# Kamala Harris and the runup to the 2024 Presidential Election {No more on Guns} **URL:** \ **Category:** Politics & Elections\ **Tags:** kamala-harris\ **Created:** [July 22, 2024, 12:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kamala-harris-and-the-runup-to-the-2024-presidential-election-no-more-on-guns/1004571 "2024-07-22T00:39:59Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 91
**Author:** ![bobot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bobot/32/21622_2.png) [@bobot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bobot)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2024, 9:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kamala-harris-and-the-runup-to-the-2024-presidential-election-no-more-on-guns/1004571/1824 "2024-10-17T21:23:52Z")
Harris was just interrupted by hecklers at a Wisconsin rally, and she said, “Oh, you guys are at the wrong rally”. As I was laughing at her response, she said “You were looking for the smaller one down the street.” ---
**Author:** ![JohnT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnt/32/15048_2.png) [@JohnT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnT)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2024, 9:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kamala-harris-and-the-runup-to-the-2024-presidential-election-no-more-on-guns/1004571/1825 "2024-10-17T21:28:04Z")
Video: > ---
**Author:** ![bobot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bobot/32/21622_2.png) [@bobot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bobot)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2024, 9:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kamala-harris-and-the-runup-to-the-2024-presidential-election-no-more-on-guns/1004571/1826 "2024-10-17T21:33:58Z")
That’s great. I typed out my recollection of what she said right away. Good thing I’m not a court reporter. “What? It was close!” ---
**Author:** ![Irishman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/b487fb/32.png) [@Irishman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Irishman)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2024, 10:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kamala-harris-and-the-runup-to-the-2024-presidential-election-no-more-on-guns/1004571/1827 "2024-10-17T22:31:05Z")
> [@bobot](#): > > Harris was just interrupted by hecklers at a Wisconsin rally, and she said, “Oh, you guys are at the wrong rally”. > As I was laughing at her response, she said “You were looking for the smaller one down the street.” DAMN! Now that’s the kind of improv I’ve be wanting to see from her. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2024, 10:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kamala-harris-and-the-runup-to-the-2024-presidential-election-no-more-on-guns/1004571/1828 "2024-10-17T22:46:24Z")
The key to witty is a good memory. A speech writer can write a dozen or two real zingers before lunch. The challenge is rehearsing and remembering them all. ---
**Author:** ![bobot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bobot/32/21622_2.png) [@bobot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bobot)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2024, 11:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kamala-harris-and-the-runup-to-the-2024-presidential-election-no-more-on-guns/1004571/1829 "2024-10-17T23:03:20Z")
Or genuinely coming up with them on the fly! ---
**Author:** ![ShadowFacts](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/shadowfacts/32/2934_2.png) [@ShadowFacts](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ShadowFacts)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2024, 11:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kamala-harris-and-the-runup-to-the-2024-presidential-election-no-more-on-guns/1004571/1830 "2024-10-17T23:48:37Z")
That was perfection, and very enjoyable to watch. ---
**Author:** ![carrps](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carrps/32/2957_2.png) [@carrps](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carrps)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2024, 12:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kamala-harris-and-the-runup-to-the-2024-presidential-election-no-more-on-guns/1004571/1831 "2024-10-18T00:36:47Z")
> [@JKellyMap](#): > > . We’re in our university’s gym…a student just took the microphone. Good energy. Nicole Wallace’s show aired a long portion of this rally, and the crowd sounded super enthused. ---
**Author:** ![Kolak\_of\_Twilo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kolak_of_twilo/32/73_2.png) [@Kolak\_of\_Twilo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kolak_of_Twilo)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2024, 4:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kamala-harris-and-the-runup-to-the-2024-presidential-election-no-more-on-guns/1004571/1832 "2024-10-18T04:36:39Z")
What were the hecklers saying? I couldn’t make it out. Asking because I expect they were MAGAts but I suppose it could have been some anti-Israel stuff. ---
**Author:** ![chappachula](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/d2c977/32.png) [@chappachula](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chappachula)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2024, 7:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kamala-harris-and-the-runup-to-the-2024-presidential-election-no-more-on-guns/1004571/1833 "2024-10-18T07:09:49Z")
> [@Kolak\_of\_Twilo](#): > > What were the hecklers saying? I couldn’t make it out. They were screaming “Jesus is lord”. > **['Oh, you guys are at the wrong rally': Kamala Harris counters hecklers at La...](https://www.jsonline.com/story/news/politics/2024/10/17/kamala-harris-claps-back-at-rally-protesters-in-la-crosse-wisconsin/75724847007/)** > > Vice President Kamala Harris tells hecklers in La Crosse they are at the wrong rally. ---
**Author:** ![psychobunny](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/54ee81/32.png) [@psychobunny](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/psychobunny)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2024, 7:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kamala-harris-and-the-runup-to-the-2024-presidential-election-no-more-on-guns/1004571/1834 "2024-10-18T07:17:55Z")
I’m not happy with her skipping the Al Smith dinner, especially since Trump was there. It seems like a misstep to me. ---
**Author:** ![saje](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/saje/32/3631_2.png) [@saje](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/saje)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2024, 10:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kamala-harris-and-the-runup-to-the-2024-presidential-election-no-more-on-guns/1004571/1835 "2024-10-18T10:50:26Z")
I swear, I’m going to have a coronary AND apoplexy on top of a full blown panic attack before this is over. I am not an anxious person by nature (or at least not clinically diagnosed with anxiety, fortunate person that I am) but damn this sensation of impending doom sucks. ---
