I swear if Iain would let me, I would just record everything he says about the election and post it for you all to enjoy as much as I do.
His commentary about Trump alone is priceless.
Not to mention his enthusiasm for Clinton. During her terrific foreign policy speech, I was grousing about people who say she doesn't "sound presidential," to which he replied by exclaiming: "SHE SOUNDS PRESIDENTIAL AS FUCK!"
Who would you like to see Hillary Clinton choose as her running mate?
As always, please don't audit or criticize other people's choices. For example: There are some people who really want Clinton to choose Elizabeth Warren as her running mate. There are some people who really want Elizabeth Warren to stay in the Senate. There are valid arguments on both sides, and that's okay! You don't have to agree; just don't be disagreeable.
This is a really terrific piece by Karen Ocamb in LA's The Pride detailing how Hillary Clinton's campaign made LGBT history last night, too:
Drink this in: on Tuesday night, June 7, 2016, Hillary Clinton shattered America’s 240-year old glass ceiling, becoming the first woman nominated by a major political party to be their candidate for President of the United States. Even before Clinton won California by 56% of the vote, she had secured enough pledged delegates to declare victory over rival democratic socialist Bernie Sanders in the Democratic Primary.
But what many do not realize is that Clinton was led to that milestone by Robby Mook, the first openly gay campaign manager of a major presidential campaign in U.S. history. And not only did Clinton nod to the LGBT community in her speech, she included two transgender women in her victory video, watched by millions before she came onstage.
...[In the video that aired before she took the stage, Clinton included] visuals of black transgender activist Cherno Biko, with a voice over from another transgender activist, Blossom Brown, an HRC Christian volunteer from Mississippi, in a video that [also] shows a young Dolores Huerta, co-founder of the United Farmer Workers movement and Shirley Chisholm, the first African American woman elected to Congress and the first woman to run for president.
"I want to help give back. I've met so many other transgender people–their voices haven't always been heard but I've told them, 'Our time is coming. We're going to change the world together," says Brown in the video.
Someday, the words "liberty and justice for all" might actually mean something. This is an important step, taken by a presidential candidate who understands how important it really is. Who gets that symbols matter, but so does action.
Deeky (and Twitter) informs me that today is National Best Friends Day. Happy National Best Friends Day! Here are some recent pix of Deeks and me, two of History's Greatest Monsters.
BFFs
And here are two of my favorite posts about my friendship with Deeks:
I am lucky to have many dear friends in my life, people whom I love abundantly and feel fortunate to know every day. I am truly, profoundly, indescribably grateful for each of my friends, who allow me to be wholly myself and appreciate my attributes and forgive me my flaws and failures.
Deeks is more than a friend. He is my family. He is my brother.
Please feel invited to use this thread to talk about your besties—past, current, the friend for whom you're looking and hope to have in future. Whatever you like!
[Inaudible because of mic problems] —one that you have taken with me, and I am so grateful to you. It is wonderful to be back in Brooklyn, here in this beautiful building. And it may be hard to see tonight, but we are all standing under a glass ceiling right now.
But don't worry. We're not smashing this one. Thanks to you, we've reached a milestone: The first time—the first time in our nation's history that a woman will be a major party's nominee.
Tonight's—tonight's victory is not about one person. It belongs to generations of women and men who struggled and sacrificed and made this moment possible.
In our country, it started right here in New York, a place called Seneca Falls in 1848, when a small but determined group of women, and men, came together with the idea that women deserved equal rights, and they set it forth in something called the Declaration of Sentiments, and it was first time in human history that that kind of declaration occurred. So we all owe so much to those who came before and tonight belongs to all of you.
I want to thank all the volunteers, community leaders, the activists, and organizers who supported our campaign in every state and territory. And thanks especially to our friends in New Jersey for such a resounding victory tonight. Thanks for talking to your neighbors, for making contributions. Your efforts have produced a strong majority of the popular vote, victories in a majority of the contests, and, after tonight, a majority of pledged delegates.
I want to thank all the people across our country who have taken the time to talk with me. I've learned a lot about you. And I've learned about those persistent problems and the unfinished promise of America that you are living with. So many of you feel like you're out there on your own, that no one has your back. Well, I do. I hear you. I see you. And as your president, I will always have your back.
