nobody’ showed up at a 10,000-person Harris-Walz rally in Michigan that was live-streamed and widely covered by the media, that it was all AI, and that Democrats cheat all of the time, there is a method to his madness.
“Clearly, and dangerously, what Trump is doing is undermining American democracy and laying the groundwork for rejecting the election results if he loses.
“If you can convince your supporters that thousands of people who attended a televised rally do not exist, it will not be hard to convince them that the election returns in Pennsylvania, Michigan, and elsewhere are ‘fake’ and ‘fraudulent.’
“It should be a secret to no one. Trump’s goal is to destroy faith in American institutions and the rule of law and move us toward an authoritarian society.
“But it’s not just Trump’s dishonesty and authoritarianism that must be defeated.
“We cannot elect someone who believes that, in the year 2024, women do not have the right to control their own bodies. For the sake of our kids and future generations, we cannot elect someone who believes that climate change is a ‘hoax.’
“This is why we must do everything we can to see that Trump is defeated and Kamala Harris is our next president.”
