I’ve been under the weather for the past week. Nasty “bug” that creeps up on you slowly and then knocks you for a loop! But I’m feeling better – physically anyway.

Psychologically, I feel miserable and discouraged. On Wednesday, September 4, 2024, another school shooting occurred at Apalachee High School in Winder, Georgia! A 14-year-old student at the school opened fire using an AR-15 style rifle, killing four people and injuring nine others. Two teachers and two 14-year-old students were killed, while one teacher and eight students were injured. All injured parties are expected to make full recoveries, thank heavens.

The initial reactions from everyone, including political figures, was of horror and sympathy. Once again, leaders sent “thoughts and prayers”.

From all accounts, this incident appears (at least at first blush) to have been avoidable. The young man accused of the shooting, 14 year-old Colt Gray, had been identified in the Spring of 2023 with respect to a potential school shooting threat. Local law enforcement, as well as the FBI, interviewed Colt and his father, Colin, regarding purported threats made on-line. After assuring the interviewers that he had never made any threats and after his father assured law enforcement that his son did not have unfettered access to any of the hunting guns in the home, law enforcement took no further action.

Here we are today, one year and four months later, and both Colt and his father are sitting in jail waiting for preliminary hearings currently scheduled for December 2024! At some point, allegedly during the holidays, Colin had presented Colt with the assault style rifle as a gift!

Colt is being charged with four counts capital first degree murder and nine counts of attempted murder. Colin is being charged with four counts of involuntary manslaughter, two counts second-degree murder, and eight counts of cruelty to children.

Due to his age, Colt will not face the death penalty. However, since he’s being charged as an adult, Colt could be sentenced to life in prison without parole! Colin’s maximum sentence at this point could add up to 180 years!

How have our presidential candidates and their running mates reacted?

Trump on Truth Social: “Our hearts are with the victims and loved ones of those affected by the tragic event in Winder, GA. These cherished children were taken from us far too soon by a sick and deranged monster.“

Harris on Twitter: “Today, Doug and I are mourning the deaths of those whose lives were cut short by gun violence at Apalachee High School in Georgia. Our hearts are with the students, teachers, and families impacted by this shooting, and we are grateful to the first responders and law enforcement on the scene. This is a senseless tragedy — and it does not have to be this way. We must end the epidemic of gun violence in our country once and for all.”

It should be noted that VP Harris was on the campaign trail when the shooting occurred. She “interrupted” her prepared remarks to discuss common sense changes that need to be discussed because it doesn’t have to be this way!

Vance on Twitter: “Our hearts go out to everyone affected by this despicable violence just days into the new school year. We are keeping the victims, their families, and the whole community of Winder, Georgia in our prayers this evening,”

At a campaign even later in the week, Vance said gun violence was sadly just a fact of life. Therefore, gun legislation is not necessary but school safety should be enhanced.

It should be noted the two school resource officers had Colt in custody within six minutes of the first gun shot! Not sure how he got the gun into the school. Did they have metal detectors?

Walz on Twitter: “Our hearts are with the families and community of Winder, Georgia as our nation reels from yet another tragic school shooting. Our actions need to be there too. We must do everything in our power to keep students and educators safe.”

Notice anything? I sure did! The GOP response is the same old “thoughts and prayers”, which is fine. Very nice. But, it never addresses any action needed.

Meanwhile, the Democratic responses send thoughts and prayers, along with a call to actually do something!

Oh and while I’m at it, Georgia Governor Kemp responded as well. It should be noted that Georgia has some of the most lax gun laws in the US. Kemp signed a law allowing someone to carry a handgun without a state issued permit!

Kemp’s initial response was to offer all the support he could for the school and the community. Later in the week, however, he echoed the standard GOP line – it’s not the time to discuss changes to gun laws, etc. So, the standard “thoughts and prayers” and Trump’s line from an earlier shooting of we’ve got to get over it!

Serious question here – when is the time to discuss gun laws? GOP lawmakers, both state and federal, have continually said that it’s not time to discuss changes immediately after an incident occurs. However, they don’t seem any more willing to discuss changes well after the incidents, either.

So, again, when is the time? How many more students have to die or be wounded? How many more students need the trauma of living through such a nightmare?

I find it more than ironic that the GOP is willing to discuss and legislate my uterus in what’s called “pro life”. But, they are unwilling to discuss and/or legislate anything doing with guns that kill and maim our children! What is wrong with this picture??

