It's unbelievable to me that this election is actually close. (At least, it is close according to many polls.)
I do understand that for many people, Kamala is a relatively unknown public figure. She hasn't been out there on the national stage for decades like, say, Joe Biden. And she's not a naturally charismatic figure like Bill Clinton or Barack Obama.
But her values are clear: she favors abortion rights, equal protection of the law, democracy as a governing approach, and dignity and opportunity for all people, regardless of race, gender, religion, national origin, or sexual orientation. She favors continuity in the norms and traditions that continue to make America a great country.
Kamala's values aren't hidden. They aren't secret. She's lived them consistently her entire life. Plus she's happy and is honest about who she is.
What's more, Kamala's values offer a direct contrast to the "values" that Trump holds, as seen in his words and actions. His movement, "Make America Great Again," is a call to return to a previous time in which America was great--a time, apparently, which isn't now.
Trump says America is a failing nation. He denigrates American government, military veterans, immigrants, independent-thinking women, major cities, our nation's allies, experts of all sorts including scientists, judges and the courts, journalists and honest journalism, and literally any person who thinks differently from him.
So, granting that Kamala is relatively unknown and she's actually kind of boring, why would someone support Trump? He's not unknown. Nor is he boring (although he *is* a bore).
Maybe people support him because he's a Republican? But his record represents a dramatic turn away from Republican values such as the rule of law, limited government, deficit reduction, and investments in infrastructure and basic research.
Maybe people support him because he's a conservative? But his personal behavior and profligate lifestyle suggest he is not a conservative. He allied himself with those opposed to abortion rights, but every indication is that this was an alliance of convenience, not shared values.
Maybe people support him because he represents a sharp departure from the past? But he *was* president, and even before his heinous actions on January 6th, Americans overwhelmingly voted him out of office after just one turn.
So, why do people support him now?
I think the true answer is that many Americans are tired of politics as traditionally practiced in America with fairly minor readjustments every few years when a new party is elected to the White House, maintaining our historic and widely-shared set of core values with a few disagreements at the fringes.
But what attracts people to Trump is not values, or beliefs, or character, or continuity with the approaches of the past.
What attracts people to Trump is his outrageousness: his flippant disregard for traditions and norms that have kept our country stable and united for generations. Trump is a disruptive disruptor, offering to come in and turn over the table, ending the game as it's been traditionally played and flinging ketchup at the wall for good measure.
This is what Trump did during his first term. And, it seems, there are many people who didn't get enough disruption, who want more.
People also want someone who gives voice to their own grievances, about the world not being as they think they were promised it would be. These people want someone who stokes their anger and points his finger at "Other people" who can be blamed for everything, and incites the fear of this Other as a psychological drug that temporarily hides every personal pain or personal failure. These people want the drug that Trump promises them.
Well, if these people get what they want, they'll get their disruption beginning in January. And I'm going to bet that his supporters will gradually abandon him, as he once again demonstrates that he might be an entertaining candidate, offering a daily carnival show complete with hyperbole and innuendo and downright gross behavior and the promise of Soma to soothe their souls, but he's a terrible public servant.
He won't be a good president.
You think people would remember this from Trump's first term. But, apparently, their memories are short and their desire to be entertained and anesthesized is much stronger than their commitment to American values.
So, America, which do we want: a fairly boring, competent, joyful public servant? Or a loud, outlandish, and predictably unpredictable fool?
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