I want to congratulate Senator Sanders for the extraordinary campaign he has run. He has spent his long career in public service fighting for progressive causes and principles, and he's excited millions of voters, especially young people. And let there be no mistake: Senator Sanders, his campaign, and the vigorous debate that we've had about how to raise incomes, reduce inequality, increase upward mobility, have been very good for the Democratic Party and for America.
This has been a hard fought, deeply felt campaign. But whether you supported me, or Senator Sanders, or one of the Republicans, we all need to keep working toward a better, fairer, stronger America. Now, I know it never feels good to put your heart into a cause or a candidate you believe in and to come up short. I know that feeling well!
But as we look ahead, as we look ahead to the battle that awaits, let's remember all that unites us. We all want an economy with more opportunity and less inequality, where Wall Street can never wreck main street again. We want a government that listens to the people, not the powerbrokers, which means getting unaccountable money out of politics. And we all want a society that is tolerant, inclusive, and fair.
We all believe that America succeeds when more people share in our prosperity. When more people have a voice in our political system. When more people can contribute to their communities. We believe that cooperation is better than conflict, unity is better than division, empowerment is better than resentment, and bridges are better than walls.
It's a simple but powerful idea. We believe that we are stronger together, and the stakes in this election are high, and the choice is clear. Donald Trump is temperamentally unfit to be president and commander-in-chief. And he's—he's not just trying to build a wall between America and Mexico; he's trying to wall off Americans from each other.
When he says, "Let's make America great again," that is code for: Let's take America backwards. Back to a time when opportunity and dignity were reserved for some, not all. Promising his supporters an economy he cannot re-create. We, however, we want to write the next chapter in American greatness, with a twenty-first century prosperity that lifts everyone who's been left out and left behind—including those who may not vote for us, but who deserve their chance to make a new beginning.
When Donald Trump says a distinguished judge born in Indiana can't do his job because of his Mexican heritage, or he mocks a reporter with disabilities, or calls women pigs, it goes against everything we stand for. Because we want an America where everyone is treated with respect, and where their work is valued.
It's clear that Donald Trump doesn't believe that we are stronger together. He has abused his primary opponents and their families, attacked the press for asking tough questions, denigrated Muslims and immigrants. He wants to win by stoking fear and rubbing salt in wounds. And reminding us daily just how great he is.
Well, we believe we should lift each other up, not tear each other down! We believe we need to give Americans a raise, not complain that hard-working people's wages are too high. We believe we need to help young people struggling with student debt, not pile more on our national debt with giveaways to the super-wealthy. We believe we need to make America the clean energy superpower of the twenty-first century, not insist that climate change is a hoax.
To be great, we can't be small. We have to be as big as the values that define America. And we are a big-hearted, fair-minded country. We teach our children that this is one nation, under god, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. Not just for people who look a certain way or worship a certain way or love a certain way. For all! indivisible!
This election is not, however, about the same old fights between Democrats and Republicans. This election is different.
It really is about who we are as a nation. It's about millions of Americans coming together to say: "We are better than this. We won't let this happen in America." And if you agree, whether you're a Democrat, Republican, or Independent, I hope you will join us. In just a few weeks, we will meet in Philadelphia, which gave birth to our nation, back in that hot summer of 1776. Those early patriots knew they would all rise or fall together. Well, today that's more true than ever. Our campaign will take this message to every corner of our country.
We're stronger when our economy works for everyone, not just those at the top. With good paying jobs, and good schools in every zip code, and a real commitment to all families and all regions of our nation. We are stronger when we work with our allies around the world to keep us safe, and we're stronger when we respect each other, listen to each other, and act with a sense of common purpose.
We're stronger when every family and every community knows they're not on their own. Because we are in this together. It really does take a village to raise a child! And to build a stronger future for us all.
I learned this a long time ago from the biggest influence in my life—my mother. She was my rock, from the day I was born 'til the day she left us. She overcame a childhood marked by abandonment and mistreatment, and somehow managed not to become bitter or broken. My mother believed that life is about serving others. And she taught me never to back down from a bully—which it turns out was pretty good advice!