One more point – it’s often touted that violence on TV and in movies, violent video games, etc. all contribute to the violence perpetrated by these youngsters at school. That’s fine – I’m not a fan of violent video games, either. However, the United States is not unique in this regard. Many other countries have access to the same TV shows/movies and video games, without the mass school shootings! So, what’s the difference? Most of those countries, while they allow citizens to own guns, they have common sense gun laws!

I’m all for protecting freedoms for all, including the freedom to own a gun (much as I hate guns and would never own one myself). However, I am sick and tired of hearing about the second amendment. When that amendment was written, it was definitely a different time. Citizens had muskets that shot only one round before having to navigate a tedious reloading procedure to shoot again. Not so today! I doubt very seriously the Founding Fathers actually anticipated the high-tech killing machines we have on the market today!

We regulate the age at which a person is lawfully allowed to operate a motor vehicle. We regulate the age at which a person is lawfully allowed to drink alcohol (though many ignore this). But heaven forbid we regulate ownership and/or operation of a gun, whose sole purpose is to kill. That’s what assault rifles are – they were designed for military warfare. It’s ridiculous the lengths to which lawmakers will go to “protect” these “rights” all for the gun lobbyists, mainly the NRA!

To echo VP Harris – IT DOES NOT HAVE TO BE THIS WAY!

Well, I’ve given myself a weekend (long weekend) to ponder the Democratic National Convention from last week. In a word, it was magnificent! In the words of Rod McKuen in Jacques Brel’s Season in the Sun, “we had joy, we had fun . . .”!

In watching MSNBC each evening, particularly the day after the DNC roll call, they played a side-by-side comparison of the roll calls. The DNC roll call was a celebration, while the RNC felt more like a funeral! Is the RNC less than enthusiastic about its nominee?? It sure felt that way.

The roll call, though, symbolized more. It celebrated passing the torch to a new generation. I think Nikki Haley was right (and this is probably the only time you’ll hear me say that) when she said the first party to nominate a younger candidate (someone under 80) will be the winner.

I don’t know if that’s true, but what is true, the Democrats in nominating a younger generation has energized young voters. This was a group that was less than thrilled with either Trump or Biden.

Biden has been a phenomenal president and has done so much to get the US back to its proper place as leader of the free world and to solidify allies once again. He was absolutely the right man for the time. But I always viewed him as a “transitional” president – the bridge between chaotic Trump and the future.

Kamala is the future. The GOP is stuck in their “old white man” mentality. They just can’t conceive of the new generation or the future. They want to go backwards. I, for one, am not willing to go back! And it appears Millennials don’t either.

This is truly a big block of untapped voters. Biden stepping down has allowed the Democrats to court those voters.

Yes, Trump tapped JD Vance for his running mate and that was certainly a surprise. Vance is a younger generation – he’s only 40. But, I doubt that under Trump’s administration Vance will have any meaningful role to play. He’ll just be sitting in the wings waiting and hoping for his turn! I suspect, however, that the turn will never come. I suspect Trump does not plan on ever leaving office if re-elected! It is obvious to anyone paying attention that Trump wants to rule as an autocrat – a Putin mini-me, if you will!

But, the roll call on Day 2 of the convention was not the only joyful time. The entire week felt joyful and up-lifting! The acceptance speech VP Harris gave was full of hope. Her eyes were fully on the future and her words were inspiring!

Contrast that to Trump’s constant whining about how awful the country is. His negative view on all things American is just not inspiring or hopeful. I honestly cannot imagine how anyone can support someone who has such a dim view of our country. But, then, this is the party that wants to ban books, ban teaching our real history, and supports a man who denigrates wounded/fallen warriors, sexually assaults women, and is convicted of 34 felonies (with more indictments still pending)!

All in all, I felt the DNC this year was one of the best! And I thought 2020’s DNC was inspired, with its unique format thoughtfully put together during the COVID pandemic!

A side note – VP nominee Tim Walz’s acceptance speech was great. And his son’s (Gus) emotional response was so wonderful. To think that Ann Coulter and others criticized Gus Walz for his emotional outburst until it was revealed Gus has nonverbal disability. Whether disabled or not, Gus’ response was heartfelt and genuine. The happiness and pride he had for his father was absolutely appropriate. To think otherwise only shows the small-mindedness and the heartlessness – and dare I say envy – of the GOP! #TeamGus

IMHO . . .

Once again, the Republican nominee for vice president, JD Vance, is trying to go after the Democratic nominee for VP, Tim Walz. Notice I said he’s “trying” to go after Gov Walz.

