Positive pieces to share
I admit to some degree of surprise that I have spent the last four days thoroughly engaged by the Democratioc National Convention, held “virtually” this year, given the pandemic.
I am more hopeful than I’ve been in a long time, and there were several short pieces that were streamed during the event that I want to make sure I can easily find again. Hence this page.
I fear that the next 70 days prior to the election are going to be filled with ugliness on the part of people who do not want Joe Biden and Kamala Harris to be elected. There is a history in US politics of the “other side” (however defined) using negative ads and false claims to drive people away from voting.
We who care about justice and hope and love cannot allow that to deter us this year. So here are a bunch of pieces you can share out that are more positive and offer constructive support for the Biden/Harris ticket.
I am starting this page on the 21st of August 2020, but I will add to it as things emerge that I think worthy of sharing. Please return often to grab links to put in your social media — we need to flood our news streams with good pieces to overwhelm all of the ugliness that will be out there.
Our strength is not in weapons, money or power. Our strength is in our peace, the peace within us. This peace makes us indestructible.
Thich Nhat Hanh
Under stress, an unexercised heart will explode in frustration or fury. If the situation is especially tense, that exploding heart may be hurled like a fragment grenade toward the source of its pain. But a heart that has been consistently exercised through conscious engagement with suffering is more likely to break open instead of apart. Such a heart has learned how to flex to hold tension in a way that expands its capacity for both suffering and joy.
Parker Palmer
Music videos
- Bruce Springsteen’s “The Rising” set to images from the year
- The Love by the Black Eyed Peas
- Prince Royce’s version of “Stand by Me”
- Billy Porter and Stephen Stills playing “For What it’s Worth”
- The Cure at Troy by Seamus Haney
- Jennifer Hudson’s A Change is Gonna Come note: the song starts about 24 seconds in, after Kerri Washington
- John Legend and Common perform “Glory”
- Maggie Rogers singing “Back in my body”
- Billie Eilish sings her new song “My Future”
- The Chicks sing the national anthem
Short produced pieces from the DNC
- Sr. Simone Campbell’s prayer
- Bp. Mariann Budde’s blessing
- Rabbi Lauren Berkun’s blessing
- Bp. Elpidophoros’s prayer
- Fr. James Martin S.J.’s blessing
- The roll call of states voting for the presidential nomination
- Introduction to Joe Biden
- Joe Biden and trains!
- Biden’s granddaughters speak about him
- 13 year old Braydon Harrington who stutters
- Cedric Richmond, Jr. saying the pledge of allegiance
- Jill Biden introduction video
- Kristen Urquiza’s story about her dad who was a Trump supporter and died from COVID-19
- Immigration short piece
- Tribute to John Lewis
- Rise up: March for Our Lives
- A letter for Donald Trump from a young girl
- History of women
Speeches
- Michelle Obama
- Barack Obama
- Andrew Cuomo
- Andrew Yang
- Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms
- Elizabeth Warren Don’t miss the “easter eggs” hidden throughout her set
- Bernie Sanders
- Kamala Harris
- Jill Biden
- Joseph Biden
- Young elected official across the country This was billed as the “unkeynote keynote” but what I liked about it was a view of energetic elected officials.
Other videos
Essays
- Nice introduction of Doug Emhoff, Sen. Harris’ spouse
Things Republicans might like
- Michael Bloomberg’s speech about Trump’s lack of business acumen
- Edward Good a Republican and NRA member
- Colin Powell’s speech
- An unlikely friendship between John McCain and Joe Biden
- Republicans who will not support Trump, and some who are actively supporting Biden
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