This past Saturday would have been her 97th birthday, because she was born on June 4th, 1919—and some of you may know the significance of that date. On the the very day my mother was born in Chicago, Congress was passing the 19th Amendment to the Constitution! That amendment finally gave women the right to vote.
And I really—I really wish my mother could be here tonight. I wish she could see what a wonderful mother Chelsea has become and could meet our beautiful granddaughter Charlotte. And, of course, I wish she could see her daughter become the Democratic Party's nominee.
So yes. Yes, there are still ceilings to break for women, and men, for all of us. But don't let anyone tell you that great things can't happen in America. Barriers can come down. Justice and equality can win. Our history has moved in that direction. Slowly at time, but unmistakably. Thanks to generations of Americans who refuse to give up or back down.
Now you are writing a new chapter of that story. This campaign is about making sure there are no ceilings, no limits on any of us, and this is our moment to come together. So please join our campaign. Volunteer. Go to HillaryClinton.com. Contribute what you can. Text "join"—J-O-I-N—to 47246. Help us organize in all 50 states! Every phone call you make, every door you knock on, will move us forward.
Now I'm going to take a moment later tonight and the days ahead to fully absorb the history we've made here. But what I care about most is the history our country has yet to write.
Our children and grandchildren will look back at this time, at the choices we're about to make, the goals we will strive for, the principles we will live by—and we need to make sure that they can be proud of us. The end of the primaries is only the beginning of the work we're called to do. But if we stand together, we will rise together.
Because we are stronger together! Let's go out and make that case to America! Thank you! God bless you and god bless America!
Bernie Sanders spoke late last night. He vowed to keep campaigning, because of course he did. Below, the video of his speech, and Bustle has the transcript.
The key part, for me, comes at 13:28. He says: "And tonight, I had a very gracious call from Secretary Clinton and congratulated her on her victories tonight." That is followed by fifteen seconds of booing and jeers. During which Sanders waves his hand, but doesn't make any meaningful effort to stop his audience from booing the Democratic nominee and the woman who just made national history.
And that is the entirety of what he says about her. That she called him, and he congratulated her on her state wins. He does not acknowledge that she made history, because he refuses to acknowledge that she's the nominee.
Lest anyone imagine that anyone but Sanders himself is responsible for this fuckery: Nope.
I was up until the wee hours, and I am totally knackered. But a big part of the reason I feel so exhausted is because I'm overwhelmed with emotion.
This is one of the things for which I've been working for day and night for 12 years, and have wanted for as long as I was old enough to understand what was up.
It's going to be a slow day around here today. Because I am very tired. And because I have to pick all the shards of glass out of my hair.
It's going to be a long night, and I'm going to be sticking with it until the polls close in California. I'll be updating this post with various news and items of interest, and please feel welcome and encouraged to drop primary night (and history-making!) items in comments, in addition to what I hope will be very excited discussion!
In the meantime, here's a terrific video the video has released ahead of the victory party tonight!
Video Description: A series of images and quotes highlighting women's political history in the United States, including women of color, young and old women, trans women, and all sorts of different women, which culminates in Hillary Clinton saying in voiceover: "Women and men, young and old, Latino and Asian, African American and caucasian, rich, poor, and middle class, gay and straight, you have stood with me, and I will continue to stand strong with you. Every time, every place, and every way that I can. The dreams we share are worth fighting for. And I want to build an America that respects and embraces the potential of every last one of us." Text onscreen: "Let's keep making history."
* * *
In case anyone wants some unabashed pro-Hillary reading tonight, as we wait for the results to roll in and the victory party to start, here are some of my favorite pieces I've written about Hillary during the primary:
Bernie Sanders: I believe that if those superdelegates are honest with themselves, if they look at all of the national polling, all of the state polling, the nature of our organization, they will conclude that if we want to beat Donald Trump, and it is absolutely imperative that we defeat Donald Trump, that Bernie Sanders is the strongest candidate.
Lester Holt: Are you going to try to turn them?
Sanders: Yeah. We are. We're on the phone right now.
