Going from Wes Moore to Pete Buttigieg is like going from Ray Charles to Barry Manilow.
Judson, Robert Caro would say this thing could be trimmed a bit. Peter Jackson would say a few scenes could be cut and the pace could be quicker.
Yeah, @pklein the pacing of the DNC speaker program has been plodding and indulgent. Even Scorsese would look at this and think, ‘Maybe they could have cut a few things’
If the Democrats stick to the printed schedule, they’re going to put Tim Walz on stage absurdly late. Maryland governor Wes Moore is speaking now, and we’re supposed to get remarks from Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, a performance from John Legend and Sheila E., remarks from Minnesota senator Amy Klobuchar, former Walz student Benjamin Ingman, and then Tim Walz.
Common sense has yet to inform me that Kamala and Tim can give anyone decency and respect, Oprah.
Oprah Winfrey is a good example of what most registered independent voters are: highly-motivated partisans who are too narcissistic to adopt a tribal identity. I speak from experience.
In case you missed it, over on the home page, our Haley Strack reports “independent candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. will drop out of the presidential race by the end of the week, and is considering endorsing former president Donald Trump, according to multiple reports.”
The announcement is expected to come Friday, which will step on the message and presumably good buzz from Kamala Harris’ acceptance speech and the concluding night of the Democratic convention.
It looks like Tim Walz will also be pushed past 11pm — the end of primetime on the east coast. Both parties have seemed content to pile up long speeches, videos, and musical performances to push their key speakers late. Not sure if this is part of a deliberate strategy and recognition that most people will just see clips of speeches, or just poor clock management. But it’s been a noticeable trend.
Further evidence that Kamala Harris is inheriting the Barack Obama mantle in a way that Hillary Clinton and Joe Biden did not: Chicago’s own Oprah Winfrey is here to give a full-throated endorsement of the ticket.
If Tim Walz somehow fails to meet expectations in this election cycle or becomes a drag on the ticket, Josh Shapiro’s speech tonight will be cited as evidence of one of the biggest “what if” moment of this race.