The criticism de jour is that Walz lied about him and his wife using IVF to conceive their children. Now, let’s look at what Walz actually said.

After the Alabama Supreme Court ruled that embryos created through IVF were considered “children”, ostensibly meaning people could be sued if the embryos were discarded. Walz posted on his Facebook page that he and his wife “have two beautiful children because of reproductive health care like IVF.” (emphasis added)

Additionally, on a podcast last month Walz said that he and his wife wouldn’t have a family if it were not for IVF and the things we need to do reproduction. In other words, Walz did not come right out and say he and his wife used IVF. However, people could have taken his words to mean that.

In reality, Walz and his wife used IUI, intrauterine insemination. Both IVF and IUI are procedures used to help couples experiencing infertility. IVF is when the eggs are extracted from a woman, fertilized in a laboratory with the man’s sperm, and then the resulting embryo (one or more) are directly inserted into the woman’s uterus. In contrast, IUI is when the sperm are placed directly into the uterus. IUI has about a 10% success rate, while IVF has about a 32% success rate.

Vance’s accusation that Walz has lied about IVF just plain falls flat. Whether via IVF or IUI, Walz and his wife had to used assisted reproductive technology in order to have the family they wanted. What Walz said was not a lie. Several fertility doctors have stated it’s common to conflate IVF and IUI. In all likelihood, Walz was trying not to get too technical in explaining his and his wife’s use of fertility treatments.

Either way this is yet another example of how Trump and Vance are out of touch. It shows how much they’re scrambling to find something to use to their advantage. But, like the attack on Walz’s military record, this pasta ain’t gonna stick to the wall!

IMHO. . .

Senator Lindsey Graham (R-SC) was on Meet the Press with Kristen Welker yesterday. When discussing Trump’s campaign and his chances of winning another term in the White House, Graham said “His policies are good for America. If you have a policy debate for president, he wins.”

Graham further stated that Kamala Harris is the most liberal candidate to be nominated in the history of the United States.

To his first claim that Trump’s policies are good for America, I just want to know what he’s been smoking! Trump proudly claims he was responsible for the overturn of Roe v Wade. The Dobbs decision is the first decision I can remember where the Supreme Court took away rights that Americans had previously been given. We went back 50 years!

The thing that gets me is the notion that Democrats advocate for women to get abortions, even “post-birth abortions”! What the hell is a “post-birth abortion”? Is there such a thing? I don’t think so.

But more importantly, Democrats do NOT advocate for women to get abortions. Show me one ad where the Democratic party urges women to get abortions! You can’t – because they don’t exist.

Rather, the Democratic party advocates for “choice”. If a women wants or needs an abortion, it is no one else’s business. For a party that supposedly advocates for smaller government with no interference in personal business (the GOP in case you missed it), the Republicans sure do want to be in the doctor’s exam room with a woman! Makes no sense!

And yes, I do believe “if you don’t have a uterus, you don’t get to legislate mine”!

But I stray from the gist of this post. Trump’s policies are, for the most part, stated in general terms only. For example, in the GOP 2024 Platform document, Trump advocates tariffs on all foreign made goods as a way to promote “buy American”. This is particularly true of goods made in and imported from China. However, the document does not detail how much the tariffs will be. It does make a broad statement that says, in effect, as the tariffs go up taxes will go down. It does not mention how the tariffs will affect consumers.

I can tell you how. Obviously, if the foreign manufacturer has to pay tariffs to get their goods into our market, the consumer price of the goods will go up. It makes sense to lower taxes if you’re going to charge us more for the goods we rely on daily! I don’t see this as a good thing. I think, in the long run, consumers will pay more than they do for taxes if this is passed.

Another policy stated in the Platform document is regarding taxes. The GOP proposes to make the Trump tax cuts from 2017 permanent! In campaign speeches, Trump has actually stated he wanted to lower the corporate tax even further – from 21% to 15%! I’m sorry – the 2017 tax cuts didn’t save me anything. I paid the same, if not very slightly higher – and I’m not even close to wealthy!

And don’t even get me started on Trump’s climate policies! He believes climate change is a hoax made up by scientists!

