Today’s water cooler chats (which were probably had over Slack, cuz COVID) seemed to be all about Dem VP pick Kamala Harris and soon-to-be retiree Carmen Best: Read Rich Smith on Harris here and Nathalie Graham on Best here. Obviously, everyone has a Harris take. Most places are highlighting how Harris will be the first woman of color to be nominated for national office by a major political party. Donald Trump joked that Kamala Harris was his “number one pick.” “Smart” Republicans think she’s a “quick learner and gifted political performer with genuine star power,” muses WaPo. Maya Rudolph, who’s nominated for an Emmy for portraying Kamala Harris on SNL, reacted to the nomination by saying, “Oh shit.”
Tomorrow, the Biden-Harris ticket will appear together in Delaware: I assume there will be something buzzy released online. The Dems will ride this big week of VP press into their digital Democratic National Convention next week. Some statements from Harris, Biden, and Obama:
.@JoeBiden can unify the American people because he’s spent his life fighting for us. And as president, he’ll build an America that lives up to our ideals.
I’m honored to join him as our party’s nominee for Vice President, and do what it takes to make him our Commander-in-Chief.
— Kamala Harris (@KamalaHarris) August 11, 2020
Back when Kamala was Attorney General, she worked closely with Beau. I watched as they took on the big banks, lifted up working people, and protected women and kids from abuse. I was proud then, and I’m proud now to have her as my partner in this campaign.
— Joe Biden (@JoeBiden) August 11, 2020
I’ve known Senator @KamalaHarris for a long time. She is more than prepared for the job. She’s spent her career defending our Constitution and fighting for folks who need a fair shake. This is a good day for our country. Now let’s go win this thing. pic.twitter.com/duJhFhWp6g
— Barack Obama (@BarackObama) August 11, 2020
I’m already tired of hearing “phony Kamala” and “slow Joe”: As if Trump isn’t the epitome of slow and phony.
“Phony Kamala” & “Slow Joe”: New Trump Campaign ad gives Biden’s VP pick a new nickname. pic.twitter.com/sU47Gn2oOn
— Breaking911 (@Breaking911) August 11, 2020
Pivoting gears here… a gynecologist has weighed in on “WAP.” I know you were waiting for this take. I know I was waiting on a gyno to answer “What did you think of ‘macaroni in the pot’ as a descriptor for a wet vagina?”
There is now “unambiguous evidence” that infectious coronavirus can exist in the air: “A research team at the University of Florida succeeded in isolating live virus from aerosols collected at a distance of seven to 16 feet from patients hospitalized with Covid-19—farther than the six feet recommended in social distancing guidelines,” reports the New York Times.
What’s the best type of mask to wear? New research from Duke University seems to suggest that a neck gaiter, AKA a neck fleece, AKA a neck condom, may actually be counterproductive and worse than using no mask at all. The buzz around this comes mostly from a Washington Post headline that went a little viral, although Slate is saying this coverage is bullshit.
Good news, Washington: You’re no longer on the list of states restricted from New York State. Now you can visit Mr. Cuomo without a required quarantine. Although I don’t suggest traveling right now.
Let’s get into a little primary ballot update from Rich Smith: Take it away, Rich:
Bernie-backed Sharlett Mena is now only 153 votes behind incumbent Dem State House Rep. Steve Kirby: After today’s ballot drop, Mena took another chunk out of Kirby’s lead in the 29th Legislative District House race. She closed a 5-point gap over the weekend, coming within 239 votes of overtaking him. With an estimated 750 votes left to count in Pierce County, according to Secretary of State numbers, she’s now only 153 votes behind. The race between Mena and Kirby got a little rocky after Kirby sent out mailers calling Mena a “carpetbagger.” He said he was unaware of the term’s racist history, and he apologized. I’ve left a message with Mena asking if she plans to chase ballots, and I’ll update when I hear back.
Former House Speaker Frank Chopp dips below 50% in latest returns: In his race to retain his long-held seat in Capitol Hill’s 43rd Legislative District, Rep. Chopp’s share of the vote fell to 49.87% of the vote, with Seattle Peoples Party candidate Sherae Lascelles holding steady at 31%. Because of write-ins, Lascelles’s and Jessi Murray’s totals don’t quite best Chopp, but this does mean the longtime House Rep is in more trouble than he bargained for.
Thanks, Rich!
Russia’s 2020 disinformation campaign is turning out the hits: The Kremlin-financed video outlet Ruptly posted a video of BLM activists burning a bunch of bibles and throwing American flags onto the fire. It went viral. The New York Post wrote about it. Ted Cruz and Donald Jr. tweeted about it. But the truth was more “mundane”—just one or maybe two bibles. Some interesting points from the NY Times:
American officials are growing increasingly confident in their assessment, and say the Russian tactics are evolving. Moscow, they say, has shifted away from the fake social media accounts and bots used by the Internet Research Agency and other groups to amplify false articles ahead of the 2016 vote. Instead, the Russians are relying increasingly on English-language news sites to push out incendiary stories that can be picked up and spread by Americans, many of whom have proved as eager as foreign powers to stoke partisan divisions inside the United States.
On the college football beat: The Pac-12 Conference has shut down all athletic competitions until at least Jan. 1, 2021. No Husky sports for the rest of this year! Other conferences—like ACC, SEC, and Big 12—may still decide to carry on with the fall football season.
Twitter now lets everyone decide who can respond to their tweets: Now you can say bullshit and people can’t respond! I’m on the fence about this feature. I think I like it. Here are the options when you go to tweet:
A little evening reading: Kamala Harris’ Deep History Of Letting Facebook Off The Hook
And a little evening music: Inspired by Jasmyne slaying dragons.
