Pretzel Logic

“Well, I've seen 'em on the TV, the movie show. They say the times are changing but I just don't know. These things are gone forever, over a long time ago, oh yeah…”. Pretzel Logic …Steely Dan… It’s 62 days until the presidential election and my iPhone is getting blown up with shrill messages begging me to change the fate of the nation by voting for one of two marginal candidates. I’ll admit it, I wasn’t aware either Trump or Harris had anything close to the skill set required to destroy the most advanced country in the world. Trump’s messaging tells me, he going to make America great again. I looked at my daily life and saw more good than bad, so I’m more than a little confused. Somebody needs to go down to the southern border and tell those millions of people trying to get in, to turn around and go home, because things aren’t that great here. Harris’s messaging tells me that Trump is a pervert, who’s hobby is committing felonies, and he won’t use politically correct pronouns if elected. What’s lacking in both candidates, if you strip away the fear mongering, “campaign speak” and foggy rhetoric, is any clear, firm policy, or priorities. Most of what’s said on the campaign trail is pure bullshit and has no relationship to post election governing- running for president and being president are two, “very different breeds of cat”. Neither candidate will come to office with a firm majority in the House and Senate, so most of the goofball stuff they say on the campaign trail will never see the light of day. Extreme politics, fear mongering and hate are tools of the modern media which thrives on chaos, violence and political upheaval, it’s what gets “hits” online and sells airtime- fear drives profits. But political party and candidate extremes have a powerful enemy- the toughness and basic character of the American people. As a rule, the average American has more common sense than their elected representatives, including the president. Regardless of gender, age, race, creed or wealth, the average American is a proud person who doesn’t respond well to being told what to do or think. We have a toughness about us, but we also have a basic decency. Think back to almost any day of your life, for anything you saw in a fellow citizen that irritated you, you saw five basic acts of kindness or decency that same day. We can be a combative lot, but we’re tough, proud people. So, quit stressing, no matter who ends up as the next president, we’ll do just fine, we know how to handle a little rough water, we’ve done it before. Keep your sense of humor, keep your friends and family close, and remember there are important things going on- like today Donald Fagan of Steely Dan turned 76, tip a glass to one of the greats of Jazz infused rock n’ roll…