I'm just tuning in now but this is immediately ten thousand times more interesting than any roll call

it's not just five thousand people in matching t-shirts in an arena, you're ACTUALLY SEEING EACH STATE
OH MY GOD IT'S THE SHEPARDS
That's Matthew Shepard's parents and I think that they might be standing at the site of the fence where he died

Wyoming has fucked me all the way up

I can't believe they used their whole roll call moment to brand themselves as the LGBTQ ally state, my heart is bursting
I missed my own people, how did Oregon do
the smart thing about doing the roll call in a way that’s so individual to each community is the reminder that there are Democrats everywhere. This is who you’re erasing if you handwave away the Midwest or the South as regions not worth fighting for because we “don’t win there.”
okay I can’t watch the ALS promo someone tell me how it goes
I'm so bummed I missed this but Oregon introducing themselves as Black people standing on Native land, in front of the Hollywood Transit Center mural commemorating the MAX train attack, is perfect

I'm so proud https://twitter.com/Sunfire2109/status/1295910149597601792?s=20
I had to switch gears because I needed a Feelings Break after the ALS segment but if anyone finds a video link to the whole roll call, I really want to watch all the states I missed
okay i'm going back to watch the whole roll call let's go, time to cry
omg starting on the Edmund Pettus Bridge is a lot
I've never watched a roll call before, because I usually assume taking a head count is boring, but I love hearing people talking about the issues that matter most to their communities while showing you a window into their life. Voting rights in Alabama, climate change in Alaska
AMERICAN SAMOA IS BEAUTIFUL
hell yes to this Arizona mom/teacher/labor union organizer standing in front of a huge cactus, i love her energy
Arkansas is repped by a team of chefs with food carts who are traveling around and delivering meals in their communities, I'm going to cry at every single one of these aren't i
California is represented by two moms in lightweight cardigans standing on a beach and yelling slightly to be heard over the wind

I love them

I'm also so excited for them that they get to say "home of our next vice president"

THEY'RE SO EXCITED, THEY'RE HAVING THE BEST DAY!
Colorado is the first state to gift me with adorable children! also there is some A+ Nature happening

also anytime someone says "here's what we're going through, but there are people who have been hit by this even harder than us so we're fighting for them" i'm like
Connecticut is repping with firefighters!!!

Delaware passes! but it's not bc of drama it's just so they can go at the end and bring it home

Democrats abroad! WHERE IS SHE THAT LOOKS LIKE GALWAY
D.C. STATEHOOD YESSSSSSS also "from Black Lives Matter Plaza" got me good
oh god oh god Florida is a Parkland dad, I was about to make fun of the giant neon Adirondack chair next to him that says "FORT LAUDERDALE" but now I just want to give him a hug

I'm very emotional about all of these people getting to have an individual voice
"from the cradle of the Civil Rights Movement, and in the spirit of good trouble" okay I'm weeping at Georgia
"from the land where America's day begins" NOW I'M WEEPING ABOUT GUAM

this is 100% the most attention I bet a lot of folks have ever paid to the territories; letting us actually see them is such a smart idea
I would die for this Hawaiian grandma
I have never been to Boise even though I know several people from there and I had no idea it was so green and pretty! GOOD WORK IDAHO YOU REPRESENTED WELL
YESSSSS Illinois is using their time to talk about racist lending practices that make it impossible for Black Americans to build wealth or buy homes, this is an EXCELLENT issue to put front and center while everyone is watching
why are Mayor Pete and his backup dancers alone in a deserted mall
missed opportunity to film in front of Touchdown Jesus tbh
THE CORN FARMER IOWA GRANDPARENTS 😭
ooh we have our first thematic back-to-back repeat, Kansas following Iowa with also an adorable farmer grandpa

