Would Michael Jordan move the needle as a surprise guest in Chicago?

No, he doesn't have a big one, but he's easily the biggest-name Republican who has refused to endorse Trump when asked directly about it, and there definitely is an opportunity for Dems with the Haley voters, and Pence would be the most likely person left to sway them. I just quickly checked Georgia, Pennsylvania, and NC. In the 2024 *primaries* (i.e. lower turnout that the general,) in all three of those states, Haley got 2-6 times the margin of victory in said state for 2020. in other words...


Biden won Georgia by ~12k votes in 2020. Haley got ~78K votes in the 2024 primaries.
Biden won PA by ~80k votes in 2020. Haley got ~160K votes in the 2024 primaries.
Trump won NC by ~75K votes in 2020. Haley got ~250K votes in the 2024 primaries.

Haley primary voters are likely to vote in the general, likely to be at least somewhat anti-Trump, and I'd think the most likely person to be able to reach them at this point would be...Mike Pence.

For the freakin' love. After spending the time to look up those stats manually, after typing that post, I Googled the Haley voters for Harris web site, and this was on top of it. COULD HAVE SAVED MYSELF SOME WORK!

Anyone speculating a politician I think is missing the point and if it is one it is a swing and miss for the dems. It’s about creating a viral moment and upping the cool factor. That’s when think it’s swift or Beyoncé. Contrast that to kid rock or Ted nugent and it’s laughable. Everyone wants to be part of the in crowd. The dems trotting out one of the biggest stars in the world telegraphs they are the cool kids. Maybe Jordan.

Hopefully he'll have died a miserable, agonizingly painful death by then.

Here's your surprise for Chicago

It'll be the epic comeback of Tupac. No one will see it coming.

I'm sorry, what thread did I just click on?

i don't think it's going to be a politician. I'm just saying that given that lane and "blow people away," Pence and Dubya would be the only ones to fit that bill, and Pence would seem to be a better choice in terms of influencing the actual vote count.

On musicians, if the goal is to electrify the attending crowd and/or get a great viral clip, is this really a Taylor Swift group??? It seems like the sort of thing that would get the crowd cheering...but not screaming its collective head off like you'd see at one of her concerts. Would an excited-but-not-electric response make for good clips? I'm not sure. Beyonce seems like the better choice there. I would expect her to "pop" this crowd a bit better than Taylor.


Jordan feels like it would do next to nothing in terms of votes and just be "kinda cool."

It was probably an "Oh, forgot someone here" and it's actually not a huge deal and it'll be a quiet disappointment.

There is NO WAY Pence would show up at the DNC. Not a chance.

Probably another "celebrity" "rapper"

I think it's just gonna be Clinton playing his sax again

Not many celebrities that I would be surprised with, though. Maybe a huge country star? Jordan has been historically apolitical due to not wanting to turn off any fans. Dolly is sort of the same.

If it is a Republican, I’m going with Romney. Former GOP presidential nominee would be a bit of a surprise.

Of course, I may be misreading how they are using the word surprise. I was taking it as an appearance by an unexpected person, but it may very well be an unexpected performance by a not very surprising person (if that makes sense).

I can't see Pence doing that, and quite frankly, even if he did it would have a minimal impact IMO. Maybe prevent Harris/Walz from getting blown out in Indiana. I just don't think he has any influence over most Republicans, and he is probably the least charismatic VP in modern history (even more so than Al Gore). Plus, he narrowly escaped the mob who wanted to assassinate him on Jan. 6, so I doubt he wants to put himself and his family in harm's way again from those nutjobs.

Its Duke Silver

One of my friends suggested wheeling out Jimmy Carter.

Fun discussion, but probably not going to be too exciting. I guess people are talking about it and that says a lot.

I can’t imagine any GOPer that is strongly pro life would consider an appearance.

What about Laura Bush? She’d be an interesting endorsement that speaks to older, more conservative women.

This can't be real ... can it?

Trump Will Host January 6th "Awards Gala" in September

This is all the proof you need his handlers have zero control over him.

Lol...

https://x.com/MittRomney/status/1826...SaFeOCi1Q&s=19

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That you don't know ;)

TMZ is reporting it is Beyonce

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So the sexy special guest is Al Sharpton?

Didn’t Beyoncé and Jay-Z try and fail to get Hillary elected?

Just saw a Taylor Swift meme on facebook saying "My plane just arrived in Chicago. Wanna guess why?"

This is seriously exhausting to watch. Kind of a preaching to the choir night

Yes, it was totally their fault.

They say the crowd is so big they have stopped letting people on the floor. Even the people that just spoke aren't being allowed back into the seats.

I wonder if it is really possible to flip Texas. Granted I have doubts that guy can beat Cruz. No matter how worthless Cruz is, it's still texas

“I’m JD Vance, I’m running for Vice President.”

“Okay.”

These moms.....oof...

I'm not sure he could possibly be any more awkward.

Sounds like tonight is kind of a dud so far. Who let Leon Pancetta have a prime spot?

These morons are going to bring her out at 11:30

I love this Kinzinger speech.

I bet SNL writers are licking their chops. They need to bring back Taran Killam to play him.

Yeah. It is really good. I heard FOX News cut away. What a bunch of cowards.

Not sure why you'd load up your convention with Republican speakers but Dems gonna Dem.

Did I miss Beyoncé

What a weird final day and weird speech. They were doing so well too.

She did what she needed to. She has some quality mic skills. She's far better than either Biden or Clinton. Wasn't weird at all, but I do see what you're doing there.

What are they supposed to do after the left said they'd never vote for them?

Dems forced to cater to Republicans. Weird how that keeps happening despite so many popular issues they could run on.

It was strange to tease a special guest all day and then just have speeches and speakers like it's the 2004 Republican National Convention.

I think they should just run on abortion, increasing wages, family medical leave, and worker's rights. All are extremely popular positions in the states she needs to win. This shouldn't be complicated.

It was deliberate, and very smart to bring him out just before she spoke. He gave her additional credence as a serious, qualified candidate.

Then, it was also very smart not to bring out a celebrity at the end (e.g. Beyoncé). Kamala was the surprise star that they were talking about.

eeeek her husband Doug looks like Bill O Reilly

I am not impressed by all the USA chants and the camera hanging on kids

You know as much as Trump talks about how great he is, I've never heard him talk about his parents or his upbringing or accomplishments he did growing up.

wow Kamala is quite a kickass speaker. Razersharp mind.

I can tell she's been talking for the past week.