He wants to “drill, baby, drill”! Environment be damned! He wants the US to be #1 in oil production “again”. The problem here is that we’re already #1. Here’s the list of top 10 oil producing countries for calendar year 2023:

United States	North America	13,264,000
Russia	Europe/Asia	10,126,000
Saudi Arabia (OPEC)	Asia	8,950,000
Canada	North America	4,990,000
Iraq (OPEC)	Asia	4,375,000
China	Asia	4,172,000
Iran (OPEC)	Asia	4,084,000
Brazil	South America	3,585,000
United Arab Emirates (OPEC)	Asia	3,300,000
Kuwait (OPEC)	Asia	2,644,000
World Total		82,922,000

In addition to being top 5 in oil production, the United States is also top 5 in oil exports, natural gas production and natural gas exports.

By the way, from what I saw in his first administration, he’s not too keen on science, in general! Remember how he proposed drinking bleach to cure COVID?!? He denigrated Dr. Anthony Fauci, who dedicated his entire career to protecting people from infectious diseases. [The GOP is still going after Dr. Fauci! Shame on them!]

So, no, I do not agree that Trump’s policies are good for America!

As noted, Graham also stated that VP Harris is the most liberal candidate in American history. Really? What about our Founding Fathers?

I’m not sure, but wasn’t their thinking fairly “liberal” for their day? How many democracies were in existence at the time? How many countries believed in government for and by the people?

Color me stupid, but I think the Founding Fathers could have been considered liberal. Very liberal, in fact. The form of government they proposed was considered folly by many – the “American experiment”, I think it was called. Guess what? The experiment continues and will continue into the future as long as people like Trump are kept OUT of power!

Trump wants to end the “experiment” – he wants to be the American Putin. He wants power for power’s sake – and to stay out of jail!

No, I don’t think VP Harris is the most liberal candidate in our history. She is, however, the most liberal in modern times. We need liberalism and progressiveness to move into the future.

Senator Graham – WE’RE NOT GOING BACK!

Written Monday, August 12, 2024

Agenda 47 (styled by the Trump campaign as Agenda47) is the policy of the Donald Trump. It details policies that would be implemented upon his election as the 47th president of the United States. Agenda 47 is a collection of formal policy plans, many of which would rely on executive orders and significantly expanded executive power. [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Agenda_47]

In essence, Agenda 47 is Trump’s “response” to Project 2025, which Trump disavows. Within this policy “statement” are 20 promises that Trump says he will accomplish:

1. Seal the border, and stop the migrant invasion
2. Carry out the largest deportation operation in American history
3. End inflation, and make American affordable again
4. Make America the dominant energy producer in the world, by far!
5. Stop outsourcing, and turn the United States into a manufacturing superpower
6. Large tax cuts for workers, and no tax on tips!
7. Defend our constitution, our bill or rights, and our fundamental freedoms, including freedom of speech, freedom of religion, and the right to keep and bear arms
8. Prevent World War III, restore peace in Europe and in the Middle East, and build a great iron dome missile defense shield over our entire country — all made in America
9. End the weaponization of government against the American people
10. Stop the migrant crime epidemic, demolish the foreign drug cartels, crush gang violence, and lock up violent offenders
11. Rebuild our cities, including Washington, DC, marking them safe, clean, and beautiful again
12. Strengthen and modernize our military, making it, without questions, the strongest and most powerful in the world
13. Keep the US dollar as the world’s reserve currency
14. Fight for and protect social security and medicare with no cuts, including no changes to the retirement age
15. Cancel the electric vehicle mandate and cut costly and burdensome regulations
16. Cut federal funding for any school pushing critical race theory, radical gender ideology, and other inappropriate racial, sexual, or political content on our children
17. Keep men out of women’s sports
18. Deport pro-Hamas radicals and make our college campuses safe and patriotic again
19. Secure our elections, including same day voting, voter identification, paper ballots, and proof of citizenship
20. Unite our country by bringing it to new and record levels of success

I don’t know about you but this seems a little too broad and, in some cases, “radical”. In #7 it talks about freedom of religion. However, in the actual document, it states “Republicans will champion the First Amendment Right to Pray and Read the Bible in school, and stand up to those who violate the Religious Freedoms or American students.” [https://rncplatform.donaldjtrump.com This is a PDF document. You will need Adobe Acrobat Reader to read it.] In essence, the document promotes prayer in schools but does not say whose prayer. I have absolutely no problem with students praying or reading the Bible in school – independently! However, I do have a problem when it is part of the school curriculum. There are many religions in this country – we were built on the foundation of religious freedom. We cannot and should not assume all are Christians!

