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Trending. It’s one of those words I’m typically suspicious of, but, politically, I must say that I like to way the last few weeks have been “trending.”
I think back to exactly three weeks ago. Just had my breakfast and I find myself in a foul mood. For Heaven’s sake, will Joe will ever bow out? It’s frustrating, because the old guy seems awfully stubborn. And even if he bows out, what kind of chaotic process will ensue if he does. And if it’s Kamala who emerges, I’m not feeling very confident.
So Joe drops out, endorses Kamala and all the Democrats jump onboard. Not only that, but candidate Harris seems to exhibit the sort of charisma I hadn’t seen before. She tells us that as a former prosecutor she “knows his type” and is used to bringing crooks and con men down. Donald, seemingly unprepared for this—or any–change, doesn’t seem to know how to deal with an opponent who is not only a lot younger, but is female, and much to his surprise and annoyance, is actually black.
Trump picks JD Vance, who commits misstep after misstep, drawing comparisons to Sarah Palin in terms of intelligence and effectiveness. Not only does he insult every childless woman and cat owner in the country, but he’s not even liked by Donald’s favorite white supremacists, who don’t trust anyone who’s married to a practicing Hindu and has a son named Vivek.
But who will Kamala select as her running partner? A former astronaut from a much-needed state would seem like a good pick. Or maybe the popular governor of Pennsylvania can deliver his state’s 19 electoral votes, even if he carries all sorts of political baggage. But we get Tim Walz. Who? The no-name governor of Minnesota who turns out to be a very likeable and straightforward guy. Not your typical liberal, he likes to go hunting, and coached his local high school to the state football championship. Seems like the kind of guy a white working class male might like to share a beer with after a hard day’s work on the farm or the factory, far more so than JD Vance, who seems more like a Yale-trained lawyer than a hillbilly.
The money is pouring in to Kamala et al. Wise guy Trump can’t seem to find the right set of insults that make a dent in the Harris-Walz ticket, and Trump has agreed to an ABC debate, only after realizing that ducking it would be interpreted as a sure sign of weakness. The latest polls demonstrate a surge in support for the Democrats. They’ve now moved ahead in several swing states.
Yes, things have certainly been trending in the right direction. Going from one extreme to the other, the former pessimist in me, now overthrown by the newly energized optimist, anticipates a positive bump from the Democratic National Convention, and two more bumps once the Presidential and Vice Presidential debates have been held.
I recall worrying about how little time was left on the clock when my kids’ soccer teams were losing close games; and conversely, noticing how slowly time seemed to move when they were up by a goal. So, knowing that we are in pretty good shape already I offer all my sports cliches to the Harris-Walz ticket: Whatever you do, don’t fumble. Don’t give up any fast breaks. Let’s not allow any homers, and above all, make sure there are no errors.
So let’s keep that momentum going. Because right now the results are trending in the right direction.
