The Banter Brief: Get The Popcorn Out, Kamala Is About To Disembowel Mike Pence
Biden could not have picked a better running mate.
Hello everyone and welcome to this week’s edition of The Banter Brief!
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1. Most Important Story Of The Week
Biden picks Kamala Harris
(Getty Images; Reuters)
The wait is over. Kamala Harris is (hopefully) going to be the next Vice President of the United States. A woman of mixed Indian and Jamaican heritage, Harris is a breath of fresh air in a campaign dominated by old white men. She’s whip-smart, fearless, and has the GOP shaking in their boots. Our own Bob Cesca says it best:
It sounds cliche, but as a team, Biden and Harris look like America. More than that, they’re actual grownups who are disciplined, decent, professional leaders who, at long last, offer a sense of rock solid stability following nearly four years of frenetic instability and unpredictable recklessness. This is why I feel hopeful.
I feel hopeful that millions of Americans will turn out in record numbers to vote for these leaders, enough votes to overcome the worsening corruption emerging from Trump’s desperate war room -- the cheating, the sabotage, the suppression, and the rank disenfranchisement burdening our democracy by the first fascist tyrant in the White House. The Biden-Harris ticket has the potential to slice clean through all of that madness.
Like clockwork, Trump responded to the news of a black woman running on the Democrat’s presidential ticket with overt racism. “I heard it today that she doesn’t meet the requirements,” Trump said, responding to a debunked piece in Newsweek by a right wing lawyer.
“I have no idea if that’s right,” Trump continued. “I would have thought, I would have assumed, that the Democrats would have checked that out before she gets chosen to run for vice president.”
Kamala Harris was born in Oakland, California in 1964.
We’re just under three months out from election night, so expect this to get a lot, lot worse. Also, make sure you have your popcorn ready for the Harris vs Pence debate. For a preview of what is about to happen, take a look at what Harris did to Brett Kavanaugh and Bill Barr. It’s not going to go well for Trump’s little helper.
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2. Poll Analysis
While FiveThirtyEight isn’t counting Trump out of the race, their latest simulation is instructive:
Writes Nate Silver:
Biden is currently ahead in our polling averages in Florida, Wisconsin, Michigan, Pennsylvania, Arizona, Ohio and in the second congressional district in Nebraska — all places that Clinton lost in 2016. If he won those states (and held the other states Clinton won), that would be enough to give him 352 electoral votes. He’s also within roughly 1 percentage point of Trump in Texas, Georgia, Iowa and Maine’s second congressional district. If he won those, too, he’d be up to a whopping 412 electoral votes.
Trump still has time to turn this around of course, but as of right now, it’s looking pretty grim for the president.
3. Quote Of The Week
- Stephen Colbert on Joe Biden picking Kamala Harris for VP
4. What to Watch
What: ‘Pride and Prejudice’ - the 2005 Joe Wright directed adaptation of Jane Austen's beloved novel starring Keira Knightly and Matthew MacFadyen.
Why: Keira Knightly’s performance alone is worth the price of admission to this almost perfectly crafted movie. Knightly is absolutely sublime as Elizabeth Bennet, particularly given she was only 19 at the time of filming. She glides through this adaptation of Austen’s ageless tale with extraordinary grace and the poise of someone far, far beyond her years. While the film is an interpretation of the English novelist’s masterpiece (not quite the real thing of course) Wright’s twist on the early 19th century novel more than stands on its own. It is beautifully shot, paced perfectly, and just about right in terms of length.
MacFadyen is a brooding, complex Darcy, and the all star cast that includes Rosamund Pike, Donald Sutherland and Judi Dench bring the Austen’s wonder characters to life on the big screen in a truly meaningful way.
Where: Netflix
5. Good News
Not to bang on here, but Kamala Harris’s presence on the Democrat’s presidential ticket is about as good as it gets for this week. The Democrats are fired up, we’ll get to watch Mike Pence torn to shreds when he has to debate the former prosecutor, and she’s bringing in a serious amount of cash for the campaign ($34 million as of today).
Biden’s pick didn’t please everyone of course, but there’s no doubt Harris is bringing in a lot of energy to his campaign. Against a motivated and dangerous Trump, this is exactly what the Democrats need to win in November.
Have a great weekend everyone!
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