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July 22, 2024
Key Takeaways:
- President Biden deserves our gratitude for his unprecedented accomplishments and dedication to our country.
- Vice President Kamala Harris has a strong record of support for Israel and opposition to antisemitism that predates her vice presidency.
- America, Israel, and the world cannot risk Donald Trump and J.D. Vance winning in November. Now is the time to unite behind Harris and focus on keeping insurrectionists out of the White House.
Read to the end for corrections, what you may have missed last week, fun stuff, and upcoming events.
You're welcome to read for free, but if you get something out of this newsletter, you can give something back by credit card or PayPal, by Venmo @Steven-Sheffey (last four phone digits are 9479), or by check. Thank you.
Hi Steve,
I sent a newsletter yesterday but President Biden's announcement later in the day warrants a follow-up.
If all Joe Biden had done was save our republic by defeating Donald Trump in 2020, dayenu. But despite razor-thin Senate and House majorities, President Biden accomplished more in his first term, mainly the first two years of his first term, than any president since LBJ and possibly since FDR. I wish he had stayed in the race and I think he would have won. We'll never know.
We do know that President Biden endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris. She is the presumptive Democratic nominee. Harris doesn't have the long record on Israel and antisemitism that Biden had--no one on either side of the aisle does--but she is a proven friend of Israel and a staunch opponent of antisemitism. And let's not forget that if she wins in November, we'll have the first Jewish presidential spouse in history, Doug Emhoff.
The Jewish Democratic Council of America, the national voice of Jewish Democrats, endorsed Harris for president yesterday.
JDCA compiled a fact sheet on Harris's record on Israel and antisemitism. Please read it and share it.
Harris has been outspoken on her support for Israel and her condemnation of Hamas. She's met with hostage families and highlighted the sexual violence committed by Hamas on October 7. You can about her strong support for Israel in the In Case You Missed It section below. It's been there all along.
What happens next? I don't know how the formal nomination process will work or whether anyone will seriously challenge Harris. I'm all in for Harris.
Who will Harris choose as her running mate? I don't know. Democrats have a deep bench, so she'll have plenty of candidates to choose from.
One thing hasn't changed. The Republican ticket is still Trump-Vance. Weird how Republicans obsessed with Biden's age don't seem to care that Trump is now the oldest person ever to run for president as the nominee of a major political party or that if he is elected, and if he finishes his second term, he'll be the oldest person ever to serve as president. Everything I said yesterday about Trump and Vance remains true today.
A Trump victory in November would mean the end of legal abortion. A 34-time convicted felon should not be president. A man who paid hush money to cover up sex with a porn star four months after his wife gave birth to prevent Americans from knowing his true character before an election should not be president.
Trump's bigotry, xenophobia, and contempt for democracy, not to mention his unhinged mind, his detachment from reality, his theft of classified documents, inciting an insurrection, refusing to accept the results of a lawful election, legal liability for sexual abuse, terrible record as president, and long record of antisemitism are matters of fact.
Choosing Harris over Trump is an easy choice, but we can't take for granted that enough Americans will do the right thing. We need to get the word out.
Heather Cox Richardson wrote, "Just last week, the Republicans nominated Donald Trump, who is 78, for president. Having made age their central complaint about Biden, they are now faced with having nominated the oldest candidate in U.S. history, who repeatedly fell asleep at his own nominating convention as well as his criminal trial, who often fumbles words, and who cannot seem to keep a coherent train of thought."
Jennifer Rubin describes how Harris's candidacy will transform this race. With our help, she will, and she will win.
My one request: The hardest part about writing this newsletter is figuring out the tipping point for debunking misinformation. Debunking a falsehood few people have heard risks spreading the falsehood but letting falsehoods spread unchecked undermines the democratic process, which depends on an informed electorate.
For example, Harris recently said that she understood the emotion behind the Gaza protests even though she "absolutely" rejects some of what the protesters are saying. There is nothing wrong with that--it's called empathizing and it's what normal humans do. She didn't distance herself from any of her administration's policies. But some of her critics jumped on it and now it's resurfacing.
Please let me know what you're hearing so that we can work together to distinguish fact from fiction.
In Case You Missed It:
Tweet of the Week. Trump's message of unity on Truth Social following Biden's announcement.
Video Clips of the Week. This 2020 ad from Kamala Harris for anyone curious about what her 2024 campaign against Trump might look like.
And this clip from Politics Girl for anyone who wants more background on Kamala Harris.
For those new to this newsletter. This is the newsletter even Republicans have to read and the original home of the viral and beloved 2022 and 2023 Top Ten Signs You're At a Republican Seder. If someone forwarded this to you, why not subscribe and get it in your inbox every Sunday? Just click here--it's free.
I periodically update my posts on why Democrats are better than Republicans on Israel and antisemitism and on the IHRA definition of antisemitism. My definition of "pro-Israel" is here (it's a work in progress, as am I).
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