The Last Word With Lawrence O'Donnell 10PM - MSNBC NEWS today 8/28/2024

Bowman is the name on JD Vance's birth certificate his mother changed his name when she remarried and didn't just change his last name she changed his middle name to David he then went through life as James David Hamill went to college under that name went to law school under that name before he got married he changed his last name to Vance which is his grandmother's last name using initials JD just might be his way of eliminating his own personal confusion over whether his name should be James Donald or James David and James David Vance's name changes could be an enlightening experience for him perhaps JD Vance has insights earned the hard way about kids struggling with their identities JD Vance's history of name changes could mean that he is now someone who really knows who he is because like most of us he actually named himself in his final name change or perhaps his three different names over time have created a discomfort in him a discomfort with himself that sometimes could leave him disconnected from other people and if that's the case that means that the Republican candidate for president and the Republican candidate for Vice President are both in the most important possible ways for politicians disconnected from people especially people who they have never met good politicians have to spend their lives thinking about the lives of people they don't know and what they might be able to do to turn government in a direction that will help the lives of people they don't know and that is why what happened to JD Vance recently when he walked into a donut shop is just so weird and interesting JD Vance did that standard politician performance to show everyone what a regular guy he is but the only thing he could think of to say to the people who work there was the question of how long have you worked here that was it and when they told him two years or six month he would just say Okay that was it that was his entire interaction it was widely reviewed as a failure to demonstrate that James David Vance is a regular guy he just had no idea what to say to those working people no idea at all he had no curiosity about how many jobs they might be working he had no curiosity about whether they're making the minimum wage as is common in places like that there is no evidence that JD Vance knows what the minimum wage is and it could not have been more clear that no one in that donut shop cared who JD Vance is or had any curiosity about him it just wasn't a human exchange Donald Trump who you know cares nothing about anyone working in a donut shop anywhere on the planet would have done slightly better than JD Vance in that dut shop because he would have kept his stupid Bluster flowing at least and filled up the dead air with some nonsense language Tim Waltz is right they're weird weird in the sense that they are not in any way like other people Donald Trump and James David Vance are not anything like the voters they are appealing to keep that in mind now when we show you what Tim Waltz and kamla Harris did and said today and know that neither of the men on the Republican ticket could possibly appeal to people and identify with people the way Tim wals and KLA Harris can wherever they go we begin with vice presidential candidate Tim walz in Boston this morning speaking to the Convention of of the international Association of firefighters I'm going to say this cuz I know we're bipartisan some of the gray hairs in here I know what you're thinking and I remember it too cuz it's my family when Republicans used to talk about Freedom they meant it they meant it not anymore these guys over there they want government to have the freedom to invade every corner of your life from our union halls to our kids schools even our doctor's office vice president and I we got a little bit different vision of this we believe that you not politicians should be made free to make your own health care choices we believe that workers deserve to collectively bargain for fair wages safe working conditions good health care and Secure Retirement no interference from government I learned from Tim Wall's speech to the firefighters today that the vice president of the United States is related to a firefighter Donald Trump is not related to anyone who has ever done work like that fighting fires I'm honored to be on a ticket with someone else who has long supported your essential work as a native Californian vice president Harris knows explosive dangerous and unpredictable nature of wildfires in that state she's been to the memorials knows the depth of sacrifice that you and your families go through in fact it's a matter of family for her the vice president's brother-in-law Andy mhof been his career as a fire fighter in Santa Cruz California and retired as an i member in good standing and the Harris Waltz campaign released a new TV ad about Donald Trump's project 2025 agenda today the campaign is running the new ad about project 2025 across Battleground States and in the television market in Florida where Donald Trump lives so that he can see it every day between now and election day Donald Trump's back and he's out for control I would have every right to go after them complete control I will wield that power very aggressively and he has a plan to get it detailed plans for exactly what our movement will do it's called project 2025 a 922 page blueprint to make Donald Trump the most powerful president ever overhauling the Department of Justice giving Trump the unchecked power to seek Vengeance eliminating the Department of Education and defunding K through 12 schools requiring the government to monitor women's pregnancies and severe cuts to Medicare and Social Security Donald Trump may try to deny it but those are Donald Trump's