Hope springs eternal with the Democratic "Joy Warriors"

Get the Point!

I am neither a (fictional) Jedi Knight nor (real-life) Nostradamus, so I humbly admit that I have no special abilities to predict the political future, i.e., whether the Democratic presidential ticket of Kamala Harris and Tim Walz will defeat the Republican presidential ticket of Donald Trump and J.D. Vance. 

Harris-Walz

But what I do have are two eyes that still see, two ears that still hear, and a brain that allows me to read text—read between the lines—and empathize with what others are saying out loud in the press, on social media, and via facial expressions whenever the presidential election has been brought up this past week. And what I have seen, time and again, boils down to two words:

1. Joy

2. Optimism

As the cliche goes, "life happens fast," and in the span of five quick weeks, I personally have gone from a quiet resignation in my heart that former President Donald Trump very likely would defeat President Joe Biden come November, to a not so quiet optimism that Trump will lose and by large margins in the popular vote—and a closer call in the Electoral College due to the peculiarities of that archaic relic of our nation’s not so great slavery supporting past (Another article for another day).

While I always caution that polls can be misleading, they are still interesting to watch and in several recent polls, the Harris-Walz ticket has sprinted in front of Trump-Vance.

For all of the intelligence the good Lord planted in me when I was born in ‘72, I still haven't been able to fully understand how an intemperate and semi-literate convicted felon, civilly liable rapist, notorious philanderer who sired five children with three different wives, and a totally self-centered grifter who inspired his equally deplorable minions to storm the Capitol to prevent the peaceful transfer of power when he lost—overwhelmingly if I may add—to Joe Biden in 2020, is in position to get a second crack at the Oval Office this Fall?

But I understand the why, which is that while President Biden has done a commendable job in stabilizing this nation on multiple fronts during his term in office, that his rapid aging while in office—on full display during his June debate with Trump when he seemed several steps slower than his adversary both mentally and physically—no longer inspired enough Democrats and democracy loving independents to believe that he had the goods to win and govern a full second term. 

Trump was no great debater that night in June, mind you, but he didn't have to be when his opponent clearly appeared to be a shell of his once mentally sharp self. And when those AR-15 rounds came within inches of ending Trump's life two weeks after the debate, his "I have changed" and "let's tone down the the rhetoric" lines even led many of the same major media outlets that he had dissed for years as "Fake News" to give him empathetic coverage the week afterwards on through the Republican Convention! Thus, my resignation that Trump 2.0 was coming soon. 

But then it happened, and by "it" I mean one of the most selfless political acts that I've witnessed in over three decades of closely following politics occurred as Joe Biden recaptured the spotlight— when Republicans were basking in the so-called 'post-Convention bump" no less—by announcing that he was stepping down from the top of the Democratic ticket and endorsing his Vice President, Kamala Harris, to square off against Trump in November. 

President Joe Biden joins former President Lyndon Johnson as the only chief executives to remove themselves from the top of their party's ticket prior to the Convention.

The brilliance in Biden's timing and endorsement of Harris was that it served to clear the field from a short but potentially contentious mini-primary fight to select a Democratic Party nominee! Within 48 hours of Biden's social media missive, Party leaders like Bill and Hillary Clinton, Jim Clyburn, and Nancy Pelosi had all publicly announced their support for Harris—moves that caused potential rivals to suppress their personal desires to run for president. We would later learn that during this same time, Barack and Michelle Obama were privately working on Harris's behalf, too, albeit silently to allow Biden an opportunity to gracefully bow out while explaining his reasons during a televised address from the Oval Office. 

While the heavy hitters were swearing loyalty to Harris '24, millions of Americans of diverse backgrounds began opening up their wallets, so much so that by the end of July, the now "Harris Campaign" had raised over $300 million—twice as much as Trump's campaign took in during the same month! Not to mention that everywhere Harris went, from Georgia, to Texas, to Pennsylvania, the crowds surged, the media followed, and days on end went by where Trump's toddler tantrums received NO substantial media coverage at all!

And when Harris finally selected Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz to serve as her running mate this Fall, their first joint event last week was totally ELECTRIC—the energy radiated through my television screen, INTELLIGENT—it was such a joy to listen to two speakers with great commands of the King's English and pedantic commands of their policy positions, and, JOYFUL, as the smiles that emanated from both Harris and Walz served to make the political process joyful once again. 

Strike up the old campaign tune: “Happy Days Are Here Again!”

In articles and social media posts since, Harris and Walz have been crowned the "Joy Warriors," and the pair stand in stark contrast to the doom and gloom that Trump and Vance offer in their stump speeches and witless Twitter prattling on a daily basis.

Indeed, the Joy Warriors provide a sense of optimism for me and many others who, not so far removed from the doldrums of the Covid pandemic, have grown sick and tired of hearing everything that's WRONG in America and with Americans who may look different, pray differently, and love differently from the average "joyless" Trump supporter who enjoys the racist, sexist, and homophobic rantings of a 78 year old dotard whose own dulling mental acuity—not to mention his criminal predilections and character deficiencies—would be a major liability for this nation should he return to the presidency. 

So as those of us who love freedom and respect this nation's democratic institutions remain optimistic and filled with a renewed spirit of joy, I caution each of us to stand steadfast and unmovable when the wights on the right continue to attack Harris and Walz personally.

Remember, when a so-called leader has no real plans to lower inflation, improve health care, or address the wars in Ukraine and Gaza that could easily become a Third World War, the only thing someone of his ilk can do is crack jokes about how his opponent laughs and smiles, or cast aspersions about her heritage or dating history. Fortunately for us, both Harris and Walz are battle tested and prepared to stay focused on the issues each and every time their opponents try to distract, deflect, and project their own insecurities through personal attacks!

Lest we forget…