Holt: You'd be defying history; you'd be defying the will of the voter. Hillary Clinton—
Sanders: [laughs] Well, defying history is what this campaign has been about.
That is certainly an odd, ahem, choice of words to use on the day that Hillary Clinton has made history.
Which is, of course, to say nothing about how Bernie Sanders is arguing to overturn the entire Democratic election process in direct contravention of the will of the majority of voters, to have the superdelegates declare him the winner.
* * *
Below, the live stream of Clinton's victory address in Brooklyn, if you want to tune in online.
* * *
I have a new piece up at BNR, which I hope you will read (and share, if you're on social media). I hope you enjoy it; I hope it means something to you: "#HistoryMade: THANK YOU HILLARY!"
Tonight, probably after the polls close in New Jersey and she reaches the majority of pledged delegates, Hillary Clinton will give a speech. It will be a victory speech, in which she claims the win of the Democratic nomination, making history as the first woman to be the presidential nominee of a major party.
It will also be an acceptance speech. Not the official acceptance of the nomination—that will come at the convention. But it will be an acceptance speech all the same. Because this moment is about millions and millions of people accepting a woman as their potential president for the first time in the nation's history.
This moment is about all the people, the women and the men, the little girls and the little boys, who accepted Hillary Clinton by voting for her. Who accepted her by volunteering for her, by phone-banking, by knocking on doors, by fundraising and donating. Who accepted her by showing up at her campaign rallies, who clamored for her autograph and to get selfies with her, who cheered for her, who waved signs emblazoned with her name.
And this moment is about a nation who has communicated a new acceptance, in some measure, of women and girls. A nation that is on the path, for the first time, to being able to tell little girls that they can be anything they want to be when they grow up, and actually mean it.
This moment is the acceptance of an idea, a promise, a possibility. An opportunity that wasn't there before.
Hillary Clinton is more than a symbol, but symbols matter. And she is the bearer of a symbolism the weight of which is unfathomable. She is a symbol of the hopes and expectations and urgent desire of millions of women and girls.
She is the symbol of some piece of our acceptance. An imperfect, incomplete, hesitant, begrudging, inspiring piece of our acceptance.
That is a lot to carry. And she accepted that.
I am grateful to her, and I am ecstatic for her, and I am resolved to carry her forward, because she brings all of us with her.
Here we are. In this moment. I await her speech, tissues at hand.
[Content Note: Terrorism; death; injury] "At least 11 people have been killed in a car bomb attack targeting a police vehicle in central Istanbul, the latest in a series of terror attacks in Turkey. The explosion occurred at a busy intersection in the Vezneciler district during morning rush-hour, near Istanbul University and the Grand Bazaar, a popular tourist attraction in the historic Sultanahmet district. The Istanbul governor, Vasip Şahin, said a parked car packed with explosives was detonated by remote control the moment a bus carrying riot police personnel passed by. Seven of those killed were police officers, he said, and three of the 36 injured remained in a critical condition. The explosion destroyed the police bus, damaged nearby cars and buildings, and blew out windows on shops and hotels more than 50 metres (164ft) from the blast site. ...There was no immediate claim of responsibility for Tuesday's blast." Fucking hell.
[CN: Rape culture] "In a brief phone interview with the Guardian on Monday, the [Stanford rape victim], whose emotional testimony has since gone viral, said the positive responses to her statement have been moving. 'I'm worried that my heart is going to grow too big for my chest,' she said. 'I've just been overwhelmed and speechless.' The Guardian can also reveal that the judge who gave the former Stanford athlete the light sentence will now face a recall campaign led by a law professor at the elite university who argues the jurist took extraordinary measures to allow the student to avoid prison."
Toxic Trump: "BuzzFeed has terminated a deal with the Republican National Committee to run political advertisements in the fall, the company's CEO, Jonah Peretti, informed employees Monday morning. In an email, Peretti cited Donald Trump's rhetoric and campaign promises as the reason for the decision to terminate the buy, worth $1.3 million according to a source who spoke with Politico. 'Earlier today, BuzzFeed informed the RNC that we would not accept Trump for President ads and that we would be terminating our agreement with them,' Peretti said. 'The Trump campaign is directly opposed to the freedoms of our employees in the United States and around the world and in some cases, such as his proposed ban on international travel for Muslims, would make it impossible for our employees to do their jobs.'"
