It was bad enough when footage of a 2021 interview resurfaced in which Vance called Democrats “a bunch of childless catwomen who are miserable about their lives and the choices they've made.” It got even worse last week when Vance, without an apology, blamed “people” for “getting caught up in the sarcasm and not getting to the substance of what I actually said.”
Okay, okay, but that doesn't help at all. The point is that childless adults don't have an equal say in national affairs, and Vance says he stands by that argument. In another unearthed clip, he argues that parents should be able to cast an extra vote for each child in a family who isn't of voting age. Vance didn't back down from that statement either, insisting it was merely a “thought experiment,” not a firm policy position.
Normally, Vance would admit that he said something stupid and would now regret it. But being Trump's wingman means you never have to apologize, and in fact approved To say I'm sorry.
“The people on the other side are weird,” said Tim Walz, the Minnesota governor who is on Harris' running mate list. “Oh my goodness, they attacked the cat people. Good luck. Turn on the internet and see what happens when you attack the cat people.”
Trump is also a weirdo, and that's becoming increasingly clear. Since last fall, he has regularly told nonsense stories at his campaign rallies about boats and batteries and sharks. When critics have pointed out that the stories don't make sense, and laughed at Trump's ignorance of basic physics, he sticks to his claimed infallibility. He told one audience member that it's “not actually weird” and that it's “kind of clever.” But not in this world.
Trump also can't stop talking about “the late Hannibal Lecter,” the fictional cannibalistic serial killer played by Anthony Hopkins in the 1991 film “Silence of the Lambs.” It's unclear where the phrase “the late Hannibal Lecter” came from, since the character doesn't die in the film and Hopkins is still alive. Trump also repeated Lecter's quote in his 92-minute acceptance speech at the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee. No one knows why.
Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, one of Harris' running mates, said on Fox News on Sunday that Trump is “getting old and weird.” It's hard to argue with that assessment.
It's foolish for Democrats to think that weirdness alone will be enough to defeat Trump and Vance. But a little ridicule doesn't hurt. For months, Democrats have been walking the campaign trail in a sombre manner, as if they were going for a root canal. Now, suddenly, Democrats are having fun. They can look to their upcoming convention in Chicago as a celebration, a new beginning. The $200 million they've raised since President Biden withdrew and Harris became the presumptive nominee has brightened their mood even further.
Meanwhile, Republicans are struggling to solidify a new strategy. They had planned to make Biden's age and vulnerability an issue. But now some MAGA enthusiasts are instinctively trying to make Harris' race and gender an issue, calling her, for example, a “DEI hire,” using “diversity, equity and inclusion” as shorthand for “Black, Asian American and women.”
A campaign based on unapologetically racist and misogynistic means to “other” Harris as somehow separate from “real” America is, of course, vile. And they also need to convince voters that Trump and Vance are normal people, which they clearly are not.
To call Vance's friendliness a puppet is to insult the oaks and maples, as his awkward weekend trip to a Minnesota restaurant demonstrated, while Trump has actually used the nickname “Laughing Kamala” to poke fun at the vice president's rich sense of humor. But at least she has a sense of humor.
Think about it. We've heard Trump yell and jeer, and we've seen him laugh. But do you remember him laughing out loud? I don't. That's a little weird, don't you think?
