Rebirtherism

With the resurrection

this election

season

from the debate 

debacle,

and the reason

for hope

for freedom

and our future,

comes the Weird-

Zombie -Former

Guy

who still

manages

to try

to outrage

us.

He is

outrageous

and his

comments

contagious,

which is

exactly 

what he wants.

His racism

haunts

us from 

the past

toward

an untoward

time 

of unknown

fear and chaos.

Pathetically,

yet effectively,

he brings 

back

the ugly

with a smile.

Anything

to avoid

a trial.

So now 

it’s her

blackness

and ethnic

origin

that he pretends

he needs

to question.

And raising

issues

academic

as 

being problematic?

The failure

liar

seeks to deny

her

any legitimacy.

His lunacy

is his 

opportunity

to change

the conversation.

Needing

to recapture

the rapture

of attention,

he tries to mention

while creating

tension

the same 

sort of drama

he did to Obama.

He gained

a following

and fandom.

And he lost

then.

The Definition of Weird

I wouldn’t say

quirky,

but definitely 

jerky.

I don’t think

“eccentric”

so much as

egocentric.

Not normal?

Certainly.

Absurd?

Undoubtedly.

Not what

I’d call

uncanny;

but absolutely 

odd.

And lazy.

Not exactly

freaky,

but crazy 

like a 

Fox.

Unorthodox,

grotesque,

strange,

and creepy.

Not very humorous;

extremely dangerous.

And

just 

plain

weird.

Cat Fight

Bring it,

JD!

More 

Cat Lady

snark!

As if

your riff

had any

bark

or bite.

He might

not want

to double

down

and clown

around

when his

delivery-

so cringe

worthy-

brings 

new found

hope

for change.

This strange

yet now

exciting

race

has race

and gender

front

and center;

diversions

from 

the other

perversions

of the MAGA

agenda.

But Harris

I think 

is ready

with a steady

and smart

demeanor.

Meaner

and rough,

Vance

and Trump

will stump

with hate

to excite.

The fight

from the right

is joyless

and sour,

about boy-ness

and girl-ness

and executive

power.

As we await

Harris’

running mate

choice,

her voice

is strong

and up lifting.

She’s got

quite 

a selection

for this

election,

eager

to reach

as many

American

citizens

beyond 

the base

of this

existential

race.

MAGA
has cat

fights

while

withdrawing

rights

of voters

and women

and immigrants

and LGBTQ+

all for a POTUS

who cares

nothing

for us,

or the climate

crisis

or anything

else 

except

avoiding prison.

Listen,

the next

100 days

we need

to raise

money

and momentum.

In this 

brat summer

moment,

the intelligent

and confident

Kamala

for a new

era,

hardly

a sad,

childless

cat lady,

makes

the Trump

Vance

team

seem

even 

more 

unacceptable

and bizarre

and far

from where

we want

to be

as a 

democracy.

Let’s make

history

for our freedom

and future,

more secure.

I’m sure 

we can win it

if you’re all

in it.

The catastrophe

could be

behind us

if you’re

behind Harris.

That would

be

so much

winning. 

Risky Business

America’s not ready?

Was America ready

For Trump?

For the Pandemic?

For an assassination attempt?

For Biden’s exit?

For Harris’ ascendance?

The Veepstakes

are on

and everyone 

is buzzing.

I hear

the fear

that America

isn’t ready

for two women

at

the top.

Too risky?

Seriously?

Democracy

could lose

if Harris

would choose

a woman?

I suspect

that those

who reject

a two- woman

team

would 

not seem

to lean

D.

I know

it’s the 

indies

and uncommitted

that have 

everyone

twisted

in nots.

Firsts

are tricky,

and then

prove

not risky

quickly

after 

we see

them.

Bill Clinton

defied

what many

decried

to be 

the “rules”

that always

should be

applied.

He selected

another

similar

young,

Southern,

white guy,

and they got

elected

to two 

terms.

The first

(real) Black

president

also spent

8 years

serving,

preserving

and 

advancing

the best

that could

be.

