Doug Emhoff comes to Tucson to energize the Party

The Second Gentleman makes his pitch

Yesterday afternoon I was walking to the Doug Emhoff event downtown, wearing my Harris 2024 shirt when I was stopped by a young man who asked me if I was heading over to the Trump rally to join a protest.

“My heart couldn't take it,” I said.”I'm going to hear the Vice President's husband speak.”

“Cool. How did you swing that?”

“I got a text earlier this week from the Democratic Party, inviting me to register to attend the event which was described as a mobilization event. Maybe it's because I'm a donor. Or because I signed up to pick up a Harris Walz sign and asked to be on their notification list. Anyway I am showing up early to get in that line over there.”

I pointed across the street to the crowd of people standing in front of a warehouse space at the corner of Stone and Toole. We agreed we’re voting to turn the page and we parted ways.

I recognized volunteers, organizers, friends and the red shirts of the Moms Demand Action activists and others happily waiting outside in a long line in the heat of the setting sun to hear the Second Gentleman speak. As we filed in through the door, we were asked to show identification and the email confirmation of our reservation on our phones and then we were scanned by security.

I'm glad I showed up an hour early because I got a seat in the fourth row while most had to stand behind us. On the floor in front of our seats were posters featuring Harris and Walz and the words “A new way forward: battleground tour, 2024”. The poster listed Arizona, Florida, Georgia, Georgia, Maine, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada, New Hampshire, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin like rock 'n' roll tour dates. In the image both candidates were joyful.

The venue had a wonderful brick Bohemian barrio rustic feel. At the front of the room was a large white on blue "A New Way Forward” banner, flanked by beautiful American flags on both sides, with seats on stage behind the microphone for placard waving supporters.  The place was packed.

I said to my friend, “I've never been so excited about seeing the spouse of an American vice president.” It was like waiting at Shea Stadium to see the Beatles. The crowd was ebullient, chattering, networking and taking selfies until various Democratic officials took to the stage to warm up the room. the focus was on women's reproductive rights. We heard rousing pep talks from the head of Arizona’s “Men for Choice”. We heard from Supervisor Adelita Grijalva. We heard from a female physician who explained the terrible cost to women, in human terms, of overturning Roe v. Wade. We heard the moving testimony of the husband of a Texas woman denied an abortion. Speakers wound us up with “When we fight we win”, and “Yes she can”. The very real possibility of Arizona turning blue and the role we can play in turning Arizona blue was enthusiastically emphasized.

Here is your local Democratic Party’s volunteer link: Volunteer

This white dude for Harris, looking around him, could not help but notice the beauty of the people of Tucson, the exotic diversity, the range of ages of our community’s beautiful joyful humanity. I shuddered to imagine the weird homogeneous makeup of the crowd that attended the Trump show at the Linda Ronstadt Music Hall earlier in the day:

“A Statement From Linda Ronstadt

Sept. 11, 2024

San Francisco

Donald Trump is holding a rally on Thursday in a rented hall in my hometown, Tucson. I would prefer to ignore that sad fact. But since the building has my name on it, I need to say something.

It saddens me to see the former President bring his hate show to Tucson, a town with deep Mexican-American roots and a joyful, tolerant spirit.

I don’t just deplore his toxic politics, his hatred of women, immigrants and people of color, his criminality, dishonesty and ignorance — although there’s that.

For me it comes down to this:  In Nogales and across the southern border, the Trump Administration systematically ripped apart migrant families seeking asylum. Family separation made orphans of thousands of little children and babies and brutalized their desperate mothers and fathers. It remains a humanitarian catastrophe that Physicians for Human Rights said met the criteria for torture.

There is no forgiving or forgetting the heartbreak he caused.

Trump first ran for President warning about rapists coming in from Mexico. I’m worried about keeping the rapist out of the White House.

Linda Ronstadt

P.S. to J.D. Vance:

I raised two adopted children in Tucson as a single mom. They are both grown and living in their own houses. I live with a cat. Am I half a childless cat lady because I’m unmarried and didn’t give birth to my kids? Call me what you want, but this cat lady will be voting proudly in November for @kamalaharris and @timwalz .”

I adore that woman.

When it was Mayor Regina Romero’s turn to intro Doug Emhoff she noted the importance of a partner who is supportive, calling her supportive spouse the “First Dude” of Tucson. When she said, “It is so wonderful tonight to welcome the Second Gentleman of the United States of America to Tucson, Arizona,” the crowd went Beatlemania bananas, jumped to its feet, snapping pics, cheering and waving hundreds of “Harris Walz” and “A New Way forward” signs.

A tall and genuinely gentle man, Mr. Doug Emhoff, started off with a sure calm voice, drawing the crowd near to hear him.

Emhoff talked about seeing his mom in the ’60s working for women’s reproductive freedom, emphasized our present disappointment at having those freedoms “ripped away”, leading the crowd into the “We’re not going back” theme.

We roared when he said, “Did you see the debate? Donald Trump got his ass kicked.” He described the handshake moment. “Donald Trump doesn’t know how to deal with a powerful woman on the debate stage.” He reminded us when Kamala said of Trump’s insults, “Say it to my face,” and pointed out he could not look her in the face on that debate stage.

He noted the demands of the campaign. “Governor Tim Walz is a great guy, but I disagree with him. He said he'll sleep when he’s dead. Not me. I'll sleep November 6th.”

He focused on the purpose of the visit to encourage us to follow the admonition of Michelle Obama, to do something, to do the work of knocking on doors, working phone banks, donating, and doing our best to persuade the persuadable. Emhoff finished his speech, the energized crowd cheered and Tucson gave the Second Dude a collective abrazos.

After the uplifting event this old white dude was left with a sense that this nation’s demented definition of masculinity is finally evolving for the better thanks to the men of this campaign. Real men. Men like Doug Emhoff and Tim Walz, whole-souled men, “Men for Choice”, men who recognize for women to be liberated from the oppressive barbaric cruel madness of the Trump Vance attack on reproductive rights every man must step up and be a full partner in this fight.

Because when we all fight we win.

Safe travels, Doug.

NOTE:

This Sunday from 12-Noon to 2:30pm I’ll be emceeing a “Voter Mobilization Rally” for Kirsten Engel downtown and we will get you fired up! Our energizing rally will feature music, the great former Congressman Ron Barber, other special guests and our next congressperson, the fantastic Kirsten Engel.

Sign up here to get the address and to attend: 50 days Out Rally for Kirsten

We’ll see you there! Help turn Arizona blue!