It has been a while since I’ve posted. So, let’s jump right in and talk about who you are voting for, and most importantly, why.

Once more with feeling.

I was in Portland, Maine during the Obama / Romney election, and happened to be there on the night of one of the debates. After dinner, as we were likely walking off something delicious, we approached a bar thinking we would stop in and get a nightcap.

We walked in, and the bar was packed. Eerily quiet. On a television screen in every corner of the bar was the debate, volume cranked. Everyone was rapt, focused, listening. We somehow managed to wedge ourselves into a table. Besides the rare stray comment directed at the screen, (he’s full of shit!), it was a respectful communal viewing of public discourse -- a beautiful snapshot of a moment in time.

That election was divisive, for sure. But if you haven’t noticed, divisiveness has edged itself up a notch. We now have “rigged” elections and people storming our beloved and hallowed capitol in the name of an insane now former president named Donald Trump, a self-proclaimed billionaire who sells bibles just to raise money to pay the legal fees for the numerous court cases he’s involved in, one involving sex with a porn star.

The very idea of a “debate” seems antiquated. They resemble more like shouting matches and insult laden tirades, more like a political roast than an actual discussion of actual issues. 

Yeah, politics today is different. Obama vs. Romney seems refreshing, normal. I regret not giving Romney his due, frankly. He turned out to be one of the good ones. 

But today emotions are higher than they have ever been, now that Trump’s opponent is Kamala Harris, the current Vice President and former prosecutor in her late 50s (young!), who famously asked, “You think you just fell out of a coconut tree?”

Coconuts and insurrections aside, in just a couple of months we’re all going to carry ourselves to local polling places and vote for President of the United States which is one of the coolest things about being American. We all have a voice in the direction of our country. Sadly, it won’t be “all” of us. Some people don’t vote. After the election, those non-voters are not allowed to have an opinion about the outcome, because they didn’t care enough in the first place.

We were in a bit of a quandary as willing and eager voters as recently as a month ago when the race looked like crazy old guy vs. really old guy. For a lot of voters, the level of enthusiasm to vote was akin to mustering enthusiasm to go to the dentist. A third candidate emerged, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. whom the media ignored. A few people were intrigued, but his pulse was barely palpable. Recently RFK has now aligned himself with the crazy billionaire, and none of it makes any sense. 

The really old guy, Joe Biden, dropped out of the race and was replaced by Harris, a woman with a ton of energy and a positive attitude. Crazy old guy Trump started freaking out and seemed to be slightly disoriented by the fact that he now has a new opponent who could challenge him and his army of supporters, some of which think JFK Jr., is still alive and that Joe Biden is not actually running the country, Donald Trump is, most likely from a golf course.

Trump was nearly shot during a rally, and many people thought that would put him over the top, a near-martyr for freedom. But now for the most part that incident has been forgotten. Maybe the most fascinating thing about it was Trump asserting that his right ear, which took the brunt of the bullet allowed him the opportunity to say he was a “fast healer,” even though he hasn't fully recovered from losing the last election, and that was nearly 4 years ago. 

Honestly, it just seems like a lot of bullshit. Noise. Meaningless drivel. Sabers rattling in an echo chamber. Irrationality. We, the voters, are mercilessly inundated with details that have little to do with what either of these candidates would do if they were president. 

There has been a lot of chatter about how Kamala Harris has been skirting the media, and we are unsure where she stands on certain issues. She recently sat down with CNN and was asked about how Donald Trump questioned her ethnicity. She astutely responded, “Next question, please.”

The question is indicative of what the election cycle has become. Soundbites and nonsense. Style over substance. Matters of policy be damned. Donald Trump also seems to be dicey on the issues and his proposals seem to be based on sales tactics and very little conviction – most things he says are less about what he would do and more about what his opponent wouldn't do, which is be a good president. Honestly, I admire the simplicity.

Why? Because people don't care about policy. This election is all about a feeling, and nothing more. How many voters do you know want to take a deep dive into foreign policy and economics? Your neighbor can talk your ear off about it, but let’s face it, they don’t really know. We also live in a time where information is everywhere, and no one knows exactly where to get the correct information. It turns out that the more you know, the less you know, even though your friend on Facebook can try to convince you with scary conviction.

In a binary contest, people have to make concessions when deciding who they want to win. We are all independent thinkers, and it is nearly impossible to align completely with one side or the other. I like Kamala, and I do know a bit about her policy proposals. I’m not sure how a first-time home buyer assistance of $25,000 will work. And I’m not fond of her stance on what she calls “unrealized capital gains.” Even though that policy only affects people making over 100 million dollars a year, at least to me, it seems questionable.

Still, she is not a felon. She didn’t inspire a mob of disenfranchised people to storm our capitol. She believes in the sanctity of American establishments and knows that our voting system is not rigged. Her running mate, Tim Walz, recently spoke of the importance of having solid, functional gutters on Midwest homes. It resonated with me.

Kamala has done a lot to mobilize young voters and female voters - many of whom were part of the disengaged group who scoffed at voting for Trump or Biden. That has changed the face of this election for sure. And we do know that Trump has never won the popular vote. Most Americans simply don’t support him.

Yeah, this election comes down to a feeling. Podcasters, talk show hosts, and pundits would like to make it about policies and proposals. But voters simply don't vote like that. What makes them check a box comes down to simple, easy-to-digest things that people perceive align with their identity, and that’s it. 

I love a brash asshole who tells it like it is.

I’m unabashedly pro-life.

There’s nothing wrong with being a billionaire.

I’m voting for a woman, period.

Of course, the election was rigged.

I will never vote for a felon.

I will never vote for a black person.

I’m LGBTQ and I want to be seen.

Gay marriage is wrong.

Make America Great Again.

For shits and giggles, I visited both Trump’s and Harris’s official websites to see if I can find some substance around foreign policy.

Trump’s site has a platform page that lists 20 core promises. One of which says: Prevent World War Three, restore peace in Europe and the Middle East, and build a great iron dome missile defense shield over our entire country -- all made in America.

Harris’s site does not have a foreign policy page, or a platform page, but does give users many opportunities to donate. Oh well.

Just as I thought. It’s all about a feeling.