Before….

The day is here, friends, when we see former President Donald Trump do what he’s made an awful lot of noise about NOT doing…..debating his political opponent, Vice-President Kamala Harris.

I am going to post again after it’s over, so thought I’d send out some thoughts about where we are and how we got there.  

Let’s start with former President Trump….

I don’t think I’m alone in sensing that Mr. Trump has been veering further and further from the mainstream over the past couple of months.  He first postulated how unfair it is that he “beat” President Biden and now has to do the same with Vice-President Harris.  Unless I’m mistaken, the campaign did not end with President Biden’s relatively poor debate performance, and it’s not over yet.  Trump also seems to really be leaning into several ideas, not the least of which is that he plans to get even, one way or another, with those who oppose him.  In addition to the camps into which he plans to force all illegal immigrants, there may well be camps or other penal facilities for his opponents, whom he promises to jail or worse the minute he regains the presidency.

Is he just talking to the more fanatical portion of his support base?  Possibly, but as many journalists have said, everything he says is either confession or projection.

Um….

Now let’s turn to the Vice-President, Kamala Harris….

She has barely missed a step since becoming the Democratic nominee.  Lots of fundraising success, enormous rallies, a healthy amount of both identification ads and opposition ads against Donald Trump.  Her unexpected choice of Minnesota Governor Tim Walz as her running mate has also turned out to be a great pick, as Walz and his family have found a place in the hearts of most Democratic supporters and likely a few others.  Harris has avoided the “gotcha” trap of the mainstream media by only sitting for one lengthy interview (where Walz joined her) so tonight will be her broadest “introduction” to voters who say they’re not familiar with her.

What will they each say?  Trump will likely spend most of his time and oxygen enumerating all of the grievances he has pent up, the “stolen” 2020 election (which he recently admitted he lost, albeit by a “whisker”), those who investigated and failed to help him, and on and on and on.  He will come across as he nearly always does, someone who demands the loyalty of his supporters and questions the sanity, intellect and patriotism of those who are not in his camp.

Harris will likely draw from her stump speech, which also leans on her convention acceptance speech. She will likely come across as pleasant, thoughtful and ready to put things into motion on a variety of fronts to help everyday middle class families.  With the opponents’ microphones muted, she should be able to articulate these plans for those who have not heard many of her positions, as well as how she plans to address foreign policy challenges.

OK, that’s a good running start…..more after the debate is over!  

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