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New Orleans       We’re on the election countdown, but, frankly, that’s been the case for almost four years, so in some sense, what’s new?  The polls don’t look good for the president, either nationally or in many of the battleground states.

Some Republicans, like Texas Senator Ted Cruz and Nebraska Senator Ben Sasse are even talking about a “blue wave” for the Democrats.  In Sasse’s case, in a reported conversation with his constituents, he forecast, essentially, that the hens were coming to roost now after Trump has hated women, loved dictators, encouraged racists, evaded taxes, and enriched his family and friends.  Essentially, he’s saying that the payment is now coming due for the deal he and the Republicans have made with the devil for the last four years.  They are happy that they have left the country armed and divided and that they ravished the judiciary from top to bottom during their stewardship, but many now see the walls tumbling down.

It’s hard to know.  Somehow, they could still keep the Senate and be a big rock in the road.  Heck, somehow Trump could be re-elected.  We’ve seen miracles happen before, so they could happen again.  This time though, perhaps Sasse is right, because all of the signs are starting to point to a shellacking on election night, and Trump seems unable to shift gears or change.

Trump had to go to Iowa to shore up the state.  Iowa, that he won in a landslide four years ago.  Polls are saying that Texas and Georgia are tight and could go for Biden.  Texas particularly is going to turn, if not this time, soon, but now could be the time, and once it goes, it may be impossible for the Republicans to turn around again.  South Carolina’s Lindsay Graham is in a tight race with an African-American man.  Kentucky’s Mitch McConnell is having to actually do some work to win against a younger woman.  They are still favored to win, but they are being challenged hard, and many other candidates will now see blood in the water and be circling and counting the days on what will inevitably be their last terms.

The price won’t be just in the loss of some seats for the Republicans.  The polls now have Biden leading among whites, which would be the first for decades.  Suburbs, especially suburban women, have been Republican bulwarks, but Trump and his toadies have shown them their true colors with misogyny, the pandemic, school mischief, child separation, and just plain brutish behavior.  Immigrants, forget about them.  Mexican-Americans are not going to be voting Republican given the wall and the abuse.

We’re going to see a lot of doubletalk soon as Republican politicians start jumping like rats from what seems like a sinking ship, but salvaging that ship is going to be very hard given the damage that Trump has done to their party, and the power his sycophants still exercise over its affairs in many states.

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Please enjoy I’m Alive by Norah Jones.

Thanks to WAMF.