Election 2020: The Final Countdown

Election 2020: The Final Countdown

By Ed Kociela

The clock is ticking down on Campaign 2020, leaving us in great suspense over what sort of last-minute hysteria is about to be unleashed.

The president needs a Hail Mary. The superlatives will flow from the president about the “best,” “the greatest,” “the most beautiful,” ad nauseam presidency in history. If you don’t believe him, just ask him and he’ll tell you how great he is, how no presidency has been more effective than his, how no president, except for maybe Abraham Lincoln, has done more for African-Americans, how nobody has done more for the economy than he has.

The challenger still has quite a few “I’s” to dot and “T’s” to cross, particularly in a couple of swing states that are still smarting from four years ago when the Democratic challenger didn’t show them enough love.

The road is still uncertain and bumpy before we settle into a long autumn’s night that begins a week from now.

And, we wonder, do either of the candidates still have an October Surprise up their sleeves?

Will we see some sort of new crisis – real or manufactured – emerge, throwing the election into yet another weird spin?

Will we see the polls go swinging wildly as election day nears?

Nothing is off the table.

In fact, the only two things certain are that we will hear even more frenetic cries of rigged results and unfair advantage, which, of course, is utter nonsense, and a heightened condemnation of the lack of leadership and character of this administration.

This campaign has been as fierce as all three Muhammad Ali-Joe Frazier fights rolled into one, that is if they had fought in a mud bog.

It has been a contentious, contemptuous summer as these two guys who truly dislike each other have flogged their opponent mercilessly. It was a bare-knuckles alley fight, no holds barred. Unlike Ali-Frazier, there will be no handshake, no embrace, no acknowledgment of respect after the winner’s hand is lifted, whenever that may be. In all likelihood, this is a loser-leaves-town match where the defeated will slip permanently into oblivion. For better or worse, their legacies have already been pretty much established. Winning next week would simply be the cherry on top.

There has been a lot of talk recently about how the polls have pretty well cinched it for Joe Biden.

I’m not quite sure.

While the national polls may very well be tilted far into the blue, is it enough in the key swing states – Florida, Ohio, Wisconsin, Michigan, Arizona, and North Carolina? Polling there is much tighter, certainly not the landslide some are starting to talk about elsewhere and with the damned Electoral College still in play, it is meaningful.

That’s why the Democrats will be hammering home the “get out the vote” message, knowing every ballot is critical and that complacency is their greatest enemy. The Red Hats, meanwhile, will be hitting the dog whistles hard, balancing precariously on a faux pre-COVID-19 economic gain, and populist reactionary dialog to stimulate their base and give followers something to cling to in lieu of substantive accomplishment.

The only prediction about next Tuesday that seems a sure bet is that voter turnout will be huge, thanks to mail-in ballots. I’m pretty sure even without mail-in voting the turnout would show a substantial increase.

What concerns me most is the possibility of some manufactured crisis that could sway voters – whether a problem with North Korea, China, or Russia. We’ve already got enough to sort out without examining the validity of some 11^th-hour beef between the United States and any number of renegade regimes.

Still, as we enter the final week, I cannot help but feel that this has been an unsatisfactory campaign. Heavy on mudslinging, the issues have either been obfuscated, denied, or clouded with lies. There hasn’t really been much in the way of intellectual give and take, not much discussion as people have talked at each other rather than with each other, anger replacing logic and reason.

I miss the old days, really, of true ideological debate and discussion instead of the juvenile name-calling and bombastic counterpunching. We deserved better. Besides, nothing more boring than a couple of old codgers slugging it out in the ring. Not a lot of energy and not a lot of punch as they staggered around, circled each other, and looked for a knockout punch that never materialized. Even when the president came unhinged during the first debate, his jabs were dulled by the infantile manner in which they were delivered.

What I have seen through this campaign is not surprising.

Among those willing to talk about the candidates objectively, using intellect and reason, I find most voters want a return to some sort of normalcy. I have met very few Republicans who don’t preface their conversation with “I don’t like Trump personally, but…” Most do not like his character, demeanor, style, but cite their view of his economic idealism. Oh, there are Trump supporters who share his isolationist views, his white nationalism, his conspiracy claims. That is the core of his base. But, it is impossible to tell just how deep that runs. My thought is that very few loyal and true Republicans would be comfortable inviting Donald Trump over for Sunday dinner.

On the other side, I hear most Democrats saying how although Joe Biden may not be their first choice, he has their support because of his electability and the “anybody-but-Trump” mentality most Democrats have embraced. He appeals to old-timers because of his moderate positions and he has swept in younger voters by placing Kamala Harris and her youthful energy on the ticket. In the coming week we will see Harris and her opponent, Mike Pence, fairly muzzled and pretty much in the cheerleader role, instructed not to rock the boat or do something stupid. Their only job will be to smile and extoll the virtues of their running mates and they will both be on a very short leash.

The guys at the top of the ticket?

That’s another story.

Both are in a position where it is pretty much in their hands and, I am sure, they will try to steer themselves into election day working off instinct and emotion rather than sticking to the advice of cooler heads, which is why some last-minute fireworks and histrionics are probable.

It’s just a matter of who will go all-in and who will play their chips smartly.

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