I almost felt sorry for him.

Almost. Then I remembered his cruelty.

I almost felt sorry for him.

Then I remembered all the people Trump has treated like dirt over the years. The people he has mocked and demeaned, the people he’s called names, the people he’s cheated, the people he’s bullied, the people he’s walked over, the people he’s discarded… 

And Kamala Harris was not mean; she was smart and well-prepared. She knew what points she wanted to make and she understood her opponent’s weaknesses—vanity, thin skin and ignorance. She let him hang himself. 

If you missed it, you can watch or read the transcript at ABC. Check it out.

Trump’s loss was his own damn fault. Cocksure of his own brilliance [sic], too lazy and undisciplined to prepare, he ignored the basic rules of the debate game: 

1. Understand the assignment (convince the undecideds that he’d be a competent leader, responsive to their needs).

2. Know your audience (the undecided but persuadable voters).

3. Know your talking points (the ones that would play well with non-MAGAs)

4. Behave as if you are a nice human being who cares about other people.

5. Keep your cool.

The rants usually cheered by his adoring MAGA crowds sound creepy and unhinged to regular folk. Many now see that the Emperor is a buck-naked, angry, incoherent old fart. 

He repeated his favorite lies over and over and over. A gushing gish gallop of them:

• So many immigrants! millions and millions of immigrants—“violent criminals, sent from prisons and insane asylums to overtake our cities. They’re destroying our country.” 

• Abortion (and execution) of babies after the ninth month (!😳!). “Leave abortion to the states.” (Right. Many states have criminalized it.)  Trump says he and Vance have never discussed vetoing a national abortion ban. (Wouldn’t it be a good idea to discuss such important positions with your running mate?)

• Dude never met a superlative he didn’t love. “We have the greatest (best/worst/highest/lowest/biggest)___ in the history of our country.”

  • “I think [Biden]’s the worst president in the history of our country. She goes down as the worst vice president in the history of our country.” (Said twice).

  • “He [head of NATO] said it was one of the most incredible jobs that he's ever seen done.” 

  • “These people [the Biden administration] did the worst withdrawal and in my opinion the most embarrassing moment in the history of our country.”

  • “This is the most divisive presidency in the history of our country. There's never been anything like it.”

  • “The worst inflation we've ever had.”

• Eating the dogs? “In Springfield, they're eating the dogs. The people that came in. They're eating the cats. They're eating -- they're eating the pets of the people that live there.” He knows it’s true: “Well, I saw it on television.”  This golden retriever is extremely disconcerted on hearing Trump say this. (Listen, watch, and prepare to laugh very loud.) Springfield City Manager says it’s not true.

I swear, if a large majority of voters don’t see through this dark desperate con-man, I fear for the future of American democracy.

What was your take?

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PUT YOURSELF IN THE WAY OF BEAUTY

An overgrown artichoke from my new friend Abby’s garden in N. Portland