In other Toxic Trump news: Speaker Paul Ryan now says that Trump's racist tirade against Judge Gonzalo Curiel was "indefensible." But whooooooops Ryan endorsed Trump several days after that tirade. So, basically, he thinks indefensible racism is A-OK. (Which, frankly, we already knew.)
And for the last bit of Trump news (I promise!), Trump says that he "was the one that really broke the glass ceiling on behalf of women more than anybody in the construction industry." Uh. That's not how it works. That's not how any of this works.
This is pretty terrific: "Some 9,000 people stuck with delinquent medical bills had their debts forgiven courtesy of HBO host John Oliver. Oliver, on his 'Last Week Tonight' program Sunday, took the action to illustrate a story about the practices of companies that purchase the records of debtors and attempt to collect on them. The show set up its own company to acquire $15 million worth of debt owed to hospitals in Texas, paying $60,000. Oliver added a little show-biz flair, pressing a big red button to symbolize the debt forgiveness. He claimed it eclipsed the $8 million giveaway by talk-show host Oprah Winfrey when she gave a car to each member of her studio audience one day, making it the biggest ever."
[CN: Misogyny; racism] Here's a cool interview with Ralph Nader in which, among other things, he laments how white men "aren't allowed" to tell racist jokes and harass women anymore. Awesome progressivism, bro.
At Colorlines: "8 Ways to Fight Anti-Trans Bias on the Job." This guide will be most useful to trans workers in traditional employment with established companies. If, however, you are, for example, nontraditional work, or if you work for a small company without a human resources department, it may not be as useful.
[CN: Video may autoplay at link] Wow: "A team of researchers from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology's artificial intelligence laboratory and the Harvard University revealed Monday that they had developed an algorithm that may allow us to actually 'see' black holes. ...The algorithm, which the researchers call Continuous High-resolution Image Reconstruction using Patch priors, or CHIRP, will essentially fill in the gaps in data collected by radio telescopes spread across the surface of the planet—thereby mimicking one giant telescope—in order to create an image of the black hole. The algorithm would do so by sifting through the vast pile of gathered data, removing the interference and noise, and then translating what's left into a visual image."
Probably no one besides me will care about this, lol, but Manchester United's Marouane Fellaini has dyed his amazing locks blond. "Fellaini revealed his new do on Twitter, posing a picture alongside the caption: 'Here we go with Blondie Felli....'" LOL! Love that guy.
First female Speaker of the House endorses first female presidential nominee from a major party. What a day to be alive!
"I'm a voter in California and I have voted for Hillary Clinton for president of the United States and I'm proud to endorse her for that position," Pelosi said on ABC's Good Morning America.
Today, as Californians head to the polls, I am proud to cast my vote for Hillary Clinton and to endorse her candidacy for President of the United States. Throughout her career, Secretary Clinton has demonstrated her commitment to children, to working families, and to a brighter future for America. In this campaign, we have seen her vision, her knowledge, her ability, indeed her stamina, to get the job done for the American people.
[Content Note: Racism; misogyny. Video may autoplay at first two links.]
Here is another unfortunately frequent reminder that Donald Trump is the worst:
An embattled Donald Trump urgently rallied his most visible supporters to defend his attacks on a federal judge's Mexican ancestry during a conference call on Monday in which he ordered them to question the judge's credibility and impugn reporters as racists.
"We will overcome," Trump said, according to two supporters who were on the call and requested anonymity to share their notes with Bloomberg Politics. "And I've always won and I'm going to continue to win. And that's the way it is."
There was no mention of apologizing or backing away from his widely criticized remarks about U.S. District Judge Gonzalo Curiel, who is overseeing cases against the Trump University real-estate program.
When former Arizona Governor Jan Brewer interrupted the discussion to inform Trump that his own campaign had asked surrogates to stop talking about the lawsuit in an e-mail on Sunday, Trump repeatedly demanded to know who sent the memo, and immediately overruled his staff.
