A World Of No

     A few times recently, I have encountered people suggesting -- with hope -- that given Donald Trump's age, a vote for him is really a vote for J. D. Vance, and they thought Senator Vance was a much more appealing prospect than Vice-President Harris or the former President.

     Based on exactly what?  His political record consists of service in the U. S. Senate from January, 2023 until whenever he started cutting class to campaign for the number-two job.  His book is self-pitying auto-hagiography and he has the steadfast moral compass of a blade of tall grass in a shifting breeze.  In interviews and debates, he's shown a firm grasp of Gish gallop and an aversion to straightforward answers.  He can't even manage to consistently mirror his running mate's positions.  He's demonstrably intolerant of persons different from himself; if you're not married with children and gainfully employed, he thinks you don't count.  He courts Christian Nationalist extremists and coyly turns away any criticism of it.

     Mr. Trump has the same man-on-horseback appeal as the authoritarians he idolizes, from Orbán and Putin to Perón and Franco. I don't like it but it exists.  In contrast, the Senator from Ohio has the charisma of the night-shift manager of a tire outlet announcing your credit card's been denied.  Having him one heartbeat away from the Presidency is way too close.

     Better Tim Walz than him; better Kamala Harris than the top of his ticket.