Yesterday there were three days left; today two. With so little time until the election, and given my issues with blood pressure, I thought a good plan for Saturday would be to avoid politics altogether. So I made a plan involving some combination of bingeing on a political docudrama (good idea) and watching college football (bad idea) and an NBA game (good idea) until it was time to see how SNL would end my day.
As it turned out, SNL was the best idea.
But before getting to that, the reason I tried to fill up my day with non-election stuff was to prevent myself from going down an emotional rabbit hole by taking a peek at the polls to see how they were trending.
I fear that I’ve turned into some version of a gambling addict who should be forcibly restrained from placing his next bet. But no one’s going to do that, so I went there and here’s what the polls said: According to 538, Harris is leading Trump in Michigan and Wisconsin and Trump is leading Harris in Arizona, Georgia and North Carolina. The candidates are tied in Nevada and Pennsylvania.
So it’s a draw. Great. That does wonders for the nerves.
But wait, what’s this. A major poll now indicates that Iowa may be in play with its 6 electoral votes, when everyone assumed it would automatically go to Trump. Nobody saw that one coming.
None of this changes the fundamental statistical truth that whichever candidate wins the Keystone State is going to win the election — barring a last-minute meltdown or natural disaster.
Finally, my Saturday almost without politics came almost to its end, my bedtime. But first, there would be SNL. Its surprise guest? Kamala Harris. She talked to herself and that actually was funny.
Earlier diary entries:
Tuesday Diary -- “One Week Before 'What Happened' Happens” — the romantic intrigue of this moment of witnessing history together.
Wednesday Diary -- “How Math Determines the Fate of Democracy” — the numerical basis behind mass fascism.
Thursday Diary: “Who is that Man in the Garbage Truck?” — how not to go insane when a train crash is happening before our very eyes.
Friday Diary: “Healthy Societies Embrace Choices” — focusing on uplifting activities rather than fretting that this may be our last good week for a long, long time.
Saturday Diary -- “Love Under the Mosquito Netting” — because sometimes love prevails over hate.
HEADLINES:
US election: 2 days left – What polls say, what Harris and Trump are up to (Al Jazeera)
A chaotic presidential transition could embolden U.S. adversaries (WP)
Trump Needs Help (Atlantic)
The Election Season That Fell Out of a Coconut Tree (New Yorker)
Trump’s Microphone Trouble in Milwaukee Leaves Him ‘Seething’ (NYT)
Trump appears to emulate ‘sex act’ on microphone after he melts down over technical difficulties (Independent)
Russian disinformation videos push lies on voter fraud and immigrants (WP)
Candidates try to divine trends as nearly 70m Americans have cast early votes (Guardian)
Supreme Court girds for rush of election-related litigation (Reuters)
Kamala Harris: This morning routine helps me work 15 hours a day—‘no matter how little sleep I get’ (CNBC)
Harris And Trump’s Biggest Celebrity Endorsements: Jennifer Lopez Says ‘Every Latino In This Country’ Offended By Puerto Rico Joke (Forbes)
Efforts to combat disinformation in retreat as voters head to the polls (WP)
New Poll Shows Trump Running Into Blue Wall (The Bulwark)
Suspicious voter registration forms in Pennsylvania linked to Arizona city councilman’s company (PC-S)
Storms and Strikes Take a Toll on Pre-election Jobs Report (NYT)
New Report Confirms You Are Most Interesting, Most Important Individual On Earth (The Onion)
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