MAYBE DEMOCRACY HAS BEEN SAVED

Eight weeks minus one day until November 5, but the Donald Trump vs Kamala Harris presidential debate last night gives higher hopes for Democracy in the USA into the future.  Here was the status before the debate:

• Big (6'3" tall) and boisterous Donald Trump at the left podium.  A veteran of six presidential debates.
• Demure (5'4") and smiling Kamala Harris at the right podium.  No experience at this level.
• A former president versus a little known vice-president.

What happened?

• At introduction, Harris went right up to Trump's podium and surprised him with a handshake, introducing herself and saying, let's have a good debate. Trump seemed uncomfortable and appeared to back off.

• 
  Trump for nearly one hour and 45 minutes looked angry and stared into empty space or at the moderators.
• Harris was calm and forceful, many times looking directly at Trump, but mostly staring into the camera when she spoke.  Her body language was superb. 
• I don't recall Trump, turning to look at Harris.  What kind of debate coaching did he have?  How did he survive his first six debates?

Most "real" polls showed that Harris trounced Trump.

• CNN:  Harris 63% to Trump 37%.
• The Wall Street Journal said Harris clearly won the debate.
• What did Fox News say?  Huge majority of debate watchers say Harris took home the victory, CNN poll finds.

• 
  If you watched other conservative news channels, as I did, a little bit, there was uniform positivity about Trump's performance.  However, ABC moderators David Muir and Linsey Davis were chastised for being biased and unfair to Trump.  Particularly, only Trump was checked for telling a lie.  But that's because he exaggerates and fabricates almost every time he opens his mouth, while Harris tells the truth.  Well, she had a couple of fibs.  In fact, Time magazine reported that Muir and Linsey did this thankless job mostly right.

• 
  Chris Wallace, longtime Fox News host who now works for CNN commented and noted that Trump looked old tonight.
• Here is ABC News' detailed fact-checking of the debate.
• From Time magazine, the biggest moments from the debate.
• Will there be a second debate?  Harris has suggested so.  Trump is mulling this over.  Remember, Hillary Clinton beat him in both of their debates.  He is just not good at this.

• 
  Watch Stephen Colbert joke about the debate.  This might be your best 14 minutes of the week.
• Harris and Trump again shook hands at the 9/11 memorial service in New York City today.

Here is something important.  Before the debate, the betting favorite for next president was Donald Trump.  After the debate on BetOnline:

• Harris now the -120 favorite.
• Trump is now the +100 underdog.
• Mind you, the percentage odds are close:  50.9% for Harris to 49.1% for Trump.
• But the important factor is the matter of flipping from one to the other.
• Furthermore, averaging all the other betting platforms:
• Harris is now the -105 favorite, or 51.3%
• Trump is now at +102 underdog, or 47.6%.
• Clearly, the mood of the people has changed from Trump to Harris.  From Autocracy back to Democracy.

What will also boost the Harris-Walz ticket is the U.S. economy:  inflation in August dropped to 3-year low, and  the lowering Consumer Price Index will influence the Federal Reserve to gradually reduce interest rates at their meeting next week, which will further boost the stock market.  Trump remains ahead of Harris on the economy, but she yet appeal to the middle class with this news.

Remember how Joe Biden gave up and endorsed Kamala Harris soon after the debate with Donald Trump on June 27?  No matter how the conservative news channels and Republican politicians are handling Trump's near debacle against Harris, one wonders if they are actually truly concerned how Trump will affect those running for the Senate and House.  He is old, unhinged, a felon, a liar, a liability and much more.  Too late to do anything about this, but perhaps those Republicans who want Trump beaten to rescue the future of the party might actually get their wish.

Can't end without another Taylor Swift sighting.  

On Tuesday night, Taylor Swift made a much-anticipated endorsement – she’s backing Vice President Harris for president. “She fights for the rights and causes I believe need a warrior to champion them,” Swift wrote on Instagram. “I think she is a steady-handed, gifted leader and I believe we can accomplish so much more in this country if we are led by calm and not chaos.”

Watch Tim Walz's reaction when being informed by Rachel Maddow.  Then again, you might say, big deal, celebrities are not important in politics.  But Taylor Swift has 283 million followers on Instagram, mostly younger women.  They influence those around them, especially voting parents.  In addition:

"Celebrities draw increased engagement, increased attention, and they increase conversation," said Ashley Spillane, the author of a new study from Harvard’s Kennedy School on celebrity engagement in politics — focusing on civic participation. "And no matter the political party or the candidate, there is a real hunger to be affiliated with the celebrities that can do that."

So when is Beyonce going to announce her endorsement.  Maybe she is waiting for the right moment.  In any case, she has threatened the Trump campaign to cease and desist using her Lemonade track.  It worked, they stopped.  And, of course, she has supported Harris' usage of her Freedom song, which features Kendrick Lamar, who will be the entertainer for the next Super Bowl.  

Of course, the estate of Isaac Hayes sued Trump for continuing to use (maybe 133 times) Hold On, I'm Coming, a 1966 hit for Sam and Dave, even though Sam Moore himself thought it was okay.  This was Trump's go-to dance move on the campaign.  So, anyway, the campaign stopped.  Add others, like Bruce Springsteen, Rihanna, Phil Collins, Pharrell, John Fogerty, Neill Young, Eddy Grant, Panic? at the Disco, R.E.M., ABBA, Adele, Aerosmith, A-ha, Celine Dion, Credence Cleawater Revival, Earth Wind & Fire, Foo Fighters, Free, House of Pain, Johnny Mar, Linkin Park, Nico Vega, The O'Jays, Ozzy Osbourne, The Rolling Stones, Twisted Sister, Village People, The White Stripes and Guns N' Roses, and you get the idea that a lot of people can't stand Donald Trump.  I don't think Harris has had one such issue.  

Some of Trump's supporters might be more and more wondering why he is so unpopular.  Time to look into this matter.  There must be a reason.  Maybe Kamala Harris just might prevail after that debate.  But consider also Taylor Swift and her compatriots, too, for helping saving Democracy.

Hurricane Francine made landfall over Louisiana at 100 MPH.

There are further murmurings of ocean storms in the Caribbean.

Tropical Storm Bebinca will attain typhoon strength tomorrow, and reach Category 3 status just before making landfall over China, currently projected to be between Ningbo and Wenzhou, on Sunday.  Cruise ships, watch out.

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