The disruption 

age

in which

we live

creates

such rage 

and fear

that what’s 

so dear

can be lost

overnight.

So the plight

of two women,

or a gay man

or a Jewish man

along with

a mixed race

woman,

creates 

a sense

of insecurity.

With maturity

and sobriety

we’ve had

to face

changes

unexpectedly.

Were we

ready

then?

And if not,

when?

No one

predicted

the last 

few weeks,

much less

the last few

days,

And yet

we are rising-

not flailing 

or failing-

as the right

thing to do

was the best

thing to do

and feels

as exciting

and good

as it is

new.

We weren’t

ready

for Trump,

or Dobbs,

or mobs

storming

the Capital.

Mass deportation,

no abortion,

diminished

education,

and the rest

of the Heritage

Foundation

stuff

is exactly

why

two tough

women

could be

possibly

the key

and what

America

is ready for.

Marvel Us

As Comic Con 

descends upon

the city

I call home,

super heroes

will be 

in line

for days 

at a time

to get inside

the convention

center.

What a marvel

we get to 

see

as thousands

agree

with decency

and civility

to 

continue

the tradition

with whatever

addition

moves the

conversation

at the convention.

I think you get

where I’m going

here.

It’s clear

the marvel 

happened 

yesterday

when Biden

announced

he’s stepping

away,

so Harris

can earn 

your vote.

The Marvel

Universe

is always 

threatened

by destructive 

forces

and ego.

But the hero

and shero

know

they must go

forward

for

more

than their

own selves.

How marvelous

for us

to witness

what fitness

really means.

The courage

and strength

and great 

length

it took to be

our superhero

of democracy,

without

a stage lit

like a show,

showed

the world

our marvel.

I imagine

his grief

will not be

brief,

but his 

legacy

will be

an inspiration.

I’m so grateful

for this

moment,

and moved

by a torrent

of emotion.

Excitement,

relief,

new-found

belief

that good

could

still

win

over spin,

but also 

compassion

for what must

have been

excruciating

for Biden.

So now

the comical

Comic Con

that will soon

surround me,

will oddly

ground me

in knowing

that real

heros

and sheros

and so much

fantastic

is not made

of plastic

or on green

screen.

It’s democratic;

at times,

dramatic,

a universal

marvel

that is US.

Confidence, Man

“Look, Folks”,

as he

would say;

“C’mon, Man!”,

he would

inveigh

that he’s

the best one

and should

and could

finish the job.

So why the 

defection

despite

affection?

Everyone knows

the torch

gets passed,

and sees him

past

his prime.

Losing confidence,

questioning

competence,

begging acceptance

of the optics,

is just

not

a good look.

Look, Folks,

he appears

knowledgeable

yet weak

week

after week.

Each moment

on screen

we screen

his condition,

with increasing

attrition,

despite

a great

3 years. 

It sears 

the heart

and mind

that such 

a kind

and effective

politician

against 

the definition

of a Confidence Man,

could lose

the coalition

of confidence.

It’s not 

the platform

on which 

he stands

that demands

change.

He can’t 

defend

his own

success,

and we’re

supposed

to pretend

to address

his strength?

The length

of this standoff

between those

with confidence

and those

without

will without

a doubt

be resolved 

soon.

(It isn’t yet

because

we can’t

forget

what we

all saw

and fear

each time

he appears.)

I suspect

we can 

expect

that after

the RNC 

Convention,

convention 

will be

upended

and the intended

outcome

of restoring

confidence

will come about

not 

with a lout,

but

with a more

youthful

and vigorous

substitute.

As the ever

astute

Confidence Man

who literally

and figuratively

dodges

bullets,

shows strength,

and dare 

I say,

discipline,

the energy

and unity

on display

each day

this week

makes

the weakened

opponent

each moment

weaker,

and his party,

now

the one

of

fear 

and loathing,

is seeking 

some confidence,

and preferably,

a woman.

Add Vance

I knew 

he’d add

Vance

to advance

his mission.

