Flip This Ticket

I hope I publish this post before something else major happens. Good grief.

Call it the Kamala effect. Since the Vice President took the reins from President Biden on July 21st, the Democrats have raised over a quarter billion dollars nationally, she instantly took the lead in polls in several swing states, and brought new energy into an otherwise interminable election cycle. The timing was uncanny; Biden wasn't going to back out during the RNC, but opted to do so a couple days after, to curb the traditional post-convention bump.

Even though Harris was a strong presence on the campaign trail, her first run for the Oval Office in late 2019 was undercut by financial issues. Now she has the message *and* the war chest. It also puts the onus of age squarely on Trump, who won the June debate by default but still rambles like Abraham Simpson at his frequent rallies. There's also the prosecutor versus felon angle. Even with the dramatic boost in donations, the race has gone from a narrow Trump lead to a virtual tie nationally, and there's still three months of brinksmanship to go. 

Now the question, who will be the veep's veep? Probably a middle-aged white guy with liberal, not necessarily progressive leanings. JB Pritzker would be a good pick (local bias) but Tim Walz would also be suitable. Either would look relatively sane --and safe-- compared to an awkward, jejune, trust fund doofus like JD Vance.

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