In 2016, I upset some people by saying, as early as June of that year, I thought Trump was on target to win the presidential election. In 2020, I couldn’t predict a winner. But this year, after seeing the Democratic National Convention (DNC), I feel like Kamala Harris is on track to win in November. The prediction assumes people keep their enthusiasm intact and get out and vote. If you all forget about your mail-in ballots until the election is over, the magic won’t work.
There was a lot that was good about the DNC. One of the best things about it was DJ Cassidy, the guy who put together the music lineup for the roll call of votes of the states and the country’s territories. I counted about 56 songs, one for each state and the territories of D.C., Guam, the Virgin Islands, the North Marianas, Puerto Rico and American Samoa.
I have to admit I’m not a big popular music fan so I was lost by DJ Cassidy’s choices until California was called on at the end and I recognized “California Love” by Tupac. Then I finally caught on at the last minute.
Washington was represented by a song by Macklemore and Ryan Lewis. I would have preferred “Baby’s Got Back” by Sir Mix-a-Lot. I’m assuming I couldn’t have “Louie Louie” performed by the Kingsmen no matter what. Sigh.
What finally convinced me that Kamala Harris could be on the way to win the whole race was the part of her nomination acceptance speech in which she talked about the Israeli/Gaza war. She made a strong case for an end to the war. It was not enough, but it showed she was moving in the right direction. I’m guessing we’ll hear more of that as the campaign continues.
Not being a fan of coaches, I was prepared to not care for Tim Walz, but he’s won me over with “mind your own business” and pointing out that the Trumpers are weird. The contrast with JD Vance couldn’t be more stark. Walz is the happy uncle who gets you. Vance is the goofy brother-in-law who thinks he’s entitled to run your life because he married your sister.
In an amusing development, an organization called the National Federation of Republican Assemblies (NFRA) has come out with the charge that Kamala Harris is ineligible to be president because of Dred Scott.
The 1857 decision made in the Supreme Court case Dred Scott v. Sandford was to the effect that slaves could not be citizens. First of all, that crazy decision was swept away by the 13th and 14th Amendments. Apparently, the NFRA is unaware of that fact. But also, since the Emancipation Proclamation, there have technically not been any slaves to apply the Dred Scott decision to, anyway.
There’s the presumption that Kamala Harris’s father was a descendant of a Jamaican slave, which would explain the last name Harris, likely being a former slave owner’s name. But seriously, her father was not a slave, and Kamala is not and never has been a slave. She was born as a free person in a hospital in Oakland, so not a slave. Trying to apply the Dred Scott decision to her is amazingly weird.
We probably shouldn’t care what the NFRA thinks, but it seems Ronald Reagan was a member, so there’s that.
Meanwhile, Trump is spreading the idea that Democrats favor not only late-term abortions but also post-birth abortions, AKA infanticide. This is beyond weird — it’s bizarre.
We may not even get a chance to see Kamala Harris answer such nonsense to Trump’s face, because he’s been backing away from the Sept. 10 ABC debate.
Trump expressed concerns that “‘Liddle’ George Slopadopolus” — meaning George Stephanopolous — might be involved in the ABC debate. I don’t get why Trump would not like George S. after the softball interview he got with him a while back.
Trump says he is open to debates hosted by other networks such as Fox, MSNBC and even CNN. Sure, whatever. He should just say he can’t do any debate because of his bone spur problem.
If Trump blows off the Sept. 10 debate, Kamala can show up and do all the talking for both of them. That would be a win for her and a win for me. I’m looking forward to it.
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Dr. Wes is the Real Change Circulation Specialist, but, in addition to his skills with a spreadsheet, he writes this weekly column about whatever recent going-ons caught his attention. Dr. Wes has contributed to the paper since 1994. Curious about his process or have a response to one of his columns? Connect with him at [email protected].
Read more of the Aug. 28–Sept. 3, 2024 issue.