But I 

was more

surprised

by 

Cannon’s

timing

her decision

to throw out

the documents

case. 

Boy,

that Cannon’s

got balls!

And 

probably,

really,

really,

really

wants

to be

Trump’s next

AG.

Confronting

his own

mortality

as recently

as the 

last few

days,

his invincibility

is convincingly

aiding

his legacy

with the next

generation.

The son

he wished

for

is his ticket

and more

for 

avoiding

accountability

permanently.

I believe

he now 

believes

himself 

to be

an extremely

stable

genius.

What once

were schticks

now sticks

like crazy

glue.

It’s a truly

crazy,

newzy

week

after the freak

out

about Biden.

But next week,

the week

after

the mega

MAGA

convention,

JD 

as VP

will be

as normal

as whatever

normal

can possibly 

be.

Will he 

debate

Kamala?

Or will

she be

the one

to advance

beyond

the Hillbilly

Elegy 

of JD 

Vance?

Let dem

leaders

know

that Joe

should go

out 

on top,

and advance

someone

else

or else

this race

is done.

Earshot

What’s overheard

is the herd

of inciters

denying

culpability

when ,

unsurprisingly,

shots were

fired

during

a Trump

rally.

The shooter

was shot

and got

what he

sought,

which brought

instantaneous

blame

on the rhetoric

of the heretic-

laden

other 

side.

My initial

reaction

was inaction;

I think

I am numb

at this point.

The violence

expected;

the blame

projected.

I’m glad 

that Trump

was protected

and it 

only pierced

his ear.

Not that 

that’s 

nothing;

but we saw

the luckiest

duck.

In a country

run amok

with violent

speech

and hate,

that victorious

fist pump—

symbolic

if not

iconic

of Trump(ism)—

as he was

ushered

off the stage,

fuels

the rage

to engage.

In this first

attempted

assassination

in the social

media age,

we are all

within 

earshot

of the next

shooter.

Map Quest

Holding it

as long

as possible,

the drive

continues

until

what was

once

probable

is now

unfathomable,

while

the situation

of this election

becomes

untenable.

The liberal

art of losing

the electoral

college,

despite

the popular

vote,

is no 

longer

remote.

We are

being driven

by fossils

fueled

by the vision

of apocalypse.

The fear

of the end

so near

brings up

the rear

view

mirror

of fascism.

Cataclysm

feels

imminent.

Despite

the words

at the presser,

I heard

some answers

that seemed

to hint

at some

exit ramps

ahead. 

Stopping

to rest

after a

personal

best,

could test

the road

less

traveled.

Have we

unraveled

entirely?

Or merely

enough

to find 

the stuff

to repair

our tire

before 

we expire

and find

a charging

station?

A slight

detour

might

be required

to be

re-inspired.

Seeking

the path

to victory,

fearing 

history

as precedent,

we are in

a moment

to test

this quest

not yet

mapped:

to elect

a project 

for 2025-

keeping

democracy

alive-

or turning

right

into a 

dead

end?

What Hump?

Now, everyone can

see it;

it’s obvious 

to us,

regardless

of excusing

and refusing

to say

what may 

be scary.

Delay,

delay,

delay,

is now

the Biden

way,

forcing us

to traverse

this hump.

But,

unlike Igor,

we can’t

ignore

what 

we see,

as it’s

as plain

as day.

Biden’s persistence

and

his insistence

maintains

he’s the 

best one

to win.

It’ll be 

just fine

if Dems

fall 

in line,

because 

the alternative

will be punitive

and much 

worse.

Although

pragmatic,

the suggested

tactic

is coming

under

scrutiny.

Not yet

a mutiny,

or destiny,

but a growing

bounty

of voters 

now

can not 

see how

they can 

vote for

Biden

or the team

that’s hidin’

what’s in

plain sight.

He might

change course

later,

despite

current posture;

I think

there’s still

some time

to mitigate

this torture.

But we’re

not sure

that he can

beat Trump,

which makes 

this hump

feel like 

a mission

impossible.