The former president and first lady threw their weight behind the presumptive Democratic nominee

Barack and Michelle Obama have endorsed Kamala Harris for the Democratic nomination for president, sharing the news in a joint phone call.

A video released by the campaign suggests the former president and first lady called Harris on Thursday while the vice president was in Houston, where she addressed the American Federation of Teachers and received a briefing on recovery efforts following Hurricane Beryl.

“We called to say, Michelle and I couldn’t be prouder to endorse you and do everything we can to get you through this election and into the Oval Office,” Barack Obama is heard telling Harris in a 55-second video of the call.

“This is going to be historic,” Michelle Obama tells Harris.

    • Steve@communick.news
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      1 month ago

      Is that really the best we can hope for? Or ask for? Someone who’s better than Trump?

      • kent_eh@lemmy.ca
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        1 month ago

        Is that really the best we can hope for?

        Got any actual suggestions, or are you only here to complain that any candidate isn’t a 100% perfect match for everything you want in the world?

        • Steve@communick.news
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          1 month ago

          I’d be thrilled for someone who isn’t an obvious self centered opertunist. Someone with principals that aren’t power for its own sake. I thought that was Obama. Honestly I still believe he has that in him. I know it’s Bernie, and Yang. I’m sure there are more out there. But our system itself keeps them from getting to the top.

      • dwindling7373@feddit.it
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        1 month ago

        Feel free to fund an entirely new party or even a new constitution, in the meantime you just need to take 2 hours off your massive, world changing project and vote for Kamala Harris.

      • tamal3@lemmy.world
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        1 month ago

        I hear you, but it’s also fun to see how excited Democrats are right now. It’s partly shock and relief at Biden dropping out, but I think there’s also real excitement in the mix!

        • Gerudo@lemm.ee
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          1 month ago

          My wife and I have never been the biggest fans of Harris. We said the night Biden stepped down that she was the natural pick, but not the best pick.

          She and her team have changed our minds. Harris actually attacking Trump and the right, embracing a younger crowd, along with some policies that she has mentioned, have us on board. Give her some time to lay out HER platform, not just Biden 2.0, and I think she’s going to surprise a lot of people. I am one of those excited.

          • postmateDumbass@lemmy.world
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            1 month ago

            If anything, it will be stuff from California that she has to worry about. Always been clouds around her but nothing specific i can recall.

          • Asidonhopo@lemmy.world
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            1 month ago

            I’m skeptical but giving her a chance. Apparently her voting record in the Senate wasnt that far off from Bernies general position (although not “statistically closest to Bernie” like this circulated meme was saying)

            At least she seems like she’s got some good energy and getting people engaged to vote and participate.

      • tootoughtoremember@lemmy.world
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        1 month ago

        In July, of an election year, in the US? Yes, that’s the best you get.

        Make a time machine, convince Biden to drop out 8-12 months ago, then you can have your open primary season.

      • KevonLooney@lemm.ee
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        1 month ago

        I thought you were going to say:

        “Is that really the best we can hope for? ‘Working on social and political causes to help see people and policies you like make it to the top’?”

        And I was like “yeah, it is the best we can hope for”.

        • Steve@communick.news
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          1 month ago

          That is what I’m asking for. Everyone else seems content with backing a “winner”.

          • KevonLooney@lemm.ee
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            1 month ago

            I don’t know if you understand. People are donating and volunteering, for Kamala Harris. You don’t want more participation, You just want people to support your personally chosen candidate (who remains nameless).

            • Steve@communick.news
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              1 month ago

              I haven’t seen one I like this cycle. Neither major party has nominated one I really liked in 40 years. The Dems came close a couple times.

              • jj4211@lemmy.world
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                1 month ago

                This sentiment is really impractical in a functional democracy of over 300 million people, if you can’t find anyone in 20 candidates that have run over the past 40 years from the two major parties you were willing to vote for.

                Your perfect candidate that you hold out for isn’t going to be the perfect candidate for a lot of people. Part of the whole give and take is building consensus around most broadly acceptable candidates, rather than just taking your ball and going home when none of the viable candidates perfectly suite you.

                • Steve@communick.news
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                  1 month ago

                  Oh I voted in every election since I could. Just never for someone I believed in. It was only ever hope.

                  • sacredfire@programming.dev
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                    1 month ago

                    No one alive is probably fit to do the job, it’s an impossible task. Those who may come close, would probably never actually want it. And of those who remain who do want it ( which already might make them not worthy for the position) are probably not electable due to the forces of capitalism preventing such a candidate from getting elected.

                    So what is left is simply a pragmatic choice of the lesser evil. Many people are acutely aware of this and have gotten over it. I suggest until you manage to enact some sort of drastic systemic change you get it over it as well.

                  • jj4211@lemmy.world
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                    1 month ago

                    Ah, well that’s reasonable sounding. Perhaps the burden of understanding nuance of candidates is that you’ll always be disappointed when it comes time to reconcile with millions of others.

              • tamal3@lemmy.world
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                1 month ago

                It really is amazing how poor our choices are. There are many competent humans out there, but it’s not obvious from our options. Seems like a direct result of the 2 party winner-takes-all political system.

      • Samvega
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        1 month ago

        Is that really the best we can hope for?

        I don’t expect the human world to meet my moral standards. That might sound sad, but it preserves my sanity.

          • Samvega
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            1 month ago

            My moral standards are special because I hold myself to them, regardless of whether anyone else cares.