Tag Archive: Vice President Kamala Harris

President Joe Biden makes “freedom” his reelection theme

Written on April 26, 2023 by in Democratic Messaging, Democratic vs. Republican Presidents

President Joe Biden, running for reelection

President Joe Biden announced his reelection campaign for 2024 in a video yesterday, that was remarkable for its theme of freedom. As we have written about repeatedly, “freedom” is a word and an idea that Republicans have tried to claim for themselves. Since it is such a bedrock American concept, we have been saying since 2013 that it would be a great idea if Democrats took “freedom” back from the Republicans. We were very heartened last year when President Biden and a number of Democrats did exactly that, running or supporting Democratic 2022 midterm election campaigns by stating that “freedom is on the ballot,” and mentioning “freedom from gun violence,” “freedom of health care choices” (including, of course, abortion) and “freedom to vote” as three specific examples.

Likewise, President Biden’s new ad (which includes Vice President Kamala Harris) starts off with “freedom” as the very first word, and continues, largely in Biden’s own voice, to talk about “personal freedom” being “fundamental to who we are as Americans.” The ad goes on to explain that “MAGA Republicans” are threatening our freedoms, by attempting to cut our Social Security, “dictating what health care decisions women can make (again, an obvious reference to abortion), banning books, and telling people who they can love, all while making it more difficult for you to be able to vote.” The ad asks voters to support President Biden so that he can “finish the job” of protecting these fundamental freedoms.

The ad is very effective, not only in flipping the script on the Republicans over “freedom,” but also grabbing the theme of patriotism, and attacking Republican hypocrisy over their claims of being for “smaller government” as they try to invade Americans’ doctor offices, bedrooms and bathrooms, in Florida and elsewhere.

All in all, President Biden’s campaign announcement ad is a welcome opening salvo in what promises to be a major battle of ideologies between the pro-freedom Democrats and the pro-fascism Republicans for 2024.

Photo by Maryland GovPics, used under Creative Commons license. https://is.gd/Jpa2HA

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The significance of Gigi Sohn’s nomination for FCC Commissioner

Written on February 15, 2023 by in Democratic Messaging, Democratic vs. Republican Presidents, Media Watch

FCC nominee Gigi Sohn

Yesterday, the U.S. Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee held its third confirmation hearing in 15 months on the nomination of Gigi Sohn for Commissioner of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC). The reason why Sohn, who is President Joe Biden‘s choice to fill the fifth FCC Commissioner slot to give the Democrats a 3-2 majority, has not yet been confirmed to her post (or even advanced to a Senate vote) is that apparently all Senate Republicans and a few conservative Senate Democrats oppose her on various grounds:

–First, Senate Republicans would likely oppose any of President Biden’s FCC nominees, in order to maintain this crucial agency at its current gridlocked state of two Democratic and two Republican Commissioners, preventing Biden and the Democrats from doing the business of the American people.

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President Biden to celebrate Inflation Reduction Act in road show

Written on August 16, 2022 by in Democratic Messaging, Good Government

President Joe Biden, about to take his show on the road

Bloomberg News reported yesterday that President Joe Biden will hold a celebration event for the Inflation Reduction Act (“IRA”) on September 6 at the White House, followed by a tour across the country to tout the IRA’s benefits. Here is the tweet from Bloomberg White House reporter Jenny Leonard showing the memo from White House Chief of Staff Ronald Klain which outlines the plans for the IRA celebration:

The U.S. Senate passed the Inflation Reduction Act on August 7. The U.S. House passed it last Friday. In both cases, the IRA received no Republican votes. Vice President Kamala Harris had to cast the tie-breaking 51st vote for the IRA in the Senate. President Biden is expected to sign the IRA later today.

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Republicans overreach, fall on their faces in Ketanji Brown Jackson Supreme Court confirmation

Written on April 8, 2022 by in Democratic Messaging, Democratic vs. Republican Presidents, Republican Messaging

The U.S. Supreme Court just became more diverse

President Joe Biden‘s historic campaign promise came to fruition yesterday, as the U.S. Senate confirmed Biden’s nominee, Ketanji Brown Jackson, as the first black woman to serve on the U.S. Supreme Court. The final vote was 53-47, including three Republicans. However, Jackson’s confirmation process revealed as much about the Republican Party as it did about the supremely qualified judge. It would be an understatement to say that Senate Republicans in particular made themselves look really bad.

Of course, in any Supreme Court confirmation process of the past 30 years or more, Republican Senators (as well as Democrats to some degree) can be expected to score political points and serve red meat to their respective bases, often with written statements and purported “questions” during the confirmation hearing that read like speeches. These statements frequently are turned into campaign ads and fundraising requests. This time, however, the Republicans took that tactic far into Bizarro Land, and shot themselves in the foot.

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President Biden delivers powerful message, executive orders on gun violence

Written on April 9, 2021 by in Democratic Messaging

March For Our Lives rally, Columbus, Ohio, 2018

President Joe Biden took several significant executive actions yesterday to combat gun violence. In a White House Rose Garden ceremony, Biden, along with U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland, announced that he is:

    • Directing the Department of Justice (DOJ) to propose regulations to stop the proliferation of deadly, untraceable “ghost guns”;
    • Modifying federal grant programs to increase available funding for community violence intervention programs;
    • Publishing a model state “red flag” law (which would permit families or law enforcement to petition courts to remove guns from someone who poses a threat to themself or others);
    • Directing DOJ to issue a new, annual comprehensive report on firearms trafficking;
    • Directing DOJ to propose a regulation ensuring the stabilizing arm braces that circumvent the law on dangerous short-barrel rifles are subject to the National Firearms Act;
    • Nominating David Chipman, a former special agent for the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) and longtime gun owner and gun safety expert, to be the director of the ATF.

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