Dog Whistles and Street Cars

“Standing tough under Stars and Stripes, we can tell this dream’s in sight, you’ve got to admit it, at this point in time that it's clear, the future looks bright. What a beautiful world this will be, what a glorious time to be free…” I.G.Y…Steely Dan… Sometimes the solution to a puzzle or a problem doesn’t lie in what’s said, or observed, but in what’s missing, or not said. Take for example, the dynamics of Donald Trump’s current situation, if you asked him, he’d say he was optimistic even though he spent months and millions of dollars gearing up MAGA voters and media messaging to run against Joe Biden and Biden didn’t show up. In typical Trump style, he wanted a refund. It’s obvious Trump got caught “flat footed” by the timing in Biden dropping out, and Kamala Harris stepping in, ready to go. I’m a cynic and nobody will convince me this wasn’t in the works for about a month before the announcement, it was too organized and smooth to be thrown together at short notice. Trump is currently flailing around looking for a way to attack Kamala Harris, but with limited success. Verbally, Trump immediately went back to the old “dog whistle” racial stuff. MAGA loved it, but the rest of the country shook their head and muttered, you smokin’ crack, dude? This is 2024, Jim Crow is dead and buried. If you’re going to drag this election down into the gutter, you’re going to have to a better job, put in a little more effort. It kind of seems that Trump is “off his feed”, feeling his way around, looking for something that will stick against a candidate who’s kind of a ghost, a moving target, somebody without a strong, well- publicized legislative or leadership resume- she’s had titles, but hasn’t been a “game changer”. The RNC’s TV spots attack Harris’s role as Border Czar where she did nothing to solve the problem. It’s smart thinking because it’s probably her greatest vulnerability, and the border crisis resonates with moderate voters of both parties. The same TV ads label her as soft on crime, and the most liberal law maker in Washington DC. According to the ads, not only is she a liberal, but she’s also a San Francisco liberal. That’s my favorite part of the ad- a “San Francisco liberal”, we all know they’re the most dangerous kind- too much fog, too much clanking around on street cars, too much hanging around City Lights Book Store, too many dinners at Le Central, too many Irish coffees at The Buena Vista Café, too much Sharks hockey, and too many Ferraris…What surprises me most in the early stage of this election is Trump’s total disregard of that 40% who are center/moderate voters, everything, including his choice of JD Vance, has been geared towards his base. Who knows, I wasn’t a college math major, but I can’t make the numbers work here. Even with a 100% turnout from MAGA and the religious right, he can’t match the black, female, and youth vote. Today’s young voters see the world in a different light, they go to racially and culturally diverse schools, they grew up in an electronic age which made the world closer together. They’ve seen academic exchanges, travel, international business and youth culture become worldwide, commonplace, and less threatening. Women aren’t saying much, but they’ll go to the voting booth in record numbers, largely driven by reproductive rights. I’m still guessing this is going to be a very close election, but unless Trump finds a way to pick up at least 50% of those moderate suburban voters, he’s toast, and might as well spend his time planning his next Jan 6th riot…