Agenda 47 also promotes ten ideas for “great schools leading to great jobs”, which range from curriculum requirements to preferential funding for schools with internship programs. To start, Trump wants to implement funding preferences and favorable treatment for states and school districts that abolish teacher tenure for grades K-12, adopt Merit Pay to reward good teachers, and give parents the right to vote for the principals who direct their children’s education.

I sit on the fence on some of this but not on “elected” principals. The leadership in our schools should not be down to politics or popularity! It should be based on qualifications alone.

In recent years, teachers have been under fire with book bans and forbidden curriculum, especially in Florida! Teacher shortages are felt everywhere, making class sizes larger and more difficult to manage. Eliminating tenure would be one more blow and would exacerbate the problem.

Trump wants to reinstate his 1776 Commission, which he originally created and was disbanded under Joe Biden to ensure our school children learn the “truth” about the country’s history and the timeless principles of liberty and equality. He will create a credentialing body to certify teachers who embrace patriotic values and support the “American Way of Life”.

The 1776 Commission is a story for another day, but in essence, was created in November 2020, as part of the backlash to the 1619 Project, which examines the history of slavery in the US. The report produced by the commission excused America’s history of slavery and undercut the legacy of the civil rights movement.

The education policies of Trump in the Agenda 47 are nothing less than politicizing the education of our future generations. I will write more about the 1776 Commission Report and provide a few more details about what it says about education.

On the surface, it sounds logical, sane, and okay. But, it’s not. I have worried about education in this country for several years. But the past few years the fear and worry is multiplied exponentially. We’re talking about our future leaders and the future of this country. Education should be one of the most important things we deal with.

Again, I acknowledge I have been disjointed in my rambling. Again, I don’t know why. The doctor’s appointment Friday went well – better than expected! But, still my head is reeling with so much of the fear about this election.

Meanwhile, my sister and I are hosting a meet & greet for two of our local candidates – one for County Commission and one for School Board. All elections count and sometimes the local elections count more!

IMHO . . .

Please note posts are often written a day or two in advance. This particularly post was written on Friday, August 9, 2024. Please keep that in mind when reading – otherwise, the “timeline” quoted in the post may seem out of whack!

I warn you now the following may be disjointed. My thoughts are not very organized today. I don’t know if it’s because I woke up in the middle of the night for no reason and took about 1.5 hours to go back to sleep. Or it could be that I have a doctor’s appointment in a couple hours and I hate doctors (even though I have a really nice one!). Anyway, whatever the reason my thoughts are going in all directions at one time. Buckle up, Buttercup, it ain’t going to be pretty!

Remember a couple of weeks ago when the press and MAGA were all asking “where is Joe Biden”? Absolutely crazy rumors that he was dead or dying circulated like wildfire because the president hadn’t been seen for a while. I guess everyone forgot President Biden had been diagnosed with COVID (again) and was recuperating/isolating in Delaware.

Well, here we are, and where is Donald Trump? Vice-President Harris and Gov Walz have been campaigning all week after Walz was announced as the VP nominee. They have held joint campaign rallies for the past several days, primarily in the swing states of Michigan, Wisconsin, and Pennsylvania.

Trump meanwhile has been at Mar-a-Lago, doing who knows what. Perhaps he’s been licking his wounds?!? Since President Biden stepped out of the 2024 race and VP Harris has taken over the top of the ticket, the Democrats’ momentum has been nothing short of phenomenal. We are all pumped up and energized.

Trump and his running mate, JD Vance, have tried numerous tactics to stop the momentum. But, so far, nothing has worked. I just can’t understand why it hasn’t (snicker snicker):

1. Questioning Kamala Harris’ racial identity (she “became” Black??).
2. Implying Tim Walz retired from the National Guard for less than honorable reasons.
3. Kamala Harris is stupid and can’t hold a press conference. (really??)
4. Questioning Tim Walz’s handling of riots after the George Floyd murder in Minneapolis (even though at the time then-President Trump praised Walz for his efforts).

These are just a few of the remarks – there are more; many more! The fact is that all the negative “pasta” they throw at the wall is “fake pasta”. Nothing is going to stick. This is not like Hillary Clinton who was fairly unpopular on her own without Trump’s help (except among Democrats who actually took the time to learn what she had accomplished).

Well, to answer everyone’s question, Donald Trump held a press conference yesterday at Mar-a-Lago. I didn’t get to see the whole thing but did manage to catch several clips on-line. From the little I did see, it looked very low-energy and full of the same old script. Trump was his usual whiny, complaining self, a petulant man-child.