plans well Revenge does take time I will say that and sometimes Revenge can be justified he'll take control we'll pay the price I'm KLA Harris and I'm approve this message after a speech to the firefighters in Boston today Tim Walls met vice president Harris in Georgia to begin a bus tour of that state where a recent Fox poll shows kamla Harris running ahead of Donald Trump Now 50 to 48 vice president Harris and Governor Waltz were greeted by students of Savannah State University Georgia's oldest historically black college and university K Harrison Tim Walls then visited Liberty County High School in Hinesville Georgia where they listened to these schools marching band's rehearsal [Music] [Applause] now you're about to listen to Tim Walls talking to high school students and just imagine JD Vance or Donald Trump trying to talk to high school students when you listen to conel Harris talking to high school students in a moment about discipline and teamwork and great leadership imagine JD Vance or Donald Trump trying to talk to high school student about about those things you'll hear conell Harris talking to a high school band telling them about her experience being in the band in high school the only gap between Tim Walls and KLA Harris and those students is an age Gap it's not a Humanity Gap they understand each other yes there are gigantic policy differences between the presidential candidates but you don't have to know anything about governing policy to see the giant Humanity difference the humanity gap between Donald Trump JD Vance and kamla Harris Tim wals thank you all thank you for that uh to the staff that's here uh my uh my previous job to this was of course public school teacher and Coach uh which I wear with pride to all of you thank you thanks for having us in your school and uh thanks to all the teams that are here I think you kind of embodi this idea and the vice president talks a lot about it each of our individual talents what we can contribute um but something bigger than ourselves when you get together you're single instrument alone is an amazing thing but as part of this band it becomes really amazing and then to see a school Community each and every one of these teams I said I coach football a lot but uh all of this is part of doing something bigger and I think uh having us in here stressing why the Vice President says it often that education is the key to the middle class A pathway to the middle class and it shouldn't be burdening you with debt to give you an opportunity to get there so I think when we can get into a public school like this we're able to see you and tell you it's not just uh the teachers here tell you they know they do this work uh it's not a cliche this is truly about building towards the future and you're that future and so we're in a room like this it lifts everybody's Spirits lifts the country's spirits and vice president talks about that often about the positive and the joyful work that we can do and the things that we're trying to make sure happen so I'm just grateful that you'd have us here uh I'm grateful to be part of a team with a really great head coach here uh in your next president of the United States KLA Harris [Applause] so you know I've been hearing about you incredible young leaders for quite some time from the players to those who are bringing joy to everybody in this stands to the music that you guys are creating and so we wanted to come by just to let you know that our country is counting on all of you you are leaders by the very fact that you all are here in this room doing what you do at this incredible school doing it as one big team understanding all of the different parts that fit together to create a team you are doing some of the best work any leader can do and we're so proud of you we were counting on your Generation all that you guys stand for everything you have at stake is what is going to propel our country into the next era of what we can do what we can and I want to say to you that you must always lead as you have chosen to lead understanding you don't have to ask anybody's permission to and I think you all have figured that out youve decided to be a leader and in doing that you are also role mod right welcome to the role mod club and being a role model right means that they're going to be members of your family people who live in your neighborhood your classmates who watch you to see oh that's how it's done and in that way you are showing what hard work can achieve what discipline can achieve what teamwork can achieve and that's the stuff of great leadership all of you and so we wanted to come by to remind you that our nation is counting on you we're so proud of you and everything you have achieved and I will tell you I was in band when I was your age so I know a little bit about your coach knows about the players right and all that you all are doing it requires a whole lot of rehearsal a whole lot of practice long hours right right sometimes you hit the note sometimes you don't right but all that practice makes for beautiful music and that is a metaphor that is symbolic for everything that you all will do in your lives which is you're going to show what a winning team looks like you're going to show what it means to put yourself out on the field to put yourself in front of people to have the confidence to do it sometimes you're going to hit the step right sometimes you're not sometimes sometimes you're going to win the game sometimes you may not but you know you never let any circumstance knock you down or slow you down you just keep going at it that's who you are and that's why we are so confident in everything that you are joing and will continue do for our country so just keep being you and all of the Excellence that you're bringing to every okay all right see you later [Applause]