**Author:** ![JKellyMap](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jkellymap/32/15880_2.png) [@JKellyMap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JKellyMap)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2024, 11:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kamala-harris-and-the-runup-to-the-2024-presidential-election-no-more-on-guns/1004571/1836 "2024-10-18T11:08:18Z")
Glad y’all got to see and hear parts of the La Crosse rally. The crowd (a good mix of students and older folks) was indeed “super-enthused.” I was impressed with Harris’ relaxed yet energetic style. Even in the bits that are well rehearsed, she really is genuine, warm, and personable. She glides through unexpected moments — a minor medical issue of someone in the crowd; the crowd chanting in support, but “now it’s time to get back to what I was saying”; that one moment of heckling — with just the right blend of acknowledgment and firm yet gentle control. I was happy to see three of my students there (and they were happy to see me). I kidded them about missing class (actually, I was fortunate that it was during the one afternoon I don’t teach). I was careful to change into my Harris/Walz shirt only after my morning class was over. I’m still beat from standing for three hours, but well with it! (I got through a couple chapters of _Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance_ — haven’t reread it after becoming a father.) ---
**Author:** ![flurb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/51bf81/32.png) [@flurb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/flurb)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2024, 11:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kamala-harris-and-the-runup-to-the-2024-presidential-election-no-more-on-guns/1004571/1837 "2024-10-18T11:28:09Z")
> [@psychobunny](#): > > I’m not happy with her skipping the Al Smith dinner, especially since Trump was there. It seems like a misstep to me. Nobody gives a shit about the Al Smith dinner. ---
**Author:** ![Horatius](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/horatius/32/3572_2.png) [@Horatius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Horatius)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2024, 11:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kamala-harris-and-the-runup-to-the-2024-presidential-election-no-more-on-guns/1004571/1838 "2024-10-18T11:37:58Z")
> [@flurb](#): > > Nobody gives a shit about the Al Smith dinner. I caught a few minutes of Trump on CNN at this event. He really couldn’t hit the “jokes” someone had written for him, and spent about 90% of the time staring straight down at the podium where his notes were. Just awful delivery, all around. ---
**Author:** ![chela](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chela/32/21582_2.png) [@chela](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chela)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2024, 12:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kamala-harris-and-the-runup-to-the-2024-presidential-election-no-more-on-guns/1004571/1839 "2024-10-18T12:05:35Z")
> [@psychobunny](#): > > I’m not happy with her skipping the Al Smith dinner, especially since Trump was there. It seems like a misstep to me. I’ve never heard of this charity event that raises money for _vulnerable women and children_ so my question is why the hell is Don the con a featured guest speaker? And why the hell would Harris attend this gala and place herself in a position of vulnerability where she’s harassed and maligned from a podium on stage when her opponent is refusing to debate her or sit for interviews. Smart choice ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2024, 12:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kamala-harris-and-the-runup-to-the-2024-presidential-election-no-more-on-guns/1004571/1840 "2024-10-18T12:12:03Z")
Another vote for “What the hell is the ‘Al Smith dinner’?” and why would anyone care about it or who speaks at it? ---
**Author:** ![Stratocaster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/stratocaster/32/16393_2.png) [@Stratocaster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stratocaster)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2024, 1:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kamala-harris-and-the-runup-to-the-2024-presidential-election-no-more-on-guns/1004571/1841 "2024-10-18T13:11:42Z")
It’s an annual dinner to raise money for Catholic Charities. It generally only gets attention in election years, when the presidential candidates attend and speak. It’s generally very light-hearted and funny, good for a few jokes that get shown on the news channels. Just a tradition, not a game-changer. > **[Alfred E. Smith Memorial Foundation Dinner](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alfred_E._Smith_Memorial_Foundation_Dinner)** > > The Alfred E. Smith Memorial Foundation Dinner, commonly known as the Al Smith Dinner, is an annual white tie dinner in New York City to raise funds for Catholic charities supporting children of various needs in the Archdiocese of New York. Held at New York City's Waldorf-Astoria Hotel on the third Thursday of October, it is hosted by the Archbishop of New York. It is organized by the Alfred E. Smith Memorial Foundation in honor of Al Smith, who grew up in poverty and later became the governor ---
**Author:** ![flurb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/51bf81/32.png) [@flurb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/flurb)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2024, 1:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kamala-harris-and-the-runup-to-the-2024-presidential-election-no-more-on-guns/1004571/1842 "2024-10-18T13:22:12Z")
The Al Smith dinner was more important when “winning the Catholic vote” was a key priority for both parties. But there is no “Catholic vote” anymore. Catholics voters don’t move as a block and their Catholicism doesn’t drive how they vote, or at least it pales in comparison to other factors such as income, education level and ethnicity. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2024, 1:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kamala-harris-and-the-runup-to-the-2024-presidential-election-no-more-on-guns/1004571/1843 "2024-10-18T13:29:44Z")
I also suspect it’s far more important to the folks from NYC than the rest of the country. There was a time when NYC was central enough to the broadcasting industry that their local provincial interests became somehow matters of import all across our land. Thankfully that era has long since ended. Although many NYC folks retain that overweening pride that _their_ brand of provincialism is actually cosmopolitan. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kamala-harris-and-the-runup-to-the-2024-presidential-election-no-more-on-guns/1004571.md?page=90) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kamala-harris-and-the-runup-to-the-2024-presidential-election-no-more-on-guns/1004571.md?page=92)