Seventy million Americans tuned in to watch the recent presidential debate between Kamala Harris and Donald Trump. The talking heads posed two burning questions prior to the debate: 1. Would Kamala Harris convey the impression that she is strong enough and smart enough to assume the immense responsibilities faced by any American President? 2.
Would Donald Trump be able to stay on message and not go off on one of his rambling, woe-is-me, life-ain’t-fair rants? The answers were clear: Yes, Harris appeared presidential, quite capable of taking on both the nation’s biggest challenges and the world’s most brutal dictators. In the process, she totally annihilated America’s own wannabe dictator, Donald J. Trump.
And Trump couldn’t resist going the tantrum route. Kamala got off to a fine start by walking right up to Trump and holding out her hand for a handshake. In her masterful performance, Harris got Trump to rant and thereby reveal his true self.
(NOTE: It’s not often one can put the words “true” and “Trump” in the same sentence.). True to form, there I go again, Trump later cited “polls” showing he won the debate, a total lie.
Let’s scratch beneath the hype to highlight some of Trump’s most hideous statements. He claimed he had nothing to do with the Jan. 6 insurrection — another lie.
Moreover, he referred to people who weren’t insurrectionists as “the other side.” Hey, Donald, the people who were there to protect the Capital and our nation’s political leaders are not the other side. You and your thugs are on the other side — the other side of decency and honor and patriotism.
Trump did so many flip-flops on abortion that I feared he was going to collapse in exhaustion. He even had the audacity to declare that all Americans wanted Roe v. Wade overturned.
Nice try, Donald, but that dog won’t hunt. You will pay the price on the abortion issue in November. When Kamala told Trump that our allies laughed at him, the best Trump could do was haul out the name of his buddy Viktor Orban, Prime Minister of Hungary.
He called Orban a “strong leader.” Hey, Donald, most Americans don’t admire leaders who kiss up to Vladimir Putin, destroy the Supreme Court, capture the media, take over universities and denounce immigrants. Trump wouldn’t state that he hopes Ukraine wins the war.
No surprise there. Trump doesn’t want to do anything to offend Putin, another buddy of his. Remember during the 2016 presidential campaign when Trump promised to pass a “beautiful new health care plan?” He never did.
And now he says he has a plan in his head which will be better and cheaper than Obamacare. All you have in your head, Donald, are delusions and the ability to lie as easily as you breathe. When Kamala got Trump’s goat, the cat got his tongue.
Or, rather, Trump’s twisted tongue began spouting on about cats and dogs and all the Haitian immigrants who eat them in Springfield, Ohio. That was a lie, of course, but Trump and his slippery sidekick JD Vance were happy to push it because of its racial implications. Let’s just call it a dog and cat whistle.
Let’s face facts. Harris made mincemeat of Trump. You could tell it by viewing split screens of their faces during the debate.
He scowled; she smiled. He was angry; she was happy. He was afraid to look at her; she looked at him often, sometimes in amusement, sometimes in disbelief.
He talked about what he was going to do to his enemies (anyone who doesn’t kowtow to him); she talked about what she was going to do for the American people. Right after the debate, superstar Taylor Swift administered the coup de grace — she endorsed Kamala Harris. People who pooh-poohed that endorsement don’t grasp the influence she has on her millions of followers, especially young women.
Nearly 400,000 people have visited Taylor Swift’s link, which helps them register to vote. Hopefully, Taylor’s endorsement will give young Swifties the courage to go up to their Trump-supporting fathers and say, “Hey, Dad, how can you vote for that mean bully?” We all know from past experience that it ain’t over until the fat lady sings. But because of the debate and the building momentum for Kamala Harris, I can hear her warming up in the wings.
And I must say it is a mighty sweet sound. David Treadwell, a Brunswick writer, welcomes commentary and suggestions for future “Just a Little Old” columns at [email protected].
We invite you to add your comments. We encourage a thoughtful exchange of ideas and information on this website. By joining the conversation, you are agreeing to our commenting policy and terms of use .
More information is found on our FAQs . You can modify your screen name here . Comments are managed by our staff during regular business hours Monday through Friday as well as limited hours on Saturday and Sunday.
Comments held for moderation outside of those hours may take longer to approve. Please sign into your Press Herald account to participate in conversations below. If you do not have an account, you can register or subscribe .
Questions? Please see our FAQs . Your commenting screen name has been updated. Send questions/comments to the editors.
« Previous.
