There’s an old phrase in politics, it’s normally used when a new presidential administration blows into town, usually every eight years. It’s called The Honeymoon Cruise.
For good reason. Eight years is a long time to be stuck with something, even a prized possession like your car. It gets old. The last First Couple is gone, even the White House smells of fresh paint, there’s the inaugural balls, and then the beer pong marathon of choosing new cabinet members. Even the media takes the first couple of weeks off, knowing that the bloodletting will commence soon enough.
But it’s been almost two weeks now, and the Kamala Harris Honeymoon Cruise is starting to look like around-the-world sail. Every day brings an exotic new location, and more memorable moments.
First it was Biden dropping out of the race and endorsing her. Then it was Schumer and Jeffries joining the party. Then Bill and Hillary Clinton, followed by Barack and Michelle Obama. Beyonce gave her walk on and walk off music.
But why stop with pols and celebrities? Harris has collected an A-List of labor endorsements that resembles the union block on K Street. To my mind the two most important are the United Auto Workers, giving Harris a boost in battleground Michigan, and the Service Employees International Union who, along with the Culinary Workers Union pretty much have the labor voting bloc locked up in Clark County, Nevada, another critical battleground state.
And it looks like Harris has the mechanics set up to keep the momentum at a high pitch almost indefinitely. The campaign is saying that Harris will unveil her VP pick by no later than next Tuesday, and they’ll campaign battleground states together. Two weeks after that is the Democratic National Convention, which will be a nonstop lovefest for Joe biden, as well as a rousing sendoff for Kamala Harris. Then comes Labor Day, after which most people actually tune in to the race. If Traitor Tot finds the cajones, there’s the debate on September 10th, followed by Trump’s likely sentencing on his 34 criminal convictions on September 18th. And a week later early mail-in and absentee voting starts in the earliest states. As long as she keeps twisting Trump’s tail, she can literally run the table on this momentum.
And with the timing of everything, Biden gave Harris a double play. By giving her a truncated 110 day schedule, he shortened the amount of time Trump and the GOP had to find a new line of attack for Harris. Likewise, with a 110 day schedule, he forced Harris to hit the ground running, and stay focused. Third, with a 110 day schedule, he minimized the time frame for Harris to accidentally commit a serious gaffe.
Here’s why this is so important. In the last 10 days the Harris campaign has signed up an incredible 170,000 volunteers nationwide, including a whopping 3,600 in Georgia alone, reopening the state like a refurbished McDonalds. Normally campaigns recruit volunteers in the spring and summer, and hope they stay motivated until after the convention. With 100 days, many of those volunteers will get a phone call in the next 10 days or so, while they’re still hopped up and ready to go.
I’ll close with this. In the last 10 days since Biden stepped down and Kamala Harris stepped up, more and more you’re starting to hear reporters and pundits say the four most beautiful numbers in the world. 2008. The enthusiasm of the crowds, the enthusiasm of the volunteers and staff. The almost giddy feeling that anything is possible. This is the feeling that so much of the electorate was yearning for, and now Kamala Harris is giving it to them. 97 days. Tick-Tock.
I thank you for the privilege of your time.
Time flies when you’re having fun!