As of Tuesday there will be just two weeks left until the election. Millions have already voted, and the great majority of people appear to have made up their minds.
With the polls steady and little likely to change, it now seems that what is most in doubt is the outcome's impact on our electoral system itself. Will the result be broadly accepted or will some sort of chaos ensue?
The rhetoric on both sides has escalated to a point where I suspect (and hope) most sane citizens are tuning it all out. Life, after all, has to go on, no matter who is President or which party controls Congress.
And so does the World Series. (Go Rays!)
No matter what happens on Nov. 3, we are stuck with a terrible pandemic and that will get worse before it gets better. It has distorted our lifestyles and challenged our assumptions. When it comes to adapting, Americans are the least flexible people on the planet.
We are way too used to doing what we want to do.
Meanwhile, we may have a President who is going crazy before our eyes. His rallies are turning into the scariest events in American political history as he rants and raves that his opponents are criminals who should be sent to prison.
I'm no psychiatrist but he may be projecting his own greatest fear, given the plethora of legal problems awaiting him once he surrenders the presidency. Here's a highly educated guess: He is nowhere near as rich as he claims to be, and he owes an ungodly amount of money to unknown parties. He has broken many laws and knows that, once stripped of official protection, the legal system will be waiting for him.
Personally, I hope he just goes quietly, without further dividing the population and scorching the political landscape. Our country needs to heal.
***
The signs in the news are mixed.
* Trump is fighting for his political life campaigning at rallies that are almost the only mass participation events with no social distancing taking place in the US. His attacks are getting more extreme as the election gets closer, as he demands the locking up of his political rivals. He's claiming the election, and Thursday's presidential debate, are rigged against him. (CNN)
* ‘White Supremacy’ Once Meant David Duke and the Klan. Now It Refers to Much More. -- The phrase has poured into the nation’s rhetorical bloodstream. Organizations from the N.F.L. to art museums to colleges requiring the SAT are accused of perpetuating it. (NYT)
* Many young voters in the U.S. said their priorities ahead of the November 3 election reflect those of the wider electorate: the battered U.S. economy, the COVID-19 pandemic and racial justice. (WSJ)
* Trump raps Michigan governor amid 'lock her up' chants (NHK)
* Trump aides seek to set aside division and plan for final sprint to Election Day -- The president is behind in polls, but Republicans still see a chance for a repeat of his 2016 come-from-behind victory. (WashPo)
* Fearing a ‘Blood Bath,’ Republican Senators Begin to Edge Away From Trump -- The statements offer an answer to the question of when Republicans might begin to repudiate the president after years of embracing him: the moment they believed he threatened their own political survival. (NYT)
* Colorado wildfire erupts amid deepening drought, forcing evacuations in Boulder County (WashPo) Colorado Wildfire Grows Into Largest in State History -- Left vulnerable by dry conditions, more than 430,000 acres have burned so far in what has been one of the worst years ever for wildfires in the state. (NYT)
* Biden is favored to win the election -- We simulate the election 40,000 times to see who wins most often. The sample of 100 outcomes below gives you a good idea of the range of scenarios our model thinks is possible. BIDEN 87%, TRUMP 12%. (538)
* As pandemic surges and economy stalls, Trump fails to live up to dealmaker image (WashPo)
* People have been diving to the Titanic’s wreck for 35 years. No one has found human remains, according to the company that owns the salvage rights. But the company’s plan to retrieve the ship’s iconic radio equipment has sparked a debate: Could the world’s most famous shipwreck still hold remains of passengers and crew who died a century ago? (AP)
* A Biden opening: Trump falls short on pledges on infrastructure -- The president ran aggressively on a $1 trillion infrastructure package that never materialized once he was in office, and Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden has tried to exploit the issue. (WashPo)
***
The beauty parlor is filled with sailors, the circus is in town
Here comes the blind commissioner, they've got him in a trance
One hand is tied to the tight-rope walker, the other is in his pants
And the riot squad they're restless, they need somewhere to go
As Lady and I look out tonight, from Desolation Row
And puts her hands in her back pockets Bette Davis style
And in comes Romeo, he's moaning. "You Belong to Me I Believe"
And someone says, "You're in the wrong place, my friend, you'd better leave"
And the only sound that's left after the ambulances go
Is Cinderella sweeping up on Desolation Row
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