🇺🇸 I've got that joy, joy, joy, joy down in my heart. 🇺🇸

(And soon I'll have a camo hat on my head to go with it.)

Hey, y’all! A couple of months ago I thought I was too jaded to be excited about a political campaign again – especially in the climate of the last few years. Yet here I am in orbit over the Harris-Walz ticket. 

First, and most importantly, I am totally taking credit for the following 😂: 

Shot:

Chaser:

I ordered two. 😉

Since the beginning of this campaign (3 weeks ago???), I’ve speculated that Kamala Harris would choose a running mate with whom she wants to govern – not just someone who’d potentially offer a tiny boost in the electoral college. After all, she’s the sitting vice president. She understands the job and the relationship with #1. At the very least, this is a person she’ll have to eat lunch with once a week. Plus, as I noted in the last newsletter, this decision has been regarded as a litmus test of sorts for Harris.

Like most of you, I’d never heard of Tim Walz 3 weeks ago. It’s been a ride, huh? I recommend you watch yesterday’s campaign rally in Philadelphia to get a sense of the energy of this thing. Wow! 

Walz summed up my feelings when he said to Harris at the beginning of his remarks at the rally, “Thank you for bringing back the joy.” 

Effective campaigns draw contrast, and boy do we have contrast now. CNN’s Stephen Collinson writes:  

The optimism, laughter and positive energy in Philadelphia on Tuesday felt like a different planet from the dystopian dirge of Trump rallies, which devolve into festivals of personal vengeance for a candidate who has tripled down on the American carnage mantra of his first inaugural address.

“We are a nation in decline, we are a failing nation,” Trump said at a typical event in Manchester, New Hampshire, in January, portraying the US as a hellscape of energy shortages, drug-infested cities, out-of-control immigration and crime. He added: “We are a nation that has lost its confidence, its willpower and its strength. We are a nation that has lost its way.”

Team Happy Warrior. A friend asked yesterday where the term “happy warrior” originated, and, as an English major, I’m ashamed to admit that I didn’t realize it’s from a lovely little poem by William Wordsworth. (Reminds me of my husband Eddie!)

As I type this, I’m watching the 61kg weightlifting competition in the Olympics. Hampton Morris, the 20 year old from Marietta, GA, is representing the USA in this competition. Hartsville folks on this list may remember his mom, Anne Marie (Miller) Morris, who was my close friend in junior high. Her fam shipped out to Kansas in high school, but we stayed in touch some, and it’s been so fun to see her kiddo excel on the world’s stage. I’m pretty sure “regular TV” will air this at 2:15 PM later today. We are so proud of you, Hamp! USA! USA! USA! 🇺🇸🏋️🇺🇸

Tomorrow Eddie and I are Big Apple-bound for a few days, assuming this stubborn storm doesn’t get in our way. So it’ll likely be a bit before another newsletter, but hopefully we’ll come back with some fun stories of the country mice in the big city!

Stay dry out there,

Laurin