"Take that order and throw it the hell out," Trump said.
Told the memo was sent by Erica Freeman, a staffer who circulates information to surrogates, Trump said he didn't know her. He openly questioned how the campaign could defend itself if supporters weren't allowed to talk.
"Are there any other stupid letters that were sent to you folks?" Trump said. "That's one of the reasons I want to have this call, because you guys are getting sometimes stupid information from people that aren't so smart."
So, to recap: Trump actually said "We will overcome" in defense of his racism against Judge Curiel. And then he threw his campaign staff under the bus, saying he didn't even know one female staffer and calling additional members of his staff stupid.
He's terrific and running a tremendous campaign. Obviously.
In related news: Senator Lindsay Graham, who last month was encouraging Republican fundraisers "to get behind the party and support the party and do what we need to do to raise the funds necessary to make sure that Donald J. Trump is our next president of the United States," is now urging Republicans who endorsed Trump to rescind their endorsements, citing Trump's attacks on Judge Curiel.
"This is the most un-American thing from a politician since Joe McCarthy," Mr. Graham said. "If anybody was looking for an off-ramp, this is probably it," he added. "There'll come a time when the love of country will trump hatred of Hillary."
Yesterday afternoon, my friend and BNR colleague Peter Daou wrote a terrific piece (with some help from yours truly) about the studies which have found traffic to and engagement with political media are in steep decline, and how BNR is bucking that trend. (For the record: So is Shakesville!)
A troubling phenomenon is plaguing the media industry: political traffic is tanking during a presidential cycle...
Since last December, when our new editorial team took the reins of what was formerly Blue Nation Review, BNR has defied that trend with steady traffic growth and high levels of social media engagement. We attribute our success to our singular focus on establishing a media platform that Democrats trust, cutting through talking points, speaking from the heart, and challenging conventional wisdom.
In particular, our coverage of Hillary Clinton has stood apart for its passion, directness and willingness to counter pervasive storylines. We endorsed Hillary on January 22, and in the months since, we’ve published some of the most widely-disseminated content of the entire 2016 cycle, with our articles regularly receiving tens of thousands of social media shares.
Listen, the team of writers at BNR is terrific, and Peter is a great boss. I don't want to take away from the hard work and personal passion we put into that project. Because holy shit we put in a lot of work and passion. But what we're doing isn't magic, either: We are offering positive coverage of the most popular candidate. A historical candidate. A person who's been the most admired woman in the world for nearly two decades.
And we're the only place with as large an audience as we have doing it.
Which is incredible. And also speaks to the pervasive misogyny in the media. Even people who aren't as personally passionate about Clinton's candidacy as we are should be inclined to write positive stuff about her given her immense popularity! But she continues to get more negative coverage than Donald Trump!
It's no wonder that people are abandoning spaces in which they can't regularly (or ever) find positive coverage of the most popular presidential candidate.
Anyway. You can count on me, wherever I'm writing, to keep bringing the fire on behalf of Hillary Clinton and her supporters. I'm happy (and unsurprised) that it's good business, but #ImWithHer because of what's good for me.
Today is another—and the final!—Super Tuesday, with primaries in California, Montana, New Jersey, New Mexico, and South Dakota, as well as a Democratic caucus in North Dakota!
Although the AP announced last night that Hillary Clinton has reached enough combined pledged delegates and committed superdelegates to have clinched the Democratic nomination, she won't officially reach the threshold of a majority of pledged delegates until the polls close this evening.
Which means that EVERYONE IN THOSE STATES STILL NEEDS TO GO VOTE! Not only because she's still out there working for every last vote, and not only because there are other state and local races on the ballot that need attention, but also because which states she wins will probably determine how Bernie Sanders moves forward in this process.
That is, if he loses California, it will severely hamper any argument he has left for continuing to campaign until the convention.
So, get out there and vote! Vote in celebration! Vote in gratitude! Just go vote!
Welcome to Shakesville, a progressive feminist blog about politics, culture, social justice, cute things, and all that is in between. Please note that the commenting policy and the Feminism 101 section, conveniently linked at the top of the page, are required reading before commenting.
