From despair to hope in 24 hours
Sunday July 21, 2024, was a historic day, with President Biden deciding to drop out of the 2024 presidential race and then endorsing Vice President Kamala Harris as the Democratic nominee.
Most Democrats went from despair to hope and exhilaration in 24 hours. They went from the agony of a foregone defeat to the elation of a possible victory. They went from endorsing a low energy 81-year-old candidate to endorsing a young 59-year-old energetic candidate with a strong law and order background who will energize many of the younger voters.
The race is on, and it just got much more exciting.
Vice President Harris is not a DEI hire. She has earned it.
In an interview with CNN’s Manu Raju Monday, Tennessee Republican Rep. Tim Burchett suggested President Joe Biden selected Harris as his running mate solely because she is black.: “One hundred percent she is a DEI hire,” he said, referring to diversity, equity and inclusion. “Her record is abysmal at best.
Many jealous old white men cannot get past the stereo type that women or people of color cannot make it on their own through education, hard work and perseverance. To think that Vice President Harris has been handed her career because she is a female and a minority is to ignore the facts.
After high school, Harris attended Vanier College in Montreal in 1981–1982. She then attended Howard University. While at Howard, she interned as a mailroom clerk for California senator Alan Cranston, chaired the economics society, and led the debate team. Harris graduated in 1986 with a degree in political science and economics. She then returned to California to attend the University of California, Hastings College of the Law (now University of California College of the Law, San Francisco) where she served as president of its chapter of the Black Law Students Association. She graduated with a Juris Doctor in 1989 and was admitted to the California Bar in June 1990.
Since graduating from law school and being admitted to the California Bar, Harris has held the following positions.
Deputy District Attorney Almeda County California, 1990-1998Assistant District Attorney-San Francisco 1998-2003
District Attorney of San Francisco 2003-2011
Attorney General of California (2011–2017)
U.S. Senate (2017–2021)
Vice President of the United States (2021-present)
Harris has busted her ass to get to where she is now. Because she is a women of color, I can assure you she had to bust her ass much harder than most of her peers in the U.S. Senate or House to get to her position.
There is No Room for Remarks such as what an Ohio State Senator said This Weekend. I don’t care if he later regretted his divisive remarks.
The Ohio state senator who preceded Senator Vance at a rally in Ohio, George Lang, who began a chant of “fight, fight, fight” and told the audience: “I believe wholeheartedly Donald Trump and Butler County’s JD Vance are the last chance to save our country politically. I’m afraid if we lose this one, it’s going to take a civil war to save the country, and it will be saved.” He later posted on social media that he regretted his “divisive remarks.”
After the attempted assassination of the former president, there is no place for rhetoric such as this. I don’t care if he later retracted it. It was said and he meant it. Unfortunately, too many members of the MAGA/Kamikaze Party agree with Lang.
Joe Biden
I was not excited about prospect of Joe Biden running for a second term. I think it would have ruined his legacy and record. Biden deciding not to run again tells me about his character. He put his country before his personal political goals. He had the guts to endorse a female of color as the vice president and then to replace him as president. Not many old white men that I know of would do such a thing.
Thank you, Joe, for stepping down. Thank you for what you have done in service to this country for the last 50 years.
Are the Tigers for real? Or is their record over the last two weeks an anomaly?
In the last two weeks the Tigers have gone 11-4 and have gone from 9 games below 500 to 2 games below 500. They have had timely hitting, timely homeruns and solid defense. Even in the four losses, the Tigers were in each of the games and could have easily won all four of the games.
It leads to my Question of the Day. Are the Tigers for real or is their record over the last two weeks an anomaly?
John Mayall: A Blues Pioneer
Per the New York Times, John Mayall, the pioneering British bandleader whose mid-1960s blues ensembles served as incubators for some of the biggest stars of rock’s golden era, died on Monday. He was 90.
Though he played piano, organ, guitar and harmonica and sang lead vocals in his own bands with a high, reedy tenor, Mr. Mayall earned his reputation as “the godfather of British blues” not for his own playing or singing but for recruiting and polishing the talents of one gifted young lead guitarist after another.
In his most fertile period, between 1965 and 1969, those budding stars included Eric Clapton, who left to form the band Cream and later became a hugely successful solo artist; Peter Green, who left to found Fleetwood Mac; and Mick Taylor, who was snatched from the Mayall band by the Rolling Stones.A list of the alumni of Mr. Mayall’s band of that era, known as the Bluesbreakers, reads like a Who’s Who of British pop royalty. The drummer Mick Fleetwood and the bassist John McVie were also founding members of Fleetwood Mac. The bassist Jack Bruce joined Mr. Clapton in Cream. The bassist Andy Fraser was an original member of Free. Aynsley Dunbar would go on to play drums for Frank Zappa, Journey and Jefferson Starship.
Anyone who know anything about the Blues, knows the impact that John Mayall has had on both the Blues and Rock and Roll. See my Video of the Day.
The Paris Olympics
Starting Friday, the 2024 Olympics will captivate the world sports fans. It will take people’s minds off of the wars in Ukraine and Gaza for this two weeks, It will take people’s minds off of the presidential election and the craziness that seems to come with us.
I will be rooting for Simone Beal, one of the toughest and greatest Olympians ever. I will be rooting for the men’s and women’s gymnastics team. I will be rooting for the USA basketball teams to continue their dominance, especially Kevin Durant and Diana Taurasi, the greatest man and woman Olympic basketball players in history. I will be rooting for the USA men’s and women’s soccer teams. I will be rooting for the USA golfers Scottie Scheffler, Xander Schauffele (the defending gold medalist), Wyndham Clark, and Collin Morikawa. I will be rooting for our sprinters, hurdlers, milers and every other member of the track and field team. I will be rooting for Katie Ledecky to add to her seven Olympic gold medals in the pool.
Most of all, I will be rooting for an Olympics that is safe to all the participants, family members, and spectators.
Feel free to share my blog with others. To receive the blog in your email, please use the sign-up button which is located at the bottom of the blog below the Video of the Day or send an email to me at thomasdbiggs@gmail.com and I will start the process for you.
Quote of the Day: “The words are not as clear, but the love and heart is still there.. The kid with the stutter grew up to become president. He fell on his sword for the good of the country.” Van Jones, CNN commentator following President Biden’s speech tonight.
Orchid of the Day: Jim Leyland, former Tiger manager who was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame on Sunday. For a catcher who never made it to the MLB, Leyland was more than deserving with his record as a manager with the Pirates, Marlins, Tigers and Rockies. He was a players manager who respected his players but never stopped demanding excellence.
Onion of the Day: George Lang, Ohio state senator. See above story.
Question of the Day: Is the Tigers performance over the last two weeks for real or is it an anomaly?
Image of the Day: John Mayall. May he rest in peace with the Blues playing in the background. Room to Move.