CLARKSTON, Ga. – A DJ was playing loudly. President Barack Obama warmed up the crowd. Rock legend Bruce Springsteen sang and played guitar. Kamala Harris also played lead vocals at a packed college football field in the suburbs of Atlanta on Thursday, sending thousands of people into a joyous frenzy just days before the November presidential election in one of the nation’s most important swing states.

Harris supporters sang, danced and swag surfing A day before superstar Beyoncé headlines another event for the vice president in Texas, she sings along to soul and hip-hop songs at her first rally that includes a musical performance. Celebrities including Samuel L. Jackson, Spike Lee and Tyler Perry also spoke on his behalf, as the smell of barbecue and Mexican burritos wafted from a half-dozen food trucks parked on the football field.

“We know how to throw a party,” said Angelina Noble, 61, of Atlanta, as she sang along to the music while waiting under the hot sun for the show to begin.

Thursday’s rally couldn’t be more different from a typical Donald Trump event, where dark and racist rhetoric is often paired with upbeat anthems like Village People’s ‘YMCA’ and the GOP presidential candidate himself sometimes does nothing. swing and dance on stageLike he did for 40 minutes a strange town hallin Pennsylvania earlier this month. The playlist was geared towards a much older generation and included Schubert’s “Ave Maria” and other songs by Sinead O’Connor, Elvis Presley and Guns N’ Roses.

But Trump has also been ramping up the theatrics in the closing days of the race, including speaking at a packed rally in Duluth, Georgia, on Wednesday night, where country music star Jason Aldean featured a pyrotechnic display and concert lighting. His campaign has announced a rally this weekend at New York City’s legendary Madison Square Garden, where special guests are expected.

Still, the celebrity-studded rally shows how Democrats are trying to counter Trump’s raucous rallies in a way they haven’t in 2020 in the closing weeks of an extremely tight presidential race with Georgia and six other states up for grabs. when they have an older candidate like current President Joe Biden and when many liberal voters are wary of the coronavirus pandemic and don’t want to gather in large crowds.

But Harris’ rally on Thursday wasn’t much fun. The program was full of dire warnings about a possible second term for Trump and cited the actions of his former aides and top generals. I said it last week about his former bosses, including that he fit the mold of a fascist who praised Adolf Hitler’s generals and denigrated soldiers as suckers and losers.

“Trump is poised to become an American tyrant,” Springsteen warned between solo versions of “The Promised Land” and “Dancing in the Dark.”

Harris ticked off a long list of Trump’s crimes and said he was becoming “more confused, more erratic, and more angry every day.”

“It has become more and more unstable,” he added. “At least last time he had people around him who could control him. They’re not with you this time. Just this week, America heard from one of Trump’s chiefs of staff, retired general John Kelly, who said that Trump had praised Adolf Hitler as president. Trump said Hitler ‘did some good things’.”

“This isn’t 2016 again, this isn’t 2020 again,” he added, prompting a man in the crowd to shout “fascist.”

Obama, meanwhile, has targeted Black men, pointing to some polls that suggest less enthusiasm among Black voters in this election compared to his own presidential campaign.

“People who think Trump’s behavior is somehow a display of power, I’m here to tell you that that’s not real power. It never happened,” Obama said to the roar of the crowd. “True strength lies in helping people in need and standing up to those who cannot always defend themselves.”

The former president questioned Trump’s competence at a rally for Harris in Madison, Wisconsin, earlier this week and mocked his successor for rocking a musical town hall in Pennsylvania. “If your grandfather acted like that, you’d be worried,” Obama said Thursday.

Referring to Trump’s praise for the German dictator, Trump said, “The general rule is this: Don’t say you want to do something like Hitler.”

Entertainment seems to have a strategy. The Harris campaign has done extensive research on which celebrities and politicians are best positioned to deliver the campaign’s closing arguments to different demographic groups. A poll by the centrist Democratic group Blueprint found that Jackson – who shared that he and Harris share the same favorite swear word. – was that most popular celebrity among registered male voters

“His favorite swear word is also my favorite,” the actor said. “I won’t say that word,” he playfully added, prompting laughter from the crowd. “I don’t know about you, but he’s the kind of president I can get behind,” he added.

Rally attendees expressed cautious optimism about Harris’ chances in Georgia, which turned blue for President Joe Biden in 2020 for the first time in decades, and said they hope America favors good morals and character in this election.

“He’s always fascinating to me,” Noble said of Obama. “I didn’t vote for him just because he’s Black. I voted for him because he showed me good character and good leadership. That’s why I’m voting for Kamala.”

Tanika Vincent, a Spanish teacher from Atlanta, told HuffPost she felt invigorated by Harris’ event, which was her first political rally.

“Of course the celebrity star power was top-notch, but what I loved was the message of inclusivity and returning to common sense in America,” Vincent said.

“Like, I wouldn’t say I’m the biggest Kamala Harris fan, but what I’m not a fan of is fascism,” he added. “Even if you don’t like him, if you don’t like Tim Walz, if you don’t like Black women — whatever, you can’t be an American and you can’t advocate fascism.”

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