Thread by @RaeLoverde

Me watching Vice President-elect Kamala Harris come out to give her first speech as the most powerful woman in the US

my gods, she's radiant 😭😭😭

I just

I just love her

so much

what is this feeling

is this . . . hope?????

is this HAPPINESS while listening to elected officials speak????????

okay, Kamala's speechwriter is a serious MVP

give that person a raise and a month-long vacation

UNCLE JOE GIVING A SHOUTOUT TO DR. JILL BIDEN AND LAUDING HER AND HER ACCOMPLISHMENTS AND THEN REACHING OUT SPECIFICALLY TO TEACHERS I JUST

just the fact that he's thanking people and shouting them out and specifically thanking the Black community and not making tonight about him

"I owe you everything"

this is so unfamiliar and glorious that I don't even know how to feel right now

CLIMATE CHANGE
SYSTEMIC RACISM
SCIENCE
PUBLIC HEALTH

I AM JUST SO OVERWHELMED

just the fact that he is putting together a covid plan ON MONDAY and making sure it's ready by inauguration day

my public health heart is about to B U R S T

HE CALLED OUT DISABILITY AND GENDER IDENTITY HOLY GODS

I'm watching a President speak for the first time since January 2016 and I can't handle all of these feelings

THEY SET UP THE BACKGROUND SHAPE TO LOOK LIKE THE WHITE HOUSE I AM DEAD THE PASSIVE-AGGRESSIVE WE DGAF IF YOU INVITED US OR NOT TR*MP WE'LL MAKE OUR OWN

I'm going to die

And everyone on the stage has a mask

IS THIS . . .
BASIC
PUBLIC HEALTH
RESPONSIBILITY???????????

my gods

okay, Uncle Joe's speechwriter deserves a raise, a cabin on Lummi Island with no internet service or neighbors, a month-long vacation, a boat to get there, and ten cases of their beverage of choice

that speech was so SMART -- reaching out to moderates, R*publican voters, AND the left while managing to not lecture or make it about him?

that was SMART

that's exactly what he needed to say tonight

ALSO ARTICULATE I'VE MISSED THAT

Make no mistake -- I am NOT saying we should forgive and cooperate with bigots

I am saying that as a political move he did everything right in that speech

he's trying to put out a zillion fires and bring back a country on the brink

that was SMART

I've written a lot of political intrigue and a lot of characters who choose their words specifically to disarm opponents while not alienating their supporters

it works

that skill is incredibly useful in situations like this -- and it is SUCH a delicate balancing act

throw in that you have to deliver it with sincerity and not sound like you're walking that tightrope?

seriously, congratulate that speechwriter and Uncle Joe

I'll wait to congratulate him on policy until I see the proof and implementation of it

but as far as delivery, dignity, and sheer political savvy?

give that man some gourmet ice cream

another note on delivery -- he disproved things his opponents have said about him

too old? nope, he JOGGED out
too sleepy? nope, palpable and sustained enthusiasm
too addled? nope, he delivered it precisely and articulately
too liberal? nope, he reached out to conservatives

and most importantly

he didn't have to attack or even mention Tr*mp

he set up the starkest of contrasts by example, not by mere rhetoric

he proved he's the bigger and better man without having to say a single word about it

VP-elects don't always speak at these kinds of things either -- and if they do, it's to introduce the president-elect

the fact that he let her speak -- symbolically letting Black women speak -- was incredibly smart and savvy (yes, I'm going to keep saying that)

and the absolute best part about that speech?

Tr*mp has nothing to attack -- and if he tries to, he'll look even more petty and weak, especially to his former supporters who have now been swayed by Biden's inclusive rhetoric

that wasn't a "I'm MAYBE the next president" speech
that wasn't a "I'm looking forward to being president" speech
and that definitely wasn't a "I'm worried about someone saying I'm not the president" speech

that was an "I AM the president" speech
it was definitive and final

dammit, thread broke

https://twitter.com/RaeLoverde/status/1325259535800430593

that is not a speech anyone can walk back or argue with without looking ridiculous

the numbers may have shown he won the presidency, but the speech PROVED he won the presidency

if I were a R*publican politician, I would get the hell out of Tr*mp's camp as quickly as possible after that speech

if you want to get anything done, you want to get on board that inclusive Biden train early and not have Tr*mp baggage dragging you down a single moment longer