“Harris should have spent more time attacking Trump’s record as president — the factories didn’t really come back as people hoped — and suggesting that his current promises were more fantasy. “

Again, I don’t think people doing it tough are going to be swayed by facts and figures. I think the Democrats were right to target feelings and present a path out of the present with optimism. MAGA voters simply don’t take any notice of facts and figures and swing voters doing it tough are stressed right now and angry – the Biden administration is likely who they are directing their anger at, I don’t believe throwing facts and figures would work with these folk at this time.

“The crucial thing Harris didn’t do was demolish Trump on his record with the economy. That would not have been easy either.”

There is no way she’d convince any of Trump’s supporters that Biden/Harris have done a better job on the economy. I think it is extremely unlikely anyone would convince the swing voter’s either. Unfairly, no amount of explaining that inflation was a consequence of covid crippling supply chains and the war in Ukraine, would convince those doing it hard in the US that it wasn’t the fault of the Biden administration – we can all see it from the outside looking in, but those experiencing it simply don’t see it.

It appeared that the Democrats chose a strategy of look to the future with optimism instead – which I thought she did well – trying in vain to prosecute the argument they have done a better job than Trump would’ve is hypothetical and as I said, unlikely to succeed, imo.

In Australia thanks to The Moloch there is SAD.

 Both a great acronym together with nominative determinism?

Sky After Dark Comedy Show appears to be like some strange US sitcom.

Set in a TV station where the inmates appear to be mendacious, paranoid, scared of the other, black/brown/yellow/aliens of any sort, people who have the temerity to present facts and question them and are all very shouty at such and that even at their own cohort.

The inmates consist of right wing to libertarian current and ex politicians, their enablers, media hacks of no particular worth as well as the odd RWRNJ, the second R being for Religious.

Out here in regional Australia Sky has been inflicted on FTA , in a desperate attempt to increase its dismal ratings, so no need to subscribe to the stupidity it pops up while going through to other channels.

SAD was somewhat amusing with all the inmates rabbiting on about the election that was stolen from Ya Radge Orange Bampot, as the Scots have it.

It was both amazing and amusing to watch the antediluvians, Alan Jones, Maurice Newman, as well younger inmates Bolt, Credlin, Dean, Murray, Panahi et al, frothing at the mouth in their lunatic presentations about the electoral fraud concerning Trump’s loss of both the Electoral College and the popular vote by c. 6 million votes.

The question never asked of them , as far as I could hear/see…if the Democratic Party was exercising such electoral fraud, how come they lost seats in the House of Representatives and at that earlier stage had yet to win a single Senate seat?

Further on when Labor won the last Federal election they all again went ballistic, in particular The Mad Murray, who has been reported, imploring viewers to vote Liberal, this together with a Murray hot-mic admission: ‘Sky News at night is a Liberal echo chamber’

And recently Dean was equally demented concerning the NSW election loss to Labor, frothing at the mouth concerning the Labor win, the fault being that the Liberal Party was to blame by being to accommodating to moderate views

That finding is a big surprise to me. Proof positive that the defence machine is a) not fit for purpose and b) command at all levels is peopled by ignorant fools, too weak to change things for the better. What a bunch of cretins.

“Trump was at his worst, and by that I mean not ethically but performatively.” I’m not privy to what the MAGA crew were expecting, but I suspect they got what they wanted to see:

• loads of demonization of immigrants
• accusations of responsibility for the deaths of US soldiers in Afghanistan
• loads and loads of the Biden administration destroying the economy accusations
• accusations that the Biden administration is the threat to democracy
• loads and loads of accusations that the Biden administration is responsible for the wars
• loads of calling Harris weak
• questioning her race
• most importantly he appeared sharp, disciplined and focused; not a rambling old weirdo as far as MAGA would be concerned.

To my mind these serve to reinforce their beliefs, and all Trump had to do was deliver them competently, not like Biden was incapable of doing in the last debate. I doubt very much that MAGA supporters are going to find conspiracy theories about immigrants eating people’s pets was outrageous, on the contrary I suspect they’d mistakenly see it as Trump saying the things others are afraid to say, and swallow it hook, line and sinker.

Depends on the progressive, I guess. Progressives who are comfortable and secure under US capitalism will have no hesitation voting for Harris. Progressives who aren’t are likely to declare a pox on both their houses.

As ever it will be a turn out election rather than an election of ideas. The impact of the Swift intervention will be interesting to see. But the character, policies and history of Harris or Trump apart, I cannot see America electing a female President. Won’t happen