he has clearly never taken a public speaking class in his life and i think he's incredibly nervous THIS IS ALL SO ENDEARING I WANT TO HUG THEM ALL
Kentucky is giving us a great "Obamacare saved our family" story from a guy who met Biden on the campaign trail in 08 and Biden personally promised him that he would make sure their family was taken care of if his mom got sick again
it's smart politics for a lot of reasons, but reinforcing that regular, non-fancy Americans feel like Biden actually hears them when they've told him about their problems is a great way to circle back to the Trump Empathy Deficit that Michelle brought up yesterday
all these subtle little reminders that Biden is the kind of politician who wants to help make your life easier and better, in contrast to Donald Trump who just wants to drain your bank account, then shove you into a mud puddle and laugh at you as you fall down
Louisiana had me at "community art hub", but then I noticed the small boy standing in the back holding up the sunglasses sign, SO EARNESTLY, stretching his arms all the way up like someone told him "hold this as high as you can!" and he took it EXTREMELY LITERALLY

i love him
how dare this adorable gay Black farmer just stand here in front of his 25-acre property in Maine, talking about his roadside farmstand and bed & breakfast, when I can't immediately buy a plane ticket to go stay there and become his best friend

i'm furious at him
my next cry is brought to you by Youths standing in front of a Frederick Douglass monument in Maryland and beginning their segment by saying "Black Lives Matter"
it does feel like a seismic shift to hear so many of these segments say the words "Black Lives Matter", showcase Black faces in cities all over the country, and emphasize the need to address anti-Black government policies as a top-priority party issue
both the building and the lady doing the talking in the Massachusetts one made me feel like I was supposed to know what/who they were but I didn't

can anyone enlighten me?
I totally get that there are logistical barriers to filming inside a working auto factory, but I love that Michigan was so committed to the theme that they were like "here, just stand in a parking lot in front of some cars, it'll be fine"
oh it's amy
congrats to A. Klobs for not throwing anything at anybody, though I wish she'd let the cute mayor do more of the talking

presumably this was part of the "drop out early" deal she and Pete struck with the Biden campaign
YES MISSISSIPPI TALKING ABOUT FUNDING FOR HBCU'S
Whoever lined up the shot for Missouri is a goddamn genius, look at that building spire PERFECTLY CENTERED in the arch

also hell yes let's talk about infrastructure
I would watch an entire romcom about this Montana cattle rancher's daughter (in her silk patterned blouse which my girlfriend would love tbh)

the cows are so well-behaved!

and FUCK YES LET'S TALK ABOUT THE RURAL DIGITAL DIVIDE, I LOVE YOU CUTE CATTLE FARMER GIRL
"We are human beings. Not robots. Not disposable."

Having someone from a food processing plant talk about how their work is simultaneously essential, and a total fucking nightmare, was a very good use of time, 10/10 Nebraska
The best person in the Nevada shot (underneath the Las Vegas sign, because of course) is Casino Floor Waiter Guy, who has to hold his tray of fake drinks up the whole time in the background
That said, what a great state to choose for the "RAISE THE FEDERAL MINIMUM WAGE TO $15" pitch

very smart
Mr. New Hampshire clearly got a note telling him to use his hands more while he's talking, and he's committed to the bit even though he doesn't really understand it
I kept trying to figure out if the facade behind New Jersey was the building from "Two Weeks' Notice" or not, does anybody know?

also casting their votes "in memory of those we have lost" from COVID choked me up

we do so little public memorializing of this
New Mexico hit it out of the park

A) look at that goddamn scenery, B) a passionate call for tribal sovereignty (home to 23 indigenous sovereign nations! I didn't know that!), C) this guy has so much charisma holy crap
NEW YORK! Immigrant moms who are also front-line workers! Reminding us that THEY ALSO HAVE FAMILIES THEY WANT TO KEEP SAFE

(this is way less important but she has a fabulous yellow floral tank top on and I WANT IT)

also ending with "iiiiiiit's SHOWTIME!!!!" was delightful
camera: *cuts to North Carolina*

an absolutely iconic grandma: "I been doin' this for a long time so let me just be plain"

me: "i would die for you"

BLACK WOMEN ARE THE BACKBONE OF THE PARTY, SAY IT
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