The fact is Trump and his team are really starting to panic. Not only has the momentum shifted towards Harris/Walz, but also the majority of attention is on the Democratic Duo. As we all know too well, that does not make Trump happy. On the contrary, it makes Trump a Grump! He hates anything that takes attention away from him.

He has hibernated this week, leaving Vance to do solo campaigning. That is not necessarily a good thing. Vance is anything BUT a charismatic orator! Asked what makes him smile, what makes him happy, Vance stated something to the effect “what doesn’t make me smile is being asked a dumb question like that”. Not his exact words, but you get the gist!

Really? That is such an easy softball question. How about, I don’t know, watching my kids playing, watching my amazing, beautiful wife, watching a sunrise or sunset?? There are just so many things that usually bring smiles to peoples’ faces. But I guess not to JD Vance! And certainly not to Trump!

Yesterday was the typical complaints starting with “crowd sizes”! Jiminy Cricket! I thought we were done with the “whose is bigger” comparison by now! But, he moved on to how we’re heading for a deep depression, not a recession! And let’s not forget how we’re on the verge of World War III!!

Trump paints such an awful picture of America I can’t imagine why he wants to stay here. He praises/congratulates Xi of China, Kim Jong Un of North Korea, and, of course, Putin of Russia. Surely he could easily relocate to one of those stellar countries! Those are the leaders he most admires so I must assume he thinks those countries are doing outstanding in all aspects – economy, politics, etc. Yea, maybe he should move to one of them and see how that goes!

Today, Trump will be holding a rally in Bozeman, Montana. So he will be coming out of hiding. It should be interesting, if not entertaining! Let’s see if he can do an entire rally without people walking out and without making any gaffes!

On Wednesday, July 31, 2024, Donald Trump attended the NABJ annual convention and faced three Black women (Rachel Scott of ABC News, Kadia Goba of Semafor, and Harris Faulkner from Fox News) for an interview. It did not go well – for him!

Predictably, Trump was unfocused, racist and insulting. The comment that has generated the most buzz was his comment regarding Kamala Harris’ race: “I didn’t know she was Black until a number of years ago,” he blathered, “when she happened to turn Black, and now she wants to be known as Black. So I don’t know, is she Indian or is she Black?” [https://www.thenation.com/article/politics/nabj-black-journalists-trump-harris/]

Rachel Scott attempted to fact-check Trump by stating the VP has always identified as a Black woman; she attended a Historically Black College, was a member of a Black sorority, etc. It didn’t have any effect on Trump. In fact, he has doubled-down on the claim since then.

At one point during the interview, Trump claimed Harris and the democrats support abortions of fully alive, already born babies! What in the h*ll is he talking about?!?

The interview was about an hour late. To hear Trump, the delay was due to faulty equipment at the convention. The truth, however, is Trump was back stage throwing a hissy fit because he was told he would be fact-checked live during the interview. Naturally, that is not something Trump likes – he loves to lie, lie, lie and he doesn’t want anyone fact checking him at all much less live!

I’m not sure who in Trump’s campaign thought this was a good idea and encouraged him to do the interview, but whoever it was should be fired! On the other hand, I think the interview was important for a variety of reasons.

This interview revealed Trump’s racist and misogynistic tendencies in real time. His supporters got a live look at how Trump handles hard questions by reporters who hold him to account and don’t let him dodge a question.

The interview reinforced to Black voters the true essence of the man – in case they forgot. He did not do the most to promote Black people – more than any other president including Abe Lincoln!! It very well may have reminded voters why they did not vote for him in 2020 and may very well have turned many voters against him in 2024! One can hope!

The interview may have made an impact on the “middle of the roaders” – those who have not committed to a candidate or those who may have planned to sit out this election. They saw a man flustered, out of control, and frustrated – something they may not have seen in the past. And they didn’t have to read about it from any media – they could watch it in real time!

I commend Rachel Scott and the other two women who asked pertinent, relevant questions and waited/insisted Trump answer them. This was how interviews should be conducted. There should be no free passes. Trump and Harris are vying for the highest office in the land – Leader of the Free World. There should be no softball questions, no letting off the hook, and no preplanned questions. Ask the tough questions, the policy questions and make them answer. Fact check them when necessary. Only then will the “real leader” emerge and the choice will be made clear!

The interview was scheduled to last an hour. However, after about 35 minutes of Trump missteps, his campaign called a halt and Trump walked out.