Three-Point Shots, Vol. 2, No. 10: August 16, 2024
In which we explore Kamalamentum, Dan Patrick’s epic humility, and the need to check your voter registration.
Welcome to another edition of Three-Point Shots, a part of my Life Its Ownself Substack page. If you enjoy reading it, please 1) hit the Like button, 2) subscribe to the Life Its Ownself newsletter, and 3) share it with others in the link below. Comments are welcome and encouraged.
Friday, August 16, 2024
Quote of the Week:
“Knowledge is knowing that a tomato is a fruit; wisdom is not putting it in a fruit salad.”
Miles Kington (1941-2008)
1. The Origins of Kamalamentum
Kamala Harris’s near-perfect assumption of the Democratic presidential nomination and the almost flawless first month of her campaign are a miracle of modern politics – especially of modern Democratic politics, which are usually more disorganized.
Clearly, Democrats are relieved that, especially after his June 27 debate performance, they will not have to drag Joe Biden’s senescent ass across the finish line in November. To be fair, Biden’s term in office has been a masterclass in Getting Things Done for the people of this country, usually in the face of a frivolous and recalcitrant Congress. And there’s no doubt Biden has been a welcome change from the day-to-day insanity and rampant corruption of the Trump years. Biden will go down as the most consequential president of the 21st century so far.
It’s fair to say, though, that Kamala Harris has tapped into some deep reservoir of Democratic hope and joy – “Happy Days Are Here Again” in a way they’ve not been since at least 2008. Her selection of Tim Walz as her running mate has been a huge success, despite some carping from the commentariat that he was either a) too liberal, or b) not Josh Shapiro. Walz is authentic and funny and, yes, joyful on the hustings.
The stars have lined up perfectly so far, and they go into next week’s Democratic National Convention in Chicago with the winds at their back. There’s no greater validation of this than the daily rants and meltdowns of Donald Trump and his campaign brain trust, who planned their entire campaign, spiritually and strategically, around punching down on poor old decrepit Joe Biden. In particular, Trump’s selection of J.D. Vance as his running mate, designed to fire up MAGA enthusiasm in what they thought would be a runaway campaign, is now – drip by drip by drip – turning into the “worst VP pick in modern times.”
Going into the convention, Harris-Walz bring a lead in national polling as well as in most battleground states. It’s almost too good to last.
So will it?
Here’s a thought experiment: if Joe Biden had announced a year ago that he would not run for re-election, and the Democrats had an ordinary primary season this spring, would Kamala Harris be accepting the nomination next week? I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments.
2. The Unbearable Lightness of Dan Patrick and the “Miracle” of Trump’s Survival
Dan Patrick has bever been a shy man – he once got a vasectomy live on the airduring a radio broadcast – but his 10 years as Lieutenant Governor have made him worse, if possible.
Last week he appeared as a guest on the Dr. Phil show – yep, I thought he was dead, too. The show’s title had the alluring subtitle “GOD, FAMILY, COUNTRY | PRAISE,” so you’ll be surprised to know I missed it.
I did not miss, however, Patrick’s attempt to promote the TV show by sending an email to all the GOP senators – his vassals, in other words – asking them to promote the appearance. Patrick titillated them with the following nuggets of programming genius:
"Tonight at 7:00 p.m. on TBN, Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick will join Matt Crouch, Chairman of Trinity Broadcasting Network, and Dr. Phil for a thought-provoking discussion. They will discuss whether President Trump’s survival of the recent assassination attempt was a mere stroke of luck or divine intervention. I am looking forward to this conversation and invite you to tune in as well."
I feel sorry for these guys. Patrick controls their lives and livelihoods and political fortunes in a way no previous Lite Guv ever dared. If he turns on one of them, as he did with Kel Seliger, their political career is over. I am sure this is not the first time he’s ordered them to promote him, and it won’t be the last.
By the way, I have a secret theory that Trump’s survival was supernatural, but I would not use the word “divine” for it.
3. Check Your Voter Registration!
It may surprise you to hear that some Republican-controlled legislatures and local election officials want to make it harder for you to vote. In fact, this is an obsession with the modern Republican Party ever since they realized they are a minority party and most Americans do not agree with them on key issues.
One of the ways they’ve done this, including in Texas, is to purge voter rolls more frequently, under pretexts like keeping track of frequently-moving voters, eliminating voters who haven’t voted in the last couple cycles, etc.
Bottom line: your voter registration may have been deleted without your knowledge. Forewarned is forearmed: check your voter registration with your local state or county voter registration officials to make sure you’re still listed as a voter.
Texas Secretary of State “Am I Registered?” portal
Contact your county voter registrar to see how to register if necessary. For example, Travis County.
National database of state and local election officials
Nationwide, 43 states permit online voter registration. Unfortunately, Texas is not one of them. (Three guesses as to which political party has blocked legislation to permit that for several sessions now.)
The good news, if you’ve been taken off the rolls for any reason, is you can still re-register to vote. The deadline for the November election is Monday, October 7.
Your weekend reading …
… “The One Big Policy That Kamala Harris Needs,” by Ron Brownstein in The Atlantic
… for those who’d like to stroll down Memory Lane with me, check out my Substack post, “My Decade as a Monk.”
… or check out my friend Ash Kelsch’s encounter with Tori the Tortoise.
Answer to the thought question: No.
"Worst VP pick in modern times"? I must assume that the modern era began after August 2008. The Palin nomination was a godsend for comics and satirists...and an albatross for McCain. I recognize that Palin lacked any sofa-related comedy, but she made up for it in many other ways. The turkey video still entertains.